Healing After Loss: Reclaiming Yourself Through Trauma, Boundaries, and Emotional Sobriety

Some stories stay with you, not because they’re dramatic, but because they’re honest.In this conversation, Shelby sits down with Vivian Moyo, a trauma-informed life coach, to talk about what it really means to heal after deep loss. Vivian shares her experience of losing her mother at a young age, growing up without her father, and navigating layers of grief that followed her into adulthood.What stands out isn’t just the pain, but the patterns that formed around it. People pleasing. Overgiving. Losing yourself while trying to take care of everyone else.They talk openly about how trauma can shape identity, relationships, and emotional habits, and what it looks like to slowly come back to yourself. Not through quick fixes, but through awareness, boundaries, and doing the uncomfortable work of facing what’s been avoided.There’s also a strong focus on emotional sobriety. Not just staying away from alcohol, but learning how to sit with your feelings without escaping them.In this episode, you’ll hear about:• The impact of early childhood trauma and unresolved grief • How people pleasing and overhelping can become coping mechanisms • The role of creativity as a tool for emotional healing • Letting go of relationships, habits, and identities that no longer fit • Building boundaries and learning to choose yourself • What emotional sobriety looks like in everyday lifeThis is a grounded, real conversation for women in recovery, sober curious women, and anyone working through trauma, loss, or major life transitions.About the Guest Vivian Moyo is a qualified life coach and trauma-informed therapist who helps individuals heal from their past, overcome emotional challenges, and build a life rooted in clarity and confidence. Her work is shaped by both professional training and lived experience.Website: https://moyowellnesstherapy.com/ YouTube: https://youtube.com/@moyowellnesstherapy Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/76edyttlLES02qLHBdHrTH TikTok: @moyowellnesstherapyAbout the Host Shelby John is a licensed therapist and founder of Wholistic Living. Through the Confident Sober Women podcast, she explores sobriety, emotional healing, nervous system health, and personal growth for women building lives rooted in clarity, confidence, and true freedom.Website: https://shelbyjohn.comSupport the showDon’t forget to subscribe, rate & share this episode with a sober woman or someone suffering from anxiety, depression, ADHD, sleep problems and negative thought patterns who needs to hear she is not alone. Oh, and by the way, if you didn’t know, my remote Neurofeedback Therapy program is up and running. Learn more here! Learn more about EMDR therapy, EMDR Intensives and Remote Neurofeedback.And if you haven't read my memoir, grab a copy of Recovering in Recovery: The Life-Changing Joy of Sobriety wherever books are sold.