Navigating Recovery: A Story of Resilience and Service
- S3E25
- 31:18
- November 17th 2025
In this episode of Veterans 4 Recovery, host Retired Major John Donovan sits down with Cara, a flight attendant and person in long-term recovery. Together, they explore Cara’s courageous journey of overcoming addiction and navigating sobriety while working in the demanding airline industry.
Through open conversation, Cara reflects on her early recovery experiences, the influence of family and loss, and the support systems that have sustained her along the way. She shares insights on how peer mentorship, recovery capital, and programs like the Flight Attendant Drug and Alcohol Program (FADAP) have been instrumental in her success.
Listeners will find parallels between recovery in the military and civilian worlds—especially when it comes to resilience, structure, and mutual support.
Resources Mentioned
- Flight Attendant Drug and Alcohol Program (FADAP)
- 12-Step meetings and online recovery resources
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Veterans 4 Recovery
All Things Recovery! Join your host, Maj. (Retired) John Donovan, a noted author, lecturer and person in long-term recovery from substance use disorder, as he and his guests will breakdown current trending topics and research along with all things related to increasing recovery resilience and capital within our Veteran and service-member communities.
Major John Donovan is the co-founder of the Recovery Community Network (RCN) in St. Cloud, Minnesota, an organization devoted to serving and advocating for the recovery community of Central Minnesota. John is a person in long-term recovery with over 45 years of recovery. He is a highly decorated 27-year veteran of the Armed Forces and has deployed three times in the service of our nation since 9-11. He holds an associate’s and bachelor’s degree from St. Cloud State University and a master’s degree from Boston University. John serves on several recovery related boards and he is an active and energetic advocate for recovery. He is a popular speaker and workshop facilitator and he contributes monthly to a recovery blog. John’s book, “A Soldier’s Recovery Journey”, was published in April of 2021 and he was a contributing author to Hazelden's veterans' daily meditation book entitled "Leave No One Behind."