Love Sober Podcast

Welcome to the Love Sober podcast, a supportive space for the sober and sober curious. In this episode, Kate Baily interviews Maggie Klaassens, a certified alcohol-free coach and founder of The Sober Summit and Sober Circle community. Maggie shares her inspiring journey to sobriety, navigating Mommy Wine Culture and Covid and her motivation to create the free transformative online event The Sober Summit (23.04.25 -25.04.25) and the powerful impact of being part of a supportive sober community. Join us as we explore the benefits, challenges, and tools of the sober lifestyle, and discover the empowering journey towards living an alcohol-free life. Grab a cuppa and let's chat! KX Register for your free seat at THE SOBER SUMMIT online event on April 23-25 2025. Here

In this episode I talk to Casey M Davidson about how to fall in love with Sober October. We discuss habit change, early sobriety tools and the practices that have helped us to fall in love with our sobriety.  Casey McGuire Davidson is a Certified Life + Sobriety Coach who helps busy women quit drinking and create lives they love without alcohol at Hello Someday Coaching and the host of The Hello Someday Podcast. The Hello Someday Podcast For Sober Curious Women is a Top 100 Mental Health podcast, ranked in the Top 0.5% of all global podcasts with over 1.5 MM downloads. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Good Morning America, NBC News, CNBC and over 100 sobriety, motherhood, mental health and wellness podcasts and publications. Links: Love Sober Community  Love Sober Coaching Love Sober Life School 3 month program for Holidays, Christmas and Dry Jan  Grab a cuppa and let's chat. Kate x  

In this episode I talk to the founder of The Menopause School, Fiona Catchpowle who gives us a masterclass in understanding hormonal health & ageing, peri menopause, menopause and holistic health, HRT and alcohol plus practical ways to empower us to make choices for our health.  Fiona Catchpowle is a Menopause Doula and the Creator and Founder of The Menopause School -  a centre of excellence for holistic practitioners to become menstrual health informed. Even with a background in Biology and Holistic Therapy, Fiona's own experience of menopause was like hitting a brick wall. How could it be possible to reach 47 and not know about something called perimenopause? Had she missed the menopause memo? It soon became apparent that there was no education, formal or otherwise, for menstruators of any age to learn about the menstrual health journey and how to best support themselves.  Driven to make a change in menstrual and menopause health education, Fiona built The Menopause School. Fiona is on a mission to change the face of menopause care by creating a global collective of Menopause Doulas who will guide, nurture and support others along the menstrual health timeline from periods to perimenopause and beyond.   Social Media Links Facebook @TheMenopauseSchool https://www.facebook.com/TheMenopauseSchool Instagram @TheMenopauseSchool https://www.instagram.com/themenopauseschool Twitter @menopauseschool  https://twitter.com/MenopauseSchool LinkedIn @TheMenopauseSchool https://www.linkedin.com/company/themenopauseschool

In this episode I talk to a fabulous sober sis who this year has been sober for 30 YEARS! YAS queen...Arlina Allen! With this kind of sobriety timeline, Arlina has an amazing perspective on the shifting cultural narratives around sobriety and addiction over the last three decades and the expansion of all patchworks and pathways of recovery and has a refreshing take on the 12 Steps from her badass journey. With her trademark down-to-earth, humorous take on life and sobriety you are going to want to hang out with her for the next hour, I promise! We talk about our differing approaches to sobriety, semantics of the steps, how to reframe them to fit a female friendly, secular experience and how to find empowerment even within the language of 'powerlessness,' and how the menopause is for us gals and why booze has no place there.  Grab a cuppa and let's chat. Kate x  Arlina Allen is a Certified Recovery Coach (IAPRC), Certified Hypnotist CH, the Founder of Sober Life School, and host of the award winning recovery podcast "The One Day At A Time Recovery Podcast" with over 300 episodes. She helps busy women quit drinking and create a life they love! She has been sober since 4/23/94, happily married for 27 years,  Mother of two amazing young adult men and Mama to Teddy, the family English Bulldog. Through her 30 years of lived experience in sobriety and working with other women to heal their relationship with alcohol and other addictions, she developed a special intuitiveness and insights into resolving the blocks to behavior change. With a combination of science based mental, spiritual, physical and emotional practices she has seen profound and lasting changes in her clients. Her class "Reinvent-How To Rebuild Self-Esteem & End Self-Sabotage" is being taught to those who've suffered from low self-esteem, addiction, codependency, toxic relationships and many other issues.    "We only allow into our lives what we believe we deserve on a subconscious level. You can change what you believe and create the life of your dreams. Change your mind, change your life." ~Arlina Allen   Links: Sober Life School- http://www.soberlifeschool.com Reinvent - Self Esteem Course http://www.selfesteemcourse.com Podcast http://www.odaatchat.com Social Media: Facebook Page: facebook.com/odaatchat Instagram: @odaatpodcast @arlinaallen

In this episode, Dufflyn and I delve into the rich and complex topic of friendships and sobriety. Whether a friendship is for 'a reason, a season or a lifetime', (thanks for this, D), human beings are naturally wired to connect with others. Navigating the adjustments to our friendships and connections when we stop drinking can be challenging. Today, we discuss how to make friends, keep friends, and how to look after ourselves and our sobriety if things go wrong with friends. Boundaries, the importance of our connections, our attachments styles, how to let go, how to keep, new sober friends and old drinking friends and what happens if sober friends drink again and the surprising power of a frenemy... oof, it's a biggie!  So grab a cuppa and let's chat. Kate x Resources:  'Friends: Understanding the Power of our Most Important Relationships' by Robin Dunbar  Alcohol Change UK for #alcoholawarenessweek   Free resource from Dufflyn about Attachment Styles.  https://www.dufflyn.com/get_the_love_you_want_free_video https://www.dufflyn.com/     Kate's Substack for news and inspo.  https://katebaily.substack.com/ https://www.lovesober.com/       Grab a cuppa and let's chat. KX           

