Episode 51: This weeks episode, Angie shares her own current personal struggles with outgrowing herself, outgrowing her old life. She recalls what each stage of growth has looked like in her recovery & healing journey over the last 4 years. Angie talks about how gaining gratitude & learning how to love herself played significant roles in the first 2 years. Looking back, she details what was important & necessary during each stage of growth; and how she’s got to where she is currently, in a stage of struggle, outgrowing her old life & refusing to continue accepting less in her life. In hindsight, Angie reminisces on it all & how it was and is all necessary. Everyone’s journey looks different. Divine timing is a real thing. Acceptance, trust & gratitude are incredibly integral aspects of everyone’s recovery journey. If you are just starting out your recovery & healing or have been in it for years, this episode will benefit your journey with incredibly helpful insights. Thank you so much for joining the Hope chase. :)) ox

Episode 50: Happy Birthday to The Hope Chase! Our first anniversary!! It’s officially been 1 year. For this weeks episode, in honor of our birthday, Angie has repurposed the very first episode that was published. Rock bottom versus consequences. Are they the same? Is it necessary to hit rock bottom in order to find recovery? Can you truly recover without experiencing any “real life” consequences from your addiction? What’s the difference? This week Angie shares her own personal rock bottom story, what her life looked like and how it took nearly 20 years of active addiction & experiencing consequences before hitting her actual bottom. She also gives her perspective on why it’s necessary to hit rock bottom in order to recover from addiction. Consequences & rock bottom are not synonymous. It is possible to find recovery without experiencing consequences but highly unlikely if you haven’t hit rock bottom. And in this episode, Angie explains why. If you just started your healing & recovery journey or have been in it for year, this episode has helpful insights that you & your journey will benefit from. Thank you so much for joining the Hope chase :) ox

Episode 49: This weeks episode is a conversation about finding purpose & setting goals in addiction recovery. Angie shares some breakthrough moments, some thoughts about her own 20 year active addiction & how the addiction became her purpose. While you may think that years of active addiction are “wasted years,” Angie discusses purpose & goal setting in recovery with a different perspective; and having different ways of seeing things leads to feeling gratitude for the time spent in active addiction. Perspective is everything. When we change our perspective on our own past, our own addiction, it becomes much easier to feel true gratitude for all of it. If you’ve been in your recovery & healing journey for years or just starting out, this episode provides you with helpful insights that will benefit your journey. Thank you for joining the Hope chase. :)) ox

Episode 48: This weeks episode is all about continuing the cycle of misery; the ultimate guide on how (or continue) to successfully ruin your life. Angie considers herself to be quite an expert on this subject, as she spent 20 years in active addiction, complete chaos and self destructive behavior. She goes through a list of things to do in order to effectively ruin your life. It can be incredibly difficult to absorb and take in information about bettering yourself, about recovery and healing, when you’re drowning in a life of misery. Sometimes it’s a lot easier to relate to the mess in another’s story. Angie goes through this list one by one, describing each, giving her own perspective & personal experience with each “life ruining” behavior. If you just started your addiction recovery and/or healing journey, or if you’ve been in it for years, this episode certainly has some helpful practical insights for you. Note: this episode contains satire & sarcasm, listener beware ;))) Thanks for joining the Hope chase ox

Episode 47: Happy New Year!! Another year has come and gone. Are you in the same place, the same circumstance, the same situation as this time last year? Are you feeling stuck and stagnant in your growth, progress & recovery? Are you sick of not seeing the changes you want to see in your life? Reflecting on this past year, what worked, what didn’t work & what we can do differently in 2024…the question is this: what is staying the same doing FOR you? This week, Angie tells you why it is you are not seeing those changes. She talks about the highs & lows of the podcast throughout 2023, and how stagnancy can really mean something else entirely. Angie also discusses some powerful insights as to why you are staying the same along with some practical tips to help break free from feeling stuck in achieving your goals. If you are just starting out your recovery journey or have been in it for years, you will certainly benefit from this episode. Thank you so much for joining the Hope chase :))

