Aging Well Everyday With Eileen Kopsaftis

Sonia sits down with Jessica Guerrieri to talk about sobriety, motherhood, and the relief of saying two seemingly contradictory things out loud. Jessica is a proud sober mother of three daughters and award-winning author. Her essays have appeared in People, HuffPost, and Writer’s Digest.  What happens when drinking feels like the quickest way to quiet a busy mind? How can an ADHD diagnosis in adulthood change the way someone understands years of overwhelm? And how do women make room for their own needs when so much of motherhood is about anticipating everyone else’s? Through the two estranged sisters in Both Can Be True, Sonia and Jessica explore how fiction can portray addiction with the same complexity it gives to motherhood and sisterhood. They also talk about what reality TV misses when it puts sober people in drinking-centered settings. The conversation closes with two questions for anyone rethinking their drinking. What does alcohol complicate, and how often do the rules around it change? Jessica shares how she found recovery meetings, got a sponsor, and learned she was pregnant shortly after earning her 30-day chip. She talks about returning to substance use during the pandemic, what an ADHD assessment helped her understand about sensory overwhelm, and how writing gave her a way to reach for connection when she felt alone. This is Sisters in Sobriety, the support community that helps women change their relationship with alcohol. Check out our substack for extra tips, tricks and resources. Jessica’s Links Official website Both Can Be True on Bookshop.org Instagram SIS Links 💌 Sisters In Sobriety Substack – where the magic (and the mocktail recipes) happen 📬 Sisters In Sobriety Email 📸 Sisters In Sobriety Instagram

Aging well can feel complicated when every headline offers another rule. On Sisters in Sobriety, Sonia helps make the conversation more approachable with physical therapist, pain consultant, and nutrition educator Eileen Kopsaftis. The author of Pain Culprits and Aging Culprits shares her perspective on movement, pain, and maintaining independence. What does it mean to train for everyday life? Is walking enough? How do strength, mobility, and the expectations surrounding aging fit together? Sonia brings questions familiar to women in midlife, including stretching goals, heavier weights, and conflicting messages about protein. The conversation explores functional movement, the body’s three planes of motion, and Eileen’s approach to the connections between ankles, hips, trunk, and back. They also discuss movement breaks, choosing professional support, and Eileen’s views on nutrition. Her explanations offer a starting point for questions to explore with qualified healthcare professionals. Eileen also shares the experiences that shaped her work: meeting independent hospital patients over 100, noticing contrasting routines during home-care visits, and helping an older farmer prepare to return to her demanding daily life. These stories reveal why meaningful, everyday ability remains central to her approach. This is Sisters in Sobriety, the support community that helps women change their relationship with alcohol. Check out our substack for extra tips, tricks and resources.   Eileen’s Links Website: Have Lifelong Wellbeing Pain Culprits: About Eileen and Her Book   SIS Links 💌 Sisters In Sobriety Substack – where the magic (and the mocktail recipes) happen 📬 Sisters In Sobriety Email 📸 Sisters In Sobriety Instagram Timestamped highlights 01:00 — Meet Eileen and her books on pain and aging. 04:00 — Independent centenarians challenge expectations. 06:00 — Home-care experiences shape Eileen’s perspective. 08:00 — Rehabilitation built around an older farmer’s life. 10:00 — When an exercise setback discourages another try. 12:00 — What Eileen means by functional movement. 13:00 — Moving forward, sideways, and through rotation. 14:00 — Eileen explains her focus on ankle mobility. 17:00 — Looking beyond the location of pain. 19:00 — Sonia asks about her stretching resolution. 23:00 — Everyday tasks use the body as a team. 25:00 — Strength for getting up and living independently. 27:00 — Walking, nature, and taking a stress break. 29:00 — Making room for strengthening activities. 30:00 — Questions about mobility in midlife. 34:00 — Eileen explains trunk, hip, and back connections. 38:00 — Discussing imaging findings and pain. 42:00 — Nutrition enters the aging conversation. 47:00 — Eileen’s views on plant-based eating and protein. 50:00 — Simple movement breaks and reminder cues.

