• 48 minutes 57 seconds
    Ep 197. When the Life You’ve Built in Recovery No Longer Fits, with Jason Dobbie

    My guest this week is Jason Dobbie, a chef of 26 years who got sober while still running professional kitchens. Sobriety, though, did not answer the question underneath it all: who am I? Eight years on, Jason leads a community of more than 750 people working through that same question, and he joins Ash to unpack what it actually took to rebuild a sense of self from the ground up.


    Jason and Ash talk about quitting marijuana years after quitting alcohol, the moment a spiritual awakening cracked his life wide open, and the discomfort of becoming a different person. He shares how learning to put himself first, speak his truth and trust his intuition eventually led him to walk away from a lucrative head chef job for a life built on purpose and alignment.


    It is a conversation about the long, often unglamorous work of self-discovery, and a reminder that sobriety is only ever the beginning of finding out who you really are.


    Episode chapters:

    00:08 Meet Jason: 26 Years a Chef, 750 People in Community

    01:02 Building a Community From a Meditation Group

    02:43 A Day in Jason’s Life Now

    04:13 Where His Drive Really Comes From

    06:02 The Photo: Successful on the Outside, Empty on the Inside

    08:52 Quitting Weed After 25 Years

    10:43 The Veil Effect of Weed and Alcohol

    12:07 Why He Finally Quit Drinking

    14:34 Free Health Care, Group Therapy and Finding Meditation

    18:18 A Shared Story of Spiritual Awakening

    20:43 Sober but Lost: Who Am I Now

    22:13 The Turning Point at the Mirror

    26:39 Learning to Put Himself First

    30:52 The Body Signal That Pointed Him Toward a New Career

    38:09 Reframing Meditation as Just Paying Attention

    44:26 Jason’s Three Non-Negotiables


    Connect with Jason here:

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason.dobbie/

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jason.dobbie


    Join Ash’s community newsletter! Click the link here to join.


    Upcoming Retreats

    The Embodied Woman One Day Retreat | October 25th | Find Out More

    The Embodied Woman 5 Day Retreat | April 21 - 25, 2027 | Find Out More

    Courage To Heal: Childhood Trauma Retreat | June 14 - 21, 2027

    Email [email protected] for more information

    A Sacred Return | Bali | August 16 - 20, 2027

    Email [email protected] for more information


    Follow and connect with Ash on:

    ⁠Instagram⁠ @ashbutterss

    TikTok @behindthesmilewithashb

    Website⁠ www.ashbutterss.com

    Watch Ash’s TEDx Talk here!

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    18 October 2026, 6:00 pm
  • 44 minutes 58 seconds
    Ep 196. What 5 Days Offline Taught Me About Stillness, Intuition and Energy, with Ash Butterss

    In this solo episode, Ash reflects on a recent trip to the Gold Coast, where she spent five nights at a wellness retreat, not as a facilitator but as a guest. Away from Wi-Fi and her usual pace of life, she unpacks five lessons that surfaced in the stillness. From remembering to trust the wisdom of her body, to rereading an old favourite book and discovering how much she herself had changed, there were plenty of downloads she wanted to share.


    Ash also discusses the importance of balancing mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health rather than over focusing on just one or two, and how you can achieve this without creating more overwhelm. This is a reflective, practical episode about what it looks like to actually slow down, listen inward, and trust the shifts that quietly ask to be made.


    Episode chapters:

    00:00 Retreat Announcement

    01:13 Coming Back From Eden Retreat

    03:38 A Life of Bookends: Regulated Mornings, Full Steam Days

    08:18 Choosing Your Own Adventure at Eden

    10:39 Trusting the Body Over the Aura Ring

    15:09 The Nervous System Check and the 99th Percentile Surprise

    17:23 Hearing the Whisper to Step Back From Teaching

    21:59 Saying Yes and Watching Life Respond

    24:12 Rereading The Untethered Soul Years Later

    28:53 Releasing a Resentment Through Energy, Not Defense

    31:10 The Joy of Talking to Strangers

    33:32 The Four Pillars of Health

    43:01 A New Offering Coming in January


    Join Ash’s community newsletter! Click the link here to join.


