Life has been super busy lately with lots of exciting things happening so I’m sliding in with a cheeky bonus episode to keep you all up to date with my world. For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that last week I had the opportunity to meet and speak with Gabby Bernstein on stage at her Melbourne show. This was a total “pinch me” moment and I took away so much from the wisdom she shared (which I’m of course passing onto you!) I also recently attended the Australia and New Zea...
May 05, 2023•21 min•Season 2Ep. 40
In this week’s episode I sat down with Luc Zoratto, an alcohol-free life coach and marathon runner from Toronto, Canada. Luc and I talk about the challenge of giving up alcohol when you’ve created an identity and a life revolved around drinking. Luc shares how he spent years trying to moderate and control his drinking, while constantly disappointing people, having to apologise for his actions and hiding the amount he was drinking (even from his therapist). On New Year’s Eve of 2016, Luc finally ...
Apr 30, 2023•59 min•Season 2Ep. 39
In this week’s episode I sat down with Kath Elliott, the Alcohol Mindset Coach. Kath’s world was completely rocked when just six weeks after making the decision to take an extended break from alcohol, she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. This shocking discovery led Kath down a vigorous path of research as she sought to understand more about the link between alcohol and breast cancer. What she uncovered confirmed her worst fears. Hundreds of studies highlighted a direct lin...
Apr 23, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 38
In this week’s episode, I sat down with ultra-endurance athlete and father of two, RJ Singh. RJ shares how he went from being a promising Olympian, to bouncing in and out of juvenile detention once he was introduced to drugs and alcohol. After fleeing the US to avoid further criminal charges, RJ landed in Australia, which would later become the epicentre of his recovery. In this conversation, we discuss the profound personality change that occurs when an addict takes a drink or a drug and how th...
Apr 16, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Season 2Ep. 37
My guest this week is the extremely talented Laura Cathcart Robbins. Laura is the host of the brilliant podcast, The Only One in The Room, and has recently added author to her bio, with the release of her memoir Stash – My Life in Hiding. Laura made the decision to get clean and sober in August 2008 after battling an addiction to Ambien, a prescribed sleep-aid. At almost 15 years sober, Laura continues to work a daily program of recovery and credits this as the reason she lives an incredible lif...
Apr 09, 2023•50 min•Season 2Ep. 36
In this week’s episode I sat down with Josh, a lawyer and father of three who made the decision to quit drinking on the 23rd of July, 2015. Josh was terrified at the idea of having to give up alcohol, but he knew if he didn’t, he could face losing everything and everyone he loved. In choosing sobriety, Josh embarked on a journey that would require him to honestly face his "self-centred fears" and reframe him entire outlook on life. In this conversation, Josh shares how his most painful lessons h...
Apr 02, 2023•53 min•Season 2Ep. 35
In this week’s episode, I sat down with sober coach and fellow podcaster Casey McGuire Davidson. Casey recently celebrated 7 years of sobriety and joined me to share her personal experience and expertise through helping hundreds of women get sober. In this conversation we cover: Drinking Highlights and Lowlights (24min) Mommy Wine Culture (31min) Our different opinions on using the label “alcoholic” (36min) What to expect when working with a Sober Coach (43min) The biggest mistake people make wh...
Mar 26, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 34
Mike Faria is lucky to be alive. In January 2020, he was taken to hospital in the back of an ambulance and placed in an induced coma to prevent his vital organs from shutting down. He had been drinking himself to death and he hadn’t even realised how serious his condition had become. After making a miraculous recovery, Mike was brought out of his coma and sent home to regain his strength however doctors weren’t sure if he’d make it to the end of the year due to the extensive damage to his liver....
Mar 19, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 33
In this week’s episode I sat down with breakfast radio and podcast host, Maz Compton. From landing her dream job as an MTV VJ to becoming the host of Sydney’s top breakfast radio show, Maz was living a fast-paced life fuelled by parties, celebrities and booze. Maz has interviewed everyone from Alicia Keys to Dave Grohl, all the while playing a role to suit her environment. Working in entertainment media, Maz was often required to put on a smile and get the job done, which over the years, created...
Mar 12, 2023•58 min•Season 2Ep. 32
In this week’s episode I sat down with fellow sober podcaster Will Hitchins to chat about his road to recovery. Will is one half of the awesome duo that makes up Last Drinks, a sobriety podcast he created with his mate Mitch Ford. Will quit drinking on the 1st of February 2020, however this isn’t his first stint at sobriety. In this conversation, he explains how an overwhelming sense of disconnection led him to relapse after being sober for two years. We talk about the change in personality that...
