Building the Plan on Day One with Blake Wellen
From Pondoff's Anonymous by Chris Pondoff, Jeff Allen, Zoë Mendenall
May 4, 2026 · 1h 31m · Season 1 · Episode 15
About this episode
Chris and Zoë discuss treatment and recovery with Blake Wellen, focusing on the importance of planning and support in the recovery process.
This week on Pondoff’s Anonymous, Chris and Zoë sit down with Blake Wellen, case manager at Illinois Recovery Center, for a conversation about treatment, recovery, compassion fatigue, and what it looks like to care for people when they’re walking through one of the hardest seasons of their lives. Blake doesn’t identify as an alcoholic or addict, but he grew up around addiction and found himself pulled into the recovery world through his family, his work at IRC, and a genuine love for helping people. He talks about starting at IRC as a night tech, working his way through different roles, and eventually becoming a case manager helping clients build a real plan for life after inpatient treatment. They get into why discharge planning starts on day one, why 30 days is rarely enough, how sober living and outpatient care can change the outcome, and why people leaving treatment need more than good intentions. They need support, structure, and people who believe they can make it. Also in this episode: small-town Illinois stories, Highland chaos, wedding fights, compassion fatigue, therapy, the “jar of f*cks,” and why sometimes the real work starts after treatment ends. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00…
People in this episode
Hosts: Chris Pondoff, Zoë Mendenall
Guest: Blake Wellen
Topics covered
- treatment
- recovery
- compassion fatigue
- discharge planning
- sober living
- support systems
Keywords
- addiction
- recovery
- case manager
- compassion fatigue
- discharge planning
- sober living
- Illinois Recovery Center
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Illinois Recovery Center
More episodes of Pondoff's Anonymous
- I Thought I Was Only Hurting Me with Matt Bauersachs · June 8, 2026 · 2h 6m
- Turning Pain Into Purpose with Kira Andersen · June 1, 2026 · 2h 46m
- Competing Against Bipolar with Michael Wellington · May 25, 2026 · 2h 4m
- 41 Surgeries Later - Rebuilding "Buff" Bagwell · May 11, 2026 · 3h 22m
- S3 E14 Jakob comes home, at least for one episode! · April 27, 2026 · 1h 36m
- Grace After Chaos with Alyssa Jarvis · April 20, 2026 · 2h 2m
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Pondoff's Anonymous podcast page.