Recovery Daily Podcast

Five years ago, a nurse walked past my room in the ICU after my stroke and said, “You belong here.” My outward appearance didn’t match the seriousness of your medical condition. That moment became significant in shaping my understanding of invisible illnesses. It was my first glimpse of what I would encounter repeatedly—people believe what they can see. Living with a central vestibular disability and chronic pain created a strange internal negotiation. If people see me laughing, creating, enjoying my life, or simply having a good day, will they think I'm not suffering? A photograph captures the smile, but doesn’t capture the work it took to get it on my face or the fatigue and pain after everyone goes home. In this episode, I talk about the pressure I've sometimes felt to look "sick enough" to be believed, what my stroke recovery has taught me about living with things others can't see, and why I don't have to prove my pain exists. I can laugh while my head hurts, be grateful while grieving what I've lost, and love my life while wishing parts of it were different. My disability doesn't disappear when I'm happy, and I don't have to have a cure to allow myself to live.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779Visit my Recovery Upcycling Etsy shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling 

I have a lot going on right now, all of it is stuff I want to do. I'm writing, painting, volunteering, crafting, decorating, and apparently I've added learning to fish now too. So I was walking the other day feeling completely overwhelmed. How have I somehow managed to achieve being overwhelmed in medical retirement just doing my hobbies?In this episode, I talk about what I'm learning about enthusiasm, capacity, and the energy it takes just to add something new to my life. I'm also learning that every idea doesn't have to become a project, everything doesn't have to be finished right now, and sometimes I need to leave a little space in my life to experience it.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779Visit my Recovery Upcycling Etsy shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling 

Living with a vestibular disorder has made Maslow’s hierarchy of needs very apropos to me. Every day, I have to consider how much energy I have and where I need to spend it, from taking care of my basic physical needs and navigating my environment safely to participating in relationships, maintaining my self-esteem, and building a meaningful life.In this episode, I talk about what “I can’t watch TV” really means when visual movement causes pain, how I balance my limited spoons with the things that fill my cup, and why living with disability requires me to reevaluate my needs throughout the day. Sometimes the best way I know how to do that is simply to get still.“The more still I am, the more I see.”Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779Visit my Recovery Upcycling Etsy shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling 

Four questions have guided people many folks in recovery for generations since the Oxford Group began:How loving have I been? How unselfish (kind) have I been? How honest have I been? How pure have I acted?Known as the Four Absolutes, these influenced early AA and still offer a practical way to examine our thoughts, motives, and actions daily. They provide a compass for living one decision at a time.In this episode, I explore what each one means in everyday life, and how these timeless principles can strengthen emotional sobriety, deepen our relationships, and bring intention to the decisions we make every day.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779Visit my Recovery Upcycling Etsy shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling 

Last night, a massive tree crashed to the ground just feet from our house, somehow falling in the only direction that didn't cause damage. It became the perfect reminder that I spend far too much time trying to control outcomes that were never mine to control. In today's episode, I talk about surrendering before life becomes unmanageable—not just in sobriety and  stroke recovery, but also in everyday life. What if asking for help, praying, accepting reality, or simply opening our mouths earlier could keep us from reaching yet another crisis? Maybe surrender shouldn’t be an emergency response. Maybe it's preventative maintenance.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779Visit my Recovery Upcycling Etsy shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling 

What does it really mean to "give yourself grace"? It's a phrase we hear all the time, but I don't think I truly understood it until I found myself fighting against the reality of my own limitations. In this episode, I share how recovery is teaching me to let go of the invisible rules I've created for myself, stop measuring my worth by impossible expectations, and respond to each moment with flexibility instead of stubbornness. I talk about the hidden rules that keep us exhausted, why joy and disability can exist together, how self-care can become a resentment if we aren't careful, and why the strongest trees are the ones that bend in the storm. Grace is giving ourselves permission to live in the moment we're actually in as we are.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779Visit my Recovery Upcycling Etsy shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling 

When I got sober, alcohol stepped off the throne of my life. But that left me with a new question: What would take its place?In this episode, I share insights inspired by a recent church sermon and translate it into the language of recovery. We explore how addiction doesn't necessarily disappear. It often just changes clothes. Careers, achievements, creativity, helping others, and even exercise can quietly become the center of our lives if we're not paying attention.How can we tell and what’s the harm? Sometimes the answer is hidden in what we worry about, what we can't put down, or what we believe gives us our identity and peace.Join me as I think out loud about freedom, purpose, emotional sobriety, and the importance of the pause. Because the question isn't simply What do I believe in? It's what is directing my thoughts, my decisions, and ultimately my life today?Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779Visit my Recovery Upcycling Etsy shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling 

