In this episode of Sisters in Sobriety, Sonia takes on something she has circled for years: the 12 steps. After years of attending meetings here and there, interviewing addiction experts, and seeing the way the steps have changed people’s lives, she is finally stepping in. Joined by recovery coach, One Day at a Time podcast host, and The 12 Steps for Skeptics author Arlina Allen, Sonia explores Step Two through the lens of skepticism, spirituality, language, and lived recovery.

The conversation opens with Sonia’s honest reaction to Step Two: “Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.” Together, Sonia and Arlina unpack why words like sanity, insanity, God, and character defects can feel outdated or loaded, especially for people who understand addiction through trauma, mental health, coping mechanisms, and neuroscience. They also explore how to “take what you like and leave the rest,” why looking for similarities matters, and how a higher power can be understood in a way that feels personal, flexible, and grounded.

Arlina helps reframe Step Two as less about dogma and more about willingness, support, outside perspective, and access to something beyond one’s own fear-based thinking. The episode touches on spirituality versus religion, the pause between impulse and reaction, emotional triggers, “first thought wrong,” and why the hard choice is often the right one. Sonia and Arlina also talk about synchronicity, awe, honesty, music, emotional avoidance, and how sobriety can make room for deeper joy, grief, intuition, and connection.

In the personal story segment, Sonia shares how she is beginning to recognize her higher power in real life: in moments of synchronicity, in sober awe, and in choosing honesty. Arlina offers a beautiful reflection on how witnessing someone else heal can soften and heal something inside us, too. The conversation becomes both practical and deeply human—a bridge for anyone who has wanted the wisdom of the steps, but needed a way in that actually feels possible.

This is Sisters in Sobriety, the support community that helps women change their relationship with alcohol. Check out our substack for extra tips, tricks and resources.

[00:00:00] Sonia introduces the episode and shares why doing the 12 steps feels like a big deal.

[00:02:00] Arlina Allen joins Sonia to begin exploring Step Two.

[00:03:00] Sonia explains why the word “sanity” immediately brings up resistance.

[00:05:00] Arlina reframes insanity as repeating the same pattern and expecting a different result.

[00:06:00] Arlina explains Step Two as the beginning of needing help and outside perspective.

[00:08:00] Sonia and Arlina discuss trauma, coping mechanisms, guilt, shame, and neuroscience.

[00:10:00] Arlina talks about looking for similarities instead of differences in recovery literature.

[00:12:00] Sonia shares the “Fred drinking whiskey in milk” moment that took her out of the Big Book.

[00:14:00] Sonia explains how the 12 and 12 and Arlina’s homework softened her resistance.

[00:16:00] Sonia describes her current concept of spirituality and a higher power.

[00:18:00] Sonia reflects on reliance versus defiance and asking for guidance instead of control.

[00:20:00] Arlina explains why surrender is not abdicating responsibility.

[00:21:00] Sonia and Arlina explore the difference between impulse, instinct, and inner guidance.

[00:23:00] Arlina discusses triggers, condescension, and the power of pausing before reacting.

[00:30:00] Sonia shares the qualities she wants in a higher power.

[00:32:00] Arlina tells a powerful story about synchronicity, grief, and a sobriety date.

[00:40:00] Sonia describes sober awe, inspiration, and the return of her inner life.

[00:43:00] Sonia connects higher power to the pause between impulse and reaction.

[00:49:00] Sonia shares an emotional story about grief, love, and witnessing healing.

[00:54:00] Arlina explains why avoiding pain also blocks joy, awe, and wonder.

Arlina's Links

🌐 www.soberlifeschool.com
📸 Instagram: @arlinaallen | @odaatpodcast

SIS Links

💌 Sisters In Sobriety Substack – where the magic (and the mocktail recipes) happen

📬 Sisters In Sobriety Email

📸 Sisters In Sobriety Instagram

🌐 Kathleen’s Website Kathleen does not endorse any products mentioned in this podcast

📸 Kathleen’s Instagram

In this deeply personal first episode of a new Sisters in Sobriety series, Sonia begins something she has circled for years: working the 12 steps. Joined by Arlina Allen, recovery coach, host of the One Day at a Time podcast, and author of The 12 Steps for Skeptics, Sonia explores why she has always respected AA while still feeling hesitant to fully commit. Together, Sonia and Arlina open the door to Step One with honesty, curiosity, humor, and a modern lens for anyone who has ever wondered whether the steps could work for them.

The conversation explores what it means to admit powerlessness over alcohol without collapsing into shame, why “unmanageable” does not always look like losing everything, and how women with high-functioning lives can still hit an emotional bottom. Sonia and Arlina talk about raising the bottom, separating the 12-step program from meeting culture, finding the right sponsor or guide, and why old recovery language can sometimes create resistance before people even get to the deeper wisdom underneath it.

This episode breaks down Step One in a practical, accessible way: defining powerlessness and unmanageability, identifying patterns around moderation, understanding denial, and recognizing the difference between being sober and being emotionally sober. Arlina also explains why the steps are not just about quitting alcohol, but about self-honesty, accountability, nervous system regulation, recovery habits, and learning to meet the parts of ourselves we would rather avoid.

