What happens when your public self looks polished and high-functioning, but your private life is quietly unraveling?

In this vulnerable and insight-packed guest episode, Kate sits down with Jennifer Mathieu, award-winning author of Moxie and The Faculty Lounge, longtime educator, and sober mom. Jennifer opens up about her ten-year spiral into “problematic drinking,” how alcohol became her nightly form of fake self-care, and the moment she became more curious than afraid about getting sober.

Drawing parallels between teaching and nursing, Kate and Jennifer explore the emotional weight of public-facing professions, the pressure to perform, and the resentment cycle that leads so many women to drink in secret. Jennifer shares how sobriety reshaped her identity as a teacher, a writer, a mom, and a woman who finally learned to stop setting herself on fire to keep everyone else warm.

In this episode, Kate and Jennifer talk about:

• What it feels like to live a double life in a public-facing career
• The ten-year buildup to Jennifer’s sobriety
• Why breaking a promise to her husband was the turning point
• The sneaky ways alcohol hides inside burnout, resentment, and people pleasing
• How alcohol became her nightly coping tool after motherhood
• The power of seeing sober women thriving on social media
• Learning to set real boundaries at work and at home
• Reclaiming identity outside of teaching, writing, and caregiving
• Sobriety as a “power boost” to years of therapy and personal work
• Why midlife is often the breaking point and the breakthrough

Referenced in this episode:

• Jennifer’s novels including Moxie (now a Netflix film) and The Faculty Lounge
• Sober Mom Collective meetings, where Jennifer is a weekly group leader

Rewired Sober Group Coaching Space Is Now Open: Start anytime and get 3 months of guidance designed for women in sobriety. You’ll get instant access to the full program, plus weekly live coaching sessions to help you rewire your brain, heal old patterns, and stay consistent. Enroll here: https://kate-vitela.mykajabi.com/rewired-sober-coaching-program

Connect with Kate @rewiredsober on all social media platforms:

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/rewiredsober/

Connect with today's guest Jennifer Mathieu

https://www.jennifermathieu.com/

Mentioned in this episode:

Rewired Sober Group Coaching Program

https://kate-vitela.mykajabi.com/rewired-sober-coaching-program