The Bubble Hour

Vanessa Klugman of Resilience Recovery Coaching

18 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Vanessa understands what it means to lose everyting you've worked for. Her bottom took away her profession but today she is uisng her skills as a heal...

Jennifer's Story

18 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jennifer is a nurse and a mom of three who struggled for a long time with alcohol before finally deciding to accept treatment. She went to rehab for t...

Nancy's Story

11 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Like many people in the mental health industry, Nancy felt an extra dose of shame that she couldn't simply "fix herself". She is a successful psychoth...

Chris Engen of Nutrition for Recovery

05 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Chris Engen has combined her passion for recovery with her nutrition expertise to help others.  Chris believes that recovery is “a process of ch...

Julie's Story: Sober in England

30 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Julie is a teacher in England who left alcohol behind when it became a burden within her busy life. Now with a year of sobriety to refect upon, Julie...

Casey McGuire Davidson of Hello Someday Coaching

21 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Casey McGuire Davison is many things - world traveller, 3x triathalon athlete, wife and mom, gardener and amatuer photographer. She is also a woman in...

Sarah's Story: Recovery after Relapse

03 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Sarah had several years of sobriety and decided that perhaps she could drink normally again. This began a period of relapse that proved to be anything...

Courtney from Canada

26 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Courtney returns to The Bubble Hour to reflect on the aftereffects a recent accident that left her in casts on BOTH arms.  How does an over-acheivi...

Liz's Story

02 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Liz realized quite some time ago that she had a problematic relationship with alcohol, and it took several stops and starts before she dug into sobrie...

Guest: Sam Anthony Lucania

25 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Sam is a drug addict and alcoholic in recovery who is using his sobriety to help others. He is a public speaker and author of "Hands Like You're Prayi...

Anna's Story

19 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Anna works in the criminal justice system and sees all kinds of dysfunction on a regular basis. This is likely why is was hard for her to face a growi...

Listener Letters Season 7

12 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Host Jean McCarthy reads some of the stories and letters sent in from sober and sober-curious Bubble Hour listeners. All material used with permissi...

Patrick from Ireland

04 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Patrick is married with three children, just a regular Irish guy living his life. When he realized he needed to deal with a growing addiction to alcoh...

Guest: Virginia Kerr

20 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone who struggles with addiction feels the burden of hiding a secret, but that feeling can become greatly exaggerated for people in the public ey...

Guest Sarah Roberts

12 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Sarah Roberts is the creator of Sarah Talks Food www.sarahtalksfood.com and Sobriety Starts Here www.sobrietystartsHERE.com, as well as producer and h...

Sherry Hoppen, Founder of She Surrenders

29 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Sherry Hoppen is a Christian wife, mother, grandmother and a recovering alcoholic. She writes and speaks about overcoming the shame of being a Christi...

Jill's Story: The First Soberversary

25 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jill had offered to tell her story as a way to mark a significant milestone in her recovery: the one year mark.  Reflecting on the ups and downs of...

Brendan's Story

22 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Brendan liked to drink with his friends, at parties, work functions, camping trips, and all the seemingly usual things. But as he progressed through h...

More Voices in Recovery

20 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Meet Linda, Carol, Anji, Andie, Elizabeth, Marine, Barry and Erica - eight sober women who speak candidly about their expereiences at various stages o...

Sober in Sweden

08 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Tina lives in Sweden and travels frequently for her work in television. She joins Jean for an interview from the road to share her story and perspect...

Voices of Early Recovery

31 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to Season 7 of The Bubble Hour. Since January can be a time of new recovery for so many, Jean shares recent recordings of conversations with w...

Andrea Owen on Planning for The New Year

18 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Andrea Owen is an author, mentor, and professional certified life coach who helps high-achieving women let go of perfectionism, control, and isolation...

Kelly Beck of Shining Bright Recovery

13 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

As a young mom home-schooling four children, Kelly found within herself a deep passion for teaching and life-long learning. When her children grew and...

"Betty Ford" Biographer Lisa McCubbin

22 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Today, most of us associate the name Betty Ford with the world-famous addiciton treatment centre in California. But there are so many ways that the li...

Emily's Story: Six Months

21 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

It is important to mark and celebrate milestones in recovery and there are may ways to do so. Emily has chosen to acknowledge her sixth-month mark by ...

Kate's Story: Alcohol-free by choice

14 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

If the writing is on the wall, is there any reason to continue until things get worse? Kate found herself in a troublesome relationship with alcohol a...

