Show cover of Soberful

Soberful

Veronica Valli and Chip Somers are experts on recovery. Chip Somers was most recently described by Russell Brand in his book 'Recovery' as a 'right social liability.' Together they have been sober for almost 50 years and have a LOT of stories, messes, experience and occasionally helpful advice to share on living in sobriety. They bring all of that (and more) to the Soberful podcast. This podcast is for anyone who wants to live an alcohol-free life, is struggling to get sober or who is in long-term recovery.

Tracks

Sasha Tozzi joins Veronica to talk about how lost she was before getting sober at 26. How cocaine brought her to her knees and how she is navigating life as a sober woman and contemplating having a family. To learn more, visit the show notes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

12/02/2025 • 45:15

Veronica has an in-depth conversation with Dr. Kimberly Horn on how friendships are essential to our wellbeing. They discuss how to navigate friendships, how to end friendships and how they can change in sobriety. To learn more, visit the show notes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

05/02/2025 • 40:57

Veronica is joined by Meghann Perry who is a powerful storyteller. After battling her way out of addiction she turned her passion into a business. Meghann uses storytelling to help others find their truth. To learn more, visit the show notes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

29/01/2025 • 46:51

We may get some pushback from some people about this episode. But we feel that therapy language has escaped from the therapy rooms and is being over used and abused in all the wrong ways. Not everything is a trauma and struggle is part of life. To learn more, visit the show notes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

22/01/2025 • 39:09

Veronica interviews a former client who had four kids under the age of eight. Annie was drinking every night and working full time. When her daughter saw her drunk one night she knew she had to change. To learn more, visit the show notes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

15/01/2025 • 31:44

When we have an alcohol problem we leave ourselves by degrees. One day, we wake up and realise that we have become someone we don't recognize. Sobriety is about the journey back to who you really are. To learn more, visit the show notes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

08/01/2025 • 28:09

In this mindblowing conversation with Mike Collins Veronica learns how sugar addiction takes hold of us, how sugar affects our thinking, emotions and keeps us in active addiction. Do not miss this one. To learn more, visit the show notes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

01/01/2025 • 45:21

Chip and Veronica's traditional end-of-year episode where they discuss the things that changed their lives this year. Chip gives an update on some health issues and reveals what he is having for his anti-Christmas dinner. To learn more, visit the show notes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

04/12/2024 • 48:56

Angela is a coach for female entrepreneurs who are trying to balance all the things their lives demand of them. Angela talks about how balance is almost impossible and that we need to blend our needs each day. To learn more, visit the show notes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

27/11/2024 • 38:48

Ali Press is a counsellor who specialises in helping neurodivergent people get sober. Ali didn't realise until she got sober that a lot of her struggles were because of being neurodivergent and how understanding this can provide great clarity and relief while navigating the sober world. To learn more, visit the show notes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

20/11/2024 • 36:20

Diane Bell is an independent filmmaker and director whose first movie made a splash at the Sundance Film Festival. Born in Scotland into a big drinking culture, she could never conceive of a life without alcohol in it, until one day she woke up and realised how much better she felt without it and how much culture (including Film and TV) misleads us into believing alcohol was glamourous and exciting. To learn more, visit the show notes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

13/11/2024 • 38:18

Veronica explores how fear is the engine of an alcohol problem and how all humans experience fear. But no one talks about fear, we hide it deep inside of ourselves. She outlines some simple methods you could try to manage your fear and how the work of sobriety is learning how to manage our fear. To learn more, visit the show notes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

06/11/2024 • 27:48

Arlina Allen has been sober for thirty years and has written a book that clears up a lot of the misinformation about 12-step programs. They discuss the difference between the fellowship and the program and the common blocks people experience when trying to work the 12 steps. To learn more, visit the show notes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

30/10/2024 • 63:57

Dr. Ben Walden joins Veronica to delve into the complexities of sobriety for individuals on the autism spectrum. Dr. Walden sheds light on the challenges of diagnosing autism, a topic that often remains in the shadows. He stresses that new research is constantly emerging, keeping the audience informed and aware. Dr. Walden also discusses the integral role of community and group work in addiction recovery, while acknowledging the unique struggles individuals with autism may face in group settings, leading to heightened anxiety. To learn more, visit the show notes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

23/10/2024 • 33:51

Veronica is joined by a former client who got sober in one of her programs when she was 29. Now, two years later, she talks about how much her life has changed and how great her sobriety is. Creating community and connection was vital for her sobriety to become sustainable. To learn more, visit the show notes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

16/10/2024 • 35:29

Bria Gadd is the 'period whisperer', a certified holistic health coach she helps women navigate the peri menopause and the hormonal transitions women go through. She explains how women get themselves into 'health debt' and how women can manage the supply and demand of energy. And of course, one of the best ways to get out of health debt is to stop drinking alcohol. To learn more, visit the show notes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

09/10/2024 • 37:17

Veronica and Chip discuss the serious issue of pain management and sobriety. How does someone in recovery navigate pain management if they need to take opioids for pain relief? What are the pitfalls? How does someone in recovery navigate pain management? They share their experience and advice. To learn more, visit the show notes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