This week’s Facebook memories have reminded me of my Longwood ZTA reunion 17 years ago. The pictures look like I was having a great time. But the memories behind those photos tell a very different story. I remember dancing on the bar, falling in the street, lying on a sticky beer-soaked floor, and believing I was just partying like everyone else. Looking back through the eyes of recovery, I can see that I hadn’t grown out of drinking after college. I was falling deeper into my disease.I look at those memories and see my insecurity, anxiety, and the desperate need to belong fueled by alcoholism long before I understood what was happening to me. Recovery has transformed those painful memories from sources of shame into opportunities to spread hope to others. Sometimes the stories we most want to hide are the very stories someone else needs to hear. We think our greatest contribution comes from our accomplishments, but I've learned that my deepest impact comes from honestly sharing about the unmanageable pain I’ve survived.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779Visit my Recovery Upcycling Etsy shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling 

My recovery program asks that I be willing. Can seeking with no finish line build a comfortable life in faith? In this episode, I explore how emotional sobriety and faith is built one moment at a time, why an open mind is more important than certainty, and how willingness moves us to and through living with trust. If you've ever felt stuck trying to figure everything out before moving forward, this conversation is a reminder that faith is found in the willingness to trust in the horizon that is painted for us.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779Visit my Recovery Upcycling Etsy shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling 

Celebrating 100 episodes in 2026! We show up in recovery to stop drinking. Right? Well, some of us actually are hoping we can learn how to drink like a lady. 🫤What I discovered is a completely new way of living. I talk so often about the hard parts of recovery and mental health, but today I’m celebrating what recovery and given back to me. I have deeper relationships, a tight family, purpose, self-respect, and opportunities to build a new powerful ME. I enjoy life without needing anything in my hand. I’m on a never-ending journey of self-discovery, and I get to love others and myself on a higher plane. I know how joy and hardship can exist at the same time.After my stroke, I realized that my sobriety program had prepared me to walk through the hardest season of my life and still smile. The same principles that helped me recover from alcoholism continue to guide me through disability, fear, grief, and acceptance today. Recovery gives me far more than freedom from alcohol. It gives me a life I never knew was possible.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779Visit my Recovery Upcycling Etsy shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling 

One of the questions I'm asked most often is, "When did the cravings stop?" I don't believe my cravings were magically lifted, and I don't think willpower keeps me sober. Instead, my cravings slowly lost their power as they were replaced by willingness willingness to do the next right thing: go to another meeting, pray, ask for help, etc.Move a muscle, change a thought!In this episode, I share how small daily actions changed my relationship with alcohol, why cravings are not commands, and how focusing on the next right thing eventually gave me a freedom I never thought was possible. If you're struggling with cravings today, I hope this episode reminds you that you don't have to fight them forever you just have to be willing to take the next step right now.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779Visit my Recovery Upcycling Etsy shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling 

My relationship with grief has changed dramatically in sobriety. I spent nearly twenty years grieving the loss of a high school friend before sobriety finally allowed those feelings to move through me. Grief can be felt, and it’s not going to kill me. Talking helps me process emotions instead of freezing them in time. When we allow ourselves to feel instead of numbing the pain, we can carry loss together rather than in isolation. Today I can see how loss continues to shape the person I'm becoming. Grief no longer steals my faith and hope. It deepens it.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779Visit my Recovery Upcycling Etsy shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling 

My sobriety program teaches me what to do with fear, anger, sadness, disappointment, embarrassment, etc. The real problem isn't the thing that’s disturbing me, it's what I do because I'm disturbed. Left alone, my thoughts isolate me and feed on each other. But the 12 steps has given me a different path. Today I explore the power of pausing, focusing on what I can control, getting the disturbance out of my head and through my mouth, and doing the next right thing.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779Visit my Recovery Upcycling Etsy shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling 

After taking a week away from the podcast to rest during a vestibular flare, I'm back with an update on my health, my birthday, my family, and what's been filling my mind lately. I've been exploring everything from quantum physics to spiritual awakening, and I've realized they have something in common: learning to see beyond what's right in front of us. In recovery, I didn't just stop drinking, I slowly began opening my eyes to a bigger, richer, more meaningful way of living.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779Visit my Recovery Upcycling Etsy shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling 

Today I'm just checking in to let you know that I'm taking a week off due to a temporary (hopefully) decline in my condition.

