The One Day At A Time Recovery Podcast

Today my guest is Dennis Berry. He is the best selling author of, “Funky Wisdom, A Practical Guide to Life.”   As always, before we jump into the interview, I want to share some ideas that help me stay sober. So here are 3 tips to help you stay sober in early recovery.  Tip #1 - Create a plan to keep busy in the evening after work. A lot of people start feeling cravings from about 6-10pm so plan ahead. Meet with friends, volunteer, go for walks, pick up a new hobby, or try some yoga or go to the gym. Having some sort of activity in the evening can be a good distraction from cravings.  Tip #2 - Feed your brain something positive. There’s so much good information available on podcasts, audiobooks, and online courses. Our brains are like biofeedback computers; what you put in, is what you get out, so don’t feed it crap. Tip #3 - Start a gratitude journal. There is a ridiculous amount of research, proving that writing down 5 things you are grateful for in the morning, or even before you go to bed, will help reprogram your brain to think more positively. It helps with depression, anxiety and helps you process negative feelings to resolution, instead of stuffing them. So that’s it for now. For more tips like these and other stories of recovery, just visit odaatchat.com. So without further adu, Please enjoy this wide ranging conversation, with Dennis! Website: https://www.DennisBerry.com   Email: dennis@dennisberry.com   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennisber...  Facebook: @FunkyBrainPodcast  Book on Amazon: "Funky Wisdom: A Practical Guide to Life" https://www.amazon.com/Funky-Wisdom-P...  

Website: https://www.erinkhar.com   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ErinKharAuthor/   Twitter: https://twitter.com/ErinKhar/   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erinkhar/   Book: https://www.amazon.com/Strung-Out-Erin-Khar/dp/0778309738   Advice Column: https://ravishly.com/ask-erin-0

Today’s guest is Stefanos Sifandos - a trained educator and relationships expert with a background in behavioral science. He is very passionate about leading people closer to their highest potential and he shares a ton of resources on this episode.    And side note, He also happens to be married to the super fabulous host of the popular podcast “Over It and On With It with Christine Hassler.”   Seriously, they are both such beautiful people, inside and out, and they work tirelessly to help people, so for that, I just adore them!   But before we jump in, I have another resource for you. It's the ODAAT Chat YouTube channel! All the interviews are published there, as well as some additional short solo episodes, focused on providing simple, actionable solutions to common issues related to getting and staying sober.    Just do a search for the ODAAT Chat podcast on YouTube, or you can also find a link in the show notes at odaatchat.com. And if you check it out, I hope you like it!   Anyway, I really enjoyed this interview with Stef because he was so open about his story and the challenges he faced and all the different modalities he used to overcome them.    If you’d like to find out how you can work with Stef, I will leave links to his website and all of his social media.    So without further adu, Please enjoy this episode, with Stef!

Alcohol Recovery Podcast

This is going in my diary as one of my most favorite conversations. Ren is very open minded, a gifted writer and incredibly authentic. If that weren’t enough to make you like him, he had dedicated his life to helping people recover from addiction. But before we jump in, I wanted to let you know that I’m hosting a podcasting class along with my dear friend, Omar Pinto, host of the Shair Recovery Podcast. We joined forces to help coaches, therapists and wellness experts get their message to the masses. We’re on a mission to help heal the world! and what better way, than to support those who are already doing the work! If you want to launch your own podcast in 30 days or less, We’ve created a 30 day challenge so you can do just that, without any Imposter Syndrome or Tech Overwhelm. The next challenge is starting June first, so even if you’re just a tiny bit curious, visit PodFast.co for a free 4 part training series. The podcasting class is in a challenge format to give support to get it done FAST. You’ll have access to training videos, a super creative support group, and live coaching calls. So if you’ve been thinking about launching a podcast, just visit PodFast.co for all the details! Well that does it for the intro! Please enjoy (and share!) this episode, with Ren!