We kick off the summer season with sober legends Sober Dave & Johnny Lawrence talking about their friendship in the sober sphere, their mental health, getting sober as men and ongoing tools for sobriety. It was so lovely to hear about their friendship, vulnerability and how their connection led them to climb a mountain together and what they discovered about themselves as a result. They are both great advocates for men's mental health, work as coaches ad continue to raise awareness and build community in the sober space.  The Self Development Coach, Johnny Lawrence is a coach, public speaker and podcast host and his mission is to help as many people as possible with their self-development. Johnny is a popular in-person and online speaker for businesses, charities, schools, sports teams, and universities. He regularly holds MasterClasses and is passionate about delivering live sessions and engaging with his self-development community, The Changing Rooms. This online community is open to anyone with a passion for self-development, and membership is available for only £10 per month. Connect with Johnny: https://www.instagram.com/theselfdevelopmentcoach?igsh=MWkzNnR5ZHZod3lsZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr https://www.facebook.com/theselfdevelopmentcoach https://www.tiktok.com/@theselfdevelopmentcoach?_t=8nKRPvbIAAi&_r=1   Transforming his life in January 2019, David Wilson, Trauma Informed Coach and Accredited Grey Area Drinking Coach and Public Speaker, he is dedicated to motivating others to transform their lives, overcome personal challenges and embrace life with a renewed mindset. Using his unique delivery and no nonsense approach, Dave is both personable and relatable. His Top 10 Apple Podcast 'One For The Road' reaches a global audience with over 300K downloads in the first year. Dave's rich and varied guest list includes RTT founder Marisa Peer, SAS Who Dares Wins Ollie Ollerton and author of 'The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober' Catherine Gray and recently popstar Matt Willis. Connect with Dave:  https://www.soberdave.co.uk/ https://www.instagram.com/soberdave/ https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/one-for-the-road/id1565341712 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CN86KLT8?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_1MXZRRDXXZ7BGT374RWR_1   Grab a cuppa and let's chat.  Love Kate x 

This episode Kate talks midlife transitions, sober tools and the upcoming group coaching in Love Sober - Love Your Sober Summer and why we need to strategise for success.  Kate is the co-author of two books Love Yourself Sober - a self care guide to alcohol free living for busy mothers and Love Your Sober Year - A seasonal guide to alcohol free living. She is an holistic,  ICF accredited coach, She Recovers Coach, a menopause coach and currently doing her yoga teacher training.  Find out about LOVE YOUR SOBER SUMMER: Starting June 22nd 7pm GMT. EARLY BIRD AT CHECKOUT SUMMER20 for 20% off.  Love Kate x 

  In this episode I talk to writer Clover Stroud about creativity, sobriety, life, love and loss and her new memoir 'The Giant on the Skyline - On home, belonging and learning to let go.' ( May 8th 2024)  Clover Stroud is a writer and journalist writing for the Daily Mail, Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph, and Conde Nast Traveller, among others. She lives in Oxfordshire with her husband and five children. Pre-order 'The Giant on the Skyline-On home, belonging and learning to let go.'  Signed copies! Available to pre-order now. https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-giant-on-the-skyline/clover-stroud/2928377236977 Such a beautiful, affirming and honest conversation with Clover....so let's grab a cuppa and chat. KX  Connect with Clover:  Website: cloverstroud.com Substack: https://cloverstroud.substack.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clover.stroud/?hl=e

In this episode I have a fantastic chat with top sober sis, sober sexpert Tawny Lara, author of Dry Humping - a guide to dating, relating and hooking up without the booze. And basically, we talk about all of that.  Tawny Lara is an NYC-based journalist and public speaker with 8+ years of reporting on the sober (curious) space, focusing on the role liquid courage plays in interpersonal relationships. She is a podcaster, host of Recovery Rocks and has her own AF drinks brand Parentheses. You can find all of these here Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tawnymlara/ Substack https://substack.com/@tawnymlara Grab a cuppa or a cool drink - it's getting hot in here! Kate x 

In this episode I talk to the gorgeous Sarah Rusbatch, author of the best selling book “Beyond Booze” about all things grey area drinking and being a woman in midlife. We unpick the marketing, cultural messages around alcohol, discuss why midlife is a great time to quit the booze and start making ourselves and our wellbeing a priority.  Sarah is a multi award winning Health and Wellbeing Coach, an accredited Grey Area Drinking Coach, a menopause accredited coach, a motivational speaker and a passionate ambassador for helping as many women as possible to live their best life.She's also an ex-Grey Area Drinker who finally quit booze in April 2019 and has NEVER looked back! Grab a cuppa and let's chat! Love Kate x  You can find Sarah's website and book below.  https://sarahrusbatch.com/   https://sarahrusbatch.com/beyond-booze  

The first episode of Love Sober Podcast 2.0  with guest Dufflyn Lammers, relationship and recovery coach.    We know that, as Johann Hari says, connection is the opposite of addiction and so this  season has a focus on relationships with self and others.    We introduce ourselves and delve into a bit of our respective histories, and why we do what we do. Dufflyn got sober 30 years ago, before we had the language around grey area drinking.    Dufflyn talks to us about how she helps women thrive in relationships once they stop drinking or identify as being in recovery.    She will popping  on regularly to take questions about relationships throughout the season and you I will be exploring sobriety questions so please feel free to write in to  hello@lovesober.com if you have a relationship  or sobriety quandary.    You can find Dufflyn at : https://www.dufflyn.com/  https://www.instagram.com/dufflyn/  https://www.facebook.com/Dufflyn  Grab a cuppa and let's chat.  Kate x 