Some days, the best thing I can do is admit that my brain has reached its limit.In this episode, I share what it's really like to live with a vestibular disorder after stroke, how symptoms change from moment to moment, why treating one symptom reveals another, and what brain fog feels like from the inside. I also talk about the frustration of searching for answers, advocating for yourself with doctors, and learning to listen when your body tells you it's time to stop.Coincidentally, by the end of this episode, my brain fog became so overwhelming that I couldn't even remember the point I was trying to make. I left it in so you can see the most honest picture of recovery.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779Visit my Recovery Upcycling Etsy shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling 

Today I'm doing something I don't want to do: nothing. When you live with chronic illness, pain, or disability life can unpredictably erase your entire to-do-list forcing you to invest in tomorrow through rest. Doing less today allows you to do more tomorrow.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779Visit my Recovery Upcycling Etsy shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling 

My disability, chronic pain, and alcoholism doesn't take a day off. Invisible illnesses don’t do that.After staying up late to enjoy the Fourth of July celebration, I was reminded that even good choices can have consequences when you're living with a chronic condition. Sometimes I get tired of living a full time recovery life, but even so, I must accept reality and surrender to it, one day at a time.It's okay to get tired of being sick. It's okay to get tired of living with alcoholism. What's important is that we don't stop accepting what is true today and doing the next right thing. It's how we stay free.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779Visit my Recovery Upcycling Etsy shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling 

"I want help, but let me tell you how to help me." Classic Rachel!Whether I’m relying on my husband, sponsor, doctors, friends and family, or my Higher Power, I am constantly negotiating how others should help me. I become teachable when my self-sufficiency  reaches its limits, and humility and desperation force me to surrender. Only then does my life change in beautiful ways I never could have planned.I struggle to let go of control while still hoping things will get better. Recovery only exists when I’m willing to accept help, trust the process, and don’t try to do life alone.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779Visit my Recovery Upcycling Etsy shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling 

What does it mean to rely on God? If you've ever struggled with the idea of faith, wondered how to accept God into your life, or felt like you needed proof before you could believe, you're not alone.In this episode, I explore Step Two of Alcoholics Anonymous: "Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity." I talk about what sanity means, why open-mindedness and humility matter most, and how relief is in the seeking not the understanding.Just as science accepts unseen forces like dark matter and dark energy because of their effects on the universe, we can learn to recognize the evidence of a Higher Power in the peace, hope, and transformation that seeking Him brings.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779

I don't become brave before I act. I become brave because I act. Every time I walk toward fear, my brain collects evidence that I can survive it. Confidence is learned.Before a difficult conversation or situation, my mind writes the ending before the story even begins. I rehearse failure, rejection, embarrassment, and loss while my emotions respond as if those imagined outcomes are  real. Understanding the emotions beneath my anxiety can change the way I approach challenges. Sometimes what looks like anxiety is really insecurity, fear, or even excitement. By slowing down and identifying what I’m actually feeling, I can stop reacting to the stories in my head and start responding to the reality in front of me.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779

For 42 years, I sleepwalked through life. My body was present, but my mind was elsewhere replaying yesterday and worrying about tomorrow. Alcohol was my favorite escape, but there are many ways to leave the present moment, like busyness, tv, books, and social media.In this episode, I discuss what mindfulness actually MEANS to me and the need to pair that with introspection to attain emotional sobriety. The Twelve Steps teach me that recovery is more than putting down the drink. I can show up for my life physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I learn to keep my head where my feet are while also exploring what's happening inside me. Curiosity becomes courage while each decision I make bridges the world outside of me with the world within.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779

When life becomes overwhelming, my first instinct used to be escape. Alcohol promised relief, but it only delayed my problems until they returned bigger than before. In this episode, I explore the difference between escaping reality and creating a healthy pause before responding to it. That pause is where wisdom grows.Using the image of a pressure cooker, I share why emotional pressure needs a release valve. Whether it's walking without distractions, prayer, gardening, journaling, or simply resting before reacting, healthy coping lowers the pressure so we can face problems with clarity. Recovery has given me the ability to stay present and move through life's challenges instead of running from them.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779

