Podcast
Recovery Daily Podcast
Hosted by Rachel (Miller) Abbassi · EN
I’m Rachel Abbassi, creator and host of the Recovery Daily Podcast, where I’ve shared more than 1,000 episodes documenting long-term recovery, invisible illness and disability, chronic pain, mental health, and the daily practice of surfacing joy.
I’m a stroke survivor and a grateful recovering alcoholic with ten years of sobriety. I have a central vestibular disorder, chronic migraines, and cognitive deficits in language and memory. If you’re recovering from addiction, navigating life after stroke, living with a chronic illness, or simply looking for hope, you’re welcome here. Stay.
90episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Step Two: Becoming Willing to Believe
Jun 1000:25:10Tap to summarizeStep Two introduced me to the willingness to believe that change is possible. We are exhausted from trying to manage life on our own and want proof that things will get better before we're willing to trust the process. But Step Two helps us keep an open mind, borrow hope from those who have gone before us, and consider the possibility that a power greater than ourselves can offer us hope.In this episode, I explore how willingness, faith, and hope work together in recovery. We talk about the difference between willpower and a Higher Power, why open-mindedness is essential for faith, and how Step Two teaches us to trust the next right step even when we can't see the whole path ahead.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779 Visit my Etsy shop, and join my creative journey at Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling#strokerecovery #strokesurvivor #strokepodcast #vestibularrecovery #recovery #vestibular #disabilityawareness #soberlifestyle #recoverypodcast
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Reads and Recovery: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Jun 800:27:31Tap to summarizeWhile many readers know it as a psychological thriller, I experienced it as a powerful story about resilience, emotional abuse, identity, and the courage it takes to reclaim a life that has slowly been slipping away. As a recovering alcoholic and stroke survivor, I found myself relating to the main character's journey in unexpected ways. Her struggle to trust herself, her battle with self-worth, and her gradual awakening felt remarkably familiar.In this episode, I share how the book parallels many of the lessons I've learned in recovery: the danger of living disconnected from ourselves, the psychological toll of emotional abuse, the uncomfortable process of healing, and the hope that emerges when we finally stop running from reality. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779 Visit my Etsy shop, and join my creative journey at Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling#strokerecovery #strokesurvivor #strokepodcast #vestibularrecovery #recovery #vestibular #disabilityawareness #soberlifestyle #recoverypodcast
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Living in the Solution of Steps 1, 2, and 3: Control, Help, and Micro-Decisions
Jun 500:41:43Tap to summarizeStep One taught me that I am not in control of people, places, things, symptoms, timelines, or outcomes. Step Two taught me that I don't have to figure everything out by myself. Step Three taught me how to make hundreds of small decisions each day based on the wisdom I've gained about what I can control, what I can't, what I need to let go of, and what action I need to take.In this episode, I explore how the first three steps became a roadmap life in stroke recovery. I talk about acceptance, asking for help, taking the next right action, and seeking the solution instead of getting stuck in the struggle.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779 Visit my Etsy shop, and join my creative journey at Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling#strokerecovery #strokesurvivor #strokepodcast #vestibularrecovery #recovery #vestibular #disabilityawareness #soberlifestyle #recoverypodcast
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When Protection Becomes a Prison: Is Your Armor Your Weapon?
