The One Day At A Time Recovery Podcast

One of the biggest takeaways from this conversation with Emma is that anxiety, depression, and burnout aren't character flaws—they're nervous system responses to feeling unsafe. We talked about how depression often mirrors the nervous system's shutdown response, and how anxiety shows up as fight-or-flight. When your body feels overwhelmed for too long, it doesn't motivate you—it protects you. Why Worry Keeps You Stuck Emma explained that worry is actually reinforced behavior. When we worry and nothing bad happens, our brain learns, "That worked—do it again." Over time, worry becomes automatic. This is why telling yourself to "just stop worrying" never works. One Tool That Can Reduce Anxiety by Up to 80% One of the most practical tools we discussed is Scheduled Worry: Instead of worrying all day, you train your brain to worry at a specific time—usually 10–15 minutes in the afternoon. Outside of that window, you gently remind yourself, "I'll deal with this at 5pm." This retrains the brain instead of fighting it. Burnout and Fear-Based Fuel Emma shared how she burned out after years of pushing herself—weekly YouTube videos, pregnancy, parenting, and running a business. What stood out most was this idea: Fear is a dirty fuel source. When we're driven by fear—of failure, not being enough, or letting others down—we eventually crash. Healing often means switching fuel sources to trust, values, and self-permission to slow down. ✅ Action Steps for Listeners Set a daily check-in alarm (once an hour) to notice: What am I thinking? What am I feeling? What's happening in my body? Practice willingness instead of avoidance Let the feeling exist without trying to fix it. Try Scheduled Worry for 7 days 10–15 minutes/day, written out. Clarify your locus of control Separate what you can control from what you can't. Choose one value-aligned action Small, doable, and grounded—not fear-driven. 🔗 Resources Mentioned Therapy in a Nutshell (YouTube) Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) Burnout by Emily Nagoski Slow Productivity by Cal Newport The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry   Guest Contact Info: https://therapyinanutshell.com/ 👊🏼Need help applying this information to your own life? Here are 3 ways to get started: 🎁Free Guide: 30 Tips for Your First 30 Days - With a printable PDF checklist Grab your copy here: https://www.soberlifeschool.com ☎️Private Coaching: Make Sobriety Stick https://www.makesobrietystick.com Subscribe So You Don't Miss New Episodes!   Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Amazon Music, or you can stream it from my website HERE. You can also watch the interview on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@theonedayatatimepodcast?sub_confirmation=1     Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-one-day-at-a-time-recovery-podcast/id1212504521 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4I23r7DBTpT8XwUUwHRNpB Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a8eb438c-5af1-493b-99c1-f218e5553aff/the-one-day-at-a-time-recovery-podcast  

Choosing Yourself Isn't Selfish — It's Necessary In this episode of The One Day at a Time Recovery Podcast, I sit down with Hakeem to talk about what happens when performance, substances, and distractions can no longer protect us from unresolved pain. Hakeem shares how the death of his younger brother, years of buried grief, elite athletics, addiction, and eventually incarceration led him to a moment of total reckoning. Sitting alone in a jail cell — without substances, screens, or distractions — he was finally forced to face himself. What stood out to me most is Hakeem's belief that recovery isn't just about abstinence. It's about returning to our natural state — mentally, emotionally, and physically. Key Takeaways From Our Conversation 1. Addiction Is About Toxic Consumption Many people quit drinking but replace it with sugar, gambling, porn, caffeine, or overworking. The substance changes, but the avoidance doesn't. 2. The Work Has to Happen Before the Trigger If the inner work isn't done first, triggers become breaking points. When the work is done, triggers become opportunities for growth. 3. The TEFIC Framework Triggers – noticing what activates you Environment – what and who surrounds you Foundation – sleep, routines, structure Invest – time, energy, and money into growth Contribution – giving from overflow, not depletion 4. Community Is Where Healing Accelerates There's something powerful about being seen and understood by people who have lived it — not just professionals talking at you, but peers walking alongside you. Action Steps I Encourage You to Try Identify one "acceptable addiction" you might be using to avoid discomfort Build a minimum daily foundation you can keep even on hard days Journal on this question: What keeps showing up as a trigger in my life — and what might it be pointing to? Seek connection, not just more information     📚 Books & Resources Mentioned Choose Yourself to Be Chosen — Hakeem Bourn McFarlane The Untethered Soul — Michael A. Singer The Way of the Superior Man — David Deida Outwitting the Devil — Napoleon Hill Can't Hurt Me — David Goggins Atomic Habits — James Clear (referenced) So without further delay, please enjoy this episode, and let me know what you think!   Guest Contact Info:  Instagram: @bigdreamhakeem   👊🏼Need help applying this information to your own life? Here are 3 ways to get started: 🎁Free Guide: 30 Tips for Your First 30 Days - With a printable PDF checklist Grab your copy here: https://www.soberlifeschool.com ☎️Private Coaching: Make Sobriety Stick https://www.makesobrietystick.com Subscribe So You Don't Miss New Episodes!   Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Amazon Music, or you can stream it from my website HERE. You can also watch the interview on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@theonedayatatimepodcast?sub_confirmation=1     Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-one-day-at-a-time-recovery-podcast/id1212504521 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4I23r7DBTpT8XwUUwHRNpB Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a8eb438c-5af1-493b-99c1-f218e5553aff/the-one-day-at-a-time-recovery-podcast  

