Kate Baily, co-founder of Love Sober joins Happiful's podcast to discuss the journey to alcohol-free living and the benefits it brings

“For me, drinking was very much tied in with the cultural narrative of my twenties and my own narrative about feminism and being empowered,” Kate Baily shares on Happiful’s podcast. “Then I had my children and a massive identity shift. I had lots of hormones and my mental health wasn’t great. So wine became more and more part of my life. When I first heard the phrase ‘wine o’clock’, I laughed my head off. I thought, thank god it’s not just me!”

Kate soon realised that she was not alone in feeling this way about alcohol and there were many other women for whom alcohol played a major role in their daily lives. However, Kate notes, she was in the ‘grey area’ of drinking, not alcohol dependent but not experiencing a healthy relationship with it either, and she wanted that to change.

Fast forward to today and Kate is now the co-founder of Love Sober, co-host of the Love Sober podcast and has written two books with LS partner Mandy Manners, most recently the beautiful Love Your Sober Year: A Seasonal Guide to Alcohol-Free Living.

Kate’s also a sobriety & life coach specialising in holistic well-being for women in midlife, perimenopause transition, sobriety, and stress management. Her first-hand experience makes her extremely relatable, her honesty is refreshing and she’s ultimately very realistic about the role alcohol plays for so many of us, in what we perceive to be ‘stress relief’.

“I managed my stress with lots of different things,” she says, reflecting back. “I had my hobbies, I had this kind of toolkit. Drinking was part of it but there was this disconnect between how I was feeling, what my new role is (as a parent) and how it was all fitting, that became impossible to ignore. This created quite a lot of shame, which can lead to a downward spiral.”

Kate came across Soberistas while searching for questionnaires about alcoholism in the early hours of one morning. She began to get curious about living an alcohol free life, after finding support on the site’s forum. Although not easy, and she chose to drink again after a year before stopping for good, this experience inspired Kate to learn more about positive psychology, the role of the vagus nerve and the unmet needs we can often ‘treat’ by drinking.

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We’re sharing some free financial wellbeing resources to support you through this period of economic uncertainty, including EAPs and how to access them

The cost of living is on the rise and financial hardship is placing a burden on our mental wellbeing. Managing finances can cause stress for many people; trying to balance the cost of energy bills, rent or mortgage repayments, whilst many are having to decide between heating and eating.

Recent announcements are all the more confusing, worrying and, quite frankly, tiring. However you’re feeling right now, know that you are not alone. Below, we examine the benefits of EAPs - including what they are and how you can access them - as well as some additional support systems and free financial wellbeing resources.

What are EAPs?

Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) are a type of employee benefit that many employers offer their staff. In an effort to minimise lower levels of productivity, EAPs are designed to help staff with personal problems that could impact their performance, physical and mental health, and wellbeing.

Generally, EAPs provide services such as face-to-face, online or telephone counselling and expert support for employees and their immediate families. The service is provided for little to no cost and is confidential.

While EAP schemes used to be predominantly for issues such as alcohol or substance misuse and family problems, they now often cover a broad range including legal problems, wellness advice, stress management and financial concerns, which makes them a useful resource during the cost of living crisis.

According to People Management, almost all businesses nowadays have an Employee Assistance Programme in place, but only an average of 5% of employees are utilising them.

Whilst EAPs provide a number of benefits to companies, including reduced absenteeism and higher productivity, their key benefit lies in the ability to promote wellness and help employees through personal challenges.

How can EAPs help during the cost of living crisis?

The Reward and Employee Benefits Association (REBA) outlines four ways in which EAPs can support people during the current cost of living crisis.

1. Providing financial information and support

EAPs are available 24/7 and are there to provide unbiased advice and support for those struggling with finances. They can be especially useful in our society where we still struggle to have open and honest conversations about money, particularly with our employers. Having access to an EAP means individuals are able to find the support they need in confidence.

2. Offering financial help

Whilst some companies are offering bonuses to their staff to help them through the toughest period of the crisis, many businesses are also affected by the economic downturn. EAPs often offer employees benefits such as discounts and vouchers for retailers and groceries, which can go some way to supporting those struggling to feed their families.

3. Access to mental health services

As financial stress has been known to increase anxiety and Read more

Sharing holiday gift ideas for the kids this year! We tend to stick to the purchasing strategy of: “ Something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read.” 

Hi friends! Happy Thursday! How’s the week treating ya? It’s been a busy on over here and I’m currently in Phoenix for a mastermind trip. I’ll share more details in Fri Faves tomorrow!

I’m really excited for today’s gift guide because kiddos really bring the magic to Christmastime. I’m basically like Buddy the Elf and thought that nothing could possibly make the season more enjoyable… and then we had kids. They just magnify all of the magic of the holidays. We’re getting our holiday shopping done early, so I wanted to put some ideas out there if you’re doing the same thing.

More gift guides from this year:

For Her

For Him

When we holiday shop for the kiddos, we keep things on the simpler side. They get their Santa gifts and stocking stuffers, and then from us, we stick to the “something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read.” This checks all of the main boxes and keeps things from getting too bananas with gifts from my parents and their other relatives. [Another hack: any gifts that aren’t opened in the first couple of days are stocked away in the playroom. I bring them out on a rainy day or when the kids say they’re looking for something to do.]

