Soberly Speaking

Join our Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/SoberlySpeaking⁠⁠ 

Trigger warning: This episode discusses child SA within a family, domestic violence and su*cide. Listener discretion is advised. Support resources are listed below.

As a teenager, when Tanisha tried to speak her truth, she was not believed by those closest to her. That silence left her carrying a deep emotional weight alone. Over time, she entered a difficult and unsafe relationship, and in that period she began using cash advances to obtain substances, believing she would not have a long future. When the money ran out, she turned to alcohol, believing it was a more socially accepted way to cope. What started as occasional drinking gradually became more frequent. It wasn’t until she began therapy that she was able to reframe her past, reflect on her experiences, and slowly move toward sobriety.

Follow Tanisha on Instagram: @t_soberclub

Creator & Host: Julia Rangiheuea

Ready to share your story? [email protected]

Disclaimer:
The stories and experiences shared in this episode are personal accounts told in good faith. While we aim to present these narratives accurately, the views expressed are those of the individuals involved and have not been independently verified. Soberly Speaking and its host, Julia Rangiheuea, are not responsible for the accuracy or validity of the information shared. Listener discretion is advised.

If this episode has brought up anything for you, support is available:

• 1800RESPECT (24/7): 1800 737 732

• Lifeline (24/7): 13 11 14

• Bravehearts: 1800 272 831

• National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline (24/7): 1800 250 015

If you’re outside Australia, please reach out to your local support services.

In the spirit of reconciliation, Soberly Speaking acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

Join our Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/SoberlySpeaking⁠⁠ 

From a young age, Mikaela felt the pressure to please those around her, men especially. At seventeen, she met the father of her firstborn in the chaos of partying and substance use. What began as young love slowly turned into a life she felt trapped in. With a mortgage, a baby on the way and no income of her own, leaving no longer felt like an option.

When she finally did leave, Mikaela was on her own with a three-month-old and little to no resources. Starting again from scratch, she navigated the highs and many lows of online dating before being introduced to the world of sugar babying. In this episode, she shares what it means to balance single motherhood, sobriety and the emotional weight of living with personality disorders.

Trigger warning: This episode explores sensitive topics including substance use, mental health and personality disorders.

Follow Mikaela on Instagram: @manic.dream.pixie.xo
Creator & Host: ⁠⁠Julia Rangiheuea
Ready to share your story? Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Disclaimer: The stories and experiences shared in this episode are personal accounts told in good faith. While we strive to present these narratives accurately, the views and claims expressed are those of the individuals involved and have not been independently verified. Soberly Speaking and its host, Julia Rangiheuea, do not take responsibility for the accuracy or validity of the information shared. Listener discretion is advised.

The National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline is a free and confidential 24/7 phone service that provides counselling, advice, and information for those struggling with addiction. Call 1800 250 015

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://toolkit.lifeline.org.au/articles/support/national-alcohol-other-drug-hotline⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In the spirit of reconciliation Soberly Speaking acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

Join our Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/SoberlySpeaking⁠⁠ 

Growing up as a second-generation Chinese Australian in Canberra, Alex spent much of his childhood wanting to be anything but himself. At just eight years old, he made a quiet but powerful connection: success, titles and money equals love.

That belief followed him into adulthood and when COVID hit, the pressure, boredom and loss of identity converged into a gambling addiction that quietly took over his life. He was placing sports bets in the middle of the night, lying to his partner about missed bills and rent, borrowing money from friends and slowly losing the relationships that mattered most to him.

Then came the moment everything unravelled. He had been stealing funds from his employer and one ordinary day, he was called into an office and told he was under internal investigation. As frightening as that moment was for Alex, it was also the first day of the rest of his life. 

Gambling Help Online  gamblinghelponline.org.au

Online counselling available 24/7, including live chat and email support

Creator & Host: ⁠⁠@JuliaRangiheuea

Ready to share your story? Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Disclaimer: The stories and experiences shared in this episode are personal accounts told in good faith. While we strive to present these narratives accurately, the views and claims expressed are those of the individuals involved and have not been independently verified. Soberly Speaking and its host, Julia Rangiheuea, do not take responsibility for the accuracy or validity of the information shared. Listener discretion is advised.

The National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline is a free and confidential 24/7 phone service that provides counselling, advice, and information for those struggling with addiction. Call 1800 250 015

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://toolkit.lifeline.org.au/articles/support/national-alcohol-other-drug-hotline⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In the spirit of reconciliation Soberly Speaking acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

Join our Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/SoberlySpeaking⁠⁠ 

Trigger warning: this episode contains discussion of sexual assault.
Raj's earliest memory is of his father leaving him on the side of the road to teach him a lesson. It was the first of many moments that taught him emotions weren't safe to show.

