When Jill Nastase launched “Addiction Uncovered,” she wasn’t trying to become a podcaster. She was trying to create something she felt was missing: a local, authentic space where people could openly discuss addiction, recovery, and the realities that surround both.
Today, the podcast has grown into a trusted platform featuring stories from individuals in recovery, family members impacted by addiction, clinicians, community leaders, and experts from across the country. What started as an experiment has become a powerful resource for education, connection, and hope.
A Mission Rooted in Professional and Personal Experience
As Clinical Director for Lutheran Family Services’ Eastern Region, Nastase oversees clinical services in Omaha, Fremont, and Blair. With more than 15 years of experience as a mental health and substance use therapist, she has spent much of her career helping individuals and families navigate addiction and recovery.
Her motivation for the podcast, however, extends beyond her professional experience.
Having witnessed addiction’s impact within her own family and later reevaluating her own relationship with alcohol, Nastase began a personal journey of sobriety several years ago. As she connected with other sober individuals, she found herself increasingly interested in the stories behind recovery.
“I wanted to know how people were doing it,” she said. “How were they building lives without alcohol? What resources helped them? What did recovery actually look like in our community?”
Those questions became the foundation for “Addiction Uncovered.”
Bringing Recovery Stories to the Local Community
While national recovery podcasts are plentiful, Nastase saw a gap when it came to local voices.
People frequently approached her asking where they could find help, how to support a loved one struggling with addiction, or what recovery resources existed in the local area. She realized many people simply did not know where to start.
The podcast became an answer to that need.
Each episode gives guests an opportunity to share their experiences honestly, while also highlighting pathways to recovery that others can follow. By focusing on people from the local community, listeners hear stories that feel relatable, accessible, and close to home.
The response has exceeded expectations.
Now entering its fifth season with 34 episodes released, “Addiction Uncovered” consistently attracts listeners and viewers who continue to engage with the show’s growing catalog of episodes. Nastase has no shortage of guests, she has a backlog in fact, with many people actively reaching out and asking to share their stories.
More Than a Podcast
As the show has grown, so has its impact.
The podcast has expanded beyond recorded interviews into live events, community conversations, and peer support opportunities. Nastase has partnered with local organizations to record live discussions and recently launched a monthly “Sober Sisters” gathering, providing women in recovery with a place to connect over coffee and conversation.
She has also begun incorporating more educational content alongside personal recovery stories, in the podcast.
Upcoming episodes feature addiction specialists, therapists, and medical professionals discussing topics such as trauma, attachment, ADHD, veterans’ recovery experiences, and medication-assisted treatment.
“I want to keep the stories at the center,” Nastase said. “But I also want people to understand how addiction works and learn more about the resources and treatments available.”
The Power of Vulnerability
Some of the podcast’s most memorable moments have come from guests willing to share deeply personal experiences.
One episode that particularly resonated with Nastase featured Heather Bird, Lutheran Family Services Regional Vice President. Rather than discussing addiction from a professional perspective, Bird shared her family’s experience with addiction and the loss of her father.
For Nastase, the conversation demonstrated how addiction affects entire families and highlighted the importance of creating spaces where people can talk honestly about those experiences.
“It showed that even people in leadership positions can be vulnerable,” Nastase said. “That vulnerability helps other people feel less alone.”
Eventually, Nastase realized she needed to model that same openness herself.
After interviewing dozens of guests, she invited her best friend to reverse roles and interview her about her own sober journey. Though she initially worried her story wasn’t dramatic enough to matter, listeners responded strongly to its honesty.
Her experience reinforced a lesson she has seen repeatedly throughout the podcast: recovery stories do not have to be extraordinary to be meaningful.
Changing Lives One Conversation at a Time
While listener numbers continue to grow, some of the most important validation Nastase receives comes from individual conversations.
Family members have shared that the podcast helped them better understand loved ones struggling with substance use. Others have reached out seeking help after hearing guests describe their recovery journeys. One listener from Scotland even contacted Nastase after hearing her story on another recovery-focused show, explaining that her experience had encouraged him to remain sober.
Those moments remind Nastase why she started the podcast in the first place.
Early on, she set a simple goal: if even one listener benefited from an episode, the effort would be worthwhile.
Looking Ahead
As “Addiction Uncovered” prepares for its fifth season, Nastase is exploring opportunities to expand the show’s reach through additional episodes, new partnerships, sponsorships, live recordings, and educational programming. She’s even bringing in more high-profile guests having just interviewed the brother of Chris Farley, actor and comedian, who tragically died of an overdose in the late 90s.
Through every stage of the growth of “Addiction Uncovered,” however, the mission has remained unchanged.
By amplifying stories of recovery, resilience, and hope, the podcast continues to break down stigma and help people understand that recovery is possible.
For individuals struggling with substance use, family members looking for guidance, or anyone wanting to better understand addiction, “Addiction Uncovered” offers what so many people need most: the chance to hear the story of someone who has struggled so they can realize they are not alone.
