This Sucks...
Ordinary People. Ordinary Things. with Melissa Radke
There is going to be a very good chance that you think you know what I'm going to say on this podcast, but you don't. I can promise you that, because up until about 12 hours ago, I didn't even know what I was going to be saying on this podcast. I actually had an interview scheduled this week, but aren't we living in a time when we never know what's coming? This podcast wasn't in the cards for me either, so please keep listening until the end. David Radke will be joining me on today's show. In order to earn a living, I create content. I write books. I travel and I speak. I write online courses...
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D-I-V-O-R-C-E
Ordinary People. Ordinary Things. with Melissa Radke
I'm excited about today, because my guest is ordinary. She is ordinary, the topic is ordinary, and you all know how I feel about ordinary. We talk about a mundane event that lots of people go through, but she is handling it in extraordinary ways. I haven't done a podcast on this subject, yet it's so prevalent. I'm talking about divorce. Last fall, I met Kelly Mathews, and I thought she was so kind and so beautiful, but her story was painful. It was the story of a loss of a relationship and the loss of a marriage. When I met her, I was wondering how she was still standing and still smiling. I...
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Dream Life
Ordinary People. Ordinary Things. with Melissa Radke
Over the next two weeks, we will be talking to women who were suddenly faced with a decision. Maybe the decision came after years of being at a dead-end job, and they simply had had enough. Maybe, it came after a divorce. We will be talking to these women who found themselves having to make a choice about what will be next. What will they do? Will they live? Will they die? Will they get stuck? Will they continue waking up every day putting one foot in front of the other? There are some really powerful and relatable stories coming your way over the next couple of weeks. Our Guest today had no...
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Miss Connection
Ordinary People. Ordinary Things. with Melissa Radke
Dr. Justin Coulson is an honorary fellow at the Center for Positive Psychology at the University of Melbourne. He has three best-selling books about family life and parenting. He writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology, family, and well-being. He's a TEDx speaker and a regular TV expert guest. He's a contributor to major Australian media outlets. He's also contributed to the New York Times. He had a successful radio career and then returned to school in his late 20's where he earned his psychology degree and his PhD in psychology. Since then he has written...
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Nurse Katherine Answers Your Questions
Ordinary People. Ordinary Things. with Melissa Radke
Katherine is a nurse practitioner who worked for many years at a very good OBGYN practice here in town. She left this practice to go work at the health clinic. A month later, she said it was one of the most fulfilling things ever. She's working with people and especially teenagers on the issues that are the most near and dear to her heart. Her work is about sex and our bodies.
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ReRelease of 3.15 This Christmas
Ordinary People. Ordinary Things. with Melissa Radke
This is the first time I've rereleased an episode. I'm interupting our season on teens, social media and sex to rerelease an episode that came out around Christmas time with my friend Billie Jean Johnson. This was a powerful episode. I heard from so many of you that this episode moved you, challenged you, and made you think that you might want something more or different from your life. Billie Jean was facing one of the hardest challenges of her life, and she lost. At least, here on Earth. On Thursday February 13th, Billie Jean took her last breath. Now she is probably healthier and happier...
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Net Navigation
Ordinary People. Ordinary Things. with Melissa Radke
There's a running list of things I don't understand and one of them is the internet. The internet is constantly changing. It goes deep and wide. Another thing I don't understand is teenagers. We may just use the internet for the things that we normally do like podcasts, shopping Facebook, and the rest. But teenagers, what do they do on the internet? Do they feel the same as we do and just use the internet for Amazon Prime orders, social posts, and reading safe blogs? I may not understand teens and I may not understand the vastness of the internet, but I've come to my senses when it comes to...
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Rhythms of Renewal
Ordinary People. Ordinary Things. with Melissa Radke
About 10 years ago, I wasn't doing any of the things I'm doing now. I wasn't writing books. I wasn't hosting podcasts. I was sitting at home and watching other women go first. A lot of us find someone who is doing what we want to do and we follow them and root for them and listen closely when they speak. I was at home watching Rebekah Lyons. I've loved her from the moment I heard her speak. This might surprise some of you, after hearing this interview, because we couldn't be more different. She is all love, light, kindness and gracefulness. I've watched her long enough to know that what...
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Melissa & David Q&A
Ordinary People. Ordinary Things. with Melissa Radke
Melissa and David are here today to answer listener questions. Melissa loves it when people ask questions. We appreciate you trusting us with all of the things we'll be talking about today and on future episodes. The last couple of weeks have been dedicated to something that Melissa just can't wrap her mind around. We've been talking about being still, organizing, and decluttering our homes and our hearts, space, and putting your phone away. If someone would have told me that in the year 1994 when David and I got married that someday David would be checking his phone while we were having...
