Ep358 – Retreat Roundtable: Feeling Safe with Strangers in the Woods

Ep358 – Retreat Roundtable: Feeling Safe with Strangers in the Woods

Get ready to be moved by real‑life accounts of emotional safety, trust, and recovery shared from a cabin in the Colorado Rockies. This roundtable from the Echoes of Recovery summer retreat brings together partners of drinkers and people in long‑term sobriety to talk honestly about what it means to feel safe with strangers in the woods.

You’ll hear Jen, Nikki, Mike, Tara, Jennifer and Avia explain why sitting with people who “get it” feels so different from talking to family or friends who say things like, “you just need to leave him.” Here, nobody is told what to do. Instead, people swap stories: what worked, what backfired, and how they’re slowly rebuilding lives singed by addiction and emotional abuse.

The conversation centres on emotional safety—being able to speak without rehearsing every word, without worrying you’ll be judged, criticised, or told you’re overreacting. One guest sums it up as the relief of a “no judgment zone” where you can test hard conversations before having them at home, and where perspective matters more than prescriptions. Trust and self‑worth come up again and again. Nikki talks about learning to “lead with kindness” instead of anger.

Others admit they still feel they must do everything alone, even with sober and supportive partners. There’s humour too—inside jokes, bear horns and “rape horn” mishaps—alongside serious reflections on how hard it is to remember what fun even looks like when life has revolved around alcohol and hyper‑vigilance.

At its heart, this episode is about community: chosen family, long‑term connections, and the courage to say, “I need help.” If you’ve ever felt isolated, unloved, or afraid to tell your story, these voices might be the nudge you need to reach out. What would it feel like if you had a circle like this around you?