Sonia welcomes Ginny Hogan for an honest, funny conversation about sober dating, identity, and learning what actually feels good without alcohol. Sonia helps unpack the expectations that can follow women into recovery. Ginny Hogan is a stand up comic & writer. Her newest book, OBEY IN ADVANCE, co-written with Carlos Greaves, is out now. What happens when drinking stops being the way to loosen up on dates? Does getting sober automatically improve relationships? And what if being a comedian doesn’t mean wanting to entertain everyone at dinner? Sonia and Ginny explore sober sex, compatibility, and the freedom to stop performing. Their conversation covers early sobriety’s “pink cloud,” finding support that fits, wellness overload, and making room for discomfort. They discuss changing relationship patterns, accepting insecurities, and protecting time to step back. Ginny also shares how political satire creates space for laughter and catharsis. From a competitive childhood in New York to dating apps and late-night comedy, Ginny traces how drinking became woven into her life. She shares the physical distress that pushed her toward change, an awkward return to sober intimacy, and how marriage and motherhood helped reshape the stories she wanted to tell. This is Sisters in Sobriety, the support community that helps women change their relationship with alcohol. Check out our substack for extra tips, tricks and resources. Ginny’s Links Website Email Ginny OBEY IN ADVANCE All links and appearances SIS Links 💌 Sisters In Sobriety Substack – where the magic (and the mocktail recipes) happen 📬 Sisters In Sobriety Email 📸 Sisters In Sobriety Instagram Timestamped Highlights 00:00 — Introducing Ginny Hogan 02:00 — Debate, competition, and wanting validation 04:00 — Dating apps and drinking before dates 06:00 — Recognizing that moderation wasn’t working 07:00 — Feeling physically ill and seeking answers 09:00 — Fearing sober dating and stand-up 10:00 — A life that shrinks and expands 12:00 — The pink cloud and finding recovery support 14:00 — When wellness becomes expensive overcompensation 16:00 — Making room to opt out 17:00 — Sobriety labels and personal boundaries 21:00 — Feeling beyond addiction, yet fearing intoxication 23:00 — When relationships don’t improve with sobriety 26:00 — Returning to sober dating and intimacy 29:00 — Relationship patterns that survive quitting alcohol 34:00 — Learning to experience discomfort without drinking 36:00 — Body image and complicated health changes 42:00 — The pressure to be funny on dates 49:00 — OBEY IN ADVANCE and political catharsis 50:00 — What satire can reveal

Hardship does not pause when someone gets sober. In this episode of Sisters in Sobriety, Sonia welcomes Christina Smallwood, author of Hope in the Hard: Action Steps for Navigating Hardships. Through honest questions and shared recovery experiences, Sonia explores how Christina navigated grief, infertility, adoption, parenting a child with special needs, and a relationship with alcohol that became increasingly difficult to ignore. What happens when drinking becomes a way to quiet grief and insecurity? How can someone look successful while struggling privately? And what makes hope different from toxic positivity? Their conversation explores people pleasing, alcohol as part of an identity, family expectations, and the fear that sobriety means losing the fun. Christina describes hope as an action, rather than a demand to feel positive. She shares the difference between taking a temporary alcohol break and committing to recovery, along with the roles therapy, sponsorship, faith, and honest community played in her experience. They also discuss self-awareness, making amends, and recognizing emotional patterns that repeat across relationships. Behind Christina’s public success is a deeply personal story: losing her father, facing infertility, and navigating her daughter’s surgery while alcohol became a source of escape. She reflects on returning to drinking after seven months alcohol-free, the private turning point that led her toward recovery, and the grace that helped her feel less alone. This is Sisters in Sobriety, the support community that helps women change their relationship with alcohol. Check out our substack for extra tips, tricks and resources. SIS Links 💌 Sisters In Sobriety Substack – where the magic (and the mocktail