Show Notes
In this episode I talk to bestselling author of We Are the Luckiest and founder of the international recovery community The Luckiest Club Laura McKowen about her new book Push off From Here. The stories and advice McKowen shares are specific to alcohol addiction, but the tenets are universal in their application and useful no matter what challenge you face. With profound honesty and boundless compassion, Push Off from Here provides an actionable framework for healing what pains us and proves that a life of sobriety can be synonymous with a life of magic, peace, and freedom. When Laura McKowen was two years sober, she received an email from a woman whose sister was struggling with alcohol addiction. McKowen had barely climbed out from the dark place the woman’s sister was in, but she made a list of the things she most needed to hear when she was deep in her own battle. No matter how far astray you’ve gone or how many times you’ve tried and failed before, as long as you’re still sitting here, breathing, and reading these words, freedom and joy are still possible. In this episode we explore her Nine Truths.1. It is not your fault. 2. It is your responsibility.3. It is unfair that this is your thing.4. This is your thing.5. This will never stop being your thing until you face it.6. You cannot do it alone.7. Only you can do it.8. You are loved.9. We will never stop reminding you of these things.In Push Off from Here, McKowen delves deeply into each of her nine points: what they mean, how they work, and how every person can live them. She addresses topics such as the correlation between trauma and addiction, the importance of radical honesty, letting go of the illusion of control, the value of community, a reminder that healing is a continual process, and that the process is a gift. Whether you’re just starting out or have been sober for decades, McKowen instructs us to be kind to ourselves: Change is messy and progress is rarely linear, but we can always push off from here. It's a gem so grab a cuppa and let's chat. Love Kate x Buy the book: Connect with Laura at The Luckiest Club
More from Love Sober Podcast
As the seasons change, so do our needs. In this episode, we are talking about moving into autumn — sober, resourced and with a little more intention. The darker evenings, changing routines and shift in energy can affect our mood, nervous system and sobriety. Rather than pushing through or expecting ourselves to operate exactly as we did in summer, autumn can be an invitation to pause and ask: what do I actually need now? We share some of the things I’m thinking about as we move into the darker half of the year, including: The Autumn Edit Journaling prompts — what can you stop, simplify, postpone or let go of? Sober-proofing the darker evenings — noticing the times, places and feelings that might make alcohol seem appealing and creating new rituals around them. Building your autumn resource list — the people, practices, places and small pleasures that help you feel grounded and well. 🍂 Supporting your mental health and nervous system as daylight reduces and our natural energy begins to shift. Creating an autumn that has space for rest, connection, movement, nourishment and pleasure — rather than simply adding more things to the list. Sobriety isn’t just about taking alcohol away. It’s about learning how to support ourselves through the changing seasons of our lives. The questions for autumn: What can I edit?What will resource me?And what do I want to make room for this season? 🎧 Grab a cuppa, pull on a jumper and join us for an autumn reset. Love Kate + Helen x Work 1:1 with Kate: Book a free discovery call : https://calendly.com/kate-824/discovery-call
In this episode of the Love Sober Podcast, Kate and Helen unpack that end-of-summer exhaustion and the strange, wobbly transition into autumn. They explore liminal spaces – the in‑between times when we’ve outgrown an old version of ourselves but aren’t yet anchored in the new – and how this shows up in midlife, sobriety, grief, and the changing seasons. Kate shares the inspiration behind her new program Midlife Alchemy (starts September 21st 2026) , created for sober and sober‑curious midlife women who are navigating hormones, identity shifts, and life’s big rites of passage. They talk about why rest is radical, how nervous system literacy can be a superpower, and the magic of women’s circles as trauma‑informed, neuro‑inclusive spaces for support and growth. If you’re feeling tired, and wondering how to tend your nervous system instead of pouring a drink, this conversation offers compassion, practical tools, and a little midlife magic. Find out more about Midlife Alchemy and book a discovery call at LoveSober.com → Circles → Midlife Alchemy. https://www.lovesober.com/midlife-alchemy DISCOVERY CALL WITH KATE for 1-2-1 COACHING OR PROGRAMS
In this episode of the Love Sober Podcast, Kate and Helen explore summer sobriety and how to build a realistic, compassionate summer toolkit using ideas from Kate’s book “Love Your Sober Year.” They talk about seasons, hormones, grief, parenting, and why women need a softer, cyclical approach to recovery – plus lots of very practical tools for getting through summer alcohol-free. We cover:
Going on holiday without alcohol can feel terrifying – especially with family dynamics, all‑inclusive buffets, and airport Wetherspoons in the mix. In this episode, we unpack sober holidays with real stories, practical tools, and a lot of honesty (and laughter). We talk about:
In this episode of Love Sober Podcast, Kate talks with Victoria Vanstone, founder of Sober Awkward, writer, podcaster and author of A Thousand Wasted Sundays. Victoria shares her journey from Reading pub culture and wild backpacking years (including blowing off part of her finger with a firework) through motherhood, anxiety and the moment she realised she could “step off the roundabout” and choose a sober life. Kate and Victoria explore people‑pleasing, self‑abandonment, ADHD and rejection sensitivity, perimenopause and midlife rage, and how sobriety becomes a messy, beautiful “welcome mat” back home to yourself.