Redefining Sobriety and Self Care with Stephanie Hazard

In this relaunch episode, Jeanne Collins revisits a meaningful conversation with recovery coach Stephanie Hazard, whose story and work continue to resonate in today’s wellness landscape. 

Stephanie opens up about her personal journey to sobriety, the pivotal role of awareness and support, and how recovery coaching helps individuals move from struggle to sustainable change. Together, they explore the rise of the “sober curious” movement, the impact of daily habits and mindset, and how true wellness is built through intentional choices, not quick fixes. This episode offers practical insight and a grounded perspective on creating a healthier, more aligned life.

You can pre-order Stephanie's book Making Sobriety Stick on Amazon. 

https://a.co/d/01QhqJvz

More about Stephanie:

Stephanie Hazard is a sought-after recovery coach who works with individuals and families across the country. In recovery for twenty-five years, her experiential knowledge, expertise, and professional training empower her to help others achieve and sustain recovery and wellness. Stephanie launched her private coaching practice, A Path Toward Recovery in 2021, and co-founded Capstone Wellness Coaching which offers support services to young adults and adolescents. 

Getting sober as a thirty-six-year-old single mother was a pivot point. Eventually, as Stephanie began to spend the bulk of her personal time helping others and working with recovery-oriented non-profits, she formally aligned her personal and professional lives when she became a full-time Recovery Coach Professional (RCP) in 2019. 

She helps people who are struggling with trauma, substance use disorder and eating disorders, and those who are “sober curious,” grow wellness and engage in recovery. An advocate, guide, and mentor, she coaches women, men, and families, and works both in-person and virtually. Stephanie believes in multiple pathways to recovery and has curated recovery resources, relationships, and a professional network that includes leaders in the fields of addiction and recovery. In addition to being an RCP, she is a certified peer recovery specialist (CPRS) as well as a certified Carolyn Costin Institute eating disorder recovery coach (CCIEDC). 

https://www.pathtowardrecovery.com

https://www.instagram.com/a_path_toward_recovery_/

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Transcript

Introducing Stephanie Hazard

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to the show, everybody. I'm your host, Gene Collins, and today we're going to do something just a little bit different. Today I'm going to re-air an episode from September 2025, back when we were the House of Thermore podcast before we became Building the Best You. And I've chosen this podcast to relaunch again because I think the subject matter is a really important one. This episode is Stephanie Hazard, and she is a recovery coach. And I think a lot of people in life are struggling right now, whether it be with addiction, alcohol, food, people are struggling. And the concept of being sober curious is very popular right now. So I loved having Stephanie on the show. I learned so much about how she helps people as a recovery coach. So I thought it was really important to share her message and her lessons and about her again with you. So enjoy Stephanie Hazard, a recovery coach, back from September 2025. Welcome to Building the Best You, a destination for you to reimagine what is possible in your life and then create it. Welcome to the House of Germar podcast, where wellness starts within. I'm your host, Gene Collins, and today's guest, we are going to talk about recovery. September is National Recovery Month, so we are going to talk about recovery. And I met our guest, Stephanie Hazard. She lives in my town. We met for coffee. And I personally will say I didn't even really understand what a recovery coach was and what she did. And I was so fascinated when I got to meet her about what she does, how she helps people. Her own personal story is so inspiring. And she has a mission to really help people not only find recovery, maintain recovery, but also holistic wellness. And I love that. So Stephanie, welcome to the show. Thank you. Oh, it's so good to have you.

SPEAKER_02 2:03

Yes. I love that we're neighbors and we get to do this. This is fantastic. Here this is right in our own hometown of New Canaan.

SPEAKER_01 2:12

It's great. It's great. But yet we also have the privilege of touching people all over the world, which is a really special gift. And hopefully I got that right. September is National Recovery Month. Is did I say that correctly? Yes, that's exactly right. Yes. All right. So let's start off with a little bit about your story and your journey, about how you got to where you are. Because we also have connections as single moms. There's a lot that we have in common. So if you wouldn't mind sharing with people what your journey was to get to become the professional that you are in the recovery space.

SPEAKER_02 2:48

So, okay, that's yes. Um, it's a it's been a long journey, but it's it's been the most worthwhile and the most wonderful experience that I can say. Next to actually having my son, the actual birth of my child, my experience, my recovery journey truly has been the biggest gift. So I got sober, although I didn't even call it sobriety. I was only willing to take a break from drinking alcohol 25 years ago. Congratulations. Congratulations.

SPEAKER_01 3:27

Let's just stop for one second. Congratulations. That is huge.

