Recovery Daily Podcast

Today I explore the idea of getting comfortable where I am. As yesterday become more and more unrecognizable, I can clearly see my constant urge to run and fight the here and now. Join me as I discuss what it means to give ourselves permission to be happy where we are even though its not where we expected to be. I talk about the metaphorical waves of change and the choice we have to stand against...

Today's episode is a personal testament to facing fears, picking up the phone, and leaving a bad day trapped between its two sunsets. Join me as I share about my day today – the increasing highs. From a difficult yesterday where smiles didn't come easy, to the evening's gentle closure with my bed and a book, I navigated the choppy waters and ended in serenity last night. I discuss the...

I sacrificed a pair of pajamas for this episode...😅 Listen in to find out what happened! Today's song is Unsteady by X Abassadors , and I update you on my first vestibular therapy appointment. Coincidence? I think not. I have a short episode today due to increased symptoms.

Today, I talk about connection in recovery, specifically the synergy of shared experiences. I had a call today that reminded me that I’m not alone, renewed my hope of improvement, and increased my confidence that I may be headed down the right diagnosis path. So, in sharing with you about my conversation today with a man we'll call Mr. Stroke Friend , I will also share the benefits of connecti...

Today's episode is about the relationship between trust, fear, and the search for happiness in recovery. I share about the vulnerability required to trust strangers in sobriety and to trust doctors in your recovery journey toward healing. Using the powerful song " Never Say Never " by The Fray as a backdrop for music therapy, I explore the loneliness that comes with self-imposed isol...

Today I talk about change, losing what you can't replace—it's one of the hardest human experiences. It hurts. If we’re lucky, we find asking for help easily. If we are suffering from an invisible illness that wants us dead or isolated, then we either can’t or won’t ask for help. We think that we can fix ourselves, or we want someone to find us in the gutter and fix us if there's anythi...

When we think about miracles, some of us might picture divine intervention. But let's broaden the scope a bit. Miracles can be thought of as “all the planets have aligned.” I say that all the time. Miraculous healing and hope can also seem to come from just an unrelenting human spirit. Miracles are woven into our stories, good and bad, no matter their size. In this bonus video, I discuss 5 rea...

"Far Behind" by Candlebox is a song that you could hear blaring from my dorm room in college. This song always made me feel understood by lyrics, yet lost in a world of students that didn't understand how much pain I was carrying around. There have been quite a few times in my life where I have felt so intensely depressed, misunderstood, and left behind while everyone around me was m...

So, I'm doing this new thing...my own version of music therapy. This is how it will work. Every Recovery Daily Podcast episode will be paired with a song that will support the topic of the day. Listen to today's episode to see how it works! Today's I reflect on the song "Bent" by Matchbox Twenty. Listen to it here: https://youtu.be/969RAKkYESU?si=wY8xMDHubaFTPbLN . As you wil...

In today's deeply personal episode, I share the insights from my recent appointment with an otolaryngologist, where my symptoms were identified as being consistent with vestibular migraine and possibly Persistent Postural-Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD). This diagnosis marks a significant moment in my journey of understanding the intricate puzzle of my health. Following this, I talk about my appoi...

Today, I'm talking about expressing love to friends, sponsors, sponsees, and fellow survivors in recovery. When I was growing up, "I love you" was only reserved for my mom. It wasn't natural for me to say “I love you” to anyone else. In the early days of my recovery, it felt strange, almost uncomfortable, to say it to anyone other than my husband and my kids. I remember deliberat...

In this educational episode, I talk about what I learned today about vestibular disorders, sharing my personal journey and the invaluable insights I've gained from the first day at the Virtual Vestibular Conference, Life Rebalanced Live 2024. With my laptop as my gateway, I explore the complexities of Central Vestibular Disorders, Vestibular Migraines, and PPPD, guided by experts from across t...

This week there is a virtual vestibular conference hosted by the Vestibular Disorders Association called Life Rebalanced Live 2024, which I will be attending virtually. I already have my agenda and profile plugged in and ready for the first expert speaker at noon ET tomorrow (Monday). There will be live presentations, patient panels, community conversations, Q&A, etc. The field of focus at the...

