Stay ConnectedHOME Podcast with Laura McKowen and Holly Whitaker takes up the big questions of life through the lens of addiction recovery. Each week, we explore a new discussion about our hearts, relationships, life, love and the universe at large.
Intro and outro music by Radiation City.
This week, the girls talk to Maia Szalavitz; a neuroscience journalist and author of the New York Times bestseller, Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction. Maia specializes in covering the intersection between brain and behavior and how social factors like inequality get under the skin. She is the author or co-author of six other books and writes for major publications including the Guardian, TIME, the New York Times, Scientific American Mind, the Washington Post, VICE and Pacific Standard.
The episode where the girls talk about their favorite things right now (books, music, tech, news apps, self-care), but first, talk about the Enneagram and Instagram for an hour.
Happy New Year! If the best part about 2018 is that it means 2017 is over, that's enough. In this even-longer-than-usual episode, the girls check-in on their love, sobriety, work, and home lives and do a little hoping and wishing for 2018.
In the last episode of 2017, Jeff DeFlavio returns to HOME. Jeff is the founder and CEO of Groups, a company that provides affordable, modernized treatment for opiate use. This episode is a mashup of talk about the opiate epidemic, politics, keeping focus and heart when the battle is so big, and some book reviews (wherein Jeff mistakes Hillbilly Elegy for Dreamland for most of the episode), and more.
Laura and Holly met the Hawkins sisters (Janet and Julie) at a workshop. When they began telling their story, Laura and Holly immediately asked them to come on the show. In this episode, the sisters beautifully and candidly share their family's story of drinking addiction, their individual and overlapping journeys to sobriety, and the complicated mix of feelings that they've each experienced along the way.
In this episode, the girls respond to two letters. The first, from a new mom who's worried about how much she's been drinking in the first months of her baby's life while breastfeeding, and the second from a girl grieving the loss of two long friends that don't support her new sobriety. This episode is about the let downs: things we think we "should" be able to do, like choose people we love over alcohol, and the ways our relationships change despite us wishing they wouldn't.
This week the girls talk to Allison Micco about the "A" word: anxiety. Like so many people, Allison struggled with anxiety long before she knew what it was and at a certain point assumed it was a fault of hers or just something she'd have to learn to contend with forever. In college, she was prescribed a medication to cope with it that she later became addicted to and after years of searching and frustration, she finally got to the root of her anxiety, including its connection to alcohol. Allison shares her story and provides incredible insight into a condition that's so widely misunderstood and downplayed in society.
This week, the girls talk to Kate Northrup. Kate is an entrepreneur, bestselling author, mother, and activist. She's the author of Money: A Love Story, is currently writing her second book, and her work has been featured everywhere from The Today Show to Glamour magazine. The girls talk about privilege, the personal responsibility of activism, the surprising wakeup of motherhood, and the power of seeing our energy, work, and bodies as cyclical. Kate is such a fresh, real, powerful voice and she shares herself so honestly in this episode. More about Kate and her work can be found at www.katenorthrup.com.
It's the 111th episode of HOME, recorded on 11/11! In this ep, the girls mix it up and ask each other 11 random questions from Danielle LaPorte's "Conversation Starters" app. Some answers are full of light and love, and some not so much.
In this ep, the girls catch up on their love lives, sobriety, home life and work, including a tricky discussion about serving alcohol at parties (or not), lessons that just keep repeating themselves and digging less chaos.
In this episode, the girls riff on the very best stuff that has happened to them in sobriety. From quitting their jobs to paying bills to sober sex, this episode pulls us out of the darkness and into the "fuck yes" moments.
This week, the girls talk to Megan Peters (aka @crazybananas). They brought her on to talk about how she balances activism, motherhood, blogging, marriage, and sobriety (and all the other roles she seems to occupy) and while they get into a bit of that, the conversation took them elsewhere. Megan generously and candidly talks about how her marriage shifted when she got sober four and a half years ago: from the early days when she wasn't sure it would withstand the change, to today. It's a conversation about the tricky business of growing in relationships, change, the urgency of self-care in sobriety, and personal responsibility.
In this episode, the girls give their top tips for getting started in sobriety. From meditation to sweating to talking to God, they talk about what worked for them and what they've seen work for others in the first days.
In this episode, the girls revisit the Episode 16: "What We Know for Sure" (say it in the booming Oprah voice, for suuuuuuuuuuRRRRRRE!) and talk about what they know for sure these days.
This week, the girls talk to Jordan Bach! You may know Jordan from his incredible videos and social media presence, where he masterfully cuts through the noise and addresses both universal, human themes, as well as the issues of our time. The girls ask him about this particular superpower of his, which leads to a conversation ranges from politics to dharma to Jesus. Jordan Bach is an American life coach and inspirational blogger recognized as one of the most influential teachers on the contemporary spiritual scene. His down-to-earth messages reach a whole new generation of people seeking wisdom and inner peace. Jordan co-hosted the television series Secret Guide to Fabulous, produced by Kelly Ripa, on which he served as the resident lifestyle and relationship expert. The Advocate Magazine ranked Jordan as one of the “40 Most Accomplished Leaders Under 40,” calling him “one of the few you should listen to among our modern-day cacophony of voices.” Jordan has been openly gay since the age of twelve, and through his popular YouTube videos, he teaches LGBTQ+ people around the world how to practice self-love, explaining that “when you bring forward who you really are, you begin to heal your life.”
In this episode, the girls do a standard catch-up about love, work, home, and sobriety and respond to a listener's claim that they're gross.
In this week's show, the girls take a long, in-depth and candid walk through the evolution of Laura's relationship with AA: her beliefs when she started, how it's evolved, and where she stands now at nearly three years sober.
In this episode, the girls go back to the roots of the show and answer two letters from readers. The first is from a woman who's wondering how to begin the work of getting sober (and if it's as much work as she imagines), and the second is from someone asking if she has to lose everything to drinking before she learns.
This week, the girls talk to Veronica Valli, author, therapist and recovery coach. The interview was sparked by a comment Veronica left on Holly’s Facebook page in response to her article Why We Need to do Away with Ego-Deflation and Humility in Women’s Recovery and the girls talk about that comment and everything behind it, including Veronica’s history with AA, how she views feminism, humility and her recovery from co-dependence. More about Veronica can be found at www.veronicavalli.com and her books, Why You Drink and How to Stop: Journey to Freedom and Get Sober Get Free: Your Practical Guide, are available on Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, and Barnes & Noble.
It's the 100th episode of HOME! The girls catch up on what's happening in our country right now and talk about how HOME began two years ago plus their favorite moments and interviews.
In Part 2 of the money series, the girls talk about how their money story has changed in sobriety and what their best teachers and favorite tools have been along the way.
This week, the girls decided to talk about something a little lighter than usual, so naturally, they chose money. This is the first of a two-part series and in this first episode, they talk through what their beliefs were about money growing up and what their money situations looked like pre-sobriety. In Part 2, they'll talk about how their money story has changed since getting sober.
Scott Stabile is back -- and this time we're talking about his upcoming book, BIG LOVE, which comes out September 7 (pre-order link below!). Scott is a favorite of HOME because he's funny, oh-so lovable, charming, kind, all around wonderful, and--as the girls' learned from reading his book--fascinatingly weird.
They're back! After an unplanned (and potentially permanent) hiatus from recording, the girls return and talk about what happened.
This week, the girls talk to Dr. Ruth Potee a board certified Family Physician and Addiction Medicine Physician in Massachusetts. She speaks of the shame and stigma that still surrounds addiction in the American medical system, substance abuse and the brain, the normalization and rise of alcohol use in women in the past twenty years, and how far this conversation has come in just the last three years.
This week, the girls talk about their respective journeys through the man-maybe-daddy-issues-original-wound-thing-that-wont-leave-you-alone stuff: where they were a few years ago, what happened, and how it feels now.
This week, the girls talk to Nikki Myers a yoga therapist, teacher and somatic experiencing practitioner who founded CITYOGA School of Yoga and Health in Indianapolis, IN. She launched Yoga of 12-Step Recovery in 2004 based on her own personal struggles with addiction. She talks about how she came to pair the 12-steps and yogic philosophy, what her long-term recovery looks like, and co-dependency.
You know the Louis C.K. line, "Everything is amazing and nobody's happy?" This episode is something like that, except more like, "Everything is amazing and nobody's had enough sleep and it's all difficult." In this episode, Holly and Laura do a catch up on work, love, sobriety and home life after a bunch of travel, way too much junk food, and no sleep.
Rob returns to HOME! He talks to the girls about his newest (incredible) book, "What is The Bible? How an Ancient Library of Poems, Letters, and Stories Can Transform the Way You Think and Feel about Everything" which is now out in the wild as of...today! www.robbell.com
On the heels of the first She Recovers event in New York City, the girls recap the event including their favorite speakers, moments, and takeaways.
This week, Rebecca Campbell, best-selling author of Light is The New Black and Rise Sister Rise joins HOME. Rebecca is a spiritual teacher, mentor, and soulful guide who has led thousands of women to listen to the callings of their soul and create a life that is completely aligned to them. She talks to the girls about her the path that led her to quit her job as an award-winning creative director to follow her call to spiritual service, how she relates to the divine feminine, and what she thinks is possible for women.
Holly and Laura talk about the weird, glorious, difficult, out-of-body, out-of-mind time that was the first 100 days of sobriety. They recap what life was like the week before and the week after their final quit dates, what it was like learning to walk on new legs in a new world, and a few memories that most stand out from that time.
This week, Elena Brower returns to HOME to catch up with the girls on work, some of her upcoming projects, the importance of simplification, her teachers, and what her life looks like at over two years sober. She also spontaneously shares her latest spoken word piece, which she'll be giving at the She Recovers conference in NYC in May. Elena is an internationally recognized author, speaker and yoga teacher. She is the author of Art of Attention, and the creator of Teach.yoga, a virtual home for yoga teachers worldwide. Her latest book, Practice You, will be released in the fall of 2017. www.elenabrower.com
This week marks Holly's 4-year sober anniversary and one year since Laura quit her fancy corporate job. In this episode, they reflect on those milestones and do the traditional catch-up convo on love, work, sobriety and home life.
