After loving every second of creating Not Drinking Today, Meg and Bella are ready to branch out and continue their alcohol-free journey in new ways. We’ve cherished the incredible conversations with our guests and are so grateful for every listener who tuned in and supported us along the way. While Meg and Bella won’t be recording new episodes, you can still revisit all your favourites anytime on your preferred podcast platform.Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! MEGWeb: https://www.meganwebb.com.au/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/meganwebbcoaching/ Unwined Bookclub: https://www.alcoholfreedom.com.au/unwinedbookclub ConnectAF group coaching: https://www.elizaparkinson.com/groupcoaching BELLAWeb: https://isabellaferguson.com.auInsta: @alcoholcounsellorisabellaBi-Yearly 6-Week Small Group Challenges: Learn more: https://www.isabellaferguson.com.au/feb-2025-challengeFree Do I Have A Drinking Problem 3 x Video Series: https://resources.isabellaferguson.com.au/offers/JTFFgjJL/checkoutFree HOW DO I STOP DRINKING SO MUCH Masterclass: https://resources.isabellaferguson.com.au/offers/7fvkb3FF/checkoutOnline Alcohol Self-Paced Course: https://resources.isabellaferguson.com.au/offers/fDzcyvWL/checkout...
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32:16
Breaking Free from Alcohol: Trauma, Inner Beliefs, and Healing
Join us for Meg's interview for the Sober Summit with Maggie Klaassen's. Why can some people take or leave alcohol while others feel trapped in a drinking cycle? At 17, a panic attack in front of her class sparked years of social anxiety. At 18, alcohol felt like magic—it stopped the shaking and gave her confidence. Weekend drinks slowly turned into nightly home drinking, eventually reaching two bottles of wine a night.In this conversation, Meg shares how hidden traumas and core beliefs—like feeling unlovable or not enough—fuel drinking. Alcohol may feel like relief, but it often worsens the anxiety we’re trying to escape.Her journey to freedom began with asking why she drank and uncovering the wounds beneath, leading her to help others heal and reconnect with their authentic selves.If you’re questioning your drinking or supporting someone who is, this episode offers hope, compassion, and the reminder that change is a process—one that begins with curiosity.Maggie's website: https://soberlifecollective.com/ MEGWeb: https://www.meganwebb.com.au/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/meganwebbcoaching/ Unwined Bookclub: https://www.alcoholfreedom.com.au/unwinedbookclub ConnectAF group coaching: https://www.elizaparkinson.com/groupcoaching BELLAWeb: https://isabellaferguson.com.auInsta: @alcoholcounsellorisabellaBi-Yearly 6-Week Small Group Challenges: Learn more: https://www.isabellaferguson.com.au/feb-2025-challengeFree Do I Have A Drinking Problem 3 x Video Series: https://resources.isabellaferguson.com.au/offers/JTFFgjJL/checkoutFree HOW DO I STOP DRINKING SO MUCH Masterclass: https://resources.isabellaferguson.com.au/offers/7fvkb3FF/checkoutOnline Alcohol Self-Paced Course: https://resources.isabellaferguson.com.au/offers/fDzcyvWL/checkout...
