- 1 hour 32 minutesHow to Give Yourself Grace About Drinking
⚠️ Trigger warning: This episode contains references to childhood abuse, parental alcoholism, and the death of a parent from alcohol-related illness.
Most of us were never taught how to give ourselves grace about drinking, only how to judge ourselves for it. Kelly and Amber are proof that the shame and guilt show up no matter how different the situation looks. For Kelly, it shows up after a weekend of drinking that went further than she planned. For Amber, it shows up the moment someone she's dating asks why she's not drinking, and a much older fear takes over.
Kelly discusses:
Why her biggest data point yet, a full night out at a friend's timeshare, left her more unsettled than any smaller one had
The real difference between "I've proven I can" drink moderately and "I've proven I can" have a great time without it
Why Coach Hayley adds the word "yet" every time Kelly says she can't figure out why she drinks
Admitting she's skipped a Path call because she didn't want to say out loud that she'd had a fun night of drinking
Using the ACT technique on the belief "it's part of my culture," and what that opens up
Amber discusses:
Why she can turn down a drink at work without blinking but freezes the second a date asks why she doesn't drink
The exact body sensation she calls "bracing for impact," and the part Coach Cole admits he carries too
Asking the part of her that calls itself broken what it's actually trying to protect her from
The Sharon Salzberg line about meditation that becomes her new mantra for catching herself mid-spiral
The exact phrase Amber swaps in for "I'm broken," and why it changes how she shows up on a date
And more…
Ready to take the next step?
Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious!
Coach Hayley Scherders is a certified TNM Coach trained through the Canadian Addiction and Mental Health Association. Learn more about Coach Hayley: thisnakedmind.com/coach/hayley-scherders/
Coach Cole Harvey is a Certified Naked Mind Senior Coach and habit change and mindset coach. Learn more about Coach Cole: thisnakedmind.com/coach/cole-harvey/
Episode links:
More on this episode: https://thisnakedmind.com/podcast/how-to-give-yourself-grace-about-drinking-alcohol-freedom-coaching-ep-927/
The Path: nakedmindpath.com
Related Episodes:
Alcohol Addiction and Shame - Hayley's Naked Life - EP 679 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-679-naked-life-story-hayley-s/
Healing Through Self-Love - Cole's Naked Life - EP 737 - https://thisnakedmind.com/healing-through-self-love-coles-naked-life-e737/
How Do I Get Over the Fear of Being Kind to Myself? - Reader Question - EP 552 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-552-reader-question-how-do-i-get-over-the-fear-of-being-kind-to-myself/
Follow on Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-naked-mind-podcast/id1287269357
Follow on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0UB06sNguPjVvgAYFBcR9I?si=b7568f24c21249ff
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp, Quince, Shopify, Zazzle, and OSEA.
BetterHelp: BetterHelp is offering our listeners 10% off at betterhelp.com/nakedmind
Quince: Get free shipping and 365-day returns at quince.com/naked
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Zazzle: Save 25% on your first order at zazzle.com
OSEA: Get 10% off your first order sitewide with code NAKEDMIND at OSEAMalibu.com
28 July 2026, 9:00 am - 57 minutes 7 secondsWhen Using Alcohol to Self-Soothe Stops Working
Trigger warning: This episode contains references to drunk driving, DWIs, and thoughts of not wanting to live.
Zita was in her kitchen in 2017, working up the nerve for a hard conversation with her boyfriend, when the thought arrived: "You know what would make this easier?" She took a shot to self-soothe before the conversation, and it worked so well that her brain filed alcohol away as the answer to hard moments from then on. She's a registered nurse in her mid-30s who felt nothing when she watched other people drink, all the way through nursing school, with no reason to think that thought would change anything. It did. Three years and several DWIs later, one blacked-out night finally made her stop and ask what she was doing. Now approaching five years alcohol-free, she shares her story.
Zita and Coach Cole discuss:
How one shot before a hard conversation taught her brain a lesson it never unlearned
Why year two brought DWIs and car accidents, then a family intervention she wasn't ready to hear
The hiding stage, and what it costs to act unaffected while drunk around people who love you
Waking up unable to remember the night she drove food to her sick brother
Why she never missed a nursing shift while everything else came apart
The promise to her mom she couldn't keep, and what that finally broke open
How one addiction specialist's number, 90 days, became the only thing she could hold onto
And more on faith, filling her own cup, and what it really means to find your own path to alcohol freedom…
Ready to take the next step? Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious!
