The Alcohol Free Revolution Podcast

steve33sz
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Health & Fitness
  • Updated Weekly

The Alcohol-Free Revolution is an honest, uplifting, and thought-provoking podcast hosted by Steve Smith and James Lloyd—two people who didn’t hit “rock bottom,” but simply reached a point where drinking no longer matched the life they wanted to build. Each week, we explore what happens when you step away from alcohol: the clarity that returns, the identity shifts, the surprising challenges, and the unexpected joys. This isn’t a lecture, a rulebook, or a moral crusade. It’s a real conversation about modern life, habits, wellbeing, and what it means to create a life that actually feels like your own. We talk openly about the social pressure to drink, the fear of standing out, the role alcohol plays in relationships, confidence, work, and weekends—and why so many people are quietly questioning it. Along the way, we share personal stories, reflections, mindset shifts, and the lessons we’re learning as we navigate our own alcohol-free journeys. Whether you’re sober-curious, taking a break, already alcohol-free, or simply exploring a different way of living, this podcast is here to help you feel understood, supported, and part of something that’s growing fast: a new normal where feeling good is more important than fitting in. Welcome to the Revolution.

  1. 1d ago

    Episode 67 — Emma Gilmour Part 2 | Menopause & Alcohol

    This week we are delighted to welcome Emma Gilmour back to the pod and this time we're tackling menopause. Following the incredible response to part one, Emma returns to cover something that doesn't get nearly enough airtime — the relationship between alcohol and menopause, and why it's so much more complicated than most women are ever told. The symptoms of perimenopause and the symptoms of a hangover have a lot in common. Anxiety, poor sleep, brain fog, mood swings, fatigue, joint pain. Which means for a huge number of women, alcohol isn't just failing to help — it's actively making things worse while convincing them it's the only thing getting them through. Emma breaks down exactly why that happens, what's going on hormonally, and why the drop in oestrogen makes women significantly more vulnerable to alcohol dependency during this period of their lives. We also get into HRT — what it actually is, why the fear around it was built on flawed science, and why the conversation has shifted so dramatically. And why, for women who are already alcohol-free or thinking about it, understanding this connection can be genuinely life-changing. If you haven't listened to part one yet, go back and start there. Find Emma: Instagram: @hoperisingcoaching Website: www.hoperisingcoaching.com Podcast: Midlife AF — www.hoperisingcoaching.com/podcast Coach with Steve: Web: www.soberilliant.com Insta: @sober.illiant LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stevesmith-soberilliant Coach with James: Web: http://alcoholfreecoach.com Insta: @alcoholfreecoach_ LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/james-lloyd-48313032

  2. Sep 27

    Episode 66 — David Spencer | The Man Who Backed Himself — and Won

    This week Steve's coaching client David Spencer joins the pod — and it's a cracking one. David is based in Wales, plays competitive darts, and came into coaching earlier this year having spent most of his adult life using alcohol as a pre-match nerve settler, a social tool, and an escape valve after a tough week. Nearly six months in, he's not looking back. What makes David's story particularly compelling is the specifics. He plays in a world where the oche is in a pub and almost everyone around him is drinking. He used to have a couple of pints just to settle himself down before throwing. Now he's playing the best darts of his life — including his first ever 100 match average. The darts didn't get better because he worked harder. They got better because he got out of his own way. His home life has been transformed, he's heading into his first alcohol-free Christmas genuinely excited about it, and he's got a professional tour card in his sights for next year. Honest, funny, and a brilliant example of what becomes possible when you remove the big domino. Coach with Steve: Web: www.soberilliant.com  Insta: @sober.illiant LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stevesmith-soberilliant Coach with James: Web: http://alcoholfreecoach.com Insta: @alcoholfreecoach_ LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/james-lloyd-48313032

