Prevention Leaders w/ Dave Closson

About Prevention Leaders w/ Dave Closson

Prevention work is hard. The Prevention Leaders Podcast makes it a little less lonely. Host Dave Closson, a combat veteran, coalition builder, and prevention strategist, brings you real conversations with the people shaping the field. Each episode delivers practical tools, honest perspectives, and the kind of leadership development most prevention professionals never get. If you're doing this work, this podcast was built for you.

Publisher

Dave Closson

Category

health & fitness

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

30 Dec 2019

Latest episode

7 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

81 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   7 Oct 2026

   How SAFE Project Is Strengthening What Protects Us

   Prevention is not one day, one week, or one month, and this conversation with SAFE Project shows what it looks like when it is every day. I sat down with Ronna Yablonski and Adam Swift as SAFE Project kicks off Prevention Month with the theme Prevention Matters: Together We Strengthen What Protects Us. We talk about what prevention looks like in practice, what is planned for October, and how parents, educators, leaders, neighbors, and peers can all play a part. Ronna brings 23 years in the field, including two Drug-Free Communities coalitions. Adam brings 26 years in the Air Force and a personal reason for doing this work: he found a SAFE Veterans wellness workshop while he was struggling after retirement, and now he leads the program. Together they make the case that prevention reaches people before, during, and after a crisis. You will hear why the military is full of protective factors, what happens to those supports when the uniform comes off, and what coalitions and communities can do about it. Press play and bring a pen. Guest BiosRonna Yablonski is the senior director of prevention at SAFE Project. She has spent 23 years in substance use prevention and coalition development, and she describes her career in three words: connection, service, and growth. Adam Swift is the director of SAFE Veterans at SAFE Project. He retired from the Air Force after 26 years of resilience work, went through the SAFE Veterans wellness workshop himself, and now helps bring it to veterans and their communities. About SAFE ProjectSAFE Project is a national nonprofit working to save lives affected by substance use and mental health challenges, through overdose prevention and response, prevention and recovery programs, and work to reduce stigma. Its initiatives are SAFE Veterans, SAFE Communities, SAFE Campuses, and SAFE Workplaces. Connect with SAFE Project: SAFE Project website:  www.safeproject.us (www.safeproject.us) Prevention Month website page: https://www.safeproject.us/prevention-month/ (https://www.safeproject.us/prevention-month/) SAFE Veterans website page: https://www.safeproject.us/veterans/ (https://www.safeproject.us/veterans/) Prevention Perspectives webinars: https://www.safeproject.us/webinars/ (https://www.safeproject.us/webinars/) Prevention Point Segments: https://www.safeproject.us/prevention/prevention-point/ (https://www.safeproject.us/prevention/prevention-point/) In-home medication disposal : https://www.safeproject.us/disposal/ (https://www.safeproject.us/disposal/) Opioid Overdose Response Training: https://www.safeproject.us/prevention-month/#OORT-Train (https://www.safeproject.us/prevention-month/#OORT-Train)

2. 

   12 Aug 2026

   Culture Is Prevention: Protective Factors, Belonging, and Strength-Based Prevention with Barbara Bessette

   Host Dave Closson interviews prevention professional Barbara Bessette about how culture, belonging, and community strength foster powerful prevention strategies.

3. 

   2 Jul 2026

   Fall, Feel, Rise: Hope Tour, Fourth Wave Foundation, and the Practice of Resilience

   Host Dave Closson interviews Adam Woods and Sneha Patiyathal about building resilience through community-rooted practices in schools and youth programs worldwide.

Who has been a guest on Prevention Leaders w/ Dave Closson

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Barbara Bessette
• Shane Varkow
• Adam Woods
• Sneha Patiyathal
• Jen Schneeman

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 44 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

64

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

60

Contact Prevention Leaders w/ Dave Closson

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about Prevention Leaders w/ Dave Closson