In this week’s episode, I’m sitting down with the host of the Sober Powered Podcast, Gill Tietz, to discuss all things “Emotional Sobriety”.

Gill started her podcast shortly after getting sober in 2019 with the idea of looking at sobriety through the lens of science. With a background in biomedicine, Gill has extensively researched the impact of alcohol on the brain and on our human behaviours.

In our conversation, Gill shares her own journey into sobriety before we dive deep into the meaning of “Emotional Sobriety”. We discuss the impact of alcohol on the development of our emotional intelligence, along with different techniques to develop your emotional sobriety once you enter recovery.

Whether you’re in recovery or not, I believe everyone can benefit from some of the key takeaways discussed throughout this episode.

If you’d like to know more about Gill’s Sober Powered podcast, you can visit the website here.

Or listen on Apple Podcast here: 

You can learn more about Gill’s media network, Sober Powered Media, here.

You can follow Gill on IG here: @sober.powered

You can follow Ash and Behind The Smile on IG here: @ashbutterss

In this week’s episode, I’m sitting down with Sobriety and Grey-Area Drinking Coach, Sarah Rusbatch.

Sarah made the decision to give up alcohol in April 2019 after reaching a point where she could no longer control her drinking. Disturbed sleep, anxiety and waking up hungover each day was finally enough for Sarah to realise she wanted a better life for herself.

Fast-forward to today and Sarah runs her own Sobriety Coaching business and has helped women all across the globe to ditch the booze and step into a life full of passion, purpose and alignment.

As an accredited Grey-Area Drinking Coach, Sarah works with people who don’t identify as being alcoholic, yet they struggle to control and manage their drinking.

In our conversation Sarah explains exactly what it means to be a Grey-Area drinker and offers helpful solutions to support people who are looking to give up alcohol for good.

To see Sarah's Behind The Smile photo, click through to Ash's website here.

If you’d like to know more about Sarah’s coaching business you can visit her website here.

You can follow Sarah on IG here: @sarahrusbatch

You can follow Ash here: @ashbutterss

To kick off this week's episode I'm sharing my Top 5 Tips to help you prepare for the Silly Season! 

We then dive into another powerful guest episode as I sit down with 46yr old, mother of three boys, Lucy Chapman.

Lucy gave up drinking on the 1st of March, 2021 after almost losing everything. For years she had thought her substance use was “under control” until she found herself drinking around the clock and unable to leave her son’s bedroom.

At one year sober, Lucy was diagnosed with cancer and the second battle for her life begun.

Lucy credits her recovery program as to why she’s been able to face life’s challenges whilst maintaining an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

You can view Lucy’s BTS Photo on the website HERE.

You can connect with Ash on IG here: @ashbutterss or through the website ashbutterss.com

If you enjoy Behind The Smile, then click subscribe to be notified for the release of our next episode.

In this week’s episode, I’m speaking with Lucy Quick, the founder and CEO of Thrivalist, a company dedicated to helping women change their relationship with alcohol and heal their lives.

Lucy began her sobriety journey on the 1st of January 2019 after deciding she’d had enough of the chaos and carnage that proceeded her drinking. Since then, she has dedicated her life to building Thrivalist and creating a range of programs to help thousands of women navigate their sober journeys.

In this conversation we discuss a broad range of topics including:

If you'd like to know more about Thrivalist you can follow the links below:

You can follow Lucy on IG here: @lucyquick_

You can connect with Ash on IG here: @ashbutterss or through the website ashbutterss.com

If you enjoy Behind The Smile, then click subscribe to be notified for the release of our next episode. 

In this week’s episode I sit down with Robbie Shaw, host of Champagne Problems, a podcast that examines sobriety through the lens of health and wellness.

After growing up in an alcoholic home, Robbie decided to quit drinking on May 5th, 2006, however this wasn’t the last time he experimented with other mind-altering substances.

Over the past 16 years, Robbie has navigated through his sobriety journey, dipping in and out of being “California Sober”. However, 9 months ago Robbie decided to abstain from all drugs, including marijuana and hasn’t looked back since.

