The Shield

S2E8: Emotional Sobriety, Creative Compass, and Life After Addiction with Heidi Moos

Addiction Prevention Coalition Season 2 Episode 8

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0:00 | 38:31

What happens after you get sober? Quitting the substance is just the beginning; building a life you actually want to live is the next step.

Welcome back to Season 2 of The Shield! Today, Nichole sits down with Heidi Moos, the founder of Creative Compass and a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist. Heidi shares her incredible journey from being a middle school teacher for the "quiet kids" to helping adults navigate life after addiction.

We dive deep into the concept of "emotional sobriety," how to regulate your nervous system through creative play, and why Heidi launched "Art Lab"—a wildly popular, free community art class for people in recovery and their friends. (Spoiler: You don't have to be "good at art" to attend! )

In this episode, we cover:

  • Emotional Sobriety: How to self-soothe and level up once the substance is gone.
  • The "Whole Student": Why good teachers change lives, and why Heidi created a "Fan Club" for the middle school misfits.
  • The Evolution of Recovery: Moving away from "fixing losers" to treating the whole human.
  • Art Lab: Why process matters more than the finished product, and how to join.
  • A Hack for Anger: Heidi’s personal art technique for clearing the mind.


Thank you to our Season 2 sponsor: The Children's Trust Fund of Alabama.

For more content, make sure to check us out on Instagram and YouTube!

https://www.instagram.com/addictionpreventioncoalition/

https://www.youtube.com/@AddictionCoalition