Episode links:
More on this episode:
https://thisnakedmind.com/podcast/using-alcohol-to-self-soothe-zita-naked-life-ep-926/
Related episodes:
Naked Life Story | Simone | EP 207 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-207-naked-life-story-simone/
How Do You Deal With Stress Without Alcohol? | Reader Question | EP 158 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-158-how-do-you-deal-with-stress-without-alcohol/
When Alcohol Is The Only Coping Tool You Know | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 917 - https://thisnakedmind.com/how-to-stop-using-alcohol-to-cope-alcohol-freedom-coaching-ep-917/
Follow on Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-naked-mind-podcast/id1287269357
Follow on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0UB06sNguPjVvgAYFBcR9I?si=b7568f24c21249ff
25 July 2026, 9:00 am - 1 hour 14 minutesThe Real Reason You Drink
⚠️ Trigger warning: This episode contains references to psychological and emotional abuse in a marriage.
The answer to "why I use alcohol to cope" is rarely what you expect. For Will, it’s buried in a need for control he's carried since a chaotic childhood. For Kathleen, it comes from decades of being the one everyone else leans on. Coaches Cole and Zoe help Will and Kathleen take steps towards freeing themselves from that weight.
Will discusses:
Decades of using alcohol to quiet a busy brain, and what happens after the first beer
Why knowing the pattern isn’t enough
The childhood fear of instability that shows up as a desperate need for answers and control
Coach Cole’s reframe: curious versus combat, connect versus control
A body scan moment where he notices tension in real time and releases it
The video game map metaphor — taking the next step without needing to see the whole path
Kathleen discusses:
Being introduced to alcohol at 16 as a social crutch when she moved to a new town
What her mother modeled, and how she replicated it without realizing it for decades
The hero child dynamic — being her father’s favorite and her mother’s confidant, and what that cost her
A 28-year emotionally abusive marriage, and how alcohol became her numbing agent
Learning to ask for what she needs directly, rather than hoping her husband picks it up
The unexpected parallel: she’s now modeling her mother’s behavior by going alcohol-free
…and more
Ready to take the next step?
Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious!
Cole Harvey is a certified Naked Mind Senior Coach. As a habit change and mindset coach, Cole helps 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. Learn more about Coach Zoe: https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/zoe-ewart/
Episode links:
More on this episode - https://thisnakedmind.com/podcast/why-i-use-alcohol-to-cope-alcohol-freedom-coaching-ep-925
Start your alcohol freedom journey: https://nakedmindpath.com
Related episodes:
Healing Through Self-Love: Cole’s Naked Life — E737 — https://thisnakedmind.com/healing-through-self-love-coles-naked-life-e737/
Healing Emotional Pain Without Alcohol - Reader’s Question - EP 706 – https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-706-readers-question-healing-emotional-pain-without-alcohol/
Reclaiming Your True Self: Alcohol Freedom Coaching — E770 — https://thisnakedmind.com/reclaiming-your-true-self-alcohol-freedom-coaching-e770/
Follow on Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-naked-mind-podcast/id1287269357
Follow on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0UB06sNguPjVvgAYFBcR9I?si=b7568f24c21249ff
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp, Quince, Shopify, Zazzle, and OSEA.
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 free trial at shopify.com/mind
Zazzle: Save 25% on your first order at zazzle.com
OSEA: Get 10% off your first order sitewide with code NAKEDMIND at OSEAMalibu.com
21 July 2026, 9:00 am - 59 minutes 27 secondsHow Grief Built Perfectly Made AF
Trigger warning: This episode contains references to the alcohol-related death of a family member.
Is it possible to build something meaningful out of the worst loss of your life? For Kelly, the answer arrived just five months after she got free from alcohol herself. That's when her brother died from the same thing she'd spent years measuring her own drinking against. She built Perfectly Made AF in response, a nonprofit funding alcohol freedom scholarships in his memory and an annual Boulder gala designed to prove an alcohol-free life is anything but boring. Kelly's Naked Life story traces how she got there, from years of comparing her own drinking to his, to the two days after his funeral when she had to choose what came next.
