Hilary Phelps
About
Hilary was an overachiever from the beginning. She was a straight A student and the fastest swimmer in the country for her age group, until the age of 14, when she took her first sip of alcohol. From that moment, she was hooked and spent the next 15 years drinking and feeling empty, lost and hopeless. At 29, Hilary checked herself into rehab for substance use disorder. It wasn’t just about putting down the drink but about changing the people, places and things in her life that had caused her to use in the first place.
Hilary kept her recovery and sobriety quiet until recently, when she celebrated 15 years of continuous sobriety in June 2022. It was then she realized “we’re only as sick as our secrets.” To help fight the stigma around substance use disorder, she shared her story on “The Payoff with Pete,” a podcast that often discusses the intersection of sports and addiction. Her mission is to help other women find their voice and heal from anything that is holding them back from finding their purpose.
