What if the festive season could bring more connection, confidence, and genuine fun… without the dread (or the hangover)? In this episode of The Big Drink Rethink, your host Anna shares how to survive Christmas parties, whether you’re alcohol free, moderating, or just rethinking your relationship with drinking.
Drawing on personal stories and practical coaching insight, Anna covers how Christmas parties often trigger reflex drinking and cultural pressures, and shares simple, powerful strategies to help you stay true to what you want from the season. From pre-party mindset resets to mastering your exit plan (hello, Irish Goodbye!). This episode is packed with real-life tools, gentle encouragement, and tips for waking up clear-headed, proud, and totally FOMO-free.
Here are the Highlights:
00:41 Why Christmas parties stir up both excitement and anxiety
03:25 How cultural scripts and past habits hijack our choices
08:05 The three key questions to set your party intentions
11:25 Alcohol free versus moderation, how to pick your best path
12:50 Busting myths, you’re not the only one cutting down!
16:23 Pre-party grounding and creating “joy drinks”
22:05 Social pressure, responses, and the power of changing the subject
24:22 Finding your wingman and safe spaces
26:42 Micro check-ins: Don’t confuse boredom with wanting a drink
27:52 Planning your exit and mastering the Irish Goodbye
30:37 End of night rituals for real rewards
Ready to rethink your Christmas party season? Tune in to get inspired, energised, and equipped for whatever December throws your way.
Anna’s group coaching community ‘Unstuck!’ helps identify your alcohol ‘stories’ and beliefs, breaking the cycle of alcohol and all the shame that goes with it. For more information and to find out how to join, please follow this link: https://www.winetowatercoaching.com/unstuck-1
To further explore your relationship with alcohol, check out Anna’s self-guided programme, The Big Drink Rethink Experiment: https://www.thebigdrinkrethink.com/the-big-drink-rethink-experiment
And apply the code POD99 to purchase for just £99 as a podcast listener.
If you’re loving the podcast and would like to give Anna a warm, fuzzy feeling of appreciation, then you can buy her a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/bigdrinkrethink
About the host Anna:
Anna is a certified Alcohol Mindset Coach, trained by Annie Grace of This Naked Mind. Drawing on her own journey out of alcohol addiction, she now helps others explore and control their drinking. With a career spanning 25 years as a Strategist in the Advertising industry, she combines her own lived experiences, with great insight into what makes us tick and what influences us to behave the way we do.
Connect with Anna:
Website: thebigdrinkrethink.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annadonaghey
Instagram: instagram.com/bigdrinkrethink
Produced by winteraudio.co.uk
What if your relationship with alcohol was more about nourishment than willpower? In this eye-opening toolkit episode of The Big Drink Rethink, Anna shares one of her most powerful tools yet, a framework to help you discover what truly fuels and sustains you, making it easier to outgrow alcohol for good.
Drawing on personal experience and Tara Mohr’s Core Nutrients Framework, Anna Donaghey guides you to uncover what you’re genuinely “thirsty for,” and how meeting these deeper needs naturally eases your reliance on booze. Whether you’re navigating the pressures of the holiday season or simply wanting to rethink your drinking habits, this episode is packed with practical exercises and gentle wisdom to help you feel more alive, grounded, and connected - no willpower required!
Here are the Highlights:
00:00 Habits stick not through willpower, but by feeling nourished
03:10 Christmas amplifies everything, joy, loneliness, and chaos
09:12 Alcohol offers temporary comfort and connection
10:08 Reflect on your true cravings and emotional needs
13:48 Creativity, belonging, and connection energise your inner life
25:13 Prioritise self-nourishment, download the reflection sheet at thebigdrinkrethink.com/tools
26:57 Identifying core needs brings clarity, immediate well-being, and builds lasting habits.
Anna’s group coaching community ‘Unstuck!’ helps identify your alcohol ‘stories’ and beliefs, breaking the cycle of alcohol and all the shame that goes with it. For more information and to find out how to join, please follow this link: https://www.winetowatercoaching.com/unstuck-1
To further explore your relationship with alcohol, check out Anna’s self-guided programme, The Big Drink Rethink Experiment: https://www.thebigdrinkrethink.com/the-big-drink-rethink-experiment
And apply the code POD99 to purchase for just £99 as a podcast listener.
If you’re loving the podcast and would like to give Anna a warm, fuzzy feeling of appreciation, then you can buy her a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/bigdrinkrethink
About the host Anna:
Anna is a certified Alcohol Mindset Coach, trained by Annie Grace of This Naked Mind. Drawing on her own journey out of alcohol addiction, she now helps others explore and control their drinking. With a career spanning 25 years as a Strategist in the Advertising industry, she combines her own lived experiences, with great insight into what makes us tick and what influences us to behave the way we do.
