Circle of Chairs with Toni Collier

In this Circle of Chairs conversation, I interview speaker, author, and podcaster Toni Collier about recovery, trauma, and the kind of community that helps people heal. Toni shares her “buckets” of work - traveling to speak on healing and redemption, writing books including Brave Enough to Be Broken and her new book Don’t Try This Alone, hosting the Still Coloring podcast, and raising her kids as a single mom. She explains that sharing hard truths came from recovering from people-pleasing and focusing on pleasing God rather than others’ opinions. Toni describes a confessional community she built before crisis hit and then the incredible response from her friends. We discuss breaking cycles of seeking worth through men, learning to sit with pain, and “with-ness” through being seen, soothed, safe, and secure, plus a practical exercise to help you get started with forming your own deep community.00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro00:56 Tony in Buckets02:50 From Struggle to Vulnerability06:01 Community and New Book06:53 Divorce and Confessional Community11:02 Breaking the Love Lie16:00 Learning to Sit in Pain18:37 Withness and Four S's23:14 Practical Steps to Build Circles26:04 Closing ThanksNew book from Caroline Beidler: Pre-Order: When You Love Someone in Recovery Caroline Beidler, MSW, is an author, speaker, and Managing Editor of Recovery.com, where she combines expert guidance with research to help people find the best path to healing and treatment. Her book, When You Love Someone in Recovery: A Hopeful Guide for Understanding Addiction, was released Spring 2026 with Nelson Books. Drawing from her own recovery journey through addiction, mental health challenges, and trauma, along with training as a clinical mental health provider and addiction recovery expert, Caroline is passionate about guiding you into seasons of greater healing. Learn more about her books here. Subscribe to her Circle of Chairs Substack community at carolinebeidler.substack.com