I Chose Me: Michelle’s Path to Sobriety and Stability

In this episode, John Marshall sits down with Michelle Barnes, a former Church at the Park staff member whose journey has taken her from a chaotic childhood in Salem, through addiction, domestic violence, the loss of her children, and years of homelessness, to hard-won sobriety, stability, and service to others. Michelle shares candidly about surviving abuse, sex trafficking, multiple suicide attempts, and life in tents, cars, and shelters—and how community, recovery, and learning to choose herself have reshaped her story. Together they explore the complex relationship between trauma, mental health, addiction, and homelessness, why “just get a job” is not an answer, and where Michelle has found hope, dignity, and purpose as she now walks alongside neighbors still living outside.