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Do you often wonder what your life would be like without alcohol? Do you hate the all-or-nothing mentality surrounding drinking? Being sober curious means literally, choosing to question or get curious about every impulse, expectation, and invitation to drink instead of mindlessly going along with the dominant drinking culture. Sober curiosity means something different to every individual, making it an inclusive cultural movement. It’s living in the gray area. Today’s guest is Meg Daly, certified coach, former teacher, and founder of the Live More, Drink Less Community. She is also the creator of the 30 Day Reset and the Tranquility Talk Podcast, and her goal is to support sensitive, empathic individuals as they reduce or release alcohol in their lives to start sleeping deeper, feeling lighter, and living better. Join us to hear how she created her program while going on her own journey of reducing alcohol, and how you can get involved today. 

Key Points From This Episode:

• An introduction to today’s topic: sober curiosity.
• What it means to be sober curious: to question every decision to drink.
• Jessica’s relationship with sober curiosity.
• Today’s guest: Meg Daly, certified coach, and founder of the Live More, Drink Less Community.
• Meg Daly introduces herself and tells us about her relationship with alcohol.
• The difference between gray area drinking and alcoholism. 
• Intentional drinking where you think before you drink.
• What Meg’s definition of sober curiosity looks like: being curious about what life would look like without alcohol.
• What gray area drinking is: leaning on alcohol to alleviate any emotional suffering.
• How moderation can often lead to abstinence.
• What Meg noticed when she took 120 days off from drinking.
• Positive differences she has experienced after reducing drinking including whiter eyes, loss of weight, and great sleep.
• The trifecta of habits: drinking alone, smoking alone, and binge eating.
• How she knew she was ready to step into sober curiosity, elegance, and self-possession.
• The impact of drinking less on Meg’s social life.
• Why it is so important to plan your Friday according to how you want to feel on Sunday.
• Considering the impact of not drinking with the phrase ‘because I didn’t drink today, I get to [fill in the blank]’.
• Why you shouldn’t feel defensive when people question your decision.
• The story of how she created her 30 Day Reset workbook and online membership while reducing alcohol herself.
• Her ongoing support options and why community support is so important.
• The importance of making a beautiful ritual out of not drinking.
• Meg’s favorite mocktail: the Gingy Pop Fizz: tangerine juice, mineral water, and ginger ale.
• Two of her favorite non-alcoholic brands: Seedlip and Lyre’s.
• The importance of planning ahead as a non-drinker.
• Her favorite story of a client eliminating alcohol over the festive season.
• How giving up alcohol can help you slow down: time and energy open up.
  
  

Tweetables:

“To me, that’s sober curious. You’re like, ‘What would life be like without alcohol, and am I willing to step into the courage to grab onto the freedom that I claim to desire?’”— Meg K Daly [0:12:42]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

 Meg Daly
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With prices rising and inflation soaring, even the thought of college tuition is enough to give any parent anxiety. This week on the Zen(ish) Mommy Podcast, we chat with Brad Baldridge, college funding specialist, financial expert, blogger, and host of the Taming the High Cost of College Podcast. With 20 years of experience, Brad has helped thousands of families plan and save for college. In this episode, he shares his smart and proven strategies for how to find the right school while avoiding student loan debt and maximizing financial aid and scholarships. 

Taming the High Cost of College Podcast

Brad’s Website

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Hey there, mamas! Today, we’re going to take a few minutes to just BREATHE. The Sigh Technique is a great way to give yourself a pause to reset, but also a useful tool to help us in moments of stress. This technique can be done anywhere, even while sitting in the car. So listen in and relax. 

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Hey Mamas! This week, we’re talking about trauma and its long-term effects with expert Sarah Marikos, Executive Director of the ACE Resource Network. Sarah discusses with us a now-renown CDC and Kaiser Permanente study that explored the link between early childhood trauma, called Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES), and later health complications. In this study, experts found that the greater the number of ACES, the more likely a person would experience poor health and other complications, such as diabetes, heart disease, poor academic achievement, substance abuse, and more. However, Sarah’s mission is to help spread awareness about this research, as well as to share the tools and strategies to help mitigate the effects of trauma, for both adults and children. 

NumberStory.org
Help My Kids
Holidays are Hard
Aija Mayrock

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Hey there, mamas! Got a second? Join me for a short and sweet meditation to help us cultivate a greater sense of awareness and presence in our lives. This meditation can be done seated, lying down, or while walking. Come with me to create a moment of peace and presence. 

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Most moms have heard the myth of the “Supermom” – a mother who puts everyone else’s needs first and still manages to get a good night’s sleep and look flawless at yoga. And yet, post-Covid, “mom burnout” seems to be everywhere, forcing mothers to consider finally putting self-care before selflessness. This week on the Zen(ish) Mommy Podcast, we sit down with Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Perinatal Mental Health Counselor (PMH-C) Kate Kripke to discuss the concept of “reinventing Supermom,” which is also the topic of her latest book. Kate touches on the effects of chronic stress on parenting and how mothers can meet their own needs first in order to better parent their children. Listen in for Kate’s insights, plus her tools for how to break the stress cycle and come back to the present moment. 

