Sober Edge

I recently sat down with Betsy Frost, the CEO of Hoplark Brands to talk about drinking less, the NA industry, and why she believes hops are 'magic'.

Hoplark brings us the 'Yes And…' which is to say it brings the flavor and the complexity of hops to tea, sparkling water and 0.0 beverages. A range of products that have zero sugar, zero alcohol and zero calories!

Betsy shares that hops are a magical ingredient that has basically been 'held hostage' by the beer makers for hundreds of years. And, Hoplark is taking back hops and bringing the brewing aspect without the fermentation or malt into a new variety of beverages to delight the palate.

Frost describes the brewers at Hoplark as a 'bunch of passionate 'hopheads' who want to 'free hops from beer'. But, the company philosophy goes beyond hops. Betsy shares in this episode of The Sober Edge Podcast that Hoplark Brands delivers a new way of thinking about alcohol-free beverages - beyond personal choice but offering new and inclusive options. She sees this class of beverages as less 'anti-alcohol' and more 'pro-options'.

Tune in to hear more of our conversation, including:

• How Hoplark leaves out the fermentation to create a 0.0 option
• Her personal philosophy of 'yes and'...
• Why big beer companies getting into the NA game is a good thing
• And more...

Head to the Show Notes HERE to grab a 35% discount code to try Hoplark Teas, 0.0 and Sparkling Waters!

And, if you are ready to say 'no' to alcohol and 'yes' to a bigger, more flavorful life, grab a time on my calendar and let's chat! Free Discovery Call HERE

My friend and colleague Kristin Horstman is a certified Gray Area Drinking Coach with a specialty in helping clients learn how to nourish their nervous system.

We also touch on:

• Perfectionism
• Polyvagal Theory
• Focusing on the body brings us into the present
• Focusing on our thoughts leads us to the past or future
• How to recognize when we are regulated or deregulated

Kristin also has a passion for a non-profit organization, CMC, Foundation For Change. This organization helps support family members whose loved ones are dealing with substance use. She shares the philosophy of the CMS which is based on science and kindness. My favorite part is that CMC goes beyond offering support and actually teaches skills to help one feel empowered to care for their loved one. This program can help families let go of the outdated 'tough love' method and lead with connections.

Find out more about the work of CMC and Kristin in the Show Notes

Kristin and I also get to hang out together in The Sober Edge Book Club - if you are a sober curious or sober serious woman who loves books - please consider joining us! More Info HERE

Life's adventures come in many forms. My recent conversation with friend and colleague Racquel Reid brought this home.

We have the adventures we choose, the adventures thrust upon us and the adventures we let go.

When Racquel left on her travel adventure, she never imagined that she would end up in her current situation. Yet, somehow, Racquel has found a place of adventure and freedom even in the midst of hardship and struggles. Her journey of finding her 'wild and free' is inspiring and heartwarming.

In our conversation we touch on:

• How travel breeds self-trust, flexibility and leaning into new experiences
• Wherever you go, there you are!
• Finding her feet
• And more...

Visit the Show Notes for More

Midlife is the perfect time to take a break from alcohol. "Stop Drinking in Your 50's and Beyond" is created exclusively for midlife women. Get the tactical support and the key foundation in only 6 weeks. Simple, affordable, effective. Learn More

As an alcohol freedom coach, I emphasize the importance of community as we go through this monumental change. Traveling together means we get support, understanding and a shared sense of camaraderie that doesn't (always) happen in other places.

As an entrepreneur and business owner in this alcohol-free space, I wanted a community that supported my unique business. This is a mission-driven business for most of us. It is also a place where passion projects abound. All of us deserve a supportive place to hang out.

I met Maggie Klaassens at a Sober In The City event in Portland, ME last September. As we got to know one another, we realized we both had a burning desire to create a community for entrepreneurs just like us. And so, The Sober Hive was born!

The mission of The Sober Hive is aligned with these three principles:

1. Community
2. Connection
3. Collaboration

Let's come together to grow this AF movement!

Find out more about The Sober Hive

Show Notes HERE

Challenge:

noun

A call to take part in a contest or competition, especially a duel

verb

Invite (someone) to engage in a contest

The idea of a contest involves a clear objective with a finish line. But, does the idea of a 'challenge' really work when it comes to changing our relationship with alcohol or food?

Just around the corner is 'Dry July', an opportunity to take 30 days off from drinking. While these types of challenges can help us get started, the really challenging part comes at the end of the month, or the 30 days.

Here are some ideas I share on the podcast

• Take the word challenge and change it to an experiment.
• Start at a random time, not the 1st of the month
• Set clear intentions at the beginning
• ...and more

Full Show Notes HERE

What if, instead of health, we decide to seek wellness? What if, beyond health, there is a beautiful place called 'wellness'? In our culture today we are often bombarded with wellness products and wellness lifestyles, but what does that really mean?

My guest on the podcast today, Megan Swan, has her own spin on wellness, and we talked about her modern approach to wellness that takes us beyond health (health has been defined as the opposite of disease) to a 360 degree approach.

