The holiday season is magical—a time for sparkling lights, heartfelt traditions, and moments of togetherness. But for many of us in recovery, this time of year can feel like navigating a minefield of stress, temptation, and overwhelming expectations. The pressure to be everything for everyone, the endless to-do lists, and the ever-present cultural norm of celebrating with alcohol can make it feel like staying sober is an uphill battle. You’re not alone if the holidays bring a mix of excitement a...
Nov 27, 2024•29 min•Ep. 349
All right, my friend. Don’t even try to deny it—you know the feeling I’m talking about. You start out with the best intentions, maybe after a particularly rough night or an emotional moment of clarity, and you tell yourself, This is it. I’m going to stop drinking, and everything will fall into place. But then, reality sets in. The road feels harder than you imagined. You’re not seeing the changes as quickly as you’d hoped, and before you know it, you’re wondering if you’re even doing it right. Y...
Nov 20, 2024•29 min•Ep. 348
I wholeheartedly believe that learning to enjoy social situations without alcohol is one of the most empowering gifts you can give yourself. It’s a skill that brings freedom and joy, allowing you to show up as your authentic self—without a drink in hand. But as you probably already know, it’s not always easy. Whether it’s handling those awkward questions, navigating a wedding or happy hour, or simply feeling like you don't fit in, sober socializing can feel daunting. In fact, social anxiety is c...
Nov 13, 2024•38 min•Ep. 347
Have you ever felt completely overwhelmed by the journey to quit drinking, like there are a million things to figure out all at once? Or maybe you’ve wondered why it feels like a game of Whac-a-Mole with new habits popping up to replace old ones. If so, you’re not alone, and you’re definitely in the right place. In this episode, I’m breaking down three surprising traps that no one talks about when it comes to quitting drinking. These sneaky obstacles can easily keep you stuck, frustrated, and qu...
Nov 06, 2024•21 min•Ep. 346
Recovery isn’t a one-size-fits-all journey—it’s deeply personal, especially when you’re working to find what truly clicks for you. On this episode, I’m sitting down with Jason Wahler to dig into the power of a solid recovery plan, the strength it takes to get sober in the public eye, and the importance of finding your unique way to stay on track for the long term. Here’s what we’re diving into with Jason: Why finding what works for you is key – and how the right recovery approach can help you cr...
Oct 30, 2024•54 min•Ep. 345
How are you feeling about your next social event? Calm, confident, and ready to connect? (Or did that question just stir up a wave of anxiety and second-guessing?) And what about your body? Tense, tight shoulders? Racing heartbeat? (If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.) The reality is that social anxiety can be incredibly overwhelming, especially when you're newly sober. The situations that used to feel easier with a drink in hand—work events, family gatherings, even vacations—now seem dau...
Oct 23, 2024•29 min•Ep. 344
If you’ve ever found yourself asking, ‘Why do I keep spending when I know it’s not helping?’—you’re not alone. Many of us fall into the trap of trying to fill emotional gaps, manage stress, or escape uncomfortable feelings by shopping and buying more than we need. But that momentary buzz from clicking ‘add to cart’ quickly fades, leaving you feeling worse, not better. Today, we’re not just talking about what’s happening on the surface—we’re diving into the real reasons behind overspending and ho...
Oct 16, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 343
Did you know that relapse can actually be a pivotal moment in your recovery journey? It’s a reality that many people face when quitting alcohol, but here’s the good news—it doesn’t mean you’ve failed. In fact, it can be one of the most powerful opportunities for growth and long-term success. In today’s episode, I’m walking you through how to view relapse as a stepping stone rather than a setback and why embracing it can actually strengthen your commitment to sobriety. ✅ How to reframe relapse as...
Oct 09, 2024•15 min•Ep. 342
Have you ever thought about leveling up your personal development? Growing your emotional intelligence and emotional maturity can open the door to incredible transformations, both personally and professionally. And today, my amazing guest is the perfect example of how expanding your emotional toolkit can be your best move ever. I'm thrilled to welcome my new friend and emotional intelligence guru, Noble Gibbens, to the show. Noble didn’t just improve his emotional intelligence; he went ALL IN on...
Oct 02, 2024•46 min•Ep. 341
I know this is going to ruffle some feathers because the world is embracing mocktails in full force right now. And I know alcohol-free drink options are a welcome alternative for many people and there’s nothing wrong with that. This is NOT going to be a conversation about if it’s RIGHT or WRONG. Because it’s neither. This isn’t about making a judgment on your choice or mine. I want to share with you the research, my personal experience, and some of the issues you’ve probably never considered tha...