Mar 05, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 31
In this week’s episode, to celebrate my three-year sobriety milestone, I’ve put myself back in the interview seat and invited my BFF Georgia back onto the show to ask all the questions. My life has once again changed significantly over the past twelve months and I’m here to share with you how I’ve navigated these situations sober. We talk about how I handle triggers when they arise, letting go of perfectionism and remaining open to growth. We also discuss dating in recovery, my relationships and...
Feb 26, 2023•47 min•Season 2Ep. 30
In this week’s episode I sit down with recovered alcoholic Simon who shares his story of addiction and sobriety. Simon has a way of describing vividly the way alcoholism manifests in the mind and how alcohol became the “solution” to his alcoholic thinking. Simon and I talk about the turning point most alcoholics reach when you realise you can’t live with alcohol and you can’t live without it and the mental torment of trying to give up booze without a support network. We also discuss alcoholism a...
Feb 19, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 29
When we think of addiction, most of us go straight to thoughts of alcohol or drugs, but what if I told you that you could be addicted to love? And that Love Addiction can be just as harmful to a person’s life as drinking or drugs? In this week’s episode, I sat down with trauma and addiction specialist Diane Young, to discuss the topic of Love Addiction. Diane outlines clearly the definition of love addiction, where it comes from and the different characteristics that define a love addict’s behav...
Feb 12, 2023•45 min•Season 2Ep. 28
In this week’s episode I’m sitting down with Brad Mcleod, the genius behind one of Instagram’s most popular recovery pages, Sober Motivation. Brad made the decision to get clean on the 11th of January 2010, after years of battling with addiction. It was a stint in jail and a lifetime ban from the US that gave Brad the motivation he needed to turn his life around. In this conversation Brad shares the profound impact sobriety has made on the person he is today. We talk about the process of rebuild...
Feb 05, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Season 2Ep. 27
Danni Carr is a trauma-informed sobriety coach and podcast host who celebrated 5 years of sobriety on the 1st of January, 2023. Danni met her husband, musician Ash Grunwald, in her early 20s and they spent the next decade travelling the world living the “Rockstar” lifestyle. But eventually, the partying caught up with Danni and alcohol started to erode what was most important in her life including her relationships and her health. In this conversation, Danni shares the turn of events that led he...
Jan 29, 2023•58 min•Season 2Ep. 26
Carlo La Marchesina is lucky to be alive. During his 18 years of heavy drinking and IV drug use, Carlo made over 40 attempts to get clean. Today, he is closing in on 15 years of continuous sobriety. In this conversation, Carlo talks about the resilience required to never give up on his recovery and the many lessons he’s learned along the way. Now working as a clinician dedicated to helping other addicts get clean and sober, Carlo shares his insights into why some people make it in recovery and w...
Jan 22, 2023•1 hr 34 min•Season 2Ep. 25
In this week’s episode I’m speaking with Mandy Manners, a trauma-informed wellbeing and sobriety coach from France. Mandy has been in recovery for over five years and in that time has become an activist and advocate for sobriety and mental health. In this conversation, Mandy opens up about the traumatic experience that led her down a path of self-medication with alcohol and drugs. Yet, through extensive trauma recovery work, Mandy has been able to properly process these events and in turn, heal ...
Jan 15, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 24
In this week’s episode, I sit down with Dave Wilson, aka Sober Dave to discuss his journey into recovery. Dave got sober on the 7th of January 2019 and since then has become a certified grey-area drinking coach and leading voice within the online sober community. Dave shares the epiphany he experienced that led to him finally giving up alcohol after years of struggling with addiction and the incredible way in which his life has changed. In this conversation, Dave and I discuss the importance of ...
Jan 08, 2023•57 min•Season 2Ep. 23
To kick off season two, I’m answering all of your burning questions. A big thank you to everyone that sent in questions over Instagram last week! In this week’s episode I’ll be talking about the catalyst that drove me to rehab, how to protect your sobriety throughout Summer, why I choose to work an abstinence-based program, how to respond to people when they question why you’re not drinking, why it’s important not to make any big decisions in the first 12 months of sobriety and finally, what to ...
Jan 01, 2023•36 min•Season 2Ep. 22
To close out what has been an incredible debut season, I’m sharing with you all a few of my favourite magic moments from some of the most popular episodes of 2022. I wanted to say a huge thank you to the loyal BTS community and everyone who has listened, shared or reviewed the podcast. Behind The Smile with Ash Butterss was created out of a deep desire to change the conversation around mental health, addiction and trauma. I truly believe the most effective way to challenge the current archaic st...
