Artist Recovery Podcast

Artist Recovery Podcast is Bringing Light to the Darkside of Art by navigating Creativity and Mental Health with Honesty, Empathy, and Transformation.
Join Rich Wright on an authentic journey through the highs and lows of being a working artist and designer as well as other creatives who are doing the same as we tell their stories. Discover mental health insights, find solidarity, and embrace healing as you continue your artistic career.

Want to be a guest on Artist Recovery Podcast? Send Rich Wright a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/artistrecovery

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Artist Recovery Podcast

Artist Recovery Podcast Ep. 22 | Trauma to Triumph: Sherry James' Powerful Story of Mental Wealth

July 18, 2025 • Rich Wright • Season 1 • Episode 22

In this must-watch episode of the Artist Recovery Podcast, we sit down with Sherry James—mental health advocate, CXO of Phoenix Speaks Inc., founder of 2020 Lives Changed, and host of Creating Mental Wealth—for a raw, emotional, and inspiring conversation that will stay with you long after the video ends.
** This episode contains some very traumatic experiences, please take time for yourself if you are affected by this conversation, pause and come back when you are ready. **

🎙 Timestamps & Viral Moments:
00:00 – Intro
02:37 – Born at a funeral: The start of an unimaginable journey
06:02 – A generational cycle of trauma, and her grandfather’s unseen fight to rescue her
13:20 – From teenage motherhood to supporting her daughter’s path to nursing
22:10 – Co-parenting redemption: Breaking family chains
28:39 – Raising a creative son: Music, photography, and chess dreams
35:16 – Behind the scenes of the artist management business: Pre-streaming struggles
41:13 – A Christian rapper’s rejected deal that turned into a YouTube empire
46:59 – Life after a stroke: “I have red bottoms to wear—I will walk again.”
53:44 – 💰 Mental Wealth: A life-changing reframing of emotional health

💡 Sherry reveals how her Mental Wealth philosophy helps people treat emotional resilience like a bank account—assigning value to joy, reframing trauma as growth, and cutting “mental withdrawals” to preserve peace.

🧠 You’ll also hear how:

Her traumatic childhood shaped her mission.

She navigated abuse, addiction, and loss—and still chose love.

She raised two thriving kids across generations, one in nursing and one an emerging creative.

She blends AI with Carl Jung’s Red Book to help Gen Z discover their identity.

🔥 Game-Changing Insight: Sherry’s upcoming project “I Am AI” teaches students to uncover their shadow selves through AI and Jungian psychology—bridging the gap between tech, mental health, and identity exploration.

💬 Top Quote:
“Your mental wealth is the only wealth that truly matters.”

❤️ Why Watch?
If you’re a creative, a survivor, a parent, or just someone trying to navigate this chaotic world, Sherry’s resilience will move you—and her wisdom will guide you. Whether you're battling burnout or building something beautiful out of pain, this episode will empower you to heal out loud.

👇 Join the conversation:
🌐 What’s your “mental wealth” deposit today?
💭 Have you reassessed your story as a strength?

📢 Don’t forget to:
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✅ SUBSCRIBE
✅ HIT THE BELL
✅ SHARE with someone who needs to hear this message

Connect with Sherry: https://phoenixspeaksinc.com/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sjamespmp/

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