Episode #64
62|Breaking the Mold: Combatting Stigma and Rigid Standards with Summer Roemer
In this episode, host Eric Velez sits down with Summer Roemer, Board Secretary for the Snohomish County Recovery Coalition (SCRC), interim director for North Sound Recovery, and former assistant program manager at the Snohomish County Diversion Center. Summer reflects on her journey with SCRC since the very beginning and shares what keeps her deeply bonded to human services: a radical belief in people, their capacity to heal, and the truth that our pasts never dictate our futures. Deeply self-reflective, Summer encourages others to always continue learning, evaluate their own impact, and strive to be an active part of the solution. She pulls back the curtain on the critical need for "well-done services," speaking openly about the systemic trauma caused when individuals are made to feel like they "don't measure up" to rigid, abstinence-only standards. Drawing from her deep experience, Summer highlights how this harmful culture shows up across the board—from individuals being ostracized in 12-step meetings and told to leave after a relapse, to professional agencies falling into the exact same trap of pushing people out when they struggle to stop using. To combat this, Summer operates with a simple, powerful question for the individuals she serves: "How can I be a human to you?" She breaks down why we must build comprehensive community support, champion multiple paths to recovery—including Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)—and cultivate spaces that genuinely care about everybody. Resources: Snohomish County Recovery Coalition: snocorecovers.org Everett Recovery Café: everettrecoverycafe.org Center for Human Services: chs-nw.org
