Ep 174: Gray Area Drinking and the Lie We've All Believed Since the Garden of Eden

Ep 176: The Evening Trigger Nobody Talks About

The hardest trigger isn't at the party. It's on your own couch, at the end of a regular Tuesday, next to your husband. In this episode, Christie gets personal — sharing what happened in her own marriage when she decided to invest in her health, what she learned about habit loops and evening triggers, and why one person changing is often enough to shift everything. Plus: three husband scenarios, the conversation you need to have, and how to rewire your evening routine so the habit loses its grip. Topics covered: Christie's personal story: investing in her health at 52 | Why the evening is the hardest trigger — and the neuroscience behind it | Three husband scenarios and how to navigate each one | The conversation you need to have with your spouse | How Christie's 5:30am walks changed everything (and what that has to do with your sobriety) | Practical ways to change your evening routine | Why your growth is good for your marriage even when it's uncomfortable | Keeping your eyes on your own journey The Sober(ish) Summer 2026 is officially open! We kick off July 1st and doors stay open all summer — jump in whenever you're ready. → Grab your spot here: https://www.thecatholicsobrietycoach.com/sober-ish-summer [https://www.thecatholicsobrietycoach.com/sober-ish-summer] Drop us a Question or Comment [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2087354/fan_mail/new] You've been meaning to cut back. You've prayed about it. And somehow summer is here and nothing has changed. Soberish Summer combines brain science and your identity in Christ to help you understand what's driving the habit — and leave with a plan that's yours to keep. No strict rules + community, and real support. $62. Starts July 1 Reserve your spot: https://www.thecatholicsobrietycoach.com [https://www.thecatholicsobrietycoach.com/sober-ish-summer] 👉🏻 Get started with my FREE 5-Day Sacred Sobriety Kick Start https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.mykajabi.com/5-day-sacred-sobriety-kick-start [https://the-catholic-sobriety-coach.myflodesk.com/5-day-sobriety-kick-start] 👉🏻 Book a Clarity Call https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.mykajabi.com/clarity-call [https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.mykajabi.com/clarity-call] Visit my Website: https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.com [https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.com]

Ep 175: FOMO, Aunt Mabel, and the Girls Trip Problem

The girls trip. The family barbecue. The friend who says "well then I can't drink" when you order iced tea. If summer social situations are the thing standing between you and drinking less, this episode is for you. Christie gets specific — and a little light-hearted — about FOMO, social pressure, and exactly what to say when someone won't let your sparkling water go unquestioned. Plus: what really happened when her clients came back from sober girls trips. Topics covered: The three fears that make social situations hard | Why your friends get weird when you don't drink (it's not about you) | What really happens on a sober girls trip | Step-by-step plan for any summer event | Exactly what to say when someone pushes back | Why FOMO is really about belonging — and where that belonging actually comes from Drop us a Question or Comment [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2087354/fan_mail/new] You've been meaning to cut back. You've prayed about it. And somehow summer is here and nothing has changed. Soberish Summer combines brain science and your identity in Christ to help you understand what's driving the habit — and leave with a plan that's yours to keep. No strict rules + community, and real support. $62. Starts July 1 Reserve your spot: https://www.thecatholicsobrietycoach.com [https://www.thecatholicsobrietycoach.com/sober-ish-summer] 👉🏻 Get started with my FREE 5-Day Sacred Sobriety Kick Start https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.mykajabi.com/5-day-sacred-sobriety-kick-start [https://the-catholic-sobriety-coach.myflodesk.com/5-day-sobriety-kick-start] 👉🏻 Book a Clarity Call https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.mykajabi.com/clarity-call [https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.mykajabi.com/clarity-call] Visit my Website: https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.com [https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.com]

Ep 174: Gray Area Drinking and the Lie We've All Believed Since the Garden of Eden

You don't have a wine problem. You have a wound that wine is covering. In this episode, Christie shares the story of how she started drinking at sixteen — and why — and unpacks the real need underneath every woman's habit. Spoiler: it goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden. This is the episode that changes the question from "how do I stop?" to "what am I actually reaching for?" Topics covered: The friend breakup that started it all | Why alcohol expands your world before it demolishes it | The woman whose life is falling apart AND the woman who still has it all together — and why both need this | Eve in the Garden and the lie that's been running in the human heart ever since | What your brain is actually doing when it craves a drink | One simple practice to start asking the real question Scripture referenced: Isaiah 43:1 — "Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name. You are mine." Drop us a Question or Comment [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2087354/fan_mail/new] You've been meaning to cut back. You've prayed about it. And somehow summer is here and nothing has changed. Soberish Summer combines brain science and your identity in Christ to help you understand what's driving the habit — and leave with a plan that's yours to keep. No strict rules + community, and real support. $62. Starts July 1 Reserve your spot: https://www.thecatholicsobrietycoach.com [https://www.thecatholicsobrietycoach.com/sober-ish-summer] 👉🏻 Get started with my FREE 5-Day Sacred Sobriety Kick Start https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.mykajabi.com/5-day-sacred-sobriety-kick-start [https://the-catholic-sobriety-coach.myflodesk.com/5-day-sobriety-kick-start] 👉🏻 Book a Clarity Call https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.mykajabi.com/clarity-call [https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.mykajabi.com/clarity-call] Visit my Website: https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.com [https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.com]

