Rewired Sober – Détails, épisodes et analyse

What happens when your public self looks polished and high-functioning, but your private life is quietly unraveling?

In this vulnerable and insight-packed guest episode, Kate sits down with Jennifer Mathieu, award-winning author of Moxie and The Faculty Lounge, longtime educator, and sober mom. Jennifer opens up about her ten-year spiral into “problematic drinking,” how alcohol became her nightly form of fake self-care, and the moment she became more curious than afraid about getting sober.

Drawing parallels between teaching and nursing, Kate and Jennifer explore the emotional weight of public-facing professions, the pressure to perform, and the resentment cycle that leads so many women to drink in secret. Jennifer shares how sobriety reshaped her identity as a teacher, a writer, a mom, and a woman who finally learned to stop setting herself on fire to keep everyone else warm.

In this episode, Kate and Jennifer talk about:

• What it feels like to live a double life in a public-facing career
• The ten-year buildup to Jennifer’s sobriety
• Why breaking a promise to her husband was the turning point
• The sneaky ways alcohol hides inside burnout, resentment, and people pleasing
• How alcohol became her nightly coping tool after motherhood
• The power of seeing sober women thriving on social media
• Learning to set real boundaries at work and at home
• Reclaiming identity outside of teaching, writing, and caregiving
• Sobriety as a “power boost” to years of therapy and personal work
• Why midlife is often the breaking point and the breakthrough

Referenced in this episode:

• Jennifer’s novels including Moxie (now a Netflix film) and The Faculty Lounge
• Sober Mom Collective meetings, where Jennifer is a weekly group leader

Mentioned in this episode:

Rewired Sober Group Coaching Program

https://kate-vitela.mykajabi.com/rewired-sober-coaching-program

In this powerful Veterans Day episode, Kate sits down with her husband, Phillip, a 20-year Army veteran and nearly four years sober, for an unfiltered conversation about PTSD, moral injury, institutional betrayal, and healing through recovery.

Together, they unpack what really happens inside the brain and body after trauma, how hypervigilance, anxiety, and moral conflict can take root long after the uniform or scrubs come off, and why alcohol often becomes the coping tool of choice for soldiers, nurses, and first responders alike.

Blending lived experience with neuroscience, Kate and Phillip explore what healing looks like for both veterans and civilians: self-compassion, connection, movement, and sobriety. This episode is both a love letter to those who serve and a reminder that trauma recovery isn’t about being broken, it’s about learning to rewire your nervous system and reclaim your life.

In this episode, they talk about:

• What PTSD really is (and what it isn’t)
• The concept of moral injury and why it hits soldiers, nurses, and first responders so deeply
• How trauma rewires the brain and how sobriety helps rewire it back
• The reality of institutional betrayal in military and healthcare systems
• The connection between trauma, alcohol, and survival mechanisms
• How they each healed through therapy, connection, and movement
• Why sobriety is the foundation of their recovery and marriage

Referenced in this episode:

• The Mankind Project (for men’s emotional healing and connection): mankindproject.org

Whether you’ve served, supported someone who has, or just know what it’s like to live with unhealed trauma, this episode offers compassion, education, and hope.

Connect with Phillip:

https://www.instagram.com/a13photography/

SMART Recovery Meeting Finder

https://smartrecovery.org/meeting

Access the AB Process Course

You can find Kate on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/rewiredsober/

Work with Kate: https://linktr.ee/KateVitela

Email Podcast: team@katevitelacoaching.com 

Mentioned in this episode:

Rewired Sober Group Coaching Program

https://kate-vitela.mykajabi.com/rewired-sober-coaching-program

In this episode, Kate sits down with Jessica Guerrieri, author of Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea—a novel that has taken sober and sober-curious communities by storm. Jessica blends raw honesty, lived addiction, and the messy truths of motherhood into a work of “book club fiction” that’s reaching women where memoirs sometimes can’t.

