x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Sobriety Bestie Podcast

Kirsten Johnson

The Sobriety Bestie Podcast helps you deprogram AA, heal from recovery dogma, and build a bold, empowered life on your own terms.

business entrepreneurship

All Episodes

02:00:51

Ep 164 The Hardest Part of Leaving AA

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/12/05

Leaving 12 step can feel like freedom and heartbreak at the same time.You thought walking away would be the hard part. But it’s the after that gets quiet and confusing.The mixed emotions. The questions you didn’t expect. The“now what?”feeling.Today on Sobriety Bestie Podcast we're diving in deep to explore what the hardest part of leaving AA is. I share my perspective and experience then we crowd source the comments to see what's been hard for others and how they've navigated it.👉 Deprogram Lounge

en

02:03:46

Ep 163 AA Keeps You ‘Forever Sick’ — Burnie + Bestie...

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/12/04

In today’s episode of the Sobriety Bestie Podcast, Tara Grace (Burn The Stigma) and I break down how the language inside Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step programs can lock people into a forever-sick identity—often without realizing it.We explore common phrases like “progressive and fatal disease,” “mental obsession,” “physical allergy,” “character defects,” “daily reprieve,” and “you’re only as sick as your secrets.” These ideas can shape how we see ourselves and create a kind of learned

en

01:01:51

Ep 162 How Long Is Deprogramming? Cult Recovery...

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/12/02

Wondering how long it takes to deprogram 12 step? Today we'll explore a cult recovery checklist to help get an idea of where you're at and what might be next on your deprogramming journey.Timestamps:00:00 How long is AA Deprogramming Intro04:15 Phase 1 Stabilization10:05 Phase 2 Cognitive Deconstruction20:13 Phase 3 Emotional Reprocessing35:02 Phase 4 Identity Reconstruction44:19 Phase 5 Social Reconnection51:30 Phase 6 Behavioral Unlearning54:28 Phase 7 Long Term Integration👉 Deprogram Lounge

en

09:35

Ep 161 Quitting AA Meetings — How to handle ‘meeting...

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/11/28

So many of us "crave" meetings after we decide to leave AA. Here's what I think is going on...👉 Deprogram Lounge (Deprogram community, courses, LIVE Q+As, Zooms, book club + more)🧰 Escape Kit (resources to Deprogram AA) 📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)Let’s get f*cking free.

en

01:17:53

Ep 160 Reclaiming Gratitude After Leaving AA

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/11/26

Join us for a fun Thanksgiving inspired episode as Carrie (Carrie's Substack) and I reclaim gratitude after leaving AA.A lot of us are forced into masking our feelings with "gratitude" inside 12 step. But that wasn’t gratitude — that was obedience, conformity and spiritual bypassing.So of course so many of us get the ick around gratitude after leaving AA.It’s like a post-cult mandatory-gratitude hangover — your body remembers the coercion.But we can reclaim what's been taken from us, we get to own

en

01:59:40

Ep 159 Burnie + Bestie Live - November 23rd

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/11/24

Burnie + Bestie LIVE is back. Here's yesterdays livestream episode with Tara Grace from Burn the Stigma and me, Sobriety Bestie vibing in the comment section answering questions and having fun.👉 Deprogram Lounge (Membership with courses, LIVE Q+As, Zooms, book club + more)🧰 Escape Kit (resources to Deprogram AA) 📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)Let’s get f*cking free.

en

01:54:32

Ep 158 The recovery narrative is changing (can you...

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/11/22

I'm starting a new weekly live show on YouTube and wanted to share the first one here with you (from yesterday).👉 Deprogram Lounge (Membership with courses, LIVE Q+As, Zooms, book club + more)🧰 Escape Kit (resources to Deprogram AA) 📚 Deprogram Book List (my fave deprogram, cult recovery and critical thinking books)🌀 Deprogram AA Course (free your mind at your own pace)Let’s get f*cking free.Ep 125

en

01:41:22

Ep 157 Leaving AA + Deprogramming Saves Lives — Sam’s...