For me, alcohol guarantees pain, slow physical suicide, and immediate emotional collapse. Bad things didn't happen every time I drank, but every time something bad happened, I was drinking. Every heartbreaking relapse story reminds me how serious our disease is. I wish I could erase it, go back and stand in between them and that drink, and spare them the suffering that follows. But each of us has our own journey. It takes what it takes. My responsibility is to protect my own sobriety, remain available to help others, and remember that today is the only day I have to show up for.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779

When life becomes overwhelming, my first instinct used to be escape. Alcohol promised relief, but it only delayed my problems until they returned bigger than before. In this episode, I explore the difference between escaping reality and creating a healthy pause before responding to it. That pause is where wisdom grows.Using the image of a pressure cooker, I share why emotional pressure needs a release valve. Whether it's walking without distractions, prayer, gardening, journaling, or simply resting before reacting, healthy coping lowers the pressure so we can face problems with clarity. Recovery has given me the ability to stay present and move through life's challenges instead of running from them.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779

One of the greatest gifts of recovery is the transformation from feeling overwhelmed by life's challenges to becoming someone who can help others through theirs. There was a time when all of my energy was spent simply surviving alcoholism and learning to navigate life after a stroke. Today, recovery has given me the ability to sit with someone in pain and offer hope. In this episode, I explore the recovery principle that we must give it away to keep it, the wisdom of the corn farmer who shared his best seed with his neighbors, and how helping others often strengthens our own healing. The more we share our experience, strength, and hope, the more we discover that recovery was never meant to stop with us.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779

It's easy to look at someone else's life and think they're happier, healthier, or having more fun. It's easy to romanticize drinking while forgetting the loneliness, fear, and consequences that came with it. It's just as easy to romanticize life before a stroke and focus on what has been lost. In this episode, I explore the danger of not playing the tape forward, the freedom that comes from acceptance, and why the Serenity Prayer helps me let go of wanting things to be different. When I play the tape forward, practice gratitude, and accept life on life's terms, I discover that peace is available right where my feet are.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779

Much of my discomfort comes from fear about the future and that I won't be able to handle it. In recovery sometimes I wish things were different than they are. In both sobriety and stroke recovery, I've discovered that serenity is found by trusting that I have the tools to face whatever comes and accepting life as it is today. In this episode, I explore freedom from fear, freedom from want, the power of "even if" over "what if," and why prayer helps me change my perspective rather than trying to change God's mind.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779

What is the difference between justified and unjustified anger through the lens of emotional sobriety and stroke recovery. Healthy anger alerts us to injustice, boundary violations, and unmet needs. But even justified anger can become resentment when we replay it, nurture it, and allow it to take up permanent residence in our minds.Unjustified anger is fueled by fear, pride, expectations, and the need for control. Step 4 teaches me to look beyond what is happening, examine the real source, learn from it, and release it. The goal is to stop feeding the fire and start tending the light.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779

When I was in high school, my drama teacher told me I had good timing. That always stayed with me as an incredible compliment. Communication requires good timing, but it also requires good judgment. Unfortunately, that was not something that I flourished at.I don’t have to react to every thought, emotion, or circumstance. It's hard to settle that emotional urgency and wait for clarity and, in my case, humility that only comes with pausing. If it’s a good idea today, it should be a good idea tomorrow.Three simple questions that have helped me quiet the emotional urgency:Does it need to be said?Does it need to be said now?Does it need to be said by me?Timing matters as much as the action itself. And sometimes the wisest thing to do is nothing.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779

The phrase "relieve me of the bondage of self" appears in the Third Step Prayer, but what does it really mean? Sometimes our self-centered thinking is rooted in pain, fear, and need for comfort. We become consumed with our worries, our problems, our future, and our need for relief. Alcohol may have been one solution, but self-pity, control, and fear can keep us trapped and block emotional sobriety.Unmet emotional needs can lead us to seek comfort in unhealthy ways. Sobriety and stroke recovery taught me that peace comes when I stop trying to control everything and start trusting something greater than myself. Freedom begins when we lift our eyes from ourselves and reconnect with the world around us.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779

Recovery teaches me acceptance, but sometimes I feel like I’m giving up on me when I accept life as it is. I have to be patient, understanding, and willing to let things go, but sometimes I get exhausted and resentful, feeling like life’s doormat.There’s a difference between accepting reality and abandoning our own needs. Acceptance doesn’t mean I have to like my circumstances, I just get to adapt and explore gratitude despite them. Resentments can be warning signs that we’re overextending ourselves. People-pleasing, fear, and good intentions can lead me there. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779

