The Wine O'Clock Woman

Have you ever noticed that after being praised or recognised for something you’ve done well, you suddenly feel the urge to pour a glass of wine? In this episode, I explore a rarely discussed alcohol trigger: success itself. For many capable women, compliments, praise, or recognition can feel surprisingly uncomfortable in the nervous system and alcohol can become a quick way to regulate that feelin...

In this episode of The Wine O’Clock Woman, I’m joined by Tracy Turtle for a deeply honest conversation about alcohol and neurodiversity. Tracy shares her personal journey and opens up about how her neurodivergent experience shaped her relationship with drinking. Together, we explore the challenges, misunderstandings, when alcohol becomes intertwined with coping, identity, and everyday life. This c...

Many capable women wake up fully intending not to drink… yet somehow find themselves pouring a glass by evening. In this episode we explore the hidden Wine O’Clock pattern that often begins hours before the first drink. You’ll hear why the decision to drink rarely starts at six o’clock, how the afternoon negotiation quietly begins, and why this cycle can leave women feeling frustrated and confused...

Some people think drinking is just a habit. It isn’t. In this episode, I explain the relief loop, the mechanism underneath the wine o’clock cycle. Why willpower fades. Why the negotiation returns.  And why the drink can start to feel like the only way to switch off. When you understand the loop, the pattern makes sense. If this episode resonated with you, it may be a sign that you’ve been carrying...

Many neurodivergent women often don't drink because they love alcohol. They drink because it helps them cope with a world that does not fit their brain. In this guest conversation, I’m joined by Helen Davies, a neuro-inclusion and productivity expert with decades of experience supporting individuals and organisations to understand and work with neurodiversity. Helen is the founder of Practical Wis...

Early sobriety can feel heavier than you expected. In this episode, I talk about the grief that can surface when you stop drinking — not cravings, but the loss of ritual, identity and emotional cushioning. I also share a simple way to notice the small but significant gains most women overlook. The ones that actually anchor change. If this episode resonated with you, it may be a sign that you’ve be...

If wine is how you relax, listen to this. Many women use alcohol to come down from the day. Over time, the body loses touch with what real calm feels like. In this short episode of The Wine O’Clock Woman, you’ll experience a 10-minute guided relaxation so you can feel what settling your nervous system actually feels like. Notice how you feel before you press play. Notice what’s different afterward...

You say, “Not tonight.” And then Wednesday quietly starts counting as the weekend. In this episode, I explore how drinking shifts earlier in the week through exhaustion, stress, and emotional overload. Not in dramatic ways, but through small, familiar decisions that slowly erode self-trust. This isn’t about willpower or moderation. It’s about recognising the habit loop, understanding why it keeps...

Kelly Harman believed life without alcohol would be flat, dull, and joyless. The opposite happened. In this conversation, we talk about the moment she realised drinking was keeping her in survival mode, how nervous system regulation changed everything, and why waking up hangover-free has given her a life she now experiences in full colour. Kelly is the founder of Fire & Soul and works with wom...

You’ve probably written it in your head a hundred times. The letter that says what alcohol’s really been doing in your life, and what you’re ready to see now. In this episode, I share some of my own ‘Dear Alcohol’ letters, the ones that needed writing over the years. I hope that you take a few moments to pause and notice the role that drinking is playing in your life. Because from there… everythin...

Ever found yourself snapping at the kids, then reaching for a glass of wine to take the edge off? In this episode, I speak with Natalie Pereira—coach, mum of three, and founder of The Essence of You- about what’s really going on in our nervous systems when motherhood feels overwhelming.  We talk about the pressure to hold everything together, the patterns that lead us to drink, and what genuinely...

You say it all the time—“I’m fine.” But if you’re honest… you’re not. Not really. You’re getting through the day. On paper, things look okay. But something feels off. Like you’re watching life happen from a few steps back. This episode is about that numbness. Why it’s sneaky. Why it sticks.  And why it’s actually more dangerous than rock bottom. I talk about: How self-trust quietly erodes How simp...

How the inner critic is often the hidden engine behind drinking patterns. And how it’s not just the drinking that does the damage. It’s the self-attack that follows. In this episode, we name the voice that keeps you stuck, the one that says “You’ve done it again,” and makes you believe change isn’t possible. I talk about: • Why self-judgement fuels the cycle • How to interrupt the critic in real t...

