138 Letting Yourself Shine138 Letting Yourself Shine
You're Sober! Now What?
Tamar Medford reflects on humility, pride, and the fear of looking like she’s bragging while sharing her recovery story. She offers practical exercises and encouragement to help people in sobriety let themselves shine and recognise how far they’ve come.
17:23•30 Sept 2021
Letting Yourself Shine in Long-Term Recovery
Episode Overview
- Being humble means giving without expecting anything in return, rather than seeking praise or validation.
- Sharing your recovery experience to help others is different from bragging and can be a healthy source of pride.
- Write a list of everything you’ve achieved in recovery to remind yourself how far you’ve come on tough days.
- Ask three people what they see as your strengths to gain a clearer picture of your value and abilities.
- You don’t have to stay small; choose to stand in your own strength, be authentic, and let yourself shine in sobriety.
“"You don't have to stay little. Be big, stand in your own strength, be authentic."”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This episode of "You're Sober! Now What?" zeroes in on that exact question as Tamar Medford talks about learning to "let yourself shine" in recovery. Speaking from her own experience, Tamar shares how early sobriety came with a big ego and a "general manager of the universe" attitude. A simple text from a friend asking her to reflect on humility hit a nerve and became a turning point.
She admits that real humility meant giving without expecting anything in return, rather than people-pleasing for praise or validation. A key moment in the episode comes when Tamar recalls her counsellor asking, "Why are you afraid to shine?" That question pushed her to start her podcast and share her story, even though she worried it might sound like bragging.
She breaks down the difference between being proud of hard-earned progress and boasting, reminding you that sharing your experience to help others isn’t showing off.
Tamar also talks openly about feeling judged when others said, "It must be really nice" about her travels, and how she moved from shame to genuine gratitude for what sobriety had made possible after "22 years of hell and financial bankruptcy." She refuses to let anyone dull her joy and encourages people in recovery to do the same.
You’ll hear practical suggestions too: writing a list of what you’ve achieved in recovery, texting three people to ask what they see as your strengths, and regularly stopping to look back at how far you’ve come. Her message is clear: "You don't have to stay little.
Be big, stand in your own strength, be authentic." If you’ve ever felt meant for more but scared to step into it, this episode might nudge you to ask yourself what shining could look like in your own life. So, are you ready to stop staying small and let your recovery story glow a bit brighter?
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