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/11/21

Sam ("Ebby Thacher" on Instagram) opens up about what it was actually like to leave AA after years of fear-based messaging, confusion, and being told that walking away was dangerous. The story dives into the shock of realizing that the “only way” wasn’t helping, the exhaustion of searching for real mental-health support, and the moment everything clicked: the problem wasn’t a lack of willingness — the problem was the system itself.What created real change was stepping outside AA ideology, learning

en

01:45:30

Ep 155 Live with Burn The Stigma

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/11/17

Burnie + Bestie are back for our second Burnie + Bestie LIVE stream episode featuring Tara Grace from Burn The Stigma and Kirsten (me, Sobriety Bestie) discussing all the addiction and recovery things. We went live on Sunday November 16th and are thinking about making this an ongoing thing LIVE on Sobriety Bestie YouTube on Sundays at 9 am pacific.Burn The Stigma channel: ‪@Burnthestigma420‬👉 Deprogram Lounge (Membership with courses, LIVE Q+As, Zooms, book club. + more)🧰 Escape Kit (resources to

en

11:41

Ep 154 How Author Marc Lewis Got Sober (Biology of...

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/11/16

Most addicts and alcoholics do recover — and up to three quarters recover without any treatment. Today we’re breaking down the author of Biology of Desire, Mark Lewis’s TED Talk to explore how he got sober and what neuroscience reveals about self-trust, belief, and recovery.Mark Lewis, PhD, is a neuroscientist and former addict whose research challenges the disease model of addiction. His story offers a science-backed, empowering perspective — one rooted in self-trust, personal agency, and belief in

en

08:40

Ep 153 Why AA Defenders Get Angry (The Neuroscience...

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/11/12

Ever wonder why people in AA get defensive — even when you’re calm and factual? 🤔Turns out, there’s a neurological reason behind it.In this clip from a LIVE Deprogram Q+A inside the Deprogram Lounge, we dive into the science of amygdala hijack, nervous system activation, and why cultic ideologies trigger emotional, not rational, responses.If you’ve experienced backlash for speaking your truth about AA, this one’s for you.👉 Deprogram Lounge (Membership with courses, LIVE Q+As, Zooms, Book Club +

en

29:15

Ep 152 #1 Reason Why It's So Hard To Leave AA

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/11/11

Leaving AA can feel impossible — not because it’s physically hard to walk away, but because of phobia indoctrination and the total lack of outside validation. When the whole world believes AA is the only way, it can feel like you’re crazy for questioning it. In this episode, I break down why that fear is programmed, how experts still miss it, and what it really means to reclaim your freedom.📚 Reading from “Cults in Our Midst” by Margaret Singer⏱️ Timestamps00:00 Intro – Hard to Leave AA01:44 The #1

en

02:24:42

Ep 151 What No One Warns You About Leaving AA –...

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/11/09

After years in Alcoholics Anonymous — and a lifetime of seeking belonging in controlling systems — Teri realized she didn’t need to dim her light or outsource her thinking anymore.This raw and powerful conversation explores what it’s really like to leave AA, find your voice again, and build a new life rooted in freedom, truth, genuine connection and self-trust.Timestamps:00:00 Best Thinking Got Her Out Of AA Intro01:08 Leaving AA05:33 Staying Silent, Guilt + Mormon Roots08:24 AA Was Helpful + Also

en

25:20

Ep 150 The #1 Way Angry AA's Come For You

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/11/06

You’re Angry. You’re Resentful. You’re a Dry Drunk. You’ll Be Drunk in Five Years.Have you ever heard things like this? 👀Today’s episode dives into the #1 way AA defenders come for you (and why it’s actually a logical fallacy).This one’s a total game-changer in our Critical Thinking Series, because once you see this pattern — you can’t unsee it. We’re breaking down how ad hominem (Latin for “to the person”) and appeal to authority show up in arguments, manipulation, and cult-like thinking — not

en

12:56

Ep 149 I'm sorry (my amends)

