Navigating Sober October From the Vault

Sobriety, Identity, and Rebuilding Life Beyond Alcohol with Heather Trumpfheller

In this episode of Sober Banter, host Rachel sits down with Heather Trumpfheller, a tech startup professional and world traveler, for an honest conversation about modern sobriety, identity shifts, and reclaiming life without alcohol. Heather shares how quitting drinking led her to also walk away from busyness, a decade long career that no longer aligned with her values, and patterns rooted in anxiety, people pleasing, and burnout. The conversation explores early sobriety, grief and loss, dating and traveling alcohol free, resentment, stigma, and why community is essential in recovery. This episode is a powerful reminder that sobriety is not a punishment. It is freedom. And it is never too late to choose yourself. Editor’s Note: This episode was recorded in July 2025 when Heather was 18 months sober. She is now over 2 years sober as her sobriety date is November 13, 2023. * (00:00) - Welcome + Heather’s Sobriety Story * (03:44) - Finding Community and Support * (08:04) - Early Sobriety and Identity Shifts * (12:28) - Celebrating Sobriety Milestones * (24:13) - Grief, Loss, and Staying Sober * (27:57) - Traveling and Dating Without Alcohol * (35:34) - Labels, Stigma, and Recovery Culture * (55:53) - Rest, Growth, and Final Reflections Connect with Heather 📸 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/htrumpfheller [https://www.instagram.com/htrumpfheller] 💼 LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathertrumpfheller/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathertrumpfheller/] 📧 Email htrumpfheller@gmail.com Stay Connected: Listen, Subscribe, and Share  🎧🎙️Listen to Sober Banter Available wherever you get podcasts  🌐 Visit the Sober Banter Website [https://soberbanter.com/] Following the show or leaving a review helps more people find these conversations. 💌 Join Our Email List [https://mailchi.mp/soberbanter.com/2026] Get new episodes, updates, and bonus content delivered straight to your inbox. 🤝 Support the Show [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/soberbanter] Help us keep Sober Banter independent and listener supported. 📚 Alcoholics Anonymous [https://www.aa.org/] Explore AA as one possible recovery resource. 📩 Email us! podcast@soberbanter.com 📱 Follow Sober Banter on Social Media Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/soberbanterpod]:  Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/sober.banter]:  TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@soberbanter]:  X [https://x.com/Sober_banter]:  Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sober-banter/id1805475969] Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/3A51zCDyW8K927va0adaby] Disclaimer Sober Banter is not a medical or clinical podcast. We share lived experience, not professional advice. If you are navigating alcohol withdrawal, mental health concerns, or need additional support, please seek help from a qualified provider or trusted recovery resource. ★ Support this podcast ★ [https://buymeacoffee.com/soberbanter]

Modern Sobriety & Parenting: Relapse, Labels, and AA Tradition 11 | Kristen Crocker

In this episode, hosts Colin Casey and Rachel Casey sit down with writer and recovery advocate Kristen Crocker for an honest conversation about parenting, sobriety, and modern recovery. Together, they talk about quitting drinking, navigating sobriety while raising kids, and how stigma, labels, and recovery culture shape the way parents seek support. * (00:00) - Meet Kristen Crocker * (03:54) - Struggles, relapses, and trying again * (06:30) - Changing perceptions of alcoholism * (10:39) - Navigating sobriety with family * (16:42) - Pregnancy and sobriety * (31:44) - AA Tradition 11 and social media * (34:53) - Relapse and recovery insights * (41:26) - Evolving AA literature and recovery culture Connect with Kristen Kristen writes Recoverettes, a Substack focused on normalizing recovery from alcoholism among strong, smart women. Her work explores motherhood, step-motherhood, staying sober through hard seasons, twelve-step recovery, neuroscience, and anything that actually works. Substack: https://recoverettes.substack.com [https://recoverettes.substack.com/] Profile: https://substack.com/@kblantoncrocker [https://substack.com/@kblantoncrocker] 🎧 Listen & Subscribe to Sober Banter Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sober-banter/id1805475969 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sober-banter/id1805475969] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3A51zCDyW8K927va0adaby [https://open.spotify.com/show/3A51zCDyW8K927va0adaby] 💌 Join Our Email List https://mailchi.mp/soberbanter.com/2026 [https://mailchi.mp/soberbanter.com/2026] 🤝 Support the Show https://www.buymeacoffee.com/soberbanter [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/soberbanter] 📚 Alcoholics Anonymous https://www.aa.org [https://www.aa.org/] 📱 Follow Sober Banter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soberbanterpod [https://www.instagram.com/soberbanterpod] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sober.banter [https://www.facebook.com/sober.banter] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@soberbanter [https://www.tiktok.com/@soberbanter] X: https://twitter.com/soberbanter [https://twitter.com/soberbanter] Disclaimer Sober Banter is not a medical or clinical podcast. We share lived experience, not professional advice. If you are navigating alcohol withdrawal, mental health concerns, or need additional support, please seek help from a qualified provider or trusted recovery resource. ★ Support this podcast ★ [https://buymeacoffee.com/soberbanter]

