This Naked Mind Podcast

Is your life mostly intact — job fine, marriage okay, responsibilities covered — and yet you're drinking every single night and can't quite picture stopping? That's exactly where Tim Knapp was for years, and he was also, at the same time, one of the people other people called in a crisis. He spent over a decade working inside addiction recovery programs, walking men out of homelessness and incarceration, understanding the neuroscience of dependency from the inside out. High-functioning doesn't mean fine, and Tim's story is one of the most honest, clear-eyed accounts of what it actually looks like when the two things are true at once. 

Tim and Coach Cole discuss:


Growing up in small-town Oklahoma and discovering the buzz at age 12 — including a homemade raisin wine operation that launched a decade-long love affair with the altered state


Why Tim loved the buzz itself more than the taste, and how that distinction became the key to his freedom


Working at the Bowery Mission in New York City while his own drinking quietly escalated in the background


The painful intersection of conscious and subconscious mind: knowing something is hurting you and still wanting it anyway


How reading This Naked Mind led to an afternoon of rereading, a conversation at the kitchen bar, and the first honest talk he'd ever had with his wife about his drinking


Why you don't have to lose everything before you're allowed to ask for help — and why high-functioning drinkers are often the least likely to reach out


The photo of his childhood self on the fridge, and what it means to welcome that person back


Tim's coaching style: asking questions that get to the why, not just the what, and his conviction that you already have everything you need to change

Episode links:

https://thisnakedmind.com/bookhttps://www.timknappcoaching.com/

Related Episodes:

Healing Through Self-Love: Cole's Naked Life | EP 737 — https://thisnakedmind.com/healing-through-self-love-coles-naked-life-e737/ 

Find the Courage to Choose Yourself: Patrick's Naked Life | EP 735 — https://thisnakedmind.com/find-the-courage-to-choose-yourself-patricks-naked-life-e735/

EP 20: Reader Question – What do You do about Missing the “High” from Drinking? -  https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-20-reader-question-what-do-you-do-about-missing-the-high-from-drinking/

Ready to take the next step on your journey? 

Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious!

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp, Green Chef, Quince, Shopify, Zazzle, and OSEA. BetterHelp: BetterHelp is offering our listeners 10% off at ⁠betterhelp.com/nakedmind ⁠Green Chef: Get 50% off your first month, then 20% percent off for 2 month at ⁠greenchef.com/NAKEDMIND ⁠Quince: get free shipping and 365-day returns at ⁠quince.com/naked⁠Shopify: Sign up for $1 month trial at ⁠shopify.com/mind⁠ Zazzle: Save 25% on your first order at ⁠zazzle.com⁠ OSEA: Get 10% off your first order sitewide with code NAKEDMIND at ⁠OSEAMalibu.com⁠

Have you ever gotten exactly what you wanted, only to wait for something to go wrong? That's where Brenda is in today's episode — alcohol-free, feeling like herself again, and quietly afraid to believe it will last. In the second session, Emma has spent five years in a cycle she can't seem to break, and she finally gets a look at what's really underneath it. Two coaches, two guests, two conversations that go to some genuinely surprising places. 

Brenda discusses:


Why her alcohol freedom has felt "too easy" — and what that fear is really about


How knowledge and science shifted her desire, not just her behavior


The one-year and five-year visualization exercise that changed everything


Reframing past "failures" as data points that guided her to exactly where she is


Building self-trust day by day through The Path community


And more…

Emma discusses:


Her five-year cycle of months alcohol-free followed by weeks drinking again


Why alcohol gave her permission to feel emotions she couldn't access otherwise


Connecting with an emotional armor that formed in childhood to protect her


An IFS-style coaching exercise to meet the "bouncer at the gate" with curiosity


The moment her armor responded: "I've been so lonely"


And more…

Hayley Scherders is a certified TNM Coach with training from the Canadian Addiction and Mental Health Association. Drawing from personal experiences, Hayley understands how tough change can be and provides a safe, compassionate, and judgment-free space where her clients can feel supported. She believes that with the right mindset, anyone can change their life at any time.

Learn more about Coach Hayley: https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/hayley-scherders/

Cole Harvey is a certified Naked Mind Senior Coach. For years, he felt lost and used alcohol as a way to cope, until he decided to go alcohol-free and focus on finding his purpose. Through curiosity, self-compassion, and adventure, he transformed his life. As a habit change and mindset coach, Cole helps young men understand themselves, build better habits, and find meaning.

Learn more about Coach Cole: https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/cole-harvey/

Episode links: nakedmindpath.com

Related Episodes:Trusting Yourself Again: Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 760 - https://thisnakedmind.com/trusting-yourself-again-alcohol-freedom-coaching-e760/ 

Reclaiming Your True Self: Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 770 - https://thisnakedmind.com/reclaiming-your-true-self-alcohol-freedom-coaching-e770/ 

Is the Drunk You the Real You? | Reader’s Question | EP 696 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-696-readers-question-is-the-drunk-you-the-real-you/

Ready to take the next step on your journey?

Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious!

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp, Green Chef, Quince, Shopify, Zazzle, and OSEA. BetterHelp: BetterHelp is offering our listeners 10% off at ⁠betterhelp.com/nakedmind ⁠Green Chef: Get 50% off your first month, then 20% percent off for 2 month at ⁠greenchef.com/NAKEDMIND ⁠Quince: get free shipping and 365-day returns at ⁠quince.com/naked⁠Shopify: Sign up for $1 month trial at ⁠shopify.com/mind⁠ Zazzle: Save 25% on your first order at ⁠zazzle.com⁠ OSEA: Get 10% off your first order sitewide with code NAKEDMIND at ⁠OSEAMalibu.com⁠

Ever used drinking to cope with grief and felt like it wasn’t even a conscious choice but rather a reflex? Jonathan knows that feeling exactly. He'd been living alcohol-free for two and a half years when he lost his father-in-law and then his dad, just months apart, during the pandemic. On the drive home from the funeral, he stopped at a Mexican restaurant and ordered a margarita. He thought he'd have one and go back to his life. Instead, the door that had been closed swung open, and the whole cycle started over. This conversation with Coach Cole is about grief, identity, and what it really takes to find your way back to yourself.

Jonathan and Coach Cole discuss:

How a scuba trip at sixteen taught Jonathan that alcohol was the price of admission for real connection, and how that belief quietly ran the show for twenty-five years

Building his identity around being the life of the party through the service industry years, and the first time he realized he had no off switch

Spending an entire Renaissance Festival doing alcohol math in his head, calculating drinks instead of making memories with his wife

The fight, the blackout, and the tearful run in the rain that brought him to the This Naked Mind audiobook

How reading This Naked Mind produced what felt like an overnight shift, and the anger he felt at never having been told what alcohol actually was

Going two and a half years alcohol-free during the pandemic, then losing his father-in-law and his dad within months of each other

The single margarita at a Mexican restaurant that cracked the door back open, and how the whole cycle restarted without a single conscious choice

Going through the TNM Institute as his own first client, uncovering twenty-five years of people-pleasing, and finally stepping into who he actually is

And more on IFS parts work, somatic experiencing, rebuilding self-trust, and what it means to show up in your own truth...

Episode Links:

Start your journey at nakedmindpath.com

 https://www.thisnakedmindinstitute.com/tnmi-home

Related Episodes:

How Do I Deal With Death and Grief Without Alcohol | Reader Question | EP 262 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-262-reader-question-grief-without-alcohol/

How Quitting Drinking Saved My Life | Kay B.’s Naked Life | EP 717 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-717-naked-life-story-kay-b/

Alcohol and Grief | Coaching Questions with Pam McRae | EP 382 - https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-382-coaching-questions-with-scott-pinyard/

Ready to take the next step on your journey?

Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious!

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp, Green Chef, Quince, Shopify, Zazzle, and OSEA. BetterHelp: BetterHelp is offering our listeners 10% off at ⁠betterhelp.com/nakedmind ⁠Green Chef: Get 50% off your first month, then 20% percent off for 2 month at ⁠greenchef.com/NAKEDMIND ⁠Quince: get free shipping and 365-day returns at ⁠quince.com/naked⁠Shopify: Sign up for $1 month trial at ⁠shopify.com/mind⁠ Zazzle: Save 25% on your first order at ⁠zazzle.com⁠ OSEA: Get 10% off your first order sitewide with code NAKEDMIND at ⁠OSEAMalibu.com⁠

What if the thing keeping you stuck isn't a lack of willpower, but a lack of understanding what's really driving you back? Linda has nearly 100 days alcohol-free and is starting to wonder if she trusts herself more than she thinks she does. Jane is asking a question she's carried for decades: why do I keep going back to something that gives me nothing anymore? In this episode, Coach Cole and Coach Zoe meet each of them right where they are, with warmth, honesty, and zero judgment. If you've ever felt confused by your own relationship with alcohol, you're going to feel very seen here.

