In this episode, Tammi and Sondra talk to Ashley Nickels. If you are in the quilting world at all, then you probably know Ashley’s work. She is also a writer, artist and teacher, but she specifically came on the show impassioned to talk about sobriety (she’s been alcohol-free for eight months!). She talks about how changing that aspect of her life has given her so much clarity and energy around her business and creativity, and while it’s uncomfortable and hard at times, the empowerment and epiph...
Oct 23, 2017•1 hr 38 min
Today, the ladies dive deep into what it’s like to get sober in your forties. Tammi and Sondra both describe pivotal moments that made them reframe this whole getting older thing, changed their stories and have been evolving ever since. Whether you are approaching your 40s, in it and thinking life has passed you by, wondering if sobriety will really be a catalyst to help you achieve your creative goals, or if you are right there with them, they want you to know that it’s not a crisis, it is the ...
Oct 16, 2017•1 hr 33 min
Today, Tammi and Sondra are excited to talk to Cristina Ferri. Cristina is the founder of www.soberunicorn.com, a non-profit based in Rhode Island that is focused on helping people transition into a new life in recovery with bags of necessities that Cristina calls “blessing bags”. They also talk about Cristina’s deep faith, what that means to her and her recovery and how that has helped her hone her multiple passions into one purpose: giving back. Cristina’s heart is so big, you will feel it thr...
Oct 09, 2017•1 hr 33 min
In this episode, Tammi and Sondra talk to the multi-talented Megan Peters. Megan is a self-proclaimed Dinosaur Blogger, having started her site www.crazybananas.com in 2004. She is also a brilliant photographer, studio owner www.augustlightstudio.com, Kansas City TV personality, Mom and social-activist and she credits this amazing résumeé to her recovery. The ladies also touch on the difficulties one can encounter in getting and staying sober when a spouse or partner still drinks. Megan has lots...
Oct 02, 2017•1 hr 41 min
Today, the ladies talk to another Texan, Amy Lanier. Amy is a web designer by day, painter by night. If she sounds like a sober superhero, she is, and even has hair inspired by Marvel Superhero Rogue! Amy talks about how she came to painting and scuba diving, both within the last ten years, but getting sobriety to stick is the accomplishment in which she’s most proud. They also discuss coming back to art after sobriety and how those can be tricky waters to navigate at first. It’s never too late ...
Sep 25, 2017•1 hr 35 min
In this episode, Tammi and Sondra hash out some ideas around balance and flow, what each feel like when you’re in it (spoiler: balance can feel a little MEH and sometimes MEH is a good thing), and how they relate to creativity and recovery. They also talk about the ‘all or nothing’ concept, the “mental anguish of moderation” (a quote from Annie Grace), and the intensity and jazzed feelings that result from being in a flow. Is it sustainable? Can you have flow without a little bit of balance, esp...
Sep 18, 2017•1 hr 38 min
Today, the girls are excited to talk to Liv Pennelle. Liv has made a career out of living well, and she shares how she got to this sweet spot in her own sober life. She talks about how she came to start www.livsrecoverykitchen.com, her site that provides resources, recipes and interviews to inspire others on their journey to wellness and the huge piece nutrition plays in recovery. With her recent move from the UK to Portland and the launching of a new health coaching program, they hope this conv...
Sep 11, 2017•1 hr 42 min
Today, the girls get to talk to the brilliant and talented Caitlin Schumacher : NMMD. Caitlin is a musician, artist, writer and sober Australian Mama living and thriving in Berlin, and they had the pleasure of recording this conversation on Caitlin’s one year sobriety birthday. This conversation focuses on all the many ways we must heal in recovery, addiction to alcohol being only one symptom. Caitlin’s life is steeped in creativity and we think you will leave this conversation feeling beautiful...
Sep 04, 2017•1 hr 32 min
In this episode, Tammi and Sondra reflect on their respective summers. They talk about what summers used to look like before sobriety and what they look like now. They talk about sobriety milestones, creative productivity, travels, family time and how it all felt a bit of a juggle. It’s a real-life look into what it takes to keep recovery the priority despite the challenges of summer. The ladies share their top three tools in their Unruffled Toolbox for the week: Sondra: (1) Go see some art!; (2...
Aug 28, 2017•1 hr 19 min
Today, Tammi and Sondra catch up with Chris Aguirre. Chris is the co-host of the Since Right Now podcast, curates the recovery site Klēn&Sōber and this year will celebrate his twentieth year of sobriety. They talk about what it’s like to work in the online recovery space while finding time to address mental health, his own creative projects, and what it’s like to be a stay-at-home, sober Dad. Chris is candid and funny and we really appreciate the platform he has built and the creative recove...
