In today's episode, Colleen walks us through a high-stakes moment with one of her clients—standing at the emotional fork in the road between old habits and radical self-responsibility.

After a tense night at her childhood home, surrounded by triggering family dynamics and judgment, this client found herself spiraling into shame after a single shot of tequila… and a familiar pattern of self-attack. With her sister likely ready to confront her, she reached out for support—not to fix the situation, but to reclaim her power before it got hijacked.

What unfolds is a masterclass in nervous system protection, mindset choice, and learning how to stop reacting to the stories in your head (and the ones projected onto you). This episode is your reminder that peace isn't earned through explanation—it's chosen in the moment, with breath, presence, and courage.

If you've ever felt like you have to prove, fix, or defend your choices just to feel okay again—this one will show you another way.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• You can't rewrite the story from inside the story—you have to leave it behind to create something new.

• Your body is your true self. Protect it like a mama bear.

• Emotional pain often comes not from others' opinions, but your own mind's interpretation of them.

• You don't owe anyone an explanation to feel okay. Permission comes from you.

• Real power is choosing how you want to feel—and aligning your actions to create that state, without waiting for someone else to "get 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

Transcript

Click here to register for the neural rewrite masterclass! How to escape your negative self-talk.

Click here to watch this episode on YouTube!

What happens when you're the person everyone counts and you're secretly falling apart?

In this episode, Colleen sits down with tech founder, entrepreneur and coach Mike Hardenbrook for an honest conversation about what it looks like when high-functioning people hit their limit. Mike opens up about the moment his drinking stopped working, why success can be a mask for burnout, and what it really takes to start living from self-trust instead of self-discipline.

Mike's story is proof that you don't have to lose everything to change—but you do have to stop pretending everything's fine.

If you're tired of performing under pressure, this episode will show you how to walk away from the bad habits that aren't serving you anymore without losing your edge--or the fun version of yourself.

Mike has also developed a brand of supplements specifically for drinkers looking to cut back that have been shown to reduce alcohol cravings up to 60% and correct the nutritional deficiencies caused by regular drinking.

Find Mike: Mike's Instagram Mike's Website.

Click here to shop for the Cloud 9 supplements mentioned in the interview.

Click here to BOOK A DISCOVERY CALL if you're ready to fully commit to your personal growth and do the work to get emotionally sober. Side effects include an 80 percent reduction in drinking.

Want daily updates from me? TikTok: @hangoverwhisperer Instagram: @thehangoverwhisperer Twitter (X): @NotAboutTheAlc YouTube: @hangoverwhisperer

—Do you want coaching from Colleen on a situation you're struggling with? Click here to submit your question. Your name will not be mentioned on air!

In today's episode, Colleen shares a real-life moment of emotional sobriety in action—when an old blog post, a rogue email, and a morning scroll tried to hijack her peace before she even got out of bed.

What begins as a minor tech task quickly spirals into a stress response… until she catches it. Instead of reacting from urgency, she pauses, reconnects with her intention for the day, and remembers: just because it feels urgent doesn't mean it is.

This episode is a practical, embodied reminder that emotional sobriety isn't about getting it perfect—it's about noticing the pattern before it runs your whole day. If you're done letting false alarms steal your time, energy, and presence, this one shows you how to reclaim control—without rushing to fix anything.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• You are the director of your attention—not your email, not your stress, not your past habits.

• Feelings aren't facts—your body is just signaling what your brain has been rehearsing.

• New habits don't erase old ones—you overwrite them with intention and repetition.

• Sensations that constrict you are red flags that you're believing an old, unhelpful thought.

• Your day doesn't begin when you check your phone—it begins when you decide how you want to feel.

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

Transcript

In today's episode, Colleen reveals the sneaky way our own thoughts quietly become emotional abuse—and how to interrupt the habit of thinking things that hurt.

From bedtime mirror pep talks to buried beliefs about being "a hot mess," this episode explores how subconscious thought loops create the feelings that sabotage your confidence, relationships, and self-trust. Colleen explains how your nervous system isn't reacting to your circumstances—it's reacting to your story. And most of that story? It's fiction you've been rehearsing for years.

