Worth Recovery

Are you engaging in your recovery?     Every year I pick a word for the year that encapsulates my intentions for the next 12 months.  This year, the word is Engage.  Listen to how and why I chose the word, what it means to me, and what you can do to engage in your recovery on a deeper level!

The longer I've been a coach and therapist, the more I realize recovery has a whole vocabulary all it's own!  I use words people have never heard or analogies most have never heard of.  So many times people ask me to define certain ideas, concepts, or words and want to know how it might work. In today's episode, I define the concept of "Holding Space" and discuss why we need it, how we do it, and what gets in the way.  Have you ever considered if you can hold space for yourself or what that would look like?  Do you know the breakdown of what happens when we hold space for others or they hold space for us?  What gets in the way of this happening for you?  By the end of the episode you'll know all the answers and more!

Over and over, we begin again. I believe the practice of beginning again is one of the single most significant gifts you can give yourself.  This is the work of recovery.  After several months of no new episodes and a few years of false starts and on and off again engagement, I begin again.  Isn't that what we all do?  We re-engage.  We start over.  We begin anew.  Hopefully you'll have the courage to do the same in whatever area you need to in your life. And hopefully you'll allow me to do that same. All my love! Amy

Do you feel stuck?  Sometimes, during my 10 year sobriety journey, I have felt very stuck and very upset about being stuck.  In this episode, I talk about how sometimes we keep ourselves stuck.  Not all the time, but sometimes we are our worst enemy in what we are willing to do for our own recovery.  You're not stuck because you can't, you're stuck because you won't.  

Today, December 2, 2022, I celebrate 10 years sober.  In this episode I talk about some of the thinking that had to change for me to achieve this accomplishment and how believing is seeing when it comes to our recovery.

Continuing our Worth Reading series, I share one of the books that was fundamental to my mindset work.  I was struggling with my people pleasing behaviors when my therapist recommended this book.  In this episode, I share the pieces of this book that had the most influence on me. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz  

In this second part, we continue our discussion about the 12 dimensions of courtship including intimacy, touching, foreplay, intercourse, commitment, and renewal.  These later stages of courtship are some of the hardest things we do in relationships.   These dimensions come from "Facing the Shadow" a workbook on sex addiction from Dr. Patrick Carnes.  

The goal of sex addiction recovery isn't sobriety.  Sobriety is a tool we use.  But the actual goal of sex addiction recovery is that you have amazing relationships! Relationships that bring renewal and energy to your life!  Relationships that fill you and become an asset to you.  These types of relationships require an understanding of what Courtship is and the different dimensions that courtship can follow.  Thankfully, Dr. Patrick Carnes has outlined these dimensions and given us a pattern we could follow to help us learn new skills.  Using these dimensions I discuss where we can sometimes get stuck and what skills we need to get ourselves unstuck as we work to improve our relationships.

For decades we've been viewing addiction through the disease lens.  Before that, it was a moral failing.  What is next as we increase our knowledge and understanding about what addiction exactly is and how it starts in our lives?   In this episode I share how my view of addiction has changed over time and how I gauge what is helpful in my own recovery from addiction.

Worth Reading is a series of podcasts where I share my review of books that have had meaning to me throughout the recovery process.   Today I reflect on "Ready to Heal: Breaking Free of Addictive Relationships" by Kelly McDaniel.  Kelly does a beautiful job explaining some of the unique considerations that need to be made for women in recovery from love, relationship, or sex addiction.  I share some of the most meaningful insights she provides and expand on how they impacted me in recovery.    

In December 2021, I celebrated my 9 year sobriety anniversary.  Wow!  9 Years Sober!  One of my clients asked me, what has changed in my life since becoming sober?  In this episode I share my top 10 changes in my life with longer term sobriety and recovery.  I hope this helps you think about where you're going in recovery and what longer term sobriety and recovery and help you achieve!

Evolution is a necessary part of life.  As we grow and change, it is necessary to reevaluate our recovery and our life.  Our beliefs, practices, thinking patterns and perspectives need to change and keep up with our growth. In this episode I discuss how evolution happens and how we can evaluate our recovery to level up.   You can download the episode worksheet here.  

Happy New Year!  Welcome to 2022! After a long hiatus of podcasting, I'm at it again.  January is my favorite month of the year.  I simply LOVE New Year's, and every year make a major plan with goals, accountability charts, and even a PowerPoint presentation for motivation! In this episode, we explore how to implement a change in a way that will last.  Vision + Skills + Incentives + Resources + Action Plan = Sustainable Change You can download the diagram here.      

Sexuality is unique for each person. However, abuse is never a healthy part of sexuality. In this episode, I explore the connection between BDSM and abuse with Kristal Garcia.  Kristal is a self-identified recovering sex and love addict.  Her story can be found on a previous episode of Worth Recovery. Here we define and discuss what exactly BDSM is and the challenges of this community.   More information about Kristal can be found here:  https://www.openheartsunite.org/  

Motivation.... how do you get it? how do you keep it?  how do you refuel it?  This is one of the most common questions I get!  So in this episode I share with you my ideas on how to find and keep motivation.  I spell out a three part plan and share some of my own experiences.  Remember:  Motivation comes to me from the inside, I am my own motivator! Until next time, Amy   Episode 001:  My Recovery Plan

New Series Announcement!  I'm super excited to start a new series this month - Worth Reading.  The 4th week of every month this year we will discuss or explore a book that had significant impact in my own recovery journey.  We will start today with Alcoholics Anonymous - Big Book.   In this episode I discuss my love for reading and why reading has always meant so much to me.  Then we explore the history of the Big Book and how it paved the way for so many of the recovery resources available today.  Last, I go chapter by chapter and share with you some of my favorite quotes and how they impacted my recovery.     What books have impacted your recovery?

One of the questions people consistently ask me is about the ONE THING that made the difference in my recovery.  That is an impossible question to answer, of course.  And I give my best attempt in this episode.  Let me share with you part of my journey to self-awareness. 

Continuing my work to get more and more women's recovery stories out there - que Lisa.  She is amazing. I was truly inspired by her compassion and empathy towards those she encountered on her road to recovery.  I am honored to bring her story to you.  Remember, when we share our story or hear the stories of others, a new piece in our own life heals.  That was definitely the case with Lisa.  I'm forever grateful for her willingness to share so much with us!

2020 was not my best year.  While I learned a lot and had some great opportunities and wins, there were many things that didn't happen.  I'm calling it the year of false starts.  It took a toll on me and on Worth Recovery. However, I'm doing the work to change that.  In this episode I discuss how shame and guilt have kept me frozen and not moving forward and how learning to love myself through the process has been the most rewarding.  

What an amazing opportunity to have Kristal Garcia on the podcast! I was inspired by her radical self-love and forgiveness. I was challenged by her confidence and boldness. I was changed by her story.  Every time I hear the story of another woman, a little piece of my heart heals. That was definitely the case here. You can read about Kristal and hear here stories here:  https://www.kristaldenisegarcia.com/ The video that inspired me that I cite on the episode is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUPLBdWyHL8