What does it really mean to become “emotionally sober” and why is this concept the key to freedom and fulfillment beyond simply quitting drinking? In this deeply insightful episode of The Big Drink Rethink, host Anna Donaghey sits down with Natalie Bedard (aka NatNat), founder of Lift OneSelf and host of the Lift OneSelf podcast, to demystify emotional sobriety and the nervous system’s role in how we cope, connect, and heal.

NatNat shares her powerful personal journey through childhood trauma, single parenthood, and a life-threatening illness, and reveals how these experiences led her to develop a trauma-informed, somatic approach to self-regulation and recovery. Together, Anna and NatNat unpack the language of emotional healing, translating concepts like “coming home to yourself” and “nervous system safety” into practical, real-life tools for anyone questioning their relationship with alcohol.

Here are the Highlights:

00:00 Introduction: Meet NatNat and the concept of emotional sobriety

02:14 NatNat’s story, childhood trauma, single motherhood, life-threatening illness, and deep transformation

08:45 Finding regulation in real life (not just on a cushion)

16:14 Why we drink to feel safe and how coping patterns are born

19:04 What “dysregulated” really means and how alcohol hijacks emotions

24:38 The vicious cycle of numbing and why our pain keeps bubbling up

27:41 Trauma as a split from self and how we heal from the divide

29:09 How to feel emotions without drowning in them

32:17 What is emotional sobriety?

35:08 Can you be emotionally sober even if you drink? (Spoiler: Yes)

38:32 The mindful moment, a guided exercise

44:21 Accepting all our parts to build trust and a life we don’t want to escape from

52:49 Be kind to yourself, your breath is your doorway home.

Anna’s group coaching community ‘Unstuck!’ helps identify your alcohol ‘stories’ and beliefs, breaking the cycle of alcohol and all the shame that goes with it. For more information and to find out how to join, please follow this link: https://www.winetowatercoaching.com/unstuck-1 

To further explore your relationship with alcohol, check out Anna’s self-guided programme, The Big Drink Rethink Experiment:  https://www.thebeliefscoach.com/the-big-drink-rethink-experiment

And apply the code POD99 to purchase for just £99 as a podcast listener.

If you’re loving the podcast and would like to give Anna a warm, fuzzy feeling of appreciation, then you can buy her a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/bigdrinkrethink

About the host Anna:

Anna is a certified Alcohol Mindset Coach, trained by Annie Grace of This Naked Mind. Drawing on her own journey out of alcohol addiction, she now helps others explore and control their drinking. With a career spanning 25 years as a Strategist in the Advertising industry, she combines her own lived experiences, with great insight into what makes us tick and what influences us to behave the way we do.

Connect with Anna:

Website: thebeliefscoach.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annadonaghey

Instagram: instagram.com/bigdrinkrethink

Produced by winteraudio.co.uk

About Natalie Bedard:

Natalie Bedard, lovingly known as NatNat, is an Emotional Healing & Nervous System Guide and the founder of Lift OneSelf. Through her trauma-informed and trauma-competent approach, she supports individuals on their path to emotional sobriety - helping them regulate their nervous systems, release emotional pain, and return home to themselves.

A resilient mother and survivor of a life-threatening illness, NatNat brings lived wisdom, radical honesty, and deep compassion to every space she enters. Her work is rooted in creating safety, where people can feel, soften, and reconnect with what has always been within.

She is also the host of the Lift OneSelf Podcast, a sanctuary of raw conversations, somatic reflections, and soulful meditations. 

Connect with Natalie:

Links: https://linktr.ee/Liftoneself

Website:  www.LiftOneSelf.com

Mentioned in this episode:

To pre-order my book, What Are You Thirsty For on Amazon select here: https://amzn.eu/d/3v3T6Mq