Surviving Me

About Surviving Me

a soul-led podcast where healing gets real, growth gets messy, and every story begins with “I’m healing.” This isn’t just another self-help show. It’s a safe space to unpack the heartbreak, the triggers, the setbacks, and the glow-ups that come with reclaiming your peace. Hosted like a diary, each episode is a raw reflection on what it means to navigate pain, rediscover your worth, and love yourself back together—one moment, one lesson, one entry at a time.

Publisher

Dai

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

9 Apr 2025

Latest episode

4 Nov 2026

Latest episodes

88 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   4 Nov 2026

   Addiction & Family Intervention with Mike Laverde

   Surviving Me — Addiction & Family Intervention with Mike Laverde When we talk about addiction, we focus on the person struggling. But what about the people who love them? In this episode of Surviving Me, host Dai sits down with Mike Laverde, founder of Family First Intervention, to unpack the realities of addiction from the family's perspective. Mike shares his personal journey — from a career in finance to founding a nationwide intervention service after his own family was transformed by an intervention in 2005. Together, they tackle the misconceptions that keep families stuck, the difference between helping and enabling, and why "they have to want it" and "they have to hit bottom" are two of the most dangerous myths in addiction recovery. This conversation goes deep into family systems theory, the weaponization of pain, and why families are often as unwell as the person using. Mike breaks down what a real intervention looks like (hint: it's nothing like TV), and offers a powerful message to anyone exhausted from trying to save someone they love. Guest: Mike Laverde is the founder and CEO of Family First Intervention, a nationwide intervention service helping families navigate addiction since 2009. He holds a Master's of Science in Addiction Studies and Counseling and has conducted over 6,000 interventions across all 50 states. Mike's book: "The S.A.F.E. Family Recovery Intervention Program" — available on Amazon in hard copy and e-book. Connect with Mike: family-intervention.com ⏱️ Timestamps: 0:00 — Intro 0:13 — Welcome & Introduction 2:52 — The Reality of Addiction 5:23 — When Love Becomes Enabling 12:10 — The Emotional Weight on Families 16:40 — Intervention, Recovery & Rebuilding Trust 21:13 — Healing Beyond Addiction 28:31 — Closing Message 🔔 Subscribe to Surviving Me for more honest conversations about healing, growth, and all the messy parts in between. 💬 If this episode resonated with you, leave a comment — your story matters. 🦋 You're not alone. You're not behind. Keep going through it, keep growing through it, and keep glowing through it. Connect with me : https://linktr.ee/thegroundedglow

2. 

   23 Oct 2026

   When Your Body Is Asking to Be Heard | Angela Jenkins, RD, LD

   What happens when you're doing everything right for your health — eating well, following doctor's orders, doing all the "right things" — and you still don't feel better? In this episode of Surviving Me, I sit down with Angela Jenkins, RD, LD, a registered dietitian with over 35 years of clinical experience and founder of Health is Local. Angela shares her personal journey of struggling with kidney and thyroid health while being told she "looked healthy." Those experiences led her to develop the Living Systems Approach — looking at the body as an interconnected system rather than a collection of individual symptoms. We explore what it means to feel unheard in your health journey, rebuilding trust in your body after years of being dismissed, the connections between gut and liver health, and why healing isn't always about fixing yourself. Sometimes, healing is about finally listening to yourself. 💛 🌿 IN THIS HEALING CHAPTER When you're doing everything right but still don't feel well Feeling dismissed or unheard about your health Understanding the body's interconnected systems Rebuilding trust in your body Exploring gut and liver health Moving from constantly fixing yourself to reclaiming yourself 📚 CONNECT WITH ANGELA JENKINS Angela is the author of Destination Real Food, available through her website and Amazon. 🌐 Website: https://www.healthislocal.com/ (https://www.healthislocal.com/) 📞 Free 30-minute discovery calls are available through her website. 🦋 STAY CONNECTED WITH SURVIVING ME 📚 AFTER HOURS BOOK CLUB Love books that make you think, feel, and see life differently? Join our book club for meaningful conversations, different perspectives, and genuine connection. 💌 GLOW LETTERS A little encouragement for wherever you are in your journey. Subscribe to Glow Letters for reflections on healing, self-awareness, personal growth, and becoming more connected to yourself. https://linktr.ee/thegroundedglow

3. 

   9 Oct 2026

   FROM SURVIVING TO LIVING: BREAKING GENERATIONAL CYCLES WITH RICH DUNNING

   What happens when the very things that helped you survive become the things holding you back from truly living? In this Healing Chapter of Surviving Me, Dai sits down with Rich Dunning, author of Silence Was My First Language, for an honest conversation about childhood trauma, addiction, recovery, fatherhood, and finding your voice. Growing up in the Bronx, Rich experienced severe abuse, poverty, and homelessness. The survival instincts he developed as a child followed him into adulthood, even as he built a successful career and became a father. Together, we explore how success can become armor, the reality of addiction and relapse, the importance of breaking generational cycles, and what it takes to move beyond simply surviving. Because healing isn't always about becoming someone new. Sometimes it's about finally feeling safe enough to be yourself. 🎙️ IN THIS HEALING CHAPTER When survival becomes your identity How success can hide unresolved trauma Addiction, relapse, and the journey of recovery Fatherhood and breaking generational cycles Finding your voice after years of silence Learning how to live instead of simply survive ⏱️ EPISODE TIMESTAMPS 00:00 — Introduction 01:39 — When Survival Becomes Your Identity 11:24 — When the Armor Looks Like Success 16:03 — Addiction, Relapse, and Recovery 30:14 — Fatherhood and Breaking Cycles 37:15 — Learning How to Live 42:48 — The Book and Foundation 📖 ABOUT RICH DUNNING Rich is the author of Silence Was My First Language, a memoir exploring childhood adversity, survival, and the journey toward healing. The book is available wherever books are sold, including audiobook. For every book sold, $1 goes to the First Language Foundation, supporting children facing abuse, hunger, and homelessness. 🌐 Rich's Website: https://richdunningbooks.com (https://richdunningbooks.com) 💛 First Language Foundation: https://firstlanguagefoundation.org (https://firstlanguagefoundation.org) 🦋 MORE FROM SURVIVING ME 📚 Join the Surviving Me Book Club A community where stories spark meaningful conversations, connection, and personal growth. 💌 Explore Glow Letters Words of encouragement, reflection, and gentle reminders for every stage of your healing journey. 🔗 Find the Book Club, Glow Letters, and more: [Insert Surviving Me Linktree URL] 💬 A QUESTION FOR MY BUTTERFLIES Have you ever had to unlearn something that once helped you survive? Remember, your past may be part of your story, but it doesn't have to define your future. To meet you where you are… and walk with you to where you're going. 🦋

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Spotify

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

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