In this episode I have the privilege of talking to the gorgeous author Suzy Greaves about the vital skill of self-care and its foundational place in managing our wellbeing. Inner and outer care, self-respect, self-talk, boundaries and empowerment are just some of the topics we touch upon in this episode as Suzy shares her passion, compassion and wisdom.  Suzy is a mother of two, an author, Chartered Psychologist and Coach. She specialises in self-care, helping people manage their stress, emotions, and energetic bank balance. It was her life experience of motherhood colliding with the terminal illness of her father that sparked her passion for self-care which she now teaches to her clients, young and old, to cope during periods of stress, loss and change and to boost their resilience in the face of future challenges. Suzy is the Psychology Expert for wellbeing brand Neom Organics and is a founding member of the ‘Nourish' app. She figure-skated her way through her childhood, growing up on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, and now makes her home in the hills of Hertfordshire, UK. Her first book ‘The Self-Care Revolution' published by Aster came out in 2017, 'Stand Tall Like a Mountain: Mindfulness & Self-Care for Children and Parents' and 'The Little Book of Self-Care' came out in 2019. ‘Self-Care for Tough Times' and her first children's book ‘This Book Will (Help) Make You Happy' were published in 2021. Her first journal And Breathe,  Sit to Get Fit and her new deck of cards, “The Little Box of Self-Care” came out in 2022. Rest to Reset is hot off the press now, just in time to shake off the winter blues and boost the rebirth of Spring.   Join Suzy's Wellbeing Community at: Instagram: www.instagram.com/suzyreading/  Facebook: www.facebook.com/SuzyReadingPsychologyAndYoga/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/SuzyReading   www.suzyreading.co.uk Grab a cuppa and let's chat.  Love kate x 

In this episode I talk to sober legend Veronica Valli, creator of the Soberful Program and author of Soberful, about our experiences of the midlife so far and in particular the perimenopause. For too long women's bodies have been ignored in the sobriety conversation and we intend to change that! You can't mindset your way out of hormones! Midlife is a cluster of stresses and transitions for women and we talk about why sober is a super power for this period of our lives to enable us to thrive, process and prepare for the next phase - our Second Spring. We want to invite you to this brand new, one of a kind workshop for sober and sober curious women in midlife, Hot Sobriety.  Hot sobriety was created by therapist and author Veronica Valli, creator of the Soberful program & Kate Baily, author, coach, Menopause Doula and co-founder of Love Sober to help women understand their cycles, support their sobriety and live a healthier lifestyle. SELLING FAST - GRAB YOUR SEAT HERE!  This unique online masterclass combines up to date research-backed menopause information with Sobriety Lifestyle Coaching to guide women towards bossing their midlife transitions and thriving in Perimenopause, Menopause and Beyond. Why midlife is a unique time for women The best way to support your hormonal changes in sobriety  How to transform your past into wisdom The Hormone Collective and how it works The link between hormones, stress and alcohol  How to deal with anxiety Liver Health & Hormones How to use the Holistic Health Sheet Tools to help you take control, understand your needs and thrive in your midlife. Grab a cuppa and let's chat... KX  Resources: Second Spring by Kate Codrington.  

In this episode I talk to Courtney McMahon, the Radical Wellness Founder about her sober journey. She shares her beautiful insights, her wise tips and a weird synchronicity about how we can be connected with exactly the right people to inspire us and not know it (no spoilers!)  Courtney is a Holistic Sobriety Coach and founder of The Radical Wellness. She helps individuals make (seemingly) radical lifestyle changes that improve their overall health and empower them to trust their intuition so they can remove the booze, break the loop of self-sabotage, create healthy habits and start living a life they love. Courtney is certified in Holistic Health and Addictive Behavior Coaching. She has been sober since June of 2019. She lives in Connecticut with her husband Tyler and their two dogs, Leo and Olive.  She is a beautiful soul and a sober sister - check her out!  Kate x  Find Courtney Here:  www.theradicalwellness.com https://www.instagram.com/theradicalwellness/ https://www.tiktok.com/@theradicalwellness

In this episode I talk to bestselling author of We Are the Luckiest and founder of the international recovery community The Luckiest Club Laura McKowen about her new book Push off From Here.  The stories and advice McKowen shares are specific to alcohol addiction, but the tenets are universal in their application and useful no matter what challenge you face. With profound honesty and boundless compassion, Push Off from Here provides an actionable framework for healing what pains us and proves that a life of sobriety can be synonymous with a life of magic, peace, and freedom. When Laura McKowen was two years sober, she received an email from a woman whose sister was struggling with alcohol addiction. McKowen had barely climbed out from the dark place the woman's sister was in, but she made a list of the things she most needed to hear when she was deep in her own battle. No matter how far astray you've gone or how many times you've tried and failed before, as long as you're still sitting here, breathing, and reading these words, freedom and joy are still possible. In this episode we explore her Nine Truths. 1. It is not your fault.  2. It is your responsibility. 3. It is unfair that this is your thing. 4. This is your thing. 5. This will never stop being your thing until you face it. 6. You cannot do it alone. 7. Only you can do it. 8. You are loved. 9. We will never stop reminding you of these things. In Push Off from Here, McKowen delves deeply into each of her nine points: what they mean, how they work, and how every person can live them. She addresses topics such as the correlation between trauma and addiction, the importance of radical honesty, letting go of the illusion of control, the value of community, a reminder that healing is a continual process, and that the process is a gift. Whether you're just starting out or have been sober for decades, McKowen instructs us to be kind to ourselves: Change is messy and progress is rarely linear, but we can always push off from here. It's a gem so grab a cuppa and let's chat. Love Kate x  Buy the book:  Connect with Laura at The Luckiest Club

In this episode I look at the subject of hope and how to practically cultivate a hope practice.  "an optimistic mindset based on the expectation of positive outcomes.'' It's one of those tools that can be a bit overlooked,  easily mistaken for a lofty virtue or a whimsical fancy or naivety but  it is in fact a badass resilience tool. In this episode I am taking the chapter from our book Love Your Sober Year and delving into hope and actionable steps to cultivate hope and why it's such an important part of the sober toolkit. As I always say, mental health tools, are life tools, are sober tools. In the words of my first and most enduring girl crush, the wonderful Kate Bush in Cloudbusting, ' Oooooh... I just know that something good is gonna happen, and just saying it could even make it happen...' YEAH BABY. 'Love Your Sober Year' is a seasonal guide to sustainable alcohol free living. It starts in Spring so it's the perfect time to grab your copy and start or continue your holistic sober journey.  And a wee favour - If you liked the book please could you leave a review on Amazon? It really helps. Thanks so much x  So grab a cuppa and let's chat.  Love  Kate xxx    

