Autism advocate Viv Dawes has made it her mission to increase understanding of autistic burnout through her advocacy work and books. In our recent podcast interview, Viv provided invaluable insights into what autistic burnout truly entails based on both her personal experiences and helping many others who have experienced severe burnout. Viv began by explaining that autistic burnout goes beyond just feeling exhausted. For some individuals, it can involve hallucinations, feeling in a constant "fight or flight" state, and exhibiting manic-like symptoms. This goes against the common misconception ..read more

Today, I want to take you on a journey—a journey to redefine your relationship with alcohol in midlife. In this blog, we'll unpack the insights from my recent podcast episode on "Midlife AF," where I talk about intention, creativity, and self-awareness. Along the way, I'll introduce you to a magical tool, the "Your North Star Visualisation Audio," to kickstart your own path to alcohol freedom. So, let's start where it all begins—with intention. In midlife, intention is like a guiding star. It helps us make mindful choices, especially when it comes to our relationship with alcohol. Visualisatio ..read more

 Let’s dive into a phenomenon I like to call the "Midlife Awakening." It's a journey of radical transformation, a shedding of societal expectations, and an embrace of authentic empowerment. Join me as we explore the intricacies of this experience and its profound impact on our lives. A Time of Liberation and Transformation Picture this: a moment when you cast aside old habits, obligations, and expectations like discarded shoes. This is the essence of the awakened woman, a concept beautifully articulated in Dr. Shefali Tsabary's poem, "The Time of the Awakened Woman." It captures the esse ..read more

Today, I want to share a personal story close to my heart—one that delves into the realms of creativity and the unexpected relationship between our alcohol-free choices and self-expression. As an avid believer in the power of creative expression, I've had the privilege of speaking with incredible individuals from all walks of life. One such conversation touched upon a unique aspect—the interplay between creativity and being alcohol-free.  The Revelation In a recent conversation with Annabel Stewart, we explored the complexities of addiction and the struggle to let go of harmful habits. A ..read more

I'm so excited to share with you some incredible insights from my recent experience with the Barbie movie. Yes, you heard that right! I went to see Barbie with my kids, and it turned out to be more than just a fun movie outing. It sparked some profound reflections on life, patriarchy, and our relationship with alcohol. ?✨ As I've been reading the book "Radical Awakening" and delving deeper into the work of Gabor Maté and This Naked Mind, I've noticed an incredible synchronicity of themes with the movie's powerful message about the patriarchy's impact on women. ?? In the film, America Ferrrer ..read more

Clearing away the empties after a big night, I’ve sometimes considered scribbling out the ABV % and instead pencilling in the measure of my shame, on a scale of 1 to 10.  Let’s just say, a ‘1’ was never in the running.  A whole bottle of wine + five gins = one deeply private overshare, gallons of tears and at least 24 hours of deepest depression.  Little mental calculations flying everywhere. Like ‘yes it was bad, but next time I’ll drink more water’, or ‘if I’d stopped at the wine everything would have been fine…’  Fundamentally though, those sums are all underpinned by th ..read more

Oh the luxury of knowing that silly season is behind us for another year. Gleefully we dump the mince pies, donate the weird gifts and vacuum up every last vestige of tinsel. It feels a touch Scrooge-like to be so relieved to see the back of such a ‘special’ time.  Except it’s not. It’s only bloody reasonable. Most of the joy was sucked from Christmas when we became adults…. FEMALE adults. Because here we are, somehow almost entirely responsible for delivering the full Christmas experience – with giving our children all the sparkle and delight, with juggling family and in-law relationship ..read more

Ok I didn’t actually kill anyone, but if deathly thoughts counted for anything he’d be pushing up daisies right about now…. And it was only partly his fault. The other part was mine. My self-care routine was knocked out of whack so, instead of re-defining it, I let it slide. So, there I was, with all of life’s usual pressures and dramas, and without my outlet – my safe space and time to unwind and process. It was not pretty. But I learned from it. From now on, I will kill FOR my self-care time, not because of the lack of it.  I’m joking!!! Jokes aside, what I did learn is that, since crea ..read more

Deciding to ditch alcohol can feel like a HUGE statement.  ‘Oh God, everyone will think I’m a raging alcoholic’, or maybe ‘if I say I don’t drink, but then I start again, I’ll have failed’. Those thoughts can be crippling.  But sometimes we set our goals too specifically, and in doing so we talk ourselves out of them before we’ve even got off the starting blocks. What if the goal wasn’t to ditch the booze, but to find better ways to self-care, to self-soothe, to show yourself a whole heap of self-love? Because, ultimately, it’s kinda the same thing. Changing your relationship with al ..read more

Want to work on your wellbeing? Start by ditching the self-flagellation, my friend. We women are experts in telling ourselves to ‘do better’. We constantly beat ourselves up for never being ‘enough’, for never getting things quite ‘right’. We’re utterly unforgiving. I get it – I was expert level in it too! And that’s why I drank. Because I was drowning under the unrelenting pressure of modern womanhood and I’d learned, from a very young age, that alcohol was my band-aid of choice. My beginnings If you don’t already know, I was born in the UK but grew up in Africa. My parents didn’t drink any m ..read more