    Upcoming Retreats

    The Embodied Woman One Day Retreat | October 25th | Find Out More

    The Embodied Woman 5 Day Retreat | April 21 - 25, 2027 | Find Out More

    Courage To Heal: Childhood Trauma Retreat | June 14 - 21, 2027

    Email [email protected] for more information

    A Sacred Return | Bali | August 16 - 20, 2027

    Email [email protected] for more information


    Follow and connect with Ash on:

    ⁠Instagram⁠ @ashbutterss

    TikTok @behindthesmilewithashb

    Website⁠ www.ashbutterss.com

    Watch Ash’s TEDx Talk here!

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    11 October 2026, 6:00 pm
  • 52 minutes 3 seconds
    Ep 195. From Living in His Car to Getting His Daughter Back, with Dave McGrath

    This week Ash sits down with Dave McGrath, a 47 year old carpenter and father who recently celebrated three years of sobriety. For a period of about nine months before rehab, Dave was living out of his car, seeing his daughter once every month or two, and losing himself completely to what he calls the alcoholic insanity. His rock bottom came in a friend's garage, staring at an extension ladder and a rope, before something in him snapped awake enough to call a rehab.


    In this raw and honest conversation, Dave takes Ash through the chaos of early sobriety attempts that did not stick, the shame of losing contact with his family and his daughter, and the strangers along the way who quietly helped him find his footing, including a chance encounter on a footpath that led him to treatment. He also opens up about an unexpected and profound spiritual awakening in a church that changed the course of his recovery, and what it has taken to rebuild trust with the people he hurt along the way. This is a story about hope, redemption and never giving up.


    Episode chapters:

    00:00 Introducing Dave McGrath

    03:21 The Photo: A Visitation Day With His Daughter

    04:16 The Unmanageability of Alcoholic Insanity

    05:55 The First Drink as a Child

    09:30 Hating Who He Saw in the Mirror

    10:41 The Craving He Could Never Control

    15:14 Failed Attempts and Dry Spells

    18:52 Cold Water Plunges at 2am

    19:33 Rock Bottom: The Rope in the Garage

    21:31 A Stranger on the Street Who Showed Him the Way

    23:21 A Daughter Waiting at the Window

    26:03 From Dry Drunk to Actually Working the Program

    44:51 A Spiritual Awakening at Church

    47:57 Daily Conscious Contact and Letting Go of Rage

    50:21 Three Non-Negotiables for a Happy, Authentic Life

    Join Ash’s community newsletter! Click the link here to join.

    Upcoming Retreats

    The Embodied Woman One Day Retreat | October 25th | Find Out More

    The Embodied Woman 5 Day Retreat | April 21 - 25, 2027 | Find Out More

    A Sacred Return | Bali | August 16 - 20, 2027

    Email [email protected] for more information


    Follow and connect with Ash on:

    ⁠Instagram⁠ @ashbutterss

    TikTok @behindthesmilewithashb

    Website⁠ www.ashbutterss.com

    Watch Ash’s TEDx Talk here!

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    4 October 2026, 6:00 pm
  • 55 minutes 31 seconds
    Ep 194. How Breathwork Can Fast Track Your Healing, with Megan Ashton

    My guest this week is Megan Ashton, founder of Unity Breathwork and a leading voice for raising safety standards in the breathwork industry. Megan spent most of her adult life escaping herself, first through alcohol and bulimia as a teenager, then later through constant travel that let her outrun her feelings entirely. It took a devastating breakup, and a breathwork session in Bali, for her to finally crack open decades of unprocessed grief, so that she could start the long journey of finding a way back to herself.