SPEAKER_02 3:31

Thank you. Um, and it ties into being a single mom because I got sober when Jack, my son, was eight and he's now 34. So actually, when I think about my sobriety in those terms, it sounds like a lot of time.

SPEAKER_00 3:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:50

So I would also say that because I was a single mom, I think that sort of raised my awareness. I had another person who was depending upon me. And I think we talk about, you may have heard the term like you have to hit bottom, or did the person have a high bottom or low bottom? I think that raised the bottom for me, because there were certain things that I had to do as a single mom that I was noticing I was having a hard time doing. And that really got my attention. Like specifically, I could wake up in the morning with a brutal hangover, still get Jack on the bus, but then like literally crawl my way back into bed and calling to work sick. That was a sign that my life was was becoming unmanageable. Right. And then there were many other signs, as I say, I started moving the goalposts on what was acceptable and what was unacceptable. Right. So I got to a place where I actually felt sort of frightened. I was frightened about what I was doing. I was frightened that I had cravings for alcohol. I mean, I I began, I'm writing a book about recovery and recovery coaching, and I talk about the undertow, the undertow of this disease. So I didn't know if I was an alcoholic or not, but I can tell you I was scared that I was becoming one. And alcoholism runs on both sides of my family. My grandmother died of alcoholism. And my grandfather on my dad's side had severe physical symptoms from alcohol consumption, as did my own father. In any event, just because it's in the genes, does that mean I'm going to become an alcoholic? No. But am I maybe predisposed? Yes. So I had the willingness to take a break. And so the journey began with that. And I had a wonderful therapist who also said to me, hey, listen, this we're I'm happy to meet with you, but the auntie is no drinking or drugging. And I was like very offended by that. Yeah. I was, I was what me? I live in a cute little house in Greenwich, Connecticut. I go to book club. I played tennis. Like I'm, you know, volunteer. I'm a good girl. I don't drink or drug. And truth be told, there was a lot of drinking, a lot of drinking that I was doing um alone as well, not in public. So, in any event, she encouraged me to check out some 12-step meetings. I had heard of Alcoholics Anonymous. I had heard of Alan. And when I I have to say that when I started going to 12-step meetings, and I began to hear sort of meet myself through other people, and I began to hear my story, like from out of the words, out of the mouths of complete strangers. I mean, I'm identifying with with people and what they're talking about. Long story short, I decided to stay. And, you know, I did, I did what I was asked to do. I'm a little bit of a people pleaser, a people pleaser, certainly in recovery from people pleasing, but it it served me in a good way because I wanted to, you know, do the next right thing, get a sponsor, do it, you know, follow her guidance. And I wanted gold stars, you know. I think my self-esteem was so low at the time that I came in. But anyway, there's that was how the break turned into a longer break and a longer break. And like I said, now it's been 25 years.

From Corporate Career to Recovery Coaching

SPEAKER_01 8:00

That is amazing. When in that journey did you decide I want to leave my corporate America job and move into actually recovery as a job?

What a Recovery Coach Really Does

SPEAKER_02 9:01

So um, so thank you for the question. I started volunteering for Silver Hill Hospital, and I served on the board of another nonprofit that's based in Connecticut that helps people with substance use disorders. It's called Liberation Programs. So I started working um or volunteering, helping other people outside of my advertising and marketing biz dep jobs. And I don't know exactly when it was, but that the idea of, you know, booking a new client and receiving a commission and doing expo, it just began to ring very hollow. At the end of the day, working on behalf of a company selling something to somebody else just lost its appeal. I was, I just I did not feel fulfilled, but I did feel very fulfilled when I was volunteering and helping other people and actually feeling as though I was making a difference in people's lives, right? That was like, wow, that felt fantastic. There is a group in New Canaan um called the Lighthouse Recovery 365. And uh the CEO of that company was has a men's house. Um, it's sober living. And I actually had a meeting with him, and I was talking about the idea of potentially opening up a women's house. And I was kind of giving him a hard time, like, you've got the guy thing all figured out, but what about, you know, hello? What were you doing for, you know, women? And he was great. He said, Hey, you know, this is something in our strategic plan, but we're not quite there yet to have a sober residence for women. So he said, But staff, I'd love for your involvement and to include you. But in the meantime, I think you would make a great coach. Truly, he planted the seed. And he said, There's a training, it's totally different from 12-step work. And I took the bait. And I was a little um skeptical because I had never heard of the term coaching. I thought it sounded sort of like paid sponsorship. And what I what I just want to say, Gene, is back then, seven years ago, almost eight years ago, I had never heard of the term recovery coach. And when I went for the training and I did the training um through the Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery, it opened up my eyes to this non-clinical support role. Right. And that is what a recovery coach is. A recovery coach is someone who has lived experience, plus professional training to support an individual who is either curious or struggling with substances, curious about their relationship, maybe wanting to make a change in their relationship. Maybe, you know, we've heard sober curious, we've heard about people who are choosing to be alcohol free, but the coach acts as the bridge to help a person get from where they are to where they want to be.

