On this month’s coaching episode, This Naked Mind Head Coach Scott Pinyard welcomes This Naked Mind Senior Coach Teri Patterson as his guest co-host. After a brief discussion about the absence of alcohol from wellness conversations and the focus of Teri’s work, they answer four great questions: What are your top tips to prepare for the first 30 days alcohol free? When I am home I am completely committed to a healthy lifestyle. When I travel for work, I still find healthy food options but alcohol...
Mar 26, 2021•48 min
Today’s question comes from a mom of a kindergartener who has been alcohol-free for more than five months, has no desire to drink, but is concerned about fitting in with mom friends who drink and making sure her sobriety doesn’t affect her daughter’s social life. Annie Grace shares her thoughts about what it is that truly makes those situations weird and awkward, as well as how to become the most magnetic person in the room, even without alcohol. Hi, it's Annie Grace. I wanted to interrupt this ...
Mar 20, 2021•18 min
Growing up in New Zealand, Lisa was one of five children. She remembers being aware her mother had a problem with alcohol but didn’t notice alcohol in their daily lives. At university, nicotine became Lisa’s go-to stress reliever. Alcohol crept in later, very slowly for a long time, and then ramped up after Lisa’s second child was stillborn and she blamed herself for the death. Drinking felt like sanity to Lisa - it made life feel better and she couldn’t imagine why she would ever stop. A fall w...
Mar 19, 2021•48 min
How much brainpower does it take to make a decision? Have you ever experienced decision-making fatigue? How can deciding not to drink silence, relax, and pause all the noise in your brain? On today’s episode, Annie Grace explains the power of just one decision. Did you miss This Naked Mind Live? Do you maybe have a little bit of FOMO? Don't worry. I've got you covered. In fact, I had the entire event professionally recorded and it's available digitally. Transformation in your living room, yup, t...
Mar 13, 2021•12 min
Born and raised in Switzerland, Barbara is a married mom of an adult daughter. Her first exposure to alcohol was when she was 17 years old, working in Italy as an au pair. She didn’t like how tired it made her. She got into climbing and loved the natural high - drinking beer and wine after climbs was part of the culture but wasn’t something Barbara enjoyed. After marriage and childbirth, though, she fell into a pattern of using alcohol to relax at the end of the day. When menopause hit, Barbara ...
Mar 12, 2021•56 min
A reader writes: “How can I remain alcohol-free when my spouse tries to sabotage my efforts? He buys me drinks when we eat out and buys my favorite liquor and has it waiting for me when I get home. I haven't had a drink yet, but I feel like I have to choose between my health or my relationship.” Is it intentional sabotage or there something else underneath this behavior? How can you better understand why a spouse might encourage you to drink and communicate your expectations of them? Annie Grace...
Mar 06, 2021•12 min
Mandy and Kate are British mums whose journeys to change their drinking brought them together in an online sober community. After several starts and stops, they each found freedom from alcohol after reading This Naked Mind. The two became fast friends and have now co-authored a book and work together to help other women stop drinking. Today, they share their stories with Annie - from ditching perfectionism to empowering motherhood with radical self-care to accepting themselves, and more. Let me ...
Mar 05, 2021•48 min
Why do we think it’s alcohol that makes things fun? When we look back on our lives, most of us can remember times when we had fun without drinking. So, why do we believe we will be miserable when we remove alcohol? How can we change the way we feel? Annie Grace explains. I'm so excited you guys, because we are just about to start another live alcohol experiment. If you do not know about the alcohol experiment, you need to literally drop everything right now and go to thisnakedmind.com/lae. That'...
Feb 27, 2021•14 min
Today, This Naked Mind head coach Scott Pinyard welcomes Certified Naked Mind senior coach Robbie Saner Sullivan as his guest co-host. Robbie is a mom of three, and a former wine drinker and news junkie who has learned to put herself first and give back in meaningful ways that don’t deplete her. She and Scott team up to offer some coaching around three questions: All my friends drink. Everything we do is centered around drinking. If I quit drinking will I have to reinvent my entire social life? ...
Feb 26, 2021•44 min
Today’s question is one Annie Grace hears a lot. A reader writes that they are drinking again and can’t seem to stop. Quitting the first time was easy and they thought they could have one or two and now they’re stuck drinking again. How can this process be worth it if you feel like you keep failing at it? Why continue down this road if all you do is keep hitting bumps? Start by remembering the journey to finding freedom from alcohol is not a straight line, and listen as Annie shares a few ideas ...
