Leading Greatly Podcast, Live Tv, Memorial Day Mocktails

A lot happening over here at the Drink Less Be More HQ!! I've just arrived back to Mexico after a whirlwind media tour of the North East. I definitely packed more onto my plate than I probably "should" have (trying to take advantage of the week away - and there will be most exciting updates coming soon!) though unfortunately I over-extended myself and got sick somewhere between NYC and Pittsburgh.

Thankfully, I am surrounded by the most amazing healers and coaches who took great care of me along the way. I am also so much better at taking care of myself! What would have surely turned into a lung infection and knocked me out in the past passed in only a few days with the help of extra sleep, oregano oil, zinc, tons of vitamins and fresh juices, and oodles of self-love and compassion.

I wanted to share several highlights from last week with you  - for your listening, viewing, reading and tasting pleasure! Below you will find my most recent article on Mind Body Green with some of my favourite summer cocktails and a podcast interview with the wonderful ladies at Leading Greatly.

Here is the clip from my live morning television appearance talking about Drink Less Be More and alternatives to alcohol. Enjoy!!

xoxo


MBG Article And One Voice

Happy Wednesday !!

I'm in your inbox a couple of days early because I couldn't wait to share these two goodies that went live today. The first is a podcast interview with my friend Tina Bangel, who is a vocal coach from Australia. I LOVED this interview because we delved into the really interesting terrain of creativity and alcohol.

 

Here is what we talk about:

  • What are strategies that creative people can tap into their “zone” without having to turn to alcohol?

  • How to deal with friends or letting go of people that don’t serve your purpose in life, what would you say to someone who is afraid to let go of what they know and who they know?

  • Dialog that people can use at the work place or events so they can feel comfortable in situations where they are encouraged to drink?

  • There are people who use alcohol to unwind after work or a gig, what I suggest for people to do when they have the urge to use alcohol.

  • What is the song that changed my life and why?

Be sure to check it out here.

The second resource I want to share with you is my most recent article on Mind Body Green. In this article, I offer my best tips for thriving without/with less alcohol when you are in triggering situations or out of your normal routine. This article is particularly helpful if you have a trip coming up or travel regularly for work, however the tips can be useful any time. As always, please share the article with anyone who might benefit from this article, and on social media! And, I'd love to hear which tip you are going to try or if there are others that you have used with success (I'm always happy to learn new tricks)! Hit reply and let me know :)

xoxo


Do you have Social Anxiety?

This will be short and sweet! I'm currently developing a FREE mini course on socializing and networking while drinking less/not at all.

If this is something you've struggled with - I'd love your feedback. I'll be recording the videos this Thursday, so it's a bit time sensitive.

I'd love to hear:

  • What to you need to know to mentally prepare for drinking less in a social event?

  • What would be helpful to you BEFORE you head out?

  • What about when you arrive at the event? What do most struggle with or find challenging?

  • What would be helpful to know in terms of your interactions with other people / friends / dates / significant other?

  • If you have implemented any strategies from my book or blogs, which ones have worked best for you?

  • Anything else you'd like to know / see / share?

Feel free to answer any or all of these questions by hitting reply to this email by 12pm EST on Thursday, March 17th.

As a thank you, we can schedule an "ask me anything" / strategy session next week. This is available to everyone, even if you are a current client :) And of course, the mini-course will be available to you as soon as it's ready (hopefully by the end of the month!)


Success Interview

Hello beautiful!

I thought you might enjoy this 26-minute video interview I did with Monica Aparicio, the Founder of the Lifestyle Lounge and upcoming Sustainable Success event that I will be speaking at in NYC.

Monica and I met when I attended a networking event the last time I was in New York. A self-professed former party-girl, Monica immediately "got" the message of my book. She opened up about how coordinating happy-hour styled wellness events was her way of satisfying her outgoing nature while still making healthier choices for herself. We immediately knew that we have been meant to meet and collaborate and I am so thrilled about both this conversation AND the fact that I will be featured as a panelist at her upcoming event in NYC.

