What happens when the thing that made you feel relatable at church is the same thing keeping you from real freedom?

This week I'm joined by Nikki White, author of A Mother Worth Loving and writer behind the Substack Just a Broken Believer, for a conversation about growing up in a church with a strict no-drinking rule, and how she spent years hopping between the good Christian girl and the woman pouring wine in her own basement wine cellar.

Nikki takes us into her "cool Christian era," complete with a literal wine cellar behind a trapdoor in her living room, and the quiet discomfort she felt every time that door closed above her. We talk about the guilt-and-shame cycle of showing up hungover on Sunday, why the binary belief of "normal drinker or alcoholic" kept her stuck for so long, and the gentle, persistent way she believes God worked on her heart over years, not overnight.

This one is honest, funny in places, and tender in others. If you've ever felt like you were living two different lives depending on who was in the room, you'll want to hear how Nikki finally let those two selves become one.

Her testimony is full of her sincere love for Jesus. You will be blessed!

In this episode:

• Growing up under a strict no-alcohol church rule, and what happened when the rules stopped making sense (2:56)
• The wine cellar behind the trapdoor, and why Nikki never felt at ease down there (7:35)
• Living a divided life between church and the drinking scene (11:39)
• Why "alcohol is a substance problem, not a person problem" reframes everything (14:28)
• The moment that started to shift things for Nikki, and a spiritual dream she almost didn't share (16:43)
• What changed in her relationship with God once she stepped into full freedom (23:06)
• The friendships she was afraid to lose, and what actually happened (27:22)
• Nikki's advice to the version of herself who drank to fit in (28:13)
• Where to find Nikki and her book, A Mother Worth Loving (31:57)

Connect with Nikki:
Substack: Just a Broken Believer https://nikkiswhite.substack.com/
Book: A Mother Worth Loving: A Memoir of Finding Grace in Unexpected Places
https://www.justabrokenbeliever.com/nikki

Remember, you were made for more.

If this episode moved you, hit subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next.

Leave a message for Susan!

Connect with Susan: Susan@susanlarkincoaching.com
Follow Susan on Instagram: @drinklesswithsusan
Website: Susan Larkin Coaching: https://www.susanlarkincoaching.com

Want support? Schedule a Alcohol-Freedom Clarity Call: https://calendly.com/susanlarkincoaching/30min

It is strongly recommended that you seek professional advice regarding your health before attempting to take a break from alcohol. The creators, hosts, and producers of the The Drink Less with Susan podcast are not healthcare practitioners and therefore do not give medical, or psychological recommendations nor do they intend for the podcast, any resource or communication on behalf of the podcast or otherwise to be a substitute for such.

Knowing where you stand with alcohol is one thing. Actually deciding to do something about it? That's a whole different step, and it's where most women get stuck, afraid to take the leap. (Susan included). You have more power to Choose than you realize.

In this episode, Susan picks up right where Episode 2 left off and gets honest about the gap between wanting to want to stop and actually being ready to. She walks through the two analogies that finally got her to take action, and unpacks why the discomfort after you let go isn't a sign you got it wrong.

You'll hear:

• Why deciding is an active choice, not something that happens to you
• What Scripture says about the things that quietly hinder us, and why alcohol might be one of them without making you a bad person
• The question from Episode 2 worth sitting with a little longer
• The moment Susan felt something shift when she stopped waiting for it to "get bad enough" to take action

This isn't a call to swear off alcohol forever. It's an invitation to get real data instead of half data, so you can finally answer, honestly, is my life better without it?

Resources:
Grab Susan's free guide, Skip the Sip the Smart Way, for five steps to take your first night off: https://www.susanlarkincoaching.com/skip-the-sip

Haven't listened to Episode 2 yet? Start there first, this one builds right on it.

Leave a message for Susan!

