Quit Like A Badass

This episode is a little different.I’m pressing pause on the QLAB podcast, for now, and I wanted to share why.Over the past months, life has asked a lot of me. From being with my Nana in her final weeks, to navigating layers of grief and loss, it’s become clear that I can’t continue creating from a place of depletion. And if I can’t show up fully, I’d rather not show up at all – for now.In this episode, I speak honestly about what’s been happening behind the scenes, the reality of thinking we have more time (until we don’t), and why stepping back is the most aligned thing I can do right for myself right now.I also share 5 gentle, supportive things you can do if you’re feeling overwhelmed, stretched, or just a bit worn down by life at the moment. This isn’t goodbye, it’s just a pause.And if you’re in a hard season too, I hope this reminds you to be a little gentler with yourself.I also share how you can connect with me through weekly online yin yoga sessions in the evening. Yin yoga (online) - https://www.quitlikeabadass.com/servicesEmail - [email protected] Theory - https://me-pedia.org/wiki/Spoon_theory

We often talk about the financial cost of alcohol - how much we spend on drinks, nights out, or even on things to cure hangovers. But the real cost of drinking goes far beyond the money we hand over on these occasions.In this episode, I explore the hidden costs of alcohol that many of us rarely stop to consider.From the lost hours after a night of drinking, to the mental fog, reduced productivity, and missed opportunities, alcohol quietly takes far more than we realise.In this episode I dive into questions like:How much time does drinking really take from our lives?What are the indirect costs, e.g. anxiety & quality of life?How does alcohol impact our emotions, goals, and potential?This episode isn’t about judgement - it’s about awareness.Because we can't change anything we aren't aware of. I also provide a brief and powerful exercise you can do today in this episode.🎧 Tune in and let me know your thoughts.

Good sleep may become elusive as women enter and journey through menopause. My guest this week - Dr Michael Gradisar (my husband) - has been treating sleep issues for women for decades.In this episode, we discuss the most common sleep problems during menopause, provide some understanding as to why they occur, and how alcohol can become a fuel thrown on this fire of sleeplessness.Michael discusses practical solutions for preparing for a better night's sleep, as well as links below to resources if you desire more personalised, evidence-based assistance.Grab my free audio, for next time you get a craving or have a 'F*ck it, I'll drink!' moment. If you need a calm voice, use mine 🎧 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.quitlikeabadass.com/audio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Feel free to also grab your free copy of "How to Ride the Wave: Sleep & Alcohol" from my website for further in-depth information:www.quitlikeabadass.com_______Directory of CBT for Insomnia Practitioners:Society of Behavioral Sleep MedicineThermal regulating sleep wear (10% off voucher on their website)DagsmejanDr Gradisar's menopause and sleep tips:Menopause and Sleep on Youtube

In Part Two of this conversation, myself and Danielle go deeper into the nutrition side of peri-menopause and menopause - what actually supports women during this transition, and what can unknowingly make things harder.We talk about:·       Why nutrition needs change in midlife·       Protein, carbs, inflammation, and energy·       The role alcohol plays in peri-menopause and menopause - and why it often “hits differently” now than it used toThis is a slightly shorter episode than our Part 1, but it’s packed with practical insight for women who want to feel more informed, empowered, seen and supported in this stage of life. Information regarding alcohol consumption and breast cancer - https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/clinical/trial-highlights-lack-of-awareness-on-alcohol-and#:~:text=News-,Trial%20highlights%20lack%20of%20awareness%20on%20alcohol%20and%20breast%20cancer,between%20February%20and%20August%202021.Grab my free audio - for next time you get a craving or have a 'F*ck it, I'll drink!' moment. If you need a calm voice, use mine 🎧 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.quitlikeabadass.com/audio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠✨ If this episode resonates, I’d love you to stay connected 💜 Whether that’s in a Women’s Circle, through 1:1 support, or just by allowing this to be the start of a deeper conversation with yourself!https://www.quitlikeabadass.com/To contact Danielle 📧 - [email protected] join Danielle's FB Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1299816435257588/?rdid=cvXmUh7gBYgpnmFw#Or follow her on Instagram -https://www.instagram.com/daniellekayefit?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

