The Embrace Family Recovery Podcast

What a happy surprise to have my 86th episode of The Embrace Family Podcast go live on Christmas Day! An opportunity to wind down 2022 with some readings from recovery literature, a beneficial poem named 'Letting Go,' and musings from my weekly newsletter.  If you would like to receive my newsletter on Tuesdays, head to embrace family recovery and sign up to grab your copy of  'Heal...

In today's Embrace Family Recovery Podcast episode, # 85, Randy Grimes continues his story with the redemption part! Randy wrote his powerful memoir, 'Off Center,"  to demonstrate that hope and healing from this disease are possible! Randy shares as a part of giving away what he has been given, and his message about the importance of family recovery reinforces why I feel so passiona...

 Randy Grimes, who played center for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, takes us further into his powerful story of "addiction, recovery, and redemption."  I know there are a lot of schools of thought about "bottoms" within the disease of addiction. You will hear how far someone can fall in this story.  As in every family, the disease also drags the family along the decline. Today Randy...

I believe addiction is an equal opportunity disease, and today it is my privilege to share the beginning of my conversation with Randy Grimes, who demonstrates this. As you will hear today, Randy came from a chemical-free background, and though he started late, the disease took over his life and almost destroyed everything and everyone he loved. You NFL fans will envy me as Randy played center for...

I recently had the opportunity to be a guest with Gloria Englund to speak about our upcoming retreat, 'A Different Kind of Grief,' on the Behavioral Health Integration Podcast hosted by Jacob Minnig. So today, I have the privilege of sharing the episode with you on my platform! We talk about the family disease of addiction, grief, and much more.  To learn more about this Dec 9-11 retreat...

Today's Episode of The Embrace Family Recovery Podcast continues to feature Tennie McCarty, author, and founder of Shades of Hope Treatment Center . If you have listened to Tennie in the prior two episodes, #79, 80, you will have a clear sense of her dedication to sharing the hope of recovery for people with addictions and their families. Today Tennie shares a story that was extremely risky f...

I recorded my conversation with Tennie McCarty a while ago, and this is episode 80 of The Embrace Family Recovery Podcast. It is the episode where Tennie shared that she will turn 80 in December!  In recovery, you hear there is no such thing as coincidence - how about that one? Today you will hear about how instrumental Tennie's sponsors have been in her recovery. Taking direction is vital. ...

I have come to believe that my Higher Power shows up in skin to give me messages. My job is to stay open to whomever the messenger might be. Today I have the honor to introduce you to Tennie McCarty, a woman in long-term recovery, founder of the Shades of Hope Treatment Center,  and author, who was one of those profound messengers in my life. Between her Texas twang and her no-nonsense approach to...

The Creative High is described as nine artists in recovery from addiction who are transformed by creativity in their turbulent search for identity and freedom. The journalist and film critic Micheal Fox said, "The Creative High taps into our basic profound impulses to reveal, rage, let go, vent, invent and reinvent. That is to create and express.' In today's episode, you'll lea...

I am privileged to introduce you to Adriana Marchione, the Director, and Dianne Griffin, the Producer of The Creative High , a documentary featuring nine artists in recovery from addiction transformed by creativity in their turbulent search for identity and freedom. This beautiful and powerful film can be seen at our upcoming October live screening in California. At the United Nations Association...

In this episode, the final of three, Amy C. Sullivan, the author of 'Opioid Reckoning Love, Loss, and Redemption in The Rehab State,' shares more about family members' powerlessness.  Sullivan masterfully uses her story as a launching point while including the voices of many touched by the disease of addiction to demonstrate how the opioid epidemic challenged longstanding recovery p...

All of us who have loved someone with the disease of addiction know the struggle regarding the stigma surrounding this disease. Amy C. Sullivan, mother of a daughter with a substance use disorder and author of ' Opioid Reckoning Love Loss and Redemption in the Rehab State, ' is joining us to share more about her recovery journey and the journey of writing her powerful book.  It is beauti...

