290: Embracing Resilience: Lauren Sisler’s Journey Through Family Tragedy and Healing
The Addicted Mind Podcast
Duane Osterlind, LMFT
4.8 • 621 Ratings
🗓️ 8 July 2024
⏱️ 40 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What happens when the people you trust the most hide a secret so devastating it changes the course of your life? Emmy Award-winning ESPN sideline reporter and former college gymnast Lauren Sisler joins us to share her heart-wrenching journey from unimaginable tragedy to resilience and hope. Losing both her parents to a concealed opioid addiction during her freshman year in college, Lauren's story is a powerful testament to the strength of the human spirit.
Lauren opens up about the mental and emotional strategies she employed to cope with her parents' death. From initial denial to ultimate acceptance, she poignantly describes the protective barriers we create for loved ones and the stigmas that often accompany addiction. Her insights provide a valuable perspective on recognizing addiction as an illness rather than a character flaw, and the pivotal role personal stories play in breaking societal barriers.
Lauren also takes us back to her teenage years, where her commitment to gymnastics helped her navigate life's challenges. She reflects on the complexities of loving someone struggling with addiction, and how her love for her parents evolved even after their passing. This episode is an exploration of overcoming shame, finding joy amidst pain, and the importance of hope and healing. Don't miss Lauren's inspiring tale, and be sure to check out her new book, "Shatterproof," for even more insights and encouragement.
In this episode, you will hear:
- Family tragedy and addiction struggles
- Family struggles with prescription medication addiction
- Navigating complex truths during grief
- Coping with personal trauma and growth
- Overcoming personal struggles
- Empowering others through personal stories
- Falling in love with your story
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Indict of Mind podcast. |
| 0:08.0 | My name is Dwayne Axtelin. I'm your host, and we are on to another episode. |
| 0:14.0 | Today, my guest is Lauren Sistler. She is an Emmy Award-winning ESPN sideline reporter, |
| 0:20.4 | former college gymnast, keynote speaker, and author. |
| 0:24.1 | Her new book, Shatterproof, exposes the tragic secret Lauren hid behind, her joyful smile, |
| 0:30.9 | and viral sideline shimmy for years. Her parents died of a secret opioid addiction just |
| 0:37.0 | hours apart when she was a freshman in |
| 0:38.7 | college. After building her career and telling the stories of others, Lauren is now opening up |
| 0:45.1 | about her own in hopes of breaking the shame and stigma of addiction, inspiring others to fall in love |
| 0:52.2 | with their story, and find joy after unimaginable loss and prove |
| 0:57.7 | that they too are shadowproof. On this episode, Warren opens up about her story and just shares how |
| 1:05.3 | she moved through that whole process of losing both of her loving parents to opioid addiction. |
| 1:12.9 | It is just a story of sadness, but also a story of courage and strength and resilience. |
| 1:21.9 | So I knew you all will get a lot out of this episode. |
| 1:25.6 | And if you're getting a lot out of the Addictive Mind podcast, |
| 1:29.3 | please rate and review us in iTunes or wherever you're getting your podcast. I really appreciate it. |
| 1:34.5 | It means a lot to me. And it does help the podcast get found. So thank you all who have done that. |
| 1:41.0 | And don't forget, you can join our Facebook group. Just go to Facebook, type in the |
| 1:45.1 | Addicted Mind podcast, click join and continue the conversation online. All right, everyone, |
| 1:51.1 | let's start this episode. All right, everyone, welcome to the Addicted Mind podcast. I have |
| 1:59.2 | Lauren Sistler with me. And Lauren, I'm excited to talk about |
| 2:04.4 | your upcoming books, Shatterproof, and hear your story, and just get to know you. So let's just |
... |
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