By his teens, he was selling and using. What began at parties didn't stay there and one line led to another until he was moving large amounts of drugs and dealing weapons. Two stints in jail later, the reality of that life had nothing left to romanticise.

Now in his twenties, Raj is starting over. In this episode, he talks about how he got in, what it cost him and why he's adamant about one thing: there's nothing gangster about it.

Follow Raj on Instagram: @Emceerajj_

Creator & Host: ⁠⁠Julia Rangiheuea

Ready to share your story? Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Disclaimer: The stories and experiences shared in this episode are personal accounts told in good faith. While we strive to present these narratives accurately, the views and claims expressed are those of the individuals involved and have not been independently verified. Soberly Speaking and its host, Julia Rangiheuea, do not take responsibility for the accuracy or validity of the information shared. Listener discretion is advised.

The National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline is a free and confidential 24/7 phone service that provides counselling, advice, and information for those struggling with addiction. Call 1800 250 015

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://toolkit.lifeline.org.au/articles/support/national-alcohol-other-drug-hotline⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In the spirit of reconciliation Soberly Speaking acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

Join our Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/SoberlySpeaking⁠⁠ 

Trigger warning: this episode contains detailed discussion of sexual assault. 

Stacey was 14 years old when two strangers assaulted her. One night. A warehouse. An experience no child should ever survive. She did. And then she did something even harder. She took them to court as a child, and won. She has never spoken publicly about it. Until now.

Melissa Beaton is a Clinical and Forensic Psychologist who works with high-performing women who hold everything together are ready to take back control over their lives.

She specialises in spotting the moment a woman overrides herself. For example, when anger turns into anxiety, when responsibility becomes control, and when “being capable” becomes self-abandonment.

Her work combines intensive psychodynamic therapy and physiology-based breathwork to help women build boundaries, regulate their nervous systems and stop shrinking to keep the peace.

She is the founder of Zenso House, a premium breathwork and retreat studio on the Gold Coast.

www.zensohouse.com

Follow Melissa Beaton on Instagram: @melissabeaton.psychologist

Follow Stacey on Instagram: @Staasi_

Creator & Host: ⁠⁠Julia Rangiheuea

Ready to share your story? Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Disclaimer: The stories and experiences shared in this episode are personal accounts told in good faith. While we strive to present these narratives accurately, the views and claims expressed are those of the individuals involved and have not been independently verified. Soberly Speaking and its host, Julia Rangiheuea, do not take responsibility for the accuracy or validity of the information shared. Listener discretion is advised.

The National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline is a free and confidential 24/7 phone service that provides counselling, advice, and information for those struggling with addiction. Call 1800 250 015

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://toolkit.lifeline.org.au/articles/support/national-alcohol-other-drug-hotline⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In the spirit of reconciliation Soberly Speaking acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

Join our Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/SoberlySpeaking⁠⁠ 

“Comedy is a hotbed of mental illness" 

Sian Smyth is a stand-up comedian whose past includes domestic violence, drug abuse, sex addiction, and sex work. After leaving an almost decade-long violent relationship in which she saw the devil himself, Sian finally felt free to take control of her body and experiment with every drug imaginable.

Her addiction cost her every friend, derailed her career, and led to psychotic episodes overseas. After hearing a voice telling her to go to a meeting, Sian is now almost a year clean and making comedy again.

Trigger warning: This episode discusses domestic violence, sexual assault, substance use disorder and mental health including psychosis.

Buy tickets to Sian's show HERE

Follow Sian on Instagram: @siansmythcomic

Creator & Host: ⁠⁠Julia Rangiheuea

Ready to share your story? Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Disclaimer: The stories and experiences shared in this episode are personal accounts told in good faith. While we strive to present these narratives accurately, the views and claims expressed are those of the individuals involved and have not been independently verified. Soberly Speaking and its host, Julia Rangiheuea, do not take responsibility for the accuracy or validity of the information shared. Listener discretion is advised.

The National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline is a free and confidential 24/7 phone service that provides counselling, advice, and information for those struggling with addiction. Call 1800 250 015

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://toolkit.lifeline.org.au/articles/support/national-alcohol-other-drug-hotline⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In the spirit of reconciliation Soberly Speaking acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

Join our Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/SoberlySpeaking⁠⁠ 

Trigger warning: This episode discusses sexual assault, substance use disorder and mental health including psychosis.

Have you ever been in psychosis? You hear the horror stories of people staying in it for days, weeks or months, but Nikki lived with it for five years. During that time she became someone she didn’t recognise: erratic, paranoid and eventually lashing out at a family member.

