In this heartwarming episode of Bite-Sized Balance, I sit down with my remarkable guest and past client, Chantal. Chantal recounts her transformative journey from decades of addiction to true freedom from alcohol. Chantal candidly shares her experience with the medication Antabuse and the pivotal role it played in her recovery. 

The conversation takes a beautiful turn as Chantal unveils her unique practice of specific gratitude, demonstrating how it has reignited joy in her life. By focusing on the little things, she has discovered the immense power of gratitude in her journey toward lasting freedom from drinking. This episode is an inspiring testament to the profound impact of finding joy in the simplicity of everyday moments.

We talk about:

• Naltrexone v. Antabuse as aids in sobriety
• Gratitude as part of your sobriety toolkit
• Finding the joy when your life looks “good on paper” but something is missing
• The unexpected gifts of sobriety 

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Did you know that 1 in 10 women relies on sleep aids regularly? It's a staggering statistic, but it's hardly surprising. In today's fast-paced world, where we juggle demanding careers, relationships, never-ending to-do lists, hormonal shifts, and mental health challenges, even a mere six hours of sleep can seem like an unattainable dream. What might surprise you, however, is the potential danger hidden within those seemingly harmless sleeping pills.

Today, I have the privilege of being joined by a remarkable guest on the podcast—a TEDex Speaker, the accomplished author of Stash: My Life in Hiding, and a fellow podcaster, Laura Cathcart Robbins. Laura's memoir takes us on a riveting journey through addiction and recovery. She opens up about her struggles, how she navigated a high-profile Hollywood marriage and divorce, all while facing the challenges of parenting in a world marked by privilege and racism.

Laura generously shares her perspective on the multiple rock-bottom...

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This week I am joined by Maureen Benkovich. Maureen shares her moving personal story as she and I have an honest discussion about infertility, pregnancy loss, grief, depression, and women’s drinking. 

Maureen has experienced the pain of infertility and failed adoption and knows firsthand how easy it is to get stuck in a cycle of shame and blame when it comes to grief, depression, and drinking. For years, she used alcohol as a way to cope with these challenges, and it only made things worse.

But with help, compassionate support, and the latest neuroscience-based techniques, Maureen was able to break free from her patterns and transform her life. Now, as a life coach, she is committed to helping others do the same.

Topics include:

•  Maureen’s journey through multiple miscarriages and fertility treatments
• The painful decision to stop treatment
• Her failed adoption and the grief that followed
• Using alcohol to...

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Susan Hodgson is an Irish ex-pat coach helping women navigate new territory with their drinking amidst the challenges of living abroad and trying to find that elusive feeling of “home”. She lives near Paris with her French husband and three kids who enjoy correcting her grammar and complaining about holidays back to the Donegal rain.

Susan shares her story of becoming alcohol-free, and Susan and I discuss:

• the common misconceptions of expat life,
• why it can make drinking less more challenging for women,
• the difference between what you do and who you are,
• Mommy wine culture abroad,
• learning to feel emotions instead of numbing them, 
• the concept of “home” and how to find it anywhere,
• and discovering yourself in midlife.

This is a lovely conversation with an even lovelier human. Enjoy!

More about Susan:
www.sharpsensecoaching.com
@sharp.sense.coaching on Instagram

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As a best-selling author and speaker, Meg Geisewite is changing the narrative on the mommy wine culture, hustle culture, and our pro-drinking culture. In Meg’s debut book, Intoxicating Lies: One Woman's Journey to Freedom from Gray Area Drinking, Meg flips the script on the five most intoxicating lies we tell ourselves about alcohol.

In this episode, Meg shares her story of being an ordinary, working mom who found herself trapped in the mommy wine culture, and how her love of science led her to discover the real truth about alcohol and its seductive lies as she embarked on a journey to becoming alcohol-free.

Meg and I discuss the common lies women tell themselves including that “we deserve a drink” and that we “don’t have a problem” as gray-area drinkers.

