How I quit alcohol

In this episode I catch up with Lucy Quick from Thrivalist.   We talk about how Lucy like so many of us "didn't have an off switch",  she would binge and have huge blackouts.  During these blackouts Lucy would become completely wild and "uncontrollable" making poor decisions and waking up with shame and regret.   After hitting rock bottom, depressed, drinking a bottle and...

In this episode I chat with Mark Purser, yoga and meditation teacher and owner of Bamboo Yoga in Byron Bay.   We chat about his journey with alcohol and how he managed to pull himself out of a really dark place through yoga and mediation.  We talk about the importance of a mindfulness practice in sobriety,  connecting back to your true self and all those beautiful people in yoga studios in Byron B...

In this episode I chat with Miles Bingham aka @thesobertrekker about his 7 years of sobriety. We chat about his struggle with his mental health, how having solid boundaries helps to keep you authentic, how being in nature is the antidote to stress and anxiety and how we are all just chasing serenity through oblivion.   Music for Monday Distillery ads by Ash Grunwald www.ashgrunwald.com Music for P...

In this episode I chat with my hubby Ash Grunwald about his recent shows at Bluesfest and how it felt to be playing those as a sober person.  We also chat about the power of manifestation and taking steps towards your fullest potential.   Music for Monday Distillery ads by Ash Grunwald www.ashgrunwald.com Music for Podcast intro and outro written by Danni Carr performed by Mr Cassidy for more reso...

In this episode I catch up with Nat Batalia, founder of the Mindful Mocktail.   Nat and I chat about the how the adjustment from life pre-kids to motherhood didn't come naturally,  and how guilt from those feelings caused her drinking to start to spiral out of control.  Nat was hiding her drinking from her husband and feeling so much shame and guilt which perpetuated the drinking even more.  ...

Parenting can be pretty stressful, especially around the witching hour when you are trying to get it all done and the kids are driving you a bit nutty.  What to do when we no longer have the go to of alcohol to escape the mundane or stressful moments of parenting?  This question was put to me by someone on instagram this week so I got together with one of the HIQA graduates and mum of two, Kate Mo...

In this episode I catch up with Michelle from Brisbane who is a graduate from our October 21 3 months sober challenge and a participant in the HIQA Graduates group. Now 6 months down the track Shell is going strong and not planning on going back to drinking any time soon.   We talk about her journey with alcohol and how the journey has been for her so far.   For more resources or to find out to re...

I had a midweek catch up with Victoria Vanstone blogger and podcaster aka Drunk Mummy Sober Mummy to chat about the new sober platform, Cuppa that  she has co-created with Lucy Good.   Cuppa is a free online platform where the sober community and sober curious community can connect and support one and other.  Create events, share stories, organise catch ups, maybe set yourself up on a sober date,...

In this episode I chat with personal trainer, mindset, strength and conditioning coach, endurance athlete and Guinness world record holder Jamie Milne.  We chat about his relationship with alcohol which would see him having binges that would go for days sometimes even weeks.  Mindset and his greatest weakness has now become his super power.   Almost three years sober at the time of recording Jamie...

In this episode I catch up with our pal and amazing musician Jaimi Faulkner.   It was great to catch up with this guy,  last time we caught up in the flesh we were SMASHED in Italy after a chance meeting on a train on our way to Pisa.  Jaimi like many of us started drinking in his teens and as he immersed himself in the Melbourne music scene his alcohol intake increased gradually over time,  fast...

In this episode Ash Grunwald and I chat about his temporary lapse in focus and how going back to basics with this daily practice like journalling and mindfulness help him feel at peace in his inner world no matter is going on in the external world,  how the easiest way to reduce suffering during sobriety is through 100% commitment,  how to keep your self there and the importance of an optimistic m...

In this episode I chat with Sarah from Canberra who was a participant in the HIQA October challenge.  Sarah's issues with alcohol started later in life when the shift from dynamic career to the monotony and isolation of motherhood lead her to seek escape every night in a bottle of wine or two.  Like so many mothers, Sarah had to deal with the guilt and the conflicting feelings that can arise...

