52. How Sobriety Helps Expose the Truth with Emily Lynn Paulson

Seeking a path to recovery and genuine support? In this episode, Emily Lynn Paulson discusses the intersection between Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) schemes and alcohol. She shares her story of using alcohol as a coping mechanism for anxiety, postpartum depression, and the need to escape from being a mom. She highlights the story of finding success in an MLM organization but then confronting uncomfortable truths behind it. Emily explores the overlap between MLMs and alcohol and emphasizes the importance of genuine support and self-care instead of relying on buzzwords to solve problems. Tune in for a powerful conversation about recovery, support systems, false expectations, and much more!

Emily Lynn Paulson is the author of Highlight Real: Finding Honesty and Recovery Beyond the Filtered Life and the forthcoming Hey, Hun: Sales, Sisterhood, Supremacy, and the Other Lies Behind Multilevel Marketing (May 2023). She has given two powerful TEDx talks, both challenging the status quo of parenting, alcohol use, and feminism as we know it.

[00:01 - 07:06] Opening Segment

• Emily introduces her new book, Hey Hun

• How alcohol was a coping mechanism for Emily and how it eventually stopped working

• Using alcohol to cope with anxiety, postpartum depression, and the need to escape

• How Emily got involved in MLM as a way to escape and contribute after having her fifth baby

[07:07 - 14:29] How Sobriety Helped Uncover the Truth

• MLMs are often associated with the “cool crowd,” who are conventionally attractive and wealthy

• People involved in MLMs are often manipulated and misled about their potential success

• Alcohol can take away one's intuition, making it easier to be manipulated

• How Emily realized she was being manipulated

[14:30 - 21:34] Examining the Parallels Between Alcohol and MLM

• Every inspirational tale starts with some sob story

• The predatory tactics to join pyramid schemes and use stimulus money to buy products

• Telling uncomfortable truths challenged what people needed to stay in MLM

• How to recognize when we are in denial or don't want to hear the truth

[21:35 - 28:50] Supporting Your Friends: Reframing What Helps in an MLM Culture

• The overlap between MLMs and alcohol

• The "love bombing" within MLMs, which can be helpful but also has an ulterior motive

• The lack of support in our culture and the need to reframe what is helpful for those in need

• Even tricky life experiences have blessings, such as finding a passion for talking about recovery

[28:51 - 38:19] Closing Segment

• MLMs are overpriced and keep people stuck in a commercial cult

• How people may be asking for the wrong type of support

• Alcohol takes away intuition and creates a fog of detachment

Want to connect with Emily? Follow her on Instagram. Visit her website to explore an alcohol-free lifestyle and everything in between!  

Resources Mentioned:

Sober Mom Squad

Key Quotes:

"Anything that I say challenges what people need to believe to stay in." - Emily Lynn 

"We really lack support in our culture in America. And what we believe is support, what we believe is self-care, don't really fix the problem." - Emily Lynn 

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