 Hi there, this is James Swannick and you're listening to the alcohol-free lifestyle podcast where you learn how to take back control over Alcohol and live a life of health wealth love and happiness. I am Jessica Gaines-Jarbo, and I am one-year alcohol-free today Congratulations, Jessica. That's amazing. How do you feel? I feel like a different person. I feel great Yeah, so what was the context like when you were drinking? What inspired you to quit drinking and just tell us a little bit about your journey? Everything in my life was changing. I had a catalyst had happened. My marriage was ending I was working constantly. I was drained. I describe it now looking back as Feeling like I was in quicksand up to my neck getting kicked in the head and still getting up and going to work every day And I had a three-year journey two of which I was still drinking but just learning how to slow down And learning what I actually wanted and how to recreate my life and that led to Me finally feeling strong enough to stop drinking and that's when you came into my life and we had our My voice is shaking. It's just so my whole life has changed. So it just feels very powerful When we talked I it was just like a yes. It was every cell in my being saying yes because I knew No matter what it was what the cost or what the time commitment if it meant I would be alcohol-free at the end I wanted to do it and I've done it before when I got a DUI I was I went one year and quickly started drinking after that It was nothing. I didn't change anything in my life and through the whole year All I thought about it was like kind of getting to that end point. I was drinking. Oh duels I was still living the same life and still thinking of myself as a person who was drinking alcohol and this time Was just completely different. I was so completely done with it and being in a group that celebrated You know being an entrepreneur celebrating life Looking forward like what can your life look like not? What are you giving up? What can it be? What are you making room for and so I was so ready to be done with it It just didn't serve me anymore and this year has been you know the first couple months were interesting and you You feel different going out into the world and then you realize nobody cares You're the one that cares, you know when you go to parties or go hang out with people and it just It just was much easier than I ever thought it would be and I don't want to look back I don't even I don't even think about it anymore. My friends were recently asking me And it doesn't even occur to me to drink. That's how much my life has changed So, yeah Yeah, amazing so beautiful and What so what has changed in your your health your professional life? Relationships and happiness. Let's break it down. So in your health What have you noticed has been has been different since you've been consistently alcohol free? Well, I my Everything about my appearance. I feel like is different. I feel like I've slimmed down. I feel like I have more tone really without I do a little bit of working out My complexion is clearer I feel like I have like blood and Rosiness to my cheeks. My hair is better. I even The quality of my hair got better, but also because I was more clear things got easier It's like I figured out how to take care I had the time and the clarity and the energy To want to learn more about self-care and make that a priority So those two things coupled together getting my insides clean plus having the clarity to really make conscious choices Made those changes in my appearance It's Beautiful and professionally just tell us a little bit about what you do or did and what you do now and how you've noticed that That may have shifted for you from being alcohol free consistently Yeah, um, I'm a real estate broker. I've been doing that for 17 years. I've always been very successful at it the differences And there is a time in your life that you push push push when you're growing your business, but it's It All I did was work. I didn't even think about taking a weekend because it just it was impossible It didn't even make sense to take two days off. I worked constantly people could get a hold of me 24 seven And all I did was work and I was exhausted and it it was fun at times, but I would Drink to calm down. I would Take stimulants and drink a bunch of coffee to get through the day and I was just surviving Rather than thriving now over the past three years. I have Slowed all of that down. It really it really came I worked I've worked every year, but I had to hit a wall really I mean, I I really hit rock bottom to where for me not answering my phone In within two hours and just not calling people back until the next day was a huge deal So to me that was like rock bottom Um, so it slowed down. Um, I've learned how to create balance With that it has just gotten easier. It keeps getting easier and easier. I don't feel like I have to push It's like less resents resistance More care for myself brings higher quality clients that I don't have to work so hard feeling this like feeling before a desperation like I just had to Take every client call every like just this Feeling of there's some end goal that I was rushing towards and it doesn't feel that way anymore It's I can more deeply enjoy every interaction and have less or more if I choose but right now less and just higher quality clients and that feels really different and Because I've had this extra time for myself I've been able to really look at Where I want to go from here and what else I want in my life other than real estate And I've been working with coaches having to do with intuition Realizing a lot of things by myself of why I even drank about being empathic my intuition the feminine side Um, mediumship channeling connecting with things that we can't see and that's been really fun Just to see the possibilities of where my life could go and that it's not all about my job and then overall happiness and relationships with other people whether it's You know platonic romantic family acquaintances clients colleagues. How has that shifted? It's it's completely different. I I've always been a sincere person But I realized once I stopped drinking for quite a while that You kind of like this. I didn't realize I was doing it It's like an unconscious or subconscious way of hiding like being a certain person with certain people and not being able to show all of yourself So because always I mean I felt Shameful about how much I was drinking or I didn't want to seem too drunk at certain occasions Or I needed to get a couple drinks in me. It was like always around drinking and now I can Be in every interaction and situation with people and show more and more of my true self I didn't even realize I was offering that up before it was just part of it if that makes sense Yeah, got it and If I was to ask you what was Your low point when you were drinking and then what has been your high point now that you've been alcohol free? Could you identify those? I mean for me My low point was at the end of the marriage. There was a huge catalyst that really severed things That put my husband in the state of isolation and he was not home and I was in physical isolated just isolated it's personal hell. I mean