Today, I’m sharing some of the things on their personal wish lists, along with tried and true favorites if you’re shopping for kids their ages (5 and almost 9) this holiday season!! I’d love to hear your kids’ gift requests in the comments and any ideas you have!

2022 Holiday Gift Guide for the Kids

Something they want:

– Karaoke system

–Kids’ digital camera

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This Date Nut Roll brings me directly back to my childhood. I remember watching my grandpa roll this on the kitchen counter every holiday when we visited.

Crushed graham crackers, marshmallows, dates, pecans, and a splash of cream: none of these ingredients are remarkable on their own, but when combined they become something special.

Date Nut Roll

I can’t recall another occasion for which my grandpa ever worked in the kitchen. However, making the Date Nut Roll was his domain every Christmas. He passed away when I was just ten years old and I hadn’t thought of his Date Nut Roll in years.

When I found this recipe last year and made it for the first time as an adult, it was like I was standing in my grandparents’ kitchen once again.

Some food memories stick with us more than others, and I am so glad I have this one to pass on to my boys.

Date Nut Roll Recipe

1. Place the graham cracker crumbs, marshmallows, dates, and pecans in a mixing bowl and toss to coat everything in the crumbs.
2. Slowly add the cream, a couple of tablespoons at a time, stirring to combine. Add liquid just until the mixture is wet enough to hold together when you press it with a spoon.
3. Spread two large sheets of parchment or wax paper on the counter and divide the mixture on top of them. Press it into a log with your hands and sprinkle lightly with the remaining crumbs to coat all around.
4. Roll it tightly in the paper, smoothing the shape as you go. Twist the ends tightly and chill until firm, at least 2-6 hours. Slice into pieces with a very sharp knife. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

I’m all about easy no-bake treats for some of my holiday treat-making. As much as I love cookies and fancier holiday desserts, sometimes it’s just plain fun to pull together a whole bunch of delicious treats in very little time.

With just a few of these options, you can have platters of Christmas goodies at your fingertips to deliver to friends or share at a party.

I’m not exaggerating when I say this Peanut Butter Fudge is one of the best fudges I’ve ever tasted. Rich, creamy, over-the-top fudge that is so easy to make, you might laugh.

No-Bake Cookies have met their match with these Chocolate Peanut Butter Coconut Bites. It doesn’t get much easier than just stirring everything together and pouring it into a pan.

Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Ritz Cookies are the sweet, salty, chocolatey snack you need in your life. With zero baking required and just three ingredients–chocolate, Ritz crackers, and peanut butter–they’re a perfect last-minute addition to your holiday cookie tray or party menu.

When things go wrong, it can be tempting to throw in the towel. But before you do that, consider the ways you can turn mistakes into valuable lessons

We’re all familiar with the stomach-sinking feelings that come with the realisation that we’ve got something wrong. It could be at work, in our relationships, or out and about in the world – and big or small, these things can stick with us.

Neurologically speaking, there’s a lot going on in our brains when we put a foot wrong. In a 2018 study, neuroscientists at the California Institute of Technology traced how mistakes set off a chain reaction of brain activity and, rapidly, the brain lights up with the kind of activity that deeply encodes information.

But while the face-palming, cringing, and frustrating feelings that accompany mistakes aren’t generally pleasant, there are positives to our missteps.

“Mistakes can add huge value to our lives, and everyone has made at least one mistake in their lifetime,” says life coach Adam Craft. “Mistakes are our opportunity to grow and to gain knowledge. Many people say that they wouldn’t have been where they were in life without making mistakes. The all-important part, though, is learning from them, and understanding how to extract the positives from something that many view as a negative.”

It’s true that we need to reframe the way we feel about mistakes. In fact, a study published in the journal Memory in 2018 found that ‘near-miss’ mistakes can help a person learn faster than if they were to make no errors at all. And another study, published in the Journal of Educational Psychology, found that making deliberate mistakes – such as writing down the wrong answer to a question and then correcting it – can help improve our memory.

All that said, whether it comes from perfectionism or people-pleasing tendencies, many of us struggle in the face of our mistakes. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Have you gone wrong somewhere down the line? Follow this roadmap to turning mistakes into lessons.

Acknowledge and accept

“Sounds easy right?” Adam says. “You may feel guilty when you make a mistake, but that guilt will be a lot stronger if you don’t properly take responsibility for it. Acknowledging this to others (including yourself) will ease that guilt, helping you to start learning from your mistakes.”

For some of us, this first step might be going against our instincts. In the moment, we might look to start explaining away the mistake by diving into the ‘whys’ and ‘hows’ of its origin. We might point to a series of events, or another person, that could take the fall for us. And though this might offer us some instant relief, it might not necessarily help us move forward.

This is also an important point if you find yourself constantly returning to, and ruminating on, a mistake you made in the past. There’s nothing you can do now, so once you’ve accepted that, what should you do next?

Reframe

As Adam says, mistakes don’t have to feel negative &