Sep 25, 2024•22 min•Ep. 340
There’s only one thing you need to know, to understand you still can’t drink in a healthy way, even after a period of sobriety. It doesn’t matter if you quit for a week, months, or years. I’m going to tell you how you know with 100% certainty that you still can’t drink. Over all the years of my own sobriety, and helping thousands of people navigate their own sober journey’s, one thing has always stood out that makes it clear to me our relationship with alcohol is different. And it will continue ...
Sep 18, 2024•20 min•Ep. 339
What if the little things—traffic jams, work deadlines, or even family gatherings—are quietly sabotaging your sobriety? These everyday stressors could be leading you closer to relapse without you even realizing it. People say, I don’t even know how it happened, or, it was a split second decision, but that is really never the case. The point of this episode is to understand how and why you are compromised and weakened in a daily basis, and how that leads you to relapse without you knowing it's ha...
Sep 11, 2024•19 min•Ep. 338
If you struggle with alcohol, or marijuana, or any other addiction, chances are you’ve had some thoughts about your relationship with food, too. I’m right there with you, my friend. Many of us find ourselves in the situation of getting sober then find we are relying on food and sugar more than we ever did before. And being a compulsive person, with little understanding of the word ‘moderation’, you can find yourself questioning your habits and not feeling great about them. The good news is, almo...
Sep 04, 2024•57 min•Ep. 337
Are you struggling with trying to figure out what you’re going to do and how you’re going to spend your time when you quit drinking? Drinking takes up a lot of our time and mental energy. When you take that away, it leaves a big void. And if you don’t have a plan to fill the void, it will lead you right back to relapse. If you are on your 100th day one again, or if you’ve been sober for awhile and you’re feeling a little stagnant and need a jumpstart… … this episode is for you! I’m going to let ...
Aug 28, 2024•30 min•Ep. 336
Everyone from World Cup winning skier Lindsey Vonn, to legendary basketball player Michael Jordan, to actors Will Smith and Idris Elba, and musician Jay Z... ...each of them uses this technique to give them a competitive edge, and also to cultivate a sense of belief, build confidence and to help build motivation. Science today estimates that 95 percent of our brains activity is unconscious. It handles everything your body needs to function properly, from eating and breathing to digesting and mak...
Aug 21, 2024•34 min•Ep. 335
Grief shows up in unexpected ways and sometimes at unexpected times. You may lose a family member or friend, or your pet. Grief may be a part of the heartbreak of a divorce or breakup. You may grieve the loss of your youth, the loss of alcohol, or the life you aspired to live that didn’t happen, or the child you thought you would have but didn’t. These curveballs that life loves to throw at you can often create a sense of loss, and grief over something you want that is no longer in your reach. H...
Aug 14, 2024•27 min•Ep. 334
You know you want to change. You know you need to change. Yet, you resist change for some reason you have yet to understand. This episode’s for you. But that old saying, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”, just isn’t true. Not saying you are old… or a dog… The truth is, old habits are hard to break. And new ones are challenging to create. But if you follow these easy steps, you’ll be a healthy habit champion in no time! I’d love to tell you, “Just believe in yourself!”, but we aren’t always...
Jul 31, 2024•23 min•Ep. 333
Many aspiring sober people get hung up on the thought of never drinking again. You don’t make a REAL commitment to stopping. You want to be wishy-washy, on the fence, telling yourself you’ll be able to drink again one day… …then you wonder how you end up hungover again feeling like sh*t about yourself. I’ll tell you why; because it all starts with your decision-making. Once you put down the drink, you have to learn the skills to get your decisions in line with your desire to be sober. This week,...
Jul 24, 2024•28 min•Ep. 332
If you’ve never attended a 12-step meeting, you likely have fears and anxieties running through your and keeping you from going. Or, maybe you went to a meeting or two and wrote it off as ‘not for you’, but as you’ve continued to struggle with staying sober you’re starting to wonder if it might be the solution. Either way, I want you to have the real real about what it’s like, what we are doing, and why we do it the way we do. Feeling nervous about going to a meeting is totally normal! Every one...
Jul 17, 2024•44 min•Ep. 331
If you’ve been on the relapse rollercoaster stuck in that cycle of up and down, sober then relapse, over and over feeling like you are getting nowhere...listen up, my friend. I’m going to give you my top 3 pitfalls that will sabotage your sobriety every… single… time. You’re going to see that you may be looking at this thing ALL wrong. You’re also going to get some clear-cut actions you can start taking today to feel better and get farther than you’ve gotten before. Grab those earbuds and put on...
