People First Radio – January 1, 2026People First Radio – January 1, 2026
People First Radio
Francis Baptiste, Nicole Letourneau, and historians Stephanie Hunt-Kennedy and Jen Barkley share experiences of addiction, recovery, and disability-focused history. Their stories touch on stigma, community support, workplace responses, and how archives shape whose lives are remembered.
0:00•1 Jan 2026
Honesty, Harm, and Humanity: Sobriety, Disability, and Power on People First Radio
Episode Overview
- Honest conversation and breaking secrecy are presented as crucial to reducing addiction’s stigma and isolation.
- Community spaces like the DUDES Club use low-pressure activities and a "leave your armour at the door" approach to help men open up.
- Nicole Letourneau links her alcohol use to untreated anxiety, ADHD, grief, abusive relationships, and a competitive legal culture.
- Supportive, non-judgemental workplace responses can make it easier for professionals to seek help and commit to recovery.
- Editors of *Cripping the Archive* highlight how disabled people are often present yet obscured in archives, calling for methods that centre their voices.
“There’s humanity in being homeless. There’s humanity in being an addict.”
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction? People First Radio’s New Year special pulls together some of its most memorable 2025 conversations, giving you a rich mix of personal stories, critical thinking, and quiet hope. The episode first sits with Indigenous singer–songwriter Francis Baptiste, whose album *Lived Experience in East Vancouver* draws straight from his own struggles with drugs, alcohol, poverty, and single fatherhood.
He talks about being radically honest in his art and life, because, as he puts it, “addiction is something that thrives in secrecy and stigma.” Francis also shares his work with the DUDES Club in East Vancouver, where “health through stealth” and the reminder to “leave your armour at the door” help isolated men connect without feeling like they’re in formal treatment. Next, Ontario lawyer Nicole Letourneau opens up about alcohol addiction inside a high-pressure legal career.
She traces how “one drink a day after work” slid into functional alcoholism, worsened by anxiety, ADHD, grief, an abusive relationship, and the pandemic.
Nicole describes the difference between a dismissive response – being told she couldn’t get time off “just because I was sad” – and a later, non-judgemental manager who simply said, “we’re really concerned about you… and we want you to take the time you need to get better.” Her story will resonate with anyone trying to get sober while clinging to a demanding job.
The episode closes with historians and editors Stephanie Hunt-Kennedy and Jen Barkley, who talk about their book *Cripping the Archive: Disability, History, and Power*. They unpack how disabled people’s lives are both everywhere and missing in historical records, and why centring disabled voices changes the stories we pass down. Aimed at people curious about mental health, addiction, disability, and social justice, this episode balances hard truths with a gentle tone.
If you’re interested in how honesty, support, and better stories can change lives, this is one you won’t want to miss.
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