Megan Swan Wellness is her brand, and she teaches the foundation of wellness to include strategic practices that are both sustainable and easy. I love this conversation because we touch on many of the foundations that I also believe create a beautiful and balanced state of well-being; i.e. wellness.

Here are some highlights:

• Her Eat, Pray, Love decision that landed her in Mexico for 15 years
• Yoga was her 'gateway drug' to wellness
• ....and more!

Show Notes HERE

Over 50% of families deal with addiction. If you have a family member who struggles, it can be challenging to walk the line between compassion and tough love, enabling and offering support. And, the closer the family member, the more challenging it can be to set healthy boundaries.

My guest on the podcast today is Dr. Brian Licuanan. Dr. Brian is an author, speaker, and board-certified psychologist practicing in Southern California. He specializes in family crisis interventions and has extensive experience working with highly acute clients struggling with substance abuse disorders and mental health conditions. He reached out to share his new book, "How to Get Your Resisting Loved One into Treatment: A Step-by-Step Guide for Mental Health and/or Addiction Crisis".

We talked about the processes Dr. Brian teaches and assists with as well as these highlights:

• Every family's crisis looks different.
• The 'old' way of thinking about boundaries with a loved one

• Fatigue in helping a loved one - when is it time to take intervention to the next level?

• ...and more

I also ask Dr. Brian what if YOU are the one dealing with alcohol use disorder? Tune in to hear his answer.

SHOW NOTES HERE

For most of us, our relationship with alcohol, whether we are drinking or not, is complicated. When we find ourselves 'romanticizing' alcohol, it can feel confusing.

First, let's normalize these thoughts. Longing for the past, or feeling nostalgic, is a normal emotion. It is often tied to a longing for the way we used to be or the way we used to feel. I recently had a client share that 'nostalgia' is one of the reasons she drinks, that longing to feel a certain way or searching for a past version of herself can lead her to desire a drink.

In this episode of The Sober Edge Podcast, I break down nostalgia and how it can lead us to the exact place my client ended up: with a desire to drink, or to a memory where alcohol seems attractive.

Here is one definition of nostalgia from 'Atlas of The Heart' by Brené Brown: a yearning for the way things used to be in our often idealized and self-protective version of the past.

I also used an article from Psychology today (link in show notes) to further breakdown how nostalgia connects us to alcohol. You will hear 5 key points as you listen to the episode.

This trip down memory lane that is nostalgia is not without danger; enter cautiously and ask yourself these three questions:

• Am I making alcohol the 'star' of this memory?
• What emotion am I actually longing for? Is it a connection; is it a younger, more innocent version of myself? Don't give alcohol too much credit.
• Is this thought and reminiscing coming from a place of pain? If so, does that make me want to drink?

Head to the SHOWNOTES for the links to the TEDX Talk I mention as well as the Psychology Today article.

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While I love a good 'self help' book, I was completely fascinated by the title of my guests' book: "Not Another Self Help Book". How could I resist having her on the podcast to share her unique perspective on how to show up in the world when life is hard?

Lindsey Kane Leaverton is an author, songwriter, former minister and a financial wealth management expert. She also identifies as a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community, a woman with ADHD, OCD and PTSD; as she shares, she has 'all the adjectives'!

Lindsey wrote this book, "Not Another Self-Help Book" to highlight some of the most challenging things we experience as humans, and how we might find a gift in each of these challenges, such as pain, trauma, addiction and waiting. We also talk about how she lost everything when she came out as gay, her long journey with chronic pain, our equal dislike of the phrase "God doesn't give you more than you can handle". We cover a lot in today's episode and have a lot of laughs along the way.

Here are some of my favorite parts:

• Her belief that "my Higher Power is not out to get me"
• How she gets out of her own head
• Her favorite chapter in the book
• Her long journey back from chronic pain
• How she credits a random encounter on an airplane with saving her life
• and more...

I hope you love this episode as much as I did!

Get all the details of how to connect with Lindsey and more in the SHOW NOTES

Interested in The Sober Edge Book Club? Check out our new pricing HERE!

*Lindsey does not identify as sober or alcohol-free but does share her deep respect and personal experience with Al-Anon. If you follow Lindsey on social media, you may see her with a drink in hand, but on today's episode we do not talk about her drinking nor do we glorify the drinking of alcohol in any way.

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting a new friend. Constance Todd Smith is an alignment coach (I love this!) who has been on her own journey of exploration, which started 38 years ago when she decided to 'live on the bright' by choosing sobriety.

In addition to being an alignment coach, Constance is also a Yoga teacher, an Ecstatic Dance instructor, the founder of a Facebook group devoted to the teachings of Abraham Hicks and a sailor! She credits her break-up with alcohol as the start of her adventurous life.

She describes herself as a Hybrid of sorts - a rockin' combination of a successful businesswoman and a spiritual/esoteric junkie. Her gifts, which she readily shares with her clients, include writing, meditation and manifesting. She is also hard at work on her latest project, your very own sober life guide - keep your eyes out for "A Sober Companion"!

To find out more about Constance and my new REFRESH program, visit the SHOW NOTES