We review the common signs of gray-area drinking and Meg shares her “just one sip” story. We also discuss the shame cycle, the detox to...

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Amy and Matt Edwards are the hosts of the Alcohol-Free Marriage Podcast. Amy is also a certified coach who helps high-achieving women get out of the shame and blame cycle when it comes to their relationship with alcohol.

They join me today to share their story of quitting drinking as former craft beer enthusiasts and starting the podcast – the ups, the downs, and some of the joyful surprises of leaving alcohol behind together.

Tune in to find out how they got to the decision to take a mindful break from alcohol, who stopped first, who was the “ringleader” when it came to their drinking, what was hardest about quitting for each of them, whether moderation worked for either of them and what advice Matt and Amy would give an alcohol-free person whose spouse is still drinking.

This is a really entertaining conversation with a fun and upbeat duo!

Alcohol-Free Marriage Podcast info:

...

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If you recently saw the revised drinking guidelines in Canada and gasped, you’re not alone. Most Canadians are drinking more than two drinks a week, the new low-risk maximum.

Ann Dowsett Johnston is an award-winning journalist and the bestselling author of Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol, a book named one of the top 10 of the year by the Washington Post. Ann is also now a psychotherapist, and my friend, mentor and writing coach.  

Ann joins me for a discussion about the alcohol consumption guidelines in Canada released by the Centre on Substance Use and Addiction in January, which replace the 2011 Low-Risk Drinking Guidelines. The new guidelines present a continuum of health risks associated with different levels of alcohol consumption, including the risks of breast and colon cancer, heart disease, and stroke. Ann and I discuss what now constitutes low-risk, moderate, and...

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Are you stuck in a job, habit, or relationship that’s not serving you? Maybe you’re struggling with whether you should stick it out a little longer in case it gets better. In this episode, I share the approach I use with coaching clients who are feeling unsatisfied and unfulfilled to help them gain clarity, get unstuck, and start taking action to create the life, habits, and relationships they dream of. I explain how to articulate the fear behind your resistance to change, how to make as many uncertainties in your situation “certain” to reduce that fear and anxiety, and a simple tracking system I use with my clients that will help you know when it’s time to leave. My unique approach is flexible and helpful no matter where you are feeling stuck, whether it’s your career, your marriage, a friendship, or an unhealthy habit like alcohol.

Need help getting started? Download your free...

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Fellow This Naked Mind coach and friend Christy Osborne joins me to celebrate my five-year anniversary of quitting drinking. 

I share my alcohol story, including my “last straw(s)” and talk about everything that has changed for me (big and small!) since I had my last drink.

Christy and I discuss some of the surprise gifts of going alcohol-free, how we parent and role model around the topic of drinking, and we both share a drinking story that used to bring us shame but now just makes us proud to be non-drinkers. 

I reflect on empty nesting and how different the last few months would likely have looked if I hadn’t stopped drinking.

Christy and I discuss the evolution of the sober curious movement and the normalization of the conversation around sobriety as nothing more than a positive wellness choice.

Questioning your drinking? Start here (for free): ...

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How many years have you made New Year promises only to find yourself making them all over again 12 months later?

I share my Top 10 Tips for making lasting habit change in 2023 and every year thereafter in this bite-sized solo episode. With these strategies, you’ll make permanent, meaningful changes this year instead of giving up when “life gets lifey”, as it always does.

Learn about trying different, not harder, stacking small change, the power of positive emotion, and the pitfalls of a deprivation and willpower-based plan.

Discover how to plan for real life this time, anticipate roadblocks and create contingency plans that will keep you on track. You’ll leave this episode with a brand-new framework for goal setting in 2023!

Ready to set yourself up for a truly successful alcohol experiment in 2023? Join me in my incredibly popular 6-week small group program for women, REWIND. It starts Jan 6, 2023. Until Jan...