Ann Dowsett Johnston, bestselling author of Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Woman and Alcohol returns to HOME to catch up with the girls about writing her second book, dating and not dating in relationships, the second half of life, depression, and writing her second book. "Drink" was named one of the top 10 books of 2013 by the Washington Post and is one both Holly and Laura's go-to picks for understanding women and addiction. Ann is an award-winning journalist and former Vice-Principal of McGill University. She's in her ninth year of recovery and one of the foremost and outspoken advocates in this space.
Karla Mosley is an LA-based actress and producer who currently plays Maya Avant on "The Bold and The Beautiful." Karla met Holly at a silent meditation retreat in 2016 and (once they could talk) they immediately bonded as women in recovery, among other things. In this episode, Karla talks to the girls about her eating disorder history, her ongoing recovery, and what it's like to go through these things as someone in the public eye. http://karlamosley.com
This week's talk is an introduction to an episode that turned into an entire episode about men, dating, the suckstorm of repeating the same patterns, and the mission to grow and heal.
This week, the girls play the old school drinking game "Never Would I Ever", listing some of the big things they never thought they'd do, and then did, while or because of drinking. With La Croix in place of booze, obviously. Grab your favorite NA beverage(s), take a deep breath, and join in.
Stephanie Snyder is a mama, a master yoga teacher, the founder of Love Story Yoga studio in San Francisco, and a fellow recovery warrior. She’s also one of Holly’s primary teachers from Episode 63: Teachers. She talks to the girls about her addiction and recovery story, yoga as a foundation in her recovery, and finding her dharma as a teacher. Love Story Yoga: www.lovestoryyoga.com Stephanie's Website: www.stephaniesnyder.com
Holly and Laura riff on random subjects including feeling un/worthy, obsessing about men (aka "Laura's Second Sobriety"), and the evolution of introversion. Holly also tricks Laura into talking about their relationship dreams.
This week, the girls talk to their friend and novelist, Aidan Donnelley Rowley. Aidan is an NYC-based mama of three, who quit her job as a lawyer in her 20's and decided to pursue writing. In 2011, Aidan started bravely questioning her relationship with alcohol on her blog, Ivy League Insecurities, where she documented "A Year Without Wine." She talks to the girls about this, and the winding path that ultimately led her to choose sobriety last year, as well as family, grief, writing, anxiety and the importance of following your heart, even when you're unsure where the path will lead.
Melissa Febos is the author of the memoir, Whip Smart, about her life as a professional dominatrix, and the essay collection, Abandon Me, coming out February 28th. In this episode, she talks to the girls about the subjects she so eloquently covers (read: both Holly and Laura's minds were both totally blown on this book) in Abandon Me: obsessive love, addiction, mental illness and recovery from all of it. Melissa's award-winning work has been published in the New York Times, Salon, The Kenyon Review, among many others. She's the Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Monmouth University and MFA faculty at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA). She serves on the Board of Directors for VIDA: Women in Literary Arts, and co-curated the Manhattan reading and music series, Mixer, for nine years. More about Melissa and her work at www.melissafebos.com.
The hero's journey was introduced by Joseph Campbell, and is the common template of a broad category of tales that involve a hero who goes on an adventure, and in a decisive crisis wins a victory, and then comes home changed or transformed. In this week's episode, the girls talk about a few of the key moments they knew they were on a hero's journey.
Since there's not much else going on in the world, the girls do a check-in this week on the big four: work, love, home and sobriety. Vagina is only mentioned once. Men may be mentioned a couple times. God bless us all.
This week, the girls talk to Dr. Azita Nahai, a Kundalini Yogi, scholar, speaker and therapist. She is the founder of Trauma to Dharma™ ~ an experiential methodology that integrates a mind, body, spirit approach to healing trauma and transforming one’s pain into purpose. Azita walks the girls through the abusive relationship in her 20's that led her to seek recovery, and ultimately find her life's work. www.azitanahai.com
We're talking about food again! This week, the girls talk to Isabel Foxen Duke, a fixture, and leader in the body-positive movement and creator of Stop Fighting Food, a training program for women who want to "stop feeling crazy around food." After years of trying to overcome emotional eating, binge eating and chronic weight-cycling, Isabel discovered some radical new ways to overcome "food issues" once and for all. She shares her story and talks about how she now leads women to shift their mindset around food and challenge the dominant diet culture as a whole. Isabel's writing and free guide, How To Not Eat Cake, can be found atwww.isabelfoxenduke.com and you can watch her free video training series at www.stopfightingfood.com.
"Hell is other people" -Jean-Paul Sartre. In this episode, Laura and Holly talk straight about one of the hardest parts about getting sober: other people. They walk through the most challenging, frustrating and downright confusing reactions, interactions, and conversations they had as they were trying to get sober and stay that way.
This week, the girls talk to Sarah Roberts, author of The 28 Day Kick The Sugar Challenge and author of the popular blog, SarahTalksFood.com. Laura, Holly and their right-hand woman on HOME, Megan, all did the Challenge and they talk to Sarah about their different experiences. Sarah shares her story of addiction and recovery and how she was led to her current work, which is to help people see the powerful connection between what they eat and how they feel.
In the last episode of 2016, Holly and Laura talk about New Year's Eve past and present--what they used to look like, and what they look like nowadays. They talk about the idea of setting resolutions, and why they don't do it, but instead share the core themes they're focusing on in 2017. We're talkin' 'bout a revolution... Happy New Year, everyone! Thank you for making this a big, exciting year. Onward!