Today it is my privilege to introduce you to Amy C. Sullivan, the author of 'Opioid Reckoning Love, Loss, and Redemption in the Rehab State.' Amy shares what led her to write this book from research and anecdotal place, which makes it a more impactful read. As Sarah Gollust described, " the personal narratives and oral histories Sullivan weaves together tell an indelible story of th...

Today is the final episode with Gloria Englund, the author of ' Living in the Wake of Addiction℠ . ' You will hear Gloria's story of how she came to write her book and develop her business, Recovering U. I ask Gloria how she maintains her passion and energy for others while navigating her grief.  Please tune in to hear her helpful tips and much more, including an excerpt from this b...

Today Gloria Englund, the author of ' Living in the Wake of Addiction'℠ and founder of Recovering U , which offers recovery coaching, grief support, and training, continues to share her personal and grief journey. As you learned in the last episode, Gloria tragically lost her eldest son to a heroin overdose in 2007. I'm in awe of Gloria still having a curiosity about and maintaining...

Here we go, my first guest of the 3rd season of The Embrace Family Recovery Podcast! I am thrilled to introduce you to Gloria Englund. Gloria is a mother whose qualifier was Aaron, her oldest son, who sadly passed from an overdose in 2007. Gloria's grief journey has led her to be an ally for the recovery community. Her coaching business Recovering U honors all pathways to recovery. Gloria wro...

We are back!!! I am happy to report a summer of moderate, if not radical, self-care has happened. Drop a comment below and share what self-caring action step you took this summer! How did you do? As we move into Season 3 of The Embrace Family Recovery Podcast, I am excited to introduce you to more wonderful people sharing their stories of the family disease of addiction in their life. I have recor...

I read this question on a She Recovers email, and it struck me that it was a possible God Wink!   How can you let go of what no longer serves you and call in how you want to feel? In this short episode, I will share some of the radical changes I am making this summer to increase my self-care. I am practicing what I preach! I will not listen to the Monkey Chatter that says this is a bad idea, that...

Today I have another solo episode! I am sharing about one of my favorite recovery tools. I found myself giggling at the reality of telling my story with the language of "I need to take you back to 1997"! There is no denying that I am not a newcomer, which I was very much in 1997. In 1997 I was so grateful to train with the magnificent clinical team on the Silkworth Unit at Hazelden Betty...

Today is our final episode with Judge Amber, and it is phenomenal the many tools that her Drug Wellness Court participants receive in their program. The statistics and the stories of recovery add to my hope that people suffering from the disease of addiction can find help even with their legal consequences. I appreciate how generous Judge Amber was with her time, this has been such an educational...

Today Judge Amber shares how interventions play out in her courtroom and the way enabling shows up. Judge Amber brings a unique quality to her work in Drug Wellness Court.  She shares her journey with enabling and interventions in her family of origin. Interventions can be what you see on the television show and are simple interactions such as hearing another person share their story and anything...

Today's episode will be an education, at least it was for me! We do something a little different. We have Judge Amber with us sharing about the Drug Wellness Court she presides over! I have limited exposure or understanding of Drug Wellness Court, and I love introducing you to all types of stories and resources. Today will be no different. Meet Judge Amber, and let's go to court! Support...

During today's episode, Lydia shares more about the work she and Randy do to educate and empower families to heal from the disease of addiction. As Lydia says, they will go anywhere. Do interventions, speak, fundraise, and banquets. Lydia shares more about their book entitled 'Off Center, ' A Memoir of Addiction, Recovery, and Redemption in Professional Football. Please find the lin...

Today Lydia jumps right in and shares the progression of Randy's disease of addiction. The impact on him, their marriage, and their family. Lydia is open about the long journey with his disease and recovery testing and strengthening her faith. As Lydia said, it was not like he went to treatment, and then they lived happily ever after. As you hear in their story, the Grimes family is service-m...

Today I have the honor of introducing you to Lydia!  Lydia is a warrior woman with a deep faith who has journeyed through years of transitions as her husband Randy battled his disease of addiction. Randy and Lydia met as Freshmen at Baylor University, and then life took twists and turns, Lydia bravely shares. You may hear Randy's voice in the background; he also recorded a podcast!  Randy has...