Happiest Hour with Paula Devine

Ashley and I are sharing more about our community , upcoming retreat,

What happens to your body when you stop drinking — and why do sugar cravings seem to show up out of nowhere in early sobriety?

In this episode, I’m joined by Dana Burns, a recovery dietitian who helps people understand the powerful connection between nutrition, hormones, and recovery. We talk about what’s happening inside your body when you quit drinking, why sugar cravings can feel so intense in early sobriety, and how hormones and nutrition can play a role in the healing process.

Dana also shares her personal story of quitting drinking at just 28 years old after experiencing stress and burnout in her career — a turning point that changed her life and helped shape the work she does today. Now, she brings her knowledge and experience directly to treatment centers, speaking with people who are navigating their own recovery journeys.

Whether you’re newly sober, sober-curious, or simply trying to better understand your body without alcohol, this conversation offers insight, compassion, and a reminder that recovery is about more than just putting down the drink. It’s also about nourishing your body, supporting your hormones, and learning what you need to truly feel better.

Instagram: dana.burns.recovery

Website: therecoverydietician.com

What if the very thing you were once ashamed of became the thing you’re most proud of?

In this episode of The Happiest Hour, I’m sitting down with my friend Kendall for an honest conversation about addiction, motherhood, sobriety, and breaking the stigma surrounding recovery.

Kendall opens up about her struggle with prescription drug addiction, the secrets she kept, and the misconception that addiction only happens to certain types of people. We talk about how easy it is to hide behind a seemingly successful life, the courage it takes to ask for help, and how recovery has completely transformed our lives.

We also reflect on something that means more to us than anything: how proud our children are of the women and mothers we’ve become. What once felt like something to hide has become something worth celebrating.

Today, Kendall is the owner of Core Med Direct, a business supplying drug-testing cups to sober living homes and treatment centers, with products also available on Amazon.

This conversation is a reminder that addiction doesn’t discriminate, recovery doesn’t have to carry shame, and our past doesn’t have to define our future.

Sometimes the life we build on the other side is better than anything we could have imagined.

The Happiest Hour — Where happy hour ends and your best life begins.

http://www.coremed-direct.com to contact Kendall or to order

This episode is different from the conversations I usually share, but it’s one I felt deeply called to have.

My guest, Janice Paton, lost her son Tyler to suicide while he was a college student. Tyler was a loving, funny, vibrant young man who was involved in college football broadcasting and, to those who loved him, never showed obvious signs that he was struggling.

Janice shares Tyler’s story, the unimaginable experience of losing a child, and what she and her husband, Scott, have chosen to do with their grief.

We also talk about the complicated role social media can play in young people’s lives—the connection it can create, but also the pressure and isolation that can exist behind what we see on a screen.

Through her pain, Janice wrote the beautiful children’s book Ripple the Dolphin Finds Calm Waters: A Gentle Story About Big Feelings, Body Signals, and Finding Calm, designed to help children recognize emotions, understand what is happening in their bodies, and learn healthy ways to find calm.

Janice and Scott also created the Tyler Paton Foundation with the hope of supporting early intervention, emotional awareness, and conversations that may help other young people and families.

My hope in sharing this episode is simple: if you are struggling, please tell someone. And if you love someone, keep asking questions, keep listening, and keep the conversation going.

Tyler’s life mattered, and his story continues to create ripples.

Book available on Amazon.

In this episode, I sit down with Ashley to talk about the powerful reminders and mantras that can help us slow down, get out of our own way, and come back to ourselves.

Some are simple. Some are a little silly. But sometimes the words we repeat to ourselves are exactly what we need to hear.

We talk about “pressure is a privilege,” trusting the process, choosing yourself, letting go of what other people think, and building a stronger relationship with yourself.

Ashley also shares why it matters to pause long enough to notice what’s actually going well in our lives instead of constantly focusing on what needs to change or what comes next.

We talk about paying attention to those little “God winks,” trusting that we don’t always need to know the entire path ahead, and simply putting one foot in front of the other.

These tools aren’t about having everything figured out. They’re reminders to slow down, pay attention, trust yourself, and keep moving forward.

