Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Erica Mallery. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Erica, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.
I had been a coach for a few years helping with both career and general life coaching, but it wasn’t until the pandemic that things really took a turn. Like many people, 2020 was a year of drinking. The “2-week lockdown” made it easy to enjoy happy hour every day, but it was several months in that I realized the 2-weeks had quickly become months of daily drinking. Now, I was not a wake up and drink, or drink all day type of person. But it definitely got to a point where I couldn’t remember the last day I hadn’t had at least a glass of wine (or 2) at night.
While some may decide to wait for a rock bottom moment, I knew I didn’t need one of these to make a change. So, I went online to find nothing besides “if you’re looking this up then you’re an alcoholic and should never drink again.”
Don’t get me wrong, sobriety is a great thing (and absolutely needed for some people) but I knew it wasn’t for me. I had tried every crash diet out there and discovered anything that focuses on the black-or-white mentality is not a healthy, long term solution for me. I wanted my relationship with alcohol to be something I could easily stick to from here on out. Plus, the shame that accompanies so many of the sober programs was just so not for me.
Thanks to my coaching experience, I decided to create something myself. I started pretty silently at first – both for fear of failure and also judgment – and after a lot of trial and error, I was able to put an effective program together. I tested it out with some friends (who ALL saw a reduction in their drinking!) Although this was very promising, I knew it’s easy to make changes with close friends. So, I took the program to an outside group of beta testers (zero of which I knew) and again – 100% saw a reduction in their drinking! I knew I was on to something.
Since then, I’ve been helping people transform their relationship with alcohol and themselves in a kind, shame-free, and approachable way!
Erica, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
ShameOver is a new way to drink less — by healing what’s underneath. ShameOver helps to rewire your relationship with alcohol from the inside out, and all with Zero shame. No rules, and No quitting required.
I am Erica, your mindful drinking coach, here to help you understand what’s behind the drinking so you feel empowered to change how you use alcohol.
My shame-free, judgement-free approach provides a safe space to explore this very emotionally charged topic, and all without any pressure to quit or go all out sober. I understand how intimidating this can be. I myself was tired of overdoing it—but I was not ready to quit. If I felt that my only option was to “never drink again” I have no doubt I’d still be a heavy drinker and likely getting closer to needing to stop forever.
Instead, I cut back +90% and now, I help other women do the same—without shame or sobriety. Transforming my relationship with alcohol has been one of the proudest things I’ve ever done, and helping others do the same is the greatest gift because I know I’m not only helping them, but together we are changing the course for generations to come!
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
The biggest lesson I had to unlearn was the all-or-nothing, black-or-white mentality. This never served me with dieting or any other area of my life, and this approach with alcohol can be incredibly dangerous, unhealthy, and unrealistic..
Teaching myself moderation and mindful drinking has changed my life in nearly all areas. I am much more mindful when I eat. I quickly notice when I’m on my phone too much or not being present with my family. I adapt quicker when I’m feeling stressed or burnt out. I am much more aware of my spending, my time online, and the time I spend on ME.
ShameOver has truly shifted everything for me. I didn’t just change my relationship with alcohol. I transformed my relationship with myself.
And now I’m here to help anyone else who gets caught up with the all-or-nothing mindf^ck, so they too can find peace and balance in their consumption.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
If I could share just 1 book, I’d recommend Atomic Habits by James Clear. It was simple, eye opening, and extremely usable.
Atomic Habits was imperative to my own understanding of myself and my habits, and I’ve incorporated a great deal of what I learned into my coaching and the Lose the Hangover Bootcamp.
I’m a big psychology nut, and James Clear has a gift of making habit change much easier to understand psychologically thus enabling you to make the small, necessary implementations.
Highly recommend!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.shameover.me/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/losethehangover/
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/losethehangover
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericamontgomery723/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdlnilQ81B0-nbbzvpk8dmg
- Other: Podcast: https://vba2eab9mmfea.podbean.com/
Image Credits
All photos courtesy of Fiona + Calypso Creative Studio (https://www.calypsocreativestudio.com/)