Doug Smith
Managing Partner of D-Degree Coaching and Training
Douglas Smith, MSSW, is a leadership development trainer, certified trauma‑informed coach, and author of The Path of Rocks and Thorns: Leadership Lessons from a Prison Cell. He has over a decade of experience in mental health and justice policy, including roles at the Texas House of Representatives, the Texas Center for Justice and Equity, and as an adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Austin. Doug’s trauma‑informed leadership work is shaped by his master’s in social work, professional coaching training, and his own lived experience with mental illness, addiction, and incarceration.
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Jan. 7, 2026
Life After Bipolar & Depression, Getting Locked in a Rubber Room, Quitting Alcohol and Picking Up Crack
Doug experienced abuse in early childhood, and at age 12 when his father left, he spiraled into severe depression, suicidality, and repeated psychiatric hospitalizations. As a teenager, he discovered alcohol and used it to manage his symptoms while earning a master’s degree in social work and working at a suicide hotline, even as hospitalizations and heavy drinking continued. In his mid-30s, after a suicide attempt and abruptly quitting alcohol addiction, Doug was introduced to crack cocaine, ...
Guest: Doug Smith