In this episode, Holly and Laura revisit sex (and love) addiction with their dear friend, Lara Frazier. While Lara was in treatment for chemical addiction, she was labeled a "love addict" and a "sex addict" and told she needed to seek treatment for both. She shares her story leading up to and through recovery.
Megg Watterson returns to HOME for one of the most riveting conversations to date (at least, in our opinion). Holly explains her own resistance to Megg's work and having her on the show initially, and her evolution with that, which was integral to some of her most profound breakthroughs. Megg talks about this resistance in a broader perspective in our society, and what the rise of the divine feminine really means at this point in time.
It's Dawn! In this week's episode, the girls talk to the true mama bear of the recovery world and half of She Recovers, one of the largest women's online recovery communities in existence today. Dawn is in long-terms substance recovery (from all of 'em, as she says) but she also faced another bottom with workaholism that brought her to an equally dark, if not darker place. She talks to the girls about what that looked like, battling cancer, and her view on recovery decades in.
It's been a hell of a couple weeks, huh? The girls talk about their experience of the election, the days since, and what they're doing to keep sane and move forward. They also talk a little about Thanksgiving (Happy Thanksgiving!) and how to survive it sober.
In this episode, the girls talk to Kelly Brogan, M.D. Kelly is a Manhattan-based holistic women’s health psychiatrist, author of the NY Times Bestselling book, A Mind of Your Own, and co-editor of the landmark textbook, Integrative Therapies for Depression. She is on the forefront of an alternative-care movement to inform patients that the medical industry, government, food companies, and the pharmaceutical industry do not have our best health interests at heart. As she says, "I’m here to tell you that you have choices and the power to change your life. You can get healthy and live happy – without drugs." They talk about how Kelly came around to her viewpoint, whether or not there are any cases where people should be taking pharma-pharmaceutical drugs, or even OTC drugs, safe tapering, co-morbidity with addiction and mental illness, and more. For more information, go to www.kellybroganmd.com.
It's time for a catch-up! Holly and Laura (HoLo) do a check-in about the usual four: work, love, home and sobriety. Topics include nesting, Holly's work revelation, book deadlines, animal totems, and 'Snooch!'
The girls talk to Kristi Coulter, the force behind the mega-viral Medium article published earlier this year titled "Enjoli." Kristi talks about drinking, sobriety, writing, not writing, feminism, and what happens when you're suddenly in the public eye and TIME is writing response pieces to your work. Kristi's essay collection, Want Not, will be published in early 2018 by Farrar, Straus & Giroux. More about her at www.kristicoulter.com.
The girls share who their biggest teachers have been, what they learned from them, and what "the way in" is to each one. Meaning, if you're new to the teacher's teachings, the "way in" is the "start here." Each of them share eight of their favorite teachers and then rattle off a bunch more. NOTE: The episode image is from one of Liz Gilbert's facebook posts. Her hand, full disclosure.
In this episode, the girls talk to Jolene Park, a functional nutritionist, and an expert in the craving brain. They talk about the intricate connections between anxiety, depression, trauma, nutrition, addiction, relationships and more. Jolene is a goldmine of experience and resources, and she's got a compelling personal story to back it up. What's more, Jolene's personal story is common, but not often heard: successful woman approaching middle-age comes to terms with closing the window on her idealized image of a family and marriage, and, in the process, develops an unhealthy but 'high-bottom' relationship with alcohol. In the discussion, she bravely shares her story for the first time in a public way. Jolene is the Founder of Healthy Discoveries, where she coaches companies and individuals develop a more complete view of well-being. More about Jolene and Health Discoveries here: http://www.healthydiscoveries.com
A common belief our society has about sobriety is that it's boring, sad, and ultimately...uncool. The girls address this from their own perspectives, including what their beliefs about sobriety were before they stopped drinking, how and when that perception shifted, and how they feel about it now. Although the episode is titled "uncool" it's about so much more. It's about how to navigate doing something that society doesn't largely support, how to deal with breaking tribal expectations and norms, and how to navigate the period of groundlessness that inevitably occurs when we begin living for ourselves.
It's Mark Manson! The guy who singlehandedly simplified 90% of relationships with The Law of Fuck Yes or No, and author of just-released NYT bestseller "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck" joins HOME. He talks to the girls about the years of travel, searching, and relationships that informed some of his most popular writing, growing up (sort of), and the reasons he wrote his new book. More about Mark and all his articles + books here: www.markmanson.com.
In this episode, the girls talk to "JJ," a man who's in recovery from sex addiction. As a subject they've never explored before, and as women, they have a lot of questions. JJ graciously walks through his story, his recovery path so far, and answers the question everyone wants to know: how the hell do you have a normal relationship after all that?
In this episode, the girls talk about the big "R." Rejection has been a theme that's plagued both of them throughout their lives, and an area where they've experienced the most pain and also transformation. They talk about their rejection stories and what it's looked like before and after getting sober. They also each list their favorite tools and teachers in helping them navigate it.