SPEAKER_01 12:36

Which I love how you define that for me, because I had no idea. I'd never even heard of a recovery coach. You reached out, I'm like, what is a recovery coach? I don't really understand. Can you explain the role that you play as it relates to connecting the dots with some of the others? So if someone is in AA, for example, or someone is in Silver Hill, which is a hospital near us that that helps with this. Where do you come in and connecting the dots between the other programs that people are involved in and the ways that you help people?

SPEAKER_02 13:09

Well, the coach can enter the picture at any point on the continuum of care. That's what we'll refer to it as. So there could be some someone who is at Silver Hill or another treatment center and they're getting ready to discharge home. The discharge planner, which is or the therapist that they are working with, the individual in treatment, might suggest adding a recovery coach to the discharge treatment plan. So I would might get a call, which I often do from Silver Hill, and I'm asked to come over and meet with the client and meet with the therapist and discuss the role of coach so that when that person discharges home and they're about to re-engage with their life, their family, and maybe even their job, I am part of the football team. Right. I'm on the team, right? And so we I like to refer to that as the care team, right? So it's an integrated care team, and I'm working maybe with that person's, as I said, therapist. If they start going to 12-step meetings, I might, you know, have a conversation with the sponsor that's not mandatory. None of it's mandatory, but I'm there as, you know, a support beam as that individual's ally and advocate. And I would say a best practice is when we're all singing from the same song sheet, but maybe there's somebody who hasn't gone to treatment, right? And so how does that person find a coach? Their physician might recommend a coach, their therapist might recommend a coach. The code coaches typically, you know, we're meeting with individuals at least twice a week and having daily check-ins.

SPEAKER_01 15:05

Yeah, that's a lot.

Building a Personalized Path to Wellness

SPEAKER_02 15:06

So we are in this person's life, like we are shoulder to shoulder with them. So a lot of folks, I mean, if you were to say, walk into recovery community center, say you're up in Bridgeport or Hartford, and you um don't have a lot of resources, recovery coaches are actually there on the premises of recovery community organizations. So you can find a coach there, but coaches are in prisons or in emergency rooms. You can find them, but um, they typically, like I said, they can come into the equation at any point in time.

SPEAKER_01 15:52

Right. How long do you typically work with your clients?

SPEAKER_02 15:56

So I'm certified for substance use disorder and also eating disorder. So the length of engagement for substance use disorder, and what does that even mean? Somebody who is struggling with a substance. So it could be alcohol, it could be a recreational drug, it could be a prescription medication, but it's at least three to six months.

SPEAKER_01 16:19

Yeah, I would think so.

SPEAKER_02 16:21

And then as a certified eating disorder coach, that engagement is typically longer. That's at least six months to a year. You know, we could do a separate podcast on the difference or the similarities between coaching somebody who suffers with an eating disorder and somebody with substance use disorder. My job, and this is what I will say until the end of time, my job as a coach is to put myself out of a job.

SPEAKER_01 16:51

I love that.

SPEAKER_02 16:52

Yeah. So really truly, that's to help, you know, it's strength space. So I'm helping the individual build their internal recovery capital and their external recovery capital so they can go out onto the high seas of life navigating for themselves.

SPEAKER_01 17:12

Yeah. Is there a specific, I don't know what the right word is for this, but is there a specific process or tool set, toolkit that you kind of walk people through to educate them as part of the coaching process?

SPEAKER_02 17:29

Such a great question, thank you. Because we don't, I mean, sure, I think sometimes I'm shooting from the hip and I'm seeing what comes up in the moment, but there is a methodology. Okay. I, in my professional training, have been given specific tools to use with clients. Okay. And the book that I'm writing spells is a stand-in for me as a coach and takes the individual through that my process. But it's not, it's not mine because I it's an amalgamation. It's like it's this pulls from so many different trainings that I've had and also pulls from things, um, tools and strategies that I used personally that worked for me. So it's I take individuals uh in the book, I take them through that methodology or through that process. So there are lots of actionable assignments. Um, and a lot, I mean, listen, everybody's unique, but having a roadmap and some guardrails to provide some structure to help people say, okay, how do I get from where I am to where I want to be? Is helpful. It's helpful versus how am I ever gonna get there?

