In today’s episode, Colleen shares the most powerful skill you can develop on your emotional sobriety journey: how you respond to yourself when you slip into old habits.

Whether you drank more than you planned or simply feel like you’ve lost your way again, this episode will rewire how you think about failure—and help you stop reinforcing the very pattern you’re trying to break.

Colleen walks you through the real moment of change (it’s not what you think), why “starting over” is a trap, and the nervous system reset that turns shame into self-trust.

💡 Key Takeaways:

• It’s not about what happened—it’s about how you respond to what happened.

• Beating yourself up is the habit that keeps the drinking habit alive.

• Every habit you want to break began as an act of self-protection or survival.

• You don’t need to try harder—you need to design better systems.

• Emotional sobriety means you don’t make it mean something about you.

✨ Action Step:

Notice where you feel shame or stuckness in your body. Breathe into that space and offer yourself a different response in that moment when it feels strongest: one rooted in curiosity, compassion, and forward motion.

If you are ready to get support from a community of women who are co-creating this change with intention and clarity— Click here to BOOK A DISCOVERY CALL.

Do you want help from Colleen with a situation you’re struggling with? Click here to submit your question for Colleen’s NEW Q& A episodes. Your name will not be mentioned on air!

Find me on

TikTok: @hangoverwhisperer

Instagram: @thehangoverwhisperer

Transcript