Jul 10, 2024•27 min•Ep. 330
Skills, strategies, and tools for your emotional toolbox… ...any thing or activity that is good for your mental wellness and helps you stay balanced and happy. Coping skills are things we can do in the moment, when we are feeling uncomfortable/anxious/angry/overwhelmed, to help us turn down the volume of our emotions and avoid letting them take control. They help us to get through stressful situations with a little more ease, and without doing something we’ll regret later on. Having healthy copi...
Jul 03, 2024•23 min•Ep. 329
Do you wish you had more balance and control over your feelings and moods? Tens of millions of people around the world struggle with anxiety, depression, and general overwhelm with life. And, although these feelings are now more common, many find it hard to understand what they’re feeling and how to find the right solutions for them. Rest assured there are solutions to this common discomfort and that’s what we’re talking about in this episode. You need support, emotionally and physically, and wi...
Jun 26, 2024•27 min•Ep. 328
If you’re sick of feeling like sobriety is a constant fight, it’s time to stop winging it and start building a recovery lifestyle that works. Because staying sober isn’t about white-knuckling your way through the day — it’s about creating structure, intention, and goals that support a life without alcohol. In this episode, I walk you through a 90-day recovery plan that gives you the tools to stop relapsing, stay focused, and build the confidence to live a life you're proud of. We’ll cover: How t...
Jun 19, 2024•25 min•Ep. 327
At the end of my drinking career, it was not fun anymore. I hated it. I felt like its hostage, and I despised it. At the same time, I couldn’t survive without it. At that stage, I didn’t have a choice. Alcohol had me brainwashed, and that bear was fully in control. But here’s the catch- once we have some time without alcohol, the physical withdrawal is over, the mental fog starts to clear, and that bear is starting to lose control. He’s losing his grip on you and you are making your own choices ...
Jun 12, 2024•37 min•Ep. 326
What would it feel like to continue NOT having a plan and wake up six months from now in exactly the same place- hungover again, feeling terrible, hating life? I know that moment all too well. My sponsor said to me once, “I want you to think about holding a hula hoop”, “Okay”, I said. “What all fits inside your hula hoop”? And I was like, what the hell is this dude talking about? And I looked at him and said, “Me”. To which he responded, “Exactly. And that’s everything you have control of. So if...
Jun 05, 2024•Ep. 325
Getting sober is one thing. Staying sober is the real fight. If you've ever relapsed and thought, “What the hell just happened?” — this one's for you.In a raw moment of heartbreak and rage after a friend’s relapse, I wrote a letter to relapse itself. It's not warm. It's not fuzzy. And it's exactly what you need to hear. We’re digging into: Why relapse doesn’t just happen — it’s a series of choices The dangerous trap of indecision that keeps you stuck What it looks like to truly commit to your so...
May 29, 2024•45 min
You may think you just have anxiety, alcoholism or ADD, but wait ’til you hear what’s going on under the surface and how to heal it. My special guest, Dr. Don Wood is an inspired leader in the field of trauma, healing, and how our brain controls us. This isn’t only a field of interest for him, but a personal crusade that began with a desire to support his wife in her healing, and to unravel his daughter’s illness from the inside out. He has worked with some of the world’s top athletes, is a reno...
May 22, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 323
There are many theories about the causes of addiction and many of us are curious about what our underlying issues are, that lead us to an unhealthy relationship with substances and behaviors. What we know for sure is it’s a combination of factors – biological, psychological, social, and environmental. This is also what makes addiction more challenging to treat because it isn’t an illness that can be approached with a single solution. It’s not a matter of just putting down the drink and moving on...
May 15, 2024•12 min•Ep. 322
Why is your inner critic so freakin' mean?? We all have that inner monologue - We talk to ourselves all day long. We debate with ourselves about eating another cookie, or drinking another cup of coffee, or how to respond to an email. Regardless of the topic, we hear that inner critic running through our head all day. At times this little voice can actually be helpful and keep you motivated toward reaching goals—like when it reminds you that what you're about to eat isn't healthy or what you're a...
May 08, 2024•15 min•Ep. 321
The REAL reason for feeling some depression or symptoms of depression when you quit drinking alcohol. And one of these may be something you’ve never heard of. If you've ever used alcohol to deal with feelings of depression, you may have found that after your buzz wears off, you feel even lower than before. It’s a chicken and egg situation – which came first? Were you struggling because you were drinking, or were you drinking because you were struggling? Well, both can be true. Drinking can incre...
May 01, 2024•15 min•Ep. 320
