Sober Sunrise - AA Speaker Podcast

AA Speaker - Matt K. - Los Angeles, CA - 2017

Matt K. from Hartford, CT speaking at the Brentwood Beginners Workshop in Los Angeles, CA - June 1st 2017
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From a troubled youth marked by arrests, addiction, and suicidal despair, Matt found hope and healing in Alcoholics Anonymous. With guidance from sponsors like Clancy, Bob H., and Howard P., he embraced the 12 steps, repaired broken relationships—including profound amends to his mother and old friends—and learned to live with purpose, humility, and deep spiritual connection. Now a house painter and devoted father, Matt spoke of the gift of forgiveness, the power of service, and how staying close to his higher power continues to bring him peace, clarity, and a quiet mind. His story is a moving testament to resilience, redemption, and the miracle of long-term sobriety.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

AA Speaker - Bill C. - Springfield, MO - 2009

Bill C. from Torrance, CA speaking at the Heart of the Ozarks convention in Springfield, MO - November 11th 2009
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Bill C. shares on his decades of experience in Alcoholics Anonymous, reflecting on the foundational role of sponsorship and the transformative power of service to others. Framed by emotional stories of caregiving and loss, he underscores that true sobriety and growth come not from passive meeting attendance but from action, vulnerability, and genuine connection—especially through sponsoring and being sponsored. Drawing on AA history, including the Akron Manual and Gresham’s Law, he challenges complacency in the fellowship and calls for authentic commitment. Bill’s journey—from a self-seeking newcomer to a compassionate leader—reminds us that healing comes not through isolation but through courageous service and showing up when it matters most.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

AA Speaker - Chris S. - Copenhagen, Denmark - 2007

Happy Monday! Hope you all have a great, rewarding week! 
Chris S. from Pottersville, NJ speaking as the Friday night speaker at the CPH12 v9 convention in Copenhagen, Denmark - October 13th 2007
Visit our website - sober-sunrise.comChris shares a powerful and deeply personal journey of recovery, marked by chaos, desperation, and ultimately profound transformation. From his first blackout at age 13 to violent car wrecks, lost relationships, and near-death experiences, his story reflects the devastating grip of alcoholism. Yet through surrender, the guidance of Joe and Charlie’s tapes, and a commitment to the 12 steps—not just attending meetings—he found real recovery. Today, Chris is a trusted AA sponsor, respected maintenance director overseeing 100 NYC schools, and even hosts a national recovery-focused radio show. His life, once unmanageable and filled with self-loathing, is now purposeful, spiritual, and deeply connected to helping others heal.

AA Speaker - Bob B. - Primm, NV - 2010

Bob B. from St. Paul, MN speaking about steps 10 and 11 at the Stateline Retreat in Primm, NV - December 9th - 12th 2010
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Bob, sober since December 10, 1967, speaks with the kind of warmth, humor, and deep honesty that only comes from walking the long road of recovery. He shares openly about his journey—from early privilege and ego-driven success, to painful collapse, and the grace-filled rebuilding that followed. He reminds us that real growth in sobriety doesn’t stop at a certain year count, and that Steps 10 and 11 aren’t just tasks—we grow into them until they become part of who we are. Bob speaks to the walls we rebuild, the resistance we carry, and the stubborn parts of us that cling to the illusion of control. With humility and love, he encourages us to keep removing the junk that blocks us from God and from our true selves. He reminds us that the journey is one of spiritual removal, not addition, and that through pain, practice, and God’s grace, we don’t just get better—we find out who we really are.

