Can Sobriety Change Your Business?

Eight Successful Female Entrepreneurs Tell All

Work hard and play hard is often the philosophy we think of when it comes to business and the images we see of gorgeous, professional women in luxurious surroundings with their champagne glasses celebrating big wins portrays success and affluence.

However, all successful businesswomen will say that, a clear head, dedication, focus, self worth, clarity, passion, connection, drive and not to mention meaningful self care are key in growing and succeeding in business.

Alcohol doesn’t seem to help us with any of those aspects of our professional life, so it is not surprising that more and more women are choosing to let go of anything that is not serving them in their business. Alcohol is one of these things.

Can sobriety change your business?

I talk to eight wonderful women about sobriety and the female entrepreneur, their personal  journey’s  to changing their relationship with alcohol and the impact it has had on their personal and professional life.

Amber Richart – Brand Design Expert

Amber’s journey started with intuition and being #sobercurious.

“I took part in sober October and started being really curious as to how alcohol was affecting me. I am a very health conscious person and I always had this nagging feeling  that drinking was not doing me any good. Then I had a dream where I had a breast cancer scare and not long afterwards, my doctor noticed something and sent me for more tests. It turned out to be nothing but it was enough to wake me up and really make me think about changing my relationship with alcohol.

I am so glad I listened to my intuitive sense and stopped playing Russian Roulette with my body, my life. I have so much more awareness now, I feel positive, alive, happier, and I get way more done!

There are so many wonderful benefits to not drinking the way I used to and for me, it literally feels like I am putting something toxic inside myself, we don’t even realize it when we’re drinking.

I feel fully awake, conscious and I am experiencing life. I don’t want to be part of that culture anymore where everything revolves around drinking, I just love my body too much.

I must admit, that I did struggle for a while when I first started cutting back, I was fighting society, culture and my friendships have changed which is hard but it is also a sign that I am growing and healing.

One of the main things for me, being a business owner and a spiritual person is that alcohol affects every level of my being, when I am doing intuitive, spiritual or channeling work, alcohol just blocks the energy and lowers vibration. I simply cannot be my best self and connect to my higher self when I am consuming a toxic substance. It is just so much easier without alcohol.

I really wouldn’t have been able to move forward with my life and my business if I had still been drinking. Alcohol made me depressed, it makes me unproductive and honestly, I have no time for it! I have found a much better away to live!”

Bio: Amber Richart is a brand design expert who has worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs and businesses in visual design and marketing for over 15 years.  Amber is the founder  and creative behind yourkickassbrand.com, an educational and service based business helping women entrepreneurs create beautiful and impactful visual brands.

Website: yourkickassbrand.com

Nicole Gabriel – Psychologist and Coach

Nicole’s story is interesting because although unique to her, it is very familiar to many of us. Nicole describes drinking as sometimes being a response to emotional drain, and has found herself using it in the past as a crutch to deal with the demands of parenting a young child combined with a stressful job.

When a change in circumstances happened, it was the springboard to changing her relationship with alcohol, realizing that she was, perhaps drinking a bit too much, it had become a reflexive habit to ‘wind down’ at the end of the day. Then, like, so many of us, the experience of lockdown meant that the alcohol crept back in again, but already having the awareness from previous experiences of cutting down, Nicole is on that journey once again.

“Drinking affects me negatively in so many ways, it interferes with my sleep which of course, has a knock on effect making me moody and irritable. I notice I am more emotional and the days are more trying. I am very mindful and conscious of my drinking and how it makes me feel, maybe it’s because I am getting older, but I always feel far worse when I drink than I did before. Sometimes I notice that actually, I am not really enjoying the drink and pour it away! I would never have done that in the past.

Part of me still sees alcohol as a treat but really when I listen to my body, I know it is not a treat at all, it just makes me fuggy. I have a teenage son and I am very conscious of the bad message we are sending out as parents when we feel the need to turn to alcohol to help us cope and have a good time.

When I don’t drink, I find that I am much more clear headed, motivated and able to get on and do things, and much better able to manage my emotions!”

Bio: Nicole is a psychologist and coach, specializing in psychological and nature based coaching for wellbeing: helping women to create ‘whole-life’ wellbeing that integrates work, life, themselves and nature, taking them to a place of greater harmony, values alignment and serenity. Serene Mind is all about helping women to create a calm and settled mind, that is trouble free.

