9 days before we opened, we got denied a contract to serve the exact community we were built to serve. Everything in place. Every box checked. And it didn't matter. This episode is for the operators, clinicians, and executives who are tired of pretending the system rewards integrity. It doesn't. Not automatically. Not without a fight. Christopher Bennett (CEO) and David Purinton (CFO) of Ava Health sit down to unpack what actually happened — the operational reality, the financial exposure, and the decisions we made when the ground disappeared beneath us. No spin. No retrospective wisdom that makes us sound smarter than we were in the moment. Just what it actually looks like when a major payor denies a contract at the worst possible time — and how you lead through it without transferring your fear to your team or abandoning the mission for the margin. Topics covered: – What a 9-day contract denial actually does to your financial model – How payors and regulators make decisions (and what most providers misunderstand) – The difference between fighting a system and navigating one – Where providers silently give away their leverage – How to protect the mission when financial pressure starts making decisions for you – What we did next — and why If you're building in this space, this will happen to you. The question is whether you're ready. Follow us: @HelloAvaHealth on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube

We’ve been open for 30 days, and the reality of healthcare leadership is a lot more like a chess game than we expected. From the "friction" of accountability to the hope of seeing "Patient One" finally walk through the door, this is the raw truth of building Ava Health.

In this episode of Inside Ava Health, our leadership team goes behind the scenes of our first month post-opening. We’re moving past the "polished" brand image to discuss the actual operational challenges of navigating state contracts, managing provider networks, and the mental shift required to move from being a therapist to being a strategic leader.

Whether you're a healthcare professional, a therapist by trade, or a startup founder, these are the lessons we’ve learned the hard way.

Key Moments in This Episode: 0:00 – The 30-Day Reality Check: CEO vs. COO Perspectives 03:45 – The "Patient One" vs. "Patient 1000" Debate 07:20 – The Friction of Accountability: Why Systems Break 12:15 – Thinking Like a Chess Player: Strategic Moves in Healthcare 15:50 – Navigating the Kinks: State Contracts & Provider Networks 22:30 – From Therapist to Leader: The Necessary Mindset Shift 25:10 – Final Reflections: Hope, Gratitude, and Year One Goals

About Ava Health: Ava Health is dedicated to dispelling myths in the wellness sector and building a more transparent, accountable healthcare system. We share our journey—the wins and the friction—to help other providers and patients navigate the complexities of modern care.

Join the Conversation: 👉 SUBSCRIBE to follow our journey as we scale and solve the "kinks" in the system. 💬 QUESTION: What was the biggest "friction point" you hit in the first month of your business or project? Let’s talk in the comments.

What if everything you’ve been told about addiction treatment is wrong?

The rehab industry is worth billions… yet nearly 90% of people relapse. So the real question is:

Is treatment failing… or are we defining success completely wrong?

In this episode of Brokenish, we unpack the uncomfortable truth about addiction, recovery, and why the system might be measuring the wrong things entirely.

This isn’t a conversation about quick fixes or perfect sobriety. It’s about reality.

You’ll hear:

• Why relapse is NOT failure (and why treating it like one causes more harm)
• The biggest lie families are sold about “success rates” in treatment
• Why recovery is messy, nonlinear, and deeply personal
• The hidden damage caused by black-and-white thinking in mental health
• What real progress actually looks like beyond just “not using”
• Why most treatment programs focus on the wrong outcomes
• How honesty (not false hope) is the only ethical way to help people heal

We also dive into the deeper truth most people miss:

Addiction is often a symptom… not the root problem.

And if you don’t address what’s underneath, nothing changes long-term.

This episode is for:

• Anyone struggling with addiction or mental health
• Parents trying to help their child
• Professionals in the treatment space
• Anyone who’s ever felt like they “failed” recovery

Because maybe you didn’t fail.

Maybe the system failed you.

Everyone talks about chasing your dreams.

Nobody talks about who pays the price.

In this brutally honest episode of Broken-ish, we pull back the curtain on ambition, purpose, and the quiet casualties that come with building something that matters.

The world sees the momentum. The business growth. The mission. The impact.

But behind every dream is a harder truth:

The people who love you the most often carry the heaviest cost.

Late nights. Missed dinners. Phone calls from your kids saying they miss you. Partners holding down the fort while you're chasing something bigger.

And the question no one in entrepreneurship, leadership, or success culture wants to answer:

What if the impact you want to create in the world comes at the expense of the people closest to you?

In this episode we talk about:

• The real price of ambition • Why success can quietly destroy relationships • Betraying others vs betraying yourself • The internal conflict between family and purpose • How ego, drive, and selfishness shape leadership • The hidden sacrifices behind building something meaningful • What it actually feels like to chase a mission that could change lives

This is not a highlight reel.

This is the conversation behind the scenes of building something that matters.

If you've ever felt the tension between who you want to be for your family and what you feel called to build, this episode is for you.

Because sometimes the hardest truth in life is this:

You can be doing the right thing…

…and still wonder if you're paying the wrong price.

Subscribe to Broken-ish for real conversations about addiction, recovery, leadership, and the messy middle of becoming who you're meant to be.

New episodes weekly.

Behavioral health care in rural communities is messy, complicated, and often misunderstood.

In this episode of Inside Ava Health, we pull back the curtain on the realities of community mental health. From fractured systems and stigma to funding challenges and the everyday work of rebuilding trust, this conversation explores what it actually takes to support people struggling with addiction, mental health, homelessness, and instability.

