256: The Four Tasks of Mourning

Veronica is joined by Cathy who got sober when she was 76. When Cathy met Veronica last year she told her she had two choices; she was either going to drink herself to death or, get sober. Thankfully she chose sobriety and she shares her story and dismisses any limiting beliefs you may have that you are too old or it's too late to stop drinking. To learn more, visit the show notes.

Chip and Veronica explore how other people can try and sabotage our sobriety. This is an experience most people have in early sobriety. Whether it is from family, friends, colleagues we may have people in our lives who don't like the fact that we want to be sober. One of the most hurtful ways is when people tell us we aren't 'fun' anymore. To learn more, visit the show notes.

Veronica interviews Paul Churchill from the Recovery Elevator podcast. We discuss how anything is possible in sobriety and how Paul went from blowing up his life and living in his parent's basement to living his dream life. To learn more, visit the show notes.

Chip and Veronica discuss how imposter syndrome can manifest and sabotage our lives and sobriety. It creates fear and anxiety that have to be managed as we judge our insides by other peoples outsides. To learn more, visit the show notes.

Veronica talks to Dr. Schneider about the human experience of anxiety. How can we deal with anxiety and understand it as part of our human functioning? Dr. Schneider is past editor of the Journal of Humanistic Psychology, adjunct faculty at Saybrook University and Teachers College, Columbia University, and president of the Existential-Humanistic Institute (EHI). He is also a Fellow of five divisions of the American Psychological Association (Humanistic, Psychotherapy, Clinical, Theoretical and Philosophical, and Independent Practice) as well as a frequent speaker at conferences and in the media. Dr. Schneider is also the recipient of Honorary Diplomas and Memberships from The Society for Existential Analysis, UK; The East European Association for Existential Therapy; and the Living Institute, Toronto, Canada, whose diploma in “Existential-Integrative” Therapy is based on Dr. Schneider’s original model of this approach. He has authored or coauthored twelve books, including The Paradoxical Self, Horror and the Holy, Existential-Integrative Psychotherapy, Awakening to Awe and the forthcoming Wiley World Handbook of Existential Therapy. Several of these works have been translated into Chinese, German, Russian, Greek, Turkish, Portuguese, Slovakian, and Korean languages.   To learn more, visit the show notes.

Veronica and Chip celebrate 6-years with the Soberful podcast. Questions answered: what was your first impression of each other? How have you changed over 20 years? Should you leave your partner if they don't support your sobriety? How to deal with stress and crabings? And can you get sober without God? To learn more, visit the show notes.

Veronica meets Dr. Emily Nicholls to discuss the No and Low alcohol market. The deliberate blurring of marketing by alcohol companies and whether the alcohol-free market is a good or bad thing. Dr Emily Nicholls is a Lecturer in Sociology at the University of York, UK. Her research interests include gender, identity and alcohol consumption. Emily’s research has spanned different areas of drinking and non-drinking over the last ten years, from the ‘girls’ night out’ to drinking patterns and practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has also undertaken research into women’s experiences of early sobriety and, more recently, the ways in which ‘No and Low’ alcohol drinks are marketed and used by both drinkers and non-drinkers.   To learn more, visit the show notes.

As part of our parenting as Prevention series, Dr. Ortiz joins Veronica to discuss the four D's: Discomfort, distress, disappointment, and (mild) danger and how our kids need to manage these feelings in order to learn vital life skills as adults. Director of clinical training and associate professor of psychology, Dr. Ortiz conducts research on parenting, disruptive behavior problems in children, and child anxiety. Dr. Ortiz received a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, before joining the faculty at Long Island University-Post. Dr. Ortiz is a licensed psychologist in and runs a private psychology practice in NY. He has made a number of media appearances to bring evidence-based clinical psychology to a broader audience. His latest work, Independence Therapy for child anxiety was recently described in an op-ed piece he wrote for the NY Times. You can follow him on X @DrCamiloOrtiz.   To learn more, visit the show notes.

Chip and Veronica believe if sobriety wasn't joyful, fun and interesting, we wouldn't want to do it. Finding joy in sobriety is what underpins long-term sobriety. They discuss how to find your joy in sobriety. To learn more, visit the show notes.

In the second part, Veronica and Chip take you through the four tasks of mourning and how these actions can help us move through this important process of letting go. To learn more, visit the show notes.