It's Not About the Alcohol

EP341: Why You Need Alcohol To Go To Sleep (And What To Do About It)

05 May 2026

Contributed by Lukas

You can't fall asleep without a few drinks. Every time you've tried going to bed without it, you end up back on the couch an hour later pouring a glas...

EP340: Why your drinking makes perfect sense (and how to actually rewire your brain)

28 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

You've been kicking yourself for finishing the bottle (again) when you promised it was going to be just one glass. This episode explains why trying ha...

EP339 The 3 Hidden Patterns Behind Overdrinking for Busy and Successful Women

21 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

You're not a woman who needs more information. You read the books. You follow the sober curious accounts. You've done Dry January. You've downloaded S...

EP338 Minisode: Why You Can Explain Your Drinking But Still Can't Change It

17 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen pulls apart something that sounds right, but quietly keeps women stuck: thinking about your feelings instead of actually feel...

EP337: Why drinking every night destroys your confidence (and how to stop)

14 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Now that I'm on the other side of my recent slip back into drinking every night, I can see exactly what happened—and more importantly, I can explain...

EP336 Minisode: Why Giving Yourself Permission To Drink Actually Helps You Drink Less

10 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen revisits one of the hardest ideas to trust at first: that before your drinking changes, you have to stop making your drinking...

EP335: I was drinking every night again. Here's how I stopped.

07 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Colleen gets really personal in this episode. She shares the hard winter that (at one point) sent her back to nightly drinking, financial stress, the ...

EP334 Minisode: Lower your tolerance without taking a break from alcohol

03 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen pulls on a thread most women don't question: that moment where you're a drink or two in and thinking, "I'm not even feeling t...

Ep333: Three Simple Practices To Improve Your Willpower TONIGHT

31 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

You made the promise this morning,"I'm not going to drink tonight." You meant it. Then the day happened. And by 6pm, the drink was in your hand like t...

EP332 Minisode: Become Your Own Source Of Comfort (So You Don't Need Alcohol)

27 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen names something most women have never been taught to do: have a relationship with themselves. Not self-improvement. Not fixin...

EP331 Workaholism and Over-Drinking Are the Same Problem — Here's the One Shift That Fixes Both

20 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What if the habit you're most proud of — your drive, your work ethic, your ability to get things done — is quietly running on the same fuel as the...

EP330 Minisode: How to leverage your dopamine so that alcohol is less appealing

20 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen revisits the biochemistry of change through the lens of dopamine — not as a science lesson, but as a practical explanation ...

EP329: Why your brain classifies alcohol as medicine, and how microdosing psilocybin changes that w/ Victoria Lee Starr

17 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

If you've ever reached for a glass of wine at the end of a hard day without really deciding to, this episode is going to explain exactly why that happ...

EP328 Minisode: The #1 Lie That Makes You Want To Drink

13 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this minisode, Colleen explores one of the most powerful lies we tell ourselves when we feel overwhelmed or stuck: "I don't have a choice." It soun...

EP327: Why Getting Sober Didn't Fix My Drinking Problem (And What Actually Did)

10 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

You've been told your drinking is the problem. That if you could just control the behavior — stay sober long enough, count your days, follow the rul...

EP326 Minisode: Three Mindset Shifts That Changed My Relationship With Alcohol

06 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen shares a coaching moment that started with a simple scheduling mistake and turned into a powerful lesson about belief systems...

EP325: Why women who pursue financial abundance can take or leave alcohol with Mystic Millionaire Danielle Amos

03 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What do your drinking and your bank account have in common? More than you think. In this episode, I sit down with mindset coach and Mystic Millionaire...

EP324: Why I'm No longer Suggesting Women "Reduce Drinking By 80%"

27 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For two years, "reduce your drinking by 80%" was my signature phrase. It's on my website, my ads, my podcast — everywhere. In this episode, I tell ...

EP323: What it means when you're not just drinking for fun, you're drinking to cope

24 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Most women measure alcohol consumption by how much and how often they drink. But the research says the most important predictor of whether your drinki...

