Breaking the Drinking Cycle, Finding Yourself | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 913

Breaking the Drinking Cycle, Finding Yourself | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 913

Have you ever gotten exactly what you wanted, only to wait for something to go wrong? That's where Brenda is in today's episode — alcohol-free, feeling like herself again, and quietly afraid to believe it will last. In the second session, Emily has spent five years in a cycle she can't seem to break, and she finally gets a look at what's really underneath it. Two coaches, two guests, two conversations that go to some genuinely surprising places.  Brenda discusses: * Why her alcohol freedom has felt "too easy" — and what that fear is really about * How knowledge and science shifted her desire, not just her behavior * The one-year and five-year visualization exercise that changed everything * Reframing past "failures" as data points that guided her to exactly where she is * Building self-trust day by day through The Path community * And more… Emily discusses: * Her five-year cycle of months alcohol-free followed by weeks drinking again * Why alcohol gave her permission to feel emotions she couldn't access otherwise * Connecting with an emotional armor that formed in childhood to protect her * An IFS-style coaching exercise to meet the "bouncer at the gate" with curiosity * The moment her armor responded: "I've been so lonely" * And more… Hayley Scherders is a certified TNM Coach with training from the Canadian Addiction and Mental Health Association. Drawing from personal experiences, Hayley understands how tough change can be and provides a safe, compassionate, and judgment-free space where her clients can feel supported. She believes that with the right mindset, anyone can change their life at any time. Learn more about Coach Hayley: https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/hayley-scherders/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/hayley-scherders/] Cole Harvey is a certified Naked Mind Senior Coach. For years, he felt lost and used alcohol as a way to cope, until he decided to go alcohol-free and focus on finding his purpose. Through curiosity, self-compassion, and adventure, he transformed his life. As a habit change and mindset coach, Cole helps young men understand themselves, build better habits, and find meaning. Learn more about Coach Cole: https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/cole-harvey/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/cole-harvey/] Episode links: nakedmindpath.com [http://nakedmindpath.com] Related Episodes:Trusting Yourself Again: Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 760 - https://thisnakedmind.com/trusting-yourself-again-alcohol-freedom-coaching-e760/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/trusting-yourself-again-alcohol-freedom-coaching-e760/]  Reclaiming Your True Self: Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 770 - https://thisnakedmind.com/reclaiming-your-true-self-alcohol-freedom-coaching-e770/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/reclaiming-your-true-self-alcohol-freedom-coaching-e770/]  Is the Drunk You the Real You? | Reader’s Question | EP 696 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-696-readers-question-is-the-drunk-you-the-real-you/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-696-readers-question-is-the-drunk-you-the-real-you/] Ready to take the next step on your journey? Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources [https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources] for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp, Green Chef, Quince, Shopify, Zazzle, and OSEA. BetterHelp: BetterHelp is offering our listeners 10% off at ⁠betterhelp.com/nakedmind ⁠ [http://betterhelp.com/nakedmind]Green Chef: Get 50% off your first month, then 20% percent off for 2 month at ⁠greenchef.com/NAKEDMIND ⁠ [http://greenchef.com/NAKEDMIND]Quince: get free shipping and 365-day returns at ⁠quince.com/naked⁠ [http://quince.com/naked]Shopify: Sign up for $1 month trial at ⁠shopify.com/mind⁠ [http://shopify.com/mind] Zazzle: Save 25% on your first order at ⁠zazzle.com⁠ [http://zazzle.com] OSEA: Get 10% off your first order sitewide with code NAKEDMIND at ⁠OSEAMalibu.com⁠ [http://oseamalibu.com]

