Beyond Belief Sobriety

Beyond Belief Sobriety Podcast

The Beyond Belief Sobriety Podcast features stories of interest to people seeking a secular path to addiction recovery. We post episodes each week featuring a personal recovery story or an interview with an author or expert in addiction science. In addition to the audio podcast episodes posted here, we also live stream every Saturday at 11:00 am Central time. You can support our podcast by becoming a member of our YouTube Channel or a supporter on Patreon. read less
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Episode 292: Afternoon with the Atheists
08-01-2023
Episode 292: Afternoon with the Atheists
In this episode of Beyond Belief Sobriety, you will meet John C. from Paris, Vick Losick, from New York City, John Huey from Washington D.C., and Larry Knight from Toronto. The four appeared on the podcast to talk about a new secular recovery meeting they started called “Afternoon with the Atheists,” which is named after […]
Episode 292: Afternoon with the Atheists
08-01-2023
Episode 292: Afternoon with the Atheists
In this episode of Beyond Belief Sobriety, you will meet John C. from Paris, Vick Losick, from New York City, John Huey from Washington D.C., and Larry Knight from Toronto. The four appeared on the podcast to talk about a new secular recovery meeting they started called “Afternoon with the Atheists,” which is named after […]
Episode 291: Overcoming Sugar Addiction with Mike Collins
21-12-2022
Episode 291: Overcoming Sugar Addiction with Mike Collins
In this episode we talk with Mike Collins. Mike is the founder of sugaraddiction.com and is passionate about helping people overcome their addictions. He is the author of “The Last Resort Sugar Detox”, which you can read for free on his website. This was Mike’s second appearance on our podcast. He was previously our guest […]
Episode 290: Clean Slate | A Conversation with the Filmmaker Jared Callahan
14-12-2022
Episode 290: Clean Slate | A Conversation with the Filmmaker Jared Callahan
When it comes to creating a compelling documentary, the process surprisingly often starts with putting the camera down. As Host John Sheldon’s guest on this episode of Beyond Belief Sobriety explains, establishing a relational trust element is essential to capturing those intimate moments that make us forget we’re watching a film. In his absorbing new […]
Episode 289: Soberlink | Accountability in Recovery
17-11-2022
Episode 289: Soberlink | Accountability in Recovery
Accountability is at the core of any recovery program and, as we are reminded on this episode of Beyond Belief Sobriety, there are many roads to get there. Host John Sheldon invites his guest, Mark Knobloch, to share some of the strategies he finds most helpful to the people he advises as an addiction recovery […]
Episode 288: Katy Jacopi | Challenges of a Secular Recovery
09-11-2022
Episode 288: Katy Jacopi | Challenges of a Secular Recovery
As she shares with Host John Sheldon on this episode of Beyond Belief, entering recovery as a non-believer at the height of pandemic presented Katy Jacopi with special challenges. Where to find community and support when the Alcoholics Anonymous concept of a “higher power” isn’t the right fit? “The reason I couldn’t deny that I […]
Episode 287: Addicted In Film
02-11-2022
Episode 287: Addicted In Film
Film is a medium uniquely able to capture emotional nuance, and that’s especially true when it comes to narratives about addiction. This episode of Beyond Belief Sobriety features an accomplished Hollywood veteran’s encyclopedic look at the many films (far more than you might imagine!) that tackle everything from the reality of relapse to the ripple […]
Episode 286: The Recovery Cycle
26-10-2022
Episode 286: The Recovery Cycle
Maybe you’re familiar with the Cycle of Addiction, a repeating set of stages (and downward spiral) that many of us have experienced to one degree or another. Host John Sheldon’s guest on this episode of The Beyond Belief Sobriety Podcast invites us to look at a mirror image – a Cycle of Recovery tracing a […]
Episode 285: Magnify Maggie
19-10-2022
Episode 285: Magnify Maggie
Although of different generations, Host John Sheldon and his guest on this episode of Beyond Belief Sobriety find commonality both in the loss of a loved one to suicide and their perspectives on recovery. Maggie Jenson, an alternative recovery coach, shares the journey and vision behind her remarkable Magnify Digital Rehabilitation Program, including the traumatic […]
Episode 284: Amy Willis – Sobriety and Mindset Coach
12-10-2022
Episode 284: Amy Willis – Sobriety and Mindset Coach