If you're ready to stop bullying yourself with thoughts you'd never say out loud to a friend, this episode is your start to choosing a better script and creating safety in your own mind.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• The way you feel about yourself is just a reflection of the thoughts you repeat.

• Your thoughts aren't facts—they're habits.

• Negative emotions are your body's way of flagging old, outdated beliefs.

• If you wouldn't say it to someone else, it doesn't belong in your internal dialogue either.

• The path to healing starts with noticing the thought, pausing the habit, and choosing again—on purpose.

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

Transcript

Click here to register for the Rewrite Neural Pathways to Escape Negative Self-Talk Workshop on July 12th

Click here to watch this episode on YouTube

Do you have confidence and discipline in most areas of your life, and feel befuddled as to why your drinking feels so hard to control?

If your drinking feels out of alignment with your values, your goals, or your sense of self, this episode will give you a clear understanding as to what's really going on, and also five powerful, science-based strategies that will help you stop yourself from over-drinking—without relying on willpower, restriction, or shaming yourself into submission.

Whether you're trying to moderate, avoid shame spirals, or feel more in control after a stressful day, these tools will help you reset your nervous system, reconnect with your values, and get your brain off autopilot so you can build new habits that align with who you really are.

🔑 You'll Learn:

• Why your brain craves alcohol when you're stressed (and how to rewire that urge)

• How "Delay, Don't Deny" instantly puts you back in control

• Why emotional goal setting works better than setting limits on your consumption

• How to rehearse success using mental imagery

• What it means to take an "upstream" perspective—and why trying to stop yourself from overdrinking at the end of the day is about as useless as trying to stop the last domino from falling

• How checking in with your tomorrow self can interrupt the "f-it" cycle

Overdrinking is not about your relationship with alcohol. It's about your relationship with yourself—and these strategies help you rebuild self-trust, one decision at a time.

Click here to BOOK A DISCOVERY CALL if you're ready to fully commit to your personal growth and do the work to get emotionally sober. Side effects include an 80 percent reduction in drinking.

Want daily updates from me? TikTok: @hangoverwhisperer Instagram: @thehangoverwhisperer Twitter (X): @NotAboutTheAlc and YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hangoverwhisperer

—Do you want coaching from Colleen on a situation you're struggling with? Click here to submit your question. Your name will not be mentioned on air!

In today's episode, Colleen unpacks why your background alarm is going off—and how to finally turn it off.

You're not lazy. You're not broken. And your bedtime resistance, your anxious spinouts, your self-sabotage? They're not random. They. Are. Patterns.

Habits formed by younger versions of you who were just trying to stay safe.

This episode dives into how childhood beliefs shape your nervous system, why emotional energy gets trapped in the body, and how to reclaim that energy instead of wasting it on panic, shame, or perfectionism. If your anxiety feels like it runs the show, Colleen gives you a way to interrupt the pattern and stop thinking your way out of a feeling problem.

Whether you're healing from overdrinking, a divorce, or just trying to move through your day with more peace, this one shows you exactly how to get back into your body and claim your power.

Key Takeaways:

• That "resistance" you feel? It's not laziness—it's a child part of you stuck in a story.

• Your background alarm (aka chronic anxiety) is often a relic from the past—not a reaction to the present.

• Trying to think your way through a feeling problem only keeps the alarm ringing.

If you're done spiraling, numbing, or wondering why you sabotage the things you say you want—this episode is your wake-up call to stop overriding your body and start listening.

And if you're ready to reduce your drinking by 80% and finally trust yourself again? Schedule a discovery call with Colleen or the team- 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

Transcript

You've probably heard me say the common phrase "the call is coming from inside the house" — but what if every judgment you make about someone else is too?

In this episode, Colleen unpacks the concept of The Black Mirror — the idea that your emotional reactions to other people are often projections of the stories, beliefs, and insecurities you hold about yourself.

