S2 E40 Gray Area Drinking & Alcohol Freedom with Coach Allison Barber

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Sponsored by McKelvey Insurance and LightSource Psychotherapy

Who this episode is for:

• People who drink to take the edge off but can’t figure out why it’s not working
• Moms barely holding it together while doing all the things
• Anyone juggling success and secret self-destruction
• Former athletes still chasing performance highs
• Folks in the gray zone between “I’m fine” and “I’m falling apart”
• And the ones who think it’s “just wine”

This week, Chris, Jeff, and Zoe sit down with Allison Barber, a former collegiate gymnast turned alcohol freedom coach. Her story isn’t about a dramatic crash. It’s a slow slide—wine every night, quiet disconnection, pretending things are fine when they’re anything but.

She got out not through rehab or AA, but by finding This Naked Mind and realizing she didn’t need to hit bottom to change. No rock bottom. No labels. Just truth and science and a better way forward.

Now she helps others who feel stuck in the same loop—drinking more than they want to, quietly wondering if it’s a problem, and not sure where to turn. If you're sick of the guilt spiral and tired of trying to out-discipline your drinking, Allison’s approach will hit home.

She’s real, honest, and living proof that freedom doesn’t require everything falling apart. You can change your story before it wrecks you.

Find her at https://theinsideoutfreedom.com or email allisonbarbercoach@gmail.com

Timestamps:

• 00:00 – Sponsors
• 03:45 – Meet Allison Barber: gymnast, mom, nightly wine drinker
• 08:00 – Early perfectionism and pressure
• 13:15 – Bartles & James and beginning to self-medicate
• 22:00 – Marriage disconnect and drinking in secret
• 26:15 – The high-functioning lie
• 38:10 – Neck injury and the wake-up call
• 42:00 – Five bottles of wine in Florida
• 44:30 – Discovering This Naked Mind
• 53:30 – Becoming a certified coach
• 58:00 – Coaching without shame
• 1:06:00 – Parenting and healing
• 1:14:00 – Her last drink: June 21, 2020
• 1:18:32 – Confidence returns and major milestones
• 1:19:28 – theinsideoutfreedom.com and how to reach her
• 1:20:07 – Athletes and performance identity
• 1:21:10 – You don’t need to hit rock bottom
• 1:22:43 – The “sober curious” movement
• 1:25:43 – Ruth Langmore wisdom and humility
• 1:26:26 – Wine moms, COVID drinking, and purple teeth
• 1:29:00 – Heading to Hawaii without packing five bottles
• 1:31:36 – Recovery church and pizza
• 1:33:14 – Gratitude and staying connected

Work with Allison Barber

Visit https://theinsideoutfreedom.com or email allisonbarbercoach@gmail.com to schedule a free discovery call. You don’t need to hit bottom. You just need to want something better.

Sponsored by

• McKelvey Insurance
• LightSource Psychotherapy