The Healing Odyssey; Finding your own way forward

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Podcast by Emma Gardner

The Healing Odyssey; Finding your own way forward

"The Healing Odyssey: Finding Your Own Way Forward" is a transformative podcast hosted by Emma, dedicated to exploring the intricate world of addiction, recovery, and mental health. This engaging series aims to break down stigmas and shed light on crucial issues affecting millions worldwide. Each week, listeners embark on a journey of resilience and hope, guided by Emma and an array of guests including field experts, survivors, and loved ones. The podcast delves into: Complexities of addiction and the recovery process, Mental health challenges and innovative solutions, and Inspiring stories of personal transformation and resilience. Key topics covered include: Resilience building strategies, Applications of positive psychology, Effective healing techniques, Myth-busting in addiction and mental health, and Relatable experiences and personal narratives. "The Healing Odyssey" caters to individuals struggling with addiction, those supporting loved ones through recovery, and anyone interested in deepening their understanding of these vital issues. Members gain access to exclusive training sessions and actionable content to support their personal growth journey. Join Emma weekly for insightful discussions, expert advice, and heartfelt stories that illuminate the path to healing and self-discovery.

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Listen onSpotify

Latest episodes

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26 August 2026

Pro-Dependency Not Codependency: Practical Family Recovery Tools with Dr. Mike Barnes

This episode dives into practical tools for family healing: impact letters, story-writing, coaching and virtual group work. Dr. Mike describes how narrative exercises and peer feedback help family members externalize the illness, process emotions, and rewrite their stories. He explains why coaching and education often work better initially than therapy—reducing defensive reactions and increasing engagement—and how virtual apps and Zoom groups create ongoing social support. Listeners hear examples of how families change when one member recovers, and how healthier boundaries and shared recovery improve outcomes for everyone.

Connect with Dr Mike:

https://www.drmikebarnes.com

https://www.mbfamilyinstitute.com

https://www.foundryfrontrange.com/

Continue Your Journey

Thank you so much for listening to The Healing Odyssey.If this episode has helped you, please consider sharing it with someone who might need to hear it today.

Join Dopamine Without Danger

A calm, private community for recovery, ADHD, burnout and emotional wellbeing.

First month just £3 with code ONEMONTH3

https://dopamine-without-danger.mn.co/landing/

Read AA Is Not the Only Way

Real stories of recovery, ADHD, trauma and finding your own way forward.

https://emmagardner.uk

Support the Podcast

If you'd like to help keep these conversations free:

https://buymeacoffee.com/emmagardnerwrites

Be a Guest

Therapist, coach, researcher, author or someone with lived experience?I'd love to hear from you.

emma@evolve-recovery.co.uk

Until next time... be gentle with yourself, stay curious, and keep finding your own way forward

00:00

56:08

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22 August 2026

From Bulletproof Vests to Brave Conversations: Police PTSD & Recovery with Tammy Ward

Tammy Ward joins Emma on The Healing Odyssey to share her journey from 24 years in the RCMP to becoming a speaker, author and trauma advocate. She reveals how policing culture taught toughness but not processing, and how extreme coping, like compulsive running, can hide deep distress. Tammy discusses leadership, communication and trust as the foundation for safer workplaces and communities. She offers practical ways to check in compassionately, set boundaries, ask permission before intervening, and recognise nonobvious warning signs. This episode emphasizes that trauma isn’t a hierarchy and that choosing to heal can transform pain into purpose.

Connect with Tammy Here:

Website: www.TammyWardSpeaks.com

Email: Tammy@TammyWardSpeaks.com

Continue Your Journey

Thank you so much for listening to The Healing Odyssey.If this episode has helped you, please consider sharing it with someone who might need to hear it today.

Join Dopamine Without Danger

A calm, private community for recovery, ADHD, burnout and emotional wellbeing.

First month just £3 with code ONEMONTH3

https://dopamine-without-danger.mn.co/landing/

Read AA Is Not the Only Way

Real stories of recovery, ADHD, trauma and finding your own way forward.

https://emmagardner.uk

Support the Podcast

If you'd like to help keep these conversations free:

https://buymeacoffee.com/emmagardnerwrites

Be a Guest

Therapist, coach, researcher, author or someone with lived experience?I'd love to hear from you.

emma@evolve-recovery.co.uk

Until next time... be gentle with yourself, stay curious, and keep finding your own way forward

00:00

58:05

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19 August 2026

From Symptoms to Soul: Reimagining Psychiatry with Dr. Elizabeth Samanda

This conversation centers on transformative, person-centered approaches to addiction, burnout, mental health and more. Dr. Elizabeth Ssemanda shares how integrating conventional psychiatry with alternative modalities speeds clarity and healing for clients grappling with trauma, shame or substance use. She discusses practical barriers, such as insurance, short appointments, cultural mistrust and how virtual practice and supportive communities can increase access. Topics include socially acceptable addictions like workaholism, the body’s memory of trauma, and the urgency of supporting people immediately when they stop substances. The episode invites compassion, connection and curiosity as paths toward lasting recovery.

Connect with Dr. Elizabeth Here:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dr.ElizabethSsemanda

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inspiresoulinyou

Spotify: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/stepping-into-soul-power/

Continue Your Journey

Thank you so much for listening to The Healing Odyssey.If this episode has helped you, please consider sharing it with someone who might need to hear it today.

Join Dopamine Without Danger

A calm, private community for recovery, ADHD, burnout and emotional wellbeing.

