An Interview With Wanda Malhotra
Trust — Entering into sobriety is entering into the unknown. What is wonderful in my opinion is that the unknown does not have to stay unknown when we are willing to change to a life of sobriety because there is research backed by science on a variety of strategies, there are innumerable testimonials from sober persons, endless resources and an army of people who have the desire and obligation to help new persons enter a life of sobriety. Sobriety is a well-paved path which has been proven to be successful and can be trusted.
In a world where the journey towards sobriety is often challenging and deeply personal, understanding the pathways and strategies for achieving and maintaining sobriety is crucial. This series aims to provide insight, encouragement, and practical advice for those who are on the road to recovery, as well as for their loved ones and support networks. As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Author of Every day is a New Day: A Story of Faith, Jenny Teeters.
Jenny Teeters is an inspirational author and certified international life coach, trainer and speaker known for her heartfelt storytelling and unwavering faith. She shares insights and experiences that uplift and encourage others on their spiritual journeys. Her book, “Every Day is a New Day: A Story of Faith,” exemplifies her dedication to spreading hope and resilience through faith-based narratives.
Thank you so much for joining us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’?
Thank you so much for having me! Yes of course, my back story is that I come from a very large Catholic family where faith and family values were instilled in me from a young age. I was also a curious, boy crazy girl with a penchant for attention which I found later in life stemmed from a series of childhood experiences. My mission as a young woman was to get married, have children and have a successful corporate career. My number one strength from Gallup Clifton Strengths is Achiever so I certainly met my early goals but could not understand why I had a sense of not being fulfilled despite achieving one success after another.
Can you share with us the most interesting story from your career? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘takeaways’ you learned from that?
One of the most interesting stories from my career was when I worked for WebEx Communications. My team delivered training to customers for free to teach them how to train online, meet online, do webinars online and transition their collaboration online. A directive came from leadership to begin charging for the WebEx training, so I led the team through a process from a free service to a professional fee-based service. It was exciting to learn how to price training packages, create pitch decks, create marketing materials and manage a forecast of sales. The takeaways I learned from that was that it was a complete shock to customers to have free training ‘taken away’ and we needed a robust change management plan to have kept our customer satisfaction ratings high. A takeaway I learned was how to create a business from scratch which has helped me in my coaching, speaking and training practice to pitch and sell my own services.
You are a successful individual. Which three-character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Thank you! Three-character traits that were most instrumental to my success are leadership, kindness and self-awareness.
I am a natural leader and when I was promoted early in my career to manage a team of trainers and a multi-million-dollar budget, I was also returning to school for my bachelor’s degree. I chose Organizational Leadership as my focus which built a solid foundation for many leadership roles over my 30-year career in high-tech, as well as community service leadership positions I have been offered. I have a passion for learning and development which has aligned well to my growth mindset thus I find I inspire those around me to pursue their personal and professional development.
Kindness is a character trait I cherish and nurture. I care about people I work with, partners, customers and the mission of organizations. There have been innumerable times over the course of my career where I am the wrong person or wrong department to be approaching, but I will go out of my way to be helpful. I believe we bring our entire selves to work so I pay attention to what is going on in the lives of people around me so I can be a resource, listener, sounding board or advocate if I can. Kindness has brought with it nicknames like ‘the glue’ and ‘the most helpful person I know’ and I feel proud to be of service, to build trust, and to build relationships through kindness.
Finally, self-awareness is the third character trait that has been instrumental. Understanding my strengths, my weaknesses and my areas for growth — and continuously focusing on improving myself has allowed me to navigate complex personal dynamics in the companies I’ve worked in as well as build meaningful professional relationships. My roles over time have evolved to managing large, global, collaborative programs and leveraging emotional intelligence and effective communication are top strengths that I use.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that might help people?