SPEAKER_01 18:58

The mountain seems too high. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:00

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 19:01

Is it possible for you to give us an example, just to make it really practical for people, of what might be part of the initial step? Like what might be something that you actually help someone do or identify or figure out as part of the first step when they are working with you?

Practical First Steps in Recovery Coaching

SPEAKER_02 19:19

So the very first step is actually having the individual share with me what's been working, what's not been working, and and what recovery, and if the word recovery is like a bridge too far, what does wellness look like for them? It's not my wellness, it's theirs. And I'm not here to dictate or mandate. That's not what coaching is. So the very first step is what does recovery or wellness look like for you? Yeah. And then the next question is, and how can I help with that recovery today? Yes. And so after we have a discussion and I hear from them, maybe they want to talk about something in the past, but my focus as a coach is not, it's not that I won't go there with a client, but my focus is very much present day with an eye toward the future. We will then sit and use a tool called the recovery capital or wellness capital scale. I actually asked them about 15 or 20 questions, we do it together, that are designed to illustrate or illuminate how much internal and external capital they have. So, meaning what resources do they know about or they don't know about? What have they tried? What haven't they tried? Some people, like one of the questions is do you spend time with people who are actively engaged in recovery and wellness? And some people are going to score that as a five. Like, I would score that as a five because I spend a lot of time with those people. And then you would have somebody who would score one because they're like, I don't know any of those people. I'm curious, but I don't know. We actually take the lowest scores, those are the ones that I am most interested in. That's where we'd start turning the dial first. And that's where we start making some adjustments and start doing, you know, making some changes and where I might start making some suggestions.

SPEAKER_01 21:39

That makes sense.

SPEAKER_02 21:40

So it's uh yeah, so I think a lot of people like they don't even know what they think about wellness or recovery until we actually pause and actually, you know, do go through this so that they can see for themselves where they might want to, like I said, sort of turn the dial first and make some adjustments. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:05

And I would think that your clients can really appreciate the journey that you personally have been on. Yeah, I think so. You you right? That makes the best coach. That's the best coach, is someone who has been in their shoes, not exactly the same. It's never the same because as you said, everyone's unique. However, wherever they are in their journey, you've been there. Uh an unless they've been sober for 30 years, you haven't gotten there yet. But otherwise, you've been in their place.

The Rise of the Sober Curious Movement

SPEAKER_02 22:35

Yeah, I mean, or I've had somebody else who's but or I have a very similar experience, right? Here's here's what I love about coaching. And you know, I share I will share my experience when it's appropriate. I don't share my story just to, oh my God, well, let me, let me tell you about, you know, that's that's not that's really not benefiting the individual. And so I quote, self-disclose when I think is going to help the individual, right? And when it pertains to something that they might be struggling with. I have a lot of female clients who may not have full-blown eating disorders, but there's some disordered eating. A lot, I've I'm seeing a huge spike in women who are using um GLP1s to help lose weight. And it's so I might share about the struggle I had with an eating disorder, right? I have other clients who have had sexual trauma um and talk about that, and and that might come up. And as a trauma-informed coach and from somebody with lived experience, that might come up, but it's not always appropriate. I mean, I had one uh male client who was a cardiologist, and my talking about sexual abuse and and surviving them trauma, that's not that's doesn't relate. It doesn't, no, it's what would be appropriate, but he was a single dad. Right. And my lived experience and being sober as a single mom was like so helpful.

SPEAKER_01 24:22

Yes, you find the ways that you can connect.

SPEAKER_02 24:25

I do. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:26

What sort of trends are you seeing in terms of people wanting to be sober curious, alcohol free. You know, what trends are you seeing in terms of people coming to you with that curiosity?

SPEAKER_02 24:41

So the trend is more and more people are coming, right? I mean, it used to be on a menu in a restaurant, you would see non-alcoholic beverages. It was called non-alcoholic beverages, then it became like I don't know, mocktails, alcohol-free. And then I was recently in California and they describe drinks that don't have alcohol spirit-free. I was like, oh my God. So why I bring that up is simply as an illustration that the idea of not drinking and being uh alcohol free is has it has expanded, has grown exponentially, I think. There are so many articles that are being written about it, and it's across the globe. So, and uh, and I would also say that the WHO coming out last year or the year before, with the report that the World Health Organization that there is no safe amount of alcohol to drink, right? And all of the health information that is is coming more far forward. In fact, a country of Ireland starting in 2026 is going to put cancer warning labels on all alcoholic beverages because alcohol is a carcinogen. Wow. I don't think the US is ready for that yet. But the point being that more and more people have come to me, you know, they wouldn't identify as an alcoholic or an addict or someone who has severe substance use disorder. Yes, they're they're sober curious, and the work that we do together is really the work that where I spend the bulk of my time, which is not just symptom management, but it's on growing wellness. And that is what really supports an individual in sustainable results, building a broader and stronger foundation of wellness. That is where we begin to really see that person thrive. Sure.

