Sober Edge

What happens when we stop using alcohol to avoid the conversations we don't want to have? Inspired by Priya Parker's new book, The Art of Fighting, Teri explores the connection between healthy conflict and alcohol freedom.

Drawing from her own experience of rebuilding communication in her marriage, she shares how learning to use our voices, ask better questions, and stay with discomfort can transform our relationships.

From the internal battles we face when we stop drinking to the friendships that change along the way, this episode is an invitation to consider what's truly worth fighting for—and how to approach it with care. SHOW NOTES

What if all the work you've done to create an alcohol-free life wasn't meant to turn you into a better project—but to give you your life back?

In this solo episode of The Sober Edge, Teri explores our cultural obsession with optimization and the subtle pressure to keep improving everything: our morning routines, our bodies, our habits, our productivity and even our alcohol-free lives.

She shares what she's learning about doing less, following "energy flow" instead of forcing what feels like an "energy snag," bringing novelty back into everyday life, and adopting her new favorite approach to movement: "daily-ish."

This episode is an invitation to zoom out and notice: Are all the things you're doing actually helping you feel more alive? Or have you gotten so busy creating your best life that you've forgotten to live it?

SHOW NOTES

AI can answer our questions, help us understand our patterns, give us journal prompts, prepare us for difficult conversations and even be there at 2 a.m. when a human coach definitely isn't available.

So...with ChatGPT, who needs a coach?

As someone who uses AI and is also a coach, I've been thinking about this question a lot. In this solo episode, I'm exploring what AI does remarkably well, where its limitations begin to show, and why having more information doesn't necessarily lead to transformation.

We'll also explore what happens when another human being sees the hesitation, hears what's underneath our words, remembers our history and sometimes challenges us in ways an algorithm simply can't.

Maybe AI isn't replacing good coaching. Maybe it's raising the bar for what good coaching needs to be. SHOW NOTES

What does identity have to do with becoming alcohol-free—and perhaps more importantly, staying alcohol-free?

In this solo episode of The Sober Edge, I explore why changing our relationship with alcohol is about so much more than changing a behavior. Alcohol can become woven into the way we see ourselves: the fun one, the wine lover, the hostess, the friend who pours the drinks, or even the mom whose glass of wine signals that she is finally off duty.

For women in midlife, this can become even more complicated as so many of our other identities are shifting at the same time. Children leave home, careers evolve, parents age, relationships change, and we can find ourselves asking a much bigger question than "Who am I without alcohol?" We begin asking, "Who am I now?"

We'll explore how identity can support lasting alcohol freedom, why we don't have to have it all figured out before we begin, and how the small choices we make every day become evidence for the woman we are becoming.

SHOW NOTES

Seven years ago, I walked into a church basement in Colorado to become part of the very first This Naked Mind coaching certification. I had no idea how much that weekend would change my life.

In this episode, I'm looking back at everything that happened after that—from coaching hundreds of clients, building my own business, and working alongside incredible mentors to discovering that some of my biggest lessons came from changing my mind.

I share the coaching philosophy that has stayed with me, the approach I've completely shifted over the years, and why experience has taught me that one clear decision can change everything.

Whether you're alcohol-free, thinking about becoming alcohol-free, or simply curious about how people grow over time, I hope this conversation reminds you that evolution isn't a sign you were wrong—it means you're still learning. SHOW NOTES

What happens after you've been alcohol-free for years?

For many of us, that's when the real adventure begins.

In this heartfelt conversation, Terri welcomes back Michelle Plant—over seven years alcohol-free—to talk about the unexpected evolution that happens after alcohol is no longer taking center stage. Together they explore identity, creativity, play, grief, laughter, and the freedom to become more than one version of yourself.

Michelle shares how sobriety opened the door to stand-up comedy, storytelling, and creating a live show called This Might Hurt a Little, where people read letters they were never meant to send. Along the way, the conversation turns toward the recent loss of Michelle's mother, the courage of grieving without numbing, and the surprising gifts that can emerge when we're willing to stay present for both joy and heartbreak.

This episode is a beautiful reminder that alcohol-free living isn't about finding your final identity—it's about giving yourself permission to keep evolving.

SHOW NOTES Here

Link to previous episode with Michelle

What if self-sabotage isn't really sabotage at all?

In this episode of The Sober Edge, Teri Patterson explores how many of the behaviors we criticize—procrastination, perfectionism, avoidance, people-pleasing, and even shutting down—may actually be nervous system strategies designed to keep us safe.

Drawing on neuroscience, nervous system regulation, and her own experience after more than ten years alcohol-free, Teri explains why growth can feel threatening, why we return to familiar patterns, and how compassion creates lasting change far more effectively than criticism ever could.

Rather than asking, "What's wrong with me?" this episode invites listeners to ask a different question: "What is this behavior trying to protect me from?"

It's a conversation about moving from fear to curiosity, from judgment to understanding, and creating the safety our brains need to build new pathways forward. Show Notes HERE

What if the problem isn't that you need more willpower?

In this solo episode, Teri explores one of the biggest myths in alcohol-free living: the idea that lasting change comes from simply trying harder. Drawing on neuroscience, habit formation, nervous system regulation, and practical real-life strategies, she explains why willpower is a limited resource—and why successful alcohol-free living depends on needing less of it.

You'll learn how alcohol impacts the brain's reward system, why stress and fatigue make cravings feel stronger, and how simple changes to your routines, environment, and support systems can dramatically reduce the amount of willpower you need to rely on.

If you've ever worried that you just don't have enough discipline, this episode offers a refreshing and hopeful perspective: it's not about becoming stronger. It's about learning to support yourself - differently. SHOW NOTES HERE

This week on The Sober Edge, I'm joined by my friend Lauren Fay for a conversation that feels honest, thoughtful, and deeply human.

Lauren shares the story behind her memoir Blurred Lines—why she chose to move beyond a traditional coaching book and instead tell the truth through story. We talk about identity shifts, visibility, family dynamics, self-trust, nervous system healing, and what really happens after we stop drinking.

What I loved most about this conversation is that it isn't about perfection or polished transformation. It's about the blurry middle. The becoming. The messy, beautiful work of building a life we no longer want to escape from.

We also explore:

• why story connects more deeply than advice
• the difference between escaping your life vs. escaping yourself
• how alcohol disconnects us from self-love
• the courage it takes to be truly seen
• the "throughline" of who we've always been
• why sobriety isn't conditional on life being easy

Lauren's story is powerful, but the deeper message is universal: there is so much more available to us than simply "fine."

Show Notes HERE