In this episode I chat with Janet Gourand, founder of Tribe Sober, an international membership program which connects and supports people wanting to quit alcohol and then go on to learn how to thrive in their sobriety. Now 71, Janet got sober in her 60s and is a true inspiration showing just how choosing an alcohol free life later on in our lives can be done, happy, fulfilling and rewarding - by reframing and by reclaiming our lives and choices as women, we can boss this sober game, the getting older game and call BS on the limiting cultural narratives of both that we are quite frankly, OVER.  Janet has had many years of experience of corporate life in both Europe and South Africa.  When she decided to stop drinking alcohol, she could find very little available support in South Africa. Janet got sober by her own efforts and by attending a workshop in London. As her journey continued, she decided to use her professional background in training and development to design and facilitate her own Tribe Sober workshop in order to help others to do what she had done. She is married with one son and a chihuahua called June. Originally from London Janet relocated to Cape Town in 2001. Website is tribesober.com and all social media and weekly podcast is "Tribe Sober"

In this episode I 'soul dive' with the gorgeous Sarah Levine, who is an holistic mindset coach for women in recovery and a writer working on her memoir. We met through the process of doing best selling author of 'Drink', Ann Dowsett Johnston's course ' Writing your Recovery' and share our experiences of how writing in recovery and writing our recovery has been a therapeutic foundational piece of The Journey. We talk writing, Internal Family Systems and why we as women need to reclaim our story telling and connect with each other.  Smart Recovery advocates having a  VACI as part of the sober toolkit - (Vital Absorbing Creative Interest) and psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi conducted extensive research into states of Flow and how creativity boosts resilience and helps post-traumatic growth and healing.  So let's grab a cuppa and chat  Kate x  Links and resourses: Ann Dowsett Johnston Course - Writing Your Recovery (starting 18th Jan 2023) https://writingyourrecovery.com/register/ How to find Sarah:  Web: https://sarahlevinecoaching.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/sarahlevinecoaching/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahlevinecoaching  

In this episode I explore bringing 2022 to a close by sharing some reflective practices and welcoming in the new year with intention setting & having a think about the Word of the Year (WOTY). I am also drawing inspiration from Mandy's and my new book 'Love Your Sober Year' and offering journaling prompts to cultivate awareness of slowing down and building patience as part of our sober toolkits. Working with the cycles and seasons for sustainable sobriety has become foundational in the way approach my life and sobriety and I am delighted to share this and the sober journey with you. Sobriety and recovery is creative and as we expand our toolkits life gets richer and more colourful.  Reflective practice from the beautiful https://www.tarynstrong.com/ Intention practice from the legendary https://www.bernadetterussell.com/ Journaling prompts from my book Love Your Sober Year Grab a cuppa and let's chat. 

This week Kate talks to Nancy Evans about tools for long-term sobriety, maintenance and staying in love with sober. Nancy interviews Kate about Love Sober Life school, the flagship 12 week Self-development Group Coaching Program for busy women who want to stay sober & make it stick. Our tools need to evolve and grow as we do through seasons, life challenges and getting older and we need to be on our stress management, routines, socialising, mindset as well as keeping up those sober treats and keeping motivation and resilience when the going gets tough, as sometimes is just does. This course is the toolkit.  Written by: Kate Baily, who is a trauma-informed, ICF Sobriety Coach and habit change coach & author specialising in stress, midlife and addictive behaviours. Also by Mandy Manners - who is a trauma informed life and recovery coach & author. Sessions are facilitated by Kate & Nancy Evans, who is a certifices Life & Addictive Behaviours Coach and a trainee Compassionate Enquiry Practitioner, training with Dr. Gabor Mate.  Course Starts November 13th - Feb 5th. Calls at 5pm GMT Sundays.   Grab a cuppa and let's chat. KX  You can sign up here or find out more :  https://www.lovesober.com/offers/jpkUZhVi/checkout https://www.lovesober.com/love-sober-life-school-copy-2 Any qs: email me at kate@lovesober.com    For more information about Nancy or to get in touch with her it's:  https://www.nancyevanscoaching.co.uk/

Kate talks sober menopause & perimenopause with Ellie Crowe of Pump up the Present and Sober & Present podcast in honour of World Menopause Day 18th October 2022. Ellie Crowe is a Senior Certified This Naked Mind Coach, a Certified Gray Area Drinking Coach and co-host of the Present & Sober Podcast.  Her coaching practice helps overwhelmed and sleep-deprived mums parent peacefully and happily, without needing alcohol to escape at the end of the day. Focusing on both mind and body aspects, Ellie works with mums who want to drink less and be able to manage stress without drinking.  She teaches how to make alcohol small and irrelevant in your life, whilst showing how to get in control and build emotional strength and resilience.  Running both 1:1 and group programs, Ellie has a curiosity-driven approach, knowing the power of understanding ‘why' in sparking transformative change and expanding life potential. Ellie lives with her husband, three young kids and three hounds in a very old pub in Cambridge, England.  She's a passionate yogi, Wim Hof-fer and gymnast (back in training!). You can find out more about Ellie at www.pumpupthepresent.com and follow her at @pumpupthepresent on Instagram and Facebook. https://podcast.presentandsober.com (Apple podcast link here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/present-and-sober/id1569061067)   This is the link to our Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/presentandsoberpodcast/

In this episode, Kate talks to Relationship & Recovery Coach Dufflyn Lammers about Love addiction and how to spot it. Dufflyn Lammers, AKA “The cool aunt who took you to Rehab and Planned Parenthood but made you tell your mom,” is the go-to relationship expert for women in recovery.  Lammers is the founder of www.rockrelationshipsinrecovery.com where she offers online courses, an online community, and one-to-one coaching for women who want to succeed at sex, love and dating without resorting to tequila, Ben & Jerry's or *69. She combines a unique background in Tantra, Attachment Repair, Intervention and Coaching to help women create optimum relational wellbeing.  She spent the first 12 years of her own recovery single until at last she met her match. It was a long, hard, painful road for her. But it doesn't have to be for you! Her mission is to be the coach she would have wished for back then. Of course once she met her match she realized the relationship was not the destination, it was the beginning of a whole new journey. Listen, it takes courage to look deeply at ourselves and allow ourselves to show up fully. And, if we want true intimacy that is what it takes. Dufflyn's Free Talk IS IT LOVE OR IS IT ADDICTION? is available this weekend, Oct. 8th and 9th and also on the 19th.  You can register here:  https://dufflyn.newzenler.com/webinar/is-it-love-or-is-it-addiction/register She'll be breaking down a 4-part strategy for identifying the hallmarks of process addiction. She'll reveal the single most effective way to spot problem behavior. We'll share stories of women just like you who have struggled to love and be loved.  Grab a cuppa and let's chat. Kate x   

