Welcome to the podcast! In case you are new here, my name is Arlina Allen and I am the founder of Sober Life School. I have been sober since 4/23/94 (which means I will be celebrating 30 years!) In that time I have been obsessed with self-help, spirituality, psychology, and behavior change.   And let’s not get it twisted, I did not do it alone. In fact, I have had many many helpers along the way including mentors, sponsors, professional therapists and lots of loving friends and family.   ...

Welcome to the podcast!    Today I’ll be joined by Barb Nangle, who is going to give an absolute masterclass on how to recover with co-occuring addictions. We’re going to talk about OA, ACA, Coda, and go over some practices for setting boundaries, building self-worth and finding your true identity.    I’ll just note that Barb does more for her self-care than anyone I’ve ever met, I’m not even kidding. She’s incredible. So if you’re new to recovery, it might sound a little overwhelming,...

Welcome to the podcast!    Today I’ll be joined by CEO and Founder Chandler Rogers of the Relay app. He’ll be sharing his story of overcoming addiction to pornography and how it led him to create a highly successful sobriety app to help people connect anonymously.   We’re going to talk about how we met, and how after I heard about their project, I decided to partner with them so I could connect with you!    I’m always reachable on social media, but not everyone wants to reach out that...

You are going to hear from Angela Pugh today, host of The Addiction Unlimited Podcast and a woman in long term sobriety. In fact she just celebrated 18 years!   Before we jump in, I do have a couple of resources for you. For a loooong time… like almost 8 years, I’ve only had group support for women. The good news is now there is a new podcast, called The Self-Help Junkie Podcast. It’s for seekers, dreamers, hustlers and overachievers who want to get focused, take the actions that will help...

We have a special guest today, former NBA basketball player, Chris Herren. He will be sharing his story of going from a rising star in his community, to the risks he took in active addiction.  And just a quick note before we jump in. There are so many people I would love to invite onto the podcast that I know you’ll love. The first thing they do to see if this is a good use of their time, is look at the podcast ratings and reviews and check our IG followers.  So if you enjoy this...

Welcome to the podcast!  There are a couple of resources I have to share in case you just found me. There is a free guide on my website called “How to Quit Drinking: 30 Tips for 30 Days”. After nearly 30 years of being sober myself and helping thousands of people get sober, I created a guide that has practical tips on how to start your sober journey. Everything from how to prepare your home, what to do if you get a craving, how to talk to your friends and family and so much more! It’s my...

My guest today has been sober for over 37 years. He has published several books including “Conscious Recovery, A Fresh Perspective On Addiction”. TJ is a featured thought-leader on wholehearted.org along with Dr. Gabor Maté and Marianne Williamson, and was given the honor of being ordained as an Agape minister by Dr. Michael Beckwith.   When I listened to the audible version of his book, I was intrigued by some of his ideas that challenged some of my own personal beliefs about 12 step...

We are brought to you today by The SHJ Patreon Membership, where seekers take action. If you have been listening to the podcast, you will have heard me talk about the new podcast that I just launched. It’s not just a podcast, but a community of people who truly want to make changes in their lives.  At the end of the day, we want you to have that feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction that you fulfilled your purpose. Can you imagine how great that will feel?! Well that’s what we’re...

Hi Friend,   Thank you so much for downloading the podcast!   If you haven’t met Light Watkins before today, you are in for a special treat. Light is the author of 4 books, the latest being “Travel Light: Spiritual Minimalism to Live a More Fulfilled Life”. I actually found him through listening to The Rich Roll Podcast, and his interview was so compelling I took a chance and invited him to be a guest to talk about how to find your purpose.    He’s also a meditation teacher, which a lot...

Today is going to be a continuation of a new project called The Self-Help Junkie Podcast. I thought about just making it a series on this podcast, but I decided it should be its own thing. I’ll still be publishing episodes here that are focused on addiction recovery, but just feel like after nearly 8 years, there is another podcast format I’d like to explore that has more of a community aspect to it.    That format will be to identify personal development topics like self-esteem, shadow...

Welcome to the podcast. In case you’re new here, my name is Arlina and I’ll be your host.   Before we jump in, I am going to ask for your help. We have been really lucky to get some amazing guests, and I have a whole list of dream guests that I would love to invite. Experts that are in psychology, trauma therapy, spirituality, but also high profile guests like in sports, movies, and other podcasts.   But in order to get certain guests, we need to have a significant following and a lot of...

“I think when we get in that victim space, like it makes so much sense and certainly some people have had such horrific experiences, I can see why they would feel that way. But the truth is, that only holds you in that place.” Jason VanRuler   Today I’m speaking with Jason VanRuler. He is a licensed therapist, Coach, Speaker and Author of "Get Past Your Past, How Facing Your Broken Places Leads to True Connection". I had so much fun talking with Jason, he’s actually really funny, but we...

