Join The Unspoken HERE: https://www.patreon.com/c/soberlyspeaking

This is my most controversial episode to date — and it’s now live on The Unspoken, Soberly Speaking’s new membership on Patreon.

After being abused by a family member as a child, Zoe’s life was chaos from early childhood. She fell into addiction young and remained trapped in a cycle of substance abuse and extreme domestic violence. Her first son was removed by Child Protective Services which then led to her using ice daily throughout her next pregnamncy. she was being beaten frequently even when she was full term with bub and"didn't care if the baby lived or died- due to the addiction and DV, Her second child was born- with both physical and cognitive disabilities.

Zoe is sober now and trying to live a good, clean life so if her kids ever come looking for her. she'll be there.

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains discussions of child sexual abuse, substance abuse, domestic violence and harm toward an unborn child.

If you're currently pregnant, please consider whether this episode is right for you at this time.

Follow Zoe May on Instagram

Ready to share your story? Email hello@soberlyspeaking.com.au

Disclaimer: The stories and experiences shared in this episode are personal accounts told in good faith. While we strive to present these narratives accurately, the views and claims expressed are those of the individuals involved and have not been independently verified. Soberly Speaking and its host, Julia Rangiheuea, do not take responsibility for the accuracy or validity of the information shared. Listener discretion is advised.

The National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline is a free and confidential 24/7 phone service that provides counselling, advice, and information for those struggling with addiction. Call 1800 250 015

https://toolkit.lifeline.org.au/articles/support/national-alcohol-other-drug-hotline

Creator & Host- Julia Rangiheuea

Video & Audio- Stitch Up Studios

Image & Logo- Jasmine Rule

In the spirit of reconciliation Soberly Speaking acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

Andrew Moses grew up as a closeted Jewish gay boy, feeling immense pressure to be academically successful, marry a Jewish woman, and have Jewish children, all while battling the belief that something was fundamentally wrong with him.

To fit in, he started using party drugs, masking his true identity and trying to convince everyone, including himself, that he was straight. Over time, his opioid use evolved into a secret crystal meth addiction. It wasn’t until a trip to Costa Rica for his birthday, where he used ayahuasca, that everything changed.

Today, Andrew helps other gay men struggling to come off drugs and chem sex, and when asked what advice he would give to a closeted queer person struggling with addiction, his response is not only beautiful but deeply moving.

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains discussions of sex, substance abuse, internalised homophobia, and the emotional impact of being closeted. Please take care while listening.

Follow Andrew Moses on Instagram

Ready to share your story? Email hello@soberlyspeaking.com.au

Disclaimer: The stories and experiences shared in this episode are personal accounts told in good faith. While we strive to present these narratives accurately, the views and claims expressed are those of the individuals involved and have not been independently verified. Soberly Speaking and its host, Julia Rangiheuea, do not take responsibility for the accuracy or validity of the information shared. Listener discretion is advised.

The National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline is a free and confidential 24/7 phone service that provides counselling, advice, and information for those struggling with addiction. Call 1800 250 015

https://toolkit.lifeline.org.au/articles/support/national-alcohol-other-drug-hotline

Creator & Host- Julia Rangiheuea

Video & Audio- Stitch Up Studios

Image & Logo- Jasmine Rule

In the spirit of reconciliation Soberly Speaking acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

These are the stories people don’t believe until they hear them. The unimaginable lives. Told with courage, by some of the most resilient humans I’ve ever sat across from. This is The Unspoken.

Starting this Thursday, 5th June, Thursday episodes become The Unspoken — and will live on Patreon.

This isn’t about gatekeeping. It’s about survival. It’s about giving the stories people try to silence a safe place to exist, without fear, without dilution.

For $4.99 a month, you’ll get:

• A weekly exclusive episode
• The chance to pitch guest ideas and questions before some interviews
• A space to talk about each episode once it drops
• Early access

No fluff. No confusing levels. Just one tier for all of us.

I’m so excited to have a sacred space we’ll get to call ours x

Follow Soberly Speaking on Instagram

Ready to share your story? Email hello@soberlyspeaking.com.au

Disclaimer: The stories and experiences shared in this episode are personal accounts told in good faith. While we strive to present these narratives accurately, the views and claims expressed are those of the individuals involved and have not been independently verified. Soberly Speaking and its host, Julia Rangiheuea, do not take responsibility for the accuracy or validity of the information shared. Listener discretion is advised.

The National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline is a free and confidential 24/7 phone service that provides counselling, advice, and information for those struggling with addiction. Call 1800 250 015

https://toolkit.lifeline.org.au/articles/support/national-alcohol-other-drug-hotline

Creator & Host- Julia Rangiheuea

Video & Audio- Stitch Up Studios

Image & Logo- Jasmine Rule

In the spirit of reconciliation Soberly Speaking acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

Last week, we heard from Tiana Wadsworth, and throughout her story, there was one name that kept coming up. Today, we meet him.

As a kid, Klayton was infatuated with the drug addicts who hung around his local train station. While other kids looked away, Klayton felt drawn in. To him, they looked like his people.

Mirroring someone close to him, Klayton tried drugs at just 12 years old,and quickly became hooked, using every single day.

What came next? homelessness, crime sprees, and one devastating choice: taking custody from his own mum without even realising it.

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode discusses themes of violence and substance abuse.

Ready to share your story? Email hello@soberlyspeaking.com.au

Disclaimer: The stories and experiences shared in this episode are personal accounts told in good faith. While we strive to present these narratives accurately, the views and claims expressed are those of the individuals involved and have not been independently verified. Soberly Speaking and its host, Julia Rangiheuea, do not take responsibility for the accuracy or validity of the information shared. Listener discretion is advised.