EP322 Minisode: What Big Setbacks With Drinking Really Mean About Your Ability To Change

20 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

✦ February Bonus ✦ Join The Next Chapter by February 28, 2026 and receive $2,000 off.  In this episode, Colleen reframes one of the biggest mi...

EP321: Are your alcohol cravings physical or mental?

17 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

You think your cravings are a willpower problem. They're not. You think if you could just think differently, you'd drink differently. And that's exact...

EP320 Minisode: Why You Keep Breaking Your Own Rules About Drinking

13 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen continues sharing takeaways from her retreat with Dr. Amanda Hanson (midlifemuse) — and she names something that sits under...

EP319: The #1 Skill That Will Reduce Your Drinking Without (much) Willpower

10 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

You told yourself this morning you weren't going to drink tonight. But now that it's time to make that decision, it feels impossible to say no. That m...

EP318: Want to know why some women can take or leave alcohol?

06 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Do you want to know what's different about the women who can genuinely take or leave alcohol? And why it feels impossible for you to be "more like th...

EP317 Why talk therapy isn't enough to change your drinking with Dr. Amanda Hanson

03 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

I was one of the most therapized people you've ever met. I knew my triggers. I'd unpacked my daddy issues, my relationship with my mom, my insecurity,...

EP316 Minisode: Next Time You Want To Numb Your Emotions With Alcohol, Try This Instead

30 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen shares a raw, surprising takeaway from a recent retreat — one that had nothing to do with learning new concepts and everyth...

EP315 What I do the morning after I drink too much

27 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

I woke up a little hungover this morning. I had a third glass of wine I didn't need. And instead of spiraling into shame, I did what I always do now—...

EP314 Minisode: How to pull yourself out of a funk without pouring a drink

23 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen responds to a question many women hit right after real momentum begins: What if I slip back? What if the funk comes back and ...

EP313 Three Tools that will help you drink less without relying on willpower

20 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Why does the wine start calling at 5pm—even when you promised yourself this morning you wouldn't drink tonight? In this episode, Colleen breaks down...

EP312 Minisode: You're Not Broken, You're Wounded: The Truth About Trauma and Addiction

16 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen unpacks one of the most misunderstood truths in emotional sobriety: drinking isn't a character issue — it's a nervous syste...

EP311 Why you'd rather drink alone than have sex with your partner (and how to turn yourself back on)

13 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

This is a follow-up to last week's episode about a client whose New Year's resolution to "drink less" was already failing two days in. I talked about ...

EP310 Minisode: Why big decisions make you want to drink (and what to do instead)

09 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen breaks down one of the most misunderstood moments in personal growth: the space between feeling pressure to decide and actual...

EP309 Why trying to drink less causes you to drink more (Do THIS Instead)

06 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Are you worried about "failing" at your resolution to drink less this year? Before you beat yourself up after your next slip, I need you to understand...

EP308 Minisode: How To Process & Heal From Overwhelm

02 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

🪩 HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!! 💃  In this episode, Colleen pulls back the curtain on what overwhelm actually looks like from the inside — not...

EP307: How to leverage your dopamine so you actually don't want to drink (so much)

30 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You know what you need to do. So why can't you get yourself to do it? Because you've been waiting for motivation to show up—like it's some mysteriou...

EP306 Minisode: When You Don't Want To Drink, But Your Mouth Orders A Chardonnay

26 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen breaks down a moment almost every woman in this work has experienced: when your body makes a decision before your conscious m...

EP305 Are you drinking to cope with a job you hate? (And how to change that) with Career Coach Michelle Schafer

23 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you've been stuck in a job that's slowly draining you—and using wine to cope with the Sunday scaries—this episode is your permission slip to st...

EP304 Minisode: T'is The Season To Break The Rules

19 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why do we buy gifts we can't afford for people who don't need them and over-schedule ourselves to the point where we only have the energy to drink and...

