DTN Podcast | Jim Alstott Ep. 75 | She Quit God. God Stayed. | Sunshine Witchski, The Sober Witch
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What if walking away from the religion you were raised in isn't losing your faith — it's the first honest thing you ever did with it?
Sunshine Witchski was eleven years old when she noticed the contradictions in what she was being taught in Catholic school. She asked. Nobody had an answer she could live with.
What followed was decades of addiction, a rock bottom in Costa Rica, and a long walk back — not to the Church, but to something she could finally call her own.
Today she is a psychic medium, soul healer, Reiki master, high priestess, and the founder of Sunshine Readings. She calls herself the Sober Witch.
Can you lose your religion and keep your faith?
In this candid episode of The Drop the Needle Podcast, Jim Alstott sits down with Sunshine Witchski to talk about growing up Catholic in Detroit, the question at age eleven that started everything, the years she spent numbing what she couldn't name, and how she built a spiritual life on her own terms — one with room for tarot, recovery, shadow work, and every part of herself she was once told to hide.
Sunshine shares the moment she stopped performing belief, what rock bottom actually looked like, and the day she walked into a room full of strangers and heard the only thing that could have reached her: you are not alone, and there is hope.
Together, Jim and Sunshine get into the difference between prescribed religion and personal faith, why shadow work isn't optional, why receiving help is harder than giving it, and what changes when you decide the universe might be conspiring in your favor.
✨ In this episode:
✔️ Growing up Catholic in Detroit
✔️ The question at age eleven that changed everything
✔️ Rock bottom in Costa Rica
✔️ The room where hope came back
✔️ Prescribed religion vs. personal faith
✔️ Shadow work and healing old wounds
✔️ Why receiving is more vulnerable than giving
✔️ Personal sovereignty and self-acceptance
✔️ Pronoia — the opposite of paranoia
✔️ Music as the soundtrack of a life
"Walking into a room with other alcoholics told me I was not alone, there was hope."
Whether you're in recovery, quietly questioning what you were raised to believe, or just tired of carrying something by yourself, this conversation is an invitation to stop hiding and start showing up whole.
Playlist link:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5gLQWLHy75QE25XypLW2cW?si=71c4568692d94bc3
💬 QUESTION FOR YOU
What part of yourself were you told to hide — and what would change if you stopped?
Sound bites
"Walking into a room with other alcoholics told me I was not alone, there was hope."
"Receiving is a very vulnerable thing, showing emotion many are not comfortable with."
"Pro Noia is the opposite of paranoia, believing the universe is conspiring in your favor."
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Sunshine's background and work
02:00 Growing up Catholic and questioning authority
06:28 Realization of religious contradictions at age 11
12:49 Transition from religion to personal spirituality
26:53 Rock bottom in Costa Rica and the path to sobriety
36:25 The power of community in overcoming addiction
45:28 Shadow work and healing past wounds
52:26 The vulnerability of receiving help
59:37 Music as a reflection of life and emotions
01:00:15 Closing remarks and contact information
Playlist link:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5gLQWLHy75QE25XypLW2cW?si=71c4568692d94bc3
Share your story in the comments.
👍 Like, Subscribe, and Share to help others discover meaningful conversations about spirituality, healing, and connection.
🌐 CONNECT WITH SUNSHINE WITCHSKI
Website: Sober Witch Life
Readings: Sunshine Readings
Instagram: @sunshine_readings
Illuminate: Sober Witch
🎙️ CONNECT WITH JIM ALSTOTT
📖 Did I Just Have a Spiritual Awakening, or Was It Something I Ate?
🌐 jimalstott.com
🎙️ dtnpodcast.com
#DropTheNeedlePodcast #SunshineWitchski #SoberWitch #Sobriety #Recovery #ShadowWork #SpiritualAwakening #PsychicMedium #Tarot #Deconstruction #PersonalSovereignty #Pronoia