Sonia also shares her own story of having what looked from the outside like a “silk sheet bottom”: a stable marriage, career success, financial security, and no dramatic external consequences. But inside, she was emotionally exhausted, self-loathing, and unable to keep the daily promise not to drink. Through Step One, she begins to see how alcohol had made her life unmanageable in quieter but powerful ways—and why this series may be less about joining a program perfectly and more about finally stepping inside the work.

This is Sisters in Sobriety, the support community that helps women change their relationship with alcohol. Check out our substack for extra tips, tricks and resources.

00:00 Sonia introduces the new series and why she is finally choosing to work the 12 steps.

02:00 Arlina explains how she will guide Sonia through the steps using The 12 Steps for Skeptics.

03:00 Sonia shares why she has always “danced around” AA without fully committing.

04:00 The moment Sonia realized she could separate the 12-step program from meeting culture.

05:00 Arlina explains why the steps are an experience, not just words on a page.

07:00 Sonia opens up about the awkwardness of seeking a sponsor after years of sobriety.

08:00 Arlina explains why Sonia’s approach will be modified because she already has long-term sobriety.

09:00 Sonia reflects on being surprised by how much Step One had to offer.

10:00 The concept of “raising the bottom” helps Sonia reframe what recovery can look like.

11:00 Sonia describes having an emotional bottom even though her outside life looked stable.

12:00 Sonia shares how her brother’s AA experience planted the first seed that alcohol might be a problem.

14:00 Arlina clarifies that Step One means powerless over alcohol, not powerless over everything.

16:00 Sonia revisits Bill’s story with a more open mind than she had in the past.

18:00 Arlina introduces HOW: honest, open-minded, and willing.

21:00 Sonia and Arlina discuss finding similarities instead of differences in recovery stories.

23:00 Sonia defines powerlessness and unmanageability in her Step One homework.

24:00 Sonia shares the daily cycle of promising not to drink and drinking anyway.

26:00 Sonia connects deeply with the idea that when she enjoyed drinking, she could not control it.

28:00 Sonia questions whether rehashing old drinking stories is always helpful.

32:00 Arlina explains the difference between sobriety and recovery.

35:00 Sonia defines emotional sobriety as the ability to self-regulate without substances.

39:00 Sonia reflects on how drinking kept her from living in alignment with her values.

42:00 Sonia shares how sobriety helped her rediscover books, creativity, and her real personality.

45:00 Arlina explains how recovery asks people to love the parts of themselves they usually reject.

47:00 Sonia considers trying a women’s step study meeting as part of her homework.

48:00 Arlina gives Sonia the reading assignment for Step Two and they close the episode

Arlina's Links

🌐 www.soberlifeschool.com
📸 Instagram: @arlinaallen | @odaatpodcast

SIS Links

💌 Sisters In Sobriety Substack – where the magic (and the mocktail recipes) happen

📬 Sisters In Sobriety Email

📸 Sisters In Sobriety Instagram

🌐 Kathleen’s Website Kathleen does not endorse any products mentioned in this podcast

📸 Kathleen’s Instagram

In this episode, Sonia sits down with Richard Taite to talk about addiction, trauma, treatment, emotional sobriety, self-love, and what it really takes to build a life that feels worth staying present for. They explore Richard’s decades of experience as an addiction treatment entrepreneur, recovery advocate, founder of Cliffside Malibu and Carrera Treatment, and host of the mental health podcast We’re Out of Time. Richard also opens up about his own history with addiction, childhood trauma, homelessness, long-term recovery, and his controversial view that some people can transcend addiction after doing deep, sustained work.

The conversation moves through some big questions: Is addiction always a lifelong identity? What does it mean to truly recover versus simply stop using? How does childhood trauma become the emotional engine behind substance use disorder? Sonia and Richard also discuss AA, therapy, treatment centers, the fentanyl crisis, emotional sobriety, reparenting, and why “getting sober” is only one part of the work. Richard challenges familiar recovery language while still crediting AA as a foundation in his own life, making space for a more nuanced conversation about addiction recovery, identity, and healing.

Richard explains why therapy has been central to his recovery, how shame forms in childhood, and why so many people carry a “bad kid” narrative into adulthood. He shares his belief that self-care can become self-esteem, and self-esteem can become self-love—especially when recovery expands beyond abstinence into purpose, parenting, relationships, physical health, and joy. The episode also looks at what effective addiction treatment should include today, why therapeutic fit matters, and how families may need to think differently about drugs, alcohol, opioids, and fentanyl in the current recovery landscape.

This is Sisters in Sobriety, the support community that helps women change their relationship with alcohol. Check out our substack for extra tips, tricks and resources.

Highlights

[00:01:00] Richard corrects the record about his sobriety and explains why he no longer identifies as sober.

[00:02:00] Richard describes what he means by “transcending addiction.”

