The Alcohol Experiment The Coaches

Instagram – @livewelland_free
YouTube @MariaFoxWellness
Maria Fox
Maria Fox has recently retired from her final role as Chief Superintendent in Derbyshire Constabulary. She began her career in Greater Manchester Police in 1994 after completing a Theology degree at the University of Manchester. She subsequently worked in West Midlands Police and has been a senior leader since 2003. Her policing experience and leadership spans detective, and uniform policing roles at every rank and as a senior leaders she also worked in CTP policing. Maria is also a trained and certified coach with This Naked Mind and took responsibility for the design and delivery of the 30 day Alcohol experiment for policing and now bluelight services. In 2023 she became an author, writing “Crisis to Comeback – a roadmap to health transformation after burnout”, where she shares her story of burnout, including her relationship with alcohol in a courageous and transparent way to encourage others in policing and highly stressful roles to better navigate self-care so that they can improve their own health and wellbeing. After navigating her way out of an increasingly dangerous relationship with alcohol, she certified as a coach with This Naked Mind. In 2022/23 whilst still serving she developed the alcohol experiment initiative for organisations with peer coaches. This has been truly transformational for many and she is driven by the passion to remove the stigma, fear and loneliness that a spiralling relationship with alcohol can bring and provide a safe and effective place for change. She is also a trained fitness instructor and metabolic health coach.

Professor Charlie Knowles
Dr Charles Knowles is Lead for Colorectal Surgery at Cleveland Clinic London and Professor of Surgery at Queen Mary University of London.
Dr Knowles has been a Consultant Colorectal surgeon at Barts Health NHS Trust since 2006 having qualified from Cambridge University in 1992. He is regarded as a key international opinion leader on pelvic floor disorders and GI neuromuscular diseases including common functional colorectal conditions such as chronic constipation and faecal incontinence.
His track record of delivering high-quality research and of shaping clinical practice is evidenced by multiple national and international leadership roles including becoming the inaugural Clinical Director of Research for Cleveland Clinic London.
Dr Knowles has published extensively in scientific journals (> 270 peer-reviewed papers) and major textbooks. Professor Knowles lives in Whitechapel, London with his wife, two children, two dogs, cat and collection of guitars. He is also a music artist, songwriter and author – his new book – Why we drink too much – is due to be published in 2025.

William Porter
William Porter brings a unique and refreshingly pragmatic approach to drinking, smoking, vaping and addiction generally. His first book, Alcohol Explained, was published in 2015 and is now considered by many to be the seminal work on understanding alcohol dependency.
An ex British Army paratrooper who served in Iraq, now a lawyer, author and speaker. His works included Alcohol explained 1 and 2, Diet and Fitness explained, Nicotine explained which he co-authored with Annie Grace [This Naked Mind].

Annie Knowles
Annie Knowles is recently retired senior sonographer with Barts Health and has trained with Janey Lee Grace as a sober coach. She is a trained NHS alcohol champion working alongside Barts health public health and drug and alcohol teams. She has an interest in supporting healthcare professionals to examine their relationship with alcohol to help improve work-life balance. She co-hosted the 2024 Bluelight Live Alcohol experiment and is passionate about raising awareness and equipping people through coaching to navigate a healthier approach to their relationship with alcohol after learning through her own “lived experience” where it punctuated so many things. She is now in the process of completing a life coaching Diploma with the UK coaching academy

Anna Donaghey
Anna Donaghey is a Certified Coach with This Naked Mind. Her own alcohol journey started in early 2020 with an Alcohol Experiment just like this one, and continues today through her Alcohol Mindset Coaching practice and corporate wellness work. Anna has enjoyed a career spanning 25+ years in the Advertising Industry, much in Senior Leadership positions, in agencies where she has also been responsible for Personal Development and Wellness. She lives alcohol-free in Gloucestershire with her husband and two teenage daughters. In January 2024, Anna is launching her podcast The Big Drink Rethink, where she will further be encouraging us to look at how alcohol culture is shifting, and what this means in our own personal worlds.