Website: serenemind.co.uk

Sally Oddy – Business & Marketing Coach

Sally often has periods of time when she takes a break from alcohol and we chatted about why she is taking a longer break from drinking at the moment.

“I wasn’t entirely unhappy with the amount I was drinking, but I was not happy with how it was making me feel. It was invading my thoughts and I was having negative feelings and emotions surrounding it, I was getting annoyed and frustrated with myself and couldn’t understand why I couldn’t just stop.

Like so many other people lockdown has brought great uncertainty and worry and I did get into the bad habit of drinking more frequently than usual and on top of that I have been having quite bad menopause symptoms and I know from past experience that stopping alcohol for a while makes the menopause symptoms just disappear.

I am normally very passionate, driven and energetic. I don’t have time to waste basically! I am on a journey, there are things that I want to do and I don’t want to waste my time, effort or energy on something like alcohol which is not serving me at the moment.

I have not set myself a time frame, I just know that right now alcohol is harming me and getting in the way of what I want to do. Alcohol just makes me feel bad and I don’t even really like the taste of it that much. Creativity is extremely important to me and alcohol certainly suppresses that, so I am really looking forward to being creative. I am a bit of a rebel so I don’t want to put any restrictions or time frame on this time away from drinking, because I know I would rebel against myself, so I just want to keep it open and see what happens.

I need time away to remove my body and emotions form the whole thing and honestly it it like a tap has been switched off. Once I made the decision to do this, I am just keeping going. For me, it is about being in alignment and my drinking is not in alignment with my values and what I want to do at the moment. I think it is important to listen to your soul, your inner voice because she won’t ever lead us the wrong way.

I am excited to see a growing trend among successful entrepreneurs who don’t drink because at the end of the day, if you want to be successful you have to master your health. I am super ambitious and alcohol is getting in the way of that. I feel wide awake, I exercise, I journal, I meditate and I am focused with loads of energy and creativity. It is hard to put into words, but there are so many amazing benefits to not drinking.”

Bio: Sally has a business and marketing career spanning over 20 years and brings huge passion, creativity and courage to everything she does. A business owner since 2012, last year Sally transitioned from her Marketing Consulting business to the online world as a Business & Marketing Coach. Sally guides coaches to increase their impact and income, empowering them to become confident and successful business owners.This is all takes place in The Clarity Academy – a powerfully transformational 12 week experience where coaches build robust businesses that deliver consistent and reliable income. Find out more about The Clarity Academy and enroll.

Website: sallyoddy.com

Nicky Pennie – Life Improvement Coach

Nicky says that her life has improved, beyond measure since changing her relationship with alcohol.

“ I am very passionate about this subject because my life has changed so much. When I was working in HR there was very much the culture of work hard, play hard. One of my companies had such legendary parties and it was as if, when I was drinking, I was in training to go out! But, with that came an awful lot of stress, I was stuck on a hamster wheel, there was no self care, I felt awful and the inevitable pressure was building up.

I moved to France eight years ago to try and get off the hamster wheel and bring some more peace and calm into my life and with this came my changing relationship with alcohol. I would never drink to get drunk, but I would have previously drunk about five bottles a week with my husband, and  I began to see my drinking as a habit which I didn’t really like and while I have never said I will never drink again, I started changing, mindfully and slowly.

This awareness made me realize that alcohol made me lethargic and as a business owner it is important to be on top of my game. Drinking made me make poor food choices, it was a poor use of time and made me sleep badly (sleep is so important!) My mindset began to change and I began working through my blocks. One thing that helped me enormously was to attach the decision not to drink to something far more important such as quality of life and my business.

It is not about lack or feeling deprived but rather adding to life and experiences.  I made a conscious choice to change, and one thing that helped me was to have a non alcohol related reward during that window  of time where I would usually have reached for a drink to unwind or get that ‘off duty’ feeling. This was really key in helping me to change the habit. it’s not something I needed for very long but it helped to shift the focus.  I saw that actually, the world didn’t end and that I felt great! It was so good to wake up and not think ‘I wish I hadn’t drank last night,’ but instead to think, ‘I’m glad I didn’t drink last night!’

