Does your sobriety change with the seasons? Do sunny days suddenly make you think about beer gardens and cold wine, while dark winter evenings have you craving a bottle of red and a blanket?
This week, Vic is joined by two guests to explore seasonal living, what it actually means, why humans have always lived according to the rhythms of the year and whether paying a little more attention to the seasons could actually be good for us.
First, Vic chats to holistic counsellor Amy Doyle for a broader look at seasonal living. Amy explains why we’re not really designed to operate like machines, doing and feeling exactly the same things all year round, and how noticing changes in our energy, moods, routines and needs can help us feel more connected to ourselves and the world around us.
Then Vic chats to Kate Baily, founder of Love Sober, to bring it all back to booze. Kate explores the idea of seasonal sobriety, why different times of year can bring different triggers and drinking associations, and how understanding those patterns might help us prepare for them rather than being completely sideswiped by a sudden urge for a rosé the second the sun comes out.
Don’t worry, you don’t need to start foraging or hugging trees. Sometimes seasonal living is simply about paying attention, slowing down when you need to and accepting that perhaps we’re not supposed to feel exactly the same every bloody day of the year.
Expect sobriety, sunshine, winter blues, ancient humans and Vic getting unnecessarily excited about a shiny plum.
💛 Resources & Links
Follow and find out more about Kat and Love Sober - head to https://www.lovesober.com
@lovesober.midlife Read Kats Substack -https://katebaily.substack.com
Books
Love Your Sober Year - https://amzn.asia/d/04HRItBV
Love Yourself Sober - https://amzn.asia/d/0iclbsZL
Amy Doyle - Books
The way of the five seasons, by John Kirkwood
Braiding of sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Blogs
https://amydoyle.com.au/2026/07/05/why-winter-makes-you-want-to-disappear/
https://amydoyle.com.au/2023/05/29/living-in-tune-with-the-seasons-hello-winter/
https://amydoyle.com.au/2023/07/17/winter-rituals-seasonal-living-2/
https://www.instagram.com/__amydoyle__/
Bio snippet (photos attached - choose either one)
Amy Doyle is a Holistic Counsellor who supports women to understand themselves more deeply and lead themselves through the realities of everyday life. Her work brings together self-awareness, emotional wellbeing and practical self-leadership, helping women understand their feelings, needs and patterns and create lives that reflect what actually matters to them. Amy is also exploring seasonal living as a way of deepening our connection with ourselves, our lives and the natural world, and learning to work with our changing rhythms rather than expecting ourselves to be the same every day.
📘 Victoria’s memoir – A Thousand Wasted Sundays
A brutally honest and hilarious look at motherhood, anxiety, and ditching the booze.
👉 https://amzn.asia/d/0aZ69GpK
Vic's book 'Mumming - A year of Trying (and Failing) to be a better parent - https://amzn.asia/d/0bUJTS2W
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