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A Sober Glow Up with Faye Hughes
What happens when we wake up one day and decide that self-destruction isn't serving us anymore? For Faye Hughes, that awakening came on a plane ride home from Dubai after a family wedding gone terribly wrong. The shame, guilt, and regret she felt became the catalyst for a Valentine's Day decision that would transform her life: choosing sobriety as the ultimate act of self-love.From watching her parents throw alcohol-fueled parties to experiencing her first blackout at fifteen, Faye's relationship with alcohol was problematic from the start. Her family history of alcoholism foreshadowed her own struggles, as she moved through university, hospitality jobs, and eventually to Australia, where her drinking escalated without the watchful eyes of concerned family members. The weekend binges became her escape from a life she merely tolerated Monday through Friday.But what makes Faye's story so compelling isn't just her decision to quit drinking – it's the profound self-discovery that followed. She learned that genuine self-love simply isn't possible when our emotions are constantly filtered through the shame and regret of drinking behaviors. By removing alcohol, she created space for self-compassion, breathwork, and nervous system regulation that transformed her relationship with herself and others. Her sticky notes of affirmation around the house might have seemed strange to her boyfriend, but they represented the active rewiring of neural pathways from self-criticism to self-support.Now two and a half years sober and helping others through her 100-Day Sober Glow Up program, Faye emphasizes that sustainable sobriety requires more than just abstinence – it demands a fundamental reshaping of self-talk and self-care. The synchronicities and clarity she's experienced since quitting drinking continue to affirm her choice, as does the healing of relationships with family members who once couldn't bear to witness her drinking behavior.Whether you're sober curious or well into your alcohol-free journey, this conversation offers both validation and practical wisdom for transforming your relationship with yourself. Listen now to discover how choosing yourself over alcohol might be the ultimate Valentine's gift you've been waiting for.Faye's website: https://soberglowup.com/Faye's insta: https://www.instagram.com/fayelouise_____/ MEGWeb: https://www.meganwebb.com.au/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/meganwebbcoaching/ Unwined Bookclub: https://www.alcoholfreedom.com.au/unwinedbookclub ConnectAF group coaching: https://www.elizaparkinson.com/groupcoaching BELLAWeb: https://isabellaferguson.com.auInsta: @alcoholcounsellorisabellaBi-Yearly 6-Week Small Group Challenges: Learn more: https://www.isabellaferguson.com.au/feb-2025-challengeFree Do I Have A Drinking Problem 3 x Video Series: https://resources.isabellaferguson.com.au/offers/JTFFgjJL/checkoutFree HOW DO I STOP DRINKING SO MUCH Masterclass: https://resources.isabellaferguson.com.au/offers/7fvkb3FF/checkoutOnline Alcohol Self-Paced Course: https://resources.isabellaferguson.com.au/offers/fDzcyvWL/checkout...
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34:51
Bittersweet Memories
Meg takes a look back at her relationship with alcohol, where she discovered a profound paradox that changed everything. She was terrified of losing precious moments—yet was drinking them away.Meg's whole life revolved around preserving memories. She treasured photographs, constantly reminisced about childhood homes, and felt deep aches when thinking about the past. But as her drinking worsened, she began experiencing blackouts during the very moments she was desperate to remember. The irony was painful: her solution to the unbearable awareness that life keeps moving forward was causing her to miss it entirely.When Meg randomly opened Brené Brown's "Atlas of the Heart" to a passage about bittersweet emotions, something clicked. The quote perfectly captured her experience: "The bittersweet side of appreciating life's most precious moments is the unbearable awareness that those moments are passing." This awareness was both why she drank and why she eventually had to stop. Meg couldn't bear another day numbing out the very experiences she feared losing.Since becoming alcohol-free, Meg has learned to transform that bittersweet ache into presence. Now when teaching her youngest to drive or gathering with family, instead of drowning in nostalgia or numbing with alcohol, she take a breath and appreciates these fleeting moments as they happen. When difficult emotions arise, Meg sees them as signals to ask what she truly needs rather than reaching for a drink.If you're struggling to break free from alcohol, ask yourself: what do you want the rest of your life to look like? Yes, feeling emotions fully can be hard—but numbing them is ultimately harder. Reach out if you need support; Bella and Meg are here to help you discover the clarity and freedom waiting on the other side. MEGWeb: https://www.meganwebb.com.au/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/meganwebbcoaching/ Unwined Bookclub: https://www.alcoholfreedom.com.au/unwinedbookclub ConnectAF group coaching: https://www.elizaparkinson.com/groupcoaching BELLAWeb: https://isabellaferguson.com.auInsta: @alcoholcounsellorisabellaBi-Yearly 6-Week Small Group Challenges: Learn more: https://www.isabellaferguson.com.au/feb-2025-challengeFree Do I Have A Drinking Problem 3 x Video Series: https://resources.isabellaferguson.com.au/offers/JTFFgjJL/checkoutFree HOW DO I STOP DRINKING SO MUCH Masterclass: https://resources.isabellaferguson.com.au/offers/7fvkb3FF/checkoutOnline Alcohol Self-Paced Course: https://resources.isabellaferguson.com.au/offers/fDzcyvWL/checkout...
