Episode 105: Slowing Down and Just Being with Camille Kinzler

Jan 27

Imagine the freedom of slowing down and practicing the art of doing NOTHING!

Karolina sits down with Camille Kinzler from Think Beyond The Drink, an alcohol-free expert and coach helping the high achieving social over-drinker become a liberated non-drinker. When she took a break from alcohol, she actually let herself off the hook for all the demands on her life. Camille slowed down and began to practice the deep art of doing nothing. In this episode of Euphoric The Podcast, be reminded that it’s okay to slow down and how to awaken your most authentic self.

It’s here! Can you believe it! Run to your nearest bookstore because Karolina’s new book Euphoric: Ditch Alcohol and Gain a Happier, More Confident You officially hit bookshelves. Buy the book, share the book, and tell your friends. And when you get your copy, be sure to leave a review on Amazon so others can find it. We appreciate you!

Discovering yourself through the act of stopping

Camille began drinking during college and continued into adulthood with cocktail hours after work with coworkers. After having children, Camille also started drinking at home, noticing an increase in her consumption and frequency of drinking. Her desire to use alcohol for numbing out and hitting pause on life also increased.

Have you ever found yourself trying to improve other areas of your life while avoiding the thing that actually needs to change?

This was Camille’s experience.

From increasing her workouts, to incorporating meditation techniques into her life and picking up more shifts at work, she thought all of these rituals would curb her nighttime drinking. Just add more. In a moment of reflection, Camille realized that what she actually needed was to slow down.

Dropping down to working part time, Camille reveled in taking the space she needed to reflect and question every aspect of her life, ultimately committing to 100 days alcohol-free. Six weeks into this process, she woke up to how she’d been numbing out her feelings and experience of life with the lie that alcohol provides fun and relaxation.

Now Camille is five years into her alcohol-free journey, and has never looked back! Relinquishing control, Camille integrated more freedom and space into her life and allowed herself to get curious with a side of herself she hadn’t explored before.

Sometimes, hitting pause and taking time to go inward and reflect is the BEST way to get clarity on what you are truly wanting and needing in life.

If the “doing” brings resentment, STOP

When Camille made the conscious choice to slow down, she began to step away from all sorts of things that society believes we “should” be doing. Camille let laundry build up and switched from intense workouts to slow yoga. She let her kids use their iPads longer so she could have some alone time to recharge.

This way of being is so contradictory to our culture, but it can bring so much clarity. In the process of discerning how and when and where to say no and slow down, Camille asked a pivotal question:

“Will I resent this while I’m doing it?”

If the answer was yes, she didn’t do it. Camille empowers all of us to slow down and make decisions based on our individual needs.

Maybe it’s okay to wait a couple days to do laundry. Maybe it’s not a total crisis if you make frozen dinners Monday through Friday so that you can have extra space to re-energize.

Another common fear people experience when slowing down or taking a break from alcohol is the fear of what their partner or spouse will think. It’s totally normal to question how your decisions will impact those around us. AND, when we make decisions that bring space, peace, and clarity, it will lead to a fulfilling and joyful life.

Discovering your inner wisdom and authentic self

Going alcohol-free and slowing her life down brought Camille a beautiful reconnection to her internal compass and knowing. Throughout her adult life she had become disjointed from knowing herself. Taking a break from alcohol and releasing her busy lifestyle revealed her innate wisdom and she discovered her long lost creativity.

Alcohol had dimmed her light and ability to be completely herself. When she left drinking behind, Camille tapped into her true sense of self and was no longer willing to pretend. She wasn’t willing to wear a different mask in different areas of her life. She would no longer change who she was based on her environment.

We all have the ability to integrate into our lives the parts of us that are introspective and slowed down along with the task-oriented and produced parts. It looks different for everyone. And when we find a balance between these, and release judgement on ourselves we can truly live a well rounded, authentic life!

“What I found is that we all know that the world is broken, and that… women actually have that gift and the key to really heal it. But in order to do so we have to find the answers within us and not externally… I think that it really is the key to keep us in clarity, and in excitement, and in awe of what the world has to offer.” Camille Kinzler