Meditation became an unexpected but essential part of my stroke recovery journey. What began as an uncomfortable practice I learned in sobriety became a powerful tool for navigating grief, uncertainty, disability, and acceptance. From learning how to think about nothing to visualizing my brain healing, I’m gaining patience, serenity, resilience, and hope.Whether you're recovering from a stroke, living with a chronic condition, or struggling with life's uncertainties, this episode explores how meditation helps us stop fighting reality, trust the wisdom of our bodies, and find peace in the present moment. Healing requires us to sit willingly with who we are today and trust that growth is still happening beneath the surface.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779#strokerecovery  #strokesurvivor  #strokepodcast #vestibularrecovery  #recovery  #vestibular  #disabilityawareness  #soberlifestyle  #recoverypodcast

Step Two introduced me to the willingness to believe that change is possible. We are exhausted from trying to manage life on our own and want proof that things will get better before we're willing to trust the process. But Step Two helps us keep an open mind, borrow hope from those who have gone before us, and consider the possibility that a power greater than ourselves can offer us hope.In this episode, I explore how willingness, faith, and hope work together in recovery. We talk about the difference between willpower and a Higher Power, why open-mindedness is essential for faith, and how Step Two teaches us to trust the next right step even when we can't see the whole path ahead.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779 Visit my Etsy shop, and join my creative journey at Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling#strokerecovery  #strokesurvivor  #strokepodcast #vestibularrecovery  #recovery  #vestibular  #disabilityawareness  #soberlifestyle  #recoverypodcast

While many readers know it as a psychological thriller, I experienced it as a powerful story about resilience, emotional abuse, identity, and the courage it takes to reclaim a life that has slowly been slipping away. As a recovering alcoholic and stroke survivor, I found myself relating to the main character's journey in unexpected ways. Her struggle to trust herself, her battle with self-worth, and her gradual awakening felt remarkably familiar.In this episode, I share how the book parallels many of the lessons I've learned in recovery: the danger of living disconnected from ourselves, the psychological toll of emotional abuse, the uncomfortable process of healing, and the hope that emerges when we finally stop running from reality. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779 Visit my Etsy shop, and join my creative journey at Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling#strokerecovery  #strokesurvivor  #strokepodcast #vestibularrecovery  #recovery  #vestibular  #disabilityawareness  #soberlifestyle  #recoverypodcast

Step One taught me that I am not in control of people, places, things, symptoms, timelines, or outcomes. Step Two taught me that I don't have to figure everything out by myself. Step Three taught me how to make hundreds of small decisions each day based on the wisdom I've gained about what I can control, what I can't, what I need to let go of, and what action I need to take.In this episode, I explore how the first three steps became a roadmap life in stroke recovery. I talk about acceptance, asking for help, taking the next right action, and seeking the solution instead of getting stuck in the struggle.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779 Visit my Etsy shop, and join my creative journey at Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling#strokerecovery  #strokesurvivor  #strokepodcast #vestibularrecovery  #recovery  #vestibular  #disabilityawareness  #soberlifestyle  #recoverypodcast

We all develop armor. Sometimes it's alcohol, anger, perfectionism, control, people-pleasing, or isolation. At some point, these behaviors may have helped us survive difficult seasons of life. The problem is that what protects us during a crisis can eventually hurt us and keep us from healing when we don’t recognize the danger is gone.Is your armor helping you heal, or has it become your weapon?Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779 Visit my Etsy shop, and join my creative journey at Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling#strokerecovery  #strokesurvivor  #strokepodcast #vestibularrecovery  #recovery  #vestibular  #disabilityawareness  #soberlifestyle  #recoverypodcast

For years, I wanted immediate relief, certainty, approval, and control. The problem was that every time one want was satisfied, another appeared. I was constantly chasing something just beyond my reach. In this episode, I explore the difference between freedom from want and freedom from fear. Looking back, many of my wants were fears in disguise. I wanted because I was afraid to sit with discomfort.Sobriety introduced me to freedom, and stroke recovery deepens that lesson. Serenity comes from living through uncertainty, disappointment, change, and discomfort without running.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779 Visit my Etsy shop, and join my creative journey at Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling#strokerecovery  #strokesurvivor  #strokepodcast #vestibularrecovery  #recovery  #vestibular  #disabilityawareness  #soberlifestyle  #recoverypodcast

