Melding Yellow

Y’all, this one is special. Back in 2021, Wendy White was a quiet face on my coaching Zoom calls, just listening, not quite ready to raise her hand. Today she’s a trauma-informed life and sober coach with a master’s in clinical mental health counseling, working toward her independent license in Florida. Getting to sit down with her felt like coming full circle for both of us.

Wendy shares what made her finally say “something’s not right here,” even though she was 100% sure she wasn’t going to quit drinking. We talk about why you don’t have to hit rock bottom, why it’s okay to be a wallflower for a while, and what actually worked for her in walking away from alcohol. We also dig into what “trauma-informed” really means, the link between childhood experiences and alcohol use, and why it’s time to shift the “it runs in the family” narrative.

In this episode:

• Why Wendy joined a program when all she wanted was to cut back (02:31)
• Blowing up the “rock bottom” myth (04:29)
• The power of listening first, and then finally speaking your truth (05:36)
• What worked: trusting your gut, being vulnerable, and actually doing the work, not just learning about it (11:30)
• What “trauma-informed” coaching means (15:16)
• The ACEs study and the connection between trauma and alcohol (19:23)
• Moving beyond genetics and “be careful, it runs in our family” (20:38)
• Why “alcohol use disorder” and the spectrum matter more than the label “alcoholic” (24:11)
• When alcohol is simply no longer on the table (27:21)
• Life and sober coaching: you don’t have to decide to quit to get started (28:48)

Connect with Wendy:
https://www.be8free.com/

Not ready to tell anyone yet? That’s okay.
Grab my free guide, Start Here: A Private Guide for the Questions You’re Not Ready to Ask Out Loud: mailchi.mp/karlaadkins/start-here-guide-signup

Find me at karlaadkins.com and on Instagram @karlakadkins.

With love and a little bit of yellow,
 Karla

It's one of the most common things we tell ourselves about drinking: a glass of wine helps me unwind. But where did that belief come from, and is it actually true?

In this first belief episode of the Limiting Belief Lab, Karla and Lorna unpack the idea that alcohol helps us relax. We look at how this belief got packed into our "backpack" long before we ever took a first sip. It came from childhood memories, the culture around us, and a lifetime of messages that link a drink with rest. Then we get into what's actually happening in your brain and body when you drink to take the edge off. The relief is real, but it's short-lived, and your body pushes back harder than you might expect.

This isn't about shame or willpower. It's about getting curious, telling the truth with a whole lot of self-compassion, and trying on a new way of thinking about rest and relief.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The backpack: how the beliefs we carry get handed to us early in life
• How family, culture, and childhood experiences shape the way we see alcohol
• Why habits move into the subconscious and start running on autopilot
• What alcohol really does to your stress response, and why "relaxing" can leave you more wired
• Dopamine, the reward system, and your body's response to a toxin
• How to rewrite the belief and practice new responses to stress
• Using honesty, self-compassion, inner wisdom, and your future self as guides for change

Worth remembering:

Your free Listener Worksheet
Take what you heard today and make it your own. Our free Limiting Belief Lab worksheet walks you through the "alcohol helps me relax" belief using our four steps:

1. Name It: unpack the backpack and find where this belief came from
2. Test It: open the storage unit door and look honestly at whether a drink brought you rest or numbing
3. Rewrite It: write a truer story you actually believe
4. Try It On: practice the new belief, one evening at a time

You can type right into it or print it out and grab a pen. There are no wrong answers and no judgment, just curiosity and honesty.
 👉 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1P84tWOogbu50dT4fHOoZ7o_xuKmROqMi/view

Chapters
00:00 The belief: "Alcohol helps me relax"
01:59 Picturing our beliefs as a backpack full of heavy stones
03:56 How culture and childhood memories shape what we believe about alcohol
06:00 Deep learning and how habits go subconscious
07:49 Alcohol as a toxin and how the brain reacts
12:04 Why these beliefs run so deep
14:59 Dopamine and the brain's reward system
17:08 What alcohol does to your body and emotions
19:56 Rewriting the belief and trying new responses
22:55 Honesty and self-compassion in the process of change
24:54 Letting your inner wisdom and future self guide you
26:54 Wrapping up: keep getting curious about your beliefs

Connect with Karla: https://www.karlaadkins.com/
Connect with Lorna: https://www.lornawilsoncoaching.com/

In this episode, Karla welcomes her longtime friend and coaching partner, Lorna Wilson, for a candid conversation about how they met, how their partnership grew, and why they created The Limiting Belief Lab together.