Aug 21, 2017•1 hr 34 min
In this episode, Tammi and Sondra tackle the topic of friendship, which was a hard conversation. When you are first getting sober, everything changes, including relationships. Some slowly rebuild into something more intentional and sweeter, some are on hold and some don’t weather sobriety at all. So they talk about what they looked like before sobriety, what they look like now and what it’s like to make new friends...and look at us! The ladies share their top three tools in their Unruffled Toolb...
Aug 14, 2017•1 hr 30 min
Today, Tammi and Sondra talk to Erin Shaw Street. Erin is a travel writer and editor based in Birmingham, Alabama. They talk about how she came to sobriety (spoiler: Sondra had a guest appearance on that Day One), how she reconciles sobriety and travel and how caftans and gold shoes make life in recovery just a little more fabulous. Erin’s motto is to “live life unedited” and with her side-kick, 11 year old son Nate, she is doing it better than well. This week Erin shares three items from her Un...
Aug 07, 2017•1 hr 15 min
Today, Tammi and Sondra dive into a conversation about gratitude. They talk about what it means to be in gratitude vs. happiness and ways you can cultivate a gratitude practice to help your own recovery and creativity. Hopefully, this conversation will inspire you to start your own practice or even expand that to a gratitude circle, where powerful bonding from meaningful exchange is limitless. Yes, it’s that good! The ladies share their top three tools in their Unruffled Toolbox for the week: So...
Jul 31, 2017•1 hr 3 min
Today, Tammi and Sondra talk to Nicole Morgan. Nicole lives in Austin, is an accountant by day; seamstress, knitter and rollergirl by night. Because Nicole is seemingly fearless in her creative endeavors and risks bruises for roller derby, she was the perfect person to talk to about fear and the girls take it on. They talk about how sobriety gives you the courage to take on other things, how discomfort, anger and stress all masquerade as fear and real strategies to sit with it and move on anyway...
Jul 24, 2017•1 hr 10 min
Tammi and Sondra very excitedly have Tiffany Han on the podcast this week. Tiffany is a writer, teacher and coach and she is the podcast host of Raise Your Hand Say Yes and the co-host of How To Be Remarkable. They talk about how her newfound sobriety aligns with her values, keeps her in flow and how that has helped her shift her own business to help other women align their creativity and spirituality so they can have businesses that feel authentic to them and feel powerful and resonate to the w...
Jul 17, 2017•1 hr 46 min
This week, Tammi and Sondra talk to Daniel Blue. Daniel is the singer/lyricist in the Seattle folk/rock band, Motopony. Like many creatives, he has worn many hats, including fashion designer, graphic designer, painter, director, actor and poet. They talk about how Tammi and Daniel met, how he came to sobriety, and what it is like to be a sober rockstar (ok, our words, not his). Daniel and Motopony are currently working on a single, soon to be released. You can find out more about him on his webs...
Jul 10, 2017•1 hr 40 min
This week, Tammi and Sondra talk to Sandy Ford. Sandy is an attorney living in Chicago and the author of www.sobermormon.com. They take a deep dive into Mormonism and recovery, and how Sandy has reconciled the two. She shares the path to finding her seat in the rooms of AA and how she finally came to believe that she deserved a sober life that wasn’t miserable. Sandy also shares how she came see her honest, tell-all writing as a path to helping others. This week Sandy shares three items from her...
Jul 03, 2017•1 hr 4 min
Today, Tammi and Sondra interview Carly Benson. Carly is a recovered addict turned faithful believer in miracles, she is the creator of the site Miracles Are Brewing, sobriety coach and yoga instructor, co-creator of The Bloom Club, a subscription-based recovery club and has recently launched Om Vibes Only, a conscious alcohol-free gathering integrating yoga, deep house music and mindfulness. In a nutshell, Carly is a sober, creative power-house and her enthusiasm is contagious. This week Carly ...
Jun 26, 2017•1 hr 18 min
Tammi and Sondra tackle the tough subject of motherhood. “Moms that drink alcoholically carry an extra set of baggage in the overhead compartment.” Living in a world where alcohol is constantly marketed to moms, it was easy to justify, until an invisible line is crossed. So much shame runs throughout and most of the Why’s are still being processed, but they work through a few things today. In the end, they talk about “modeling the solution”. “I’m proud of me and I’m proud that he gets to watch m...
