Hey Friend, thanks for hanging out with me today!

Today my guest, Michael Brody-Waite. He’s a Tedx Nashville Speaker, former CEO of InQuicker, and  author of “Great Leaders Live LIke Drug Addicts. How to Lead People Like Your Life Depends On It”. Super down to earth kinda guy, who just happens to be doing God’s work.

But before we jump in, I thought hey, maybe you’d like a little explanation of what I’ve been doing for the last couple months? So just in case you were wondering, here it is...

As you may or may not know, I have a full time job as an Account Manager for a high tech company, which provides software that allows people to work from home. So you probabl see where this is going, right? 

As Covid-19 hit, I was working 12-14 hour days to keep up with demand and I had zero time to interview anyone. It was nuts! 

Then after weeks of going full steam, just as I was about to burn out, both my husband and I got really sick with a flu of some sort, which knocked me out of the game for a bit. I completely lost my voice for a while, then I kinda sounded like a “2 pack a day smokin trucker”, so still, no interviews. 

But I’m all better now, my voice has returned 100% and I’ve been recording some awesome interviews, and I’m looking forward to sharing those!

In other news, on April 23, I celebrated 26 years of recovery! So crazy! Especially when you consider there was a time I couldn’t make it to noon without a bong hit!

But what a blessing its been to be able to join a bunch of online meetings with both my ODAAT home group in San Jose where I moved from last year, but also with the ladies here in Idaho. I also shared my good news in a few of the online recovery groups I’m part of, especially the private women’s ODAAT Chat FB group, so that was really special for me too.

And thank you for your part in my recovery journey. I am so grateful that you allow me to pass it on. You are definitely helping to keep me sober. 

But I’ll tell you, one of the biggest lessons of this last year has been around boundaries. 

Not so much in the traditional sense that you typically hear about, which typically involve teaching people how to treat you, but boundaries for myself. The kind that conserve my energy, and limits unreasonable expectations of myself and others.  

I realized that I can no longer lie to myself and pretend that I’m okay with “over helping” or doing more than my fair share because, as it turns out, there’s no amount of spiritual bypassing that will allow me to avoid feeling resentful towards someone who isn’t interested in meeting me half way. It showed up for me particularly in working relationships and friendships this year. 

But here’s the truth: the real boundary is for me, for my expectations of what I can tolerate without losing my peace. I realized I was selling myself out for the hope of some future gain, that most often, never materialized.

Boundary setting is a skill that can be learned, and it’s one of the things I teach in “The Connection Cure, A Self Esteem Workshop for People in Recovery”.

There is a new workshop starting soon, so check odaatchat.com for details and upcoming dates.

So for an intro to today’s episode, I’ll just say that you are about to meet a really good guy. Someone who has not only been through a lot, but has also created a system to help people thrive in the business world, using the principles of the program. It’s actually brilliant, and I greatly appreciate the passion, clarity and focus he has when he communicates.

So with that, please enjoy (and share!) this episode, with Michael Brody-Waite!

Tedx Talk Nashville: https://youtu.be/UUnRKf2CemA

Link to his book, “Great Leaders Live LIke Drug Addicts, How to Lead People Like Your Life Depends On It” : https://greatleaderbook.com/

Mask-Free Workshop: https://www.michaelbrodywaite.com/live-workshop/

OC106 Dr Donna Marks - One Addiction, One Cause, One Cure

https://youtu.be/3z73eHbcs3c

 Hey Friend, thanks for hanging out with me today!

Just wanted to share an interesting conversation I had from our Saturday online meeting. One of the participants was sharing how sad she was that nobody in her family did anything to celebrate her birthday. The thoughts that came to her were “It’s just another day, nobody cares”.

I’ve heard this over and over again. The expectation, the disappointment and then the negative self talk about what the experience means.

Here is what I suggested to her: Tell people what you’d like to do for your birthday. A dinner? A party? Do you just want a card and flowers or a full blown gala? Here’s the truth. We teach people how to treat us. The people around us are not mind readers, so how about we just tell them what we want!?

Years ago, I decided that if I want to have a party, I was going to have to throw it myself, despite having a husband and girlfriends who technically COULD throw one for me. I just had been disappointed too many times so I decided to take matters into my own hands and I ended up having a potluck not once, but TWICE a year! One on my recovery milestone, and one on my birthday.

