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The Catholic Sobriety Podcast
Welcome to The Catholic Sobriety Podcast with your host Christie Walker!
This podcast is dedicated to empowering Catholics to live lives of freedom by providing tips and tools to help them be successful as they reduce or eliminate alcohol consumption. Christie Walker, a compassionate Catholic life and sobriety coach, is here to support you on your journey toward a healthier, more fulfilling life.
Are you questioning whether alcohol has taken control of your life? Do you worry about the impact it may have on your well-being? Many people find themselves in this situation, fearing the loss of pleasure and stress relief associated with alcohol. They assume that giving it up will only bring deprivation and misery. But Christie offers a different and much more positive perspective.
With Christie's expertise, you'll discover the joy and peace that come from embracing a healthier lifestyle rooted in the Catholic faith and tradition.
Ready to get curious? Start listening!
Be sure to subscribe to this podcast so you won't miss a thing!
The Catholic Sobriety Podcast
Ep 138: Maybe You Don’t Have to Fit In (And That’s the Best News Ever)
Have you ever felt like the odd one out… and wondered if that’s a problem to fix or a gift to embrace?
In this episode, we explore what happens when you stop trying to fit in and start living from the truth of who God created you to be. If alcohol ever felt like a shortcut to belonging, you’re not alone—and you're not stuck. This conversation will challenge cultural expectations, reframe your sobriety journey, and invite you to rediscover the fun and freedom of standing out.
You’ll walk away with a fresh (and surprisingly joyful) perspective on being different, plus some practical ways to lighten the load and make this journey your own.
Whether you’re sober-curious or already walking the path, this episode will remind you: you were never made to blend in.
Ready to stop trying to just fit in and start embracing the woman you were truly made to be? Join us in the Sacred Sobriety Lab, where being different is totally normal.
Through August 31st, 2025, use code SUMMER25 for 25% off. Give yourself the reset you've been longing for because fitting in is completely overrated—being free is where the fun is.
I'm here for you. I'm praying for you. You are NOT alone!
Please subscribe to this podcast so you won't miss a thing!
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Welcome to the Catholic Sobriety Podcast, the go-to resource for women seeking to have a deeper understanding of the role alcohol plays in their lives, women who are looking to drink less or not at all for any reason. I am your host, christi Walker. I'm a wife, mom and a joy-filled Catholic, and I am the Catholic Sobriety Coach, and I am so glad you're here, hey friend, and welcome back to the podcast. Today we are talking about something that I honestly wish that someone had told me sooner. Maybe you don't have to fit in, maybe you were actually never meant to, and maybe just maybe that's what makes you so wonderfully you. Especially when you're walking a path like alcohol, freedom or sober curiosity, it can really feel like you're doing something weird or extreme, but honestly, you're not weird. You're awake, you're paying attention, you're choosing a life that actually lines up with your values, and that's never something to apologize for. So let me start off by saying I've always been a little bit different. Growing up, I often felt like the odd one out. I didn't quite fit the mold, and I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to belong, how to be part of something, how to feel seen and invited and included, and that craving for connection and community. Well, it's part of how God made me, part of how God made me, but in my younger years, it also made me vulnerable. I started reaching for whatever made me feel like I was in, even if it didn't align with who I really was. And for me, alcohol became part of that pattern. It was this magic elixir that made me feel like I belonged, that I had a group, that I had things to do, places to go and, honestly, I felt like it was enough. But what I know now is this I wasn't created to fit in. I was actually created to stand out, and so are you. And what once felt like a flaw. This way, I see the world a little differently. This deep desire to connect meaningfully is actually a superpower. It's what helps me relate to women who feel stuck, it's what allows me to hold space for people who feel unseen, and it's what has shaped my work as a Catholic sobriety coach and entrepreneur.
Speaker 1:I don't have to blend in to be effective. In fact, it's the not fitting in that allows me to lead with compassion, clarity and purpose. So if you've ever felt like you're too different, too deep, too much or not enough, maybe that's exactly where your strength lies. You weren't meant to disappear in the crowd. You were meant to be a light, and when you let go of alcohol or even just take a break, that light gets a whole lot brighter. You weren't meant to blend in, you were made to shine. Jesus didn't blend in, the saints didn't blend in, and, sister, neither are you called to.
Speaker 1:When you step into sobriety or even just explore the idea of drinking less, it can feel like you're violating some unspoken cultural code Because, whether we realize it or not, drinking has been marketed to us as a fast track to being the woman we think we're supposed to be the chill one, the fun one, the woman who can throw together a charcuterie board, lead the PTO meeting and still flirt with her husband at the end of the night. It's not really the wine we crave, it's the identity we think it gives us. So when you put the glass down, even just for a little while, it can feel like you're not just refusing a drink, you're stepping away from that polished, pinterest-perfect version of yourself that you are sold. But here's the truth. I've learned from my own journey and from walking with dozens of other women on theirs you don't miss alcohol, you miss the version of you. You thought alcohol would create the magnetic woman, the confident woman, the unbothered, peaceful, radiant woman who always seems so put together. But, sister, she does not live in a bottle, she lives in you and, ironically, you will meet her faster when you stop trying to blend in and start living like you are meant to stand out.
Speaker 1:Okay, now I want you to picture this you are a lighthouse on a stormy coast. Everything around you is noisy, messy, foggy with expectations, habits and anxiety. The crowd is drifting. People are caught in the current of normal Wine with dinner cocktails to take the edge off white, knuckling it through the day just to earn that drink at night. Drink at night. But there you are still, steady, lit from within, not because you're perfect, not because you have it all figured out, but because you've anchored yourself in something deeper. You don't need to shout your sobriety from the rooftops unless you want to. You don't have to convince anyone to join you unless you want to. You just need to shine. And when people get quiet enough to notice, they might start to think hey, maybe I don't have to stay lost in this fog either. That's when you become a signal, a presence, a possibility, a hope, a presence, a possibility, a hope. That's the quiet power of not fitting in.
