This Naked Mind Podcast

What is gray area drinking for women – and what happens when “drink less” slowly turns into “I don’t even want this anymore”? In this Where Are They Now conversation, Calley returns after first appearing on the podcast in October 2019 to share what seven years alcohol-free really looks like. Talking with Coach Hayley, she reflects on motherhood, moving, social discomfort, and the quiet but powerful shift from worrying about what was in her glass to simply living free. It’s an honest, encouraging look at what changes when curiosity replaces shame and alcohol stops taking up so much space in your mind.

Calley and Hayley discuss:

Motherhood, moving, and realizing wine was taking up more space than she wanted

What is gray area drinking for women—and why curiosity matters before things feel “serious enough.”

From social discomfort to feeling fully at home in her alcohol-free skin

Honest conversations with kids about alcohol, pressure, and awareness

Why community, compassion, and knowledge matter more than shame

How freedom from alcohol opened the door to deeper healing around sugar, caffeine, and self-trust

And more on confidence, connection, and building a life that feels good without alcohol

Episode links: thisnakedmindapp.com

Related Episodes:

Naked Life Story – Calley | EP 219 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-219-naked-life-story-calley-2-2/

How are alcohol cravings similar to sugar? | Reader Question | EP 516 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-516-reader-question-how-are-alcohol-cravings-similar-to-sugar/

Gray Area Drinking with Jolene Park | Naked Life Story | EP 47 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-47-naked-life-story-jolene-park/

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!

What if the fun was never actually in the drink? What is the best way to stop associating fun with alcohol? Zion called alcohol the "jewelry" of life, the thing that made every moment glitter, and spent years believing that celebrations, friendships, and good food just needed a cocktail to feel complete. Audra built her whole identity around being the bold one who drank scotch and bourbon and never said no to a good time. Now both are exploring living alcohol-free and finding the fun in that. Coaches Cole and Zoe are right there with them.

Zion discusses:

Why alcohol became the “jewelry” on dinners, concerts, holidays, & friendships

The wake-up call of planning a great night & not remembering any of it

How people-pleasing & fear of “rocking the boat” kept drinking tied to fun

What trivia night & Thanksgiving taught him about being alcohol-free in real life

Why awkward moments do not have to mean something is wrong

What is the best way to stop associating fun with alcohol? For Zion, it starts with curiosity, patience, & new evidence

And more topics...

Audra discusses:

How going out, pub culture, quiz nights, & routine made alcohol feel like part of the experience

When drinking alone started to feel easier than connection

The mental exhaustion of hiding, planning, & calculating every drink

Why she was shocked to feel freer on her break than she expected

Passing on favorite champagne, staying present, & waking up proud

What is the best way to stop associating fun with alcohol? Audra explores that through curiosity, ACT work, & learning to feel instead of escape

And more...

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/

Zoe Ewart is a Certified Naked Mind Senior Coach who brings her experience and understanding to help with the tricky parts of life’s big changes. Her coaching gives you an enjoyable, light-hearted, and safe environment to effortlessly take back control of alcohol so you can feel better physically, mentally, and spiritually. She has four adult children and more animals than the Ark ever had.

Learn more about Coach Zoe: https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/zoe-ewart/

Episode links: nakedmindpath.com

Related Episodes:

Why do we desire alcohol for celebration? | Reader Question | EP 266 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-266-reader-question-why-do-we-desire-alcohol-for-celebration/

 How To Have Fun Without Drinking | Reader Question | EP 362 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-362-reader-question-will-i-ever-have-fun-without-drinking-alcohol/

Why You Know Better But Still Drink | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP869 - https://thisnakedmind.com/tips-to-stop-using-alcohol-to-avoid-feelings-afc-e869/

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!

What made me question my drinking?  “It wasn't a rock bottom — it was a barstool, a mirror, and a quiet voice asking where this road was headed,” says Kelly. Kelly grew up in a drinking household, spent years drinking daily, and was smart enough to see the writing on the wall before things got worse. Five years later, she joins Coach Cole to share the health wake-up call, the book that changed everything, and how The Path gave her the tools to finally walk away for good.

Kelly and Cole discuss:

How drinking became the unquestioned norm

The decade of daily drinking that crept in through stress, social life, and relationship habits

What made me question my drinking: health symptoms, a telling look around the bar, and a sister's timely recommendation

Reading This Naked Mind and feeling like Annie Grace had written her exact story

Why giving herself one year felt safer than forever

The vacation experiment that showed her exactly what alcohol was still costing her

How stopping drinking didn't just clear her head but handed her back her time, her focus, and her professional edge

Trading the bar stool for the yoga mat and becoming the person she used to watch from the other side of the street

And more on self-compassion, community, five years of freedom, and why she will never go back...

Episode links:

nakedmindpath.com

Related Episodes:

Escaping The Hamster Wheel of Drinking | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | E847 - https://thisnakedmind.com/why-cant-i-quit-drinking-after-so-many-tries-afc-e847/

 How to Stop Daily Drinking: Finding Happiness and Healing After 35 Years | Pierre’s Naked Life | E790 - https://thisnakedmind.com/how-to-stop-daily-drinking-e790-pierre/

How Can I Not Forget All the Reasons I Quit Drinking? | Reader Question | EP 54 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-54-reader-question-how-can-i-not-forget-all-the-reasons-i-quit-drinking/

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 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