The Book That Changed His Mind Twice| Jonathan's Naked Life | EP 912

Ever used drinking to cope with grief and felt like it wasn’t even a conscious choice but rather a reflex? Jonathan knows that feeling exactly. He'd been living alcohol-free for two and a half years when he lost his father-in-law and then his dad, just months apart, during the pandemic. On the drive home from the funeral, he stopped at a Mexican restaurant and ordered a margarita. He thought he'd have one and go back to his life. Instead, the door that had been closed swung open, and the whole cycle started over. This conversation with Coach Cole is about grief, identity, and what it really takes to find your way back to yourself. Jonathan and Coach Cole discuss: How a scuba trip at sixteen taught Jonathan that alcohol was the price of admission for real connection, and how that belief quietly ran the show for twenty-five years Building his identity around being the life of the party through the service industry years, and the first time he realized he had no off switch Spending an entire Renaissance Festival doing alcohol math in his head, calculating drinks instead of making memories with his wife The fight, the blackout, and the tearful run in the rain that brought him to the This Naked Mind audiobook How reading This Naked Mind produced what felt like an overnight shift, and the anger he felt at never having been told what alcohol actually was Going two and a half years alcohol-free during the pandemic, then losing his father-in-law and his dad within months of each other The single margarita at a Mexican restaurant that cracked the door back open, and how the whole cycle restarted without a single conscious choice Going through the TNM Institute as his own first client, uncovering twenty-five years of people-pleasing, and finally stepping into who he actually is And more on IFS parts work, somatic experiencing, rebuilding self-trust, and what it means to show up in your own truth... Episode Links: Start your journey at nakedmindpath.com  https://www.thisnakedmindinstitute.com/tnmi-home [https://www.thisnakedmindinstitute.com/tnmi-home] Related Episodes: How Do I Deal With Death and Grief Without Alcohol | Reader Question | EP 262 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-262-reader-question-grief-without-alcohol/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-262-reader-question-grief-without-alcohol/] How Quitting Drinking Saved My Life | Kay B.’s Naked Life | EP 717 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-717-naked-life-story-kay-b/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-717-naked-life-story-kay-b/] Alcohol and Grief | Coaching Questions with Pam McRae | EP 382 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-382-coaching-questions-with-scott-pinyard/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-382-coaching-questions-with-scott-pinyard/] Ready to take the next step on your journey? Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources [https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources] for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp, Green Chef, Quince, Shopify, Zazzle, and OSEA. BetterHelp: BetterHelp is offering our listeners 10% off at ⁠betterhelp.com/nakedmind ⁠ [http://betterhelp.com/nakedmind]Green Chef: Get 50% off your first month, then 20% percent off for 2 month at ⁠greenchef.com/NAKEDMIND ⁠ [http://greenchef.com/NAKEDMIND]Quince: get free shipping and 365-day returns at ⁠quince.com/naked⁠ [http://quince.com/naked]Shopify: Sign up for $1 month trial at ⁠shopify.com/mind⁠ [http://shopify.com/mind] Zazzle: Save 25% on your first order at ⁠zazzle.com⁠ [http://zazzle.com] OSEA: Get 10% off your first order sitewide with code NAKEDMIND at ⁠OSEAMalibu.com⁠ [http://oseamalibu.com]

Why Do I Keep Going Back to Drinking? | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 911

