Successful Life Podcast | Addiction Recovery, Sobriety & the 12 Steps The Successful Life Podcast is a recovery podcast hosted by Corey Berrier, featuring honest conversations about addiction recovery, alcoholism, sobriety, the 12 Steps, emotional sobriety, and personal transformation. Each episode explores practical recovery tools, spiritual principles, sponsorship, relationships, mental wellness, and what it really takes to build a meaningful life one day at a time. Corey shares personal experiences from long-term recovery, solo episodes on the challenges and victories of sober living, and interviews with people whose lives have been transformed through recovery. Whether you’re newly sober, working the 12 Steps, supporting a loved one struggling with addiction, or simply looking for personal growth, you’ll find hope, practical guidance, and authentic conversations that remind you you’re not alone. Topics include: • Addiction recovery • Alcohol recovery • Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) • The 12 Steps • Sobriety • Emotional sobriety • Recovery stories • Spiritual growth • Mental health and resilience • Personal development • Sponsorship • Relapse prevention • Service work • Living a purpose-driven life New episodes every week featuring real conversations, practical experience, strength, and hope to help you build not just a sober life—but a truly successful life.
Listen to episodes
60 recent
October 19, 202630 min
Mental Health Belongs in the Recovery Conversation
In last week’s episode, “Intention Without Alignment Is Just a Wish,” Corey talked about living his values through service. This week he asks whether recovery communities make room for people who live with mental illness as well as addiction. He shares a personal account of a missing friend and sponsee, reflects on his own past hopelessness, and talks about the role of meetings, sponsorship, medication, and professional treatment. In this episode: mental illness in recovery rooms; co-occurring disorders; respecting prescribed treatment; supporting a friend without playing doctor; recognizing hopelessness; and one honest conversation to have this week. Connect with Corey ●The Successful Life Podcast: https://successfullifepodcast.com ●Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1JbPsiir58/?mibextid=wwXIfr Listen and subscribe ●Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/successful-life-podcast/id1486100211 ●Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oH6xuInZETJTkGYMTXATH Buy Corey’s book ●Amazon: https://a.co/d/0iO67k5K Send us Fan Mail https:newpathemployment.com Connect with Corey Visit The Successful Life Podcast Follow Corey on Facebook Follow Corey on Instagram Buy My Book on Audible Buy My Book on Amazon
October 12, 202627 min
Intention Without Alignment Is Just a Wish
Last week on The Successful Life Podcast , Corey shared how three and a half years of showing up in recovery helped him move from isolation toward friendship and connection. This week, he follows that journey into his working life. After repeatedly searching for the right career opportunity, Corey began asking a different question: How can I be of maximum service to my coworkers, customers, and the people around me? He reflects on how that internal shift changed the way he approached work. An opportunity brought him to Wilmington, where the people he met eventually opened a door to roofing—the work he had resisted and now finds deeply rewarding. This episode explores intention, values, faith, and the actions that bring them into alignment. Corey also offers a practical exercise to help you identify one value you can put into action this week. Connect with Corey The Successful Life Podcast: https://successfullifepodcast.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1JbPsiir58/?mibextid=wwXIfr Listen and subscribe Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/successful-life-podcast/id1486100211 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oH6xuInZETJTkGYMTXATH Buy Corey’s book Amazon: https://a.co/d/0iO67k5K If this episode speaks to you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone whose path is unfolding differently than they expected. Send us Fan Mail https:newpathemployment.com Connect with Corey Visit The Successful Life Podcast Follow Corey on Facebook Follow Corey on Instagram Buy My Book on Audible Buy My Book on Amazon
October 5, 202632 min
Getting Comfortable With Myself: Three and a Half Years of Showing Up
