Sobriety... Now What? with Stuart Cline
Most sobriety podcasts tell you to stay sober. This one helps you figure out what to do with the life you're building.Sobriety... Now What? is for people who are sober — or trying to be — and ready to go deeper than just not drinking or using. Each episode explores what it actually looks like to build a life worth staying sober for.I'm your host, Stuart Cline — a licensed therapist, addiction counselor, and Master Addiction Counselor (MAC) with over 25 years in clinical practice — from a locked inpatient psychiatric unit early in my career, to leading an intensive outpatient program, to 18 years of...
Ep. 48 Sober but Still Feeling Stuck? How to Find Purpose After Alcohol | Jason Dobbie
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
You've stopped drinking. So why do you still feel stuck?
Getting sober can change your life. But what happens when the alcohol is gone and you're still struggling with anxiety, self-doubt, loneliness, or a lack of purpose?
In this episode of Sobriety… Now What?, host Stuart Cline sits down with Jason Dobbie, former executive chef and founder of Stress-Free Sobriety, to explore what it takes to move beyond simply not dr...
EP. 47 Nick Jonsson on Executive Loneliness: 5 Pathways to Recovery from Isolation, Burnout & Stress
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
In this shorter episode, host Stuart Cline shares a recovered conversation with Nick Jonsson, #1 international bestselling author of Executive Loneliness: The 5 Pathways to Overcoming Isolation, Stress, Anxiety & Depression in the Modern Business World.
Nick (joining from Thailand while Stuart was in New Mexico) decided to write the book in 2019 after losing a friend to suicide, about a year into his own recovery. Technical issues limited the full interview, but the eight minutes we salvaged are packed with practical...
EP. 46 How to Stay Sober When Life Falls Apart | 30 Years of Recovery with Joseph Ganci
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
How do you stay sober when life falls apart?
Joseph Ganci has been in recovery for nearly 30 years. Along the way, he has faced divorce, financial loss, and the devastating death of his daughter—without returning to alcohol.
In this episode of Sobriety, Now What?, Joe shares what helped him keep moving forward through grief, loss, and some of the hardest moments of his life. We talk about AA, service, asking for help, letting go of ho...
Ep. 45 Encore Episode: Kindness, Connection & Recovery | Francesca Donlan
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
What if one of the most powerful tools for feeling better, reconnecting with others, and strengthening your recovery was something as simple as kindness?
In this audience-favorite episode, I sit down with Francesca Donlan—journalist, educator, kindness teacher, and my sister—to explore what kindness actually looks like in everyday life.
Francesca created and taught a college course on the science and practice of kindness, and in this conversation, we talk about what she learned from her...
Ep. 44 Alcohol's Siren Song: Negitive Thinking and Relapse Prevention.
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
Alcohol does not always call you back through an obvious craving. Sometimes its siren song sounds like self-doubt, regret, loneliness, shame, and the belief that no one understands what you are going through.
In Episode 44 of Sobriety: Now What?, Stuart Cline uses the story of Odysseus and the sirens to explore how negative thinking and isolation can quietly pull people toward relapse. One painful thought may seem small, but repeatedly feeding those thoughts can create an emotional hole...
Ep 43 - How Winston Churchill's Bricklaying Habit Can Help Quiet a Racing Mind in Recovery
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
Winston Churchill and the Black Dog: What Bricklaying Can Teach Us About a Racing Mind
Winston Churchill helped lead Britain through World War II. He also battled dark moods he called his "black dog." When those moods showed up, he didn't just wait them out. He painted. He wrote. And strangely enough, he laid bricks, one at a time, until he joined an actual bricklayers union.
In this episode, we use Churchill's story to...
Ep 42: The Unclouded Life Philosophy: You Are Not Lost, You Are Disconnected
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
Something is shifting.
After 18 months and listeners in 81 countries, Sobriety… Now What? is becoming Live Unclouded — and this episode is where that transition begins.
But before the rebrand announcement, Stuart shares something personal: a season of burnout so complete he had nothing left to give. No job. No relationship. Sleeping on family members' couches. A back injury that left his leg atrophying. Days when he genuinely believed everyone would be better off without him.
