The Sober New Yorker

The Sober New Yorker

The Sober New Yorker is where radical sobriety meets NYC grit. Hosted by Melissa—a sharp-tongued, big-hearted sober coach—this podcast dives into the real, raw, and heartfelt stories of people who’ve ditched booze and found something way better. No fluff, no filters, just deep convos, loud laughs, and the badass truth about living alcohol-free in a world obsessed with the next round. Sober isn’t boring. It’s badass.

Episodes

April 24, 2025 48 mins

Today I am joined by Jane, who proves you don't have to hit rock bottom to decide you're worth a life free of alcohol fueled drama.

Jane Ballard, LCSW-S, CEDS, PMH-C, is a licensed psychotherapist, wellness advocate, and founder of Jane Ballard Wellness, a practice dedicated to supporting women’s mental health across the lifespan. With over 20 years of experience, Jane is passionate about empowering women through life’s tran...

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Today I am joined by Liz, a Santa Barbara native and former tech career woman who decided at age 33 to start a new career in psychology. She is currently in practicum, focused on trauma work at a local organization working with families and young people.

She loves to travel and most recently that travel has become ALCOHOL-FREE! She also loves reading, listening to podcasts, cooking and exercising.

You can follow her adventures on Ins...

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Hello my faithful listeners,

Join me today as I tell you about the retreat I took part in last weekend in "Drunk Disneyland" New Orleans! Have you ever been? I got to share my sober reinvention story for the women of the retreat and I even experienced a big A-HA moment and something sort of "Woo Woo" with a black crow.

BE BOLD is an acronym I think you will all be able to relate to if you have ever gone through any kind of change or ...

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Megan Swan is an integrative wellness coach, author, and podcast host. She works with high impact women globally who know that wellness-alignment is the wave of the future: a non-negotiable strategy in life and business. With twelve years of experience in the wellness industry and a proven track record of helping female founders make wellness a way of life. Megan empowers women to be fit, fresh. and fierce while they build legacy i...

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Born & raised in Appleton, WI Melissa graduated from UW Platteville with a degree in Forensic Investigation. She lived & worked in northern VA for a short period of time and then settled back in Appleton.

As a typical WI party girl, alcohol suited her for many years, but when her falls became more frequent (including a full hip replacement at age 31) she started testing out dry January stints and then longer breaks from alc...

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Renée began her sober curious journey Sept of 2023 after deep diving into her nutrition and weight lifting practice. She comes from a sports and fitness heavy background, playing D1 lacrosse in college and ultimately landing on powerlifting as her pastime. Renée uses mindfulness, movement, and techniques backed by neuroscience to motivate others to redefine their relationship with alcohol and transform unwanted behaviors to create ...

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This is Luke, father of daughter Reagan- 9 and son Ryan - 6.

He grew up in Westerly, RI and still lives there today. He was the youngest of 3 and has always loved nature. His hobbies are surfing, hiking, snowboarding and anything water related.

He does NOT watch sports but loves gathering where people are enjoying food and family.

He is in his 7th year of sobriety and has most recently entered the sober coaching realm. He also has pla...

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Morgaine is is a certified coach helping women break free from feeling stuck and create a life by their own design. Through her own journey of transformation--navigating challenges like divorce, career shifts, and redefining her relationship with alcohol--she discovered the power of mindset, confidence, and intentional living. Now she helps women do the same, guiding them to rediscover their passion, take action, and build a life f...

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Meet Vanessa! Another sober badass from Lake Tahoe. Follow her journey of being a party girl hanging with her friend and co-worker Matt, to finally admitting she had a problem and asking for help. Along the way she finds love, that just happened to be sitting right under her nose. This is a beautiful story of resilience, faith, friendship and ultimately love.

When Vanessa Isn't out walking her four dogs, you can find her with her f...

