Thriving Beyond Bottom | Podcast in RSS.com

Thriving Beyond Bottom

Thriving Beyond Bottom

di Andrea Nicole

Miglioramento personale Salute mentale

Don’t Judge a Fight You’ve Never Fought

There’s a certain confidence and moral superiority people have when they’ve never lived something. Addiction is one of those things. In this conversation, I’m speaking directly to the judgment that gets thrown at addicts from the outside. The “just stop.” The “it’s a choice.” The quiet belief that it’s really about willpower. We talk about what addiction actually is. Not from a moral lens, but from a scientific one. A chronic brain disorder that changes how the brain handles reward, impulse control, stress, and decision-making. Calling it an illness is not an excuse. It’s an explanation. And without that understanding, we keep reaching for judgement as if it’s "treatment". Trust me when I say, no one has ever judged me or other addicts or alcoholics into sobriety. That's not how this works. I share what I’ve learned inside the rooms. Alcoholism isn’t just about alcohol. It’s about the "ism". The mental obsession. The distorted thinking. The "ism" that doesn’t disappear just because the drink does. Addiction is not one size fits all. Recovery isn’t linear. Some people relapse. Some people take multiple attempts at sobriety. That doesn’t make them hopeless or wrong. And judging someone for going back out doesn’t make you better than them or right. Addiction is an illness. Recovery requires responsibility. Judgment helps no one. If you’ve never lived it, this is an invitation to listen instead of passing blind judgement. And if you have lived this, you already know what I''m talking about.

Talk Is Cheap Baby & Words Don't Build Trust

This episode is an honest and straight up conversation about how talk is cheap. Plain and simple. And to be brutally honest, people's word means absolutely nothing to me anymore. When there’s no action or follow-through behind someone's word, you begin to lose trust. This episode is about how you can only listen to what someone says for so long before their behaviour starts telling and showing you the real story. I talk about trust in-depth. And not just the idea of it, but what it actually feels like to trust someone. How that trust starts to crack when you’re constantly the one showing up, following through, holding things together… and the other person isn’t. This conversation isn’t me making anyone the bad guy or the villain. I’ve said things I didn’t follow through on too. It’s about honesty and what I’m no longer willing to ignore anymore. It's about the standard I am holding myself and others accountable to in my life. Because wanting consistency and effort isn’t asking for too much. That is the bare minimum these days. And needing proof by seeking action from your partner isn’t being guarded, it’s being smart. It's about self-respect. If you’ve ever found yourself explaining things away, hoping and praying for a different outcome, or waiting for someone to meet you where they said they would be, this conversation is one you need to hear. 📱 Follow along on Instagram: @thrivingbeyondpod 📩 Share this episode with someone who needs to hear it ⭐ Rate this podcast (5 stars) so others that need to hear this episode will see it

The Snake, The Horse, and The Heartbreak

In this episode, I get honest about why this podcast went quiet and why I couldn’t come back until now. The last few months broke my heart. And even though I didn’t pick up the bottle, even though I didn’t relapse in the way people expect a "typical" rock bottom to look, my life still fell apart and I felt completely destroyed. This episode almost didn’t exist because I didn’t feel authentic showing up before I was ready. I share why I chose to wait, and what this season of my life has really looked like behind closed doors. I talk about shame, heartbreak, and hitting another kind of bottom. I speak on this through the lens of the Year of the Snake and the undeniable shedding that had to occur, and the Year of the Horse I’m slowly beginning to look toward. If you’re grieving something that ended, still shedding old layers of yourself, or not ready to run yet... this episode was made for you in mind. ✨ What You’ll Hear in This Episode: Why I went silent even though I had episodes planned What it’s like to hit rock bottom without relapse The quiet shame of being “back here again” The Year of the Snake as a season of shedding and acceptance The Year of the Horse as movement without making it a race 📱 Follow along on Instagram: @thrivingbeyondpod 📩 Share this episode with someone who needs to hear it ⭐ Rate this podcast (5 stars) so others that need to hear it can