Along with his personal lived experience, Robbie also has a Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counselling and is the Founder/CEO of Eventide, an organisation dedicated to helping people recover from addiction and substance abuse.

In this conversation, Robbie shares not only what it was like, but what he’s learnt over the past sixteen years and the tools he uses to maintain his recovery today.

To check out Robbie's BTS photo click HERE.

To listen to Champagne Problems podcast click HERE.

You follow Champagne Problems here: @champagneprobspodcast

You can follow Ash here: @ashbutterss

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Yoga Teacher and mentor Nat Commons as she shares her own personal story of recovery. From an early age, Nat experienced trauma that resulted in the development of a range of harmful coping mechanisms.

After years of self-afflicted punishment, Nat came to a life changing decision that led her down a path of self-compassion and healing. The moment she stopped running and made the decision to face her fears was the moment she became free.

Nat’s story is a demonstration of the powerful message that your trauma does not define you.

This episode contains topics that could be triggering. If your mental health is triggered and you are based in Australia, please reach out to a support group such as Lifeline 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue 1300 224 636.

For other countries, you can visit CheckPoint for your specific country details.

For additional support relating to eating disorders and body image issues, you can visit Butterfly Foundation

You can find Nat here: @natcommons

You can follow Ash here: @ashbutterss

In this week’s episode I sit down with Toby Lawrence, the CEO of Arrow Health, one of Australia’s leading treatment centres for drug and alcohol addiction.

Toby shares a firsthand account of the damaging impact addiction has, not just on the addicted person, but on the family system as a whole. In this conversation, we discuss how to support a loved one in active addiction, where to go to seek out help and why our mental healthcare system is broken.

Toby talks openly about how his perspective of addiction has drastically changed and why he is now a passionate advocate for removing the stigmatisation surrounding this disease.

For more information on Arrow Health you can visit:

Arrow Health Website

Arrow Health Facebook

You can find Toby on LinkedIn here.

You can follow Ash here: @ashbutterss / ashbutterss.com

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Patrick, a 29-year-old recovering alcoholic who began his sobriety journey on the 27thMay, 2021.

Pat shares openly about the moment he was “pushed into a corner with nowhere else to go” and how that moment led him to acknowledge his struggles with alcohol addiction.

Since hitting rock bottom, Pat has realised it’s ok to experience struggle and that there’s no shame in asking for help. Throughout his recovery journey, he has learnt to look for the similarities instead of differences and is now challenging himself to let go of control and stop trying to run the show.

This is his story.

To see Patrick’s Behind The Smile photo head to ashbutterss.com

To follow Patrick and his K9 friends visit: @pks_pack

You can follow Ash here: @ashbutterss

This week, I’m sitting down with Psychotherapist and Trauma/Addictions Specialist Diane Young, to discuss the impact of childhood trauma and how this often leads to the development of codependent traits in adulthood.

Codependency is very similar to other process addictions such as gambling or eating disorders, and often develops as a result of experiencing trauma throughout childhood. In this week’s episode, Diane explains the characteristics of a codependent along with outlining Pia Mellody’s Developmental Model of Immaturity, which details the basic needs of a child and what happens when these needs are not met.

To hear more from Diane you can find her here: 

Diane Young Website

Diane's LinkedIn

Diane's Instagram 

For more information about South Pacific Private you can head to the website here.

To follow Ash on IG: @ashbutterss

Read Ash's recent blog on Codependency here.

In this week’s episode, I’m sitting down with Psychologist and mum of two Chantal, who got sober while living in Dubai back in May 2017. 

Chantal shares how she lived in denial for many years as a high-functioning alcoholic and hid behind her successes as a way of denying she had a problem.

In this conversation we talk about how alcohol is glorified in our society and how binge drinking can still allow you to qualify as an alcoholic.

Chantal now has over 5 years of sobriety and shares with us the tools she implements to maintain her recovery on a daily basis. 

To see Chantal’s Behind The Smile photo head to Ash's website HERE

You can follow Ash here: @ashbutterss