Fragmented to Whole: Life Lessons from 12 Step Recovery

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In this week’s episode of the Fragmented to Whole Podcast, I’m exploring what it really means to be whole and how emotional boundaries are what make that wholeness possible.
Inspired by the image of a plant that is always changing yet never fragmented, we look at the difference between being unfinished and being fractured. Wholeness is not about being calm all the time or having everything figured out. It’s about integration. It’s about not abandoning yourself as you evolve.
Some of the talking points I go over in this episode include:
Why wholeness does not mean finished, but integrated
The difference between fragmentation and change
How emotional boundaries allow feelings to move through you without taking you over
Why outgrowing identities like “the responsible one” or “the peacemaker” can feel like dying
How internal safety allows you to stay with yourself through anger, grief, fear, and growth
Wholeness is not the absence of emotion. It’s the absence of self-abandonment in the presence of emotion.
You don’t need to be finished to be whole. You don’t need to be stable in every moment to be unshakable. You are allowed to evolve without losing yourself.
Be sure to tune in to all the episodes for grounded insight on emotional maturity, boundaries, and building a life that feels integrated instead of fragmented.
Thank you for listening. If this episode resonated, take a screenshot and share it in your stories, tag me, and let me know what stood out. And don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast.
Learn more about Fragmented to Whole at:
https://higherpowercc.com/podcast/
Feeling drained? Take my free Boundaries Drain Quiz to find out where your energy is leaking and how to reclaim it:
https://higherpowercc.com/drain/

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In this week’s episode of the Fragmented to Whole Podcast, I’m unpacking a topic that sits at the core of emotional healing and change: discomfort. Not all discomfort is the same, and confusing them is one of the main reasons people stay stuck far longer than they need to. One form of discomfort is the kind that keeps us trapped, the other is the kind that helps us grow.
This episode is about learning how to tell the difference between chronic, soul-draining discomfort and the finite discomfort that leads to real healing, and how internal safety and support make all the difference.
Some of the talking points I go over in this episode include:
The difference between the endless discomfort of staying stuck and the temporary discomfort that comes with growth and change
Why experiential avoidance numbs not only pain, but also joy, meaning, and aliveness
How manageable discomfort creates learning, flow, and forward movement instead of shutdown
Why a “safe base,” internally and externally, is essential for sustainable growth
How boundaries, emotional regulation, and support systems create the safety needed to tolerate change
Discomfort isn’t the enemy. But unsupported, overwhelming discomfort keeps us frozen. When you choose the finite discomfort of growth and pair it with enough safety, healing becomes possible and sustainable.
Be sure to tune in to all the episodes for grounded insights, emotional tools, and practical guidance on living a more whole and connected life.
Thank you for listening. If this episode resonated, take a screenshot and share it in your stories, tag me, and let me know what stood out. And don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast.
Learn more about Fragmented to Whole at:
https://higherpowercc.com/podcast/
Feeling drained or stuck? Take my free Boundaries Drain Quiz to find out where your energy is leaking and how to reclaim it:
https://higherpowercc.com/drain/
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In this week’s episode of the Fragmented to Whole Podcast, I’m exploring what actually shifts when emotional safety stops coming from outside of you and starts being built internally. We talk about how our relationship with emotions changes when we stop using them as evidence about other people and start listening to them as information about ourselves.
Some of the talking points I go over in this episode include:
Why emotions are not verdicts about other people, but internal signals pointing to our needs, limits, and values.
How growing up without emotional guidance leads us to scan the outside world for safety instead of developing self-trust.
Why resentment, anxiety, guilt, and numbness are forms of information, not character flaws or signs that something is wrong with you.
How repeatedly asking yourself “What do I want or need?” builds self-trust and internal safety over time.
Why internal safety quiets emotional chaos and allows you to respond instead of react.
When emotions stop being emergencies and start becoming messages, everything changes. You no longer need to fix others, suppress yourself, or abandon your needs to feel okay. Internal safety allows you to turn inward, listen, and respond from alignment instead of fear.
Be sure to tune in to all the episodes to receive tons of practical tools for building emotional safety, setting boundaries, and living a more whole, grounded life.
Thank you for listening. If this episode resonated, take a screenshot and share it in your stories. Tag me and let me know what stood out for you. And don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast.
Learn more about Fragmented to Whole at:
https://higherpowercc.com/podcast/
Feeling emotionally drained or overwhelmed? Take my free Boundaries Drain Quiz to find out where your energy is leaking and how to reclaim it:
https://higherpowercc.com/drain/