Whitney Kell helped build the coaching division of a publicly traded weight-loss company, where she coached thousands of medical professionals as the business grew into a billion-dollar company. Her work today focuses on helping people understand their triggers, not simply as something to avoid, but as doorways to greater awareness, healing, and truth. Clean & sober from Cocaine and crystal meth at 21 and alcohol for 26 years, emotional sobriety has become one of the most meaningful parts of her journey. In this episode, Whitney shares what led her to get sober in 2000, what she learned from nine years in AA and the Twelve Steps, and the moment she realized that simply removing alcohol was only the beginning.

We also talk about triggers, old patterns, and why the things that activate us can sometimes become doorways to greater self-awareness and healing. Drawing on more than 25 years of coaching experience, Whitney shares what she has learned about lasting change, personal growth, and becoming less reactive to the things that once had so much power over us.

Whitney also opens up about her podcast and forthcoming book, Triggered™, and why she feels called to step back into this work in a bigger way now.

In this episode of The Happiest Hour, I’m joined by Cindi Roberts, also known as the Sober Sexpert — a certified recovery coach and sexual health educator who helps women in recovery rebuild confidence, reconnect with themselves, and navigate intimacy and relationships without alcohol.

Cindi shares her own experience being deeply immersed in mommy drinking culture, where alcohol was woven into social events, work, friendships, and everyday life. At the same time, she built a career as a sexual health educator, selling sexual wellness products and speaking to hundreds of women about confidence, intimacy, and sexuality — often relying on alcohol herself to calm her nerves before stepping on stage.

We talk about the role alcohol can play in confidence, sex, dating, marriage, body image, and connection — and what happens when you remove something you once believed made you more relaxed, outgoing, or comfortable in your own skin.

Cindi also shares how sobriety changed her relationship with herself and ultimately led her to the work she does today helping other women discover that confidence, connection, and intimacy don’t have to come from a drink.

It’s an open and refreshing conversation about alcohol, sex, motherhood, confidence, recovery, and learning to feel comfortable being fully yourself.

The Happiest Hour — where happy hour ends and your best life begins.

Samantha Parker is an entrepreneur, mom, wife, podcast host, and the CEO and Creative Media Director of The Iconic Method, a social media company based in St. George, Utah.

In this episode, Samantha shares what it’s looked like to build a business, raise a family, and step into a new chapter of life alcohol-free. We talk about her sobriety journey, personal growth, entrepreneurship, and what changes when you start showing up more clearly and intentionally in both life and business.

Samantha also shares practical tips on Instagram, TikTok growth, content creation, personal branding, storytelling, and what actually helps people connect with your content.

It’s a conversation about sobriety, reinvention, business & motherhood. If you're a business owner, creator, entrepreneur, or someone trying to grow your brand, you're in the right place.

Today I’m sitting down with one of my closest friends, Courtney Young, for a conversation that feels especially personal and 10 years in the making.

We talk about how her relationship with alcohol evolved over the years, what finally led her to sobriety, and the fear that can come with being honest about something you’ve worked so hard to keep private.

Courtney shares what she’s learned about herself along the way, the role spirituality, health and fitness have played in her journey, and what it looks like to keep growing through new seasons of life—including becoming an empty nester.

This is a conversation about alcohol, but even more than that, it’s about self-awareness, courage, and finally being willing to look at the things that may be keeping us stuck.

If you are ready to change your relationship with alcohol, head to www.happiesthouraf.com and set up a call with me, Paula Devine

In this episode of The Happiest Hour I sit down with Leontine, from the Sober Expat on Instagram, to talk about what happened when she started getting honest about the life she really wanted.

She had dreams, including moving to Bali, but kept noticing that drinking, distractions, and the habits surrounding alcohol were getting in the way of actually moving toward them. Through journaling, yoga, and getting quiet enough to pay attention to the signs around her, she began finding clarity.

We talk about what changed when she removed alcohol from her life—the goals that became clearer, the choices that became easier, and how sobriety helped her become a more present, patient mom who could genuinely enjoy the moments she used to rush through.