This, for the most part, alcohol-free lifestyle fits in with my values. I feel I am an open channel which is so fundamental for my work. I have clarity of thought, I am happier, I am doing amazing things and most importantly I made a choice which I am happy with. It didn’t take long to change from being a habitual drinker to hardly drinking at all, importantly though it was never about denying myself.  I changed the habit of drinking to the habit of focusing on doing something more productive with my time and almost without me noticing alcohol is barely part of my consciousness now.”

Bio: Nicky is a Life Improvement Coach, supporting women to improve their lives & achieve their goals. She works on a 1-to-1 basis online with women who feel dissatisfied, powerless or frustrated with any aspect of their life. She helps them identify what’s truly causing those feelings, so she can guide them through taking targeted action to improve them. Her clients regain control to create a happier life that enhances their mental & emotional well-being.

Website: beyourbestyet.co.uk

Amie Sharratt – Creator & Owner of Concious Revolution Magazine

“I gave up drinking for a couple of months at the start of this year and then it’s crept back into my life. I’m now going AF as an experiment to see how much more productive I can be…the results have been amazing so far! One of the reasons I am doing this experiment is that I realized that drinking takes up too much time and gets in the way of everything. When I drink I am tired, sluggish, hungover and I have no motivation. When you drink, there is a ripple effect, and when you don’t drink there is a ripple effect too – a much better one!

Since starting this experiment I have gained so much, especially Monday mornings, I have even been running! I am running two businesses and working part time, so juggling all of this requires a clarity, energy and clear headedness that just doesn’t  fit in with alcohol, even just weekend drinking.

I can honestly say that so far, not drinking really does suit me and it fits in with my personal values. I feel vibrant, alive and energized!

I have also been doing a lot of learning and reading around the subject, especially what alcohol does to our brains which is helping me to stay true to this decision.

There have been challenges, especially in social situations and the fear of what other people think of me and also, what can I do for fun?! But really thinking about it and listing all the things I won’t get done if I drink is so powerful. What’s more I wake up so happy that I stuck to my decision. I am not saying never again but so far the results of my experiment have been wonderful and I can’t wait to see what happens.”

Bio: Amie is a preloved fashion fanatic and an ethical beauty enthusiast. She has ran her own vintage business and is a trained Makeup Artist, using only cruelty free products. Both of these were stepping stones to creating Conscious Revolution Magazine. A one stop resource to INSPIRE & MOTIVATE you to make lasting changes to your lifestyle for the environment and for your future.

Website: consciousrevolutionmag.co.uk/

Sarah Sienkiewicz – Strategy & Alignment Coach

“Although I loved the ‘buzz’ from alcohol when all your thoughts just melt away and you stop ‘feeling’ I didn’t like the thought of being dependent on something outside of myself. I knew that I could probably live without alcohol because I had done things like Dry January and Dry July but still it was always on my mind, I was always trying to control it which I found odd because I didn’t think like that about water.

I became curious during lockdown because I remember a time when I just drank and ate what I wanted, I had slowed my business down a bit and I drank often out of boredom or just for entertainment and I didn’t want to go down that road again. I began seeing all the positives attached to sobriety and I wanted to see what would happen but I didn’t know the path to take so I asked for guidance and that’s when I met Gayle. It was a sign that this was the right time for me.

There is so much that I want to do in my life and my business but I knew that if I carried on with one foot in and one foot out, I would never know. Drinking just seemed at odds with my values.  I became much more mindful about my drinking, what I wanted from it, what it gave me, how it made me feel and I realized that I didn’t like how I felt with alcohol and putting the rules and restrictions in place just made life hard work.

I would always be sober the night before a client session because in my work I need to be clear and open but I wondered why I wasn’t doing that for myself. It took a long time to get to the decision to stop but now I have made that choice, it is so much easier. I have a different mindset. I see it as a poison and it was sabotaging me, my growth and my business. Alcohol for me just doesn’t deliver anything, it is not sophisticated, it is distracting and I just didn’t like how I felt the next day after a drink. I don’t want to do that to myself anymore.

I had my last drink in April and I have had my most successful year in my business so far, it is just amazing and while I don’t know for sure that it is because I am not drinking anymore, I just feel free to go and do what I want. I am not numbing out anymore or trying to clear away the fuzziness. Although I still need to find ways to slow down and take a break, I really feel that there is no stopping me now.”