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I'm Katie and I just celebrated TWO years alcohol free! Life is sooooooo good and I am so happy I am no longer numbing myself from the raw amazing-ness that is life ;) So many opportunities have manifested and after serving as a school counselor for the past 9 years, and becoming a mother myself, the internal nudge to bring my vision and true purpose to life was overwhelming. I could no longer sit still because the needs of our you...

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December 10, 2024 20 mins

Twenty episodes!!!!

Today, it's just me talking about navigating the holidays and what it would look like to have me as your alcohol free coach.

Thank you for all of your support through this space. It means the world to me!

For anyone interested in 1:1 coaching please check out my website:

https://thesobernewyorker.com/

I also do some group coaching at The Sober Motivation Community. Check it out for a FREE month!

https://sobermo...

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November 20, 2024 58 mins

Today I'm sitting down with one of the biggest badasses I know! Mary is a first generation woman born into a big Irish family that had plenty of drinking issues. In her late 50's, and sick of her own shit, she signed up for a Dry January. She started feeling the amazing benefits almost immediately and started to wonder "what if I kept going?"

She did! and on New Years Day 2025 she will be celebrating two years sober.

We both belon...

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Today I am sitting down with Ashlee. We dive into her parents divorce and her Mom's subsequent alcohol use. A health scare and hospital stay for her Mother began the little nudge inside of her that said "maybe it would be good to take a break from alcohol". Her journey has taken some twists and turns and has ultimately led her to become a fellow BadA$$ alcohol free success and mindset coach.


Be sure to give her a follow and downlo...

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Today I am joined by Jason. He is a father and business owner in the Philly area. When he committed to Dry January, he had no idea how rich and fulfilling his life would become. Today he credits his sobriety for running a successful construction business and being a great Dad to his young kids (ages 3 and 4).

Together we discuss some limiting beliefs around alcohol and how it truly is a life worth living if you just give it a chanc...

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October 16, 2024 35 mins

Today I'm joined by my friend Amy, fellow coach and lactation consultant. Hear how she knew it was time to move alcohol out of her life when her side hustle grew to a full time business. We also touch on Mommy Wine Culture and share what Moms REALLY need (spoiler alert, it's NOT wine)!

She runs some incredible classes for new Moms, so be sure to check out her website and IG profile:

https://www.instagram.com/thrivebreastfeeding/

...

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Join me today to chat with Emily about her decision to use ketamine treatments to combat her Bi-polar disorder which also, in turn completely took away her craving for alcohol. I learned so much in this episode!

Today she uses her voice in the space to squash stigmas associated with alternative treatments, which in my book makes her a total BadA$$!


Check out her IG, website and Ketamine treatment FAQ:


https://drive.google.com/f...

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Meet Madison, a fitness professional and my youngest guest so far. Hear how drinking was weighing on her mental health and not serving her. She proves you can start falling in love with yourself and open your mind to new career choices simply by breaking up with alcohol. To make the radical choice to go alcohol free at 26 years old, makes her a true badass!

Be sure to give her some love on the gram:

https://www.instagram.com/mad...

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September 25, 2024 45 mins

When Alli ditched alcohol, it brought her life and priorities into focus, which ultimately led to ditching her corporate job. Today she coaches women to do the same. If you have removed alcohol and feel that nudge to try something new in the workforce be sure to connect with this inspiring young Mom.

Follow her Instagram and get her Freebie on how you can make similar moves!

https://www.instagram.com/alli.eldridge/

https://allield...

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Today I am joined by my friend Ryan. After years of struggling with drinking it all came to a head with multiple trips to the hospital, his wife's ultimatum and a missed opportunity on a fishing trip with his son. On September 18th, 2023 he begrudgingly signed up for a virtual sober meeting group. Today he celebrates his one year and has not only become an active member of that group, but also leads his own peer led meetings at...

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Today I sit down with Marla to discuss Mommy Wine culture, those excruciating hangovers and why ditching the booze has turned into one of the best decisions of her life.

I love following her content on Instagram. She is full of positivity and light. Be sure to check out her profile!


https://www.instagram.com/thatsoberglowup/

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