“It’s never too late to start your day over” is a great tool in recovery. I used to think my happiness depended on my circumstances. If things didn't go my way, I sank into self-pity, resentment, and disappointment. What sobriety has taught me is reinforced in stroke recovery.Happiness is an inside job. I get to choose to focus on what I've lost or participate in the life that's still  available to me. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779 Visit my Etsy shop, and join my creative journey at Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling#strokerecovery  #strokesurvivor  #strokepodcast #vestibularrecovery  #recovery  #vestibular  #disabilityawareness  #soberlifestyle  #recoverypodcast

A watercolor artist showed me hundreds of failed paintings behind her success to demonstrate what it means to be self-taught. It can be exhausting to keep hitting brick walls while learning a new skill. It resonated with me because I tried to figure out sobriety by myself, and I repeated the same pattern in stroke recovery. Just as the artist showed hundreds of messy attempts, I experienced years of unnecessary suffering and hopelessness because I was trying to heal alone.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779 Visit my Etsy shop, and join my creative journey at Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling#strokerecovery  #strokesurvivor  #vestibularrecovery  #recovery  #vestibular  #disability  #soberlife  #recoverypodcast

We often think about gratitude backward, looking at what we survived, how we escaped, or what could have lost. Recovery teaches me that gratitude is powerful when it moves us forward. Instead of just appreciating life emotionally, we participate in life differently because of that appreciation.I live gratefully through my creativity, fellowship, helping others, caring for my body, and moving forward even when life is difficult. Sobriety and stroke recovery both teach me that the greatest expression of gratitude is choosing to live with purpose, willingness, and participation in the life I still have.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779 Visit my Etsy shop, and join my creative journey at Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling#strokerecovery  #strokesurvivor  #vestibularrecovery  #recovery  #vestibular  #disability  #soberlife  #recoverypodcast

After my stroke, I tried to force myself back into my old life. I minimized my symptoms, ignored my limitations, pushed through pain, and believed that recovery was pretending nothing had changed. The same way I once fought against sobriety, I declared war on myself. In this episode, I talk about what it meant to finally admit complete defeat, not as failure, but as acceptance of reality and my inability to control what happened to me.Surrendering the illusion of control became the turning point in both sobriety and stroke recovery. I stopped fighting myself and became willing to rest, ask for help, slow down, and care for my body and brain. Admitting defeat did not mean I was giving up on life. It was quite the opposite. I was finally learning how to live honestly within my invisible illnesses. That’s when I began to heal emotionally.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779 Visit my Etsy shop, and join my creative journey at Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling#strokerecovery  #strokesurvivor  #vestibularrecovery  #recovery  #vestibular  #disability  #soberlife  #recoverypodcast

When I got sober, I thought life would never be fun again. Instead, I discovered that alcohol had been stealing my time, creativity, and presence in this life. The joyful discoveries that came after putting down the drink were unexpected. I found that taking action before motivation appears helped me discover joy and creativity.Those same recovery principles became essential after my stroke. Sobriety taught me willingness, acceptance, patience, and how to keep moving forward one day at a time. What started as recovery from alcohol eventually became a blueprint for surviving and adapting to the hardest season of my life. Joyful discoveries often seem to emerge from adversity.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779 Visit my Etsy shop, and join my creative journey at Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling#strokerecovery  #strokesurvivor  #vestibularrecovery  #recovery  #vestibular  #disability  #soberlife  #recoverypodcast

This episode is about growing a conscience and learning to ask ourselves: What’s my motivation for that? Inspired by reflections from my recovery, I talk about how addiction, fear, resentment, people-pleasing, and the need for control shaped many of my behaviors as an active alcoholic.Sobriety and emotional recovery have helped me become more self-aware, intentional, and honest about the reasons behind my actions. Today I explore the difference between reacting and responding, how resentments become fossilized when ignored, and why the pause between impulse and behavior can completely change the direction of our lives.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779 Visit my Etsy shop, and join my creative journey at Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling#strokerecovery  #strokesurvivor  #vestibularrecovery  #recovery  #vestibular  #disability  #soberlife  #recoverypodcast

