Sober Sunrise - AA Speaker Podcast

From Prison to Pink Cloud - AA Speaker - Paul F. - Scottsdale, AZ

Paul F. from Phoenix, AZ speaking at the North Scottsdale speaker meeting in Scottsdale, AZ - July 9th 2005
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Paul shares his transformation from a violent, hopeless addict facing 25 years in prison to a grateful man of faith and service through Alcoholics Anonymous. Sent to prison at 18 and lost in confusion for over a decade, Paul came to AA convinced it wouldn’t work for him—until a sponsor patiently guided him through the Big Book as a “cookbook,” showing him that recovery wasn’t about understanding but experiencing the Steps. Through surrender, fearless honesty, and action, he found freedom from obsession, made amends to those he’d harmed—including walking into a Taco Bell he once robbed—and discovered a loving God far removed from the punishing one of his youth. His talk blended hard-earned wisdom and humor, teaching that love is a discipline, sobriety is a responsibility, and service is the heartbeat of AA. With humility and gratitude, Paul stood as living proof that even the most broken life can be rebuilt into one of peace, purpose, and joy through God’s grace and the Twelve Steps.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

AA Speaker - Larry T. - Primm, NV - 2010

Larry T. from Los Angeles, CA speaking about steps 8 and 9 at the Stateline Retreat in Primm, NV - December 9th - 12th 2010
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Larry shares his heartfelt account of redemption through Alcoholics Anonymous, tracing his transformation from a selfish, broken man into one living by grace, humility, and responsibility. With humor and brutal honesty, he painted his early years of pain—using and betraying those who loved him, destroying relationships, and drowning in guilt and shame—before being rescued by a one-eyed Scotsman who took him to his first AA meeting from a jail cell. After years of relapse, Larry finally surrendered in 1982, walking ten miles to an Alano Club to ask for help and beginning the long road of amends. Through the 12 Steps, he restored peace with his parents, reconciled with his sisters, made heartfelt amends to those he’d harmed, and rebuilt a loving relationship with his daughter. His message was simple but profound: that true recovery is not about getting anything, but giving everything; that the real miracle of AA is living responsibly, helping others, and carrying the light of God and Alcoholics Anonymous into every corner of life.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

AA Speaker - Scott B. - Fargo, ND - 2005

Scott B. from Jamestown, ND speaking at the Northern Plains Group in Fargo, ND - 2005
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Scott shares how a lost young man who “never was” became a devoted husband, father, and servant through the grace of God and Alcoholics Anonymous. Growing up without a father and feeling less than, Scott found in alcohol a brief illusion of belonging, but it quickly led him to blackouts, jail, and despair. Despite multiple failed attempts at recovery, one call from a fellow AA member changed everything, pulling him back into a fellowship that offered hope and purpose. Through sponsorship, the Steps, and the simple act of helping others, Scott rebuilt his life—earning a degree, building a business, and raising five children in faith and love. His talk radiated humility, humor, and gratitude, reminding everyone that true sobriety isn’t about perfection or status—it’s about service, honesty, and staying spiritually connected, one day at a time, so that the miracle of recovery continues to grow in others.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

AA Speaker - Tom I. - Budd Lake, NJ - 2003

Tom I. from Southern Pines, NC speaking on the topic of "Working with others" in Budd Lake, NJ - January 4th 2003
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Tom shares his journey from tragedy, guilt, and imprisonment to grace, freedom, and service. After years of chaos, blackouts, and a fatal drunk-driving accident that led to his incarceration at age 24, Tom found AA inside the walls of Jackson State Prison in 1957 and experienced a spiritual awakening that transformed his life. Through the Big Book, the 12 Steps, and a prison AA group that became his home, he learned to live with humility, honesty, and purpose. Upon release, he rebuilt his life completely — regaining trust, rebuilding AA groups, and serving in corrections for 39 years, ultimately becoming a warden who carried the message back into prisons. With wit and deep gratitude, Tom reminded listeners that freedom isn’t about circumstances but spiritual condition, and that a life once marked by despair can become one of faith, usefulness, and joy — living proof that his higher power's grace can reach even the darkest cell.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

AA Speaker - Peter M. - Hamilton, Ontario - 2011

Peter M. from Boca Raton, FL speaking at the Fontbonne Group in Hamilton, ON - September 3rd 2011
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Peter shares his spiritual journey of transformation, tracing his path from a tormented childhood and violent alcoholism to a life of stillness, service, and grace through Alcoholics Anonymous. After losing his mother to addiction, battling relentless self-hatred, and surviving seven treatment centers, Peter reached total surrender in a filthy hallway on June 23, 1988, when he begged God simply not to let him die. That prayer, answered through his father’s love and AA’s hand, became the beginning of a new life. Guided by the Big Book, the Steps, and his sponsors, Peter was lifted from fear and obsession into a life of spiritual consciousness—where thought yields to presence, and self-will to God’s will. Today, he lives to carry the message across the world, teaching that recovery is not about “just not drinking,” but about awakening to divine stillness, walking in humility, and serving others as living proof of God’s mercy.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

