Sober Edge

This episode highlights one woman's journey through AA and beyond. During the course of this conversation, my guest, Racquel Reid will share her story of recovery and the benefits and, for her, pitfalls of a traditional 12-step program.

Racquel shares openly about the four years where she lived most of her life in the recovery rooms as an AA Poster Girl. Racquel quietly discovered that the longer she stayed in the program, the more disempowered she felt. She lost trust with herself and found herself simply existing vs. living. When Racquel decided she was craving fulfillment, she started a small group to support women getting outside of the walls of AA and into nature. That led to a deep dive into mediation and eventually to discovering the work of Annie Grace and This Naked Mind. A TNM coach since 2021, Racquel has continued to stretch her sense of adventure and curiosity and in early 2023 Racquel will leave her permanent home behind and travel the world, connecting with people, cultures and adventure! She will continue to offer 1:1 coaching for women who are excited about finding their own passion for growth.

Full Show Notes Here

What can a 24 year old teach us about not drinking - plenty! Emily Powell shares her sober curious journey with the fresh perspective of a recent college graduate and a clinical mental health therapist. We talk about what it's like to stop drinking when you're young and how to navigate the unexpected challenges that come up, not matter your age. She lists energy, confidence and time as the top benefits to living her life alcohol-free. Emily walks us through her decision to reframe what being social means and why she believes this empowering decision doesn't have to be extreme.

Emily (she/her/hers) is a compassionate, empathic, and dedicated mental health therapist and advocate. Emily is the owner and director of a therapy private practice and works with teens and young adults. She identifies as a psychodynamic and feminist therapist. Emily has been "sober curious" since May of this year and shares that not drinking has been "one of the best gifts I could have given myself."

Full Show Notes

Is it possible to Boss Your Brain Around? Absolutely! I do it all the time. And, I want to share with you why it is so important and how you can do it too! In today's podcast I will share some stories from my own life and some examples from my clients (anonymous of course), that demonstrate just how powerful this tool can be.

Here are 4 things I want to share when it comes to the how:

1. Awareness - what is your brain saying to you? Tune into that elevator music. Tools to bring awareness: meditation and mindfulness.
2. Don't believe everything you think. Some of the thoughts aren't even yours. We hear a statement over and over and after a while we accept it as truth. And, as you tune into some of your thoughts, notice how many you don't consider acting on? It's the same with drinking. Just notice and move on.
3. Lighten up! I like to remind myself that my brain is just doing what it is supposed to and I am not a freak or anomaly, I'm just human!
4. Get curious and ask questions. When we have a thought that creates fear, anxiety or stress, we need to know that we can explore that thought using curiosity. Let's take the drinking thought for example, if your brain says "Oh, a glass of Chardonnay sounds so good", rather than pushing it away we can explore it with curiosity. "How interesting that my brain just said that… I wonder why? Do I really think wine sounds good? And, maybe, but does that mean I have to drink, or want to drink?"

I also share on the podcast a little bit more about my brand new program, The SELF Experience where we get to practice 'bossing our brain around' along with a lot of other pretty cool things!

The doors are now open, and you can find out all about it here:

The SELF Experience

Full Show Notes Here

If you have ever tried to make a change, whether it is a habit or a routine or a change around alcohol, one key component is laying the foundation. Having that solid foundation is the difference between trying to balance on a stool with two legs vs a stool with three legs; in other words, there is a huge difference.My guest today, Molly Desch, has created an offering in the AF space that focuses on what to do first. Together we explore what it takes to make a lasting change, why behavior comes last and how to set yourself up for success.

Molly is a Certified Life Coach with a degree in Psychology. She works with middle-aged working moms who are ready to take back the reins of their lives, who are open to new ways of achieving real results, and just need a little help along the way. The Alcohol-Free Foundations Program builds a level of confidence that will allow women to say goodbye to the control alcohol has over their lives, while restoring time and energy to live free.

Full Show Notes Here

The SELF Experience Waitlist

Dannielle is a former client and a current friend! She is the first person that I coached who was on the 'other side of drinking' and she is part of the inspiration for my new SELF program. Dannielle shares her journey to uncovering the false stories and exchanging the weight of her covering for a cloak of power! We talked about the work she did and the ways in which she grew during our time together, from exploring a beginner's mindset to recognizing and embracing the transitional seasons of this journey. Dannielle is a gifted storyteller, a wise leader and an inspiring guest!

Don't miss the end of the episode where her and I take turns sharing "What piece of the puzzle we are picking up". We invite you to play along!