With over 12 years of sobriety, Jessica opens up about why she chose fiction over memoir, how writing became both a refuge and a mirror, and what happens when you say the scary things out loud. Together, Kate and Jessica dive into the intersections of motherhood, identity, secrecy and the profound relief that comes when you finally stop hiding.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why fiction can feel safer—and more powerful—than memoir for exploring addiction
• The “phantom life” so many women carry alongside motherhood and marriage
• Jessica’s near-fatal return to substances during the pandemic and how she found her way back
• The role of family systems, comparison, and people-pleasing in fueling addiction
• The healing power of telling the truth on the page, and in real life
• A sneak peek into Jessica’s next book Both Can Be True (coming 2026!)

Access the AB Process Course

You can find Kate on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/rewiredsober/

Work with Kate: https://linktr.ee/KateVitela

Mentioned in this episode:

Rewired Sober Group Coaching Program

https://kate-vitela.mykajabi.com/rewired-sober-coaching-program

In this episode of Rewired Sober, I continue breaking down Kate’s 8—the eight core practices that help us rewire our brains in recovery. Last time, we covered the first four, and today I walk you through the final four practices that create lasting change. Sobriety isn’t just about not drinking; it’s about building a new identity, new thought patterns, and a life that feels like your own.

In this episode, I cover:

• Confidence + Compassion — Why practicing self-compassion (instead of shame) is essential for resilience, and how confidence grows when we let ourselves be human.

Journal Prompt: Where in my recovery can I replace shame with compassion? How would I speak to myself if I were encouraging a friend?

• Humor as a tool — How laughter literally rewires the brain, releases dopamine, and helps us loosen the grip of shame and rigidity.

Journal Prompt: When was the last time I laughed in sobriety? How can I intentionally add more humor into my daily life?

• Creativity in recovery — Why engaging your creative side (writing, painting, music, even fashion) builds identity, provides healthy dopamine, and becomes a powerful tool for self-regulation.

Journal Prompt: What creative outlet feels exciting or nourishing to me right now? How can I make space for it this week?

• Emotional literacy + triggers — Learning to name and understand our emotions so they stop hijacking behavior, and how building emotional granularity keeps us from reaching for alcohol.

Journal Prompt: What emotion do I tend to avoid the most? How does it show up in my body, and what can I do to sit with it rather than numb it?

• Rewriting your story — The most powerful part of neuroplasticity: our identity is malleable. Every sober choice is a micro-edit to the story we tell ourselves, and we get to choose the ending.

Journal Prompt: If I were writing the next chapter of my story, what do I want it to sound like? What identity am I choosing today with my actions?

When you take these tools into real life, you don’t just stay sober—you rewire your brain for long-term freedom.

Access the AB Process Course

You can find Kate on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/rewiredsober/

Work with Kate: https://linktr.ee/KateVitela

Email Podcast: team@katevitelacoaching.com 

Mentioned in this episode:

Rewired Sober Group Coaching Program

https://kate-vitela.mykajabi.com/rewired-sober-coaching-program

Sobriety isn’t just about putting down the drink; it’s about retraining the thoughts, loops, and behaviors that kept us stuck in the first place.

In this solo episode of Rewired Sober, I’m walking you through the first four practices in what I call Kate’s 8—the eight core ways we actually rewire our brains in recovery.

Thanks to the science of neuroplasticity, we know that real change is possible—and I’ll show you how it happens.

In this episode, I cover:

• Interrupting old loops — How to identify the destructive thought-behavior cycles that used to end in drinking, and replace them with more empowering choices.
• Verbal processing — Why saying things out loud in a safe space helps build metacognition (the ability to think about your thinking) and shift from autopilot to conscious choice.
• Moving from reaction to reflection — Learning to create space between emotion and response so you can choose your actions instead of being ruled by impulsivity.
• Relational safety — How healing, trust, and new neural pathways are built through safe, compassionate connections with others (and why your brain can’t rewire in isolation).

