Today, I sit down with Renae Van Roekel, founder of Connecting to Cope, to explore the journey from childhood trauma and people-pleasing to accountability, healing, and helping others. If you’ve ever felt stuck under shame, guilt, or perfectionism, you’re not alone. What You’ll Learn How early trauma and being told “you’re bad” became Renae’s internal narrative The cost of people-pleasing addiction, perfectionism, and hiding shameHer pivotal moment: why she chose to turn herself in...

Join host Shelby John as she sits down with Meg Gluth, a confident sober woman, successful business owner, and advocate for long-term recovery. In this inspiring episode, Meg shares her transformative journey from struggling with alcohol as a coping mechanism to building a thriving life rooted in sobriety, purpose, and authentic living. Episode Highlights: Meg discusses her recovery story, from her Midwest upbringing and challenges with early sobriety to finding her path through AA and person...

Join host Shelby John as she shares powerful strategies for navigating transition times in sobriety. Whether you're dealing with back-to-school stress, seasonal changes, or major life shifts, this episode provides actionable tools to help you thrive instead of just survive. What You'll Learn: 5 Essential Transition Tools for Women in Recovery: Transition Rituals - How to intentionally mark changes and set intentions The STOP Technique - A proven method to rewire your brain's stress...

In this episode of the Confident Sober Women Podcast, host Shelby sits down with Emily Sayre Smith, author of "Smartass Memoir of a Mouthy Girl," for an honest conversation about hitting rock bottom and finding redemption through sobriety. The Breaking Point That Changed Everything Emily shares the moment that saved her life, sitting on her bedroom floor in West Hollywood at 42, with a gun in her mouth. What happened next was a spiritual awakening that would transform her entire existence: "I...

You’ve been sober for a while now, maybe a year, maybe several, but emotionally, mentally, even physically, you still don’t quite feel like yourself. You’ve done the therapy. You’ve worked the steps. You know all the tools. And yet… You still feel anxious or overwhelmed You can’t sleep or wake up exhausted You overthink everything or spiral into negative thought loops You wonder why you’re sober but still don’t feel freeIf that sounds familiar, this ...

Dr. Vanessa Klugman shares her powerful 10-year recovery story, revealing how perfectionism and people-pleasing led to prescription drug addiction that cost her medical license. Discover the evidence-based tools she used to transform her inner critic into self-compassion and build a thriving life coaching practice. What You'll Learn • Why perfectionism can be a dangerous form of self-sabotage • The connection between achievement-based love and addiction • Three powerful tools to q...

Episode Highlights: Paula Kengg, 67, shares her powerful transformation from a "take it or leave it" drinker to alcohol addiction in her mid-50s, and her ultimate freedom through faith-based recovery. After battling chronic insomnia for 8.5 years and following doctors' advice to drink wine as a sleep aid, Paula found herself addicted to alcohol—keeping a wine bottle by her bedside instead of sleeping pills. Key Topics Discussed: How chronic insomnia led to alcohol dependencyWhy AA and traditi...

Feeling Drained Even in Sobriety? Here's Why (And What to Do About It) You got sober. You did the hard work. So why do you still feel completely emotionally exhausted? In this powerful episode of Confident Sober Women, host Shelby John dives deep into the silent struggle many sober women face—emotional dysregulation and nervous system burnout. If you're walking through life in a fog of overwhelm or feeling like you’re doing everything “right” but still running on empty, this one’s for you. So...

In this transformative episode of the Confident Sober Women podcast, Dr. Ginny Trierweiler unveils a deeply personal and scientifically-backed journey of health transformation that will challenge everything you thought you knew about dieting, nutrition, and wellness. Dr. Trierweiler shares her powerful personal story of hitting rock bottom at 55 - struggling with chronic pain, pre-diabetes, and feeling trapped in a body that was rapidly deteriorating. Her pivotal moment came while working in ...

In this powerful episode of Confident Sober Women, host Shelby welcomes Julie Bloom, a recovery coach and mental health trainer who shares her inspiring 7-year sobriety journey that began with an unexpected "gift of illness." Episode Highlights: Julie reveals how severe burnout, PTSD, and vertigo became catalysts for her sobriety journey after 20 years as a college Spanish teacher. As a former "well-caffeinated and chardonnay working mom," Julie describes how her alcohol dependence developed...