Dec 25, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 21
For my final solo episode of the year, I wanted to share with you all some key strategies to help navigate what can be a challenging time of year for many of us. In this episode, I’ll be touching on a few key topics including: How to navigate family dynamics: watching out for triggers and how you can self-regulate once you’ve been activated. Travelling sober: helpful strategies you can implement to help protect your recovery. New Years resolutions: creating a solid plan to set you up for success...
Dec 18, 2022•35 min•Season 1Ep. 20
In this week’s episode, I’m sitting down with the host of the Sober Powered Podcast, Gill Tietz, to discuss all things “Emotional Sobriety”. Gill started her podcast shortly after getting sober in 2019 with the idea of looking at sobriety through the lens of science. With a background in biomedicine, Gill has extensively researched the impact of alcohol on the brain and on our human behaviours. In our conversation, Gill shares her own journey into sobriety before we dive deep into the meaning of...
Dec 11, 2022•52 min•Season 1Ep. 19
In this week’s episode, I’m sitting down with Sobriety and Grey-Area Drinking Coach, Sarah Rusbatch. Sarah made the decision to give up alcohol in April 2019 after reaching a point where she could no longer control her drinking. Disturbed sleep, anxiety and waking up hungover each day was finally enough for Sarah to realise she wanted a better life for herself. Fast-forward to today and Sarah runs her own Sobriety Coaching business and has helped women all across the globe to ditch the booze and...
Dec 04, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 18
To kick off this week's episode I'm sharing my Top 5 Tips to help you prepare for the Silly Season! We then dive into another powerful guest episode as I sit down with 46yr old, mother of three boys, Lucy Chapman. Lucy gave up drinking on the 1st of March, 2021 after almost losing everything. For years she had thought her substance use was “under control” until she found herself drinking around the clock and unable to leave her son’s bedroom. At one year sober, Lucy was diagnosed with cancer and...
Nov 27, 2022•49 min•Season 1Ep. 17
In this week’s episode, I’m speaking with Lucy Quick, the founder and CEO of Thrivalist , a company dedicated to helping women change their relationship with alcohol and heal their lives. Lucy began her sobriety journey on the 1st of January 2019 after deciding she’d had enough of the chaos and carnage that proceeded her drinking. Since then, she has dedicated her life to building Thrivalist and creating a range of programs to help thousands of women navigate their sober journeys. In this conver...
Nov 20, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 16
In this week’s episode I sit down with Robbie Shaw, host of Champagne Problems , a podcast that examines sobriety through the lens of health and wellness. After growing up in an alcoholic home, Robbie decided to quit drinking on May 5th, 2006, however this wasn’t the last time he experimented with other mind-altering substances. Over the past 16 years, Robbie has navigated through his sobriety journey, dipping in and out of being “California Sober”. However, 9 months ago Robbie decided to abstai...
Nov 13, 2022•59 min•Season 1Ep. 15
In this week’s episode, I sit down with Yoga Teacher and mentor Nat Commons as she shares her own personal story of recovery. From an early age, Nat experienced trauma that resulted in the development of a range of harmful coping mechanisms. After years of self-afflicted punishment, Nat came to a life changing decision that led her down a path of self-compassion and healing. The moment she stopped running and made the decision to face her fears was the moment she became free. Nat’s story is a de...
Nov 06, 2022•1 hr 37 min•Season 1Ep. 14
In this week’s episode I sit down with Toby Lawrence, the CEO of Arrow Health, one of Australia’s leading treatment centres for drug and alcohol addiction. Toby shares a firsthand account of the damaging impact addiction has, not just on the addicted person, but on the family system as a whole. In this conversation, we discuss how to support a loved one in active addiction, where to go to seek out help and why our mental healthcare system is broken. Toby talks openly about how his perspective of...
Oct 30, 2022•58 min•Season 1Ep. 13
In this week’s episode, I sit down with Patrick, a 29-year-old recovering alcoholic who began his sobriety journey on the 27thMay, 2021. Pat shares openly about the moment he was “pushed into a corner with nowhere else to go” and how that moment led him to acknowledge his struggles with alcohol addiction. Since hitting rock bottom, Pat has realised it’s ok to experience struggle and that there’s no shame in asking for help. Throughout his recovery journey, he has learnt to look for the similarit...
Oct 23, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 12
This week, I’m sitting down with Psychotherapist and Trauma/Addictions Specialist Diane Young, to discuss the impact of childhood trauma and how this often leads to the development of codependent traits in adulthood. Codependency is very similar to other process addictions such as gambling or eating disorders, and often develops as a result of experiencing trauma throughout childhood. In this week’s episode, Diane explains the characteristics of a codependent along with outlining Pia Mellody’s D...
Oct 16, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 11