SPEAKER_01 27:07

And I could see how that also you're building a way of life, and with that way of life comes the confidence and the tools that someone needs as they navigate in the world that is not necessarily alcohol free. Because I would imagine that is one of the largest challenges for people who are sober curious or want to be alcohol free, is how do you live in a world that is not necessarily like that?

SPEAKER_02 27:36

That's right. Beautiful. You just said it. Right.

SPEAKER_01 27:40

Because that's a challenge. But I will say I personally know, and I was out to dinner the other day with a friend of mine who's a few years older than me, but she's, you know, approximately my age, and she said it is unbelievable how many people she knows now in their 50s and early 60s that don't drink anymore. And that it's becoming more and more common for a wide variety of reasons, but overall health happens to be one of them.

Rewiring Habits and Mindset Around Alcohol

SPEAKER_02 28:06

Yes, and I think it's health and I wellness and longevity. We're talking about wellness and talking about, and this is in the book as well, and how I was trained, but to look at the eight dimensions of wellness, and that's physical health, emotional health, spiritual health, and it goes on. And I think people really actually taking a holistic view of their lives and their health and their wellness. I would say also that the beverage companies are doing a great job of, you know, like athletic brewery. I mean, they're they're they're just one non, they're based here in Connecticut, and they're making a great job uh, or doing a great job of making, you know, alcohol-free beverages and a lifestyle look fun. I think a lot of people still are worried or think, my God, if I stop drinking, my all the fun's gonna stop.

SPEAKER_01 29:12

It's a big one. I totally hear.

SPEAKER_02 29:15

And especially during the summer months. I mean, this is like to everybody, you know, oh my God, it's like summer. Everybody wants to have a drink, you know, frozen rosette, whatever. But they're great non-alcoholic roses, they're great non-alcoholic beers, they're great mocktails. Everybody's having a lot of fun experimenting. So it's no longer, I'm sorry, O duels, but it's no longer, gee, if I want to have a non-alcoholic, I have to drink an O duels, which just is adrible. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 29:48

Yeah. Yeah. So let me ask you a question about mindset. And I don't know the answer to this. So I'm curious, right? Because I focus a lot on mindset and what I do. Do you help people with their mindset as part of this recovery? And I ask this because I think I'm like very many people, right? I I love wine. I drink a lot less wine now than I did before, for sure. But it's like, oh, I had a great day. Let's celebrate and have a glass of wine. Oh, I had a shit day. Let's have a glass of wine. And so it's like the wine fit, it's this mindset, and it it's like you can justify it no matter what. And so I am sure I am speaking, and there are many people that can relate, which is why I bring up bringing up the question. Yeah. Do you help people with how to reframe that thought? Because, in that way of thinking, the wine is like the answer, no matter what.

SPEAKER_02 30:44

There's nothing wrong with the thinking, right? I've had a hard day, I want to relax, I want to take the edge off, or I've had a fantastic something really exciting happened, and I wanted to celebrate. There's nothing that's so natural and human. So the question really is what do you celebrate with? Right. Alcohol is, uh, or at least for me, I realized was a way to self-soothe versus a coping skill or something that I would use for self-care. Right. Okay. So there's a little distinction there. You know, eating a pint of ice cream is self-soothing. Eating a portion of ice cream is self-care if I feel like having that as a treat. Oh, I like that. Right. So I'm making the distinction. So what I would work on, say with you as a client, is to ask you what other things or activities do you do or could you try that help relax your nervous system or bring you peace or take the edge off and come up with four or five. Right. And then to celebrate what things ring your chimes, what things make you feel like you're celebrating, right? And ask you not to take away the we never want to take something away without replacing it. So the mindset is okay. It's just what is the thing or the activity? And that's where the coaching would come in. That's where we would start trying some other things on for size.