Kelly and Coach Cole discuss:
What almost happened two days after her brother's funeral, five months into her own alcohol-free life
Why "I'm not him" was the comparison that let her avoid her own drinking for years
The message she wrote her brother a month before he died, and why it came too late
How a scholarship fund turned into a full nonprofit with 18 people currently enrolled
The thinking behind this year's Perfect Gala, from a mobile planetarium to a "grounding portal"
Why Kelly keeps the scholarship recipients anonymous, even from herself
What she's hoping to build next, from new partnerships to content for schools
And more on decision fatigue, mommy wine culture, and what it really means to find your own path to alcohol freedom…
Ready to take the next step?
Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious!
Episode links:
https://www.perfectlymadeaf.com/
More on this episode: https://thisnakedmind.com/podcast/how-grief-built-perfectly-made-af-ep-924/
Related episodes:
Naked Life Story: Paul Churchill | EP 61 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-61-naked-life-story-paul-churchill/
Reader Question - Do I Need to Quit Drinking Forever? | EP 296 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-296-reader-question-do-i-need-to-quit-drinking-forever/
Reclaim Your Life | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | E762 - https://thisnakedmind.com/reclaim-your-life-alcohol-freedom-coaching-e762/
Follow on Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-naked-mind-podcast/id1287269357
Follow on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0UB06sNguPjVvgAYFBcR9I?si=b7568f24c21249ff
18 July 2026, 9:00 am - 1 hour 4 minutesAre You Drinking To Escape?
Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussion of traumatic brain injury.
Are you drinking to escape your life? Catherine was. She called it the escape room. Rachael didn't use those words, but she'd no doubt agree with them. If you're drinking to escape a life that feels like too much, too heavy, and too demanding, you'll want to tune in. Catherine and Rachael work with Coaches Hayley and Zoe to stop seeing alcohol as a way out, and start learning how to stay present even when life feels like too much.
Catherine discusses:
The "escape room" she built around wine and what happened when she closed the door for good
The in-control/out-of-control list Coach Hayley walks her through, and why it matters
Grieving the life she thought her daughter would have, and what getting stuck in that future costs her
The turnaround: "I'm willing to consider things might be okay if I don't try to fix it"
Rachael discusses:
Why she's more nervous about Saturday night than Friday night, and what that tells her
The reference library metaphor Coach Zoe uses to explain why stopping drinking doesn't reset old patterns
Her alive goal, which came out of the session word by word, and how alcohol dropped off the moment she said it out loud
How the conversation with her husband changes when she stops assuming what he's thinking
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/
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. Zoe taught Pilates for 15 years. 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:
How To Break The Habit Of Drinking Due To Stress | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 776 – https://thisnakedmind.com/how-to-break-the-habit-of-drinking-due-to-stress-enough-alcohol-freedom-coaching-e776/
How To Turn Your Brain Off Without Drinking | Naked Life Stories | EP 804 – https://thisnakedmind.com/how-to-turn-your-brain-off-without-drinking-e804/
EP 114: Reader Question – How Do I Handle My Social Anxiety Without Alcohol? – https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-114-reader-question-reader-question-handle-social-anxiety-without-alcohol/
Follow on Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-naked-mind-podcast/id1287269357
Follow on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0UB06sNguPjVvgAYFBcR9I?si=b7568f24c21249ff
Ready to take the next step?
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, Shopify, Zazzle, and OSEA.
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 free trial at shopify.com/mind
Zazzle: Save 25% on your first order at zazzle.com
OSEA: Get 10% off your first order sitewide with code NAKEDMIND at OSEAMalibu.com
14 July 2026, 9:00 am - 45 minutes 41 secondsI Was A Functional Drinker For 32 Years
For 32 years, Travis was a functional drinker who never got a DUI, never missed a day of work, and never fit the picture most people hold when they hear "drinking problem," but spent years hiding beers in the garage, lying to his wife about the count, and woke up after one Christmas morning knowing his kids had been worried Santa wasn't coming. He came to This Naked Mind thinking he might be able to moderate. He joined The Path in November 2023, had one more bad birthday, and threw out the last two bottles of a Wisconsin six-pack the next day. He's at 757 days alcohol-free. Coach Cole Harvey is here to hear him tell it.
Travis and Coach Cole discuss:
The pit party at 18 that set up a chase he'd spend the next 32 years trying to get back to
Hiding beers in the garage, counting them in his head and lying about the number, and why the "alcoholic" label kept him from asking for help for years
The Christmas his kids were worried Santa wasn't coming, and why even that didn't break the cycle
A 2023 job loss that cracked things open, and the visualization exercise during a free Zoom that convinced him to commit to The Path
What happened on his 50th birthday and the two bottles he threw out the next day
The parallel mental health journey that changed what he understands about why he was drinking in the first place
Nearly 30 pounds lost and one afternoon of yard work that proved something had shifted in his body
What his 14-year-old daughter said to her friends about her dad, and why Travis still can't get through it without getting chills
And more on neural pathway habits, the functional drinker's relationship with the "alcoholic" label, and finding your own path to alcohol freedom...