What I can tell you is over the last 25 years that I started doing this, I’ve had a TON of people over to the house, we’ve had many many group pictures, tons of memories and so much fun!

On the surface it might seem like a trivial issue, but what I’ve noticed is that those who have a resistance to celebrating, or even acknowledging their birthdays typically have deep seated self esteem issues.

There are tons of self esteem resources online, and I’ll actually be announcing a self esteem class starting in April, so check the SoberLifeSchool.com website for details.

One of the reasons I heard for not celebrating a birthday was the sadness around getting older, which honestly is a tough one for women. But what I would like to submit for your consideration is that you have been through a LOT over the last year, haven’t you?

You have faced challenges, you do the best you can, you’ve grown and evolved, and you’re still here! You didn’t give up. In my humble opinion, that deserves, at the very minimum, a little acknowledgement. Or a lot. I prefer a lot, but that’s just me.

Anyway, birthdays come around every year, so why not decide now how you want to feel and own your experience? If this helped you to see things differently and you’ve decided to do something different this year, please let me know by posting a comment on the ODAAT Chat Facebook page! There’s a link to it in the show notes on the website at odaatchat.com :)

So back to today’s episode, Dr Marks. We talk about what the one addiction is and I thought it was going to be about the addiction to distraction, but she had a unique take on it, and as soon as she said it, I thought, yep...bullseye! She also shares why most treatments fail and what to do instead. Its a wide ranging conversation, we cover a lot of ground so I hope you take away something that will help you in your own recovery. That’s kinda the whole point, right?? So with that, please enjoy (and share!) this episode, with Dr Donna Marks.

Hey Friend, thanks for hanging out with me today!

As you may or may not know...I’m on a mission to heal the world! Not by myself of course, which is why I like sharing conversations with others who have dedicated their lives to the healing arts, like Christopher.

But before we jump in, you know I’m gonna share a resource!

Sobriety Reset  is a FREE weekly online 12 step workshop for women, using “A Woman’s Way Through The 12 Steps” by Dr Stephany Covington. For more information, visit sobrietyreset.com

Also, I just want to encourage you to think about boosting your morning self care routine. The reason it’s so important is that society exposes us to TONS of negativity so it’s easy to become negative in our thinking as well.

Our brains are like biofeedback computers, what goes in comes right back out. So most of us could use a little friendly brainwashing right? We need a way to resolve negative thinking before we can take in positive messages because what we resist, persists.

Here’s something for you to consider. Its a universal law that what you think about, you bring about. Spiritual teachings call it Karma, but in practical terms, our thoughts cause feelings, our feelings influence what we talk about, what we talk about influences our decisions and our decisions determine our actions, which in turn cause the effect we experience.

When you really understand how this all works, then after you have a “Holy Crap” moment, you start to understand how important it is to prime your brain by resolving negativity and feeding it good thoughts.

What is a great morning routine? Well, I’ll share mine:

I do a breathing exercise by Wim Hof - it’s on youtube. You can google it or I will have a link on odaatchat.com

Then I do 15 minutes guided meditation - I use insight timer or you can find one on youtube as well.

I write in my 5 minute journal because it covers all three areas: gratitude, what would make today great and a positive affirmation.

I say a little prayer for gratitude and ask for guidance and that’s it! I’d love to hear about your morning practice or if you don’t have one, you can pick one action and post it on the ODAAT Chat Facebook page, I’d love to hear from you and share your ideas with everyone!

So back to today’s episode, Christopher has an amazing story. He was one of those guys who grew up around recovery, but fell to the deepest darkest places that alcoholism can take you: powerless, hopeless, and despair. However Christopher recovered and that’s what this episode is about. He shares his experience, strength and hope so that others can find hope and inspiration to take similar actions and recover.

So with that, I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did.

odaatchat.com

Soberlifeschool.com

I love this episode already, because we ran through a “recovery checklist” of sorts that I’m going to have to use in future episodes. It was totally an inspired thought! Felt kinda magical if I’m honest…

Anyway, I have a little story to share with you. So years ago, when I first got sober I was in that emotional place where I had tried all my best ideas to fix my own life, cuz it was a total disaster, but nothing was improving. 