I have been certified to teach ‘Clarity Catalyst’ which is an 8-week course developed by Dr. Michael Ray. I took the course myself which gave me the personal clarity to write my book ‘Every Day is a New Day: A Story of Faith’ and I am now accepting students for ‘Clarity Catalyst’ scheduled to begin in October 2024. ‘Clarity Catalyst’ will help people by providing tools and techniques to enhance self-awareness, improve decision-making, foster creativity, and achieve personal and professional goals through a structured curriculum developed from Stanford University’s creativity in business course.
Ok, thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of our interview. How would you advise individuals who are contemplating the journey to sobriety but might be hesitant or unsure about taking the first step? Are there key considerations or strategies that can make this initial phase more manageable?
I advise individuals who are contemplating the journey to sobriety to first think about what is causing their contemplation. I suggest committing to being honest with oneself as to any problems you are facing because of alcohol for example health struggles, relationship struggles, work struggles or the desire to control drinking and finding themselves unable to do so. Becoming self-aware through honesty is a great start. What can make this initial phase more manageable is that there are a tremendous amount of resources available to assist with the first step of the journey. There are many social media groups, podcasts, websites, coaches, community resources, health professionals, hotlines, books and blogs around sobriety and I encourage exploring these resources and listening for what feels like a safe next step. The next step could be going to a meeting, joining a group and interacting, making an appointment with a professional — the goal here is that there is engagement with another human being on the subject of sobriety. 😀
Sobriety often comes with its unique set of challenges. Can you share insights on how individuals can effectively navigate obstacles or triggers that may arise during their journey? Are there specific tools or support systems that you find particularly helpful in overcoming these challenges?
One of the biggest obstacles is our own self-image. If we have never imagined ourselves sober, celebrating a holiday, going to a party, watching the Superbowl, at a wedding, or other events where there is usually drinking involved, we may feel like we are signing up for a life of deprivation and boredom! A specific tool for this obstacle is to not try and figure out how we are going to feel and act when those days come. Taking each day as it comes and being present in each day, each hour, and each moment relieves us of the pressure and worry about the future.
I have found regularly attending twelve-step meetings has enabled me to develop relationships with many people on the sobriety journey that I am on. Building trust in these relationships allows me to feel comfortable calling or texting and sharing when I have been triggered, and to share with persons who know exactly how I am feeling and have walked in my shoes. I have to remain honest, open, and willing when I am experiencing challenges and to resist keeping my tumultuous thoughts to myself.
I asked one woman, whom I especially respect, to be my sponsor on my sobriety journey, and I am in daily communication with her for accountability and support.
Maintaining sobriety is a long-term commitment. From your experience, what are the essential factors that contribute to the sustained success of individuals on this journey? Are there lifestyle adjustments or mindset shifts that prove crucial for the ongoing pursuit of sobriety?
Yes, indeed maintaining sobriety is a long-term commitment. From my experience, the essential factors that contribute to the sustained success of individuals on this journey is to have a sponsor, to stay in the herd, and on a daily basis make maintaining sobriety the top priority.
A sponsor is a trusted fellow traveler on the sobriety journey who can also be a guide to tools, literature, prayers, rituals, and a twelve-step program. I understand not every sobriety journey involves a twelve-step program, however, that is what I have experienced, and it changed my outlook, my life, my relationships, my self-awareness, improved my character and increased my joy and happiness.
What I mean by ‘stay in the herd’ is that for people with the disease of alcoholism, like myself, it is a terminal illness. And it is a phenomenon where the illness wants us to be isolated. Staying in relationship and community with other sober journeyers (is that a word? 🙂) provides connection, support and accountability.
There are many great rituals or habits that can become part of a daily reinforcement of a commitment to maintaining sobriety including calling or messaging a sponsor or fellow travelers, mediation, prayer, journaling, daily devotionals, and other touch points.
Often when someone’s commitment is derailed, the getting off track starts by not having a sponsor, not staying in the herd and not participating in daily reinforcement.
