Step Zero

In this inspiring episode, Greg Champion shares his transformative journey from addiction to recovery, highlighting innovative approaches like Startup Recovery that combine entrepreneurship and sobriety. Discover practical tools, mental models, and stories of hope that can guide anyone on their path to lasting sobriety and purpose.

Keywords: recovery, sobriety, addiction, entrepreneurship, mental health, startup recovery, personal growth, hope, mental models, community

Key Topics: Modern recovery culture and innovation The role of purpose and community in sobriety Tools and mental models for lasting recovery

Highlights: Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Recovery and Purpose 01:44 Greg's Early Life and Coping Mechanisms 06:39 Consequences of Addiction and Arrests 10:54 The Turning Point: Jail and Confession 22:45 Finding a Path to Recovery 29:38 The Evolution of Recovery Tools and Startup Recovery 33:08 The Journey to Recovery and Entrepreneurship 37:11 Understanding the New Generation's Recovery Needs 41:15 The Importance of Early Life Skills 45:32 The Role of Entrepreneurship in Sobriety 48:36 Maintaining Sobriety and Family Life 52:06 Success Stories from Startup Recovery 56:09 Taking the First Step Towards Sobriety

Resources

https://www.startuprecovery.com/

https://www.palisadestribe.com/

https://www.ted.com/talks/johann_hari_everything_you_think_you_know_about_addiction_is_wrong

https://www.instagram.com/greggchampion/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/greggchampion/

Connect with Kaitlin:

Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

YOUTUBE CHANNEL

TIKTOK

This episode explores the subtle but powerful shift from scarcity to gratitude, especially when you’re in that uncomfortable in-between space of “I’m okay… but not fully secure.” Kaitlin unpacks how nervous system regulation, belief, and service all influence money and opportunity and how sobriety creates the space to hear divine guidance in everyday conversations.

This episode is for anyone who:

• Feels financially stretched but not in crisis

• Finds themselves fixating on “what’s missing”

• Wants to align abundance with grounded spiritual practice

• Is learning how sobriety expands clarity and intuition

• Needs a reminder that growth doesn’t require rock bottom

Key themes:

Gratitude before abundance

Scarcity vs nervous system safety

Money as energy and value exchange

Surrender and aligned action

Sobriety as spiritual spaciousness

Highlights

00:00 Introduction to Abundance and Mindset

00:59 Lessons from a Conversation with My Son

04:38 The Power of Gratitude in Financial Mindset

08:29 Shifting Perspectives on Abundance

11:17 The Role of Sobriety in Clarity and Abundance

Connect with Kaitlin:

Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

YOUTUBE CHANNEL

TIKTOK

In this episode, I’m joined by Ian Fee, author and entrepreneur, who has been sober since 2017.

Ian didn’t wake up in a jail cell or lose everything overnight. Instead, sobriety became a slow, honest reckoning with the damage alcohol was quietly creating in his marriages, his parenting, and his sense of self.

We talk about high functioning drinking, emotional sobriety, intense rehab, generational patterns, and what it really means to become present.

Ian shares how willingness, not catastrophe, changed his life, and how stacking small daily habits like gratitude, journaling, and accountability transformed him into the father, partner, and leader he always wanted to be.

Highlights:

(01:51) The first drink at 17 and the early normalization of alcohol

(07:31) When high functioning success masked deeper problems

(12:40) The third day in rehab that changed everything

(15:10) Getting served divorce papers and choosing sobriety anyway

(16:13) Sitting in the emotions instead of numbing them

(29:55) Daily gratitude and baby habits that rebuild a life

Find out more about Ian:

https://ianfee.com/

Connect with Kaitlin:

Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

YOUTUBE CHANNEL

TIKTOK

Today’s episode feels intimate and unfiltered.

I’m sharing a journal entry from two days after my seven year sobriety anniversary, sitting in my meditation corner, red light on, kids home for ski week, reflecting on what it really means to be a divorced mom choosing presence over escape.

