A public fall. A private reckoning. And the long road back to self-respect.

In this Episode 100 of Morning Cup of Brand Spark, Gina Dunn sits down with investigative journalist, author, and speaker Beth McDonough to explore what happens when a public identity collapses — and what it truly takes to rebuild a life you don’t need to escape from.

Beth McDonough spent three decades telling other people’s stories as a crime reporter in major U.S. newsrooms. Then she became the story.

After two DUIs, public humiliation, and being fired from the career she loved, Beth lost everything — her job, her reputation, her financial stability, and her sense of self. What followed was not a quick comeback, but years of accountability, sobriety, and slow reconstruction.

In this Mirror Conversation, Beth and Gina explore:

• What it means to lose an identity built on achievement and visibility

• The difference between public judgment and private accountability

• Why sobriety is a daily practice, not a redemption arc

• How resilience is built one “next right step” at a time

• Why you shouldn’t waste your suffering

This episode is not about scandal. It’s about reckoning, responsibility, and the courage it takes to begin again.

Beth McDonough is an investigative journalist, author, and speaker whose career spans major U.S. newsrooms and some of the country’s most high-profile crime stories. After years of reporting on other people’s darkest moments, she turned the lens inward with her memoir Standby — a raw, unflinching account of addiction, recovery, and reinvention.

Now based in southern Utah, Beth writes and speaks about resilience, sobriety, accountability, and finding purpose after life’s lightning strikes.

Connect With Beth

• Website / Author Hub: https://www.bethmcdmedia.com

• Book: Standby (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kindle)

• Social: @bemcdn