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Laughs Without Lager: Finding Authentic Connection in Sobriety
What happens when four decades of heavy drinking suddenly stops? Ali Burke returns to share her remarkable transformation from a self-described "party pisshead parent" to a woman fully embracing authentic connection and present parenting.Ali's drinking story began in her early teens, looking for courage, attention, and a way to fit in. As the youngest of seven children, alcohol became her tool for becoming "the funny one." This evolved into a forty-year relationship with alcohol that saw her drinking moonshine vodka by the litre, losing her driver's license three times, and prioritizing drinking over driving her teenage daughter home safely.The turning point came after a deep hypnosis session and one final regretful wedding experience. What Ali calls her "spontaneous sobriety" has now lasted nearly four years, completely transforming every aspect of her life. Most significantly, she's rebuilt her relationship with her daughter, who once had to parent her drinking mother but now has a present, reliable parent she can count on.Our conversation takes a joyful turn as we reflect on how we met at a sober retreat in Phuket, where we discovered the authentic connections possible without alcohol. The genuine laughter, dancing, and friendship we found proved that sobriety doesn't mean the end of fun – it marks the beginning of more meaningful experiences and "sore tummy muscles from laughing so much."Ali shares exciting news about our upcoming podcast venture "Laughs Without Lager," where we'll continue sharing honest stories to help others seeking freedom from alcohol. Her journey demonstrates that even after decades of drinking, transformation is possible, and the rewards of clarity and authentic connection far outweigh anything alcohol seemingly offered.Whether you're sober curious, taking a break, or committed to alcohol-free living, this conversation offers both hope and practical insights from someone who's walked the challenging but ultimately liberating path to freedom.Ali Burke: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/idontdrinkfullstop/Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2470602 MEGWeb: https://www.meganwebb.com.au/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/meganwebbcoaching/ Unwined Bookclub: https://www.alcoholfreedom.com.au/unwinedbookclub ConnectAF group coaching: https://www.elizaparkinson.com/groupcoaching BELLAWeb: https://isabellaferguson.com.auInsta: @alcoholcounsellorisabellaBi-Yearly 6-Week Small Group Challenges: Learn more: https://www.isabellaferguson.com.au/feb-2025-challengeFree Do I Have A Drinking Problem 3 x Video Series: https://resources.isabellaferguson.com.au/offers/JTFFgjJL/checkoutFree HOW DO I STOP DRINKING SO MUCH Masterclass: https://resources.isabellaferguson.com.au/offers/7fvkb3FF/checkoutOnline Alcohol Self-Paced Course: https://resources.isabellaferguson.com.au/offers/fDzcyvWL/checkout...
Meg and Bella discuss the ups and downs of navigating an alcohol free life in Australia's alcohol centric culture. This highly rated podcast, featuring in Australia's top 100 self improvement podcasts, is a must for those that are trying to drink less alcohol but need some motivation, are curious about sober life or who are sober but are looking for some extra reinforcement. The Not Drinking Alcohol Today pod provides an invaluable resource to keep you motivated and on track today and beyond. Meg and Bella's guests include neuroscientists, quit-lit authors, journalists, health experts, alcohol coaches and everyday people who have struggled with alcohol but have triumphed over it. Our aim is to support and inspire you to reach your goals to drink less or none at all! Meg and Bella are This Naked Mind Certified Coaches (plus nutritionists and counsellors respectively) who live in Sydney.
Australia