In this first part of a two-part conversation, I sit down with my mentor Danielle, the woman who graciously supported me through my Personal Training certification back in 2019, to talk about peri-menopause and menopause in a way that feels honest, grounded, and deeply needed right now.We discuss what reasons women are coming to Danielle for support with, the symptoms and frustrations they’re naming, and what’s really happening in the body during this stage of life - often long before menopause is officially diagnosed.This is a conversation for women who feel confused by the changes they’re experiencing, unheard in mainstream conversations, or women who are simply curious to understand their bodies more deeply. This episode focuses less on alcohol and more on movement and understanding our bodies! ✨ Join us for Part One - and stay tuned for Part Two, where we continue the conversation.Grab my free audio - for next time you get a craving or have a 'F*ck it, I'll drink!' moment. If you need a calm voice, use mine 🎧 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.quitlikeabadass.com/audio⁠⁠⁠⁠✨ If this episode resonates, I’d love you to stay connected 💜 Whether that’s in a Women’s Circle, through 1:1 support, or just by allowing this to be the start of a deeper conversation with yourself!https://www.quitlikeabadass.com/To contact Danielle 📧 - [email protected] join Danielle's FB Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1299816435257588/?rdid=cvXmUh7gBYgpnmFw#

I'm not talking about dry January this month. I'm posing this question instead. But why?Well, the world feels loud, heavy, and relentless right now - Climate anxiety. Wars. Cost-of-living pressure. Family stress.And in the middle of all that… alcohol can sometimes feel like the only relief. But what if it’s actually making things harder?In this episode, I’m talking about hanxiety, the quiet ways drinking drains our energy, and how - without realising it - we can slowly abandon ourselves in the name of “coping”. This isn’t about perfection, Dry January, or giving up your social life. It’s about asking a deeper question: what is alcohol really costing you - in a world that is always going to have stressors?If you’ve ever thought, “Right now is the worst time to quit,” this conversation could be exactly what you need.'Hanxiety' information - https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/facts/health-effects-of-alcohol/mental-health/alcohol-and-hangxietyGrab my free audio - for next time you get a craving or have a 'F*ck it, I'll drink!' moment. If you need a calm voice, use mine 🎧 ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.quitlikeabadass.com/audio⁠⁠⁠✨ If this episode resonates, I’d love you to stay connected - whether that’s joining one of my monthly Women’s Circles, exploring 1:1 support, or simply letting this be the start of a more honest conversation with yourself. https://www.quitlikeabadass.com/

In this episode, I sit down with my friend Jeremy, to talk about Naltrexone - a medication used to help people reduce or stop drinking - and the Sinclair Method, a science-based approach developed in Finland.Together, we explore how Naltrexone works, what the experience was like for us both personally, and how it fits into a holistic approach to recovery, healing, self-care, and finding freedom from 'Grey Area drinking'. You'll hear about: What Naltrexone is and how it works in the Brain. Jeremy and Amy's experiences using Naltrexone. We discuss the pros and cons of using this medication. And the realistic hope that can emerge when you're given another tool.Grab my free audio - for next time you get a craving or have a 'F*ck it, I'll drink!' moment. If you need a calm voice, use mine 🎧 ⁠⁠https://www.quitlikeabadass.com/audio⁠Find out what I do and what I offer - from personalised 1:1 Coaching and Root Cause Therapy to healing 1:1 Yin yoga 🧘‍♀️ - https://www.quitlikeabadass.com/Information about Naltrexone - https://adf.org.au/drug-facts/naltrexone/?utmThe book Jeremy mentions in this episode is here: https://books.apple.com/au/audiobook/the-cure-for-alcoholism-the-medically-proven-way/id1597794921Disclaimer: This episode is for information and education only. Always consult your healthcare professional before starting or stopping any medication.

What if one, clear plan of action could change everything?In this episode, I walk you through the framework that truly supports lasting change - not willpower, not perfection, but something deeper and steadier. I discuss what it really means to decide to change, how intention can be your inner guide, how alcohol is woven into our identity, why self-compassion is non-negotiable, and how courage, community, curiosityand optimism quietly transforms your relationship with alcohol (and yourself). This episode is for you if you’re sober-curious, planning to take a break soon, or standing at the edge of a new chapter and wondering if life could feel different...or better even! Join me..No pressure. No preaching. Just truth, tools, and gentle power._____Find out what I do and what I offer - from personalised Yin yoga 🧘‍♀️ to 1:1 Coaching and Root Cause Therapy - https://www.quitlikeabadass.com/Grab my free audio - for next time you get a craving or have a 'F*ck it, I'll drink!' moment. If you need a calm voice, use mine 🎧 https://www.quitlikeabadass.com/audio

