When the Whole Family Needs Recovery

A mother and daughter on getting sober together — and the family patterns they had to face before real healing could begin.

Recovery rarely happens to just one person in a family. The patterns, the silences, and the unspoken rules are shared — which means the healing has to be too. In Episode 63, Sherry Young and Julie Hurley share what it looked like to get sober at the same time, name the dynamics that had shaped them both, and learn how to stay in the room for the conversations they had spent years avoiding.

About This Episode

A mother and daughter getting sober at the same time sounds inspiring — until you hear what it actually takes. Naming the family patterns. Setting real boundaries. Staying in the room for the hard conversations.

Sherry Young and Julie Hurley join us to talk about how addiction shows up inside a family system and how recovery becomes possible when we stop performing “fine” and start telling the truth. Their story spans early drinking, blackout shame, high-functioning denial, and the moment consequences finally force clarity.

We dig into rebuilding trust after addiction, what forgiveness does and does not mean, and why emotional connection matters more than perfect parenting. Julie shares what it looks like to be sober while still repeating old patterns. Sherry reflects on growing up around alcoholism and how that shaped control, safety, and the hunger for attachment.

If you have ever felt “manageably unmanageable,” this conversation puts language to that experience and offers a path forward grounded in community and humility. We also talk about the work they do through Right Fit Collaborative, helping families, therapists, and treatment professionals navigate complex case management, higher levels of care, and the messy reality of crisis.

You will also hear practical guidance for moms who feel lost — including how to get curious, ask for help, and put the oxygen mask on first.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• How addiction patterns move through a family system — and what it takes to name them out loud
• Why “manageably unmanageable” is often the hardest place to find clarity
• What forgiveness does, and does not, mean in family recovery
• How to rebuild trust after years of high-functioning denial
• Why emotional connection matters more than perfect parenting
• What it looks like to stay sober while still repeating old relational patterns — and how to interrupt them
• Practical first steps for moms who feel lost and don’t know where to start

About the Guests

Sherry Young and Julie Hurley are mother and daughter, both in recovery, and the team behind Right Fit Collaborative. Through Right Fit, they help families, therapists, and treatment professionals navigate complex case management, higher levels of care, and the messy reality of crisis — bringing both clinical insight and lived experience to families looking for a way forward.

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