The Sober Mom Life

Nikki’s relationship with alcohol started in an ominous way. At 11 years old she drank a small bottle of whiskey, blacked out, and woke up in the hospital. Despite this experience, Nikki wasn’t deterred from drinking in the future. She found that she didn’t have an ‘off switch’ - once she started it felt almost impossible to stop until she passed out. This lifestyle worked for her for a time, but the story changed when she had kids at 30. Suddenly, hangovers began to feel so costly and she didn’t feel like she could show up as the mom that she wanted to be. She attempted moderation, but it just felt like a balancing act that was taking up too much of her brain space. Then, one day, it dawned on her… she didn’t have to drink. Nikki continued to drink for another six months after her epiphany, until a bad hangover left her wanting to stay as far away from alcohol as possible. She decided not to drink at a party later that day, and she then took sobriety one event and one party at a time until not drinking began to feel like the norm for her! She is now over 2 years sober, and while sobriety doesn’t always feel ‘easy’ for Nikki because her family and friends still drink, but she is so grateful that she continues to make the choice because she has never once woken up the next day and wished she’d gotten drunk the night before. Community makes all the difference. Join The Sober Mom Life Cafe for 5+ Peer Support meetings each week and a private Facebook group to connect with sober and sober-curious women. Get Your Copy of my book  The Sober Shift Follow on Instagram  @thesobermomlifeWe have merch!!!! Check it out here!Love this show? Let me know by rating and reviewing the show on Apple Podcasts!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today Hilary Phelps joins me for an inspiring conversation about her 16 year sobriety journey! While you may recognize her as the oldest of the Phelps children known for their swimming fame, Hilary is known today as an addiction recovery advocate, retreat facilitator, speaker and holistic coach who is dedicated to helping women walk the path of recovery. Hilary tells the story of how alcohol robbed her of her sense of identity, the recovery path that worked so well for her until she reached an ‘emotional bottom’ at 18 months, how she came to see recovery as a lifelong commitment, and the big decision she made at 15 years sober to go public with her experience. She wants you to know that sobriety is a constant choice of choosing you, and she encourages you to seek community and connection to support your recovery. To learn more about Hilary and connect with her, visit https://www.hilaryphelps.com/ and on Instagram @Hilary recommends you read Women Who Run with Wolves Community makes all the difference. Join The Sober Mom Life Cafe for 5+ Peer Support meetings each week and a private Facebook group to connect with sober and sober-curious women. Get Your Copy of my book  The Sober Shift Follow on Instagram  @thesobermomlifeWe have merch!!!! Check it out here!Love this show? Let me know by rating and reviewing the show on Apple Podcasts!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Joanna is a beloved OG in the Sober Mom Life community (she's been coming to meetings since our very first one!) and today she’s going deeper than ever to tell the details of her very relatable sobriety story! Though alcohol was a social norm throughout Joanna’s life, her issues with drinking didn’t really start until she had kids. Almost from the beginning of motherhood, Joanna turned to alcohol as a way to manage her anxiety and exhaustion as a working mom. Eventually she was diagnosed with anxiety, but she didn’t link it to her drinking at all. Things kicked up a notch during Covid, when the disaster aligned with a very destabilizing moment in her family’s life. Alcohol became a bedrock of her and her husband’s coping strategy. As those years progressed, hard liquor became more and more common for her, and blackouts began to ensue. Joanna woke up on July 5th, 2022 after a particularly bad blackout, and she knew she was done. Joanna shares the genius approach she took to inform family and friends. She wants you to know that those conversations don’t have to go deep if you don’t want them to! Community makes all the difference. Join The Sober Mom Life Cafe for 5+ Peer Support meetings each week and a private Facebook group to connect with sober and sober-curious women. Get Your Copy of my book  The Sober Shift Follow on Instagram  @thesobermomlifeWe have merch!!!! Check it out here!Love this show? Let me know by rating and reviewing the show on Apple Podcasts!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Parenting expert Jamie Glowacki is here to share about her alcohol free journey! Jamie recently ditched alcohol for a second time in her life. She stopped drinking for years shortly after the birth of her son so that she could show up better as a new parent. As he got older, though, alcohol slowly crept back into her life. Now, she’s quit again, and with a new focus in mind: her own health and well being. Jamie tells us about her vivid drinking history (which includes time in the circus!), how her life and drinking originally changed with an unexpected pregnancy, and how her now teenage son’s behavior made her question her own alcohol choices. Plus, she sprinkles in some excellent parenting tips along the way! Jamie’s best selling book, ‘Oh Crap, Parenting’ is available here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Oh-Crap!-I-Have-a-Toddler/Jamie-Glowacki/Oh-Crap-Parenting/9781982109738Visit www.jamieglowacki.com to find all the ways to connect with Jamie. Community makes all the difference. Join The Sober Mom Life Cafe for 5+ Peer Support meetings each week and a private Facebook group to connect with sober and sober-curious women. Get Your Copy of my book  The Sober Shift Follow on Instagram  @thesobermomlifeWe have merch!!!! Check it out here!Love this show? Let me know by rating and reviewing the show on Apple Podcasts!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jillayne’s experiences with alcohol always felt problematic, going all the way back to her sorority years in college when she felt like everyone else could drink ‘normally’… except for her. Despite this rocky beginning, alcohol still made its way to the center of her adult life. In addition to having alcohol present at every social event, Jillayne began drinking to help her cope with her anxiety. What she didn’t know at the time was that the alcohol was only making her anxiety worse. Jillayne’s road to sobriety wasn’t linear. It was full of short stops after embarrassing nights and attempts at moderation. But she made it! Now, she’s 117 days sober. She wants you to know that if she can do it, you can too! No longer does she wake up anxious and full of self loathing. Now, she wakes up proud of herself every morning. Follow along with her sober journey on Instagram @jillayne1Community makes all the difference. Join The Sober Mom Life Cafe for 5+ Peer Support meetings each week and a private Facebook group to connect with sober and sober-curious women. Get Your Copy of my book  The Sober Shift Follow on Instagram  @thesobermomlifeWe have merch!!!! Check it out here!Love this show? Let me know by rating and reviewing the show on Apple Podcasts!