Factory Settings - Discovering Your Higher PowerFactory Settings - Discovering Your Higher Power
Factory Settings
Bridget Phetasy and Jeren Montgomery talk candidly about Catholic roots, Lent, and 12-step ideas of a higher power, linking faith with sobriety and everyday life. The conversation weaves in parenting stress, social media, gossip and sacrifice as they ask what actually makes them better versions of themselves.
1:02:38•20 Feb 2026
Factory Settings: Faith, Lent, and Finding a Higher Power in Recovery
Episode Overview
- Lent is framed as a "spiritual campaign" focused on prayer, fasting and charity to confront ego and indulgence.
- A higher power in recovery can be approached flexibly, from God to even "dogs" as a bridge away from religious trauma.
- Bridget and Jeren stress that they function better when consciously connected to their higher power than when disconnected.
- Sacrifice and giving something up are discussed as ways to reduce distractions and become more present, especially with family.
- Parenting challenges highlight how restlessness and self-criticism can be softened through acceptance, faith and humour.
“I'm better when I'm connected to whatever that higher power is than when I'm not.”
What emotional and inspiring tales of recovery are out there? This conversation between Bridget Phetasy and Jeren Montgomery leans into that question by talking openly about God, religion, and higher power, especially through the lens of addiction and sobriety. You’ll hear Bridget reflect on her "cradle Catholic" upbringing, Ash Wednesday rituals, and how Lent still tugs at her even after years of distancing herself from the Church.
She talks about giving things up for Lent – from cursing and sugar to Twitter and gossip – as a way of confronting distraction and ego in a culture of hyper-indulgence. Jeren contrasts this with his largely non-religious childhood, sharing how 12-step recovery became his gateway to a relationship with God. His line, "I'm better when I'm connected to whatever that higher power is" sums up the practical way he looks at faith today.
Bridget adds her own recovery twist, explaining how she once wrote "dog" instead of "God" in her step work and used dogs as her higher power to bypass religious trauma. The pair also talk candidly and with humour about parenting stress, bedtime battles, and that restless urge to "reach" for a phone, a distraction, or some escape instead of staying present with their daughter.
From there they connect sacrifice, Lent, and the idea of becoming a "better version" of themselves – not through perfection, but through daily practice and acceptance. If you’re sober, sober-curious, or wrestling with what a higher power might look like for you, this chat offers relatable stories, a few laughs, and plenty of questions worth sitting with. What might you be better off giving up, even for a season?
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