I Have 12 Questions Podcast - Conversations About the Sober Life

A podcast about Trudging the Road to Happy Freaking Destiny! Interviews and random soliloquies where we laugh, cry, complain, explore, and learn. All are welcome, No exceptions. Including those who are not in recovery but perhaps know or love someone with addiction issues or just want to learn more. Along with experts and practitioners who help people work through addictions and behaviors they want to change. These conversations will span limitless topics and though will be through the lens of sobriety, are still universally human. Love, loss. grief, excitement, parenting, outside issues, purpose, God stuff, etc. In the words of the great Ted Lasso (by way of Walt Whitman), ”I want to be curious, not judgmental.” So, we’ll be talking to people who have found sobriety, recovery, perspective shifts regardless of their path. Radical acceptance and inclusivity of ourselves and everyone else. Happy trudging!

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Episodes

Friday Mar 15, 2024

Hey sober family and our entire listener community!  I am so excited for this conversation.  Do you ever just ask the Universe for something, and it says “yes” without even challenging you to a duel or anything?  Well that’s how this played out.  I’ve been pushing myself to open my mind and my heart to what my spiritual life looks like beyond recovery.  One of the ways I’ve done that is watching a series called “The Chosen” which is a modern depiction of the life of Jesus.  There was then a documentary about the actor’s experience playing Jesus called “Jonathan and Jesus” which features Jonathan Roumie talking with different people about their experiences, their viewpoints on who Jesus was, how he works in their lives, etc.  One of those people was a woman named Danielle Strickland and every time she spoke, I thought wow if someone spoke to the masses like this about Jesus it would be a great PR move for Christianity!  You can sense my contrarian cynicism there so a quick disclaimer – anyone who knows me knows that I struggle with organized religion, monotheism, what some of them teach, their politics and treatment of marginalized groups.  BUT I’ve never doubted criticized the life of the man Jesus Christ.  He loved and forgave and helped and healed and did it all in humility.  Similar to Ghandi, Buddha, Mother Theresa, and so many others.  Being raised around Southern Baptist doctrine and later Catholicism I had little use for either, but always keep a warm and fuzzy place in my heart for aspiring to be more like Jesus and others who lived selfless lives of service. 
Danielle embodies this so she really moves me when she speaks and I understand how she thinks.  Let me toot her horn real quick.  You can check out all of her work at her website:  https://www.daniellestrickland.com/
Danielle lets Love lead her to inspire, challenge, provoke and disrupt the present, and to live in the future now. Having lived in different cultures and contexts around the world she celebrates diversity and deeply longs for wrong things to be made right. Danielle practices following Jesus daily. This pursuit has led to exciting entrepreneurial exploits (like co-founding multiple charities and non-profits) and a whole host of failures (that we don’t as often talk about). All of this has convinced her of the deep need we all have for hope, faith, and love. Her deepest longing is to demonstrate what living that boundless life looks like.
Danielle has written six books (the latest is The Other Side of Hope), has a podcast called The Right Side Up (which recently celebrated half-a-million downloads), and speaks to people at events all over the world. Danielle leads Boundless Communications Inc. which launches creative exploits like Women Speakers Collective (liberating voices of women around the globe), IMBY (a tiny home movement IN MY BACKYARD), Brave Global (preventing human trafficking), Infinitum (a way of living deeply), and Hagar’s Voice (support and advocacy for survivors of abuse). She lives in Vancouver, Canada with her three sons and husband Steve. Danielle loves getting outside, doing new things, physical adventures, and she can’t seem to turn down a free lunch.
Her episode will be available on March 15, 2024 wherever you get your podcasts or from the show site https://www.ihave12questions.com/
Thanks for your support as always!
#addictionrecovery #addiction #alcoholfree #alcoholism #sobriety #recovery #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #therapy #habits #healing #trauma #recovery #sobercurious #soberish #sobriety #goals #selflove #alcoholicsanonymous #12stepprograms #recoverysupport #dwi #dui #christianity #volunteerism #advocacy #feminism #givingback #jesus #love #legacy #podcast #genderequality #genderinequality #parity #activism #advocate