I was completely broken heartbroken because my boyfriend and I had just broken up, I had a ton of bills and no money, and all my friends were fed up. 

But as “luck” would have it, (and when I say luck, i’m using air quotes) I met a woman who pulled me aside and offered to work with me. I was so desperate for change, I did everything she told me to do, which was A LOT. 

But things started to shift, my life started to evolve in ways I never could have imagined. I found peace, relief, and such profound purpose that has given my life such rich meaning, it’s kinda hard to put into words. I was hooked!

Over the last 25 years since that experience, I’ve been obsessed with workshops and exercises that identify the blocks to healing. So that’s what I want to share with you, if you’re ready for it.

It’s a transformational program that starts with a 3 month plan so that you can build a foundation for your own life.

Want to know why I finally decided to take the plunge myself? Other than being completely frustrated? I read this quote by Albert Einstein “A problem can’t be solved with the mind that created it.” For me, that was it and I’m so grateful I did because my life today is unrecognizable from where I started. I’ve been married for over 22 years, sober for 25, I’m debt free except for my house, and I feel really good about who I am today.

If you’re ready to find out more, visit odaatchat.com and look for the butterfly on the right!

So back to today’s episode, Taryn and her mom Dawn Nickel, who was also a previous guest, are the founders of SheRecovers, an absolutely incredible resource for women in recovery. They offer online meetings, retreats, and a huge community of over 270K women, all focused on recovery. And today Taryn is going to share her story and how she recovers. So with that, I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did.

Hey Friend, thanks for joining me today. First, I gotta tell you, Buddy LOVES recovery! I mean, the guy is a student of human nature and healing, and his southern drawl mixed with eastern philosophy is quite the mix… But before we jump in, a quick request, a Thank You, and an awesome resource The request is if you find these episodes helpful, please subscribe and share with your recovery community. My thank you goes out to Jennifer, Teri, Stephanie, Margaret, Ann, and David for your generous contributions! Because of you, I’m finally able to hire some help this month. Side note, David’s encouraging email came at the exact moment when I was feeling super burnt out and discouraged. So David, if you are listening, thank you… You made a huge difference in my life. Okay, now for the resource, which is a process to eliminate negative limiting self beliefs by visiting https://www.recreateyourlife.com/free/ I worked through the online video for the negative belief of “I’m not good enough” in about 30 minutes and honestly, it was pretty mind blowing. If you’ve ever had that experience of “Holy shit, that’s so true” and you were forever changed by that experience, that’s what it was like. And of course my next thought was, “I gotta get all my friends to try this!” So there you go. I really hope you try it! I’ll leave all the links to these resources and the ones we discuss on the podcast in the show notes which can be found at odaatchat.com, that’s o d a a t chat.com So there ya have it! I hope you enjoy today’s episode, with Buddy C.

http://odaatchat.com/index.php/2020/02/08/laura-mckowen/ OC102 Laura Mckowen, Author of “We Are the Luckiest.” You are listening to the ODAAT Chat Podcast. My name is Arlina and I’ll be your host. Today my guest is the Author of “We are the luckiest”... Laura McKowen Music transition Hi Friend, thanks for joining me today. If you are in the market for a mind blowing recovery memoire, I gotchu covered! Laura McKowen has been featured on the TODAY show, in The Guardian, WebMD, New York Post, and more Before we jump in, I’ll share a couple of resources. There is a private women’s FB page where we post links to weekly meetings, challenges and provide lots of love & support. If you’re a woman, you can request access by visiting the ODAAT Chat FB page. Another book! Radical Compassion by Tara Brach. The audiobook contains the “RAIN” process to help resolve negative thoughts and specific meditations on feelings like anger, shame and guilt. We’ve been talking a lot about using gratitude as a tool to transform negative feelings, but what I know is that we have to acknowledge, validate and process them before we can transform them. What we resist, persists. So here is the RAIN process that allows you to deal with negativity so you can move to gratitude: 1) Recognize the feeling 2) Allow the feelings some space 3) Investigate- Identify where is it in your body? What is its purpose? 4) Nurture yourself by offering love & kindness I hope you make this part of your daily coping process So back to the intro for today’s guest. Laura not only shares her story, but we cover a few highly debated topics surrounding the alternative ways of finding recovery from alcoholism and addiction that I think you’ll find interesting... So with that, please enjoy this episode, with Laura. Laura McKowen is the author of We Are the Luckiest. She is a former public relations executive who has become recognized as a fresh voice in the recovery movement. Beloved for her soulful and irreverent writing, she now leads sold-out yoga-based retreats and courses that teach people how to say yes to a bigger life. She hosted the iTunes Top 100 podcast HOME, with over 1.5 million downloads. and has been featured on the TODAY show, in The Guardian, WebMD, New York Post, and more. Visit her online at http://www.lauramckowen.com. You’ll find her on social media here: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IFlyatNight Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/laura_mckowen Twitter: https://twitter.com/lauramckowen Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lauramckowen

