Podcast
Recovery Rocks
Hosted by Recovery Rocks · EN
Ever wonder what it's like to go on your first sober date? Or survive a wedding without liquid courage? How about dancing stone-cold sober or dealing with your first breakup without wine?
If so, you're in luck because you can join bestselling authors and longtime sober friends Lisa Smith and Anna David as they talk to guests—and each other—about addiction and recovery, including all the “firsts” that come with sober living. From awkward to amazing, cringe-worthy to surprisingly poignant, they’re discussing what it’s like to experience life without substances.
Lisa is the author of the award-winning memoir Girl Walks Out of a Bar, while Anna wrote the novel Party Girl, which has been widely credited as having sparked the early “Quit Lit” movement. Together, they explore the real-life moments behind the kinds of stories that shape how people understand recovery.
Whether you're newly sober, sober-curious or just want to hear some honest stories about recovery, Recovery Rocks is here for all of it.
Because as it turns out, when you can remember everything that happened, life gets a lot more interesting.
New episodes weekly. Real stories, real recovery, real talk.
34episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
What if I Pass Out on This Stage?
6d ago00:24:16Tap to summarizeFear of public speaking commonly ranks among the world’s top phobias. And why shouldn’t it? Standing in front of room full of eager eyes waiting to hear something brilliant can be terrifying. We both learned how to speak in front of others in 12-step meetings. Today, Lisa worries about being hit with a panic attack on stage (it’s happened before), while Anna panics about the memorization. We also get into this week’s Petty Resentment. How do you feel about a stranger tapping you?
Transcribe →Sober Women, Jealous and Petty Thoughts
2w ago00:17:25Tap to summarizeDespite being so grateful for our sober lives, we still experience jealousy over big things (friendswith great adult kids) and little ones (another author going viral). The difference is that we nowhave the tools to handle it gracefully…most of the time.Also, welcome to our new segment, Petty Resentments! First up: Why are we pressured to tip onwhat are essentially medical procedures?
Transcribe →Thursday Throwback: Laura House and the Naked Houseboat Disaster
2w ago00:22:19Tap to summarizeBefore she became a successful TV writer and meditation teacher, Laura House was getting drunk on a barely floating houseboat filled with naked Texans, animal-print speedos and enough beer to sink the thing entirely.In this Thursday Throwback from Anna’s original Recover Girl podcast, Laura tells the unbelievable true story of a Fourth of July weekend spent partying on “Naked Island,” a floating hillbilly paradise created by one of her most gloriously chaotic friends. The story involves houseboat debauchery, accidental nudity, Texas-sized drinking and eventually…court.Laura is one of the funniest people alive and this episode is a perfect reminder of why these old Recover Girl stories deserved a second life.
Transcribe →He Shared a Cell with a Murderer. Now He Helps People Recover.
3w ago00:31:47Tap to summarizeBefore Brad McLeod became one of recovery’s most inspiring voices, he survived an almost unbelievable series of hardships—including childhood instability, extreme isolation as a teen, addiction, incarceration and briefly sharing a jail cell with a murderer.Now he’s the founder of Sober Motivation and helps people around the world stay sober through honesty, storytelling and connection. This conversation answers the question: how does someone survive the unsurvivable?
Transcribe →Alysse Bryson on Building a Sober Pop Culture Empire
4w ago00:37:44Tap to summarizeThe Sober Curator (thesobercurator.com) is the place to find all things sober pop culture and more. It has you covered on book, movie, music, and TV reviews, sober travel and events, gift guides, and other tips for living your best sober life. We talked all about it with our friend Alysse Bryson, the Sober Curator herself, who created the site for fellow pop culture, fashion, and entertain junkies, who happen not to drink. Subscribe to the newsletter and watch for the upcoming membership club, “Backstage with the Sober Curator.” It will have special live sessions and content. We’ll be there!
Transcribe →Sober Firsts: Milestone Birthdays and Why Aging in Recovery is Just…Weird
May 800:22:46Tap to summarizeYou know the birthdays, the ones with a zero at the end? Hitting our first ones in sobriety added a new dimension to the milestones. Lisa couldn’t believe she made it her 40th birthday and wishes she’d kept contributing to her 401(K) before that. Anna turned 30 a month after going to rehab and 50 in the midst of the pandemic. Despite the challenges, in the end we realized there’s always a reason to celebrate.
Transcribe →Sober Firsts: Making Amends (When “I’m Sorry” Gets Complicated)
May 100:21:28Tap to summarizeIt’s the dreaded 8th Step in 12-Step recovery - making amends to those we have harmed. Anna and Lisa talk about their first experiences with it, as well as what “living amends” look like. And when an amends turns into a bitch session for the other person, we take it in stride, and maybe even have a laugh years later. Plus: how do you make amends to a no-longer-living grandmother you tricked into shoplifting against her knowledge?
Transcribe →Sober Firsts: Learning to Love a Boring Saturday Night
Apr 2400:22:56Tap to summarizeWhat does the first Saturday night you stay home sober look and feel like? Just the prospect of it can send shivers down a newly sober spine. Lisa remembers a sense of relief, tinged with some envy knowing that her friends were out partying. Anna learned that boring wasn’t always bad and that maybe those people who’d been watching Saturday Night Live while she was out tearing it up were onto something.
Transcribe →Ann Dowsett Johnston Wrote the Book on Women and Alcohol—Then Started Over
Apr 1700:37:45Tap to summarizeWe catch up with Ann Dowsett Johnston (anndowsettjohnston.com), the author of the groundbreaking bestseller, DRINK: THE INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WOMEN AND ALCOHOL. Published in 2013, it will be mass-market re-released in the fall. In her 60s, Ann got brave again, followed her heart and became a psychotherapist. We dig into all of this, plus the return of Ann’s popular memoir writing course, “From Memory to Memoir.” For women only, it’s an eight-session live-on-Zoom course, and it takes participants from the elements of finding voice and story to getting an agent. Classes start at the end of April, so register now: anndowsettjohnston.com/workshops
Transcribe →How a Little Becomes a Lot with Eric Zimmer of The One You Feed
Apr 1000:30:46Tap to summarizeEric Zimmer went from homelessness, heroin addiction, and facing prison at 24 to inspiring global audiences with his podcast, The One You Feed, and his new book, How a Little Becomes a Lot: The Art of Small Changes for a More Meaningful Life. Eric and Anna discuss how Eric’s podcast grew, why he didn’t focus it solely on recovery and what it took for him to decide on the book he wanted to write.
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