The One Day At A Time Recovery Podcast

What do you do when you've had a $28 million business exit — and then watch nearly all of it disappear? If you're Diane Prince, you eventually find Al-Anon, do the work, and rebuild a life and business that's more fulfilling than anything you had before. In this episode, Arlina sits down with Diane — entrepreneur, business strategist, and Al-Anon member of 17 years — for one of the most honest con...

What if the biggest obstacle to your success isn't your skill set, your circumstances, or even your past — but your addiction to staying stuck? That's the central thread of my conversation with Peter Moulton, a 35-year recovery veteran, entrepreneur, and author of  UP: A Journey of Intention, Focus, and Execution . Peter has spent nearly three decades coaching entrepreneurs and leaders, and what h...

You Don't Have to Lose Everything First: What Step One Really Teaches Us If you've ever looked at the 12 steps and thought that's not for me, you're not alone. I thought the same thing for years. The God stuff felt like a barrier. The word "powerless" felt insulting. And the idea that my life had to look like a wreck before I qualified? That kept me stuck longer than anything else. This week on th...

What if the secret to lasting change isn't a single powerful moment, but thousands of tiny, unremarkable ones? That's the central idea behind Eric Zimmer's powerful new book,  How a Little Becomes a Lot: The Art of Small Changes for a More Meaningful Life . Eric is the host of  The One You Feed  podcast and a long-time figure in the recovery community with 26 years of sobriety. In Episode 424, he...

When Nothing Goes According to Plan — and That's the Point Andrew Lassise didn't get sober because he wanted to. He got sober because a judge gave him a choice: jail or rehab. He chose rehab. And as he'll tell you, that was the best decision he never really made. Andrew's story is the kind that makes you laugh out loud and then quietly reassess your own life. At 16, he was blacking out at parties....

What if your energy was like a bag of Skittles? That's the metaphor Anne uses in this conversation, and once you hear it, you can't unsee it. Every day you wake up with a limited number of Skittles. Each one represents your energy — mentally, emotionally, and physically. The problem? Most of us are throwing our Skittles away without even realizing it. We spend them worrying about things we can't c...

The Beliefs That Shape Our Behavior One of the most frustrating experiences in life is knowing exactly what to do, but still not doing it. If you've ever tried to quit drinking, build a new habit, improve your health, or pursue a goal and found yourself slipping back into old patterns, you're not alone. In this episode, I talk with behavioral design expert and bestselling author Nir Eyal about why...

The Root Cause of Emotional Eating In Sobriety There's something we don't talk about enough. You quit drinking. You do the work. You go to meetings. You build a life you're proud of. And then… You find yourself standing in the kitchen at 9pm. Again. Maybe it's sugar. Maybe it's "just a little snack." Maybe it's eating in secret. Maybe it's feeling out of control around food in a way that feels eer...

The Best Worst Thing That Ever Happened A conversation on sobriety, entrepreneurship, and rebuilding a life that actually works There's a certain kind of person who can build something from nothing. They're driven. Intense. Creative. Restless. They work hard. They push. They win. And sometimes… they self-destruct. In this conversation, Tim shares what it looked like to be both a high-achieving ent...

The Respectable Addiction: When Work Becomes the Coping Mechanism A reflection on burnout, identity, and recovery — plus practical action steps There's an addiction we rarely talk about because it looks like ambition. It earns praise. Promotions. Respect. It hides behind phrases like "driven," "productive," and "hard-working." But for many high achievers, work isn't just effort — it's a coping mec...

Can I Moderate? Why This Question Matters More Than We Talk About For most of my recovery journey, I held a pretty firm belief: If you're questioning your drinking, the answer is probably abstinence. That belief came from both lived experience, as well as observing other people who struggle with alcohol. Personally, I never drank normally. From the very first drink, the switch flipped on—and it st...

There's a point in many recovery journeys where insight stops being the problem. You know what to do. You understand your patterns. And yet… change still feels hard. In this episode, I talk with Paula Robbins, author of Hitchhiking Into Recovery, who has over 37 years of sobriety, about why that happens—and what actually sustains healing over the long haul.     The Ride That Opened the Door Paula'...