This week Kate talks with Sober Legend Claire Sweetman on her two year soberversary. Claire is a sober life advocate, a solo parent and is two years sober. She shares how she reclaimed socialising, how she manages her energy and sensory needs as a sober person and as a mum and how she managed to fall in love with partying again as a sober person.  Claire has so many tips and tools about how to navigate all this stuff in the real world and how to keep it real while bossing her toolkit.  Grab a cuppa and let's chat.  KX 

This week Kate talks to DJ Barroness and co-founder of The House of Happiness, Emma Barron.  Emma has been DJing for roughly 4 years now. She is also a TV producer for C4. Emma always had a major interest in music and was a drummer in various bands, grew up on the clubbing scene in Manchester in the 90's and then London. She also spent many summers in Ibiza - so both old school house and Balearic sounds have influenced her music style today.     After getting sober in 2017 Emma decided that she wanted to follow her  passion so bought some decks, booked a DJ course at Hub16 in Dalston to hone her skills and then got involved in some sober DJ events. She has  played gigs at various venues including House of Barnabus, Fugitive Bar Bethnal Green and more recently Ministry of Sound Members bar. One of her first gigs was doing warm up for Brandon Block on a boat party. She shares the joy and connection of learning to party sober and finder her way back to her first love of music.  London's House of Happiness first event is just a few weeks away on  Saturday 8th September 12 noon - 5pm.  Grab a cuppa and let's chat. Love Kate x  DEETS

Welcome to A/W2022 Season of Love Sober Podcast!  In this new season Kate focuses on Sober Stories and we kick off with a wonderful sober sister, mum of two, teacher and 'Cornish Girl, trying to acclimatise to Scotland', Maxine Billing Smith. Max has two sons and has been on the sober path for two and a half years and shares her story, her tools, her challenges and her wins.  Each of us has a story to tell and in sharing our stories we know we are not alone. Love Sober Podcast brings you tips, tools and inspiration from the sober community to brighten your autumn days and Max is a brilliant and funny shining example of being a thoroughly good girl who always keeps it real - so grab a cuppa and let's chat. Love Kate x If you would like to support the Love Sober Podcast you can become a Patreon supporter here or give a one of donation here: https://www.patreon.com/lovesoberpod https://www.gofundme.com/f/love-sober-podcast?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1

In the episode I have the honour of speaking with Dr. Anna Lembke about why addiction is everyone's business and dive into the neuroscience of why this is the case and how we can tackle the dopamine response we all have give ourselves the best chance of avoiding and escaping addictive behaviours., be it alcohol, shopping, smartphone.  Anna Lembke, MD is professor of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine and chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic. A clinician scholar, she is the author of more than a hundred peer-reviewed publications, has testified before the United States House of Representatives and Senate, has served as an expert witness in federal and state opioid litigation, and is an internationally recognized leader in addiction medicine treatment and education. In 2016, she published Drug Dealer, MD – How Doctors Were Duped, Patients Got Hooked, and Why It's So Hard to Stop (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2016), highlighted in the New York Times as one of the top five books to read to understand the opioid epidemic (Zuger, 2018).  Dr. Lembke appeared in the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma, an unvarnished look at the impact of social media on our lives.  Her latest book, Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence (Dutton/Penguin Random House, August 2021) was an instant New York Times bestseller and explores how to moderate compulsive overconsumption in a dopamine-overloaded world. Grab a cuppa and let's chat.  Kate x   

In this episode I talk to the wonderful Hind Nenmassi about all the things. Hind is a 30-something musician based in Brighton. They have been in the forefront of the Brighton indie scene the last few years with their band SUN & AIR. They are Moroccan and grew up in France and host Assuming Form on Slack City radio, a monthly show on navigating life and identity when you have always been the outsider because of race, ethnicity, gender or sexuality. Hind is also passionate and very open about their own mental health and neurodiversity, and how it has inevitably been intertwined with alcohol abuse in their twenties. Hind also sings one of their original songs in an impromptu acoustic session! Grab a cuppa and let's chat. Kate x    https://www.instagram.com/wearesunair/ https://www.facebook.com/wearesunair   And tickets for the June 28th gig:  https://bit.ly/birthdaygig  

In this episode I have the wonderful opportunity to talk once again with Ann Dowsett Johnston. Ann is the bestselling author of Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol, named one of the top 10 books of 2013 by the Washington Post. An award-winning journalist for many years, Ann is now a psychotherapist and the founder and leader of Writing Your Recovery, a popular online memoir-writing course for women. https://www.anndowsettjohnston.com/workshops Winner of seven National Magazine Awards, she is also the recipient of a Southam Journalism Fellowship and the Atkinson Fellowship in Public Policy. It was for the latter that she prepared a 14-part series on Women and Alcohol in the Toronto Star, looking at the closing gender gap on risky drinking. In 2013, she wrote Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol, a book named one of the top 10 of the year by the Washington Post. We talk about why writing is such an important tool for women in recovery, how to look after yourself emotionally in the process and rules of self-disclosure. Ann also gives us her expert tips on how to get started as a writer. Ann has advised many authors including Holly Whittaker when she wrote 'Quit Like a Woman' and so I'm honoured to have her sharing her experience and passion on the podcast.  What a treat! Grab a cuppa and let's chat Love Kate x     

