Georgia Kohlhoff knows what it’s like to have food occupy every corner of your mind. As a registered nutritionist, personal trainer, and trainee psychotherapist, she spent over two decades cycling through strict meal plans, obsessive tracking, and “intuitive eating” that spiraled into chaos. She calculated that food noise consumed over 700 hours of her year—just thinking about what to eat next.
What Georgia discovered through her own messy journey transformed how she helps others. The women she works with are high-achievers who’ve succeeded at almost everything else in their lives. They know an apple is healthier than chocolate. They don’t lack willpower or information. They lack understanding of why they reach for food—or alcohol—when emotions run high.
In this conversation, Georgia shares the surprising parallels between our relationship with food and alcohol, why midlife women are especially vulnerable to these patterns, and the simple practices that help us find joy without numbing. Her insights cut straight to the heart of what we’re really seeking when we reach for comfort.
Show Notes
[00:00] Georgia’s Background and Relationship with Alcohol
Georgia opens up about her university years—drinking until she was unwell, working evening bar shifts, then drinking again the next night. She describes putting herself in dangerous situations while young and feeling invincible.
Got alcohol “out of her system” quite young and lost interest afterward
Now notices even one drink disrupts her sleep significantly
Her partner is teetotal, which naturally discourages drinking
Key Insight: “I always feel better that way. I sleep better. I wake up and I’m less of a monster the next day if I’ve had good sleep.”
[06:20] How Alcohol Affects Women Differently (Especially in Midlife)
Georgia shares her expertise on menopause and alcohol interactions, explaining why the effects feel rougher as we age.
Women have a reduced ability to metabolize alcohol, so it stays in the system longer
Poor sleep from alcohol impacts hunger, fullness, emotional regulation, and cravings the next day
Creates a cycle: alcohol disrupts sleep, leads to caffeine and sugar cravings, which disrupts sleep again
Hot flashes are more frequent and intense with higher alcohol consumption
Key Insight: “You don’t wake up the next day kind of thinking I can’t wait to eat a salad. You wake up and it’s like I just want carbs and sugar and salty food.”
[10:17] The Menopause Transition and Increased Vulnerability
Georgia explains why midlife is a particularly challenging time and why women often reach for alcohol during this phase.
Average menopause age is 51-52, but perimenopause can last 5-15 years
The biggest suicide risk for women is at age 52—right when menopause typically occurs
Women tend to drink more during this transition due to uncomfortable symptoms and life pressures
More volume consumed plus reduced metabolism equals compounded effects
Key Insight: “It’s a time of life when women tend to drink a little bit more than perhaps they would have.”
[16:22] From Archaeology to Psychotherapy: Georgia’s Unexpected Path
Georgia shares her unconventional journey through multiple disciplines to arrive at her current work.
Started as an archaeology student, then pivoted to personal training
Noticed clients struggling with binge eating couldn’t be helped through exercise alone
Qualified as a nutritionist but realized clients already knew what to eat
Now training as a psychotherapist to address the why behind food behaviors
Key Insight: “Everybody knows that an apple is full of fiber and vitamins. It’s not about knowledge. It’s really about why we’re using food the way that we’re using it.”
[19:04] The Purpose Behind Comfort Eating and Drinking
Georgia breaks down the psychological functions that food and alcohol serve—and why we keep returning to them even when we don’t like the results.
Both can provide distraction from emotions we don’t want to engage with
Both can numb feelings we’re experiencing
Both serve as procrastination from coping with difficult emotions
Both offer unwinding and de-stressing at the end of the day
The brain can mistake “absence of pain” for joy and start seeking that out
Key Insight: “Drinking or eating can take away the pain for a while and we can start to mistake the absence of pain for the closest to joy that we can reach.”
[23:00] Healthy Practices for Difficult Moments
Georgia offers practical approaches for emotional regulation that don’t involve numbing.
Practice genuine gratitude for small things that actually gave you something that day
Try “mindful moments”—running through all five senses to ground yourself in your body
Focus on something close, then something far away to zoom out from the situation
Deep breathing when feeling reactive
Key Insight: “No day is 100% bad... there’s always a mix of the two. Very few of us will live a day that is nothing but bad or nothing but good.”
[32:14] Creativity and Simple Joys
Georgia shares how she incorporates creativity into her daily life and the power of returning to childhood pleasures.
Found a coloring book from COVID lockdown and now colors before cooking dinner each evening
Enjoys salsa dancing, painting things, and nurturing plants
Puzzles, friendship bracelets, skipping rope—things we did as kids for no reason other than fun
Key Insight: “Joy doesn’t—you don’t have to earn your joy. We think we do. We think we have to do something and then I can have the chocolate or achieve something and then I can buy myself some new jeans. But sometimes it’s like, you could just color that in right now if you wanted to for five minutes just because.”
Key Quotes
“We don’t do things that don’t serve a purpose. We certainly don’t repeatedly do those things. So a lot of the time it’s kind of understanding, well actually what does this—how does this serve me? What’s it doing for me?” — Georgia Kohlhoff
“Your brain’s doing its best to get you through something.” — Georgia Kohlhoff
“All the childhood stuff that you used to do that had no purpose other than just it was fun, are great things to bring back in.” — Georgia Kohlhoff
“We all get so busy being an adult and getting on with the stuff that we don’t make time for the fun stuff.” — Georgia Kohlhoff
Resources Mentioned
Hardwiring Happiness by Rick Hansen — Book on negativity bias and rewiring the brain for happiness
Mindful Moments Practice — Grounding technique using all five senses (see, hear, feel, smell, taste)
The Three U’s Framework — Georgia’s approach: Understand, Unlearn, Unlock
Where to Find Georgia
Website: flourishinghealth.uk
Instagram: @georgia.flourishinghealth
Thank You
A heartfelt thank you Noelle Richards, Autumn Day, and many others who joined us live for this conversation, and to Georgia Kohlhoff for her extraordinary openness and practical wisdom. Your presence and engagement make these conversations possible.
Ready to Reclaim Your Creative Energy?
Georgia’s insights about food and emotional regulation apply directly to our relationship with alcohol. Both serve the same purpose: numbing, distracting, and providing false comfort when we don’t know how to sit with difficult emotions.
If you’re ready to explore what’s possible when you stop numbing and start creating, The Sober Creative Method™ is a 90-day journey to remove alcohol as the barrier to your greatest work.
Because the creative breakthrough you’re seeking isn’t on the other side of another drink—it’s on the other side of clarity.
