In today’s bonus episode, I’m joined by AA member Robert P, to discuss the evolution of a movement known as Secular AA.

I knew very little about this topic before speaking to Robert and jumped at the opportunity to learn more about an alternate approach to sobriety.

As a passionate member of AA with over thirty years sobriety, Robert offers great insights into this lesser-known branch of a worldwide organisation.

If you or someone you know if struggling with mental health or addiction, please reach out for support. Some support options include:

• A healthcare professional

• Alcoholics Anonymous

• Lifeline or Beyond Blue (Australia)

• CheckPoint (global)

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

If you'd like to support the show you can "Buy Me A Coffee" by following the link below:

⁠YES I'D LOVE TO SUPPORT BEHIND THE SMILE PODCAST ⁠

In this week’s episode I’m chatting with author, podcaster and mum of three Victoria Vanstone.

Vic grew up in the UK, in an environment where drinking and socialising went hand-in-hand. As a result, Vic developed an identity as “the party-girl,” and was forever surrounded by people who drank the same way she did.

Vic continued drinking and partying into her thirties however the impact on her mental health was starting to take its toll. Crippled with anxiety and a looming sense of guilt and shame, she knew she needed to take a break from booze.

On the day she quit drinking, Vic started writing and she hasn’t stopped. Five years on, Vic has created an online sober community called Cuppa and is the co-host of the wildly hilarious podcast, Sober Awkward.

Through sharing her story, Vic shows that you don’t have to hit rock bottom to change your relationship with alcohol.

We had a brilliant chat and covered a range of topics including:

To see Vic’s Behind The Smile photo, head to Ash’s website.

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

You can find Vic using the links below:

Website: Drunk Mummy Sober Mummy

Instagram: @drunkmummysobermummy

If you or someone you know if struggling with mental health or addiction, please reach out for support. Some support options include:

• A healthcare professional

• Alcoholics Anonymous

• Lifeline or Beyond Blue (Australia)

• CheckPoint (global)

If you'd like to support the show you can "Buy Me A Coffee" by following the link below:

⁠YES I'D LOVE TO SUPPORT BEHIND THE SMILE PODCAST ⁠

In this week’s episode I’m sitting down with best-selling author, former professional heavyweight boxer and Ted X speaker, Ed Latimore.

Growing up in the projects, Ed was exposed to numerous adverse childhood experiences, and turned to alcohol in his teenage years as a way to be socially accepted.

Ed knew he had a problem with drinking when he found himself turning to the bottle in an attempt to change the way he felt. Unable to hide behind a smile any longer, he made the decision to get sober in December 2013.

Ed likes to say he’s lived four different lives, with his most recent chapter in sobriety being his most rewarding yet. Ed is on a mission to teach people what he’s learned the hard way, so that they can live a better life themselves.

In this conversation we talk about:

To see Ed’s Behind The Smile photo, head to Ash’s website.

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

You can find Ed using the links below:

Website: Ed Latimore

Twitter: Ed Latimore Twitter

Instagram: @edlatimore

Facebook: Ed Latimore Boxer

LinkedIn: Ed Latimore on LinkedIn

Ted Talk: Addiction and Identity

If you or someone you know if struggling with mental health or addiction, please reach out for support. Some support options include:

• A healthcare professional

• Alcoholics Anonymous

• Lifeline or Beyond Blue (Australia)

• CheckPoint (global)

If you'd like to support the show you can "Buy Me A Coffee" by following the link below:

⁠YES I'D LOVE TO SUPPORT BEHIND THE SMILE PODCAST ⁠

In today’s bonus episode, I’m joined by my friends Mitch and Gab to share with you all what really goes on inside the walls of a rehab.

Having all had our own unique experiences in rehab, we chat about everything from what an average day looks like, to the things you least expect and also our biggest lessons.

If you love Behind The Smile and want to support the show you can do this easily by hitting FOLLOW in your podcast app and leaving a review!

