Sandra LeDuc (she/they) is an advocate for recovery. A part of the SHE RECOVERS community since 2020, she regularly helps SHE RECOVERS co-create a welcoming and inclusive space for women and non-binary individuals, ensuring folks feel connected and supported. Over the last four years, she has served as a volunteer online gathering host and guardian, and most recently as the community care and together online support lead. Sandra credits SHE RECOVERS with helping her stay true to her recovery.
She has recently been recognized as a SHE RECOVERS Gem.
SHE RECOVERS Gems are volunteers who have been acknowledged by their peers for their profound and life-altering contributions and service to our community.
We had the honor of interviewing Sandra about her role as a SHE RECOVERS volunteer.
What does being a SHE RECOVERS Foundation volunteer mean to you?
Service is one of my love languages, and supporting the organization and community that helps me stay true to my recovery is deeply fulfilling. Knowing my work helps SHE RECOVERS reach more women who want to heal is life-affirming.
What made you want to become a SHE RECOVERS Foundation Volunteer?
I became a volunteer because I want other women to experience the loving support I’ve experienced in SHE RECOVERS spaces. I joined the daily SRT online gatherings five years ago and was in awe of SR’s trauma-informed and inclusive approach to recovery. As a queer, neuro-divergent woman, I’ve always felt welcomed and included in the SHE RECOVERS community. I respect the care and hard work that goes into creating a genuinely inclusive recovery space and want to extend that support to other women, including non-binary folx and trans women.
What three words would your friends and peers use to describe you?
Creative, caring, calm.
How do these aspects of who you are show up in your everyday life?
I’m a compassionate and creative friend and community member others turn to when sharing life’s struggles and joys. I listen and feel deeply. As a writer and musician, I experiment and play with music and words every day. I’m inspired by and am grounded in the natural world, which provides an endless source of wonder. People tell me I have a calming effect on others when I’m in groups or communities.
What is something of which you are proud?
Recovering out loud! Around four years ago, I shared my recovery from CPTSD and alcohol use disorder with about 2,000 people via my social media accounts. Thanks to tools and support from SHE RECOVERS, I could do that.
What do you do outside of your SRF Volunteer role for work and/or play?
I’m a digital marketer and content developer. Music is hugely important to me – I play keyboards and piano, write music, and sometimes sing. I write creative non-fiction essays and am an avid reader who loves sci-fi and fantasy books. I’m also an amateur photographer and enjoy finding new ways to document the world around me. I’m a rockhound, and collecting rock, gem, and crystal specimens brings me joy.
What does radical self-care look like for you?
Slowing down enough to check in and ask what I *really* need in any given moment. Intentionally unplugging from tech and getting outside or spending time with my wife, pets, and friends. Saying no to people and things that drain my time and energy. Doing nothing even when my anxiety is telling me to do more, more, more.
Tell us a little bit about your recovery journey. What are you recovering from? What tools and resources do you weave into your patchwork of recovery?
I’m in recovery from complex PTSD, alcohol use disorder, depression, and anxiety. Mindfulness and meditation have helped quiet my mind and soothe my nervous system. Both online and in-person, recovery meetings are crucial to my recovery. Moving my body is key to my recovery and well-being, whether walking, yoga, or playing games on my VR headset. Music and nature are key parts of my recovery patchwork as well.
What or who is inspiring you right now?
Newcomers to the SR community, especially younger women. I’m so inspired by their bravery and determination to heal, I just want to yell KEEP GOING all the time! It makes my heart sing when those who are new to SR share at a gathering or ask for support because I know how hard that can be, especially in early recovery.
What SHE RECOVERS Intention and Guiding Principle resonates with you the most?
We do our individual work in order to create & hold healing spaces for everyone. All women deserve recovery.
What is your favorite SHE RECOVERS resource?
The daily online SHE RECOVERS Together Online Gatherings.
What is one piece of advice you would give to another woman/non-binary individual who is seeking a community like SHE RECOVERS?
Keep showing up for yourself, lean on others to help you stay on your recovery path, and remember there’s no right way to recover. YOU’RE DOING GREAT!