    In this conversation, Megan and Ash unpack what conscious connected breathwork actually is, why it so often brings up trauma the body has been holding for years, and what it means to build a practice around genuine safety rather than chasing catharsis. Megan speaks candidly about the childhood wounds that shaped her patterns of numbing, the importance of proper preparation and integration when facilitating breathwork, and her mission to make this kind of healing as accessible and understood as yoga. This conversation invites you to think about acknowledging the feelings you’ve spent a lifetime avoiding.


    Episode chapters:

    00:00 Introducing Megan Ashton

    05:24 The Photo: Hiding Behind the Smile in Nicaragua

    07:32 Travel as an Escape Strategy

    09:33 A Sensitive Childhood and the First Time She Numbed Out

    11:17 The Slow Slide Into Bulimia

    12:59 The Breakup That Broke Everything Open

    19:57 Trying Everything Before Breathwork

    20:27 The Bali Session That Changed Her Life

    22:17 Discovering Her Mission in Conscious Connected Breathwork

    24:07 What Conscious Connected Breathwork Actually Is

    27:08 A Year of Crying: What Processing Really Looks Like

    28:07 Letting Go of Expectations in the Practice

    00:18 Why Safety in Breathwork Matters So Much

    02:28 The Risk of Retraumatisation Without Proper Preparation

    04:33 Grounding and Integration After a Session

    18:11 Three Non-Negotiables for a Happy, Authentic Life


    Connect with Megan through the links below:

    Website: (https://unitybreathwork.com/)

    Breathwork Facilitator Training page: (https://unitybreathwork.com/breathwork-facilitator-training/)

    Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/unitybreathwork/)

    Retreats:(https://unitybreathwork.com/breathwork-retreat/)


    Join Ash’s community newsletter! Click the link here to join.


    Upcoming Retreats

    The Embodied Woman One Day Retreat | October 25th | Find Out More

    The Embodied Woman 5 Day Retreat | April 21 - 25, 2027 | Find Out More

    A Sacred Return | Bali | August 16 - 20, 2027

    Email [email protected] for more information.


    Follow and connect with Ash on:

    ⁠Instagram⁠ @ashbutterss

    TikTok @behindthesmilewithashb

    Website⁠ www.ashbutterss.com

    Watch Ash’s TEDx Talk here!

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    27 September 2026, 7:00 pm
  • 1 hour 4 minutes
    Ep 193. Why It’s Never Too Late to Heal, with Tully Johns

    My guest this week is Tully Johns, a Melbourne based health coach who spent close to fifteen years working as a zookeeper before turning to helping people. For most of three decades, Tully carried the effects of childhood sexual abuse without a name for it, showing up instead as depression, anxiety, and eventually a PTSD diagnosis. It was only in his forties, after his brother came forward with his own memories and pursued a case against their father, that Tully began to understand what he himself had survived.


    In this conversation, Tully shares what it was like to process decades of trauma later in life, the stretch of days he could not get out of bed that became his turning point, and the small, unglamorous practices that slowly rebuilt his life from the ground up. He and Ash talk about connection, letting people in, and what it means to parent well after having none of that modelled for you. This is a tender and deeply honest conversation about healing on your own timeline and choosing, every day, not to be defined by what happened to you.


    Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions of child sexual abuse, please listen with care. Support services have been included in the episode show notes. 


    Episode chapters:

    00:00 Introducing Tully Johns

    06:33 The Photo: Hiding Behind the Smile

    07:00 Discovering the Abuse: A Four Year Old's Burden

    14:11 His Brother's Case and the Public Fallout

    18:13 Forty Years to Process What Happened

    26:03 Finding Escape and Purpose Through Animals

    32:05 The Catabasis: Hitting a Wall as a Stay at Home Dad

    36:17 The Fake Smile That Started the Rebuild

    38:16 One Word Journaling and Small Daily Wins

    40:58 Movement as Medicine

    45:57 Self Compassion Alongside Discipline

    49:06 Reparenting the Four Year Old Within

    53:01 Why Connection Changes Everything

    01:00:40 Three Non-Negotiables for a Happy, Authentic Life


    Connect with Tully using the links below: 



    Support Services

    If this episode has brought anything up for you, support is available:


    • Blue Knot Helpline provides specialist support for adult survivors of childhood trauma and abuse. Call 1300 657 380.
    • 1800RESPECT provides free, confidential counselling and support for anyone impacted by sexual violence. Call 1800 737 732 or text 0458 737 732, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
    • Bravehearts provides information and support relating specifically to child sexual abuse. Call 1800 272 831, Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm AEST.
    • Lifeline provides crisis support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call 13 11 14.


