S2 E40 Gray Area Drinking & Alcohol Freedom with Coach Allison Barber episode artwork

EPISODE · Nov 17, 2025 · 1H 35M

S2 E40 Gray Area Drinking & Alcohol Freedom with Coach Allison Barber

from Pondoff's Anonymous · host Chris Pondoff, Zoë Mendenall

Get our coffee, Light in the Dark, now at http://pondoffsanonymous.com Sponsored by McKelvey Insurance and LightSource PsychotherapyWho this episode is for: People who drink to take the edge off but can’t figure out why it’s not working Moms barely holding it together while doing all the things Anyone juggling success and secret self-destruction Former athletes still chasing performance highs Folks in the gray zone between “I’m fine” and “I’m falling apart” And the ones who think it’s “just wine”This week, Chris, Jeff, and Zoe sit down with Allison Barber, a former collegiate gymnast turned alcohol freedom coach. Her story isn’t about a dramatic crash. It’s a slow slide—wine every night, quiet disconnection, pretending things are fine when they’re anything but.She got out not through rehab or AA, but by finding This Naked Mind and realizing she didn’t need to hit bottom to change. No rock bottom. No labels. Just truth and science and a better way forward.Now she helps others who feel stuck in the same loop—drinking more than they want to, quietly wondering if it’s a problem, and not sure where to turn. If you're sick of the guilt spiral and tired of trying to out-discipline your drinking, Allison’s approach will hit home.She’s real, honest, and living proof that freedom doesn’t require everything falling apart. You can change your story before it wrecks you.Find her at https://theinsideoutfreedom.com or email [email protected]: 00:00 – Sponsors 03:45 – Meet Allison Barber: gymnast, mom, nightly wine drinker 08:00 – Early perfectionism and pressure 13:15 – Bartles & James and beginning to self-medicate 22:00 – Marriage disconnect and drinking in secret 26:15 – The high-functioning lie 38:10 – Neck injury and the wake-up call 42:00 – Five bottles of wine in Florida 44:30 – Discovering This Naked Mind 53:30 – Becoming a certified coach 58:00 – Coaching without shame 1:06:00 – Parenting and healing 1:14:00 – Her last drink: June 21, 2020 1:18:32 – Confidence returns and major milestones 1:19:28 – theinsideoutfreedom.com and how to reach her 1:20:07 – Athletes and performance identity 1:21:10 – You don’t need to hit rock bottom 1:22:43 – The “sober curious” movement 1:25:43 – Ruth Langmore wisdom and humility 1:26:26 – Wine moms, COVID drinking, and purple teeth 1:29:00 – Heading to Hawaii without packing five bottles 1:31:36 – Recovery church and pizza 1:33:14 – Gratitude and staying connectedWork with Allison BarberVisit https://theinsideoutfreedom.com or email [email protected] to schedule a free discovery call. You don’t need to hit bottom. You just need to want something better.Sponsored by McKelvey Insurance LightSource Psychotherapy

Get our coffee, Light in the Dark, now at http://pondoffsanonymous.com Sponsored by McKelvey Insurance and LightSource PsychotherapyWho this episode is for: People who drink to take the edge off but can’t figure out why it’s not working Moms barely holding it together while doing all the things Anyone juggling success and secret self-destruction Former athletes still chasing performance highs Folks in the gray zone between “I’m fine” and “I’m falling apart” And the ones who think it’s “just wine”This week, Chris, Jeff, and Zoe sit down with Allison Barber, a former collegiate gymnast turned alcohol freedom coach. Her story isn’t about a dramatic crash. It’s a slow slide—wine every night, quiet disconnection, pretending things are fine when they’re anything but.She got out not through rehab or AA, but by finding This Naked Mind and realizing she didn’t need to hit bottom to change. No rock bottom. No labels. Just truth and science and a better way forward.Now she helps others who feel stuck in the same loop—drinking more than they want to, quietly wondering if it’s a problem, and not sure where to turn. If you're sick of the guilt spiral and tired of trying to out-discipline your drinking, Allison’s approach will hit home.She’s real, honest, and living proof that freedom doesn’t require everything falling apart. You can change your story before it wrecks you.Find her at https://theinsideoutfreedom.com or email [email protected]: 00:00 – Sponsors 03:45 – Meet Allison Barber: gymnast, mom, nightly wine drinker 08:00 – Early perfectionism and pressure 13:15 – Bartles & James and beginning to self-medicate 22:00 – Marriage disconnect and drinking in secret 26:15 – The high-functioning lie 38:10 – Neck injury and the wake-up call 42:00 – Five bottles of wine in Florida 44:30 – Discovering This Naked Mind 53:30 – Becoming a certified coach 58:00 – Coaching without shame 1:06:00 – Parenting and healing 1:14:00 – Her last drink: June 21, 2020 1:18:32 – Confidence returns and major milestones 1:19:28 – theinsideoutfreedom.com and how to reach her 1:20:07 – Athletes and performance identity 1:21:10 – You don’t need to hit rock bottom 1:22:43 – The “sober curious” movement 1:25:43 – Ruth Langmore wisdom and humility 1:26:26 – Wine moms, COVID drinking, and purple teeth 1:29:00 – Heading to Hawaii without packing five bottles 1:31:36 – Recovery church and pizza 1:33:14 – Gratitude and staying connectedWork with Allison BarberVisit https://theinsideoutfreedom.com or email [email protected] to schedule a free discovery call. You don’t need to hit bottom. You just need to want something better.Sponsored by McKelvey Insurance LightSource Psychotherapy

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S2 E40 Gray Area Drinking & Alcohol Freedom with Coach Allison Barber

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This episode was published on November 17, 2025.

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Get our coffee, Light in the Dark, now at http://pondoffsanonymous.com Sponsored by McKelvey Insurance and LightSource PsychotherapyWho this episode is for: People who drink to take the edge off but can’t figure out why it’s not working Moms barely...

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