  3. Sep 20

    Episode 65 — James is Five Years AF , Brad Pitt, and WhyModeration Is a Myth

    No guest this week just Steve and James, and it's a milestone episode. James has just hit five years alcohol-free, and we take a moment to mark it before getting into something that's been doing the rounds — Brad Pitt's decision to return to drinking after seven years of sobriety. We're not here to judge him. But it does open up a really important conversation about moderation, desire, and why resisting something you still want is a very different thing from simply not wanting it anymore. A good one. Coach with Steve: Web: www.soberilliant.com Insta: @sober.illiant LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stevesmith-soberilliant Coach with James: Web: http://alcoholfreecoach.com Insta: @alcoholfreecoach_ LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/james-lloyd-48313032

  4. Sep 14

    Episode 64 — Millie Gooch | Hangxiety, Sober Girl Society and the Truth About Alcohol and Anxiety

    This week is a big one!! We've wanted to get Millie Gooch on the pod for a long time, and it's finally happened. Millie is the founder of Sober Girl Society, one of the largest alcohol-free communities in the world, author of three books, TED talk speaker, and holds an MSc in Mental Health and Addiction. She's been one of the most important voices in the alcohol-free movement since she gave up drinking in 2018. Her latest book Hangxiety which is out now is her most compelling yet. It's not a book about sobriety. It's a book about your brain on booze. Why that wave of dread and anxiety after a night out is far more than just a bad hangover, what alcohol is actually doing to your nervous system, your sleep and your mood, and why the effects can linger long after the headache's gone. Smart, science-backed, and not remotely preachy. We get into her own story, how the movement has shifted since she started, and what she makes of where we are now. A brilliant guest. Go and get the book. Find Millie: Instagram: @milliegooch Sober Girl Society: @sobergirlsociety Website: www.sobergirlsociety.com Hangxiety: How Alcohol Messes With Your Mind — out now Available wherever books are sold.   Coach with Steve: Web: www.soberilliant.com Insta: @sober.illiant LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stevesmith-soberilliant Coach with James: Web: http://alcoholfreecoach.com Insta: @alcoholfreecoach_ LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/james-lloyd-48313032

  5. Sep 7

    Episode 63 — Emma Gilmour Part 1: ADHD, Alcohol and the Art of Unmasking

    This week we're joined by Emma Gilmour — licensed counsellor, psychotherapist and alcohol coach, based in Australia. Emma spent 20+ years running on adrenalin, coffee and booze before her own messy breakup with drinking and a late Autistic ADHD diagnosis rebuilt her from the ground up. She now supports women in midlife through menopause, alcohol and the identity shift that comes with both. It's a genuinely fascinating conversation — one we've been wanting to have for a long time. We get into why ADHD and alcohol are so deeply connected, what masking really means, why stopping drinking can feel so exposing, and why so many people who struggle with alcohol have spent a lifetime trying to be someone they're not just to feel safe. We loved it so much we've already booked her back for part two. If you have questions for Emma on ADHD, alcohol or menopause, send them to info@thealcoholfreerevolution.co.uk Find Emma: Instagram: @hoperisingcoaching Website: www.hoperisingcoaching.com Podcast: Midlife AF — www.hoperisingcoaching.com/podcast Upcoming with Emma: Free 3-Day Alcohol Reset — 22–24 September, 7:30pm AEST (replays available) Register: www.hoperisingcoaching.com/3-day-reset The Great Aussie Alcohol Experiment — live 1 October, 30 days, small group, 25 spots. Early bird ends 15 September. Join: www.hoperisingcoaching.com/the_great_aussie_alcohol_experiment Coach with Steve: Web: www.soberilliant.com Insta: @sober.illiant LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stevesmith-soberilliant Coach with James: Web: http://alcoholfreecoach.com Insta: @alcoholfreecoach_ LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/james-lloyd-48313032