I loved this interview because we were able to get to a theme that goes deeper then the strategies and tips around drinking less. We were able to talk about what happens when you dramatically redefine your relationship to alcohol... you make more of yourself available! More intuition, more inner knowing, more inspiration, more feelings, more presence for yourself and those around you.

You live more LIFE ... undiluted. I'd love to hear what you think about this video and how have you noticed the "more of you" theme in your life. Or, if you are not quite there yet - which parts of yourself do you desire to have more access to once you are able to redefine your relationship to alcohol?

If you'd like to know more about the event in New York or know someone who would love to go, all of the information is here. 

xoxo


98% alcohol free in NYC - wanna know how?

I’ve kept you waiting with bated breath, I know!

I only just arrived home from NYC and then Mexico on Tuesday. It was a whirlwind adventure and an incredible experience - and now that I’m home I’m now able to process the whole experience.

I was very excited to share this update with you.

As you might recall, I asked for your support to help me be accountable while in NYC.

Since transparency is my gig, I might as well get the confession out to the way first.

I DID drink some alcohol, even though my intention was zero alcohol for the entire trip.

That being said, I am 100% proud of my actions and the decisions I made, and here’s why:

I faced many of my trigger situations, and in those situations - I did stick to my intentions.

I was at countless events where there were endless amounts of free booze, and I didn’t take a sip.

I was in high stakes/ high-pressure situations, and I didn’t rely on alcohol to ease my nerves or break the ice.

I felt lonely and isolated at times and didn’t use alcohol to open the door for permission for connection.

With so much practice with moderation over the past few years, I probably could have handled a drink at any one of these events, and not gone overboard.

However, I am grateful for my choice not to because it completely alleviated the mental chatter.

I was also very aware of the fact that combined with the adrenaline I was experiencing and my overall lower tolerance, that one glass may have affected me more than usual, bringing me closer to crossing the line to that point of no return.

So what worked for me?

Here are the strategies I used that will also be helpful to you in any similar situation.

  1. Radical self-care: You may be wondering what this has to do with drinking, and I say EVERYTHING. I took care of myself and my health more than I ever have on a business trip. I made sure that I was sticking to my morning routine and was getting enough sleep. I gave myself down-time and breaks to make sure that I had time to re-center myself and stay grounded. As such, I was waaaayy stronger and more able to be in touch with my inner guidance and intentions.

  2. I said “no” to opportunities: This wasn’t easy for me. I’m a “yes” woman. I want to do ALL the things, ALL of the time. Especially when I’m somewhere like NYC - I mean, c’mon! Yet I learned that if I was selective with my time and energy and who/what I said yes to, I was honouring my body and again, more able to stay connected to my intentions.

  3. I declared my intentions: I KNEW that NYC was Trigger City for me with a capital T. So I made a bold statement and declared it publicly. Of course I’m not saying that you need to declare your intentions as publicly as I did, but you do need to find an accountability system that works for you, preferably that externalizes accountability so that the entire responsibility isn’t solely on you.

  4. I made friends with bartenders: Might sound funny at first, but bartenders can be your best friends in your quest to Drink Less or not at all. It’s a lot more fun to turn down alcohol when you have a delicious alternative.  My favourite line “What can you make me with mineral water that’s exciting and doesn’t have alcohol?” I had some yummy fizzy lemonades and virgin mojitos made for me this way. Remember, even in an open bar situation, it’s really nice to tip a bartender generously for their efforts (I used to be a bartender, so I know it’s appreciated). You want to keep these people happily on your side. I even ended up selling my book to one bartender after we chatted about what I do!

  5. I made sure I was fed: I kept energy bars in my purse to keep my energy up. Drops in blood sugar and low energy can lead to alcohol cravings, and I wanted to set myself up for success.

  6. I used aromatherapy: Did you know that using essential oils can help with your mental state? I used rosemary for improve focus and alertness during my events. I used floral and sensual blends (cacao, rose,ylang ylang, orange, sandalwood) to get me feeling grounded and sexy before heading out in the evenings.  I used calming blends in the evenings when I needed to unwind.

