Episode 695: Boundaries, Curiosity, and Becoming Alcohol-Free: Maureen’s Story

When Maureen first reached out to me, she was carrying more than anyone should have to juggle at once. She was stuck in a business that was draining her, driving hours to care for both parents as their health declined, and feeling the weight of all that stress on her marriage. To cope, she turned to drinking… which wasn’t exactly a new coping mechanism. On the outside she looked like a successful fitness professional, but privately she was stuck in shame, self-judgment, and the feeling that she was out of alignment with who she truly was.

In this episode we do something a little different. Every once in a while I invite a former client to share how coaching shaped their life, not as an infomercial but as a window into what is possible when curiosity and compassion replace shame and judgment. You’ll hear how a single intake question asking, “Is there anything else you want me to know?” opened the door to self-honesty, how coaching helped Maureen finally set boundaries and leave a job that was crushing her, and how one art project I assigned to her revealed what she was hiding behind perfectionism, numbing, and people-pleasing. You can see a photo of Maureen with that project here.

Today, Maureen is not only living alcohol-free but also coaching other women through the same struggles she once faced. Her story is proof that shame can lose its grip when met with curiosity, and that lasting change often starts with a single brave conversation.

What you will hear in this episode:

• Why Maureen reached out for coaching: the job that did not fit, caregiving for sick parents, and rising drinking as a coping strategy

• The surprising intake moment, how a small answer on a form opened the door to talking about alcohol (and why that mattered)

• How curiosity and non-judgmental questions changed Maureen’s relationship with herself and her drinking

• The “Armor of Control” art project: turning pain into an image that shows the lies vs. the truth underneath

• The science that changed her: gray-area drinking, neuroplasticity, and the empowering truth that your brain can be rewired

• Practical hope: how you can get many of the outcomes you seek (social ease, down-regulation, fun) without alcohol

If you found this episode helpful, forward it to a friend who has been quietly struggling. Sometimes hearing one human story is the nudge another person needs.

Resources from this episode:

Andrea on Instagram

Andrea’s coaching and application page

Maureen’s website

Maureen on Instagram

Book recommendations: I love a good personal development book, and you do too, right? I’ve compiled a list of book recommendations, as mentioned in past episodes. Check out these amazing book recommendations here. Happy reading!  

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Episode link: https://andreaowen.com/podcast/695

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