It's Tommy Rosen! In this episode, he talks to the girls about his own recovery story, "recovery within recovery," cross-addiction and co-dependency. He also previews the next phase of his work coming in early 2017, which is HUGE. Tommy is a yoga teacher and addiction recovery expert who has spent the last two decades immersed in yoga, recovery and wellness. He is one of the pioneers in the field of Yoga and Recovery assisting others to holistically transcend addictions of all kinds. He is the founder and host of the Recovery 2.0 Online Conference series and the #ThriveinRecovery Group Coaching Program. He leads Recovery 2.0 retreats and workshops internationally and presents regularly at yoga conferences and festivals. The next Recovery 2.0 conference begins tomorrow, September 14, and our own Holly is one of the speakers on Thursday, September 15! To register click here. Tommy's first book, Recovery 2.0: Move Beyond Addiction and Upgrade Your Life, was published by Hay House in 2014.
The sound on this one is a bit rough, guys. It was the second take (listen to hear the story of that madness) and the girls forgot to ask Glennon to put in her headphones, Craig is vacuuming in the background, and everyone's voices are a little...excited. What can we say? Perfectly imperfect. In this episode, they talk about Glennon's new book, Love Warrior, getting angry, sobriety, rock bottoms, faith, depression, and sisterhood. Glennon Doyle Melton is the New York Times Bestselling author of Carry On, Warrior and most recently, Love Warrior. She's the founder of Momastery and also, Together Rising, a non-profit that grew from Momastery to provide financial support to women in need.
FIRST! This will be the last episode of HOME in August! The show will resume again the first week of September with an amazing line-up (listen to hear about it!). This episode is alternately titled, "That Time We Accidentally Talked About Sex and Other Things for an Hour Before a Really Great Interview with Megg Watterson." Megg Watterson is the founder of REVEAL, an organization that spiritually empowers women to connect to the love within them, reclaim their bodies as sacred, and become soul-led agents of change in the world. She has her Masters of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School and a Masters of Divinity from Columbia University, and is the author of three books. She talks to the girls about this mysterious concept of The Divine Feminine, the sexual abuse that informed her path, and purpose. More info about Megg on her website: www.megganwatterson.com. Music by Radiation City.
In this episode, the girls respond to a letter from a woman who's having difficulty forgiving herself for her transgressions in her marriage during her drinking years. Despite having got sober and working through the issues with her husband, she's recently been reminded and is having trouble moving past that time again. Holly and Laura talk about the things they've had to work hardest to forgive themselves for, how they did it, and what they would tell the letter writer. Music by Radiation City.
In this week's episode, the girls respond to a letter from a man who's wondering why he got addicted in the first place. Was it his upbringing? His work environment? Was he predestined to go down that path, or is it something he succumbed to? This episode confronts the questions so many of us ask when faced with sobriety: why, and why me? Music by Radiation City. Photo credit: Matthew Wiebe @ Unsplash
James Altucher is an entrepreneur and writer. He's founded 20 companies, ranging from hedge funds to dating websites, most of which he says failed. Following a bottom where he "saw my account go from $15 million to $143 in a matter of months; I lost my house, my friends, my sanity and considered killing myself" he started a blog where he wrote honestly about his experience. The blog became a huge success (post titles include: "I Want My Kids to be Drug Addicts" and "I Want to Die"). Today he's the author of a dozen books, including "Choose Yourself," which Business Week named one of the 12 best business books of all time and a podcaster with guests like Seth Godin and Wayne Dyer. He talks to the girls (live in NYC, with Laura) about his own experience with addiction, why he recently sold off all his belongings, his awkwardness, depression, the efficiency of his 4:00 a.m. haircuts, marriage, divorce, the importance of surrender and the compounding nature of ideas. More about James on his website: www.jamesaltucher.com.
This could be called the breakthrough episode. It's not the topic of sex, or heartache, or blackouts, or shame the girls have been most afraid to talk about, but MONEY. In this episode, Meadow DeVor joins them to break it down. Having recovered from her own financial bottom of being over half a million dollars in debt (while coaching people about money!), she talks about her own story and the *mindblowing* subject of Money Sobriety, her personal recovery, and coaches the girls through their own limiting beliefs. Meadow is the author of Money Love, a master life coach and the founder of Yoga Church. She speaks, writes and coaches extensively on the topics of money, trauma, yoga and healing. More about her and Yoga Church can be found on www.MeadowDeVor.com. Music by Radiation City.
Episode 50! For this special episode, the girls pull the curtain back and talk about their friendship. They each recount how they met, their first impressions of each other, what it was like to hang out IRL (in real life) and the best and most difficult parts are about their relationship. A bunch of laughs, more than a few tears, and a surprise or two. Music by Radiation City.
In this episode, TJ Woodward, an addiction counselor, inspirational speaker and author in San Francisco joins the girls to talk about the specific issues the LGBTQ community faces in addiction and recovery. He talks about the shifts he's seen over the course of his journey as a gay, sober man, his career, and what he believes is to come. Most importantly, the three talk about the urgent importance of having the difficult conversations around sexuality, violence, addiction, race, or any other issue that separates us. TJ is the minister and spiritual director of Awakened Living, and is in private practice as a spiritual counselor and life coach. He also works as the spiritual counselor and group facilitator at Foundations San Francisco Intensive Outpatient Program in San Francisco. He is the host of Awakened Living TV and Awakened Living Radio and is soon publishing his second book, "Conscious Recovery." Learn more about TJ and his work at www.tjwoodward.com.
