The Experience of Being Sober Over 50 with Donna Ferris

Episode #351 Hey there! I'm glad you're here.   I'm so happy to have Donna Ferris back on the podcast. Donna joined me years ago to talk about her first book and memoir, We've Got to Stop Meeting Like This, and today we're doing something a little different. Instead of an interview, we sat down together to talk about what we each expected before getting sober and what we've actually experienced on the other side. You'll hear a bit more about Donna's story in this episode, and I'm linking her first episode in the show notes if you want the full background. Donna's second book, Bounce Back Stronger: Finding Peace and Purpose No Matter What Happens, is out now. She's also the host of the Bounce Back Stronger podcast and a life coach who focuses on habit change, overcoming loss, writing to heal, and redefining what success looks like. In this episode, we talk about what we expected before we stopped drinking, and what we experienced after we stopped drinking.  We talk about the difference in how we feel and sleep, our confidence and trust in ourselves, and what we wouldn't be doing today if not for our sobriety.  I thank you for being here and apologize for a bit of sound quality issues.  Sending you a hug!    Find Donna and her resources here:  Donna's first episode on Two 50 and Beyond Donna's new book Bounce Back Stronger: Finding Peace and Purpose No Matter What Donna's memoir: We've Got To Stop Meeting Like This Bounce Back Stronger podcast Donn's website Annie Grace on Dan Harris     Join ELEVATE - my online community for midlife women who are living alcohol-free.    Coffee Keeps Me Going If the podcast has supported you and you'd like to support the show, you can buy me a coffee here: 👉 https://ko-fi.com/lorimassicot Every cup helps keep me and To 50 and Beyond going.   Your 5-Minute Rating and Review Helps So Much If the podcast has supported you, please rate and review To 50 and Beyond. It helps other midlife women find the show. Apple Podcasts Open this link in the app → Scroll to Ratings & Reviews → Tap Write a Review 👉 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/to-50-and-beyond-podcast/id1345136168 Spotify Open this link → Tap the three dots → Select Rate Show 👉 https://open.spotify.com/show/1OHSInNsfXpinvxPpeZBZc  

Episode 350  Grab your poster board or foam board, some magazines, and a glue stick. We are about to get crafty. If you're looking for a creative project to help you get clear on what you want in your life right now, this episode is for you. A mood board is a visual representation of how you want to feel right now, this season, this chapter. A mood board is made up of images, quotes, words, and notes to yourself that match the feeling you want to carry into spring. I'm walking you through a reflection to help you put yours together. It's fun to create, but it's also a helpful way to pause and get honest about what you want and don't want this season. Prompts from this episode: Where are you today and what are you proud of yourself for accomplishing? What do you want to create this spring?  What will you invite in? What are you ready to release? What will you remind yourself of?   Mentioned in this episode: Canva (free mood board templates)   If you would like to support me and the podcast, sending me a coffee means a lot!  Send me a coffee at my Ko-fi  shop Thank you in advance!    Spend spring with me inside ELEVATE Join Me Inside ELEVATE My online community for women in midlife and beyond who are living alcohol-free. By joining, you will receive my ELEVATE Your Spring book to help you really document your spring alcohol-free.  Join ELEVATE   Thank you for listening! You ROCK! 

Episode #349  Hey there!  If you've heard me talk about my online community and aren't really sure what it is or how it works, or if you've been curious about joining my community, this episode is for you.   If you're inside ELEVATE, thank you for taking the leap with me! 🫶   This is one of those episodes, where I said to myself, why in the heck have you not done this sooner?  Before you dive in, this is an honest look at why I believe in community in midlife and in living alcohol-free, especially in 2026. I will give you a peek into how my community, ELEVATE, formerly Team Alcohol-Free, works.   I have a short rapid fire FAQ that I'll go through to answer most of the questions I've received over the years.    I'm not a fan of long enrollment pages, so I made a summary that you can find here.    In honor of ELEVATE, turning 3 today, I'm offering a special anniversary enrollment that ends on 4/1/26. As we start the new chapter together as midlife and beyond women who are done with alcohol and focused on living fulfilling alcohol-free lifestyles, it's a really great time to join.  Meet new women who are coming in with you and get started this week.  Join ELEVATE today.    Reach Out  Send me an email  Private Coaching enrollment         

Episode #348  Hey there! I'm glad you're here.  I recorded this short and sweet episode to let you know if you're in the middle of a transition in your life, or multiple transitions, I'm here. Sometimes, that is the best thing I can offer - to let you know you're not alone during this time.  In this episode, I share two transitions I'm recognizing with a move and my son living at home. I also talk about why it's helpful to recognize when you're in the "middle"  of a transition, and some simple things I do for myself.  I share a story about my mom and how I learned from a young age that life happens - just keep pushing through. I don't want to do this anymore, I want to get on my back and float a bit.  I'm sending you love wherever you are and with whatever transtion you are in.  Please reach out to me if you would like to say hello and share.  Mentioned: What I'm Doing to Take Care of Myself Right Now  My email: [email protected] My website has gotten a face lift: lorimassicot.com Join my newsletter - The Moment    If You Want to Support Me and the Podcast: Coffee Keeps Me Going If the podcast has supported you and you'd like to support the show, you can buy me a coffee here: 👉 https://ko-fi.com/lorimassicot Every cup helps keep me and To 50 and Beyond going.   Your 5-Minute Rating and Review Helps So Much If the podcast has supported you, please rate and review To 50 and Beyond. It helps other midlife women find the show. Apple Podcasts Open this link in the app → Scroll to Ratings & Reviews → Tap Write a Review 👉 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/to-50-and-beyond-podcast/id1345136168 Spotify Open this link → Tap the three dots → Select Rate Show 👉 https://open.spotify.com/show/1OHSInNsfXpinvxPpeZBZc   Thank you for listening! See you next week.  xo  Lori

