Making Sobriety Stick: Stephanie Hazard on Recovery Coaching & Real Support

Making Sobriety Stick: Stephanie Hazard on Recovery Coaching & Real Support

Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This conversation between recovery coach and author Stephanie Hazard and host Stacey Sharpentier offers a practical look at what real support can actually feel like. Stephanie shares that she’s been sober for 26 years and explains how a suggestion to check out recovery coaching changed the direction of her life.

She trained with CCAR, moved into full-time coaching, and now works not just with weekly sessions but sometimes living alongside clients as a recovery companion. Her new book, *Making Sobriety Stick*, is her way of spreading what she calls "the good news of recovery coaching" to people who may have no idea this kind of non-clinical support exists.

You’ll hear her describe the book as a stand-in for having a coach in your corner, walking you through tools like recovery capital, wellness planning, and the eight dimensions of wellness. She talks about wanting the book to reach people who are housebound, anxious about asking for help, or simply "curious about being sober, alcohol-free" and needing a gentle starting point. Stephanie also opens up about her history with bulimia and contrasts substance use recovery with eating disorder recovery.

Abstaining from a substance can be more black-and-white, she says, while facing food three to five times a day makes eating disorder recovery far more intricate and nuanced. She outlines how coaching can include meal support, food shopping, and day-to-day living focused on a balanced relationship with food.

There’s plenty here for family members too, with Stacey reflecting on how recovery really begins on the day of discharge from treatment, and how understanding that journey can change how loved ones show up. Stephanie closes with simple, relatable encouragement: treat sobriety like a test drive, stay curious, and notice what you learn about yourself along the way. If you’re wondering what "making sobriety stick" could look like in your life, this chat might be a good place to start.