SPEAKER_01 32:34

It's very interesting because I also think so much of what we do, we do out of natural behavior. And so I'll use alcohol again as an example, right? I grew up with, you know, a household that drank wine while they cooked. And so it was, you know, that's part of that process. That's part of that activity, that's part of that enjoyment of cooking was the drinking the wine while you cook. That is a habit, I'll say, for myself, that I've managed to break. And and a lot of that is is repeatedly doing something different than that. And, you know, so I'll make, you know, cocktails with juice or whatever. Sometimes I'll put it in a, you know, in a cosmoglass or whatever, or a glass of wine. But I found if I can get myself personally out past that habit stage of it, yes, then the desire or the craving or the interest in that substance does go down. Just like if I'm used to having chocolate as dessert after dinner every single day, like I crave chocolate, you know, and it takes a while to to break that.

SPEAKER_02 33:44

You are highlighting something so essential, right? So some of this is habitual, right? And then practicing new behaviors or or or developing, I had a client, for instance, and that was so part of her routine to pour the first glass of wine while she was cooking and the classical music went on, and you know, the whole thing, it was like a setting. So what we worked on together, because that was a period of time where she just felt, quote, like the alcohol was calling to her. She had her partner take over dinner prep and she went and practiced playing the piano. Ah, I like that. So it it she had she, we didn't, you know, it what she didn't just sit alone in a room and you know, have a difficult time not being able to prep dinner, but that was the change that we made, and instead practicing the piano, which was something that she loved, and the time went by like that. So developing working with a coach, and I think sometimes it's so hard when we're on our own, because just having that ally, that advocate, that buddy that that's gonna help you, you know, they're your they're your partner with that, your accountability partner. If you tell your coach or work, I'm with your coach, okay. So tonight instead of doing X, I'm gonna do Y. And then you're texting with the coach after you did Y, that keeps you accountable.

SPEAKER_01 35:20

Yeah. I can totally see that. And also I think sometimes, sometimes it's hard to be brutally honest with the people that are in our lives. And I find sometimes for myself, it is I tell my coach things that I don't necessarily like run right off and tell my partner immediately. It's like the first, like really getting it out there about my fear or a struggle. A lot of times it actually starts with someone else that it just feels safer. And a coach can play that role. I know for me it does. And then after there's I found for me, it's interesting. After I've then done it, it's like it takes the stigma off of saying it. So I then can go to the people who are closer to me and be like, you know, I am so fearful. I have this imposter syndrome, I have whatever, like all these things that are going on because I've already expressed it and verbalized it to someone else. It I it's a weird thing, it's a weird dynamic. But I think a coach can play that really important role in someone's life and in their journey because you can sometimes share first, and that person normally you've hired them as a coach because they can relate to where you are in life. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. And there's no judgment, right?

SPEAKER_02 36:32

Like, no, but it's a privilege, you know, Gene, it's a privilege to be a coach. It's a privilege to be in a person's life and to be that confident, to be that ally. They may not have the language yet, or they may be worried how something's gonna go over, how somebody might receive something. Maybe they have a therapist, maybe they don't have a therapist. Maybe they don't really have somebody yet that they feel, you know, a family member or whatever, that they can run things by. So as I said, I feel it's a great, I've I feel as though it's a great privilege. And we get to practice things together, we get to talk about, you know, issues or or challenges together. And I and I think that whenever we share something that we struggle with, it's said we say it in the rooms of AA that a problem shared is a problem halved.

SPEAKER_01 37:32

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 37:33

So you're cutting it in half, right? It's just putting just getting it out and into the light.

SPEAKER_01 37:40

Yeah, which is really powerful. So I have a couple more questions and then I know we have to go because I'm taking so much of your time. So one thing I'm curious about is the age range of people who come to you.

SPEAKER_02 37:52

Oh my. Yeah. Well, um, it's pretty, it's from 17 years old to 72. That's what I thought. And and that's my current range right now. My 17-year-old is entering college and is in eating disorder recovery. Okay. And my 72-year-old just completed treatment, and she's just transitioned um inpatient treatment for alcohol use disorder, and she's just coming home.

SPEAKER_01 38:24

Okay. Yeah. That's the gamut.

SPEAKER_02 38:27

And so, of course, what's so important, Gene, is that it's the right fit. And even it's gotta be a chemistry thing. You don't have to match cards on every front, but it does have to be a good fit. And typically I meet people either in person or via Zoom so that we both can feel what that feels like.

SPEAKER_01 38:50

Of course. Yes. Yeah, not everybody lives in Connecticut that you help, correct?

SPEAKER_02 38:55

Right. No, I work all over the world.

SPEAKER_01 38:58

Yeah. That's what I thought. Yes. I just wanted to make sure because I know in some professions you can only do it in certain states, and you know, there are laws about that.

