It's Not About the Alcohol

EP302 Minisode: How To Make An Emotionally Sober "To-Do List" (For Type A Thinkers)


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In this episode, Colleen speaks directly to the women who live and die by the checklist, the ones who can run circles around everyone else at work, keep ten plates spinning at home, and still collapse into bed wondering why they feel exhausted, behind, and overwhelmed. If you're a high-achiever who secretly depends on stress chemistry to function, this one is going to land.

Colleen breaks down why the "box-checking brain" is so addicted to dopamine, adrenaline, and cortisol… and why that system eventually stops working. You'll hear how even the most capable women fall into the dopamine trap: chasing the almost done feeling, attaching worth to productivity, and burning themselves out while ignoring their actual needs.

But instead of asking you to slow down, shrink your life, or pretend to be someone who "can't handle much," she shows you how to work at a higher level. A way of operating that protects your nervous system, restores clarity, and still lets you be a woman who gets things done.

🔑 Key Takeaways

• Why high-achieving, Type-A women confuse adrenaline with capability • How the dopamine trap keeps you chasing productivity but never feeling satisfied • The difference between what your brain "wants" and what your body actually needs • Why a new job, new schedule, or new boss won't create lasting relief • The five steps to building an emotionally sober checklist that actually restores capacity • How values-based decisions rewire your motivation from the inside out • Why internal validation is the only sustainable path to feeling accomplished and at peace

This episode is a reminder that you don't need to do less to feel better — you need to anchor yourself in who you're becoming. When you shift your checklist from achievement to alignment, you stop chasing worth and start embodying it.

If you are ready to get support from a community of women who are co-creating this change with intention and clarity— Click here to BOOK A DISCOVERY CALL.

Do you want help from Colleen with a situation you're struggling with? Click here to submit your question for Colleen's NEW Q&A episodes. Your name will not be mentioned on air!

Find me on:

YouTube: @HangoverWhisperer

TikTok: @hangoverwhisperer

Instagram: @thehangoverwhisperer

X (Twitter) : @NotAboutTheAlc

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It's Not About the AlcoholBy Colleen Freeland

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