It’s not the mistake. It’s the fallout afterwards.  That disappointment in ourselves… the rumination… the inner critic on loop. For many, it’s this mental spiral that drives the next drink, not the moment itself.  In this episode, I explore what really happens when we feel we've let ourselves down, and why we often reach for a drink just to get some peace. You’ll learn how to disrupt the shame-rum...

In this guest conversation, I’m joined by Caroline Woolley, a menopause expert, who supports women through perimenopause and menopause by working with hormones, the nervous system, and real midlife pressures. We talk about why alcohol suddenly feels harder to tolerate in your 40s and 50s, how hormonal shifts affect sleep, anxiety, and mood, and why so many women blame themselves instead of seeing...

You’re drinking more than you want to — but you’re not sure you want to go sober forever. AA doesn’t feel like a good fit. And Dry January usually fails.  So now what?  In this episode, I talk about the stuck place so many women find themselves in. What’s often called grey area drinking — I call the Wine O’Clock Cycle: When drinking becomes automatic. It can feel like you only have two choices: Ke...

What if this was your year? In this special New Year’s Eve episode, I guide you through a reflective visualisation to help you imagine life on the other side of drinking. This isn’t a hypnotherapy session—but it is a quiet, powerful pause to ask: What do I really need?  You’ll take a gentle look ahead, explore what freedom could feel like, and start to connect with the small actions that could cha...

What’s really behind self-sabotage, and why rebellion wins when we ignore our real needs. Plus, 3 ways to step out of the Dry January myth. Dry January starts strong, then somewhere around week two… the “fuck it” moment hits. In this episode, I unpack why self-sabotage isn’t failure, it’s rebellion. The rebel in you pushing back against the good girl trying to hold it all together. This could be w...

This is a gritty, honest conversation about the quiet mental exhaustion of over-drinking, the relief of being heard, and why change doesn’t require a breakdown, just the courage to speak your truth.   Donna Elliott, a virtual assistant specialist supporting neurodiverse clients and co-founder of Ebb & Flow Brecon, shares the moment she stopped performing, hiding, and negotiating with herself,...

You might say you're ready to change your relationship with alcohol, but your energy, thoughts, and behaviours might tell a different story. In this episode, I break down 3 signs you’re not actually ready to change, even if you think you are, and 3 indicators that real change is within reach.  We’ll talk about the silent cost of maintaining the status quo, the mental gymnastics of bargaining, the...

In this episode, we name the invisible labour, the unsaid expectations, and the quiet martyrdom that women carry every day. The resentment we swallow, and the silence we mistake for strength. And we end with the real question: What part of me is complicit in my own exhaustion? If this episode resonated with you, it may be a sign that you’ve been carrying more than you realise. Each month I run a F...

What if “later” is the lie that keeps you stuck? In this episode, I explore the familiar line so many women turn to when they do not want to face something head-on... “I’ll sort it out later.” It feels like relief in the moment because it sounds like a plan. But it is not a plan at all. It is avoidance dressed up as intention, and the relief it gives you is short-lived.  All it really does is push...

In this episode, I’m taking you on a journey through the decades of a woman’s life and how her relationship with alcohol quietly evolves along the way. From the social drinking of our 20s, to the coping mechanisms of our 30s and 40s, to the isolating rituals of our 50s and beyond. Because it doesn’t start as a problem. It starts as fun. A glass with friends. A way to feel confident. To belong. But...

This is where it begins. In this first episode, I share the moment that cracked everything open: a quiet question from my daughter that hit harder than any hangover ever could. “Does the wine make you sad, Mummy?” It stopped me cold. And it forced me to face what I’d been numbing, avoiding, denying. This isn’t a story about rock bottom. It’s about reckoning. About what happens when the coping stop...

Welcome to The Wine O’Clock Woman. This short episode is your invitation. To stop pretending. To stop coping. To start listening to what’s really going on underneath the wine. If that voice inside has been whispering that something needs to change, you’re in the right place. Let’s begin. If this episode resonated with you, it may be a sign that you’ve been carrying more than you realise. Each mont...