When it comes to alcohol, it’s easy to fall into myopia and focus on our own particular circumstances, but this episode reminds us that actually we’re all part of a much larger context – one that powerfully affects our thoughts and choices. Sobriety Coach Amy Willis shares with Host John Sheldon the four pillars that […]
Episode 283: About LifeRing With Casey Cannizzaro
05-10-2022
Episode 283: About LifeRing With Casey Cannizzaro
When it comes to promoting recovery, there is liberation in knowing that it can come in all kinds of packages. On this episode of Beyond Belief Sobriety we are learning about LifeRing, a secular support group that has offered Casey Cannizzaro, a life coach, exactly the safe, flexible space he needed in order to explore […]
Episode 282: Mind, Body & Recovery With Ryan Mack
01-10-2022
Episode 282: Mind, Body & Recovery With Ryan Mack
You know that expression, “The only way out is through?” It’s a truism that has never been truer than in the case of Ryan Mack, who fought his way back from serious addiction, mental anguish and a toxic lifestyle. How did he do it? It started by learning to take control of his mind. Today […]
Episode 281: Matt Gardiner’s Recovery Roadmap
21-09-2022
Episode 281: Matt Gardiner’s Recovery Roadmap
Everyone’s recovery story is unique, but in the case of my guest for this episode, there are some unmistakable parallels that resonate with us both. Matt Gardiner is a certified recovery coach, sound therapist and podcast host whose journey has been marked by turning points that share some similarities with John’s, as their conversation illuminates […]
Episode 280: LaDawn Did It For Real
14-09-2022
Episode 280: LaDawn Did It For Real
Are you ready to meet a secular force of nature? Then you won’t want to miss this episode. Our guest, LaDawn, shares with us the harrowing passage she made from hardened alcoholic to master of a YouTube channel that regularly delights, inspires and informs viewers on a range of mental health, lifestyle and sobriety-related topics. […]
Episode 279: Atheism and Sobriety Podcast No. 3
07-09-2022
Episode 279: Atheism and Sobriety Podcast No. 3
The following essay was authored by John Huey for the purpose of outlining the discussion of our third episode in the Atheism and Sobriety series. Abstinence and The Purity of Atheist Thought By John Huey As Atheists we see things not only as they are in personal terms without the veneer of belief, but, as […]
Episode 278: About Relapse
03-08-2022
Episode 278: About Relapse
Although relapse is often a source of shame, it needn’t be. As we learn on this episode, there are ways to understand such stumbles as part of the larger process that is recovery. This livestream conversation features co-hosts John Sheldon and Mary C., who together explore the healing opportunities available to us when we respond […]
Episode 277: Martin Lockett | Prison to Purpose Pipeline
27-07-2022
Episode 277: Martin Lockett | Prison to Purpose Pipeline
Highjacked by trauma and a profound desire for validation, Martin Lockett attached himself early on to gangs, drugs and violence – all in the name of fitting in. It was a path that took him into a world of trouble, including a DUI accident that resulted in the death of two people. Sentenced by the […]
Episode 276: My Story for the 34th Time
20-07-2022
Episode 276: My Story for the 34th Time
Today, July 20, 2022 marks thirty-four years since my last drink, so in the spirit of sobriety anniversaries, I thought I’d take the opportunity to share my recovery story. It’s a story I’ve told many times over the years, but each telling is a little different as I continually gain additional insight and learn from […]
Episode 275: Fake It ‘Til You Make It?
13-07-2022
Episode 275: Fake It ‘Til You Make It?
Anyone who has any experience with AA has heard the saying, “fake it ’til you make it.” Often, the statement is made to someone who isn’t buying the concept of needing a higher power to stay sober. They are told to just pretend and sooner or later, they will come along. But is there another […]
Episode 274: Sober With Purpose
06-07-2022
Episode 274: Sober With Purpose
Every Tuesday at 7:00 PM Central, we have a meeting for listeners of the podcast, that you are free to join anytime. Typically, we’ll have a guest from a previous episode speak or we’ll play a clip from one of our episodes to use as a basis of conversation. This week, I needed to get […]
Episode 273: Higher and Friendly Powers
29-06-2022
Episode 273: Higher and Friendly Powers
Is it possible that the “higher power” concept that animates Bill W.’s framework for Alcoholics Anonymous is based on an overly narrow reading of William James, a preeminent psychologist and intellectual giant of the early 20th century? On this episode of The Beyond Belief Sobriety Podcast, author Peg O’Connor unpacks a compelling theory as well […]