The Sober Mom Life

Jess grew up in the alcohol-soaked culture of Wisconsin. It was everywhere - in her home, on the TV, and at every social event. She didn’t even know for a long time that it was an option to quit drinking.  When motherhood entered the picture in Jess’s mid-20s, drinking became her daily way to cope. She knew deep down that she had an issue, but she wasn’t ready to face it. Instead, she focused...

This episode is such a dream team of badass sober women! I got together with Gillian Tietz of Sober Powered , Casey Davidson of The Hello Someday Podcast and Amanda E. White of Therapy for Women and The Recoverd-ish Podcast to talk about all things Sober October.  This episode is great for you if you’re just starting out on your sobriety journey with Sober October or if you’re checking in as...

Today Amanda is here to share her story as she nears 10 months of sobriety!  Amanda’s father quit drinking and joined AA when she was ten, and from then on alcohol became a strict ‘no’ in her household… but no one would tell her why. This inability to talk to her parents about emotions and big things led Amanda to develop a secret life in high school - one of sneaking around, drinking, and ke...

There comes a time in every woman’s sobriety journey when she feels called to proudly own sobriety and leave the shame behind. ‘Coming out’ as sober to your family, friends, or even publicly can feel scary! So today, Audrey and I are here to help you think through how to handle these conversations and announcements when you’re ready.  We chat about tactics and phrases for sharing your sobriety sto...

Today’s real sober mom Heather knew the havoc that addiction could wreak after spending years in a marriage with a man addicted to pills. In comparison, her challenges with alcohol never seemed that bad. Yet, as the years moved on and Heather went through the grief of losing her mom, her drinking intensified and she began to notice a decline in both her mental and physical health.  Heather’s...

Managing anger and emotions is one of the most common topics that comes up in our Sober Mom Cafe meetings. Once the barrier of alcohol is removed, it is so common to feel a lot of the emotions that you’ve been numbing for years. Today my mom Susan, our resident psychologist, joins me to talk about dealing with these emotions that arise in early sobriety. You’ll learn what’s happening in your brain...

Today Joanne joins me to share the wisdom she has collected over her 5 YEARS of sobriety! Hear the reaffirming stories of how she finally took the leap to stop drinking, the beautiful support she has received from family and friends, and what it feels like to confidently step into the identity of a sober woman.  Joanne is absolutely in love with her sober life! She wants you to know that if y...

Courtney Andersen, the brilliant mind behind @ sober.vibes , is on the show today to talk about her new book “Sober Vibes: A Guide to Thriving in Your First Three Months Without Alcohol”. @ sober.vibes is one of the first sobriety accounts I followed when I began my sobriety journey, and it’s still one of my absolute favorites!  As a sober coach, Courtney’s goal is to help you shed the ‘shoul...

Today, Bethany bravely shares her story of navigating a traumatic pregnancy decision in the wake of Roe v Wade being overturned. Join us as we discuss the space that sobriety can create for healing, the little moments of beauty that can only be experienced by a sober mind, and so much more.  Bethany wants you to know that committing to sobriety can be one of the biggest acts of self love.&nbs...

Content warning: In this episode I discuss sexual assault. As many of you know, I absolutely love Bravo. It’s my escapism and one of my favorite ways to unwind. Earlier this month, Bravo aired one of the most important episodes they’ve ever had. It affected me in a big way and I have to talk about it. If you are a woman who has suffered from the shame of what happened when you were blackout drunk,...

Growing up in a big Italian family, alcohol was everywhere during Bri's childhood. From sips of wine from her parent’s glasses to beers while celebrating basketball games, Bri was raised to see alcohol as a fun way for adults to unwind and connect with each other.  When Bri became a mom herself, she began to understand her own mother’s nightly drink, and gradually Mommy Wine Culture became ce...

Get ready, because today we’re tackling one of the biggest topics that comes up in the community: sober sex! Tawny Lara, ‘Sober Sexpert’ and author of the upcoming book “Dry Humping: A Guide to Dating, Relating, and Hooking Up Without the Booze” joins me on the podcast for a fantastic conversation about all things sex and sobriety.  Our chat (and her book!) goes so much deeper than dating. Ta...

