S2 EP 12 Cal - Topic: Keep Coming Back

Corey and Claire get all cozy and reflect on the past years learnings, whats happening for them right now, and how they are applying the Al-Anon program for this upcoming year of 2026.

We hear it at the end of most meetings, Keep Coming Back it works if you work it and your worth it. Claire, Corey, and their guest Cal believe in the having smart feet, progress over perfection, and how regularly coming back to program in all its forms will bring you serenity and peace. 

So many of us that grew up in alcoholism identify or relate to the concept of being an adult child of an alcoholic (someone who was a child while growing up in alcoholism and is now an adult). Today's episode focuses on how working the 12 Step Program of Al-Anon can impact the relationship you have with your parents but first and foremost the lifelong relation ship you have with yourself. Corey, Claire and their guest Josh discuss their personal experiences around being adults who grew up with alcoholic parents, what it was like then, and the miracles they experience now from applying the steps and principles of Al-Anon in all their affairs.  

Buckle up and get ready for this supercharged episode of Cross Talk as the hosts hear from one of their favorite old timers all about keeping the focus on yourself and how to stay in your own lane. If your ready to get to work, your in the right place. Richard's enthusiasm, grit, and genuine compassion for himself and others will motivate and encourage you. 

In one way or another, we have all tried to abandon our troubles on the roadside of life and take off to start fresh, only to find those same issues, dilemas, and conflicts waiting for us when we arrive at our new destination. Many of us have found after time in Al-Anon, much of our problems are a source of something internal that needs healing and attention as opposed to something external not doing "what it should". In this episode of Cross Talk, Corey, Claire, and their guest Lauren navigate the nuance of "pulling a geographic", what is looks like to be willing, and how adventure comes in all shapes and sizes. 

Like a boulder blocking a pathway, it's often in program we find we have had or may currently still have, obstacles preventing us from moving forward. For this episode's guest, her journey has recently been bringing up a few. And believe it or believe it, Corey and Claire can relate to this deeply. So lace up your hiking boots and join us on this episode's journey to explore the group's boulders, how they've obstructed their trails of life and how the Al-Anon program can be used to roll those rocks right out of the way.

It's said in Al-Anon that you can find relief in the rooms and recovery in the steps. In this episode, Claire and Corey get cross-talk-tastic with their guest Dean to find out what kind of recovery he has found in the steps and why he most certainly will "keep coming back". 

Relieve me of the bondage of self?! Yes please! In this episode Corey and Claire get to take a look at what it might mean to build a life with higher power instead of trying to do it alone. Nina, this episodes guest, shares her insights into how having everything isn't really anything if you don't have yourself. And the three of them discuss vulnerability and sensitivity as an intuition instead of a weakness. Thank you for listening, and keep coming back!

Step 7: We humbly asked god (Higher Power (you name it)) to remove our shortcomings.  WOWZA For an Al-Anon, asking for help in any way can be daunting. In this episode Corey and Claire get down on their knees, metaphorically peaking, to interview their guest Siena and humbly ask for her insights on...well, being humble. We find out it's not always that easy to know if our shortcomings have been lifted. And we learn a little bit about where our program came from and who started this whole 12 step thing. 

Season Two's episode Four couldn't be more exciting! Gedina, this episode's guest, brings a humdinger of a conversation to the CrossTalk pod. What could happen if we looked at Feminine and Masculine Energy in the rooms of Al-Anon recovery, identified it within ourselves and went forth honoring the areas that need more love and attention? We might be very surprised by what we find. This episode broadens CrossTalk's usual topic of conversation and Claire and Corey couldn't be more delighted. And, to honor Pride Month, Claire reads an excerpt from the LGBTQ Al-Anon Pamphlet.