Episode 67 | The RecoveryFirst Podcast with Mike Todd | "The Healers Need Healing In The Recovery Community"Episode 67 | The RecoveryFirst Podcast with Mike Todd | "The Healers Need Healing In The Recovery Community"
The Recovery First Addiction Recovery Podcast by Freedom Recovery Services of Greenville
Mike Todd shares a heartfelt reflection on recent losses in the Greenville recovery community and the unseen strain on those who support others. He stresses that healers also need care, understanding and space to heal, while highlighting efforts to support them and expand naloxone access.
10:18•2 Mar 2022
The Healers Need Healing Too: Mike Todd on Grief, Burnout and Being Seen
Episode Overview
- Those who support others in recovery can feel unseen, exhausted and deeply lonely, even while appearing strong.
- Constant exposure to overdose deaths and grief places a heavy emotional burden on counsellors, peers and harm reduction workers.
- Simple moments can trigger emotional breakdowns, revealing how close healers may be to their limits.
- Practical acts of care – like trips, rest, and time in nature – can remind helpers that they are valued and seen.
- Partnerships that provide naloxone to recovery houses are vital in supporting communities facing high overdose rates.
“Sometimes the healers need healing.”
Experience the emotional and inspiring tales of recovery as Mike Todd shares a raw 9‑minute reflection on what happens when the people who care for everyone else start to fall apart themselves. Aimed at those in the recovery community – especially counsellors, peer support workers, harm reduction teams and recovery residence staff – this short episode packs a heavy punch.
Mike speaks from a place of fresh grief, describing how the Greenville recovery community has been “rocked to its core” after losing two “loving, giving, healing, beautiful souls.” One was the kind of friend who could pull you out of a dark mood and cooked what he calls “probably the best lasagna I’ve ever had.” The other dedicated her life to supporting pregnant women with substance use disorder.
Their deaths push Mike to ask a hard question: who’s looking after the helpers? The heart of his message is simple and uncomfortable: “Sometimes the healers need healing.” Mike talks about the emotional cost of constant loss – overdoses, funerals, holding devastated parents – and the crushing feeling of being unseen while pouring everything into others.
In one striking story, a minor moment at an ice cream machine triggers a breakdown, revealing just how close to the edge he’d been living. You’ll hear how his wife’s quiet support helped him feel seen again, and how his non-profit is now trying practical ideas to care for healers, from fishing trips to cabin nights and kayaking – not as luxury, but as survival. He also expresses gratitude to partners helping get naloxone into recovery houses across South Carolina.
If you’ve ever been the strong one who secretly feels exhausted, lonely, or invisible, this episode might feel uncomfortably familiar – and strangely comforting. Who in your life needs to hear that their hurt matters too?
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