In this episode of The NOCE Dose, Bianca McCall sits down with Mark Lambert, co-founder of Lighthouse XR, to explore how virtual reality can support recovery, reflection, and human connection.

Mark shares how his career in Hollywood visual design and immersive storytelling eventually led him into the recovery space after his son’s experience with opioid addiction. From building worlds for major films to developing virtual recovery environments, Mark brings a deeply personal and creative lens to behavioral health innovation.

Together, Bianca and Mark discuss The Retreat, Lighthouse XR’s virtual reality platform designed to help people engage with recovery concepts like core values, anxiety, anger, grief, community, passion, and purpose. Rather than replacing clinicians or peers, Mark emphasizes that VR works best as a tool that creates space for reflection and then strengthens real-world connection through guided conversation.

This episode explores the promise and limitations of digital health technology, the importance of human-centered design, and how immersive storytelling may help people stay engaged through the “long middle” of recovery.

What does gambling addiction really look like, and why do so many people struggle in silence?

In this episode of The Nostos, Bianca McCall sits down with Sam DeMello, Founder and CEO of eVive, to explore one of the fastest-growing yet least understood behavioral health challenges in America. Drawing from his own recovery journey, Sam shares how gambling quietly evolved from a childhood hobby into an addiction that impacted every aspect of his life, and how that experience inspired him to build technology that connects people to support before they reach crisis.

Together, Bianca and Sam discuss the hidden relationship between gambling, substance use, financial distress, and suicide risk; why traditional support systems often miss the people who need them most; and how digital health tools can lower barriers to care without replacing the human relationships that make recovery possible.

This conversation challenges common misconceptions about gambling addiction while highlighting the power of lived experience, personalized support, and community-centered innovation.

This Listening Session explores the rapidly evolving intersection of high-tech innovation and the deeply personal landscape of recovery. As behavioral health systems increasingly look toward high-tech solutions for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) prevention and treatment, this session explores how technology is no longer just a tool for communication but a primary intervention. Participants will engage with app developers and AI researchers to examine how machine learning models that are trained on the nuanced behavioral data of lived experience communities are being leveraged to predict recovery trajectories and provide real-time support.

Attendees will explore the practicalities and ethical nuances of “automated empathy,” including the use of GPS geofencing to activate supportive nudges in high-risk locations and Virtual Reality (VR) environments designed for cue-exposure therapy and de-escalation training. The session will facilitate a dialogue on whether these advancements strengthen the provider-client bond or create new barriers to authentic connection. Grounded in the goal of sustainable work-life integration for the workforce, participants will leave with a sophisticated understanding of how to integrate emerging technologies into traditional workflows without compromising safety, ethics, and human-centered approaches.