Connect with Anna:
Website: thebigdrinkrethink.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annadonaghey
Instagram: instagram.com/bigdrinkrethink
Produced by winteraudio.co.uk
Mentioned in this episode:
To pre-order my book, What Are You Thirsty For on Amazon select here: https://amzn.eu/d/3v3T6Mq Or on Waterstones here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/what-are-you-thirsty-for/anna-donaghey/9781915780607
Have you ever questioned whether alcohol might be quietly dimming the best parts of your life? In this episode of The Big Drink Rethink, Anna Donaghey chats to Dan D'Souza, co-founder of MUUSH to explore how quitting alcohol made room for more meaning, creativity, and connection. From high-flying networking in boozy city jobs to finding real nourishment in purpose and daily joy, Dan shares his journey through the “grey area” of drinking and the practical, inspiring steps he took to rethink his relationship with alcohol.
Here are the Highlights:
00:00 Intro: Dan D'Souza, co-founder of MUUSH, quit alcohol to prioritise purpose, and connection
04:00 Missed grades led to studying marketing at Sussex
09:54 Alcohol remains a social expectation and facilitator in business
15:54 Drinking can still be a problem if it depletes or distracts you
17:33 A turning point in 2023, after losing a bag with a phone and laptop
21:08 Focus on what feels good and kind
23:57 Removing alcohol creates space for reflection, opens new chapters, and fosters clarity for life's next steps
27:44 Spending less on alcohol allows for more purposeful spending
35:24 Focus on identifying priorities
37:07 Bridging taste and function in non-alcoholic drinks
43:00 Balance values and small pleasures while maintaining clarity and energy
46:02 Seeking professional help and finding inspiration from others
49:14 Friendships can evolve to provide emotional support
Anna’s group coaching community ‘Unstuck!’ helps identify your alcohol ‘stories’ and beliefs, breaking the cycle of alcohol and all the shame that goes with it. For more information and to find out how to join, please follow this link: https://www.winetowatercoaching.com/unstuck-1
To further explore your relationship with alcohol, check out Anna’s self-guided programme, The Big Drink Rethink Experiment: https://www.thebeliefscoach.com/the-big-drink-rethink-experiment
And apply the code POD99 to purchase for just £99 as a podcast listener.
If you’re loving the podcast and would like to give Anna a warm, fuzzy feeling of appreciation, then you can buy her a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/bigdrinkrethink
About the host Anna:
Anna is a certified Alcohol Mindset Coach, trained by Annie Grace of This Naked Mind. Drawing on her own journey out of alcohol addiction, she now helps others explore and control their drinking. With a career spanning 25 years as a Strategist in the Advertising industry, she combines her own lived experiences, with great insight into what makes us tick and what influences us to behave the way we do.
Connect with Anna:
Website: thebeliefscoach.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annadonaghey
Instagram: instagram.com/bigdrinkrethink
Produced by winteraudio.co.uk
About Dan D’Souza:
Dan D’Souza, co-founder of MUUSH - Lion’s Mane-based drinks brand. On a mission to bridge taste and function with Lion's Mane based drinks.
10+ years marketing experience at household name brands including Virgin, Octopus investments, Citibank.
His story really captures the grey area so many people find themselves in with alcohol.
Dan stopped drinking in October 2023 whilst working in previous businesses and felt there needed to be more functional and non-alcohol drinks available.
Connect with Dan:
Linkedin:: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-d-souza/?originalSubdomain=uk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dan_d.souza/?hl=en
Linkedin (MUUSH): https://www.linkedin.com/company/104243925/admin/dashboard/
Instagram (MUUSH): https://www.instagram.com/drinkmuush/?hl=en
Website: www.muush.co
Mentioned in this episode:
To pre-order my book, What Are You Thirsty For on Amazon select here: https://amzn.eu/d/3v3T6Mq Or on Waterstones here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/what-are-you-thirsty-for/anna-donaghey/9781915780607
Letting go, relaxing, and releasing especially without alcohol can feel out of reach for many. In this insightful, toolbox-packed Q&A episode, Anna Donaghey tackles questions from listeners and coaching clients about why it can be so hard to relax or "let go," even after quitting drinking.
This episode explores how patterns of control, nervous system wiring, shame, and old beliefs shape our inability to relax, and offers practical, compassionate tools for beginning to unlearn these habits and find true safety and release.
Here are the Highlights:
00:00 Introduction: Listener questions about “letting go”
01:57 Listener feels unable to soften and release
03:18 The nervous system doesn’t know how to release on its own
04:24 It's not that you're broken, the body has learned holding on is safe
05:33 Why we grip so tightly, and the link to safety and self-protection
06:42 Fear of falling apart, feeling emotions, and losing control
07:38 What does your tightness think it’s protecting?
08:05 Why “trying hard” to release is counterproductive
09:18 Create conditions where release can happen naturally
12:05 The importance of permission in self-care and self-worth
12:48 Seeking support, therapy, and accepting oneself
14:06 Start with possibility
17:19 Replace drinking rituals with calming alternatives
18:04 Healing is slow, small acts accumulate and become safety signals
19:09 Layers of trust: trust in self, trust in others, and (even) trust in life
22:31 “I don’t have to carry this anymore”; letting go doesn’t mean giving up
22:50 Release isn’t a destination, it’s a returning rhythm like breathing
25:03 Micro-moments of softening as daily healing gestures
26:16 Please submit your questions for future episodes.