Laura Ward, Blogger and Recovery Coach

10 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Laura is a busy wife and mom with a PR consulting business who writes about recovery on her blog www.quitwining.com. She is also a community contribut...

Taylor's Story

04 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Taylor's recovery from alcohol addiction revealed many other ways that pain was showing up in her life: struggles with weight, grief, relationship tro...

Cathy Taughinbaugh of Treatment Talk

15 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Cathy Taughinbaugh helps parents and family members of young adults who struggle with addiction. We will hear about how Cathy has chosen to make thi...

Dana Bowman, Author of "How to be Perfect Like Me"

14 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Full of humour and insights, "How to be Perfect LIke Me" follows up on Dana's recovery story in "Bottled: A Mom's Guide to Early Recovery" Dana will ...

A Letter from Ella

13 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A "normie" by all appearances throughout her life, the unstructured freedom of retirement caused a shift in Ella's drinking pattern that triggered a p...

Sara's Story

08 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Sara is a therapist who has been alcohol-free for three months. She reflects on what has made the difference after unsuccessful attempts in the past, ...

Thoughts on Recovery from Dawn Nickel

30 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Dawn Nickel, co-founder of SheRecovers, has over two decades of recovery and has helped thousands of women find their way to a better life. Along t...

Erin W Part 2: Jean Becomes The Guest

23 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Jean and Erin W continue their conversation from the previous week, only Erin turns the tables and puts Jean on the hotseat as the guest. They touch ...

Erin W., Managing Editor of She Recovers Blog

16 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Erin W is tired of being silent about the imperfections of life and done being quiet about life after alcohol. No more playing it small. She shares h...

Victoria's Story: A Crisis of Health

11 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Recovery touches many aspects of our life and often people find that when they quit drinking, seemingly unrelated parts of life are impacted by the p...

Sober in Ireland (Guest Brid McGill)

29 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Brid is a fitness professional, wife and mother of two who lives in Ireland. She blogs about life after alcohol at www.melivingfree.ie and hopes to br...

Kayak Time with Jean

24 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Jean stuck her phone into her lifejacket and chatted away while paddling across a pristine lake in the Canadian woodlands. Enjoy this brief episode! T...

Marie's Story

03 May 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Marie had gone without alcohol for years, but out of the blue let it back into her life. When she quit drinking for the second time, she discovered a ...

Amanda's Story

11 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Amanda initially began to question her relationship with alcohol because she wanted to lose weight. Realizing that quitting was harder than expected b...

Jan's Story

09 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The endless loop of on-again-off-again sobriety attempts can be draining and demoralizing. Jan knows the pattern all too well - she was caught in it f...

Guest: Kelley Kitley

03 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Kelley has spent her life helping others, as a teen volunteering for service programs and as a therapist. But her own struggles with alcohol brought h...

Pete's Story

27 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Having recently celebrated two yearsof sobriety, Pete reflects on some of the reasons he may have developed an addictive pattern with alcohol and how ...

Amy Dresner, Author, Columnist, Comic

14 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Amy Dresner is a former professional stand-up comic, having appeared at The Comedy Store, The Laugh Factory, and The Improv. Since 2012, she has been ...

Shelli's Story of Recovery

09 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Jean talks to a member of her online group who she has always wanted to have on the show. With humor and insight, Shelli reveals her story of addic...

Sherry Gaba on CoDependency and Love Junkies

27 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

You wanted to hear more from Sherry Gaba so here she is! Sherry Gaba, LCSW, is a Licensed Psychotherapist and Certified Recovery and Transformational...

Emails from Charles

23 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In the fall of 2014, Charles wrote to Jean after reading her blog to ask for insight. He continued to send updates over the weeks and months that foll...

Bonus Edition: Jean's Interview on Recovery Today with Sherry Gaba

03 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

To welcome you back to the new season, we kick off with Jean's session on the Recovery Today series hosted by Psychotherapist and Recovery Coach Sherr...

ODAAT Chat Podcast Host Arlina

01 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Arlina is the host of "ODAAT Chat" - a podcast about sobriety - and joins Jean to reflect on her own recovery and the influence that interviewing othe...

"Suburban Betty" Blogger Christina

12 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Sober blogger Christina of "Suburban Betty; Clean and Serene" is reknowned for her light-hearted approach to challenging situations. Two years ago, sh...

Guest: Andrea Owen

30 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Andrea Owen is an author, mentor, and certified life coach who helps high-achieving women let go of perfectionism, control, and isolation and choosing...

Jessica's Story: Back and Forth on the Decision to Quit

26 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Sometimes recovery is about connecting the dots. Jessica never considered how other behaviours related to her alcohol addiciton, but in recovery she i...