Full Show Notes HERE

The SELF Experience Waitlist

This episode is inspired by all of you! And, it's an episode that is very near and dear to my heart because I love to talk about the 'after alcohol' part of this journey. My own path was forged by exploring what is possible on the other side, this podcast was created to focus on inspiration for alcohol-free living, and now I have a program designed exclusively for women to discover more after leaving alcohol behind. It seems to me that we place a lot of focus on the drinking to not drinking part of becoming alcohol-free and not nearly enough time on how to live once we are alcohol-free. I love to help others explore the place we arrive once we have ditched the drink and started to truly live. It reminds me a bit of pregnancy, where the entire focus is on delivering the baby and very little focus on how to raise a child! As a brand new mama at 23, with no younger siblings, I needed a manual! Of course it was brutiful (thank you Glennon) and messy and incredible all at once. And, I think there are a lot of similarities to this AF journey. Lots of focus on breaking up with booze and very little focus on our AF life. Once again, we are mostly left to figuring it out as we go, often feeling a bit lost and lonely as we step into a place of infinite possibilities.

What if we did have a guide? And a manual? And a tour group? That sounds way more fun! That's what the SELF Experience, coming in November is all about! Let's do the AF life together, in community, so we can discover our true and beautiful SELF.

FULL SHOW NOTES HERE

The SELF Waitlist HERE

Shelby John is a therapist, life coach and mom of 3 who specializes in helping women gain confidence after sobriety. This is an important conversation about an important topic. The many women I coach both in a group and individually are often looking for a way to grow more comfortable in their new 'sober skin'. Shelby has a podcast and a Facebook group that addresses the needs of women 1-5 years into recovery who still feel like something is missing.

Shelby has 20 years in recovery and recently published her first book, Recovering in Recovery. She also spent her early years of recovery in AA and we have a refreshing conversation about 12 step programs and living beyond 12 step programs. We also talk candidly about the challenges of raising teenagers, connecting authentically with other woman and how to keep growing in recovery.

Shelby is a licensed clinical social worker with a private practice where she specializes in trauma, addiction, and anxiety. With years of experience in the field, she founded Shelby John Coaching and is the happy host of the Confident Sober Women podcast. After getting sober she became a fresh, authentic voice in the sobriety space, showing women how to build confidence and love their lives beyond recovery. Shelby is the mother to three, the wife to one loving man, and has been sober since July 1, 2002.

Full Show Notes Here

The SELF Experience waitlist HERE

Today I am delighted to introduce you to a new friend, Matt Gardiner. The work of becoming alcohol-free and staying alcohol-free looks different for everyone. For many, spiritual work plays a big part. Matt has a background and training in the healing modalities of story work, sound therapy and breathwork. These are three components of his roadmap based on his own healing journey. In this episode Matt shares his work as a sound therapist and his practical tips for using our own stories to bring about healing and recovery.

Matt Gardiner is a passionate and empathetic Recovery Coach & Life Coach who has helped numerous people get out of their 'stuck stories' and move towards the life of their dreams.

Check out The Sober Edge Coaches Academy here!

Full Show Notes

Earlier this year I was fortunate to work with a talented group of future This Naked Mind Coaches. These individuals came to TNM from a variety of backgrounds but they had one thing in common: their desire to help people find freedom from alcohol. For 6 months they learned valuable coaching skills including the methodology of This Naked Mind to create results for their future clients. During these 6 months I also worked with a handful of them as their chosen 1:1 coach. During these sessions we worked on business skills, mindset, coaching and limiting beliefs. After the formal training for TNM ended, I invited future coaches to join me in a 6-part workshop series to further their confidence and skill set. Fourteen of them have joined me for the last three months to continue to hone their skills and increase their marketing and messaging to reach clients and build a successful and dynamic business. During these months I realized that working with new coaches in the sober space is an incredible way to impact more people than ever. I have thoroughly enjoyed the enthusiasm and creativity in working with people who are passionate and driven to create real change. And, I realize I don't want to stop working with new coaches!

So, I am pleased to announce The Sober Edge Coaches Academy! This is a robust offering including hands-on workshops, weekly office hours, a coaches community and practice coaching sessions. If you are a newer life coach, health coach, or sober coach I invite you to explore the Academy and sign up for the wait list. Door open in early October!

Full Show Notes Here

With every alcohol-free journey there is a story. Despair, loss and pain; some stories darker than others. Then there is the rising, the knowing and the triumphant coming back to oneself. Authors have told their stories in the popular genre of 'Quit Lit' books and recovery memoirs. But there is another way to share this story - through poetry. Today's guest, Skye Nicholson has written a beautiful offering that tells the story of her journey through the healing power of alchemy. Alchemy, Skye shares in her book, is the process of transmutation, requiring a good serving of magic, faith and backbreaking conviction. Exactly like our journey to freedom on the other side of alcohol

I loved this episode with Skye which includes her reading two poems from her book: Unexpected Alchemy, Poems of Addiction and Awakening.

Skye Nicholson is a certified This Naked Mind Empowerment Coach, and founded Soul's Truth Coaching in 2021.

Full Show Notes Here