02/10/2024 • 42:06

Duane Osterlind is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who specialises in helping people overcome sex addiction. He explains that sex addiction is a way to get connection and intimacy but remains unfulfilling and compulsive. Duane explains that it's essential to understand how shame factors into sex addiction and that dealing with shame is crucial to recovery. He also talks about how it affects partners and the trauma of betrayal. But that a marriage can survive, and someone can recover from sex addiction. To learn more, visit the show notes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

25/09/2024 • 41:00

Early sobriety is a unique experience, not to be judged or assumed as a reflection of the long term. Veronica shared her insights into the processes that unfold in the first year. The physical changes, the brain's self-repair, and the emotional processes are all part of this unique journey. To learn more, visit the show notes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

18/09/2024 • 32:06

Artist and director of the Create Now Academy Sarah Gillespie joins Veronica to discuss The Call of the Self. How addiction prevents us being who we really are. And that the calling of an artist is the same as the calling to stop drinking. To learn more, visit the show notes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

11/09/2024 • 53:27

Breaking the cycle of drinking - Bonus episode Sign up here: https://go.soberful.com/break-the-cycle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

06/09/2024 • 08:51

Veronica breaks down why emotional sobriety is essential if you want to stay sober, what it is and how it works. To learn more, visit the show notes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

05/09/2024 • 42:19

In this episode, we are going to learn what it's like to be in a relationship with someone who is deep into addiction. Imagine being a young woman who gets involved with an older man who dazzles her. Imagine that you get pregnant by that man, and despite promising that he would stand by you, he, in fact, abandons you and denies paternity. Imagine that man gets sober and remarries, and his whole family pretends that you and your child don't exist. Imagine that man is the son of the most powerful man on earth. Today, we are going to hear Lunden Roberts's story. Lunden is the mother of a little girl named Navy, whose father is Hunter Biden and whose grandfather is President Joe Biden. Lunden Roberts has written a book called Out of the Shadows, which details her dysfunctional relationship with Hunter, his constant fear of being the family black sheep, and Lunden's fight to have the Biden family recognise her daughter. To learn more, visit the show notes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

28/08/2024 • 48:48

How do you know if you are one? Chip takes Veronica through the criteria you need to meet to find out how serious your alcohol problem is. The outcome will shock you. To learn more, visit the show notes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

21/08/2024 • 46:12

Codependency is the fear of someone else's feelings. Veronica does a deep-dive with Dr. Sarah Michaud who talks about her book 'Co-crazy - One Psychologist's Recovery from Codependency and Addiction. To learn more, visit the show notes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

14/08/2024 • 48:29

In this solo episode, Veronica explains why an alcohol problem appears on the inside long before it appears on the outside. Most people think an alcohol problem is a homeless person or someone who gets DUIs. Veronica explains how that is misleading, and an alcohol problem shows up in our feelings (shame, guilt, fear, anxiety) long before anyone can see it. We become adept at hiding how we feel and what is happening. She also explains how no one realises when their drinking crosses the line, from drinking to having fun to needing a drink to cope. This episode will help anyone who is wondering about their drinking and wants to truly understand that getting sober is 10% not drinking alcohol and 90% emotional sobriety. To learn more, visit the show notes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

07/08/2024 • 26:34

An alcohol problem shows up on the inside long before it shows up on the outside. When people saw Julie, she looked like an attractive, busy mom who had everything: a great husband, a business and a great lifestyle. What they couldn't see was how she felt on the inside, the shame, self-loathing and guilt from her drinking. Julie looked for help from a wellness professional who told her to drink organic wine as it was better for you and from a therapist who told her as she didn't drink in secret, she couldn't have a problem. But Julie knew she did. She finally stopped two years ago and has been on a journey of self-discovery ever since. Her husband now tells her she is way more fun sober. Julie is like so many women, quietly struggling and falling apart and using alcohol as a way to reward herself for just surviving the day. Her story will inspire you. To learn more, visit the show notes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

31/07/2024 • 40:25

Veronica and Chip discuss the rise of microdosing. Is microdosing just high-end drinking? Dressed up drug taking? Or, does it have the ability to help people navigate life and heal trauma? To learn more, visit the show notes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

24/07/2024 • 44:31

Laura Willoughby from Club Soda joins Veronica to discuss how the alcohol market has changed and continues to change. They start by remembering what drinking was like for them in the 1990's, how they were encouraged as women to drink until they passed out. They then look at how much the culture has shifted, with young people either choosing not to drink or drinking occasionally. Laura explains that the alcohol-free market is continuing to expand and that, yes, you can get a good alcohol-free wine. Because of these changes, how we socialise has changed a lot, with people wanting to have experiences and food rather than just drinking to get drunk. They end by emphasising how important it is to have alcohol-free spaces and how they are growing in England, America and even France. To learn more, visit the show notes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

17/07/2024 • 43:34

When we get stuck in blame, we become powerless. Chip and Veronica explore how we blame circumstances and other people for our alcohol problem. Blaming is a psychological defence mechanism to justify our drinking behaviour, but it also means we stay stuck in a harmful place. Everybody has 'stuff'. Lots of people who have a drug or alcohol problem had childhood experiences that were harmful, hurtful or abusive. These need to be validated and acknowledged so healing can take place, but ultimately, we get to a point where we need to consider: It's not what happens to you but how you choose to respond to what happens to you that really matters. To learn more, visit the show notes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

10/07/2024 • 42:09

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