( ENSPIRE Health & Wellness ) Dr. Estes Is CEO OF The Addictions Academy, Certifying 60,000 Professionals In Mental Health Coaching
Dr. Cali Estes, aka The Battery Recharger™ and “The Female Dr. Drew,” has turned chaos into clarity when coaching clients through their burnout and hardships. She is the founder of Sober On Demand®, a concierge recovery service that offers private, in-home detoxification and coaching services worldwide. A Celebrity Addiction Coach, global mental health visionary, and author, she coaches CEOs, celebrities, athletes, high performers, and businesses, delivering life-changing transformations. With over 25 years of experience blending clinical psychology, neuroscience, trauma resolution, and biohacking, she guides individuals through personal crises and helps companies in crisis. Her strategy is sharp, clinical, with a dash of fearless humor. Dr. Estes is the catalyst for change for those who need it most. Through her Elite 5-Day Executive Reset, she has designed a strategy for high achievers who can’t press pause on their fast-paced lifestyle.
Dr. Estes is the CEO of The Addictions Academy, where she has certified over 60,000 professionals in 40 countries. In addition, she trained staff at 500 addiction and mental health centers worldwide. Her approach, which combines science with storytelling, inspires all audiences, from global conferences to corporate boardrooms. A six-time #1 best-selling author, she has written about addiction and recovery; one of her popular titles, “I Married a Junkie,” delves deeper into the topic. Dr. Estes explains the specifics of her 5-Day Executive Reset and Sobeer On Demand® services. In addition, she shares how The Addictions Academy was built, as well as the certification and training process. Furthermore, Dr. Estes shares her approach of combining science and storytelling to coach clients, along with her extensive publications on recovery. Lastly, she provides insight into what Sober on Demand® can do for those who want a kickstart into their mental health journey.
What are the important distinctions of the 5-Day Executive Reset compared to the overall process of the Sober On Demand® services?
The 5-Day Executive Reset is our fast-track, elite-level intervention designed specifically for high performers: CEOs, athletes, entertainers, and professionals who can’t step away from their lives or businesses for traditional treatment. It condenses what most rehabs try to do in 30 days into a focused, five-day, one-on-one immersion. We combine medical detox (if needed), mindset coaching, trauma work, nutritional support, and cutting-edge biohacking therapies like NAD+, red-light therapy, and IV nutrient infusions to accelerate the body’s natural recovery.
While the broader Sober on Demand® service offers a fully customizable continuum, from in-home treatment to travel-based support and long-term aftercare, the Executive Reset, is about rapid stabilization and complete mental, physical, and emotional optimization. It’s for the person who needs to get back to board meetings, the stage, or the spotlight performing at 100 percent: discreetly, efficiently, and effectively.
Tell us how you built The Addictions Academy, and what the certification and training process is for those who want to coach?
I built The Addictions Academy with $300 in my bank account, a laptop, and a vision to professionalize an unregulated field. I saw talented, passionate people helping others recover without the credentials or structure to grow their impact. So, I created a globally recognized training system that combines psychology, coaching, and real-world application.
Today, we offer over 45 courses ranging from Recovery Coach and Interventionist to Trauma Specialist and Narcissistic Abuse Coach, all fully accredited and internationally recognized. Students complete live online or self-paced programs, pass written and practical exams, and receive lifetime access to mentorship and continuing education. To date, we’ve certified over 60,000 professionals in 40 countries, helping them launch sustainable businesses that truly change lives.
What is your approach in combining science and storytelling as a strategy when you coach and inspire clients and groups of individuals to rewire their minds and focus on their betterment?
Science explains how transformation happens: storytelling shows why it matters. My approach blends both. I use neuroscience to teach clients how habits form, how dopamine drives behavior, and how neuroplasticity allows them to rewire old emotional patterns. Then, I weave in stories, relatable experiences to make those lessons stick.
When someone hears, “You’re not broken; your brain just needs a reboot,” and I back that with both brain science and lived examples, it activates hope and curiosity instead of shame. That’s the sweet spot: combining data with heart. Whether I’m coaching a CEO, a musician, or a trauma survivor, science gives them the roadmap; storytelling gives them the courage to take the first step.
You are a six-time #1 best-selling author. Please share with us the books that helped you achieve that top spot, what they are about, and your writing process for each.
Each of my books was born from a personal experience or a problem I wanted to solve.
- “I Married a Junkie” — Co-written with my late husband Tim Estes, this memoir exposes the raw truth of loving someone through addiction and recovery. It resonated globally because it’s brutally honest and deeply human.
- “I Married a Junkie 2: The Final Chapter” — A continuation of our story that brings closure, healing, and hope after loss. It’s about resilience, forgiveness, and honoring the journey beyond addiction.
- “The 7 Keys to Tap Into the Wealth Inside You” — A mindset manual that teaches readers how to shift their frequency from survival to success using neuroscience and law-of-attraction principles.
- “Unpause Your Life: The Workbook” — A hands-on guide packed with journaling prompts, exercises, and neuroscience-backed strategies to help readers get unstuck and design a life that feels fully aligned.
- “The Recovery Coach Workbook” — A professional resource for aspiring and active recovery coaches, complete with scripts, case studies, and practical frameworks from my global training programs.
- “Airport Antics: Tales from the Terminal” — My comedic relief project — a humorous, observational look at human behavior in airports that reminds readers that laughter is therapy, too.
My writing process is disciplined but intuitive. I outline the science first, then layer in stories, humor, and vulnerability. I write early mornings with coffee, edit relentlessly, and always aim to make every page both educational and emotional.
In your own words, what advice would you give an individual or business who are struggling with burnout, addiction, or a personal crisis to kick-start their mental health and wellness journey with Sober On Demand®?
The first step is honesty: admit you’re running on empty. Burnout and addiction both stem from the same root: disconnection from self. You can’t pour from a drained battery. My advice is to hit pause, seek professional support, and allow yourself to reset without guilt. That’s where Sober on Demand® comes in, rebuilding you from the inside out.
Our team designs a customized recovery or reset program tailored to your exact needs, whether it’s detox, executive burnout recovery, trauma work, or brain optimization. Within days, clients notice clarity, energy, and purpose returning. The transformation begins the moment you stop hiding the pain and start investing in your healing. You don’t need to be broken to ask for help: you just need to be ready for better.
Dr. Estes has been featured on “CNN,” “NBC,” “CBS,” “FOX,” “Forbes,” “HuffPost,” “HBO,” and “People Magazine.” She has been a keynote speaker 5 times, sharing platforms with big names in the addiction and mental health industry. She is the host of the Top 10-ranked Podcast “Unpause Your Life,” which discusses strategies to alleviate and eliminate common stumbling blocks in life. A cutting-edge science and no-BS approach, through her own hardships of homelessness and the loss of her husband, she uses her experiences and education in mental health to help others navigate the chaos of their lives and provide clarity and hopefulness. For more information, visit https://soberondemand.com/ or https://caliestes.com/ if you or a loved one is struggling with addiction. To become a certified coach, visit https://theaddictionsacademy.com/ for more details.
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