Ep 173: How to Drink Less This Summer (Without Dreading Every Party)

Every summer, millions of women tell themselves the same thing: "I'll deal with this after Labor Day." And every fall, they're right back where they started. In this episode, Christie makes the case that summer isn't the worst time to do this work — it's actually the best. The barbecues, the girls trips, the family reunions, the cooler full of White Claw at every single event from June through August? That's not the obstacle. That's the laboratory. If you're a Catholic woman who loves Jesus, keeps her life together in almost every area, but has this one habit that doesn't quite line up with who you know you're called to be — this episode is for you. In this episode: * Why "I'll start after summer" is the habit talking — not wisdom * How your brain is already craving before you've made a single decision (and why that's not weakness) * Why summer's social pressure is actually the fastest path to lasting change * What God might be doing in the seasons that feel most inconvenient * Three things you can do right now — before the next barbecue Mentioned in this episode: The Sober(ish) Summer Challenge is coming back this year — and Christie is making it better. Registration isn't open yet, but if this episode resonated, stay close. She'll let you know the moment doors open. → Follow Christie on Instagram: @thecatholicsobrietycoach  → Subscribe so you don't miss the announcement This podcast is for you if: You don't identify as an alcoholic but you know something's off. You're disciplined, faithful, and quietly non-negotiable about your evening wine. You've tried to cut back. It worked for a while. And now there's a low hum of something — shame, confusion, frustration — that follows you around. You're in the right place. About Christie: Christie Walker is a Catholic sobriety coach and content creator who has been alcohol-free for 29 years. She works with Catholic women in the gray area — not rock bottom, not fine — using a framework built on Catholic faith, identity in Christ, inner healing, and neuroscience.  Her coaching programs include the Sober(ish) Summer Challenge, the Sacred Sobriety Lab, and the Sacred Sobriety Kickstart (a free 5-video series for women ready to take a first step). Know someone who needs to hear this? Send her this episode. It might be the kindest thing you do for her all summer. Drop us a Question or Comment [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2087354/fan_mail/new] You've been meaning to cut back. You've prayed about it. And somehow summer is here and nothing has changed. Soberish Summer combines brain science and your identity in Christ to help you understand what's driving the habit — and leave with a plan that's yours to keep. No strict rules + community, and real support. $62. Starts July 1 Reserve your spot: https://www.thecatholicsobrietycoach.com [https://www.thecatholicsobrietycoach.com/sober-ish-summer] 👉🏻 Get started with my FREE 5-Day Sacred Sobriety Kick Start https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.mykajabi.com/5-day-sacred-sobriety-kick-start [https://the-catholic-sobriety-coach.myflodesk.com/5-day-sobriety-kick-start] 👉🏻 Book a Clarity Call https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.mykajabi.com/clarity-call [https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.mykajabi.com/clarity-call] Visit my Website: https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.com [https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.com]

Ep 172: How a Catholic Mom Quit Drinking After Years of Trying (232 Days Alcohol-Free)

Abby is a wife, mom, and Sacred Sobriety Lab member who has been alcohol-free for 232 days. But before that number, there were six attempts at cutting back — each one unraveling the same way, one exception at a time. In this episode, Abby walks us through what her drinking actually looked like at its peak, why moderation kept failing her, and what shifted when she stopped trying to manage alcohol on her own terms and instead responded to what she felt God asking of her. We talk about the mental chatter that follows a drinker everywhere — the planning, the negotiating, the stopping at three and being furious about it — and what it felt like when that chatter finally went quiet. We also get into the Kentucky Derby party where Abby caught herself smiling so hard she couldn't contain it. The mocktail called The Chauffeur. Going to Confession. And what happened in the eight months after her last drink that she never could have orchestrated on her own. This is the first time I've had a client on this podcast. It won't be the last. If you're a Catholic woman who's tired of the mental gymnastics and suspects this is about more than wine — this episode is worth your time. Drop us a Question or Comment [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2087354/fan_mail/new] You've been meaning to cut back. You've prayed about it. And somehow summer is here and nothing has changed. Soberish Summer combines brain science and your identity in Christ to help you understand what's driving the habit — and leave with a plan that's yours to keep. No strict rules + community, and real support. $62. Starts July 1 Reserve your spot: https://www.thecatholicsobrietycoach.com [https://www.thecatholicsobrietycoach.com/sober-ish-summer] 👉🏻 Get started with my FREE 5-Day Sacred Sobriety Kick Start https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.mykajabi.com/5-day-sacred-sobriety-kick-start [https://the-catholic-sobriety-coach.myflodesk.com/5-day-sobriety-kick-start] 👉🏻 Book a Clarity Call https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.mykajabi.com/clarity-call [https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.mykajabi.com/clarity-call] Visit my Website: https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.com [https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.com]