Friday Feb 23, 2024

Oooooh ladies and gents buckle up we’ve got a fun one!  Our guest today is Liz Svatek.  She has been leading groups and teams of Warrior Women for over 10 years. Her online community of over 100K women support each other in their healing, growth, and expansion. Liz believes women aren’t born Warriors, they become them, through radical shifts in perspective and owning their choices and voices! She inspires women to RECLAIM their inner Warriors through curated Masterminds, coaching, and workshops.  Get out your feminist agenda membership cards and let’s get into it. 
Her episode will be available on February 23, 2024 wherever you get your podcasts and/or YouTube. Thanks for your support as always!  
You can find more about her and her work on Instagram @liz.svatek or at her website which is https://www.lizsvatek.com/  This is all in the show notes for your reference by the way. 
#addictionrecovery #addiction #alcoholfree #alcoholism #sobriety #recovery #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #therapy #habits #healing #trauma #recovery #sobercurious #soberish #sobriety #goals #selflove #alcoholicsanonymous #12stepprograms #recoverysupport #dwi #dui #christianity #volunteerism #advocacy #feminism #givingback #jesus #love #legacy #podcast #genderequality #genderinequality #parity #activism #advocate #lifecoach #thefutureisfemale #womanwarrior #podcasts #podcasting

Friday Jan 05, 2024

Hey sober family and our entire listener community. I’ve picked a really fun one to round out the end of our first year and second season!  Ruth Lawson has a crazy good story around her struggles with booze, the law, health stuff, etc.  Meeting her in the rooms was and remains one of the very best gifts the Universe has ever sent me.  Get your popcorn folks…you are about to be entertained and inspired!  She's a love and positivity riot and it's contagious.
Her episode will be available on Friday, January 5 wherever you get your podcasts and/or YouTube. Thanks for your support as always!
#addictionrecovery #addiction #alcoholfree #alcoholism #sobriety #recovery #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #therapy #habits #healing #trauma #recovery #sobercurious #soberish #sobriety #goals #selflove #alcoholicsanonymous #12stepprograms #recoverysupport #dwi #dui

Friday Dec 08, 2023

Hey sober/sober curious/sober-ish/sober-adjacent family and our entire listener community!  I’m starting to feel like Steve Harvey on Celebrity Family Feud because I always say this, but man have we got a good one for you today! 
Dr. Robb Kelly has an incredible story regarding his struggles with alcohol and a wealth of knowledge and education as well about the inner chemistry behind addiction. 
He’s a renowned neuroscience coach with four practices spanning the globe, a musician, and a family man.  He has earned all the degrees and letters behind his name but the fact that he’s experienced it all firsthand makes it that much more valuable for those still trying to find a way out.  He uses his experiences to help others find their way to recovery and provides financial, housing and other forms of assistance to those who need it.  He’s also a fellow Texas which never hurts.
You can find his work and offerings at
https://therobbkellyfoundation.org/
https://robbkelly.com/
Instagram @drrobbkelly
#addictionrecovery #addiction #alcoholfree #alcoholism #sobriety  #recovery #neuroscience #biomarkers #addictiontreatment #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #coach #homelessness #therapy #habits #neuralpathways #drugaddiction #alcoholdependency #reprogramming #healing #trauma

Friday Nov 17, 2023

Hey sober family and our entire listener community! I’m over the moon about this episode’s guest. She’s a great friend, fellow woman in recovery and just an all-around badass. She recently got engaged to her person and is experiencing all the gifts, and challenges, of the program. She’s also a successful customer experience guru in her work life and fun with a capital F!
Her name is Alexis and we met years ago at our old Austin Women’s home group. I remember thinking this girl is serious about getting well and she sure was…and still is. She’s been through a lot of very hard things in sobriety and emerged from every one of them with her head held high and her crown on straight. She’s also just a super supportive person to those in her life and I love that about her. She is an absolute gem of a human and being in her presence just makes you feel good. Her episode will be available on Apple, Spotify, Google, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts! #recovery
#sobercurious #soberish #mentalhealth #lifecoach #sobriety #goals #selflove #mentalhealthawareness #health #fitness #mentalclarity #physicalhealth #longevity #harmreduction #alcoholicsanonymous #womeninrecovery #selfcare #therapyconsciousness #shame #healing 