In last week’s episode, Corey asked what to do when fear returns after a brave decision. This week, he looks at what happens when you keep taking those steps over years. He shares how he moved from attending recovery meetings while emotionally on the outside to building friendships, serving other people, and allowing himself to be known. The last three and a half years are a chapter of deeper participation in recovery, not the start of his sobriety. In this episode: loneliness in a crowded room; the fear of being known; returning to meetings; the work beneath friendship; service and connection; moving to a new community; and one action to take this week. Connect with Corey ●The Successful Life Podcast: https://successfullifepodcast.com ●Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1JbPsiir58/?mibextid=wwXIfr Listen and subscribe ●Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/successful-life-podcast/id1486100211 ●Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oH6xuInZETJTkGYMTXATH Buy Corey’s book ●Amazon: https://a.co/d/0iO67k5K If this episode helped you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear that connection is possible. Send us Fan Mail https:newpathemployment.com Connect with Corey Visit The Successful Life Podcast Follow Corey on Facebook Follow Corey on Instagram Buy My Book on Audible Buy My Book on Amazon
September 28, 202622 min
Keep Climbing When Fear Comes Back
Last week on The Successful Life Podcast , Corey Berrier talked about taking the first step despite fear. This week, he asks what happens when you wake up the next day and the fear is still there. Corey reflects on his first seven years attending AA while keeping himself emotionally on the outside. He shares how honesty, asking for help, and small repeated actions changed his experience of recovery. He also tells a story from a roof inspection: when he admitted he was afraid to continue, the person with him helped him make the right decision to stop where he was. Fear returning doesn’t erase the progress you made yesterday. The question is whether you’ll take the next honest step today. This week’s challenge: Choose one place where fear has been making decisions for you. Write down one action you can take in the next 24 hours, tell someone you plan to do it, and afterward ask yourself: What did I expect? What actually happened? What did I learn? Connect with Corey The Successful Life Podcast: https://successfullifepodcast.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1JbPsiir58/?mibextid=wwXIfr Listen and subscribe Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/successful-life-podcast/id1486100211 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6oH6xuInZETJTkGYMTXATH Buy Corey’s book Amazon: https://a.co/d/0iO67k5K If this episode helped you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs encouragement to take their next step. Send us Fan Mail https:newpathemployment.com Connect with Corey Visit The Successful Life Podcast Follow Corey on Facebook Follow Corey on Instagram Buy My Book on Audible Buy My Book on Amazon
September 21, 202615 min
Stop Looking Down: How to Keep Moving After You Face the Fear
Last week, Corey compared his fear of climbing onto roofs with spending his first seven years emotionally outside Alcoholics Anonymous. He attended meetings and experienced some of recovery’s benefits, but he had not completely stepped into the fellowship. This week, Corey continues that story by asking an important question: What happens after you finally climb the ladder? Taking one courageous action doesn’t guarantee fear will disappear. Real confidence develops when we repeatedly take the next right step—even while fear is still present. In this episode, Corey discusses staying present, moving from information into experience, finding stability through connection, and refusing to let fear make life’s decisions. In This Episode Why fear can remain after we take courageous action How focusing on the past or future increases fear The difference between knowing about recovery and participating in it Why confidence follows repeated action How familiar behavior can feel safe even when it is harmful The “three points of contact” that create stability How to identify and take your next right action Key Takeaway You don’t need enough courage for the entire journey. You only need enough courage to take the next right step. If this episode helped you, subscribe to The Successful Life Podcast , leave a review, and share it with someone who may be standing at the bottom of their own ladder. Send us Fan Mail https:newpathemployment.com Connect with Corey Visit The Successful Life Podcast Follow Corey on Facebook Follow Corey on Instagram Buy My Book on Audible Buy My Book on Amazon
September 14, 202619 min
Climb the Ladder: Why Recovery Requires More Than Going to Meetings
You can study roofing, learn the terminology, and watch other people inspect roofs—but eventually, you have to climb the ladder. Recovery works the same way. In this episode of The Successful Life Podcast, Corey Berrier compares overcoming his fear of climbing onto roofs with his first seven years of sobriety. During those years, Corey attended meetings and remained close enough to recovery to experience some of its benefits—but he stayed emotionally guarded and never completely joined the fellowship. He knew he was an alcoholic, but he focused on the differences between himself and the people in the rooms instead of identifying with their similarities. Fear of judgment, vulnerability, surrender, and depending on others kept him standing on the outside. You can attend meetings without participating. You can hear about the Steps without working