“Owning our story can be hard, but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it.” — Brené Brown
Debra: You have a powerful story, particularly a lived experience, that has inspired your work. Can you share how you developed it into a more focused healing center practice?
Nadine: My story didn’t start as something I planned to share. It was something I was trying to survive. Early in my recovery, I began to see how powerful it was to speak honestly about what I had been through. Not in a performative way, but in a way that created real connection.
As I grew, so did my understanding of my story. Recovery didn’t just mean staying sober. It became about learning how to live differently. Taking care of myself in ways I never had before, physically, mentally, and emotionally. It was not just about changing my behavior. It was about changing how I showed up for myself.
That realization became the foundation of my work. Through RISE TOGETHER, I have spent years helping youth and adults use their voices through storytelling. Over time, my work has evolved into creating more intentional, healing-centered spaces that focus on the body, slowing down, and allowing people the space to process, not just share.
That is where my Enough Already Resets have come from. Storytelling can connect and help others, but more than anything, it helps you come back to yourself. It becomes a way to understand your experiences, release what you have been carrying and reconnect with who you are underneath it all.
Debra: Our mission is to use the power of art as healing tools to support individuals on their wellness journeys. As a creator, how do you think art can transform the spaces and places in our lives that require healing?
Nadine: I’ve learned that art gives us access to things we don’t always have words for. Whether it’s writing, photography, movement, or storytelling, art creates a way to express what’s been held inside, sometimes for years. I’ve seen this especially through storytelling.
When someone shares their story, it doesn’t just impact them; it shifts the entire space. It gives others permission to feel, to relate, to open up. And I think that’s where healing really begins.
It’s not always about fixing something.
It’s about being seen in it.
Art creates that space.
Debra: Social media can be a tough place to navigate for all of us, let alone young people who are living in a highly digital world. What are 3 tips you would give youth and teens when it comes to navigating social media in healthy ways?
Nadine:
- Pay attention to how you feel, not just what you see.
If something consistently makes you feel less than, anxious, or not enough… it’s okay to step away, block, or even unfollow. I do it often!
- Remember that most people are sharing highlights, not the full picture.
It’s easy to compare your real life to someone else’s curated version.
- Stay connected to your real life.
Your relationships, your environment, your voice in real spaces, that’s what grounds you. Social media shouldn’t (and can’t) replace that.
Debra: As the Executive Director of RISE TOGETHER, could you share your mission and how you serve others?
Nadine: At RISE TOGETHER, our mission is to prevent substance use and support mental health by helping people feel less alone. Our work has now reached over 500,000 students nationwide. We use peer-led storytelling to create spaces where youth and adults can be real, feel seen, and build genuine connections. From there, we equip educators, parents, and communities with tools to respond when someone is struggling.
At the core of our work is a simple belief: Stories Save Lives.
Debra: What are some main initiatives of RISE TOGETHER?
Nadine: Our work is rooted in research we’ve built through a decade of programming. Our peer-led storytelling model was analyzed in partnership with Penn State College of Medicine and developed into a peer-reviewed study published through the National Institutes of Health, showing that over 50% of students reported a decreased likelihood of substance use after a single experience.
From there, our main initiatives include:
- Speaking and storytelling experiences in schools and communities
- RISEconnection training, where we equip adults to hold space and respond when young people open up
- Youth-led programming and hangouts that create consistent spaces for connection
- Public health partnerships with counties and community organizations
Everything we do is centered around connection. Giving people the tools to support each other in real, meaningful ways.
Debra: You recently wrote and published a book, “Enough Already: A Journey From Hiding To Healing”. What is your book about, and how can people find it?
Nadine: Enough Already is about the search for self-worth.
It walks through my personal journey from addiction and recovery to grief, relationships, and rebuilding my life—but more importantly, it explores the deeper belief so many of us carry that we’re not enough.
The book blends storytelling with reflection, inviting readers to look at their own experiences, unlearn patterns rooted in shame, and reconnect with who they are beneath it all.
It’s not about having everything figured out; it’s about learning how to be honest with yourself and finding a way forward from there.
People can find the book through my website nadinespeaks.com, social media, Amazon, and at speaking events and community spaces where I’ve been sharing it more personally.
Debra: You wear a multitude of hats including being a mother of a seriously cute little boy. How has motherhood influenced the work you do? What is your favorite professional hat to wear and why?
Nadine: Motherhood has influenced everything. It slowed me down in a way I didn’t know I needed and made me more intentional with how I spend my time and energy. I’m more present, more aware, and more honest about what actually matters.
It’s also made my work more real. I’m not just talking about connection, mental health, or self-worth… I’m living it daily while raising our son with an incredibly supportive partner who lives it, too. It’s deepened my perspective and strengthened my commitment to creating spaces where people feel supported, because I think about the kind of world I want him to grow up in.
As far as my favorite professional “hat,” it’s the space where everything overlaps. My speaking, writing, and creating environments where people can be real and speak the truth. Whether I’m on stage or in a smaller, more intimate setting, I feel most aligned when I’m helping people reconnect with themselves and each other. Especially lately, stepping into my role as an author has deepened that. It’s allowed me to take stories beyond the stage and into a more personal space where people can sit with them and see themselves in them.
Debra: There are always turning points in one’s life that bring us to a new level of new understanding in ourselves to promote positive changes. Sometimes it is one turning point, and sometimes it can be more than one. What was your turning point (s)? And how did that influence your life path?
Nadine: Recovery was the first major turning point. Choosing a different path at the age of 20, learning how to rebuild my life, that changed everything. But there have been others. Loss. Especially losing my stepson Gavyn in 2020 shifted my perspective in a way I can’t even fully put into words. It made everything more real, more urgent, but also more meaningful.
Becoming a mom was another. And even this past year, moving to Florida, rebuilding, slowing down. That’s been its own turning point. Each one has brought me closer to who I actually am, not who I thought I needed to be.
Debra: Did you always know you would be a writer or when did you know?
Nadine: Not exactly. I always loved writing short stories growing up, but it was just for fun. Writing became something I leaned on more in recovery. I was journaling, taking notes from other leaders, constantly learning, and wanting to share what I was taking in. That’s when I realized I wanted to tell my story beyond the stage.
It gave me a place to process, to make sense of things, and to get everything out of my head and onto paper.
Over time, it became something more. After the passing of our son, I couldn’t find my voice on stage the way I used to. So instead, I wrote. And that brought a different kind of healing. Not just for me, but in a way that allowed me to connect with others on a deeper level.
I now know this first book won’t be my last.
Debra: Speed round – lol:
Ice cream or popsicles? – Ice cream for sure
Snow or sunshine? – Sunshine all the way
Pickles or Pizza? – Love Pizza 🙂
Debra: If you could say one powerful thing to a group of women to help them believe in themselves, what would it be?
Nadine: You don’t need to become someone else to be worthy of the life you want. You are Enough Already.
Debra: Do you have any updates on current news events?
Nadine: Right now, I am continuing to grow both my work with RISE TOGETHER and my personal brand through Nadine Speaks.
We are also hosting our second UNBROKEN event this month, a project my partner, Anthony Alvarado, created to share real stories through photography and create space for connection.
Alongside that, I have been getting out into more communities through book fairs and events, so hopefully you can find me at one near you soon
Debra: Where can we find you?
Nadine:
You can find me at the beach or on social.
Website: nadinespeaks.com
Instagram: @nadine.speaks
connection is the focus.