Mini Pod: Holiday Pep Talk

23 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Are you hiding in a bathroom or closet at a family event? Turn the volume low, put your phone to your ear and listen to this message. I am sharing a l...

Guest Annika O'Melia of Mother Recovering

20 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Annika shares her story of life after alcohol, and how she juggles life with four little ones and still finds time to give service as a podcast host. ...

Guest: Shelly-Anne McKay

14 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Living life in the fast lane while working in the entertainment industry meant Shelly-Anne's norm was a work hard/play hard world. "You want me to com...

Guest Deborah Baska

09 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Deborah was a high-level corporate executive with a secret. This wife, mom, and girl scout leader was quietly leaning hard on alcohol to get through t...

Guest Kate Bee, Creator of The Sober School

07 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

On April 6, 2013 journalist Kate Bee quit drinking and created a blog to chronicle her experiences. The first comment came from another sober blogger,...

Alison's Story: Stone Cold Temperate

20 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Blogger Alison writes about her recovery experiences on stonecoldtemperate.wordpress.com . She sometimes thinks there is nothing special about her rec...

Jessie's Story

29 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Today's guest is a listener who has used the Bubble Hour as a tool in her own recovery, and is now paying it forward by sharing her story to help othe...

An Interesting (Sober) Life: Meaghan's Story

04 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

If you think sobriety has to be boring then this show is for you. Meaghan has a dream job as an interior designer and she keep things interesting by...

Quitting Everything: Ingrid on dumping cigarettes, booze, and diets

02 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Long before many of us turned to alcohol, we learned to numb our feeling with other behaviours. These old habits may resonate into adulthood and becom...

Mary of Life Without Vodka Rocks Blog

27 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Mary faced an issue that every parent dreads: seeing her children caught in the deadly grip of drug addiction. Her own alcohol use paled in comparison...

Shauna's Story: It's Complicated

05 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

How do we make time for recovery when our day already starts at 5 am and doesn't stop until late evening? This episode will cover everything from dogg...

Jessica's Story: Treatment and Multiple Diagnoses

31 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Jessica G. is recovering from alcohol addiction, bi-polar disorder, and an eating disorder. After more than a decade of trying unsuccessfuly to stay ...

The Sober Hipster: Lisa's Story

23 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Revealing her true self meant redefining everything about her life but Lisa had no choice: living a lie was slowly killing her. Today, Lisa is a sobe...

Help Others But Stay Humble: Veronica Valli and Julie Elsdon-Height

16 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Is it difficult to share knowledge without becoming a know-it-all? Is it possible to help thousands of people get sober and avoid becoming egotistical...

Olivia Pennelle of Liv's Recovery Kitchen

25 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Depression, addiciton and weight gain were slowly overtaking her life, so it is that Liv's recovery encompasses mental health, sobriety, and healthy e...

Taryn Strong: Growing Up in Recovery

21 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Taryn's parents entered into recovery when she was a youngster, so she spent her childhood playing in church basements during their meetings and knew...

Listener Letters on Staying Sober Through Grief

12 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The death of a loved one has caused many in recovery to stumble. In this first Bubble Hour since the passing of her father, Jean shares some of the le...

Guest: Sasha Tozzi

13 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Sasha Tozzi got sober when she was just 26 years old and learned a lot about herself in the process. In her words,"my strongest addictions were to a...

S5E13 Express Yourself with Guest Julie M

02 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Many of us spend our time in active addiction keeping secrets and staying silent. We feel like the WORST thing that could happen would be to tell some...

Veronica Valli: Recovery and Relationships

02 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Veronica Valli is a woman in recovery who has devoted her life to informing the public on problematic drinking and addiction. She is a therapist speci...

Sober Julie on Life Straight Up

25 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Jean talks to one of the recovery world's most popular bloggers, Julie Elsdon-Height of SoberJulie.com. Julie knows there is nothing boring about lif...

Laura Silverman of The Sobriety Collective

24 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Laura was a party girl, the friend that had that had to be "babysat" by others because her antics with alcohol were dramatic and full of calamity. Tha...

"A Hangover-Free Life" Author Louise Rowlinson

17 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Louise worked in health care and saw devasting effects of liver disease from alcoholism first-hand. She saw herself as different from low-bottom alcoh...

An Update Interview with Ellie, Co-Creator of The Bubble Hour

12 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The first guest of 2017 is THE person you've all been wondering about - series creator Ellie Strong. Ellie returns with an update of what has been ha...

