Employee Spotlight: Meet Jesse Chaison, New Co-Host of Airing Addiction

This past week we had the pleasure of speaking with our newest Airing Addiction podcast co-host, Jesse Chiason. Jesse is currently our Family Engagement Specialist and is very familiar with the show, as he was formerly a guest! Jesse knows how hard the journey to recovery can be for so many and is looking forward to bringing his experience and knowledge to all listeners.

Jesse’s Story 

Jesse started his career with us about four years ago. He is no stranger to the toll that substance misuse can have on families and individuals. “My journey to recovery led me to our parent company, Spectrum Health Systems over a decade ago. As a client at the old Spectrum Residential Program (RP), I spent many months living on campus, and it was an experience that rocked my world. I owe my life today to my time in treatment, so I decided to come back to work here.”

Jesse now works with clients and their loved ones to communicate, educate, and inform them about addiction and recovery.

Airing Addiction

As the new co-host of the Airing Addiction podcast, Jesse is very excited to take on an even more empowering role. “I have always been a proponent of getting a message of hope and freedom out to those who need to hear it. I’m currently pursuing my master’s in clinical counseling, and this is another lens that I am excited to bring to our discussions.”

We are thrilled to watch the impact of Jesse’s experience and skills help others. Jesse will be co-hosting alongside Lisa Blanchard and he says: “Lisa is an excellent source of knowledge within the field of addiction and recovery. I think the blend of her knowledge and my lived experience will provide compelling vantage points to help those listening.”

Jesse also gave us a hint about what’s coming next for Airing Addiction: “some amazing guests are lined up to come on and share their stories.”

Jesse ended our conversation with this moving anecdote: “I’ve gone from homelessness to homeownership. I did a masonry job to the foundation on my house. I needed some extra brick to replace the old ones and I had some bricks left from the old Spectrum RP building that was torn down last year. I replaced the bricks in my house’s foundation with the bricks from the building that helped save and build my life back. Spectrum and NERC are both part of my foundation both literally and figuratively now.”

Jesse spends his free time with family, is an avid Boston sports fan and enjoys carpentry. Make sure to tune in live to the latest Airing Addiction episodes on SoundCloud, Facebook Live and our website to hear from Jesse and Lisa directly as they help to raise awareness around addiction and recovery.

If you or a loved one is struggling with an alcohol or other drug addiction, call the New England Recovery Center today at 1-877-MyRehab. For more information about working at NERC, visit our careers page.