Life is full of transitions; we move from grade school to middle school, onto high school and college. We fall in and out of love and often marry and have children. We may take on a mortgage or go back to school for a higher degree… the list goes on. As humans, we spend the first half of our life accumulating and acquiring things (spouses, houses, children, degrees, cars, boats, etc). Many of these early life transitions are ‘self-imposed’; as we reach midlife we find that new transitions are often ‘other imposed’. This can be a challenging place to navigate. We might feel frustrated, angry or even grief as children leave home, elderly parents fall ill and our job satisfaction goes down.
This is a place for women, that the pace of life, coupled with new hormone changes can feel especially challenging. For many of us, alcohol use starts to ramp up. I often hear my clients share “I don’t even want to drink anymore so why do I keep pouring that glass of wine?”.
The three women featured today all stopped drinking in their 50’s. Their stories highlight the dark times and the stories that can keep us stuck but also the beauty of life that is possible when we embrace the steps of living alcohol-free.
Colleen Clifford believes that change can be exciting and possible at any age. Embracing it with curiosity and passion are key elements, while letting go of fear and trepidation for the “what ifs” that can go alongside the process. Colleen is an example of how one can create or redesign the life they want to live while celebrating what each day has to offer.
Colleen’s newest chapter while entering her 60’s is the opening of her health coaching business called Pure Potential, LLC. Colleen has graduated from This Naked Mind as an Alcohol-Free Coach and Institute of Integrative Nutrition as a Health Coach. She teaches cooking classes and has a niche in mindful eating, helping clients combat emotional eating patterns. Connecting with other women and moving alongside them on their wellness journey has provided another unexpected surprise of joy in her life she never dreamed possible.
You can connect with Colleen at www.purepotential.health
Madonna has been coaching and mentoring people for 20+ years and brings her corporate experience, education in psychology and human relations, and 1:1 and group coaching work to help people in times of transition and growth. Certified with This Naked Mind and working with the framework of Positive Intelligence, she knows that people are not broken toys to be fixed – they are beautiful, capable humans who just sometimes need to talk it out and learn new ways of thinking.
A recovering lone wolf, Madonna has learned to lean into common humanity and the knowledge that she’s not alone, and you don’t have to be either. You can expect real talk, humor, some snarkiness and a healthy dose of cat chat.
You can connect with Madonna at Get Up 8 Coaching https://get-up-8.com/
Debi Talbert is a certified Whole Life Coach with advanced certification in alcohol liberation and habit design. She is also a former flight attendant. Her superpower is finding opportunity in setbacks & challenges and discovering new pathways to move forward.This superpower allows her to help others flip the script around their setbacks and challenges with curiosity, zest and hope.Yes, life is sweet and salty and “lifey”. Debi believes we can make the most of all life offers us when we’re shown there are possibilities and decide to stop buying into our limiting stories.
You can connect with Debi at Jump Seat Coaching