What if the thing keeping you stuck isn't a lack of willpower, but a lack of understanding what's really driving you back? Linda has nearly 100 days alcohol-free and is starting to wonder if she trusts herself more than she thinks she does. Jane is asking a question she's carried for decades: why do I keep going back to something that gives me nothing anymore? In this episode, Coach Cole and Coach Zoe meet each of them right where they are, with warmth, honesty, and zero judgment. If you've ever felt confused by your own relationship with alcohol, you're going to feel very seen here. Linda discusses: Whether Antabuse has become a crutch, and what she realizes A self-trust check-in that shifts when she remembers an overlooked moment Finding an unopened margarita and pouring it down the drain without a second thought The difference between running from a past she doesn't want and moving toward a future that actually pulls her Building trust through evidence: 99 days, four big holidays, and choices she barely noticed making And more… Jane discusses: Why do I keep going back to drinking — the question she's been carrying her whole life Tracing her drinking from teenage rebellion through to a need to escape discomfort The distinction between habit and addiction, and why it changes everything The hand-on-heart practice Coach Zoe teaches her to become her own parent and witness discomfort instead of numbing it And more topics… Cole Harvey is a Certified Naked Mind Senior Coach. For years, he felt lost and used alcohol to cope, until he decided to go alcohol-free and focus on finding his purpose. Through curiosity, self-compassion, and adventure, he transformed his life. As a habit change and mindset coach, Cole helps young men understand themselves, build better habits, and find meaning.Learn more about Coach Cole: https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/cole-harvey/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/cole-harvey/] 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/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/zoe-ewart/] Episode links: nakedmindpath.com [https://nakedmindpath.com] Related Episodes: Why Do I Keep Going Back to Drinking? | Reader Question | EP 570 – https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-570-readers-questions-why-do-i-keep-going-back-to-drinking/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-570-readers-questions-why-do-i-keep-going-back-to-drinking/] How To Stop Drinking To Avoid Emotions | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 845 – https://thisnakedmind.com/drinking-to-avoid-emotions-afc-e845/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/drinking-to-avoid-emotions-afc-e845/] Trusting Yourself Again | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 760 – https://thisnakedmind.com/trusting-yourself-again-alcohol-freedom-coaching-e760/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/trusting-yourself-again-alcohol-freedom-coaching-e760/] Ready to take the next step on your journey?  Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources [https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources] for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp, Green Chef, Quince, Shopify, Zazzle, and OSEA. BetterHelp: BetterHelp is offering our listeners 10% off at betterhelp.com/nakedmind [http://betterhelp.com/nakedmind]Green Chef: Get 50% off your first month, then 20% percent off for 2 month at greenchef.com/NAKEDMIND [http://greenchef.com/NAKEDMIND]Quince: get free shipping and 365-day returns at quince.com/naked [http://quince.com/naked]Shopify: Sign up for $1 month trial at shopify.com/mind [http://shopify.com/mind] Zazzle: Save 25% on your first order at zazzle.com [http://zazzle.com] OSEA: Get 10% off your first order sitewide with code NAKEDMIND at OSEAMalibu.com [http://oseamalibu.com]

Breaking the Alcohol Shame Spiral | Krista's Naked Life | EP 910

What does it take to finally break the alcohol shame spiral when it's been running your life for decades? Krista knows the cycle well: a data point, the crushing shame that followed, a vow to do better, and then the slow, sneaky creep back to hiding bottles and pulling over on the side of the road to drink before going home. In this episode, she sits down with Coach Cole Harvey to share the full arc of her journey, from a childhood in the American South to bartending in New York City, to raising two kids in rural Ireland with no family nearby, to the night something finally, irreversibly shifted. A year into her alcohol-free life, Krista is clear: the work was hard, and she has never once looked back. In this episode, Krista and Coach Cole discuss: Growing up with alcohol woven into every family gathering, and starting drinking at 12 or 13 as a way to finally feel like she belonged Bartending in New York City in her twenties, closing bars with no memory of getting home, and knowing even then that something was wrong Moving to Ireland, losing her father while pregnant with her first child, and leaning harder on alcohol to cope with grief and isolation Years of trying — and failing — to moderate, from "only on weekends" to hiding bottles, and the shame spiral that followed every data point The rock bottom moment her husband came home and there was no hiding it anymore, and why that night became the turning point she couldn't explain Returning to counseling, reconnecting with her Path community, and doing the inner work of learning she was worthy of her own care Building a morning practice of meditation, journaling, and yoga, and recognizing that self-care wasn't a luxury but a necessity for her freedom The daffodil metaphor: planting seeds at the beginning of her journey, and finally learning to cut the flowers and bring the beauty inside And more on self-compassion, the stop-start cycle, and what it actually means to believe you are enough… Episode links: nakedmindpath.com [https://nakedmindpath.com] Related Episodes: Stopping The Shame Spiral | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | E883 — https://thisnakedmind.com/stopping-the-shame-spiral-afc-e883/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/stopping-the-shame-spiral-afc-e883/] Overcoming Shame and Embarrassment After Drinking | Reader's Question | EP 722 — https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-722-readers-question-overcoming-shame-and-embarrassment-after-drinking/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-722-readers-question-overcoming-shame-and-embarrassment-after-drinking/] Naked Life Story: Angela | EP 147 — https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-147-naked-life-story-angela/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-147-naked-life-story-angela/] Ready to take the next step on your journey?  Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources [https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources] for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp, Green Chef, OSEA, Quince, and Shopify. BetterHelp: BetterHelp is offering our listeners 10% off at betterhelp.com/nakedmind [http://betterhelp.com/nakedmind]  Green Chef: Green Chef is offering 50% off your first month, then 20% off for two months at greenchef.com/nakedmind [http://greenchef.com/nakedmind] use code NAKEDMIND. OSEA: Get 10% off of your first order sitewide with code NAKEDMIND at OSEAMalibu.com [http://oseamalibu.com] Quince: get free shipping and 365-day returns at quince.com/naked [http://quince.com/naked] Shopify: Sign up for $1 month trial at shopify.com/mind [http://shopify.com/mind]