Seane Corn is an internationally celebrated yoga teacher, activist, and the founder of "Off The Mat, Into The World." She's also one of our own personal sheroes and, we believe, one of the true teachers of our time. In this episode, she talks about the link between trauma and addiction, the mind-body connection, her own OCD, and how the practice of yoga helps us heal. Laura shares the story of meeting Seane 20 days sober in 2014 and Holly talks about how taking Seane's class and hearing her message re-awakened her own purpose. More about Seane and her work can be found on her website: www.seanecorn.com. Music by Radiation City.
Lisa Smith is a writer and a lawyer based in NYC. Girl Walks Out of a Bar (released today!) is her story of addiction and recovery. Prior to beginning her more than 15-year legal marketing career, Lisa practiced corporate finance law at a leading international law firm. We talk to Lisa about what it's like leading a double life as a successful, career-driven woman who was secretly relying on coke and alcohol for years to get her through, her friendships, meeting her husband and how she approached the, "Hey, I don't drink" conversation, and navigating the legal profession sober. More about Lisa and her writing can be found on her website: www.lisasmithauthor.com. Music by Radiation City.
Jeff founded Recover Together (soon to be rebranded "Groups") to solve a profound market failure and social ill: millions of people addicted to heroin are seeking treatment, but there are no healthcare providers to serve them. He talks about how and why he founded the company, his mission, the opiate epidemic and how he counsels people seeking recovery. Music by Radiation City. Disclaimer: sound quality isn't the best! We're working on it.
In this catch-up ep, the girls do the round robin about work, love, sobriety and home life while cussing like sailors (sorry). Laura talks about the embarrassment of wanting a man-friend, blowing up on her kid, and pushing away limiting beliefs. Holly goes into the joy of her 100-hour work weeks, being geographically unrooted, having an adult bed, and...of course...embracing her newfound love for being Mangry. Music by Radiation City.
One year ago today, Melissa Johnson's kids were taken from her custody. And one year ago, tomorrow, she will celebrate 365 days sober. In this gorgeous talk - equal in heartbreak and hope - she courageously (really, is there anything more brave?) shares her story about losing custody twice, her experience in AA, forever tries, the power of love and mercy, and coping with the particularly nasty flavor of shame saved for mothers. Melissa writes openly about her story on her website, My Truth Starts Here (www.mytruthstartshere.org).
Perhaps the most difficult aspect in overcoming addiction is shame. In this episode, the girls talk about the pervasiveness of shame and how it shaped their lives, how it played into their drinking, and how they learned to work with it. Laura talks about the particular shame of being a mother who drank, and how she's coped with that in sobriety. Music by Radiation City.
In this ep, the girls answer a letter from a sober woman who was frustrated and disappointed by a yoga retreat she attended where drinking played a much bigger part than she expected. How do we deal with being sober in a drinking world, especially in places where we don't expect it? How do we deal with our own judgments around drinking? Is other people's drinking ever our business?
Holly and Laura attempt to answer a listener's letter but mostly just succeed in fighting. The letter writer is frustrated that her attempts at self-care, including sobriety, are only making her feel edgy, unstable and unjustifiably angry with her husband. What gives? Why does it look and feel more like a fight than a spiritual, loving journey? The girls try hard to bring some perspective -- and maybe, partially succeed in doing so -- but mostly just hash it out themselves. Music by Radiation City.
Let's talk about freaking the f*%k out, shall we? As Laura sits squarely in a freak out state after recently quit her job/career (something Holly did 2+ years ago), Holly and her talk about what it's like to be groundless, how they cope with it, how it plays with sobriety and what their top 3 tips are for getting through it. Music by Radiation City.
HOLLY IS BACK! She spent 10 days at a silent meditation retreat and lived to tell about it. She talks about why she’d do such a thing and what the best, worst and most surprising moments were. Highlights include visits from Yogi Bahjan, missing God, the wisdom of no escape, sharting, and knowing vs. Knowing. Music by Radiation City.
They say don't ever meet your heroes, but in this case, they turned out to be wrong! Augusten Burroughs is the author of ten books, including NYT Bestseller-turned-movie "Running with Scissors," "Dry," which tracks his journey through addiction and sobriety "This is How," his foray into self-help and his most recent memoir (released TODAY!), "Lust and Wonder." He talks with the girls about his new book, moving out of NYC, finding the capital T Truth, sobriety, his feelings about AA, and the day he started writing instead of drinking. Music by Radiation City.
Scott Stabile is an author, screenwriter, speaker and love spreader. At 14, Scott lost his parents tragically and later lost his brother to heroin overdose. He takes us through the impact of these losses, and how addiction - both his fathers and his brothers - shaped his life, and his path to becoming a champion for forgiveness, compassion, humor and love. Scott's website: www.scottstabile.com. Scott's Facebook community www.facebook.com/ScottFrankStabile. Music by Radiation City.
In the second of this three part series, Holly and Laura talk to Gina Lorenzo, a Holistic Health Counselor and certified Gabby Bernstein coach. Gina talks about her own experience recovering from disordered eating and alcohol and how she coaches others through these things. Ironically, Holly was severely constipated while recording this and Laura was suffering from an extreme emotional hangover.