  7. I came prepared: I brought my own teas (for both my morning and evening routines), carefully packed my essential oils, was prepared with snack and most importantly, did the mental and spiritual prep beforehand to make this as easy on myself as possible!

So you see, so much of this isn’t exactly simply about the strategies around how to Drink Less. It’s about creating new habits and lifestyle shifts to set yourself up for success. (And this is actually why I started calling myself a lifestyle coach and not simply a health coach, because so much of what I coach my clients on is lifestyle-related)

Now, you’re probably curious about the times I did drink, why, and how I feel about it.

The first bit of alcohol I had was at a late dinner after the first conference I attended. The reception had ended at around 8:30pm, and some of my colleagues from an online course I had taken were heading out for dinner.

Instead of going directly there with them, I went back to my friend’s house first to get changed and take a bit of a break. I was able to have a snack, decompress a bit, and recenter myself.

When they texted me the name of the restaurant, I was proud of myself for doing this (remember, this whole “take a break and take care of myself” thing is new to me)

They were at a wine bar, and a few bottles into their evening by the time I arrived. I ordered a water because I was actually quite thirsty and turned down the extra wine glass that was procured when I sat down. I kept pounding water and focused on ordering food - which took my own focus away from the wine menu and onto something else delicious.

With food in my belly and interesting conversation happening all around me, I wasn’t so distracted by all of the alcohol around me.

Then one of the members of our party started sampling dessert wines. He was apparently quite an aficionado and the French owner of the bar came over to “wow” him with his selection. He eventually procured a bottle of 1967 wine that, according to the sommelier, is something you would never be able to drink by the glass. He was willing to open the bottle though, and the small glass of dessert wine that was served cost a whopping $65.

He must have seen my eyes bulging and offered me a sip to try.

So yes, I tried it. I don’t think I’ve ever had the opportunity to try a wine such as this - and it was an incredible experience. The flavours keeps shifting around to different parts of my palate, and lingered long after I swallowed.

It was a moment like this one that confirmed the reasons why I had wanted to make moderation work for me instead of swearing off alcohol forever. That night, I had a sensory/culinary experience that was new for me, and that was that. It didn’t switch on a desire to immediately order my own glass of wine. I didn’t feel like I needed to order a drink at the club we danced at afterwards. I didn’t fall off track or have a harder time abstaining during the subsequent events with open bars during the rest of the week.

The second drink of alcohol I had was on my last night in NYC.

I had successfully navigated countless trigger situations during my 8 days and nights in the Big City.

I was proud of myself.

I had created new experiences for myself, had treated my body with the utmost care and had experiencedmaximum energy and focus the entire week.

I met up with a long-time friend who had seen me through some of the worst of relationship to alcohol and knew the extent of my journey and the focus of my work. He was what I would consider a very “safe” person. He also is someone who never gets drunk. We went to a great little bar in East Harlem and sat on that bar stool. I ordered some food and a glass of water. He ordered a beer. Awhile later we started a discussion with the bartender who infused different spirits with ingredients such as rosemary, sage, ginger and lavender. I decided to order a drink that was some interesting combination of mineral water, ginger syrup and sage-infused gin, something I would have never thought to try before. I enjoyed it, and felt relaxed knowing the decision to have another was simply a non-issue internally - I knew I wouldn’t.

I went home shortly after as I had an early start the next day to head to a conference, then a workshop, and then to the airport for my red-eye flight home to Mexico.

I didn’t feel buzzed or affected by the alcohol. I drank my sleepy time tea and did my regular bedtime routine, though it took me a little to unwind after the fullness of the week, and the Caribbean beats that were still pulsing from the bar we had been sitting at.

When I awoke in the morning -  I felt mildly hungover. There was a throbbing in my frontal lobe, and my brain felt slower to wake up. I was acutely aware of these sensations because it felt so different to every other morning I had woken up in New York during that week. I had had a similar amount of sleep the night before, and the other difference was the drink.