Each practice comes with a simple journal prompt you can use to dig deeper and apply these tools in real time.

This is part one of a two-part series, so stay tuned for the next episode where I’ll unpack the second half of Kate’s 8.

Access the AB Process Course

You can find Kate on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/rewiredsober/

Work with Kate: https://linktr.ee/KateVitela

Email Podcast: team@katevitelacoaching.com 

Mentioned in this episode:

Rewired Sober Group Coaching Program

https://kate-vitela.mykajabi.com/rewired-sober-coaching-program

In this episode of Rewired Sober, I sit down with Michelle Folan, certified health and nutrition coach and host of the globally ranked podcast Asking for a Friend. Known for her no-BS, sassy approach to midlife wellness, Michelle helps women over 50 lose fat, build strength, and reclaim their vitality using evidence-based fitness, nutrition, and lifestyle strategies.

Michelle shares her personal journey with alcohol, from corporate entertaining and pandemic drinking to her realization that moderation wasn’t serving her anymore. Together, we dive into the intersection of sobriety, menopause, and midlife health—and the empowering freedom that comes when women take the reins on their wellbeing.

In this conversation, we explore:

• Michelle’s honest story of how her relationship with alcohol shifted during the pandemic.
• Why midlife is often the breaking point where women realize alcohol is not their friend.
• The science behind how alcohol impacts hormones, sleep, mood, and weight gain in perimenopause and menopause.
• The myth of moderation and why it doesn’t work for everyone.
• The often-ignored role of sleep, hydration, protein, and strength training in women’s midlife health.
• How conversations around alcohol and menopause are finally becoming less taboo—and why that matters.

Michelle’s work is all about helping women stop settling and start showing up for themselves. This episode is packed with real talk, science, and encouragement for anyone navigating sobriety and the massive physical changes of midlife.

Connect with Michelle:

Instagram: @askingforafriend_pod

Mentioned in this episode:

Rewired Sober Group Coaching Program

https://kate-vitela.mykajabi.com/rewired-sober-coaching-program

Why do we procrastinate so much in recovery?

In this episode, I unpack the six key reasons why procrastination shows up during sobriety and how we can gently work through it:

1) Low Dopamine Tolerance

Our brains are used to quick dopamine hits from alcohol. Without that, even basic tasks feel boring and unrewarding. I share ways to build motivation through small wins and habit stacking.

2) Nervous System Dysregulation

Sobriety means feeling everything again. Overwhelm can trigger a freeze response, making even simple tasks feel impossible. I talk about how to regulate your body and borrow safety from others.

3) Learned Helplessness

After repeated failures, we start believing we can’t succeed. I dive into how this mindset forms and how to break the cycle with messy action and micro wins.

4) Fear of Failure

Trying and failing feels unbearable, so we avoid trying at all. I share how to reframe failure as data and growth, not proof that we’re broken.

5) Fear of Success

Success means change, and change can feel threatening. I explore how fear of growth can lead to self-sabotage and how to embrace expansion safely.

6) Inner Critic Paralysis

That voice in your head telling you you’re not good enough? It’s trying to protect you—but it’s keeping you stuck. I offer ways to quiet the critic and take imperfect action.

Access the AB Process Course

You can find Kate on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/rewiredsober/

Work with Kate: https://linktr.ee/KateVitela

Email Podcast: team@katevitelacoaching.com 

Mentioned in this episode:

Rewired Sober Group Coaching Program

https://kate-vitela.mykajabi.com/rewired-sober-coaching-program

In this episode, I sit down with Andrea Kaplan, founder of Rewriting Sober, midlife mom of two, writer, and walking proof that it’s never “too late” to rewrite your story. At 48, Andrea hit one year sober, not from a dramatic rock bottom—but from the quiet, heavy hell of anxiety, shame, and soul-numbing routine.

