Sober Fit Life

Long before anyone sits down to have "the talk" about alcohol, kids are already watching. They're watching how we unwind after a hard day. They're watching what we reach for at dinner parties. They're absorbing the message that this is just what adults do. This week I'm joined by two people who know how to talk to kids about alcohol — Samantha Straub and Dr. Melissa Wellner, the duo behind the Par...

I have been thinking about this question ever since a woman in one of my groups asked it out loud and I knew I had to dedicate an entire episode to it. She said, " Why am I working so hard to keep this substance in my life?" That's it. That's the whole question. And I promise you, if you sit with it honestly, it will shift something. Because most of us (and I was absolutely one of them) are not as...

This guest is the literal definition of Sober Fit Life, and I could not wait to share her story with you. Laney Dimezza is a certified personal trainer based in New Jersey who ditched alcohol while navigating perimenopause at the same time. She's also a licensed drone pilot and real estate photographer, a mom, and honestly, one of the most quotable people I've ever talked to. Lainey was a national...

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, but honestly, this conversation should be happening all the time. There's something that's still missing from too many mental health conversations, and I'm just going to say it: alcohol. We've come a long way in talking openly about depression, anxiety, therapy, and medication. But the thing nobody wants to name? How much alcohol might be quietly (and sometime...

Okay, I have to be honest, this episode started because Tina Lanzoni sent out an email with the subject line Why Yoga is Better Than Wine after returning from a retreat in Costa Rica. And I immediately had to get her on the podcast. Tina is a yoga therapist, meditation teacher, somatic instructor, and indoor cycling coach with over 10,000 hours of teaching experience. She's a certified yoga therap...

In this episode of Sober Fit Life, I'm doing something I've been wanting to do for a long time — I'm reading you my actual journal entries from the month leading up to my last drink on September 14th, 2021. The shame. The bargaining. The waking up at 2am asking what is wrong with me? The promises I made to myself that I broke over and over again. I wrote all of it down, and I want you to hear it —...

Dr. Betsy Greenleaf is renowned as a premier expert in menopause and andropause, a bestselling author, entrepreneur, and innovative specialist in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery with over two decades of experience. She was the first female in the United States to achieve board certification in urogynecology — which she had to explain to us because her own mom thought it sounded l...

I'm busting the myth of the overnight transformation and getting into the real reason why you might not feel amazing right away: it's not a moral failing, it's chemistry. When we drink regularly over time, alcohol takes over jobs our brain used to handle on its own — dopamine production, GABA regulation, stress response, relaxation. Our brain, always trying to conserve energy, stops producing thos...

In this episode of Sober Fit Life, I'm joined by one of my most dedicated coaching clients — Sandra Draper, joining me all the way from Western Australia. Sandra holds a senior leadership role in the Western Australian government, supporting innovative companies as they grow, and she is one of the most committed people I've had the privilege of coaching. Sandra shares how her relationship with alc...

I am so excited to share this episode with you because it's one I've been wanting to do for a while, a real, behind-the-scenes look at what the coaching process actually looks like from my client's perspective. Michael Levins is one of my coaching clients, and he came on to tell his story completely unfiltered. And honestly? I think so many of you are going to hear yourselves in him. Michael was a...

I'm so excited to share this conversation with you! I had the privilege of sitting down with my friend Christy Osborne, and let me tell you, her story is incredibly powerful. I've watched some of her journey firsthand, from writing her book to creating the 40-day fast that's now changing thousands of lives.  Christy is a Christian sobriety coach, author, and host of the Love Life Sober podcas...

On the fence about coaching with Maureen Benkovich? Hear what it’s really like—from an actual client. Trina Dolenz is a couples therapist and relationship expert (VH1’s Tool Academy ), author of Retool Your Relationship , and a familiar voice from the Dr. Drew universe (including guest hosting Loveline ). And in this episode of Sober Fit Life , she’s not here to “teach”—she’s here to share her rea...

In this episode of Sober Fit Life, I’m breaking down one of the most overlooked reasons people keep drinking, even when they don’t want to: people pleasing disguised as politeness. This conversation is about what happens when alcohol becomes a social smoothing tool—not because you’re craving it, but because you’re trying to manage other people’s comfort, avoid awkwardness, or prevent imagined judg...