    Join Ash’s community newsletter! Click the link here to join.


    Upcoming Retreats

    The Embodied Woman One Day Retreat | October 25th | Find Out More


    A Sacred Return | Bali | August 16 - 20, 2027 

    Email [email protected] for more information


    Follow and connect with Ash on: 

    ⁠Instagram⁠ @ashbutterss

    TikTok @behindthesmilewithashb

    Website⁠ www.ashbutterss.com

    Watch Ash’s TEDx Talk here!



    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    20 September 2026, 7:00 pm
  • 1 hour 8 minutes
    Ep 192. From “Certified Insane” to 32 Years of Recovery, with Suzi Raleigh

    My guest this week is Suzi Raleigh, a recovery advocate and budding author who is now 32 years sober. Suzi started drinking at 13, was misdiagnosed for years with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and survived multiple psychiatric hospitalisations and several near death experiences before her father encouraged her to try 12 Step Recovery in 1993. She has not had a drink since.


    In this conversation, Suzi shares what it was like to live with a loneliness she calls the ache, the moment her drinking finally stopped being explained away by mental illness, and how discovering codependency twelve years into sobriety changed the entire trajectory of her recovery. She and Ash explore what it really means to be a recovering rescuer, the boundaries work that continues decades in, and the unique approach Suzi now teaches through her upcoming book, naming, taming and nurturing the different inner personalities that drive addiction and codependency. It is a warm, funny and wise conversation about what it looks like to keep growing long after the drinking stops.


    Episode chapters:

    00:00 Introducing Suzi Raleigh

    06:09 The Photo: Hiding Behind the Smile

    07:25 Growing Up in a Pub and the First Drink at Thirteen

    10:19 The Ache: Naming the Loneliness Underneath

    12:04 The First Hospitalisation and Years of Misdiagnosis

    23:04 Her Father's Suggestion and the First AA Meeting

    25:01 What the First Twelve Months of Sobriety Looked Like

    27:06 Becoming a Recovering Rescuer

    28:48 Discovering Codependency at Twelve Years Sober

    30:11 High Functioning Codependency and the Auto-Fix Reflex

    37:21 Marrying a Man Twenty Years Sober and Growing Together

    42:57 Naming the Inner Characters: Suzy the Floozy and Beyond

    01:00:39 Reclaiming Little Tootie and Becoming Her Own Best Friend

    01:05:25 Three Non-Negotiables for a Happy, Authentic Life


    You can connect with Suzi on her Tik Tok or reach out via email - [email protected] 


    Join Ash’s community newsletter! Click the link here to join.


    Upcoming Retreats

    The Embodied Woman One Day Retreat | October 25th | Find Out More


    A Sacred Return | Bali | August 16 - 20, 2027 

    Email [email protected] for more information


    Follow and connect with Ash on: 

    ⁠Instagram⁠ @ashbutterss

    TikTok @behindthesmilewithashb

    Website⁠ www.ashbutterss.com

    Watch Ash’s TEDx Talk here!


    Support Services

    If this conversation has brought anything up for you, please know you don’t have to go through it alone. Support is always available. You can reach out to Lifeline on 13 11 14 for 24/7 crisis support, Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 for mental health support and guidance, or the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 for free counselling.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    13 September 2026, 7:00 pm
  • 1 hour 16 minutes
    Ep 191. Why Nothing External Will Ever Fill The Internal Void, with Katrina Loewe

    My guest this week is Katrina Loewe, a mum of three boys who lived 47 years in internal chaos before a spiritual awakening turned her life around. On the outside, Katrina had everything, a beautiful family, a beautiful home, and a life many would envy. On the inside, she was drowning in perfectionism, shame she had carried since her teens, and a growing disconnection from herself that eventually led her through four hospitalisations in the space of nine and a half weeks.


