The Hormonal Accelerant: How Midlife Brings Patterns to the Surface with Dana Bowman

Steph talks to Dana Bowman, author and TedX speaker, about midlife, recovery, hormones, and identity.• Sobriety & Motherhood - Getting sober while raising young kids and navigating wine culture• Perimenopause as a Catalyst - How hormonal changes during perimenopause can reveal underlying issues and trigger addictive patterns• Process Addictions - Understanding addictions beyond substances (scrolling, sugar, exercise, gambling) and how they emerge during life transitions• The Medical Gap - Why doctors often miss or dismiss perimenopause symptoms, especially for women in recovery• Identity Shifts + Invisible Woman Syndrome - Going gray, aging, and redefining yourself at midlife• Anxiety & Panic - Middle-of-the-night breathing issues, panic attacks, and other lesser-known perimenopause symptoms• Creative Healing - Using writing, creativity, and self-expression as tools for recovery and self-understanding• Getting Curious vs. Getting Critical - Approaching your struggles with curiosity instead of shame• "Be Gentle with Yourself and the Horse" - Learning to extend grace during difficult transitionsTakeaway: Midlife hormonal changes can act as an accelerant for whatever's bubbling beneath the surface. Instead of shame, get curious about what your body and behaviors are trying to tell you.Meet Dana: Dana Bowman is the author of three books. Humble Pie: Addiction, Recovery, and Dessert was published in November of 2025 by Bloomsbury Press. Her two memoirs, Bottled, A Mom’s Guide to Early Recovery, and How To Be Perfect Like Me, were both published by Central Recovery Press. Bottled was selected as a Kansas Notable Book in 2018.A TEDx speaker, writer for Psychology Today, and occasional stand-up comedian, she shares about beating shame, kicking addictions, and how going gray changed her life. Dana has collected numerous awards for her humorous writing, and she earned the moniker of “The Erma Bombeck of alcoholics” from her first publisher, a descriptor she is very proud to carry. Her goal is to provide hope, along with a good laugh and a good story, to help heal the addict within all of us. You can find out more about her over at danabowmancreative.com  or at all the socials (even TikTok because she is cool) at @thedanabowDana's Books:Humble Pie: Sobriety, Menopause, & The Sweetness of RecoveryBottled: A Mom's Guide to Early Recovery (Kansas Notable Book 2018)How to Be Perfect Like Me