Isabel goes solo for this Halloween episode of Sober Spill to open up about the real side of recovery and answer your biggest recovery questions — from early sobriety struggles to dating, relapse, and how to rebuild your life after addiction. She talks about learning kindness, surviving loss, working in recovery, and why you shouldn’t quit before the miracle happens. With humor and heart, Isabel reminds us that recovery isn't about being perfect. It’s raw, funny, and honest — everything you love about Sober Spill.
Reach out to Isabel on Instagram @stopisabel_ or text her at 860 362 5057.
Join our Friday night meetings to talk about recovery at https://www.mountainside.com/resources/support-groups/virtual/alcoholics-anonymous-aa-meeting
#SoberSpillPodcast #SobrietyJourney #AddictionRecovery #EarlySobriety #SoberCommunity #MentalHealthAwareness
In this episode of Sober Spill, Isabel sits down with author of The Poisoned Arrow, Miguel Ruiz Jr., to talk about the deeper purpose of fear and how to use it as a guide, healing and trusting yourself, and lessons drawing from his Toltec teachings. They explore how fear shows up in daily life, how to tell the difference between real and imagined fear, and what it means to face the unknown with love instead of resistance. It’s an honest and relatable conversation about learning to live without letting fear make your choices for you. Find more of his work at https://www.miguelruiz.com/teacher/don-miguel-ruiz-jr/
Reach out to our host, Isabel, on Instagram @stopisabel_ or message her at 860 362 5057.
Join our Friday night meetings at https://www.mountainside.com/resources/support-groups/virtual/alcoholics-anonymous-aa-meeting
#SobrietyStories #MiguelRuizJr #SoberSpillPodcast #PersonalGrowth #SpiritualAwakening #AnxietyAwareness #TheFourAgreements
In this episode of Sober Spill, Jana sits down with Casey McGuire Davidson, host of The Hello Someday Podcast, to talk about what it really means to reinvent yourself in sobriety. Casey shares how she found freedom from drinking through a 100-day challenge. She left her high-powered executive job, built a life rooted in purpose, connection, and authenticity, and now helps other high-achieving women transform their relationship with alcohol. This episode is filled with wisdom, humor, and hope for anyone seeking change as Casey and Jana discuss burnout, motherhood, and how life feels on the other side of alcohol. If you’re feeling stuck, this episode will remind you that it’s never too late to rewrite your story.
Check out Hello Someday at: https://hellosomedaycoaching.com
#SobrietyJourney #SoberSpillPodcast #WomenInRecovery #SoberCurious #AddictionRecovery #HelloSomedayPodcast
In this episode of Sober Spill, Isabel sits down to talk with Dominic Chianese Jr. — actor, recovery coach, and son of Sopranos legend Dominic Chianese. He shares his powerful journey of 18 years of sobriety, the early roots of addiction, and the deep emotional work that recovery demands. With humor, honesty, and heart, Dominic opens up about his struggles of growing up in New York City, the chaos of early drug use at 10 years old, and the freedom that comes from faith and self-awareness to finding meaning through helping others. Dominic opens up about faith, relapse, anger, and how connection is truly stronger than addiction.
For more information about Dominic, check out his socials at https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominic-chianese-824203205/
#AddictionRecovery #SoberPodcast #SobrietyJourney #RecoveryCommunity #Sopranos #MentalHealthAwareness
In this episode of Sober Spill, Jana sits down with Dave Manheim, creator of the Dopey Podcast, to talk about his raw, funny, and painfully real journey. Dave talks about growing up in New York, MTV dreams and heroin addiction, to finding recovery, parenting in sobriety, and building one of the most influential recovery podcasts. Dave shares how grief, relapse, and humor shaped his story—and how he found a new purpose through connection and community. It’s a conversation about grief, growth, and finding joy in sobriety.
Listen to Dave Manheim's Dopey Podcast at https://dopeypodcast.com/
#AddictionRecovery #SobrietyPodcast #DopeyPodcast #RecoveryCommunity #SobrietyJourney
In this powerful episode of Sober Spill, Isabel sits down with Tommy Rosen, founder of Recovery 2.0 and host of In the Circle Podcast. Together, they dive into emotional sobriety, codependency, the “bottom of self-disgust,” and how recovery evolves over time. Tommy explains a new way to define recovery—not as limitation, but as a path of discovery and why healing must include mind, body, and spirit. Recovery is not just about fear of relapse but about love, discovery, and building a life worth living.