Ep 41 Life After a Liver Transplant: Recovery, Fatigue, Medication Side Effects, and Finding Hope Again | Tia
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
Most people think a liver transplant is the finish line.
But for many transplant recipients, it's actually the beginning of a completely new journey.
In this follow-up conversation, Tia Bean returns to Sobriety Now What? to share what life has really been like nearly three years after receiving a life-saving liver transplant.
From unexpected fatigue and medication side effects to navigating relationships, rebuilding confidence, and learning how to dream again, Tia offers an honest...
Ep 40 Why Your “Why” Matters in Sobriety | Finding Purpose, Motivation, and Lasting Recovery
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
What keeps someone sober when cravings hit, motivation fades, or life gets difficult?
In this powerful episode of Sobriety… Now What?, Stuart Cline explores one of the most important foundations of lasting recovery: discovering your “why.”
Why do some people relapse even after treatment, therapy, books, and support? Why do others find the strength to keep going through the hardest moments of sobriety?
The answer often comes down to emotional connection, purpose, and meaning.
I...
EP 39 Do the AA Promises Really Come True? | 72 Years of Sobriety at the Round Table
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
EP 39 Do the AA Promises Really Come True? | 72 Years of Sobriety at the Round Table
In this powerful round-table conversation, Stuart sits down in the studio with Mike and Colm — two men with over 70 years of combined sobriety — to talk about one of the most well-known parts of Alcoholics Anonymous: the AA promises.
Do the promises really come true?
Can people truly find peace, freedom, happiness, and purpose in sobriety?
Together, the three share...
Ep. 38: A Kindness Practice to Calm Your Mind & Reduce Stress (Bonus Episode)
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
In this short bonus episode of Sobriety… Now What?, Stuart Cline guides you through a simple, calming kindness practice you can use anytime to help calm your mind, reduce stress, and reset your mood.
This guided practice is inspired by the long-standing tradition of loving-kindness (also known as metta), adapted into a practical, real-life tool you can use while driving, walking, or taking a moment to pause during your day.
Yo...
Ep 37 - Francesca Donlan on Kindness, Recovery & the K20 Summit
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
You’re sober… but still feeling stressed?
The to-do list doesn’t stop. Life feels heavy. And some days, just getting through feels like enough.
In this episode, I sit down with returning guest Francesca Donlan — my most downloaded guest — to explore a simple, powerful tool that can shift your mood, calm your mind, and improve your day without substances.
Francesca spent the entire year of 2025 doing one intentional act each day to improve connection...
Ep 36: He Trained His Brain to Reject Alcohol—Then Had to Rebuild His Life
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
Ep 36: He Trained His Brain to Reject Alcohol—Then Had to Rebuild His Life
In this episode of Sobriety Now What?, Stuart sits down with Ian Fee to explore what recovery really looks like beyond just quitting drinking.
After decades of alcohol use, Ian shares the moment he could no longer lie to himself—and how that became the turning point in his life. He opens up about his unique experience with aversion therapy, a rarely disc...
Ep 35: Getting Sober and Thriving: How David Hanley Wrote His Way Through Recovery
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
Ep 35 Getting Sober and Thriving: How David Hanley Wrote His Way Through Recovery
Getting Sober and Thriving: How David Hanley Wrote His Way Through Recovery
What did it take for David Hanley to finally stop drinking? The answer includes years of alcohol dependency, pacing outside a liquor store at 6:45 in the morning, multiple ICU visits, a wheelchair on a runway, and a rehabilitation center he'd never heard of in a town he'd never been...
Ep 34: Why People Still Don’t Trust You in Early Sobriety (And How to Rebuild It)
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
Ep 34: Why People Still Don’t Trust You in Early Sobriety (And How to Rebuild It)
Why People Still Don’t Trust You in Early Sobriety (And How to Rebuild It)
You’re sober.
You’re trying.
So why does trust still feel shaky?
In this honest and practical episode of Sobriety Now What, Stuart Cline explores one of the most frustrating experiences in recovery: doing the work… yet still feel...
Ep. 33: Alcohol Cirrhosis and Liver Transplant: One Woman’s Sobriety Story
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
What would you do if you were told you needed a new liver to survive?
