Hola. I'm Pamela - CPLC, CPRC and SRD
[ Certified Life Coach, Recovery Coach and SHE RECOVERS Coach ]
These are great credentials, but my "street cred" is what really gives me the edge I need to help you. Shall we call it the bottle edge? Ok, I was trying to be cute.
Let's just say that I know addiction pretty intimately. Alcohol - whether I cared to admit it or not - was my master. It went from being a friend and ally - to taking everything that was good in life.
As a Coach, my job is to help you take the deep breath you need in order to start your journey of "quitting" - and create a plan of action for you.
As a human in Recovery, my job is to sit with your heart and speak your language. Not for one second do I forget what it is to be inside the insanity. Not once will I say anything that does not come from the filter I have as an addict. What makes no sense to others (relapse, thought patterns, consequences) makes perfect sense to me.
This is why I am uniquely positioned to walk this journey with you.
All I need is for you to trust me. I won't ask you to trust yourself just yet - I know that is not available now. But it will. I will get you there.
That is my job, ultimately. To get you to trust yourself again. To get you "home" once and for all.
I can't wait to be part of your journey.
Part one: Radical honesty
For three decades I drank too much. The more I drank, the more I lost who I was. The more lost I was, the more in pain I felt. The more in pain, the more I drank. I thought I was a bad human being on every count.
I didn't understand I suffered from an addiction to alcohol, not from moral failure. I was not a bad person (I'm actually pretty freaking cool), I was simply a person who was mentally, physically and spiritually addicted to a substance.
In 2009, I finally found myself cheek-to-tile on my bathroom floor, facing my "last straw." I had just turned a mom and son date with my 9-year-old into a night in which I almost killed us, driving home drunk out of my mind.
In that moment, I hit the peak of my self loathing.
The next day, I showed up to my first 12-step meeting. There, I found out that I was not just dealing with a "bad habit. I had to get 100% clear on what this monkey was. For me, it was pretty clear, it was addiction.
Once I understood that addiction was my problem, I could start working on the solution - recovery. Not everyone is an addict, by the way. But because I was, my solution was different than just "trying to quit." I found that when I stopped lying to myself, I was able to get clarity and understand what action I needed to take next.
Part two: Ownership
My recovery has been a non-linear, messy, beautiful 10-year journey. It included a long relapse back into drinking, a lot of pain and a lot of learning. I am grateful for all of it.
I’ve gotta be honest: The first 5 years of my sobriety were not years where I felt empowered, happy or truly proud of my sobriety. I felt like a robot, going through the motions to get through the day and do what “I need to do” to stay sober – but inside, I felt exhausted, depleted and like a total victim.
No wonder I ended up chugging warm chardonnay in a parking lot one day. Not every recovery path includes relapse, but mine did. I got disconnected from the source that kept me sober, and I dove back into addiction for 2 full years. I had a really hard time getting out.
I had to accept my addiction with total ownership in order to surrender into recovery - then create a plan of action.
But once I got 100% clear on my truth, I could follow it with action.
Part three: information + action
Here's my magic action checklist:
- First, understand your problem - are you dealing with a bad habit or an addiction?
- Second, make a decision. Only you can create that inner shift and decide to do the work.
- Pick a program of recovery - and follow with action. Go do the work.
- Add a deliciously massive toolkit that helps you recover (heal + discover) all the aspects of your life (mind, body, spirit, relationships).
- Connect with others on this journey - you can not and should not do this alone.
- Keep it by passing it on. That's the magic ju-ju.
- Create a life-by-design approach to your recovery - YOU have the power to badass your life through recovery.
Part four: Gratitude
I'm grateful and proud to call myself an addict / alcoholic in recovery. While a lot of people don't live with the terms (I honor each person's choice). I needed to be crystal clear on my truth. When I wasn't, I ended up at a bar. Now I wear the term like a badge of honor.
Recovery brings me peace, serenity and an anchor for my soul. I know ME today. I turned out to be a pretty cool human being, mom, teacher, sister, daughter, friend. Who knew?
But mostly, I am grateful because my journey helps others. Recovery is a "hey, me too" business like none other.
We can do this, together.
Today, I get the honor of holding the hand of those who want to start their journey. Is this you?
My job is not to convince you. Recovery is a deeply personal choice. But baby, you have the power to be your own hero.
I see you and I know you're capable of changing your life - for good and all.
We can do this together.
Join me in Miami
Come here me speak at the SHERECOVERS Miami 2021 event, sharing the stage with Abby Wambach, Jenn Pastiloff and other badasses.
Connect with women in recovery from #allthethings and become part of an incredible, thriving sisterhood.
