If you’ve been curious about what life might look like without alcohol, Sober October is the perfect time to do an experiment. I’m sharing this episode with you now so you have some time to prepare for a successful break from alcohol because it absolutely requires having a solid plan.

First, you’ll want to start examining your assumptions about alcohol, even before you stop drinking. Practically speaking, you’ll also need to decide what you’ll drink instead and how you’ll respond when people ask why you’re taking a break. I’ll also share why it’s critical that we track all the positives of not drinking and learn the science around how alcohol impacts our brains and body.

Lastly, I’ll talk about how doing this experiment with support can make this time of reflection so much more valuable. You can grab your Self-Guided 6-Week REWIND course (a Coach-Led Mindful Break from Alcohol) for $100USD off before October 15, 2023 using...

Between the countless memes, t-shirts, and dish towels, mommy wine culture is impossible to ignore. And before we get into it, let’s be clear: Mommy wine culture is not about a mother enjoying a glass of alcohol socially. What we’re talking about is promoting drinking as a culturally acceptable means to cope with the demands of motherhood. But have we ever stopped to really dig into why mom “needs” a glass of wine? 

In this episode, Coach Celeste Yvonne joins me to dive into the real reasons we are struggling to cope, all of which she thoughtfully identifies in her new book, “It’s Not About the Wine”. When we take a deeper look at the unrealistic demands placed on working moms, the lack of postpartum support, and the uneven distribution of labor, it’s pretty obvious that these layers of pressure are a huge piece of the problem and why so many moms are looking for a way to “numb out” or “escape” these...

Welcome back to Season 4 of Bite-Sized Balance! My lovely co-host Sarah joins me again to catch up on the summer, chat about the joys and challenges of being moms to independent kids, and what we are excited about most as we ease into new fall routines!

While you will still be hearing from me and my guests each week, the format of the show for Season 4 has changed slightly. Twice a month, I’m inviting expert guests for longer interviews to cover specific topics to support your health and balance in this season. Then the other two episodes will be just me tackling more bite-sized topics which will be much shorter episodes. So many of you shared how much you enjoyed those episodes that were practical and actionable. I love them too, so there’s lots to look forward to there. 

Sarah let us know that she was almost completely successful in her commitment to doing nothing this summer. Her kids were at camp this summer, so there were plenty of days that gave her a...

 Watch the podcast above, or listen below. 

Sarah and I are back again to wrap up season 3 of BSB and talk about the one impactful mindset shift we have made in the last couple of years that has led us to live with more compassion and way less judgment.

Drawing on a Brené Brown anecdote, we explain how everything changes when we start assuming that everyone (even the people who frustrate and disappoint us most) is “doing their best.” We can then decide how to respond from a place of empathy instead of criticism.

Everybody’s best looks different, and our “best” can change from day to day, but using the “what if they’re doing their best” lens helps you treat people with kindness and compassion and can also lead to you also being able to show yourself more of the same. 

Topics include: 

• How to get started with a practice of empathy
• Stepping into empathy while also setting boundaries
• Our goals for...

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Today I talk with Sarah about how the empty nesting went last year and how I'm feeling now that both of my kids are home for the summer. 

Just one year ago on the podcast, I shared the reality of empty nest syndrome, including my apprehension and grief around my children leaving for university and the sale of their childhood home.

But their time away brought many unexpected gifts, and I found myself enjoying the agency and freedom that came with the un-parenting. I traveled loads by myself, and my husband and I downsized to a fun downtown neighborhood.

There was an adjustment period around how to both parent and “un-parent” from afar, and now with my kids back at home for the summer, there’s another re-adjustment happening for all of us as full nest syndrome sets in.

Topics include: 

• understanding your own needs and...

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This week I am joined by Maureen Benkovich. Maureen shares her moving personal story as she and I have an honest discussion about infertility, pregnancy loss, grief, depression, and women’s drinking. 

Maureen has experienced the pain of infertility and failed adoption and knows firsthand how easy it is to get stuck in a cycle of shame and blame when it comes to grief, depression, and drinking. For years, she used alcohol as a way to cope with these challenges, and it only made things worse.

But with help, compassionate support, and the latest neuroscience-based techniques, Maureen was able to break free from her patterns and transform her life. Now, as a life coach, she is committed to helping others do the same.

Topics include:

•  Maureen’s journey through multiple miscarriages and fertility treatments
• The painful decision to stop treatment
• Her failed adoption and the grief that followed
• Using alcohol to...

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This week, I am joined again by my friend and colleague Sarah Baillie, N.D. to talk about the practical steps women can take to avoid hitting an emotional rock bottom in midlife. Research suggests that most people are at their unhappiest in their forties, but that this continues to improve as they age.

Sarah and I believe there are ways to speed that process up!

As more of our clients come to us looking for support in pro-actively making their midlife easier and happier, we have identified five key areas women can address to help create space for themselves during the time in their life when their energy and happiness are statistically at their lowest. 

Whether you’re preparing to head into the bottom of the u-curve of happiness, or if you’re already there, these suggestions can help you and the people around you create more peace and joy in your life.

Topics include how to cut back on your to-do list,...

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Today I talk with Jay Fields, an educator, coach, and author who has taught the principles of embodied social and emotional intelligence to individuals and organizations for twenty years.

If you’ve ever wondered how to get better at sitting with your emotions, instead of drinking, eating, or scrolling to escape them, Jay’s got the practical three-step solution.

We discuss the importance of feeling your emotions instead of “fixing” them, and how learning to do this using Jay’s approach allows us to respond instead of react, which in turn leads to deeper, more meaningful connections and personal relationships.

Topics include:

- how people-pleasing arises from a common childhood blueprint (“never make anyone else feel uncomfortable”)

- how trying to “fix” an emotion instead feeling and accepting it can lead to overwhelm and burnout

-...

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Susan Hodgson is an Irish ex-pat coach helping women navigate new territory with their drinking amidst the challenges of living abroad and trying to find that elusive feeling of “home”. She lives near Paris with her French husband and three kids who enjoy correcting her grammar and complaining about holidays back to the Donegal rain.

Susan shares her story of becoming alcohol-free, and Susan and I discuss:

• the common misconceptions of expat life,
• why it can make drinking less more challenging for women,
• the difference between what you do and who you are,
• Mommy wine culture abroad,
• learning to feel emotions instead of numbing them, 
• the concept of “home” and how to find it anywhere,
• and discovering yourself in midlife.

This is a lovely conversation with an even lovelier human. Enjoy!

More about Susan:
www.sharpsensecoaching.com
@sharp.sense.coaching on Instagram

Watch the podcast, above, or listen below.

Melissa Chureau is a purpose and mindset coach, lawyer, and podcaster. She helps women move beyond imposterism and perfectionism to create space in the mind and uncover our true, integrated selves.

As a lawyer for 20 years, she has witnessed many people who work and live out of alignment with their values and purpose—often because they don’t know their worth, regardless of their successes. Many feel like imposters waiting to get exposed, and afraid that who they really are isn’t enough.

As a person with over 22 years in recovery from alcohol use disorder and a lifelong ADHDer, Melissa is all too familiar with what the experience of imposter syndrome can do. After years of living behind the mask of imposterism, she now lives authentically and regularly shares her story to destigmatize both alcohol use disorder and ADHD. She leads meditation and mindfulness practices, leads workshops on overcoming imposterism...