First month just £3 with code ONEMONTH3

https://dopamine-without-danger.mn.co/landing/

Read AA Is Not the Only Way

Real stories of recovery, ADHD, trauma and finding your own way forward.

https://emmagardner.uk

Support the Podcast

If you'd like to help keep these conversations free:

https://buymeacoffee.com/emmagardnerwrites

Be a Guest

Therapist, coach, researcher, author or someone with lived experience?I'd love to hear from you.

emma@evolve-recovery.co.uk

Until next time... be gentle with yourself, stay curious, and keep finding your own way forward

00:00

47:16

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15 August 2026

Flexible Routines for Real Life: Meet Yourself Where You Are with Dr. Matt Campbell

In this episode Emma welcomes psychologist Dr. Matt Campbell to explore 'Our Primal 5'; sunlight, movement, sleep, meaningful connection, and mindful consumption, as the foundational elements of recovery and mental health. They dismantle the perfection myth, reframe slips as learning opportunities, and explain how small, practical changes (like stacking habits and limiting choices) are more sustainable than waiting for motivation. Dr. Matt shares real-world examples—morning sunlight, dog walks, pairing enjoyable activities with movement—and emphasizes flexibility: tailor routines to your life, not someone else’s ideal. Listeners leave with actionable steps to bolster resilience and wellbeing.

Connect with Dr. Matt Campbell Here:

Website: https://www.ourprimal5.com

Instagram: @ourprimal5

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-campbell-a5b22910/

Workbook: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FQWSX73R?tag=ourprimal5-20 or search 'Our Primal 5 on Amazon.co.uk

Continue Your Journey

Thank you so much for listening to The Healing Odyssey.If this episode has helped you, please consider sharing it with someone who might need to hear it today.

Join Dopamine Without Danger

A calm, private community for recovery, ADHD, burnout and emotional wellbeing.

First month just £3 with code ONEMONTH3

https://dopamine-without-danger.mn.co/landing/

Read AA Is Not the Only Way

Real stories of recovery, ADHD, trauma and finding your own way forward.

https://emmagardner.uk

Support the Podcast

If you'd like to help keep these conversations free:

https://buymeacoffee.com/emmagardnerwrites

Be a Guest

Therapist, coach, researcher, author or someone with lived experience?I'd love to hear from you.

emma@evolve-recovery.co.uk

Until next time... be gentle with yourself, stay curious, and keep finding your own way forward

00:00

53:25

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12 August 2026

From Dungeon to Daylight: Healing a Brain Injury with NLP & Hypnosis with Matt Johnson

Matt Johnson shares his extraordinary recovery from a severe brain injury that left him light- and sound-sensitive and trapped in a dark, solitary room. Frustrated by limited medical answers, he became an obsessive researcher and combined Western neurology with alternative healing—Reiki, pranic healing, qigong—then trained in hypnosis and NLP. He discovered PTSD had been keeping his brain in fight-or-flight, blocking healing. By learning how to change his focus, bodily state, and subconscious programming, Matt rebuilt his life. He now helps others—soldiers, survivors of abuse, and people with chronic triggers—using protocols that blend neuroscience, practical skills, and gentle energy work.

Find and Connect with Matt Here:

Website: https://mattjohnsonnlp.com/

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/matt.johnson.1447/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattjohnson7455/

Continue Your Journey

Thank you so much for listening to The Healing Odyssey.If this episode has helped you, please consider sharing it with someone who might need to hear it today.

Join Dopamine Without Danger

A calm, private community for recovery, ADHD, burnout and emotional wellbeing.

First month just £3 with code ONEMONTH3

https://dopamine-without-danger.mn.co/landing/

Read AA Is Not the Only Way

Real stories of recovery, ADHD, trauma and finding your own way forward.

https://emmagardner.uk

Support the Podcast

If you'd like to help keep these conversations free:

https://buymeacoffee.com/emmagardnerwrites

Be a Guest

Therapist, coach, researcher, author or someone with lived experience?I'd love to hear from you.

emma@evolve-recovery.co.uk

Until next time... be gentle with yourself, stay curious, and keep finding your own way forward

00:00

01:00:00

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08 August 2026

Ethos, Pathos & Alcohol: Growing Up, Hitting Bottom, Finding Faith with Paul Booth

Paul Booth candidly traces a life shaped by childhood instability, addiction, and transformation. Born in Hollywood, raised in a fractured household, and thrust into adult responsibilities by age 12, Paul details his descent into addiction and life on the streets. A powerful spiritual awakening in a church set him on a path to sobriety and structured recovery. He explains how meetings, recovery houses, and later education led him to counseling, licensure, and authorship. His memoir Ethos, Pathos and Alcohol braids past and present, revealing how trauma, resilience, and faith reshaped his identity and purpose.

Find and Connect with Paul Here:

Website/Book: https://paulboothstories.com/

Get in touch, an amazing speaker: write@paulbooth.net

Continue Your Journey

Thank you so much for listening to The Healing Odyssey.If this episode has helped you, please consider sharing it with someone who might need to hear it today.

Join Dopamine Without Danger

A calm, private community for recovery, ADHD, burnout and emotional wellbeing.

First month just £3 with code ONEMONTH3

https://dopamine-without-danger.mn.co/landing/

Read AA Is Not the Only Way

Real stories of recovery, ADHD, trauma and finding your own way forward.

https://emmagardner.uk

Support the Podcast

If you'd like to help keep these conversations free:

https://buymeacoffee.com/emmagardnerwrites

Be a Guest

Therapist, coach, researcher, author or someone with lived experience?I'd love to hear from you.

emma@evolve-recovery.co.uk

Until next time... be gentle with yourself, stay curious, and keep finding your own way forward

00:00

59:23