Our guest shares his journey from working as a community employment specialist helping individuals with mental health and addiction find work, to stepping into leadership during one of the most turbulent periods in the Western Slope behavioral health landscape. At a time when organizations were under intense public scrutiny and the system felt broken, he saw something different. Opportunity.

This conversation dives into:

• How stigma around addiction and mental health still shapes community attitudes • Why collaboration across organizations is essential for real recovery support • The hidden pressures behavioral health providers face every day • The critical role of case management and addressing social determinants of health • Why recovery often starts with housing, food, transportation, and stability before therapy ever begins • How hope continues to drive the people doing this work despite constant systemic challenges

We also explore the larger history of community mental health in the United States, why funding structures have created fractured systems, and what it will take for communities to build sustainable behavioral health infrastructure.

Most importantly, this episode highlights the people on the front lines who show up every day to serve others, even when the system makes the work incredibly difficult.

Because at the end of the day, recovery isn’t just about treatment. It’s about rebuilding community.

If you care about mental health, addiction recovery, homelessness, or the future of behavioral health in America, this is a conversation worth hearing.

Today's guest is Chace Wheaton with Health Solutions West

What if grief isn’t just about death? What if it’s about identity, addiction, relationships… and the parts of ourselves we have to let go?

In this episode of Brokenish, we dive into one of the heaviest and most avoided subjects in life: grief.

After experiencing a recent loss, we sit down for an honest, raw conversation about death, fear, avoidance, and what it really means to move through pain instead of numbing it. From losing parents to putting down a beloved dog, from addiction recovery to the “absence of presence,” this conversation challenges the way we think about grief.

We explore:

• The truth about the 5 stages of grief and why they are not linear • Why grief and addiction follow a similar emotional path • The difference between “loss” and the absence of presence • Why men over 55 are at the highest risk for suicide • How identity, work, and purpose shape our experience of loss • Why avoiding pain only deepens it • What it means to leave nothing on the table before you die

This episode is not just about death. It is about meaning.

It is about the fear of losing your parents. It is about watching your father grieve. It is about losing a job, a relationship, or a version of yourself. It is about the stories we choose to tell after the loss.

If you have ever avoided a funeral… If you have ever numbed pain with substances… If you are afraid of losing someone you love… This conversation is for you.

Grief does not go away. But it can be integrated. And when it is, something powerful happens.

🎙️ Subscribe for more real conversations about addiction, recovery, purpose, and mental health. 📍 If you or someone you love is struggling, reach out. You are not alone.

#BrokenishPodcast #Grief #AddictionRecovery #MentalHealth #Loss #Healing #SubstanceAbuse #Trauma #RecoveryJourney #EndOfLife #MenAndMentalHealth

Homelessness is one of the most talked-about issues in America.

But how much do we actually understand about it?

In this episode of Inside Ava Health, we sit down with leaders working directly on the front lines in Grand Junction, Colorado to unpack what’s really happening behind the scenes. No politics. No headlines. Just real conversations.

Here’s what we explore:

• Why 75 to 90 percent of people living on the streets do not actually want to be there • The real barriers beyond “mental health and addiction” • Why “housing first” isn’t the full solution • What happens when hope gets crushed over and over • Why funding structures are creating unintended barriers • The loss of resource centers and what that means for communities • How innovative models like “Stand Down” changed lives • What communities must understand if we want real change

One powerful truth from this conversation:

“Hope hurts.”

When people try, and try, and try again only to hit closed doors, long waitlists, rising rents, and shifting funding priorities, eventually they stop believing anything will change.

And that’s when we lose them.

This episode is about restoring dignity, rebuilding trust, and rethinking how communities show up for the people who need us most.

If you care about homelessness, mental health, addiction, or the future of your community, this is a conversation you need to hear.

— Guests this episode include Chris Masters with Homeward Bound of Grand Valley and Philip Masters with United Way Mesa County.

Ava Health is a full continuum behavioral health and addiction treatment provider serving Colorado. If you or someone you love needs help, call us. Recovery is possible.

📞 Learn more: www.HelloAvaHealth.com 📍 Grand Junction, Colorado

Subscribe for more real conversations from the front lines of behavioral health and recovery.

Most people only show the highlight reel.

This episode is about everything they hide.

In this raw, unfiltered conversation, Chris sits down with David Purinton, CFO, partner, and one of the most quietly resilient humans he knows, to talk about what success actually looks like when you zoom out.

Not the wins. The failures. The shame. The jobs you never put on your resume. The moments where you’re convinced you are the failure.

From working in plastic factories and picking up dog shit… To eviction notices, food banks, addiction, and starting over from nothing… To building companies, losing them, and learning how to survive the collapse.

This episode is for: • Anyone who’s been laid off and feels lost • Anyone stuck in a job that’s slowly crushing them • Anyone who thinks they’ve fallen too far to come back • Anyone quietly carrying shame they never talk about

We talk about: • Failing your way forward • The long-term damage of shame • Why failure feels personal even when it isn’t • Addiction, recovery, and rebuilding trust with yourself • Losing a company you poured your soul into • How hope actually comes back, slowly and imperfectly

No fake motivation. No hustle culture nonsense. No “10 steps to success.”

Just two humans telling the truth about what it really costs to keep going.

If you’re in a heavy season, this one’s for you.

👇 Drop a comment if this hit close to home 👍 Like if you believe failure isn’t the end 🔔 Subscribe for more Broken-ish conversations about real life, recovery, and becoming human again