Is your pet tired of being your emotional support system?

In this hilarious and insightful episode, Sarah and Finn read a letter from Frank the Cat, who's fed up with being his owner's emotional bandaid during trauma documentaries. Through Frank's story, they explore how codependent patterns show up even in our relationships with pets and offer practical advice for setting healthy boundaries.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• You're not responsible for anyone else's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors - including your pet's comfort with your emotional needs
• Setting boundaries might feel harsh at first, but it's necessary for healthy relationships
• When we stop rescuing others, they're forced to look at their own issues and find real solutions
• Ask yourself "What do I need and want in this situation?" rather than automatically caretaking
• Even pets need freedom from being someone's emotional support system

NOTABLE QUOTE

"You are not responsible for what your owner feels or says, and if he needs to watch a trauma documentary to heal his trauma, then you can just go back into the sunbeam." — Dr. Sarah Michaud

Connect With Us

Website: https://drsarahmichaud.com

Buy the Book: Co-Crazy

If you loved this conversation, subscribe, rate, and review Leaving CrazyTown.

Hosted by Finn and Dr. Sarah Michaud. Codependency healing with humor, honesty, and hope. Subscribe and buckle up.

For educational and entertainment purposes only. Not a substitute for professional mental health treatment.

Do you still carry shame from things you did back then?

Finn and Dr. Sarah both hit major sobriety milestones — and they get raw about what's changed in recovery and what still needs work. They share humiliating stories from active addiction, talk about the gift of self-compassion, and remind us that recovery isn't about perfection. It's about not carrying the old you like a life sentence.

Key Takeaways

• Recovery gives you the ability to laugh at your past without carrying the shame of it
• Compassion for yourself is just as important as compassion for others — maybe more
• The things you work on in long-term recovery weren't even on your radar in active addiction
• Your bottom is your bottom — inside job or outside consequences, it's valid
• Forgiveness for who you were is part of the journey, not a luxury

Notable Quote

"I do not wish to shut the door on that past. I actually think it's quite funny how ridiculous we were, even though it still brings up shame." — Finn

Connect With Us

Dr. Sarah Michaud, Author of Co Crazy

Follow @leavingcrazytown on YouTube

Website: https://drsarahmichaud.com

If you loved this conversation, subscribe, rate, and review Leaving CrazyTown—and share it with a friend ready to reclaim their voice and leave confusion behind.

Leaving CrazyTown is a raw, real-talk podcast hosted by Finn and Dr. Sarah Michaud, two recovering addicts turned relatable guides on the wild ride of codependency healing. Each episode dives deep into the chaos of dysfunctional relationships, identity loss, and emotional recovery—with humor, honesty, and hope. Subscribe and buckle up—we're leaving CrazyTown.

*This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health treatment. If you're struggling, please seek support from a licensed professional.

Do you drink to numb pain you can't name?

Nicole Cameron endured six pregnancy losses while her alcoholism spiraled—each miscarriage deepening her denial, her isolation, and her belief that something was fundamentally wrong with her. Her husband begged her to get help. Adoption agencies turned her away. And still, she couldn't stop drinking. Until one phone call changed everything. Now 18 years sober, Nicole is an embodiment coach helping women heal trauma they've been carrying in their bodies for decades. In this raw, unfiltered conversation, she and Sarah talk about what happens when grief gets compounded by addiction, why women fall through the cracks, how her marriage survived, and what it actually takes to feel your feelings without medicating them away.

Key Takeaways

• Compounded grief accelerates: Each unprocessed loss makes the next one harder to bear—and easier to medicate
• Your body keeps the score: Trauma from pregnancy loss, abandonment, and addiction doesn't go away until you give it voice and movement
• The sixth miscarriage without drinking: Nicole's first sober pregnancy loss became a turning point—painful, but free
• Shame lives in silence: Women with children feel guilty, women without feel judged, and nobody talks about miscarriage openly enough
• Embodiment is healing: Moving meditation and somatic practices helped Nicole release decades of body-stored trauma

GUEST BIO

Nicole Cameron is an embodiment life coach and licensed Ish Tara teacher based in Calgary, Canada. With 18 years of sobriety, Nicole specializes in helping women heal from compounded grief, addiction, and trauma by reconnecting to their bodies through movement, breath, and nervous system regulation. After surviving six pregnancy losses and hitting her bottom with alcoholism, Nicole now guides women who feel disconnected, stuck in patterns, or numb to rediscover themselves from the body up.

RESOURCES AND LINKS

Coach With Nicole: www.coachingwithnicole.ca

Follow Nicole on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn: @coachwitnicole

NOTABLE QUOTE

"I was more full of glee and happiness that I did not drink, that I didn't self-medicate, that I actually felt it all—and it was hard, but there was a lot of freedom in that hardness." — Nicole Cameron

CONNECT WITH US

Dr. Sarah Michaud, Author of Co Crazy

Follow @leavingcrazytown on YouTube

Website: https://drsarahmichaud.com

If you loved this conversation, subscribe, rate, and review Leaving CrazyTown—and share it with a friend ready to reclaim their voice and leave confusion behind.

Leaving CrazyTown is a raw, real-talk podcast hosted by Finn and Dr. Sarah Michaud, two recovering addicts turned relatable guides on the wild ride of codependency healing. Each episode dives deep into the chaos of dysfunctional relationships, identity loss, and emotional recovery—with humor, honesty, and hope. Subscribe and buckle up—we're leaving CrazyTown.

This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health treatment. If you're struggling, please seek support from a licensed professional.