In this episode, the Melanie Braswell Miller, LPC sits down with Erin Amundson, LPC, a sober psychotherapist who specializes in subconscious work and teaches an emotional sobriety curriculum. Together, they explore recovery for therapists and helping professionals; a population that often struggles quietly due to shame, professional identity, and fear of judgment.

The conversation was sparked by an anonymous therapist’s social media post about alcohol use that received both compassion and judgement, highlighting the complex reality clinicians face when seeking support. Erin shares her own experience navigating secrecy in early sobriety, including traveling long distances to recovery meetings to maintain privacy and avoid being recognized.

Melanie and Erin discuss why traditional recovery models such as AA are life-changing for many people yet may not feel aligned for everyone, especially women. Rather than dismissing any approach, the conversation centers on trusting inner guidance and finding recovery spaces that support autonomy, safety, and growth.

Listeners will hear practical strategies that have supported sobriety, including finding non-judgmental communities (Erin references Café RE), cultivating sober relationships, reconnecting with nature, and using consistent practices like yoga and movement to regulate the nervous system. Erin reflects on her year-by-year sobriety evolution — from finding safe spaces, to understanding the deeper drivers of drinking, to becoming more open about her recovery identity. You can learn more about Erin @ www.conscioussobercoach.com.

This episode is an invitation to expand the narrative around recovery for therapists and helping professionals.

00:00: Why We’re Rethinking Recovery for Therapists

01:01: “Who Helps the Helpers?” The Post That Sparked This Conversation

03:33: Shame, Secrecy, and the Fear of Being Found Out as a Clinician

05:17: Finding Safe Support: Confidential Help Beyond Public Recovery Spaces

07:13: Why AA Didn’t Fit

20:38: Women, Powerlessness, and Recovery Models Built for Men

26:40: Surrender Without Shame: What Finally Made Sobriety Stick

32:07: The Last Bender: Withdrawal, Hallucinations, and Asking for Medical Help

35:04 Alcohol Withdrawal Scare: Hallucinations, Seizure Fear

36:22 How Withdrawal Sneaks Up: Binge Drinking, Genetics & the “Gray Area” Warning

37:39: Finding Sober Community as an Introvert (and Laughing Through Recovery)

39:06: Nature + Yoga as a Recovery Program: Building Nervous System Stability

41:40: Early Sobriety Brain Changes: Pink Cloud vs Flatness & “Apathy

45:06: Rebuilding Life Without Alcohol: Triggers, New Rituals & Relearning Fun

47:30: Maintaining Sobriety Without AA: Year-by-Year Strategy & Getting Support

52:12: Why the Only Way Out Is Through

59:07: Choosing the Right Recovery Space: Flexibility, Relapse, and Avoiding Shame

01:03:06: Wrap-Up: Trust Your Path + Where to Find the Coach

Erin Amundson, LPC www.concioussobercoach.com

Melanie Braswell Miller is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Alcohol-Free Lifestyle Coach, and RYT-200 yoga teacher who helps women build a life they don’t need to escape from. Her approach centers on yoga philosophy, psychology and exploring the deeper layers of living alcohol-free, not just the “not drinking” part, but the identity shifts, self-trust, boundaries, nervous system regulation, and and all the internal work to become a person who no longer relies on alcohol to cope with life.

In this episode of The CxC Show, Melanie Miller, LPC, Alcohol-Free Lifestyle Coach, and Registered Yoga Teacher, sits down with Jamie Coscia, LCSW and life coach, to explore the overlap between perfectionism, self-sabotage, alcohol use as a coping strategy, and the deep personal work required to break old patterns.

Melanie and Jamie discuss how childhood environments shape our nervous systems, why many high-achieving women feel stuck or overwhelmed, and what it actually takes to rewire old programming so we can lead ourselves with confidence and clarity.

