EPISODE · Jan 31, 2026 · 3 MIN
Episode 1: The Word That Broke the Dam
from From Pain Comes Power - words of recovery · host Poetry, presence, and living life as an Endurer.
"I wrote the word: Enough. I took a breath, thought about what that word made me feel, and just started writing."In this debut episode, John T. takes us back to the moment his old life collapsed. After 20 years in the high-stakes world of politics and fundraising, John found himself on a cold bathroom floor—a moment that led to his fourth trip to treatment in three years.On Day 8 of rehab, facing a blank page he’d spent a lifetime avoiding, he encountered a simple prompt: Write a poem. In this episode, you will hear:The Origin: The story of the "bathroom floor" and the realization that the life he was grasping for was finally falling apart.The Reading: John reads "Enough," the very first poem he wrote in treatment—the piece that unlocked 50 more poems in just ten weeks.The Backstory: A reflection on the "suffocating feeling of never being enough" and how putting heart to the page provided a release that years of strategy never could.This is the beginning of a journey to put the heart on the page, to breathe easier, and to discover that "enough" isn't a goal to be reached—it's a place to begin.Connect with the journey:Read & Listen: FromPainComesPower.caSubscribe: Look for From Pain Comes Power on Substack for early access to poetry and prose.Follow: Join the conversation on social media @FromPainComesPower. Thank you for subscribing. Leave a comment or share this episode.
What this episode covers
"I wrote the word: Enough. I took a breath, thought about what that word made me feel, and just started writing."In this debut episode, John T. takes us back to the moment his old life collapsed. After 20 years in the high-stakes world of politics and fundraising, John found himself on a cold bathroom floor—a moment that led to his fourth trip to treatment in three years.On Day 8 of rehab, facing a blank page he’d spent a lifetime avoiding, he encountered a simple prompt: Write a poem. In this episode, you will hear:The Origin: The story of the "bathroom floor" and the realization that the life he was grasping for was finally falling apart.The Reading: John reads "Enough," the very first poem he wrote in treatment—the piece that unlocked 50 more poems in just ten weeks.The Backstory: A reflection on the "suffocating feeling of never being enough" and how putting heart to the page provided a release that years of strategy never could.This is the beginning of a journey to put the heart on the page, to breathe easier, and to discover that "enough" isn't a goal to be reached—it's a place to begin.Connect with the journey:Read & Listen: FromPainComesPower.caSubscribe: Look for From Pain Comes Power on Substack for early access to poetry and prose.Follow: Join the conversation on social media @FromPainComesPower. Thank you for subscribing. Leave a comment or share this episode.
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Episode 1: The Word That Broke the Dam
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