Welcome back to Sober Fit Life! It's been a while, and there's a reason for that. 2025 threw me some major curveballs—two spine surgeries, a booze-filled cruise, and turning 60. In this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain and sharing exactly what I learned navigating all of it completely alcohol-free. I talk about the mental work it took to recover from surgery without numbing out, what happened...

In this episode of Sober Fit Life, I’m joined by my friend and former client Carrie Chojnowski, who returns to the podcast 14 months after completing my Six-Week Alcohol Reset. Carrie originally joined the reset out of curiosity, not because her drinking looked “out of control,” but because alcohol no longer aligned with the life and health she was building. Carrie shares what’s shifted since remo...

In this episode, I’m walking you through the exact strategies I teach my clients when the holidays start holiday-ing a little too hard. Think: bottomless drinks, unending invitations, and that tiny inner voice that whispers, “We’ll deal with this in January.” (Fun fact: "January You" strongly disagrees.) We cover the tools and mindset shifts that help you move through this season with more clarity...

In this episode, Maureen sits down with Becca Stahl, the editor behind Sober Fit Life. What started as a casual conversation about sobriety turned into a powerful story of transformation that needed to be shared. Becca opens up about quitting drinking in her late twenties while working in the alcohol industry, how she discovered the concept of sober curiosity before she even knew what it was calle...

Could your struggle with alcohol actually be your brain's cry for dopamine? In this eye-opening episode, I sit down with Jheri South, certified ADHD specialist and neurodivergent woman, to uncover the shocking connection between undiagnosed ADHD and addiction. If you've ever felt like your emotions are too big, your reactions too intense, or wondered why willpower never seems to stick, this conver...

In this episode, I'm joined by Katie Scott and Megan Poakeart, the creators of The Sober Empath.  They join me for a conversation that flips the script on sobriety. Instead of viewing alcohol-free living as an ending, they show us how it’s truly “the beginning of everything.” They share insights from their new book—part playful throwback to 80s Highlights magazines, part powerful mirror of th...

In this episode of Sober Fit Life , I sit down with Toni, whose story proves that even when life throws you curveballs, you can still step into your power and create lasting change. Toni Will is a powerhouse in professional sports and the first female general manager and governor in the East Coast Hockey League, where she leads the Kalamazoo Wings. Toni opens up about her journey from living in a...

This episode of Sober Fit Life is filled with wisdom, truth, and inspiration from my conversation with Hearon. We talked about his powerful journey toward sobriety, how his faith has guided him, and the ways he’s learned to embrace a life of freedom and purpose without alcohol. Hearon shared what it was like to live in the tension between who he was and who he wanted to be. He spoke honestly about...

Mo and I dove deep into her journey with alcohol, from the moments where drinking seemed like just part of life to the realization that it was holding her back from the life she truly wanted. She opened up about the personal and professional shifts she’s experienced since choosing sobriety, and how that decision has rippled into every corner of her life. We explored how social expectations around...

This episode is extra special because Heather Marie Morse isn’t just a guest, she’s an old friend. We first crossed paths back in 2008 or 2009 when I was teaching Pilates, and over the years, our lives kept intersecting; in bars, at parties, even as neighbors in the same building. Back then, we were drinking buddies, each trying to keep it together on the outside while struggling silently on the i...

When you think about removing alcohol, it’s not just a habit you’re letting go of, it’s a part of your identity. For decades, drinking was woven into my work, social life, celebrations, and downtime. Letting it go meant untangling limiting beliefs like “I won’t be fun without alcohol” or “I won’t fit in at social events.” In this episode, I share how alcohol became so enmeshed in my life that remo...

I had the best time talking with Josh James, founder of Ocean Beach Cafe in San Francisco and a true pioneer in the alcohol-free movement. Josh’s story is wild in the best way: he went from being a bartender to opening one of the first non-alcoholic bars in the country. We talk about what really happens when you remove alcohol, not just from your body, but from your identity. Josh shares how takin...