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

If you or someone you know if struggling with mental health or addiction, please reach out for support. Some support options include:

• A healthcare professional

• Alcoholics Anonymous

• Lifeline or Beyond Blue (Australia)

• CheckPoint (global)

If you'd like to donate to the show you can "Buy Me A Coffee" by following the link below:

⁠YES I'D LOVE TO SUPPORT BEHIND THE SMILE PODCAST ⁠

In this week’s episode I’m sitting down with Cole Chance, an American yoga teacher who now calls Australia home. Cole has been a seeker all her life. This journey has taken her to the depths of addiction, all around the world and now onto the path of yoga and recovery.

As a trauma-informed yoga teacher with over nine years sobriety, Cole shares a wealth of experience and wisdom.

In this conversation we talk about:

To see Cole’s Behind The Smile photo, head to Ash’s website.

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

You can find Cole using the links below:

EMERGE RECOVERY

WEBSITE: Cole Chance Yoga

YOUTUBE: Cole Chance Yoga CCY

Instagram: @colechanceyoga

If you or someone you know if struggling with mental health or addiction, please reach out for support. Some support options include:

• A healthcare professional

• Alcoholics Anonymous

• Lifeline or Beyond Blue (Australia)

• CheckPoint (global)

If you'd like to support the show you can "Buy Me A Coffee" by following the link below:

⁠YES I'D LOVE TO SUPPORT BEHIND THE SMILE PODCAST ⁠

In this week’s episode I’m speaking with ex-military, fitness and sobriety coach Jon Wynn.

Jon grew up in regional Australia and was exposed to drinking at a young age however he didn’t start abusing alcohol and other drugs until he joined the military.

After receiving a gunshot wound on tour in Afghanistan, he returned home with a sense of invincibility coupled with an insatiable urge to drown out the noise in his head. Struggling with PTSD, Jon felt as though he couldn’t ask for help for fear of stigma and potentially losing his job.

The greatest fight for his life began when Jon left the military and started his long road to recovery. Today, Jon is free from the nightmare of PTSD and is living a fulfilled life clean and sober.

Jon shares his story in the hope that it can help remove the stigma and support other people struggling with mental health conditions.

Some of the topics we cover in this conversation include:

Rehab Intervention – 7:30

Coping Mechanisms – 12:40

Joining the Military – 19:23

The mental impact of being shot in battle – 23:48

Losing your identity – 28:40

Mental health stigmatisation – 33:08

Self-medicating PTSD – 38:05

The fight to live – 42:18

Fitness and recovery – 48:13

To see Jon’s Behind The Smile photo, head to Ash’s website.

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

You can find Jon using the links below:

Website: Jon Wynn Fitness and Sobriety

Instagram: @jonwynnfitnessandsobriety

If you or someone you know if struggling with mental health or addiction, please reach out for support. Some support options include:

• A healthcare professional

• Alcoholics Anonymous

• Lifeline or Beyond Blue (Australia)

• CheckPoint (global)

If you'd like to support the show you can "Buy Me A Coffee" by following the link below:

⁠YES I'D LOVE TO SUPPORT BEHIND THE SMILE PODCAST ⁠

In this week’s episode, I sat down with actress, singer, dancer and international DJ, Dena Amy. Best known for her role as Abigail in the Netflix series Dance Academy and playing to thousands of people at Coachella, Dena’s life on the outside looked like a dream. But the truth was, Dena was self-medicating with prescription pills to ease the pressure of life as a global performer.

After realising she’d developed an addiction to Xanax, Dena set about her long and often painful journey to recovery which has spanned the last six years. Today, Dena is over 12 months clean and is just a couple of weeks away from starting her next big journey into motherhood.

Some of the topics we cover in this conversation include:

The dark side of show business – 7:00

The impact of childhood trauma – 15:50

Benzos and World Tours – 21:00

The nightmare of withdrawal – 28:32

Holistic Healing – 36:30

Life after rehab – 40:15

To see Dena’s Behind The Smile photo, head to Ash’s website.