Future You Isn't Perfect, She's Practiced

Future self-embodiment isn’t about becoming someone new. It’s a remembrance of who you are when you stop abandoning yourself. This episode shows you that she’s not a finish line you cross once you’ve fixed everything. She’s the pattern you repeat until she comes into full focus. This episode pulls apart the glossy "future you" myth we’ve been sold. The flawless routine, the never-doubts herself bullsh*t etc. In this episode we bring it back to what’s real: she’s already here. You can meet her in every waking moment: Saying the thing while you still mean it, ordering your coffee without a question mark, saying “I can’t take that on right now” and not writing a paragraph to explain. We go body-first so it lands in real life: breath, shoulders down, posture up, arrive before you perform. These are reps. Each one tells your nervous system, this is who we are now and that it's safe to step into the version of yourself that brings you closer to your future self. As always, I don’t skip over or sugarcoat the hard pills to swallow. Fear still shows up. Self-doubt? She's still there. The thing is your future self celebrates every time you push past these obstacles because that means you're getting closer to her. People who preferred the version of you who bent over backwards for them? They won’t always love the change. Some relationships shift. Some end. What remains is deeper because it’s built on you as you are, not you as a convenience. Over time, it stops feeling like “becoming her” and starts feeling like remembering you. Not later. But right now. She’s not perfect. She’s practiced. So are you. Let’s connect:👉 Follow me on Instagram → @thrivingbeyondpod 📩 DM me if this episode hit home — I'd love to hear your story. ✨ Rate this episode (5 stars) so more people have the chance to hear it too!

Permission To Be Weird: Healing Edition

If you’ve ever felt like healing has to be heavy, serious, or spiritual 24/7... this episode is for you. In this episode we’re talking about something that sometimes goes unnoticed in the healing space — your silly, playful, ridiculous side. The version of you that sends unhinged voice notes, dances in the kitchen for no reason, and laughs so hard she snorts. Not only is she allowed to exist during your healing — she might actually be one of the most important parts of your comeback. In this episode, we're breaking down: Why so many of us got disconnected from play (and why it’s not your fault) How seriousness can be a survival mask — and what happens when we finally feel safe enough to take it off Why cringe is actually a sign you’re showing up and how to make peace with it How to start building your play muscle again — even if fun feels foreign This one’s raw, fun, and full of permission to stop taking yourself so seriously. Because healing isn’t about becoming perfect. It’s about coming back to yourself — weirdness and all. Keep listening. Keep loosening the grip. And keep letting your weird out — she’s medicine. Tune in now, and let’s laugh our way through this one. Let’s connect:👉 Follow me on Instagram → @thrivingbeyondpod 📩 DM me if this episode hit home — I'd love to hear your story. ✨ Rate this episode (5 stars) so more people have the chance to hear it too.

What I’ve Learned by 34 That I Wish I Knew at 24

My birthday hit a little differently this year. Not because of my age (34 is wild to me, I know), but because of the time I spent reflecting on everything this year brought to the surface for me. I took time this year on my special day to sit with my thoughts and I crafted a list of the 34 lessons I've learnt along the path of my life. In this episode, I’m not giving you a highlight reel or a polished list of feel-good advice from my 34 years on this planet. I took some time to reflect on some of the bigger lessons that stood out to me, the ones I continually go back to. I’m going beneath the surface-level for this one and sharing the real stuff — I've chosen the 10 lessons that changed the way I live, love, and move through the hard seasons of my life. This episode is for anyone who’s ever felt behind. For anyone sitting in the in-between — where the path doesn’t make sense yet, but you know you can’t go back to who you were. It’s the episode I wish I could’ve listened to at 24. When I was trying so hard to become “somebody” that I forgot who I already was. We talk about healing without closure, protecting your energy like currency, walking away from breadcrumb love, unlearning timelines that never belonged to you, and what it really means to become your highest self without chasing perfection. If you’re in a messy chapter — rebuilding, rethinking, or just trying to figure out what’s next — don't miss out on this episode. It’s brutally honest. It’s reflective. And it’s a reminder that you’re not behind. Press play. Let it land. And if something speaks to you, I’d love to hear it — message me anytime over at @thrivingbeyondpod on Instagram. Remember, you’re not behind. You’re right on time. Let’s connect:👉 Follow me on Instagram → @thrivingbeyondpod 📩 DM me if this episode hit home — I'd love to hear your story. ✨ Rate this episode (5 stars) so more people have the chance to hear it too.

Redefining Resilience: The Truth About What It Takes To Come Back Home To Yourself

This one’s for anyone who’s ever felt like falling apart meant they weren’t strong. In this episode, I’m not talking about the polished version of resilience. I’m talking about the kind that’s messy, emotional, and deeply human. The kind you don’t post about. The kind where you scream-cry on the bathroom floor, relapse after a year of sobriety, lose someone you love, and still find a way to get up and try again — even when you don’t feel like you deserve to. I walk you through one of the hardest chapters of my life — losing my best friend, slipping back into old patterns of drinking and numbing my pain, the grief of losing my grandfather, and the raw, honest chaos that followed. But this isn’t just a story about pain. It’s a story about coming home to yourself, one imperfect step at a time. If you're in the thick of it — if you're grieving, spiralling, or just tired of pretending you're okay — I want this episode to meet you there. You don’t need to have or showcase this massive bounce back. You just need to come back home to yourself, even in the smallest of ways. Let’s connect:👉 Follow me on Instagram → @thrivingbeyondpod 📩 DM me if this episode hit home — I'd love to hear your story. ✨ Rate this episode (5 stars) so more people have the chance to hear it too.

