Why Your Drinking Feels Worse During the Holidays — And What You Can Do About It
If your drinking ramps up in December, there’s a damn good reason. The holidays hit every emotional nerve we’ve got. Here’s what’s really going on — and what you can actually do about it.
When Your Nervous System Runs the Show (and What It’s Costing You)
Your nervous system isn’t overreacting — it’s overloaded. Learn why midlife women feel stuck in high alert, why it’s not your fault, and how stillness and horses can finally help your body breathe again.
Why the Desert Is a Powerful Place for Women in Recovery
The desert does something most environments can’t: it finally gives your nervous system a chance to breathe. For women in midlife recovery, that quiet spaciousness becomes the doorway to clarity, connection, and healing — especially when combined with the wisdom of horses.
Healing Isn’t Linear: Why Setbacks Don’t Mean Failure
Healing isn’t a straight line — it’s a spiral. Each time you circle back, you bring more awareness, grace, and strength. Setbacks aren’t failures; they’re feedback.
Finding Magic in the Desert
The desert has a quiet kind of magic — the kind that strips away noise and invites you to listen to what’s true. At Apache Springs Ranch, I rediscovered how stillness, horses, and open sky can bring you home to yourself.
From Surviving to Thriving: The Small Shifts That Change Everything
For years, survival was my superpower — until I realized it was also my cage. Thriving doesn’t mean constant happiness; it means small shifts that bring you back to joy, presence, and possibility.
When Burnout Sneaks Into Recovery (and What It’s Trying to Tell You)
After more than sixteen years in recovery, I know one thing for sure: burnout doesn’t care how long you’ve been sober, grounded, or “doing the work.” You can have all the tools, all the awareness, and still find yourself running on empty.
Burnout doesn’t always come from overworking; sometimes it comes from over-caring — from carrying the weight of things you can’t control, and trying to hold it all together because you have to.
It’s not recovery versus burnout, it’s recovery including burnout. Healing isn’t a finish line you cross; it’s a lifelong practice of noticing when you’re slipping back into old patterns and gently returning to what’s true.
What If Vulnerability Made You Stronger?
When I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer on my 58th birthday, I thought I knew what strength meant — until chemo, recovery, and vulnerability taught me otherwise. For years, I was the strong one, the capable one, the woman who rarely asked for help. But cancer didn’t give a shit about my control plan. What saved me wasn’t grit — it was surrender. Vulnerability didn’t make me weak; it made me real. And that, my friends, is where true strength lives.
Boundaries in Recovery: Lessons from Horses (and Life)
When a horse swishes its tail or pins its ears, it’s not being rude — it’s setting a boundary. In recovery, we can learn the same lesson: boundaries aren’t rejection, they’re protection. Horses remind us that honoring our space keeps relationships honest, safe, and balanced — and that’s true for healing too.
Why Individual Coaching Creates Faster Transformation
I was sitting in my therapist's office - the same office I'd been visiting for months after my cancer diagnosis. We'd talked through my childhood trauma, my parents' alcoholism, my own addiction journey, my father's suicide. I could recite my story backwards and forwards. But I was still stuck. That's when I made a decision that shocked everyone: I hired a life coach. Here's what I discovered about the difference between understanding why you're stuck and knowing how to get unstuck.
Why Doing "All the Work" Still Leaves You Stuck (and How BRAVE Changes Everything)
You’ve checked all the boxes — therapy, groups, journaling, self-help — but you still feel stuck. Here’s why all the effort isn’t enough, and how the BRAVE Recovery Method™ helps you move forward with clarity and courage.
The Myth of 'Rock Bottom' (And Why It's Keeping You Stuck)
Rock bottom is a myth. And it's a dangerous one that's keeping countless women trapped in cycles of suffering while everyone waits for some magical moment of clarity that may never come. You don't have to lose everything to deserve help. Your desire to heal is enough.
What Horses Taught Me About Recovery (That Therapy Didn’t)
In therapy, I could perform recovery. I could say the right words, nod at the appropriate moments, and leave feeling like I'd checked the healing box. But horses don't care about your performance. They respond to what's actually happening inside you, and how you show up. Here's what Sundance taught me about the difference between surviving and actually healing.
5 Signs You're Not Actually Healing - Just Surviving
There's a difference between surviving your pain and actually healing from it. Surviving is about getting through each day. Healing is about getting your life back. Most women get stuck in survival mode because that's what we're taught to do - but you deserve more than just sophisticated suffering.
Why Traditional Recovery Fails Women (And What Actually Works)
Traditional recovery was designed by men, for men, based on male experiences of addiction. Here's the uncomfortable truth: it's failing women at alarming rates. Women's addiction is often rooted in trauma, shaped by hormones, complicated by caretaking roles, and hidden behind high-functioning facades. We need approaches that address these realities, not ignore them.
5 Signs You Need More Than Just Sobriety
Here's what nobody tells you: you can be sober and still be miserable. You can white-knuckle your way through months without a drink and still feel like you're drowning. Because removing alcohol doesn't automatically fix what drove you to drink in the first place.
Sobriety is the absence of alcohol. Recovery is the presence of a life worth living. Sobriety is necessary, but it's not sufficient. And if you're experiencing any of these five signs, you might need more than just removing alcohol from your life.
Grief, Trauma, and Addiction: Why They're More Connected Than You Think
"I started drinking after my mom died." Sound familiar? There's a powerful connection between grief, trauma, and addiction that most people don't understand - and traditional recovery completely misses it. Here's why treating addiction as the problem (instead of the symptom) keeps women stuck, and what integrated healing actually looks like.
The Real Reason You Can't Stay Sober (It's Not Willpower)
Here's what nobody tells you: willpower is like a muscle that gets exhausted. And if you're trying to use willpower to overcome addiction, you're basically trying to bench press 300 pounds with arms that can barely lift a coffee cup. It's not a character flaw - it's biology.
The Synergy of Equine Work and Women's Circles: Creating Transformative Recovery Experiences (Part Two)
Here's the thing about horses: they don't give a shit about your LinkedIn profile, your carefully curated Instagram feed, or that "I'm fine" mask you've perfected. When you combine equine-assisted coaching with women's circles, you get a combination that'll call you on your BS faster than your most brutally honest friend at 2am. Discover why this powerful integration creates transformation that traditional approaches often miss.
The Power of Women's Circles: Why Community Support Accelerates Healing - Part One
The Ancient Roots of Women's Circles
Throughout history, women have gathered in circles for support, wisdom-sharing, and healing. In many indigenous cultures, women's circles were sacred spaces where intergenerational knowledge was passed down. From Native American moon lodges to African talking circles to European wise-women gatherings, these traditions share remarkable similarities despite developing independently.