AA Speaker - Cliff R. - Yosemite, CA - 2006

Happy Friday! We hope you have had a great week and weekend ahead. 
Cliff R. from Oceanside, CA speaking at the 5th Yosemite Summit Conference in Yosemite, CA - November 12th 2006
Visit our website - sober-sunrise.comCliff R. delivers a moving, humorous, and deeply vulnerable account of his alcoholic descent and the redemption he found through Alcoholics Anonymous. Once a high-achieving, fiery, and combative high school teacher and debate coach, Cliff recounts how alcoholism devastated his family, fueled his rage, and masked a deep sense of inadequacy that only AA’s spiritual principles could heal. With wit and raw honesty, he shares his moment of clarity—a sunset-tinged spiritual awakening—leading to his first sincere reading of the Third Step Prayer and his lifelong commitment to recovery. Now sober nearly 37 years, Cliff exemplifies how service, laughter, and the 12 Steps can transform even the most stubborn, self-destructive lives into ones of purpose, love, and peace.

AA Speaker - Doug M - 2008 - Part 3

Doug M. from Fernandion Beach, FL taking people through the step in 5 hours at the CPH12 v10 convention in Copenhagen, Denmark - May 31st 2008
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AA Speaker - Doug M - 2008 - Part 2

Doug M. from Fernandion Beach, FL taking people through the step in 5 hours at the CPH12 v10 convention in Copenhagen, Denmark - May 31st 2008
Visit our website - sober-sunrise.com

AA Speaker - John K. - Fort Worth, TX - 2006 - Part 4

John K. from Dallas, TX speaking at the Eastside Group in Fort Worth, TX - February 2006
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In Part 1, John K. delivers a powerful and direct message about recovery, sharing his journey of repeated relapses, failed attempts to control his drinking, and ultimate surrender to the AA program. Speaking at the Eastside Group, he emphasizes the necessity of following the Big Book precisely, rejecting half-measures, and fully conceding to alcoholism’s grip. After years of unsuccessful attempts at sobriety, he finally reached a breaking point in 1999, realizing he was powerless and on the brink of destruction. Guided by a firm sponsor, John learned that recovery requires more than just attending meetings—it demands rigorous honesty, precise action, and complete commitment to the 12 Steps. His message is clear: for real alcoholics, anything short of full surrender and spiritual action is a death sentence. With humor, intensity, and conviction, he calls on newcomers to stop trying to outthink their disease and instead embrace the solution that has worked for thousands.

AA Speaker - Patti O. - Palisades, CA - 2015

Patti O. from Laguna Niguel, CA speaking at the Palisades Speaker Meeting in Palisades, CA - December 20th 2015
Visit our website: Sober-Sunrise.comPatty O. shares a deeply moving and humorous account of her journey through alcoholism, beginning with her first blackout at 13 and spiraling through decades of drinking, arrests, and spiritual disconnection. Despite her intelligence and academic success, alcohol dictated every part of her life until a judge’s unexpected act of grace led her to AA in 1975. With raw honesty and wit, Patty emphasizes the power of storytelling in recovery, the necessity of sponsorship and spiritual principles, and the miraculous transformations available through the 12 steps. Today, with 40 years of sobriety, her life is filled with love, service, and meaning—proof that even the most unlikely can recover if they stay in the center of Alcoholics Anonymous.

AA Speaker - John K. - Fort Worth, TX - 2006 - Part 3

John K. from Dallas, TX speaking at the Eastside Group in Fort Worth, TX - February 2006
Drop a couple dollars in our virtual basket: Sober-Sunrise.com
John K. delivers a powerful and direct message about recovery, sharing his journey of repeated relapses, failed attempts to control his drinking, and ultimate surrender to the AA program. Speaking at the Eastside Group, he emphasizes the necessity of following the Big Book precisely, rejecting half-measures, and fully conceding to alcoholism’s grip. After years of unsuccessful attempts at sobriety, he finally reached a breaking point in 1999, realizing he was powerless and on the brink of destruction. Guided by a firm sponsor, John learned that recovery requires more than just attending meetings—it demands rigorous honesty, precise action, and complete commitment to the 12 Steps. His message is clear: for real alcoholics, anything short of full surrender and spiritual action is a death sentence. With humor, intensity, and conviction, he calls on newcomers to stop trying to outthink their disease and instead embrace the solution that has worked for thousands.