SOBER SPOTLIGHT: REVA Recovery With Adrienne Van Der Valk & Erin Ranta Will Help You Unlock The Life You Want

The REVA Recovery movement and meditation-based program will teach you how to establish the conditions necessary to liberate yourself and begin your beautiful recovery journey. At REVA, they believe you already have everything you need to create the life you want. They are simply here to help you unlock it. If you suspect your life could be more vital and enjoyable without drugs or alcohol, you’re probably right. But many people struggle to transition to a sober lifestyle on their own. And traditional meetings and treatment programs aren’t right for everyone.

Meet the Founders of REVA Recovery

Erin Ranta (Sober anniversary 02/2016) and Adrienne van der Valk (Sober anniversary 02/2018) have both traveled long roads with substance use disorders. What’s their superpower? They help anyone who wants to be sober get to the next level physically, spiritually, and mentally through movement, meditation, and recovery coaching. If that resonates with you, book a free visioning session today. You can begin creating the wonderful sober life you want and deserve right now.

This dynamic duo met back in September 2020 at an outdoor meeting at Central Park and discovered not only were they both sober, but they both also taught movement professionally. As their friendship grew, they realized their passions to help others in recovery were aligned and in early 2021, REVA Recovery was born. Let’s get to know these gals on a little more personal level.

Sober Spotlight Q & A with Erin Ranta and Adrienne van der Valk

Favorite non-alcoholic beverage:

Erin is a gal after my own heart and loves iced coffee with a splash of cream or milk and maybe a little vanilla. While she’s interested in the idea of the non-alcoholic beverage movement, she hasn’t really jumped into it yet. I talked with her about setting up my new at-home NA (non-alcoholic) bar and how much fun I’ve been having with it. We giggled about the fact that the shelves stay pretty stocked because I don’t seem to gulp through my inventory like I did with alcoholic options. A’hem.

Adrienne is a spritzer kind of gal. Bring on the watermelon syrup, fresh fruit, and sparkling water. She also won’t turn down an iced cold Arnold Palmer. (Does everyone struggle with the pronunciation of this mocktail? Seriously a tongue twister!)

Adrienne’s Favorite “QUIT-LIT” recovery/sobriety book: 

#QUIT-LIT has been a huge part of Adrienne’s recovery journey. In fact, it’s basically all she read in the time leading up to finally giving up booze. She talked about the embarrassment she felt reading these types of books while she was still drinking, but it’s what she was craving. The gift of desperation can most certainly be a motivator. She talked about the shame and the fear that was crippling her. Two books in particular helped her flip her thinking about alcohol.

The first book was Alcohol Lied to Me by Craig Beck. An eye opening read, this book helped her realize that big alcohol is tricking you, wrapping up poison in attractive packaging. Tricking you into thinking that there’s something wrong with you if you aren’t consuming it. The second book was on of my personal favorites, Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget by Sarah Hepola. This book really helped Adrienne keep chinking at the wall that she knew needed to come down. And then, Quit Like a Woman by Holly Whitaker was a book that really helped her after she quit drinking. (*like a woman, see what I did there?)

Adrienne went on to talk about the power of storytelling and what a beautiful way it is to learn and self identify. Like many of us, Adrienne thought she was going to have this terrible problem forever. That she would always be “that drunk yoga instructor”. Teaching two classes a week at 5:30am, she knew at least two nights per week she couldn’t get totally blasted. Adrienne admitted to pushing pretty damn hard to finding out where that line was.

Erin’s #QUIT-LIT journey was a bit different…

Erin’s experience was a little different. She was so sick she really wasn’t reading anything at first. Reading really gritty stories is her jam, because that is what she personally relates too. Two of her favorite books are My Fair Junkie by Amy Dresner and How to Murder Your Own Life by Cat Marnell.

