The Hello Someday Podcast For Sober Curious Women

What is life like after you stop drinking?  How do you stay motivated and committed to sobriety after the novelty wears off?  Where do you find fun and purpose as you build up your new identity as someone who no longer drinks?  And how do you explore new interests in life after alcohol?  If you’re wondering what alcohol-free life looks like after you get through the first few months and the first...

Why do you crave alcohol and why is it so easy to go from drinking casually to habitually?  Why is it hard to moderate your drinking? How does alcohol affect your sleep and why do you wake up at 3am after drinking? Why does alcohol make you feel relaxed and then more anxious the next morning? How does alcohol affect your brain, body, mood and stress hormones?   Is it true that alcohol can be good...

In a boozy world it can be pretty daunting to socialize sober when you stop drinking.  When you go to a restaurant the first thing they hand you is the drinks menu with all the wine, beer and cocktails offered.  When you walk into a party someone will immediately ask you what you want to drink and tell you where you can grab an alcoholic beverage.  And it seems like every sports event, dinner, hol...

Did you know that stepping away from your smartphone can help you lead a more peaceful and fulfilling life?  These days the devices in our pockets make us constantly connected, always available, overstimulated and interrupted by pings, reminders and vibrations.  Our phones have increased the pace, efficiency and convenience of our lives, but studies show they’ve also increased our anxiety, depress...

If you're not feeling 100% happy in your life, you might be surprised as to the reasons why.  It turns out the "science of happiness" has found that a lot of the things we've been told will make us happy, don't actually bring us joy, contentment and satisfaction. And if you're a woman in midlife you might suspect that's true.  We've been taught that if we accomplish and achieve the things on the e...

Early sobriety is an emotional and tender time, so I wanted to share with you my diary of my first 30 days sober, which has somehow turned into 6 continuous years alcohol-free. 6 years ago I woke up on the couch at 3am after drinking a bottle of wine. I came upstairs to crawl into bed with my husband filled with anxiety and unable to fall back to sleep.  In the morning I had to get up, get ready a...

Are you ready for an awesome Dry July and incredible sober summer?  I’m betting you probably have a ton of drinking memories, rituals and events tied to the summer season. I know I did!  It might be beer at ballgames or camping, drinks out on a boat or hanging out at BBQs with friends. Maybe you love dive bars on road trips or European vacations with the wine flowing. But right now I’m going to he...

Have you been thinking about taking a break from drinking, only to decide that you’re “not that bad”?  Most women who wonder if they’re drinking too much can look around and find lots of reasons why it’s not a “real issue”.  We’ve been told that having a problem with alcohol is black or white. Either you fall into the category of someone who is “an alcoholic” or who has a “drinking problem", or yo...

Is your home set up to support your sobriety or sabotage your efforts to lead an alcohol-free life? If you’re used to opening a bottle of wine the minute you walk in the door, having a cocktail on the back deck or curling up on the couch with your laptop or netflix after the kids go to bed, your home environment can be a powerful trigger to drink.  But it doesn’t have to be that way. The way you l...

Sober travel can feel like you're running through a gauntlet of offers and opportunities to drink. From airport bars to business dinners to all inclusive cocktails, alcohol seems to be everywhere when you are trying to not drink. But I'm going to set you up for success so you'll be able to enjoy and appreciate sober travel (even if every trip you’ve taken since college has featured cocktails on th...

When I was drinking I used alcohol to check out after a hard day, numb out from irritation and resentment, make the monotony of adulting less boring and as a reward to look forward to for getting through another week.  And when drinking left me with too many hangovers, sleepless nights and crushing anxiety I finally decided that I didn’t want to feel that way anymore and (slowly) pieced together 3...

Rekindling romance and managing conflict in intimate relationships is something a lot of women struggle with—whether it's why they drink or a challenge they face after stepping away from alcohol.  Figuring out how to handle conflicts, set boundaries, and connect with your partner can be really tough, especially when alcohol has been your go-to for socializing or managing stress. Whether or not you...

In this special anniversary episode, I’m celebrating four incredible years of the Hello Someday Podcast, marked by 214 episodes and 1.5 million downloads. It's been an amazing journey, and I'm deeply grateful to each and every one of you who has joined me along the way. To mark this occasion, I'm thrilled to revisit my top guest interview of all time: my conversation with Holly Whitaker, author of...