Self Care, Boundaries, and Supporting Others

SPEAKER_02 39:06

So there in the uh clinical world, right? So th therapists have to be licensed in certain states. I, as a recovery coach, do my my certification is just that, but it's not, it does not preclude me from working in any state. So I work both in person and I also work virtually. I also work as not just a coach, but also as a companion. So I have a woman uh who struggles with compulsive overeating, and she lives in Wichita, Kansas. So I'm going to Wichita for a week in August and rotating with another coach living in with her to help model and practice the, if you will, recovery steps of a wellness plan and also a meal plan to help recalibrate what she's doing. So the companion work is quite intense. That's 24-7 typically living in with a client.

SPEAKER_01 40:07

That's a lot. That's a lot. What do you do for yourself so that you are not absorbing any negativity or stress from your clients? Because, you know, they're all struggling, right? They wouldn't, they wouldn't need a recovery wellness coach if they weren't in a place of some form of struggle, growth, development. So what do you do for yourself to keep you in your wellness zone?

SPEAKER_02 40:31

Yes, you're right. As my trauma supervisor Lou LeBenz says, we are the scaffolding for our clients' nervous systems.

SPEAKER_01 40:40

Yeah, it's a lot.

SPEAKER_02 40:41

And so with that means comes certainly not just an important responsibility, but I'm also the shock absorber for some of their struggle and what they're going through. So I do a couple of things, several things, actually. So I have a supervisor, right? So if I am feeling activated or dysregulated, or if I am feeling depleted as a result of work I may be doing with a client, right? I'm just a person in recovery. I'm not bulletproof. Then I'm going to bring it to my supervisor. But I also have a therapist and I also go to recovery support meetings. But the fun stuff, well, that's not that it's not fun, but the other stuff, right, is walking my dogs. I swim. I love to play tennis. I pray, I meditate. Walking is a big outlet for me.

SPEAKER_01 41:40

Yeah, me too.

SPEAKER_02 41:41

Um, and also writing. So my self-care practice has increased and developed over the years as a result of being a recovery coach. I'm all in on self-care. I have to be.

SPEAKER_01 41:57

I have to be. I love it, which is why you and I connect on so many levels in that sense. Yes, it's so important. And it's so important. You just, I have to just emphasize this to everybody who's listening. It is so important, no matter what you're doing in life or what your job is or what your role is, that you have to take the time to fill your cup and take care of you. And everything you're doing is to help people with their overall wellness. And part of that is helping them recognize the ways in which they need to fill themselves and care for themselves and also have a confidence that that's okay and that that's not being selfish, that it's a requirement to being your best self and to living your best life is to have a practice of the ways that you take care of you. So thank you for sharing that.

Writing a Book Inspired by Real Life Recovery Stories

SPEAKER_02 42:43

And I'm sure you've heard the analogy within it's a little scary, but you know, your mom, the plane is going down, your two children are sitting next to you, your impulse is to put the oxygen masks. No, the first place you put the oxygen mask is on yourself so that you're gonna stay alive to them be able to help them, right? And when I got that and I realized that I how important that was to really make sure that I am remaining grounded, centered, and also feeling, as you said, that my cup is full. That's rest, that's sleep, that's nutrition, that's self-care in all the departments. So I can show up and be able to have ample resources and a lot of patience and you know, an ability to be that listener and to be that co-regulator with somebody else. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 43:50

That's a big job. Thank you for doing it. Okay, so before we run out of time, we're gonna talk about books for a minute. You have a book coming out, and this is like a real book with a real publisher. Like, yeah. I was like, I was freeding. I was like, wow, that is so impressive. How did that come about? How did you manifest and create the opportunity to write a book and have it picked up by a serious publisher?

SPEAKER_02 44:15

Thank you so much for asking about it. Um, I'm super excited. The publication date is October 6, 2026. I'm hoping that we might be able to go get it to have it be published in September, but that's up to the powers that be. I'd love to sync it up with National Recovery Month. If that's meant to happen, it'll happen of next year. But I I really have to say, I've always wanted to write a book, but I credit my son with Prompting me because he was the one who said, you know, mom, you really should write a book about some of this stuff. Because as I was sharing with him about being a recovery coach and some of the experiences I was having, and people who have been in the most destitute of circumstances to not be living their lives in this beautiful, wonderful way. I don't take credit for that. That's their recovery. So it's the the process started about five years ago. And I was on the beach in Nantucket with my son, my family, other family members, and we were hashing out what would it be like to write a book about being a recovery coach? How would I, how would I even start the process? What would it even look like? What could the chapters be like? So we were having this very spirited conversation. And it was, it was COVID. So we were really, I think that just added to the intensity of us being together because we hadn't seen each other for seven months. So out of the corner of my eye, this gentleman walks over. I see him walking over. And this is actually the preface of the book. And I thought, oh my God, it's the beach police. He's coming to say we're not six feet apart on the ball. So this gentleman, this complete stranger comes over and he says, I couldn't help but over here. And please forgive me, I don't mean to eavesdrop, but whatever you do, please, please write this book. And he said, My son Zachary died of a heroin overdose last summer. And had he had a recovery coach, he might, I still get goosebumps, he might still be a healer.

