About this episode

Françoise Olivier shares her journey as a life coach supporting adult children of alcoholics, discussing the impact of parental addiction and the healing process through coaching.

In this episode of our Day in the Life podcast series , we meet Françoise Olivier, a life coach who specialises in supporting adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs). Françoise brings both professional expertise and lived experience to her work, having grown up with a father who was alcohol dependent, she understands firsthand the deep and often invisible marks that a parent's addiction can leave. With warmth and honesty, she shares her personal journey alongside practical insights, creating a conversation that is moving and informative. Françoise explores the lasting traits many ACOAs carry into adulthood — hypervigilance, low self-worth, shame, and a disconnection from their own needs — and how these patterns, once understood, can become the foundation for profound transformation. She speaks candidly about the ongoing, daily nature of healing: learning to ask what she actually wants, unpicking long-held beliefs, and choosing to own her story with pride rather than embarrassment. She also highlights the vital distinction between coaching and therapy, and the importance of trauma awareness in holding a truly supportive space for clients. Crucially, Françoise celebrates the…

People in this episode

Host: Association for Coaching

Guest: Françoise Olivier

Topics covered

• parental addiction
• coaching
• adult children of alcoholics
• personal transformation
• trauma awareness
• community support

Keywords

• alcohol dependency
• hypervigilance
• low self-worth
• shame
• resilience
• empathy
• transformation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NACOA

More episodes of The AC Podcast

• 304: Breaking Down the Man Box: Nature, Walking and Vulnerability with Al Kennedy · July 20, 2026 · 46 min
• 303: Letting Go of Winning: What It Really Means to Redefine Success After 40 with Cassandra Andrews · July 13, 2026 · 41 min
• 302: Liberating Masculinity with Sam Adams · July 6, 2026 · 44 min
• 301: Coaching Men Through an Emotional Lens with Jess Spiers · June 29, 2026 · 38 min
• 300: Six Years, 300 Episodes, and a New Name: Introducing Coaching Voices with Smaranda Dochia, Maxine Bell and Rob Lawrence · June 22, 2026 · 1h 4m
• 299: Creating Safe Spaces for Men with Jamie Robins · June 15, 2026 · 49 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The AC Podcast podcast page.