This is about the in between season. The waiting. The Wednesdays that are chaotic and beautiful and ordinary all at once. It’s about releasing single mom guilt, letting go of comparison, and realizing that the greatest gift sobriety has given me is the ability to stay.

I don’t need wine to get through dinner. I get to be fully there for my kids and for myself.

Highlights:

(01:05) A season of waiting and what that really means

(02:10) Life as a divorced mom of three

(03:40) Letting go of single mom guilt

(05:10) The gift of never checking out

(06:20) Teaching my kids emotional regulation

(07:30) Why I never regret not drinking

Connect with Kaitlin:

Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

YOUTUBE CHANNEL

TIKTOK

In this episode, I’m joined by Amanda Kuda for a grounded, honest conversation about sober curiosity and what it really means to choose clarity before life falls apart.

Amanda shares how she walked away from alcohol without hitting rock bottom, and why so many high functioning, successful women still feel quietly disconnected, restless, or stuck.

We talk about emotional sobriety, self trust, spirituality without dogma, and how alcohol can subtly dull your intuition and sense of purpose. This episode is for anyone who feels like alcohol isn’t ruining their life, but it might be keeping them from the life they’re meant to live.

Highlights:

(02:45) When drinking looks normal but still feels off

(07:55) Why success doesn’t protect you from feeling disconnected

(12:30) The moment Amanda realized alcohol was in the way

(17:10) Emotional sobriety and learning to self regulate

(24:50) How alcohol clouds intuition and self trust

(32:40) What unbottled potential really means

Connect with Amanda:

Website: https://amandakuda.com/

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

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amanda.kuda

Book - Unbottled Potential: https://amzn.to/3MTmW2S

Podcast - Unbottled Potential: https://www.amandakuda.com/podcast

Connect with Kaitlin:

Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

YOUTUBE CHANNEL

TIKTOK

This is a rare solo episode marking seven years of sobriety, and it felt important to pause and actually acknowledge it. I share what feels different now, what emotional sobriety has taught me, and why the obsession with alcohol truly fell away over time.

This episode is less about rules and labels, and more about curiosity, honesty, and learning new ways to cope.

I also talk about community, spirituality, and why sobriety has never felt like a loss to me. It has been a return to myself. If you are sober curious, questioning your relationship with alcohol, or wondering if long term sobriety is even possible, this one is for you.

Highlights:

(01:42) Seven years sober and why this milestone feels different

(03:10) Emotional sobriety and learning real coping skills

(04:55) Letting go of alcohol and surrendering control

(06:10) Sobriety as a return to self, not a loss

(07:05) Why you were never meant to do this alone

Connect with Kaitlin:

Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

YOUTUBE CHANNEL

TIKTOK

This conversation is raw, honest, and deeply human. I’m joined by Gary, the voice behind Sober and Sound, and we talk about what sobriety really looks like when it’s not wrapped up in labels, rules, or dramatic rock bottom stories.

This is about choosing to stop digging before everything collapses, and learning how to sit with yourself when the noise fades.

We talk emotional sobriety, identity, nervous system regulation, and the quiet bravery it takes to feel instead of numb.

Gary shares his journey, what actually helped him stay sober long term, and why curiosity, honesty, and connection matter more than perfection.

If you’ve ever felt a quiet knowing that something needs to change, this episode will meet you right there.

Highlights:

(02:05) Why you don’t need a dramatic rock bottom to choose sobriety

(09:31) How alcohol quietly shapes identity and emotional regulation

(16:01) The moment everything changed and the last drink

(24:20) Emotional sobriety, solitude, and learning to feel again

(31:05) Building a new identity without numbing

(44:50) Why sobriety isn’t boring, it’s expansive

Connect with Gary:

https://www.instagram.com/sobernsound/?hl=en

Connect with Kaitlin:

Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

YOUTUBE CHANNEL

TIKTOK

I’m sitting down with comedian, actor, and writer Dustin Ybarra, and this one is funny, raw, and unexpectedly tender.

