Overeaters Anonymous Podcast

Speaker Sandy discusses ways to be gentle with newcomers and returners, including consideration of different aspects of unity with diversity. She also covers Where Do I Start? (available in 48 languages at oa.org/start), advanced search options in Find a Meeting, and more Twelfth Step Within resources available on oa.org and bookstore.oa.org. Recorded at World Service Business Conference 2025.

Speaker Leslie leads Part 1 of this workshop, covering her experience giving public information and professional outreach service (PIPO) and surveying the PIPO resources and ideas available via oa.org, ookstore.oa.org, and the World Service Office. Recorded at World Service Business Conference 2025.

Speaker Amodini leads Part 2 of this workshop and shares her experience, strength, and hope on the topic of living the Principles to carry the message. Recorded at World Service Business Conference 2025.

Speaker Alan B. leads Part 1 of this workshop and introduces four questions: 1) How are OA's Spiritual Principles important in your recovery? 2) What Principles have you embraced in your personal life? 3) Which Principles have helped you the most in carrying the message? 4) What Principles have you found challenging to put into practice in all areas of your life? Recorded at World Service Business Conference 2025.

In this episode, host Meg M. talks with BJ, an abstinent food addict and bulimic who has most recently served as an OA trustee and liaison to Region Two. Together they discuss their personal perspectives and practices of Tradition Seven and Step Twelve. BJ cites her favorite quote from the OA Twelve and Twelve book, "Change begins with honesty" (p. 30), and relates how honestly looking at her varied charitable contributions led her to focus her contributions on OA. "You just do all you can for the nonprofits that you believe in and this is the nonprofit that I believe in," she says. When it comes to Step Twelve, BJ also made a decision to commit more broadly and deeply to OA service, including carrying the message in her community. "It's really about stepping into the world again, among the living," says Meg. Listen in as Meg and BJ share effective and practical ways to get the word out about OA.

Do you care about the quality of your OA group? Let's "get grounded in groups" in this episode of Inside OA! Take a few notes as host Meg M. interviews Bruce from Ottawa, Canada. Bruce is a former OA trustee who has been abstinent in OA since April 2005 and who has also served at the intergroup and region levels. Bruce discusses the importance of the group in personal recovery and the questions a group can reflect on to determine whether "its message to the compulsive overeater who still suffers" (Tradition Five) and to newcomers is truly one of hope, strength, and recovery through OA's Twelve Steps.

OA volunteers have helped translate OA literature into more than 30 languages worldwide! But to make that happen, registered OA service bodies must first apply for licensing from the World Service Office. If you have any interest in OA's translation process, you won't want to miss this episode! Join us as Emilia from Rome, Italy, who has ten years of recovery and is the trustee liaison to OA Region Nine, makes a second appearance on Inside OA to explain the translation process and offer valuable insights along with our host Meg M. Together they discuss the benefits of giving service as a translator—not the least of which is getting to read OA literature while giving back to your OA fellows! Another valuable service is using OA's glossary template to create a custom translation glossary for your language.

In this episode, we meet Emilia from Rome, Italy, who has ten years of recovery and is the trustee liaison to OA Region Nine, which encompasses more than 40 countries and 40 languages in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Together with host Meg M., Emilia discusses what it's like to serve in a multi-cultural and multi-lingual region. Emilia shares challenges and fears she has overcome on her journey to being elected as an OA board trustee as well as her successes at the world service level that have directly improve service opportunities for OA members in Region Nine. Listen in as Emilia also talks about the connection and bonds that come with serving such a diverse region and how OA fellowship and service can provide us all with good lives filled with moments of celebration and happiness.

In this episode of Inside OA, host Meg M. interviews Bob, an OA trustee who joined the Fellowship in 2003 and found his first sponsor at an intergroup meeting. Bob has an accounting background, so serving as treasurer is a natural fit, but as he says, "I don't always look for treasurer positions . . . . I like to have fun with service. I do different things that are out of my reach." Speaking as board treasurer, Bob gives an inside view on what it takes to build and maintain our world service budget. And while the thought of serving as treasurer can be intimidating, Bob reminds us, "When you think about it, everyone has a checking account, everyone has a home budget that they deal with, so it's nothing more than that. . . . there's not really much of a difference." One important difference, however, is that OA treasurers help each other, and the same is true for all other service positions. "It's so wonderful to see that we support each other and we get better, and things get better because of that," says Bob. If you are curious about stepping up to service, lessons learned by giving service, or if just want to understand better the level of consideration given to your Seventh Tradition contribution, then press the play button!

Bob F. has been abstinent since January 1, 1986, and has served as Center Mic Monitor at World Service Business Conference since 2004. Listen as he and host Meg M. discuss the challenges and recovery rewards of giving service as Center Mic Monitor and at all levels of OA.

"Inside OA" focuses on the transformative power of service in action. In this episode, Laurie O. shares about jumping in as an appointed OA trustee, working as a Convention 2025 Committee member, and the many great reasons to attend the upcoming OA World Service Convention this August 21–23, 2025, in Orlando, Florida USA.