recipes) happen 📬 Sisters In Sobriety Email 📸 Sisters In Sobriety Instagram Episode highlights 01:00 — Meet Christina Smallwood 03:00 — People pleasing and honest connection 05:00 — The hardship that changed her life 06:00 — Losing her father and finding faith 07:00 — Hope versus toxic positivity 08:00 — Taking recovery one step at a time 10:00 — Alcohol, acceptance, and blackouts 12:00 — Grief and the shift to daily drinking 15:00 — Seeing a joyful sober life modeled 16:00 — A seven-month alcohol break 17:00 — Family expectations and moderation 21:00 — Returning to drinking after surgery 24:00 — A private turning point 26:00 — Early sobriety and seeking support 29:00 — Finding belonging in recovery meetings 32:00 — Making amends and receiving grace 36:00 — Hiding sobriety in social settings 38:00 — Facing the insecurities beneath drinking 40:00 — The weight of looking successful 43:00 — Feeling less alone in the hard

On Sisters in Sobriety, Sonia and Kathleen support women in changing their relationship with alcohol and trusting themselves along the way. In this episode, Sonia talks with Nikki Sapiro Vinckier, an OB-GYN physician assistant, author of We Deserve More, and founder of Take Back Trust, about advocating for better women’s healthcare. What does medical gaslighting sound like? When does “that’s normal” leave a real concern unanswered? How can perimenopause, sobriety, and changing relationships complicate the way women understand their bodies? Sonia and Nikki explore pain, reproductive health, and the questions patients may hesitate to ask. Nikki explains how to prepare for an appointment, describe symptoms through their impact on daily life, and ask for a clear next step. The conversation covers perimenopause and menopause, trauma-informed care, LGBTQ+ inclusion, weight stigma, and rebuilding trust in a changing body. The conversation becomes personal when Sonia shares the fear and isolation of receiving an HPV result by mail. Their exchange explores sexual-health stigma, gaps in communication, and why questions about prevention and follow-up deserve space in the exam room. This is Sisters in Sobriety, the support community that helps women change their relationship with alcohol. Check out our substack for extra tips, tricks and resources. Nikki’s Links 📸 Instagram 📚 We Deserve More SIS Links 💌 Sisters In Sobriety Substack – where the magic (and the mocktail recipes) happen 📬 Sisters In Sobriety Email 📸 Sisters In Sobriety Instagram 🌐 Kathleen’s Website Kathleen does not endorse any products mentioned in this podcast 📸 Kathleen’s Instagram   Timestamped Highlights 01:00 — Meet Nikki Sapiro Vinckier 02:00 — An unexpected path into OB-GYN care 04:00 — Why Nikki took her advocacy beyond the clinic 06:00 — What medical gaslighting can sound like 08:00 — Why speaking up can feel difficult 12:00 — Prepare before entering the exam room 13:00 — Describe symptoms and their daily impact 15:00 — Responding when a concern is called “normal” 18:00 — Perimenopause symptoms across daily life 20:00 — Getting to know the body in sobriety 22:00 — Bias and the history of women’s healthcare 24:00 — Finding a clinician who takes concerns seriously 28:00 — Perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause 30:00 — Birth control and menopause assessment 32:00 — Gaps in training and trauma-informed care 33:00 — How healthcare fails LGBTQ+ patients 36:00 — Asking for care preferences around weighing 38:00 — The meaning behind Take Back Trust 43:00 — Dating, HPV questions, and Sonia’s experience 52:00 — We Deserve More and rebuilding self-trust

What happens when a successful life includes a private struggle with alcohol? In this episode, Sonia speaks with Casey Davidson, founder of Hello Someday Coaching and host of the Hello Someday podcast, about high achievement, anxiety, and getting out of the drinking cycle. Why can drinking feel like the only way to switch off? What makes the evening “witching hour” so difficult? How can sober curiosity and gray area drinking open a conversation without labels? Sonia and Casey explore early sobriety, moderation, and the value of support from women who understand. Casey shares the practical pieces of her “sober bubble”: asking for help, changing routines, eating before the evening rush, and lowering expectations. She explains her 100-day coaching approach, discusses everyday rewards, and