We talk about what “progressive” alcoholism looked like for him, how it snuck in through comedy culture, and the slow slide from “I’m fine” to consequences he couldn’t outwork anymore.

Dustin shares the reality of trying to get sober while still using, the shame cycle that kept pulling him back, and the moment everything cracked open, including a seizure at a meeting that became the turning point.

We also get into what stayed the same (his heart) and what changed completely, his relationships, his career, and what it means to put sobriety first even when the opportunity of a lifetime is on the table.

Highlights:

(03:28) Meeting through sobriety, and the “whole new world” that opens up without alcohol

(07:27) The first beer in New York, and realizing it made fear disappear

(10:00) When blackouts started hitting the stage, and someone finally said “you might be an alcoholic”

(20:00) The seizure at a meeting, and the line that changed everything: “This is gonna be the best day of your life”

(31:58) Saying no to a TV role to stay in rehab, and how it came back bigger later

(46:08) The 180 shift, amends, relationships healing, and how sobriety ripples out to everyone around you

Connect with Dustin:

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dustinybarra7?lang=en

Website: https://weenietips.com

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

X (Twitter): https://x.com/Dustin_Ybarra

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DustinYbarra

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/dustinybarra

Connect with Kaitlin:

Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

YOUTUBE CHANNEL

TIKTOK

In this episode I sit down with John, known online as The Sober Dad, for a powerful and deeply honest conversation about recovery, fatherhood and the emotional work that happens once you put the drink down.

John shares his story with such clarity and humility, and I talk about the moments in my own sobriety when the holidays felt overwhelming and why this season feels different now. Together, we explore what it means to break generational patterns, repair relationships and learn how to show up as the parent you always wanted to be.

We also talk about emotional sobriety, identity shifts and the simple but brave daily actions that keep recovery steady. John’s story is raw and moving, and his commitment to helping others is felt in every word.

My hope is that this conversation gives you strength, hope and a reminder that you do not have to hit rock bottom to decide you are ready for a different life.

Highlights:

(01:42) Introducing John, The Sober Dad, and his story of emotional sobriety

(04:15) The progression of drinking and the moment John saw the truth

(08:52) Why willpower alone was never going to work

(12:40) The relapse that became a turning point in his recovery

(17:18) Fatherhood, identity and the version of you your kids grow up with

(22:55) How John built community, purpose and a sober life that works

Connect with John:

Instagram

[email protected]

Connect with Kaitlin:

Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

YOUTUBE CHANNEL

TIKTOK

In this episode, I revisit one of the most powerful conversations I have ever recorded about staying sober through the holidays. I share what my drinking used to look like this time of year, how tightly I tied alcohol to celebration, and what it felt like to break a habit I had repeated for decades.

I talk openly about my first sober Thanksgiving, the nerves, the awkwardness, the surprises, and the pride I felt the next morning when I woke up clear and present for the first time in years.

I also walk you through how I approach the holidays now, nearly six years into sobriety. From planning mocktails to setting boundaries to giving myself permission to leave early or take breaks, these tools have helped me feel grounded even when everyone around me is drinking.

My hope is that my story helps you feel less alone and reminds you that you never regret not drinking the next day. Staying sober through the holidays is not easy, but it is absolutely possible, and it can be one of the most meaningful gifts you give yourself.

Highlights:

(01:10) Why alcohol and celebration always felt intertwined for me

(04:22) My first sober holiday season and the anxiety that came with it

(07:15) The small wins that helped me trust I was on the right path

(10:48) Hosting, parties and learning that no one cares what is in my glass

(13:55) My go to strategies for staying sober at holiday events

(17:22) How six years of sobriety changed the way I show up for family and joy

Connect with Kaitlin:

Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

YOUTUBE CHANNEL

TIKTOK