AA Speaker - Bill C. - Primm, NV - 2010

Bill C. from Torrance, CA speaking about steps 6 and 7 at the Stateline Retreat in Primm, NV - December 9th - 12th 2010
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Bill reflects on growing up in an AA household, falling deep into addiction, and ultimately discovering humility, grace, and emotional maturity through the 12 Steps. Raised by devoted AA and Al-Anon parents, he rebelled into years of chaos, institutions, and isolation before his mother’s compassion brought him to recovery. His talk wove sharp humor with deep wisdom, exploring Steps Six and Seven as a lifelong process of growing up — learning self-awareness over self-obsession, intimacy over isolation, and service over ego. Through sponsorship, pain, and surrender, he discovered that true recovery isn’t just about abstinence but emotional connection, faith, and love in action. Now decades sober, Bill lives the full circle of healing—caring for his dying parents, sponsoring others, and maintaining a home filled with recovery and laughter—showing that giving love away isn’t how we keep it, but how we finally receive it.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

AA Speaker - Paul G. - Eerie, PA - 2010

Paul G. from Brookfield, OH speaking at the Spring Fling Conference in Eerie, PA - April 17th 2010
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Paul shares his deeply spiritual account of a life redeemed through Alcoholics Anonymous, tracing his path from a reckless San Francisco youth and hard-drinking biker to a grateful man of faith, service, and humility. Arrests, loss, and utter loneliness finally drove him into treatment, where a counselor’s challenge and an AA speaker’s message cracked his denial and gave him the first glimpse of hope. Though he nearly relapsed his first night out, one meeting and one handshake pulled him into the fellowship that saved his life. Guided by sponsors who taught that gratitude is action and that service is God’s work, he built a life of purpose—visiting newcomers, caring for aging parents, and helping countless others find recovery. Now more than three decades sober, Paul radiates humor, grace, and humility, proving that real freedom isn’t found in the bottle but in faith, love, and the daily act of showing up for God and others. 
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

AA Speaker - Karen G. - Jackson's Mill, WV - 2008

Karen G. from Los Angeles, CA speaking at Jackson's Mill 31st Fall Roundup in Jackson's Mill, WV - October 4th 2008
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Karen delivers a powerful, hilarious, and deeply moving account of redemption through Alcoholics Anonymous, sharing how she rose from the depths of alcoholic and professional ruin to a life of faith, service, and grace. Once a nurse who lost everything—her children, career, and dignity—Karen found herself on Skid Row in Lincoln, Nebraska, drinking Mad Dog and dying from liver disease before AA and divine intervention saved her life. Guided by her sponsor, Clancy, she rebuilt from nothing, regaining her nursing license, joining the Pacific Group, and learning true humility through daily surrender and action. Her storytelling blended raw honesty and humor—from falling into a grave to accidentally super-gluing her ex-husband—reminding all that laughter and grace coexist in recovery. Today, she stands as living proof that no fall is too far for God’s mercy and AA’s miracle, having turned a life of despair into one filled with love, healing, and unwavering gratitude for “God’s magnificent AA.”
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

AA Speaker - Steve D. - Temecula, CA - 2011

Steve D. from Rainbow, CA speaking at the Temecula water district meeting in Temecula, CA - 2011
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For Steve, a life that began in chaos and tragedy and was redeemed through the grace of Alcoholics Anonymous. From a childhood steeped in alcoholism and instability to wild years in the Navy, overseas near-death experiences, broken marriages, homelessness, and jails, Steve’s life was a portrait of self-destruction. He told with humor how he “got run over by a drunk driver — himself,” and how years of denial and pride kept him trapped in despair. His turning point came in a desert rehab after decades of drinking and homelessness, where he asked God for help and slowly began to rebuild through the Steps, sponsorship, and service. Through hard amends, humble faith, and willingness, Steve went from sleeping in cemeteries and soup kitchens to building a beautiful sober life — a loving marriage, honest friendships, steady work, and peace. His message shone with gratitude and laughter, proving that no matter how far one falls, God and AA can turn even the most broken story into a miracle of hope, dignity, and love.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu

AA Speaker - Chris S. - Playa Guiones, Costa Rica - 2012

Chris S. from Bedminster, NJ speaking on the topic of "First Step freedom, the gift of desperation" at the Nosara Big Book Workshop in Nosara Playa Guiones, Costa Rica - March 24th 2012
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Chris shared a powerful and practical talk on the Gift of Desperation and Step One, breaking down the truth of alcoholism with humor, depth, and clarity. Through vivid stories from his youth and years of struggle, he showed how the phenomenon of craving and the obsession of the mind made alcohol both his relief and his destroyer. He described how restless, irritable, and discontented living—long before sobriety—was the true prison, and how alcohol temporarily quieted the storm that only spiritual recovery could truly heal. Chris emphasized that Step One is the foundation of all recovery: accurately identifying the problem, surrendering fully, and finding motivation born from desperation. With heartfelt urgency, he reminded everyone that understanding powerlessness and unmanageability is not an academic exercise but a matter of life and death. His message—equal parts wisdom and warning—ended with a call to all sponsors and seekers alike: treat the First Step as sacred work, for it is where hopelessness transforms into hope and where the spiritual journey of freedom truly begins.
Music: Deep by KaizanBlu