explores how boundaries and community create room for a more satisfying life. From college rugby and corporate pressure to motherhood and nightly red wine, Casey traces the moments that made drinking harder to ignore. She shares how a 100-day commitment grew into lasting sobriety—and how admitting she no longer wanted her corporate job helped lead her toward coaching. This is Sisters in Sobriety, the support community that helps women change their relationship with alcohol. Check out our substack for extra tips, tricks and resources. Casey’s Links 🌐 Hello Someday Coaching Website 📸 Casey’s Instagram — @caseymdavidson   SIS Links 💌 Sisters In Sobriety Substack – where the magic (and the mocktail recipes) happen 📬 Sisters In Sobriety Email 📸 Sisters In Sobriety Instagram 🌐 Kathleen’s Website Kathleen does not endorse any products mentioned in this podcast 📸 Kathleen’s Instagram Timestamped highlights 00:00 — Introducing Casey Davidson 02:00 — People-pleasing and the gold-star girl 04:00 — Rugby culture and problematic drinking 07:00 — Mommy wine culture and climbing the ladder 09:00 — Recognizing herself in quit lit 11:00 — Reaching the point of needing change 12:00 — Committing to 100 alcohol-free days 15:00 — Extending the break to a year 16:00 — Building a sober bubble 19:00 — Preparing for the witching hour 20:00 — Eating before the evening rush 23:00 — Life after the red wine identity 25:00 — Admitting her career no longer fit 28:00 — Launching Hello Someday and defining coaching 30:00 — Making room for bigger life changes 33:00 — Casey’s perspective on moderation 37:00 — Her approach to substituting substances 42:00 — Questioning recovery labels 45:00 — Sober curiosity and gray area drinking 48:00 — Finding women who understand

What happens when the drinking stops but the anger stays? Sonia welcomes Zach Brittle, LMHC, Certified Gottman Therapist, Relational Life Therapist, and host of Marriage Therapy Radio. Why can resentment linger after quitting alcohol? How can someone take responsibility without taking all the blame? What happens when partners get sober at different times? Sonia and Zach explore recovery, relationship boundaries, and rebuilding trust beyond counting drinks or sober days. Zach explains his approach to the “wise adult,” pausing before reacting, and playing the movie forward. He describes how Relational Life Therapy connects self-esteem, boundaries, and intimacy, and why having communication tools differs from being ready to use them. Sonia also asks about the difference between celebrating recovery and becoming overconfident. From asking for help during the pandemic to confronting longstanding resentment, Zach shares the experiences behind his recovery. An unforgettable Christmas tree stand, a frustrating gas-station queue, and his and Rebecca’s different paths to sobriety reveal how change has reshaped their marriage and parenting. This is Sisters in Sobriety, the support community that helps women change their relationship with alcohol. Check out our substack for extra tips, tricks and resources. Zach’s Links Website Instagram Marriage Therapy Radio SIS Links 💌 Sisters In Sobriety Substack – where the magic (and the mocktail recipes) happen 📬 Sisters In Sobriety Email 📸 Sisters In Sobriety Instagram 🌐 Kathleen’s Website Kathleen does not endorse any products mentioned in this podcast 📸 Kathleen’s Instagram Episode Highlights 00:00 — Introducing Zach Brittle 02:00 — Recovery beyond alcohol 04:00 — Recognizing personal relapse risks 08:00 — Drinking escalates during COVID 10:00 — Asking for a sponsor’s help 13:00 — Taking inventory of resentment 15:00 — Owning his anger without alcohol 18:00 — Responsibility versus self-blame 20:00 — Anger in the gas-station queue 22:00 — The pause that creates choice 25:00 — Playing the movie forward 27:00 — Recovery becomes a new way of living 29:00 — A milestone tests his sobriety 33:00 — Why tools alone aren’t enough 35:00 — Self-esteem, boundaries, and intimacy 40:00 — Partners on different recovery paths 46:00 — Setting relationship boundaries 47:00 — Alcohol’s impact beyond drink counts 49:00 — Connection, fun, and life after drinking 56:00 — Modeling recovery for adult children