This conversation is about more than not drinking. It’s about creating enough space to hear yourself again—and having the courage to follow where that clarity leads.

In this episode of The Happiest Hour, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Kelley Kitley, psychotherapist, author, podcast host of America’s Social Worker. Kelley has appeared on national programs including Good Morning America, TODAY, and Live with Kelly and Mark, sharing her expertise on mental health, motherhood, relationships, and recovery.

This was a full circle moment for me as seeing Kelley on the Today Show woke up something in me.

We have an honest conversation about their experiences with alcohol, navigating recovery while raising teenagers, and the complicated emotions that can come with choosing a different path while your kids are watching.

We also explore what it means to turn difficult chapters into purpose, how lived experience can become a way to help others, and what’s ahead for Kelley, including her work in film.

This conversation is about more than not drinking. It’s about motherhood, identity, growth, and becoming the women we want our children to see.

Kelley can be contacted via Instagram @kelleykitley

Catching up with Ashley Runyan on life with teenagers, our big plans at the Happiest Hour and what's next for women in midlife and how we move through all of it with a clear lens thanks to sobriety and ditching alcohol.

If you're tired of the vicious cycle and want to take a peek of what living alcohol-free could look like for you, join the 6 week Group Coaching Experience. No pressure, not another reset, just valuable information and connections with other women on this same path.

We start September 17, all the details are on the website and to stay up to date on all the latest events. www.happiesthouraf.com

For almost ten years, Ashley Kelsch owned Teddies for Bettys, a lingerie and sexual wellness boutique in Austin, where she spent countless hours with women in dressing rooms talking about bodies, relationships, and the quiet disconnection so many of them carried. That experience, combined with her own history of using relationships, work, and wine to escape herself, became the foundation for her current work. Today Ashley helps women find their way back to themselves through a practice centered on desire, the body, and their relationship with alcohol. She's certified through The Life Coach School, completing her VITA training in erotic embodiment, and has written for Tribeza Magazine and other publications. She believes pleasure is a birthright, not a luxury, and that most women haven't lost their desire so much as lost access to it.

Thank you for listening, please follow for weekly episodes!

This Podcast is hosted by Paula Devine Happiest Hour

For more information about Happiest Hour head to www.happiesthouraf.com

For more information about Ashley Kelsch she can be found on Substack, instagram@theashleykelsch and www.ashleykelsch.com

In this episode of The Happiest Hour, I sit down with Amber Carter—fitness and yoga instructor, retreat host, author, and fellow sober woman—for an honest conversation about what happens when life begins to unravel… and why that isn’t always a bad thing.

We explore what empty nesting can teach us about identity, purpose, and the opportunity to become curious instead of fearful. If you’ve ever wondered, Who am I now? Where do I belong? this conversation is for you.

Together we talk about:

• Why empty nesting can become a powerful season of self-discovery.
• The connection between women’s health, wellness, movement, and emotional healing.
• Sobriety as a doorway to greater clarity and self-trust.
• The stories we tell ourselves—and how our inner dialogue shapes our lives.
• Letting go of “I should,” “I have to,” and “I could have.”
• Why your life isn’t finished—you’re simply editing the next chapter.

One of my favorite reminders from this conversation:

You have the power to change your narrative. This is your book, and you get to edit it.

Whether you’re navigating an empty nest, rethinking your relationship with alcohol, or simply feeling called into a new season of life, I hope this episode leaves you feeling hopeful, empowered, and excited about what’s still to come.

If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a woman who might need this reminder today.

Artist Mel Cherigate shares how a life that looked functional slowly unraveled after grief and alcohol took hold. A mom, wife and after two trips to rehab, she found lasting recovery—and rediscovered her creativity, purpose, and herself. We talk about healing through art, rebuilding a life from the inside out, and why it's never too late to start over. Her honesty and openness is a true testament of her courage to share her story and help others. You can find her on instagram @mel_cheriegate_

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In this episode of The Happiest Hour, I sit down with Laura Silverman, founder of Zero Proof Nation and Booze Free in DC, to talk about what it was like choosing an alcohol-free life long before the sober curious movement existed.