Feb 20, 2021•13 min
Growing up in the UK and Africa, Emma remembers alcohol was always present. She and her friends began drinking in their mid-teens - they did not socialize without booze. In her 20s and 30s, Emma lived a hectic stressful life working internationally for some huge corporations. She moved to Australia, became a mother, and continued drinking - in fact, even with healthy hobbies like running, Emma’s world began to revolve around alcohol and she didn’t think she could do anything about it. She burned...
Feb 19, 2021•38 min
A reader asks, “After about five days of being alcohol-free, my spirits are lifted and I feel more alive and more happy … I want to have a fun night celebrating with my new state of mind, which is that I don't feel controlled by alcohol. Afterwards, I return to daily drinking, usually for two weeks or so, until I'm back to feeling lifeless, purposeless, sad, and tired. It's a common pattern. Is this common for anyone else?” Listen as Annie Grace explains how repetitive thought patterns impact th...
Feb 13, 2021•15 min
When Evan began drinking in high school at age 16, he thought alcohol was the greatest thing on Earth. He found it easy to balance everything in his world - social life, academics, a part-time job, sports. In college partying became more important, and he barely graduated. As he began his career, Evan worked hard and played hard, committed to never changing his drinking. Then stuff started happening. A drunken fall left his ankle permanently damaged. He began wetting the bed. He drove under the ...
Feb 12, 2021•32 min
Do you really lose weight when you stop drinking? What happens from a hydration and nutritional standpoint when you remove alcohol from your diet? How do your decisions about what to eat tend to change when you're no longer drinking? Annie Grace answers these questions and shares what she has found is even more meaningful than weight loss when it comes to not drinking. Have you tried The Alcohol Experiment? Okay, if not, drop everything and go to thisnakedmind.com/experiment. This free 30-day ch...
Feb 06, 2021•12 min
On today’s episode, Early shares their drinking story with Annie Grace. From their first drink at 10 years old to drinking box wine they found in a dumpster to the 12 years they spent trying over and over again to use willpower to control alcohol. Early describes themself as a person who's living on the margins of society, a punk and a queer who has spent most of their adult life hitchhiking and riding freight trains across the country and drinking and smoking crack with bums under bridges. Now,...
Feb 05, 2021•42 min
On today’s episode, Annie Grace answers a reader's question about mental cravings. But, how can we deal with them if we’re not sure what they are? First, Annie talks about the differences between the physical and mental aspects of alcohol addiction. She then deconstructs mental cravings, how they keep us stuck, and what we can do to tackle them. Hi, it's Annie Grace. I wanted to interrupt this podcast, I guess the end of this podcast, to say that if you are totally serious about actually truly a...
Jan 30, 2021•14 min
In this month’s coaching episode, This Naked Mind head coach Scott Pinyard is joined by Certified Naked Mind senior coach Christy Wynne who has a clinical background as a physician assistant, has studied nutrition and integrative medicine, and focuses her coaching on nervous system regulation, hormone balance, and mindfulness. Christy shares a little bit about her journey to find freedom from alcohol, including her thoughts on rock bottoms and radical self-care. Then, she and Scott answer two co...
Jan 29, 2021•43 min
How do you go from being the drinker who used to poke fun at non-drinkers to the non-drinker afraid of being the butt of the drinkers’ jokes? What can you do to avoid being perceived as a hypocrite if you speak up when people think they’re being funny at your expense? Annie Grace shares her wisdom and advice in today’s episode. Hi, it's Annie Grace. I wanted to interrupt this podcast, I guess the end of this podcast, to say that if you are totally serious about actually truly and forevermore tra...
Jan 23, 2021•13 min
From shots and beers after shift at her summer job working in a bar to what she considered sophisticated wine drinking in her twenties, Jill describes herself as a sloppy drunk. Then the blackouts started. For a long time, people excused Jill’s drinking -- she was coping with her sick mother, then her mother’s death six months before her wedding -- in fact, people encouraged her to drink in order to cope. The guilt over not being able to breastfeed her newborn made things even worse and Jill was...
Jan 22, 2021•49 min
What kind of damage does alcohol do to your brain? Is it reversible? Aside from stopping drinking, is there anything you can do to heal your brain? Also, what is the impact of all the worry you feel wondering if you have caused yourself permanent brain damage? Annie Grace explains … Hey, it’s Annie Grace. I want to tell you about the most important book that I never wrote. I mean that. This is This Naked Life. It is 48 true stories of people finding freedom from alcohol. And, it’s so inspiring. ...