When Grief and Drinking Go Hand in Hand | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 909

Trigger Warning: This episode includes conversations about grief, loss of loved ones, family estrangement, trauma, and depression. Have you ever been in so much pain that reaching for a drink just felt like the most human thing to do? That is exactly where today's two guests have been, and this episode will meet you right there. First up is Cathy, 87 days alcohol-free, who joins Coach Cole to work through something she has been quietly carrying for years: a sibling estrangement that started when her family fell apart after her mom passed. She reached out. They pulled away. The hurt stuck around. Then there is Mike, 65 days alcohol-free, who opens up to Coach Zoe about a grief timeline that unfolded faster than he could process: his mom, his estranged brother, a DNR call made from behind the wheel of his car. Drinking to deal with loss became the only language he had for a while, and the depression that came with it crept in so quietly he did not even see it happening. What both of them found inside The Path is what this whole community is built on: a place where someone finally asks the real question, and you finally get to answer it. In Cathy’s Session: The sibling estrangement that started with her mom's estate and the grief that stayed long after Why the hurt lingered even when she thought she had mostly moved on The realization that joy and grief can exist at the same time without canceling each other out Coach Cole's reframe: releasing expectations of others is one of the most loving things you can do for yourself How approaching old pain with curiosity and playfulness changes what feels possible In Mike’s Session: Losing his mom to brain cancer, then his brother, and carrying all of it without telling a soul A DNR decision made alone over the phone and the guilt that moved in quietly afterward Drinking to deal with loss when there was no framework for grief and no space to speak it out loud The coaching reframe that shifted his guilt into something that actually felt like grace What 65 days alcohol-free looks like in the body: sleep, mornings, energy, and presence The "forever" moment at a family party, said out loud for the very first time And more on grief, identity, repair, and what it looks like to actually come back to yourself... Cole Harvey is a certified Naked Mind Senior Coach. For years, he felt lost and used alcohol as a way to cope, until he decided to go alcohol-free and focus on finding his purpose. Through curiosity, self-compassion, and adventure, he transformed his life. As a habit change and mindset coach, Cole helps young men understand themselves, build better habits, and find meaning. Learn more about Coach Cole: https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/cole-harvey/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/cole-harvey/] 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/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/zoe-ewart/] Episode links: nakedmindpath.com [https://nakedmindpath.com] Related Episodes: How do I deal with death and grief without alcohol? | Reader Question | EP 262 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-262-reader-question-grief-without-alcohol/  [https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-262-reader-question-grief-without-alcohol/%C2%A0] Alcohol and Grief with Pam McRae | Coaching Questions | EP 382 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-382-coaching-questions-with-scott-pinyard/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-382-coaching-questions-with-scott-pinyard/] How do you deal with stress without alcohol? | Reader Question | EP 158 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-158-how-do-you-deal-with-stress-without-alcohol/ [https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-158-how-do-you-deal-with-stress-without-alcohol/] Ready to take the next step on your journey?  Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources [https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources] for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious! This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp, Green Chef, OSEA, Quince, and Shopify. BetterHelp: BetterHelp is offering our listeners 10% off at betterhelp.com/nakedmind [http://betterhelp.com/nakedmind]  Green Chef: Green Chef is offering 50% off your first month, then 20% off for two months at greenchef.com/nakedmind [http://greenchef.com/nakedmind] use code NAKEDMIND. OSEA: Get 10% off of your first order sitewide with code NAKEDMIND at OSEAMalibu.com [http://oseamalibu.com] Quince: get free shipping and 365-day returns at quince.com/naked [http://quince.com/naked] Shopify: Sign up for $1 month trial at shopify.com/mind [http://shopify.com/mind]