Adam Sud is a nutrition and addiction expert, international speaker, and the founder of Plant-Based for Positive Change, an organization dedicated to advancing research and education on how nutrition influences mental health and addiction recovery.

After overcoming his own battles with addiction, depression, and chronic disease, Adam devoted his life to understanding the science of behavior change and the power of nutrition to restore both body and mind. He studied disease reversal and nutritional psychiatry
under the mentorship of leading lifestyle physicians and has since worked within mental and behavioral health treatment centers, pioneering the use of nutrition as a tool to strengthen recovery, improve emotional resilience, and reduce relapse.

Through his nonprofit and public speaking, Adam is redefining how we think about healing, showing that transformation is possible when we align biology, psychology, and environment in service of human thriving.

In 2012, Adam Sud’s life reached a breaking point. Struggling with multiple addictions, chronic diseases, and severe mental health challenges, he attempted suicide by drug overdose. What could have been the end became the beginning of profound transformation.

With the support of treatment and the adoption of a whole food, plant-based lifestyle, Adam not only achieved recovery from addiction but also reversed his chronic diseases, discontinued all medications, and lost 175 pounds. Today, over thirteen years into
continuous recovery, he uses his experience to inspire and empower others to reclaim their health and rebuild their lives.

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Dr. Daniel Knoepflmacher, M.D., M.F.A., is the Director of the General Psychiatry Residency Program at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine, the Vice Chair of Education in the Department of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine, and host of the department’s official podcast, On the Mind (https://weillcornell.org/patient-education/health-podcasts/on-the-mind).

After attending Columbia University, where he graduated magna cum laude with a major in Religion, he completed his M.F.A. in Film Production at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. He embarked on a successful career in the entertainment industry as an editor specializing in theatrical and television marketing campaigns for major studio films.

Driven by a desire to apply his passion for human narratives to making a deeper difference in people’s lives, he pivoted to medicine, eventually completing his psychiatry residency at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, where he has remained ever since as a faculty member. Dr. Knoepflmacher draws on his unique professional background in his work as a psychiatrist, educator, consultant, and public communicator, having appeared as a medical expert across television, print, and other media. He champions a humanistic approach to psychiatry and a deep commitment to destigmatizing common mental health challenges, believing that open conversation and human connection are essential elements of thriving.

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Zac Clark is the Founder and CEO of Release Recovery and a founding board member of the Release Recovery Foundation. A person in long-term recovery, Zac transformed his own experience with addiction into a mission to help others build meaningful, lasting recovery. After beginning his career in direct client care, he grew into a leader in the behavioral health field, combining clinical insight with entrepreneurial vision to expand access to high-quality, individualized treatment. Many first came to know Zac through his appearance on The Bachelorette, where he shared his recovery story with a national audience and has since become a leading advocate for reducing stigma and promoting hope in recovery.

Follow Thriving with Addiction:
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