Wake The F*** Up

About Wake The F*** Up

Hosted by Alix and Dr.David Long. We're here to empower individuals in self-love by navigating grief & loss through emotional well-being and nervous system regulation. Wake the F up and stop sleepwalking through your life! Download our app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/wake-wellness/id6449465135 Here at WAKE wellness we are big fans of CANN - The THC & CBD Infused Social Tonic https://drinkcann.com/product/the-starter-pack/cannbassador/Wake/ Referral coupon: WAKE30 redeemable on drinkcann.com This coupon is for 30% off our Starter Pack (best seller!)

Publisher

Wake Wellness

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

10 May 2023

Latest episode

3 Sept 2025

Latest episodes

94 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   3 Sept 2025

   Forced Joy and the Fight to Feel Again

   Welcome back for another powerful and deeply personal episode of Wake the F*** Up podcast. Our host Alix Long sits down with Dana Frost, widow, caregiver, cancer survivor, and founder of the Forced Joy Project. Dana brings her full, unfiltered story to the table: from losing her husband Brad and father to cancer, to surviving her own diagnosis, and navigating what healing actually looks like when the trauma doesn’t stop coming. Dana challenges the myth that once you’ve hit rock bottom, nothing worse can happen. Nearly a decade post-loss, her nervous system still hasn’t "settled"—and she’s honest about the messy, non-linear path to healing. We talk about using wine as a coping mechanism, awkward dating app attempts, and a transformative cold water swim that cracked open the door to somatic recovery. She opens up about the burnout that came from creating grief-centered businesses without boundaries and how even purpose-driven work can become a beautiful distraction from our own pain. Dana also shares how it feels to love again, live fully, and wrestle with the guilt of joy in a world that expects widows to stay quiet in their grief. We also dive into her Book of Stories Project, an incredible initiative collecting personal stories from 50+ people who knew Brad—an emotional lifeline for grieving families, especially kids. Plus, Dana shares details on her upcoming retreats in Galapagos, Morocco, and Michigan, while Alix promotes her Mexico retreat this November for those looking to heal in community. If you’ve ever wondered what it means to rebuild after unthinkable loss—or how joy and grief can live in the same room—this one’s for you. Resources mentioned in this episode: Connect with Dana on Instagram @forcedjoyproject & @memorialbooks Book of stories website here - https://bookofstories.com/ (https://bookofstories.com/) Forced Joy Project website here - https://www.forcedjoyproject.com/ (https://www.forcedjoyproject.com/) Follow Wake on Instagram: @thewakewellness (https://www.instagram.com/thewakewellness) Follow Alix Long on Instagram: @alixlongwinded (https://www.instagram.com/alixlongwinded) Download the WAKE app on the Apple App Store (https://apps.apple.com) or Google Play Store (https://play.google.com)

2. 

