Rich Roll has spent 1,000+ episodes proving that recovery conversations don’t have to be preachy. Before he was an ultra-endurance athlete, bestselling author, and host of one of the most-downloaded podcasts on the planet, he was a lawyer drinking himself toward a bottom. He got sober, rebuilt his life in a way that still doesn’t seem physically possible, and has spent more than a decade having the kind of long-form, no-shortcuts conversations that make you forget you’re listening to a “wellness podcast.”
Here’s what makes the show worth this entire roundup: recovery isn’t a very special episode. It’s the through-line. Rich interviews Oscar nominees, Olympians, and authors, and because he’s nearly three decades sober himself, the addiction conversations go somewhere most interviewers can’t take them.
I’ve been sober since 2006. Rich has been sober since 1998. When he says recovery goes somewhere in these conversations that most interviewers can’t reach — I know exactly what he means.
I combed through every episode from the last two years and pulled the ones that belong in a sober person’s queue. Dates, links, and why each one earns the spot. You’re welcome.
The Celebrities Getting Real
Tom Holland Is More Than Spider-Man: On Living Alcohol-Free (October 2024)
Yes, Spider-Man is sober. Tom Holland talks about the moment he realized alcohol had a grip on him, what getting alcohol-free actually looked like, and how quitting drinking launched his non-alcoholic beer brand, Bero. Sober pop culture doesn’t get more on-brand than this.
Live Through Your Heart: Elle Macpherson on Confidence & 20+ Years of Sobriety (February 2025)
The Body has been alcohol-free for more than two decades. Elle gets into sobriety, spirituality, and trusting your gut over convention. Proof the sober glow-up is real, and it compounds.
Kurt Sutter & Katey Sagal Share the Unfiltered Truth About Marriage, Recovery & Success (April 2025)
The power couple behind Sons of Anarchy on their parallel recovery stories and staying sober inside the fame machine. Two long-term recoveries, one marriage, zero sugarcoating.
Ethan Suplee on Shedding 300 Pounds, Ditching Drugs & Real Transformation (June 2025)
He spent years battling trauma, food addiction, and drugs — and came out the other side with a clear-eyed take on why the before-and-after photo never tells the real story. You know him from My Name Is Earl and Remember the Titans. After this episode, you’ll know him differently.
The Authors & Storytellers
Beyond Eat, Pray, Love: Elizabeth Gilbert’s Raw Truth About Addiction & Codependency (September 2025)
This one leaves a mark. Liz Gilbert opens up about sex and love addiction, buying drugs for her dying partner, and the wake-up call that brought her into recovery. If codependency is part of your story, clear your afternoon. Check out our reviews of Elizabeth Gilbert’s books HERE.
Addiction, Celebrity, Public Shaming & Truth: The Performance Art of James Frey (August 2025)
Whatever you think about A Million Little Pieces, that book was a lifeline for a generation of people in early recovery. Twenty years after the Oprah of it all, Frey talks addiction, truth, and what public shaming actually does to a person.
Jay Duplass & Michael Strassner on the Art of Creative Rebellion (September 2025)
Comedian Michael Strassner went from rock bottom to seven years sober, then starred in The Baltimorans, a film built around early sobriety. The conversation about why early recovery almost never gets screen time is worth the listen alone.
The Athletes Who Outran Their Bottoms (Almost)
Spoiler: none of them actually outran anything. That’s the point.
The Addict Who Won The Bachelorette: Zac Clark on Getting Sober & Staying That Way (August 2026)
The Bachelorette winner turned recovery advocate and founder of Release Recovery. Zac gets into willingness, emotional sobriety, how families get pulled under, and why recovery runs on community, not willpower. The newest episode on this list and an instant essential.
The King of Moab: Max Jolliffe on Winning Moab 240 & Recovery From Heroin Addiction (April 2026)
A decade on heroin, a jail-cell moment of clarity, and then… winning a 240-mile ultramarathon. Max’s story is about what happens when an obsessive mind gets aimed at something that gives back.
Smile, Or You’re Doing It Wrong: Andy Glaze on Positivity, PTSD & the Healing Power of Movement (May 2026)
From meth addiction to 100-mile training weeks. Andy is radically honest about the limits of running as a coping mechanism. Movement helps, but it isn’t the whole program.
Ken Rideout on Why Everything You Want Is on the Other Side of Hard (March 2026)
Masters world champion marathoner and recovering opioid addict. Childhood trauma, redirected obsession, and the line that stops you cold: self-awareness alone will avail you nothing.
Todd Marinovich: The Superstar Quarterback Who Lost Himself in Drugs & Found Himself in Love (December 2025)
Engineered from birth to be a perfect quarterback, Todd lived someone else’s dream straight into a harrowing addiction. This is a story about identity, and what’s left when you finally put the borrowed one down.
Fun fact! We’ve got a growing Sober Sports column that’s worth a look.
Rich, Unfiltered: The Solo Episodes
When celebrity addiction stories hit the news cycle, most commentary is noise. Rich’s solo episodes are the antidote: a recovering alcoholic explaining what’s actually happening beneath the headlines.
Recovering Alcoholic Breaks Down Tiger Woods’ Behavior (April 2026)
Rich draws on his own history with addiction to look beneath the spectacle, including why rationality is the first thing addiction obliterates.