Episode links: nakedmindpath.com
Related episodes:
Naked Life Story — Kat | NLS | EP 521 — https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-521-naked-life-story-kat/
Reader Question – Am I an Alcoholic? | EP 58 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-58-reader-question-alcoholic/
How To Stop Drinking To Avoid Emotions | AFC | EP 845 — https://thisnakedmind.com/drinking-to-avoid-emotions-afc-e845/
Follow on Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-naked-mind-podcast/id1287269357
Follow on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0UB06sNguPjVvgAYFBcR9I?si=b7568f24c21249ff
Ready to take the next step? 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, Shopify, Zazzle, and OSEA.
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 free trial at shopify.com/mind
Zazzle: Save 25% on your first order at zazzle.com
OSEA: Get 10% off your first order sitewide with code NAKEDMIND at OSEAMalibu.com
11 July 2026, 9:00 am - 1 hour 3 minutesWhy You Drink To Fit In
Andrew and Adele both know why they need alcohol to socialize — or think they do. For Adele, 64 and living in a New Zealand wine region, it started at 14 in the back of a school bus and never really stopped being about fitting in. For Andrew, who is navigating a late-life ADHD diagnosis and the possible end of his marriage, the answer turned out to go a lot deeper than the social stuff.
Andrew discusses:
His late-life ADHD diagnosis and why emotional dysregulation makes the pull toward alcohol so much harder to catch.
Realizing he has never felt safe — and how his body already knew that before he did
What finally made his marriage struggles make complete sense
The hand-on-heart technique from Coach Zoe and how it's helping him regulate in real time
Finding The Path after his wife asked for a divorce — and what group coaching calls unlocked
Adele discusses:
Fifty years of drinking to fit in, starting at 14 in the back of a school bus
Why AA's shame-based language kept her stuck, and what changed when she joined The Path
The five-year-old who felt different, rejected, and vulnerable after her parents' divorce
Struggling to show compassion for her younger self because of choices she hasn't forgiven
The visualization practice that gave her a glimpse of something she hadn't felt in a long time: peace
And more…
Coach 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. Zoe taught Pilates for 15 years. She has four adult children and more animals than the Ark ever had. Learn more about Coach Zoe: https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/zoe-ewart/
Coach 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/
Episode links: nakedmindpath.com
Related episodes:
Using Alcohol to Cope | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 736 –https://thisnakedmind.com/self-love-is-the-key-alcohol-freedom-coaching-e736/
Building Genuine Connections Without Alcohol | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 821 – https://thisnakedmind.com/building-genuine-connections-without-alcohol-e821/
The Cost of Fitting In | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 785 – https://thisnakedmind.com/the-cost-of-fitting-in-alcohol-freedom-coaching-e785/
CTA
Follow on Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-naked-mind-podcast/id1287269357
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Ready to take the next step? 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, Shopify, Zazzle, and OSEA.
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7 July 2026, 9:00 am - 57 minutes 45 secondsSummer of Love
In Summer of Love, Kerri Maher writes about wine country glamour, shame that runs across generations, and the woman at the center who can't quite say out loud what she knows about herself. She lived that from the inside before she could write it clearly. She read Annie Grace's This Naked Mind in its earliest self-published form in 2016, stopped drinking for 15 months, then convinced herself the problem had been unhappiness and let it back in, and spent four more years in the push and pull: a sticky note on the fridge that kept watching her fail, sneak drinking she couldn't rationalize away, and a strange accidental last act at the end of 2021 that finally closed the door. This conversation with Coach Hayley is the first time she's said any of it out loud.
Kerri and Coach Hayley discuss:
What Kerri's first, unspoken reaction to a friend's news told her about herself — and why she almost didn't register it
Why reading Annie Grace's This Naked Mind in its earliest self-published edition wasn't the simple end of the story
The sticky note on the fridge, the promise it represented, and what she was still doing while it stayed up
A question from the Sober Powered podcast that gave her chills — and why it took her years to answer honestly
What emotional regulation, perimenopause, and a coaching certification all have to do with finding freedom from alcohol
What she gave the Dawn character in Summer of Love that she could only have given her from the other side
And more on the community that finally felt like home, mental real estate, and what "you are doing it" really means when the process is nonlinear...