Together, they explore:
• How perfectionism forms in childhood and shows up in adulthood
• The link between nervous system dysregulation, fear, avoidance, and “stuckness”
• Why mindset work, somatic awareness, and self-leadership must work together
• How Internal Family Systems (IFS), EFT/tapping, and yoga philosophy support healing
• What it means to feel safe in your body after years of survival-mode living 6 Steps Toward Healing (Discussed in This Episode)

1. Awareness: Recognizing where you feel stuck, what patterns are repeating, and and what changes you would like to make.
2. Normalize Resistance: Change will always trigger resistance. The mind and body prefer familiar patterns—even if they’re painful. Expect resistance and understand it as part of the process, not a sign of failure.
3. Listen Within: Your body and internal parts carry wisdom. Slowing down, getting quiet, and listening without judgment helps you understand what you truly need.
4. Neutral Self-Talk: Before you can build confidence, you must stop the inner critic from running the show. Neutral, grounded language interrupts self-sabotage and creates emotional safety.
5. Self-Compassion is treating yourself the way you would treat a child you love. Meeting your feelings with care rather than criticism makes healing possible.
6. Acceptance softens resistance, relaxes the nervous system, and opens the door to real change. Acceptance does not mean approval—it simply means acknowledging what is so you can decide what comes next.

About Jamie Coscia Jamie Coscia is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and life coach with nearly 30 years of experience helping people heal and thrive. She specializes in supporting high-achieving women over 40 in rewiring the self-sabotaging patterns that keep them stuck. Jamie blends evidence-based therapy, somatic awareness, and intuitive coaching. She is also trained in EFT/Tapping and helps clients calm their nervous systems, quiet their inner critic, and build confidence from the inside out.

Connect with Jamie
• Instagram: @jamiekashiainspiration
• Facebook Group: Stuck to Unstoppable
• Business Facebook Page: Time to Heal Coaching
• Website: www.atimetohealcoaching.com (currently under construction)

If you’re navigating perfectionism, self-sabotage, alcohol use, chronic overwhelm, or the ache of discontent and unfulfillment, this episode offers a grounded path forward. Through nervous system science, psychology, spirituality, IFS-informed work, and practical tools, Melanie and Jamie share what it means to break old patterns and build a more aligned, empowered life.

In this episode of The CxC Show, Melanie Miller, LPC, Alcohol-Free Lifestyle Coach, RYT-200 and Divorce Support specialist Leslie Mathews JD, MSW sit down to talk honestly about the immense stress, grief, loss and confusion of divorce, which often leads to maladaptive coping strategies, such as alcohol use.

Together, they explore how easily our nervous system flips into survival mode, and why numbing with alcohol (or other strategies like compulsive dating, sex, or overworking) can prolong suffering, and prevent problem solving and decision making.

You’ll hear them unpack:

How divorce activates old wounds (abandonment, failure, not-enoughness)
The role of the nervous system: fight, flight, freeze, and the “window of tolerance”
Why alcohol feels like it’s helping in the moment but hijacks clarity, decision making, problem solving and sleep
How parts work/IFS (firefighters, managers, and “toddlers driving the bus”) shows up during divorce
The difference between therapy and divorce support/coaching, and when you might need each
Practical ways to ground yourself before, during, and after legal meetings or hard conversations
Healthy coping tools: breath, body scans, movement, self-pleasure, and genuine support instead of self-abandonment

This conversation is for you if:

You’re in the middle of a separation or divorce (or considering it)
You’re leaning on alcohol or other numbing strategies to get through the day
You feel flooded, shut down, or “offline” when you need to be making big decisions
You suspect old wounds are running the show and you want a clearer, kinder way forward

Wherever you are in the process: thinking about leaving, in the thick of it, or rebuilding after divorce, this episode offers a compassionate, grounded look at how to support your nervous system, protect your future, and move through divorce without abandoning yourself.

To learn more about Leslie Mathews, JD, MSW:

Website: theloomlife.com
Facebook Group: Women Navigating Divorce
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@UCnGLaYf3da2-alPSciG6VjQ
IG: @the.loom.life

About Melanie Miller, LPC, RYT-200
Alcohol Free Lifestyle Coach

Melanie Miller is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Alcohol-Free Lifestyle Coach, and RYT-200 yoga teacher who helps women build a life they don’t need to escape from. Her approach centers on yoga philosophy, psychology and exploring the deeper layers of living alcohol-free, not just the “not drinking” part, but the identity shifts, self-trust, boundaries, nervous system regulation, and and all the internal work to become a person who no longer relies on on alcohol to cope with life.

She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she also organizes Sober & Social Ann Arbor on Meetup, creating community for anyone wanting meaningful connection without alcohol.