The One Day At A Time Recovery Podcast

Today my guest is Hilary Phelps. If her last name sounds familiar it’s because she’s the sister of Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps!    After 15 years of continuous sobriety, Hilary has decided to tell her story. We had a wide ranging conversation about what it was like to be the sibling of such a public figure, her own achievements, which are very substantial I might add, like being the number 1 ranked swimmer in her age group in the nation, a triathlete, and being a mother to an amazing little boy. We talk about her journey through alcohol abuse, what happened that lead her to sobriety and what life is like now after a painful divorce.   Hilary is so relatable, authentic and genuinely a beautiful person. I love her and I know you will too.    Before we jump in, I wanted to tell you 3 things.   First thing is I have officially opened a soap shop called “Happy Soul Soap and Candle Co” where I have a whole collection of Sobriety themed soaps with...

Today my guest is Steven Washington, author of Recovering You: Soul Care and Mindful Movement for Overcoming Addiction. If you have ever met someone who is so grounded, so authentic, and warm, then you will understand how I felt speaking with Steven. What a sparkling gift he is! See, this is why I love having a podcast. I get to meet amazing people and introduce you to them, and we are all better for it. We talk about his story of childhood challenges that shaped his life, alcoholism while performing at the highest levels, and the moment of clarity that altered the trajectory of his life.   Before we jump in, I wanted to share an interesting topic that came up in the 12 Step workshop I’m facilitating. The question was, how do I know if I’m doing God’s will or if I’m in self-will? Such an important question and one I think a lot of us visit from time to time. I did a short video about it on Tiktok but thought it was worth mentioning here too.   We do need to take action, a...

Today my guest is Lily Shanks. She is a former attorney turned certified yoga instructor and life coach. She is no stranger to perfectionism, workaholism, alcoholism, and burnout. Having learned how to overcome so many challenges, she now works with other women to do the same through a variety of practices. She is absolutely lovely, and I can’t wait for you to meet her!   Before we jump in, I have a favor to ask. The podcast is officially years old now, and I have spoken with over 250 guests, with some distinguished and exciting guests coming up. It takes a lot of work and expense to keep the show going; at the moment, I have 2 donors supporting the show. If the podcast has helped you and you feel so inclined to support the show through a donation, you can do so by visiting odaatchat.com, and there will be a link to donate. If you would like to support the show in other ways, reviews are hugely helpful, as is sharing it with friends. The show is a passion, and I’m so grateful for...

Today my guest is Ted Perkins, who will be talking about his recovery journey through SMART Recovery and his new book “Addicted in Film: Movies We Love About The Habits We Hate.” It’s a brilliant concept, and it makes so much sense when you consider how we all learn and relate through stories.   Ted is a former Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. Studio executive, university lecturer, public speaker, Hollywood producer, virtual reality entrepreneur, and successful working film and TV series screenwriter. He volunteers his time as an addiction and recovery YouTube personality and sobriety mentor. He has helped thousands of people on their recovery journey through his blogs, videos, and weekly SMART Recovery meetings.    Before we jump in, I wanted to announce another resource for you which is a book review series I’ll be publishing on TikTok @arlinaallen and Instagram, which is also @arlinaallen . Every single episode we do on the podcast mentions at least 2 or 3 books...

Today my guest is Peg O’Connor, author of “Higher and Friendly Powers-Transforming Addiction and Suffering”. She has been sober for 34 years, holds Ph.D in philosophy, she is a professor at Gustavus Adolphus College, and a contributor to Psychology Today.    We dig into the premise of her book around where the term Higher Power comes from and what it really means. Her intention is the same as mine, which is to alleviate unnecessary suffering by helping people overcome ideas that may be holding them back from solutions such as the 12 Step program.   That’s actually a good segway to announce that I’m hosting a free 12 Step Workshop for Women starting January 3rd and all you have to do is join the One day at a time private women’s group on Facebook!   There will be a lot of challenges for Dry January - some that are quite expensive, but if you have financial constraints that put these out of reach, I got you covered. Everything is free, even the literature! I am ...

Today my guest is Mike Gibson, a former NFL player currently working at Healthy Life Recovery in San Diego, CA. He shares his story of becoming physically addicted to opioids after a significant injury playing football. We talk about how being a professional athlete made it difficult to relate to others, his resentment toward God, and the spiritual experience that lead him to recovery.    Before we jump in, I wanted to announce that I will be offering a free 12-step workshop for women through my private group. I haven’t taken anyone through the steps since I started coaching full-time, and honestly, I really miss it. It’s completely free; you don’t have to buy any books or attend any meetings if you don’t want to.     It begins early January, and all you have to do is join the Facebook group! Just do a search for “ One Day At A Time - Private Women's Group” and I will announce all the details next week!!   So without further delay, please enjoy this episo...

Today my guest is Dr. Lida Fatima. Her mission is to provide psilocybin-assisted coaching for female physician moms to move through past trauma, depression, anxiety, and burnout.   I’m personally fascinated by the research on the use of psychedelics to treat alcoholism and other underlying causes of addiction, such as trauma, depression, and anxiety. It’s not a panacea for everything, and those of us with addiction issues need to proceed with caution; however, the clinical trials at Johns Hopkins and NYU look promising.    I invited Dr. Lida to the podcast to share the pros and cons, protocols, and her personal experiences both as someone who struggled with mental health and as a facilitator. My intention is not to encourage use or to dissuade you but to provide you with information so you can come to your own conclusions.   As a disclaimer, I am not a doctor, and I don’t play one on the internet. None of this content should be construed as medical advice or b...