Those survival roles don't just fade away when we grow up; they follow us into our marriages, our careers, and the way we treat ourselves. Veronica Ramos Clark has spent over 30 years helping people unlearn them.In this episode of Amiga Handle Your Shit, Jackie Tapia sits down with Veronica Ramos Clark, a licensed addictions counselor specializing in alcohol and drug abuse counseling. One of eleven children, she knows a thing or two about feeling invisible. She carried that role, which she calls “the lost child,” into adulthood, and it inspired her soon-to-be-released book, A Fresh Start: Breaking the Cycle.Their chat begins with a deep dive into Veronica’s childhood as she shares how growing up in an alcoholic home influenced her decision to become a counselor. She’s spent decades studying behavior tendencies and now offers counseling and holistic retreats through her company, A Fresh Start. Their organic conversation leads them into serious topics like the anger many women feel forced to suppress or people-pleasing. Both are common for women without boundaries, and that’s where Veronica says real change should happen. She opens up about the unexpected derecho, a rare hurricane-force windstorm, that brought angry emotions as she grew her business. That natural disaster mirrorerd for the same resilience she teaches, and it led her to a clear understanding of what it takes to survive: you pivot, you adapt, and you find a way to keep showing up for the people who need you.Tune in to episode 296 of Amiga Handle Your Shit for a powerful conversation on healing, honoring your anger, and setting boundaries. You’ll leave with several mindful tips, the most important being Veronica's G.R.O.W.T.H. framework for taking your life back.Episode Takeaways:The origin story of her book A Fresh Start: Breaking the Cycle and the conversation with Jack Canfield that pushed her to finally write it

How COVID derailed her original writing timeline and what brought her back

Veronica explains the family roles children adopt in dysfunctional homes — the high Why these childhood roles resurface in adult relationships, and how they show up as codependency and people-pleasing

How most of her clients arrive at Fresh Start counseling — not by choice, but by court order, ultimatum, or crisis

Why women are taught to suppress anger, and how learning to feel it is part of healing

Veronica describes surviving the derecho that hit northwest Indiana and how she kept her business running through two weeks without power

Veronica breaks down her G.R.O.W.T.H. framework — Grounding, Release, Own your story, Watch your words, Taking time for compassion, and Honoring your boundaries