390. Creating an epic life with Ash Grunwald390. Creating an epic life with Ash Grunwald
How I quit alcohol
Musician Ash Grunwald chats with host Danni Carr about how sobriety, daily habits and spiritual practice support his sold-out career highs and everyday contentment. They share practical ways to get out of a rut, appreciate ordinary moments and start building an epic alcohol-free life one small change at a time.
44:12•17 Oct 2026
Creating an Epic Sober Life with Ash Grunwald
Episode Overview
- Sobriety makes long-term success possible by letting you build long streaks of consistent, goal-aligned days.
- Ordinary sober moments – like coffee with a friend or picking up your kids – can become deeply meaningful when you remember how things were while drinking.
- Simple daily practices such as journaling, gratitude lists, meditation, breath work and movement can stabilise mood and reduce rumination.
- Recognising unhelpful thought patterns and old grievances is key; regular spiritual or reflective input helps loosen their grip.
- If you feel stuck in a rut, start with one small change each day and consider stepping out of your usual environment to gain clarity on what needs to shift.
“"When you're young, you drink from the bottle; when you're old, the bottle drinks from you."”
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This chat between host Danni Carr and her husband, blues musician Ash Grunwald, shows how ditching alcohol, adding simple daily practices, and resetting your mindset can reshape life in surprising ways. Ash talks about turning 50 and playing a run of sold-out gospel shows, including his dream gig at the Melbourne Recital Centre, something he says would have been "unthinkable" in his drinking days.
He’s clear that none of it would have happened without sobriety: "For eight and a half years, I have not lost my streak." That streak, he explains, is built on ordinary days stacked together with good choices. Rather than focusing only on big career highs, they break down what a "great life" means in the boring bits too – mowing the lawn, having coffee with a friend, picking up the kids at night and actually being reliable.
Those so-called ordinary moments become "pretty fucking extraordinary" when you remember the chaos of hangovers and regret. You’ll hear how Ash and Danni use tools like gratitude, journaling, A Course in Miracles, meditation, breath work, exercise and beginner’s-mind learning (guitar, singing, study) to stay grounded. They’re honest about what happens when those practices slip: moody thinking, rumination, and what Ash calls "praying to the devil" with worry and old grievances.
They also talk about getting out of a rut by upping your positive input instead of beating yourself up, and how stepping away to a retreat can help you see your life more clearly. A simple starting point if you’re struggling? Daily journaling with gratitudes and "I am" statements and asking yourself what a great life would actually look like on paper.
If alcohol feels like it’s stealing your light, could a streak of small, sober days be the start of your own epic life?
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