EPISODE 080726EPISODE 080726
Clean and Sober Radio
Gary Hendler and Mark Sigmund talk with Steve and Denise Leckerman about losing Leigh to a drink-driving incident and how her memory led to a foundation that supports people into treatment and recovery housing. The conversation blends humour, raw emotion, and a strong focus on service as a way to sustain sobriety.
55:52•8 Aug 2026
Turning Heartbreak into Help: The Story Behind the Leigh Leckerman Foundation
Episode Overview
- Service to others is presented as a key ingredient for long-term recovery and personal growth.
- Grief and forgiveness can take different forms, even within the same family, and there is no single ‘right’ way to feel.
- Safe, structured recovery housing and reputable treatment providers are crucial for people leaving detox or incarceration.
- Simple acts of kindness, like making sandwiches for others, can teach early lessons in giving back and community.
- Addiction is framed as a disease, with recovery supported through twelve-step programmes and family-focused groups like Al-Anon.
“Sometimes if you let yourself continue life and don't give in and hate anybody, your good can come out of bad, right?”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This episode of Clean and Sober Radio brings that question to life through the moving story of Steve and Denise Leckerman. Hosted by Gary Hendler with co-host Mark Sigmund, the show mixes serious conversation with light banter, making space for both tears and laughter. You’ll first hear some current addiction-related news, from a boxer blaming a failed drug test on his nutritionist to a drunk passenger causing chaos mid-flight.
These stories set the stage for the bigger conversation: how alcohol and drugs ripple through lives, families, and communities. The heart of the episode centres on Steve and Denise, who talk about the death of Steve’s daughter, Leigh, killed in a drink-driving incident more than two decades ago. In a striking moment, Steve recalls being asked to appear in court as a grieving father but says his only wish was for the driver to get help, not punishment.
Denise shares honestly what it’s like to love a child who isn’t biologically hers and how grief and compassion can look different even within the same family. From there, the pair talk about the creation and growth of the Leigh Leckerman Foundation, set up in Leigh’s memory.
You’ll hear how they support people moving from treatment into recovery housing, insist on safe and reputable homes, and even organise peanut butter and jelly sandwich-making in treatment centres to teach simple acts of kindness and service. The conversation keeps circling back to one theme: good can grow from unimaginable pain if you stay sober, stay connected, and keep helping others.
If you’re wondering whether service and community might give your recovery some extra meaning, this episode could spark a few ideas – and maybe a bit of courage. Could their story be the reminder you need to keep going today?
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