Meet Caroline Beidler | Author & Recovery Advocate

We had the good fortune of connecting with Caroline Beidler and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Caroline, why did you pursue a creative career?
I believe that every human being is created for a purpose. My purpose, God showed to me very early on in life. It was two-fold: to help people and to write. One of my favorite memories is of when I was four or five years old and I was with my grandpa.

In whispers, I’d tell stories. Stories about castles and dragons and princesses and he’d write them down with Crayola marker, the thin ones. My favorite colors: gray and blue and purple. His handwriting like waves, I remember thinking. I always felt like I had stories in me, bubbling up to the surface just waiting even before I could write them myself.

Then life happened and for me: trauma and addiction and more trauma and a myriad of struggles. But then, as often happens for those of us in recovery, God guided me on a path through the wilderness and into healing. And somewhere along the way, I fell back in love with writing. My purpose found me.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
When a group of people sit in a circle (either in-person or virtually) and share the deepest parts of themselves without reservation, hearts are changed. Those of us who have been broken down by the struggle of addiction are able to come from a place of surrender. This is one of the miraculous and upside-down gifts of grace.

My own experience of finding and maintaining sobriety (it is a process), has led me to discover some amazing truths about recovery. One of them being: the journey propels me outside of myself and my comfort zone to share this recovery life with others. This life with others, too, for me is about storytelling and bringing something beautiful to the soul through words.

My new book: Downstairs Church: Finding Faith in the Grit of Addiction Recovery explores addiction, mental health, and trauma recovery and then highlights the freedom, faith, and hope that can be found in the “downstairs church” or recovery community. I am passionate about sharing this message because it’s my message. I’ve experienced firsthand the healing grace found in recovery that’s led to my being able to connect with my creative passion again.

“Basement grace is a gift. It is a radical love reserved for the rag-tag, the outcast, the lost. What if we could share this gift on Sundays, on all days, without question, expectation or limitation? What if we could bring what we learn in the basement upstairs into the light?” This is one of my favorite quotes from my book because this is what art or writing –creativity– does. It brings all of the things we are feeling, all of our past hurts and joys, all of our present aches and laughter into perspective. We can see the shape of God when we look beyond the page.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Anywhere in nature with a picnic and a mocktail. If in the city, we’d find a secluded table on the perimeter of the noise and watch life happening.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
“Our stories were different in some ways, yet the same themes—pain, isolation and fear; then surrender, redemption and community—wove throughout. I drank in every word. She did most of the talking, but when I spoke, I could tell she was really listening. Really listening. I could tell that she heard me.”

This is an excerpt from my book Downstairs Church: Finding Hope in the Grit of Addiction and Trauma Recovery where I talk about my friend and mentor, Flo.

Flo is one of a group of women who have sung healing into my broken life. She is one of a choir of people who have believed in me when I didn’t. Who saw leadership potential when I didn’t. Who knew my life had purpose and value.

I thank Flo and everyone else (you know who you are) who have helped me to become the woman I am today: the woman who can show up for others and tell stories.

Website: https://www.carolinebeidler.com/

Instagram: @carolinebeidler_official

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carolinebeidlermsw

Other: Blog – https://www.brightstoryshine.com/