We unpack the real transformation: moving from people-pleasing and control to clarity and confidence. Andrea shares how she survived early sobriety while parenting teens, traveling to Italy, going to Vegas (yeah, Vegas), and hosting milestone family events—all without pouring a drink.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why you don’t need a rock bottom to choose sobriety
• How people pleasing and control masked her internal chaos
• Letting go of the fantasy of “drinking like a normal person”
• The mental torture of moderation attempts
• Rewiring her relationship with fear, self-trust, and perfectionism
• What Italy, Vegas, and gelato taught her about sober joy
• The subtle but life-altering moment when she finally felt hope again

Andrea proves you can look like you’ve got it all together and still feel lost—and that healing is possible without hitting the floor. This one’s for the high-functioning women who are done trying to function their way through despair.

Connect with Andrea: https://www.instagram.com/rewritingsober/

Links: 

Access the AB Process Course

You can find Kate on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/rewiredsober/

Explore Kate’s blog: https://thesobercurator.com/category/sober-lifestyle/youve-been-selected/

Work with Kate: https://linktr.ee/KateVitela

Email Podcast: team@katevitelacoaching.com 

Mentioned in this episode:

Rewired Sober Group Coaching Program

https://kate-vitela.mykajabi.com/rewired-sober-coaching-program

Ever wonder why you want alcohol so badly—only to feel like absolute garbage afterward? You’re not broken. Your brain is just doing its job. In this episode, I want to share more about the neuroscience of addiction, diving deep into the opponent process theory, neurotransmitter chaos, and the real reason that 5 p.m. craving feels like a freight train.

In this episode I cover:

• The brain’s “AB Process” and how it wires us to crave booze and crash after
• Why the wine witch hour isn’t about willpower—it’s about biology
• GABA, glutamate, dopamine & cortisol: what’s really going on in your brain
• How tolerance and withdrawal escalate over time (and why)
• Why early sobriety feels like a hormonal rollercoaster—and how long it really lasts
• Why understanding brain science is the ultimate tool to ditch shame and build lasting sobriety

I share the moment when everything clicked (in a Safeway parking lot, of all places), and how learning the science behind addiction finally made me feel empowered—not broken.

Links: 

Access the AB Process Course

You can find Kate on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/rewiredsober/

Explore Kate’s blog: https://thesobercurator.com/category/sober-lifestyle/youve-been-selected/

Work with Kate: https://linktr.ee/KateVitela

Email Podcast: team@katevitelacoaching.com 

Mentioned in this episode:

Rewired Sober Group Coaching Program

https://kate-vitela.mykajabi.com/rewired-sober-coaching-program

Ever wonder why telling your story in recovery feels so powerful? It’s not just emotional—it's biological. In this solo episode, I talk about how storytelling activates empathy, builds emotional safety, and rewires your brain for change.

From mirror neurons to narrative psychology, learn why your messy truth is the medicine—and how sharing it might be the most powerful recovery tool you have.

Today I cover:

• Why “stories go where science can’t” (but neuroscience is catching up!)
• The magic and messiness of early AA storytelling circles
• How mirror neurons and narrative psychology help us change
• The link between relational safety, vulnerability, and brain rewiring
• Why your recovery story evolves—and why that matters
• How storytelling softens self-judgment and builds compassion
• The science behind why hearing one powerful story can change everything
• Why women especially thrive through shared emotional narratives

Resources Mentioned:

• Burnout by Emily & Amelia Nagoski
• We Are the Luckiest by Laura McKowen
• Research by Dan McAdams

Links: 

You can find Kate on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/katevitela/

Explore Kate’s blog: https://thesobercurator.com/category/sober-lifestyle/youve-been-selected/

Work with Kate: https://linktr.ee/KateVitela

Email Podcast: team@katevitelacoaching.com 

Mentioned in this episode:

Rewired Sober Group Coaching Program

https://kate-vitela.mykajabi.com/rewired-sober-coaching-program