Jun 400:32:43Tap to summarizeWe all develop armor. Sometimes it's alcohol, anger, perfectionism, control, people-pleasing, or isolation. At some point, these behaviors may have helped us survive difficult seasons of life. The problem is that what protects us during a crisis can eventually hurt us and keep us from healing when we don’t recognize the danger is gone.Is your armor helping you heal, or has it become your weapon?Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779 Visit my Etsy shop, and join my creative journey at Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling#strokerecovery #strokesurvivor #strokepodcast #vestibularrecovery #recovery #vestibular #disabilityawareness #soberlifestyle #recoverypodcast
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Freedom: Fear vs. Want
Jun 300:23:56Tap to summarizeFor years, I wanted immediate relief, certainty, approval, and control. The problem was that every time one want was satisfied, another appeared. I was constantly chasing something just beyond my reach. In this episode, I explore the difference between freedom from want and freedom from fear. Looking back, many of my wants were fears in disguise. I wanted because I was afraid to sit with discomfort.Sobriety introduced me to freedom, and stroke recovery deepens that lesson. Serenity comes from living through uncertainty, disappointment, change, and discomfort without running.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779 Visit my Etsy shop, and join my creative journey at Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling#strokerecovery #strokesurvivor #strokepodcast #vestibularrecovery #recovery #vestibular #disabilityawareness #soberlifestyle #recoverypodcast
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Poor Me: Never Too Late to Start Your Day Over
Jun 200:25:23Tap to summarize“It’s never too late to start your day over” is a great tool in recovery. I used to think my happiness depended on my circumstances. If things didn't go my way, I sank into self-pity, resentment, and disappointment. What sobriety has taught me is reinforced in stroke recovery.Happiness is an inside job. I get to choose to focus on what I've lost or participate in the life that's still available to me. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779 Visit my Etsy shop, and join my creative journey at Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling#strokerecovery #strokesurvivor #strokepodcast #vestibularrecovery #recovery #vestibular #disabilityawareness #soberlifestyle #recoverypodcast
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“I Can Figure This Out Myself”: How To Increase the Frequency of Hope
May 2800:24:41Tap to summarizeA watercolor artist showed me hundreds of failed paintings behind her success to demonstrate what it means to be self-taught. It can be exhausting to keep hitting brick walls while learning a new skill. It resonated with me because I tried to figure out sobriety by myself, and I repeated the same pattern in stroke recovery. Just as the artist showed hundreds of messy attempts, I experienced years of unnecessary suffering and hopelessness because I was trying to heal alone.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779 Visit my Etsy shop, and join my creative journey at Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling#strokerecovery #strokesurvivor #vestibularrecovery #recovery #vestibular #disability #soberlife #recoverypodcast
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Living Gratefully: Gratitude Forward, Not Backward
May 2700:18:03Tap to summarizeWe often think about gratitude backward, looking at what we survived, how we escaped, or what could have lost. Recovery teaches me that gratitude is powerful when it moves us forward. Instead of just appreciating life emotionally, we participate in life differently because of that appreciation.I live gratefully through my creativity, fellowship, helping others, caring for my body, and moving forward even when life is difficult. Sobriety and stroke recovery both teach me that the greatest expression of gratitude is choosing to live with purpose, willingness, and participation in the life I still have.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779 Visit my Etsy shop, and join my creative journey at Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling#strokerecovery #strokesurvivor #vestibularrecovery #recovery #vestibular #disability #soberlife #recoverypodcast
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Admitting Complete Defeat After Stroke: Willingness To Find Better Days
May 2600:27:37Tap to summarizeAfter my stroke, I tried to force myself back into my old life. I minimized my symptoms, ignored my limitations, pushed through pain, and believed that recovery was pretending nothing had changed. The same way I once fought against sobriety, I declared war on myself. In this episode, I talk about what it meant to finally admit complete defeat, not as failure, but as acceptance of reality and my inability to control what happened to me.Surrendering the illusion of control became the turning point in both sobriety and stroke recovery. I stopped fighting myself and became willing to rest, ask for help, slow down, and care for my body and brain. Admitting defeat did not mean I was giving up on life. It was quite the opposite. I was finally learning how to live honestly within my invisible illnesses. That’s when I began to heal emotionally.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779 Visit my Etsy shop, and join my creative journey at Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling#strokerecovery #strokesurvivor #vestibularrecovery #recovery #vestibular #disability #soberlife #recoverypodcast
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Joyful Discoveries In Recovery: Using My Body Instead of Abusing It
May 2500:44:56Tap to summarizeWhen I got sober, I thought life would never be fun again. Instead, I discovered that alcohol had been stealing my time, creativity, and presence in this life. The joyful discoveries that came after putting down the drink were unexpected. I found that taking action before motivation appears helped me discover joy and creativity.Those same recovery principles became essential after my stroke. Sobriety taught me willingness, acceptance, patience, and how to keep moving forward one day at a time. What started as recovery from alcohol eventually became a blueprint for surviving and adapting to the hardest season of my life. Joyful discoveries often seem to emerge from adversity.Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and YouTube. Rather listen on Apple Podcasts? https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recovery-daily-podcast/id1693924779 Visit my Etsy shop, and join my creative journey at Recovery Upcycling. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RecoveryUpcycling#strokerecovery #strokesurvivor #vestibularrecovery #recovery #vestibular #disability #soberlife #recoverypodcast
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