Six years ago, The SHAIR Podcast began as a small recovery podcast with intentions of interviewing others about their experiences in recovery. With no expectations about where it would lead, today, the Podcast has over two million downloads. The SHAIR Podcast is a testament to the transformative power of connecting with others. With over 200 episodes, the Podcast has helped thousands of people around the world pave their own path to kickstart the journey of recovery. On the last episode of the SHAIR Podcast, Omar Pinto brings back Cole Chance, recovering addict and yoga teacher to discuss th ..read more

For many, the joys that come along with being a parent can be equaled out by the stressors and chaos that follow behind. Driven by an innate need to nurture and love, parents can live their lives for others, sacrificing their own hopes and dreams. What if we can’t absorb that unconditional love for ourselves that we give to our children? When we don’t feel like we’re good enough parents, the anxious thoughts of inadequacy can creep in and affect our thoughts, our parenting, and every aspect of our lives. When we cover these feelings up with a drink to mitigate the fear and the anxiety, we pr ..read more

After fleeing from an abusive marriage, Rebecca Davison found herself using alcohol as a way to cope with her PTSD. She explains, “if I had a bad day, I would have an extra drink, I was very much a gray area drinker, but I didn’t like being drunk, it made me scared and anxious.”  Because of her support system and healthy childhood, Rebecca rationalized her drinking. She hadn’t hit that  “rock bottom.” She hadn’t reached the depths of what she perceived an alcoholic “should.” It wasn’t until she had a psychotic episode with a boyfriend where she finally came to the understanding tha ..read more

We all have goals, dreams, and aspirations. But, what happens when the undertones of your past limiting beliefs gets in the way of achieving them. “I’m going to fail, so why even try?” “I’m not good enough.” “I’ll never be as good as them.” “I’ll never be as good as I was years ago.”  When we compare ourselves to others, or even begin to compare our actions to a younger version of ourselves, we become stuck within these past limiting beliefs. However, your past experiences of success tend to leave clues. If you’ve been successful before, there’s no reason why you can’t be just as succes ..read more

If you grew up in a strict religious home, you were most likely taught about heaven, hell, and a very long list of what makes us a good person or a bad person. At times, it feels as if our most intimate feelings can be judged and create feelings of guilt, confusion, and inadequacy. Whether it be Jehovah’s Witness or Judaism, people tend to hand over religion and ideas about G-d in a way that layers guilt on top of obligation. As humans we are bound to make mistakes, sometimes we do, say or feel things that we are not proud of. When you are brought ..read more

Nothing good comes from self-shaming. When relapse happens, it can be easy to fall into a shame cycle of self-loathing. When we promised ourselves we’d “quit for good,” or “never fall back into old patterns,” and find ourselves back there, it can be overwhelming. We may find ourselves scouring our memory to understand how we could have gotten back here. Or, maybe we’re stuck in a cycle of dealing with unresolved trauma – feeling waves of shame and guilt that are all consuming. In today’s SHAIR Recovery Coaching call, the group helped Pete. Currently in a state of relapse, Pete struggles to co ..read more

After the loss of her Father, Brother, and Aunt, and a failed business, Lori Windfeldlt found her first sip of alcohol, “glorious.” As a stay at home mother, her habit continued to escalate until she had the realization that she lost her identity in a bottle of wine. Upon reaching her rock bottom moment, she found herself in a state of surrender asking for help.  Lori entered into a treatment facility and quickly learned that she also suffered from other co-occurring disorders including anxiety, depression, and unresolved trauma. Upon getting sober and learning more about herself, Lori d ..read more

For anyone looking to heal from past hurts, inner child work and reparenting is crucial. No matter what we do in our lives, we’re trying to feel something. When we don’t feel secure and confident within ourselves, we can find ourselves acting out with maladaptive behaviors caused by underlying hurts. Whether we know it or not, we spend years abusing ourselves and people around us, repeating patterns, and when we struggle with addiction can get caught in a cycle of chronic relapse. Oftentimes, it’s these underlying hurts that have us wanting to be acknowledged, seen, and valued. Some of these ..read more

In 2011, Don Cummins was homeless, desperate to get high, and had already served 20 years in prison for bank robberies. Not only suffering from mental health issues, addiction, and incarceration, the court had also declared him insane. Willing to do anything to escape from reality, he went to any lengths to not feel discomfort from the trauma he experienced and abuse he suffered. From the age of 10 Don started to get high, and by the age of 13 was committed to a program, never to live at home again. The rest of his teenage years were spent in youth homes, juvenile detention centers, and at th ..read more

With addiction comes lies, deceit, and betrayal. However, with recovery can come the looming after effects of guilt, shame, and regret. When we get sober, we must learn to love, forgive ourselves, and make peace with our past.  Acknowledging the mistakes we’ve made and moving forward is often easier said than done. Forgiving ourselves requires empathy, compassion, loving, and understanding. It also requires us to accept that forgiveness is a choice. How To Forgive Yourself In addition, many of us can hold onto our past mistakes that we feel are not forgivable. We live in fear of forget ..read more