them. You can know people in recovery without allowing them to truly know you. Like standing at the bottom of a ladder, it may feel safer to watch from the ground. But some things cannot be understood intellectually. They must be experienced through action. Corey explains how confidence didn’t arrive before he climbed the ladder—it developed because he climbed it. The same is true in recovery. Faith and courage grow through repeated action: one meeting, one phone call, one honest conversation, one Step, and one day at a time. You don’t have to wait for the fear to disappear. You only have to take the next step. IN THIS EPISODE The difference between attending meetings and joining the fellowship Why Corey remained emotionally outside AA for seven years Looking for differences instead of identifying with similarities How fear keeps us isolated and unwilling to ask for help The fear of judgment, vulnerability, surrender, and dependence Being physically present while remaining emotionally guarded Why sobriety without emotional recovery can become a “dry drunk” What climbing onto a roof taught Corey about courage Why confidence follows action instead of coming before it How repetition builds confidence, faith, and trust The relationship between fear and procrastination Why recovery cannot be fully understood from the sidelines Taking recovery one meeting, one phone call, and one day at a time How sponsorship helps us recognize patterns we cannot see alone Choosing the next right action while fear is still present KEY TAKEAWAY Confidence doesn’t come before you climb the ladder. Confidence comes because you climb it. Courage isn’t the absence of fear—it’s taking action while fear is still present. Whether your next step takes you onto a roof or deeper into recovery, you don’t need to see the entire path. You only need enough willingness to take the next step. If you’ve been attending meetings while keeping people at a distance, consider stepping fully into the fellowship. Find a sponsor, work the Steps, make the phone call, and allow people to know the real you. The view changes when you stop watching from the ground and start climbing. New episodes of The Successful Life Podcast are released every Monday at 7:00 a.m. Eastern. If this episode helped you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who may need to hear it. CONNECT WITH COREY Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1JbPsiir58/?mibextid=wwXIfr Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coreyberrier?igsi=MTUycTZxaHI5ZnBtZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr BUY COREY’S BOOK Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/B0D4SJYD4Q?source_code=ASSORAP0511160006&share_location=library_overflow Amazon: https://a.co/d/0iO67k5K Send us Fan Mail https:newpathemployment.com Connect with Corey Visit The Successful Life Podcast Follow Corey on Facebook Follow Corey on Instagram Buy My Book on Audible Buy My Book on Amazon
September 7, 202621 min
Sober but Still Surviving: How Recovery Heals What Alcohol Couldn’t
Getting sober stops the immediate damage—but it doesn’t automatically heal the wounds that caused us to drink or use drugs in the first place. In this episode of The Successful Life Podcast, Corey Berrier explores the important difference between simply being sober and actively living in recovery. Many people remove alcohol or drugs from their lives but remain trapped in survival mode—still controlled by fear, isolation, people-pleasing, defensiveness, overthinking, and the need for outside validation. Corey shares how childhood rejection, family dysfunction, financial instability, failed relationships, and painful experiences can become deeply rooted patterns that follow us into adulthood. Although these behaviors may have once protected us, they can eventually prevent us from experiencing emotional freedom. Using personal stories from recovery, relationships, business, and sales, Corey explains how unresolved rejection can cause us to shut down, expect the worst, avoid difficult conversations, and react emotionally. He also discusses why alcohol and drugs were often not the original problem—they were the medication used to escape it. True recovery requires more than abstinence. It requires identifying the patterns that keep us stuck and becoming willing to do the work necessary to change them. Through the 12 Steps, sponsorship, prayer, meditation, service, personal inventory, and connection with a recovery community, we can learn to pause when agitated, accept uncertainty, trust God, and respond to life instead of reacting to it. The work isn’t always comfortable, but the freedom on the other side is worth it. IN THIS EPISODE The difference between being sober and being in recovery Why sobriety alone doesn’t eliminate survival mode How childhood rejection can affect adult relationships People-pleasing, isolation, defensiveness, and control Why unresolved fear causes us to shut down How rejection appears in relationships, business, and sales Why alcohol and drugs were often the medication—not the original problem The