Sobriety, Relapse & Redemption: Rich Speaks on Shia LaBeouf (March 2026)
A serious conversation about relapse and what real accountability requires, including what it looked like in Rich’s own life. Send this one to anyone who thinks recovery is a straight line.
Rich on Rock Bottom, Resolutions & Reframing Family Dynamics (December 2025)
Surviving your rock bottom, staying sober through the holidays, and dealing with the family dynamics that come with both. Timely every single December.
Episode 1,000: Rich & Julie Piatt Celebrate By Going Back To Where It All Began (July 2026)
Rich and Julie Piatt go back to the yurt on a Kauai mango farm where it all started, with the family on the edge of foreclosure. Equal parts recovery retrospective and love letter to the long game.
Inside My 72-Hour Psychedelic Iboga Therapy With Julie Piatt (May 2026)
A heads-up before you press play: this one covers Rich’s experience with iboga, a plant medicine, framed through his decades of recovery. Psychedelics are personal and often polarizing in sober circles. It’s here because it’s an honest window into one long-term sober person’s choice, not a recommendation. Your recovery, your rules. Read Senior Sober Curator Lane Kennedy’s take on this episode HERE.
Bonus Picks for the Completists
Touch Grass: Andrew Yang on Phone Addiction & AI’s Cognitive Toll (June 2026). Not substance recovery, but if you’ve ever doom-scrolled until 2 a.m., this behavioral-addiction conversation will feel uncomfortably familiar.
Best of 2025 (Part Two): The Year’s Most Enduring Insights (December 2025). The year-end compilation, including several of the strongest addiction and recovery moments.
The Human Brain: Leading Experts on Cognitive Decline & Understanding Addiction (August 2025). For the science nerds: the neurochemistry of addiction, explained by people with actual lab coats.
Rising From Rock Bottom: David Manheim on Addiction, Recovery, Loss & Dopey (July 2024). The Dopey podcast host, just outside our two-year window and too good to leave out. Want MORE Dopey? We don’t blame you. Check it HERE.
Michael Chernow Is a Creature of Habit: A Story of Sobriety, Resilience & Redemption (July 2024). The sober restaurateur behind Kreatures of Habit on building a disciplined life that doesn’t feel like deprivation.
The Takeaway
Eighteen episodes, all of them honest, and more lived recovery wisdom than most treatment-center pamphlets. Whether you’re sober, sober-curious, or love someone who’s finding their way, Rich Roll’s catalog is one of the best free resources out there.
Start with one. I double doggie dare you to stop there.
RECOVERY PODCASTLAND: Sober Guests on Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard (Full List)
RECOVERY PODCASTLAND: SmartLess Podcast – Every Episode with Sober Celebrity Guests
RECOVERY PODCASTLAND & NETWORK at The Sober Curator is your audio haven for all things sobriety and recovery. We’re your bee-zy sober podcast enthusiasts, curating the best shows that educate, inspire, and entertain in the alcohol-free space.
Our archives are neatly organized so you can easily explore Recovery Podcastland—featuring our favorite recovery-based podcasts from across the globe—and the TSC Podcast Network, where we share our own original shows on sober lifestyle, pop culture, travel, entertainment, and more.
Whether you’re seeking practical recovery tips, personal stories, or uplifting inspiration, this is your go-to listening guide. 🎧 Submit a Podcast for Review: Recovery Podcastland coverage and reviews. Shows that earn their place in our audience’s queue. Submit your podcast →
SOBER POP CULTURE at The Sober Curator is where mainstream trends meet the vibrant world of sobriety. We serve up a mix of movie, podcast, fashion, and book recommendations alongside alcohol-free cocktails, celebrity features, and pop culture buzz—all with a sober twist.
We’re here to shatter the “sobriety is boring” myth with a mash-up of 80s neon, 90s hip-hop edge, early 2000s bling, and today’s hottest trends. From celebrity shoutouts to red-carpet style inspo, this is where sober is as chic as it is fun. To the celebs using their platform for good—our Sober Pop Trucker hats are off to you!
Resources Are Available
If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties surrounding alcoholism, addiction, or mental illness, please reach out and ask for help. People everywhere can and want to help; you just have to know where to look. And continue to look until you find what works for you. Click here for a list of regional and national resources.
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Is Rich Roll sober? Yes. Rich Roll has been sober since 1998, nearly three decades. He got sober from alcohol before becoming an ultra-endurance athlete, bestselling author, and podcast host, and his recovery is a recurring subject across his 1,000+ episodes.
Which Rich Roll episodes are about addiction and recovery? Recovery runs through most of the catalog, but standout recent episodes include conversations with Tom Holland, Elle Macpherson, Elizabeth Gilbert, Zac Clark, and Kurt Sutter and Katey Sagal, plus Rich’s solo commentary episodes on Tiger Woods and Shia LaBeouf.
Is Tom Holland sober? Yes. Tom Holland has spoken publicly about living alcohol-free, including on the Rich Roll Podcast in October 2024, and he launched a non-alcoholic beer brand called Bero.
What was Episode 1,000 of the Rich Roll Podcast? Episode 1,000, released July 2026, features Rich and Julie Piatt revisiting the show’s origin story, which began in a yurt on a Kauai mango farm while the family faced foreclosure.
