Grey Area Drinking Coach For Women: Meet Rina Bowring

Beyond the Bio Interview Series

Ever wondered what inspires Alcohol Behaviour Change (ABC) coaches to do what they do?

In the Beyond the Bio Interview Series, we go beyond the professional profile to meet the people helping Australians and New Zealanders positively change their relationship with alcohol. We explore their backgrounds, approaches and techniques — and, importantly, what motivates them to do this life-changing work.

Why you’ll love this interview

Looking for insight into the work of an alcohol coach who helps women in the grey area of drinking? In this Beyond the Bio interview, Rina Bowring shares how her relationship with alcohol changed after becoming a mum, how discovering This Naked Mind led her to be alcohol-free since July 2019, and how that experience led her into coaching other women.

Grey Area Drinking Coach For Women: Meet Rina Bowring

As a Certified Senior This Naked Mind Alcohol Coach and Certified Gray Area Drinking Coach, Rina combines her own lived experience with training in alcohol science, mindset and behaviour change. Her coaching follows a simple Understand. Renew. Act. framework and focuses on women in the grey area of drinking, through online 1:1 coaching, a 100-day group programme and a coaching community.

Hit us with the personal stuff first, we’re intrigued to learn more about your own background and experience with alcohol?

I grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa, in a loving Christian family, although I was a bit of a rebellious teenager! I started experimenting with alcohol quite young, and drinking became a regular part of my social life. I studied commerce and went on to build a career in the corporate world, eventually working as a Commercial Director. In my twenties, I moved to Australia, where I met my husband. These days, we live in Sydney with our two children and our much-loved dog, Coco!

My relationship with alcohol changed significantly after becoming a mum. I struggled with postnatal depression and the overwhelm of motherhood, and wine gradually became something I relied on to unwind, switch off and cope. For years, I tried to moderate, set rules and take breaks, but always seemed to find myself back in the same patterns. In 2019, I discovered This Naked Mind by Annie Grace, and for the first time, I began understanding the science of alcohol and questioning the beliefs that had kept me drinking. As my thinking changed, so did my desire to drink. My Christian faith was also an important part of that journey, and I remain deeply grateful for the freedom I found. I’ve been alcohol-free since July 2019, and what was once one of my greatest struggles has become the work I’m now so passionate about sharing with others.

Now let’s cover off on the credentials – what makes you qualified to work in this specialised field of coaching?

I’m a Certified Senior This Naked Mind Alcohol Coach and a Certified Gray Area Drinking Coach, with training in alcohol science, mindset, nervous system regulation and behaviour change.

I’m also a founding member of Alcohol Coaches Australia, a collective of trained alcohol coaches working to increase awareness of alcohol coaching and make this kind of support more accessible across Australia.

Alongside my professional training, I’ve supported hundreds of people through their own journeys of changing their relationship with alcohol. And of course, I bring my own lived experience of more than 20 years of drinking, the struggle of trying to change, and ultimately finding freedom.

I’m also currently studying spiritual direction, which continues to deepen my understanding of the whole person — our thoughts, emotions, behaviours, values and sense of purpose.

If I was to work with you, what should I expect?

First and foremost, you can expect a safe, compassionate space where you won’t be judged, labelled or told what your drinking ‘should’ look like.

My coaching is grounded in a simple framework: Understand. Renew. Act.

We begin by understanding alcohol itself — what it’s doing in the brain and body, why we develop cravings, and why drinking can become such an automatic response to stress, emotions or certain times of the day.

Then we explore and begin renewing the beliefs and thought patterns that keep alcohol feeling desirable or necessary. Because if you still believe alcohol is giving you something wonderful, giving it up can feel like a constant sacrifice!

And finally, we put that new understanding into practice. We work on creating healthier coping strategies, changing established habits, navigating cravings and building routines and a life that genuinely support the changes you want to make.

I offer online 1:1 coaching, my structured 100-day Fixated to Free group programme, and ongoing support through my Momentum coaching community.

My Christian faith is an important part of my own life and story. For clients who want to incorporate faith into their coaching, I love making space for that. But my 1:1 coaching is equally available to people who prefer a completely secular approach. My group programmes have a more explicit Christian component, and I’m always transparent about that so people can choose what feels right for them.

What sort of people do you normally work with?

I primarily work with women who fall into what’s often called the grey area of drinking.

These are women whose drinking might look perfectly normal from the outside. They’re often busy mums, professionals and women juggling all the responsibilities of everyday life. They may not drink every day, and they might even be able to take weeks or months off alcohol.

But there’s this ongoing internal struggle.

They find themselves drinking more than they intended, thinking about wine far more than they’d like, or repeatedly making promises to cut back, only to fall back into the same patterns.

Many don’t identify with the label of addiction, and they haven’t necessarily experienced a dramatic rock-bottom moment. They just know that alcohol is taking up more space in their lives than they want it to.

I also welcome conversations with people who may need a higher level of support. Where I have concerns about physical dependence or more severe alcohol use disorder, I encourage appropriate medical or clinical assessment and treatment first. Coaching can then work alongside that care where appropriate.

Why would I choose you to work with?

I think one of the biggest differences in my approach is that we’re not simply trying to take alcohol away. We’re working towards a life where you genuinely don’t want or need it in the same way anymore.

So many people come to me believing they lack discipline or willpower. But when we begin understanding the science of alcohol and the habits and beliefs that have developed around it, things start to make sense.

And I love seeing that shift! When someone moves from blaming themselves to becoming curious about what’s actually driving their behaviour, it opens up a whole new way of approaching change.

I’m also deeply passionate about helping people understand that they don’t have to wait until things get really bad before asking for support. You don’t need to hit rock bottom or identify as an alcoholic to decide that alcohol isn’t serving you anymore.

Having walked this road myself, I bring both lived experience and professional training to my coaching. And I genuinely believe that lasting change happens through understanding, compassion, curiosity and practice — not shame or self-punishment.

Ultimately, I want the women I work with to experience freedom not just from alcohol, but for all the wonderful things that become possible when alcohol no longer takes up so much space in their lives.

How can people wanting to work with you get in touch?

Book a 30-minute discovery call with Rina.

NoLo Life thanks Rina for giving us deeper insight into her life and coaching practice.

You can review profiles of other ABC Coaches and Therapists in our Individual Support Directory.