93: Natural Health & Sobriety with Janey Lee Grace & guest nutritional expert Daniel O'Shaughnessy93: Natural Health & Sobriety with Janey Lee Grace & guest nutritional expert Daniel O'Shaughnessy
UK Health Radio Podcast
Janey Lee Grace talks with nutritionist and author Daniel O’Shaughnessy about sobriety, steroid use, gay male body image and the emotional work behind healing. The conversation blends personal experience, trauma, nervous system care and holistic health, alongside Daniel’s book on letting go of perfection.
39:05•9 Jul 2026
Natural Health, Sobriety and Letting Go of Perfect with Daniel O’Shaughnessy
Episode Overview
- Sobriety is part of a wider holistic picture that includes nervous system care, trauma work and lifestyle changes, not just removing alcohol.
- Body dysmorphia, especially for gay men, can be less about the mirror and more about a constant sense of never feeling ‘enough’.
- Steroid use may be normalised in some communities but can bring serious physical side effects and emotional fallout when you stop.
- Psychedelics, used in safe and legal settings, prompted Daniel to see how his lifestyle and alcohol use were affecting him, and what a sober life might feel like.
- Questioning assumptions, developing curiosity about your patterns and seeking supportive community can make sober living more sustainable.
““It’s better to eat a burger happy than a salad sad.””
What insights can experts and survivors share about addiction? This conversation on the Natural Health & Sobriety Show brings together host Janey Lee Grace and nutritional expert Daniel O’Shaughnessy for a candid chat that blends sober living, body image, and gay male identity. Janey sets the scene by talking about her wider work in holistic wellness and her community for people who are alcohol-free or sober curious, stressing that quitting alcohol is rarely just about the drink.
It’s about that “whole holistic picture” – nervous system care, self-worth and finding a new sense of purpose. Daniel then shares his journey from working in drug addiction services to becoming a successful nutritionist, all while hiding his own addictions. Within his gay community, steroid use and drug‑fuelled socialising were so normalised that he didn’t initially see a problem, especially as alcohol was celebrated in his Irish family.
His turning point came through carefully managed psychedelic experiences, which, as he explains, didn’t magically fix anything but “showed me a lesson what a sober life could look like – clearer headed, not chasing my tail with anxiety.” He talks openly about body dysmorphia, explaining that for him it wasn’t about avoiding mirrors but about “never feeling enough” and using his body as a tool to hide pain.
Steroids promised acceptance but brought serious side effects and, eventually, rejection when he stopped. Social media and steroid‑enhanced physiques, he suggests, ramp up pressure on young men, especially in gay spaces. Now sober for over two years, Daniel is honest about loneliness, FOMO and the hard work of managing his nervous system without substances, while fiercely valuing the “gift” of a clear head.
His book *Letting Go of Perfect* combines gay male experience, trauma work, nutrition and practical exercises to help readers question assumptions and think differently about health and self-worth. If you’re curious about how sober living, body image and identity all intersect, this conversation might be exactly what you need to hear today.
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