Recovery Happy Hour

Dry January in a nutshell: Amazing drinks from and , hosting recovery happy hour at , a trip to , and a career change! Also, did you know that a certain major whiskey company has paused production due to lack of demand? Check out/ subscribe to my Substack for more info! (Link in bio)

A moment to celebrate a recovery win before I get back to educating my friends/ family on current events and how to call their local representatives.

8 years ago tomorrow, I began reformer Pilates as a new way to move my body. I was 36 years old and 18 months sober. I worked through a few emotional things on those beds and definitely had a panic attack or two… but mostly I learned how to truly check into my own body, listen to it, and give it lots of love while I challenged it physically in new ways. 8 years later, I am 44, over 9 years sober, and am in instructor training for the same studio where I began. I am so grateful for my health— that it allows me to move my body in ways that so many people cannot. Forever thankful that I quit drinking so that incremental life changes could unfold over time. I never thought I’d be starting a career change in midlife but mi vida is always full of surprises! Wish me luck!

Thank you for including me in this piece, . I spoke about addressing the why’s behind our drinking, and how doing the work to resolve our deepest issues naturally helps us want to drink less over them. Also, yes, sober dating is weird but worth it. Link in bio.

It’s a triggering time to be sober right now. You’re not alone and I feel it too. I’ve been stuck in my house in Texas for 3 days, sick with a cold, compulsively checking my phone for more news, and feeling kinda helpless. Everything is still shut down but I’m so grateful we’ve kept power. Here’s what I’ve been doing to stay sane:

Change scenery and temperature. Go outside and walk a lap in the backyard. The artic blast on my face helped while my dogs got their zoomies out. Take a hot bath and sit in silence. Try not to stick your head in an oven.

Put down your phone. Do something restorative. Journal about your stress, get it all out of your head to untangle your thoughts.

Move your body. Get on the floor and stretch. Do some jumping jacks. Hammer the ice on your front porch. Let it be a metaphor for what you’re doing when you call your state representatives.

Call your representatives and tell them how you feel about what’s going on in our country. Please use the app to make it easy and fast. It takes less than 2 minutes to make your voice heard and calls work. Call every day.

Call your friends and check on them. Have a chat. Talk about what’s happening. Have a laugh. Try not to have a panic attack. And if you do, at least you’ll be with a friend through it.

Drink water. Take a nap. It’s ok to rest.

Don’t drink. Drinking guarantees your problems will still be there when you’re hungover. Drinking will not serve you, it will sabotage all of your hard work.

I love you and you’re not alone.

2016: Drunk. Every photo on my personal IG was a drink, a boomerang of toasting drinks, me drinking or drunk, drunk with friends or randos in random bars, or hungover & pretending not to be. It was easy to make it look fun and socially acceptable on the ‘gram, but one can quantify the ever-present, obsessive thought “is my drinking problem bad enough to quit?” And that loop kept me MISERABLE for years.

Eventually I was so physically sick every day; obsessed with thinking about & planning my drinking or hangovers. My tolerance was so high that I could throw back 2 bottles of wine every night like it was 2 glasses.

The questions I should have been asking myself:
Am I happy?
Am I free?
Does this serve me?

I’m grateful to be entering my 10th year of sobriety this year, and I can EASILY say that quitting drinking, for me, was the smartest, most valuable, empowering, life-saving decision I’ve ever made. I thought I was making a big sacrifice, but the joy I walked into only made me regret one thing: not quitting sooner. #2016

Get 2026 started with a 💥 and meet me in Austin for a Pilates class! The gals at just opened their gorgeous new studio and I’d love to meet you there, hug you, workout, and crush some NA bevs. Supporting a local, women-owned business that supports an alcohol free lifestyle? I’m so in.

🗓️ Friday January 16

💪🏼 Integral Pilates
🤠 10030 Menchaca Rd ATX

➡️ 12:15pm Reformer Pilates
➡️ 4pm Heated Mat Pilates

Use promo code HAPPYHOUR for 15% off a Drop In credit. (Promo code expires on Jan 15, so book it soon!) A big thank you to and for partnering with us so we can try all their incredible AF canned mocktails!

I compiled a list of timeless sober holiday party tips on my Substack. YES YOU CAN PARTY WITHOUT BOOZE BECAUSE YOU ARE FUN AND I BELIEVE IN YOU. Link in bio 🫶