In this episode of Sobriety Now What?, Stuart Cline talks with Tia about her journey through cirrhosis, alcohol addiction, sobriety, and a life-saving liver transplant. Tia shares what it was like to stop drinking when her life depended on it, endure the long wait on the transplant list, and rebuild her life after receiving a new liver.
...
Ep. 32: How to Overcome Loneliness and Boredom in Early Sobriety
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
Ep. 32: How to Overcome Loneliness and Boredom in Early Sobriety
Early sobriety can feel surprisingly quiet.
You’re doing everything “right”—not drinking, showing up to work, paying bills—but inside, something feels off. Not sad. Not depressed. Just… lonely. Empty. Bored.
If you’ve ever found yourself sitting on the couch, scrolling on your phone and wondering, “Is this what sobriety is?”—this episode is for you.
In this episode of Sobriety Now What<...
Ep 31: Why Your Mind Won’t Slow Down in Early Sobriety — and What to Do
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
Ep 31: Why Your Mind Won’t Slow Down in Early Sobriety — and What to Do
Are you sober—but your mind still feels loud, critical, or exhausting?
You’re not alone—and there’s nothing wrong with you.
In this episode of Sobriety Now What, Stuart explores how self-talk quietly shapes your entire recovery experience, often without you realizing it. Many people stop drinking or using… yet still feel stuck inside their own head...
Ep 30 Your Dream — Closing 2025, Opening What’s Possible
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
Your Dream — Closing 2025, Opening What’s Possible
As one year closes and another begins, this episode is an invitation to pause.
In this reflective and hopeful New Year’s episode of Sobriety Now What, Stuart Cline invites you to look back on 2025—not through what went wrong, but through what went right. The quiet wins. The growth that didn’t always feel dramatic. The moments you showed up, learned something, or kept going when it wasn’t ea...
Ep 29 When Sobriety Opens Doors: How Cat Greenleaf Built a Life Living Out Loud
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
Episode 29: When Sobriety Opens Doors: How Cat Greenleaf Built a Life Living Out Loud
Do you remember the moment when something shifted—
when sobriety stopped feeling like a loss and started revealing unexpected gains?
In this powerful and deeply human conversation, I sit down with Cat Greenleaf, host of the podcast Soberness, to explore what opens up when alcohol no longer runs the show.
Cat shares how sobriety didn’t shrin...
Ep 28: Beyond Willpower: 4 Essential Supports for Thriving in Sobriety
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
4 Essential Supports for Thriving in Sobriety - Do You Have Them?
In this episode of Sobriety Now What, Stuart Cline explores a powerful truth many people in recovery overlook: staying sober and thriving in sobriety isn’t built on willpower alone.
Through a real-life story of a woman who stopped using marijuana while working in the cannabis industry, Stuart breaks down what was actually supporting her change. What she called “willpower” turned out to be something much d...
Ep. 27: From Money Stress to Confidence — A Sobriety Mindset Shift
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
Ep. 27: From Money Stress to Confidence — A Sobriety Mindset Shift
Do you ever feel anxious, confused, or overwhelmed by money? You're not alone. Most people in recovery carry old money beliefs they never chose — they inherited them. And those beliefs quietly shape how safe, confident, or capable we feel with our finances.
In this episode, we explore the 10 most common limiting money beliefs that keep people stuck — and transform each one into a healthy, ground...
Ep 26 - How to Stay Calm and Sober in an Angry World.
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
If the world feels loud, angry, or overwhelming lately, you’re not imagining it. In this episode of Sobriety Now What? we talk about how to stay calm, grounded, and steady in your sobriety even when everything around you feels chaotic.
Stuart shares a moment when the news pulled him into fear and anger—and what he discovered about why this happens so easily in recovery. You’ll learn what anger does to the brain, why venting often makes...
Ep 25 Welcome to Holland: Finding Beauty in the Life You Didn't Expect.
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
🎙️ Episode Title: Welcome to Holland: Finding Beauty in the Life You Didn’t Expect
What happens when life doesn’t go as planned?
In this heartfelt episode of Sobriety Now What?, host Stuart Cline, a master’s-level addictions counselor, therapist, and success coach, shares the moving story Welcome to Holland by Emily Perl Kingsley (©1987, used with permission). Originally written about raising a child with a disability, this timeless piece beautifully captures wha...