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today's chat with Stacy will give you an inspiring sneak peek into what it’s like to be 5 years sober! Since childhood, Stacy struggled with feelings of not being good enough. This led to insecurities, social anxieties, and self loathing - and alcohol served as her tool to push it all away. Yet, the alcohol instead brought along new problems. Fertility and liver issues served as a wake up call, and while it took her a little bit of time, she finally found the courage to get sober. Stacy went through rehab, found an amazing therapist, and began journaling and meditating on the daily. Talking about the feelings that lived at the root of her pain has helped her gain love and acceptance for herself! Stacy shares advice on navigating social anxiety while sober, finding recovery tools that work for you, and how to tell your friends about your sobriety. Community makes all the difference. Join The Sober Mom Life Cafe for 5+ Peer Support meetings each week and a private Facebook group to connect with sober and sober-curious women. Get Your Copy of my book  The Sober Shift Follow on Instagram  @thesobermomlifeWe have merch!!!! Check it out here!Love this show? Let me know by rating and reviewing the show on Apple Podcasts!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mina Starsiak Hawk, the host of Good Bones on HGTV, is here to chat with me about the sobriety journey that she’s undertaken alongside her husband! If you haven’t listened to the incredibly powerful podcast that she recorded with her husband about their choice to go sober, be sure to check it out here. This conversation is full of great advice about so many aspects of sobriety. Mina shares how she shaped the conversation when she first ‘had the talk’ with her husband about his drinking. Plus, she has some fantastic ideas that you can try in order to support your own early sobriety. Follow Mina here: https://www.instagram.com/mina_starsiak_hawk/?hl=enCommunity makes all the difference. Join The Sober Mom Life Cafe for 5+ Peer Support meetings each week and a private Facebook group to connect with sober and sober-curious women. Get Your Copy of my book  The Sober Shift Follow on Instagram  @thesobermomlifeWe have merch!!!! Check it out here!Love this show? Let me know by rating and reviewing the show on Apple Podcasts!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sara’s story should be a book. After blacking out on just a few sips of her very first beer when she was almost 16, Sara decided that she needed to ‘get better at’ drinking. This resulted in multiple major rock bottoms before she even turned 21. The rollercoaster of her drinking came to a relieving pause once she became pregnant with twins. Yet, as her kids got older, beer progressively found its way back into her life until she was back to chugging multiple beers a day… and experiencing regular blackouts. A conversation with her child finally opened her eyes to her problem in a stunning and painful way. After that day, each drink came with a debilitating shame spiral. It all became too much one 4th of July weekend. The next day, with the loving support of her mother, Sara made the decision to say goodbye to alcohol for good. Sara credits self care, journaling, therapy, and having a replacement beverage on hand with helping her stay sober for 14 months! Community makes all the difference. Join The Sober Mom Life Cafe for 5+ Peer Support meetings each week and a private Facebook group to connect with sober and sober-curious women. Get Your Copy of my book  The Sober Shift Follow on Instagram  @thesobermomlifeWe have merch!!!! Check it out here!Love this show? Let me know by rating and reviewing the show on Apple Podcasts!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I received a message from a follower last week that cut right to the heart of the fear that so many women feel when considering sobriety: “I want to quit drinking… but I’m afraid I won’t be any fun”.Today my therapist mom and I will help you reframe your thinking around ‘boredom’ so that you can more easily visualize the vibrant life that lies waiting for you on the other side. Because in a culture obsessed with alcohol, sobriety is not boring. It’s edgy, rebellious, and incredibly freeing!Learn more about Erik Erickson’s Stages of Development: https://www.simplypsychology.org/erik-erikson.htmlCommunity makes all the difference. Join The Sober Mom Life Cafe for 5+ Peer Support meetings each week and a private Facebook group to connect with sober and sober-curious women. Get Your Copy of my book  The Sober Shift Follow on Instagram  @thesobermomlifeWe have merch!!!! Check it out here!Love this show? Let me know by rating and reviewing the show on Apple Podcasts!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today’s real sober mom Melissa has such a relatable sobriety journey. She had always had a love/hate relationship with alcohol. No matter how ‘fun’ it felt to cut through her anxiety and let loose by getting drunk, she always ended up suffering through a terrible shame spiral the next day. Still, this all seemed ‘normal’, so she kept it up throughout so many stages of her life. Even though she was ready to quit drinking, Melissa’s fear of losing her friends kept a drink in her hand for a long time. She finally found the courage to do it and is now 6 months sober! In sobriety, Melissa has found a connection with her true authentic self. She feels so much more able to show up for her kids in a consistent way. And her social life? Sure, it’s changed… but it was a change that she was so ready for! Melissa encourages you to push through the fear and to listen to your gut! You’ll know it’s time when you’re ready. Community makes all the difference. Join The Sober Mom Life Cafe for 5+ Peer Support meetings each week and a private Facebook group to connect with sober and sober-curious women. Get Your Copy of my book  The Sober Shift Follow on Instagram  @thesobermomlifeWe have merch!!!! Check it out here!Love this show? Let me know by rating and reviewing the show on Apple Podcasts!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.