Chrissy found drinking to be problematic in her 30s. She shared how sometimes things would go ok and that prevented her from understanding her problem with alcohol. Chrissy’s mission is to teach people how to understand their intuition and listen to their bodies. She shares how this is critical in understanding not only the thoughts and feelings we have but why are we having them. She didn’t use a specific recovery program but did layer on a lot of support and resources related to sobriety after trying to do it all by herself. Our bodies know what we need to do but it’s our brains that tell ..read more

Kristin followed more of a social curiosity path and doesn’t live completely alcohol-free but has taken a hard look at her drinking and made changes. Kristen had a week of a lot of events and drank a lot more than she usually would and noticed how it truly affected her and she didn’t like it. This was her aha moment. Kristen realized she didn’t really love the alcoholic drinks she was consuming and then asked herself ‘If I don’t really love them then why am I drinking? She also read This Naked Mind by Annie Grace and learned so much more about the marketing behind alcohol and the science of h ..read more

Did you know that healthy boundaries allow you to protect your core values? Beth shared how her drinking took off when she went off to college and escalated into adulthood but since she always held a job and was productive she never viewed it as problematic.  Her consequences increased until her last six months of drinking where every day she said ‘I’m not going to drink tonight.  Finally, she reached out to a therapist whose card she had picked up for a friend.  Beth shared about her experience getting sober in AA and how the real change happened for her when she started to ..read more

Do you struggle with bloating, joint pain, digestive issues or knowing what to eat? Samantha is a woman in long-term recovery who has dedicated her life to service work and helping others. She shares how she enjoyed several years of sobriety, was in a toxic marriage, went through infertility treatment, and hadn’t done the emotional work on he own past trauma and turned to drugs and alcohol. Samantha’s own fitness and health journey informed her path professionally to becoming a functional diagnostic nutritionist. After she did her own functional medicine testing she discovered food sensitivi ..read more

Do you ever wonder about the "science" behind addiction? Judy shares her history of using drugs and alcohol and even though she was doing exactly what she thought she wanted she was miserable. Today, after decades of sobriety her life is beyond what she could have ever imagined.  Her neuroscience journey has been driven by her desire to understand what is different about the brains of people like her before she got started, then as she succumbed to the substances and then in recovery.  Judy became curious about what was so compelling about substances for people like her and also ..read more

A few years ago Jen started talking about normalizing not drinking. Jen got sober in AA and at the time she kept questioning when she would integrate back into normal social spaces.  She wanted to have elevated non-alcoholic options that were on par with her friends and family were drinking and beautifully presented.  Jen shared how her introversion and shyness as a young person prevented her from fitting in.  Alcohol helped her to feel the belonging she longed for.   Jen got so tired of being asked “Why aren’t you drinking” and began her mission to create social spaces ..read more

Have you ever believed the lies you told yourself? This episode is for you. Marci shared how alcohol originally was something she did for fun but then became her medicine when she was depressed. She used it to numb all the pain she had until she realized she couldn’t stop.  Marci found a recovery program that aligned with her values and focused on changing her thoughts. She shared how she realized that alcohol was only making her depression worse and keeping her in this terrible cycle so she put on her sneakers and went for a walk. And that was the beginning of her sobriety experience ..read more

Laurie was raised by parents who struggled with substance abuse and took those coping skills out into the world and her professional corporate experience which perpetuated the drinking.  Laurie works in the world of Human Resources where she shares her story with those who need to hear it. Through those experiences, she had to look at herself and be accountable for her choices related to her health and wellness.  Laurie is looking for joy in this phase of my life. We talked about the mundane activities of life and how we manage them while also pursuing joy. We have to do the small ..read more

What do sobriety, spirituality and menopause all have in common? Kate shares how her early religious experiences had a  key role in her drinking.  In fact, religion was her first drug. Kate shares vulnerably about her struggle with her drinking and her spiritual struggle, she referred to it as an inner and outer mismatch. She also realized later that as a child who was neurodivergent in a neurotypical world, she didn’t know where she fit in. She was attempting to control, regulate and fit into her world by using religion. Kate finally found something online she could relate to thro ..read more

Did you get sober using a 12 step program or are you an AA skeptic? While she was getting sober and in the midst of a series of lost relationships Arlina found some people at work who were also living alcohol free and ushered her into a twelve step program. Arlina embraced her twelve step program as a “very pragmatic process for sorting out her baggage and gave her an opportunity to redefine what spirituality was to her.”  Arlina layered on her program things like therapy and personal development to continue to feed her desire to grow.  There is plenty of space for this and does ..read more