Today I’m joined by Jaime (our very first returning sober mom!) for an update on how she’s doing as she reaches one year of sobriety.  Jaime’s journey in this first year of sobriety has been so inspirational in all aspects of her life, from her health to her friendships and relationships, and even her brand new morning routine. Most excitingly, Jaime has become a certified sober coach! Learn...

Today I’m joined by Payal Desai, the wonderful influencer behind @PayalForStyle!  As a South Asian woman and a teacher, Payal doesn’t believe she fits the ‘mold’ that people would expect when they think of a person with alcohol dependency. So, she’s gone public with her sobriety journey to make sure that other women know that they aren’t alone!  In today’s episode Payal generously shares...

Today, Liz joins me on the Real Sober Moms!  Growing up, the adults in Liz’s family would often congregate at her family’s home to drink and ‘let loose’, resulting in an environment where Liz felt unsafe and invisible. Despite that discomfort, she learned to equate alcohol with fun, and emotional connection. This difficult combination of emotions led to challenges for Liz in high school when...

Today Lindsey shares her incredibly relatable story of masking grief and trauma with alcohol until it became too much. It turns out, the very thing that  she thought was helping her was actually making her life infinitely harder.  After stumbling upon The Sober Mom Life Facebook group last fall, Lindsey began to wonder if it was time to ditch alcohol for both her mental and physical health. The fi...

Casey McGuire Davidson of The Hello Someday Podcast is joining me today for a must listen collab episode! If you’ve struggled to understand how you were tricked into Mommy Wine Culture, this episode is for you.  Casey, a long time marketing director, and I (a long time influencer) shine a glaring light on Big Alcohol’s marketing schemes in this episode. We talk about how influencer marketing...

Today I’m joined by Dani, a fellow Wisconsinite who is celebrating 84 days sober! Dani never thought she’d make it this far with sobriety. Alcohol had been central to her life since childhood… She grew up spending days in bars with her dad, was given her first drink by her dad, and was always led to believe that alcohol was just a normal part of life. At the same time, though, she dealt with abuse...

Annie Grace has a saying: “99% is a bitch. 100% is a breeze.”  The mental gymnastics of moderation can be exhausting and terribly shame-inducing. It puts all of the pressure on you to control the situation, while overlooking the fact that alcohol is a highly addictive substance. Today I encourage you to consider a path where you truly are in control: sobriety. It might feel like a dramatic ch...

Kacey has been a loyal listener of the Real Sober Mom chats since the beginning of her sobriety journey and today it’s her turn to tell her story!  Today, Kacey shares how she questioned her drinking for years before she quit, the ups and downs she had on the way to achieving sobriety, and all the ways in which social media helped her along the way. Kacey drank because she thought that it wou...

My mom and brother are joining me today for a banter-filled chat about how to think about alcohol when taking big trips that are bucket list experiences. Plus, get our thoughts on how hallucinogens and other drugs increasingly being studied as mental health therapies are (and aren’t) related to the conversation when talking about sobriety. If you want more from me and my brother, check out our (cu...

Today Shelby joins me to share her sobriety journey. Join us for a chat about numbing difficult emotions, postpartum depression, the ‘torture’ of moderation, and the lessons learned when returning to alcohol after a stretch of sobriety.  Shelby is now 8 months sober and wants you to know that hard things are always going to come your way. Either you can choose to numb each new hard thing. Or...

Today I’m joined by my friend, author Kimberly Kearns! Her book ‘On the Edge of Shattered: A Mother’s Experience Discovering Freedom Through Sobriety’ is a must read, and she’s here to talk all about it.  Join us for a chat about how her book came to be, how to manage social anxiety without alcohol, the challenging road of navigating friendships that were reliant on drinking after becoming so...

Michelle’s sobriety story is so relatable. While alcohol had been a big part of her life since high school, after having a child she settled into being a ‘special occasions and weekends’ drinker. Blackouts and hangovers occurred when she drank, but since it wasn’t very often she didn’t think much of it.  During Covid, things changed. Michelle found herself drinking almost nightly. The blackou...

Today I’m joined by Deb The Mocktail Mom for a fun chat about what to drink when you’re not drinking.  Deb is full of ideas for how to keep the ritual of a relaxing drink in your life once you’ve ditched alcohol. Tune in for simple tips, her opinions on non-alcoholic beverages, and even how to talk to bartenders if you’d like a mocktail while out on the town.  Debbie encourages you to ta...