From Hangovers to Healing: 3 Stories That Will Change How You See Sobriety
Hi, you!
Today one of our Insider members is celebrating her one-year soberversary. One year of choosing herself. One year of waking up clear, grounded, and proud.
What I’ve learned through this work, through witnessing hundreds of women reclaim their lives, is that every milestone matters. Whether it’s one day, one week, one month, or one year, each sober step forward is a sign of life returning, energy expanding, and joy unfolding.
The stories I’m about to share remind me of what’s truly possible when we stop numbing and start living.
From Hangovers to Healing
Introducing the woman who once drank her way through family vacations, with memories of puking in a bucket, who recently checked surfing off her bucket list instead. Vacations are better. Life is better. She even showed up at her kids’ elementary school as the best mascot ever (a dancing bulldog, complete with a gritty and a dab!). Something she could never have done while sweating through a hangover. As my grandma would say, "What a joy!"
Then there’s the lifelong swim purist, who just completed a race and chose to wear a wetsuit even though it meant her time wouldn’t count in the standings. Instead, she spent the swim helping a fellow athlete with a disability. What she found in this swim was freedom—freedom from perfection, from pressure, and from proving. “My whole life I’ve tried so hard to be perfect that I’ve missed out on the beauty of just being. No wonder I drank. I’m a slow learner, but I’m easing up.”
And the twist? She actually ended up winning the women’s wetsuit division anyway.
And finally, the woman who once landed in the hospital from her alcohol use just celebrated her seven-year soberversary in France. She and her best friend toasted with mocktails, and she treated herself to a personalized purse that reads, “La vie est une aventure.” Life is an adventure, indeed.
Finding Meaning Beyond the Bottle
Having a front-row seat to these stories has made my life so meaningful.
As I prepare for my first solo Collective Balance workshop tomorrow with Dr. Brooke and this weekend’s first-ever Fall Into You Day Retreat, I’ve been reflecting deeply on what gives life meaning.
In The Power of Meaning, Emily Esfahani Smith shares four universal, “Pillars of Meaning”:
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Belonging—Mutual care and genuine connection.
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Purpose—Contributing to something larger than yourself.
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Transcendence—Feeling awe and connection beyond the self.
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Storytelling—Understanding your own journey and what it’s teaching you.
The Insider Community invites all four. Sobriety gives you your story back, one full of belonging, purpose, transcendence, and self-love.
Ready to write your next chapter?
Join my Insider Community free for 7 days and experience how belonging and meaning come alive when you stop drinking and start truly living. With a new technology upgrade, twice-a-week live calls, 24/7 connection on a mobile app, alcohol-free drink discounts, monthly challenges with prizes, and a monthly book club, we are only getting hotter up in here. Join us!
Ready for deeper, 1:1 support?
If you’re craving personal guidance, accountability, and coaching tailored to your unique journey, I have one spot left this month for a complimentary private session.
Let’s talk about your goals, what’s getting in the way, and the next best steps toward a life that feels deeply aligned.
đź’¬ Book your free call here before the spot is gone.
XO!
-Heather
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