On Sisters in Sobriety, Sonia welcomes relationship coach, author, and podcast host Monica Tanner to explore conflict, emotional safety, and intimacy when alcohol is no longer the escape hatch. Together, they explore how to ask for support, navigate difficult conversations, and reconnect through change. Does “never go to bed angry” actually help? When does communication become criticism? What happens when drinking or scrolling becomes a way to disappear during conflict? Sonia and Monica explore resentment, sober relationships, and talking about sex without turning the conversation into a performance. Monica introduces relational life therapy concepts, including protective childhood patterns, the emotional “whoosh,” and choosing a response with greater awareness. She shares examples of clear requests, healthy boundaries, side-by-side intimacy conversations, and small routines that create space for connection. Monica also shares how her parents’ divorce shaped her interest in relationships, why late-night arguments brought up fears of abandonment, and how a simple request for reassurance changed those moments in her marriage. Her son’s approaching wedding became the inspiration for her book. This is Sisters in Sobriety, the support community that helps women change their relationship with alcohol. Check out our substack for extra tips, tricks and resources. Monica’s Links 🌐 Monica Tanner’s Website 🎙️ Secrets of Happily Ever After Podcast 📖 Bad Marriage Advice SIS Links 💌 Sisters In Sobriety Substack – where the magic (and the mocktail recipes) happen 📬 Sisters In Sobriety Email 📸 Sisters In Sobriety Instagram 🌐 Kathleen’s Website Kathleen does not endorse any products mentioned in this podcast 📸 Kathleen’s Instagram Timestamped Highlights 01:00 — Meet relationship coach Monica Tanner. 02:00 — The divorce that reshaped her idea of marriage. 04:00 — Rethinking “never go to bed angry.” 06:00 — Asking for reassurance before taking a break. 08:00 — Relationship maintenance before a crisis. 11:00 — Why conflict can block familiar communication skills. 14:00 — Recognizing protective patterns and boundaries. 16:00 — Teaching a partner how to love you well. 18:00 — Small requests before resentment builds. 20:00 — Asking for listening instead of solutions. 23:00 — Making requests without criticism. 25:00 — Withdrawal, fawning, and old survival strategies. 26:00 — Sonia on alcohol, conflict, and getting sober. 28:00 — Withdrawing in plain sight. 30:00 — Pausing during the emotional “whoosh.” 34:00 — Making space for conversations about sex. 38:00 — Exploring a broader definition of intimacy. 41:00 — When deeper relationship problems need help first. 45:00 — Monica’s routines for regular connection. 46:00 — Couples work, intensives, and closing reflections.

In this episode of Sisters in Sobriety, Sonia explores the invisible work adult daughters perform to keep families connected. With communication scholar, Baylor professor and Good Daughtering author Dr. Allison M. Alford. Dr. Alford helps women recognize how family roles can shape self-worth, perfectionism, resentment and coping. Why are daughters so often expected to organize, anticipate needs and smooth over conflict? How do culture, birth order and family expectations influence daughtering? And why can a son receive enormous praise for a small gesture while a daughter feels she is always falling short? Dr. Alford defines daughtering as the mental, emotional, logistical and identity work daughters do for their families. She explains how to make that labor visible, establish boundaries without turning them into ultimatums, distinguish venting from rumination and replace impossible A+ expectations with a sustainable B+ standard. She also shares how her own family relationships changed when she stopped building connection around complaints and enlisted her husband, children and sister in creating new conversation patterns. Her message is simple: every woman is already a good-enough daughter and has agency in deciding how that role will fit into her life. This is Sisters in Sobriety, the support community that helps women change their relationship with alcohol. Check out our substack for extra tips, tricks and resources. Dr. Alford’s Links 🌐 Daughtering 101 Website 📕 Good Daughtering 📸 Instagram SIS Links 💌 Sisters In Sobriety Substack – where the magic (and the mocktail recipes) happen 📬 Sisters In Sobriety Email 📸 Sisters In Sobriety Instagram 🌐 Kathleen’s Website Kathleen does not endorse any products mentioned in this podcast 📸 Kathleen’s Instagram Timestamped