Brain On, Sunday Scaries, Dry July and 108.

On Friday night, because I am a lonely loser with no plans and my husband was out of town, after my 🔗 30-12-3 treadmill workout, I spontaneously signed up for 108 sun salutations on the summer solstice with a group of people on the rooftop of my gym as the sun went down. That's a brag, and two days later I am still sore, so I earned it, okay?! 

But wait, there's more...I am also thrilled to (finally!) bring you a new podcast episode! The latest episode of 🔗 The Peripeteia Podcast is with Deb Smolensky, a leader in corporate wellness and the author of "Brain On!" Our convo highlights the challenges and solutions for encouraging mental fitness within organizations, emphasizing the role of leadership, culture, and tailored approaches to maintain a healthy workplace environment. As a former HR gal, I am all about this. I still meet with corporate folks to talk about sobriety and culture whenever I can. If you'd like me to speak with your organization, reach out! In the meantime, enjoy this podcast, and be sure to connect with both Deb and me on 🔗 LinkedIn! My guests love hearing from you, and so do I! 

Listen 🔗 HERE. 🎧

I spent most of my weekend (melting) reading on the rooftop pool of my gym. On Sunday, I went in the early evening. I observed people getting their final sips of alcohol in before the weekend ended. Ordering one more. Then one more. Maybe one more. After a day that was likely, already, filled with drinks. I wasn't judging them. I was relating. I saw myself in them. I remembered. I was there too. I felt so grateful to have a different life now. 

I lived with the Sunday Scaries for almost 20 years. I was unhappy at work, unhappy at home, and anxious when socializing. I was pouring a soft blanket of alcohol on all of it. On Sundays, I often drank the most to avoid what was coming next. More of the same in the week to come, and also to stop the feelings of regret from my weekend wasted by drinking. 

Now, I honestly look forward to Mondays, and it has everything to do with loving my work, "Brain On!", and the autonomy to plan my work, my week, and my life in a way that works best for me. The road to get here was bumpy, but I am now aligned with my work, my life, and my spirit. There's no need for drinks or avoidance.

I want everyone to have this flow, and especially every client I work with. I love blending my experience in HR, sales, and recovery for career coaching, business coaching, life coaching, and sober coaching. It's so much more than ditching the drink or counting days. You can do that on your own. 

Last week I spoke to a group of coaches about the barriers to growing their coaching practice. I was expecting to hear gripes about algorithms and social media and how hard it is to get clients. That is not at all what I heard.

Instead, I heard that it's hard to manage a schedule of a growing client load alongside a growing nonprofit. I heard of coaches who have clients waiting at the door but have imposter syndrome and wonder, why me? Why not a 12-step sponsor for free? I heard from people with a passion and desire to go out and help heal the world but are still at the beginning of their training and certification process. The great news is that people are reaching out for support, and coaching is a growing industry. If becoming a coach interests you, check it out 🔗 HERE or schedule a call with me 🔗 HERE.

Finally, for Dry July, which is rapidly coming round the bend, there is no better place to be than my 🔗 INSIDER Community. I am adding the delightful Deb Masner from 🔗 The Alcohol Tipping Point as a host for Monday evening calls in addition to my Thursday afternoon calls. I'll be opening the vault of 30+ masterclasses. We will be doing a Dry July challenge together. You'll have 24/7 support with a private app, downloadable resources, a tracker, live group coaching twice a week (with replays), and a group of the most wonderful women cheering you on and walking alongside you through cravings, victory laps, relationship changes, and self-discovery. Hey DJ Play Shania Twain's "Let's Go Girls!" (Man, I Feel Like a Woman)

🔗 Join now for all the benefits and 7 days free before July starts so you are ready to get curious with support when the calendar flips. The brain loves to know you've got a date on the calendar and the sign-up part is over. It's like signing up for a race before you take your first practice run or buy new shoes. Sign up, and you already know you'll go farther, train better, and commit more than if you hadn't signed up at all. It's like signing up for 108 sun salutations even if you only do 90; that's 90 more than you would have done alone. See what I did there?

If after 7 days it's not for you, cancel, no questions asked. You'll still be farther ahead than you are now—just by the act of signing up. You can find another program if this one's not the right fit and sign up! You're already getting better at signing up!

By golly though, I hope the 🔗 INSIDER Community is the one for you. I hope you feel a tiny bit scared at first, but then slowly, or quickly, right at home. I hope you stay with us because we are ready to surround you in understanding, compassion, and inspiration. I am in a new support group myself right now and watching the changes happen to me as I show up, open up, and share myself with others. I want that for you too. Let's grow and heal together this Dry July.

XO!

- Heather

p.s. I read 🔗 The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff and loved it. Finished America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders Season 2 (no spoilers here). I made an amazing main course Caesar salad and an elite sandwich with fresh-baked bread. I finished the laundry with a booster that smells so good I seriously can't wait to do laundry again. I made it myself at 🔗 Buff City Soap in Columbia, MO, the other week.

p.p.s Have you gotten yourself 🔗 this makeup with free mascara yet? Everyone LOVES it! Including me.