EP303 "Why trying to quit made me drink even more" with Katie Herzog (Drink your way sober with naltrexone)

16 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Katie Herzog spent 15 years trying everything: AA, therapy, CBT, SMART Recovery, moderation management, swapping booze for weed. Nothing stuck. And in...

EP302 Minisode: How To Make An Emotionally Sober "To-Do List" (For Type A Thinkers)

13 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen speaks directly to the women who live and die by the checklist, the ones who can run circles around everyone else at work, ke...

EP301 Minisode: To Drink OR Not To Drink On The Plane

11 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen shares a real moment from her life a few weeks ago. The kind of moment everybody encounters but rarely names. On a Thursday f...

EP300 Healing burnout: Small steps that cause big change with Cait Donovan

09 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I recently hit a wall. Not the kind where you're tired—the kind where you wake up and genuinely don't care anymore. About your business. About your ...

EP299 Minisode: Why hasn't my drinking changed?

06 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen unpacks one of the most common and misunderstood experiences women face in this work: the moment you look up, take inventory,...

EP298 Minisode: The importance of completing the stress response

04 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen shares a simple moment from her morning — a single unexpected email — that shows exactly how the nervous system can hijac...

EP297 What human design reveals about your chronic symptoms with Hope Pedraza

02 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As middle aged women, we all know what it's like to be exhausted. Not the kind of exhausted where you need a nap—the kind where you've been running ...

EP296 Minisode: Embracing Overwhelm

29 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen pulls the curtain back on overwhelm and names it for what it really is: a trauma response living in your nervous system, not ...

EP295 Minisode: Where real motivation comes from

27 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen gets brutally honest about something most "high-functioning" women never admit out loud: what happens when your old motivatio...

EP294 Why you're mind won't stop spinning when you're triggered

25 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You've done the therapy. Read the books. Listened to the podcasts. You understand your trauma responses intellectually. But when you get triggered, yo...

EP293 Minisode: What it means when you feel like you HAVE to do something

22 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen shares a real-life story about her daughter's college move-in that reveals one of the most important skills in emotional sobr...

EP292 Minisode: How to connect with your Higher Self

20 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen breaks down one of the most foundational teachings of emotional sobriety: your higher self isn't a future version of you — ...

EP291: Why you drink too much when you're alone (and what to do about it)

18 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What if the reason you're still drinking too much when you're alone has nothing to do with willpower—and everything to do with how you think about b...

EP290 Minisode: You need a vision for WHO you are becoming

15 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen walks us through a coaching moment that captures what emotional sobriety really means: shifting from self-criticism and contr...

EP289 Minisode: Don't Let the Slip Become a Slide

13 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this deeply personal reflection, Colleen opens up about her own history with bulimia and the years she spent trying to control her body to manage h...

EP288 Understanding "Reentry Syndrome:" Why excessive drinking is a trauma response (and how to stop)

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You know that feeling when you're thinking about drinking later and your stomach drops because you're already worried about overdoing it? Or when you ...

EP287 Minisode: Are you available to Be. Here. Now?

08 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this reflective episode, Colleen shares how a single morning meditation changed the trajectory of her entire day — and became a living practice f...

EP286 Minisode: You Can't Have The Money, Honey.

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this reflective episode, Colleen shares a deeply personal moment—learning she couldn't qualify to assume the mortgage on her own home—and how t...

EP285 How to co-parent with someone who makes you want to scream with Amy Armstrong

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What if the biggest problem in your high-conflict relationship isn't your ex—it's that you keep handing them your power? In this conversation, Amy A...

EP284 Minisode: Try my favorite tool: Full Body Reset

01 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen revisits a recording in which she introduces a powerful tool that continues to help women interrupt autopilot and reconnect w...

EP283 Minisode: Why you need small group support

30 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The truth is, you can't out-think a thinking problem. And yet, that's what so many women try to do—reading, journaling, "working on themselves"—a...

EP282 How to eat to change how you drink, with Dr. Brooke Scheller

28 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Here's what nobody tells you when you're trying to change your drinking: Your alcohol cravings at happy hour are not just about needing a break after ...