Candidly, Erin said how she really spent her time was crying and binge watching the TV series Intervention. Adrienne was quick to pipe in how much she loved that show as well. All three of us also talked about our fascination with Celebrity Rehab. Erin, a former dancer who has also dealt with an eating disorder issues most of her life, did want to mention Girl Walks Out of a Bar, by Lisa Smith. Erin also mentioned enjoying Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget by Sarah Hepola as books that have served her well after getting sober.

Sober Curator Pro Tip: One of our first blog posts was a candid interview with Lisa Smith and you can read that here

Erin, a Pilates teacher, was both active in the fitness industry and in her addiction to the point of having liver disease. Her story includes being in and out of hospitals and going to treatment for the first time at 28. That didn’t stick. A decade later, she found herself back in treatment and out of options. At this stage, she knew she would need to fight for her life.

Advice for Newly Sober Small Business Owners:

Adrienne talked about the fact that businesses are like kids. You put so much into them, which can often be exhausting, and they basically eclipse everything else in your life. It’s important to establish really clear boundaries. She went on to describe picturing life like a dashboard. Check your dials! If your stress dial is going up, then maybe your social life dial needs to be turned down. Learn to calibrate. Find balance. So often, the first thing we sacrifice are the things we do for ourselves. Make time for yourself, even if it’s only 5 minutes here or there. Just sit still and breath. Walk, nap, do whatever you need to do that leaves you feeling recharged. Just don’t go too long without regular selfcare.

Making Good Selfcare Habits:

Erin just moved into a new building that has a pool. Swimming has become an incredible way for her to practice mindful movement and selfcare. As a Pilates teacher, when you’re teaching you don’t move as much as when you are the one taking the class. She talked about the importance of getting little bits of movement and selfcare in here and there. Erin also loves to treat herself to yummy food and good music. Meditation is a new thing for her.

Adrienne, on the other hand, uses mediation as the primary form of her selfcare. She claims, this is why the last time she quit was the last time she quit. Devouring #QUIT-LIT and meditation has made all of the difference. Adrienne considers herself to be a very regimented person. She meditates several times throughout the day, and recommends the practice of setting a timer to stay on track with this. Adrienne also practices witchcraft, which she finds empowering. It helps her feel connected to nature and to the universe. Raised Catholic, she has had a weird relationship with spirituality. Whether she’s setting spells under the full moon or just carefully watching how she speaks to herself, it’s important to her to have agency over things verses just letting life happen to her.

Tips on Recovering Out Loud:

Erin was quick to point out that people will respect you more than you think that they will. It’s honestly quite shocking, but also powerful when someone you won’t even expect resonates with your journey. On the same note, be prepared that some people might disappoint you or even not want to be in your life anymore. Remember, we can’t control how other people react to things. It’s ok to tell people as you feel comfortable and set boundaries on how you want them to communicate with you about your recovery. You are entitled to that clarity.

What Advice Would You Give Your Newly Sober Self?

Adrienne explained she was all about making lots of jokes about it at first. (Something I know I personally did too). A word of caution is to double check that you still remain in integrity with yourself. “It’s ok to own my sobriety, because to be honest I’m just way cooler when I’m not drinking.” However, it took Adrienne awhile to get that confidence.

Erin’s vibe is to relax and live one day at a time. You don’t need to be addicted to your recovery. Relax, it happens over time. Try not to stress and have faith that things will happen as they naturally need to unfold.

Favorite Nonprofits:

Erin and Adrienne are excited to watch their business grow and as part of their business plan, they look forward to giving back with scholarships to returning citizens from prison. Adrienne is also a supporter of the Jeremiah Program which aims to disrupt the cycle of poverty for single mothers and their children, two generations at a time. Erin supports the I’ll Be There Project which is a movement of unconditional love founded on the belief that every act of kindness, no matter how large or small, leaves a lasting and powerful imprint on both the giver and the receiver.

Guilty Pleasures:

Erin claims you can keep her happy with heaps and heaps of nachos, no onions please. Adrienne can’t get enough of the A&E network, Hoarders being her most favorite show to binge. Officially confirmed – I want to hang out with these two ALL THE TIME!

