"Everybody can make a difference. Paul and I were two people standing in a detox ward. And when we saw what was before us, we knew we had to do something," said Flora Nicholas, cofounder and CEO of All Sober. "We have a purpose every day and a passion every day to make a difference, and that's how we live."
Nicholas recounted the moment she and her husband, Paul Gayter, first recognized the need to create a resource that would eventually become all Sober, which provides everything for treatment, recovery and a sober life -- all in one place, on a July 18 segment of I Have Today, a weekly live online show and podcast hosted by Diane Forster. The experience with their loved one—the only person in the detox ward who had health insurance to access further addiction treatment, a nurse told them—led the two to create the free, accessible platform and app to help people through all stages of their recovery journey. (Gayter now serves as chief vision officer.)
Nicholas has a background as an executive at major advertising firms, but she joined Forster, a motivational speaker, life coach and author, this week to talk about her passion project, the breadth of the addiction problem in America and what she aims to achieve with All Sober.
Forster, author of I Have Today: Find Your Passion, Purpose and Smile … Finally!, asked Nicholas to describe for viewers the tools and connections All Sober provides: help and information for those in need and their loved ones, a comprehensive addiction treatment finder, support groups, a positive-minded online community, sober lifestyle tips, resources for education and career relaunch, and inspirational stories from celebrities in recovery. In a wide-ranging discussion, Nicholas and Forster also touched on important issues like addiction and young people, the factors that have exacerbated addiction issues in recent years, and destigmatizing recovery.
Now, said Nicholas, "everywhere we go, when people know that we're doing this, they come up and [share]. It's our fathers, mothers, sisters, daughters, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends. It's everybody." She called on people in recovery to visit the platform and share their stories, and asked interested corporations, associations, celebrities and even sports teams to reach out if they’d like to be a part of All Sober’s mission.
The I Have Today segment is available on Diane Forster’s e360tv, Facebook and YouTube channels, and the podcast can be found on Apple and Amazon platforms.