My Story

Hi, my name is Kath and I live in Melbourne, Australia with my husband, three sons and our much-loved cocker spaniel.

I believe too much time in our lives is spent in our heads and not our hearts. Humans crave connection, community, love and belonging. Drinking excessively, unconsciously and mindlessly takes us away from ourselves and our true nature.

I never would have believed a life without drinking would be possible let alone how joyous it’s turned out to be. I want to share my experience to help others looking to free themselves from the stranglehold that alcohol has on their lives.

My relationship with alcohol started as a teenager in the 1980s, where I grew up in a normalised binge drinking culture. Drinking in large amounts was revered and a badge of honour. I spent most of my weekends drinking to excess, but so did a lot of the people I spent time with. Everyone was doing it. This was standard. Choosing not to drink was weird.

This pattern of binge drinking continued through my 20s, 30s and 40s. I took significant months away from drinking during my pregnancies and sometimes just to have a break for my health but I would always find myself back at the same spot – regretting the eventual blow out night when I would lose control and wake up the next day in a pit of shame trying to piece it together, knowing I said and did something embarrassing, much of the night blacked out, never to be remembered. I’d often lie in bed waiting to receive a dreaded text from a friend checking in to see if I was ok or to remind me of the events of the night before.

Funnily enough whilst navigating my relationship with alcohol I also focussed a huge amount of energy on improving my health by eating nutritionally rich foods, enjoying regular exercise, learning Veda meditation, training as a health coach and taking time out for self-care. Intellectually I knew drinking was sabotaging my efforts to be healthy, but I couldn’t find the balance I wanted. This binge drinking cycle kept me stuck in shame, blame and a belief that there was something wrong with me because I couldn’t control my drinking.

2019 was a pivotal year for me. I was 46 years old and still having blow outs despite my desire to stop. I was starting to feel like I was never going to tame the binge drinker within and in June of that year I came across Annie Grace and The Alcohol Experiment. I’d already made a commitment to take an extended break from drinking in July and decided to kick it off by participating in my first Live Alcohol Experiment.

This was life changing for me as I felt part of a community who were struggling with alcohol and I also started to gain knowledge around the science of alcohol as well as looking more deeply at some of my thoughts and beliefs around drinking and its role in my life. It was during this month that I had a huge mindset shift. Instead of giving myself rules and time limits to abide by I decided to make a commitment to focussing on one day at a time with no end point. I took willpower out of the equation and got curious, present and took as much blame and judgment away as possible.

But as can happen in life you are thrown a curveball and at the end of August 2019, I discovered a large lump in my right breast and two days later I was diagnosed with locally advanced breast cancer, which rocked me to the core. I had never been through a traumatic time in my life without drinking and part of me wanted to numb out and lose myself in alcohol again. But an even greater part of me held strong knowing that alcohol wasn’t going to help me heal from cancer, so I continued to focus on each day and chose not to drink. I worked through the biggest challenge of my life without alcohol and felt it all.

It was confronting, painful, overwhelming, exhausting and brutal but it was also empowering, loving and affirming. In the depths of working through all these emotions I developed an appreciation for living and experienced so much joy in normal everyday moments that I knew alcohol wouldn’t play a role in my life again and that living alcohol free continued to bring a new perspective to my life that I wanted to continue.

Having recently turned 50, I’m looking forward to continuing to build my coaching business and supporting others to create more engaged, energetic and empowered lives.

Why binge drinkers need support?

Many binge drinkers try and play down or justify their drinking because it is normalised and accepted in many cultures around the world. When I looked for support I couldn't find it so decided I would specifically develop tailored 1:1 coaching programs to support binge drinkers to understand and break this destructive cycle of drinking.

I coach from my lived experience, intuition and heart. My style is warm, supportive and empowering. I create and hold space for us to learn, explore, share and grow. Your active participation is required for change to occur.

Integrity is the cornerstone of my alcohol and binge drinking coaching business. With close to 5 years of personal alcohol-free living, I have experienced firsthand the profound benefits of this lifestyle.

I am dedicated to supporting my clients transform their relationship with alcohol, which can look and feel different to each person. Whether it’s giving up alcohol for good, cutting back or taking an extended break from drinking I am always there to support and guide my clients with compassion, empathy and hope.

Qualifications

Alcohol free since July 2019 - Life Experience

Certified This Naked Mind Senior Alcohol Coach – This Naked Mind Institute

Founding Member - Alcohol Coaches Australia

Integrative Nutrition Health Coach – Institute for Integrative Nutrition

Graduate Diploma of Public Relations – RMIT

Bachelor of Arts – Monash University

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you might have about my coaching programs and how I work with clients.

Send me a message below or book a free call.