After two hospitalizations by the age of 24, Laura knew something had to change. But in a world with virtually no non-alcoholic options and very little community, staying alcohol-free meant learning how to navigate a culture built around drinking while constantly asking herself if moderation was possible.

We talk about growing up feeling different, bullying, self-medicating, the ADHD and neurodivergent brain, and why alcohol can become such an appealing coping tool.

We also dive into today’s rapidly growing alcohol-free landscape, including THC drinks, the explosion of non-alcoholic options, and Laura’s guide to exploring Washington DC without alcohol.

Most importantly, we talk about community — how local alcohol-free brands, events, and connection help people feel less alone, and how far we’ve come while recognizing there’s still so much more to build.

This conversation is honest, hopeful, and a reminder that the future of socializing doesn’t have to revolve around alcohol.

This week on The Happiest Hour, I sit down with Jes Landau for an honest conversation about motherhood, stress, and the quiet ways alcohol can slowly become woven into everyday life.

For Jes, instagram @jeslandau, what started as sharing a nightly bottle of wine with her husband became a ritual, a reward, and eventually a crutch. Following her divorce, she found herself working in wine sales while navigating single motherhood and rebuilding her life.

Everything changed after seeing a photograph of herself with glazed-over eyes staring back at her. In that moment, she knew she couldn’t keep going the way she had been.

Jes shares how early sobriety wasn’t about deprivation—it was about choosing herself, her healing, and her family over and over again. In those first months, she focused on giving herself ten times more care, attention, and compassion than she ever had before.

We also talk about her love of reading, creating new rituals through mocktails, and discovering that alcohol wasn’t what made life’s moments special after all.

If you’ve ever found yourself reaching for the nightly glass of wine simply because it’s what you’ve always done, this conversation will remind you that you’re not alone and that another way is possible.

If you are looking for guided support head to www. happiesthouraf.com to book a call.

In this short solo episode, I talk about the mindset shift that changed everything for me. For years, it was easy to blame stress, overwhelm, difficult seasons, or other people for why I kept drinking. But staying on that merry-go-round only kept me stuck.

The hardest truth to face was also the most freeing: alcohol wasn't helping me survive my life—it was making my life harder.

When I stopped pointing the finger everywhere else and got honest with myself, everything began to change.

If you've been wondering whether alcohol is really helping you cope, this episode is your invitation to ask a different question.

Because you deserve so much more than just surviving—you deserve to truly live.

This week I'm joined by Kristen Beckett, the woman behind the viral Mocktailsandmarathons Instagram reels. We talk about the slippery slope of gray-area drinking in motherhood—how "normal" drinking slowly turned into blackouts, hiding alcohol, and constantly justifying it because nothing "bad" had happened... yet.

Kristen shares her experience with postpartum depression, the shocking news that became a turning point in her life, and what it was like growing up in a family where alcohol was simply part of having fun. She also opens up about finding a sober community and how living alcohol-free has brought her more purpose, stronger relationships, and a level of joy she never expected.

We also dive into something so many women struggle with: when—and whether—to tell other people you've stopped drinking. From quietly making the change to publicly sharing her sobriety online, Kristen offers an honest perspective on identity, vulnerability, and the freedom that comes from living in alignment with who you truly are.

Whether you're sober-curious, taking a break, or years into your alcohol-free journey, I think you'll see a little of yourself in this conversation.

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This week on The Happiest Hour, I’m joined by author Mary Alice Stephens for a conversation that felt like sitting across from a friend who just gets it.

We talk about her incredible book, the stories behind it, and the moments that made us both stop and question what had become so normal.

We get into:
• Mommy wine culture and the messages women absorb about alcohol
• The “witching hour” and using wine as a reward or coping tool
• Our experiences with AA and how it positively impacted both of us—even though neither of us are active today
• The gray area between “I’m fine” and “this isn’t working anymore”
• Humor, honesty, identity, and creating a life that feels good without alcohol

Mary brings so much warmth, self-awareness, and humor to this conversation, and I think so many women will see themselves in parts of her story.

Grab your coffee, your walk, or your quiet moment—and join us.

🎙️ The Happiest Hour with Paula Devine