The Sober Mom Life

Latest Episodes:

Let's Talk Perfectionism (with my Mom) Oct 14, 2024

Show notes

DISCLAIMER: This episode is not meant to diagnose. Anyone who is perfectionistic does not necessarily have a personality disorder. Please see your therapist with concerns or questions.

Perfectionism is one of the most common topics we talk about inside of the Sober Mom Life Cafe. An overwhelming need to be ‘perfect’ can feel suffocating, and can be a major driving factor for drinking. Today my therapist mom, Susan, is here to help us understand what perfectionism is, how it is related to drinking, and what to do if you are struggling with perfectionist tendencies.

We’ll talk about the diagnostic criteria for OCPD (Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder), how it differs from OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), how perfectionism can affect your life and the lives of those you love, and the first steps you can take to release yourself from the expectation of perfectionism.

Community makes all the difference. Join The Sober Mom Life Cafe for 5+ Peer Support meetings each week and a private Facebook group to connect with sober and sober-curious women.

Get Your Copy of my book The Sober Shift

Follow on Instagram @thesobermomlife

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SobrieTEA: Chimp Crazy, The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives + The End of the Bravo Drought Sep 30, 2024

Show notes

Katie and I are here for another installment of SobrieTEA, where we spill the tea about our favorite escape: Reality TV!

The recent Bravo drought allowed us to expand our horizons into other reality content, so today we’re diving into Chimp Crazy and The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Then, we’ll share our thoughts on new cast members Brittany and Bronwyn on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake, and chat about Shannon and Tamara’s drinking on The Real Housewives of Orange County.

Plus - Sober October, Jessica Simpson’s October sobriety story, Suzanne’s circus past, What’s coming next on Bravo, and The Golden Bachelorette.

Community makes all the difference. Join The Sober Mom Life Cafe for 5+ Peer Support meetings each week and a private Facebook group to connect with sober and sober-curious women.

Get Your Copy of my book The Sober Shift

Follow on Instagram @thesobermomlife

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Real Sober Moms with Keri Sep 27, 2024

Show notes

Today’s Real Sober Mom Keri is 30 days sober and she’s ready to share her story!

Being social always felt like a challenge for shy introverted Keri, so when she found alcohol as a teenager it became a central piece of her social life. Like so many of us, this continued through her teens and twenties, and by her mid twenties she started to notice that her ‘off switch’ with alcohol was disappearing. It was becoming harder and harder to control.

After getting married and quickly becoming pregnant, Keri noticed something: She felt so much better pregnant. It was clear to her that the absence of alcohol was the reason why, so after giving birth she was slow to drink again, but it did slowly creep its way back into her life. During Covid, Keri found that it was easy to give up alcohol since the pressures of a social life had been diminished. In 2021, she cut out alcohol for 14 months! But as social engagements started to pick back up, alcohol slipped back in.

Keri has had many ‘Day 1s’ since then, and she hasn’t felt until now like she had the tools to maintain her sobriety long term. Sober community has proven to be a major part of Keri’s toolkit! Now, at 30 days sober, she feels ready to make sobriety a permanent part of her life.

Community makes all the difference. Join The Sober Mom Life Cafe for 5+ Peer Support meetings each week and a private Facebook group to connect with sober and sober-curious women.

Get Your Copy of my book The Sober Shift

Follow on Instagram @thesobermomlife

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A Reminder for When Life Gets Lifey Sep 23, 2024

Show notes

These past few months have been a lot, and today I’m here for a little vent session to get it off my chest. It’s so important to find a community that will support you when you just need to vent, because sometimes a little venting is all you need to put things into perspective. Thanks for being that community for me today!

I’ll talk about how life has been ‘lifing’ lately, why it’s felt like I’ve been failing in so many ways, the perspective shift I experienced when I realized that everything is actually pretty great, and how that moment never would’ve happened if I was still drinking.

Are you searching for a community to support you in your sobriety?

Community makes all the difference. Join The Sober Mom Life Cafe for 5+ Peer Support meetings each week and a private Facebook group to connect with sober and sober-curious women.

Get Your Copy of my book The Sober Shift

Follow on Instagram @thesobermomlife

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Real Sober Moms with Heather Sep 20, 2024

Show notes

Heather grew up in a party house, so it seemed completely natural to her when she started drinking and became a party girl herself. There were short moments when she questioned her drinking throughout her teens and twenties, but they never lasted long.

Life started to become intense as Heather entered her late twenties and got married. A five year journey to become a mother, followed by intense postpartum depression and skin cancer that took 75% of her ear had her leaning on wine as a means of support. At 38, Heather found herself unexpectedly pregnant with her second child during a very intense moment in her professional life. This all culminated into a period of chronic stress and a diagnosis of Crohn’s. She was still drinking, but it was becoming clear that something needed to change.

Throughout the following years, Heather began to make those changes - she left her job and got certified in a new career path. Then, when her son ended up in the hospital at the beginning of 2024 she took it to the next step - she sought more help for her depression and began her journey toward sobriety.

Heather is now 120 days sober! Quit Like a Woman and the Sober Mom Life Cafe have both been such major supports for her. After 90 days it was clear - she never sees herself going back to alcohol.

Community makes all the difference. Join The Sober Mom Life Cafe for 5+ Peer Support meetings each week and a private Facebook group to connect with sober and sober-curious women.

Get Your Copy of my book The Sober Shift

Follow on Instagram @thesobermomlife

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What is a Cross-Addiction? (With my Mom!) Sep 09, 2024

Show notes

My Mom Susan, our resident therapist, is back this week to educate us on cross-addictions. If you’ve ditched alcohol only to find yourself developing an addiction to something new, whether that be shopping, gambling, marijuana, or many other things, then this episode is for you.

