New Year’s Day, 2024, my 22-year old daughter Regan died from fentanyl.

She was one of approximately 80,000 Americans to die that year from consuming an illicit substance. How does such a tragedy come to pass? This is an urgent question in a nation where this loss of life is equivalent to a 737 plane crashing every single day — snuffing out the countless contributions these individuals might have made to our world and leaving behind devastated family members, friends, and colleagues. 

We are in the midst of one of the deadliest epidemics in American history — even accounting for a recent decline in drug-related deaths. As a society, we cannot expect to prevent such meaningless tragedies without first grappling with why they are happening. Behind each statistic is a story, and, if Regan’s is any guide, a complex one. Simple solutions may sound appealing, but they do not exist. Sometimes the most effective lever for meaningful change is a powerful story. 

This 7-episode podcast will be a deeply personal exploration of a single life — and death — and a call to action through understanding the multidimensional factors that contributed to the tragic loss of Regan’s life. 

I am a storyteller, journalist, and longtime audio producer. As the host I will deliver a heartbreaking tale I am uniquely positioned to share. Over seven unabashedly honest episodes, I will examine:

• my daughter’s personal struggles
• the family and social factors that may have contributed to or exacerbated her substance use 
• the systemic shortcomings of our local and national approaches to treatment
• the inclination to self-medicate that drives so much substance abuse
• my own struggles about how best to help Regan 
• the treatment dynamics that often promise more than they can deliver
• and the current cutting-edge thinking on what drives substance use disorder

I will tease apart the many fragile threads in the fabric of a life that ended tragically too soon, and how they might have been strengthened or mended, if we, collectively, only knew how and were willing to do so.

My ambitions for this podcast are to spark a critical examination of America’s failure to adequately address this epidemic — and to inspire a national commitment to dramatically reduce the number of lives and families disrupted and destroyed by substance abuse.

I aim for wide distribution in late 2025/early 2026 on a major podcast platform and for exposure through promotion on established podcasts and other media outlets. For more about my experience and my access to these opportunities, please see my Home and Work pages. 

Donations are tax deductible through the fiscal sponsorship program of the Association of Independents in Radio, a 501(c)(3), EIN: 11-3000997. DONATE HERE.

For questions about the project or other opportunities to contribute including stock donations, contact Alison.

Going forward, I hope to leverage this podcast for further impact — by continuing to tell powerful stories that illuminate the changes we should demand in our world, and through advocacy.

Thank you for your support. 

Your contribution will fund:

• Executive producer/host/writer
• Story editing
• Production support
• Sound design and music
• Research and fact-checking
• Travel for interviews
• Equipment and studio rental
• Marketing
• Legal
• Insurance