Ep 92. Alcohol, Change & The Power of Reinvention with Eleanor Tweddell

Is change really something to fear or the doorway to a brighter, more intentional life? What if the moments when everything feels uncertain are precisely when new possibilities emerge? In this uplifting episode of The Big Drink Rethink, host Anna Donaghey welcomes author and coach Eleanor Tweddell, whose book Another Door Opens explores the messy, hopeful, and deeply human process of navigating personal transformation.

Together, Anna and Eleanor unpack what it means to face closed doors whether it's about drinking, work, relationships, or life itself and how to turn endings into powerful new beginnings. If you’re grappling with resistance to change (or maybe just a nagging sense that something isn’t right), this conversation is packed with understanding, psychological insight, and practical strategies to help you move forward.

Here are the Highlights:

00:00 Introduction: Meet Eleanor Tweddell, author and change expert

02:08 Why closed doors aren’t the end—change as an opening

03:04 Redundancy, discomfort, and listening to the inner voice

04:38 The Do Lecture Bootcamp, risk, and growth

05:48 Resistance vs. readiness: why “I’ll do it tomorrow” feels safer

08:33 The power and necessity of ownership when facing change

12:40 Micro-change in daily life: choice, triggers, and how we respond

14:55 The inevitability of change: we’re already masters at adapting

17:37 The importance of the pause: creating space and acknowledging what you need

19:32 Why alcohol is often our default “pause” and what listening to our emotions can reveal

22:14 Turning resistance into reflection: the first step to possibility

24:45 The messy middle: limiting beliefs, discomfort, and the courage to stay and learn

33:34 Support, connection, and the ripple effect of personal change

34:56 Playfulness as a tool: experiments, brainstorming, and expanding your sense of what’s possible.

Anna’s group coaching community ‘Unstuck!’ helps identify your alcohol ‘stories’ and beliefs, breaking the cycle of alcohol and all the shame that goes with it. For more information and to find out how to join, please follow this link: https://www.winetowatercoaching.com/unstuck-1

To further explore your relationship with alcohol, check out Anna’s self-guided programme, The Big Drink Rethink Experiment: https://www.thebeliefscoach.com/the-big-drink-rethink-experiment

And apply the code POD99 to purchase for just £99 as a podcast listener.

If you’re loving the podcast and would like to give Anna a warm, fuzzy feeling of appreciation, then you can buy her a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/bigdrinkrethink

About the host Anna:

Anna is a certified Alcohol Mindset Coach, trained by Annie Grace of This Naked Mind. Drawing on her own journey out of alcohol addiction, she now helps others explore and control their drinking. With a career spanning 25 years as a Strategist in the Advertising industry, she combines her own lived experiences, with great insight into what makes us tick and what influences us to behave the way we do.

Connect with Anna:

Website: thebeliefscoach.com

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