What We Cover

• How Karla and Lorna first met at an in-person coach training in Colorado — and the awkward "upgrade lunch" story that broke the ice
• How their friendship deepened when Lorna reached out to support Karla through a difficult early client experience
• Why Karla later hired Lorna as her own coach, and what that coaching relationship taught her about the importance of every coach having a coach
• The patterns they both kept seeing in clients — people getting sober, then relapsing — and how that led them to a deeper question: what belief is still living underneath?
• The birth of their earlier program together, "Breaking Free," and how it planted the seeds for The Limiting Belief Lab
• Karla's own story of anxiety, perimenopause, and the moment she realized — deep down — that alcohol was never actually helping
• A first look at the framework behind The Limiting Belief Lab: Name It, Test It, Rewrite It, Try It On
• Why this series is for anyone anywhere on the spectrum with alcohol — from casual drinkers to those years into their alcohol-free journey

Connect With Us

• Karla Adkins — meldingyellow.com
• Lorna Wilson — lornawilsoncoaching.com

Got a limiting belief you'd like us to dig into on a future episode? Email either of us — we love breaking these down together, and your story might become the next episode.

Episode Summary

In this first solo episode of Melding Yellow, host Karla Adkins launches the podcast on the same day she marks 12 years alcohol-free. She shares the story behind the name "Melding Yellow," breaks down what a MELD score is and why it matters, opens up about her own turning point, and lays out what listeners can expect from the show going forward.

In This Episode

• [00:00] A special launch day — Karla welcomes listeners back and explains why she chose her 12-year alcohol-free anniversary as the day to launch the podcast, offering hope to anyone waiting for their "day one" to stick.
• [02:21] The story behind the name — Where "Melding Yellow" came from, the wordplay behind it, and what the brand's navy, yellow, and green colors represent.
• [04:38–08:12] Yellow's meaning, then and now — Karla talks about writing the "Yellow" chapter of her book, once one of the hardest and most painful to write, and how the color's meaning has shifted for her from fear to hope and health.
• [08:12–10:35] What is a MELD score? — A plain-language breakdown of the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score: what it measures (bilirubin, creatinine, INR, sodium, and sometimes albumin and sex), what the 6–40 scale means, and why it matters for liver transplant urgency.
• [10:35–13:00] The crossroads — Karla describes the turning point in her own journey and why traditional paths like AA and rehab didn't work for her.
• [13:00–17:47] Finding a different way — How research led her to a new community, a different methodology, and finally some answers to the "why" behind her drinking — and the self-reflection that came with realizing she'd started pushing her own approach the way others had once pushed theirs on her.
• [17:47–22:34] On labels and language — Why Karla doesn't use the word "alcoholic" and prefers AUD (alcohol use disorder), her honest take on the disease model debate, and why she believes the goal should be helping people find freedom — not agreeing on the "right" way to get there.
• [22:34–24:31] What's ahead on Melding Yellow — A look at what's coming: education, expert guests, the return of the Limiting Belief Lab series, and real conversations about what worked (and didn't) for people navigating their relationship with alcohol.

Key Takeaways

• You never know when your "day one" will be the one that sticks.
• The MELD score (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease) is a 6–40 scale doctors use to assess liver disease severity and transplant urgency.
• There's no single "right" way to find freedom from alcohol — what matters is that it works.
• Karla prefers the term AUD (alcohol use disorder) over "alcoholic," seeing it as a spectrum rather than a fixed label.

Resources & Links

• Website: karlaadkins.com
• Newsletter: sign up at karlaadkins.com for occasional updates — no spam
• Coming soon: Limiting Belief Lab series returns to the podcast

Connect

Follow along and share your own story — Karla wants to hear what's worked (or hasn't) for you. Find her on Instagram [@karlakadkins].

Melding Yellow is hosted by Karla Adkins. New episodes every other week.