What We Are
Unashamed Recovery is a podcast just trying to spread hope, one episode at a time. At its core, the Unashamed Recovery Podcast is for the addiction and recovery community, built by the addiction and recovery community.
From day 1 our mission has been to break the shame and stigma of addiction and recovery, something our founder knows all too well. As apart of our show, we share real stories of real addiction from real people in real recovery and sobriety.
Over the years, the show has continued to stay true to its faith based recovery background by also bringing you recovery topics straight from a biblical perspective; taking a look at a familiar recovery topic and looking at it from another angle.
Who We Are
In 2014, creator and founder, Josh Hollingshead started his recovery journey from a 20 year porn addiction. Late in 2015 after many different failed attempts of maintaining any level of "sobriety", Josh walked through the doors of Celebrate Recovery at his home church at NorthPark in Meridian,MS. It was there that he was finally able to admit his addiction and to heal through recovery. Shame had always been apart of Josh's story and it had always held back any progress in overcoming the addiction that had ahold of his life. In 2017, Josh relapsed for 8 months. When Josh came back to Celebrate Recovery later in the year, he came back on a mission to overcome the addiction no matter what the cost at the sake of his marriage. The first obstacle in his way was shame, and after months of pressing forward through the shame of his past, Josh found healing through the power of Jesus Christ, and the support system of Celebrate Recovery and the importance of the 12th step of the recovery program.
The Early Days
In the early parts of 2019, God started planting the seeds that would eventually become Unashamed Recovery Podcast. Through the course of several trials, setbacks, failure and self doubt, the first episode sat on the shelf for more than 6 months. Eventually, in the fall of 2019, Unashamed Recovery finally hit the podcast scene and aired independently on October 4, 2019. It was not an over night success, and struggled to find an audience. 7 out of the 12 episodes of that first Season were topic episodes, and personal testimonies were not included into the shows line-up until much later in the season. It wasn't until Episode 8 in May of 2020 that the show would find its home among the Faith Recovery Community of Mississippi. Days after the release of "bad company corrupts good character | Summer's Story" the podcast began to attract dozens upon dozens of new listeners; introducing a surge of energy that would continue to soar through the end of Season 1 in September of '20. The personal testimonies became an instant listener favorite and would become a staple among the shows format through upcoming seasons. The podcast had finally found its fan base, as it gained more attention from the local faith based recovery community, labeling the show as Mississippi’s First Recovery Podcast.
Unashamed Goes Global
In the wake of the addition of Drew Smith as the show's Co-Host, anticipation began to build for another season in the fall of 2020. Season 2 premiered on November 2, 2020 with guest Shauna Wade sharing her story, a testimony that resonated with listeners from all over. That first episode of Season 2 changed the course of Unashamed Recovery forever. Just hours after the episode was released, downloads were in the tens of thousands. "The Wound is the Gift | Shauna's Story" was and still is, the highest downloaded episode in Unashamed history, putting the podcast on a world-wide level, with downloads listed as far away as Beirut.
At the onset of the Season 3 premiere in November of 2021, Unashamed Recovery was listed among the top 5% of the 3 million podcasts globally, ranked by Listen Score.
In the Media & Appearances
Over the years, Josh & Drew have taken the mission of Unashamed Recovery on the road, sharing their personal testimonies with Recovery groups all over the SouthEast United States. Since 2019, they have visited over 50 groups spanning 5 states [Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, & North Carolina] and over 7,000 miles.
July 13th of 2021, Josh and Drew did a on air interview with Jack Robertson, the morning radio dj for Renew 96.9, a Christian radio station in Magee, MS. The interview helped promote the podcast to the local community and surrounding areas. Listen to the interview HERE.
In the spring of 2022, at Foundry Church in Flowood, MS, Josh spoke at an event along with Christian Rock band Given Grace. After that first encounter, the band and Josh continued on the “Unashamed Tour” through the rest of 2022 at several more churches and recovery groups, ending the year with the first ever Unashamed Recover Out Loud Rally held at NorthPark Church in Meridian, MS. The Rally brought speakers and the recovery community together from all over the Southern United States
Also in 2022, Unashamed Recovery Podcast was featured twice in the online publication of Podcast Magazine. First appearance was in the March Issue [Vol 3 | No. 2 | Pg 89] featured in the “Under the Radar” segment in the Religion & Spirituality category. The second feature was in the April Issue [Vol 3 | No. 3 | Pg 100] also in the Religion & Spirituality category in the “Advice from Young Religion & Spirituality Podcasters”
Other Guest Appearances :
In October of 2019, Josh was a guest on the SOBERHOLIC PODCAST, Episode #35 - "MARRIAGE AFTER INFIDELITY IS POSSIBLE"
On September 2020, Josh also made guest appearance on Recovery [Sort Of] - The Podcast, Episode #50
This time not sharing his story or promoting Unashamed Recovery, but talking about Celebrate Recovery and the hope the program can bring to the addict who feels hopeless.
From There to Now
From the humble beginnings of recording season 1 in the spare bedroom of Josh's house on a $10 usb microphone, Unashamed Recovery is a prime example of what can be accomplished when we live inside the will of God. The podcast remains a passion project that has touched the lives of countless people all over the world and it's all because of the grace of God.
Today in the podcast's 4th season, the hope of life after addiction is being heard around the world in over 48 countries and in over 780 cities in all 50 states here in the U.S.A. With over 47,588 downloads, Unashamed Recovery is still pushing forward, despite the stigma. All in the name to reach just one more person lost in addiction.