Hi Friend,   Welcome to the podcast. In case you’re new here, my name is Arlina and I’ll be your host.   This episode is brought to you by Sobriety Reset, an online, self paced 30 Day Bootcamp designed to help you get through your first 30 days of living alcohol-free. Using evidence based practices, you will learn the skills you need to not only reduce cravings for alcohol but tackle all the challenges that come with developing a new lifestyle that you can feel proud of. Challenges like...

Welcome to the podcast. In case you’re new here, my name is Arlina and I’ll be your host.   I think this episode is a long time in coming. Today I’m talking with Jake White, a young man who has dedicated his life to talking with kids about prevention. And he does it in a way that is fun, inspiring and he’s actually reaching the kids he’s speaking to!   Jake is the co-founder of Vive18, an author and podcast host of Party Talk- Where they focus on empowering leaders in youth drug...

On the surface you would think my guest Kimberly Berlin had a fancy life of privilege growing up in the south of France, attending Juillard studying ballet, and traveling all over the world. But behind the veil, was a life of abuse, abandonment and addiction.    Today she will share her personal story of addiction, her moment of clarity and how she recovered. We get into some of the problems she encountered with someone at the first 12 step meeting she went to that kept her away for 7...

“Ambien, when taken as prescribed works great. But basically when I took it, it did something I really liked and I immediately wanted more. My first thought after my first night of Ambien was ‘more please’... I couldn’t wait to go to sleep and that went on for years.” Laura Cathcart Robbins is the best-selling author of the Atria/Simon & Schuster memoir, Stash, My Life In Hiding, and host of the popular podcast, The Only One In The Room. She has been active for many years as a speaker...

My guest today has been sober for a whopping 37 years, which by itself is absolutely amazing, but it’s his practical approach to success in business that piqued my curiosity. His approach is really centered on winning the day using sobriety principles. It’s a combination of intention setting, habit stacking guided by a higher purpose.   Doug Fleener is the author of a book called “ The Day Makes the Year (Makes a Life): Transform your work and life with One-Day Success. Doug is a...

We’re doing something a little bit different today, which is to look at addiction through the lens of the family. I can't tell you how many times I’ve talked to the family members of someone struggling with drugs & alcohol who just want to know how to help and are feeling scared, angry and confused. Shoot, I’ve been there myself! It’s a really tough spot to be in.   So today I’m speaking with Dr. Carrie Wilkens about the outdated messaging that is currently being circulated, what...

My guest today is a 2 time Grammy Award winner with 3 platinum albums, an Author, and Sober Advocate. I’m speaking of none other than Jim Sonefeld, drummer for Hootie and the Blowfish!   In this episode we talk about what it was like to ride the wave of fame after they got their big break on The David Letterman Show, and how he used alcohol to cope. We also talk about the pain of losing fame and his moment of clarity when his 4 year old daughter said 4 simple words to him.   But before we...

Today my guest is Dr Brooke Scheller, author of “How to Eat to Change How You Drink: Heal your gut, mend your mind and improve Nutrition to Change Your Relationship with Alcohol”.    On this podcast we talk a lot about psychology, family history, trauma, and all of the well known modalities for healing. Today we’re going to look at another approach that you can layer into your recovery practice - nutrition.   We first discuss Brooke’s own journey,  how her relationship with alcohol...

Today I’m talking with Scott Strode, the Founder of The Phoenix, a Free Sober Active Community.    Scott is sharing his story of how trauma from his dysfunctional family, dyslexia and low self esteem lead to his addiction, and what he did to break the cycle. We talk about how The Phoenix came to be and all the ways that this organization is helping people recover in all 50 states, including people who are incarcerated.   Before we get started, I just have a small favor to ask. If you...

Of the 294 episodes I’ve published, I have to say this one feels like magic. BIG Magic. From the circumstances of how I met Elizabeth Gilbert, to the significance of the day we recorded the interview, it all felt magical. And I haven’t stopped thinking about this conversation since.    Just to give you a hint at how talented and brilliant she is, Eat, Pray, Love sold over 12 million copies and held the #1 spot on the NYT best seller list for over 6 months. If Wikipedia is correct, it lived...

Since we’re at the beginning of November, which is known as “Gratitude Month” I’m offering a free 30 day self love challenge in the One day at a time private women’s group. It is a daily post with simple suggestions like spend 5 minutes journaling, List 3 people who love you or take a hot bubble bath. I also like to share books, meditations and all kinds of recovery resources I find on the interwebs. So if you’re a woman and you’d like to join me, just search for the one day at a time private...