Building a Life You Don't Want to Escape From - with Belinda Coker

Alcohol Mindset Coaching | EP 122

What if rethinking your drinking didn’t start with “giving up” alcohol, but instead you created the kind of life you don’t want to escape from? In this episode, Anna Donaghey sits down with adventurer and educator Belinda Coker to explore how rediscovering adventure, nature, and forgotten passions can quietly make alcohol fade into the background, no willpower or rock bottoms required. They talk honestly about growing up with normalised drinking, the “aha” moment that prompted Belinda to get hiking boots back on, and now teaching others how action, not theory, builds real confidence. She shares practical advice from her own journey, how immersing herself in adventure, house-sitting, and creativity helped her let go of drinking, and how to navigate tricky emotions (and triggers) in sobriety. Whether you’re just curious, stuck in a rut, or ready for a big change, this story has uplifting lessons for anyone wanting a richer, more expansive life with or without alcohol. Here are the Highlights: 00:00 Meet Belinda Coker: Rethinking drinking isn’t always about alcohol 01:25 Belinda’s story: adventure, midlife, and rediscovering passions 02:58 Realising I had a drinking problem, only in hindsight 05:19 Divorce, difficult periods, and drinking to cope 07:00 Hiking becomes the new reward 10:22 What adventure offers that alcohol can’t 11:27 How new routines slowly nudged out drinking 13:43 Returning to what you loved before alcohol 14:41 When Friday nights become about flow, not wine 18:12 Simple living, big happiness (and saving money) 20:47 Why Belinda finally chose to stop drinking alcohol for good 21:30 Recognising emotional triggers for drinking 23:31 How she handles hard days now 28:00 Why being honest about difficulties matters 29:55 The “hike your own hike” philosophy for sobriety 36:19 Out in the wild: zero desire for a drink 41:29 How to get unstuck 42:26 Where to find Belinda Coker and her work.

Anna’s book "What Are You Thirsty For? Rethinking Alcohol and The Life You Want" is now out in the world for you to buy! Order your copy, access her free tools and explore her coaching programmes at: https://thebigdrinkrethink.com/ The Thirsty For More Mindset Lab is Anna’s ‘inner circle’ - a calm, thoughtful space where conversations continue, patterns are explored, and things begin to make sense. Find out more at: https://thirstyformore.substack.com/ If you appreciate the podcast and would like to show a bit of love, you can donate the cost of a coffee here. It helps support the time and care that goes into making the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/bigdrinkrethink

About the host Anna: Anna is a certified Alcohol Mindset Coach, trained by Annie Grace of This Naked Mind. Drawing on her own journey out of alcohol addiction, she now helps others explore and control their drinking. With a career spanning 25 years as a Strategist in the Advertising industry, she combines her own lived experiences with great insight into what makes us tick and what influences us to behave the way we do.

Connect with Anna: Website: thebigdrinkrethink.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annadonaghey Instagram: instagram.com/bigdrinkrethink Produced by winteraudio.co.uk About Belinda Coker: Belinda Coker is an Australian hiker, writer, and educator who helps women rebuild confidence through practical adventure and responsible travel. She has completed solo hikes from Australia’s Red Centre to crossing Greenland’s Arctic Circle, experiences that shaped her belief that confidence grows through action, not theory. Through her platforms, Soul Treader and The House Sitting Collective, she teaches how structure, trust, and responsibility create genuine freedom and stability in life. Connect with Belinda: Website: https://soultreader.com/ Mentioned in this episode: Listener offer: An exclusive 15% off Botivo - a bittersweet, citrusy aperitivo that perfectly marks that end-of-day moment. If you’d like to try it, you can get 15% off at