Ep 24 - How to Stay Calm in Sobriety: Perspective Shifts That Reduce Anxiety
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
🎙️ Episode 24 — Perspective, Peace, and Coffee
Sobriety Now What? with Stuart Cline
Sometimes, peace begins with something as simple as a cup of coffee. ☕
In this episode, Stuart invites you to slow down and look at life through a different lens — one shaped by gratitude, calm, and perspective. From Mother Teresa’s wise words about peace to the joyful innocence of Elf’s “World’s Greatest Cup of Coffee,” this conversation explores how shifting your focus c...
Ep 23 - How to Reignite Your Motivation in Sobriety: 3 Practical Steps
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
Feeling flat in your sobriety? You’re not alone. In this episode of Sobriety Now What?, Stuart Cline — mental health counselor and recovery success coach — shares three practical steps to reignite your motivation when the spark fades. Discover how gratitude can fuel your day, how small wins rebuild momentum, and how borrowing belief from others can carry you until your own strength returns. Packed with real stories and actionable tools, this episode will help you move from surviving sobriety to thrivin...
Ep 22: Sober Songs - Michael Levin's Off-Broadway Musical on Addiction and Recovery
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
Episode 22: Sober Songs – Michael Levin’s Off-Broadway Musical on Addiction and Recovery
Have you ever felt like you were catching lightning in a bottle—only to lose it in an instant? That’s exactly what happened when I interviewed Michael Levin, the bestselling author, musician, and creator of the new Off-Broadway musical Sober Songs.
Due to a technical issue, the full interview wasn’t captured—but I didn’t want you to miss the powerful insig...
Ep 21 Serena Palmer: Author of My Two Brains and Me (part 2)
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
Ep 21 Serena Palmer: Author of My Two Brains and Me (part 2)
This is part two of my conversation with Serena Palmer, author of My Two Brains and Me. If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to listen to part one first, where Serena shares her early experiences with ADHD and addiction.
In this second half, Serena opens up about:
The painful moment of truth she faced in rehabHow her “why” for sobriety has changed over ti...Ep 20 Serena Palmer: Author of My Two Brains and Me. (Part 1)
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
In this first part of my conversation with Serena Palmer—writer, speaker, and author of My Two Brains and Me—we explore her journey through ADHD, addiction, and the shame that nearly silenced her. Serena’s mantra, recover loudly so others don’t die quietly, has become a rallying cry for breaking stigma around addiction and mental health.
In this episode, Serena opens up about:
Growing up with ADHD and being labeled “the dreamer”How early patterns of shame and...Ep 19: The 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous Explained (With 70+ Years of Sobriety)
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
Episode Description:
In this episode of Sobriety Now What? Stuart continues the conversation with Colm and Mike, two men with over 70 years of combined sobriety. Together, they walk step by step through all 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, sharing candid insights, personal stories, and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.
Whether you’re just starting out in sobriety, have years of recovery under your belt, or are simply curious about the 12 Steps, this conversation offe...
Ep 18 - Colm & Mike: 35 years Sober - Candid Conversation on AA, Recovery, and Life.
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
Colm & Mike: 35 years Sober - Candid Conversation on AA, Recovery, and Life.
What happens when a retired hostage negotiator, a retired businessman, and a counselor walk past a bar? It might sound like the start of a joke, but it’s actually the start of a powerful conversation.
In this episode of Sobriety Now What, host Stuart Cline (age 56) sits down once again with Colm (age 74) and Mike (age 68), who each bring over 35 years of continuous sobriety. Toge...
Ep 17 – Part 2: Colette Streicher on MAP — A New Way to Heal Old Wounds Without Relapsing
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
Episode 17 – Part 2: Colette Streicher on MAP — A New Way to Heal Old Wounds Without Relapsing
How to rewire your brain, stop the sabotage, and shift your life—without reliving the pain.
If you've ever felt like talking about your past just reopens old wounds… you're not alone. In Part 2 of this powerful series, Colette Streicher, creator of the MAP Method, explains how to heal deep emotional pain—without being re-triggered, and without years of t...