    Katrina shares what it was like to hit a point where nothing external could fix her anymore, the moment she finally reached out for real help, and how meditation, connection, and a complete willingness to change gave her a life she had never known was possible. She talks openly about perfectionism, people pleasing, the shame of being away from her children while seeking treatment, and what it means to finally feel at peace in your own life.


    This is a moving conversation about what transformation can look like when it has nothing to do with rock bottom in the traditional sense, and everything to do with finally coming home to yourself.


    Episode chapters:

    00:00 Introducing Katrina Loewe

    05:14 The Photo: Hiding Behind the Smile

    08:52 A Wholesome Childhood and the First Signs of Not Fitting In

    13:14 A Difficult Family Holiday and Years of Carrying Shame

    26:20 Becoming a Stepmum, IVF, and Chasing "I'll Be Happy When"

    30:52 Suffocating Behind a Perfect Life

    33:22 Losing Her Father and the Grief She Never Processed

    36:43 The Trip Around Australia and the Start of the Unravelling

    38:04 When Drinking Crept In

    40:53 Four Hospitals in Nine and a Half Weeks

    46:13 The Instagram Post That Changed Everything

    51:20 What Her Relationship with Alcohol Looks Like Today

    57:19 Releasing the Shame and Living Without Apology

    01:00:16 Three Non-Negotiables for a Happy, Authentic Life


    Join Ash’s community newsletter! Click the link here to join.


    Upcoming Workshops:

    The Renewal Ritual | September 13th | Buy Tickets Here


    Upcoming Retreats:

    The Embodied Woman | Gold Coast | April 21 - 25, 2027

    A Sacred Return | Bali | August 16 - 20, 2027

    Email [email protected] for more details!


    Follow and connect with Ash on: 

    ⁠Instagram⁠ @ashbutterss

    TikTok @behindthesmilewithashb

    Website⁠ www.ashbutterss.com

    Watch Ash’s TEDx Talk here!

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    6 September 2026, 7:00 pm
  • 31 minutes 32 seconds
    Ep 190. Feeling Lost? The Daily Spiritual Practice That Brings You Back to Yourself, with Ash Butterss

    Fresh from running her retreat in Bali, Ash is back with another solo episode exploring  why so many of us feel disconnected from ourselves, and how a simple daily spiritual practice can help us step off the hamster wheel and come back to what truly matters. Inspired from the practices she was sharing on retreat, Ash shares what sadhana really means, the difference between filling your life with more things to do and creating practices that genuinely support you, and how meditation, pranayama, breathwork, yoga and stillness can become part of your everyday life.


    Ash also takes you behind the scenes of the retreat, from temple visits and Agni Hotra to kirtan, floating sound healing, sauna, cold plunges and the power of sisterhood. She reflects on how sobriety and recovery opened the door to a life she once could not have imagined, and why she now considers facilitating retreats her dream job.

    This episode is for anyone who feels exhausted from constantly doing, achieving or performing, yet still feels as though something is missing. You do not need to attend a retreat or completely overhaul your life to begin. Transformation can start with ten quiet minutes, one honest question or a single practice that brings you back to yourself each day.


    Ash also shares details of her upcoming retreats in Bali, Melbourne and the Gold Coast, including the newly announced A Sacred Return retreat in 2027.


    Join Ash’s community newsletter! Click the link here to join.


    Upcoming Workshops:

    The Renewal Ritual | September 13th | Buy Tickets Here


    Follow and connect with Ash on: 

    ⁠Instagram⁠ @ashbutterss

    TikTok @behindthesmilewithashb

    Website⁠ www.ashbutterss.com

    Watch Ash’s TEDx Talk here!