[00:03:00] He shares the Michelin-star wine-pairing moment that showed him his relationship with alcohol had changed.

[00:04:00] Sonia asks whether his shift happened suddenly or slowly over time.

[00:05:00] Richard explains why thriving matters after getting sober.

[00:07:00] Sonia asks how his current relationship with alcohol differs from active addiction.

[00:08:00] Richard opens up about becoming a father and losing the fantasy of eventually getting loaded again.

[00:10:00] Sonia asks whether fatherhood pushed him into deeper emotional sobriety work.

[00:11:00] Richard talks about being in therapy for much of his recovery.

[00:12:00] Richard shares the therapy moment that helped him understand he was never “a bad kid.”

[00:14:00] He explains how childhood shame can keep running the adult life.

[00:16:00] Sonia and Richard discuss childhood trauma as a root driver of addiction.

[00:18:00] Richard challenges the idea that one first drink automatically explains addiction.

[00:19:00] He talks about AA as a foundation while also questioning rigid recovery identities.

[00:21:00] Richard explains why he sees AA as support, not treatment.

[00:23:00] He connects self-care, self-esteem, and self-love.

[00:27:00] Richard explains why treatment should feel like care, not punishment.

[00:32:00] Sonia asks how fentanyl changed the addiction treatment landscape.

[00:34:00] Richard shares the overdose death that brought him back into treatment work.

[00:40:00] Richard describes how he talks to his son about pills, powders, fentanyl, and peer pressure.

[00:45:00] Sonia asks what families should look for in a recovery center today.

[00:50:00] Richard closes with a message of hope for anyone afraid to ask for help.

Richard's Links

https://www.instagram.com/richardtaiteofficial/

https://carraratreatment.com/author/richard/ 

SIS Links

💌 Sisters In Sobriety Substack – where the magic (and the mocktail recipes) happen

📬 Sisters In Sobriety Email

📸 Sisters In Sobriety Instagram

🌐 Kathleen’s Website Kathleen does not endorse any products mentioned in this podcast

📸 Kathleen’s Instagram

Creativity isn’t just a hobby—it can be a sobriety tool, a self-care practice, and a way back to the parts of ourselves we forgot. In this episode of Sisters in Sobriety, Sonia and Kathleen explore how play, journaling, memory keeping, and hands-on creativity can help women rebuild identity and joy after alcohol. Sonia is joined by Amy Tangerine, a designer, author, creative director, memory keeper, and founder of a colorful creative brand that has inspired hundreds of thousands of people to reconnect with imagination, craft, and permission to play.

The conversation opens up the question of what happens when drinking used to be the “play hard” part of life—and what it means to redefine fun in sobriety. Sonia and Amy talk about childhood creativity, cozy hobbies, scrapbooking, junk journaling, reading, Legos, collecting, and why many adults dismiss the very activities that once made them feel alive. They also explore how high-achieving women can struggle to do something without measuring it, monetizing it, or turning it into another task.

Amy shares how creative flow can become a grounding practice, especially for people who feel anxious, overworked, disconnected, or unsure of who they are without alcohol. The episode covers memory keeping, analog journaling, vision boards, tactile creativity, pen-to-paper reflection, creative self-care, inner child work, and the difference between creating for an outcome versus creating for the process. Amy also talks about “taking your rage out on the page,” using journaling to process emotions, and building small systems that make creativity possible in 10- to 15-minute pockets.

In the personal story segment, Amy opens up about being raised by immigrant parents, her early love of stickers, crayons, journals, and magazines, her transition from fashion into scrapbooking, and the burnout that pushed her to rethink success. She also shares the deeply personal role vision boards played during her miscarriages, how creativity helped her imagine and accept a different version of family, and how manifesting, aligned action, and self-belief shaped her life.

This is Sisters in Sobriety, the support community that helps women change their relationship with alcohol. Check out our substack for extra tips, tricks and resources.

Highlights

00:00 Welcome to Sisters in Sobriety with Amy Tangerine
01:00 Amy’s earliest creative sparks: crayons, stickers, journals, and crafts
02:00 From fashion design to scrapbooking and memory keeping
03:00 The Hello Kitty journal that started Amy’s diary practice
04:00 Why Amy blended memoir and guidance in Craft a Life You Love
05:00 Why hobbies matter more than people think
06:00 Taking 15 minutes for creativity without explaining it to anyone
07:00 Amy’s immigrant parents and the freedom to follow what made her happy
09:00 Creativity as a way to design a more intentional life
10:00 Creative flow, harmony, and coming back to yourself
11:00 Collage as comfort during family stress and grief
13:00 Redefining play when drinking used to be the recreational hobby
14:00 Returning to the activities that brought joy in childhood
15:00 Sonia on rediscovering reading in sobriety
16:00 Legos, collecting, and childhood hobbies as adult comfort
18:00 Junk journaling and the return to analog creativity
20:00 What happens emotionally when people enter a playful state
21:00 Giving yourself permission to create in small pockets of time
23:00 Letting go of metrics, productivity, and the pressure of an end product
25:00 Pen-to-paper journaling versus digital memory keeping
27:00 Balancing AI tools, metrics, and the need for handwriting
30:00 What memory keeping really means
31:00 “Take your rage out on the page” as emotional release
34:00 Pickleball, anger, and accessing different parts of the self
35:00 Simple ways to incorporate photos, planners, and everyday memories
37:00 Why memory keeping does not have to be chronological
39:00 Vision boards, self-belief, and “what I desire is what I deserve”
42:00 Manifesting, higher power, and aligned action
47:00 Amy’s products, printables, stickers, and ways to get started creatively

