Episode

Siblings are often overlooked in conversations about addiction and family recovery. They can carry fear, anger, resentment, responsibility, and grief while watching both their sibling and their parents struggle—and may feel like there’s little room for what they’re going through. In this episode of the Recovery Through Relationship series, Heather talks with Dominique Dajer, founder […]

Rock bottom is a high-risk gamble – not a reliable recovery plan. Families are often told that a person must experience enough pain and loss before they will become willing to change. But substance use disorder itself involves continuing to use despite serious negative consequences – so why would more consequences alone reliably create recovery?

What happens when everything you’ve been told to do isn’t working? For years, Kelly believed she had to be the strong parent who held firm boundaries, enforced consequences, and tried to control her son’s substance use. The harder she tried, the more he retreated and hid. Everything changed when Kelly discovered CRAFT and began learning

What do you do when your child has been to treatment over 30 times and nothing seems to work? Many parents eventually lose hope because they’re exhausted, terrified, and have been told that tough love is the only answer. In this episode of the Recovery Through Relationship series, Heather talks with Sheree Stillwell, whose son

This episode is part of series – The Families We Don’t Hear About: Recovery Through Relationship. Elevating the stories of families who chose connection over tough love. Paula Brown-Stumpf spent years feeling like nothing she was doing was working – and a phone call with her son ended in a fight that cut off their

Have you ever thought, “I’ve tried everything and nothing works?” If you’re parenting a child struggling with addiction, that belief probably feels true. You’ve read books. Listened to podcasts. Gone to meetings. Tried boundaries, consequences, conversations, and prayers. Yet nothing seems to create lasting change. In this episode, Heather explores three powerful forces that quietly

Series: The Families We Don’t Hear About: Recovery Through Relationship For decades, families have been told that love, support, and staying connected to a child struggling with substance use is “enabling” and that there’s only one way to help. We don’t hear enough about families that are going against that narrative and choosing recovery through

If you feel like your mood, energy, and entire day depend on your child’s behavior, you’re not alone. Many parents of children struggling with substance use find themselves constantly reacting, walking on eggshells, overthinking every interaction, and waiting to see what happens next before they can feel okay. In this episode, Heather breaks down why

You’re Not Codependent. You’re Conditioned. There’s a difference. If you’ve ever asked yourself : Why am I like this? Why can’t I calm down? Why do I keep reacting when I swore I wouldn’t? Those questions have answers and they’re not “you’re codependent” or “you just need to detach.” Actual answers that finally help you

There are two simple concepts that are almost never part of the conversation around parenting and substance use and when they’re ignored, the costs are huge for you, your child, and for your relationship. In this episode I’m breaking down what those concepts actually mean and why understanding them is one of the most humanizing

When you’re parenting a child who’s struggling with substance use or mental health, it changes you in ways most people will never understand. Your nervous system rewires itself around fear. Your world shrinks to monitoring, anticipating, and trying to prevent disaster. And before you even realize it, your sense of self – your identity –

When traditional treatment hasn’t created the changes you hoped for, it’s easy to feel like there’s nowhere left to turn. In this episode, Jeremy French -founder of Making Whole -offers a completely different way of seeing substance use and what people actually need for recovery and a meaningful life. In this episode, we explore: How

We all start out with dreams for our kids — who they’ll be, what their lives will look like, and how it will feel to be their parent. But when it doesn’t turn out anything like we expected, fear kicks in. Maybe your child is struggling with substances, their mental health, or their identity. Maybe

When we say “justice,” do we mean punishment – or safety, dignity, and repair? In this episode, advocate Susan Ousterman joins Heather to rethink what justice looks like in the overdose crisis. Drawing from lived experience and years of policy work, Susan explains how criminalization fuels stigma, why harsher penalties (including drug-induced homicide laws) backfire,

What happens when compassion, science, and family come together to reshape the way we understand addiction? In this powerful episode, I talk with Dr. Carrie Wilkens co-founder of the Center for Motivation and Change (CMC) and co-author of Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People Change. We talk about the origins of CMC and

When you’re parenting a child who struggles with substances, it can feel like you don’t have a choice. The options in front of you often feel terrible, and the weight of helplessness colors everything. I know this firsthand—during the years of my daughter Helanna’s substance use, I felt like my life was completely at the

Guest Colleen Freeland opens up about her 20-year struggle with daily drinking, even while maintaining what looked like a “perfect” high-achieving life. She shares the pivotal moment when she realized alcohol wasn’t the real problem—it was what she believed about herself—and that what she truly needed was to do less, not more. That insight led

In this heartfelt conversation, Heather sits down with Pam Lanhart from Thrive Family Recovery Resources to explore how to keep living with purpose, joy, and connection when life throws everything at you—family challenges, health scares, and the unpredictable ups and downs of a child struggling with substance use. Together, Heather and Pam discuss: •How to

When your child is struggling with substance use, it can feel like every interaction is high-stakes. You want to help, but even well-meaning conversations can backfire. That’s why today’s episode is all about a simple but powerful tool: The Connection Bank Account. You’ll learn: • What the Connection Bank Account is and how it works

In this heart-opening conversation, Heather is joined by Debby Kerr-Henry who is the sponsor of The Unlimited Gavel Club, a Toastmasters group where approximately 60 incarcerated men learn to write, speak, debate, and reclaim their sense of purpose. In this episode,Debby shares why she believes their stories – especially about substance use and recovery –