Gambling Addiction: The Lie of Control with Adam Lyons (The Modern Meeting)

What happens when the bet stops being about money and starts being about control? When does gambling shift from entertainment to survival mode? In this episode of Sober Banter, Rachel and Colin sit down with Adam Lyons, host of The Modern Meeting, for a direct conversation about compulsive gambling and long term recovery. Adam shares nearly twenty years of chasing losses, normalizing chaos, and living inside the illusion of control. Together, they unpack how gambling culture, online platforms, and social media quietly glorify risk, and how that normalization fuels addiction. This episode explores what desperation really looks like, how enabling can hide as support, and why recovery requires structure, accountability, and humility. In this episode, you will hear: • How early poker shaped the illusion of control • When gambling crosses the line into addiction • Why chasing losses becomes the trap • The impact of YouTube and gambling influencers • The reality of living with addiction • What real recovery looks like beyond willpower If you are questioning your relationship with betting, supporting someone who is, or trying to understand gambling addiction in today’s culture, this conversation is honest and grounded. We are not clinicians. We are two people in recovery sharing lived experience. This podcast is not a substitute for medical or mental health care. If you are struggling or in crisis, please seek qualified professional support. * (00:00) - Early Gambling and the Illusion of Control * (00:55) - A Spiritual Awakening in Oklahoma * (07:30) - Living Dirty and Normalized Chaos * (08:37) - When Gambling Became a Problem * (14:27) - Chasing Losses and the Addiction Cycle * (20:00) - Desperation and Survival Mode * (25:17) - The Glorification of Gambling Online * (31:08) - The Reality of 1-800-GAMBLER * (44:52) - Living With Addiction * (54:01) - Final Thoughts and Resources Connect with Adam 🎙 The Modern Meeting Podcast Available on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ModernMeeting], Spotify [https://tr.ee/P6WgJo1NZH], and Apple Podcasts [https://tr.ee/fxXNxVrWvc] 📧 modernmeetingpod@gmail.com 🔗 https://linktr.ee/modernmeetingpod [https://linktr.ee/modernmeetingpod]📱 https://www.instagram.com/modernmeeting [https://www.instagram.com/modernmeeting] Recovery Resources Learn about Gamblers Anonymous https://www.gamblersanonymous.org [https://www.gamblersanonymous.org/] Learn about Alcoholics Anonymoushttps://www.aa.org [https://www.aa.org/] 🎧 Listen to Sober Banter Apple Podcasts:  Spotify:  💌 Join Our Email List [https://soberbanter.com/subscribe] 🤝 Support the Show [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/soberbanter] 📚 Alcoholics Anonymous [https://www.aa.org/] 📱 Follow Sober Banter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soberbanterpod [https://www.instagram.com/soberbanterpod]Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sober.banter [https://www.facebook.com/sober.banter]TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@soberbanter [https://www.tiktok.com/@soberbanter]X: https://twitter.com/soberbanter [https://twitter.com/soberbanter] You can also email questions or topic ideas to podcast@soberbanter.com. We read every message. ★ Support this podcast ★ [https://buymeacoffee.com/soberbanter]

