The Snake, The Horse, and The Heartbreak

The Snake, The Horse, and The Heartbreak

From Thriving Beyond Bottom by Andrea Nicole

January 1, 2026 · 26 min · Episode 11

About this episode

Andrea Nicole shares her personal journey of heartbreak and self-acceptance, discussing the challenges of hitting a different kind of rock bottom.

In this episode, I get honest about why this podcast went quiet and why I couldn’t come back until now. The last few months broke my heart. And even though I didn’t pick up the bottle, even though I didn’t relapse in the way people expect a "typical" rock bottom to look, my life still fell apart and I felt completely destroyed. This episode almost didn’t exist because I didn’t feel authentic showing up before I was ready. I share why I chose to wait, and what this season of my life has really looked like behind closed doors. I talk about shame, heartbreak, and hitting another kind of bottom. I speak on this through the lens of the Year of the Snake and the undeniable shedding that had to occur, and the Year of the Horse I’m slowly beginning to look toward. If you’re grieving something that ended, still shedding old layers of yourself, or not ready to run yet... this episode was made for you in mind. ✨ What You’ll Hear in This Episode: Why I went silent even though I had episodes planned What it’s like to hit rock bottom without relapse The quiet shame of being “back here again” The Year of the Snake as a season of shedding and acceptance The Year of the Horse as movement without…

Topics covered

  • heartbreak
  • shame
  • self-acceptance
  • personal growth
  • mental health

Keywords

  • Year of the Snake
  • Year of the Horse
  • shedding
  • grief

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