Episode 46: Do you hate the holiday season? Do you dread this time of year, every year? Holiday cheer, the lights, the music, the joy… Angie used to hate it all. For over 15 years, she wanted nothing to do with the holidays. She was a Grinch. Regardless of where you are in your addiction recovery journey, feeling miserable, irritable, annoyed, depressed & lonely during this time of year is quite common. This holiday hatred, combined with doing recovery, can be difficult to navigate. How did Angie end her own holiday misery? How did she go from the Grinch to feeling gratitude? This episode outlines 3 easy things Angie has done to completely break free from her own holiday misery, & in life in general. End the cycle of holiday hatred and misery. It sucks to be miserable. It’s exhausting. You can turn it around. You can learn to enjoy this time of year. This episode tells you how. If you are new to recovery or have been in it for years, this episode will provide incredible insights. Thank you for joining the Hope chase :))

Episode 45: This week, Angie discusses the topic of triggers & addiction recovery. Often times, triggers are associated with people, places & things. There’s so much talk about this topic; and it tends to be quite confusing. There aren’t any “things” that can make a person to use any substance. The decision to use comes from within. Angie explains a much easier way to identify & understand your triggers; and can be an integral part of creating long term recovery. You can regain control over your thoughts, emotions, and actions, empowering yourself to overcome triggers and embrace a life of recovery and overall wellness. Also, Angie discusses the concept of “Dry January” and why it can be very misleading. Along with a discussion about why non-alcoholic beverages are a scam & don’t align with the goals of living & healing in a life of recovery. If you just started your journey, or have been in it for years this episode will prove to be beneficial. The Hope Chase podcast aims to prove that a life of recovery is possible for anyone and everyone who wants it for themselves. We do recover ox

Episode 44: This week, The Hope Chase explores the profound connection between grief & addiction recovery. Angie shares her own lived experiences with grieving both of her parents while trying to navigate her own recovery journey. She offers insights into the challenges and triumphs that accompany these journeys. Grief and recovery often go hand in hand. It’s important to recognize our own strengths as it can be incredibly difficult to navigate the complex emotions of grief. Discover the power of self-discovery, growth, and finding a renewed sense of purpose as we navigate the path toward healing. If you are just starting your recovery (and grief) journey or have been in it for years, this episode is for you. Thank you for joining the Hope Chase. Ox

Episode 43: The holiday season can be a source of depression, anxiety & fear for some of us in addiction recovery. Trying to stay clean and sober, trying to survive the holidays without falling off track doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Getting through the holiday season can be difficult. It’s incredibly common to feel some discomfort & loneliness during this time of year. Angie shares some of her personal experiences throughout years of being incredibly depressed during the holidays to now, feeling gratitude for all of it. What can you do? Angie also shares some things that can help if you are struggling to navigate the holiday season. It doesn’t have to be difficult. Setting boundaries & practicing gratitude can help all of us get thorough to the other side. Just remember that it’s temporary. If you are just starting out on your recovery & healing journey or have been in it for years, you will benefit from the insights in this weeks episode. Thank you for joining the Hope chase. Ox

Episode 42: Is there something, a thought, a belief, a trait, that everyone with addiction has in common? Is there anything that connects us all?? This week, Angie discusses what she believes to be the one belief that all of us with addiction have within ourselves. We all think that we are incapable of handling life’s responsibilities. Thinking it’s impossible for us to live life like “normal people” do; living life on “life’s terms,” as they say. That alone has the connotation to it that life is “supposed to be” hard. As if life can’t ever be easy. Angie dives deep into what having this belief looks like, feels like & how it manifests in all areas our lives. Addiction is hard. Life doesn’t have to be. If you just started your recovery journey or have been in it for years, you will benefit from the insights in this episode. Thanks for joining the Hope chase :)