Sober is Dope!

Sober Confidential: Growing Quietly with Personal Care, Boundaries, Gratitude, and Creative Living, and Becoming the Person You Were Always Meant to Be

It's been a while since I sat down behind the microphone, and I didn't want to come back with a big announcement or a polished message. I just wanted to have an honest conversation.

Lately I've been thinking about personal care, slowing down, protecting my energy, setting healthier boundaries, and learning that not everything has to be shared. Sometimes the most important growth happens quietly, away from the spotlight, while you're simply living your life.

In this episode I talk about gratitude and how it changed the way I see my work, my relationships, my creativity, and myself. I share some thoughts on how we change as people, how our brains continue to evolve, and why it's okay to outgrow old habits, old expectations, and even old versions of ourselves.

I also share a little about Sober Confidential, the book I've been writing, and why this season of my life feels different. Less about proving something and more about building a life that feels peaceful, meaningful, and sustainable.

This isn't a lesson or a speech. It's just a conversation.

I'm glad you're here.

Sober Is Dope: Protect Your Sobriety: Why Relapse Happens and How the Brain and Nervous System Heal explores what actually causes relapse and why it often begins long before cravings appear.

This episode covers Chapter 1, Working Thesis on Relapse and Addiction, which explains how relapse develops quietly through stress, emotional overload, isolation, and nervous system dysregulation, long before substance use returns. Protecting sobriety is not solely about willpower. It is about restoring safety and stability within the brain and nervous system.

In this episode, Pop Buchanan reads from the book and reflects on how recovery unfolds at the level of the nervous system, daily regulation, and lived experience. The goal is not perfection. The goal is protection. Protection of your sobriety, your peace, and your capacity to stay regulated during real life.

This conversation is for anyone in recovery, newly sober, long-term sober, or questioning their relationship with addiction. Sobriety is not just about stopping substances. It is about learning how to stay safe inside your own body.

The paperback edition of Sober Is Dope: Protect Your Sobriety is currently available through Barnes & Noble and other retailers, while distribution updates continue across various platforms.

In this deeply emotional and inspiring episode of Sober Is Dope, Pop Buchanan welcomes Lee Lybarger and his son Richard “Rick” Lybarger, known professionally as Wisdom Won, for a powerful father-and-son dialogue on recovery, forgiveness, and spiritual rebirth.

Lee, now more than ten years sober, reflects on his Navy background, his career in finance, and the long struggle with addiction that estranged him from his family for decades. With humility and remorse, he describes how he rebuilt his life through calisthenics, disciplined breathwork, and Hermetic meditation, discovering that true healing lies in consistent spiritual practice, not just abstinence.

Rick, a certified breathwork coach and spiritual teacher with Wisdom Won Coaching & Energy Healing, shares how he transformed his pain into compassion. Through forgiveness and empathy, he helped reconnect the family and guide his father toward peace. Together, they embody how sobriety can evolve into spirituality, and how love can close even the widest gaps of time and pain.

This conversation is about second chances, inner discipline, and the alchemy of forgiveness. It shows that healing is possible at any age and that redemption can ripple through generations.

Contacts

• Website(s): https://WisdomWon.com

  https://Empowered-Man.com

• Instagram: @wisdomwon

This Episode is Sponsored by Kava Haven

SOBER IS DOPE × KAVA HAVEN ✨ All the buzz, none of the booze ✨ Get 15% OFF your first order ⁠http://kavahaven.com/dope⁠

Happy Labor Day

In this special Labor Day episode presented by Kava Haven, Pop Buchanan reflects on the journey of 2025 and shares an inspiring vision for the months ahead. He discusses the launch of Sober Brain Publishing and his new book Sober Brain Reset, which offers insights on healing the brain after addiction and unlocking the power of neuroplasticity. Pop also closes out his impactful Sober Mixology campaign and introduces his upcoming work Zero Proof Culture, exploring how non alcoholic beverages empower recovery and support a healthier lifestyle. Listeners will gain practical tips for brain health, learn about the growth of the Sober is Dope Foundation, and hear what is ahead as we move into the final stretch of the year and prepare for 2026.

How To Heal The Brain After Addiction Book

Early Access

SBR: https://soberisdope.mysamcart.com/the-sober-brain-reset/#
HTHTB: 

https://soberisdope.mysamcart.com/heal-the-brain-after-addiction/#
Zero Proof Culture

https://soberisdope.mysamcart.com/zero-proof-culture/
Drunk and Depressed
https://soberisdope.mysamcart.com/drunk-and-depressed/# 

Sober Mixology: The Art of Enjoying Nonalcoholic Life

In this special episode of Sober Is Dope, I explore the exciting world of Sober Mixology, sharing the best nonalcoholic and alcohol-free beverages that help you unwind, stay social, and enjoy life without drinking.

This episode is sponsored by Kava Haven, one of my favorite nonalcoholic spirits with refreshing hints of lemon and ginger. Whether you are sober curious, living a health-conscious lifestyle, or in long-term recovery, you will discover how to level up your nights out, self-care routines, and celebrations without alcohol.

1. Better Sleep and Energy – Wake up refreshed without hangovers.

2. Mental Clarity and Focus – Stay sharp and creative.

3. Emotional Balance – Reduce anxiety and mood swings.

4. Health and Longevity – Protect your liver, heart, and immune system.

5. Fitness and Weight Friendly – Lower calories and no empty sugar spikes.

6. Confidence in Social Settings – Enjoy the night without impairment.

7. Supports Recovery and Sober Curiosity – Build a lifestyle of freedom and wellness.

Benefits of Going Nonalcoholic

After losing her husband in March 2020, Nicky Wake transformed her personal journey through grief, loss, and alcohol-free reinvention into a mission to help others find love and connection. On Sober is Dope, Nicky shares how she created platforms like Chapter 2 Dating (for widows and widowers ready for love), SoberLove (a dating app for those choosing alcohol-free relationships), and WidowsFire, which explores intimacy and desire after bereavement. Nicky’s story is a powerful testament to how we can turn pain into purpose and build meaningful connections, even after unimaginable loss.

