Going Booze Free is The Ultimate Confidence Hack

If you’ve followed me for even a minute, you probably already know:

I lead a mostly alcohol-free lifestyle.

That choice didn’t happen overnight. I began renegotiating my relationship with booze in the aftermath of the pandemic. When the world reopened, I found myself craving something deeper—a richer connection to my work, my friendships, and myself—more than I ever had before we’d even heard the word Covid.

So I dove deep: into wellness, into healing, into the uncomfortable, soul-stretching question: What’s actually supporting my growth—and what’s quietly stealing it?

For me, if I’m honest with you (and myself)

 alcohol is an undeniable hindrance to my spirit.

Now to be clear, I am lucky. I never struggled with addiction. But I did spend two decades in a love affair with New York City—moonlighting as a bartender, mastering the art of 4am tequila shots and then still rallying for a 9am work meeting. But somewhere along the way, the price I paid changed. What once felt like freedom and fun started to feel like friction.

Even on the lightest nights out, I began waking up in a fog of shame and self-doubt. Not from anything I did—(I am a pretty tame drunk).

But I did ruminate. I did spiral. And I did begin to realize that even one drink was disrupting the soul-aligned empire I was trying to build.

So over four years, I slowly reduced. I took breaks: sometimes a few weeks, a few months, sometimes a full year. Even in the periods when I was “allowed” to drink, I found that I didn’t even want to. The illusion had started to fade. The champagne flute lost its sparkle. The red wine began to be associated with stained teeth and wine breath more than it did celebration.

Eventually, I stopped.

No more alcohol at weddings.

 Or on vacations. Or after long days. Or even in grief.

And what happened was radical.

✨My anxiety vanished.

✨My relationship flourished.

✨My creativity skyrocketed.

✨My husband was even inspired to take a year off the sauce.

So riddle me this—why did I recently find myself slipping back?

Not often. Not much. But enough to notice- enough to see myself with a glass of wine in hand and feel pangs of my soul slowing down.

So this weekend, I paused. Nothing bad happened. No rock bottom. Just an invitation to check in. To ask: Is this behavior congruent with my values? Is this supporting the vision I have for myself?

And the answer was clear:

The highest version of me doesn’t drink.

The creative powerhouse who mentors hundreds of women to take up space doesn’t drink.

The best version of me—as a wife, a mother, a friend, a leader—doesn’t drink.

So I recommitted. No shame. No judgment. No apology. 

Just a simple, loving recalibration.

Things my higher self chose after that decision:

✨ I joined an alcohol-free women’s group for future leaders

✨ I changed one of my hotels for an upcoming trip that has a sick gym RATHER

✨ I told my friends I’m taking another year off

✨ I reread my own journey and made notes on what I’ll do differently this time

I share this not as a perfectly healed person—but as someone still doing the work.

I share this because growth doesn’t mean we never stumble.

It means we meet ourselves with compassion when we do.