    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    30 August 2026, 7:00 pm
  • 1 hour 5 minutes
    Ep 189. The Secret That’s Kept Sanjay Sober for 21 Years

    My guest this week is Sanjay, a father in recovery who has been sober for 21 years. Born in Uganda, raised in London and now living in Melbourne, Sanjay grew up watching his father drink before taking his own first drink at fifteen. He spent the next two decades chasing that initial feeling through alcohol, drugs and gambling, while his life quietly unravelled behind the scenes.

    In this conversation, Sanjay shares the unexpected moment a psychiatrist broke through every wall he had built, what it took to finally surrender, and why getting sober was only the beginning. He opens up about losing his father to alcoholism, navigating divorce without returning to old behaviours, and the role yoga and spirituality have played in helping him continue to grow.

    But the real secret to Sanjay’s 21 years of sobriety has been getting out of himself. Through service, connection and giving back to the recovery community, he has found a sense of purpose that has carried him through every season of life. This is a warm and honest conversation about why sobriety cannot be sustained in isolation, and how helping others may be one of the most powerful ways we help ourselves.


    Episode chapters:

    00:08 Introducing Sanjay

    04:39 The Photo: Hiding Behind the Smile in London

    07:48 Growing Up: A Father's Drinking and Life on Eggshells

    10:49 A Refugee Identity and the Feeling of Not Belonging

    13:07 The First Drink at Fifteen and Why He Loved It

    17:15 Chasing the Feeling: Rave Culture, Drugs and Excess

    19:37 When the Consequences Started to Show Up

    23:57 Rock Bottom: Isolated, Broke and Calling Crisis Lines at 2am

    26:22 The Health Insurance Letter and the Road to the Priory

    29:02 The Psychiatrist Who Saw a Little Boy

    31:06 Surrender Day: January 13, 2005

    36:50 What Happened Inside the Priory

    38:12 Building the Foundation: Big Book Recovery and Service

    52:43 Whack-a-Mole: What Comes Up When You Put the Drink Down

    56:47 Yoga, Chanting and the Practices That Quieten the Noise

    59:35 What Recovery Looks Like 21 Years In


    Join Ash’s community newsletter! Click the link here to join.


    Upcoming Workshops:

    The Renewal Ritual | September 13th | Buy Tickets Here


    Follow and connect with Ash on: 

    ⁠Instagram⁠ @ashbutterss

    TikTok @behindthesmilewithashb

    Website⁠ www.ashbutterss.com

    Watch Ash’s TEDx Talk here!

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    23 August 2026, 7:00 pm
  • 50 minutes 57 seconds
    Ep 188. The Unexpected Gift of Trauma and Pathway to Post-Traumatic Growth, with Dr. Edith Shiro

    My guest this week is Dr. Edith Shiro, a clinical psychologist and author who has spent more than three decades working with trauma survivors, refugees, and communities navigating profound adversity. She is also the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors and Syrian refugees, and that lived experience sits at the heart of everything she does.


    In this conversation, Dr. Shiro and Ash explore what trauma really means, how it shows up in perfectionism, people pleasing, dissociation, and addiction, and why so many people move through life not realising they are carrying wounds at all. 


    Dr. Shiro also touches on her five-stage framework for post-traumatic growth, including the science behind why spirituality changes the brain and how individuals can transform their pain into purpose. 


    We will all experience trauma in some form. This conversation is about what you choose to do with it, and whether you allow it to define you.


