This our 13th and final episode of this Sober Sessions pop-up podcast. A bonus episode to celebrate the end of the month and the end of the series, and today’s guest is here by popular demand. When Toni first started recording this podcast she asked the Shelf Help community who they wanted her to interview, and the most popular request by FAR wasn’t a superstar author or a sober celebrity - but one of our very own superstars, Shelf Help Host David Mahoney. Since rocking up to his 1st SHC meetup in West London in summer 2018, David has become an integral part of the Shelf Help Club community ..read more

In this episode Toni is joined by Laura Willoughby MBE, founder of the world's largest mindful drinking club, Club Soda, and the UK's foremost expert in low and no alcohol drinks. Laura went sober in 2012 and launched Club Soda in 2015 after seeing a gap in the market for people looking to change how they drink. An inspiring entrepreneur and campaigner, Laura spends her time working on ideas for the future, developing partnerships and spearheading research that will help more people drink mindfully and live well.  In this episode we discuss: Shifts in AF attitudes and options Laura's ..read more

For this episode Toni is joined by Yasmin Spark, the founder of Align Events, the UK’s first non-alcoholic mobile cocktail bar. Yasmin founded Align in 2022, after 6 years of being sober, to provide safe and fun alcohol-free drinking spaces.  She's passionate about stopping ‘sober shaming’ and creating inclusive spaces to centre and celebrate non-drinkers, as well as delicious drinks to keep us coming back. She’s also an ambassador for Alcohol Change UK. In this episode we discuss: How Yasmin used drink as a way to manage stress (and how she now manages her mental health ..read more

In this episode Toni is joined by one of her big girl crushes, Mia Mancuso, a writer, creator, alcohol-free advocate and oncology nurse from Los Angeles. Mia, 47, also known as sober influencer, The Sober Glow, has been inspiring and educating on alcohol-free living since 2016. She talks a lot about 'grey/gray area drinking': which is the habitual - and often problematic - drinking that doesn't fit the standard alcoholic/recovery model, because she believes there are many different reasons for and many different ways to change your relationship with alcohol. Mia's motto for AF life is: Fe ..read more

In this episode Toni is joined by Scott Pearson, founder of the Proud and Sober platform, connecting sober and sober curious people in the LGBTQ+ community online and offline. Scott, 33 and sober for 5 years, has become an influential millennial voice on the sober scene, and through his talks, writing and events is a huge advocate for changing the relationship this community has with alcohol. In this episode we discuss: How as a binge drinker in his mid-20s Scott was drinking up to two bottles of wine per night How he used booze as a way to mask anxiety and low self-worth, how ultimatel ..read more

In this episode Toni is reconnecting with journalist and author Rosamund Dean,  former deputy editor of Grazia, and the author of 2 books: Mindful Drinking: How Cutting Down can Change Your Life, and Reconstruction: How to Rebuild Your Body, Mind and Life after Breast Cancer. After being diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in 2021, Ros has trained as a health coach and today writes about health and wellness for publications including the Telegraph and Vogue, as well as via her own substack newsletter, Well Well Well, which is all about optimising your health in a way that is doab ..read more

For this episode Toni is joined by Christy Osborne, the founder of Love Life Sober. An LA girl now living in London, once an overdrinker now a sobriety coach, Christy, 40, coaches women - particularly mums - on how to get back in control of wine without using willpower. She’s always sharing inspiration on her Instagram feed - @lovelifesoberwithchristy - and co-hosts a brilliant podcast called, But Jesus Drank Wine (and other stories that kept us stuck). In this episode we discuss: The morning/moment that Christy decided her drinking was a problem and how getting sober was the first step in ..read more

In this episode Toni is joined by Scott Pearson, founder of the Proud and Sober platform, connecting sober and sober curious people in the LGBTQ+ community online and offline. Scott, 33 and sober for 5 years, has become an influential millennial voice on the sober scene, and through his talks, writing and events is a huge advocate for changing the relationship this community has with alcohol. In this episode we discuss: How as a binge drinker in his mid-20s Scott was drinking up to two bottles of wine per night How he used booze as a way to mask anxiety and low self-worth, how ultimatel ..read more

In this episode Toni is joined by Sober & Social founder, Emily Syphas. Once 'Head of Nightlife' for the world's largest concierge service, Emily went sober as a way to manage her mental health in 2018, but didn’t want to lose her (quite spectacular) social life, so used her skills and experience in hospitality to found Sober & Social in the same year. She now organises super stylish alcohol-free events and parties, as well as workshops for brands and companies, and she’s a huge believer that going alcohol-free doesn't mean we have to miss out or compromise on life. In this episod ..read more

For this episode Toni is joined by Dave Wilson, aka Sober Dave. Dave, 59, is a grey area drinking coach, a motivational speaker, host of the One for the Road podcast and a best-selling author of a book by the same name. Dave got sober five years ago following a series of rock bottoms that culminated in risking his life while sleeping rough. In this episode we discuss: - The rock rock bottom that resulted in Dave getting sober - How men take longer to admit they have a drinking problem and/or ask for help - The concept of emotional sobriety and why it's so important to find out what's underneat ..read more