TSP 071: "Sober Living Soulful Living" with Natalie Calkins Rountree, 3 DUI's, 2 Felonies and 8 years sober!TSP 071: "Sober Living Soulful Living" with Natalie Calkins Rountree, 3 DUI's, 2 Felonies and 8 years sober!
The SHAIR Recovery Podcast
Omar Pinto talks with Natalie Calkins Rountree about her journey from domestic violence, three DUIs and losing custody of her daughter to long-term sobriety and self-love. She shares how spiritual practice, hard honesty and daily self-worth work reshaped her life into something meaningful and joyful.
1:15:10•21 Jun 2016
From Three DUIs to Soulful Sobriety: Natalie Calkins Rountree’s Journey
Episode Overview
- Admitting “I’m an alcoholic” was the turning point that shifted Natalie from denial into active recovery.
- The memory of her daughter crying outside the police car became a powerful reason to live and get sober, even when she felt suicidal.
- Sobriety alone wasn’t enough; leaving an unfulfilling corporate job and deepening spiritual practice were crucial to feeling truly alive.
- Self-worth can grow even with a criminal record; who you are now matters more than your past.
- Daily self-love and honest inventory create more love to share with others and support a stable, joyful sober life.
“Love yourself every day. Make it a priority to love something about yourself every day.”
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This candid SHAIR Recovery Podcast conversation with guest Natalie Calkins Rountree is a full-on emotional rollercoaster, especially for mums wrestling with guilt, shame, and alcohol. Hosted by recovery coach Omar Pinto, the episode follows Natalie’s 15-year drinking history, which spiralled into three DUIs, two felonies, child endangerment charges, and the devastating loss of custody of her daughter.
She recalls the moment that broke her open: sitting handcuffed in a police car, watching her eight-year-old daughter sob in front of officers. That image, she says, never left her. Natalie doesn’t hold back about domestic violence, the trauma of losing a pregnancy after a brutal assault, and the way she used alcohol, shopping and even mobile games to numb the pain. She’s brutally honest about that early fear of sobriety: “I didn’t know who I was without it.
It was my identity.” You’ll also hear how recovery didn’t magically fix everything. Seven years sober, in a high-paying corporate job with a nice home and car, she was still miserable. It took quitting that career, deep guided meditation, and daily spiritual practice for her to feel truly alive, leading her to create “Sober Living, Soulful Living” and work as a sober coach, writer and speaker.
Her message to anyone stuck in shame is simple and fierce: you are not your record, and you are not your past. As she puts it, “Love yourself every day. Make it a priority to love something about yourself every day.” If you’re a parent struggling with addiction, or someone sober but still feeling empty, this story might be exactly the nudge you need to start loving yourself back to life.
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.