Jo Carr grew up in Wigan, worked in pubs and clubs, and drank in the way most people did in the late 90s and early noughties - constantly, and without much question. At 21, absolutely hammered and on her way out for the night, she got off a bus outside a local college where an open day was happening. A lecturer called Alan wouldn't let her walk past. She ended up on a business course, came out with a first class honours, became an accountant, met her husband at work, had two kids, and built a life that looked, by every external measure, like everything was fine.
It wasn't fine.
After having kids, Jo tried to get back to who she was before. But the version of herself before kids drank. A lot. Lockdown made it worse. And then she found running - which she threw herself into with exactly the same all-or-nothing energy she'd always brought to everything. By 2022 she was getting up at 3am to eat, running 20 miles at 4:30am before school drop-off and a full day of work, fuelling marathon training on 1200 to 1500 calories a day, and keeping all her race medals in a drawer because she was never happy with the times. She wasn't running towards anything. She was running away.
Her last drink was the 6th of April 2024 - the night before her wedding anniversary. She doesn't remember getting home. When she woke up, she decided she wasn't going to drink. Again. Like she'd decided hundreds of times before.
Then, at exactly 30 days sober, she got a phone call. Her best friend from school was in hospital with alcohol-related illness. She didn't survive. Joe went to the funeral and realised she wasn't just grieving her friend. She was grieving a life she thought she was supposed to live - all the things she'd never had the courage to do, the version of herself she'd never let exist.
She's now two years sober and has built Find Your Mojo, a fitness and wellbeing space built around one core belief: nourishment, not punishment. Her classes are built around a hexagon of healthy habits - movement, nourishment, rest, connection, mindfulness and purpose - with trauma-sensitive language and the radical idea that rest never has to be earned.
This week, Joe joins Rich and Andy for one of the most honest conversations they've had all year about the relationship between alcohol, exercise, perfectionism and self-worth. And the line that sits at the heart of it all - the one she arrived at two years on the other side: I thought sobriety would teach me how to live without alcohol. It taught me how to build a life I no longer wanted to escape from.
What is Clean Break Chats?
🎙️ Clean Break Chats – Mindful Miles and AF Lifestyles.
Hosted by Andy and Rich – two ordinary guys who’ve discovered something extraordinary through living alcohol-free. Andy lives by the sea in sunny Spain, and Rich’s home base is in Leeds, UK. What they share is a passion for running, a commitment to alcohol-free living, and a desire to help others unlock the same freedom and joy.
Formerly known as The Running Dryy podcast, this re-branded podcast is part of their new venture Clean Break – a growing community dedicated to helping runners break free from booze and tap into their full potential. Between them, Andy and Rich have run multiple marathons and ultra events, and they credit going alcohol-free as their superpower.
Each episode features raw, honest conversations between the two – full of laughs, insights, and the kind of chat you'd have on a long run with your best mate. They also invite brilliant guests to share their own stories of transformation, triumph, and what it means to live, run, and thrive without alcohol.
Whether you’re sober-curious, in recovery, or just want to hear real stories about finding meaning through movement and mindset, Clean Break Chats is your new go-to listen.
👟 Come for the running.
💬 Stay for the community.
✨ Leave feeling inspired.