EP281 Minisode: Primal versus Power states

25 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this minisode, Colleen distills emotional sobriety into its simplest form: learning to recognize when you're operating from your primal state versu...

EP280 Minisode: Are you more worried about how you look than how you feel?

23 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this minisode, Colleen unpacks the hidden link between insecurity and control — and how most of us try to manage our anxiety by managing other pe...

EP279: The Consistency Code: How to stop self-sabotaging your health with Courtney Townley

21 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When I was in my 30s and 40s, I thought health was something you earned with discipline. I ate clean, drank tons of water, ran marathons and swallowed...

EP278 Minisode: Future Casting

18 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen introduces "future casting" — a mindset tool that helps you move from emotional reactivity into grounded awareness. She ref...

EP277 Minisode: Are You A Princess?

16 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this minisode, Colleen reflects on the stories we grew up with — the ones where the lost princess or overlooked heroine is finally discovered and...

EP276 How to Rewire Your Brain to Drink Less: 8 Core Principles of Self-Directed Neuroplasticity

14 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You don't have a willpower problem. You have a nervous system problem. In this episode, I'm breaking down the eight principles of self-directed neurop...

EP275 Minisode: What's Really Holding You Back?

11 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen explores how hidden beliefs quietly shape our choices, limit our vision, and create the illusion of safety at the expense of ...

EP274 Minisode: Who are you NOT to be powerful?

09 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen traces a quiet, familiar fear that surfaces whenever we step into new territory — the fear of becoming "too much." What beg...

EP273 Why midlife breakdown is inevitable and what comes next

07 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today I'm sharing a powerful conversation from The Period Whisperer podcast with host Bria Gadd. We talk about the hidden link between hormones, stres...

EP272 Minisode: Whatever. I Don't Care.

04 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen exposes one of the most dangerous lies we tell ourselves: "Whatever. I don't care." It's the phrase that sneaks in at the ve...

EP271 Minisode: Your Power Is In The Pause

02 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Your nervous system dictates how you think, feel, and act. The problem? The moments you most need perspective are the very moments your biology shuts ...

EP270: The science of drinking less: dopamine, cortisol and the real reason willpower fails

30 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today I'm back with Sunnyside podcast host Mike Hardenbrook for a conversation that pops the hood on why willpower isn't enough to change your drinkin...

EP269 Minisode: WARNING- Today's Success May Cause Tomorrow's Failure

27 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen draws from Keira Bobinet's Unstoppable Brain to unpack how perfectionism wires the brain for shame and shutdown. The real shi...

EP268 Minisode: Country Roads Take Me Home (5): A new angel earns her wings

25 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this final chapter of her West Virginia series, Colleen shares a mysterious story about her daughter Anna—and what felt like a sign from Laura, r...

EP267: How I went from heavy daily drinker to "less is more"

23 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today, I'm sharing a conversation that first aired on the Sunnyside podcast—home of the #1 mindful drinking app. I sat down with co-founder and hos...

EP266 Minisode: Country Roads Take Me Home (4): "I don't have a voice."

20 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Driving away from West Virginia, Colleen realized she no longer needs perfect conditions to feel like herself—because that version of her now lives ...

EP265 Minisode: Country Roads Take Me Home (3): Dancing with my future self

18 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After years of trying to fix her life by rearranging circumstances, Colleen finally stopped—and turned inward. This is the story of how admitting "I...

EP264 The hidden habit that destroys your willpower to drink in moderation

16 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I'd been a daily drinker for over a decade when somehow, I found the motivation to stay sober for an entire weekend. It was actually easy and felt so ...

EP263 Minisode: Country Roads Take Me Home (2): Doubling down on my performance strategies

13 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this continuation, Colleen shares how West Virginia shifted her in ways she didn't see coming. She found herself in a community where image didn't ...

EP262 Minisode: Country Roads Take Me Home (1): Checking all the boxes

11 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen begins a five-part mini-series by reflecting on a season of life where everything looked perfect on the outside—four childr...

