Sober Stories

Title: Overcoming Opioids with Bachelorette alum, Hunter Montgomery   In this episode of Sober Stories, host Beth Bowen sits down with Hunter Montgomery for an honest conversation about his personal journey through opoid addiction and recovery. Starting with an innocuous prescription of Vicodin for a football injury during his university years, Hunter candidly shares how his dependency evolved, le...

In this episode of Sober Stories, host Beth Bowen welcomes Millie Gooch, founder of Sober Girl Society, for a deep conversation on the journey to sobriety and the importance of creating a supportive, non-judgemental community for those seeking an alcohol-free lifestyle. Millie, an alcohol-free advocate and accomplished author, shares her personal journey, reflecting on how her experiences getting...

Content Warning: This episode includes discussions about eating disorders and cannabis use. If these topics might be triggering for you, please know we always support you skipping to the next episode.   In this episode, Beth interviews Meg Fee, the voice behind the Instagram page @youdonthavetodrink. Meg shares her Sober Story, from her upbringing in an Irish-American family where drinking was nor...

Title: Alcohol + the LGBTQIA+ Community, with Amy C. Willis In this episode, Sober Stories host, Beth Bowen, interviews Amy C. Willis, a highly respected sober coach known for her unique and holistic approach to sobriety. As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, Amy provided insight into the interwoven complexities of queerness, substance use, and the recovery process. Amy's candid reflections on he...

[Title]: The Sober Black Girls Club: Embracing Sobriety, Authenticity, and Joy with Khadi A. Oluwatoyin Khadi Oluwatoyin, a Nigerian-American, was born and raised in the heart of New York but is currently living in Tulsa Oklahoma, home of Black Wall Street and first settled by the Lochapoka Band of Creek Native American tribe. Khadi is an attorney, mental health and sobriety advocate, consultant,...

Title: Duality: Navigating Life's Contrasts with Bachelor Alum, Dr. Taylor Nolan   Dr. Taylor Nolan is a celebrated mental health advocate, therapist, and podcast host known for her compassionate and authentic approach to navigating complex emotional and psychological issues. With a master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and a doctorate in Human Sexuality, Taylor brings a unique pers...

Jennie Canzoneri joins Sober Stories host Beth Bowen to talk about self-compassion and gentle self-talk after we make mistakes. Jennie shares her experience drinking again after long-term abstinence, how she returned to her sobriety, and all of the thoughts and self-talk that came along the way. Beth and Jenny talk about having to re-learn how to cope in healthy ways, the power of community, and h...

Kevin Kreider of Bling Empire joins Sober Stories host Beth Bowen to discuss alcohol in Hollywood, how sobriety gives us everything we thought we'd get from alcohol and the importance of visibility of minority communities in recovery. Beth and Kevin talk about how his sobriety has been represented on the show, Bling Empire, and how that visibility encouraged him to create his own non-alcoholic bev...

Content warning: In this episode, our guest discusses childhood abuse/neglect and suicidal ideation/attempt.    Inaya Zuwena joins Sober Stories host Beth Bowen to discuss how sobriety has helped her work through childhood trauma and PTSD, the "rock bottom" that prompted her to get sober, and how sobriety unlocked her queer identity as a bisexual woman. Beth and Inaya talk about how her sobriety h...

Yaz Spark joins Sober Stories host Beth Bowen to discuss the rapidly changing landscape in the non-alcoholic beverage space, diversity within the sober community, and how her own story motivated her to make zero-proof fun. Beth and Yaz talk about the shift in the way people are thinking about alcohol, how ditching booze dramatically impacted her anxiety, and how sometimes we lose friends along the...

David Wilson joins Sober Stories host Beth Bowen to share the story of how he went from being known by the nickname "Glugs" (at age 14) to "Sober Dave." Beth and Dave talk about the way his childhood impacted his drinking career early on, how his mental health had become impacted by alcohol, and eventually, how he quit drinking in his 50s. Dave explains the power of completely ending a relationshi...

Content warning: In this episode, we briefly discuss suicidal thoughts/thoughts of self-harm.    Michelle Tea joins Sober Stories host Beth Bowen to discuss coming of age in queer, punk culture of the 80's and 90's, the growing literary scene at that time, and how drugs and alcohol began taking a toll on her happiness. Michelle tells us what it has been like re-learning how to write, sober, and ab...

