Learning how to turn your brain off without drinking can feel impossible when your mind is constantly racing.

Jennifer, a self-described control freak, discovered this firsthand as she navigated years of using alcohol to quiet the mental chatter. What happens when that coping mechanism is removed? Join us as Jennifer shares her powerful journey of realizing alcohol wasn't her friend and how she ultimately found a more fulfilling and peaceful existence without it.

In this episode, Cole and Jennifer discuss:

Drinking as a way to manage stress, loneliness, and the loss of control

Using alcohol to feel connected and to quiet a constantly running mind

How early sobriety revealed emotional triggers Jennifer didn’t expect

Navigating the fear of change and giving up the one “friend” that always showed up

Her experience with the Alcohol Experiment Facebook group

How she discovered how to turn your brain off without drinking

New coping tools for stress, overthinking, and emotional discomfort

Why ditching alcohol helped her show up more fully for her family

Embracing self-trust, not self-judgment

and more topics…

Have you ever wondered if your attempts to unwind with alcohol are actually adding to your burdens? 

Coach Ruby Williams offers a powerful glimpse into the realities of seeking alcohol freedom through two personal coaching sessions. First, we meet Anne, a mom and professional learning to navigate stress and cravings using the tools provided by The Path. Then, we listen in as Ruby coaches Travis, who candidly discusses the pattern of drinking because of work stress in his high-pressure career and begins to explore alternative ways to manage exhaustion and find genuine relaxation.

Ruby and Anne discuss:

Balancing motherhood, work, and emotions

How stress and subconscious beliefs drove her cravings

What made her pause instead of buying wine

Using practical tools like candlelight, journaling, and stargazing to replace wine

Why wine as a reward is a cultural myth

Celebrating small wins and staying grounded in her "alive goal"

The concept of an "urge jar"

and other topics

Ruby and Travis dive into:

Growing up with generational addictionHow high achievement and people-pleasing masked deeper burnoutWhy alcohol became a mental shut-off switch

Realizing work had consumed joy, friendships, and connection

The high cost of success and redefining his evening routine

Drinking because of work stress

Coaching insight: maybe it’s as simple as going to bed

and more

Ruby Williams is a certified Naked Mind Senior Coach dedicated to helping people rethink their relationship with alcohol. With 19 years of experience in the wine industry, Ruby understands how alcohol can become a regular part of life, especially in social or stressful situations. After finding freedom in 2019, she was empowered to improve her health, lose weight, and achieve lifelong goals. Ruby uses thoughtful questioning to help clients shift their mindset and build a more balanced, fulfilling, and healthier relationship with alcohol.

Learn more about Coach Ruby: https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/ruby-williams/ 

Related Episodes:

EP 158: Reader Question – How do you deal with stress without alcohol? - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-158-how-do-you-deal-with-stress-without-alcohol/

EP 517: The Upside of Stress with Dr. McGonigal - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-517-the-upside-of-stress-with-dr-mcgonigal/

EP 29: Naked Life Story: Meredith - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-29-naked-life-story-meredith/Ready to take the next step on your journey? 

Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious!

Why do we keep drinking even when we know it’s hurting us? For Sammie, the answer lay beneath the surface—in the pain she hadn’t faced. Her story shows how unresolved trauma leads to drinking and how ignoring what hurts often feels safer than healing. Until it doesn’t. In this episode, she opens up about what it took to stop numbing and start living fully.

In this raw and real conversation, Annie and Sammie unpack how unresolved trauma leads to drinking and what it means to finally feel your feelings without fear. From parenting through grief to starting over at 49, Sammie’s story is a powerful reminder that it’s never too late to break old cycles.

In this episode, Annie and Sammie discuss:

Episode links:

Sammie’s Sober Heroes - https://www.sammiessoberheroes.com/Start reading This Naked Mind - https://thisnakedmind.com/bookJoin The Path - https://go.tnmprograms.com/the-path-from-this-naked-mind

Can you still feel powerful, connected, and sophisticated without alcohol? Haley sat down with Coach Pam to explore what creating a new identity after quitting drinking really looks like. In this candid conversation, they dive deep into the myths around wine and womanhood, the fears about fitting in, and the incredible strength that comes from choosing authenticity over alcohol. Listen as Haley and Coach Pam work to redefine Haley’s values of intelligence, nurturing, and power, independent of alcohol.

