The Alcohol Free Revolution Podcast

No guest this week just Steve and James, and it's a milestone episode.
James has just hit five years alcohol-free, and we take a moment to mark it before getting into something that's been doing the rounds — Brad Pitt's decision to return to drinking after seven years of sobriety.
We're not here to judge him. But it does open up a really important conversation about moderation, desire, and why resisting something you still want is a very different thing from simply not wanting it anymore.
A good one.
Coach with Steve:Web: www.soberilliant.com
Insta: @sober.illiant
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stevesmith-soberilliant
Coach with James:Web: http://alcoholfreecoach.com
Insta: @alcoholfreecoach_
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/james-lloyd-48313032

This week is a big one!!
We've wanted to get Millie Gooch on the pod for a long time, and it's finally happened.
Millie is the founder of Sober Girl Society, one of the largest alcohol-free communities in the world, author of three books, TED talk speaker, and holds an MSc in Mental Health and Addiction. She's been one of the most important voices in the alcohol-free movement since she gave up drinking in 2018.
Her latest book Hangxiety which is out now is her most compelling yet. It's not a book about sobriety. It's a book about your brain on booze. Why that wave of dread and anxiety after a night out is far more than just a bad hangover, what alcohol is actually doing to your nervous system, your sleep and your mood, and why the effects can linger long after the headache's gone. Smart, science-backed, and not remotely preachy.
We get into her own story, how the movement has shifted since she started, and what she makes of where we are now. A brilliant guest. Go and get the book.
Find Millie:Instagram: @milliegoochSober Girl Society: @sobergirlsocietyWebsite: www.sobergirlsociety.com
Hangxiety: How Alcohol Messes With Your Mind — out nowAvailable wherever books are sold.
 
Coach with Steve:Web: www.soberilliant.com
Insta: @sober.illiant
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stevesmith-soberilliant
Coach with James:Web: http://alcoholfreecoach.com
Insta: @alcoholfreecoach_
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/james-lloyd-48313032

This week we're joined by Emma Gilmour — licensed counsellor, psychotherapist and alcohol coach, based in Australia. Emma spent 20+ years running on adrenalin, coffee and booze before her own messy breakup with drinking and a late Autistic ADHD diagnosis rebuilt her from the ground up. She now supports women in midlife through menopause, alcohol and the identity shift that comes with both.
It's a genuinely fascinating conversation — one we've been wanting to have for a long time. We get into why ADHD and alcohol are so deeply connected, what masking really means, why stopping drinking can feel so exposing, and why so many people who struggle with alcohol have spent a lifetime trying to be someone they're not just to feel safe.
We loved it so much we've already booked her back for part two. If you have questions for Emma on ADHD, alcohol or menopause, send them to info@thealcoholfreerevolution.co.uk
Find Emma:Instagram: @hoperisingcoachingWebsite: www.hoperisingcoaching.comPodcast: Midlife AF — www.hoperisingcoaching.com/podcast
Upcoming with Emma:Free 3-Day Alcohol Reset — 22–24 September, 7:30pm AEST (replays available)Register: www.hoperisingcoaching.com/3-day-reset
The Great Aussie Alcohol Experiment — live 1 October, 30 days, small group, 25 spots. Early bird ends 15 September.Join: www.hoperisingcoaching.com/the_great_aussie_alcohol_experiment
Coach with Steve:Web: www.soberilliant.com
Insta: @sober.illiant
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stevesmith-soberilliant
Coach with James:Web: http://alcoholfreecoach.com
Insta: @alcoholfreecoach_
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/james-lloyd-48313032

This week we're joined by Miriam Lene Roland — Norwegian sommelier, entrepreneur, and founder of Miris Blend, a premium alcohol-free wine brand that is quietly turning heads in the wine world.
Miriam completed her WSET Level 3 in London, spent three years immersed in the wine regions of Portugal, and wrote her master's thesis on the technology and marketing of alcohol-free wine — before going back to Norway and actually building the business. She's now producing a range of award-winning alcohol-free wines using some of the most advanced dealcoholisation technology currently available, working directly with small producers who share her obsession with quality.
If wine is the one thing you miss, or the one thing holding you back, this is the episode to listen to. We get into why most alcohol-free wine is so disappointing, what Miriam is doing differently, and why the market for genuinely good alcohol-free wine is only just getting started.
Find Miriam:Instagram: @mirisblend.noWebsite: www.mirisblend.com
Buy in the UK:www.alcoholfreedrinks.co.uk
Coach with Steve:Web: www.soberilliant.com
Insta: @sober.illiant
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stevesmith-soberilliant
Coach with James:Web: http://alcoholfreecoach.com
Insta: @alcoholfreecoach_
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/james-lloyd-48313032
 

This week we're joined by Toby Bailey — former professional cricketer turned international coach, currently heading up the Qatar National Cricket Team. Toby has been alcohol-free for nearly three years, which is quite something when you consider he spent decades in two of the booziest environments going — professional cricket and the City.
We get into what drinking culture really looked like inside elite sport, how attitudes have shifted, and what finally made Toby decide to remove alcohol from his own foundations. There's also a brilliant conversation about performing under pressure without it, what you miss socially, and why he's refreshingly honest that the start wasn't easy.
One of the more unique perspectives we've had on the pod. Well worth your time.
 