Highlights 01:00 — Dr. Allison Alford introduces her work on daughtering 05:00 — Defining the overlooked cost of being a good daughter 07:00 — Why women’s caring roles are so often called mothering 10:00 — Honoring daughterhood as a distinct part of identity 12:00 — Choosing how fully to show up in family roles 14:00 — Daughters as the behind-the-scenes family CEOs 16:00 — How daughter conditioning develops from childhood 18:00 — Why sons receive praise for exceeding lower expectations 22:00 — Culture, geography and privilege shape daughtering 24:00 — The unspoken rules daughters are expected to follow 27:00 — How impossible standards create a fog of failure 30:00 — Creating a personal B+ daughter rubric 32:00 — The relationship between resentment and self-abandonment 34:00 — Boundaries as fences around emotional and physical space 36:00 — Recognizing when family venting becomes rumination 38:00 — Communicating a boundary once—and following through 40:00 — Making invisible daughtering labor visible 43:00 — Building a Plan B for healthier family conversations 46:00 — Eldest and only daughters face distinct pressures 50:00 — Every daughter gets to decide what “good enough” means

In this episode of Sisters in Sobriety, Sonia explores the connection between sobriety, creativity, and reinvention with Kerri Maher, the USA Today bestselling author of The Paris Bookseller and The Kennedy Debutante. Kerri discusses her four years of sobriety and her deeply personal new novel, Summer of Love, set in California and centered on addiction, family, recovery, and hope. What happens when someone’s drinking does not produce a cinematic rock bottom, but no longer feels sustainable? How can people find recovery support outside traditional 12-step programs? Sonia and Kerri discuss sober identity, online community, emotional sobriety, belonging, and the many different paths people can take toward changing their relationship with alcohol. Kerri explains how The Luckiest Club helped her find her people, why sobriety and writing are both daily practices, and how greater clarity changed her creative and professional decisions. She also shares how The Artist’s Way, morning pages, artist dates, and an “adjacent art” with no pressure attached helped her develop Summer of Love. Kerri’s story reveals a quieter, joyful vision of recovery: clear mornings, renewed confidence, richer emotions, and the freedom to experience places such as Napa beyond their drinking culture. She also reflects on generational addiction, “good girl” identity, sober travel, and writing a novel that allows recovery to be hopeful rather than punishing. This is Sisters in Sobriety, the support community that helps women change their relationship with alcohol. Check out our substack for extra tips, tricks and resources. Kerri’s Links 📚 Summer of Love 📸 Instagram: @kerrimaherwriter SIS Links 💌 Sisters In Sobriety Substack – where the magic (and the mocktail recipes) happen 📬 Sisters In Sobriety Email 📸 Sisters In Sobriety Instagram 🌐 Kathleen’s Website Kathleen does not endorse any products mentioned in this podcast 📸 Kathleen’s Instagram Timestamped Highlights 01:00 — Kerri introduces her sobriety and Summer of Love 04:00 — The small moments that made Kerri question her drinking 05:00 — An early 15-to-18-month period without alcohol 08:00 — How The Luckiest Club began and became Kerri’s community 10:00 — Finding accessible support during the sandwich-generation years 14:00 — Is recovery’s “special sauce” the program or the community? 17:00 — Emotional sobriety, anger management, and continued inner work 19:00 — Writing and sobriety as practices built through repetition 21:00 — How alcohol created subtle brain fog without stopping productivity 26:00 — The personal origins of Summer of Love 28:00 — Morning pages bring the book’s characters and plot together 31:00 — Watercolor play as relaxing, pressure-free creativity 33:00 — Writing about recovery as joyful rather than punishing 35:00 — Clear mornings and dependable presence as everyday sober joy 43:00 — Exploring generational patterns of addiction 46:00 — Looking beyond wine culture in Napa Valley 49:00 — Rediscovering California through food, landscape, and connection 53:00 — Sober travel and experiencing mornings without a hangover 54:00 — Kerri’s message to sober and sober-curious readers 55:00 — Closing the conversation