No Matter What Club
Podcast
Our Addiction & Recovery Podcast
The No Matter What Club podcast aims to advocate, educate, and inform listeners about substance abuse and mental health challenges within the LGBTQ+ community. It welcomes both LGBTQ+ individuals and allies who are struggling with these issues, or who are affected by them. Through heartfelt and honest stories, the podcast offers transparency and insight, providing even better access to LGBTQ+ recovery resources and professionals dedicated to championing this community.
Where to Listen
Meet The Hosts
Paulo Anthony Grayson (he/him/his)
Paulo Anthony Grayson is originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, and now calls Los Angeles his home.
In addition to being the Chief Executive Officer of No Matter What Recovery, Paulo works as a sober companion and is part of a team that conducts interventions with a focus on adolescents. Paulo has years of experience managing operations, client care, and crisis intervention and management in the sober living, detox, residential, and treatment space. Furthering his career, Paulo is currently working on his Bachelors in Behavioral Health with an emphasis on trauma at Grand Canyon University.
Paulo understands the importance of consistency and patience in the early stages of behavioral health treatment, whether that is a focus on mental health challenges or substance dependency. Helping others is his passion, and he strives to make recovery for every client as impactful as possible while helping to instill healthy habits in an affirming, safe, and caring environment.
Paulo has eight years sober and is active in the Los Angeles recovery community: he serves as the entertainment chair on the Los Angeles Crystal Meth Anonymous Convention committee, as well as holds several service positions in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Crystal Meth Anonymous (CMA).
Recognizing the need to be of service in other areas of his life, Paulo rides on a sober cycling team called the ‘Trudging Buddies.’ This group participates in the AIDS LifeCycle — a 545-mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles to raise money for the Los Angeles LGBT Center and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. No MatterWhat Recovery is also a proud sponsor of the Trudging Buddies and Aids Life Cycle. Additionally, Paulo is also involved in Best in Drag Show which is a fundraising initiaive for The Alliance for Housing and Healing which raises funds for Aids Project Los Angeles. This initiative allocates funding for the unhoused in Los Angeles who have an HIV or AIDS diagniosis.
Anthony Arranaga-Grayson (he/him)
Anthony is the co-founder and Chief Operations Officer of No Matter What Recovery, and in this role oversees directors and managers in the day-to-day operations of the treatment center.
Following his graduation from the University of Arizona, Anthony launched a career as a television news reporter, working in Tampa, Washington, D.C., and Phoenix. His focus was covering live breaking news and news of the day, oftentimes reporting on government and political races. He left TV news in 2008, and started working in Public Relations and community outreach, as well as published a highly acclaimed blog on the newly-built Phoenix light rail and his car-free experience. During this moment, he found his passion and voice in being a cheerleader for our local communities.
Following his time in Phoenix, Anthony returned back home to Los Angeles and worked in city government, where he had a front row seat to some of LA’s historic events and neighborhood improvements. In his role, Anthony’s focus was serving as the LGBTQ+ liaison for the council offices he represented. A personal highlight for him: working alongside transgender community leaders to implement a Midnight Stroll along Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood, conducting outreach and providing resources to sex workers and unhoused individuals in need of services. The program was so successful that it expanded to other areas of the city.
Throughout his entire career, Anthony has had the honor and privilege of sharing the stories that shape our communities and country. This provided him with a unique perspective, positive outlook, and deep understanding of the people, places, and culture that contribute to the colorful fabric of our lives.
Anthony has several years sober, and enjoys his service commitments in the recovery community. Helping others, giving back, and mentoring are at the heart of his spirit.
Anthony is a native Angeleno, and lives with his husband Paulo and their three pups in the Valley. In his spare time, Anthony relishes traveling the world and experiencing new adventures, exploring the food scene in Los Angeles, and seeing live concerts and theater any chance he gets.
Mell McCracken (They/Them)
Mell McCracken is the Executive Director of No Matter What Recovery, serving as the leader of the clinical treatment program and overseeing our sexualized drug use curriculum.
Mell is a fierce advocate for healing and transformation through substance abuse counseling, sex addiction therapy, and treatment program development. They have nearly a decade of experience and extensive expertise in empowering individuals to overcome their struggles with addiction and navigate the complexities of chemsex in the rainbow community.
Mell is nationally and internationally recognized as an LGBT+ educator, co-author, and treatment provider. They also serve as faculty member at the International Institute of Trauma and Addiction Specialists. They are committed to uplifting voices and breaking stigmas, one conversation at a time, and have spent their career fighting for inclusivity and empowerment through chemsex education and LGBT+ activism.
They are originally from Ojai, California and in their free time enjoy exploring their creative side through painting, writing, pottery, and making music.
Jack Moll (he/him/his)
Jack is the case manager at No Matter What Recovery and has worked in the dual diagnosis treatment field for 2 years.
In that short time, Jack has gained experience working with varying special populations in multiple positions; from counseling previously incarcerated individuals to managing the cases of dual-diagnosed clients struggling with substance use and eating disorders, he has found his passion in serving the LGBTQ community.
As both a member of the LGBTQ community and with his experience in working closely with the demographic, Jack has insight into the unique barriers to treatment faced by the community and has learned how to employ inventiveness when it comes to navigating these barriers. He meets every client, face-to-face, on their first day of clinical programming to ensure a plan is devised to optimize success, whether that is addressing legal matters, prioritizing medical needs, planning aftercare, and beyond.
Jack is currently in the process of obtaining certification as an alcohol and drug counselor (CADC-I); he completed his education with Marste Training Services and is presently a Registered Alcohol and Drug Technician (RADT). Prior to entering the treatment field, he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California where he graduated in 2014. Jack still finds ways to apply his creativity in exploring solutions for all clients and their individual needs.
Jack was born in Santiago, Chile, but was raised in Ojai, California and still spends many of his weekends in his hometown. In his free time, you can find Jack tending to his many orchids, feeding his sourdough starter, or tackling a baking project alongside his husband.
