Welcome to today’s podcast episode, where we dive into the deeply personal and transformative journey of Janine Züst, a mother, artist, and author who navigated her partner's devastating struggle with crack cocaine addiction. Our guest opens up about watching the man she loved spiral into addiction, the impact on her young family, and the painful but necessary journey of setting boundaries to protect her children. At the time, she was raising a one-year-old and a five-year-old, trying to maintain a semblance of normalcy while her world crumbled around her.

In this episode, we’ll hear about the slow, insidious onset of the addiction, the denial, and the moment she had to physically remove her partner from their home for the safety of her family. Janine shares her path to healing, which involved grappling with severe anxiety, finding free therapeutic resources, and building a resilient foundation through meditation, early morning gym sessions, and the cathartic process of writing and illustrating her children's book. This book, born from her own desperate search for resources to explain addiction to her kids, became a therapeutic tool for her and a beacon of hope for others.

We’ll also explore the profound emotional weight of carrying an invisible struggle in a society that often doesn't understand, the isolation of being a single parent during the pandemic, and the complex grief of loving someone who is still alive but lost to addiction. Janine’s story is a powerful reminder that healing is not linear—it's a blend of courage, tenacity, self-care, and community support, all of which became vital elements in her family's recovery. Join us for this raw, honest, and ultimately hopeful conversation about finding peace on the other side of chaos.

Find Janine Züst at:

Website: https://www.julicreative.ca/projects

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_julicreative_/

Discussed on the PODCAST:

Janine's Book, "Beneath the Shimmering Surface": https://www.amazon.ca/Beneath-Shimmering-Surface-Childrens-Addiction/dp/B0FN13CH8N

Al-Anon Family Groups: https://al-anon.org/

Learn More:

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Food is the most powerful medicine we have. Learn how in the brand-new edition of Eat Real to Heal—now available everywhere books are sold. https://a.co/d/64wpSJ5

Our award-winning film Grounded In My Roots tells the story of how food, land, and tradition can reverse chronic disease and reclaim health. Watch it today at https://www.groundedinmyroots.com/

Imagine a Canada where our children grow up free from chronic disease. With your support, our Charity, Sea to Sky Thrivers, is making this vision real—through education in schools and partnerships with Indigenous communities. Join us by donating today.https://bit.ly/S2STS

Visit Nicolette’s Green Moustache Organic Plant-Based Whole Food Cafés—where every meal is medicine. Fresh, organic, and made to heal. https://bit.ly/GMCafeW

Your healing journey starts now. The Eat Real to Heal Online Course gives you the step-by-step system to reverse your chronic disease permanently—and it comes with weekly group coaching for life, so you’re never alone. - https://www.richerhealth.ca/eat-real-to-heal-course

DISCLAIMER

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