In this episode we talk about our experiences at the She Recovers Conference in Miami. The incredible speakers and the experience of being with 500 women in recovery, dancing, doing yoga, learning, swimming, chatting was an incredible experience. We met other She Recovers Coaches, old friends who have been on the pod, and made new friends. It felt like a global sisterhood moment for sure. There were so many highlights but for Kate, some of her top moments were Nadia Bolz Webber , who founded the Church for Sinners and Saints  in Detroit and for Mandy, Shari Hampton and Jennifer Pastiloff There were so many wow and ahhh moments, dancing with Payton and yoga-ing with Taryn. Still holding on and processing and smiling. On another note... change being part of life and necessary for growth and health, Mandy talks about her decision to step back from Love Sober & the podcast, to honour health, wellbeing, family and transitions after much deliberation. Kate will continue to run Love Sober & they remain great friends and collaborate on their coach training and their second book which is out in September. For now a sacred pause to honour Mandy and her incredible contribution to the sober community in her work with Love Sober & her coaching and awareness raising - she's not going anywhere - you can find her at https://www.instagram.com/mandymannerscoach/ The best way to keep in touch with Kate and all things Love Sober & her coaching practice is at https://www.lovesober.com/ Sign up to the newsletter for all the monthly news and resources, courses and offerings and hello@lovesober.com to DM.  Grab a cuppa your sober stars and let's chat.  Love K&M X 

In this episode Kate talks to Intuitive Eating Coach Tiffany North about healing disordered eating, the neurobiology of stress & trauma and her long-term recovery.  As an RN, Certified Intuitive Eating Professional, and creator of the Food Attachment Model ™, Tiffany helps people with disordered eating finally find freedom, balance, and satisfaction. She personally struggled with disordered eating and found a path to peace. It was so transformational that she dedicated her work to helping others do the same. Tiffany's passion is helping people stop wasting their precious energy drained by the food and body struggle so that they can use that energy to be powerful leaders in the world. She has also been alcohol and substance free since 1998 and feels that recovery has informed all areas of her life, especially her work as a nurse and a coach. When she isn't coaching, speaking, and podcasting, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, being in nature and creating more fun, adventure, and play in life. Find Tiffany here: https://www.coachtiffanyrn.com/quiz.html Grab a Cuppa and let's chat.  Kate & Mandy x 

In this episode we discuss the load of carers & in our cases as mothers. We discuss the need for honesty, extra support and wider nexus for us to thrive. Our mental health journeys, our kids', how we walk the line of nurture and letting go and questions about why the obsession with productivity is BS are all topics for today.  Resources mentioned: The Body is Not an Apology  The Human Library at Copenhagen  Co-Women group Sussex, UK. 

In this episode we talk about people pleasing or fawning/ appeasing as it's sometimes referred to. This is actually an adaptive trauma response and a result of us having to fit in, play small and hide ourselves in order to fit in. We look at it's spectrum, how it can actually be a superpower when used wisely and how we can look after ourselves as we learn to connect with others healthily, set boundaries and stand our ground.  Grab a cuppa and let's chat.  Resources mentioned: Untamed Journal, Glennon Doyle  Playing Big, Tara Mohr  Love Kate & Mandy 

In this episode Kate talks to dear friend and sober legend, Nana Treen, long term Soberista, occasional blogger, advocate for alcohol-free life and creator AF Loud and Proud. https://nanatreen.wordpress.com/ Treen got sober at 59 and in this episode we discuss the challenges of kicking the drink later in life and how to harness the power of 'Life's Third Trimester' to create a mindset for successful sobriety. Nana Treen is a truly inspiration woman, proud to consider herself an Elder and a Sober Sister.  Grab a cuppa and let's chat. K&M X 

In this episode we discuss our journeys in sobriety and our experiences as mums. We look at why it's so important for women to have the appropriate support, community and care as mothers to honour that rite of passage, protect our mental and physical well-being and to ask the real questions about care - not just be sold Mummy Wine Time. We revisit our first book Love Yourself Sober - a Self Care guide to Alcohol-Free Living for Busy Mothers. which was the book we REALLY needed to write and is a collection of all the things that helped us  along the way.  We also reference the Vision Boarding Workshop with Kate , this coming Sunday on Mother's Day in the UK at 5pm. This is an opportunity to engage your creativity in envisioning a life you love sober or bringing more of what you love into your sober life.  Booking link here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/spring-vision-boarding-for-sobriety-tickets-291730663267 Grab a cuppa and let's chat K&M X 

In this episode Mandy talks to Mental Health specialist and trainer Amanda Townsend. Amanda is a self-care & self-love advocate who uses her lived experience of poor mental health to inspire others on their journey to becoming their best selves. In this episode we talk about the impact of alcohol on mental health, we talk about Amanda's work and the importance of mental health first aider training to challenge the stigma and create a safer and healthier world for all. Amanda is incredibly passionate about honest and diverse conversations about mental health in her work and it was a great pleasure to dive into her self-care and self-love story.    www.pharustraining.com The Mandy & Co Show - YouTube   TheMandyAndCoShow (@themandyandcoshow) • Instagram photos and videos --

This week on the podcast Mandy speaks with Michael @happywithoutthehooch It was a real pleasure to talk to Michael and for him to share his incredible journey to sobriety. It shows us all that there is possibility and we do recover and how comedy, community and connection can provide the tools to a life without alcohol. There is talk of overdose and suicidal ideation and attempt in this conversation. So please do make sure you are in the right space to listen, it is also a conversation of hope, survival and recovery which is really inspiring. Michael Sargood is 39 years old and from Southend-on-Sea in the UK and is over one year sober. At the depths of his alcohol addiction, he was drinking up to a litre of neat vodka per night and was diagnosed as being alcohol dependent. Despite this, he managed to hold down a good job until the last few months of his addiction. He decided to quit alcohol in March 2020 and went to live with his parents for the first three months of his recovery. He was sober seven months before relapsing in October 2020. That "one" drink lasted four months and saw him placed under the care of the local mental health team. On the 17th of February 2021, after losing over 24 hours to blackout, He went sober again. That was the last time he drank.This time round, He is trying to recover differently. Instead of just "subtracting" substances, people and places, he is focussing on adding things to his life: new friends, interests and ambitions.   He has taken up comedy and recently started performing. He runs alcohol-free social events in his local area and is on a mission to meet IRL with other sober people he's connected with on Instagram. "Life has never been so good for me and I want to help others who are struggling with alcohol and substance abuse discover the joy of sobriety." He says. Michael is off to Scotland with @welovelucid 20th - 23rd of Scotland - so if you're up for some laughter, connection and bagpipes don't miss out! Grab a cuppa and let's chat. Love M & K xx

