Lead Changes Recovery Center

02/03/2026

Living recovery means living your truth — even when it’s uncomfortable for others.

When Jelly Roll walked onto the Grammy stage holding a Bible in one hand and a Grammy in the other, it stirred strong reactions. Not because he attacked anyone. Not because he pushed beliefs. But because he shared his story.

A man who once sat in a 6×8 jail cell with nothing but a small Bible and a radio.
A man who has spoken openly about addiction, incarceration, failure, and redemption.
A man who stood on one of the biggest stages in the world and expressed gratitude for what helped save his life.

That’s recovery.

Recovery isn’t about perfection.
It’s about honesty.
It’s about acknowledging what pulled you out of the darkness.
It’s about telling the truth — even when not everyone understands it.

You don’t have to share someone’s beliefs to respect their journey.
You don’t have to agree to recognize their growth.
And you don’t have to be religious to understand gratitude.

At Lead Changes Recovery, we believe stories matter. When people in recovery speak their truth, it gives others permission to believe change is possible — even when they’re still stuck in their own rock bottom.

Authenticity saves lives.
Hope spreads.
And redemption stories deserve to be heard.

If you’re living recovery, your story matters too. 💙

02/01/2026

When life gets tough, I can persist.

Persistence doesn’t mean you never struggle. It means you keep choosing yourself—one breath, one step, one moment at a time. Strength isn’t loud. Sometimes it’s quiet resolve. Sometimes it’s simply not giving up when things feel heavy.

If today feels hard, let this be your reminder: you’ve faced tough seasons before—and you’re still here. Keep going. You’re building resilience with every choice to move forward.

🖤 One day. One choice. One lead change at a time.

01/31/2026

Morning Mantra 🤍

“People will love you. People will dislike you. And none of it will have anything to do with you.”

People think, react, and show up from their own level of awareness. Their experiences, wounds, fears, and lessons shape how they see the world—and how they see you.

When judgment shows up, remember this: it’s rarely about you. It’s about what someone else is carrying. Changing who you are to gain approval won’t heal their insecurities or meet their unmet needs.

In recovery—and in life—freedom comes from staying grounded in who you truly are. Stay kind. Stay curious. Stay committed to growth. And most of all, stay authentic. That’s where real healing lives.

✨ Be you. Fully. Honestly. Unapologetically. ✨

01/31/2026

🎉 IT’S OFFICIAL! 🎉

We are incredibly proud to share that Leanne is now a licensed addictions counselor in the state of North Dakota! 🖊️📜

This milestone represents years of dedication, education, lived experience, and an unwavering commitment to helping others find hope, healing, and lasting change. Licensure isn’t just a piece of paper—it’s a promise to serve with integrity, compassion, and professionalism.

Leanne’s work continues to blend clinical practice with heart-centered, real-world recovery support, meeting people exactly where they are and walking alongside them as they build a new path forward.

Please help us celebrate this hard-earned achievement and the many lives that will be impacted because of it. 💛

01/25/2026

✨ February is just around the corner, and it’s the perfect time to lean into daily reflection. ✨

This February Self-Care Journaling Calendar offers a simple, gentle prompt for each day—designed to help you slow down, check in with yourself, and build awareness one moment at a time.

📝 Why daily journaling matters (especially in recovery and mental health work):
• It helps you process thoughts instead of carrying them
• It builds emotional awareness and regulation
• It creates patterns of gratitude, accountability, and growth
• It gives your mind a safe place to land at the end of the day
• It turns small reflections into meaningful progress

You don’t need perfect words.
You don’t need long entries.
Just a few honest minutes a day can create powerful change over time.

Some days your journal might hold hope.
Other days it might hold frustration or grief.
All of it belongs—and all of it helps you move forward.

📖 Whether you’re new to journaling or returning to it, this calendar is an invitation to care for yourself with intention throughout the month of February.

One page. One prompt. One day at a time. 💛

01/25/2026

“Ditch the ‘I can’t.’ Dump the ‘why me.’ Drop the ‘if only.’
Listen closely… that sound you hear?
‘I CAN. I WILL. WATCH ME.’”

Recovery begins with a shift in mindset. Not pretending things didn’t happen. Not ignoring the hard parts. But choosing to stop letting the past define what’s possible next.

At Lead Changes Recovery, we know change doesn’t happen overnight. It happens when someone decides to move from powerless thinking to personal responsibility, from shame to action, from stuck to forward.

That doesn’t mean it’s easy. It means it’s worth it.

Recovery is built one decision at a time:
• Choosing progress over excuses
• Growth over guilt
• Action over fear

When you replace “I can’t” with curiosity, support, and skills—you create space for real change. And when you commit to “I will,” momentum follows.

You don’t have to have it all figured out.
You just have to be willing to take the next step.

We’re here to walk that step with you.

01/20/2026

“Legal” does NOT mean safe.

One of the most common and dangerous misconceptions we see is the belief that if a substance is legal, herbal, or easy to buy, it must be harmless. Unfortunately, that assumption puts individuals, families, and communities at risk.

Many legal substances are unregulated, not tested, and poorly understood. Because they’re openly sold and marketed, they often fly under the radar — making them harder to identify, harder to talk about, and harder to respond to when something goes wrong.

When substances aren’t talked about:
• They aren’t tested for
• They aren’t included in traditional drug education
• Medical professionals may struggle to identify them in emergencies
• Prevention efforts fall behind real-time trends

By the time data catches up, communities are often already dealing with the consequences.