Speaker 1:Now let's talk about the saints. Most of them were respectfully weirdos of their time. They didn't conform, they didn't chase approval. They choose truth over popularity, even if it meant they had to die. They chose light over comfort. They said yes to God, even when it looked completely foolish or totally isolating, because holiness isn't about impressing people. It's about loving radically, living honestly and trusting God more than the crowd. Jesus even said that we are called to be like salt sharp, distinct, flavor enhancing, not beige, not bland, not normal, not lukewarm.
Speaker 1:You were not made to disappear into the background. You were made to reveal Christ through your life. So what does that mean for you? It means that you don't need a crowd to feel confident, you don't need alcohol to feel interesting and you definitely don't need to wait until everyone gets it before you start living in truth. The world doesn't need more women who fit in. It needs more women who are willing to break the mold with grace, courage and a little holy fire. So next time you feel like the odd one out, don't shrink. Smile, because you're not lost. You're leading, you're not behind, you are ahead and you're not alone. You are lit from within.
Speaker 1:Now, one of the things I've learned over the years, especially as a Catholic woman in the recovery and wellness space, is that people actually respond when you are just real, not rehearsed, not trying to impress, just showing up for yourself fully and honestly. Being the odd one out isn't lonely anymore, it's kind of freeing. You stop spending so much time worrying about what other people think and you start focusing on what God thinks. You trust your gut, you listen to the Holy Spirit, you smile and say no, thanks, I'm good when someone offers you a drink that you don't want, and life starts to feel a little more peaceful, a little more honest and a little more like yours. More like yours. You're also going to attract other people who are desiring the same thing that you have, or maybe they already have it and they're kind of feeling like the odd one out too.
Speaker 1:Now here's something fun. If this journey has felt a little heavy or serious lately, here's your permission slip Make it fun, make it light and make it yours, because I promise you, sobriety does not have to feel like slogging uphill in the rain. You're not being sentenced, you're actually being sent on a mission, and I like to think of this journey a little like a video game. Seriously, you're the main character, like, let's say, Super Mario. You've got tools, power ups and allies, and every day you're leveling up one small win at a time. Pulling up one small win at a time. We call this gamifying your sobriety, and it's something a lot of my clients love. Once they stop trying to do it all perfectly and start doing it with purpose and play.
Speaker 1:Okay, here's what it can look like. Start a sobriety wins list, open your notes app and jot down every victory, no matter how small, like skipped wine. Tonight went for a walk, left the party early and felt good about it. Chose prayer over pouring. Every single one is a win. Stack them up and watch your progress grow. The other thing you can do is to set little rewards. Remember how fun it was to earn stickers or prizes as a kid. That part of you is still in there. Try something like seven days equals a new lip gloss, or 30 days equals that cozy new book or dinner with a friend. Keep it meaningful to you. You're retraining your brain to associate sobriety with delight, not deprivation. Now here's one that I absolutely love Give yourself secret missions. Can I go to this family gathering and be so at peace in my decision that no one even thinks to ask me why I'm not drinking? Can I order a mocktail like it's no big deal and own it with confidence? These missions are quiet but powerful.
Speaker 1:The goal isn't to pretend that this journey isn't always easy. It's not. You're breaking patterns, you're reshaping habits that go super, super deep, but you are also reclaiming joy. You're remembering who you were before alcohol became the shortcut to belonging, or the reward or the buffer. And here's the beautiful twist this isn't punishment, it's actually progress. It's you taking the controller back and saying I'm writing a new story. So play the game, pick your power ups and keep showing up, level by level and day by day, until freedom becomes your new default. Freedom becomes your new default.
Speaker 1:So if you've been feeling like the only one, here's your reminder. You're not weird, you're wonderful, you're not failing, you are freeing yourself. And no, you don't have to fit in. You're allowed to stand out, light, up a room and still be totally unapologetically. You, if you are craving more support or just want to be up a room and still be totally unapologetically. You, if you are craving more support or just want to be in a room where being different is totally normal.
Speaker 1:Come and join us inside the Sacred Sobriety Lab. Whether you're sober, curious, ready for a change, or simply tired of trying to figure it out alone, this is the space for you. Here's what one of our members recently shared. I am so very grateful for all that you have put into your podcast and the Sacred Sobriety Lab. As we start summer, I look back at where I was last year at this time and where I now and see a noticeable difference. It was your podcasts that got me sober, curious, and your support, care and prayers I'm sure of it that have helped me make good changes. Thank you. Inside the lab, you'll get 12 months of support and spiritual growth, weekly group coaching and a private online community, a self-paced course grounded in Catholic teaching, neuroscience and habit change, ongoing access to all future programs, challenges and content that I create during your year, and monthly updates and resources as the lab continues to grow. And now, through August 31st 2025, you can get 25% off the lab with the code SUMMER25 at checkout. That's SUMMER, all caps 25.
Speaker 1:This is the perfect time to step into a new rhythm before fall begins. Give yourself the reset that you've been longing for. Until next time, keep showing up, keep shining and remember. Fitting in is completely overrated. Being free that's where the fun is. Well, that does it for this episode of the Catholic Sobriety Podcast. I hope you enjoyed this episode and I would invite you to share it with a friend, who might also get value from it as well. And make sure you subscribe so you don't miss a thing. I am the Catholic sobriety coach, and if you would like to learn how to work with me or learn more about the coaching that I offer, visit my website, thecatholicsobrietycoachcom. Follow me on Instagram at the Catholic Sobriety Coach. I look forward to speaking to you next time, and remember I am here for you. I am praying for you. You are not alone.