Coach Pam and Haley discuss:

Pam McRae is a Certified TNM Coach, Master Life Coach, and Gray Area Drinking Coach. Since rethinking her relationship with alcohol in 2017, she considers herself a non-drinker. Pam empowers others through her Freedom Connection group coaching, where people support each other in their alcohol journeys. She also uses her experience and knowledge to guide you through tough times such as grief.

Learn more about Coach Pam: https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/pam-mcrae/

What if the glass of wine you reach for every evening is actually treating something deeper than just stress?

Amy takes us through her journey from teenage experimentation to mommy wine culture, revealing how alcohol became her trusted companion through life's challenges. As a high-functioning professional juggling parenting, caregiving responsibilities, and undiagnosed issues, she found herself using alcohol to treat adult ADHD without even realizing it. It wasn't until her son developed addiction issues that Amy began questioning her own relationship with alcohol. Through family therapy, reading This Naked Mind, and completing The Alcohol Experiment, Amy discovered how alcohol was masking her authentic needs while creating more anxiety and depression. Now alcohol-free for four years, she shares how breaking this cycle led to profound personal growth and genuine joy.

In this episode, Annie and Amy discuss:

Growing up in a conservative "Leave It to Beaver" household

Teenage experimentation with alcohol as rebellion

Transitioning from weekend binge drinking to daily wine culture

How mommy wine culture normalized problematic drinking

Using alcohol to treat adult ADHD without realizing it

The connection between disordered eating and alcohol consumption

Parenting adopted children with unique challenges

How family therapy led to self-discovery

Breaking free from alcohol at age 51

Finding authentic joy and peace in midlife

And other topics…

Episode links:

Start reading This Naked Mind - https://thisnakedmind.com/book

Join The Alcohol Experiment - www.alcoholexperiment.com

Related Episodes:

EP 719: Naked Life Story – Katie W. - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-719-naked-life-story-katie-w/

EP 110: Reader Question – I stopped drinking alcohol but now I binge on Netflix and ice cream. What’s the deal? - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-110-reader-question-stopped-drinking-alcohol-now-binge-netflix-ice-cream-whats-deal/

EP 678: Reader’s Question – How to Stop Restricting Food while Drinking? - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-678-readers-question-how-to-stop-restricting-food-while-drinking/

Ready to take the next step on your journey? 

Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious!

What happens when you finally feel your emotions instead of trying to numb them with alcohol? In this episode, we hear two powerful coaching conversations. Coach Zoe talks with Jill, who is finding her way back to her spiritual side after years of working in a high-stress job where drinking was common. Coach Ruby works with Ambur, a former college athlete and mom of two young kids, who is now 120 days alcohol-free. Both women are learning how to feel their emotions instead of escaping them. They’re on the road to understanding the urge to drink as a sign that they were feeling disconnected from who they really are. These sessions show how self-kindness and body awareness can take the place of alcohol when it comes to handling tough emotions.

In Jill’s session with Coach Zoe:

In Ambur’s session with Coach Ruby:

Zoe Ewart is a Certified Naked Mind Senior Coach who brings her experience and understanding to help with the tricky parts of life’s big changes. Her coaching gives you an enjoyable, light-hearted, and safe environment to effortlessly take back control of alcohol so you can feel better physically, mentally, and spiritually. Zoe taught Pilates for 15 years. She has four adult children and more animals than the Ark ever had.

Learn more about Coach Zoe: https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/zoe-ewart/ 

Ruby Williams is a certified Naked Mind Senior Coach dedicated to helping people rethink their relationship with alcohol. With 19 years of experience in the wine industry, Ruby understands how alcohol can become a regular part of life, especially in social or stressful situations. After finding freedom in 2019, she was empowered to improve her health, lose weight, and achieve lifelong goals. Ruby uses thoughtful questioning to help clients shift their mindset and build a more balanced, fulfilling, and healthier relationship with alcohol.

Learn more about Coach Ruby: https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/ruby-williams/

What if the anxiety you've lived with for years could disappear by changing just one habit?

Lauren never questioned the drinking culture she grew up with in the UK, where pubs were central to every social occasion. When the pandemic hit shortly after her move to Canada, she began noticing how alcohol had shifted from enjoyment to an unsatisfying habit. Through research and repeatedly listening to This Naked Mind, Lauren began building an alcohol-free lifestyle that lasts, taking extended breaks from drinking that revealed surprising benefits—including the complete disappearance of her anxiety. In this episode, she shares her journey of ups and downs, the importance of self-compassion after slip-ups, and how she's found more genuine joy and connection without alcohol at the center of her life.