Why You're Always Anxious (And How To Regulate Your Nervous System) Welcome back to The Confident Sober Women Podcast! I’m your host, Shelby John, sober therapist, EMDR therapist, and fellow woman in recovery. In today’s solo episode, we’re diving into a topic that comes up constantly with my clients, friends, and even in my own life: nervous system regulation. You might say, “Why am I always anxious?” or “Why do I feel overwhelmed when nothing’s even wrong?” If that sounds familiar, th...

In this insightful conversation, Shelby welcomes Amanda Kuda, author of "Unbottled Potential," to discuss different pathways to sobriety and the importance of finding what resonates with you personally. Amanda shares her journey to sobriety, which began when she realized her weekend drinking habits were counteracting her weekday personal development work. Despite not hitting "rock bottom" or fitting traditional addiction narratives, she recognized alcohol was preventing her from becoming her ...

Rebuilding What Addiction Broke: A Conversation with Janice Johnson Dowd In this powerful episode of the Confident Sober Women podcast, we're joined by Janice Johnson Dowd, author of "Rebuilding Relationships in Recovery." As a retired social worker with 12 years of sobriety and a mother of four, Janice shares her journey from functioning alcoholic to recovery advocate with remarkable candor. Episode Highlights: Janice's background working in addiction treatment centers before her own alcoh...

Mara Casey opens a window into her 39-year sobriety journey with raw honesty and gentle wisdom. As a journalist who worked for prestigious publications like The New York Times and Hartford Courant, Mara's story reveals how professional success intertwined with her recovery from growing up in what she calls a "tumultuous" Irish family where "alcohol was the seventh member." The conversation takes us through Mara's childhood, where drinking at age 13 was normalized within her family culture. W...

What happens when we finally stop hiding and embrace our authentic selves? For Margie Schaller, living with secret sobriety for 18.5 years came at a significant personal cost—until one transformative moment changed everything. Margie's journey begins with childhood curiosity about her mother's ever-present glass of scotch and water, evolves through becoming the "chug champ" of her sorority, and reaches a critical turning point after a horrific car accident. Despite having a rod surgically p...

In this powerful episode of the Confident Sober Women Podcast, Shelby welcomes Gail Taylor, a recovery advocate, keynote speaker, and musician who shares her inspiring journey from childhood addiction to successful reinvention. Episode Highlights: Gail's early struggles: How losing her father at age 12 led to substance abuse and dropping out of school at 16The path to recovery: Gail's "high bottom" recovery journey and how she recognized her addiction through her son's similar strugglesFrom f...

In this powerful episode of the Confident Sober Women podcast, host Shelby John welcomes Louise Atthey, sobriety coach and team member at The Luckiest Club. With nearly 16 years of sobriety, Louise shares her journey from rock bottom to spiritual awakening and how surrendering to a higher power transformed her recovery. What You'll Learn: Louise's pivotal moment driving into a ditch in 2009 that led her to AAHow accepting spirituality despite initial resistance became her salvationThe t...

Christine Soja's recovery journey began not in a treatment center but at her kitchen table with a sketch pad and pen. As a stay-at-home mom of two young boys, she found herself drowning in an identity crisis, using alcohol as "self-care" while silently wondering, "Who am I? How did I get here?" When Christine discovered a 100-day drawing challenge on Instagram just as she decided to quit drinking, something unexpected happened. What started as a simple commitment to draw daily for 100 consec...

Join me for an inspiring episode with Marci Hopkins, that reveals the transformative journeys of women in recovery, showcasing their battles with addiction and the strength they've found to reclaim their lives. We dive deep into the fascinating realm of neurofeedback therapy—a cutting-edge tool that allows individuals to train their brains from the comfort of their homes. This episode features personal stories of triumph over trauma, emphasizing the importance of self-discovery and comm...

In this powerful episode of the Confident Sober Women podcast, host Shelby John sits down with Linda Parmar, a financial coach specializing in helping women in recovery achieve financial sobriety. With raw honesty, Linda shares her journey from being a financial advisor managing millions while secretly drowning in credit card debt and engaging in "blackout shopping." Key Topics Covered: Understanding financial sobriety and breaking free from spending addictionThe emotional connection be...