Highlights

• Facing grief head-on and rebuilding a life after loss

• Why sobriety became a turning point on her healing journey

• Launching multiple platforms to help others find love and connection

• Coping with loneliness and the stigma around grief and dating

• How Nicky continues to inspire others through advocacy and community

Known to more than a million followers as the Crappy Childhood Fairy, Anna Runkle has spent 30 years helping people heal symptoms of childhood trauma and break free from isolation. In this episode, Anna shares her personal story, her groundbreaking techniques for regulating the nervous system, and lessons from her upcoming book, CONNECTABILITY: Heal the Hidden Ways You Isolate, Find Your People, and Feel (At Last) Like You Belong. We discuss how disconnection often stems from early trauma, why so many people struggle with relationships, and daily strategies for building secure, lifelong connections.

Highlights

• Understanding how early trauma affects adult relationships

• Identifying and overcoming “covert avoidance”

• Daily nervous system regulation tools that change lives

• How to repair trust, set boundaries, and build confidence

• Ending isolation and developing deep, meaningful relationships

Chris LaCorata, founder of Graasi Organic Barley Water, joins Sober is Dope to share how he built the first certified organic barley water brand in the United States with a mission rooted in wellness and sustainability. In this episode, we dive into Graasi’s clean-label, plant-based approach to hydration, its immune-boosting benefits, and how it became the official hydration sponsor of Borroka 3, a high-intensity MMA event. Chris talks about his journey as a veteran of American manufacturing, the importance of supporting rural communities, and how daily hydration and immune support can transform mental and physical health.

Highlights

• Graasi’s health-forward mission and American-made roots

• Vitamins C, D, and Zinc for immune support without added sugar

• Why hydration matters for the brain and nervous system

• Lessons from building a sustainable wellness brand

• The connection between mindful hydration and recovery

In this powerful episode of the Sober is Dope Podcast, host POP Buchanan sits down with Kate Vitela, RN, Certified Addiction and Mental Health Nurse, founder of Rewired Sober, and a passionate sobriety coach helping people rebuild their lives from the inside out.

Kate shares her deep medical knowledge and lived experience to break down how alcohol affects the brain and nervous system, how to heal dopamine pathways, and how neuroplasticity can be your greatest ally in long-term recovery.

You will learn:

• How dopamine dysfunction plays a role in addiction and recovery

• What alcohol really does to the brain and nervous system

• Why your brain can heal — and how neuroplasticity works

• Tools for rewiring the brain in early recovery

• The story and mission behind Rewired Sober, Kate's transformative podcast and coaching practice

🎧 Listen to Kate’s Podcast: Rewired Sober
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rewired-sober/id1781739552

📲 Follow Kate on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/katevitela

In this profound episode of the Sober is Dope podcast, we welcome nationally recognized grief and trauma expert Dr. Jennifer R. Levin, PhD, LMFT, FT to explore the complex emotional terrain of sudden and unexpected loss. Whether it’s a suicide, overdose, accident, or sudden medical event, the aftermath of traumatic death can derail even the strongest among us.

Dr. Levin is a Fellow in Thanatology, the highest distinction in the field of death, dying, and bereavement brings over 30 years of clinical expertise to this critical conversation. Together, we unpack the distinctions between traumatic grief, PTSD, and post-traumatic growth (PTG), and how these challenges intersect with sobriety and addiction recovery.

From coping with “grief attacks” to rebuilding a sense of emotional safety, Dr. Levin shares actionable strategies for those navigating overwhelming grief, as well as for those supporting them.

🆕 About the Book:Dr. Levin’s new book, The Traumatic Loss Workbook: Powerful Skills for Navigating the Grief Caused by a Sudden or Unexpected Death, drops on July 1, 2025 (New Harbinger Publications).
This compassionate and practical guide offers tools based on CBT, mindfulness, and narrative therapy, and is an essential resource for those facing grief, as well as the professionals who serve them.

🔍 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• How sudden or traumatic loss differs from "normal" grief

• What to say (and avoid) when someone dies suddenly

• The unique challenges of grief in sobriety and recovery

• How trauma shows up in the body and brain after loss

• Tools to stabilize, find meaning, and move forward after trauma

• Strategies for dealing with grief in the workplace

• Why we often feel “unsafe in the world” after sudden death — and how to reclaim that safety

• Understanding “grief attacks” and how to cope in the moment

• Insights into Dr. Levin’s proprietary workplace grief response model

• The concept of being “untethered” — and how to reconnect with life after loss

  
  

📘 Grab the Book:
The Traumatic Loss Workbook
Available July 1, 2025, wherever books are sold.
Publisher: New Harbinger Publications

Grab Book Here: ( https://traumaticgriefsolutions.com/the-traumatic-loss-workbook )

📞 Connect with Dr. Jennifer Levin:

• 💻 Website: https://www.TraumaticGriefSolutions.com

• 🎙 Podcast: Untethered: Healing the Pain From a Sudden Death

• 💬 Book 1-on-1 sessions or speaking engagements:
  https://DrJenniferRLevin.OnlinePressKit247.com

• 📧 Media Inquiries: Michelle Tennant, Publicist – [email protected]