EP295 Minisode: Where real motivation comes from

In this episode, Colleen gets brutally honest about something most "high-functioning" women never admit out loud: what happens when your old motivation system collapses. Divorce, sobriety, and building a business forced her to drop the over-functioning, over-exercising version of herself and face a hard truth: she'd been using fitness to run on stress, shame, and hangovers.

She unpacks why, after quitting drinking, her drive completely disappeared, why post-acute withdrawal wasn't just about brain chemistry, and how dopamine is actually tied to the stories you tell yourself about reward and worth. From there, she walks through how she rebuilt movement from the inside out with tiny, sustainable habits that actually feel good instead of punitive.

You'll hear how she went from daily marathons and hot yoga to "slug on a log" mode, and then into a realistic, sustainable routine that supports bone density, strength, and future adventures… without relying on self-hate, perfectionism, or external validation to get her moving.

🔑 Key Takeaways

• Why so many women lose their motivation after sobriety or big life changes (hint: your old rewards stop working, not your willpower)
  
  

• How dopamine is tied to your internal narrative about reward, identity, and what "counts" as success
  
  

• The difference between forcing yourself with willpower vs building habits that feel sustainable, kind, and matched to where you actually are
  
  

• Why you're never just building "one habit" (like working out) but a whole stack of upstream habits that make follow-through possible
  
  

• Red flags that your routine is fueled by shame and "shoulds" instead of genuine desire, and why that guarantees burnout instead of long-term change

If you are ready to get support from a community of women who are co-creating this change with intention and clarity— Click here to BOOK A DISCOVERY CALL.

Do you want help from Colleen with a situation you're struggling with? Click here to submit your question for Colleen's NEW Q&A episodes. Your name will not be mentioned on air!

Find me on:

YouTube: @HangoverWhisperer

TikTok: @hangoverwhisperer

Instagram: @thehangoverwhisperer

X (Twitter) : @NotAboutTheAlc

Transcript