I realized how sensitive I am now to the sensations in my body. I felt like I NEEDED a coffee first thing, whereas on other mornings and sometimes entire days I hadn’t thought about caffeine. I still followed my morning routine - making myself a water and lemon, green tea, ate a banana, and then grabbed a cold pressed green juice before having a coffee, and with that combination I felt a lot better.

Again, I felt no desire to drink more. In fact, I can’t imagine having another cocktail in quite awhile. I’m enjoying how awesome my body feels way too much to want to mess with it anymore.

So that’s my story. It’s mine, yours might have been different if you were in the same situations as me. That’s the beauty and intricacy of this bio-individual approach to alcohol moderation.

I hope you find the tips helpful. I would love to hear which one you know will serve you if you start implementing it ASAP.


Slim And Chic

Hi there,

Alcohol isn't the only reason women come to me for support.

Often, they are also struggling with their weight, feeling as though there is never enough time, over-working and under-sleeping, prioritizing other's needs instead of their own.

Does any of this sound familiar?

And while I do my best as a holistic coach to support my clients with these overlapping issues, I can't be all things to all people!

That is why I am so excited to have been invited to participate in an amazing online event that launches TODAY!

This value-packed virtual summit promises to be a real game-changer for busy professional women who always put their work ahead of their own wants and needs.

I’ve been invited to join an already amazing lineup of experts who are coming together to share their knowledge and expertise, and help women like you achieve their life and wellness goals.

Best of all?

I have a stack of tickets to give away and I’d love for you to have one! Grab your ticket here.

The Slim & Chic Corporate Queen Summit is for you if:

Your work has become the number one priority in your life.

You’re always on the go, from the moment you open your eyes and reach for your phone, to the moment you fall asleep with it in your hand at night.

You’ve convinced yourself you just don’t need as much sleep as other people do – at least, that’s what you tell your mom when she calls.

Your busy schedule of back-to-back meetings regularly gets in the way of you eating anything -- until mid-afternoon that is, when you cram as much sugar into your body as possible before you fall over.

Sticking to a healthy diet and exercising right feels next to impossible for you when you’re living out of a suit-carrier in a hotel for a few nights every week.

You only ever open one closet door when you get dressed, because you know that the back of the closet is filled with outfits that no longer fit, thanks to those extra 20lbs you can’t seem to shift.

You’re sick of going to dinner parties, weddings and family functions alone, yet you never seem to have the time or energy to invest in finding your soulmate.

You’ve lost count of the amount of times you’ve cancelled dinner or drink dates because the outfit you were planning on wearing didn’t fit and you had nothing else to wear.

Between over-promising and saying “yes” at work when you really want to say “no”, you have no time to do the things that have been on your Life List for years now.

You’re aware you’re getting older and know you can’t keep putting others’ wants and needs ahead of your own if you’re going to live your best life.

Since we’ve been in each other’s worlds for a while now, I’m positive you know that I want nothing more than to see women like you thrive in every aspect of their lives, not just getting control over alcohol.

That’s where The Slim & Chic Corporate Queen Summit comes in.

With over 25 guest speakers already confirmed and ready to reveal their best tips to help you drop any excess weight you may be carrying, reclaim your time, and banish that feeling of burnout, this event promises to be a complete game-changer!

Discover tips, tricks and strategies that will show you how to:

Drop those extra 20 lbs you’ve been wanting to lose for as long as you can remember.

Survive the unpredictable ups and downs of corporate/professional life and still stay happily on track with your life and health goals.

Improve the quality of your sleep so you wake feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day each morning.

Make the best food choice possible, whatever situation you find yourself in.

Carve much needed time out of your schedule for your own self-care.

Create space in your life for things you love doing “just because”.

If you’ve been waiting for permission to focus on what you want and need for a change, consider it granted.

Don’t let another year of forgotten New Year’s Resolutions pass you by!  You still have time to make them a reality in 2016!

Grab your FREE ticket for The Slim & Chic Corporate Queen Summit and take another important step in moving your life forward with intention.

See you there!

xoxo


Let's Connect!

I am excited beyond words to be traveling to NYC again in exactly 2 weeks!!