EP261 How to get out of Survival Mode With Dr. Aimee Apigain

09 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You know that feeling after you push through a big event or deadline—the letdown that leaves you tired, unmotivated, and maybe even sick ? Most wom...

EP260 Minisode: Have you noticed what you notice?

06 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen explores the powerful intersection of science and spirituality—from dopamine research and environmental design to Michael S...

EP259 Minisode: The Mindset That Sees The Problem Is The Problem

04 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen shares a personal story of missed flights, expired licenses, stolen wallets—and how choosing bat-shit positive over bat-shi...

EP258: Breaking the Cycle of Generational Trauma: Healing the Mother-Daughter Wound with Erica Thomas

02 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What if the struggles you face today as a woman didn't start with you—but with your mother, and her mother before her? In this powerful conversation...

EP257 Minisode: Adjusting Expectations For The Holidays (Part 2)

30 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this follow-up episode, Colleen shares a personal holiday stumble—an experience she originally recorded in late 2024, but one that still rings tr...

EP256 Minisode: Adjusting Expectations For The Holidays (Part 1)

28 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As the holiday season approaches, this episode—originally recorded after Thanksgiving 2024—offers perspective that's just as relevant now as it wa...

EP255: Why "tough love" doesn't work with substance use and how to set boundaries that actually help with Heather Ross

26 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Our culture teaches that when someone is struggling with substance use, the correct response is tough love. It's better to let them hit rock bottom th...

EP254 Minisode: Tired Is A Feeling, Not A Fact

23 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen unpacks one of the most common struggles in early sobriety and beyond: bone-deep exhaustion. She shares her own experience qu...

EP253 Minisode: My Coach Just Fixed My Brain

21 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen gives an update on the behind-the-scenes of what happened after being suddenly cut from a program she'd once called home. At ...

EP252: How to release self-criticism so you can actually lose weight with body love coach Sarah Haas

19 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You know that sinking feeling of disappointment or even disgust you get when you're looking at yourself in the mirror and wishing you were thinner? Th...

EP251 Minisode: OMG! I Was Kicked From My Coaching Program

16 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen pulls back the curtain on a personal "bitch slap from the universe" that arrived in the form of a sudden, unexplained expulsi...

EP250 Minisode: Fault vs. Responsibility

14 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen dismantles one of the most costly habits we carry through life: the obsession with figuring out whose fault it is. She makes ...

EP249: What it means to recover from sobriety–with Michele Hobin

12 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When my client, Michele, told me she was going to reintroduce alcohol. I'll be honest — I was nervous. Actually, that's bullshit. I felt like a fail...

EP248 Minisode: When You Feel Like You Did Something Wrong

09 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen shares a raw, behind-the-scenes moment from her own emotional funk and breaks down exactly how she worked through it—though...

EP247 Minisode: Thinking About vs. Listening To Anxiety

07 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen reframes one of the most misunderstood experiences in recovery: anxiety. Far from being just a diagnosis or a quirk of person...

EP246 HSPs and alcohol: why sensitive women are more likely to drink with Tina Marx

05 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you've ever been told you're "too sensitive," this episode is for you.. Today, I'm talking with podcast host Tina Marx to explore the deep connecti...

EP245 Minisode: You Don't Have To Think About That

02 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen names the real culprit behind so many evening drinking spirals: not lack of willpower, but an overloaded nervous system weigh...

EP244 Minisode: You Can't F*** This Up

31 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen shares a game-changing reframe about why we actually get stuck—even when we have the motivation, the clarity, and the plan....

EP243 How to feel like the best version of you even when you make a mistake

29 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you've been trying to change so that you can feel ready, healed, better and in control, this episode will explain how it's possible to feel those t...

EP242 Minisode: The Process And Payoff Of Emotional Sobriety

26 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Colleen shares a quiet but powerful moment from one of her recent coaching calls—where a client celebrated a huge win, and Colleen ...