In this jam packed episode I chat with provisional psychologist Georgie Budini who has had ten years experience working with drug and alcohol addiction in prisons and in the community.   We talked about riding the waves of cravings, mastering your nervous system,  feeling what needs to felt rather than avoiding the uncomfortable,  the importance of having a plan,  creating a sense of safety,  why...

In this episode I catch up with Australian musician Kelly Brouhaha,  seven months sober at the time of recording Kelly talks about the struggles with her mental health,  life and sobriety on the road and the tools she has in place to keep her on track.   We chat about how to stay on track when you are way from home,  the importance of prioritising yourself,   how journalling can keep your mental h...

In this episode I catch up with legendary blues man Hat Fitz.  Fitzy had always been labelled a "wild man" in the Aussie blues scene,  he is a big character,  rough around the edges, honest as they come and reflective of his relationship with alcohol and the rock bottom he went to as a result.   Hat Fitz lives on the Sunshine Coast in Australia with his beautiful partner Cara,  has a gre...

In this episode I chat with actor Martin Dingle Wall.   Marty is best known for his roles in Home And Away,  Underbelly and Upper Middle Bogan.  We chat about the discovery of yourself and the healing that comes when you meet it head on.  Facing your demons and the rawness of really leaning in to the feelings that come up in sobriety.  Using the arts and creativity as an outlet for expression and...

In this episode I catch up with Fi,  a neuroscientist from Melbourne who was also a participant in the HIQA Jan Challenge earlier this year.   Fi signed up more as a support for her friend Kate and not only finished off the three months but along with her husband is now approaching 12 months alcohol free.   In this episode we chat about the challenge,  changing your self concept,  feeling crappy i...

In this insightful episode I chat with Michael a stone mason from Western Australia.  Michael resonated with drinking at a very early age and from almost the first drink he had very little control over alcohol some serious bingeing saw him decide to take a break.  After years of being alcohol free  living in the wilderness of Indonesia a family tragedy saw him return to the familiarity and numbing...

In this episode I catch up with Katy @graczer who spent decades trying to fit the mould of a fun drinking  socialite.  That kind of lifestyle comes with it perks but can also lead to some  dysfunctional bingeing,  Katy was experiencing  blackouts, bedwetting and other negative impacts that so many of us do but still find it hard to jump off the rollercoaster.  3 years alcohol free she is now embra...

In this episode I am back in the studio with my sober buddy and hubby Ash Grunwald.   We respond to the question that is being thrown my way a lot which is can I grant myself a leave pass for Christmas and have a few drinks?  Ash and I both share our perspective on this.  We talk about the joys of sobriety,  the reasons to stay sober,  the wisdom found in the uncomfortable,  navigating heavy water...

Two hard drinking rock stars and their partners made a pact to do the unthinkable,  quit alcohol for 12 months.  What seemed like an impossibility became a life changing transformation.  Over three and a half years later the group caught up in the studio to reflect on the journey .   We chat about the highs and lows of sobriety and the wondrous journey of discovery that never ends.  The support fr...

In the episode I chat with ex-binge drinker,  breast cancer survivor,  sober coach and business owner Kathryn Elliott.   In  2019 Kathryn decided it was time to call it quits with alcohol,  as if that wasn't a big enough change she then discovered a large lump in her breast which took her life on an even bigger turn.   Having always relied on alcohol to get her through traumatic times,  Kathr...

In this episode I chat with author Christy Hughes about her journey from binge drinking to sobriety,  becoming brave and finding her voice.   Her sobriety helped her discover herself and the connection she shared with her own Grandmothers which became the inspiration for her book Strong Roots,  Wayward Soul.    To contact Christy please go to  Instagram: the_bravekind, the_hughes_homestead www.wea...

In this episode I chat with Luke Hutchinson from Adelaide about his inspiring recovery from alcohol.  From a young age Luke used alcohol to numb his pain from the grief of losing his Dad and a number of friends in a short space of time.    What started as a means to help him deal with his trauma became a dysfunctional and very serious addiction.   Luke credits his recovery to the 12 step program w...

In this episode I chat with my high school friend Rachel Cotton.    Growing up in the small town of Castlemaine in Central Victoria where the drinking culture with teenagers was rampant,  binge drinking to blackout was just how it was done.   Being out of control was not out of the ordinary and when one night her drink was spiked by some co-workers every woman's worst nightmare became her rea...