The Unbreakable Podcast29 Sep 2025

Be the Buffalo: Courage, Culture, and Recovery

"Be the Buffalo"

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Music by Indigenous Rapper - WolfCastle

In this powerful episode, Kait sits down with Earl Thiessen, Executive Director of Oxford House (Calgary), to talk about recovery, culture, and coming home to who you are. Earl shares his journey from homelessness and addiction to leadership, how reconnection to Cree culture, ceremony, and community transformed his life and now anchors Oxford House’s peer- and culturally-supported recovery housing.

You’ll hear about:

The moment a judge offered Earl a window of opportunity, and how he took it

Why pretreatment housing fills a deadly gap between detox and treatment

The medicine wheel in practice: emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical healing

The power of sweat lodge and what it means to “send the spirits home”

Honouring MMIWG and opening Red Woman House on Earl’s mother’s birthday

Being gifted 10 braids of sweetgrass and the feeling of “coming home” to Cree community

“Be the buffalo”: moving into the storm with courage, vulnerability, and service

Why this matters:

Addiction isolates; culture connects. Oxford House’s Indigenous healing homes show why belonging, ceremony, and time (no arbitrary discharge dates) are essential to breaking cycles and restoring families.

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Website: https://www.oxfordhouse.ca/

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In this episode:

00:00 Introduction to Oxford House and Earl's Journey

03:07 The Evolution of Peer-Supported Recovery Housing

06:05 Cultural Reconnection and Healing

08:45 The Importance of Community and Connection

11:55 Indigenous Healing Practices and Their Impact

14:48 Holistic Healing: Balancing Mind, Body, and Spirit

17:44 Cultural Ceremonies and Their Significance

25:34 The Power of Vision and Connection

28:36 Strength Through Vulnerability

30:31 Honoring the Past and Healing

34:18 The Role of Women in Indigenous Culture

38:38 Reconnecting with Heritage

41:47 The Pursuit of Knowledge and Growth

45:13 Challenging Yourself for Others

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