The Bubble Hour

In this special summer time series, we spend some time with the previous Bubble Hosts, including Ellie, Amanda, Catherine and Lisa.    

Vanessa understands what it means to lose everyting you've worked for. Her bottom took away her profession but today she is uisng her skills as a healer to help others avoid a similar fate. Learn more about Vanessa at www.resiliencerecoverycoaching.com

Jennifer is a nurse and a mom of three who struggled for a long time with alcohol before finally deciding to accept treatment. She went to rehab for two weeks, then did an outpatient program for two weeks, and had been successfully sober for nine months.

Like many people in the mental health industry, Nancy felt an extra dose of shame that she couldn't simply "fix herself". She is a successful psychotherapist with a lifelong struggle with anxiety and depression, and over time the alcohol that helped her symptoms when she was younger became more and more problematic. Nancy shares an insightful account of her history and ongoing recovery, as well as a poem she's written called "I'm Sorry".

Chris Engen has combined her passion for recovery with her nutrition expertise to help others.  Chris believes that recovery is “a process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life and strive to reach their full potential” (per Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration). She shares her personal story of sobriety and recovery, and how nutrition can help to repair the body and brain from addiction.  Learn more at www.nutrition4recovery.com

Julie is a teacher in England who left alcohol behind when it became a burden within her busy life. Now with a year of sobriety to refect upon, Julie shares her understand of herself and the changes that have occurred in her life. Her recovery program includes a 12 step group as well as several on-line support groups.

Casey McGuire Davison is many things - world traveller, 3x triathalon athlete, wife and mom, gardener and amatuer photographer. She is also a woman in recovery with a passion for helping others find their way and take back their power. Learn more about Casey at www.hellosomedaycoaching.com and see www.sobrietystarterkit.com download her free resource, "The Sober Girl's Guide to Quitting Drinking - 30 tips to get you through your first 30 days".  

Sarah had several years of sobriety and decided that perhaps she could drink normally again. This began a period of relapse that proved to be anything but normal. Now in early recovery for the second time around, Sarah joins us to share her story. 

Courtney returns to The Bubble Hour to reflect on the aftereffects a recent accident that left her in casts on BOTH arms.  How does an over-acheiving, fast-moving, SuperMom manage with she is forced to ask for help to even brush her own hair? She draws on the lessons of recovery and turns it into an opportunity for growth. You can hear Courtney's original BubbLe Hour interview here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/bubblehour/2016/09/27/courtneys-story

Liz realized quite some time ago that she had a problematic relationship with alcohol, and it took several stops and starts before she dug into sobriety and began living alcohol free. Now into her seventh month of recovery, Liz reflects on her experiences and shares her insights.

Sam is a drug addict and alcoholic in recovery who is using his sobriety to help others. He is a public speaker and author of "Hands Like You're Praying" - a memoir co-written with his wife Rachel about his long journey from addiction to a life of service. To learn more about Sam visit his website www.samanthonyspeaks.com  

Anna works in the criminal justice system and sees all kinds of dysfunction on a regular basis. This is likely why is was hard for her to face a growing problem in her own life which, though troublesome, was not creating the kind of consequences she saw in others. Now at six months sober, she joins us to discuss how her transition to living alcohol free has taken place and why she decided it was time.

Host Jean McCarthy reads some of the stories and letters sent in from sober and sober-curious Bubble Hour listeners. All material used with permission. Be sure to check out Jean's blog at www.unpickledblog.com and visit www.blogtalkradio.com/bubblehour to see all the back episodes of the show  

Patrick is married with three children, just a regular Irish guy living his life. When he realized he needed to deal with a growing addiction to alcohol, Pat found that one size does not fit all. Now nearing his first sober-birthday, Pat joins us to reflect on finding the right combination of support and information to help him stay alcohol-free in a culture that is alcogenic.

Everyone who struggles with addiction feels the burden of hiding a secret, but that feeling can become greatly exaggerated for people in the public eye. As a news anchor and tv host, Virgina felt she was living a double life as someone who looked perfectly pulled together on screen despite battling the daily compulsion to drink. She recently celebrated 100 days alcohol free and is experiencing life with a new level of clarity and understanding.  https://thisisvirginiakerrblog.com/ Instagram @thisisvirginiakerr

Sarah Roberts is the creator of Sarah Talks Food www.sarahtalksfood.com and Sobriety Starts Here www.sobrietystartsHERE.com, as well as producer and host of REALtalk with Sarah, a video-series dedicated to a holistic view of health that tackles the bigger subjects like shame, addiction, trauma, mental health, stress, grief and more. She is the author of "The 28 Day Kick The Sugar Challenge" and also created an ecourse for kicking the sugar habit, 6 Week Sugar Freedom. Sarah lives in Ottawa, Ontario Canada with her partner Roger.

Sherry Hoppen is a Christian wife, mother, grandmother and a recovering alcoholic. She writes and speaks about overcoming the shame of being a Christian woman trapped in a secret life of addiction. She is the founder of She Surrenders.  A ministry to help women confront and surrender the secrets we keep.   You can read more at her blog at shesurrenders.com. Instagram: @shesurrenders_sherry     Facebook: she surrenders Sherry is currently taking classes to get her certification for Christian Recovery Coaching.  She wants to learn all there is to know to help the many women that reach out to her through her blog and her speaking but NOT looking to start another profession.  Also to aid in helping her in writing the material for a recovery study group for women based on the fruits of the spirit. Her biggest project right now (besides building a house and planning a wedding)  is writing her book about the very unconventional way she got sober on a bicycle. She hopes to inspires others to to take off their masks

Jill had offered to tell her story as a way to mark a significant milestone in her recovery: the one year mark.  Reflecting on the ups and downs of the past twelve months, plus a previous 90 day stint of sobriety and what happened in between.  

Brendan liked to drink with his friends, at parties, work functions, camping trips, and all the seemingly usual things. But as he progressed through his thirties, the amounts escalated and blackouts became a regular occurance. Eventually, this began to take a toll on his family life and health, and he knew something had to change. Brendan took a simple approach to quitting an dnow six months later, his life is radically different.  

Meet Linda, Carol, Anji, Andie, Elizabeth, Marine, Barry and Erica - eight sober women who speak candidly about their expereiences at various stages of recovery.  Recorded live at a recovery retreat, these conversations will give you a glimpse of the type of people you will meet in any recovery gathering, be it a 12-step meeting or a sober yoga retreat. You may be surprised how much you have in common!