Ep 16 – Part 1: Colette Streicher on MAP — A New Way to Heal Old Wounds Without Relapsing
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
Ep 16 – Part 1: Colette Streicher on MAP — A New Way to Heal Old Wounds Without Relapsing
Guest: Colette Streicher, Founder of MAP Coaching Institute
What if the pain from your past didn’t have to define your future? What if you could rewire the beliefs that hold you back—without reliving the trauma that caused them?
In this powerful first part of a two-part series, Stuart sits down with Colette Streicher, the foun...
Ep 15: Dedee Pfeiffer on Alcohol Sobriety, Spiritual Awakening, and Her Supernatural Journey
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
Ep 14: Dedee Pfeiffer
From Friends and ER to Big Sky, actress Dedee Pfeiffer has lit up screens across America. But in this deeply honest and empowering episode, she shares the story behind the spotlight: her journey through addiction, the turning point that led her to rehab, and how seven years of sobriety have opened her up to a spiritual and supernatural awakening.
Dedee gets candid about the shame, fear, and multiple “bottoms” she faced before...
Ep 14 Jam Alker - Rock Star Highs to Rock Bottom Lows, Now Thriving in Sobriety
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
🎙️ Ep 14: Jam Alker – From Rockstar Highs to Rock Bottom Lows, Now Thriving in Sobriety
What happens when the dream life crashes hard—and leaves you with nothing but a guitar, a gut infection, and a choice to heal?
In this powerful episode, Chicago-based musician, speaker, entrepreneur, and recovery advocate Jam Alker joins Stuart to share his remarkable journey from rising rockstar to rock bottom—and back. After battling addiction, surviving a decade-long heroin depe...
Ep. 13: 6 Months of Daily Kindness Changed Everything — Francesca Donlan
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
Ep. 13: What Happens When You Practice Kindness Every Day for 6 Months? (Francesca Donlan’s Story)
In this uplifting episode, I sit down again with writer and kindness advocate, educator, nominated for a Pulitzer Prize 2 times in journalism Francesca Donlan to celebrate her halfway milestone in her Year of Kindness challenge. Francesca has spent 180 consecutive days practicing intentional, creative acts of kindness—documenting each one and inspiring a growing global community along the way.
We explore:
🌿 How kindne...
Ep 12 New Episodes Ahead - and A Daily Phrase to Change Your Life.
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
🎙️ Episode 12 – New Episodes Ahead - and A Daily Phrase to Change Your Life.
In this short but uplifting episode of Sobriety Now What?, your host Stuart Cline—counselor and success coach with over 25 years of experience—returns to say thank you for your patience during a brief pause. Stuart has been recharging and gathering fresh inspiration to bring you incredible new conversations that can help you thrive in sobriety and beyond.
Here’s a preview of wha...
Ep 11: Overthinking in Sobriety: How Fear and Hesitation Steal Your Best Moments
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
🎙️ Episode 11: Kiss the Girl
Sobriety Now What? with Stuart Cline
Sometimes, it's not the moments we seize—but the ones we miss—that shape us most.
In this deeply personal and cinematic episode, Stuart shares a story he’s never told before. It’s a real-life scene straight out of a John Hughes film: tuxedos, limousines, first kisses, and a missed opportunity that still echoes decades later. But at the heart of this story...
Ep 10: Why Self-Respect Is the Key to Thriving in Sobriety
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
Ep 10: Why Self-Respect Is the Key to Thriving in Sobriety
In this episode of Sobriety Now What?, host Stuart Cline shares a personal story about a beat-up yellow car that taught him an unforgettable lesson about self-respect. With warmth, honesty, and humor, Stuart unpacks why respect isn’t just about how we treat others—it’s about how we treat ourselves, especially on the path of sobriety.
You’ll learn:
How surviving isn’t the same...Episode 9: Overcoming Fear in Sobriety — How to Feel the Fear and Jump
DId this podcast help you. Please let me and others know to support the show. Thank you.
Episode 9: Overcoming Fear in Sobriety — How to Feel the Fear and Jump
🎙️ Sobriety Now What Podcast with Stuart Cline
Fear is part of the journey — but it doesn't have to define it.
In today's episode, Stuart shares a personal, messy, and powerful story about what happens when we stop letting fear control our future... and jump anyway.
You’ll hear about real fear, real belly flops (literally), and how courage is born not from perfection, bu...