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In this week’s episode of the Fragmented to Whole Podcast, I’m sharing a deeply personal realization about how long I treated myself like a project instead of a person, and how learning to tolerate ease required far more courage than pushing ever did.
This episode isn’t about productivity, optimization, or mindset. It’s about what happens when compassion reaches places that pressure never could, and how shame begins to release when the nervous system finally feels contextualized and safe.
Some of the talking points I go over in this episode include:
How treating yourself like a project quietly creates an internal atmosphere of evaluation and self-judgment
The difference between using practices to support yourself versus using them to correct yourself
Why avoidance and procrastination are often protection, not self-sabotage
How fear is information, not prophecy, and why it doesn’t get to run your life
What changes when something that lived wordlessly in the body is finally met with language, compassion, and boundaries
You’re not failing at ease. You’re learning to tolerate it.
And that learning isn’t about doing more or getting it right faster. It’s about creating enough internal safety to inhabit your own life without urgency, self-attack, or shame.
Be sure to tune in to all the episodes for reflections, recovery insights, and gentle reminders that real change happens through context, not force.
Thank you for listening. If this episode resonated, take a screenshot, share it in your stories, and tag me. And don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast and share your key takeaways.
Learn more about Fragmented to Whole at
https://higherpowercc.com/podcast/
Feeling drained? Take my free Boundaries Drain Quiz to see where your energy is leaking and how to reclaim it:
https://higherpowercc.com/drain/

CONNECT WITH BARB NANGLE:

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In this week’s episode of the Fragmented to Whole Podcast, I’m talking about why so many couples get stuck having the same arguments over and over, and how real listening isn’t about communication techniques, but about the assumptions we bring into the conversation before we ever open our mouths.
This episode explores how internal safety, meaning-making, and unmanaged expectations quietly fuel chronic conflict loops in long-term relationships.
Some of the talking points I go over in this episode include:
Why chronic conflict is usually about exhaustion and meaning, not poor communication skills
How collapsing disagreement into disrespect escalates fights and shuts down listening
The danger of assigning meaning to behavior before actually communicating
Why difference is not a boundary violation and does not need to be “fixed”
How internal safety allows you to tolerate difference without panic or control
If you find yourself stuck in chronic conflict loops, I want you to gently ask yourself a few questions.
Where am I assuming disrespect instead of difference?
What meaning am I assigning before I’ve actually communicated?
Am I trying to be understood, or am I trying to change who my partner is?
Listening doesn’t mean agreement. It doesn’t mean sameness. It means making room for difference without turning it into a problem that needs to be solved. When we stop trying to win and start trying to understand, connection becomes possible again.
Be sure to tune in to all the episodes for practical tools, recovery insights, and real-life examples of what it means to live a more whole life.
Thank you for listening. If this episode resonated, take a screenshot, share it in your stories, and tag me. And don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast and share your key takeaways.
Learn more about Fragmented to Whole at
https://higherpowercc.com/podcast/
Feeling drained? Take my free Boundaries Drain Quiz to see where your energy is leaking and how to reclaim it:
https://higherpowercc.com/drain/

CONNECT WITH BARB NANGLE:

Subscribe to “Friday Fragments” weekly newsletter
Linkedin
Work with Barb! 
Book a “Say No Without Guilt” Session