About Severn Lang
Severn’s journey includes experiencing both active addiction and periods of homelessness, even during his first year of long-term sobriety. He openly shares the extremes of his addiction during interviews when it’s relevant, helping listeners understand the realities of substance abuse — and showing what’s possible on the other side.
Now twelve years sober, Severn draws from both lived experience and creative practice to explore what recovery looks like beyond the AA room. His work is grounded, reflective, and rooted in a belief that healing doesn’t require perfection, just presence. Working with his extreme dyslexia has been a daily challenge, but it has also taught him creative problem-solving techniques and new ways of thinking, fueling his determination to keep trying until he finds solutions.
As a playwright and filmmaker, he tells stories that make the emotional tangible—like his powerful account of cleaning out a kitchen shelf overflowing with old ketchup bottles, a moment that mirrored his journey of letting go of grief and baggage from his father, who was his main caregiver but refused to speak to Severn or his brother due to schizophrenia.
Before this chapter of his life, Severn worked as a top-tier hairstylist and model. But it’s his role now, as a quiet disruptor of outdated recovery narratives, that feels most aligned. He’s not here to preach or package a perfect solution. Instead, he offers small, honest shifts in how we see ourselves and what we’re attached to.
As a podcast guest, Severn brings grounded insight, vivid stories, and a disarming presence. His conversations linger, inviting listeners to question what they’re holding onto—and what might finally be ready to release.
Key topics
From Hairdressing to Playwriting: Creative Expression as a Healing Tool
Severn’s artistry didn’t end when he got sober-it deepened. Drawing from his past as a hairdresser, filmmaker, and performer, he talks about how creative practice became a form of emotional processing. Writing his upcoming play gave shape to grief and insight he couldn’t yet articulate, allowing him to tell the truth in a way that connected with others. He speaks to the power of creativity as both mirror and medicine-especially for people who have experienced trauma and are looking for ways to alchemize pain into something meaningful.
Masculinity, Emotion, and Why “Be Nice” Is the Hardest Part of Recovery
Severn was raised by a father who didn’t speak and a community that confused presence with affection. Sobriety didn’t just mean quitting alcohol-it meant learning how to feel, express, and sit with emotions he’d long buried. He shares how recovery challenged his inherited ideas of masculinity, forcing him to connect with tenderness, vulnerability, and self-compassion. And while abstaining from alcohol was a clear line to draw, being genuinely kind to himself-without numbing or performing-proved to be the hardest work of all.
Beyond the AA Room: Bringing Recovery Tools Into ‘Normal’ Life
You don’t have to hit rock bottom to benefit from recovery tools. Severn opens up about how the principles of AA-radical honesty, community, service, and reflection-can help anyone trapped in patterns they don’t understand. Whether it’s people-pleasing, doom scrolling, or staying in relationships out of fear, he shows how these behaviors mirror addiction and how recovery frameworks can be adapted for everyday life. This is a conversation for anyone who’s quietly struggling and wants a path toward clarity and emotional freedom, without the label of “addict.”
View all topics →
Key topics
From Hairdressing to Playwriting: Creative Expression as a Healing Tool
Severn’s artistry didn’t end when he got sober-it deepened. Drawing from his past as a hairdresser, filmmaker, and performer, he talks about how creative practice became a form of emotional processing. Writing his upcoming play gave shape to grief and insight he couldn’t yet articulate, allowing him to tell the truth in a way that connected with others. He speaks to the power of creativity as both mirror and medicine-especially for people who have experienced trauma and are looking for ways to alchemize pain into something meaningful.
Masculinity, Emotion, and Why “Be Nice” Is the Hardest Part of Recovery
Severn was raised by a father who didn’t speak and a community that confused presence with affection. Sobriety didn’t just mean quitting alcohol-it meant learning how to feel, express, and sit with emotions he’d long buried. He shares how recovery challenged his inherited ideas of masculinity, forcing him to connect with tenderness, vulnerability, and self-compassion. And while abstaining from alcohol was a clear line to draw, being genuinely kind to himself-without numbing or performing-proved to be the hardest work of all.
Beyond the AA Room: Bringing Recovery Tools Into ‘Normal’ Life
You don’t have to hit rock bottom to benefit from recovery tools. Severn opens up about how the principles of AA-radical honesty, community, service, and reflection-can help anyone trapped in patterns they don’t understand. Whether it’s people-pleasing, doom scrolling, or staying in relationships out of fear, he shows how these behaviors mirror addiction and how recovery frameworks can be adapted for everyday life. This is a conversation for anyone who’s quietly struggling and wants a path toward clarity and emotional freedom, without the label of “addict.”
View all topics →