How Journaling, Community & Self-Compassion Can Transform Recovery: A Conversation with Sonia In this episode, Sonia from Sisters in Sobriety joins us for a deeply honest conversation about recovery, journaling, trauma, and rebuilding life after addiction. Sonia shares how her drinking escalated from teenage experimentation to daily wine-drinking as a high-functioning professional. While she never had the "traditional" external bottom, she described being emotionally bottomed out — chronically ill, blacking out, and unable to imagine a future. What finally shifted? A moment of clarity at brunch, when she said "no" to a mimosa for the first time. From there, she began exploring sobriety through AA literature, community support, and eventually the practice that changed everything: journaling. Key topics we covered: Moderation vs. abstinence: Some people can moderate; some can't. Addiction exists on a spectrum. Trauma and dissociation: Many of us learned early to ignore our intuition and numb discomfort. Healing through writing: Journaling processes emotions the same way talking to a friend does. Different journaling styles: Morning pages (The Artist's Way) Gratitude lists Emotional processing Prompt-based journaling Somatic/body-scan journaling Rebuilding after betrayal: Journaling helped Sonia reclaim her identity after divorce. The importance of community: A network of supportive women helped her through the darkest moments.     ACTION ITEMS FOR LISTENERS ✔️ Try morning pages for 7 days — write 3 pages of unfiltered thoughts every morning. ✔️ Start a nightly gratitude list focusing on 3 things from that day. ✔️ Practice a weekly "body-scan journal session" and write about physical sensations + emotions. ✔️ Identify 3 people you can call when you're struggling — and practice willingness calls. ✔️ Reflect on the question: Can I moderate? — and be honest with your evidence.     BOOKS MENTIONED Blackout — Sarah Hepola Running with Scissors — Augusten Burroughs The Artist's Way — Julia Cameron The Power of Two-Way Prayer — Father Bill W. Radical Self-Acceptance — Tara Brach The Obstacle Is the Way — Ryan Holiday   👊🏼Need help applying this information to your own life? Here are 3 ways to get started: 🎁Free Guide: 30 Tips for Your First 30 Days - With a printable PDF checklist Grab your copy here: https://www.soberlifeschool.com ☎️Private Coaching: Make Sobriety Stick https://www.makesobrietystick.com Subscribe So You Don't Miss New Episodes!   Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Amazon Music, or you can stream it from my website HERE. You can also watch the interview on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@theonedayatatimepodcast?sub_confirmation=1     Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-one-day-at-a-time-recovery-podcast/id1212504521 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4I23r7DBTpT8XwUUwHRNpB Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a8eb438c-5af1-493b-99c1-f218e5553aff/the-one-day-at-a-time-recovery-podcast  

