Episode 142: Finding Your Inner North Star After Loss, Addiction and Emotional Pain

Episode 142: Finding Your Inner North Star After Loss, Addiction and Emotional PainIn this deeply moving episode, Sherisse is joined by commercial fisherwoman, health coach, and author Colleen Clifford for an honest conversation about alcohol, grief, trauma, and the journey back to yourself.Colleen shares her powerful personal story of living with binge drinking for decades without identifying as an alcoholic, until a devastating tragedy changed everything. Following the alcohol-related loss of her husband 14 years ago, she was forced to confront her own relationship with alcohol, emotional pain, and self-awareness in a completely new way.What followed was a profound journey of healing, reflection, and transformation.Together, Sherisse and Colleen explore the ways alcohol can become a coping mechanism for unprocessed emotions, particularly for women carrying stress, grief, pressure, and unresolved pain beneath the surface.In this episode, we explore:• The hidden emotional impact of binge drinking and numbing behaviours• How grief and trauma can shape our coping mechanisms• Why many women struggle to ask for help• The role of self-awareness in healing and recovery• How to reconnect with yourself after loss and emotional pain• Finding your “inner North Star” and creating a more aligned lifeColleen also shares insights from her upcoming memoir and offers a deeply grounding reminder about the importance of connection, honesty, and staying rooted in yourself during difficult times.This episode is not about shame or labels. It is about truth, healing, and the courage to face what has been avoided so you can begin living more fully and freely.www.lifebeyondthebinge.comwww.purepotential.healthColleen Clifford | Life Beyond the Binge (@purepotential.health) • Instagram photos and videosBookThe Exhale Retreat/BaliColleen Clifford is a former binge drinker who knows the struggle firsthand.  As a commercial fisherwoman, a lifestyle that fueled the drinking pattern of denial she now calls the 95-5 factor; she knows what it takes to stay stuck, losing sight of her inner compass.  With the death of her husband to alcohol-related suicide in 2011 it was like she was sinking.  After looking to the sky, her North Star spoke to her, guiding her home.  She made a promise to Scott, share the message, and be a beacon for change. Her upcoming book, Life Beyond the Binge, a Commercial Fisherwoman’s Journey Home blends raw honesty, lived experience, and eye-opening facts and insights for anyone ready to break free from destructive cycles.   Colleen inspires others to discover their own inner North Star and that it is never too late to change course toward home.