Advertise on podcast: Sick & Tired Recovery: Remembering Who You Are

Send us Fan Mail What if the voice telling you to quit is the one keeping you stuck?  Zuma (the swearing therapist), shares how discipline, self-talk, and resilience helped her navigate addiction, cancer, and major life changes. From quitting smoking one craving at a time to going back to school later in life, her story is a reminder that it’s never too late to pursue a new chapter. This conversation centers on recovery, self-talk, and the habits that help people keep moving through addiction, illness, and self-doubt.  Zuma shares how she rebuilt her life through discipline, prayer, and a refusal to let age, perfectionism, or fear define what is possible. We also discuss how cancer reshaped her perspective on self-worth, why changing the question from “Why me?” to “What can I learn?” matters, and how taking care of yourself is not selfish but necessary. Key topics She shares that motivation is unreliable, but discipline is what gets you to class, the gym, or treatment when you do not feel like showing up.Zuma talks about quitting cigarettes by taking it one craving at a time, using a decision-based system instead of waiting to feel ready.She describes a practical way to challenge negative self-talk by giving it the voice of someone you cannot stand.Zuma says perfectionism became another form of addiction for her, and cancer forced her to release the need to be perfect.She reflects on breast cancer diagnosis, shifting from “Why me?” to “Why not me?” and deciding to fight instead of waiting to die.”Timestamps 00:00 - Opening the recovery conversation and asking what each person is recovering from  01:48 - Going back to school at 42, starting a master’s at 50, and moving countries at 60  03:06 - Why discipline matters more than motivation  04:00 - Quitting smoking one craving at a time  07:07 - Turning negative self-talk into a voice you reject  08:56 - Giving your positive voice to someone you admire  11:16 - How addiction erodes self-worth and self-trust  12:08 - Knowing your limits with nicotine and practicing self-care  13:50 - Addiction showing up as perfectionism  14:20 - Cancer forcing a release of perfection and body image pressure  16:33 - Reframing a cancer diagnosis from “Why me?” to “Why not me?”  17:49 - The mindset of “I had cancer, cancer didn’t have me”  19:12 - Replacing “Why?” with “What can I learn from this?” Follow Zulma: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theswearingtherapist Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@theswearingtherapist Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Self-medicating is often just a symptom of something deeper.  In this episode, my guest Marie, explains why real transformation begins when we stop chasing control and start rebuilding trust, self-love, and inner peace from the inside out. If you have ever felt trapped in anxiety, over-caretaking, emotional reactivity, or habits that numb rather than heal, this conversation will resonate.  You’ll discover:   Why so many people get stuck in unconscious habit loops  How breathwork can help interrupt anxiety, panic, and emotional reactivity  Why self-awareness and self-compassion are trainable practices  How a holistic mind-body-spirit approach can support healing  What Marie’s “Take Five” method is and why five minutes a day can make a differenceAt the heart of this episode is a simple but powerful idea: you do not have to keep living on autopilot.  When you understand your patterns, breathe with intention, and reconnect with what genuinely brings you joy, you can stop reacting to life and begin moving through it with greater freedom. Essential listening for anyone ready to break old cycles, calm their nervous system, and rediscover inner peace. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Someone asked me during a live what I thought about religion. My answer was pretty simple: I don’t judge anybody’s religion, and I’m not interested in telling people what they should or shouldn’t believe. In recovery, we often say this is a spiritual, not religious, program. Over the years, I’ve learned to stay pretty close to that lane. For me, spirituality has become less about labels and more about the relationship I have with God, the way I live, how I treat people, and what’s happening inside of me. In this episode, I share my personal thoughts on religion, spirituality, recovery, and why I believe we can talk about God without needing everybody to believe exactly the same thing. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail There comes a point when we get tired of the consequences, tired of the pain, tired of making the same promises to ourselves—and sick and tired of ending up right back where we started. But having enough and being ready to change aren’t always the same thing. In this episode, my guest and I share our own experiences with reaching that place where we knew something had to change. We talk about what kept us holding on, what it really meant to become willing, and why sometimes we have to experience the same pain over and over before we're finally ready to do something different. Because “enough is enough” isn’t always one dramatic moment. Sometimes it’s a process. And eventually, we have to decide whether we're tired enough to complain about our lives—or tired enough to change them. It Starts and Ends With You. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail I came into recovery thinking I had a drug problem. And looking at my life at the time, it made sense. Drugs had taken me places I never thought I would go. So naturally, I believed getting clean would solve the problem. But something happened when I stopped using. I began to realize that getting rid of the drugs didn't automatically change the way I thought, felt, behaved, or saw myself. The fear was still there. The insecurity was still there. The need for acceptance was still there. The way I saw myself—and the things I believed about myself—didn't disappear just because the drugs did. Over time, I began to realize that, for me, drugs were just the symptom. Underneath them was something much deeper: an identity problem. In this episode, I share what recovery began to look like once I stopped focusing only on what I was doing and started discovering who I was. Getting clean gave me the opportunity to live. Recovery started teaching me who was doing the living. Support the show