In the second part of this series, Holly and Laura talk about how the label "alcoholic" has evolved for them and whether or not they use it now and why. T-Spring shirts are available until March 15! Get "Awkward 'Til I Die," "Sorry I'm Late I Didn't Want to Come" and our personal favorite, "Teetotaler." Visit www.hipsobriety.com or www.lauramckowen.com to purchase. Music by Radiation City.
Rob Bell is a bestselling author, teacher, speaker and an all-around uniquely inspiring and lovable human being. His books include The New York Times bestseller Love Wins, along with What We Talk About When We Talk About God, The Zimzum of Love, Drops Like Stars and many others. In 2011 he was profiled in Time Magazine as one of their 100 most influential people and has toured with Oprah herself. Holly and Laura had big questions for him. Like, why wear the label "pastor"? What is God? Can you recover from addiction without spirituality? What is an addiction, anyway? And how does someone get past the shame that addiction carries? In his trademark way, Rob talks us through some of the biggest and most touchy subjects with grace and humor.
In the first episode of this two-part series, Holly and Laura explore the label "alcoholic." They each discuss what the label meant to them before they got sober, how it's evolved for them through sobriety, and if they use it now and why (or why not). They also read a letter from a reader who makes an open plea to find a better label for sober folk. Ideas? LIMITED TIME T-SHIRT CAMPAIGN! Until March 15, in the spirit of claiming our own labels, we've created a t-shirt campaign to raise money for the HOME podcast. All proceeds will go to upgrading the podcasting equipment to improve sound quality and editing. Visit www.lauramckowen.com or www.hipsobriety.com for details and to purchase. Podcast music by Radiation City.
Rayya Elias is the author of the incredible memoir, Harley Loco: A Memoir of Hard Living, Hair, and Post Punk, from the Middle East to the Lower East Side. She's a musician, filmmaker, hair artist, and all around awe-inspiring human being. She talks to the girls about scaring off ghosts, her relationship with her best friend, Elizabeth Gilbert, emotional sobriety, living on the streets, forgiveness, what recovery looks like for her now and the NFL. Learn more about her at: www.rayyaelias.com. Music by Radiation City.
Holly and Laura talk about what their social lives looked like pre-sobriety, in early sobriety and how they look now. They cover social anxiety, whether they go out to bars anymore, how they answer the question, "ARE YOU DRINKING?," how to deal with pushy people, and offer three tips for the newly sober. P.S. If it sounds like we wanted to kill each other in this episode, we did. Ironic, we know. P.P.S The sound isn't the best because I was at a hotel room in San Jose before the Super Bowl. Music by Radiation City.
In part one of this three part series, Holly and Laura share their own experience with disordered eating and the crossover with addiction. The next two parts of the series will focus on recovery and treatment, including interviews with a doctor of clinical research in eating disorders at Harvard Medical School and a Holistic Nutrition Coach.
Elena Brower is a mama, teacher, speaker, and co-author of Art of Attention. She’s been teaching yoga and meditation since 1999 and has taught all over the world. She’s also recently celebrated a year clean and sober. As someone who was by all measures already a success and a teacher to so many, she talks about how her life has truly opened up since choosing sobriety, the insidiousness of pot addiction, and the path that brought her here.
It's another "check-in" episode, and this one is long and probably too juicy. They dish on life: home, work, looooove and sobriety. Holly shares about the big shifts in her love life post-Rome, including a recent stand up by a man now forever named "Shit," hitting her 2 year anniversary of quitting pot and moving to LA. Laura gives in to peer pressure and shares about her love life and talks through a big decision she recently made. They both practice the yodel-ay-hee-hooo.
In the early episodes of HOME, Holly and Laura made a snarky joke about spirituality in recovery (not their coolest moment). Catherine Gray, today's guest and an atheist, rightly called them on it. A series of beautiful and enlightening conversations ensued, culminating in this episode's discussion with Catherine. They talk about what it means to be an atheist in an AA-centric recovery world, how believers and non-believers share the path and learn from each other, and Holly and Laura get to ask some basic, burning questions like: "How do you not believe in a bigger...SOMETHING? Catherine walks through her path to sobriety, her mixed experience with AA, and generally woos us all with her lovely way.
Laura and Holly talk with Annie Grace, author of “This Naked Mind: Control Alcohol. Find Freedom, Rediscovery Happiness and Change Your Life?” Sounds like everything, right? Annie’s story is like so many young, successful, professional women, but her path to sobriety was not. We talk about her drinking life, what drove her to write this book and her hopes for the way we treat and view addiction. We dig into some heated topics like the difference between “normal” drinkers and “addicts,” the label of “alcoholic,” and the importance of addressing the grey area in addiction. Holly and Annie also confess their mutual girl crushes. “This Naked Mind” is available on Amazon. Music by Radiation City.