This week is an episode I'm passionate about - what if the “truths” we’ve been fed about alcohol for years are nothing more than clever marketing, cultural pressure, and outdated stories? This specific marketing (not only by Big Alcohol either!) targeted at women, as well as outdated stories, can keep us small, stressed, and reaching for a drink over and over.In this episode, I’m calling out the beliefs that keep women stuck in grey-area drinking for far too long. The well established idea that alcohol helps us to cope, makes us more fun, takes the edge off, or somehow improves our lives? All untrue (for me!).If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing life on autopilot, following rules you never actually agreed to…this conversation will hit hard. It’s time to question the conditioning, burn down the old narratives, and ask: What if none of it was ever true?_____Find out what I do and what I offer - from Yin yoga 🧘‍♀️ to 1:1 Coaching and Root Cause Therapy - https://www.quitlikeabadass.com/

In this episode I sit down with my very first guest — my husband, who’s a sleep expert with more than 20 years’ experience working in sleep and sleep disorders.We talk about what alcohol actually does to our sleep (even in small amounts), why it feels like alcohol helps at first but quietly disturbs our stages of sleep. We discuss what starts to change in our bodies and nervous system - once we put alcohol down.Together, we unpack what alcohol actually does to the brain and body at night (why it knocks you out but doesn’t let you truly sleep). If you’ve ever wondered why you wake up at 3am, feel wired-but-still-tired, or can’t seem to feel truly rested even when you “sleep through”, this episode will make it make sense. And if you’ve ever used alcohol to “switch off” or if you regularly use it to help you fall asleep, this conversation will give you science-backed clarity and hope for restorative sleep._____Find out what I do and what I offer - from Yin yoga 🧘‍♀️ to 1:1 Coaching and Root Cause Therapy' - https://www.quitlikeabadass.com/Evidence demonstrating a weak effect of screen light on sleep:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1087079224000376

In this episode I’m sharing 6 powerful reasons to take a break from drinking - not from a place of restriction or rules, but from a place of curiosity and self-care. These are 6 changes women actually see and feel when alcohol is no longer a daily habit. Because I think what we ALL want is less stress, more calm, more connection and a gradual return to feeling like ourselves again. And I want that for you - and yes, it is possible, I am human proof of it.I discuss what happens when our drinking shifts into something that’s 'just part of the nightly routine'. I explain how alcohol silently drives our everyday stress (yes, really!) and what changes emotionally and physically when we step away from it - even for a short time. This episode is an invitation to pause and notice how different life feels - when your body isn’t regularly recovering from yesterday’s drinking.

Fear is a very common human emotion — but when it holds us back from necessary change or keeps us small, it’s time to dig a little deeper. Did you ever notice how fear shows up right when you’re about to make a big decision or try something new? In this episode, I explore what fear really is, why it shows up when it does, and how we can work with it rather than against it. If fear has ever stopped you from doing the thing that you know you want to do, this one’s for you. ___________Hey, I'm Amy Gradisar. I am a Women's Empowerment and Grey Area Drinking Coach. If you'd like to know more about me and what I do, please visit my website: https://www.quitlikeabadass.com/ If you'd like to follow me on Instagram please click here: https://www.instagram.com/quitlikeabadass/?hl=en

I detail part of my ‘quitting alcohol’ journey here in Part 1. As the patriarchal nature of AA really didn't suit me, it was a welcome change to learn from some truly amazing women who stood up to speak about their own issues with alcohol (in the mid to late 2010's). I could resonate so much. This includes Holly Whitaker, my first ever paid Coach. Their goal was to teach others about how we can slowly get 'lost' in alcohol, to stand up against the alcohol industry – and how they took back control of their own precious lives.I am a product of their support and important work - and I want to pass that onto you!____If what I say resonates with you - or even if you are the least bit curious, you can check out the QLAB website. Google the single word quitlikeabadass or click here:quitlikeabadass.com 

In this episode I talk about what Grey-Area Drinking is. Briefly: The 'Grey Area' of drinking sits between the extremes of alcohol use - it’s definitely not at the “social, take-it-or-leave-it” end of the spectrum, but it’s absolutely not the rock-bottom, full alcohol dependence stage either. It’s the space in between, where drinking might look “normal” from the outside, but inside it feels: misaligned, harder to control, and quietly taking up too much space in your mind. It is the messy middle - when alcohol isn’t ruining your life, but it’s quietly stealing from it. If you’ve ever wondered whether your drinking is ‘bad enough’ to change, this episode is for you.

This is 'Part 2 'of my story: *trigger warning* I mention sexual assault in this episode, but I don't go into any specific details. In this episode I describe what life was like for me in regards to alcohol - from 2017 onwards. My chronic pain was getting worse and I certainly felt that I was at my lowest point - but I never really had what would be described as a 'rock bottom' moment. I was getting a lot of 'convincers' though and I describe what they are. I detail exactly how much I was drinking and that at one point, something happened to me that changed me forever. Other topics in this episode: self blame, sexual assault/betrayal, feelings of shame & our 'conditioning'.