We kick off our Love Yourself Sober series this week, with themes from our book Love Yourself Sober - a Self-Care Guide to Alcohol-free Living. In Part 1 we talk about neuroscience and sobriety and the simple things we do to help keep our brains and nervous systems well. With tools such as nutrition, sleep, movement but also joy , connection and calm, we chat through the hows, whys and wherefores of this fascinating subject and how we put together our own brain/ body sober toolkits and how to work with these without overwhelm or placing unrealistic expectations on ourselves.  Grab a cuppa and let's chat.  K&M X 

In this episode, Kate talks to Emma Sobersonic, who is a sober life advocate  has been sober since 09/11/2015

This week Kate talks to Rachael May, accredited professional Transformational Life Coach and author of Radically Sober. In this episode, just in time for Valentine's Day we dive into Rachael's sober story and into the juicy topic of sober dating, romantic relationships and ultimately with our relationship with ourselves. We look at why the decision to go alcohol free is the foundational piece of self-love which enables all the other pieces to come together in the self-care sober toolkit.     Rachael  trained with Mindful Talent Coaching Academy, is also a trained Nutritional Therapist, an entrepreneur, a small business owner and a former secondary school/ high school Spanish teacher. Her mission with her writing and coaching is to help as many women as possible get unstuck and live fulfilling, wholehearted lives.  Rachael May lives in her native Warwickshire, England with her partner and their gorgeous border collie.  Radically Sober  is her first book and is available on Amazon worldwide. You can find her on Instagram @rachaelmay_coaching and her website, which is coming soon  is rachaelmaycoaching.com

In this week's podcast we chat about the end of Dry January and how to navigate the next part of the year and journey. With a focus on this last part of winter, mindfulness, self-care and looking for the light when the days are still dark, we explore the practices that keep us going and loving sober.  We reflect on reflection, and bringing light in terms of growing awareness and embracing and allowing the light of happiness in. Grab a cuppa and let's chat  Love K&M XXX

In this week's podcast, Kate talks to the wonderful Veronica Valli about her new  book ‘Soberful: Uncover a sustainable, fulfilling life free of alcohol' published by Sounds True. It's an opportunity once again to benefit from her wisdom and experience as a true pioneer of sustainable sobriety. Continuously sober since May 2nd, 2000, and with 20 years experience as a recovery coach and psychotherapist, she understands that there is no ONE path to recovery. Veronica teaches that alcohol is not the problem—it's only a symptom of a deeper underlying problem. She helps women dig deep, embrace change, and become who they are meant to be. “I return people to themselves,” she says. Veronica has helped thousands of women not only recover from alcohol but also transform their lives. Veronica works with women and men all over the world through her successful and innovative online recovery programs. She developed the Soberful program into an online subscription community; Soberful Life. Now based in the US after relocating from the UK, she is married and lives on Lake Tahoe, NV, with her husband and two sons. Free Facebook group: Soberful Instagram: @veronicajvalli Website: Soberful.com Details of Veronica's new book can be found here:  https://soberful.com/soberful-book-launch

This week on the pod, Mandy interview Lois Beim and Liz Mckean from The Phoenix @riserecoverylive  Liz McKean is a Yoga Teacher and Person in Recovery.  Born and raised in Western NY, she lives in Tampa, Florida with her husband and rescue dog and cats.  After years of struggling with anxiety and drinking, she found strength and sobriety on the yoga mat, and soon after found community with The Phoenix.  In her current role of National Virtual Program Manager at The Phoenix, Liz helps bring the sober, active community to people across the country and beyond through live streaming events such as fitness, yoga, meditation, and social gatherings.  She also teaches yoga within her community, and at a local treatment center.  There is nothing she'd rather do than work for and with people in and seeking recovery.  Sharing her story and the joy of community and yoga is the honor of her life.   Lois is a yoga teacher, personal trainer and fitness instructor and has been sober for around five years. She lives in Surrey with her husband, three children and two Jack Russells. She was brought up in Belfast during the troubles and previously worked in the police. She began drinking as a teenager and used alcohol to numb difficult emotions and escape crippling shyness. She initially began exercising in order to be fit for her job, but began to notice other benefits including increased confidence and better mood. Yoga took this one step further and taught her self compassion and allowed her to connect to her body and feel at peace. She has been volunteering for The Phoenix sober community for over a year teaching yoga and meditation.   In this episode we talk about exercise, yoga and community, how together we are stronger than stigma and what the amazing people at The Phoenix do.  To find out more and join a class you can go to https:/www.thephoenix.org follow @riserecoverlive or @power_yoga_cobham Grab a cuppa and let's chat! 

It's the first episode of 2022... so welcome to any new Dry January listeners and welcome back to old friends. In this episode we discuss tips and tools from Kate's  fitness training sessions and how they translate into sobriety. The way we manage and monitor progress, reward ourselves, acknowledge our achievements in other areas of habit change and the way we manage pitfalls and setbacks are so important for how we view our success and at the end of the day, ourselves. As always we need to treat ourselves with self compassion and get the building blocks in place to give ourselves the best chance of success.  The secret of our success is built day by day, so keep going, grab yourself a cuppa and let's chat.  Love Kate & Mandy x  Join our course here https://www.lovesober.com/courses

Happy New Year! In this episode we say goodbye politely and not so politely  to 2021(aherm) and set some gentle intentions and hopes for lighter times and more play in 2022 and discuss our respective Word of the Year. Once more round the sun folks. We bloody did it!  What is your WOTY? Message us at hello@lovesober.com or tag us @instagram.com/lovesober.cic Join us at https://www.lovesober.com Get in touch with your ideas and requests for topics and guests.  We love to hear from you.  Grab a cuppa and let's chat. Love K&M xxx 