emotional consequences of being a “dry drunk” How the 12 Steps reveal destructive patterns The importance of sponsorship and accountability How prayer and meditation support emotional sobriety Learning to respond instead of reacting Why recovery community and service change everything Moving from fear and survival into faith and freedom KEY TAKEAWAY Removing alcohol stops the bleeding, but recovery teaches us how to heal the wounds. You don’t have to continue living scared, isolated, and controlled by old survival patterns. There is a better life available—but experiencing it requires honesty, willingness, connection, and action. If you’re struggling with alcohol, drugs, or remaining emotionally stuck after getting sober, consider finding a 12-Step program, connecting with a sponsor, and becoming part of a recovery community. New episodes of The Successful Life Podcast are released every Monday at 7:00 a.m. Eastern. If this episode helped you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who may need to hear it. CONNECT WITH COREY Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1JbPsiir58/?mibextid=wwXIfr Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coreyberrier?igsi=MTUycTZxaHI5ZnBtZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr BUY COREY’S BOOK Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/B0D4SJYD4Q?source_code=ASSORAP0511160006&share_location=library_overflow Amazon: https://a.co/d/0iO67k5K Send us Fan Mail https:newpathemployment.com Connect with Corey Visit The Successful Life Podcast Follow Corey on Facebook Follow Corey on Instagram Buy My Book on Audible Buy My Book on Amazon
August 31, 202619 min
A Closed Mouth Doesn’t Get Fed
The patterns affecting our relationships, careers, and recovery often began long before we recognized them. In this episode of The Successful Life Podcast, Corey Berrier explores how childhood dysfunction, neglect, addiction, people-pleasing, and the fear of abandonment can shape the decisions we make as adults. When we don’t communicate what we need, resentment builds—and we may begin blaming the job, relationship, or other person for something we never addressed honestly. Corey shares how recovery and the 12 Steps helped him recognize his own patterns, find his voice, and become willing to have uncomfortable conversations. He also discusses an unresolved financial amends he has carried for years—and why cleaning up his side of the street matters, regardless of how he feels about the other person. Recovery isn’t about becoming perfect. It’s about becoming honest, taking responsibility, making things right, and learning to speak up before resentment takes over. In this episode: • How childhood experiences influence adult behavior • Why people-pleasing can lead to resentment • Learning to ask for what you need in relationships and at work • The danger of relying on verbal promises • Why uncomfortable conversations are necessary • Selfishness versus healthy self-advocacy • Making amends even when you dislike the other person • Giving yourself, your parents, and your children some grace • Why discomfort is often part of personal growth • How the 12 Steps help uncover destructive patterns Sometimes you have to fall off the bike, skin your knees, and experience discomfort before life gets better. Whether you’re considering sobriety or struggling in recovery, the next difficult decision could become one of the best decisions you ever make. If this episode helped you, share it with someone who may need to hear it. Please follow the podcast and leave a review—it helps more people discover the show and its message of recovery, hope, and personal responsibility. CONNECT WITH COREY Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1JbPsiir58/?mibextid=wwXIfr Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coreyberrier?igsi=MTUycTZxaHI5ZnBtZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr BUY COREY’S BOOK Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/B0D4SJYD4Q?source_code=ASSORAP0511160006&share_location=library_overflow Amazon: https://a.co/d/0iO67k5K Send us Fan Mail https:newpathemployment.com Connect with Corey Visit The Successful Life Podcast Follow Corey on Facebook Follow Corey on Instagram Buy My Book on Audible Buy My Book on Amazon
August 24, 202631 min
The Cliff Between Fear and Freedom
What if getting sober feels like standing on the edge of a 30-foot cliff—terrified, frozen, and unable to trust what’s waiting on the other side? After returning from an unforgettable recovery trip to Cherokee, Corey shares how his fear of jumping from a cliff reminded him of the fear he experienced when he first walked into a recovery meeting. He watched other people take the leap safely, but fear still prevented him from following them. Early recovery can feel exactly the same. You may see millions of people living sober, rebuilding relationships, succeeding in business, and enjoying lives they never thought possible—but taking that first step still requires courage, trust, and a willingness to ask for help. Corey also shares stories from whitewater rafting, tubing