SIS Links

💌 Sisters In Sobriety Substack – where the magic (and the mocktail recipes) happen

📬 Sisters In Sobriety Email

📸 Sisters In Sobriety Instagram

🌐 Kathleen’s Website Kathleen does not endorse any products mentioned in this podcast

📸 Kathleen’s Instagram

Sonia sits down with psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Hochman for a candid, nuanced conversation on addiction, recovery, and what actually works in the real world in this episode of Sisters in Sobriety. Daniel Hochman, is a board-certified psychiatrist and creator of Self Recovery, an online program helping people address substance and behavioral addictions through a science-based, psychologically informed approach that prioritizes privacy, agency, and emotional understanding.

The conversation explores the limits of traditional recovery models, including where 12-step programs can feel outdated or incomplete, and why concepts like “powerlessness” may actually undermine long-term change. Sonia and Dr. Hochman dig into questions around agency vs. external control, whether addiction is a disease or learned behavior, and how approaches like urge surfing, emotional regulation, and behavioral strategies fit into recovery. They also examine the role of medication like Antabuse and naltrexone, the rise of alternative recovery models, and how high-achieving individuals experience addiction differently.

Dr. Hochman reframes addiction as a response to “intolerable emotions,” highlighting how anxiety, dissatisfaction, and internal conflict can quietly drive addictive behaviors. He introduces a practical framework—moving from underlying distress to cravings to action—and explains how different “points of attack” can interrupt that cycle. 

As the conversation unfolds, Sonia shares her own experience navigating sobriety outside of traditional systems, including her curiosity about the 12 steps and her journey into emotional sobriety.

The episode shifts into a more personal exploration of identity—especially for high achievers whose self-worth is tied to performance—and what it looks like to rebuild a sense of self without alcohol. Through this lens, recovery becomes less about restriction and more about rediscovery, experimentation, and learning how to sit with discomfort rather than escape it.

This is Sisters in Sobriety, the support community that helps women change their relationship with alcohol. Check out our substack for extra tips, tricks and resources.

Highlights

[00:00] Introduction to Dr. Daniel Hochman and Self Recovery
[01:00] Why willpower isn’t enough in addiction recovery
[02:00] What a psychiatrist actually does in addiction treatment
[03:00] Early exposure to rehab systems and gaps in care
[04:00] Problems within the addiction treatment industry
[05:00] The role of untrained providers in recovery spaces
[06:00] Sonia’s experience exploring the 12 steps
[07:00] “Powerlessness” and the problem with vague frameworks
[09:00] Locus of control and reclaiming agency in recovery
[12:00] Why vague advice like “try harder” doesn’t work
[14:00] What traditional recovery models get right—and wrong
[16:00] Why addiction science hasn’t been fully integrated into AA
[18:00] Addiction as a response to underlying emotional distress
[20:00] Trauma, boredom, dissatisfaction, and hidden drivers
[22:00] The “current” model: from pain to craving to action
[24:00] Urge surfing and behavioral tools for early sobriety
[26:00] Why deep emotional work shouldn’t come first
[28:00] Limitations of CBT and surface-level therapy
[30:00] Inside the Self Recovery program framework
[33:00] Sobriety vs. moderation: choosing your own path
[36:00] Medications in recovery: Antabuse vs. naltrexone
[41:00] High achievers, identity, and addiction patterns
[45:00] Rebuilding a sense of self beyond achievement
[49:00] Rediscovering hobbies, curiosity, and joy in sobriety
[51:00] One simple awareness practice to start changing behavior

Dr. Hochman's Links

Self Recovery's Website: https://www.selfrecovery.org/

Self Recovery's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/selfrecoveryhealth/

SIS Links

💌 Sisters In Sobriety Substack – where the magic (and the mocktail recipes) happen

📬 Sisters In Sobriety Email

📸 Sisters In Sobriety Instagram

🌐 Kathleen’s Website Kathleen does not endorse any products mentioned in this podcast

📸 Kathleen’s Instagram

Sonia sits down with Jeremy Lipkowitz to unpack addiction, dopamine, and the hidden patterns behind compulsive behaviors—from alcohol to everyday habits.

They dive into the questions most people avoid: What actually drives compulsive behavior? Why does dopamine keep us chasing more instead of feeling satisfied? How do perfectionism, shame, and high achievement intersect with addiction? And what happens when we swap one coping mechanism for another—alcohol for work, porn, social media, or even productivity? They also explore how habits quietly escalate and how identity becomes entangled in addiction.

