Today’s Real Sober Mom, Laura, grew up in a home with two struggling parents - her father with alcohol addiction and her mother with mental illness. The fractures in her homelife caused her to struggle socially at school, but once she tried alcohol she experienced a sense of relief. Her challenges didn’t feel so hard when she was drinking. At that point, alcohol quickly became enshrined in her life through her teens and twenties.  As an adult, Laura fell into the profile for gray area drinking. When her daughters began to enter their teenage years, she began to worry. Did she want her dau ..read more

My husband Russell is back on the show, and this time things are a little different - he’s 100 days sober!  Today Russell will share why he decided to commit to one full year of sobriety. We’ll talk about the benefits of creating a goal, how he’s handled challenging social situations without drinking, and the physical, mental and emotional changes he’s experienced in the first 100 days of his sobriety.  Plus, Russell gives his advice for the ever popular question - what to do if you want your partner to stop drinking.  Check out Russell’s first appearance on the show here ..read more

Katie and I are here for another installment of SobieTEA, where we spill the tea about our favorite escape: Bravo and reality TV!  This week we’re talking about Suzanne’s first impressions of Love Island, and the dizzyingly jampacked first episode of Season 18 of The Real Housewives of Orange County.  Plus - Katie meets Jax on her LA trip, How Lindsay’s pregnancy will affect Summer House, and our opinions on The Situation’s book.  Do you have topics you’d like us to cover on the next SobieTEA? Send Katie a note at @soberlivingct on Instagram!  Join us in the The Sober M ..read more

Susan Knower, my therapist mom, joins us today for an Ask Me Anything, therapist style! She is a licensed professional counselor with a substance abuse specialization and is here today to answer the most common questions you submitted on Instagram.  We’ll talk about the challenge of convincing a loved one to stop drinking, if trauma can be healed without a professional therapist, how the ‘stages of change’ apply to alcohol, the role of a therapist in a person’s healing journey, our thoughts on rehab, and tips for redirecting your negative internal thoughts.  The following books wer ..read more

Shannon always went overboard with alcohol, from the very first time she got drunk from her parents liquor cabinet when she was 15. She spaced out her drinking in her teens and twenties because she always knew she would drink all night once she got started.  Once Shannon began having kids she became obsessed with having a clean, healthy, non-toxic life. She cooked entirely organic and was extremely careful about the chemicals in her home, but she gave alcohol a pass. She turned a blind eye to any information that said alcohol was bad for her health. When a breast cancer diagnosis turned ..read more

Audrey is back on the show today to celebrate Dry July and her own 2 year soberversary! She’ll tell the story of the last time she ever got drunk and how it kickstarted her path toward choosing sobriety. Plus, we’ll talk about the benefits you’ll receive from trying a Dry July, rising above the shame in early sobriety, the problematic trend of alcohol at children’s birthday parties, and the power of connection in sobriety.  We want you to know - you don’t need anyone’s permission to get sober. You knowing is enough! Hear Audrey’s sobriety story here.  Join us in the The Sober Mom ..read more

Kathryn has been a lifelong overachiever, but that didn’t stop her from being a heavy drinker. It did, however, mask her view of what alcohol was doing to her life. In 2019, Kathryn received her first hint of a wakeup call when she fell down a flight of stairs after a night of drinking. This injury resulted in an emergency surgery months later and has left her with permanent nerve damage.  Kathryn absolved alcohol of blame for the fall and continued drinking. During the pandemic, struggling with the insecurities that arose from her injury, Kathryn turned to alcohol more than she ever had ..read more

Gill Tietz of Sober Powered is here to help me kick off Dry July with an Alcohol 101 lesson. From her perspective as a former biochemist, Gill drops some major bombs about alcohol’s effects that will forever change how you look at the substance.  We’ll dive into what alcohol is, how it affects our bodies and brains, how alcohol consumption affects women's bodies differently, and alcohol withdrawal symptoms.  If you’re struggling in your sobriety, let this episode enlighten you to all of the science-backed reasons why quitting is one of the best decisions you will ever make!  ..read more

Today my brother Jay is joining me for a conversation that he and I both know a lot about - grief and sobriety. Our society encourages us to be quiet about the complicated and overwhelming feelings of grief, but it needs to be talked about, so today we’re doing just that.  Jay lost his best friend one month ago in a tragic accident, and today he’s here to share with us how he has been processing his traumatic loss, and how sobriety has played into his experience. Jay wants you to know that there is no substance that will take away the pain of loss. Grief can only be managed with time.&nb ..read more

Best selling author Emily (Belden) Bond joins me today for an eye opening conversation about her breast cancer journey and how it has changed her relationship with alcohol.  Emily shares the unbelievable story of how she was diagnosed, how her treatment has unfolded over the past year, what she experienced when she shared her diagnosis publicly, and how cancer has forever altered her relationship with alcohol.  Emily urges all women to seek testing for breast cancer, no matter your age. Please share Emily’s diagnosis story with 8 other women to help raise awareness! 1 in 8 women wi ..read more