Episode 3 — If You’re Going Through It, Keep Going — with Brandon Poland - a podcast by Joanna Lilley, MA, NCC

from 2020-02-11T13:00

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Adulting is REAL and it’s not easy. You may feel overwhelmed, unprepared, and hopeless. It might feel like hell and you may be questioning if you can even handle it all. Though, continue to move forward. Hold onto the fact that it gets easier. It gets better. Don’t lose hope on the light at the end of the tunnel because it’s there. The journey there might be tough, but so are you.

Brandon Poland, is the National Business Development Consultant with The Ranch at Dove Tree, one of the nation’s leaders in the treatment of substance use disorders and the facility of choice in west Texas. Even though Brandon’s parents worked to prepare him for life on his own, Brandon’s adulthood still wasn’t the easiest journey. His adulthood started with getting suspended in his first semester of college and after that things went downhill quickly. Brandon was still perfectly academically capable at the time but due to everything, he was heavily weighed down in school. It wasn't until he reached out for help, and went to a treatment center, that he started to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Brandon now finds himself in long term recovery, and in one of the best times of his life, where he is able to give back to others who’s stories speak to his.

On this episode of Success is Subjective, Brandon joins Joanna to share his road of recovery starting at a very early age and how those challenging early adult years brought him to find what he finds complete passion and love for. His perseverance and vulnerability that led him to eventually find the light at the end of the tunnel, shows how important it is to not give up on the journey. Listen in for insight on Brandon’s experience without collegiate recovery, that he now uses as his drive to work with education consults, therapists and universities talking to them about the importance of collegiate recovery and what that looks like. 

What You Will Learn

  • The expectation that was put on Brandon regarding college
  • What caused Brandon to be asked to leave Sam Houston State University after only a semester 
  • College Suspension: It happens!
  • What changed in school when Brandon was able to get sober
  • Brandon’s bachelor's degree in sociology and psychology 
  • Coming full circle back to Sam Houston State University years later
  • College isn’t going anywhere! 
  • The struggle in adulting and being prepared for that
  • Brandon’s current work with Collegiate Recovery

Connect with Brandon Poland

Connect with Joanna Lilley  

Further episodes of Success is Subjective: Helping parents of college students accept that dropping out is okay

Further podcasts by Joanna Lilley, MA, NCC

Website of Joanna Lilley, MA, NCC