The National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline is a free and confidential 24/7 phone service that provides counselling, advice, and information for those struggling with addiction. Call 1800 250 015

https://toolkit.lifeline.org.au/articles/support/national-alcohol-other-drug-hotline

Creator & Host- Julia Rangiheuea

Video & Audio- Stitch Up Studios

Image & Logo- Jasmine Rule

In the spirit of reconciliation Soberly Speaking acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

Jacintha Field spent 15 years in a violent relationship, an experience that shaped her into the healer she is today.

Her story is one so many can relate to, growing up feeling unseen and unheard, carrying deep-seated low self-worth into adulthood, and seeking escape in toxic relationships and substances. A recovering people-pleaser, she once tried to return to drinking after a period of sobriety, only to end up sick over a toilet bowl, realising this wasn’t the mother she wanted to be.

Today, she helps families heal, guiding parents and children toward deeper connection and understanding.

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode includes discussions of trauma, including domestic violence and substance use.

Follow Jacintha on Instagram

Ready to share your story? Email hello@soberlyspeaking.com.au

Disclaimer: The stories and experiences shared in this episode are personal accounts told in good faith. While we strive to present these narratives accurately, the views and claims expressed are those of the individuals involved and have not been independently verified. Soberly Speaking and its host, Julia Rangiheuea, do not take responsibility for the accuracy or validity of the information shared. Listener discretion is advised.

The National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline is a free and confidential 24/7 phone service that provides counselling, advice, and information for those struggling with addiction. Call 1800 250 015

https://toolkit.lifeline.org.au/articles/support/national-alcohol-other-drug-hotline

Creator & Host- Julia Rangiheuea

Video & Audio- Stitch Up Studios

Image & Logo- Jasmine Rule

In the spirit of reconciliation Soberly Speaking acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

Raised in and out of foster care and born into a family battling addiction, Tiana Wadsworth moved through nearly 150 homes before she turned 16. By 18, she had survived more than most do in a lifetime; homelessness, daily grooming on the streets, and multiple sexual assaults by people she trusted. She was even kidnapped by a subscriber to her OnlyFans account. The trauma she’s endured is unimaginable. But it was one hospital visit that would ultimately shift the trajectory of her life.

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode includes discussions of trauma, including sexual assault and substance use.

Follow Tiana on TikTok

Ready to share your story? Email hello@soberlyspeaking.com.au

Disclaimer: The stories and experiences shared in this episode are personal accounts told in good faith. While we strive to present these narratives accurately, the views and claims expressed are those of the individuals involved and have not been independently verified. Soberly Speaking and its host, Julia Rangiheuea, do not take responsibility for the accuracy or validity of the information shared. Listener discretion is advised.

The National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline is a free and confidential 24/7 phone service that provides counselling, advice, and information for those struggling with addiction. Call 1800 250 015

https://toolkit.lifeline.org.au/articles/support/national-alcohol-other-drug-hotline

Creator & Host- Julia Rangiheuea

Video & Audio- Stitch Up Studios

Image & Logo- Jasmine Rule

In the spirit of reconciliation Soberly Speaking acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

For Dean, addiction has always been about seeking pleasure, whether through sex, drugs, or alcohol. But it wasn’t until he quit alcohol and drugs that he and his therapist realised that sex was his primary addiction all along.

His journey has been about breaking free from the need to constantly feel good, and today, he’s found peace in genuinely liking the person he is.

His approach is simple yet powerful: "Just get through today."

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode discusses themes of substance abuse and sex.

Follow Dean on Instagram

Ready to share your story? Email hello@soberlyspeaking.com.au

Disclaimer: The stories and experiences shared in this episode are personal accounts told in good faith. While we strive to present these narratives accurately, the views and claims expressed are those of the individuals involved and have not been independently verified. Soberly Speaking and its host, Julia Rangiheuea, do not take responsibility for the accuracy or validity of the information shared. Listener discretion is advised.

The National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline is a free and confidential 24/7 phone service that provides counselling, advice, and information for those struggling with addiction. Call 1800 250 015

https://toolkit.lifeline.org.au/articles/support/national-alcohol-other-drug-hotline

Creator & Host- Julia Rangiheuea

Video & Audio- Stitch Up Studios

Image & Logo- Jasmine Rule

In the spirit of reconciliation Soberly Speaking acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

At just twenty years old, Molly is the youngest guest I’ve had on the show.

She grew up in a stable home, surrounded by a loving family and parents who adored her. But everything shifted in high school; she started having sex, smoking weed daily, and taking Xanax regularly.

On her 17th birthday, Molly urgently needed money to fund her new habit. A call to the local massage parlour and she officially entered the sex industry...

For the next two years, Molly lived a life most people couldn’t even imagine.

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode discusses themes of substance abuse, sex and underage exploitation.

Follow Molly on Instagram

Ready to share your story? Email hello@soberlyspeaking.com.au

Disclaimer: The stories and experiences shared in this episode are personal accounts told in good faith. While we strive to present these narratives accurately, the views and claims expressed are those of the individuals involved and have not been independently verified. Soberly Speaking and its host, Julia Rangiheuea, do not take responsibility for the accuracy or validity of the information shared. Listener discretion is advised.

The National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline is a free and confidential 24/7 phone service that provides counselling, advice, and information for those struggling with addiction. Call 1800 250 015

https://toolkit.lifeline.org.au/articles/support/national-alcohol-other-drug-hotline

Creator & Host- Julia Rangiheuea

Video & Audio- Stitch Up Studios

Image & Logo- Jasmine Rule

In the spirit of reconciliation Soberly Speaking acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.