down the river, fishing, fellowship, and spending the weekend with an incredible group of men in recovery. These experiences demonstrate an important truth: sobriety isn’t the end of your life. It can be the beginning of a life filled with genuine friendships, new adventures, spiritual growth, and real freedom. In this episode, Corey discusses: Why getting sober can feel like jumping from a cliff The paralyzing fear of walking into your first recovery meeting Learning to trust the experience of people who have gone before you Why asking another person for help is a sign of strength The importance of sponsorship, fellowship, faith, and the 12 Steps How recovery creates genuine friendships and unforgettable experiences Why the promises of recovery may take time—but can come true The internal work required to build a life worth living Why alcohol and drugs cannot solve pain, rejection, or relationship problems How one honest decision can completely change your future Recovery requires work. You may have apologies to make, consequences to face, money to repay, and painful truths to confront. But the life waiting on the other side can be greater than anything you currently believe is possible. You don’t have to overcome every fear today. You only have to take the next step, raise your hand, admit that you need help, and allow someone to show you the path forward. If this episode gives you hope, share it with someone who is struggling, considering sobriety, or having a difficult time in recovery. Visit SuccessfulLifePodcast.com to connect with Corey and hear more real conversations about sobriety, recovery, personal growth, and building a successful life. Subscribe to The Successful Life Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, leave a review, and remember: you never have to face recovery alone. Send us Fan Mail https:newpathemployment.com Connect with Corey Visit The Successful Life Podcast Follow Corey on Facebook Follow Corey on Instagram Buy My Book on Audible Buy My Book on Amazon
August 17, 202630 min
Rejection Isn't the End : Take the Next Right Action
Rejection can make you question everything—your recovery, your career, your relationships, and even your place in the world. But what if rejection isn’t proof that you’re failing? What if it’s simply part of the process leading you somewhere better? In this episode of The Successful Life Podcast, Corey Berrier shares how starting a new roofing sales position reminded him of the emotional connection between rejection, fear, and recovery. Whether it’s knocking on doors, making an uncomfortable follow-up call, walking into an AA meeting, or reaching out to someone for help, fear can convince us to avoid the very action that could change our lives. Corey reflects on feeling like an outsider during his first seven years in recovery, believing he was different from everyone else in the rooms. Although nobody rejected him, the stories in his head made him feel as if he didn’t belong. It wasn’t until the pain became great enough that he became willing to work the steps, listen to others, and stop relying solely on his own plan. This episode explores the importance of taking action without controlling the outcome. Corey discusses how recovery, service, Transcendental Meditation, meaningful relationships, and his move to Wilmington have helped him trust the process and recognize the gifts he couldn’t initially see. Sometimes the breakthrough comes from making the phone call you’re afraid to make, attending the meeting you want to skip, asking for help, or simply doing the next right thing. You may not receive the result you expected—but it could be better than anything you planned. In this episode: Why rejection feels so personal in recovery, sales, and relationships How “head trash” convinces us that we don’t belong The danger of comparing differences instead of identifying similarities Why knowledge alone cannot replace action How fear prevents us from making important calls and connections The role of meditation in calming anxiety and managing rejection Why letting go of the outcome can create unexpected gifts How working the 12 Steps helps uncover childhood wounds The difference between being sober and actively working a recovery program Why God’s plan may be bigger than the plan we create for ourselves How doing the next right thing can completely change your life If you’re struggling with alcohol and believe it may be time to get sober, you do not have to do it alone. Help is available wherever you live. Reach out to someone in recovery, attend a meeting, or contact Corey through TheSuccessfulLifePodcast.com. Subscribe to The Successful Life Podcast, leave a five-star review, and share this episode with someone who may need to hear its message. Send us Fan Mail https:newpathemployment.com Connect with Corey Visit The Successful Life Podcast Follow Corey on Facebook Follow Corey on Instagram Buy My Book on Audible Buy My Book on Amazon
Is this your show?
Claim this listing to keep it up to date, reach guests who want to pitch you, and manage bookings with Guestify.