While I was in NYC last (barely three months ago) I was invited to a networking event for Wellness professionals. The first woman I bumped into as I walked through the door was Monica Aparicio. She saw me clutching me book and said, “No way! I love that topic! I used to be a total party girl and now I organize health-related happy hours called The Lifestyle Lounge.”

Needless to saw, we immediately hit it off.

Don’t you love how life works? At an event in the middle of Manhattan where I knew not a single person - I met a woman so aligned with my experiences and current work! She told me about a bigger event she’s organising and invited me to be a speaker.

One, two, skip a few and here we are! The event is called Sustainable Success and I am so thrilled be a part of it! The entire focus of the day is on self-care for busy entrepreneurs - how amazing is that?

Unlike any other business conference, Sustainable Success is designed to support you from the inside out by giving structure to the invisible side of success.

Besides having a solid marketing plan and concrete systems, running a sustainable and successful business requires that you master the art of self;

Elevating your self worth and cultivating your confidence,

Breaking through limiting beliefs and up leveling your mindset,

And aligning to like minded people and Investing in resources to support your growth!

As a featured panelist speaker, I will be sharing with my best strategies for getting out of your own way, making more of your authentic self available, and finding freedom from alcohol - on your own terms!

I can’t wait to connect with you in person on May 22nd.

Complete with spotlight speakers, panelists, experiential learning, experts you can sit down with for 1 on 1 private consults and even a sound healing concert to ground you, Sustainable Success will give you the tools most business conferences don’t address.

If you’re ready to step into a bigger vision for yourself and your business, join the select number for entrepreneurs who will be coming together for an unforgettable day dedicated to setting the stage for lasting satisfaction and success!

Your ticket includes:

Breakfast yogurt parfaits brought to you by KIND bars

A full day of hands on presentations plus a lifestyle and business panel

Access to a marketplace of select vendors offering business and lifestyle resources

Healthy Snacks and Beverages

Optional yoga class during lunch* 

Mini wellness treatments 

An exquisite Sound Healing Concert experience

The Lifestyle Lounge Experience to network, mingle and sit down 1 on 1 with experts to receive personal attention and care

A digital goodie bag of FREE GIFTS to support you after the event is over

As you can see - this is an amazing wellness focused event that will benefit you so much, even if you don't completely identify with being an entrepreneur.

AND - because I'm so excited to meet you in person - I am organizing a very special Drink Less Be More / Sip Sister meet-up Sunday evening. This will be your chance to come meet me, get to know other women who are on a similar journey, have some in-person laser coaching, and make some amazing lasting connections.

I only have 10 VIP tickets available for the Sustainable Success event (a discount of almost 50%) and this event will surely sell out!! Once it does, those tickets are no longer available to me. I would also like to cap the meet-up at 10 ladies to keep it nice and intimate so that we can really get a chance to know each other. If you are in the New York area or would consider traveling to take part in this amazing event, let me know ASAP so that I can give you the code and you can get yourself (and your friends!) registered. Together we are stronger and I know some of your have been wanting ways to include your friends in this work. Just make sure to email me ASAP and I’ll send you the VIP code so that you can reserve your tickets.

If NYC is too far for you to travel this time around, fear not. I have some other exciting live events planned in the future, and you'll be the first to know.

In the next two weeks I will also be offering a series of free webinars to share some of the content from the Drink Less Be More Masterclass. This is also a great way to connect online with myself and our community. Stay tuned for that - more info coming your way on Monday!

Have a fabulous weekend!

xoxo


5 ways to make "wet" February work for you

Where I come from on the West Coast of Canada, February is one of the wettest months.

The days are still too short, darkness encroaches too quickly, the sky is more often overcast and grey than not.

The combination of two SADs (Seasonal Affective Disorder and the Standard American Diet) can create a powerfully destructive force in the middle of winter.

It’s no surprise that the momentum of New Year’s resolutions and intentions can get lost and the temptation to seek sweet alcohol-fuelled relief becomes stronger.

The resolve you felt during your Dry January or enthusiasm for redefining your relationship to alcohol may become diluted.