#AddictionRecovery #SoberPodcast #SoberCommunity #YogaForRecovery #SobrietyJourney
Read more information about his upcoming trip to Costa Rica at https://r20.com/costarica2025
In this episode of Sober Spill, Isabel sits down with Paul Brown, a man whose recovery story is filled with resilience, relapse, and redemption. Once a preacher’s kid who fell hard into drinking and drugs, Paul opens up about the guilt, shame, and isolation that fueled his addiction. After finding sobriety in the late ’90s, he built 20 years of recovery before relapsing after surgery, but came back stronger with therapy, fellowship, and a renewed sense of self. Paul proves that healing is possible at any stage and recovery is about progress, humility, and hope. Join Isabel and Paul for an honest, powerful conversation about what it really takes to rebuild your life in recovery.
#AddictionRecovery #SoberCommunity #SoberPodcast #SobrietyStories #RecoveryJourney
In this Recovery Month and 9/11 special, Isabel sits down with Pat McCarthy to talk about Pat’s emotional, and unforgettable story of addiction and recovery. Pat opens up about how alcoholism nearly destroyed his life and how his turning point—September 11, 2001—set him on a path to lasting sobriety. From his days chasing Grateful Dead shows to becoming a leader in recovery support, Pat shares the lessons, laughs, and love that come with sobriety. Now, decades later, he’s built a life filled with love, family, and purpose while giving back to others in recovery. This conversation is proof that it’s never too late to change your story. If you’ve ever wondered what long-term recovery looks like—or how hope can grow out of chaos—this is an episode you can’t miss.
#AddictionRecovery #SoberLife #RecoveryMonth #SobrietyStories #RecoveryPodcast
Addiction doesn’t just affect one person—it’s a family disease. In this powerful episode of Sober Spill, Isabel sits down with her mom, Lori, to talk about the reality and struggles of navigating parenting through addiction, relapse, and recovery. Together, this mother–daughter conversation shows how addiction affects everyone—and how family recovery is possible through honesty, setting boundaries, and finding hope through Al-Anon. Whether you’re in recovery yourself, supporting a loved one, or seeking inspiration, this conversation offers honesty, hope, and practical wisdom for anyone impacted by addiction.
#AddictionRecovery #FamilyHealing #SoberSpillPodcast #AlAnonSupport #ParentingThroughAddiction #RecoveryJourney
In this episode of Sober Spill, Isabel sits down with Serena Saunders, a woman in long-term recovery and the manager of the SPCA International’s Positive Recovery Program. Serena shares her powerful story of growing up in a family shaped by addiction, getting sober during Covid, surviving cancer and how animals — especially dogs — became a lifeline in her healing. She opens up about her first dog, Oscar, who quite literally saved her life, to building a national program that helps people in recovery keep their pets safe while seeking treatment - ensuring no one has to choose between sobriety and their best friend. Her journey is one of resilience, compassion, and the healing bond between humans and animals. If you’ve ever wondered how sobriety can transform not just your own life but also the lives of others (including four-legged friends), this episode will move and inspire you.
Learn more about SPCA International's Pawsitive Recovery Program: https://www.spcai.org/our-work/pawsitive-recovery
In this inspiring episode of Sober Spill, Jana sits down with journalist and podcast host Cat Greenleaf, best known for creating Talk Stop and Soberness podcast. Cat opens up about her unconventional career path, from interviewing celebrities on her Brooklyn stoop to navigating personal struggles with addiction, grief, and reinvention. She shares candid reflections on sobriety, motherhood, spiritual healing, and building a nonprofit that creates second chances for formerly incarcerated individuals. With humor, honesty, and depth, Cat’s story highlights how recovery opens the door to purpose, connection, and resilience.
This episode offers a raw and moving conversation about resilience, healing, and rediscovery. Leah reflects on the influences that shaped her early experiences and how her path in recovery was both strengthened and tested over time. She shares how love, loss, and unexpected challenges impacted her journey, and how she found the strength to seek help again in the face of deep grief. Through therapy and self-discovery, she began to rebuild her life with renewed purpose. Today, she channels her creativity and care into her work as a chef, farmer, and herbalist, embodying the possibility of transformation even after life’s most difficult moments. Her story is a testament to the power of hope, perseverance, and finding beauty in recovery.