Nikki believed her only way to escape the addiction and chaos she had known for most of her life was either to end her life or end up in jail. For Nikki, reconnecting with her Māori heritage has genuinely saved her life, helping her find identity, purpose and healing in ways she never expected.

Follow Nikki on Instagram: @saladgirl___

Creator & Host: ⁠⁠Julia Rangiheuea

Ready to share your story? Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Disclaimer: The stories and experiences shared in this episode are personal accounts told in good faith. While we strive to present these narratives accurately, the views and claims expressed are those of the individuals involved and have not been independently verified. Soberly Speaking and its host, Julia Rangiheuea, do not take responsibility for the accuracy or validity of the information shared. Listener discretion is advised.

The National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline is a free and confidential 24/7 phone service that provides counselling, advice, and information for those struggling with addiction. Call 1800 250 015

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://toolkit.lifeline.org.au/articles/support/national-alcohol-other-drug-hotline⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In the spirit of reconciliation Soberly Speaking acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

Join our Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/SoberlySpeaking⁠⁠ 

At 26, Henry Brayshaw was drowning in hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt from his gambling addiction.

Gambling had felt normal since childhood. Some of his earliest memories were placing bets on the Melbourne Cup and slipping into the TAB. What started as something familiar slowly became uncontrollable.

As the debt piled up, so did the shame. He self-harmed and isolated himself in a dark room for days.The turning point wasn’t dramatic. It was honest. He told his best friend at the time, Annie, and that was the moment he stopped running.

Now, he urges anyone struggling to register with BetStop, Australia’s national self-exclusion scheme. Register yourself with BetStop HERE

Follow Henry on Instagram: @henry.brayshaw

Trigger warning: This episode discusses childhood sexual abuse in detail.

Ready to share your story? Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Disclaimer: The stories and experiences shared in this episode are personal accounts told in good faith. While we strive to present these narratives accurately, the views and claims expressed are those of the individuals involved and have not been independently verified. Soberly Speaking and its host, Julia Rangiheuea, do not take responsibility for the accuracy or validity of the information shared. Listener discretion is advised.

The National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline is a free and confidential 24/7 phone service that provides counselling, advice, and information for those struggling with addiction. Call 1800 250 015

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://toolkit.lifeline.org.au/articles/support/national-alcohol-other-drug-hotline⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Creator & Host- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Julia Rangiheuea⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Image & Logo- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jasmine Rule⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In the spirit of reconciliation Soberly Speaking acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

Join our Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/SoberlySpeaking⁠⁠ 

What really goes on inside the world of selling sex online? I was invited into the home of Australia’s most sexually active woman, Annie Knight, one of the country’s top OnlyFans creators. From the boundaries she sets with her fiancé to exactly how she pulls in millions each year, Annie lifts the curtain on a world most of us only glimpse from the outside.

Follow Annie Knight on Instagram: @anniekknight

Content warning: This episode contains discussions of sex and adult themes

Ready to share your story? Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Disclaimer: The stories and experiences shared in this episode are personal accounts told in good faith. While we strive to present these narratives accurately, the views and claims expressed are those of the individuals involved and have not been independently verified. Soberly Speaking and its host, Julia Rangiheuea, do not take responsibility for the accuracy or validity of the information shared. Listener discretion is advised.

The National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline is a free and confidential 24/7 phone service that provides counselling, advice, and information for those struggling with addiction. Call 1800 250 015

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://toolkit.lifeline.org.au/articles/support/national-alcohol-other-drug-hotline⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Creator & Host- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Julia Rangiheuea⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Image & Logo- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jasmine Rule⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In the spirit of reconciliation Soberly Speaking acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

Join our Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/SoberlySpeaking⁠⁠ 

Soberly Speaking is back with a brand new season starting Monday February 16th.

This season marks an evolution of the podcast. Once a month, you'll receive a documentary-style episode. These episodes take you inside the homes, lives and hidden worlds of my guests and are designed to be watched like a TV show, not just listened to.

You can watch the documentary episodes for free on YouTube by searching Soberly Speaking, or on Spotify if you use Spotify. Patreon members can also watch inside the app.

Each month you'll receive:
• One documentary-style episode
• Three classic one-on-one interviews, filmed in different destinations around Australia

The interview episodes are still designed to be easy to listen to, but they are also being filmed so you can watch them too.

All documentary episodes will be clearly labelled [DOCUMENTARY] at the start, so you know which ones are designed to be watched.
Follow Soberly Speaking on Instagram to keep up to date!

With love,
J x