My Big Sober Feelings
Sober Edge
Emotions can feel overwhelming, especially when we’re no longer numbing them with alcohol. In this episode, we'll explore together how we can better understand and manage our emotions in this alcohol-free life. From self-awareness to self-regulation, we’ll discuss practical ways to move beyond reaction and into intentional response. Whether you’re facing frustration, anxiety, or even joy, learning to process emotions in a healthy way is key to loving your AF life. Join me as I share insights and tools to help you experience emotional freedom and navigate life’s ups and downs while...
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Finding Focus Alcohol-Free with Michelle Houston
Sober Edge
The future of non-alcoholic beverages is bold, innovative, and—thanks to Focus by Be Honest Bev. Co.—packed with an extra boost. In this episode, I dive into the evolving world of NA drinks and where hemp-infused drinks fit into the mix. My guest, Michelle Houston, shares the surprising twists and challenges of creating a better, cleaner, and more intentional beverage. Could this be the new go-to for mindful drinkers? Tune in to find out!
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Emotions, Motivation and Alcohol
Sober Edge
Emotions, motivation and alcohol. When it comes to emotions, we need to understand a few things about alcohol and the connection between our feelings and our motivations. There are four pillars of human motivation that overlap with emotions. Avoid pain: our natural inclination is to avoid pain. When it comes to being motivated to change our relationship with alcohol, avoiding pain can be a help or a barrier... Seek Pleasure: just as we want to avoid pain, we are also wired to seek pleasure. This is partly due to our old friend, dopamine, which is responsible for...
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Encore: Not Drinking Tonight with Amanda E. White
Sober Edge
Back again for an encore is my very special conversation with Amanda E. White. This is the most popular episode of The Sober Edge Podcast and I invite you to listen in to this important conversation about: Women's health Boundaries around drinking Making an empowered choice Since our conversation in 2021, Amanda had continued to be a powerful voice and advocate for 'not drinking tonight'.
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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...
info_outlineLoneliness is possible even when we are surrounded by people. In today's culture, we have more opportunities than ever to connect - we can face a family member, catch up with a video chat or reach out with a text message. Yet we often feel disconnected from others.
My guest on the podcast this week is Nick Jonsson, an executive coach and alcohol-free coach who understands the impact of loneliness. In fact, he wrote a book on the subject, 'Executive Loneliness'. In 2018, Nick found himself stressed out, drinking too much and feeling disconnected from his family, his friends and from life. He decided to make a change and, with the help of a 12-step program, he started his sober journey. Because of the anonymity of his program, Nick recovered in secret and didn't share openly about his new lease on life. That changed in 2019 when a good friend committed suicide. Nick realized that he had no idea his friend was struggling, and he vowed to start a brave conversation about loneliness, mental health and recovery.
Visit the Show Notes page to learn more about Nick and his work