Managing Expectations during Sober October (Re-release)

Episode Summary (Re-Released episode) Sober Banter hosts offer advice for Sober October, emphasizing realistic expectations, support systems, and self-compassion. Chapters 00:00 Managing Expectations and Social Pressure 01:21 Finding Support and Accountability 03:32 Health Benefits and Personal Growth 07:19 Tips for a Successful Sober October This episode is a re-release and goes back to our early catalog, before most people even knew Sober Banter existed. We are bringing it back because the advice still matters. Sober October is not about perfection, it is about managing expectations, leaning on accountability, and giving yourself compassion along the way. Please give us grace on any audio hiccups. I (Rachel) touched it up as best I could, but wanted to share it for the message, not polish it into perfection. Between college, parenting, and chronic illness, I overworked myself and had to step away. It was the right choice for my sobriety and emotional health. I also have a backlog of unreleased interviews. If one of those is yours, it will be out as soon as possible. I am pacing myself this time and will send updates by email. Thank you for your patience. The good news is that Colin and I are still sober, and we plan to record a new episode soon to share how we have stayed grounded. For now, enjoy this short audio-only throwback about Sober October. Let us know what you think, and remember to take it one day at a time. Stay Connected 💌 Subscribe at soberbanter.com [https://soberbanter.com/] 💬 Leave a review or comment to help others find us Leave a comment [%%half_magic_comments_url%%] 🔄 Share this episode with someone who might need it Share [%%share_url%%] 📱 Follow on Instagram: @soberbanterpodcast [https://www.instagram.com/soberbanterpodcast/] ☕ Support the show: Buy us a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/soberbanter [https://buymeacoffee.com/soberbanter] or Venmo at venmo.com/u/Soberbanter [https://venmo.com/u/Soberbanter] 🌐 Questions or feedback? Visit soberbanter.com or email Rachel at rachel@soberbanter.com * (00:00) - Managing Expectations and Social Pressure * (01:21) - Finding Support and Accountability * (03:32) - Health Benefits and Personal Growth * (07:19) - Tips for a Successful Sober October ★ Support this podcast ★ [https://buymeacoffee.com/soberbanter]

Navigating Sober October From the Vault

This is an early Sober Banter episode brought back for Sober October. We were new at this, so you may hear a few hiccups. The lessons still land. We cover the hardest parts of Sober October and the simple habits that kept us steady. Think of this as day one support with honest talk and practical steps. It also shows how far we have come as hosts and as people in recovery. If you are here to start strong or find your footing again, press play. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Sober Banter 00:43 Personal Sobriety Stories 03:33 Challenges of Sober October 06:36 Daily Check-ins and Support 08:58 Reflections and Rationalizations 15:07 Cultural Perspectives on Drinking 16:06 Conclusion and Wrap-Up 🎧 Enjoyed this episode? Let’s stay connected! 💌 Subscribe to Sober Banter so you never miss an episode. 💬 Leave a review or a comment because your thoughts mean the world and help others find us. 🔄 Share this episode with someone who might need it. 📱 Follow us on Instagram: @soberbanterpodcast ☕️ Support the show:  ·       Buy us a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/soberbanter [https://www.buymeacoffee.com/soberbanter]  ·       Make a donation at https://www.venmo.com/u/Soberbanter [https://www.venmo.com/u/Soberbanter] Do you have questions or feedback? Contact us at soberbanter.com [https://soberbanter.com] or email Rachel at rachel@soberbanter.com [rachel@soberbanter.com] * (00:00) - Introduction to Sober Banter * (03:33) - Challenges of Sober October * (06:36) - Daily Check-ins and Support * (08:58) - Reflections and Rationalizations * (15:07) - Cultural Perspectives on Drinking * (16:06) - Conclusion and Wrap-Up ★ Support this podcast ★ [https://buymeacoffee.com/soberbanter]