Youth Prevention Advocate at 13: Turning Tragedy Into Change | Episode 161 with Mariah

Meet Mariah, a 13-year-old prevention advocate from Petaluma, California, who is already making an impact in the drug prevention field. After losing her brother to an overdose at age five, Mariah transformed her grief into purpose. In this episode, she shares how she found her voice as an advocate, spoke publicly about her family's experience with addiction, attended the Fentanyl Free America convention after being nominated by the DEA, helped advocate for Narcan access in her community, and is now pushing for stronger drug prevention education in schools. Mariah also opens up about the stigma surrounding addiction, the connection between mental health and substance use, and what she's learned about balancing advocacy with grief and self-care. Her story is a powerful reminder that youth voices matter and speaking from the heart can create real community change. Takeaways Personal loss can become purpose and advocacy Open conversations help reduce addiction stigma Youth voices can create meaningful community change Narcan education can challenge fear and misinformation Mental health is an important part of substance use prevention Speaking from the heart can make a powerful impact Advocacy requires persistence even when people say no Self-care and processing grief matter too Connect with Mariah Instagram: @mariah.g212 For feedback, questions and new episode ideas... jake@vive18.com instagram.com/vive18_