Friday Nov 03, 2023

Hey sober family and our entire listener community!  Today we’re talking to Tony Thomas who owns Kilter Fitness and does a lot of other brainy things regarding fitness and how it touches all areas of life.  Tony is sober adjacent, and we always love getting perspectives outside of our little siloes. 
We met on a plane heading back from Amsterdam to Austin and talked for so long that I’m sure our neighbors were annoyed.  His passion for fitness and teaching others how to take care of their bodies fascinate and inspired me and, as it turns out, he’s got a story to share about how alcohol impacted his life as well.
You can find him on Instagram at kilter_fitness. He’s also connected to UT certifying folks and doing all kinds of innovative things in the fitness world.  Check him out for lots of great tips!
His episode will be available on Friday, November 3 and we hope you'll join us!
#recovery #sobercurious #soberish #mentalhealth #lifecoach #sobriety #goals #selflove #mentalhealthawareness #kinesiology #physicalfitness #personaltrainer #health #fitness #cpt #athlete #athletictraining #athleticconditioning #mentalclarity #focus #prehab #rehab #mobility #injuryprevention #physicalhealth #physicaltherapy #longevity

Friday Oct 20, 2023

Hey sober family and our entire listener community!  We have another great conversation about sobriety or in this case sobriety-ish!  Like I said from the start, the flavor of this show is curiosity, open-mindedness, learning and sharing stories in hopes we can help ourselves and others.  On that note, I’d like to introduce you to Holly Krivo.  She's a woman of many talents including her Podcast called Soberish Uprising which you can check out on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.  And you can find Holly on Instagram at @hollykrivo and @soberishuprising 
Holly offers her show/website/brand as a space where we share all versions of sobriety. She believes labeling sobriety as black and white is a limitation to those who know they want to do things differently and complete sobriety doesn’t work for them. In the sober·ish uprising they share sober·ish stories and the freedom that comes when we say no to booze.
Holly is a former heavy drinker who started a sober·ish journey in 2021 and her world has never been the same. She believes like in all things in life we have to choose a path that works for us and is dedicated to sharing her sober·ish story so that others can see it doesn't have to be a certain way. She is leading the charge to make sober·ish the new norm.  And to that I say cheers! (with my bubbly water of course).
#recovery #sobercurious #soberish #mentalhealth #lifecoach #sobriety #goals #selflove #mentalhealthawareness 

Friday Oct 06, 2023

Hey listeners!  Our guest on this episode is a close friend and someone I've seen "grow up in public" as we often say in the rooms.  Her transformation has been incredible to see and be a part of.  She inspires me on many levels and is also just a funny, interesting and talented woman.
Her name is Monica Fogelquist and a few cool things about her is that she's a Mariachi musician and has taught music to kids K-12 up through university level.  Her story is honest, touching and worth listening to. 
We both lost parents to cancer within the past year and were able to show up for one another through that process which is yet another gift of the program.  Real friendships on the good days of course, but especially during the darkest of days too.  They say the opposite of addiction is connection and let me tell you that sober women show up for each other.  
Excited for this conversation with Monica and we hope you'll join us!  Available 10/6/23 wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube as well.  Thanks as always for your support!
#addiction #recovery #sobriety #twelvestepprogram #alcoholicsanonymous #mariachi #therapy #grieving #grief #grievingsober #alcoholfree #sober #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #supportgroup
 
 
 