Susan will explain the differences between a habit, a compulsion, and an addiction. Then, we’ll talk about how to identify and navigate the emotional elements that lie at the source of distressing compulsions or addictions.

As you’re navigating cross-addictions, make sure that you ask the big question - is this thing helping me come home to myself? Or is it helping me escape myself? As you explore, be sure to practice self-compassion! And always remember - there is a community ready to support you.

Community makes all the difference. Join The Sober Mom Life Cafe for 5+ Peer Support meetings each week and a private Facebook group to connect with sober and sober-curious women.

Get Your Copy of my book The Sober Shift

Follow on Instagram @thesobermomlife

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Real Sober Moms with Meghan Sep 06, 2024

Show notes

Meghan’s relationship with alcohol seemed ‘normal’ to her for years. Life as ICU nurse with young children kept her drinking to a minimum. But as her kids got older and she changed careers, alcohol crept into her weeknights until she often found herself hungover or even blacking out.

After one such night with family in 2019, she received a call from her dad. He had a message - clean up your act. The shame from this call led her to quit drinking that very day, and she stopped for almost a year. During this sober year, Meghan felt amazing!

But then, Covid happened, and at one year sober Meghan felt safe to try moderation. Though it started out alright, Meghan’s drinking eventually snowballed until alcohol became the centerpiece of her life. She started experiencing intense anxiety, unaware of its connection to alcohol, and was prescribed anti-anxiety medication. The meds seemed to shut off the part of her brain that felt shame for drinking, so her drinking progressed. After weaning off the medicine, her shame returned and it all became clear - her drinking was out of control.

After one night of heavy drinking, Meghan awoke at 3am and knew she’d had enough. She texted her sister and cousin and admitted that she had to stop. Those texts kept her committed - she’s now four months sober!

Meghan is so thankful for the support and community she’s found in the Cafe, and she wants you to know that you’re not alone! You just have to find your community.

Community makes all the difference. Join The Sober Mom Life Cafe for 5+ Peer Support meetings each week and a private Facebook group to connect with sober and sober-curious women.

Get Your Copy of my book The Sober Shift

Follow on Instagram @thesobermomlife

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Is Sobriety Easier Than Moderation? Sep 02, 2024

Show notes

Today I’m bringing back one of my favorite episodes. We’ll be talking all about the mental gymnastics of moderation. If you've ever struggled with moderation or wondered if sobriety could really be the easier choice, this episode is for you.

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.

What if you consider a path where you truly are in control: sobriety. It might feel like a dramatic change, but if you shift your perspective away from ‘losing’ alcohol, and toward what could be waiting for you on the other side, you’ll very possibly find a path to true freedom.

Community makes all the difference. Join The Sober Mom Life Cafe for 5+ Peer Support meetings each week and a private Facebook group to connect with sober and sober-curious women.

Get Your Copy of my book The Sober Shift

Follow on Instagram @thesobermomlife

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Real Sober Moms with Melinda Aug 30, 2024

Show notes

In Melinda’s career as a prosecuting attorney, alcohol felt like a necessary way of life. From college on, every professional event centered around alcohol. As time passed, Melinda felt helpless - it felt like it would be career suicide if she stopped drinking.

Melinda’s drinking tipped from social to personal when she left her husband, and it accelerated to an alarming degree after her father’s unexpected death. Eventually, Melinda found herself in a dangerous spiral of hiding her drinking from her new partner, her family, and her friends, until she realized she needed help.

But help was hard to come by. Due to her public profile, the local treatment center sought to treat her secretly, away from the rest of the patients. It confirmed her worst fear - that her career was in jeopardy if she chose sobriety. Eventually, her drinking led to a break up, and she realized - she couldn’t quit just for her partner. She had to quit for herself. So, one day she decided to commit, and she hasn’t touched a drink since!

Melinda is now 2 years sober and she has completely changed her life. She patched up her relationship, changed careers, and developed a healthy routine that has radically shifted her mental and physical health. She also started her own podcast! Check out Women’s Work: A Sober Perspective for professional women who want to stop drinking.

Melinda wants you to know: There’s no shame in saving your own life!

Community makes all the difference. Join The Sober Mom Life Cafe for 5+ Peer Support meetings each week and a private Facebook group to connect with sober and sober-curious women.

My mocktail recipe book, ‘No Ethanol Needed’ is finally here! Grab your copy here: https://mykindofsweet.com/2024/01/the-no-ethanol-needed-mocktail-ebook-is-here/

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You Will Be Okay with Katy Rexing Aug 26, 2024

Show notes

My very first guest, Katy Rexing, is back on the show! Check out her first episode here.

Today, Katy gives us a big life update. She’ll talk about what it was like to follow her gut and move her family to California, despite experiencing intense fear every step of the way. She’ll share how her husband has followed her into embracing a sober life. Plus, we’ll talk in depth about what everyone in our family gains when we choose sobriety as parents.

Katy wants you to know that nothing within you is ‘broken’. You are already whole. You just need to find a way to accept it.

If you are interested in exploring meditation in an easy going way, join Katy for weekly meditation! You can learn more at https://katyrexing.com/. Follow her on Instagram at @katyrexing

Community makes all the difference. Join The Sober Mom Life Cafe for 5+ Peer Support meetings each week and a private Facebook group to connect with sober and sober-curious women.

Get Your Copy of my book The Sober Shift

Follow on Instagram @thesobermomlife

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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