Sometimes You Have to Break Down to Break Through

This is one of the rawest episodes I’ve ever recorded to date. Even harder than my story because to be honest I have been avoiding a BIG part of my healing. I have realized, after an extremely difficult night, that I haven't made peace with some trauma I experienced in my adolescence and adulthood. My biggest challenge from this realization is because I was older and not a child when it happened that I "should have known better" than to put myself in situations like that. In this episode, I go in blindly. No notes. No script. Just me, showing up right after an extremely tough night — experiencing a panic attack so intense it landed me in the hospital. I’m walking you through exactly what led to that moment, what it taught me, and why I’m finally giving love to the parts of myself I’ve been avoiding. This isn’t just about anxiety or mental health — this is about the parts of healing most people avoid. The patterns we carry. The trauma we bypass. The shame we still hold, even after years of work. If you’ve ever felt like you’ve done all the right things but still feel stuck… this episode is for you. In this episode I discuss: The silent buildup that led to a full-blown panic attack (and the moment I realized I needed help) Why my healing journey has only truly just begun — and the version of me I’ve been neglecting How unprocessed trauma from adulthood can live in your body, even after years of therapy The truth about shame, guilt, and why self-blame is still my biggest fight My real plan to move forward — including reaching out for help and what’s next Whether you’re in the thick of it or just starting to look deeper… I hope this gives you permission to be honest with yourself, ask for help, and stop trying to white-knuckle your healing. Let’s connect:👉 Follow me on Instagram → @thrivingbeyondpod 📩 DM me if this episode hit home — I'd love to hear your story. ✨ Rate this episode (5 stars) so more people have the chance to hear it too.

Stop Negotiating with People Who Benefit from Your Lack of Boundaries

This one’s for the people who are learning to stop betraying themselves. We talk a lot about setting boundaries — but what about living them? What about the lonely middle where you’re grieving people you thought would stay, doubting yourself, wondering if you’re asking for too much? This episode is all about the real side of boundaries. The loss. The guilt. The pushback. The freedom. I’m not here to give you surface-level self-love quotes. I’m here to help you honour yourself even when it’s messy. We’ll break down: Why people react the way they do Why you feel guilty even when you’re doing the right thing What healthy boundaries actually sound like Signs your boundaries are working (even when it doesn’t feel good yet) And most of all — how to stop abandoning yourself in the name of keeping external (not your) peace. This episode is raw, personal, and for anyone learning to protect their energy, their healing, and their younger self. You’re not selfish for having needs. You’re not too much for choosing peace. Let’s connect:👉 Follow me on Instagram → @thrivingbeyondpod 📩 DM me if this episode hit home — I'd love to hear your story. ✨ Rate this episode (5 stars) so more people have the chance to hear it too.

Red, Yellow, Green: The Flags You Can’t Ignore Anymore

In this episode, I’m diving into something we’ve all experienced but rarely slow down to fully understand—the signals we ignore in relationships. I’m talking about red flags, yellow flags, and green flags—not in a surface-level way, but the real-life patterns that show up in how people treat us, how we feel around them, and what we’ve been taught to tolerate. I share the moments I missed the signs, the relationships that drained me, and the ways I slowly lost myself by ignoring what my body and intuition already knew. I also walk you through one of the most powerful tools I use in my own healing and with my clients: The Flag Tracker. If you’ve ever doubted yourself, felt confused in a dynamic, or kept trying to make something work that’s been hurting you—this tool will help you see clearly again. This isn’t about labeling people. It’s about honouring what you feel. And choosing to trust yourself again. ✨ What You’ll Hear in This Episode: Why noticing the early signals can save you from years of confusion, burnout, and self-abandonment The truth about why we stay, even when we know something feels off How I completely lost my voice in past relationships—and the moment everything changed What green flags actually feel like, and why they’re often the ones we overlook The quiet discomfort of yellow flags—and how they slowly turn into patterns that break you down How to start tracking the signals your body already knows, using my Flag Tracker tool The exact questions to ask when you're not sure if you’re feeling safe or just surviving Why raising your standards isn’t a bad thing—it’s a reflection of finally choosing yourself This one’s for anyone who’s ever kept quiet to keep the peace. Who’s ever felt like they were asking for too much, or making excuses for someone else’s behaviour. You don’t need more proof. You just need to start listening to what you’ve felt all along. 📱 Come share your takeaways and follow along this journey on Instagram: @thrivingbeyondpod 📩 Send this to someone who needs the reminder that it’s okay to outgrow the people who don’t grow with you ⭐ If this hit home, leave a review (5 stars) it helps more than you know 💛

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