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Fragmented to Whole: Life Lessons from 12 Step Recovery

Fragmented to Whole: Life Lessons from 12 Step Recovery

By: Barb Nangle
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About this listen

Tired of feeling fragmented and overwhelmed? Fragmented to Whole: Life Lessons from 12-Step Recovery is your guide to creating a life of wholeness, authenticity, and healthy boundaries. Join Barb Nangle, a boundaries coach and speaker, as she shares raw and honest insights from her own journey and the principles of 12-step recovery. Discover how to set boundaries without guilt or shame, overcome people-pleasing tendencies, manage your emotions effectively, cultivate a stronger sense of self, and build healthier relationships. Barb's approach is raw, honest, and sometimes a little bit (okay, a lot) sweary.

Barb doesn't speak for or endorse any particular 12 step program of recovery. Though she's a huge fan of 12 step recovery, and a member of two 12 step fellowships, she cannot speak for them. If you're ready for real talk and practical tools for transformation, tune in! To learn more about Barb, go to https://higherpowercc.com/

© 2026 Fragmented to Whole: Life Lessons from 12 Step Recovery
Hygiene & Healthy Living Personal Development Personal Success Psychology Psychology & Mental Health
Episodes
  • How to Build Emotional Boundaries That Keep You Whole | Episode 339
    Feb 16 2026

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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/


    CONNECT WITH BARB NANGLE:


    Subscribe to “Friday Fragments” weekly newsletter

    Linkedin

    Work with Barb!

    Book a “Say No Without Guilt” Session



    Show More Show Less
    12 mins
  • Why Avoiding Discomfort Keeps You Stuck and How to Get Unstuck | Episode 338
    Feb 9 2026

    Send us a text

    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/

    Katja Cahoon’s website



    CONNECT WITH BARB NANGLE:

    Subscribe to “Friday Fragments” weekly newsletter

    Linkedin

    Work with Barb!

    Book a “Say No Without Guilt” Session



    Show More Show Less
    15 mins
  • How Internal Safety Changes Your Emotional World | Episode 337
    Feb 2 2026

    Send us a text

    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/


    CONNECT WITH BARB NANGLE:


    Subscribe to “Friday Fragments” weekly newsletter

    Linkedin

    Work with Barb!

    Book a “Say No Without Guilt” Session



    Show More Show Less
    14 mins
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