In this week's podcast Kate chats to dear Sober Sis, Sobriety Activist Nancy who is known on Tiktok and Instagram as Sober Loving Radical. https://www.instagram.com/sober_loving_radical/ Nancy is a  49 year old mum of three boys aged 9, 15 and 16 and has been sober since April 2018. She was diagnosed with ADHD in April 2020 she says  'after a lifetime of feeling like I didn't quite fit in and struggling with low self esteem." She is  a sobriety and self discovery coach, (in training) and can currently be found on TikTok and Instagram as Sober Loving Radical. Her mission is to define and promote 'Radical Sobriety' as a positive, joyful, lifestyle choice. A vehicle for self discovery and living a fulfilling and empowered life. In her private life my biggest drive is to break the cycle of generational trauma, to enable her children to feel better about themselves than she did growing up. The is real talk for real times, how we actually feel in the run up to Xmas this second pandemic winter and what we think we might need to soothe, connect and light up our inner fairy lights to keep on keeping on.  Grab a cuppa and let's chat. Love Kate & Mandy   

In this episode we continue to assemble and refine the advent toolkit - we look at managing energy and staying balanced through 'Wintering' - which is respecting that deep need to rest and restore, do less and why it's so, so important for our sobriety and wellbeing.  We also discuss approaching this through self compassion - modelling that to our kids rather that this hyper perfectionism which feels  so stressful and actually stops us being present - which is that greatest gift we can give them - and ourselves.  Hunker down, turn off all notifications, grab and cuppa and let's chat. Love Kate & Mandy     

In this episode we chat about how to put our best feet forward for the Xmas period and boss our sobriety with a badass toolkit. We are talking about willpower and how to build our sober identities, liminal thinking, diary being the weapon of choice, respecting the ebb and doing it OUR way.  Head over to https://www.lovesober.com/blog/the-advent-ure-starts-here-your-guide-to-an-alcohol-free-december for more inspo about the toolkit.  You've got it, we've got you - let's do this!  Grab a cuppa and let's chat. Love Kate & Mandy 

In this episode, Mandy talks to sober shero and coach Jo Walduck. Jo Walduck (she/they) @zesobercoach @jowalduck loves long naps, white chocolate, social justice, walks on the beach and fluffy cats. Currently working remotely, she lives in Lyon, France but has grand plans to relocate to the seaside as soon as possible. Sober since October 2019, her journey to sobriety came off the back of burnout from teaching, and retraining as a life and business coach. After taking one month off the booze to boost the launch her company, she realised the tip of the iceberg had just been scratched in terms of the benefits and lessons that can come from sustained sobriety, and since then has navigated quitting nicotine, coming out as trans, living with chronic illness, losing friends and family to isolation, illness and death, and of course, the adaptation to life in a pandemic. She works on herself and with women and queer folk as a coach, exploring the hindrances to sustained sobriety and the shadows that can appear when the sober light gets stronger. Her support group (The Deep Duckpond) is currently only in English, but she works 1:1 with clients in English and French and hopes, *once things settle down* to be more actively involved in the alcohol free world in France, and to produce more resources and supports for members of the queer community who struggle with addictive substances and behaviour. Community, therapy, boundary work (inward and outward-facing), non-violent communication, and radical self-love and self-care (it's not all fluffy slippers) are the cornerstones of her sobriety, healing and recovery. Grab a cuppa and let's chat. M & K  Website: www.jowalduck.com

It's Alcohol Awareness Week in the UK and  https://alcoholchange.org.uk/ focus this year is on the  impact of alcohol on our relationships. We chat through our relationships when we were drinking, on our marriages, in our families and with ourselves . Part two of this discussion looks at how to build sober friendships. We talk about the power of connections and moving from places of isolation to connection in the beauty that is the sober journey and how we heal.  Grab a cuppa and let's chat.  Love K&M XX

This week Mandy is joined by @thefoodaddictioncoach Dr Bunmi Aboaba is a Recovery Coach specialising in Food Addiction, helping clients to achieve a healthy relationship with food to meet long-term health goals. Dr Bunmi's work covers the full spectrum of disordered eating, including overeating, compulsive eating, emotional eating, addicted eating and other associated patterns. Dr Bunmi is also creator of the first Certified Food Addiction Certification to support nutritionists, personal trainers, dieticians, nurses and clinicians to help their clients achieve long-lasting results. We had a great chat about Bunmi's own story to sobriety, cross-addiction and her vision for helping people, breaking stigma and looking at how we eat, what we eat and why we eat it. We also talked about the way we can spot patterns of addictive behaviours no matter how they manifest. Bumni is a great friend of the show and a brilliant coach, don't hesitate to get in touch if this resonates you are not alone. Love M & K Web: www.thefoodaddictioncoach.co.uk LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bunmiaboaba/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefoodaddictioncoach/

TW: Please note there is discussion of sexual trauma in this podcast, so take care of yourself and your well-being.    This week Mandy is joined by @traumathrivers_loulebentz Lou is a well-known UK therapist, trauma clinician, speaker and Founder of “Trauma Thrivers” a hugely popular Facebook community for those in recovery from trauma, addiction and complex PTSD. Lou worked for over a decade on the addiction treatment programme at the Priory Hospital in Roehampton, and has been “in recovery” for 15 years herself.    This conversation touches on the interconnection between addiction and trauma, how many of us compare or discount our trauma story without compassionately understanding what trauma is and how it shows up in the body as a disregulated nervous system. We talk about Lou's own story and why she is so passionate about helping people move from surviving to thriving, her new thrivability programme and @besoberandquit up coming Sobriety Breakthrough event.   To register interest in Lou's new group programme Thrivabililty and the trauma thrivers Facebook group visit the website https://traumathrivers.com/   If you would like to join us at Simon Chapple's event tickets can be found https://besober.co.uk/select-ticket/   If you would like to support our work and the podcast you can become a Matron/Patron https://www.patreon.com/lovesoberpod thank you so much!   Grab a cuppa and let's chat.   Love K & M xxx