http://www.mishkashubaly.com/ Title:OC108 - Mishka Shubaly, Getting Sober Cold Turkey without AA or Rehab Today my guest, Mishka Subaly, a true renaissance man. Super prolific writer, talented musician, gifted writer with a touch of smart ass. What’s not to love?? But before we jump in, something Mishka said sparked a thought that I haven’t been able to shake, and I realize it's something we all need to focus more on...having FUN! Recovery work can be so heavy and dark, and it’s easy to get lost in that part. While it's part of the journey, how about we balance it out with some ideas about how to cultivate more joy and excitement!? Like the kind that makes you feel GIDDY! That sounds fun, right? So here’s the deal, before I give you some ideas about how to reconnect with things you can do sober that are fun, I’ll share some mechanics about the brain that will explain why some people have a hard time connecting to that feeling of “fun” early in recovery. When we drink or do drugs or whatever our addictions revolve aroud, we flood our brain cells with dopamine, the chemical responsible for that happy feeling we love so much. Brain cells actually have receptors that act like little funnels, allowing that dopamine to be absorbed. But the wisdom of the body is always trying to say in balance, so over time, it will retract those receptors so it can’t absorb so much. The result is the need for more alcohol or drugs to get that same effect. Meanwhile, your hippocampus and amygdala, the parts of your brain responsible for memories, and emotions are recording all of this and essentially rewiring your brain to depend on the stimulus. . In totality, this is how your brain develops addiction. A dependence on whatever your drug is. When we stop drinking, we are working with a diminished amount of receptors on the brain cells. We’re not physically able to absorb the normal amount of dopamine that would be present, prior to becoming addicted. Where in the past we might enjoy spending time with friends, playing music, or working on a hobby, these things now fall flat. We don’t actually experience the “fun” part but in reality, we can’t. The good news is here again, the body will restore balance, but it takes a little time and effort to heal and rewire your brain. Those brian cell receptors do come back, and so does the fun! Here are some tips for early recovery if you are worried that you’ll never have fun again. Learn to love exercise - it's the fastest way to generate dopamine naturally Meditation - It helps to rewire your brain and emotions back to normal Try new things! - New things won’t have the burden of failing to live up to expectations which might actually cause disappointment. And finally... Surround yourself with people who are happy and fun! They say we’re the average of the 5 people we spend the most time with. So if you’re hanging out with a bunch of sad sacks, you’ll be one too. I hope that gives you a new perspective and some encouragement to find your happy again. So for an intro to today’s episode, I spent some time with Writer, Musician, and Yale Professor, Mishka Subaly. I’ll tell you that we didn’t get to cover half of what we wanted to. We left out his shipwreck story, I can’t believe I let that happen, but there was just not enough time. He actually pours it all out in his 6 best selling Audible shorts, so definitely check those out, along with his latest book, Cold Turkey, which you can actually get for free, for the month of May. This guy has been through some really unusual and crazy experiences, and I can’t wait for you to meet him. So with that, please enjoy (and share!) this episode, with Mishka!

Hey Friend, thanks for hanging out with me today!   Today my guest, Michael Brody-Waite. He’s a Tedx Nashville Speaker, former CEO of InQuicker, and  author of “Great Leaders Live LIke Drug Addicts. How to Lead People Like Your Life Depends On It”. Super down to earth kinda guy, who just happens to be doing God’s work.   But before we jump in, I thought hey, maybe you’d like a little explanation of what I’ve been doing for the last couple months? So just in case you were wondering, here it is...   As you may or may not know, I have a full time job as an Account Manager for a high tech company, which provides software that allows people to work from home. So you probabl see where this is going, right?    As Covid-19 hit, I was working 12-14 hour days to keep up with demand and I had zero time to interview anyone. It was nuts!    Then after weeks of going full steam, just as I was about to burn out, both my husband and I got really sick with a flu of some sort, which knocked me out of the game for a bit. I completely lost my voice for a while, then I kinda sounded like a “2 pack a day smokin trucker”, so still, no interviews.    But I’m all better now, my voice has returned 100% and I’ve been recording some awesome interviews, and I’m looking forward to sharing those!   In other news, on April 23, I celebrated 26 years of recovery! So crazy! Especially when you consider there was a time I couldn’t make it to noon without a bong hit!   But what a blessing its been to be able to join a bunch of online meetings with both my ODAAT home group in San Jose where I moved from last year, but also with the ladies here in Idaho. I also shared my good news in a few of the online recovery groups I’m part of, especially the private women’s ODAAT Chat FB group, so that was really special for me too.   And thank you for your part in my recovery journey. I am so grateful that you allow me to pass it on. You are definitely helping to keep me sober.    But I’ll tell you, one of the biggest lessons of this last year has been around boundaries.    Not so much in the traditional sense that you typically hear about, which typically involve teaching people how to treat you, but boundaries for myself. The kind that conserve my energy, and limits unreasonable expectations of myself and others.     I realized that I can no longer lie to myself and pretend that I’m okay with “over helping” or doing more than my fair share because, as it turns out, there’s no amount of spiritual bypassing that will allow me to avoid feeling resentful towards someone who isn’t interested in meeting me half way. It showed up for me particularly in working relationships and friendships this year.    But here’s the truth: the real boundary is for me, for my expectations of what I can tolerate without losing my peace. I realized I was selling myself out for the hope of some future gain, that most often, never materialized.   Boundary setting is a skill that can be learned, and it’s one of the things I teach in “The Connection Cure, A Self Esteem Workshop for People in Recovery”.   There is a new workshop starting soon, so check odaatchat.com for details and upcoming dates.   So for an intro to today’s episode, I’ll just say that you are about to meet a really good guy. Someone who has not only been through a lot, but has also created a system to help people thrive in the business world, using the principles of the program. It’s actually brilliant, and I greatly appreciate the passion, clarity and focus he has when he communicates.   So with that, please enjoy (and share!) this episode, with Michael Brody-Waite!   Tedx Talk Nashville: https://youtu.be/UUnRKf2CemA   Link to his book, “Great Leaders Live LIke Drug Addicts, How to Lead People Like Your Life Depends On It” : https://greatleaderbook.com/   Mask-Free Workshop: https://www.michaelbrodywaite.com/live-workshop/

