Happiest Hour with Paula Devine

Performative parenting: Are we really present?

My friend Shannon and I have been walking this journey together for years, and this conversation is one of the most honest we’ve had. We talk about motherhood, friendship, and the subtle ways alcohol had us performing instead of truly connecting—showing up physically while missing pieces of ourselves emotionally. This episode is about what changed, what surprised us, and how choosing differently gave us more presence, more honesty, and more of ourselves back.

"Let's Party" with Brenda!

This week I got to sit down with a very special soul and friend, Brenda. We met through Lighthouse Sobriety Academy. From the moment you meet her, you feel her energy, joy, and deep sense of peace—but her journey wasn’t always that way. We talk about her complicated relationship with alcohol, unhealthy relationships, and how drinking looked different during different seasons of her life. Because alcohol isn’t always linear. Sometimes life changes… and our drinking changes with it. Brenda shares how she found freedom through faith, self-discovery, and learning to trust herself again. This conversation is honest, insightful, and full of hope for anyone who’s quietly wondering if there’s another way to live.

When no one's watching: The trigger no one talks about

We talk a lot about triggers like parties, stress, and celebrations—but what about the quiet moments? The nights home alone. The hotel room. The empty house. The moments when nobody’s watching and that little voice says… who’s gonna know? In this episode, we talk about one of the hardest and least discussed parts of changing your relationship with alcohol: drinking in private, negotiating with yourself, and learning to trust yourself again. Because freedom isn’t doing whatever you want when no one’s around. Freedom is feeling peaceful in your own mind when they’re not. If this is your trigger, this conversation is for you.

A Conversation with Juliet Warner: Sobriety, Relapse & AA truths

This week I sat down with Juliet Warner for an honest conversation about sobriety, relapse, faith, motherhood, and what recovery actually looks like behind the scenes. We talk about relapse and finding our way back. AA, God, and the magic of the 12 Steps Parenting teens and becoming a more present mom. What recovery gave us that alcohol never could This isn’t a conversation about perfection. It’s about honesty, second chances, showing up, and creating a life you don’t want to escape from.

Author Dana Bowman: Alcohol, Relapse and Recovery Truths

In this episode of The Happiest Hour with Paula Devine, Paula sits down with Dana Bowman for an honest conversation about motherhood, nightly wine habits, menopause, sugar addiction, perfectionism, and the complicated relationship so many women have with alcohol. They also talk openly about relapse — not as failure, but as part of Dana’s story and a turning point that became intentional, honest, and deeply eye-opening. Together they explore what happens when alcohol stops feeling like relief and starts creating more exhaustion, anxiety, and disconnection instead. This conversation touches on: Normalizing the nightly glasses, drinking habits & culture * Midlife stress and sober menopause * Sugar addiction and coping mechanisms * Perfectionism and people-pleasing * Relapse, self-awareness, and starting again * What real freedom and recovery can look like This episode is for the woman quietly wondering if there’s more to life than constantly trying to “manage” alcohol while pretending everything is fine.