Episode 3: Finding your happiness with Kiola Raines

This week on the Stackin' Days Podcast host Ray Donovan is speaking to Kiola Raines, sobriety and wellness coach, lifelong learner and all round ray of sunshine. Kiola helps people get started on their recovery journey using fitness and nutrition as a support. She speaks to Ray about her own background with addiction, about why having spaces specifically for people of color in recovery is so important and about how one person's recovery can heal a whole family. Kiola's story Kiola grew up in a town with about 98-99% white people, and she noticed that she was different. She also grew up in a household with a parent who was moving through addiction and recovery. She saw her dad's struggle, but still decided at a young age that she wanted to drink and have fun like she saw other adults doing. At 15, Kiola had her first drink starting a 20-year relationship with alcohol. In 2008, she missed work for the first time after blacking out the night before, and she realized that this was serious. Kiola had a DUI and an arrest for fighting. After the DUI, she had an 8-month stint of alcohol-free time, but something was missing. She was court ordered to attend AA meetings but only attended one. The meeting was all white people and she couldn’t relate with their shares. The power of fellowship Kiola eventually found the power of fellowship and realized how important it was for her own recovery. She started attending an AA meeting in an area that was predominantly black and connected with other people of color who had similar struggles and was able to talk about her experiences. Kiola found that she was able to heal the parts of herself that she was using alcohol to cope with. She was able to move past her addiction and find a way to live a healthier and happier life. She was also able to find a way to stay sober without relying on a substance. She later utilized other resources including Smart Recovery, Reframe and sober Instagram. The ripple effect of recovery Since starting her journey Kiola has attended family therapy with her father to discuss the impact his own addiction had on her. She also attends therapy with her sisters regularly where they work through their childhood issues and take care of their relationships with each other. What has helped Kiola the most Kiola attributes her success to three main factors: fellowship, coaching or sponsorship and being of service. Finding that community to recover with was essential in Kiola’s recovery. Being able to connect with people who look like her and who understand the nuance of being black really helped her. Coaching was always a part of Kiola’s life as she had previously been a health and nutrition coach. Now, in her career as a sobriety coach, she can do what she loves while drawing on her own experiences. Being of service is really important to Kiola as well. She says at the moment that is her main driver in looking after her wellness. Where to reach Kiola Kiola is a sobriety coach and starting in March will be taking clients for one on one coaching on www.recoveredlife.us. Recovered Life is an online community. She runs a weekly meeting for black women every Wednesday on Clubhouse. The meeting is part of the Sobriety in Black club there. Kiola’s username on Clubhouse is @kiolaraines. Kiola is on Instagram with the same username, @kiolaraines, and you can also find her at her website www.kiolaraines.com.