Pop Culture:

Adrienne thinks the most iconic moment was when she dressed as Lady Gaga to attend a Lady Gaga Show. Now, keep in mind, we have requested photo evidence that this did in fact occur. Don’t worry dear readers, we will share it with you the moment it hits our inbox.

As for Erin, who is originally from Seattle, she’s got two words for you. BRA CONES. That’s right, at the ripe old age of 8 Erin’s (obviously very cool) mom took her to see Madonna in the Kingdom for the Who’s That Girl Tour. Sadly, I could not seem to locate video footage of Madonna dancing in her bra cones in the Emerald City, but here’s a clip from the Tour in Miami.

What’s on Your Playlist?

Adrienne can’t get enough of the podcast You’re Wrong About and I whole heartedly agree with this podcast selection. As for Erin, she’s currently binging on old Outcast albums and is obsessed with classic violin and jazz. Not smooth jazz, old jazz. If you know, you know.

Final Words About REVA Recovery

Adrienne still can’t believe how comfortable she is now telling people that she’s sober. Like many of us, she LOVED drinking and it was her entire identity and lifestyle. Back then, she couldn’t fathom telling anyone she was in pain, which is a complete 180 degrees from where she is today. If you had told Erin five years ago she was going to start her own business and have a baby, she wouldn’t have believed you. “No way can I do that!” But somehow, the world had other plans for this dynamic duo who met up in Central Park for an outdoor meeting in the midst of a global pandemic.

It was clear to me after spending over an hour with these two beauties that they are both passionate and proud of the work they are doing to help anyone that finds themselves on a similar journey. It’s easy to see the gratitude and respect they have for each other and for what they are building. Their goal is simple. They are reframing yoga and Pilates, and the practice of mindful movement through the lens of recovery. This creates optimal conditions to let the recovery journey sink in that much further. If this sounds good to you, then reach out and schedule a free session! They want to help you make the life that you want and aim to bring recovery to the forefront of that journey.

Who’s Right for REVA?

The ideal person is someone who always intends to do selfcare, but doesn’t. Someone who gets frustrated when they meditate and exercise. If you are someone who seeks to strengthen your practice around self-love and self-strength, but don’t have your arms wrapped around what that looks like yet, I highly recommend trying one of their free sessions. They offer them once a month and I actually took their class the day after we did this zoom interview. It was a blissful 45 minutes of mindful movement via Zoom, which resulted in me falling asleep like a baby on my living room floor and waking up two hours later and seeing my laptop had also put itself to sleep.

Their program is perfect for those that are newly sober or recently out of treatment. People who have also been sober for awhile but things just don’t feel like they are moving the way they should will benefit too. The REVA program is asset based. Erin and Adrienne teach that everything you need is already inside of you. They are there to help support your journey towards setting boundaries, working on self-love, nutrition, rewiring, and many other key tools that are easy to implement and practice.

FREE WEBINAR JULY 22ND, 2021

Join Erin and Adrienne on July 22 for a FREE webinar on the brain science of cravings. They’ll talk about the biology behind irresistible urges and techniques to overcome them—without relying on willpower or abandoning your social life. Learn to leverage neuroplasticity and embodiment practices to liberate yourself from the exhausting cycle of overuse. Space is limited—register today!

SOBER SPOTLIGHT: This section of our site highlights extraordinary people in recovery. Sober small business owners doin’ their thing gives us all the feels. Who is making a difference in your recovery community? If you know someone we should spotlight please connect with us at [email protected] or DM us on social media. 

Resources are available

If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties surrounding alcoholism, addiction, or mental illness, please reach out and ask for help. People everywhere can and want to help; you just have to know where to look. And continue to look until you find what works for you. Click here for a list of regional and national resources.

Resources are available

If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties surrounding alcoholism, addiction, or mental illness, please reach out and ask for help. People everywhere can and want to help; you just have to know where to look. And continue to look until you find what works for you. Click here for a list of regional and national resources.

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