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/
Episode links:
https://amzn.to/4fBVKEq (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
Related episodes:
We Are the Luckiest | Laura McKowen | EP 241 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-241-we-are-the-luckiest-with-laura-mckowen/
Reader Question: How Do You Deal with the Romanticism of the Food and Wine Culture? | EP 294 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-294-reader-question-how-do-you-deal-with-the-romanticism-of-the-food-wine-culture-when-youre-alcohol-free/
Creating A New Identity After Quitting Drinking | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 801 - https://thisnakedmind.com/creating-a-new-identity-after-quitting-drinking-alcohol-freedom-freedom-coaching-e801/
Follow on Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-naked-mind-podcast/id1287269357
Follow on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0UB06sNguPjVvgAYFBcR9I?si=b7568f24c21249ff
Ready to take the next step?
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, Shopify, Zazzle, and OSEA.
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4 July 2026, 9:00 am - 1 hour 8 minutesWhy You Keep Going Back To Alcohol
Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 919
If you're trying to figure out how to stop drinking for good, you’ll want to tune in for this episode. Shannon is 14 days alcohol-free and the first person on either side of her family to ever try changing their drinking — and every time a family member sets down their glass because she isn't having one, the guilt shows up right on schedule. Amy read This Naked Mind five years ago, went alcohol-free for five months, lost her mother during COVID, and spent five years trying to get back. She's six weeks in now and more afraid of losing it than she's been afraid of anything she's built for herself. Listen and find out what actually gets in the way for both of them.Shannon discusses:
Growing up surrounded by heavy drinkers & being the first to step away
The guilt she carries when family members say they "won't drink either" on her account
Tracing people-pleasing back to a 7-year-old part of herself who learned to be responsible for others' feelings
Her ALIVE goal: free, full of hope and joy, not chained to a substance or to other people's reactions
Amy discusses:
Being six weeks alcohol-free and terrified of losing what she's worked so hard to build
Reading This Naked Mind five years ago, going alcohol-free for five months, losing her mother during COVID, and drinking again for five years
The shift from holding alcohol freedom in a clenched fist to an open hand
How taking care of her granddaughter became the biggest trigger — and how she navigated it without drinking
And more from both guests…
Cole Harvey is a certified Naked Mind Senior Coach. For years, he felt lost and used alcohol 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. Zoe taught Pilates for 15 years. 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:
Stop Making Excuses to Drink Again - EP 664 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-664-readers-question-how-do-i-stop-making-excuses-to-drink-again/
Why Do People Go Back to Drinking? - EP 730 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-730-coaches-podcast-coach-ellie-with-lauri-m-tina-m/
Overcoming the Fear of Drinking Again - EP 741 - https://thisnakedmind.com/overcoming-the-fear-of-drinking-again-erins-naked-life-e741/
Ready to take the next step? Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious!
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp, Green Chef, Quince, Shopify, Zazzle, and OSEA. BetterHelp: BetterHelp is offering our listeners 10% off at betterhelp.com/nakedmind Green Chef: Get 50% off your first month, then 20% percent off for 2 month at greenchef.com/NAKEDMIND Quince: get free shipping and 365-day returns at quince.com/nakedShopify: Sign up for $1 month trial at shopify.com/mind Zazzle: Save 25% on your first order at zazzle.com OSEA: Get 10% off your first order sitewide with code NAKEDMIND at OSEAMalibu.com
30 June 2026, 9:00 am - 45 minutes 24 secondsWhen AA Isn’t Working
Tim's Naked Life | EP 918
When AA isn't working, most people assume they're the problem — not committed enough, not broken enough, not at rock bottom enough to figure it all out and make a change. Tim Kelly thought that too. A 30-year sales professional who'd always been able to muscle through whatever came at him, Tim spent years inside 12-step programs and still couldn't stop drinking. In this episode, he sits down with Coach Cole Harvey to talk about what finally changed, and why the answer was never about trying harder.
