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She thought the answer to her problems was another man, another night out, another bottle hidden just well enough to get through the day. Helen takes us back to 2013, when alcohol addiction and chaotic thinking collided with motherhood, marriage and crushing shame, until one blunt truth cut through the fog. Her kids loved her, but they were scared of her. That moment leads to rehab and a 12-step recovery path that transforms how she lives, parents and asks for help.

We go deep on what sobriety really looks like after the detox glow fades. From losing friends and being judged by other mums to making amends without guarantees and learning how to be “sober me” rather than only a wife or a mother. Helen also shares the reality of raising her daughter with Prader-Willi syndrome, including the medical and behavioural challenges, the constant food management and the emotional weight carers carry. If you’re searching for honest conversations about addiction recovery, relapse prevention, parenting in recover, and disability caregiving, this one is packed with lived experience.

The story takes another sharp turn when Helen’s second husband, also an addict, stops working his program and spirals into gambling and infidelity before disappearing overseas and leaving debts behind. Helen describes reaching a terrifying point where she doesn’t want to drink, but she does want to die and how sponsorship, meetings, online community and dropping her pride helps her survive and rebuild. Listener discretion advised, and if you need immediate support in Australia, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

If Helen’s story lands with you, please subscribe, share it with someone who needs hope, and leave a review so more people can find Everyday Warriors. What’s one thing that has helped you ask for help sooner?

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Music Credit: Cody Martin - Sunrise (first 26 episodes) then custom made for me.

Disclaimer: The views, opinions, and stories shared on this podcast are personal to the host and guests and are not intended to serve as professional advice or guidance. They reflect individual experiences and perspectives. While we strive to provide valuable insights and support, listeners are encouraged to seek professional advice for their specific situations. The host and production team are not responsible for any actions taken based on the content of this podcast.

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A propane truck, a failed valve, a cloud of freezing fuel and a fireball that wiped out a whole workshop and changed Sean’s life in an instant. Calling in from Idaho, Shaun walks us through the day in March 2018 when he was burned across 46% of his body and made a decision that still stuns me, he sprinted for a snowbank and lay there to cool down. Doctors later told him that one instinctive move likely helped save his face from skin grafts as well as his life.

We talk candidly about what severe burns really mean, the percentage numbers, third-degree damage and the relentless reality of skin grafts and daily wound care. Shaun shares how he kept his head straight through pain, fear and setbacks like pneumonia, MRSA, hearing loss and even a near-death experience. He also explains the long-term challenges burn survivors live with, including grafted skin that doesn’t sweat, overheating risk, hydration habits, sun protection and the extra planning it takes to live fully again.

The conversation goes deeper into PTSD and triggers that linger years later, like the “whoof” sound of gas appliances, plus the mental loops that can take hold when your body has been through trauma. Shaun’s approach is simple and hard-earned, take back control, find the good where you can and keep chipping away. We also get into how he uses tattoos over skin grafts, humour, motorcycle instruction and knife making as practical therapy and as a way to turn scars into meaning.

If you care about resilience, trauma recovery, burn injury rehabilitation or honest conversations about mental health, this one will stay with you. Subscribe, share with someone who needs a steady dose of hope, and leave a review with the line that hit you the hardest.

Connect with Shaun on Instagram here or check out his page to see his incredible knives and photos of his tattoo's.

Support the show

Thanks for listening in!

Contact me directly at https://everydaywarriorspodcast.com.au or head to
Instagram Personal or Podcast
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/trudie.dwyer

Subscribe to Everyday Warrior Moments here

Support the Podcast - Buy me a Coffee

Buy my Book here

Apply to be a guest at everydaywarriorspodcast@gmail.com

Music Credit: Cody Martin - Sunrise (first 26 episodes) then custom made for me.

Disclaimer: The views, opinions, and stories shared on this podcast are personal to the host and guests and are not intended to serve as professional advice or guidance. They reflect individual experiences and perspectives. While we strive to provide valuable insights and support, listeners are encouraged to seek professional advice for their specific situations. The host and production team are not responsible for any actions taken based on the content of this podcast.

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One moment you’re building a future, the next you’re learning how to breathe through the ruins. I’m joined by Cass from Queensland for a raw conversation about grief in its many forms, and how it can show up not just after death, but after a business closes, a career ends or your body finally says “enough”.

Cass shares what happened when she launched a brick and mortar venue in Ipswich with a genuine goal of supporting local small businesses, only to realise the work was draining her mental health, her relationships and her sense of alignment. We talk about stress and the body, including a frightening diabetes diagnosis that later proved false and why it matters to listen to your inner knowing alongside the black-and-white of test results. If you’ve ever felt like your nervous system is stuck in overdrive, you’ll recognise a lot of yourself here.

The heart of Cass’s story is her husband Glenn’s sudden death in 2015 while she was 30 weeks pregnant and the long, complicated road of parenting a child through grief when that child never had the chance to meet his dad. We explore survival mode, delayed grief, unexpected triggers and the powerful idea that joy and grief can coexist. Cass also explains how breathwork, somatic therapy, and holistic counselling helped her process emotion as “energy in motion”, plus how a later bike accident and career-ending injury added another layer of identity loss and healing.

If you’re looking for an honest episode on grief support, trauma healing, breathwork, somatics, emotional regulation and solo parenting after loss, press play. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review to help more people find these stories.

Connect with Cass on Instagram here

Cass's website can be found here

Support the show

Thanks for listening in!

Contact me directly at https://everydaywarriorspodcast.com.au or head to
Instagram Personal or Podcast
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/trudie.dwyer

Subscribe to Everyday Warrior Moments here

Support the Podcast - Buy me a Coffee

Buy my Book here

Apply to be a guest at everydaywarriorspodcast@gmail.com

Music Credit: Cody Martin - Sunrise (first 26 episodes) then custom made for me.

Disclaimer: The views, opinions, and stories shared on this podcast are personal to the host and guests and are not intended to serve as professional advice or guidance. They reflect individual experiences and perspectives. While we strive to provide valuable insights and support, listeners are encouraged to seek professional advice for their specific situations. The host and production team are not responsible for any actions taken based on the content of this podcast.