The trend is common across the health and wellness sector.

Quora.com reports that 80% of the New Years Resolutions crowd drops off by the second week of February. Meaning only 20% remain, and the rate of sign-ups tapers off by February.

Whether or not you need in a cold climate, the following tips can help you stay on track with your resolutions around your drinking.

Learn how to moderate.

Sounds simple, but it’s not necessarily.

Now is this time to set clear goals for yourself around alcohol moderation.

Let me repeat, clarity is key.

Set a reasonable goal for yourself, such as no more than 5 drinks a week, and no more than 2 drinks on any given night.

Decide to stick to it for a month, just as you would have tried to stick to the 31 days alcohol-free in the month of January.

The most common challenge I see when people try to moderate is that they are too vague with your goal and how they will achieve it, and that they give themselves too much wiggle room.

Moderation requires guidelines, just like abstaining from alcohol does. What will yours be?

Plan your alternatives.

What are you going to drink of alcohol or do instead of drinking?

We all know that restrictions suck, which is why yo-yo diets don’t work.

What delicious, yummy, fun, sexy (you fill in the blank) alternatives can you add into your life instead of booze?

You will only ever be successful at moderating alcohol if you figure out what alternatives work for you.

I’m talking both replacement drinks and activities.

For drinks: Avoid sugary alternatives and go for seltzer/mineral water spritzers will a splash of real fruit juice or a virgin mojito. For relaxing evening drinks, try homemade cocoa or aromatic or sleepy time tea.

For activities: Try exercise or social activities to start.

What about that new hip hop yoga class, a spin class, a romp around the park or a games night?

Planning alternative evening activities will not only help with your fitness and health goals and relieve stress, but will also help in the friend department, proving you really can have fun without alcohol.

Understand your triggers and how to manage them.

Are you someone who drinks to gain confidence? To feel free-spirited? To get crazy? To release stress? When you are alone and overwhelmed with your thoughts?

Once you learn a bit more about your triggers, you need to start investigating other ways to “feel and deal.”

The options are so varied, it would be impossible to go into them all here.

You might decide to make a rule for yourself to not drink on days you are noticing your triggers, until you get a handle on what to do instead.

Otherwise, it could be a slippery slope into drunkenness again.

Plan your AFDs (Alcohol-Free Days).

Make sure you have more days during the week (at least four) when you aren’t drinking.

This gives your liver a break and forces you to implement the first three points above.

Plan these days in advance, and put them in your calendar.

Set reminders on your phone, and include motivational words as to why you don’t need alcohol today.

This will reduce the likelihood of an “oops I forgot I wasn’t supposed to drink today” moment.

Try to make one of your AFDs a weekend night to prevent any temptation of weekend binges.

AFDs help break the mindless habit of ordering a drink as the first you thing you do at a restaurant or at the bar, or heading for the fridge the first thing you as you walk in the door at home.

Shake up your routine and bring more mindfulness into your day.

One of my clients came up with the acronym AFD, and I absolutely love it!

Start a bedtime routine.

That’s right; a bedtime routine isn’t just for babies — and the adult version doesn’t include drinking out of a bottle!

The point is to find alternatives to alcohol to help wind down before bed.

As Dr Oz writes in his healthy drinking guidelines a 2013 analysis of more than 30 studies found that consuming two or more drinks during the two hours before bed decreased the amount of REM sleep.

Even though you might feel like you are falling asleep more quickly after a nightcap, the quality of your sleep will be reduced.

Instead of alcohol, try a cup of soothing tea, run a hot bath, do some stretching or a guided meditation and for the love of deep sleep, put your phone on airplane mode and stop scrolling.

Do these things, and I promise you will start reveling in the benefits of sweet beauty sleep, without resorting to counting sheep. Having a good night's sleep is essential for waking up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the next day, which will in turn help you end your day with ease and without feeling the need for alcohol.

These are a few of the strategies that will help you redefine your relationship to alcohol through the entire year. As always, change is easier within a support system. Do not hesitate to reach out if you feel you’d like added support. I mean it! I love you to comment below.