Girl Overboard

Welcome to Girl Overboard, a documentary podcast about love, addiction, loss, and what remains. A project 15 years in the making, told from the perspective of a grieving little sister and her mom. It's an unfiltered look at a family fighting to stay together as one falls into substance use and ultimately doesn't make it out alive. Artistically blending timelines and voices from family, friends, co...

Join us for a bonus episode of Girl Overboard. In this episode, you'll learn about a surgery Sierra had when she was young and the significant impact we believe it has on her experience with substances. We also talk with Sterling Elliott, a Clinical Pharmacist Lead and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery. Dr Elliott specializes in surgical pharmacy and post-operative pain management, where...

Join us for a bonus episode of Girl Overboard, where we talk with William Cope Moyers. William is a New York Times best-selling author, vice president of Public Affairs and Community Relations at Hazelden Foundation, and a long-time advocate for addiction treatment and recovery. In our conversation, we talk about the impact of addiction on the whole family, the use of medically assisted treatments...

Join us for a bonus episode of Girl Overboard, where we talk with Marcia Lee Taylor. With 30+ years in the addiction and drug policy space, Marcia has infinite wisdom within this field. We cover topics from stigma and shame to the changing drug climate and the opioid crisis. We hope you listen in, as there is much to learn! Connect with Girl Overboard: Website: www.girloverboardpod.com Instagram:...

The series finale of Girl Overboard is a profoundly emotional exploration of the immediate and long-term aftermath of Sierra’s death. It begins with a poignant poem by Donna Ashworth, setting the stage for a narrative that reframes grief not as something to "move on" from, but as a companion to "move with". Reece recounts her return to college just a week after losing Sierra, describing the surrea...

Episode 9 is a raw exploration of the day the Carman family’s world stood still. We hear the harrowing details of Sierra’s final night at the recovery residence, the frantic efforts to understand what had happened, and the agonizing realization that their worst fear had come true. Through the voices of Sierra’s sister, parents, and closest friends, this episode captures the initial, numbing shock...

In late 2017, the Carman family found themselves back together for a rare, bittersweet Christmas in Austin. While the holiday was filled with laughter and the joy of a long-awaited reunion, the cracks in Sierra’s recovery were already beginning to show. From a simple "family sculpture" exercise that exposed a deep sense of isolation to the physical toll that signaled her body was under immense str...

Episode 7 picks up in the winter of 2015, a time when a fresh sense of hope buoyed Sierra and her family. Sierra had decided to return to treatment on her own terms, and for a fleeting moment, the weight of addiction seemed to lift. Reece and Karen reflect on that hopeful Christmas and a rare, joyful afternoon at the mall—a glimpse of the "old Sierra" that remains a cherished memory. But as the wi...

In this episode, Sierra leaves treatment and moves to Portland with two friends (Jonathan and Andrew), a move that quickly goes awry, leading her to move in with her grandma. What follows is a painful chapter: relapse, the discovery of heroin use, seizures, and a family trying to keep it all together. Reece and Karen sit down with Jonathan and Andrew to piece together Sierra’s time in Portland, th...

In the early morning hours of Christmas Eve 2014, the Carman family’s world was turned upside down. Cousin Maddy recounts how a holiday party turned into a life-altering emergency as Sierra faced a near-fatal overdose. In this deeply personal episode, the family recalls the harrowing events of that night and the complicated days that followed. From the life-saving role of Narcan to the intense fee...

This episode follows Sierra into her college years—when “normal” growing pains blur into something far more dangerous. Reece, Karen, and cousin Maddy piece together the moments they missed in real time: the mysterious illnesses, the mailed pills, the intensity that didn’t match what everyone else was going through at 19 or 20. Through their memories, we hear Sierra exploring substances in college,...

In this episode, Reece and Karen are joined by Detective Marcus Goodwater and family counselor Danny to confront the trauma that fundamentally altered the course of Sierra’s life.  This episode peels back the layers on the physical, emotional, personal, and relational impact of sexual assault. Through Sierra’s own journal entries from 2010, we hear the heartbreaking contrast between her youthful e...

As the childhood memories of the early 2000s begin to fade, the "stiller waters" of the Carman family are met with a rising storm. In this episode, Reece and her mother, Karen, are joined by their cousin Maddy and friends Torrin and Cassie to explore the pivotal transition into Sierra’s teenage years. The moment when "goofy and fun" began to shift into something far more complex. Reece opens up ab...

Welcome to the premiere of Girl Overboard, a journey 15 years in the making. In this introductory episode, host Reece Carman takes us to the very beginning—sharing the joy, laughter, and unbreakable family bond that defined her sister Sierra’s life before it was forever changed by substance use disorder. Braiding together timelines from the early 2000s to 2026, Reece and her mom, Karen, sit down t...