Celebrating One Year: Cory's Story

11 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Cory first wrote to Jean (via unpickledblog.com) when she was just 14 days sober. The two stayed in touch over the months that followed, encouraging o...

Kirsten's Story

08 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Still waters run deep. Kirsten was a quiet, thoughtful child who kept a lot in. She learned to be an outgoing, independent woman who moved through the...

Courtney's Story

27 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Courtney is someone you wouldn't expect to struggle, but she has. Born with a malformation of her right hand, she always felt flawed and tried to comp...

Sober Mom, Grateful Daughter (Guests Leslie and Amy)

20 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The mother and daughter relationship can be complicated under the best of circumstances. Many times more so when addiciton comes into play. Mom Lesli...

Relapse Around Us (Guest: Former Co-Host Catherine)

30 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

It can feel awful when someone we care about returns to drinking. How to respond? How to be supportive? What about feeling rejected and diminished? Ho...

Karlyn Pipes: "The Do-Over"

25 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

An Olympic hopeful whose dreams were cut short by addiction, Karlyn explains how sobriety gave her a second chance at athletic success and at personal...

Who Am I Now? (Guest: Margaret)

23 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

If we define ourselves by what we do, it can be hard to remain stable when a big change comes along. For Margaret, retirement could have left her sea...

Gaby's Story: Back from the Edge...Twice

22 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Gaby had it all...until it disappeared overnight. Alcohol was a comfort through the difficult years that followed...until it nearly took her life. You...

Listener Letters and Questions August 2016

15 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Jean answers your questions about everything from skin picking to song writing with so much honesty she makes herself cry, and shares the feedback fro...

Karen's Story

22 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Karen's story will resonate with anyone who has ever drank to numb feelings of inadequacy or depression. Karen was a hard-working high-achiever with ...

Sobriety and Borderline Personality Disorder (Guest: Michelle)

06 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

It's not necessarily common for alcoholics to have Borderline Personality Disorder, but it is quite common for people with BPD to struggle with addict...

The First Year (Guest: Robin)

28 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Milestones are an opportunity to take stock of how far we have come, and to celebrate the way that day by day, time adds up!  Jean welcomes guest Ro...

Sobriety Through a Crisis (Guest: Anne S.)

23 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Ironically, the same difficulties in life that shake the foundations of recovery can be when sobriety is needed more than ever. In this episode, Anne...

Kelly's Story

21 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Does being in recovery make it easier or harder to handle the curve balls that life throws our way? That is the question I will be asking Kelly, who w...

Update from Jean

20 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Jean drops by with a quick update on what is happening with The Bubble Hour - where we have been and what is happening with the show. Our mailbox is ...

Things We Used To Drink Over, And What We Do Today

21 Mar 2016

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode we will talk about those moments in recovery when we realize we're doing something (or feeling something) that used to make us want t...

Special Guest Nikki Myers from Yoga of 12 Step Recovery

29 Feb 2016

Contributed by Lukas

An accomplished teacher and practitioner, Nikki Myers is an MBA, Yoga Therapist, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and Certified Addiction Recovery Sp...

Special Guest - Mary Killian, Author, "The Roustabout Heart"

08 Feb 2016

Contributed by Lukas

We are excited to have Mary Killian, author of "The Roustabout Heart: Adventures in Recovery" as a special guest on our show!  We'll talk to her ab...

Dropping the "A" Word - Moving From Contemplation to Action

25 Jan 2016

Contributed by Lukas

We get a lot of emails from people saying they are still drinking but are concerned they may have a problem, or are trying not to drink and listen to ...

Signposts of Alcoholism, and An Honest Conversation About Hitting Bottom

04 Jan 2016

Contributed by Lukas

On Sunday's show Ellie, Amanda and Catherine talk about early warning signs and symptoms of alcoholism, as we reflect back on our own sobriety journey...

Speaker Discussion 'Meeting" with Liz F.- Getting Sober When You Are Young

21 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

In recovery meetings it is common practice for one person to share their experience, strength and hope and then to pick a recovery topic for the group...

Teaching People How To Treat Us - Setting Boundaries in Early Recovery

07 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Setting boundaries is an essential skill in life, especially for people in recovery. Alcoholic and addicts often have dysfunctional boundaries: either...

Plan Ahead for a Sober AND Fun Holiday Season!

23 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

The holiday season is upon us once again, starting (for those of us in the US) with Thanksgiving this week. In light of this, we thought it was timely...

Let's Talk About Recovery Meetings

02 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

On the Bubble Hour we do not endorse or promote any particular program or pathway to recovery. We honor the traditions of twelve-step programs, and a...