This Naked Mind Podcast

Trigger Warning: This episode contains references to grief and the loss of a child.

What alcohol was really costing me was my peace, my presence, and a life that felt true and authentic. That's the realization both Michelle and Susan come to with the help of Coaches Hayley and Cole. Michelle just hit 30 days and is only now connecting the dots between what alcohol was really costing her and the fear, impatience, and disconnection she'd written off as just life. Susan is alcohol-free and sitting with a grief so deep she wonders if she deserves to feel better at all. This one is real, raw, and worth every minute.

In Michelle’s session:

Why wine still felt tempting even when she knew it was no longer serving her

The link between drinking, marriage, routine, and end-of-day shutdown

Creating new patterns, from different seats on the couch to different drinks at dinner

Noticing how alcohol affects patience, sleep, stress, and health data

Questioning the fear that changing her drinking could change her marriage

Seeing what alcohol was really costing me in calm, clarity, and connection

Letting go of future-tripping and staying present

And more topics…

In Susan’s session:

Processing grief, guilt, and the heartbreak of losing her son

Why self-compassion feels so hard after loss

Looking back at drinking through a new lens

Exploring whether guilt feels like a way to stay connected

Realizing she was not 100% responsible for everything that happened

Using writing and reflection to hold grief without picking up a drink

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/

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/

Episode links: nakedmindpath.com

Related Episodes:

Does Mom Guilt After Drinking Ever Go Away? - Reader Question - EP 650 – https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-650-readers-question-does-mom-guilt-after-drinking-ever-go-away/

 Progress Over Perfection, Learn to Embrace Self-Compassion - Alcohol Freedom Coaching - EP 730 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-730-coaches-podcast-coach-ellie-with-lauri-m-tina-m/

What if my marriage is dependent on alcohol? - Reader Question - EP 222 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-222-reader-question-what-if-my-marriage-is-dependent-on-alcohol/

Ready to take the next step on your journey? Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious!

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp, Quince, and Shopify. BetterHelp: BetterHelp is offering our listeners 10% off at betterhelp.com/nakedmind  Quince: get free shipping and 365-day returns at quince.com/naked Shopify: Sign up for $1 month trial at shopify.com/mind

What does it take to finally walk away from drinking when you love the party, love your people, and have never once thought of yourself as someone with a problem? Brooke was a high-functioning extrovert running a business and raising a family when a quiet voice in her head kept telling her something was off. Once she found The Path and started doing the real work, she discovered how alcohol-free living improved her anxiety in ways she never anticipated, and two and a half years later she has not looked back once.

Brooke discusses:

The brain scan that first linked her alcohol use to her health and sparked a decade-long journey toward change

Taking 10 months alcohol-free, returning to drinking after a family trip, and why she never judged herself for it

How COVID neighborhood happy hours quietly accelerated her relationship with alcohol

Joining The Path in August 2023 and the hungover weekend trip that became her last

Discovering she was an extrovert living with social anxiety and how that reframed everything she thought she knew about her drinking

How alcohol-free living improved her anxiety by removing the daily double whammy of hangxiety and giving her space to actually feel and respond

The shift from "I can't have it" to "I don't want it" and what real alcohol freedom looks and feels like

Morning Pages, journaling, therapy, books, and other low-barrier tools that helped her most in the early days

Why self-awareness and willingness are the two things that make every other tool actually work

And more on identity, belonging, and building a life that feels the same on the inside as it looks on the outside...

Episode links: nakedmindpath.com

Related Episodes:

What is the correlation between alcohol and anxiety? - Reader Question - EP 480 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-480-reader-question-what-is-the-correlation-between-alcohol-and-anxiety/

 Anxiety, Overwhelm, and Alcohol: Tools to Find Calm and Confidence - Alcohol Freedom Coaching - EP 877- https://thisnakedmind.com/daily-practices-to-stay-alcohol-free-afc-e877/

Have I done permanent damage to my brain? - Reader Question - EP 350 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-350-reader-question-have-i-done-permanent-damage-to-my-brain/

Ready to take the next step on your journey? 

Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious!

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp, Quince, and Shopify. BetterHelp: BetterHelp is offering our listeners 10% off at betterhelp.com/nakedmind  Quince: get free shipping and 365-day returns at quince.com/naked Shopify: Sign up for $1 month trial at shopify.com/mind

Ever reach for a drink because your feelings felt too big, too messy, or too hard? How often have you wondered what is the best way to feel your feelings without drinking? Coaches Soraya & Cole show that it isn't about white-knuckling through emotions; it's about letting them in. Dianne walked away from 15 alcohol-free years after her son's ultimatum broke her, and hasn't found her way back. Beth takes care of everyone around her but never lets anyone take care of her.

In Dianne’s session:

Fifteen years alcohol-free & what brought her back to drinking after leaving AA

Why the "data point" approach still feels like failure in year two of The Path

The family estrangement that cracked her open & how she’s been numbing it since

The moment she realized every negative feeling about herself comes directly from drinking

What is the best way to feel your feelings without drinking when the pain feels too big to face

More on habit vs. craving, self-belief, & finding your way back to yourself.

In Beth’s session:

How alcohol-free days uncovered emotions she never knew she was carrying

The habit of stuffing feelings down and why it kept her stuck drinking

Learning emotions are not problems to fix, just experiences to witness and feel

Why perfectionism and shame go hand in hand & how both fuel the urge to drink

The fear of burdening others with her feelings and what that costs her

An exercise in sitting with sadness & the surprising relief it brought

More on journaling, self-compassion, & breaking perfectionism

Soraya Odishoo is a compassionate Certified This Naked Mind Coach who blends somatic healing with therapeutic models to support recovery. She serves people who feel disconnected from their true selves and want freedom from substances or behaviors that no longer serve them. She takes a trauma-informed, heart-centered approach with a strong focus on accessibility for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities.

