It’s a solo episode this week and I’m sharing a big life update. After 19 years in the same job, I’m taking a career break from 1st September to put my full focus into No More Booze, coaching and community. It feels exciting, scary, emotional and very aligned. I talk about the concept of Ikigai, burnout and what my body has been trying to tell me, plus a sober summer recap (London, Wembley, Borough Market and a family holiday in Spain) and why holidays can be such a massive trigger.

I also share what’s coming next: The September Reset (31 days alcohol-free), The No More Booze Roadmap and 1:1 coaching offerings.

September Reset — Join The Waitlist

The No More Booze Roadmap · 1:1 Consultation with Olivia Farrelly

If you are interested in Alcohol Free Coaching email [email protected] or simply send a DM over on Instagram @greyareadrinker

On the 8th of September, I'll be speaking at the Wellness Summit in Dublin. More Information Below:

Wellness Summit Dublin | Ireland's Leading Healthcare & Wellbeing Event

This week on No More Booze, I’m joined by my lovely friend Gráinne O’Regan@grainneoregancoaching who completely overhauled her relationship with alcohol three years ago. Gráinne shares how personal development, responsibility and gratitude became the foundations for this big life change and the ways in which alcohol stopped adding and started taking. We talk perimenopause, conditioning in Irish culture, the feeling of being the one not drinking and why three glasses of wine can cost you days. From awards nights to concerts, FOMO to real peace, this is an honest chat about choosing presence, protecting your energy and building a life that feels really good & aligned. Enjoy!

Gráinne is a business strategist and certified mindset coach who supports ambitious female coaches and service providers to turn their expertise into clear, scalable offers and sustainable income. After 20 years in senior corporate strategy and leadership roles, she experienced burnout and chose to build a different way of working and living. Since founding her business in 2021, she has combined practical strategy with deep mindset work to help women grow profitable, freedom-based businesses. Gráinne is a global speaker known for helping women articulate their brilliance, elevate their positioning and create both time and financial freedom.

If you are interested in Alcohol Free Coaching go to www.greyareadrinker.ie, email [email protected] or simply send a DM over on instagram @greyareadrinker

This week on No More Booze, I’m joined by my beautiful friend Carmel Anne Brennan who’s 18 months off the booze and someone who thought drinking was just part of life until her body started sending louder messages. Carmel Anne talks honestly about how alcohol gave her confidence and helped her socialise, especially while living overseas and how that slowly shifted after a breast cancer diagnosis, medical menopause symptoms, anxiety and years of gastro issues that nobody could fully explain. We talk about the benefits of having peer support, sober podcasts and books, Dry January, the power of community and why the benefits of alcohol-free living build and build.

Carmel-Anne is married to Rory, a mum of two and she has just turned 50. Carmel Anne was so fed up with hangovers, generally feeling rubbish, increased anxiety, awful sleep and terrible stomach and digestion issues and it was this combination that led her to give up alcohol. It was only when she removed alcohol that she realised the huge impact it was having on her everyday life. She had absolutely no idea. Today, she sleeps incredibly well, trains hard and tries to eat well. She has no more digestion issues anymore and her anxiety disappeared overnight. She is a calmer more balanced person since she removed alcohol from her life. Carmel says ‘It’s the best decision I ever made and probably the one decision I was most afraid to make’ Enjoy.

A note before you listen
Today’s conversation includes significant discussion around suicide. These conversations are incredibly important and they are also difficult to hear. Please listen with care and put your wellbeing first. If this topic feels too close to home right now, you may wish to skip this episode or come back to it another time.

This week on No More Booze, I’m joined by Lisa Kelleher, a long-time listener who is over one year alcohol-free and who says this very podcast helped her get there. Lisa shares her honest story of growing up shy, using drink for confidence and later finding herself stuck in the 'I'll just go for two bottles' cycle that always went further than planned. We talk grief, trauma, mental health and how alcohol can shift from magic to medicine to misery. Lisa opens up about the moment she knew she was done, quitting nicotine too, starting HRT and building a life rooted in peace, fitness, faith and purpose. Having experienced profound grief throughout her life, she made the courageous decision to stop drinking alcohol when she realised it no longer aligned with her values or supported her mental health. Lisa openly shares how sobriety has transformed her life, bringing greater clarity, resilience, and purpose. Her story is one of hope, strength and showing that no matter what life throws at us, positive change is always possible. Enjoy!