Prevention starts with awareness. That means paying attention to changing language, behaviors, and trends — and understanding that marketing, availability, and legality do not equal safety.

At Lead Changes Recovery, we believe education is a critical part of recovery and prevention. Teaching critical thinking around substances, labels, and marketing saves lives—especially when conversations happen before a crisis.

Let’s keep talking. Let’s stay informed. And let’s remember: legal or herbal never automatically means safe.

Here is an article with more details:
by Jermaine Galloway January 2026

This is a question parents, educators, and law enforcement professionals hear often and one many people answer subconsciously without realizing it. There is a widespread belief that if a substance is legal, it must be safe. The word “legal” creates a false sense of security, especially when it comes to substances that are easily accessible, openly marketed, and not hidden in the shadows.

The truth is simple and important: "Legal does not mean safe". In fact, there are many legal substances that can be just as dangerous, and in some cases more dangerous, than illegal drugs. That same misconception applies to products labeled as “herbal” or “natural.” These terms are often mistaken for harmless, when in reality they can carry serious risks.

When we talk about legal drugs, we are often referring to substances that are not regulated, not classified as controlled substances, and not banned. Because they are legal to sell, they are widely available and often overlooked. This lack of oversight creates significant challenges for prevention, education, and response. These substances can contribute to addiction, interact dangerously with prescription or illegal drugs, and complicate treatment in emergency rooms and clinics. Schools and community prevention programs also struggle to address them because they don’t fit into traditional drug education models.

One of the biggest issues is visibility. Legal substances rarely make headlines. When a drug isn’t receiving media attention, it isn’t on the radar of parents, educators, or even professionals. When it’s not on the radar, there are no warnings, no bulletins, and no urgent conversations. And if we aren’t talking about it, we usually aren’t testing for it either. This creates a continuous loop where the problem grows quietly while awareness lags far behind.

Breaking that cycle requires attention to street-level drug trends. Every substance starts as a trend long before data catches up. Waiting for official statistics often means we are already years behind what youth and communities are experiencing in real time. For parents, this means listening closely to what kids are talking about. For educators, it means paying attention to changes in language, behavior, and curiosity. For law enforcement and prevention professionals, it means staying connected to what is actually being used, not just what appears in reports.

One often-overlooked indicator is marketing. Convenience stores and smoke shops provide clear clues about what is popular and selling. Products don’t earn prominent display space unless they are moving. When legal substances are openly advertised or placed front and center, that is a signal worth paying attention to. Those displays often leave “crumbs” of information that, if followed, can reveal emerging drug trends before they become widespread problems.

Because legal substances are not tested for, not well regulated, and often lack clear ingredient information, their risks can be amplified. Users may not know what they are taking, how potent it is, or how it might interact with other substances. Medical professionals may struggle to identify what is causing symptoms in an emergency. All of this increases the danger, even though the product itself is legal to purchase.

This is why education and prevention must evolve. Parents, educators, and law enforcement need to reinforce a consistent message: Legal or herbal does not mean safe. Communities must invest time in identifying emerging substances, training professionals to recognize them, and teaching young people critical thinking skills around drug use and marketing.

Awareness is the first step toward prevention. If you are looking for deeper information on specific legal or herbal substances, many are explored in detail through the Tall Cop Says Stop podcasts and newsletters, where current trends and real-world examples are regularly discussed.

01/19/2026

Abstinence and recovery are not the same — and understanding the difference matters.

Abstinence focuses on stopping substance use.
Recovery focuses on healing the whole person.

True recovery goes beyond putting substances down. It addresses the mind, body, emotions, relationships, and the patterns that kept someone stuck. It’s about building a life that no longer needs substances to cope, survive, or feel whole.

At Lead Changes Recovery, we believe:
• Abstinence can be a starting point
• Recovery is a process, not a finish line
• Support, connection, and education are essential
• Healing happens when the whole person is seen

You don’t just deserve sobriety — you deserve a meaningful, connected, and healthy life.

If you’re ready to move beyond “just not using” and into real change, recovery is possible.

01/18/2026

01/17/2026

“Drug addiction is like going to war. You never come back the same. And sometimes you don’t come back at all.”

Addiction is not a moral failure — it is a life-altering battle that affects the brain, the body, and everyone connected to the person struggling. Some survive the fight and carry scars. Some are forever changed. And tragically, some don’t make it home.

Recovery is about more than stopping substance use. It’s about healing trauma, rebuilding identity, restoring relationships, and learning how to live again after survival mode.

At Lead Changes Recovery, we believe:
• Education saves lives
• Early intervention matters
• Recovery is possible with the right support
• Families need healing too

If you or someone you love is fighting this war, you don’t have to do it alone. There is help. There is hope. And there is a path forward.

01/11/2026

Recovery isn’t about never feeling discomfort — it’s about learning how to stay when discomfort shows up.

Learning to sit with hard emotions without collapsing…
Learning to be quiet with your thoughts without running…
That’s nervous system healing. That’s emotional regulation. That’s growth.

When we stop escaping discomfort, we create space for calm, clarity, and choice. Over time, the places that once held panic begin to hold peace. Not because life got easier — but because you got stronger.

At Lead Changes Recovery, we remind clients that progress doesn’t always look loud or dramatic. Sometimes it looks like staying present, breathing through the moment, and choosing a different response than you would have before.

That’s not weakness.
That’s resilience.
That’s recovery.