Friday Sep 22, 2023

Hey listeners!  I am excited to welcome and introduce our guest.  Her name is Dr. Evelyn Higgins.  Her work is absolutely fascinating to me!  She’s the Founder and CEO of Wired For Addiction®, She’s a recognized international expert in the epidemiology of addiction and other mental health complexities.  
As a Certified Addictionologist, Diplomate of the American College of Addictionology and Compulsive Disorders, and Diplomate of the American Board of Disability Analysts specializing in pain management, Dr. Higgins has had the honor of advising the U.S. Surgeon General, producing and hosting a Gracie Award winning nationally syndicated health and wellness terrestrial radio program, and serving as a 1996 Olympic Team Doctor and Olympic torch bearer.  
With 35 years in clinical practice, Dr. Higgins has designated over 16 years to Research and Development in the science of mental health and addiction recovery. A TEDx Speaker (her TEDx Talk can be foundhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XNk8tNsaco ), panelist at the 2022 International Society of Substance Use Professionals Annual Conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, the 2022 International Gambling Conference in Auckland, New Zealand, and a 2021 Nominee for Modern Healthcare’s Top 25 Innovators in Healthcare, Dr. Higgins finds herself at the nexus of epigenetics, neuroscience, and mental health. 
You can find out more about her work and connect at  
https://www.wiredforaddiction.com/ and @wiredforaddiction on Instagram 
Her episode drops on September 22, 2023!
#addictionrecovery #addiction #alcoholfree #alcoholism #sobriety #recovery #neuroscience #biomarkers #addictiontreatment #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #criminaljusticereform 

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About Your Host 

Amanda Patton

As long as I can remember I've been a restless spirit - even as a child.  I had so many questions and observations that seemed odd to most people.  And I recall feeling alone even when surrounded by people.  Living in my head where I could make things make sense, or so I thought.  This "ism" has pulled me up to some incredible vistas and allowed for my survival.  It has also dragged me down some very destructive roads.

I am enthusiastic about emotional expansion.  I've had to do (am still doing) my own healing and recovery from all kinds of people, places, things and ideas.  With the help of many, many people, mostly women, and my incredible family, I've been building on a new perspective over the past decade or so.  It has changed everything and I am compelled to share it in hopes it will help someone else.  For years I've stayed logical, practical, in my head space to pay the bills and protect my independence and my heart.  To my detriment as it turns out.  Now, I'm living out of my heart space.  That low hum of anxiety and grayness I've experienced is a result of not being aligned with my passion. 

I'm stepping back into the light after literally 3+ years in hermit mode.  Pushing away relationships, noise, activity and anything else that got between me, my spirituality and healing.  I needed to sit with all the pain and did not want to.  It was a lonely time and also really hard, but absolutely critical in my ascension and I see that now. Colors are brighter, divine timing is my guide, surrender is a blessing rather than a punishment and the things that used to define me are falling away to make way for freedom.  The kind that happens in our inner worlds.

Losing my Pop to cancer in September of 2022 was the final piece of that season and it broke me open and woke me up in ways I'll never be able to fully express or understand.  I'm ready now to heed my intuition and pursue what matters to me.  This podcast is the first step. 

I really hope you'll come along.  There is a community of people waiting to receive you just the way you are right now.  

 

You are the sky. Everything else – it's just the weather. ~ Pema Chödrön

 

The doors to the world of the wild Self are few but precious. If you have a deep scar, that is a door, if you have an old, old story, that is a door. If you love the sky and the water so much you almost cannot bear it, that is a door. If you yearn for a deeper life, a full life, a sane life, that is a door. ~ Clarissa Pinkola Estés

 

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” ~ Fred Rogers

 

“I believe in recovery, and as a role model I have the responsibility to let young people know that you can make a mistake and come back from it.” ~ Ann Richards

 

“Stand up straight and realize who you are. That you tower over your circumstances. You are a child of God. Stand up straight.” ~ Maya Angelou

 

"Pain is the fuel of revolution." ~ Glennon Doyle

 

“My identity shifted when I got into recovery. That’s who I am now, and it actually gives me greater pleasure to have that identity than to be a musician or anything else, because it keeps me in a manageable size.” ~ Eric Clapton

 

“When I dare to be powerful — to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” ~ Audre Lorde

 

"When you put love out in the world it travels, and it can touch people and reach people in ways that we never even expected." ~ Laverne Cox

 

“If you’re not in the arena also getting your ass kicked, I’m not interested in your feedback.” ~ Brene Brown

 

 "To us, the Realm of Spirit is broad, roomy, all inclusive; never exclusive or forbidding to those who earnestly seek." ~ Alcoholics Anonymous

A Few of My Favorite Do Gooders to Support!

 

Jeremiah Program

 

Austin Animal Center (AAC)

 

 

 

 

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