Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsey Glass.
Hi Lindsey, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I like to say I was born and raised on the mean streets of Manhattan. But, truth be told, I grew up on 57th Street off First Avenue, across the street from Mr. Chows. Hardly mean streets. I’m the child of a bestselling author mother (who is the child of the producer of Lassie among others) and a multi-talented father who could sculpt and paint as well as he could practice law or be a financier. I went to the best schools, lived at the “right” addresses, and had every opportunity offered to me. In so many ways, I was incredibly privileged and lucky. Where I was unlucky was with a family history ripe with alcoholism and mental illness. None of the details matter anymore, but my life was radically impacted by mental health issues and alcoholism/addiction. Both my own and the issues of those around me.
I entered my first treatment program at 21 on an emergency medical leave from Johns Hopkins. I spent two months in Arizona and then California, attending inpatient treatment at Sierra Tucson and then aftercare at Promises. Recovery didn’t stick for me at that age, but it planted the seeds. When I finally found a long-lasting and healthy recovery a few years later, I started a recovery media company with my author mother, Leslie Glass. I was sick of seeing pictures of Britney Spears with a shaved head on the covers of tabloids. Around that time, 2010-2011, recovery was still somewhat new. Everyone knew what it was, but it certainly wasn’t chic yet. Not that it is now, but things like sober curious have taken us far.
We started a company called Reach Out Recovery. It’s a website chock-full of articles on all topics of recovery, relationships, and health and wellness. In those years we made documentaries, and we even won an award or two. We wanted to make a film about what recovery is really like–not the over-the-top scenes from movies but real people living in real recovery. It was an extraordinary experience because we went all over the country, visiting everything from top-of-the-line rehabs to jails with recovery programs. What I didn’t expect was to be so overwhelmed and moved by all the addicts in America who are in trouble.
We put addicts in jail in this country. We lock up people with mental health issues because we often don’t know what to do with them or don’t have the resources. For someone who had every advantage and got out of every trouble when it came my way, this was a disturbing revelation. It’s fueled a passion in me to make sure recovery and wellness information is available to everyone who needs it. I have a special place in my heart for at-risk kids and teens, think of kids in foster care, at-risk home life, etc. I’m on a mission to make sure those kids get the education and prevention care they need to stay safe and thrive in the world. I know what it takes to climb out of family dysfunction, addiction issues, and childhood trauma. A lot of time and money. Recovery from addiction and mental health issues should not be a privilege. It should be a right.
Very long story short, Reach Out Recovery began publishing self-help books a few years ago, and we created a non-profit arm called ROR Empowerment to make sure these books get to where they need to go. In the last few years, our books have been used all over the country from recovery centers to train Big Brothers Big Sisters, they’re in multiple after-school programs in Florida, and I’ve personally taught my book 100 Tips For Growing Up and our 12-step coloring book Find Your True Colors in 12 Steps at Homeboy Industries in LA. Our books and curriculums are headed to other non-profits and mental health programs in the South Bay this year. I should add that Rotary has been an incredible partner to us and we are so grateful for their support. I am a proud Rotarian. In fact, I will be president of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Rotary in 2024-2025.
For my own life, it’s been up and down, as life in long-term recovery is for most people. I have a life beyond my wildest dreams today filled with wonderful friends, family, colleagues, and dogs. My work is my life, and my life is my work. I think that happens to some writers. I live in the South Bay, and I love it. I’m a beach girl at heart. The first time I came to California I knew it was my home. I never get tired of our views, our lifestyle, and all the wonderful health benefits Socal has to offer. I try to get to the beach every day. It’s part of my recovery lifestyle.
In the biggest professional achievement yet, I have a new book coming out this Mother’s Day with HCI Books. My mom and I have co-authored a book called The Mother-Daughter Relationship Makeover. It combines a compelling mother-and-daughter memoir with self-help and a formula for readers to explore their own mother-daughter history, understand and ease their conflicts, and rediscover their appreciation and love. Once again, I’m bringing my own life experience out in the open to help others find peace and harmony with themselves and their mothers. What can I say, I live to serve. And you can’t keep it if you don’t give it away.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Never! Ha! Changing technology is a nightmare for someone like me. I run a website and social media platforms and these are games for the young! I’m always challenged by what goes on on social media, meaning the hackers, the trolls, and the general abuse. We try to stay in our lane, but recovery can be controversial. We’ve received a lot of hate. It’s better now than it was and we’ve come up with a few rules. We don’t respond to every comment, and while I know you should, we’re a small team and can’t get tangled up in every debate. We do what we can. We’ve had a revolving door of web developers, which is also chaotic for a small business like ours. Marketing our books has been a learning curve. We had no idea what we were doing at first, so we’ve come far, but it’s not for the weak of heart. Finally, I’d say the obvious challenges of a family business. Work never really stops and while we know each other best we don’t always agree. It’s been a challenge but also rewarding to learn how to work well and healthily with each other.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I take complicated recovery ideas and break them down into easy-to-understand pieces of content. Those content pieces can be books, articles, infographics, curriculums, posters, you name it. The goal is to make recovery easy and available. I’m so proud of the work I did with Homeboy Industries where I taught several of our books over a ten-month period. I also received a grant from the Palos Verdes Peninsula Rotary Foundation to write a curriculum for our 12-step coloring book. Working with the Homeboy community for ten months was an unparalleled and unexpected pleasure.
It’s funny because what sets me apart from some of the others is also been a bit of a hold-up for me. This work has never been about me. Until last year, my face wasn’t even on our social media platforms. It’s always been about the work–what can the work do, and who can it help? To sell books, it has to be about you. This has been a tough year as I’ve had to put my face on everything, including my website www.reachoutrecovery.com, which is being rebuilt now. So, it can have my face on it… The challenge moving forward will be how to keep doing the work to help the most without being too much on display.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I was everything from a goth to a club kid in high school.
Pricing:
- Our books cost between $15-$20
- Our downloadables are $1-$9
- Our posters are $13-$21
Contact Info:
- Website: https://reachoutrecovery.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindseyglassauthor/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lindsey.glass.12/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsey-glass-368597110/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_mZhW8iA-pIF4eyIL9b9A
- Other: https://medium.com/@lindseyglass