  6. Aug 30

    Ep:62 800 Bottles Later | Miriam Roland on Fixing Alcohol-Free Wine

    This week we're joined by Miriam Lene Roland — Norwegian sommelier, entrepreneur, and founder of Miris Blend, a premium alcohol-free wine brand that is quietly turning heads in the wine world. Miriam completed her WSET Level 3 in London, spent three years immersed in the wine regions of Portugal, and wrote her master's thesis on the technology and marketing of alcohol-free wine — before going back to Norway and actually building the business. She's now producing a range of award-winning alcohol-free wines using some of the most advanced dealcoholisation technology currently available, working directly with small producers who share her obsession with quality. If wine is the one thing you miss, or the one thing holding you back, this is the episode to listen to. We get into why most alcohol-free wine is so disappointing, what Miriam is doing differently, and why the market for genuinely good alcohol-free wine is only just getting started. Find Miriam: Instagram: @mirisblend.no Website: www.mirisblend.com Buy in the UK: www.alcoholfreedrinks.co.uk Coach with Steve: Web: www.soberilliant.com Insta: @sober.illiant LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stevesmith-soberilliant Coach with James: Web: http://alcoholfreecoach.com Insta: @alcoholfreecoach_ LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/james-lloyd-48313032

  7. Aug 23

    Episode 61 — Toby Bailey | Elite Sport, the Dressing Room Culture, and Life Without Alcohol

    This week we're joined by Toby Bailey — former professional cricketer turned international coach, currently heading up the Qatar National Cricket Team. Toby has been alcohol-free for nearly three years, which is quite something when you consider he spent decades in two of the booziest environments going — professional cricket and the City. We get into what drinking culture really looked like inside elite sport, how attitudes have shifted, and what finally made Toby decide to remove alcohol from his own foundations. There's also a brilliant conversation about performing under pressure without it, what you miss socially, and why he's refreshingly honest that the start wasn't easy. One of the more unique perspectives we've had on the pod. Well worth your time.   Connect with Toby: Instagram: @tobybaileyepemcoach Website: www.epemcoaching.co.uk   Coach with Steve: Web: www.soberilliant.com Insta: @sober.illiant LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stevesmith-soberilliant Coach with James: Web: http://alcoholfreecoach.com Insta: @alcoholfreecoach_ LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/james-lloyd-48313032

  8. Aug 16

    Episode 60 — Ted Gibson | Accidentally Alcohol Free

    This week we're joined by our good friend from over the pond Ted Gibson. Ted is a fellow coach, and someone we have been meaning to get on the pod for way too long. Ted's story is genuinely one of a kind. An alcohol free adventure that started with no real plan. Deep into a hospitality career, a trained sommelier and faced with becoming a dad and with a daughter was on the way, Ted just decided to stop. One year. Non-negotiable. No tools, no real plan. Just a decision. Six years later, here we are who'd have thought it would have unlocked so much. A great chat with one of life's good guys. Ted brings a perspective we haven't really heard before on this pod, and it's well worth a listen.  Connect with Ted: Instagram: @tedgibsoncoaching   Coach with Steve: Web: www.soberilliant.com Insta: @sober.illiant LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stevesmith-soberilliant Coach with James: Web: http://alcoholfreecoach.com Insta: @alcoholfreecoach_ LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/james-lloyd-48313032

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About

The Alcohol-Free Revolution is an honest, uplifting, and thought-provoking podcast hosted by Steve Smith and James Lloyd—two people who didn’t hit “rock bottom,” but simply reached a point where drinking no longer matched the life they wanted to build. Each week, we explore what happens when you step away from alcohol: the clarity that returns, the identity shifts, the surprising challenges, and the unexpected joys. This isn’t a lecture, a rulebook, or a moral crusade. It’s a real conversation about modern life, habits, wellbeing, and what it means to create a life that actually feels like your own. We talk openly about the social pressure to drink, the fear of standing out, the role alcohol plays in relationships, confidence, work, and weekends—and why so many people are quietly questioning it. Along the way, we share personal stories, reflections, mindset shifts, and the lessons we’re learning as we navigate our own alcohol-free journeys. Whether you’re sober-curious, taking a break, already alcohol-free, or simply exploring a different way of living, this podcast is here to help you feel understood, supported, and part of something that’s growing fast: a new normal where feeling good is more important than fitting in. Welcome to the Revolution.

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