You'll learn how to flip the script when you're triggered by someone else's behavior, turn judgment into powerful self-awareness, and use emotional sobriety skills to stop reacting from fear and start responding from clarity. This is shadow work, made practical.

This episode is for the woman who is ready to take her power back… by owning what's hers and releasing what isn't.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• The traits you judge in others often reflect disowned parts of yourself.

• Emotional reactivity is a mirror — not a fact.

• Changing "they think…" to "I feel…" is a powerful way to access hidden beliefs.

• Boundaries come from clarity, not resentment.

• Emotional sobriety means learning to feel what you feel without making it mean something is wrong with you.

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

Transcript

Click here to watch the full interview with Carley on YouTube

In Part 2 of Carley's story, we dive into the healing that began once she joined the program. You'll hear how she learned to regulate her nervous system, rewire her brain, and change the story she told herself about who she was.

Carley shares how she finally stopped chasing external validation, started putting herself first without guilt, and showed up more fully — not just for herself, but for her kids, her husband, and her work.

We also talk about what it means to "be emotionally sober" and why drinking less wasn't the ultimate win for Carley — it was becoming the woman she never thought she could be.

This part of the conversation is a celebration of what's possible when you stop trying to get sober and start learning to feel safe in your own body.

What you'll hear in Part 2:

• The skills Carley developed that helped her reduce her drinking by 80%

• How emotional sobriety changed her marriage, her parenting, and her self-talk

• Why she now calls herself "unrecognizable" — in the best way

• What she would say to any woman who's scared to take the first step

Click here to BOOK A DISCOVERY CALL if you're ready to fully commit to your personal growth and do the work to get emotionally sober. Side effects include an 80 percent reduction in drinking.

Want daily updates from me? TikTok: @hangoverwhisperer Instagram: @thehangoverwhisperer Twitter (X): @NotAboutTheAlc YouTube: @hangoverwhisperer

—Do you want coaching from Colleen on a situation you're struggling with? Click here to submit your question. Your name will not be mentioned on air!

Most women don't realize how uncomfortable they are with feeling good—until things start going too well. That's when the sabotage creeps in. A snappy comment. A skipped workout. An unnecessary glass of wine.

In today's episode, Colleen breaks down the concept of the "upper limit problem" from The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks—and explains how perfectionists and people-pleasers unknowingly block joy, ease, and success by clinging to struggle.

You'll learn how your emotional thermostat gets set in childhood, why guilt and discomfort with pleasure keep you stuck, and how to reset your internal baseline so peace and happiness stop feeling unsafe.

This episode is a powerful reminder that you don't have to earn your joy. You just have to stop arguing for your limitations.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• The "upper limit problem" is a self-imposed glass ceiling that blocks success, love, and creativity.

• Most high-achieving women are used to pain—and don't know how to tolerate feeling good.

• Guilt is often the signal that you're expanding beyond what feels "acceptable" to others.

• You don't need permission to feel ease, rest, or joy. You just need a new intention.

• Emotional sobriety means letting go of the need to suffer in order to deserve what you want.

✨ What if your next breakthrough wasn't about doing more… but feeling more?

If you're ready to stop drinking just to take the edge off your own growth, then 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

Transcript

In today's episode, Colleen shares a powerful one-on-one coaching conversation with a client who was dreading a weekend trip with her judgmental, high-maintenance mother-in-law. What started as a fear of overdrinking turned into something much deeper—a real-time lesson in emotional ownership, boundaries, and what it means to become unfuckwithable.

This episode isn't about family dynamics—it's about taking your power back. If you've ever agreed to something just to avoid conflict and ended up feeling resentful, this is for you.

You'll walk away with practical language, new scripts, and the mindset shift that will help you stop outsourcing your emotional well-being to other people's moods.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Feeling trapped isn't a fact—it's a sign you haven't fully claimed your power of choice.

• Boundaries are about what you will do, not about controlling others.

• Being "unfuckwithable" doesn't mean you don't care—it means you stop performing to keep the peace.

• You don't need to change other people's reactions to feel okay.

• Resentment is often a sign that you said yes when you meant no.

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

Transcript