Quitting Drinking Was Easy. Learning How to Parent Angry Kids Was Not. One of the things I loved about my conversation with Zach Brittle is how honest he was about what recovery really looks like—especially for parents. Zach said something that stopped me in my tracks: "Quitting drinking was the easiest part." For him, the real work began when alcohol was gone and anger, resentment, and emotional...

One of the most powerful moments in this conversation came when Amber said: "I didn't want to do what I was doing… but it became my comfort zone." If you've ever struggled with food, alcohol, or any compulsive behavior, you know exactly what she means. This episode isn't about dieting. It's about why the body holds on — to weight, habits, protection, and survival patterns — even when we desperatel...

I recently sat down with my dear friend and author, John Loxley to discuss the fundamentals of sobriety. John is 15 years sober and works in mental health services in the UK. We weren't talking about shiny breakthroughs or dramatic transformations. We were talking about the basics — the things that quietly keep sobriety intact, year after year. Because here's the truth: most people don't relapse b...

Hi friend, thank you for downloading the episode, my name is Arlina and I'll be your host.   In case you haven't seen it, the new show notes include all the action steps and links to resources mentioned in the podcast, along with a link to the YouTube interview. You can access them by visiting the website at odaatchat.com   I keep hearing from listeners that they are missing some of the episodes a...

Anxiety Isn't the Problem — It's the Habit Loop Behind It I recently had a conversation with psychiatrist and neuroscientist Jud Brewer that stopped me in my tracks — not because it was abstract or inspirational, but because it finally explained something I've lived with for decades. Even in long-term sobriety. Even with years of self-work, therapy, meetings, journaling, and personal development....

One of the biggest takeaways from this conversation with Emma is that anxiety, depression, and burnout aren't character flaws—they're nervous system responses to feeling unsafe. We talked about how depression often mirrors the nervous system's shutdown response, and how anxiety shows up as fight-or-flight. When your body feels overwhelmed for too long, it doesn't motivate you—it protects you. Why...

Choosing Yourself Isn't Selfish — It's Necessary In this episode of The One Day at a Time Recovery Podcast, I sit down with Hakeem to talk about what happens when performance, substances, and distractions can no longer protect us from unresolved pain. Hakeem shares how the death of his younger brother, years of buried grief, elite athletics, addiction, and eventually incarceration led him to a mom...

How Journaling, Community & Self-Compassion Can Transform Recovery: A Conversation with Sonia In this episode, Sonia from Sisters in Sobriety joins us for a deeply honest conversation about recovery, journaling, trauma, and rebuilding life after addiction. Sonia shares how her drinking escalated from teenage experimentation to daily wine-drinking as a high-functioning professional. While she never...

Today I am joined by Brett Eaton, who is a motivational speaker, high performance coach, and the best selling author of "Uncomfortable Either Way: The Blueprint For Building Confidence Through Discomfort". You might think that he doesn't fit the typical guest profile, but Brett's expertise on building confidence, behavior change, identity shifts, and building momentum - are the foundational buildi...

In today's episode, I sit down with my dear friend Julie Bloom - She's a coach, mental health trainer, multilingual communicator, and survivor of childhood abuse, and severe workplace trauma.  Julie shares her remarkable story of navigating PTSD, burnout, trauma, addiction, and a complete midlife unraveling… and how she rebuilt her identity through emotional regulation, nonviolent communication, a...

In this powerful and deeply honest conversation, I sit down with David Shamszad, author of I Am Someone You Know: The Fight for Recovery and Mental Health, to talk about the hidden pain behind high-functioning addiction, growing up in an alcoholic home, and the courage it takes to heal. David shares his journey through childhood trauma, undiagnosed bipolar disorder, suicidal ideation, and eventual...

When Ashley Jo's world fell apart—the death of her young son, the collapse of her marriage, and the depths of addiction—she turned her pain into purpose. In this raw and emotional conversation, Ashley shares how she survived unimaginable grief, overcame suicidal thoughts, and found healing through sobriety, grace, and faith. We talk about: The devastating diagnosis and loss of her son What it's re...

At sixteen, Sean typed "how to end my life" into Google. What he found that night set him on a path of healing, spirituality, and eventually — the creation of Rosebud , an AI-powered journaling app that helps people process pain and grow. In this raw and honest conversation, Sean and Arlina explore depression, men's mental health, and how AI can actually become a compassionate mirror for self-awar...