OC106 Dr Donna Marks - One Addiction, One Cause, One Cure https://youtu.be/3z73eHbcs3c  Hey Friend, thanks for hanging out with me today! Just wanted to share an interesting conversation I had from our Saturday online meeting. One of the participants was sharing how sad she was that nobody in her family did anything to celebrate her birthday. The thoughts that came to her were “It’s just another day, nobody cares”. I’ve heard this over and over again. The expectation, the disappointment and then the negative self talk about what the experience means. Here is what I suggested to her: Tell people what you’d like to do for your birthday. A dinner? A party? Do you just want a card and flowers or a full blown gala? Here’s the truth. We teach people how to treat us. The people around us are not mind readers, so how about we just tell them what we want!? Years ago, I decided that if I want to have a party, I was going to have to throw it myself, despite having a husband and girlfriends who technically COULD throw one for me. I just had been disappointed too many times so I decided to take matters into my own hands and I ended up having a potluck not once, but TWICE a year! One on my recovery milestone, and one on my birthday. What I can tell you is over the last 25 years that I started doing this, I’ve had a TON of people over to the house, we’ve had many many group pictures, tons of memories and so much fun! On the surface it might seem like a trivial issue, but what I’ve noticed is that those who have a resistance to celebrating, or even acknowledging their birthdays typically have deep seated self esteem issues. There are tons of self esteem resources online, and I’ll actually be announcing a self esteem class starting in April, so check the SoberLifeSchool.com website for details. One of the reasons I heard for not celebrating a birthday was the sadness around getting older, which honestly is a tough one for women. But what I would like to submit for your consideration is that you have been through a LOT over the last year, haven’t you? You have faced challenges, you do the best you can, you’ve grown and evolved, and you’re still here! You didn’t give up. In my humble opinion, that deserves, at the very minimum, a little acknowledgement. Or a lot. I prefer a lot, but that’s just me. Anyway, birthdays come around every year, so why not decide now how you want to feel and own your experience? If this helped you to see things differently and you’ve decided to do something different this year, please let me know by posting a comment on the ODAAT Chat Facebook page! There’s a link to it in the show notes on the website at odaatchat.com :) So back to today’s episode, Dr Marks. We talk about what the one addiction is and I thought it was going to be about the addiction to distraction, but she had a unique take on it, and as soon as she said it, I thought, yep...bullseye! She also shares why most treatments fail and what to do instead. Its a wide ranging conversation, we cover a lot of ground so I hope you take away something that will help you in your own recovery. That’s kinda the whole point, right?? So with that, please enjoy (and share!) this episode, with Dr Donna Marks.

Hey Friend, thanks for hanging out with me today!   As you may or may not know...I’m on a mission to heal the world! Not by myself of course, which is why I like sharing conversations with others who have dedicated their lives to the healing arts, like Christopher.   But before we jump in, you know I’m gonna share a resource!   Sobriety Reset  is a FREE weekly online 12 step workshop for women, using “A Woman’s Way Through The 12 Steps” by Dr Stephany Covington. For more information, visit sobrietyreset.com   Also, I just want to encourage you to think about boosting your morning self care routine. The reason it’s so important is that society exposes us to TONS of negativity so it’s easy to become negative in our thinking as well.   Our brains are like biofeedback computers, what goes in comes right back out. So most of us could use a little friendly brainwashing right? We need a way to resolve negative thinking before we can take in positive messages because what we resist, persists.   Here’s something for you to consider. Its a universal law that what you think about, you bring about. Spiritual teachings call it Karma, but in practical terms, our thoughts cause feelings, our feelings influence what we talk about, what we talk about influences our decisions and our decisions determine our actions, which in turn cause the effect we experience.   When you really understand how this all works, then after you have a “Holy Crap” moment, you start to understand how important it is to prime your brain by resolving negativity and feeding it good thoughts.   What is a great morning routine? Well, I’ll share mine: I do a breathing exercise by Wim Hof - it’s on youtube. You can google it or I will have a link on odaatchat.com   Then I do 15 minutes guided meditation - I use insight timer or you can find one on youtube as well.   I write in my 5 minute journal because it covers all three areas: gratitude, what would make today great and a positive affirmation.   I say a little prayer for gratitude and ask for guidance and that’s it! I’d love to hear about your morning practice or if you don’t have one, you can pick one action and post it on the ODAAT Chat Facebook page, I’d love to hear from you and share your ideas with everyone!   So back to today’s episode, Christopher has an amazing story. He was one of those guys who grew up around recovery, but fell to the deepest darkest places that alcoholism can take you: powerless, hopeless, and despair. However Christopher recovered and that’s what this episode is about. He shares his experience, strength and hope so that others can find hope and inspiration to take similar actions and recover.   So with that, I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did.