Linda discusses:

Whether Antabuse has become a crutch, and what she realizes

A self-trust check-in that shifts when she remembers an overlooked moment

Finding an unopened margarita and pouring it down the drain without a second thought

The difference between running from a past she doesn't want and moving toward a future that actually pulls her

Building trust through evidence: 99 days, four big holidays, and choices she barely noticed making

And more…

Jane discusses:

Why do I keep going back to drinking — the question she's been carrying her whole life

Tracing her drinking from teenage rebellion through to a need to escape discomfort

The distinction between habit and addiction, and why it changes everything

The hand-on-heart practice Coach Zoe teaches her to become her own parent and witness discomfort instead of numbing it

And more topics…

Cole Harvey is a Certified Naked Mind Senior Coach. For years, he felt lost and used alcohol to cope, until he decided to go alcohol-free and focus on finding his purpose. Through curiosity, self-compassion, and adventure, he transformed his life. As a habit change and mindset coach, Cole helps young men understand themselves, build better habits, and find meaning.Learn more about Coach Cole: https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/cole-harvey/

Zoe Ewart is a Certified Naked Mind Senior Coach who brings her experience and understanding to help with the tricky parts of life’s big changes. Her coaching gives you an enjoyable, light-hearted, and safe environment to effortlessly take back control of alcohol so you can feel better physically, mentally, and spiritually. Zoe taught Pilates for 15 years. She has four adult children and more animals than the Ark ever had.Learn more about Coach Zoe: https://thisnakedmind.com/coach/zoe-ewart/

Episode links: nakedmindpath.com

Related Episodes:

Why Do I Keep Going Back to Drinking? | Reader Question | EP 570 – https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-570-readers-questions-why-do-i-keep-going-back-to-drinking/

How To Stop Drinking To Avoid Emotions | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 845 – https://thisnakedmind.com/drinking-to-avoid-emotions-afc-e845/

Trusting Yourself Again | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | EP 760 – https://thisnakedmind.com/trusting-yourself-again-alcohol-freedom-coaching-e760/

Ready to take the next step on your journey? 

Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious!

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp, Green Chef, Quince, Shopify, Zazzle, and OSEA. BetterHelp: BetterHelp is offering our listeners 10% off at betterhelp.com/nakedmind Green Chef: Get 50% off your first month, then 20% percent off for 2 month at greenchef.com/NAKEDMIND Quince: get free shipping and 365-day returns at quince.com/nakedShopify: Sign up for $1 month trial at shopify.com/mind Zazzle: Save 25% on your first order at zazzle.com OSEA: Get 10% off your first order sitewide with code NAKEDMIND at OSEAMalibu.com

What does it take to finally break the alcohol shame spiral when it's been running your life for decades? Krista knows the cycle well: a data point, the crushing shame that followed, a vow to do better, and then the slow, sneaky creep back to hiding bottles and pulling over on the side of the road to drink before going home. In this episode, she sits down with Coach Cole Harvey to share the full arc of her journey, from a childhood in the American South to bartending in New York City, to raising two kids in rural Ireland with no family nearby, to the night something finally, irreversibly shifted. A year into her alcohol-free life, Krista is clear: the work was hard, and she has never once looked back.

In this episode, Krista and Coach Cole discuss:

Growing up with alcohol woven into every family gathering, and starting drinking at 12 or 13 as a way to finally feel like she belonged

Bartending in New York City in her twenties, closing bars with no memory of getting home, and knowing even then that something was wrong

Moving to Ireland, losing her father while pregnant with her first child, and leaning harder on alcohol to cope with grief and isolation

Years of trying — and failing — to moderate, from "only on weekends" to hiding bottles, and the shame spiral that followed every data point

The rock bottom moment her husband came home and there was no hiding it anymore, and why that night became the turning point she couldn't explain

Returning to counseling, reconnecting with her Path community, and doing the inner work of learning she was worthy of her own care

Building a morning practice of meditation, journaling, and yoga, and recognizing that self-care wasn't a luxury but a necessity for her freedom

The daffodil metaphor: planting seeds at the beginning of her journey, and finally learning to cut the flowers and bring the beauty inside

And more on self-compassion, the stop-start cycle, and what it actually means to believe you are enough…

Episode links: nakedmindpath.com

Related Episodes:

Stopping The Shame Spiral | Alcohol Freedom Coaching | E883 — https://thisnakedmind.com/stopping-the-shame-spiral-afc-e883/

Overcoming Shame and Embarrassment After Drinking | Reader's Question | EP 722 — https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-722-readers-question-overcoming-shame-and-embarrassment-after-drinking/

Naked Life Story: Angela | EP 147 — https://thisnakedmind.com/ep-147-naked-life-story-angela/

Ready to take the next step on your journey? 

Visit https://learn.thisnakedmind.com/podcast-resources for free resources, programs, and more. Until next week, stay curious!

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp, Green Chef, OSEA, Quince, and Shopify. BetterHelp: BetterHelp is offering our listeners 10% off at betterhelp.com/nakedmind  Green Chef: Green Chef is offering 50% off your first month, then 20% off for two months at greenchef.com/nakedmind use code NAKEDMIND. OSEA: Get 10% off of your first order sitewide with code NAKEDMIND at OSEAMalibu.com Quince: get free shipping and 365-day returns at quince.com/naked Shopify: Sign up for $1 month trial at shopify.com/mind