Jeremy breaks down neuroplasticity and how repeated behaviors wire the brain, reinforcing cycles of craving and avoidance. He reframes dopamine as the chemical of wanting—not pleasure—and explains how this fuels the loop of desire. The conversation introduces tools like urge surfing, mindfulness, and creating space between stimulus and response, alongside a deeper look at emotional avoidance, shame, and the “hungry ghost” cycle of never feeling like enough. They also demystify meditation—what it actually is, and how to practice it without perfection.

The episode also traces Jeremy’s personal turning point—from a high-achieving student battling insecurity and compulsive behaviors to discovering meditation and a new definition of fulfillment. As Sonia reflects on her own patterns in real time, the conversation becomes a powerful example of what it looks like to pause, notice, and choose differently.

This is Sisters in Sobriety, the support community that helps women change their relationship with alcohol. Check out our Substack for extra tips, tricks and resources.

TIME-STAMPED HIGHLIGHTS

00:00 – Introduction to Jeremy Lipkowitz and his work in addiction recovery
01:30 – Jeremy’s early struggles with insecurity and addiction
03:45 – Realizing the path he was on wasn’t leading to happiness
06:15 – Why success didn’t translate into fulfillment
08:00 – Neuroplasticity and how habits shape the brain
10:30 – Dopamine explained: wanting vs. liking
12:45 – How addiction escalates over time
14:30 – Addiction as emotional avoidance
16:10 – Why we struggle with boredom and discomfort
17:45 – Identity and shame in addiction
20:00 – Rationalizing harmful behaviors
21:30 – Addiction as a universal pattern
23:00 – The “dry drunk” concept and root causes
24:30 – Healthier vs. harmful coping mechanisms
26:00 – Recognizing subtle compulsions
28:15 – What urge surfing is
31:00 – Creating space before reacting
34:00 – Building mindfulness as a skill
37:00 – Meditation myths and perfectionism
41:30 – Different types of meditation
45:00 – Mindfulness in everyday life
49:00 – Perfectionism as addiction
52:00 – The “hungry ghost” mindset
55:30 – Sonia’s real-time habit awareness
58:30 – Learning to sit with boredom
01:02:00 – Why abstinence can help moderation
01:06:00 – How subtle habits take hold
01:09:00 – Finding freedom from external validation

Jeremy's Links

SIS Links

💌 Sisters In Sobriety Substack – where the magic (and the mocktail recipes) happen

📬 Sisters In Sobriety Email

📸 Sisters In Sobriety Instagram

🌐 Kathleen’s Website Kathleen does not endorse any products mentioned in this podcast

📸 Kathleen’s Instagram

Inflammation is at the root of so many modern health struggles—but what if the way we approach it is completely backwards? In this episode of Sisters in Sobriety, Sonia sits down with Dr. Shivani Gupta—Ayurvedic practitioner, functional health expert, and author of The Inflammation Code—to explore a radically personalized approach to healing. Sonia guides listeners through how inflammation shows up in daily life, how stress and lifestyle habits quietly fuel it, and how Dr. Gupta’s “Elemental Design” framework helps decode each person’s unique health blueprint.

The conversation dives into how different body types respond to stress, food, and alcohol, and why a one-size-fits-all wellness plan often fails. Questions unfold around how mental inflammation contributes to physical disease, how gut health connects to energy and mood, and why sleep, circadian rhythm, and daily rituals may matter more than the latest health trend. The episode also explores the real impact of alcohol on gut permeability and inflammation, and how habits like late-night eating, blue light exposure, and chronic stress quietly disrupt the body’s natural healing processes.

Throughout the episode, Dr. Gupta introduces key concepts like chronic low-grade inflammation, bio-individuality, and the connection between the microbiome and overall health. She explains how ancient Ayurvedic principles align with modern science—from circadian rhythm optimization to the role of super spices like turmeric in reducing inflammation. The discussion weaves in practical insights on improving sleep hygiene, supporting the gut microbiome, managing cortisol, and using simple daily rituals—like tea, breathwork, or structured routines—to regulate the nervous system and reduce inflammation at its source.

As the conversation unfolds, Dr. Gupta shares her deeply personal journey—from growing up between Western medicine and Ayurvedic traditions to a turning point that led her to reject overmedication and seek root-cause healing. That experience sparked decades of study and ultimately shaped her mission to bring ancient healing wisdom into modern life in a practical, accessible way. The episode closes with a powerful reminder that healing doesn’t require perfection—it starts with small, intentional shifts that bring the body back into balance.

This is Sisters in Sobriety, the support community that helps women change their relationship with alcohol. Check out our substack for extra tips, tricks and resources.