Today I am joined by Brett Eaton, who is a motivational speaker, high performance coach, and the best selling author of "Uncomfortable Either Way: The Blueprint For Building Confidence Through Discomfort". You might think that he doesn't fit the typical guest profile, but Brett's expertise on building confidence, behavior change, identity shifts, and building momentum - are the foundational building blocks of sobriety.   In this episode we talk about:   ✅ How accepting discomfort leads to change ✅ The importance of micro-commitments ✅ Why focusing on the wins is critical to recovery ✅ The antidote to perfectionism ✅ How to rebuild self-trust after years of self-betrayal   And so much more! He was so much fun to talk to, his energy is so contagious, I can't wait for you to meet him! Before we jump in, just a quick announcement: I am hosting a new meeting through the OpenRecovery App! It's like having an AI sober coach in your pocket, but now has a HUGE community feature with some of the most influential thought leaders in the recovery space.  Sign up for free and join "The 12 Step Group For Skeptics". It's a safe space to explore challenging topics, intended to help you make progress in the steps, and make some new sober friends in the process. It's every Wednesday on Zoom  at 4pm PST / 7pm EST. Some of the groups have a ton of members, and I'm super competitive, so join me and help me win this imaginary race! I can't wait to see you there!   Guest Contact Info: bretteaton.com Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/4pfawTm    👊🏼Need help applying this information to your own life? Here are 3 ways to get started: 🎁Free Guide: 30 Tips for Your First 30 Days - With a printable PDF checklist Grab your copy here: https://www.soberlifeschool.com ☎️Private Coaching: Make Sobriety Stick https://www.makesobrietystick.com   Subscribe So You Don't Miss New Episodes! Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Amazon Music, or you can stream it from my website HERE. You can also watch the interview on YouTube.       Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-one-day-at-a-time-recovery-podcast/id1212504521 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4I23r7DBTpT8XwUUwHRNpB Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a8eb438c-5af1-493b-99c1-f218e5553aff/the-one-day-at-a-time-recovery-podcast  

In today's episode, I sit down with my dear friend Julie Bloom - She's a coach, mental health trainer, multilingual communicator, and survivor of childhood abuse, and severe workplace trauma.  Julie shares her remarkable story of navigating PTSD, burnout, trauma, addiction, and a complete midlife unraveling… and how she rebuilt her identity through emotional regulation, nonviolent communication, and deep personal healing. Together we explore: ✨ Why emotional regulation is the foundation of all healing ✨ What actually happens in the brain during triggers ✨ How to respond instead of react ✨ The surprising power of compassionate communication ✨ The connection between trauma, addiction, and high achievement ✨ How sobriety opened the door for Julie's personal transformation ✨ Tools like the RAIN method, journaling, two-way prayer, adaptive thinking, and more If you've ever felt overwhelmed by your emotions, stuck in old patterns, or unsure how to communicate your needs… this episode will give you hope and real strategies you can use today. Before we jump in, I want to wish all who are celebrating a Happy Thanksgiving! This episode will be released on a day where many of us spend the day with family, for better or worse. For those who find Thanksgiving to be a challenging day, whether it's due to being around people who push your buttons, or the loneliness that comes from distance or estrangement, I wanted to offer some practical advice on getting through the day sober - both physically and emotionally.  First, start your day with self-care for your body, mind and spirit. Even if you can only spend 30 minutes in the morning doing it, the return will be well worth the investment. Think of it like this, if you have to travel a long distance, you'd put gas in your car first so that you could go the distance. Same thing with challenging or high emotion days. Be sure to fill your tank with inspirational literature, or content before venturing out. Also, be sure to boost your positive feel good neurotransmitters like oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins. Go for a walk, do some yoga, or get a workout in too. The physical exercise will burn off anxious energy, and help you to respond instead of react in stressful moments. Lastly, have an exit strategy. Give yourself permission to make an excuse to leave whenever you need to. Remember, your sobriety and your feelings take priority over someone else's expectations.  And who knows, if you run the experiment, maybe you'll have a completely different experience of the holidays!  If you find this episode helpful, please share it with a friend. So that's it from me today. Please enjoy this episode, and let me know what you think! Find Julie on Instagram at @juliebloomworld 👊🏼Need help applying this information to your own life? Here are 3 ways to get started: 🎁Free Guide: 30 Tips for Your First 30 Days - With a printable PDF checklist Grab your copy here: https://www.soberlifeschool.com ☎️Private Coaching: Make Sobriety Stick https://www.makesobrietystick.com Subscribe So You Don't Miss New Episodes!   Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Amazon Music, or you can stream it from my website HERE.        Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-one-day-at-a-time-recovery-podcast/id1212504521 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4I23r7DBTpT8XwUUwHRNpB Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a8eb438c-5af1-493b-99c1-f218e5553aff/the-one-day-at-a-time-recovery-podcast