Show notes
When recovery becomes more than just staying sober — when it becomes embodied, lived, and deeply felt — everything changes. In Part 1 of this powerful two-part conversation, G-Rex and Dirty Skittles sit down with Greg Vorst and Michael Nolan to unpack addiction, inner child healing, breathwork, and what real transformation actually looks like.
Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads — a 2024 People’s Choice Podcast Award Winner (Best Health) and 2024 Women in Podcasting Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast) with over 2 million downloads and counting — continues its mission to normalize unfiltered conversations about mental health, trauma, and emotional survival.
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“You don’t have to believe everything you think.” — Greg & Michael
Episode Description
In this first half of our conversation, Greg Vorst and Michael Nolan, co-founders of Embodied Recovery in Northern California, share how their personal journeys through addiction, anxiety, trauma, and spiritual crisis led them to build a treatment center rooted in lived experience — not just theory.
Michael opens up about entering treatment at 20 and the humility of 12-step recovery. Greg shares his unexpected transition from opera singer to therapist after a failed surgery triggered years of physical and emotional suffering. Together, they unpack the wounded healer model and why authentic recovery requires more than clinical knowledge — it requires doing your own work.
We talk about codependency, emotional regulation, nervous system healing, and the Korean Taoist breathwork practice SunDo — a cornerstone of their daily lives and programming. This episode dives deep into inner child work, identity, validation, and the courage it takes to stop performing and start living.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re surviving instead of embodying your life, this conversation will hit home.
Keywords: Greg Vorst, Michael Nolan, Embodied Recovery, addiction recovery, trauma healing, inner child work, breathwork, SunDo meditation, codependency recovery, 12-step program, mental health podcast, anxiety recovery, nervous system regulation, emotional healing
Meet Our Guests — Greg Vorst & Michael Nolan
Greg Vorst, LMFT is Co-Founder and CEO of Embodied Recovery in Los Gatos, California. Drawing from psychodynamic therapy, Internal Family Systems, humanistic psychology, and Korean Taoist breathwork (SunDo), Greg helps clients transform addiction and trauma into embodied living and spiritual growth. His personal healing journey began after a failed surgery left him in prolonged suffering, ultimately guiding him into therapy, inner child work, and decades of spiritual practice.
Website: https://www.embodiedrecovery.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/embodiedrecoverycenters/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/embodiedrecoverycenters
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@embodiedrecoverycenters
Michael Nolan, CADC-II, ICADC is Co-Founder and COO of Embodied Recovery. Sober since August 8, 2007, Michael’s recovery began in Alcoholics Anonymous and evolved into a life of service. Through years of addiction counseling and deep personal work, he now supports clients in integrating accountability, humility, and embodied peace into their recovery journey.
Key Takeaways
Recovery is not just about abstinence — it’s about embodiment.
You don’t have to believe every thought that runs through your mind.
Codependency drains helpers faster than addiction drains users.
Inner child work isn’t optional — it’s foundational.
Daily practices create lasting emotional regulation.
Healing requires accountability AND compassion.
Actionable Items
Try box breathing or diaphragmatic breathing when anxiety spikes.
Notice one self-critical thought today and practice not attaching to it.
Identify one daily practice (gratitude, breathwork, journaling) and commit to it for 30 days.
References Mentioned
Embodied Recovery — https://www.embodiedrecovery.com/
Melos Center (Nonprofit Partner) — https://meloscenter.org
Alcoholics Anonymous — https://www.aa.org/
NAMI — https://www.nami.org/
SAMHSA — https://www.samhsa.gov/
Important Chapters
00:00 – Welcome + how Greg & Michael met
09:00 – Michael’s early addiction and entering treatment
16:00 – Greg’s spiritual crisis and opera-to-therapy journey
25:00 – Codependency and the wounded healer
35:00 – SunDo breathwork and nervous system regulation
45:00 – Inner child work and reclaiming authenticity
Closing CTA
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#MentalHealthPodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #Grex #DirtySkittles #Podmatch #AddictionRecovery #TraumaHealing #InnerChildWork #EmbodiedRecovery #CodependencyHealing #12StepRecovery #AnxietyRecovery #BreathworkHealing #NervousSystemRegulation #EmotionalWellness #SobrietyJourney #HealingIsPossible #RecoveryCommunity #MentalHealthMatters
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