I used the Twelve Steps to travel honestly back through my life, resentments, fears, shame, grief, and painful experiences without getting trapped inside them. Instead of trying to numb the past or erase it, the steps help me reflect on it, learn, make peace with it, and move forward armed with wisdom to live differently.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779 Visit my Etsy shop, and join my creative journey at Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling#strokerecovery  #strokesurvivor  #vestibularrecovery  #recovery  #vestibular  #disability  #soberlife  #recoverypodcast

Nothing has impacted my life more than getting sober. Alcohol helped me cope with my anxiety, grief, fear, and excessive sensitivity. I thought my problems were other people, circumstances, trauma, and work, and the fact that I was just broken. I didn’t understand that drinking was teaching me how to escape rather than learning how to live. I didn’t know there was another way. The 12 steps changed my entire way of thinking, feeling, grieving, connecting, and responding to life. My sobriety program is the foundation that helps me emotionally survive stroke and vestibular disability. It teaches me how to live inside discomfort without escaping it, trust myself , and walk through painful seasons without losing hope.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779 Visit my Etsy shop, and join my creative journey at Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling#strokerecovery  #strokesurvivor  #vestibularrecovery  #recovery  #vestibular  #disability  #soberlife  #recoverypodcast

After years of resisting the idea that my identity changed after stroke, I sat down and worked through what rebuilding one’s identity means. It’s my relationship with myself, how I believe others see me, what I think my value is, and how I respond to the experiences that shape my life. It’s more than just who I am.I can grieve old versions of myself while still recognizing that the same compassionate little girl inside me that has remained. Through becoming a stroke survivor, living with invisible disability, and rebuilding a sense of purpose after losing so much independence, I am learning how to trust, understand, and accept myself again. Recovery communities, emotional sobriety, spirituality, and connection rebuild identity over time by learning how to carry the parts of myself that remain through adversity into the new version of who I am becoming and loving again.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779 Visit my Etsy shop, and join my creative journey at Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling#strokerecovery  #strokesurvivor  #vestibularrecovery  #recovery  #vestibular  #disability  #soberlife  #recoverypodcast

There are moments from my past that can still make my heart race and trigger shame, fear, or panic. While I can’t change what happened, I can change my relationship with it. Through honest conversations, connection, sponsorship, and practicing the steps, I transform how I respond to my past instead of allowing it to remain toxic.My past is part of my story, but it no longer gets to dictate my actions, my worth, or who I’m becoming. Without those chapters of my life I wouldn’t be exactly where I am today. I’ve rebuilt trust in myself and no longer fear my thoughts as if I must act on all of them. My present is finally louder than my past.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779 Visit my Etsy shop, and join my creative journey at Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling#strokerecovery  #strokesurvivor  #vestibularrecovery  #recovery  #vestibular  #disability  #soberlife  #recoverypodcast

When someone asks me, “what do you do?” I respond, “I’m medically retired” instead of simply “retired.” This is because stroke recovery, vestibular disorders, chronic pain, disabilities, and even sobriety happened without my permission. If I don’t convey that, the response is “Congratulations!” There’s an invisible grief when life shifts in a direction you wouldn’t have chosen. It comes with losing independence, certainty, and the version of life you imagined you would have. Forced change creates an exhausting tension between acceptance and denial that increases my suffering when I fight reality instead of adapt to it. I’m learning how to treat emotional wounds with the same care I give physical ones, and build a meaningful life instead of constantly bracing for resistance.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779 Visit my Etsy shop, and join my creative journey at Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling#strokerecovery  #strokesurvivor  #vestibularrecovery  #recovery  #vestibular  #disability  #soberlife  #recoverypodcast

I never want to forget the depth of defeat, desperation, and demoralization prior to my sobriety. Absolutely the only thing looping in my mind was escaping into a bottle. I lived in that mental space for years, holding my breath, chained to my thoughts, and trying to control something that was uncontrollable. I was reminded this morning that many addicts don’t make it, and that’s why I must keep it fresh in my mind, so I can keep it. I must give it away to keep it. I must share about what it felt like so that even just one person doesn’t have to suffer like me, looking for a solution but fearful of finding one that meant I could no longer drink. Hope first showed up for me as a gift rather than something I found inside me. My sobriety community allowed me to borrow their hope. Today I want to be a hope dealer because the same hope that saved me is meant to be shared so that it saves the next suffering alcoholic.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779 Visit my Etsy shop, and join my creative journey at Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling#strokerecovery  #strokerecovery  #vestibularrecovery  #recovery  #vestibular  #disability  #soberlife  #recoverypodcast