In this episode of Sober Spill, we explore the power of somatic healing and how reconnecting with the body can support emotional regulation, trauma processing, and long-term recovery. Nicole breaks down what somatic work really is, how it helps people feel safe in their bodies again, and simple practices anyone can try to begin their own healing journey. Whether you're new to the concept or already incorporating body-based practices into your recovery, this conversation offers insight, validation, and practical tools.
In this episode of Sober Spill, Isabel sits down with a group of moms in recovery to explore how their experiences with sobriety shape the way they parent. They open up about the unique challenges of raising teens in a culture where drinking and drugs are often normalized, the genetic risks their kids may face, and how they use their recovery to guide tough conversations about substance use. This heartfelt discussion offers insight, practical advice, and hope for any parent looking to navigate these difficult topics with honesty and compassion.
In this episode, Lauren shares her honest, unfiltered story of getting sober and navigating the messy, complicated reality of early recovery. From confronting an eating disorder two years into sobriety to finding safety in internet spaces and music, she opens up about the parts of recovery that often go unspoken. We explore the challenges of hiding behind service work, facing underlying mental health struggles like self-injury and disordered eating, and learning to accept being a work in progress. This conversation offers comfort, humor, and raw truth for anyone in the thick of figuring it all out.
Kassidy’s story reveals how teenage experimentation and college drinking can quietly escalate into a crisis marked by isolation, shame, and addiction. In this episode, she shares the emotional challenges of active addiction and the turning point that led her toward recovery. This honest conversation offers insight into the progression of alcoholism in young adults and hope for those facing similar struggles.
What happens when you put two generations at the mic to talk about growing up, getting clean, and all the cultural baggage that comes with both?
In this episode, Isabel sits down with Jana to unpack the realities of drug use in the 90s vs. today—and how things have both changed and stayed the same. From D.A.R.E. programs to social media pressure, they cover the evolving landscape of teen experimentation, treatment access, and the ways societal beauty standards have shaped our relationships with ourselves.
They also get into:
- How the opioid epidemic has changed the conversation around addiction.
- The complicated relationship between body image, substance use, and control.
- Why therapy, relatability, and honest conversations matter more than ever.
Whether you’re a parent, in recovery, or just trying to make sense of the world teens are growing up in—this episode hits hard.
What happens when you mix recovery, the outdoors, and a little healthy rebellion? You get Tim Walsh’s story.
At 22, Tim found recovery, and quickly realized if he was going to stay sober, he needed an environment that truly grounded him. He needed the outdoors. That spark turned into Adventure Recovery, a program helping people reconnect with nature, themselves, and each other.
In this episode, Tim and Isabelle talk about:
Whether you’re sober-curious, in recovery, or just love a good adventure story, this one's for you.
How do you build a new life on top of a huge loss? Jane knows firsthand.
After the loss of her son in 2020, Jane Silfen found her calling as a grief counselor and educator at Mountainside. Jane challenges the common misconceptions about grief and shares what she did to help soften the impact of grief. She also addresses society's tendency to shy away from, or try to "fix," grief.
"The goal is to move forward, not on. We need to learn how to build a life on top of our grief," says Jane.
This conversation is essential for anyone touched by loss or seeking to better understand how to support those who are grieving. #GriefHealing #LivingWithLoss #ReframingGrief #GriefEducation #MentalHealth #HealingJourney
Don Miguel Ruiz Jr. spills about his early apprenticeship with his father, Don Miguel Sr., and shares his journey through substance use. Learn why his father chose not to intervene when life got tough, and how it lead DMR Jr. to forging his own path to authenticity—a journey deeply informed by the wisdom of The Four Agreements.
Don't miss his insights on achieving optimal physical and spiritual health!
Find more of his work, including his books “The Five Levels of Attachment”, “Living a Life of Awareness”, “The Mastery of Self”, and “The Don Miguel Ruiz’s Little Book of Wisdom," at https://www.miguelruiz.com/teacher/don-miguel-ruiz-jr/