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

You can find Dena using the links below:

Website: Dena Amy

Instagram: @denaamy

If you or someone you know if struggling with mental health or addiction, please reach out for support. Some support options include:

• A healthcare professional

• Alcoholics Anonymous

• Lifeline or Beyond Blue (Australia)

• CheckPoint (global)

If you'd like to support the show you can "Buy Me A Coffee" by following the link below:

YES I'D LOVE TO SUPPORT BEHIND THE SMILE PODCAST

In this week’s episode I’m joined by Mindset and Leadership Coach Lewis Huckstep.

As a young boy Lewis was diagnosed with asperges and struggled with anxiety, resulting in him feeling uncomfortable in his own skin. In an attempt to seek approval from his dad, he chased the dream of becoming a professional athlete and was contracted to a pro club by the time he was 15 years old. By age 18, he knew his calling was in business and so he turned his attention to entrepreneurship.

Lewis achieved great success at a young age, but found he wasn’t fulfilled or happy as the work he was doing wasn’t in alignment with the person he wanted to be.

Today, Lewis finds joy in helping business owners scale their businesses and build fulfilling intimate relationships. He’s on a mission to heal and improve the consciousness of humanity and he joined me on the show to share his story.

In this conversation we discuss:

Practicing detachment – 9min

Childhood Trauma – 14:00

Exploring your consciousness with weed & psychedelics – 23:00

Shattering limiting beliefs – 27:30

Finding your purpose and values – 35:00

Workaholism – 42:00

Being triggered in relationships 44:00

The resources mentioned in this episode include:

Change your Thoughts Change Your Life – Wayne Dyer

The Body Keeps The Score – Bessell Van Der Kolk

You’re Not Broken – Dr Sarah Woodhouse

To see Lewis’ Behind The Smile photo, head to Ash’s website.

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

You can find Lewis using the links below:

Instagram: @lewishuckstep

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lewis-huckstep-74a42618b/

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@LewisHuckstep

If you or someone you know if struggling with addiction, please reach out for support. Some support options include:

• A healthcare professional

• Alcoholics Anonymous

• Lifeline or Beyond Blue (Australia)

• CheckPoint (global)

If you'd like to support the show you can Buy Me a Coffee by following the link below:

YES I'D LOVE TO SUPPORT BEHIND THE SMILE PODCAST

In this week’s episode I sat down with Sober Coach and mum of two Jen Hirst, who recently celebrated ten years of sobriety! Jen shares how she went from being an anxious perfectionist and workaholic who used alcohol daily to manage stress and social anxiety, to a sobriety coach, speaker and founder of Lighthouse Sobriety.

I absolutely loved this conversation with Jen and we covered a lot including:

To see Jen’s Behind The Smile photo, head to Ash’s website.

You can find Jen using the links below:

WEBSITE: www.joinlighthousesobriety.com

INSTAGRAM: @jenleehirst

FREE WOMEN'S SOBRIETY GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/330194347765026

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

If you or someone you know if struggling with addiction, please reach out for support. Some support options include:

Life has been super busy lately with lots of exciting things happening so I’m sliding in with a cheeky bonus episode to keep you all up to date with my world.

For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that last week I had the opportunity to meet and speak with Gabby Bernstein on stage at her Melbourne show. This was a total “pinch me” moment and I took away so much from the wisdom she shared (which I’m of course passing onto you!)

I also recently attended the Australia and New Zealand Addiction Conference and was privileged to hear Dr. Gabor Mate’s opening address. He spoke about the connection between trauma and addiction and the disconnection we experience as a result of unresolved traumas.

Lastly, I’m sharing a little life update on the home front xx

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

If you or someone you know if struggling with addiction, please reach out for support. Some support options include:

If you enjoyed this episode and would like to support the show you can buy me a coffee:

SUPPORT BEHIND THE SMILE