    Episode chapters:


    00:22 Introducing Dr. Edith Shiro

    02:03 What Trauma Really Means

    03:35 Trauma Responses: Fight, Flight, Freeze and Fawn

    06:32 Minimizing Trauma: When You Don't Think You Qualify

    07:56 Micro Traumas and How They Accumulate Over Time

    10:22 Dissociation: The Protective Tool That Keeps Us Stuck

    13:25 The Invisible Armor and the Emptiness Underneath

    17:41 The Universal Wounds: Shame, Rejection, and Not Belonging

    20:53 The Unexpected Gift of Trauma: The Book and the Title

    23:06 Why Two People Can Experience the Same Trauma So Differently

    27:47 Intergenerational Trauma and the Science of Epigenetics

    29:29 Becoming the Intergenerational Alchemist

    30:52 Radical Acceptance: The Hardest and Most Essential First Step

    31:43 The Parallel Between Stage One and Step One

    36:21 Why We Lie: Fear, Shame, and the Double Life

    39:10 Why Spirituality Is Essential for Post-Traumatic Growth

    41:45 Turning Pain into Purpose

    45:55 Dr. Edith's Own Spiritual Practice

    49:25 There Is Hope and There Is a Way Out


    Connect with Dr. Edith below:

    Instagram 

    Website

    Linkedin

    The Unexpected Gift of Trauma: The Path to Posttraumatic Growth by Dr. Edith Shiro


    Join Ash’s community newsletter! Click the link here to join.


    Upcoming Workshops:

    The Renewal Ritual | September 13th | Buy Tickets Here


    Follow and connect with Ash on: 

    ⁠Instagram⁠ @ashbutterss

    TikTok @behindthesmilewithashb

    Website⁠ www.ashbutterss.com

    Watch Ash’s TEDx Talk here!

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    16 August 2026, 9:00 pm
  • 1 hour 6 minutes
    Ep 187. The Spiritual Thread Between Recovery and Yoga, with Mark Purser

    My guest this week is Mark Purser, a yoga teacher, meditation guide, and founder of the Yogic Meditation Institute, based in Byron Bay. With over 20 years of study across almost every major yoga tradition, Mark brings a rare depth of knowledge to his teaching. But behind all of that wisdom is a story of years spent swinging between intense spiritual practice and alcohol, trying to find a way out that didn't involve fully surrendering.


    In this conversation, Mark shares the moment his last drink became his last, alone in a national park on his birthday with no phone reception and a choice to make. He and Ash explore the relationship between yoga philosophy and 12-step recovery, the power of stillness as a daily practice, and why Yoga Nidra remains the one tool he would never give up. This is a conversation for anyone looking to understand what it really takes to build a life rooted in meaning, community, and presence.


    Episode chapters:

    00:00 Introducing Mark Purser

    03:29 Life in Byron Bay: Surfing, Tango, and Sadhana

    07:04 How Tango Became a Moving Meditation

    10:00 Scent of a Woman and the Seed That Was Planted

    12:07 The Photo: Hiding Behind the Smile in Byron Bay

    15:15 Yoga Without the Inner Work

    18:31 The Tango Class, the Pub, and the Night It All Unravelled

    21:28 Being a Dad and the Shame of a Blackout

    26:29 The Last Drink: Alone in the Bush on His Birthday

    29:44 Choosing Sydney Over the Pub

    31:49 The Balance Between Horror and Hope

    33:05 A Cousin 35 Years Sober and the Power of Living Proof

    35:29 Why Ash Resisted AA and What Changed

    37:13 The Gift of Desperation

    45:00 Where Yoga Philosophy and the 12 Steps Meet

    51:48 Why He Still Needs Help After 15 Years

    53:44 The Stillness Practice and Why It Changes Everything

    57:45 Yoga Nidra: The One Tool He Would Never Give Up

    59:39 Three Non-Negotiables for a Happy, Authentic Life


    Connect with Mark below:

    www.bambooyogabyron.com 

    Instagram

    Podcast: The Gentle Revolution


    Join Ash’s community newsletter! Click the link here to join.


    Upcoming Workshops:

    The Renewal Ritual | September 13th | Buy Tickets Here


    Follow and connect with Ash on: 

    ⁠Instagram⁠ @ashbutterss

    TikTok @behindthesmilewithashb

    Website⁠ www.ashbutterss.com

    Watch Ash’s TEDx Talk here!

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    9 August 2026, 7:00 pm
  • More Episodes? Get the App