Episode #347 Hey there! I hope you're having a nice day.  If you are curious about living alcohol-free, and ready to make it a lifestyle, or if you've decided to live alcohol-free and you're months or more in and you're not sure if it's the lifestyle for you, this episode is for you. In this episode, I give you my perspective of an alcohol-free lifestyle and what my decision to go alcohol-free gave me in the first two years of living alcohol-free.  It's an honest look into my experience after 30 years of being a drinker, a party girl, and a woman smack dab in the middle of life (well, a little beyond).  I also offer a reflection for those who are in it and aren't sure if the lifestyle is for them.  I'm with you. Thank you for being here with me.    Private Coaching That Meets You Where You Are and Helps You Get to Where You Want to Be I offer flexible, personalized packages to help you get started and stay alcohol-free. Working with me is a creative collaboration that gets you clear on where you want to be and how to get there from the very first call. To learn more about working together, email me at [email protected] .  I'm easy to talk to and here to help. This is a no pressure email exchange.   Coffee Keeps Me Going If the podcast has supported you and you'd like to support the show, you can buy me a coffee here: 👉 https://ko-fi.com/lorimassicot Every cup helps keep me and To 50 and Beyond going.   Your 5-Minute Rating and Review Helps So Much If the podcast has supported you, please rate and review To 50 and Beyond. It helps other midlife women find the show. Apple Podcasts Open this link in the app → Scroll to Ratings & Reviews → Tap Write a Review 👉 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/to-50-and-beyond-podcast/id1345136168 Spotify Open this link → Tap the three dots → Select Rate Show 👉 https://open.spotify.com/show/1OHSInNsfXpinvxPpeZBZc            

This is an episode you can have playing in the background as I give you a little bio and reintroduction to the podcast. ☺️ I'm reintroducing myself and the podcast after being in a bit of a transition.  I share my story from losing both parents, to meeting my husband Bill in a bar back in '97, to navigating life with our 24-year-old son and our rescue corgi, Franklin Blue. I open up about my journey to sobriety, which started at 43 when I realized alcohol wasn't serving me anymore. After 30 years of drinking and almost two years of trying to moderate, I quit on August 11th, 2013. Now, 12 years later, I'm all in on living alcohol-free and helping other midlife women do the same. What to expect moving forward - this podcast is a love letter to women in midlife. I will have episodes that cover aging, welllness, and designing an alcohol-free lifestyle alcohol can't touch. Us midlife women, ROCK!  Thank you for listening. I'm with you.    Support Me & The Pod  Leave a rating and review on Apple  Buy Me a Coffee    Stay Connected Sign up to receive my newsletter in February.  Schedule a Discovery Session for Private Coaching    

In this episode, I take you back to 1982 when I was 14 years old and the night I became a "party girl." I share the story of my first real experience with alcohol at a date party, from getting ready in my bathroom with my sweet mom Carol Jean, to wearing that pink striped dress that hid my nervous hives, to discovering how alcohol made me feel lighter, looser, and more confident. This was the night that changed everything. It's when I told myself, "I'm cool as long as I have alcohol," and started chasing that feeling for the next 30 years. I reflect on why remembering this moment is so important to staying sober today, and what that 14-year-old version of me would think about the life I'm living now at 58. Thank you for being here. I'm with you.    Support Me & The Pod  Leave a rating and review on Apple  Buy Me a Coffee   Stay Connected Sign up to receive my newsletter in February.  Schedule a Discovery Session for Private Coaching    

Hey there!  This is a bit of vulnerable episode, but one I needed to record to move forward.  The podcast will be back with fresh episodes at the end of February.  Thank you for being here and your listernship.  I appreciate you.  Peace ✌️ Lori   Stay Connected Sign up to receive my newsletter in February.  Schedule a Discovery Session for Private Coaching   Support Me & The Pod  Leave a rating and review on Apple  Buy Me a Coffee       

Hello!  I recorded an episode to let you know what I'm doing to take care of myself and my anxiety right now. These are some of my favorites that I focus on throughout the week, not daily as a "work from home" gal.  I wanted to check in with you to let you know I'm still here and offer ideas to find relief without drinking alcohol.  Here are the daily prompts that I walk you through to practice:  Ask yourself: What do I need less of right now? What do I need more of right now? What can I do for myself right now? What can I let go of for today? You don't need to answer all of them. One is enough. I'm sending you a big hug.    Stay Connected  Please send me an email if you want to say hello or share what you're doing right now to take care of yourself.  Sign up to receive my newsletter in February.    Support Me and My Work  Leave a rating and review on Apple  Buy Me a Coffee    Your support means the world to me.  Thank you for being here.  Peace.       

Happy 2026!  Thank you for listening to the podcast. I appreciate you!  In this episode, I offer you a different take on "New Year, New You" energy.  I hope that you take time to reflect on how far you've come in life and go "all in" on what you want and don't want in 2026.  I'll be back to the podcast, but right now I'm doing a lot of reflecting and soul-searching. To stay in touch, you can join The Moment, my twice-a-month newsletter. For personalized support through private sessions, feel free to email me. To walk alongside me and other women living alcohol-free, you can join Team Alcohol-Free.