It’s been a while since I published a step work call so I’m happy to share this one with Jaydale as we go over her step 3 homework. Before we jump in, I wanted to announce that we’re starting our next round of the “Sobriety Reset Workshop”, a FREE 12 step workshop for women, starting on 1/30 at 7:00 MST. It is an online class and you can sign up and get all the details at SobrietyReset.com Also, if you would like to hear more episodes like this one, just visit ODAATChat.com or you can also subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify or any other podcast player. So that’s all the announcements for today! Please enjoy this episode, with Jaydale.

Hey Everybody, thanks for joining me today! I’m excited to share this story with you because my guest Jacob Evans dives into a HUGE missing piece for people who are just starting their recovery journey. He works with Tree House Recovery for men, that utilizes an assessment focusing on a client’s biology, psychology and sociology so that they can develop a personalized plan around the individual’s results. So a little disclaimer here, I am not a doctor and I don’t play one on the internet so I can’t personally endorse any treatment centers. However, the information Jacob is sharing can be helpful when you are thinking about the areas of your own recovery that you are needing to heal. Jacob himself offers transitional coaching so if you’d like to reach out to him after listening, you can get a free consultation through his website at hopeguides.com Before we jump in, I also wanted to announce that we’re starting our next round of the “Sobriety Reset Workshop”, a free 12 step workshop for women, starting on 1/30 at 7:00 MST. It is an online class and you can sign up at SobrietyReset.com Also, I just wanted to acknowledge that it’s been a few weeks since the last podcast. There are about 8 interviews from some amazing guests just waiting to be published! But I do all the producing and publishing myself and it's very time consuming. One of my goals for 2020 is to be more consistent, so for that, I’ve decided to ask for help! Imagine that! If my listeners are willing to collectively donate $250 per month, I can hire an editor which would be so amazing! So If you find value from this podcast I hope you would consider a $5 monthly donation. If you’d like to donate, just visit odaatchat.com and you’ll find a link on the right hand side. So that’s all the announcements for today! Please enjoy this episode, with Jacob.

Hi Friend! Welcome to another episode of The ODAAT Chat Podcast! In case you are new here, My name is Arlina and I’ll be your host. This is a podcast where my guests share their stories of alcoholism and addiction and their journey to recovery. For information on today’s episode and access to past episodes, visit odaatchat.com. Today my conversation is with Emily Paulson, mother of 5, and author of Highlight Real - Finding Honesty & Recovery Beyond the Filtered Life But before we jump in, I wanted to share an amazing audio book I discovered called “Awareness- Conversations with the Masters” by Anthony de Mello. Now, the title does nothing to distinguish it from other books, but it was recomened by Tim Ferriss and if he thinks it’s good I usually get it, and he did not disappoint. While listening to it, I kept blurting things like, “oh my god, yes!” like a crazy person because nobody was there, but I immediately knew I had to share it with you all because it’s just that good. So listeners of the ODAAT Chat Podcast can get it for free by subscribing to Audible.com, just visit odaatchat.com and you’ll see the Audible banner on the right. So Emily Lynn Paulson is someone I really appreciate because she has a great story but also because she was brave enough to pull back the curtain on what seems to be the perfect life, to show that everyone has their painful struggles and challenges. www.emilylynnpaulson.com IG @highlightrealrecovery So with that, please enjoy this episode, with the super fabulous Emily!