Learn more about Coach Soraya: https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/soraya-arjan-odishoo-alpc/

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/

Episode links: nakedmindpath.com

Related Episodes:

How To Stop Running Away from Life and Emotions - Reader Question - EP 632 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-630-readers-question-how-to-stop-running-away-from-life-and-emotions/

 How Can I Prevent Relapse and Does All Sober Time Count? - Reader Question - EP 30 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-30-reader-question-how-can-i-prevent-relapse-and-does-all-sober-time-count/

How To Stop Numbing Your Feelings and Start Living - Alcohol Freedom Coaching - EP 859 - https://thisnakedmind.com/using-alcohol-to-numb-emotions-afc-e859/

Ready to take the next step on your journey? 

Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious!

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp, Quince, and Shopify. BetterHelp: BetterHelp is offering our listeners 10% off at betterhelp.com/nakedmind  Quince: get free shipping and 365-day returns at quince.com/naked Shopify: Sign up for $1 month trial at shopify.com/mind

Trigger warning: This episode contains references to domestic violence, sexual assault, self-harm, disordered eating, substance use, and mental health crises.

What does an alcohol-free life transformation actually look like from the inside? For Valerie, it looks like CrossFit at 4:30 AM, a flourishing marriage, a challenging career, and a self she genuinely loves for the first time at 36. But getting here meant surviving an abusive relationship, years of drinking as a survival tool, and a long search for belonging that took her to martial arts competitions in Korea, AA meetings, and finally a bookstore where Annie Grace's book changed everything. This is her story.

Valerie and Coach Cole discuss:

Growing up without consistent support and turning to alcohol as a survival tool from age 18

How a deeply abusive relationship pushed her drinking to its darkest point and left her searching for a way out

The moment she put down her last drink without a plan and never looked back

Why AA gave her community but not the alcohol-free life transformation she was truly looking for

How Annie Grace's book found her in a bookstore and rewired the way she understood herself and alcohol

Building her CrossFit community as the foundation of belonging, she had been searching for her whole life

What spontaneous alcohol freedom feels like and why she has not had a single craving in 14 months

Letting go of the need for family approval and turning compassion inward for the first time

And more on healing, self-love, and the extraordinary life that opened up when she stopped drinking...

Episode links: https://go.tnmprograms.com/start-here-quiz

Related Episodes:

Emotional Trauma Recovery with Dr. Melissa Kalt - Interview - EP 689 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-689-interview-with-dr-melissa-kalt/

Does Annie Grace think AA is wrong? - Reader Question - EP 324 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-324-reader-question-does-annie-grace-think-aa-is-wrong/

Overcoming Drinking Culture in Fitness - Where Are They Now? Molly - EP 695 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-695-naked-life-story-hayley-where-are-they-now-molly/

Ready to take the next step on your journey? 

Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious!

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp, Quince, and Shopify. BetterHelp: BetterHelp is offering our listeners 10% off at betterhelp.com/nakedmind  Quince: get free shipping and 365-day returns at quince.com/naked Shopify: Sign up for $1 month trial at shopify.com/mind

Trigger Warning: This episode contains references to PTSD, depression, loss, and self-harm.

What if the thing you've never tried, not once in your whole life, turned out to be the answer? Beverlee is fresh out of eight years of isolation, finally learning how to stop drinking when you feel overwhelmed by caregiving, grief, and years of putting herself last. Steve is 75, alcohol-free since July, and sitting with something brand new: the idea that he doesn't have to fix everything. Coaches Cole and Soraya guide both of them in discovering what it means to show up for themselves.

In Beverlee’s session:

Years of isolation, caregiving, and a demoralizing environment, and what finally started to shift

The moment Beverlee recognized she'd been hiding her drinking, and herself, for most of her life

A profound inner child healing exercise that brought tears, release, and a long-overdue reunion

What self-compassion actually feels like in your body, and how to locate it when you've only ever given it away

Why curiosity can open the door to compassion when compassion feels completely out of reach

And more on the other side of hiding…

In Steve’s session:

How Steve found his "why" at age 75 and has been alcohol-free since July

Why adult children carrying old wounds don't have to define you or your peace

How to stop drinking when you feel overwhelmed by family tension and unresolved grief

The Groundhog Day cycle of drinking

The shift from waiting for your kids to love you to walking in with love for yourself first

And more on belonging to yourself and trusting the process

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/⁠

Soraya Odishoo is a compassionate Certified This Naked Mind Coach who blends somatic healing with therapeutic models to support recovery. She serves people who feel disconnected from their true selves and want freedom from substances or behaviors that no longer serve them. She takes a trauma-informed, heart-centered approach with a strong focus on accessibility for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities.

Learn more about Coach Soraya: https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/soraya-arjan-odishoo-alpc/

Episode links: nakedmindpath.com

Related Episodes:

Finding Hope for Longtime Drinkers - Reader Question - EP 600 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-600-reader-question-finding-hope-for-long-time-drinkers/

Progress Over Perfection, Learn to Embrace Self-Compassion - Alcohol Freedom Coaching - EP 730 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-730-coaches-podcast-coach-ellie-with-lauri-m-tina-m/

Self-Love is the Key - Alcohol Freedom Coaching - EP 736 - https://thisnakedmind.com/self-love-is-the-key-alcohol-freedom-coaching-e736/

Ready to take the next step on your journey? 

Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious!

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp, Quince, and Shopify. BetterHelp: BetterHelp is offering our listeners 10% off at betterhelp.com/nakedmind  Quince: get free shipping and 365-day returns at quince.com/naked Shopify: Sign up for $1 month trial at shopify.com/mind