Sarah Sienkiewicz is a Strategy & Alignment Coach at Healing Business. Healing. Sarah is passionate about giving coaches and wellness practitioners the support and business skills needed to attract an abundance of clients and live a purposeful life, on their terms. Blending practical, down to earth resources with law of attraction and energy alignment, Sarah’s creative and enthusiastic approach is an inspiration to lightworkers in her community, the Healing Business Academy.

Website: healingbusiness.co.uk

 Sally Harrison – Money Archetypes Coach

“Like so many other women, the experience of being in lockdown has really made me more aware of my drinking and perhaps exacerbated it a little.  While I don’t drink to excess I do have an evening glass of wine or two, every day and I realize that I am thinking more and more about controlling it. This, which seems a bit like dieting, is one of the challenges I am facing, it’s like when you tell someone they can’t have something, they want it more.

I feel my wine drinking is very habitual and yes, there is an addictive element to it which is why cravings happen when you decide that you won’t drink today but come six o’clock, that familiar feeling of need and wanting pops up. I think the stress of the lifestyle we are living in at the moment is a contributing factor, I have five adults in my house all working from home and it is difficult to escape when things pile up. I notice that often I drink on autopilot, without even realizing and someone will bring me a glass of wine when I perhaps wasn’t even thinking of it which makes the pattern hard to get out of.

I know that I can have a longer spell of alcohol free living, I have had time off in the past and I think it is something I want to consider seriously because of health reasons. I do know the wonderful benefits that come with not drinking and I notice that when I don’t drink, I always feel good the next day, I am brighter, clearer and feel so happy that I didn’t drink the night before. Also, I sleep better and good sleep has such an impact on our lives in general so sleeping well is also a motivating factor for me.“

Bio: Sally Harrison set up Peak Profit in 2019 after 20 years working in financial advice. A certified money archetypes coach, she now helps women business owners to beat the habit of under-earning and transform their finances for good.  She is a mum to two humans and one dog, and in her free time loves to travel with her husband in their 1976 VW Campervan.

Website: peakprofit.co.uk

Kylee Nelson – Marriage and Family Therapist 

Kylee is five years sober and she told me that she wouldn’t even have a business if she had been drinking!

“I had no control over my drinking, no off switch and I came to the realization that I became selfish and was unable to connect properly when I was drinking. I got into a huge fight with my husband (we’d only been married a few weeks) and that is what sparked the change.

At first it was difficult because there are reminders everywhere, alcohol is such a big part of our culture and I did think about it a lot, I could even taste it! I did a lot of soul searching and learned to be more present in my life and the lives of my family and of course, I discovered new ways of coping along the way.

For me it just seems impossible to juggle being a mum, a wife and a business owner unless I am fully present in everything I do. I have much healthier relationships and I am a better therapist to my clients because of this openness and clarity. As a working mum, I know just how important sleep is and honestly, when we drink our sleep is very poor which has a knock on effect.

Drinking alcohol is just not for me, the positives that I experience every day in my life are just not worth the risk of drinking.

Really being aware and noticing how your drinking is affecting you is key to changing your relationship with alcohol, just give it a try and there are loads of things you can do to unwind, relax and have fun.  I enjoy games nights, yoga, meditation, and lots of hot tea. Being sober is part of who I am. I am emotionally healthy which is the most important thing for me, my clients and my family.

Bio: Kylee Nelson is a mama to a rambunctious toddler, wife to my college sweetheart, a licensed marriage and family therapist and a survivor of my own difficult postpartum journey. I am passionate about helping pregnant and postpartum moms gain the skills and confidence to take control of their mental health so they can live a life full of joy and fulfillment. I do this through one on one counseling, group counseling and my membership community for new moms, The New Mom Squad.

Website: fulfilledmotherhood.mykajabi.com

Can sobriety change your business? Absolutely! And these amazing women are testament to that. I believe that a life rich in abundance, deep connections, meaningful experiences and of course, success, is an open one, a liberating one where we are free to grow, to create and reach our full potential.

Letting go of alcohol is the most profound thing we can do if we want to really show up for ourselves every day and create the life of our dreams.

I really hope that you have been as inspired as I have by the personal stories of these successful female entrepreneurs, and if you want to take your business to the next level, then why not try getting a little more curious, creating some awareness, and try a little experiment of your own and see what happens?