SPEAKER_01 46:41

Wow.

Book Recommendation The Four Agreements

SPEAKER_02 46:43

And I looked at him, and we all were moved to tears. And I invited him to tell us a little bit more about his son. And he did. And he opened up and he the tears came and he told us that he had a period of recovery. And then he got engaged and to celebrate the engagement he picked up. And he didn't make it. He overdosed accidentally. And so I got my marching orders from a complete stranger. And I turned to a friend of mine who's a literary agent. She's a dear friend from uh the school I went to in New York City. And I said, Jane, do you think this has legs? Do you think this has any, you know, do you do you think I could move forward with this in a meaningful way? And she was my ally. And she said, keep going, keep going, keep going. And after three and a half years of working on the book proposal, she signed me. I love it. And she pitched it to multiple publishers. And we were offered a book deal February this year.

SPEAKER_01 48:02

That's amazing. Congratulations. That is Thanks.

SPEAKER_02 48:05

I have to say it's been a labor of luck. Um, it is not for the faint of heart writing a book.

SPEAKER_01 48:11

It is not.

SPEAKER_02 48:12

No, and you've written a book, so it's not.

SPEAKER_01 48:15

It's not for the faint of heart, but it's a powerful thing to be able to do it.

SPEAKER_02 48:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 48:20

And yours really has the power to help a lot of people. So thank you for that.

SPEAKER_02 48:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 48:24

Okay. So before we go, obviously we will talk about your book. Your book will be linked in the show notes when it comes out. We'll link that it's coming, all of that in the show notes so that everyone will know. But I also like to ask my guests to recommend a book that has impacted them personally or professionally that they think the listeners should read. So what book would you like to recommend?

SPEAKER_02 48:43

Well, um, this is a book that was recommended to me when I was struggling with something. And when I say struggling, it was uh it was something, um, it was a relationship. And I was very in a lot of emotional pain about sort of the state of the relationship. And the book that was recommended to me was, and I have it here, the four agreements. And it's an it's I want to say it's an easy read. It's not heavy, it's not, but it was so enlightening. And so the author is Don Miguel Ruiz, and I loved this book and especially the second agreement, which is don't take anything personal.

SPEAKER_01 49:33

So powerful, right?

Closing Thoughts and Final Takeaways

SPEAKER_02 49:36

And you know, you talk about internal wellness. It used to be for me that I would be happy. I think that my happiness was sort of dependent upon the exterior, it used to be. Yeah, you know, used to sort of be dependent upon external relationships or external, and this shifted that barge so that I I would like to say that it's helped me become a safe harbor for myself and the arbiter of my own peace. That my inner wellness doesn't depend on others. But this book, The Four Agreements, I could read it once a year. And I I oftentimes will just pick it up and just quick jump into any old chapter. And it's just beautiful wisdom.

SPEAKER_01 50:28

I agree. It is, and every time I read it, I take away something different because depending on where you are, there are lessons and things you can take away from it anytime you read it. So I love that suggestion. Thank you so much. Uh, Stephanie, you are doing such incredibly powerful work. And I thank you. I learned, I learned a lot, and I'm sure our listeners learned a lot. And we will put how everyone can reach out to you if people are interested in working with you. We'll put all that in the show notes. So I thank you for taking the time. I thank you for the work that you do. It's truly from the heart, and it's really impactful, and it so aligns with my mission of just wanting to empower people to live better lives because it is possible. You're living proof and you're there to help. So thank you so much for being a guest. I love it.

SPEAKER_02 51:12

I really appreciate the time and so appreciate the conversation. Jean, you're you're such a light, and uh I really um just thank you.

SPEAKER_01 51:22

You are very welcome. I hope you have a beautiful day. Thank you for joining us for this week's episode of Building the Best You. If you are ready to take a deeper dive into transforming your life, check out my Empowerment Fundamentals course on my website, houseofgermar.com. Thank you, and I will see you next week with another inspiring guest.