Why Listen?
Welcome to the Confident Sober Women podcast, your go-to source for real-life talk on healing trauma, building confidence, and thriving beyond recovery. Hosted by a witty middle-aged woman balancing the chaos of parenting young adults, marriage, and business, each episode feels like a coffee chat with your best friend who’s also a therapist and coach. Since July 1, 2002, our host has been on a journey of sobriety, dedicating her life to helping other sober women.
Tune in for personal stories, teenage mishaps, and professional insights into natural wellness and clinical practices. Join us as we share practical tools for managing emotions and living a life you no longer want to escape from, inspired by the spirit of Stevie Nicks, Carrie Underwood, and Sheryl Crow. Let’s thrive in long-term recovery together!
Confident Sober Women
Join Shelby John, sober since July 1, 2002, for empowering conversations on the Confident Sober Women podcast with women who’ve found joy and confidence in their alcohol and drug-free lives.
This show is a rally cry for empathetic, resilient, and wisdom-seeking women dedicated to building a life you don’t want to escape from after that crucial first year of a sober lifestyle.
Discover how to:
· Build unshakable confidence in your sober life
· Break free from societal drinking norms
· Overcome the shame cycle and emotional numbing
· Resist the glamorized, over-hyped social influences around alcohol
· Create a pure and joyful life beyond recovery
Hear inspiring stories and practical advice on:
· Healing trauma
· Mindful parenting in recovery
· Optimizing physical and mental health
· Building a new, empowered identity
· Transforming your life beyond substance abuse recovery
We dive deep into questions like “Who am I now?” and “How do I pursue my heart’s desires?”, taking the intimidation out of sobriety and showcasing how to thrive in long-term recovery. This is truly a space for women supporting women in this modern recovery era.
New episodes every Tuesday. Subscribe now for weekly inspiration on your journey to becoming one of the happiest sober women, free from the cool crowd’s pressure to drink.
Please leave a review if you love the show, it helps us on the mission to make the Confident Sober Women community a household name.
Finding Humor, Belonging, and Emotional Sobriety with Carly Schwartz
In this episode of Confident Sober Women, Shelby sits down with writer and journalist Carly Schwartz to talk about addiction, emotional sobriety, and the complicated path to recovery.
Carly is a former editor in chief of the San Francisco Examiner and a founding editor of HuffPost San Francisco. Her upcoming memoir, I’ll Try Anything Twice: Misadventures of a Self-Medicated Life, shares the honest and often surprising story of her journey through depression, drug use, and eventually sobriety.
What makes Carly’s story powerful is her ability to talk about difficult experiences with honesty, humor, and perspective. In this conversation, Shelby and Carly explore the deeper emotional work of recovery and the role community plays in healing.
Together they discuss how many women in recovery struggle with belonging, self-criticism, and the belief that their pain is not “bad enough” to count. Carly shares how sobriety helped her move from self-medication and isolation toward connection, emotional healing, and a more grounded life.
In this episode you will hear about:
• Carly’s sobriety journey and the moment she realized her relationship with substances needed to change
• The connection between depression, addiction, and self-medication
• Why humor and storytelling can help reduce stigma around mental health and recovery
• The role of community and belonging in the recovery process
• Letting go of people pleasing and learning to live authentically
This conversation is a reminder that recovery is not just about stopping alcohol or drugs. It is about rebuilding a relationship with yourself and finding confidence in sobriety.
If you are a sober woman, sober curious, or navigating life after alcohol, this episode offers an honest look at the emotional layers of healing and growth.
About the Host
Shelby John is a licensed therapist and founder of Wholistic Living. Through the Confident Sober Women podcast, she explores sobriety, emotional healing, nervous system health, and personal development for women building lives rooted in clarity, confidence, and true freedom.
Connect with Shelby
Website
https://shelbyjohn.com
Podcast
Confident Sober Women
Don’t forget to subscribe, rate & share this episode with a sober woman or someone suffering from anxiety, depression, ADHD, sleep problems and negative thought patterns who needs to hear she is not alone.
Oh, and by the way, if you didn’t know, my remote Neurofeedback Therapy program is up and running. Learn more here!Learn more about EMDR therapy, EMDR Intensives and Remote Neurofeedback.
And if you haven't read my memoir, grab a copy of Recovering in Recovery: The Life-Changing Joy of Sobriety wherever books are sold.
March 24, 2026
November 11, 2025
Search Results placeholder
Share the Show
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Pinterest
Meet Your Host - Shelby John
Shelby is a licensed clinical social worker with a private practice where she specializes in trauma, addiction, and anxiety. With years of experience in the field, she founded Shelby John Coaching and is the happy host of the Confident Sober Women podcast. After getting sober she became a fresh, authentic voice in the sobriety space, showing women how to build confidence and love their lives beyond recovery. Shelby is the mother to three, the wife to one loving man, and has been sober since July 1, 2002.
Featured Conversations Across the Airwaves
What Our Fans Are Saying
Read More
