Real Women LIVE

Welcome to Real Women LIVE (formerly Sober Living Stories) , a podcast where women discover what's possible on the other side of silence. A show built on the belief that the stories we are most afraid to tell often become our greatest sources of strength, wild possibilities, and purpose. Each week, host Jessica Stipanovic sits down with women who have lived through the moments that changed everything, from loss, addiction, betrayal, grief, reinvention, family hardship, recovery, and starting over. These are not surface-level conversations but honest accounts of what happened, what was learned, and what changed when these women found the courage to stop performing, start telling the truth out loud, and own every version of themselves. Real Women LIVE evolved from Sober Living Stories, a podcast rooted in the power of personal transformation. While our foundation remains grounded in raw, honest stories of resilience and hope, t

Real Women LIVE is a education podcast hosted by Jessica Stipanovic, with 57 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Jessica Stipanovic hosts Real Women LIVE, a education show with 57 episodes published.

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  Episode #58

  You Can Rebuild After Abuse And Still Raise Strong Kids

  Sep 29, 202636 minS2

  Send us Fan Mail "Stay for the kids" is a line we often hear, but no one explains what kids actually learn when home feels tense, unsafe, or full of quiet disrespect. We sit down with Leanne Hutchinson, host of Life After Plus One, who shares what it looked like to leave a toxic relationship with her young daughter and rebuild from scratch, including the scary in-between season of couches, motels, and pure uncertainty. Her story is raw, practical, and grounded in one clear goal: create a healthy environment where your child can breathe. We also get specific about the real-life mechanics of single parenting after separation: finding stability, managing money stress, and building work that fits school runs and the emotional load you carry. Leanne explains why she chose entrepreneurship, what the early “no guaranteed income” phase really feels like, and why persistence matters, especially when you’re tempted to quit. If you’re navigating a breakup, divorce, or domestic abuse recovery, this conversation offers a steady reminder that rebuilding takes time, but it is possible. Then we move into solutions that make daily life calmer: simple self-care routines that don’t require extra money, and a co-parenting mindset shift that can lower conflict fast. Treating co-parenting like a business relationship, separating the breakup from the parenting role, and working through triggers can help you show up more grounded for your kids and for yourself. If you’re a single mom ready for a healthier next chapter, subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more single parents can find this support. For more information about Leanne Hutchinson, visit https://www.lifeafterplusone.com/. Support the show ⭐ Get new episodes + Jessica’s 3-2-1 newsletter: https://www.jessicastipanovic.com/newsletter ⭐ Listen & follow Real Women LIVE: https://www.jessicastipanovic.com/podcast ⭐ Join 14K+ on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realwomenlive ⭐ Love this episode? Follow the show, leave a review, and share it with one woman who needs to hear this story. Real Women LIVE was formerly Sober Living Stories. If one of these conversations makes you think of a woman in your life, send it to her...

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  Real Women LIVE

  Early Trauma Steals Your Voice: How One Woman Took It Back

  Sep 22, 202633 min

  Send us Fan Mail Trauma doesn’t always show up as a single memory you can point to. Sometimes it shows up as a life that feels “off,” a voice that doesn’t sound like yours, reactions that feel bigger than the moment, and cycles you can’t explain no matter how hard you work on yourself. We sit down with Lease Youmans, author and trauma-informed speaker, to trace how childhood sexual abuse at 12 quietly shaped decades of decisions, coping, and identity, even while she believed she was living authentically. Lease shares the moment everything shifted during a coaching session at age 50, when she realized the real breakthrough wasn’t about finding one more missing piece; it was about facing what she had disconnected from. We talk about dissociation, the need to stay busy to avoid stillness, and how trauma can influence relationships, self-worth, and the deep desire to be seen and valued. She also explains why personal growth can feel like frustration when you’re trying to build a future on an unhealed foundation. From writing her book “Triumphant: A Journey from Trauma to Triumph” to starting therapy and learning to “unmute” her voice, Lease lays out a healing journey rooted in truth and steadiness. She closes by sharing her current work through The Trauma Unit and the Trauma Unit Experience, a trauma-informed healing system designed to stabilize, restore, and rebuild without pressure or retraumatization. Find her work here: HOME | LEASE L. YOUMANS If you resonate with trauma healing, childhood trauma recovery, reclaiming your voice, and becoming your authentic self, this conversation will stay with you. Interested in turning your story into purpose? Visit https://www.jessicastipanovic.com Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find it. Support the show ⭐ Get new episodes + Jessica’s 3-2-1 newsletter: https://www.jessicastipanovic.com/newsletter ⭐ Listen & follow Real Women LIVE: https://www.jessicastipanovic.com/podcast ⭐ Join 14K+ on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realwomenlive ⭐ Love this episode? Follow the show, leave a review, and share it with one woman who needs to hear this story. Real Women LIVE was formerly Sober Living Stories. If one of these conversations makes you think of a woman in your life, send it to her...

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  Real Women LIVE

  God Wrecked My Life (In The Best Possible Way)

  Sep 12, 202540 minS0

  <p>What happens when liquid courage becomes spiritual bondage? Crystal Cuellar's story illuminates the unexpected path from social drinking to spiritual awakening, revealing how faith became the foundation for her alcohol-free life.<br/><br/>Crystal's journey begins at fifteen with that first warm shot of vodka—the moment she discovered alcohol could transform her from the shy girl into someone more outgoing. What started as occasional social drinking evolved into a decade-long pattern of binge drinking that felt completely normal because everyone in her circle lived the same way. Despite not drinking daily, Crystal found herself caught in a cycle—taki...

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  Episode #50

  Rewiring the Addicted Brain: A Psychologist's Guide to Addiction Recovery

  Aug 15, 202540 minS1

  <p>The complexity of addiction extends far beyond what most people understand. Join Jessica Stipanovic and Psychologist Faust Ruggiero, with over 35 years of clinical experience, as they bring profound insight into this challenging territory on the latest Sober Living Stories podcast. <br/><br/>Ruggiero's approach to addiction recovery challenges conventional thinking. "When you talk about addiction, people almost always go right to drugs or alcohol," he explains, before revealing he's identified at least 17 distinct addiction patterns in his latest book. From gambling and food addiction to exercise obsession, these compulsions share fundamental neurological mechanisms despite their surface differences.<br/><br/>W...

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  Episode #49

  Sharing Peaceful Wisdom with the World: J.W. Kicklighter's 22-year Journey

  Jul 13, 202527 minS1

  <p>Wayne Kicklighter shares his 22-year journey of sobriety, from growing up with generational alcoholism to becoming a published author of a daily reflections book called "Peaceful Wisdom: Reflections on God, Life, and Recovery." </p><p>His transformation takes us through early party days, living a double life, hitting rock bottom, and ultimately finding a spiritual path to recovery and genuine self-discovery.</p><p>• Noticed alcoholic behavior in his family growing up, particularly his mother, who showed characteristics he later recognized in himself.</p><p>• Started drinking and doing drugs as a teenager to escape and fit in, becoming the "cente...

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