Today, I want to talk about my daily trip between discouragement and hope. It’s a seesaw every day for me. It didn’t used to be this way. I used to have long periods, weeks or months, before I’d travel between the two. In stroke recovery, it is a daily choice that I have to work at. One day, we're ready to change the world, filled with confidence. And the next, we want nothing more than to hid...

Today, I want to talk about "waiting until you're ready." I heard a meditation on the calm.com app that talked about "waiting until your ready." This idea took on a whole new meaning for me in my first year of sobriety. And it continues to be something that I get to push through in stroke recovery when I’m faced with something hard. I often talk about the concept of "t...

Today’s episode is about our Reads and Recovery book of the month, Dry: A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs . I loved this book! I’m giving it an enthusiastic rating of 4 Paws! Recovery Readometer Scale: 1 Bark  – Not really engaging, but had a couple of interesting moments. 2 Wags  – A pleasant read with some enjoyable parts. 3 Woofs  – Engaging and enjoyable, a solid read. 4 Paws  – Really loved this...

Today’s episode is about embracing the new version of ourselves through the lens of sobriety and stroke recovery by adapting our activities and habits. Sobriety taught me a valuable lesson: people change. People are constantly changing in small ways, adjusting, adapting, bending, breaking, healing, learning, unlearning, etc. In Sobriety, we reevaluate our habits, our coping mechanisms, and even ou...

In today’s episode, I talk about my process of introspection before bed, exploring the AA Nightly Prayer and how it can be a tool to do our nightly inventory. I dissect each line, share personal insights, how I apply them, and use this nightly prayer as a guide to finding peace of mind before I lay my head on my pillow at night. AA Nightly Prayer: God forgive me where I have been resentful, selfis...

Leading by example, especially through the biggest challenges of our lives like sobriety and stroke recovery, offers an incredible opportunity to teach our kids in a way we can’t just by talking to them. Leading by example in these situations show what resilience truly looks like, what growth against the odds looks like, and the human capacity to overcome adversity. Today I want to talk about how...

Even as young adults our kids are always watching us. Heck, I'm still watching my parents, learning as they approach different experiences in their lives. Our kids see how we interact with the world, how we care for ourselves, and how we navigate stuff in our lives. They're absorbing our actions, our attitudes, and our resilience in ways we don’t notice. From the way we talk to ourselves i...

There's something miraculous about gratitude. It's like a gentle wave acceptance and appreciation that slowly wraps around me as I sit and search for something to be grateful for. Our brains are programmed to go right to the negative to protect us—being positive feels unnatural. Once we practice being more positive, our brain becomes accustomed to it. Also, we get a boost of serotonin and...

Repetition is the mother of all learning. Well, now we know why. It's this consistent repetition that strengthens the neural pathways in our brains, a concept known as neuroplasticity. It's the science behind our ability to learn everything from playing the piano to mastering Voiceover. But did you know that we also need to 'unlearn' habits, and we do it through a process called sy...

In January 2021, I faced the loss of a lifelong friend to the disease of alcoholism—a disease we both battled. With over five years of sobriety under my belt, this loss was an unnecessary reminder of the merciless nature of addiction and the inexplicable internal pain of those that are sick and suffering without hope. This period of mourning was compounded by a personal health crisis; I suffered a...

The Serenity Prayer is this pillar of hope for so many in recovery that are weaving through the ups and downs of sobriety as we learn and practice the 12 steps. But my understanding all began with repeating it—And I’m talking years here. I read it over and over, day after day. It wasn't until I reached step 10 that I really got it. The steps preceding step 10 taught me how to practice decipher...

Today, I'm getting personal about the feelings of inadequacy and lonliness throughout my life before sobriety. I discuss an incredible connection I found between this and my relentless need to always be the best. Trying to top every chart – be it in school, at work, or even while steering this podcast – only leads to feeling lonely and never quite enough. Reflecting on a night during a busines...