In this episode, Annie and Lauren discuss:

From British pub culture to questioning alcohol's role

How the pandemic revealed problematic drinking patterns

The process of building an alcohol-free lifestyle that lasts

Why tracking "failures" can be counterproductive

The complete disappearance of anxiety after reducing alcohol

Discovering genuine joy without drinking

The surprising impact on hormone health and overall wellness

Finding alternatives to "chasing the high" after activities

Recognizing the link between alcohol and emotional stability

Creating new traditions beyond drinking culture

And other topics…

Episode links:

Related Episodes:

EP 445: Finding Joy with Catherine Gray - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-445-finding-joy-with-catherine-gray/

EP 448: What I Wish I Knew Before My First Drink – The Thief of Joy - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-448-what-i-wish-i-knew-before-my-first-drink-the-thief-of-joy/

EP 20: Reader Question – What do You do about Missing the “High” from Drinking? - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-20-reader-question-what-do-you-do-about-missing-the-high-from-drinking/

Ready to take the next step on your journey? 

Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious!

How do our thoughts influence our ability to create lasting change?

Overcoming automatic negative thoughts begins with understanding how they shape our behaviors and emotions. In this episode, Coach Sam helps Marion navigate triggers around holiday memories and past trauma, while Coach Mike guides Maria through breaking free from her lifelong pattern of negative self-talk. Both guests struggle with how their thoughts fuel their drinking behaviors—Marion with holiday-related trauma that previously led to heavy drinking, and Maria with the "failure" narrative that pulls her back into old patterns. Through these powerful coaching conversations, we witness how identifying and questioning habitual negative thinking creates the foundation for sustainable change.

In Marion's Session:

Processing trauma around Christmas and her father's death

Learning to feel proud of caring for her father during difficult times

Moving beyond the memory of a traumatic assault

Understanding how trauma memories can trigger drinking behaviors

Discovering that self-worth is inherent, not earned

The difference between intellectual understanding and embodied knowing

Overcoming automatic negative thoughts by seeing them as memories, not reality

Finding presence and contentment by not numbing emotions

Approaching painful memories with self-compassion

Recognizing that healing comes from wisdom, not just intellectual effort

and other topics…

In Maria's Session:

Identifying habitual negative thoughts like "I'm a failure" and "I'm not good enough"

Understanding how negative thinking fuels drinking behaviors

Learning the ACT technique for overcoming automatic negative thoughts

Questioning whether negative beliefs are actually true

Seeing how thoughts exist to protect us, not punish us

Breaking the cycle of negative thoughts → difficult emotions → unwanted behaviors

Moving from black-and-white thinking to nuanced perspectives

Recognizing that thoughts are "just strings of words" with meaning we assign

The power of neutralizing thoughts rather than forcing positivity

Developing mental resilience by questioning habitual thought patterns

and more…

Sam Goldfinch is a certified Naked Mind Senior Coach, and the founder of Rebel Spirituality and the Rebel Spirituality podcast. He also co-hosts the Present & Sober podcast with Ellie Crowe. Having lived nine years alcohol-free, Sam will show you how to live your best life and uncover the truth of YOU before and beyond your conditioning.

Learn more about Coach Sam: https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/sam-goldfinch/

Mike Shennan is a certified Naked Mind Senior Coach. He was a long-time social drinker, and his drinking habits increased in his forties due to various life events. However, he has been alcohol-free since February 23, 2018. By sharing his personal experiences and using techniques from This Naked Mind, Mike supports clients who feel their drinking habits have grown as they age, helping them regain control and create a healthier relationship with alcohol.

Learn more about Coach Mike: https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/mike-shennan/

Related Episodes:

EP 512: Reader Question - How do you get comfortable with your own mind? - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-512-reader-question-how-do-you-get-comfortable-with-your-own-mind/

EP 438: Reader Question – How do you survive the holidays without alcohol? - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-512-reader-question-how-do-you-get-comfortable-with-your-own-mind/

EP 616: Reader’s Question – Getting Past Emotional Drinking Triggers - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-616-readers-question-getting-past-emotional-drinking-triggers/

Ready to take the next step on your journey? 

Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious!