Stronger Bolder Wiser

Have you ever quietly asked yourself, "Am I drinking too much?" If that question has ever crossed your mind, even for a second, this episode is for you.In this solo episode, I'm walking you through the 11 diagnostic criteria clinicians use to identify mild, moderate and severe alcohol use disorder, and I promise this isn't about slapping a label on yourself.What We Cover:- The 11 diagnostic criteria I use to help women recognize alcohol use disorder- Why grey area drinking has no magic number, just a spectrum most of us live on- How the alcohol industry deliberately targeted women with pink drinks and "sophisticated" marketing- The six root causes behind problem drinking, and why none of it comes down to willpower- How women's bodies process alcohol differently as we age, and why it hits harder in perimenopause and menopause- My five practical first steps for anyone curious about changing their drinking- Why you don't need to hit rock bottom to give yourself permission to outgrow alcoholTimestampsHow To Know If Your Drinking Is A Problem (00:00) What Is Grey Area Drinking Exactly (01:21)Why Alcohol Brands Target Women With Pink Drinks (03:13)Where You Fall On The Drinking Scale (08:26) 11 Signs Of Alcohol Use Disorder (14:30) More Signs You Can't Control Your Drinking (25:09) 6 Reasons You Develop A Drinking Problem (35:58) 5 Steps To Change Your Relationship With Alcohol (44:12) How To Know If You've Outgrown Alcohol (50:42) How To Get Support To Quit Drinking (52:48)***Sarah Rusbatch is an accredited Health and Wellbeing Coach and one of Australia's leading experts on grey area drinking. Her podcast, Stronger, Bolder, Wiser, is the go-to space for women who are questioning their relationship with alcohol, navigating life alcohol-free, or simply curious about what life could look like on the other side of the bottle.If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who needs to hear it. And if you haven't already, subscribe so you never miss an episode, and leave a review to help more women find this community.***Join 11,000+ women in my 30-Day Alcohol Reset Challenge this July! 🙌Full details & sign up → https://programs.sarahrusbatch.com/alcohol-reset?utm_source=sbw_podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=july_reset_challenge&utm_content=show_notes_promo Find out more about my other programs here: https://sarahrusbatch.com/If you want to join a space where women feel safe to be seen, ask the questions they don't always say out loud and connect with others going through the same, join my free Facebook group, Women's Wellbeing Collective here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/342319476897067And if changing your relationship with alcohol is something you want to explore further, you can find my book Beyond Booze on Audible, Spotify, Kindle and Amazon. Click the link here: https://sarahrusbatch.com/beyond-booze

You already know something needs to change. This conversation might be the nudge that finally makes you do something about it. I sat down with Andy Ramage, co-founder of One Year No Beer and someone I genuinely consider the godfather of the alcohol-free world, for one of the most honest and wide-ranging conversations I've had on this podcast. Andy went from burnt-out city broker to thriving alcohol-free coach, and together we unpack exactly why so many people stay stuck in the middle lane of drinking, and what it actually takes to get out. If you've ever told yourself "I just need to cut back," "wine helps me relax," or "I'm not that bad", this episode is for you.. What We Cover: - Why alcohol and anxiety are more connected than most women realize - Why alcohol and anxiety are more connected than most women realize - Why moderation fails for grey area drinkers - How alcohol creates the exhaustion and anxiety driving you to drink - What the WHO says about safe alcohol limits and cancer risk - How going alcohol-free rebuilds confidence in midlife women - Why removing alcohol accelerates self-discovery - The one question to ask if you are a middle lane drinker Timestamps: 00:00 Andy Ramage: Pro Footballer to Alcohol-Free Coach 07:04 Lost 42 Pounds and Beat Anxiety Without Alcohol 10:34 Why Alcohol Creates the Problems It Claims to Solve 17:11 Turning 50 Feeling Better Than Ever 25:13 What Cortisol and GABA Do When You Drink 29:16 Why Going Alcohol-Free Improves Every Area of Life 33:12 Why Alcohol Is the Last Habit People Address 36:17 The Simple Experiment to Test Alcohol's Effect on You 43:45 Why Moderation Fails and Grey Area Drinking 47:13 What Heavy Drinking Really Means 50:17 The Biggest Benefit of Going Alcohol-Free 57:11 The One Question If You're Stuck in the Middle Lane 01:00:28 Find Andy Ramage and One Year No BeerAndy Ramage is the co-founder of One Year No Beer, a global alcohol-free behaviour change platform, and author of The 28-Day Alcohol-Free Challenge. A former professional footballer and city broker, Andy transformed his own life by going alcohol-free and now coaches thousands of people, particularly high performers, to do the same. Website: https://andyramage.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andyramageofficial Documentary: Going Dry. Coming soon, keep your eyes and ears peeled here: https://goingdrymovie.com/ *** Sarah Rusbatch is an accredited Health and Wellbeing Coach and one of Australia's leading experts on grey area drinking. Her podcast, Stronger, Bolder, Wiser, is the go-to space for women who are questioning their relationship with alcohol, navigating life alcohol-free, or simply curious about what life could look like on the other side of the bottle.If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who needs to hear it. And if you haven't already, subscribe so you never miss an episode, and leave a review to help more women find this community.*** Follow along and see the behind the scenes over at https://www.instagram.com/sarahrusbatch I'm inviting you to join my 30-Day Alcohol Reset Challenge this July, a program that has already transformed the lives of over 11,000 women. I designed this challenge for women, because I've lived it myself and I know exactly what you're going through. The challenge begins Wednesday 1st July 2026. I'd love to see you there. Join me here: https://programs.sarahrusbatch.com/alcohol-reset?utm_source=sbw_podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=july_reset_challenge&utm_content=show_notes_promo Find out more about my other programs here: https://sarahrusbatch.com/ If you want to join a space where women feel safe to be seen, ask the questions they don't always say out loud and connect with others going through the same, join my free Facebook group, Women's Wellbeing Collective here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/342319476897067 And if changing your relationship with alcohol is something you want to explore further, you can find my book Beyond Booze on Audible, Spotify, Kindle and Amazon. Click the link here: https://sarahrusbatch.com/beyond-booze

Leakage when you laugh… Dryness that makes sex uncomfortable. Your vagina is telling you something… Nobody explained to us what happens to our bodies when estrogen drops. Nobody taught us what normal actually looks like and we have accepted it. But here’s the good news. Most of it is treatable. This week I chat with Dr Sara Rearden, board certified pelvic floor floor therapist and known to many as the Vagina Whisperer, for the most honest, practical and genuinely important conversation about our vaginal and pelvic floor health. I wish I'd had this conversation ten years ago. And I want you to hear this before we start. None of this is normal. It's common. And almost all of it can be fixed. Key moments: 00:00: What pelvic floor health actually is, and why so many women are suffering in silence 3:23: Leakage, dryness, soreness… the most common pelvic floor issue and why they happen 4:49: Leaking when you laugh is not normal. It’s just common. And you can fix it 6:45: What is a fragile vagina actually is and whether you have one 8:57: The solutions for vaginal dryness that actually work 12:09: Why vaginal estrogen is not the same as HRT…and why you likely need both 18:05: Every peri-menopausal woman should be using vaginal estrogen. And this is how 20:47: What optimal pelvic floor health actually looks like 28:37: Coffee, alcohol, sugar. What to avoid to protect your bladder health 32:40: Why vaginal dryness has nothing to do with arousal 39:21: 75% who do pelvic floor training can fix their leakage… this is not just kegels 48:14: How pelvic floor health directly improves your sex life 50:13: How to keep your vagina healthy without a partner 54:12: The one thing Dr Sara wants women to know about their pelvic floor health To continue learning about pelvic floor health, you can find Dr. Sara Rearden via: Website: thevaginawhisperer.com Instagram: @thevaginawhisperer App: The V Hive. Download free for one week on Apple or Google Book: Floored: A Woman's Guide to Pelvic Floor Health at Every Age and Stage. Available wherever you buy books Follow along and see the behind the scenes over at https://www.instagram.com/sarahrusbatch/?hl=en Is it possible to feel energised, strong, light and full of life in midlife? Absolutely! Join my Science-Backed Program Thrive After 40 here to ditch sugar cravings, promote fat loss, increase energy and optimise your health in your 40's, 50's and beyond! Find out more about my other programs here https://sarahrusbatch.com/ If you want to join a space where women feel safe to be seen, ask the questions they don’t always say out loud and connect with others going through the same as you,join my free Facebook group, Women’s Wellbeing Collective here. And if changing your relationship with alcohol is something you want to explore further, you can find my book Beyond Booze on Audible, Spotify, Kindle and Amazon. Click the link here.

You know that exhausted, bloated or anxious feeling that just won’t shift? It might not be stress, it might not be your hormones… It might actually be your gut… and it could be trying to tell you something important. This week I sat down with Functional Nutritionist & Health Coach Stephanie Grosvenor from Unlimited You Coaching, who spent years sick without the answers before finally listening to her gut and healing herself. Now, Stephanie wants to help others to heal too. We’re talking about why gut health becomes extra critical in peri-menopause and menopause, what leaky gut actually is and why 70% of people have it without realising… and the practical steps you can start taking this week to feel a real difference that don’t include spending hundreds of dollars on tests. Key moments: 00:16: Are you listening to your gut? Why your gut health is the missing piece in how you feel every day 3:20: The truth about living with symptoms you’ve just accepted as normal 13:47: What gut microbiome actually is and how it runs everything 18:16: Anxiety, brainfrog.. The symptoms most women never connect back to their gut. 19:51: Why your skin issues might have nothing to do with your skincare and everything to do with you gut 21:53: The bowl movement truth no one talks about 24:54: 70% of people have leaky gut right now and don’t even know it 26:02: Why prei-menopuase is the worst time to ignore your gut 26:26: Leaky gut.. What is it? 35:28: The everyday habits quietly destroying your gut 43:06: The simplest way to make better food choices every single day 51:46: The number 1 tip to start healing your gut today! 1:09:11: How within five days for early signs of changing your diet you will start to feel a change 1:16:06: How to make healthy eating feel like self-love instead of restriction If you want to keep learning about your gut from Stepahnie, please connect with her via her instagram @unlimitedyoucoaching, Website www.unlimitedyoucoaching.net or email her directly at info@unlimitedyoucoaching.net Follow along and see the behind the scenes over at https://www.instagram.com/sarahrusbatch/?hl=en Join my latest program Thirve After 40 and find out more here https://sarahrusbatch.com/ If you want to join a space where women feel safe to be seen, ask the questions they don’t always say out loud and connect with others going through the same as you,join my free Facebook group, Women’s Wellbeing Collective here. And if changing your relationship with alcohol is something you want to explore further, you can find my book Beyond Booze on Audible, Spotify, Kindle and Amazon. Click the link here.

If you've ever found yourself doing the exact thing you promised yourself you wouldn't, and then spent the next day beating yourself up about it… I want to help you break that cycle. Because here’s what I want you to know before we even start: You’re not weak. You are not broken and it’s not your fault. Our brains are biologically programmed to keep us safe and we fall back into old patterns because we are building a new version of ourselves we haven’t met before. In this episode, I breakdown the self-sabotage cycle. What it actually is, why incredibly capable women keep doing it, and most importantly, what you can do to break the cycle for good. Key moments: 00:00: What self-sabotage actually is and the reframe that changes everything 3:24 The real reason why your brain default to familiar patterns 6:21: When who you want to be outpaces who you believe you, the science behind your mindset 7:06: Scrolling, Sugar, Alcohol. The science behind why it’s so hard to “just have one” 15:26: How to track your triggers in your self-sabotag loop 17:08 The non-negotiables for creating a good sleep routine 26:02: SImple tips to help you regulate your nervous system 26:41 How the middle gear is destroying us and why most women are stuck there 33:51: How to become a woman who keeps her promises to herself, the mindset shift that help build better habits 41:54: How to remove temptation… keep the ritual but change the ingredient and why it works 45:47: Ask yourself these questions if you’re stuck in the self-sabotage loop The Big Leap, Gay Hendricks (upper limiting concept) Atomic Habits, James Clear (reducing friction) Yoga Nidra with Yogi Bryan, find him on Insight Timer (search: Bryan) App Blocker to reduce phone scrolling at night Previous episode: Interview with Jay Fields on Nervous System Regulation Follow along and see the behind the scenes over at https://www.instagram.com/sarahrusbatch/?hl=en Join my latest Challenge and find out more about my other programs here https://sarahrusbatch.com/ If you want to join a space where women feel safe to be seen, ask the questions they don’t always say out loud and connect with others going through the same as you,join my free Facebook group, Women’s Wellbeing Collective here. And if changing your relationship with alcohol is something you want to explore further, you can find my book Beyond Booze on Audible, Spotify, Kindle and Amazon. Click the link here.

The first time I interviewed TJ, I felt like I had learned more about myself in 45 minutes than I had in seven years of therapy. And I don’t say that lightly. Because what TJ does so well is take something that feels complicated, like your brain, your habits, your lack of motivation, and make it make sense. In a way that instantly clicks. In this conversation, we’re talking about dopamine, but not in the way you’ve probably heard it before. TJ Power is a neuroscientist and the founder of Dose Lab, where he studies what he calls “stimulation addiction”, how modern life, from our phones to sugar to alcohol, is rewiring our brains. And more importantly, how to actually reverse it. Key moments: 0:00 - Why understanding your brain could change how you experience your entire life 3:06 - What dopamine actually is and why it controls your motivation, focus and mood 5:19 - Why modern life is overwhelming your brain and leaving you feeling flat, distracted or unmotivated 7:26 - How our ancestors earned dopamine and why life felt more satisfying because of it 10:01 - The “great dumbing down” of humanity and what it’s doing to your attention, memory and thinking 16:15 - Why scrolling, alcohol and sugar leave you feeling worse from a neuroscience perspective 24:01 - Why some people constantly chase stimulation but others feel more steady and regulated 29:25 - Why you keep reaching for your phone, food or alcohol even when you know it’s not helping 36:28 - What constant stimulation is doing to kids’ brains and attention spans 40:38 - Why we keep choosing quick relief over what actually makes us feel better 46:28 - The signs your dopamine is dysregulated 50:13 - Ways to rebuild your dopamine so you feel motivated, focused and more like yourself again 56:48 - How quickly your brain can reset when you reduce stimulation 1:03:18 - Why your life can feel like it’s speeding up Grab TJ’s best selling book, The Dose Effect here. And if you want more of TJ you can follow him on IG @tjpower or visit his website www.tjpower.co.uk Follow along and see the behind the scenes over at https://www.instagram.com/sarahrusbatch/?hl=en Join my latest programs here https://sarahrusbatch.com/ If you want to join a space where women feel safe to be seen, ask the questions they don’t always say out loud and connect with others going through the same as you,join my free Facebook group, Women’s Wellbeing Collective here. And if changing your relationship with alcohol is something you want to explore further, you can find my book Beyond Booze on Audible, Spotify, Kindle and Amazon. Click the link here.

So many women get to their 40s and 50s and realise they only know themselves in relation to other people. What the kids need. What the partner prefers. What the job demands. What the family expects. But they haven’t stopped to ask themselves what they want in a very long time. Who are you, outside of what you give to others? As I approach turning 50, I’ve been thinking a lot about what I’ve learned, not just through my own life, but through coaching thousands of women who feel like they’ve slowly disappeared inside their roles. This episode is a reset. These are the 10 lessons that can help you reconnect with who you are now, what actually matters to you, and how to redesign your life so the next decade feels lighter, stronger and more intentional. Key moments: 0:00 - #1: How to feel stronger, clearer and more in control of your body as you age 8:33 - #2: How to reconnect with who you actually are - beyond being a mum, partner or caregiver 13:01 - #3: Three questions you can ask yourself to find out you want more out of in life 17:06 - #4: Learning to choose yourself without guilt 24:50 - #5: Identifying the habit that’s keeping you stuck and how to finally face it 29:30 - #6: How to project your energy so that you don’t spiral into exhaustion and negative self talk 39:06 - #7: What’s actually stealing your happiness (and how to stop chasing the wrong things) 46:00 - #8: The mindset shift that puts YOU back in control of your happiness 49:47 - #9: How to let go of friendships that drain you without feeling like a bad person 51:56 - #10: Tips on making every day feel fuller and more exciting If you want to join a space where women feel safe to be seen, ask the questions they don’t always say out loud and connect with others going through the same as you, then you are invited to join my free Facebook group, Women’s Wellbeing Collective here. And changing your relationship with alcohol is something you want to explore further, you can find my book Beyond Booze on Audible, Spotify, Kindle and Amazon. Click the link here.

If you’ve ever looked down at your belly in your 40s and thought… “Where did that come from?” this one’s for you. I first discovered Angela Foster through The High Performance Health podcast which I binged. I was left thinking, “where has this woman been all my life?” Because she was asking the exact questions so many of us are quietly thinking - especially when our bodies start to change in midlife. Today I’m sitting down with Angela to unpack what’s actually happening when we begin storing more fat around the middle, why sleep suddenly becomes so hard to maintain, why sugar cravings ramp up, and why the old strategies just stop working. Key moments: 03:05 -The real reason your body changes in your 40s (and why it’s not just “ageing”) 8:55 - The simple explanation of insulin resistance that finally makes sense 11:02 - Is midlife weight gain actually fat gain… or something else entirely? 14:35 - Why you keep waking up at 2–3am 18:48 - How poor sleep quietly drives belly fat 21:59 - The hidden stress pattern that keeps weight stuck (even in healthy women) 28:58 - Fasting in midlife: It is helping us or harming us? 32:52 - The one thing that stopped my sugar cravings completely 39:42 - “Lower your inflammation” - what that actually means for your body 46:24 - How to reduce your risk of injury as you age 50:27 - When exercising for 20 minutes is enough to see HUGE benefits Follow Angela over at https://www.instagram.com/angelasfoster/?hl=en Let me know what you thought of this episode and see the behind the scenes over at https://www.instagram.com/sarahrusbatch/?hl=en Join my latest Alcohol Free Challenge here and find out more about my other programs here https://sarahrusbatch.com/ If you want to join a space where women feel safe to be seen, ask the questions they don’t always say out loud and connect with others going through the same as you,join my free Facebook group, Women’s Wellbeing Collective here. And if changing your relationship with alcohol is something you want to explore further, you can find my book Beyond Booze on Audible, Spotify, Kindle and Amazon. Click the link here.

One morning in my 40s, I woke up to my 5 year old asking me “Mum…what happened to your face?” The night before, I’d been at a friend's 40th birthday and something had happened that went to change the course of my life completely. What ensued after that was years of trying and failing, trying and failing…but ultimately it led me to where I am now: happier, healthier, stronger, bolder and wiser. If you have followed me for a while you may have heard this story already but today I’m revealing some details I haven’t spoken about. I’m sharing my story to give you permission to start questioning what’s not working for you, to stop wondering how you ended up here and take back control. You can read my article on Mamamia here. Follow along and see the behind the scenes over at https://www.instagram.com/sarahrusbatch/?hl=en Join my latest Alcohol Free Challenge here and find out more about my other programs here https://sarahrusbatch.com/ If you want to join a space where women feel safe to be seen, ask the questions they don’t always say out loud and connect with others going through the same as you,join my free Facebook group, Women’s Wellbeing Collective here. And if changing your relationship with alcohol is something you want to explore further, you can find my book Beyond Booze on Audible, Spotify, Kindle and Amazon. Click the link here.