   6 Aug 2025

   Sobriety, Sex, and Starting Over at Zero

   This week on the Wake the F*ck Up podcast, Alix sits down with trailblazing entrepreneur and widowhood advocate Nicky Wake for a conversation about loss, resilience, sobriety, and starting over. What unfolds is a story of surviving unthinkable tragedy and radically rebuilding a life with purpose, love, and honesty. Nicky shares her harrowing personal journey, from the day her husband Andy suffered a catastrophic heart attack, through three years of anticipatory grief, to raising her son solo, navigating stigma, and ultimately becoming a voice for a new kind of widowhood. She opens up about the impossible parenting decisions she had to make, the loneliness of losing someone during COVID lockdowns, and the surprising grief dynamics between men and women. But this episode is also about power. Nicky rebuilt her life and simultaneously built entire communities. Through Chapter Two Dating, WidowsFire.com, Sober Love, and nonprofit projects like SoberAF.club and The Widow Collective, she’s reimagining how we approach relationships, recovery, and connection after loss. Now 259 days sober, Nicky describes this chapter as the happiest and healthiest of her life. She’s living proof that after devastation, your next chapter can be better and even more beautiful than your last. For those of you who are frequent listeners of the Wake the F*ck Up podcast, you’re already familiar with the topics we explore in this episode, such as the emotional complexities of anticipatory grief, parenting in the aftermath of trauma, and society’s misconceptions about death, grief, and widowhood. If you’ve ever faced heartbreak, burnout, addiction, or grief—and wondered if there was life on the other side—this conversation is your wake-up call. Nicky shows us how to own your story, take up space in your healing, and create the kind of future you deserve to wake up for. Resources mentioned in this episode: ChapterTwoDating.com – Dating for widowed individuals WidowsFire.com – No-strings-attached connections post-loss SoberLoveApp.com – Dating for the sober & sober-curious SoberAF.Club – Peer-led alternative to AA TheWidowCollective.com – Resources for widows Connect with Nicky Wake on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicky-wake-1079801) Follow @chapter2_dating (https://www.instagram.com/chapter2_dating/) on Instagram Follow @soberlove.app (https://www.instagram.com/soberlove.app/) on Instagram Follow Wake on Instagram: @thewakewellness (https://www.instagram.com/thewakewellness) Follow Alix Long on Instagram: @alixlongwinded (https://www.instagram.com/alixlongwinded) Download the WAKE app on the Apple App Store (https://apps.apple.com) or Google Play Store (https://play.google.com)

3. 

   31 Jul 2025

   Healing Together: Navigating Trauma, Trust, and Transformation

   Welcome back for another powerful and deeply personal episode of Wake the F*** Up podcast that’s all about navigating trauma, trust, and transformation. This week, our host Alix sits down with Danielle Sebastian, a trauma-informed relationship coach and bestselling author, for a raw, eye-opening conversation on healing, grief, and navigating relationships in the aftermath of trauma. Danielle shares her own story of love, loss, and rediscovery after uncovering her husband’s traumatic past. What followed was a journey through emotional isolation, complex PTSD, and a desperate search for support as a partner of a sexual abuse survivor—something rarely talked about, let alone resourced. Together, Danielle and Alix unpack what it means to experience multiple layers of loss through trauma and the critical need for recommitment in relationships that have been impacted. They explore the role of communication, boundaries, and emotional safety—especially for men who often struggle to articulate pain. Danielle introduces transformative tools like the trauma vortex vs. counter-vortex concept, the CARE Framework for trauma-informed conversations, and modern self-care practices like reflective journaling. This conversation is both a lifeline and a call to awareness for anyone who has loved through trauma, supported a survivor, or is working to rebuild trust and connection. We know our WAKE listeners will connect deeply with this episode and the conversations between Alix and Danielle. Get ready to walk away with insight, validation, and real strategies for creating space, safety, and healing—even in the most wounded places. RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization. RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline 1-800-656-4673 (800.656.HOPE) https://www.rainn.org/ Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a volunteer Crisis Counselor 24/7 https://www.crisistextline.org/ Visit Danielle’s website https://www.daniellesebastian.com/ (https://www.daniellesebastian.com/) for resources including her script for communicating effectively in trauma-impacted relationships. Connect with Danielle on social media: https://www.facebook.com/WifeCare/ (https://www.facebook.com/WifeCare/) @daniellesebastian_wifecare on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/daniellesebastian_wifecare/) Follow Wake on Instagram: @thewakewellness (https://www.instagram.com/thewakewellness) Follow Alix Long on Instagram: @alixlongwinded (https://www.instagram.com/alixlongwinded) Download the WAKE app on the Apple App Store (https://apps.apple.com) or Google Play Store (https://play.google.com)

Who has been a guest on Wake The F*** Up

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• EB Bartels
• John Mollura
• David

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

5,688

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

15 ratings

Spotify

4.6 / 5

8 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 61 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

46

Social presence

94

YouTube

68

Engagement

77

Contact Wake The F*** Up

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.