Connect with Toby:Instagram: @tobybaileyepemcoachWebsite: www.epemcoaching.co.uk
 
Coach with Steve:Web: www.soberilliant.com
Insta: @sober.illiant
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stevesmith-soberilliant
Coach with James:Web: http://alcoholfreecoach.com
Insta: @alcoholfreecoach_
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/james-lloyd-48313032
 

This week we're joined by our good friend from over the pond Ted Gibson. Ted is a fellow coach, and someone we have been meaning to get on the pod for way too long.
Ted's story is genuinely one of a kind. An alcohol free adventure that started with no real plan. Deep into a hospitality career, a trained sommelier and faced with becoming a dad and with a daughter was on the way, Ted just decided to stop. One year. Non-negotiable. No tools, no real plan. Just a decision.
Six years later, here we are who'd have thought it would have unlocked so much.
A great chat with one of life's good guys. Ted brings a perspective we haven't really heard before on this pod, and it's well worth a listen. 
Connect with Ted:Instagram: @tedgibsoncoaching
 
Coach with Steve:Web: www.soberilliant.com
Insta: @sober.illiant
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stevesmith-soberilliant
Coach with James:Web: http://alcoholfreecoach.com
Insta: @alcoholfreecoach_
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/james-lloyd-48313032
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

No guest this week — just Steve and James, and things got all nostalgic.
In this weeks episode we take a step back and look at how the 90s shaped the way our generation drinks — the advertising, the 90's culture, and what it was that made seemed to make us drink differently to today. We also look back on why getting drunk somehow became not just normal but perceived as cool.
If you're in your 40s or 50s this is definitely worth a listen. 
 
Coach with Steve:Web: www.soberilliant.com
Insta: @sober.illiant
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stevesmith-soberilliant
Coach with James:Web: http://alcoholfreecoach.com
Insta: @alcoholfreecoach_
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/james-lloyd-48313032

This week we finally get Barclay on the pod. James has been dropping hints about him for weeks, and he absolutely does not disappoint.
Barclay is 57, drank for 40 years, and came into coaching with one very clear position — he just wanted a short break, not sobriety, absolutely not sobriety. 107 days later he's got a new wardrobe, clearer skin, and no desire whatsoever to go back. Funny how that happens.
It's a proper chat — funny, honest, and we loved every second. Barclay is simply a beacon fro AF life. We talk about what the first week was really like, when things started to shift, how he handles social situations now, and what he wishes he'd known sooner. He also shares the five questions he asks himself whenever a craving hits, which are genuinely brilliant and worth writing down.
Oh, and he built a pub in his garden which he loves just as much as he ever did...his beer just has a zero on it now
 
Coach with Steve:Web: www.soberilliant.com
Insta: @sober.illiant
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stevesmith-soberilliant
Coach with James:Web: http://alcoholfreecoach.com
Insta: @alcoholfreecoach_
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/james-lloyd-48313032

No guest this week — just us catching up on summer so far and ending up in a really good conversation about alcohol-free holidays.
Steve's just back from the New Forest with his mate, James went to the Eden Project and saw Bastille in Cornwall, and how and howe AF holidays are just better and you don't end up spending two thirds of a trip to Iceland in an American-themed bar without seeing a single thing. 
We also get into why if you're thinking about making a change, right now — post-summer, pre-Christmas — is actually the perfect window. And why doing it properly, rather than just white-knuckling it makes all the difference.
Coach with Steve:Web: www.soberilliant.com
Insta: @sober.illiant
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stevesmith-soberilliant
Coach with James:Web: http://alcoholfreecoach.com
Insta: @alcoholfreecoach_
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/james-lloyd-48313032

This week we're joined by Sarah Connelly, a grey area drinking coach, speaker and educator based in Brisbane, Australia. Originally from Hertfordshire, Sarah has been alcohol-free since 2019 and coaching since 2020. Her approach is science-backed, identity-focused and built around small group coaching for high performers.
In this episode we cover what grey area drinking actually looks like, why understanding the science of alcohol removes the shame, the difference between coaching and more traditional routes like AA, and why investing in a programme changes outcomes. We also get into the state of alcohol-free culture in Australia, the very real problem of 24-hour home alcohol delivery, and why group coaching creates connections and results that one-to-one often can't match.
A really informed and honest conversation from someone who has both lived it and built a career around it.
Find Sarah:Website: www.sarahconnelly.com.auInstagram: @sarahconnelly
Join our free community:
Every Monday at noon.Email the word Community to: info@thealcoholfreerevolution.co.uk
Coach with Steve:Web: www.soberilliant.com
Insta: @sober.illiant
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stevesmith-soberilliant
Coach with James:Web: http://alcoholfreecoach.com
Insta: @alcoholfreecoach_
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/james-lloyd-48313032