Anna’s group coaching community ‘Unstuck!’ helps identify your alcohol ‘stories’ and beliefs, breaking the cycle of alcohol and all the shame that goes with it. For more information and to find out how to join, please follow this link: https://www.winetowatercoaching.com/unstuck-1
To further explore your relationship with alcohol, check out Anna’s self-guided programme, The Big Drink Rethink Experiment: https://www.thebeliefscoach.com/the-big-drink-rethink-experiment
And apply the code POD99 to purchase for just £99 as a podcast listener.
If you’re loving the podcast and would like to give Anna a warm, fuzzy feeling of appreciation, then you can buy her a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/bigdrinkrethink
About the host Anna:
Anna is a certified Alcohol Mindset Coach, trained by Annie Grace of This Naked Mind. Drawing on her own journey out of alcohol addiction, she now helps others explore and control their drinking. With a career spanning 25 years as a Strategist in the Advertising industry, she combines her own lived experiences, with great insight into what makes us tick and what influences us to behave the way we do.
Connect with Anna:
Website: thebeliefscoach.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annadonaghey
Instagram: instagram.com/bigdrinkrethink
Produced by winteraudio.co.uk
Mentioned in this episode:
To pre-order my book, What Are You Thirsty For on Amazon select here: https://amzn.eu/d/3v3T6Mq Or on Waterstones here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/what-are-you-thirsty-for/anna-donaghey/9781915780607
How deep do the patterns that drive our drinking really go? In this transformative episode, Anna talks to Dr. Evette Rose, internationally renowned holistic counselor, trauma recovery expert, and author of Metaphysical Anatomy to reveal how trauma, inherited stress, and family conditioning can hardwire us for coping mechanisms like alcohol, long before we ever pick up a drink.
You’ll discover addiction is not just about willpower or habits. It’s about healing the imprints left by childhood, family history, and even foetal development. This episode is a must-listen for anyone seeking not just sobriety, but true freedom from old emotional wiring.
Here are the Highlights:
00:00 Introduction: Exploring trauma, nervous system wiring, and alcohol
03:25 Growing up: alcoholism, violence, and longing for connection
07:36 How childhood patterns of stress shape identity
09:18 Repeating family patterns in relationships
12:09 Intergenerational trauma and addiction predisposition
15:10 The impact of maternal stress on addiction risk
17:01 The placenta as a “memory bank” for trauma
18:36 Not just nurture, trauma transfer at a cellular and biological level
22:01 How generational trauma can be “programmed” into you
28:38 Coping mechanisms beyond alcohol
33:00 Why focusing only on “fixing” yourself keeps you stuck
35:37 Rapid regulation exercises for triggers and cravings
41:22 Practical body-based tools for rewiring safety
48:00 What if you don’t know your family history?
51:05 Healing not as correcting flaws, but updating old survival patterns.
Anna’s group coaching community ‘Unstuck!’ helps identify your alcohol ‘stories’ and beliefs, breaking the cycle of alcohol and all the shame that goes with it. For more information and to find out how to join, please follow this link: https://www.winetowatercoaching.com/unstuck-1
To further explore your relationship with alcohol, check out Anna’s self-guided programme, The Big Drink Rethink Experiment: https://www.thebeliefscoach.com/the-big-drink-rethink-experiment
And apply the code POD99 to purchase for just £99 as a podcast listener.
If you’re loving the podcast and would like to give Anna a warm, fuzzy feeling of appreciation, then you can buy her a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/bigdrinkrethink
About the host Anna:
Anna is a certified Alcohol Mindset Coach, trained by Annie Grace of This Naked Mind. Drawing on her own journey out of alcohol addiction, she now helps others explore and control their drinking. With a career spanning 25 years as a Strategist in the Advertising industry, she combines her own lived experiences, with great insight into what makes us tick and what influences us to behave the way we do.
Connect with Anna:
Website: thebeliefscoach.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annadonaghey
Instagram: instagram.com/bigdrinkrethink
Produced by winteraudio.co.uk
About Dr. Evette Rose
Dr. Evette Rose is an internationally renowned holistic counsellor, trauma recovery expert, and author of 21 books, including the global best-seller Metaphysical Anatomy Volume 1: Your Body Is Talking, Are You Listening? This groundbreaking work explores 722 ailments and the emotional roots behind them, based on over 7,000 client case studies from around the world.
Evette specialises in helping people decode the hidden emotional messages behind physical symptoms - and her methods have helped thousands break free from chronic pain, trauma, and emotional stress. Her work has been recognised globally, not least when she recently presented her latest research at a prestigious medical conference in London, UK.
Website: https://www.metaphysicalanatomy.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.evetteroseofficial/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/metaphysicalanatomy/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGkoVX_JnMTvGGH3Q5LJIWw
Evette’s Free eBook:
https://metaphysicalanatomy.com/free-ebook-restoring-the-emotional-body/
Mentioned in this episode:
To pre-order my book, What Are You Thirsty For on Amazon select here: https://amzn.eu/d/3v3T6Mq Or on Waterstones here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/what-are-you-thirsty-for/anna-donaghey/9781915780607