Starting Over on Your Alcohol Free Journey
Sober Edge
Getting a 'fresh start' or 'a new lease on life' might seem the perfect way to begin your alcohol-free journey. But, what if we have some time away from alcohol, and then we go back to drinking, first just the occasional glass of wine, or beer on a hot summer's day. Gradually, (or maybe rapidly), we find ourselves drinking again every day. Now it's time to start again. In this episode of The Sober Edge, I introduce you to a concept that sounds just slightly different from starting over but, in practice, is actually very different. Starting from where you are allows one to take the...
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Straight Talk on Surgeon General's Alcohol Warning
Sober Edge
Breaking news: Surgeon general calls for cancer warnings on alcohol. This headline generated a lot of messages and conversations with my family, clients and colleagues. It's happening! Maybe... It’s been nearly four decades since Congress approved the first government warning label on alcohol, the one that says pregnant women shouldn’t drink and warns about the dangers of driving while drinking. No updates have been made since then. Any effort to add a cancer warning label to alcohol would face significant push-back from a well-funded and powerful beverage industry,...
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A Word to Live By for 2025
Sober Edge
Happy 2025! I love the energy of intention that comes with a new year. I no longer set resolutions, but I believe it is important to explore where we have been and what is ahead. I have been enjoying hearing from other thought leaders and some of my mentors about how they embrace the new year. In this episode of The Sober Edge Podcast, I share my own fondness for selecting a word of the year. This is a practice I have embraced for the past 5 years and one of my favorite ways to embrace the new year. I guess I am a sucker for rituals! Here are a few other things I cover on...
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My Christmas Wish
Sober Edge
My life changed profoundly in 2015 when I decided I would give up alcohol. I knew I wanted something different, but I had no idea that this life would be better than my wildest dreams! I was simply ditching booze because I needed to change something. I had a sense it was alcohol that might be standing in the way of a more fulfilling life, but I didn't know for sure. Now I do. My Christmas wish for all of you is to discover how much bigger and brighter and better life can be when we stop hiding and numbing and tamping down our true self. It's not that giving up alcohol in...
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The 'Awakened' Path with Billy Wynne
Sober Edge
Zen, Coffee and Alcohol-free living I recently sat down with Billy Wynne, co-founder of Awake, one of the first sober bars in the U.S, and author of the upcoming book, The Empty Path. Billy shares his personal journey of how he gave up alcohol and how all roads started with his Zen Buddhist practice. Billy recalls that initially, like many of us, he made up rules about his drinking, one of which was 'never drink alone'. This led him to acknowledge that drinking didn't really have a place in his life and, in fact, he felt liberated from alcohol vs. deprived. He shares the story of Awake and his...
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The Compassionate Side of Addiction
Sober Edge
Compassion and Self-Compassion is critical for your AF journey. One of the most important steps in our AF journey is learning how to move through life with more compassion and self-compassion. This one key shift can help us to broaden our perspective, let go of expectations and forgive ourselves. In this episode of The Sober Edge podcast, I focus on three key areas: Compassion for Others Compassion for Self Compassion for the World Compassion for ourselves can be the most difficult. We are so often our worst critics and while others may more easily forgive and forget, we might find...
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Alcohol-free Clarity with Kyle Smith
Sober Edge
Language + Breath + Movement = Clarity I love words - I believe they hold great power. I also have come to respect the role that story plays in our lives, both the stories we tell ourselves and the stories we carry from others. My post-alcohol life has also led me to realize that I am not just a thinking being but also a feeling and moving being. My guest on the podcast this week is the developer of NLSE. Our conversation touches on all of these things; breath, story, brain and body, and perhaps most importantly, how we combine these elements and actions to create a new...
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Why Me? How We Become Addicted to Alcohol
Sober Edge
Many of us struggle with the shame we feel about becoming addicted to alcohol. We can intellectually understand that alcohol is addictive, but we often feel that we should 'know better' or "it could never happen to me". In my recent studies at Stanford University, where I completed a certificate in the Psychology of Addiction, Dr. Anna Lempke shared the reasons behind why people become addicted to alcohol (and other drugs). In this episode of The Sober Edge podcast I break down what we know about genetics, the impact of our family of origin and the role that our neighborhood or culture...
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Hooked on AF Travel
Sober Edge
Do you recall what you loved to do when drinking was not part of the 'all-inclusive' package? My guest on Episode 165 of the podcast is Darci Murray, who believes wholeheartedly in "Sensory Heightened Travel". Darci has been 'hooked' on travel since childhood, having grown up with a mom who was a travel agent and learning early on to love new adventures. Darci is one of several travel agents who are newly focused on AF and sober travel, but she is doing things a little bit differently. Hooked on travel is intentional about creating experiences that allow us to be fully...
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Uncovering You: The Journey Within (Part 2)
Sober Edge
What if you had a road map to a sober life you love? What if it came in four simple steps? Does that sound easier than a lifetime of 'working on yourself'? I know that life is not simple; humans are complex. We have emotions, backgrounds, circumstances, and it would be foolish to think that we could expect everyone's sober journey to look the same. But, after 5+ years of working with hundreds and hundreds of women on their AF journey, I have discovered a few things to help you move forward. Having a framework is powerful; it allows our minds to focus in on the process and...
info_outlineWhat if you stopped drinking and followed your passion for a new AF business? That's exactly what happened to Marlys Aspinwall and her husband Chuck.
In 2021, after she found herself drinking too much during COVID, Marlys decided to take a break. Her husband quickly followed her lead. Three months later, they opened a pop-up bottle shop.
Marlys shares in this episode of The Sober Edge podcast that at the time, they hadn't even decided that their break from alcohol was going to be permanent. But, after experiencing the connection and the opportunity to encourage their customers, they were hooked. Chuck began searching for a brick and mortar storefront where they could set up a bottle shop and a sober bar.
I asked Marlys to share some tips for starting an AF business and for working with your partner. Here's what she had to share:
- Divide the key aspects of the business based on what you are good at and love to do
- Get the community involved
- Ask for help
- ...and more!
Find the full show notes HERE, along with a coupon code for 15% off your first order!