at my rough bottom was I remember thinking My father died of alcoholism and I remember thinking There's not really anything better like it just made me feel good And feeling like that there wasn't anything better And just that feeling of complete isolation and loneliness and there'd be no way of getting out of it that was that was my rough bottom and it was Physically isolated spiritual isolated emotionally isolated And then what was the second question and then If you were to balance that out or on the other side, what has been your highest point during the past year alcohol free I'm gonna cry just from you asking that question Just seeing all of the possibilities that there are like that. I Wasn't even open to because I didn't have The motivation I didn't have the energy I didn't have the clarity All of the I've taken I've done so much solo traveling The my relationship with my boyfriend were so connected Just we can be conscious in every conversation and I'm in charge of my own Emotions and my own reactions and my own And that wasn't the case before Seeing all of the things that are available to me all the things that I've done Being alcohol free solo traveling. I've gone to so many countries by myself On purpose at the when you start solo traveling. It's like the best thing ever. You just want to keep doing it so yeah, just Seeing all of the possibilities and seeing all of the things that I've accomplished Yeah, beautiful. Which countries have you been to? Um, so I started I went to small Island in the Bahamas was my very first solo trip and then um, I went let's see, uh, Bordeaux, France. Um Oh, let's see. Where else did I go? Amsterdam? I went to Bali I went to Chiang Mai Thailand Um, Abiza Spain and lots of traveling in the u.s. Um out west and uh beautiful amazing Life's on it Yeah and So if someone was watching this now and uh, they're thinking about joining the alcohol free journey Whether it's in the program that you joined which is our 90 day and beyond Program or doing it themselves or some other way. What would you say to them about? consistently being alcohol free That it's worth it If it's something that is pulling at your heart and keeps coming back to you It it means that you want to do it and it's worth it. It has changed my life Yeah, beautiful and your experience in in our 90 day and beyond program was was what like how did you find those The first part of the 90 days the middle part the end part and then what do you feel has been The benefits from being in that group that maybe you couldn't have got or didn't get Previously when you were alcohol free Um, I never wanted to go to AA meetings I have not been and I just I would think about it and I wouldn't go it just From what I it just felt sad to me. It did not feel like a good fit. It didn't feel like the right fit and to The accountability knowing that I would have that call to calls the independent call in a group call every week Made it so much easier. I didn't feel like I was out on an island and all of the fears and anxieties or any of the things that come up about being alcohol free or any of the struggles Um, you've got those people there and they're all going through the same thing And it just made it so much easier to hear people all Say exactly what you were thinking and feeling and so to know it just made it so much easier to know Okay, monday. I've got that call and we're accountable to each other And I want to be able to call and say yes I get these goals and yes, I was out all for you this entire past week. That made a huge difference And so what's the plan now? Jessica, you're one year alcohol free today high five virtual high 10 high fives down the phone Um, what's the plan now with your alcohol free bot stall? I've gotten super motivated about work. I've got some, um Ventures that weren't available to me before that i'm contemplating. I've got just So many possibilities. I'm thinking about adopting in the next few years um lots of traveling and Lots of all kinds of fun coaching. I just keep finding new worlds available to me and it just the world feels like a magical fun School of Limitless learning it didn't feel that way before Beautiful. Well, thank you so much for sharing that jessica and congratulations again. I'm so happy for you I remember a a year ago We spoke can you remember where you were and what you were doing and what you were feeling when you and I spoke exactly one year ago today Yes, I remember exactly where I was sitting. Yeah We described that described that for us It felt very big Um, it's like I knew I was on the catalyst of change And I knew I was exactly where I needed to be at the right moment It felt scary, but if there was nothing else to say, but yes So I was ready to say yes The secondly got on the call, but after having a conversation with you. I just felt Like I was in good hands. I felt like I was being Embraced into a community and I made me feel like yeah, I can do this. This isn't a sad thing. This is a Awesome thing. It felt like a gain rather than a loss and it felt really exciting Amazing the like analogy for your amazing Commitment and your success and your breakthroughs and for traveling the world and for feeling good and you look amazing I have to say like you do. Are you talking about the rosiness in the cheeks? I can see it Yeah, you're like a like a 1950s Hollywood siren if I'm allowed to say that So congratulations Congratulations and thank you so much for sharing a bit of your story here today, Jessica Thank you so much for listening. I have some free stuff for you If you go to james swanick.com forward slash guide I will send you my formula for reducing or quitting alcohol If you'd like to watch the video versions of these episodes Then you can watch them at my youtube channel, which is at james swanick If you'd like to send me a direct message on instagram You can do so at james swanick if you would like to try a three day challenge a free three day challenge You can go to james swanick.com forward slash three day challenge If you would like to try the 30 day no alcohol challenge You can go to 30 day no alcohol challenge If you would like to schedule a 15 minute exploratory call with one of my coaches to see how we may be able to help you In your alcohol free journey, you can go to james swanick.com forward slash schedule And my request is if indeed you enjoyed this episode or you have enjoyed the podcast Would you please go ahead and rate the show in itunes? And would you please write a review a review might just be a sentence saying great listen? Hey, this was fantastic. Oh, I really enjoyed this whenever you give a rating whenever you write a review It surges our podcast up in the rankings enabling more people to see it and hear it And potentially inspiring someone out there to reduce or quit alcohol and potentially transform their life So yes while it does help me to get ratings and to get reviews You will actually be directly contributing to helping someone's life by having them discover this podcast So if you are open to inspiring others and to helping me in the process Would you please go ahead and give this episode a ranking and would you please write a review? Thank you so much for listening and I will catch you on the next one