Based on your research or experience, can you please share your “5 Things You Need To Begin, Navigate, & Sustain Sobriety”?
1 . Honesty
Based upon my experience, the first thing to begin a sobriety journey is to be extremely honest about the current state of your relationship to alcohol. I lied to myself for many years that my drinking was not impacting anyone else. But it was impacting the job which I was let go from. It impacted my teaching fitness classes because I hurt myself when I was teaching intoxicated. It impacted my family because I blacked out and couldn’t remember conversations. It impacted my relationship with my spouse because I was concealing how much I was drinking, and it deteriorated our trust. It was not ‘just me’ who was experiencing consequences and until I was honest about the current state my life was in, I stayed in denial and in turmoil.
2 . Openness
The second thing is to become open and vulnerable to speak with another human being about beginning a sobriety journey. What I didn’t realize until I started to speak honestly about what I was facing is that there were people all around me willing to help me, support me, encourage me and guide me. I kept my struggles to myself for so long that I was astonished at the outpouring of love once I became open to share. I have seen this over and over in the lives of other sober fellow travelers as well.
3 . Willingness
The third thing is willingness. By this I mean the willingness to change and to seek help which could mean entering a treatment program, attending support groups, or making necessary life adjustments which support long-term sobriety. For myself, once the ‘cat was out of the bag’ and I had shared with my family that I wanted to start my sobriety journey I attended a yearlong outpatient program through my medical provider, entered a twelve-step program and I participated in a faith based twelve step program called Catholic in Recovery. I believe my willingness to embrace change created a very solid foundation for me.
4 . Trust
The fourth thing is trust. Entering into sobriety is entering into the unknown. What is wonderful in my opinion is that the unknown does not have to stay unknown when we are willing to change to a life of sobriety because there is research backed by science on a variety of strategies, there are innumerable testimonials from sober persons, endless resources and an army of people who have the desire and obligation to help new persons enter a life of sobriety. Sobriety is a well-paved path which has been proven to be successful and can be trusted.
5 . Self-Love (or at least Self-compassion)
The fifth thing you need to begin, navigate, & sustain sobriety is self-love, or at least self-compassion. Struggling with drinking can get progressively worse and self-destructive. Self-love is an antidote to self-destruction. A few ways to cultivate self-love in sobriety include practicing self-compassion, setting healthy boundaries, engaging in self-care routines, and seeking supportive relationships. A few ways to cultivate self-love in sobriety include practicing self-compassion, setting healthy boundaries, engaging in self-care routines, and seeking supportive relationships.
Community support plays a vital role in the journey to sobriety. How can individuals find and engage with supportive communities or resources that align with their specific needs and goals? Are there online platforms, local groups, or initiatives that you recommend for fostering a sense of connection and understanding during this process?
Because there are a number of supportive communities and resources that support a journey to sobriety, you may wish to explore a few of them to see which align to your personal values and beliefs. There are many online groups on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Reddit. Persons in social media groups often recommend programs that have worked for them. There are faith-based communities like Catholic in Recovery and Celebrate Recovery. There are also traditional twelve-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous and many other programs.
What is the best way for our readers to continue to follow your work online?
The best way for readers to continue to follow my work online is to visit my website https://jennyteeters.com which links to my social media feeds, YouTube channel and my podcast.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent on this. We wish you only continued success.
About the Interviewer: Wanda Malhotra is a wellness entrepreneur, lifestyle journalist, and the CEO of Crunchy Mama Box, a mission-driven platform promoting conscious living. CMB empowers individuals with educational resources and vetted products to help them make informed choices. Passionate about social causes like environmental preservation and animal welfare, Wanda writes about clean beauty, wellness, nutrition, social impact and sustainability, simplifying wellness with curated resources. Join Wanda and the Crunchy Mama Box community in embracing a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle at CrunchyMamaBox.com.
International Life Coach & Author Jenny Teeters On How to Begin, Navigate, & Sustain Sobriety was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.