00:00 Introduction to Dr. Shivani Gupta and The Inflammation Code
02:00 Growing up between Western medicine and Ayurveda
03:00 The breaking point with overmedication and antibiotics
04:30 Discovering Ayurveda and root-cause healing
06:00 Turmeric and the science behind super spices
08:00 What “Elemental Design” means for your health
10:00 Understanding Vata, Pitta, and Kapha body types
12:00 How different constitutions experience inflammation
14:00 Autoimmune conditions and personalized health patterns
17:00 Circadian rhythm and its role in inflammation
18:30 How sleep impacts detoxification and healing
20:00 Building a realistic sleep routine
22:00 Ideal sleep environment and temperature
23:30 Common mistakes with turmeric and anti-inflammatory diets
25:00 Chronic inflammation and modern lifestyle stressors
27:00 Supplements vs. whole foods: what actually works
31:00 What is “mental inflammation”?
33:00 Stress, burnout, and disease connection
35:00 Gut health, microbiome, and daily habits
37:00 Alcohol’s impact on gut health and inflammation
40:00 How different body types respond to alcohol
43:00 Tools for relaxation without alcohol
47:00 The most important first step: prioritizing sleep

Dr. Shivani's Links

www.shivanigupta.com
IG: @dr.shivanigupta

SIS Links

💌 Sisters In Sobriety Substack – where the magic (and the mocktail recipes) happen

📬 Sisters In Sobriety Email

📸 Sisters In Sobriety Instagram

🌐 Kathleen’s Website Kathleen does not endorse any products mentioned in this podcast

📸 Kathleen’s Instagram

Addiction, astrology, and emotional healing take center stage in this episode of Sisters in Sobriety, as Sonia sits down with humanistic astrologer Jessica Lanyadoo. Together, they unpack how addiction isn’t just about substances—it’s about emotional patterns, coping mechanisms, and the ways we abandon ourselves. Jessica brings a grounded, no-nonsense approach to astrology, helping Sonia explore how tools like astrology, community, and self-awareness can support sobriety and long-term healing.

What role does emotional regulation play in addiction? Can astrology reveal patterns behind compulsive behaviors or anxiety? How do dopamine-driven habits like scrolling or shopping mirror substance use? Sonia and Kathleen guide the conversation through big questions around fate vs. free will, the psychology of addiction, and whether spiritual tools—like astrology—can become coping mechanisms themselves. The discussion also explores the complexities of recovery spaces, including the benefits and challenges of 12-step programs, shame, and accountability.

The conversation weaves together concepts like harm reduction, emotional processing, and the neuroscience of addiction. Jessica introduces the idea that addiction is often rooted in an inability to tolerate feelings, rather than a lack of willpower. She breaks down how different types of anxiety and coping behaviors can manifest, and how misdiagnosis—both psychologically and personally—can keep people stuck. The idea of “momentum” becomes a powerful framework: how addictive behaviors build quickly, while healing and self-connection require slower, intentional practice.

Through personal reflections, Sonia shares moments from her own sobriety journey—navigating divorce, resisting the urge to drink, and recognizing how other behaviors can mimic addiction. The episode shifts into a deeper, more vulnerable space as they explore recovery tools like AA, the concept of “dry drunk” vs. true sobriety, and the emotional weight of making amends. Jessica offers a nuanced take on “living amends,” boundaries, and why healing doesn’t always require direct reconciliation—sometimes it requires protecting yourself while still taking accountability.

This is Sisters in Sobriety, the support community that helps women change their relationship with alcohol. Check out our substack for extra tips, tricks and resources.

Highlights

00:00 – Introduction to Jessica Lanyadoo and her humanistic approach
01:15 – What humanistic astrology actually means
03:00 – Addiction beyond substances: emotional and behavioral patterns
05:30 – Astrology’s perspective on different types of addiction
08:15 – Dopamine, escapism, and modern-day addictive behaviors
09:30 – Can astrology become a coping mechanism?
10:45 – Is addiction fate or free will?
12:30 – Physiological vs. emotional components of addiction
14:00 – Different types of anxiety and how they show up
16:30 – Misdiagnosis and why some treatments don’t work
17:45 – The concept of momentum in addiction vs. healing
19:00 – “Dry drunk” vs. true sobriety
20:00 – Why AA works (and why it doesn’t for everyone)
22:00 – Shame, community, and healing in recovery spaces
24:00 – The complexity of group dynamics in AA
26:30 – Boundaries, triggers, and navigating recovery communities
28:00 – The truth about making amends
29:30 – What are “living amends”?
31:30 – Trauma, safety, and when not to reconnect
34:00 – Self-abandonment and taking personal accountability

Jessica's Links

Ghost of a Podcast 

Access free horoscopes + other goodies and classes available for purchase at lovelanyadoo.com

SIS Links

💌 Sisters In Sobriety Substack – where the magic (and the mocktail recipes) happen

📬 Sisters In Sobriety Email

📸 Sisters In Sobriety Instagram

🌐 Kathleen’s Website Kathleen does not endorse any products mentioned in this podcast

📸 Kathleen’s Instagram

Sonia sits down with Dr. Emma Kay, professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing and a nationally recognized researcher focused on HIV care, substance use, harm reduction, and recovery. Together, they unpack the intersection of addiction, stigma, and healthcare systems, and explore how a more compassionate, whole-person approach can change outcomes. Sonia guides this conversation to help reframe how we think about recovery, disclosure, and what meaningful care actually looks like in practice.

