Tonja Myles: From the Crack House to the White House

The Addiction Podcast - Point of No Return

Tonja Myles is a multi-faceted leader, ordained minister, and passionate advocate for mental health awareness, substance abuse recovery, and trauma healing. Over 36 years in recovery from addiction, Tonja has overcome suicide attempts and childhood/adult sexual abuse, earning a diagnosis of PTSD. Her inspiring journey has been shared in books, documentaries, talk shows, and national TV series.

Tonja's leadership prowess shines through her "WHEN YOU ARE READY" campaign, where she leads a team of peer support specialists striving to reduce overdose deaths. They target overdose hotspots with data-driven treatment resources, harm reduction strategies, and peer mentoring. For seven years, Tonja has hosted numerous healing circles, fostering community support. She also founded the "NO JUDGEMENT, NO STIGMA" campaign, a peer-led movement combatting mental health and substance abuse stigma while providing resources and advocating for recovery. Her unique blend of personality, knowledge, and personal experience enables her to connect with diverse individuals, from the incarcerated to the affluent. She openly shares her recovery journey, holding certifications in mental health first aid and as a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist.

Her military service in the Louisiana Army National Guard further honed her leadership skills. She's testified on Capitol Hill, served on community boards, and is deeply involved in mental health advocacy. As a radio talk show host and TV presenter, Tonja engages her audience with resourceful conversations on critical topics. She also mentors women and shares her life's challenges and successes to empower others to effect change.

Tonja's mission is to educate and inspire others, reducing stigma around mental health and addiction. Her book, "From the Crack House to the White House," delves into her transformative journey, available on Amazon. In her eyes, her most significant achievement is her 29-year marriage to Darren, a testament to her commitment to leading a productive life.

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Decisions by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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