Shay Kirkness - The Devine Salerno Podcast No. 17

From the streets of Billings, Montana to co-owning a recovery company in Denver — Shay Kirkness delivers one of the most raw, powerful, and inspiring redemption stories you’ll hear. In this episode, Devine Salerno sits down with Shay Kirkness — recovery coach, APRS facilitator, and co-founder of Driven Recovery alongside her husband JD. Shay opens up about her traumatic upbringing, how the DARE program ironically introduced her to the drug game, her rise as a female drug dealer in a violent world, escalating addiction to methamphetamine and fentanyl, multiple overdoses, prison time, and the health crisis that finally forced her to choose life. She shares how she walked miles in full withdrawal to a methadone clinic, cut off everyone and everything toxic, and rebuilt her life from the ground up. Today she’s helping others — especially new moms in recovery — through groups and building Driven Recovery with purpose and empathy.

Listen until the end. Share this with someone who needs to hear it. And drop a comment below — which part of Shay’s story hit you the hardest?

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Episode Recorded June 1st, 2026

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