Tim and Coach Cole discuss:
What five or six AA meetings a week for years actually felt like inside him, when all the work never brought the contentment he was looking for
The night his fiancée found him drinking again and chose to stay, and why Tim believes that one decision may have saved his life
Picking up Annie Grace's book and signing up for a Live Alcohol Experiment, the best $48 he's ever spent
Why a numbers-driven, 30-year sales professional was skeptical that curiosity could do what years of hard work hadn't, and how that changed
The "be where your hands are" grounding technique he learned in the Live Alcohol Experiment and still uses today
Not walking his daughter down the aisle, carrying that grief openly, and how it became the reason he decided to become a coach
And more on self-compassion, the "I know nothing" coaching philosophy, what the brain does when it decides you're broken, and so much more
Episode links:
Tim's coaching practice: https://onwardafcoaching.com/
Related episodes:
Is AA Not the Only Answer? Ginelle's Naked Life | Naked Life Stories | EP 693 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-693-naked-life-story-ginelle-t/
Finding Hidden Blessings: Tom's Naked Life | Naked Life Stories | EP 629 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-629-naked-life-story-tom-keppeler/
Does Annie Grace Think AA Is Wrong? | Reader Question | EP 324 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-324-reader-question-does-annie-grace-think-aa-is-wrong/
Follow on Apple Podcasts podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-naked-mind-podcast/id1287269357
Follow on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/0UB06sNguPjVvgAYFBcR9I?si=b7568f24c21249ff
Ready to take the next step?
Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious!
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp, Green Chef, Quince, Shopify, Zazzle, and OSEA. BetterHelp: BetterHelp is offering our listeners 10% off at betterhelp.com/nakedmind Green Chef: Get 50% off your first month, then 20% percent off for 2 month at greenchef.com/NAKEDMIND Quince: get free shipping and 365-day returns at quince.com/nakedShopify: Sign up for $1 month trial at shopify.com/mind Zazzle: Save 25% on your first order at zazzle.com OSEA: Get 10% off your first order sitewide with code NAKEDMIND at OSEAMalibu.com
27 June 2026, 9:00 am - 1 hour 9 minutesWhen Alcohol Is The Only Coping Tool You Know
Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 917
What happens when you finally want to stop using alcohol to cope, but the idea of facing everything without it feels almost impossible? In this episode, Kim and Liv bravely step into that very question. They open up about just how easily alcohol became a source of comfort — soothing a nervous system wrecked by family crisis and serving as the one reliable, familiar thing in the uncertainty of life. Astonishingly, what comes next isn’t a battle of willpower. Learning how to cope without alcohol becomes something else entirely - permission to feel, to choose your next step on your own terms, and to discover the strength that's been with you all along.
Kim discusses:
Giving alcohol the "job" of soothing her nervous system through trauma and crises
Why all-or-nothing thinking and shame from a previous recovery program made it harder to move forward
The shift from feeling like she needed to "let it all go" to learning to live with her experiences differently
Building real confidence through action — vulnerability, community, and showing up before the confidence was there
Liv discusses:
Drinking for her entire adult life (30 years) and why "familiar" is the one word she'd use to describe alcohol's role
Noticing gradual mind shifts that are both exciting and frightening as the Path material starts to work
A pattern of making goals only to rebel against them — and why that rebellion disappears when the choice is truly her own
Learning to sit with discomfort for an hour, and replacing white-knuckling with curiosity
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:
How To Stop Drinking To Avoid Emotions | Alcohol Freedom Coaching https://thisnakedmind.com/drinking-to-avoid-emotions-afc-e845/ Alcohol Addiction and Shame | Hayley's Naked Life https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-679-naked-life-story-hayley-s/ Trusting Yourself Again | Alcohol Freedom Coaching https://thisnakedmind.com/trusting-yourself-again-alcohol-freedom-coaching-e760/
CTA
Follow on Apple Podcasts podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-naked-mind-podcast/id1287269357
Follow on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/0UB06sNguPjVvgAYFBcR9I?si=b7568f24c21249ff
Ready to take the next step?
Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious!
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp, Green Chef, Quince, Shopify, Zazzle, and OSEA. BetterHelp: BetterHelp is offering our listeners 10% off at betterhelp.com/nakedmind Green Chef: Get 50% off your first month, then 20% percent off for 2 month at greenchef.com/NAKEDMIND Quince: get free shipping and 365-day returns at quince.com/nakedShopify: Sign up for $1 month trial at shopify.com/mind Zazzle: Save 25% on your first order at zazzle.com OSEA: Get 10% off your first order sitewide with code NAKEDMIND at OSEAMalibu.com
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