The discussion moves beyond surface-level conversations about addiction and into the realities people face navigating HIV, substance use, and medical systems that often prioritize one condition over another. Questions emerge around why patients don’t disclose substance use, how stigma subtly shows up in healthcare settings, whether abstinence-only models are limiting recovery options, and what happens when providers assume noncompliance. It also touches on the gap between medical innovation and lived patient experience, especially when it comes to trust, access, and education.

The conversation highlights how recovery is often non-linear, why patient autonomy matters, and how small behavioral shifts can represent meaningful progress. It also sheds light on systemic barriers including cost, lack of education in medical training, and disparities tied to race, geography, and socioeconomic status. The contrast between rapid advancements in HIV treatment and the slower evolution of addiction care reveals where healthcare systems are still falling short.

Sonia and Dr. Kay also talk about—what it actually looks like when patients feel seen, heard, and respected versus judged or dismissed. From early moments in an HIV clinic filled with unexpected vulnerability to broader reflections on stigma and resilience, the episode brings forward the emotional and relational side of care that often gets overlooked in clinical conversations.

This is Sisters in Sobriety, the support community that helps women change their relationship with alcohol. Check out our substack for extra tips, tricks and resources.

Highlights

00:00 Introduction to Dr. Emma Kay and her work

01:00 Dr. Kay’s non-traditional path into social work and research

02:30 First experiences in an HIV clinic and shifting perspectives

04:00 Understanding HIV as a chronic condition vs stigma

05:30 The overlap between HIV and substance use

06:30 Risk factors and misconceptions about HIV transmission

07:30 Early experiences with patient vulnerability and resilience

09:00 Abstinence-based models vs harm reduction realities

10:30 Lack of harm reduction resources in certain regions

11:30 Why patients don’t disclose substance use

12:30 Gaps in education around harm reduction

13:30 What relational harm reduction actually means

15:00 Key principles: autonomy, humanism, pragmatism

16:30 Incremental progress and redefining success in recovery

17:30 Why recovery is rarely linear

19:00 Whole-person care and addressing underlying needs

21:00 Subtle stigma in healthcare settings

22:30 Misconceptions about adherence and drug use

24:00 Harm reduction vs abstinence models

25:30 Aging population with HIV and comorbidities

27:00 Treating HIV like any other chronic condition

28:30 Innovation in HIV care vs addiction care

30:00 Disparities in overdose rates and access to care

32:00 Trust gaps in marginalized communities

34:00 The role of community-led solutions

35:00 Cost barriers and access to life-saving resources

Dr. Emma's Links

https://scholars.uab.edu/5926-emma-kay

https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmasophiakay/

SIS Links

💌 Sisters In Sobriety Substack – where the magic (and the mocktail recipes) happen

📬 Sisters In Sobriety Email

📸 Sisters In Sobriety Instagram

🌐 Kathleen’s Website Kathleen does not endorse any products mentioned in this podcast

📸 Kathleen’s Instagram

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

Conflict avoidance and people-pleasing show up in so many women's stories around alcohol — yet they rarely get the airtime they deserve. In this episode of Sisters in Sobriety, Sonia and Kathleen sit down with Anna Lecat, intimacy and conflict consultant, global speaker, and author of Loving Conflict: Creating Collaboration Where Others See Division. Anna has spent decades across cultures, continents, and boardrooms persuading people that learning to conflict well is one of the most loving things we can offer each other.

What does it actually mean to fight kindly? Why do so many women reach for a drink before a hard conversation — or avoid it entirely? And what is it about anger that feels so unbearable to sit with?

Anna unpacks the tango metaphor at the heart of her work — conflict as tension plus connection, not threat plus danger. She walks through a practical spectrum for building conflict confidence, starting with low-stakes settings like restaurants and working up to the relationships that flood us most. The conversation explores emotional responsibility, nervous system regulation, and how early experiences with anger shape us as adults — often leading us to read conflict as rejection when it's really someone else's old wound surfacing.

Then things get personal. Sonia opens up about pouring a glass of wine before calling her mother — and how that glass became a bottle. Kathleen shares her own story of returning to her hairdresser with honest, gentle feedback and what that small act revealed about the difference between avoiding conflict and moving through it with care.

This is Sisters in Sobriety, the support community that helps women change their relationship with alcohol. Check out our Substack for extra tips, tricks, and resources.