Connect with Susan: Susan@susanlarkincoaching.com
Follow Susan on Instagram: @drinklesswithsusan
Website: Susan Larkin Coaching: https://www.susanlarkincoaching.com

Want support? Schedule a Alcohol-Freedom Clarity Call: https://calendly.com/susanlarkincoaching/30min

It is strongly recommended that you seek professional advice regarding your health before attempting to take a break from alcohol. The creators, hosts, and producers of the The Drink Less with Susan podcast are not healthcare practitioners and therefore do not give medical, or psychological recommendations nor do they intend for the podcast, any resource or communication on behalf of the podcast or otherwise to be a substitute for such.

Same argument, every single night: Should I? Shouldn't I? Is my drinking normal?

If you've ever asked these questions or poured a glass of wine and then made a sneaky trip to the kitchen "for chips" just to top it off...you're not broken, and you're not alone.

In this episode, Susan breaks down the term "gray area drinking", where it actually came from, why it's been misused as a label, and why that distinction matters more than you think.

You'll learn 8 specific signs that help you place yourself on the alcohol spectrum (no scoring, no diagnosis, just honesty), plus 5 journaling questions designed to interrupt the autopilot at 5 p.m. before the glass is even poured.

You'll walk away with a completely different question to ask yourself tonight.
Hint: it's not "is this bad enough to stop?"

🎧 Listen now to find out which stop you're at — and remember, you were made for more.

➡️ Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review! It helps to get the word out so more women of faith find this podcast!

Leave a message for Susan!

Connect with Susan: Susan@susanlarkincoaching.com
Follow Susan on Instagram: @drinklesswithsusan
Website: Susan Larkin Coaching: https://www.susanlarkincoaching.com

Want support? Schedule a Alcohol-Freedom Clarity Call: https://calendly.com/susanlarkincoaching/30min

It is strongly recommended that you seek professional advice regarding your health before attempting to take a break from alcohol. The creators, hosts, and producers of the The Drink Less with Susan podcast are not healthcare practitioners and therefore do not give medical, or psychological recommendations nor do they intend for the podcast, any resource or communication on behalf of the podcast or otherwise to be a substitute for such.

Have you found that nightly glass of wine to take the edge off has become two, three, or more? You've tried to cut back, and you can, for a while, but then you overdo it, again. Alcohol isn't ruining your life, but it's quietly taking something from it.

So many Christian women carry this struggle in silence. You sit in church on Sunday, you work, you serve your families, you hold everything together, and then you go home and pour a drink to cope with the stress, the burnout, the constant feeling that you're not enough.

And you think you're the only one.

You're not.

There are so many women of faith quietly asking the exact same questions you are. Wondering if alcohol has taken up more space in their life than they realized. Wondering how their drinking fits into their walk with God.

That's exactly why I created this podcast.

I'm Susan Larkin, a Certified Gray Area Drinking Coach, a This Naked Mind Senior Coach, and a Life Coach. I work at the intersection of faith and science, helping women understand how alcohol is affecting them, spiritually, physically, and mentally.

You'll hear honest reflections and practical tools for women exploring gray area drinking, faith, and what it looks like to build an alcohol-free life. Each episode gently invites you to step toward deeper connection with God, without shame, pressure, or the need to decide forever.

Here's what I believe, all the way down to my core: you were not created to be held captive by alcohol, You Were Made for More.

You have a purpose. A calling. An abundant life that God is inviting you into. And I believe alcohol can quietly stand in the way of that, dulling your clarity, and keeping you from fully walking into who you're meant to be.

If any of this resonates I want you to know: you're exactly who this podcast was made for.

Leave a message for Susan!

Connect with Susan: Susan@susanlarkincoaching.com
Follow Susan on Instagram: @drinklesswithsusan
Website: Susan Larkin Coaching: https://www.susanlarkincoaching.com

Want support? Schedule a Alcohol-Freedom Clarity Call: https://calendly.com/susanlarkincoaching/30min

It is strongly recommended that you seek professional advice regarding your health before attempting to take a break from alcohol. The creators, hosts, and producers of the The Drink Less with Susan podcast are not healthcare practitioners and therefore do not give medical, or psychological recommendations nor do they intend for the podcast, any resource or communication on behalf of the podcast or otherwise to be a substitute for such.