How can we eat to best support our bodies in recovery? What about sugar? And COFFEE? In this episode, we talk to Mary Vance, our resident nutrition guru here at HOME. We talk to Mary about a few topics that come up most often: coffee consumption, best tips for supporting new recovery, and vaginal steaming (ok, that never comes up, but we had to talk about it). Mary will be part of Hip Sobriety School, which starts January 7, 2016. For more info go to www.thehipsobrietyproject.com. Music by Radiation City
Unicorns abound! Holly and Laura define what miracles and angels mean to them and how they've materialized in their own lives, both in life before sobriety and after. Image Illustration by Jeremy Enecio for Fortune Music by Radiation City
"The world opens when you begin to tell your own story and others come forward." -Ann Dowsett Johnston. Ann is an award-winning writer, journalist, public policy advocate, and the author of the stunning book "Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol." She's also one of the most gracious women Holly and Laura have ever met. In this interview they talk about Ann's personal and professional path, including her gains and losses in sobriety, her relationship with her son, heartbreak, depression, dating and her incredible work on alcohol policy. Music by Radiation City.
Apparently “The Shocker” is a sexual position, or so Holly’s friends tell her. This episode will make you cringe in the first half and cry in the second as Holly and I each share three “shockers” from our drinking days and three from sobriety. From driving in a blackout to nearly choking to death to doing “Molly” alone to drinking your friends’ expensive wedding gift, we recount some of the horrific places drinking took us. Things have changed, though, and we also get into the really, really, really amazing stuff that has shocked us in sobriety, too. Music by Radiation City.
In the first interview episode ever, Laura and Holly talk to Sarah Hepola, author of the New York Times Bestseller "Blackout: Remembering The Things I Drank to Forget." Sarah's essays on culture have appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Elle, The New Republic, Glamour, The Guardian, Slate, The Morning News, and Salon, where she was a longtime editor. Laura and Holly talk to her about the science of blackouts, what it was like to come out to the masses, dating in sobriety, and what's next. Photo credit: Zan Keith. Music by Radiation City.
The holidays are upon us! Holly and Laura talk about what the pre-sobriety holiday scene looked like and what's in store for this year. They each lay out their top five tools for staying sober, sane and (maybe even?) happy through this season. Music by Radiation City.
Laura & Holly discuss the pitfalls and benefits of social media in their personal and professional lives, and as it relates to sobriety. Shout out to Austin Kleon for the shirt in the image. Music by Radiation City.
In another letters episode, Holly and Laura answer a question from a reader about how to wrap your head around the concept of sobriety and make it stick? How do you swallow the concept of "forever?" Do you have to? PLUS: some exciting announcements for December. Music by Radiation City.
We're going all Oprah in this episode and talking about a few things-- in life, love, and the pursuit of happiness--that we know for sure. Music by Radiation City.
Sex and booze, booze and sex. The two get so intertwined. Holly and Laura talk about their sex lives before and after sobriety. The better, worse, surprising and different. Music by Radiation City.
How ARE you? Holly and Laura check-in on life. Home life, work life, sobriety and love. Music by Radiation City.
I'm comin' out! I want the world-to-know-ow. Holly and Laura breakdown the who, when, and why of how they came out sober and what it was all like. Also, a recap of Unite to Face Addiction in DC and a couple special announcements. Music by Radiation City.
In the second "relapse" ep, we talk about what it looks like when we fall off the path in sobriety, and not by drinking/using, but by losing our way otherwise. Depression, anxiety, confusion, pain, and other things that come up to knock us off the beam. What does it feel like? How do we get back?
Ugh. "Relapse." What do we do when we fall off the path and drink when we're trying to get and stay sober? Holly and Laura break down what relapse means to them, what it looked like on their own paths, and what they did about it. Music by Radiation City.
Holly and Laura break down the perils of perfectionism in response to a reader's letter about her "non-substance" addictions. Music by Radiation City.
Holly and Laura break down steps 4-6 of AA in the second of the Steps Series. They each answer these questions: what's your interpretation of the step, did you do it, what was your experience of doing it, and do you think it's necessary for recovery? What this episode is NOT: a debate about AA! Music by Radiation City.
In the second "letters" episode, Laura and Holly answer a question from a reader who's concerned about her drinking as a mother. Music by Radiation City.
In the first "letters" episode, Holly and Laura answer a question from a reader about how to deal with a stepfather who "rules with an iron fist" and thinks the 12-step method is the only viable recovery path. Music by Radiation City.
In the second part of the most intimate episode yet, Holly and Laura paint the picture of what their love lives looked like before and after getting sober. Music by Radiation City.
In the most intimate episode yet, Holly and Laura paint the picture of what their love lives looked like before and after getting sober. Music by Radiation City.
Holly and Laura break down steps 1-3 of AA in this longer-than-usual episode. They each answer these questions: what's your interpretation of the step, did you do it, and do you think it's necessary for recovery? What this episode is NOT: a debate about AA! Music by Radiation City.
Do we keep the same playmates in sobriety? In this episode, Holly and Laura break down their experience with friendships, and how they changed (or didn't) once the booze was gone. Music by Radiation City.
In the second episode of HOME, Laura interviews Holly to string together her story. The drinking story, the life story, the David Byrne-esque "How Did I Get Here?" story. Music by Radiation City.
In the second episode of HOME, Holly interviews Laura to string together her story. The drinking story, the life story, the David Byrne-esque "How Did I Get Here?" story. Music by Radiation City.
In the first episode of HOME, Holly Whitaker and Laura McKowen explain what they're doing here, how they met, how the name HOME came about, and what to expect next. Music by Radiation City.
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