Highlights

[00:01:00] Anna reframes conflict as a doorway rather than a threat

[00:02:00] Her mission: persuading people to fight kindly

[00:03:00] People who are deeply loved don't need to wage war

[00:05:00] Connection and uplift extend beyond romance to friends, parents, and coworkers

[00:06:00] Why women are socialized to avoid conflict

[00:07:00] Conflict as a tango — listening, suggesting, responding in turn

[00:08:00] Using nonverbal tango exercises in corporate workshops

[00:11:00] Men in Beijing end up in tears during a two-minute eye contact meditation

[00:13:00] Why sending food back at a restaurant is the perfect place to start

[00:14:00] "If you think you're enlightened, go spend a week with your parents"

[00:15:00] Kathleen's hairdresser story becomes a master class in kind conflict

[00:18:00] Sonia's glass of wine before calling her mother — and how it became a bottle

[00:20:00] Why anger is the most stigmatized emotion across every culture

[00:21:00] Anger reveals a person's deepest fears and values — slow down and listen

[00:22:00] How Anna navigates her own anger — consent first, then curiosity

[00:27:00] It only takes one person to shift the dynamic of a relationship

[00:29:00] People-pleasing as a conflict strategy — and how to tell it from self-protection

[00:33:00] Practice conflict in low-stakes settings before the ones that flood you

[00:37:00] Anna's nightly practice: revisiting hard moments and calming her nervous system

[00:43:00] Start small, start outside, get good at it. It becomes a superpower.

Links:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1966629974

https://annalecat.com/

SIS Links

💌 Sisters In Sobriety Substack – where the magic (and the mocktail recipes) happen

📬 Sisters In Sobriety Email

📸 Sisters In Sobriety Instagram

🌐 Kathleen’s Website Kathleen does not endorse any products mentioned in this podcast

📸 Kathleen’s Instagram

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

In this episode of Sisters in Sobriety, Sonia sits down with Chef Whitney Aronoff, founder of Starseed Kitchen and creator of High Vibration Living, to explore the powerful connection between food, energy, and emotional wellbeing. Together, they unpack how supportive nutrition goes far beyond what’s on your plate—and how small, intentional shifts can help women feel more aligned, energized, and connected in sobriety and everyday life.

The conversation weaves through questions many women quietly ask themselves: Why do cravings—especially for sugar or alcohol—feel so intense? How does what we eat impact our mood, clarity, and intuition? Is “clean eating” actually helping, or could it be contributing to digestive issues and burnout?

Whitney introduces the concept of “high vibration” foods—fresh, seasonal, whole ingredients that support both physical health and energetic balance. She challenges common wellness myths (like relying on raw foods or pre-packaged “healthy” meals) and emphasizes simple, traditional cooking methods like roasting, steaming, and slow cooking. The episode also explores how alcohol impacts blood sugar and cravings, why intuitive eating requires removing distractions and calming the nervous system, and how quality over quantity applies to everything from pantry staples to indulgences like chocolate or ice cream.

Whitney shares her personal journey of healing chronic digestive issues by becoming her own advocate—moving beyond conventional advice and learning to listen to her body. The discussion expands into emotional and energetic health, touching on how food choices can influence clarity, identity, and even spiritual awareness.

This is Sisters in Sobriety, the support community that helps women change their relationship with alcohol. Check out our substack for extra tips, tricks and resources.

Highlights

00:00 – Introduction to Chef Whitney Aronoff and High Vibration Living

01:30 – Early relationship with food and chronic digestive issues

03:00 – Becoming your own advocate in health and nutrition

04:30 – The role of whole foods vs processed foods

05:30 – Why simplicity in cooking supports digestion

07:00 – The “fireplace” analogy for digestion and cold foods

08:30 – Eating seasonally and adjusting food to climate

10:00 – Why one hot meal a day matters

11:00 – Food as a gateway to emotional and spiritual awareness

12:30 – How diet changes can shift identity and intuition

13:30 – Understanding cravings through energy and environment

15:00 – What “high vibration” food actually means

16:30 – Grocery store vs farmers market choices

18:30 – Navigating food access and making better choices

19:30 – Reconnecting with hunger cues and intuitive eating

21:00 – How environment and stress affect digestion

22:30 – Alcohol, sugar cravings, and blood sugar cycles

24:00 – Rethinking sugar as “treats” instead of restriction

26:00 – Quality over quantity when it comes to indulgences

29:00 – Physical vs emotional cravings explained

31:00 – Essential pantry staples for supportive nutrition

34:00 – Adapting food philosophy to different lifestyles and cultures

36:00 – Perfectionism, control, and emotional imbalance

38:00 – Making cooking easier with planning and batch meals

41:00 – Practical shortcuts: frozen foods, curry pastes, and bone broth

44:00 – Carbs, rice, and personalized nutrition approaches

47:00 – Building community through food and shared meals

48:30 – Prioritizing joy and intentional living

Whitney's Links

https://starseedkitchen.com/

https://www.instagram.com/whitneyaronoff/

SIS Links

💌 Sisters In Sobriety Substack – where the magic (and the mocktail recipes) happen

📬 Sisters In Sobriety Email

📸 Sisters In Sobriety Instagram

🌐 Kathleen’s Website Kathleen does not endorse any products mentioned in this podcast

📸 Kathleen’s Instagram

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