More Than Willpower: Heather Ormand on Addiction, Motherhood, and Nexus

In this heavy but deeply inspiring episode of Pressure Tested, Kelly sits down with Heather Ormand to discuss the hidden realities of high-functioning addiction and the life-changing work being done at Nexus.+3

Heather opens up about her personal journey, sharing how she started drinking at 14 to cope with the internal pressures of being a perfectionist and the "perfect" oldest daughter. She details what it was like to hide her severe depression and alcoholism while successfully climbing the corporate ladder at a major public accounting firm.+4

Now almost 15 years sober, Heather uses her professional background to lead Nexus, a female-only substance use disorder treatment facility in the DFW area. She explains the unique challenges women face in recovery and why Nexus allows mothers to bring up to three children into residential treatment with them.+4

In this episode, we cover:

The Mask of Perfectionism: Heather’s experience as a high-functioning alcoholic who drank to blackout while graduating summa cum laude and excelling in her career.+2

The Mission of Nexus: Why a female-only treatment environment is crucial for vulnerability and trauma healing.+1

Ending Generational Cycles: How treating women in all stages of pregnancy improves birth outcomes and why allowing kids to live on campus keeps families out of the foster system.+3

Reframing Recovery: Why Nexus uses the word "recurrence" instead of "relapse" and how society needs to rethink medication-assisted treatments like Suboxone.+2

Building for the Future: A look into the massive $35 million capital campaign to rebuild the Nexus campus to better serve vulnerable families.+1

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01:16 - Welcome to the podcast: Kelly praises Heather’s cool and collected nonprofit leadership.

04:06 - What is Nexus? The history of Dallas's female-only substance use disorder treatment facility.

06:49 - Breaking generational cycles: Why Nexus allows mothers to bring up to three children into residential treatment.

08:39 - The 90-day family program: Building healthy routines and attachments between moms and kids.

12:28 - A magical success story: Zayden’s 8th birthday during the COVID lockdown and McKenzie's journey to becoming a police officer.

18:05 - The heavy side of recovery: Dealing with recurrence, loss, and survivor's guilt.

21:36 - From accounting to counseling: Why Heather realized she couldn't be in direct client care.

26:15 - Reframing recovery pathways: Using Suboxone as a tool and why Nexus removes barriers like mandated faith-based programs.

33:35 - Heather's personal story: Drinking at 14 to cope with the pressure of being the "perfect" oldest daughter.

36:05 - The illusion of high-functioning addiction: Graduating summa cum laude, getting promoted, and drinking to blackout.

41:04 - The future of Nexus: The massive $35 million capital campaign to rebuild a safe, modern campus for vulnerable families.