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/11/04

Today’s episode is called “I’m Sorry (My Amends)” — but this isn’t the kind of amends you think. 🕊️I just got off our Deprogram Zoom Call inside the free Deprogram Lounge, and someone said something that hit me hard:“I don’t agree with everything you say.” And honestly… that’s exactly what I hope for.This episode is about learning to think for ourselves again — after indoctrination, after dogma, after groupthink. It’s about realizing that disagreement isn’t danger. It’s freedom. 💥In this

en

01:39:01

Ep 148 Vibing LIVE with Burn The Stigma

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/11/03

You're invited to our first ever LIVE stream episode featuring Tara Grace from Burn The Stigma and Kirsten (me, Sobriety Bestie) discussing all the addiction and recovery things. We went live on Sunday November 2nd and are thinking about making this an ongoing thing (let me know what you think!).Burn The Stigma channel:‪@Burnthestigma420‬Tara's Stanton Peel interview🌀 Deprogram AA Course📚 Deprogram Book List 🪩 Get free tools, community, Zooms and book club to deprogram 12-step ideology 📚👉

en

43:02

Ep 147 Escaping from Alcoholics Anonymous 👻🎃🕸️🕷️💀

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/10/31

Escaping AA: Halloween Special with Carrie (AA Escapee 👻)Your best thinking got you here — now let’s get you free. In this Halloween jam, Carrie and I riff the AA clichés we lived, how we actually left, and what life’s like now without the daily-reprieve hamster wheel. Critical thinking, self-trust, nervous system regulation, and writing a new story — no chips required.Carrie's SubstackTimestamps:0:00 Escaping from AA Intro0:19 What It Was Like (in AA)08:36 What happened (to leave AA)10:59 No Daily

en

11:19

Ep 146 The AA Big Book's Most Harmful Line

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/10/28

There are many harmful aspects of Alcoholics Anonymous, but today we’re diving into what I believe is the most damaging paragraph in the Big Book of AA — and how it quietly stripped away my self-trust, autonomy, and personal power.If you’ve ever wondered why you still doubt yourself, feel “selfish” for wanting things, or have trouble trusting your own instincts after AA — this episode is for you.In this podcast, I break down how this one paragraph shaped my thinking for years and how I’ve been

en

24:37

Ep 145 Five Ways AA Fools Smart People

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/10/26

Ever wonder how smart, self-aware people can get trapped in systems like AA for years, decades or life? 🤔In this episode, we break down the decision traps that keep us stuck — and how to reclaim your mind, freedom, and critical thinking power.If you’ve ever felt fooled, shamed, or confused after leaving a high-control group or belief system, this one’s for you.Timestamps:00:00 AA Fools Smart People Intro01:38 1 - Loss Aversion05:20 2 - Sunk Cost Fallacy08:56 3 - Framing Effect11:04 4 - Mental

en

12:34

Ep 144 Ideological Possession: Big Freedom Unlock

Sobriety Bestie Podcast ·

2025/10/23

There’s a term that unlocked massive freedom for me when I left Alcoholics Anonymous: Ideological Possession.In this episode, I share how I first heard the concept from Jordan Peterson, how it helped me see AA for what it truly is — a belief system, not a path to truth — and how understanding it completely changed the way I see the world.If you’ve ever felt possessed by an ideology — whether it’s AA, religion, politics, or something else — this one’s for you.We’ll talk about:00:00 Ideological

en

187 results

Similar Podcasts

TaxTalent.com The Golden Rule Podcast

Adam Golden

TaxTalent.com Podcast

Tony Santiago

Handelsblatt Crime - spannende Streitfälle der deutschen Wirtschaft

Ina Karabasz, Solveig Gode, Sönke Iwersen

Deffner und Zschäpitz – Der Wirtschafts-Talk von WELT

WELT

Black Box - La scatola nera della finanza

Guido Brera e Gian Luca Comandini -...