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Uncluttered
Ordinary People. Ordinary Things. with Melissa Radke
A few months ago I got a book in the mail titled . Imagine that frozen moment in time, when I was holding this book while standing in my kitchen surrounded by, you guessed it, clutter! In spite of the stuff that creates clutter, today's podcast isn't about removing physical clutter. It's about removing noise, stress, and over commitments. This show is for anyone who wakes up from a nap and says, "I wish I could do that again." It's for people who buy books and find them later dusty and unread. It's for those who meet God on vacation or in quiet moments and wish they had more times like...
info_outlineOver a year ago, a woman came up to me at an event and hugged my neck and shared that she'd been sober for x amount of time. She was glowing. Her face was beaming. I assumed, that's what happens when someone beats addiction, but that wasn't it. It was just her. She was beautiful. The reason I'm talking about this is because, sometimes, we associate alcoholism with Otis Campbell from The Andy Griffith Show.
Then we moved onto the Norm from Cheers stereotype, with a sloppy disheveled character. Then along came Homer Simpson. Do you see a pattern here? We never associated alcoholism with well put together women. There are wonderful teachers who go home and drink until they pass out. There are also stay at home moms who are so sick or bored that they drink all day. I didn't know that there were pastor's wives, ER nurses, and yoga instructors that were alcoholics. But now I know, because I've met you.
Every example I'm thinking of has been gorgeous, well-dressed, and smart as a whip. Not one of them looked like Homer Simpson. They could in fact be you or me. My guest today is that very woman who first came up and hugged my neck. She has since become a very precious friend of mine. I am so lucky to have ever met her at an event. I'm not sharing her name today.
She’s an active participant in Alcoholics Anonymous. She’s requested that I don't share her name. It's hard for me, because I want you to see her and meet her. But in this episode you get to learn and grow from her story. To listen to her is to love her. Trust me. The goal for today's show is that one person will hear her story and will take the first step to finding the help they need.
Show Notes:
- [04:53] This is my guest’s first podcast.
- [05:35] She's a recovering addict, who's very involved in AA and believes in the anonymous part.
- [06:01] She has a supportive husband who she's been with for 38 years. He was her high school sweetheart. She has two adult daughters and a four-year-old grandson.
- [06:46] She's a recovering alcoholic who has had seven years of continuous sobriety.
- [06:59] For her, drinking was a social thing. She could drink and enjoy drinking and was able to stop. When she went back to work, she felt like she deserved a drink after work.
- [07:37] Eventually, the drinking became a physiological habit. Her body became addicted to alcohol.
- [07:53] She feels fortunate to say she's a recovering alcoholic and gets to live her life again. At one point, she got to the point where she was just existing.
- [08:48] Our families also have their recovery.
- [09:39] Being sober, allowed her the opportunity to become a better listener.
- [10:41] When her mom was diagnosed with cancer, she had an aha moment and realized she had a big problem.
- [12:52] Her family were not alcoholics, but they were codependent.
- [13:47] She also felt very alone.
- [15:09] She now thinks of alcohol as a cleaning product that is a poison to her body. She hated herself for drinking wine and taking sleeping pills.
- [16:23] When she drinks alcohol, she has a physiological craving for more.
- [19:53] Listen and silence have the same letters, they're just rearranged. When she decided to get sober, she went to AA.
- [20:20] Being Sober is the first step. Being in recovery is the second step. Learning to live again is the third step.
- [21:08] Day treatment didn't quite work, so she went to residential treatment. After several cries, she felt lighter like an empty vessel.
- [22:29] She was then given the tools to be successful.
- [25:09] She does the right thing each day. She now has an opportunity to live.
- [26:02] She is now an AA sponsor. The meetings are for her, but she does take other people and help others.
- [27:46] You have a spiritual sponsor and a service sponsor.
- [29:21] Children of addicts also need to seek treatment. The alcoholic can change the entire dynamic of the whole family like a chime in a wind chime.
- [31:35] If you think you can do this on your own, why haven't you done it already?
- [35:32] Go to meal is chicken cordon bleu with mashed potatoes and asparagus.
- [36:13] Friendship means the world. Our anonymous guest may or may not look like a young Debbie Reynolds.
Thanks for joining us on Ordinary People Ordinary Things. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Just like your mother taught you.
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