AspenRidge CEO Shannon Van Deman joins Sober Stories host Beth Bowen to discuss where the recovery field is getting it right, helping people overcome addiction, and where the recovery field still has work to do. Shannon shares her personal connection to the recovery space — her experience growing up in a family where multiple people experienced addiction, including her brother, who passed away in...

Nikita Mehta joins Sober Stories host Beth Bowen to discuss the agency and choice that we have to make considerable changes in our lives. Beth and Nikita talk about what made her last experience at a rehabilitation facility "stick," her experience after leaving an unsatisfying marriage, and how yoga and mindfulness have been woven through every stage. Nikita explains the importance of incremental...

CONTENT WARNING: In this episode, Kayla discusses her experience with eating disorders.    Kayla Lyons joins Sober Stories host Beth Bowen to discuss what it means to be "soberish."  Beth and Kayla talk about her experience in active addiction to benzodiazepines and alcohol, how court-mandated rehab put her on the path to sobriety, and how that sobriety has evolved over the last 7 years of her rec...

CONTENT WARNING: In this episode, Bean shares her experiences with domestic violence and with suicidal ideation.   Bean Gill joins Sober Stories host Beth Bowen to discuss how a virus taking the use of her legs eventually led her on a path towards sobriety. Bean talks about how she used alcohol to cope with an abusive marriage, how she ultimately learned to connect with feelings and emotions witho...

Lazarus Letcher joins Sober Stories host Beth Bowen to discuss gender, identity, race, and their intersection with sobriety. Beth and Lazarus talk about how Laz used to use alcohol as a way to perform masculinity, Laz's experience as a trans man before and after sobriety, and how powerful it is to see queer, sober elders in their community. Laz explains what the recovery industry is getting wrong...

Brittany Kay joins Sober Stories host Beth Bowen to discuss how her sobriety has influenced her mental health journey, eventually leading her to pursue a graduate degree in counseling. Beth and Brittany talk about how her struggle with alcohol came after rehab for Adderall, what it was like finding sobriety in her 20s, and how her relationship with the 12-steps has evolved over time. Brittany shar...

Shea Gomez of @noboozebabes joins Sober Stories host Beth Bowen to discuss living an alcohol-free life as a 20-something. Beth and Shea dig into what sober sex is like, and how intimacy when you're fully present, is different than when you're drinking. Beth and Shea talk about how sobriety has changed her career in musical theater, what it's like on the dating apps as a sober person, and how sobri...

Ruby Warrington joins Sober Stories host Beth Bowen to talk about the rapid evolution of the sober curious movement. Ruby shares the origin story of the term "sober curious," and what it was like to begin to put words to a new way of conceptualizing ones' relationship with alcohol. Beth and Ruby talk about how alcohol is portrayed in media, and how it actually separates us from others when we desp...

Content warning: In this episode, Tawny briefly discusses the statistical prevalence of alcohol in cases of date rape.    Tawny Lara joins Sober Stories host Beth Bowen to discuss sex, sexuality, and relationships, without alcohol. Tawny talks about how her upbringing as the child of a rock star impacted her view of alcohol — her father was in the metal hair band Vicious Rumors, and she spent much...

Victoria Towery joins Sober Stories host Beth Bowen to discuss how sobriety allowed her to put the pieces together and embrace her queer identity as a bisexual woman. Victoria shares the story of the first time she tried to come out to a trusted teacher in 6th grade, and the trauma that kept her closeted for years to come. Beth and Victoria talk about how we can perform one identity while hiding a...

Edward Popil, a.k.a. Mrs. Kasha Davis, joins Sober Stories host Beth Bowen to discuss how alcohol and sobriety have impacted his career as a performer and Drag Queen. Ed shares how alcohol became a coping mechanism early in life, as he experienced the rejection of his family after coming out as gay. Beth and Ed talk about the joy of performing and creating, sober, and what his life has been like s...

Cait Madry joins Sober Stories host Beth Bowen to discuss her experience getting sober in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic. Cait shares what it was like falling in love with a woman for the first time, and how her relationship with her partner evolved as they both decided to go alcohol-free, together. Beth and Cait talk about the facade of alcohol in Hollywood, and how her sobriety has impac...

CONTENT WARNING: In this episode of Sober Stories, our guest shares her experience of having suicidal thoughts while drinking or recovering from drinking.    Jordan Grainger joins Sober Stories host Beth Bowen to discuss her experience as a sober curious 23-year-old. Jordan shares why she decided to do a 100-day No Alcohol challenge, what she learned in that time, and how she looks at alcohol now...