Jan 16, 2021•10 min
Robbie is a married mom of three adult children, an empty nester who considers stopping drinking her greatest accomplishment. On today’s episode, this Certified Naked Mind Senior Coach gets vulnerable as she lets us into her world and shares her drinking and quitting journey, from motherhood to what ultimately led her to become a coach. She and Annie talk about how to identify when alcohol becomes “a thing” for you, when it becomes “your thing” -- what are the guideposts, where is the shift, and...
Jan 15, 2021•48 min
What do you do when you’ve stopped drinking but your partner still does? When their drinking is a turnoff and the taste of alcohol on their breath grosses you out? How do you dive into this difficult conversation with someone you love? Do you rip off the bandaid and just go for it or is there a better strategy? Annie Grace offers her thoughts on a courageous reader’s vulnerable question. Are you ready for a deep dive into truly lasting change? If so, you might consider my Intensive Program. It’s...
Jan 09, 2021•11 min
There wasn’t much alcohol around when Evelyne was growing up, just some wine on special occasions. She began drinking in college, eventually becoming someone who could always drink more than her friends and always wanted more to drink. But, since she didn’t feel dependent on alcohol, did well at work, and had never gotten a DUI, Evelyne never questioned her drinking. It wasn’t until she was taking a Monday night wine class - something that kicked off her drinking each week - that she stumbled up...
Jan 08, 2021•52 min
Have your friends stopping inviting you out because you no longer drink? Why does a positive change you’ve made for yourself seem like such a problem for them? How can you manage your expectations? On today’s episode, Annie Grace explores where this discomfort comes from and talks about the four characteristics of most expectations. Have you tried The Alcohol Experiment? Okay, if not, drop everything and go to thisnakedmind.com/experiment. This free 30-day challenge is designed to interrupt your...
Jan 02, 2021•16 min
On this special New Year’s Day episode, Annie Grace welcomes Dan Harris, an Emmy Award-winning journalist and the co-anchor of ABC's weekend editions of Good Morning America. Dan is the author of two New York Times bestsellers, 10% Happier and Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics, the host of the Ten Percent Happier Podcast, and he has an app called Ten Percent Happier. In her book, This Naked Mind, Annie includes Dan in the acknowledgments for “bringing practicality and humor to the journey into the...
Jan 01, 2021•1 hr 14 min
You know you need to quit drinking, but you are worried about what people will say. How will they react? Will they call you an alcoholic and think badly of you? What should you tell them about your decision? This Naked Mind head coach Scott Pinyard shares his thoughts. I'm so excited you guys, because we are just about to start another live alcohol experiment. If you do not know about the alcohol experiment, you need to literally drop everything right now and go to thisnakedmind.com/lae. That's ...
Dec 26, 2020•13 min
In this month’s coaching episode, This Naked Mind head coach Scott Pinyard is joined by Certified Naked Mind senior coach Carolyn Bennett who works specifically with people who drink to numb relationships. Together, the coaches answer three questions - they are: I stopped drinking but my husband didn’t; he drinks to blackout and I am worried about him and our relationship. I noticed when things got stressful at work, I started drinking more. What are some tips for dealing with stress? I feel lik...
Dec 25, 2020•42 min
Is life boring without alcohol? Most people assume it will be. And, that belief keeps them stuck drinking long after alcohol has drained all the fun. What makes us bored? Can alcohol erase boredom? Does the absence of alcohol create boredom? This Naked Mind head coach Scott Pinyard explains. I'm so excited you guys, because we are just about to start another live alcohol experiment. If you do not know about the alcohol experiment, you need to literally drop everything right now and go to thisnak...
Dec 19, 2020•11 min
Chris questioned his drinking for years, racking up many nights of blackouts and being the ringleader among his friends. He was the drinker everyone tried to keep up with. Yet, he often wondered what would be a reasonable amount of alcohol to consume. Then, one day, Chris received an email from a friend in the fitness industry. She defined her daily glass of wine as an alcohol problem, and it stopped him in his tracks. How could one glass of wine be a problem? Listen as Chris shares his journey ...
Dec 18, 2020•48 min
Do you find yourself comparing your journey with alcohol to others who seem to be having an easier time quitting drinking? How can some people find freedom so easily when others continue struggling? When change is not linear we feel like we have failed. But persistence is key. Annie Grace talks about the three layers of beliefs and the five criteria of readiness for change that can lead to success. Did you miss This Naked Mind Live? Do you maybe have a little bit of FOMO? Don't worry. I've got y...
Dec 12, 2020•14 min
