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...

 Watch the podcast, above, or listen below. 

Today I talk with Jay Fields, an educator, coach, and author who has taught the principles of embodied social and emotional intelligence to individuals and organizations for twenty years.

If you’ve ever wondered how to get better at sitting with your emotions, instead of drinking, eating, or scrolling to escape them, Jay’s got the practical three-step solution.

We discuss the importance of feeling your emotions instead of “fixing” them, and how learning to do this using Jay’s approach allows us to respond instead of react, which in turn leads to deeper, more meaningful connections and personal relationships.

Topics include:

- how people-pleasing arises from a common childhood blueprint (“never make anyone else feel uncomfortable”)

- how trying to “fix” an emotion instead feeling and accepting it can lead to overwhelm and burnout

-...

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Melissa Chureau is a purpose and mindset coach, lawyer, and podcaster. She helps women move beyond imposterism and perfectionism to create space in the mind and uncover our true, integrated selves.

As a lawyer for 20 years, she has witnessed many people who work and live out of alignment with their values and purpose—often because they don’t know their worth, regardless of their successes. Many feel like imposters waiting to get exposed, and afraid that who they really are isn’t enough.

As a person with over 22 years in recovery from alcohol use disorder and a lifelong ADHDer, Melissa is all too familiar with what the experience of imposter syndrome can do. After years of living behind the mask of imposterism, she now lives authentically and regularly shares her story to destigmatize both alcohol use disorder and ADHD. She leads meditation and mindfulness practices, leads workshops on overcoming imposterism...

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Michael Amster, M.D., is the co-author (with Jake Eagle, LPC) of The Power of Awe. Dr. Amster is a pain management specialist and awe researcher who teaches at the UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center. He’s also a long-time meditator and yoga instructor. He joins host me to share what he and Jake discovered a few years ago about the amazing power of “micro-dosing awe” and how the simple practice they teach can impact almost every area of your physical, mental, and emotional health.

In this episode, Dr. Amster defines “awe” and distinguishes it from other emotions like gratitude, discusses the three types of awe and how we know we’re experiencing them, and shares the quick 5 to 15-second A.W.E. Method that he developed with Jake Eagle at the start of the global pandemic. 

He goes on to explain the incredible results their formal awe research studies have generated and the science around...

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Dr. L. Carol Scott, PhD. (Psychology) is a TEDx speaker, author, and coach who uses a unique model to help women succeed in their business and personal lives through self-aware emotional and social intelligence.

Carol mixes hundreds of years of child development theory with 21st Century brain imaging research, decades of her own experience with hundreds of developing humans of all ages, and her own lived experience of recovery from childhood trauma and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

In this episode of BBB, Carol and I have a fascinating conversation about how the first seven years of our lives impact all aspects of our adulthood, including our business competence, parenting, and personal relationships.

Carol explains the seven assets that we are meant to develop as kids (trust, independence, faith, negotiation, vision, compromise, and acceptance) and how easy it is for us to be missing some of these as adults because of...

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Guest Ally Garber, successful career woman, mom of two, and lover of running, shares her personal story of mental health challenges, alcohol dependence, and recovery -- with honesty, insight, and a great sense of humour.

Ally and I discover we have a lot in common in terms of our shared stories, including the decision to stop drinking during the last year of a parent’s terminal illness.

This easy conversation includes a new take on “mommy wine culture”, a discussion of the pitfalls of moderation, advice for sober-curious “gray-area drinkers”, and the unexpected joys of becoming alcohol-free.

Want to start exploring your relationship with alcohol? Maybe drink a little less? No need to commit to anything, start with my FREE 3 video series, here: www.wendymccallum.com/myths

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Jessica Landon was a successful Hollywood actress living a charmed & glamorous life, but it all fell apart when she spiraled into full-blown alcoholism at age 26 which led to jail, then living on the streets, weighing just 78 pounds. She lost it all, but somehow, after 9 trips to rehab, she found the will to leave alcohol behind and build a life she didn't need to escape from. 

She now lives in Los Angeles with her fiancee and beautiful baby boy, and is an advocate and coach for moms in recovery.

Jess shares her powerful story with raw honesty, including the role that laughter, gratitude, and connection played in her own recovery.

Jessica and I discuss gray-area drinking, the sober curious movement, mommy wine culture, and the critical importance of community and connection for women when it comes to healing and recovery.

Follow Jessica on instagram at @jessicalandon12 and find out more about Sober Mom Squad meetings...

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Why do so many resolutions fail? I answer this question and provide several options for “rethinking your resolutions” this year and setting yourself up for lasting success.

What might happen if you set goals around how you wanted to feel, instead of what you wanted to do?

Or stacked one small habit on top of another, instead of reaching for that extreme “quick fix” solution?

If you’ve made resolutions year after year, with little to no permanent results, this podcast episode is for you! Try different this year, not harder.

Watch the episode, above, or download and listen, below!

I'm adding a new regular feature to the podcast that I'm hoping you'll love, Ask The Coach, where I answer questions from you, the listeners.

In the first installment of “Ask The Coach”, I answer this question from Shannon, a Bite-Sized Balance listener:

“Every morning I promise myself I won’t eat sugar that day, but every night the craving hits, and I give in again. What can I do differently?”

 In this short podcast episode, I explain how cravings work and provide three practical, bite-sized strategies to diffuse a craving when it hits, no matter what it is you’re craving.

Have you got a burning question you'd love me to answer in an upcoming episode? Send it to me at [email protected] (Please let me know if you're OK with me using your first name on air, or if you'd rather I use a pseudonym -- either is fine!)