Ep 19: Alcohol-Free Peace: Self-Love, ADHD & Perimenopause

Welcome back to the Big Drink Rethink podcast, where our host Anna Donaghey is chatting with the incredibly inspiring Sam Williams. Sam, a Certified Specialist ADHD Coach and Menopause Coach, shares her journey of self-discovery and transformation after giving up alcohol. She describes her drinking habits during lockdown, the social aspect of drinking, and how alcohol helped quiet her mind. Sam's decision to stop drinking was driven by a desire to know who she was without alcohol, and to set a positive example for her children. Through self-reflection and forgiveness practices, she developed a deeper understanding of her body and mind, allowing the penny to drop about her ADHD and its connection to perimenopause. Sam discusses the intersection of ADHD and her relationship with alcohol, with it serving as a coping mechanism to quiet her mind and mask her struggles. Sam also explores the impact of alcohol on her hormonal balance and how it exacerbated her perimenopause symptoms. Through her journey of sobriety, Sam discovered self-acceptance, self-love, and the power of listening to her body. She emphasises the importance of awareness, understanding, and community support in navigating ADHD and finding alignment with one's true self. Here are the Highlights:05:22 Drinking levelled the playing field, quieted thoughts.07:10 Weekends involved plenty of drinks and munchies.13:44 Embracing change and letting go for growth.16:35 Therapy transformed me and continues to today.22:37 Lack of research on women's hormonal health.24:16 Masking coping strategy revealed health issues from drinking.26:55 Menopause symptoms are misdiagnosed as anxiety or depression.32:12 Adrenal system shifts, leading to hormonal imbalance.33:45 Inherent efficiency, unravelling work, and authentic curiosity.36:44 Similar human experiences, lessons, and blessings acknowledged.40:01 Finding peace led to self-compassion and love.46:27 Understanding ourselves and finding support is crucial.🔗 Get all the free resources from the series at: Toolkit OptinAnna’s group coaching community ‘Unstuck!’ helps identify your alcohol ‘stories’ and beliefs, breaking the cycle of alcohol and all the shame that goes with it. For more information and to find out how to join, please follow this link: Unstuck! community informationTo further explore your relationship with alcohol, check out Anna’s self-guided programme, The Big Drink Rethink Experiment: https://www.thebeliefscoach.com/the-big-drink-rethink-experimentAnd apply the code POD99 to purchase for just £99 as a podcast listenerIf you’re loving the podcast and would like to give Anna a warm, fuzzy feeling of appreciation, then you can buy her a coffee:https://buymeacoffee.com/bigdrinkrethinkAbout the host Anna:Anna is a certified Alcohol Mindset Coach, trained by Annie Grace of This Naked Mind. Drawing on her own journey out of alcohol addiction, she now helps others explore and control their drinking. With a career spanning 25 years as a Strategist in the Advertising industry, she combines her own lived experiences, with great insight into what makes us tick and what influences us to behave the way we do.Connect with Anna:Website: thebeliefscoach.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annadonagheyInstagram: instagram.com/bigdrinkrethinkAbout Sam Willaims:Sam is the founder of Seed Spark – A human-centred change consultancy and coaching practice with a strong Corporate Social Responsibility ethic; making change happen one meaningful conversation at a time. She is a certified specialist ADHD Coach, Menopause Coach, Prosci Change Practitioner and Chartered Engineer.She describes herself as an ‘edge-seeking Boundary Spanner, Mesearcher and Empathic Provocateur’.While her unfinished book ‘Who the fuck am I? And how did I get here? may never see print – the mesearch uncovered during her midlife misadventures through perimenopause with late diagnosis ADHD, are passionately passed on to her community through her coaching, training and outreach work. Website: https://seedspark.co.uk/seedspark/LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-williams-acc-ceng-miet-a1259618Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samantha.williams952TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sam_williams_seedsparkProduced by winteraudio.co.ukMentioned in this episode:Anna and fellow coach Tabbin Almond are excited to announce they’re hosting a free webinar on Thursday 9th July to share what they’ve learnt about what women actually need when they want to change their relationship with alcohol. You can save your spot here: https://www.thebigdrinkrethink.com/webinar