Jun 19, 2017•1 hr 16 min
In this week’s episode, Tammi and Sondra check-in on four subjects: sobriety, health, family and creativity. The ladies share their top three tools in their Unruffled Toolbox for the week: Sondra’s 3 fave things: creating a Summer Master List; Bai Bubbles - a carbonated flavored drink; and staying in gratitude. Tammi’s 3 fave things: Summer Reading List: (1) The Universe Has Your Back by Gabby Bernstein; (2) What is the Bible? By Rob Bell; and (3) When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron.
Jun 12, 2017•1 hr 24 min
Today, Tammi and Sondra share their creative and recovery mentors and teachers. Sondra’s first teachers were in one-on-one situations or direct studies, while Tammi’s first teachers were discovered from books and blogs, but they had something in common: their first teachers had something they wanted. Some of the names they mention in this episode are Mary Karr, Krista Tippett, Natalie Chanin, Anne Lamott, Nici Holt Cline and Vivienne McMaster. The ladies share their top three tools in their Unru...
Jun 05, 2017•1 hr 23 min
This week, Tammi and Sondra talk about thrifting as an easily accessible creative act to repurpose your life. Tammi’s experience as, “My first real and honest creative act as an adult” differed slightly from Sondra’s “first experience in expressing myself”. However, they both used thrifting to transform aspects of their lives, including their “altars to alcohol”. From necessity to crafting a new look, if you love thrifting (like they do), this is a fun conversation! The ladies share their top th...
May 29, 2017•1 hr 22 min
Tammi and Sondra excitedly take on this sometimes boring topic by first examining the different ways in which they both tackle productivity: Tammi, a former legal secretary, is more of a taskmaster while Sondra, a former hippie, likes to follow her impulses and ride the wave. People in recovery have to make time for creativity, as it competes for the other things that have priority, like meetings, self-care, service work. They offer many ideas on how to squeeze in the creative time, such as refr...
May 22, 2017•1 hr 18 min
On the heels of the She Recovers conference in NYC, where 500 women in recovery gathered to commune and listen to speakers Glennon Doyle Melton, Gabby Bernstein, Elizabeth Vargas, Marianne Williamson, Nikki Myers, Elena Brower, Ann Dowsett Johnston, and many bloggers, Tammi and Sondra recap the event (Tammi attended, Sondra watched via livestream). Details of the event become a perfect segue to talking about the significance of writing, journaling or blogging in recovery. The ladies mention seve...
May 15, 2017•1 hr 22 min
Today, Tammi and Sondra talk about creating a community built around recovery and creativity. They talk about online groups and how that has helped them find other sober creatives, which led them to project ideas like the #artexchange. They also offer some ideas to building a face-to-face sober creative community as well. The ladies share their top three tools in their recovery-slash-creativity toolbox for the week. Sondra’s 3 fave things: Melissa Febos’s new book Abandon Me, a day listening to ...
May 08, 2017•1 hr 16 min
When we quit drinking, we have a void to fill, but where do we start if we think we aren’t creative? Tammi and Sondra dive into this topic starting with the permission slip: it’s okay to call yourself an artist, maker, writer. They cover many ideas to get you started, places for inspiration, jumping off points like Austin Kleon’s book, Steal Like An Artist or Lisa Congdon’s Creative Bug drawing classes. “Sobriety delivers what alcohol promised.” We get to actually be the person in sobriety that ...
May 01, 2017•1 hr 9 min
We turn the tables today and Sondra interviews Tammi. The OG Cali girl, Tammi talks about being very driven and a need for gold stars, opting for a career path but how her love of Martha Stewart sparked her creative flame. Always a seeker, even when her drinking amped up after a divorce, she eventually found herself blogging and journaling to find the good things, “I wanted proof of life”. Getting into recovery opened the door for going back to school for art and then led to all of the creative ...
Apr 24, 2017•1 hr 25 min
Tammi interviews Sondra in this episode. They cover where she grew up (spoiler: Texas), that her biggest childhood creative pursuit was daydreaming, watching MTV + making mix tapes, and becoming Molly Ringwald. They go into drinking, when that began to look like a problem and how that affected her pursuits of sewing, photography and writing. “There is no room for anything to grow when drinking is your main gig.” Sondra talks about what it was like getting sober, how “journaling saved my ass”, an...
Apr 17, 2017•1 hr 19 min
Sondra and Tammi introduce themselves and talk about how they met. They talk about the creative projects that make them jump out of bed every morning. They also lay out the ideas, hopes and dreams for the podcast going forward.
Apr 08, 2017•42 min
