October 9, 2025 40:31 S2:E63

Finding Friendship and Connection on the Sober Curious Path with Renee and Mara

Mindful Sobriety: Friendship, Playfulness & Trust with Renee Adams & Mara DeMauro

"It’s not about not caring what people think—it’s about not letting it control you."

Episode: Our first-ever returning-guest duo!

Guests: Renee Adams & Mara DeMauro

What You'll Hear: how a decade-long friendship evolved into sober curiosity, business partnership, and a playful approach to growth.

Episode summary

Renee and Mara return, this time together, to share the story of a friendship that began in grad school and bloomed into mutual mentorship, a joint podcast, and supportive sobriety paths. We talk about shifting from “am I drinking?” to “how do I want to live?”, navigating social events alcohol-free, what to do when moderation doesn’t stick, and why trust (not certainty) becomes the anchor. Expect honesty, laughter, and plenty of permission to be playful, weird, and fully yourself.

Highlights & takeaways

Seeds take time. One sober wedding reel lit a spark that reshaped Renee’s choices months later. Plant seeds; they sprout when they’re ready.
From sober to playful. Mara’s lens has moved from alcohol status to aliveness—silliness, creativity, surfing, and juice-making as present-moment rituals.
Sober-ish is valid. Renee names “sober-ish/mindful” as her lane and explains why learning about alcohol’s effects made longer AF stretches feel natural.
Community ≠ a crowd. Sometimes it’s just one person who “speaks your language.” Their multifaceted bond—friends, mentors, business partners—keeps each moving.
If moderation keeps failing… Treat it as data, not defeat. Scale back triggers, build an “exposure ladder,” and practice discomfort tolerance.
Clarity vs. certainty. Sobriety can bring clarity, but it’s trust—in yourself and your path—that carries you through uncertain moments.
Rebuilding self-trust. Keep small promises (mocktail plan, leave-early option, walk at craving time). Each follow-through repairs confidence.

Practical tips mentioned

Go in with a plan: check menus for mocktails, have a default order (sparkling water + lime, Coke Zero), and a ride-home/leave-early option.
Rehearse out loud: practice how you’ll respond when asked “you’re not drinking?” so it feels authentic in the moment.
Reduce load for a season: skip high-trigger settings while you build skills; loneliness/grief are normal—tend to them, don’t white-knuckle.
Swap, don’t stop: movement, fresh air, fruit/juicing, creativity, and “four rooms” check-ins (spiritual, creative, physical, mental) as daily anchors.

Timestamps

00:02 Welcome & why this duo matters
01:47 Mara’s update: from AF focus to playfulness
03:43 Renee’s update: sober-ish, movement, purpose
07:05 Origin story: grad school to co-creators
08:57 The “sober wedding” seed & authenticity
14:25 Practice over perfection: caring without attachment
16:06 Why one true ally beats a big crowd
25:14 Tricky situations & conflict with compassion
27:18 Mocktail plans, rehearsing lines & “data points”
31:01 Exposure ladders, grief, and scaling triggers
36:32 Clarity vs. certainty; choosing trust
38:00 Rituals, the “four rooms,” and playful healing
44:01 Where to find Renee & Mara

Thank you for listening. We hope you enjoyed this episode!

Follow @janewballard and @dfwyogagirl on Instagram to stay in touch! And as always, be sure to rate, review and subscribe so we can continue to spread our message far and wide. We are so incredibly grateful for the support of our listeners!

Connect with our guests

Renee Adams: Instagram @coach_radams (Coach_radams) • Website reneeadamscoaching.com
Mara DeMauro: Instagram @maradimaro • Website maradimaro.com
Their podcast: Nosedive — email topics to nosedivethepod@gmail.com

Creators and Guests

Host

Jane W Ballard

Jane Ballard, LCSW-S, CEDS, PMH-C, is a licensed psychotherapist and Alcohol Free Life coach. She is the founder of Jane Ballard Wellness, a private practice offering in-person counseling services in Dallas, TX and virtual individual and group coaching to women in the United States and beyond. After waking up to the realization that alcohol was a barrier to living her purpose, she set out to make information, support and connection more accessible to like minded women.

Guest

Mara DeMauro

Mara believes everyone deserves the opportunity to reach their highest potential and become their favorite self. She believes that the process should be fun, safe, and welcoming. Going alcohol-free during the convergence of major life transitions gifted her soulful clarity, confidence, and a path for overall wellness. Mara is passionate about helping people embrace a sober-curious lifestyle to find clarity, confidence, and direction. She connects her wellness journey to her love of nature. As a child, playing outside was her creative and safe space, where she could connect with herself and imagination. She’s learned to rekindle childlike wonder for healing and joy. Mara believes we are here to love, laugh, cry, learn, grow, and connect. She loves sharing the gift of connection, intentional living, embracing your joyful inner child, and doing so shamelessly, unmasked, and alcohol-free.

Guest

Renée Adams

Renée Adams, former division I athlete, powerlifter, wife, sister, daughter and soon to be certified sober-curious, life coach who specializes in helping high performing women re-define their relationship with alcohol to uncover their deeper purpose, follow their bliss, and achieve success. She quit her corporate job of 7 years in January of 2023 to become a fitness coach, all while still being a “grey area” drinker. Her nights were filled with wine, her mornings were filled with regret, sweat, and anxiety. Drinking and trying to launch a business, needless to say, did not pan out the way she planned and was back in corporate 7 months later. It wasn’t until she changed her own relationship with alcohol September of 2023, did she find her true passion, helping women discover the incredible list of innate abilities that lie within them to make their biggest goals, reality. For her, the failure in her first attempt to help others has built a foundation of resiliency. It forged the path to a life she never thought was possible. She believes when we take a step back from alcohol, it creates a space of opportunity to realize your life purpose and dial in on leveling up your lifestyle.