I describe myself as an ex-red wine girl and a recovering people-pleaser. And if you’re wondering how those two things are connected we’re going to dig into that because as you start to navigate sobriety, boundaries are going to be your very best friend. Have you fallen into a people-pleasing pattern?  Maybe you’re an overachiever who takes care of everything and everyone.  Maybe you’re the happy,...

Are mindfulness practices part of your sober toolbox? If not, they should be. Mindfulness in sobriety can help you manage cravings, reduce stress and anxiety, regulate your emotions, increase self awareness, support your overall well-being, mental health and prevent relapse.  I know those are big promises, so let’s break down what mindfulness is, how you practice it and apply it to your sobriety. ...

If you’ve spent a bunch of years opening a bottle of wine to deal with stress and overwhelm, to celebrate or reward yourself for making it to the end of the week, it may feel awkward or hypocritical to talk with your kids about the risks of addiction to alcohol.  But in a culture obsessed with booze, being able to help your kids understand the impact that alcohol and drugs can have on their lives...

Have you ever stopped drinking but then struggled to stay sober after a bit? You’re not alone.  The best way to stay sober is to focus on building a life you love without alcohol. It’s about not only putting down the wine glass, but also shifting the way you’ve been living your life so that you no longer want to numb yourself at the end of the day.  If you’ve been worried about your drinking for a...

Have you ever used alcohol as a coping mechanism to escape a dysfunctional relationship or unhealthy environment?  You might be a victim of gaslighting if you’ve been told that you’re imagining things, too sensitive, dramatic, overreacting, forgetful, paranoid, confused, insecure or misinterpreting things.  And if you’re drinking it’s easy for someone to say “you’re drunk, you don’t know what you’...

Have you thought about taking a break from drinking but then decided that you’re “just not ready yet” to do it? Even if we know that alcohol is dragging us down, the idea of stopping drinking can be so daunting and scary)that we can stay in the drinking cycle for months or years longer than we need to.  If you’re waiting for your life to get better so that you’ll be able to stop drinking, you migh...

If you love drinking like I did, I know it’s almost impossible to imagine that you could be happier sober.  Before I stopped drinking I imagined that my life without alcohol would be lonely, boring and depressing.  I thought that I would always want to drink, feel constantly deprived, that date nights with my husband would be less fun, parenting my kids would be more stressful and dinners out with...

Raising a child with ADHD, Autism or neurodivergence can be mentally, emotionally and physically exhausting and alcohol can seem like an easy way to relax and turn off your brain at the end of the day.  Neurodiversity encompasses a variety of conditions such as autism, ADHD, anxiety disorders, dyslexia, and more. Each condition presents its own unique set of challenges and strengths, impacting the...

If you’re just starting out on the alcohol-free path it’s possible you are holding on to a negative image of what “sober life” looks like.  Before I stopped drinking I thought sobriety would be boring, sad and lonely and those beliefs kept me stuck in the drinking cycle for a long time.  I want to help you to replace those limiting beliefs and embrace sobriety as a power move. Sobriety can be the...

Have you ever felt like you’re drinking for “medicinal purposes” to get through your monthly menstrual cycle and perimenopause symptoms?  I’m 48 and the first time I had a hot flash I texted my girlfriends to ask “Oh my god, is this what a hot flash feels like? It sucks!” Perimenopause is sometimes described as a "reverse puberty" which is about as fun as it sounds, except unlike puberty, it can l...

Quitting drinking can be the lead domino to uplevel your life and explore a midlife makeover!  I can say that now, but I know when you’re first considering sobriety it doesn’t feel like an opportunity.  When I stopped drinking it was a last resort after years of trying to moderate and control my drinking.  I started my 100 day no alcohol challenge because I felt physically and emotionally awful an...

Have you ever found yourself reaching for a drink to shake off a feeling of overwhelm, stress, insecurity or imposter syndrome?  I used to drink to feel less nervous the night before a big presentation, an interview or a performance review. I worried that I didn’t know enough, wasn’t well prepared enough or wouldn’t present confidently enough, so I thought a few glasses of wine would help me calm...