Motherhood Uncut Podcast

Reinventing Supermom: Support, Encouragement and Strategies for New Mothers Who Feel Lost

Kate Kripke Instagam

Kate’s Website

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Have you ever come across those people who, no matter what the situation, just seem to float along, cool as a cucumber? This week, we’re chatting with personal trainer, brain-body expert, mindfulness teacher, mindset coach, and cool cucumber, Mel Daly. She’s here leading us through a guided meditation and teaching us about her “in the trenches” approach to meditation, helping us to find peace amidst the chaos. 

Mel Daly Website

Courses and Free Guided Meditation

Power of Your Presence Promo Code: FF30

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Hey there, Mamas!  Do you ever feel that, despite how busy they are, your kids are missing out on some of life’s essentials? With all that’s crammed into their schedules, perhaps what they still lack is the chance to slow down and connect with the people and the world around them. This week on Zen(ish) Mommy, we chat with Natalie Silverstein, an author, volunteer, non-profit founder,  philanthropist, and passionate advocate for family and youth service. Natalie, who recently wrote the book, “Simple Acts: The Busy Teen’s Guide to Making a Difference,” discusses with us the many benefits of volunteering, including growing a child’s self-esteem, helping them develop empathy and accountability, and increasing their connection to their peers and the greater society. Listen in to hear about the many benefits of service, as well as all of the ways that you (and your kiddo) can get involved! 

Simple Acts Guide

Natalie on Instagram

Simple Acts: The Busy Teen’s Guide to Making a Difference

Use Promo Code “SIMPLE” for 20% off from Free Spirit Publishing

Other Links from the Episode: 

Foodpantries.org

Doing Good Together

Operation Gratitude

NoKidHungry

World Central Kitchen

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Hey there, mamas! Got a second? Join me for a short and sweet meditation to help us cultivate a greater sense of awareness and presence in our lives. This meditation can be done seated, lying down, or while walking. Come with me to create a moment of peace and presence. 

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Welcome back to The Zen(ish) Mommy Podcast. Joining us today is author, book coach, film producer, and sexual abuse survivor, Kim O’hara. In this episode, we are breaking our silence and discussing the potentially triggering and emotional reality of sexual abuse. Statistically speaking, one in three women will be sexually abused during their lifetime. Today Kim is here to discuss how she found the courage to speak about her trauma, how she realized she had been abused since toddlerhood, the symptoms that manifested in the form of physical pain, substance abuse, and toxic relationships, as well as her relationship with her mother. We are all responsible for looking after ourselves and Kim shares her own experiences of doing so, through conventional and unconventional methods of therapy. We also talk about the person that turned Kim’s light on in her darkest hour before Kim tells us all about her new book, No Longer Denying Sexual Abuse. Lastly, Kim shares some advice for any women suffering in silence following sexual assault. To hear this incredibly inspirational story of recovery and healing, tune in now! Please note that this episode carries a trigger warning for sexual assault. 

Key Points From This Episode:

• Introducing today’s guest, Kim O’hara.
• Why Kim decided to break her silence about the sexual abuse she encountered.
• TW: For listeners who wish to avoid Kim’s account of sexual assault, please skip audio between [00:05:52] and [00:08:52]
• What Kim’s initial realization of the abuse was like. 
• How physical pain, excessive romantic relationships, drugs, and alcohol use helped Kim realize that she had experienced trauma.
• Kim’s relationship with her mom and how that potentially links to hip pain. 
• Why we are our own mothers and why we need to be self-aware and work on ourselves. 
• The importance of therapy and knowing when to stop. 
• The unconventional therapeutic experiences Kim has been ‘called’ to do.
• Who encouraged Kim to share her story and gave her hope and inspiration.
• Why coaching is self-less. 
• How Kim continues to share her story and why she didn’t publish her book as a memoir.
• What Kim wants to say to women who are suffering in silence about sexual abuse. 
• When Kim brings her title of “sexual abuse survivor” up and when it isn’t relevant. 
• The power and potency of recovery.

Tweetables:

“A lot of our epiphanies are rarely painful or shocking. They’re usually gentle because we’ve been working our way up to it.” — @Astoryinside [0:09:09]

“Stop minimizing the trauma that you’ve faced and stop thinking that it’s going to take over your life and that you’re never going to stop talking about it.” — @Astoryinside [0:36:51]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Kim O’hara

Kim O’hara on LinkedIn

Kim O’hara on Twitter

Course, Abused No Longer

No Longer Denying Sexual Abuse: Making The Choices That Can Change Your Life

The

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