Lisa is a proud mum to Anthony and Lorcan, co-founder of Shannon's Hopeline and a coach with the Liberties Running Club in Dublin. She is a passionate advocate for mental health, fitness and nutrition, believing that true wellbeing comes from looking after both the mind and the body.

For more information on Shannons Hopeline visit; Welcome To Shannon's Hopeline – Take the First Step

If you are interested in Alcohol Free Coaching go to www.greyareadrinker.ie, email [email protected] or simply send a DM over on instagram @greyareadrinker

A note before you listen
Today’s conversation includes discussion around childhood sexual abuse. These conversations are incredibly important and they are also difficult to hear. Please listen with care and put your wellbeing first. If this topic feels too close to home right now, you may wish to skip this episode or come back to it another time.

On this week’s episode of No More Booze, on a rare sunny day in Ireland I'm joined by Oonagh O’Keeffe @oonaghthehealing_messinger, a psychic medium, healer and workshop facilitator from County Clare who is two and a half years alcohol-free. Oonagh shares her long, complicated relationship with drink: growing up around alcoholism, using alcohol for confidence and later using it to numb deep trauma, even as her body loudly protested with rashes, hangovers and feeling low. We talk about the moment everything changed: a fall on the stairs, a devastating text from her daughter and a Friday morning at Lahinch beach that became her day one. Oonagh also opens up about the tools that helped her stay alcohol-free, meditation, walking, writing, saying no and building a life that feels peaceful, present and real. Oonagh is deeply spiritual and incredibly honest and open and I truly loved our conversation. Enjoy listening to her wisdom and her brave story of healing.

Oonagh offers distant and in person healing, mediumship and soul reading, balancing and soul healing of properties and releasing soul and general attachments. I have had the privilege of having a reading with Oonagh and she is a gifted intuitive and healer whose messages have helped me strengthen my not only my self belief but also my personal relationships.

If you are interested in Alcohol Free Coaching go to www.greyareadrinker.ie, email [email protected] or simply send a DM over on instagram @greyareadrinker

This week on No More Booze, I’m joined by my gorgeous friend Caoimhe de Fréin @de_frein, a mum of three and a life design coach who’s been alcohol-free for two and a half years. Caoimhe shares how she went from engineering and data in the tech world to building her own business DEFRÉIN, after being made redundant and how giving up alcohol gave her the clarity, energy and grit to back herself. We chat about anxiety, sleep and using wine to de-stress. Caoimhe also talks vision boards, living by design not by default and the freedom of discovering new ways to connect like an early-morning sauna. Enjoy!

Caoimhe de Fréin is the founder of DEFRÉIN - a creative hub for self and leadership development, empowering people to live by design, not by default. A creative, engineer, and Life Design Coach with a background in tech leadership, she blends creativity with practical tools to help people gain clarity, build confidence, and move forward with greater intention. Through coaching, journaling, talks, and her signature Design Workshops and programmes, Caoimhe works with individuals, leaders, entrepreneurs, and teams to create meaningful change in their lives and work. Find out more at www.defrein.com or on Instagram  @de_frein    or LinkedIn  Caomhe de Fréin    

If you are interested in Alcohol Free Coaching go to www.greyareadrinker.ie, email [email protected] or simply send a DM over on instagram @greyareadrinker

This week on No More Booze, I’m joined by Karl Elliott @thekarlelliott, who’s coming up on 10 years alcohol-free and living near Ascot in the UK. Carl takes us right back to drinking at 13, the daily pub routine and the moment he realised he couldn’t keep rolling the dice—especially when he became a dad. We talk about One Year No Beer, why community and accountability can change everything and what the first 90 days really felt like: withdrawals, sugar cravings, deep sleep, and life coming back in colour. Karl also shares the story behind his book, I Believe in You and the advice he’d give his younger self: give yourself a hug and let that little child out.

Karl Elliott is an alcohol-free coach, mentor and author who helps men and women over 35 not only quit drinking, but redefine who they become afterwards. Growing up working-class in Yorkshire, Karl spent years driving lorries and drinking every day. In June 2016, he stopped drinking and has been alcohol-free ever since. The biggest lesson he learned was that stopping isn’t the finish line. Many people remove alcohol but still feel stuck, waiting for the happier, healthier version of themselves to appear. Karl calls this the “identity lag”. Through Press Pause 90, Karl helps people navigate their first 90 days alcohol-free. Through Redefine 90, he helps them close the identity gap, rebuilding confidence, purpose and a sense of who they are beyond alcohol. His memoir, I Believe In You: A Father’s Journey From Daily Drinker to Redefining Himself, is due for release later this year and tells the story behind his own transformation.

If you are interested in Alcohol Free Coaching go to www.greyareadrinker.ie, email [email protected] or simply send a DM over on instagram @greyareadrinker

* A note before you listen *
Today’s conversation includes significant discussion around suicide. These conversations are incredibly important and they are also difficult to hear. Please listen with care and put your wellbeing first. If this topic feels too close to home right now, you may wish to skip this episode or come back to it another time.

This week I’m joined by psychotherapist Lauren Golden (@laurengoldenpsych) for a powerful conversation about going alcohol-free for a full year in honour of her brother Dan, who died by suicide. Lauren shares how grief, addiction and Ireland’s alcohol culture shaped her relationship with alcohol from starting at 14, to the hidden costs of hangovers, anxiety and lost stability. We talk about the link between alcohol, impulsivity and suicide risk, why alcohol is a drug and what Lauren is learning about confidence, parenting, nights out and real sleep without the booze. We also celebrate and play tribute to Dan and the joy he brought to the people who knew and loved him deeply.

Lauren is a psychotherapist, play therapist and author based in Cork City. She runs a private practice including children and adults. Lauren is vice chairperson of suicide awareness charity Shine A Light. She shares her knowledge and experiences on her Instagram page @laurengoldenpsych.

If you are interested in Alcohol Free Coaching go to www.greyareadrinker.ie, email [email protected] or simply send a DM over on instagram @greyareadrinker

Ian Thurlbeck from @alcohol_uncensored joins me this week to chat about his six years off the sauce. Ian is a dad, husband and business owner from the North East of England and co-host of the Alcohol Uncensored podcast with Kelly Cooney. We chat about how “normal” drinking crept from uni into work networking, home life and parenting, until the balance tipped into anxiety, paranoia and not liking who he’d become. Ian shares the Covid moment that made him stop, why year two was actually tougher and how running marathons helped him build momentum. We also dig into people-pleasing, identity, community and the simple advice that worked: put your whole arse into it, and study sobriety like a topic.

Find Alcohol Uncensored on Instagram: @alcohol_uncensored
Email: [email protected]
Website: alcoholuncensored.co.uk

If you are interested in Alcohol Free Coaching go to www.greyareadrinker.ie, email [email protected] or simply send a DM to Olivia over on instagram @greyareadrinker

As regular listeners know, I'm a massive fan of metaphysics and all things manifestation. So today, I'm beyond thrilled to welcome, mindset and manifestation coach, Steffani LeFevour @coachwithsteff. We have an incredible conversation about what really changes when we use the clarity that not drinking brings and start creating life from a totally different place.Stephanie shares her STAR New Reality Formula- State,Thoughts, Actions = Reality. We talk neuro-associations with alcohol, inspired action and why rejection is redirection. We also get into gratitude in the middle of hard moments, soul assignments, near-death experience wisdom and choosing love over fear. And we talk about her new @hayhouseinc book 'Soul Assignment' that's coming in 2027. I adore Steff, she's kind, gracious and the most inspiring person. This episode will fill you full of positivity and motivation to start manifesting the life of your dreams!

Steffani is a speaker, author, and Soul Strategist who helps women stop settling for less and consciously create lives they love. With a unique blend of neuroscience, peak performance, and manifestation principles, she teaches people how to rewrite limiting stories, step into their next-level identity, and turn their biggest dreams into reality. As well as being an author, Steffani is the founder of the Soul Happy movement, inspiring hundreds of thousands of people through her coaching, speaking, and social media platforms.

Listen wherever you get your pods or on the @goloud_app

Find Steffani's work vis instagram @coachwithsteff or here Coach with Steff

If you are interested in Alcohol Free Coaching go to www.greyareadrinker.ie, email [email protected] or simply send a DM to Olivia over on instagram @greyareadrinker