Ellie Crowe
Ellie is co-host of the popular Present & Sober podcast. Ellie helps women in midlife find true freedom, by ditching wine and connecting back with themselves and their deep yearning. She also works with people in relationship upset, helping them to skillfully transform conflict.
Her heart-led approach focuses on teaching the necessary skills to be able to meet emotions without becoming consumed by them, and how to nourish the nervous system, providing grounding and stability…even amidst the most challenging circumstances.
As a once-strung-out, working mum of three, Ellie knows well the trap of using wine to escape and just how tricky it is to moderate. She also knows what’s possible when you find effective means of coping and connect back with your heart’s desire so that you can live the life you truly want and deserve. Having moved through the process of marital separation since going AF, Ellie is passionate about supporting others to find balance and transform their relationship difficulties.
Through small coaching group programs and 1:1 coaching, Ellie’s mission is to help her clients discover joy, peace, and contentment by living wholeheartedly in the present moment.
Ellie is a Senior Certified This Naked Mind Coach, trained by Annie Grace, a Certified Gray Area Drinking Coach, trained by Jolene Park, and a Certified Heart Coach.
She lives with her three children in Cambridge, England and she’s a passionate yogi, Wim Hof-er, and gymnast (back in training!).

Zoë Ewart
Zoë Ewart lives between Hampshire, UK and Ibiza,Spain for now!
She has four adult children, more animals than the Ark ever had, instructed Pilates for 15 years, speaks fluent French, good Spanish and has been living her alcohol free life since March 2019. She is a Senior Coach in behaviour change, working for Annie Grace ‘This Naked Mind’, in helping people make alcohol small and irrelevant in their lives. Zoë also runs her own private life coaching business, is currently a student of Gabor Mate and is working towards her counselling certification.

Tabbin Almond
Tabbin Almond grew up on a very small farm on Dartmoor, in a household where alcohol was the norm. She was an enthusiastic social drinker as a student and fittingly she spent the third year of her degree living in Cognac. After University, she went into the boozy world of advertising where she fitted right in, loving the long lunches and the evenings in the pub. She was able to cut alcohol out during both of her pregnancies, but she gradually realised that her drinking was somehow different to other people’s. She kept trying to moderate or stop altogether, but these attempts never lasted very long, and every ‘failure’ left her feeling worse about herself. She tried AA and hated it, and then hypnotherapy, which was successful until she got the news that her breast cancer had spread to her lymph nodes – her reaction to the fear was to numb out with alcohol. Finding herself back into the painful pattern of near-daily drinking, she googled ‘am I am alcoholic?’ and came across This Naked Mind. The rest is history…she did a 3 month course, was very quickly alcohol free and went on to train as a coach. Getting free of alcohol has been an incredible joy in her life, and in 2022 she gave up her job in advertising to coach full time through her business Wine to Water Coaching. She has recently published – Bottling Up Trouble – how alcohol is harming your business and what to do about it

Meet Carol Urry
Meet Carol Urry, the driving force behind the podcast Kicking Habits and Warrior Mum Coaching. A certified coach with This Naked Mind and an International Coaching Federation diploma holder in Integrative Coaching and stress management. Carol focuses on professional women in their 40s and 50s helping them reduce or break free from their evening drinking habits. Alcohol free since 2019 Carol now guides her own clients through a 1:1 personalized, holistic approach using Emotional Change Therapy and mindset strategies. This transformative process extends beyond alcohol reduction, enhancing work productivity, sleep, stress levels, and relationships.

John Lewis
John Lewis is a certified coach for The Naked Mind and the founder of The T total Coach.
His journey from casual drinking to questioning his relationship with alcohol started in his early twenties. Severe anxiety and depression led to a major breakdown in 2015, leaving him unemployed in debt and deeply unhappy.
Throughout the challenges he faced, one constant remained – alcohol. After researching AA meetings He realised that the traditional 12-step approach wasn’t the right fit,
He discovered The Naked Mind in 2019 and transformed His relationship with Alcohol. Today, He is dedicated to supporting others on their journey to find a healthier relationship with alcohol.

Sam Goldfinch
Sam Goldfinch is the founder of Rebel Spirituality and the Rebel Spirituality Podcast, as well as the co-host of the Present & Sober Podcast with his partner in crime Ellie Crowe (a fellow TNM coach). As an educator, coach, and explorer in the field of spirituality, transpersonal psychology, and addiction, Sam’s work takes him to many places. Helping people see they are far more than their conditioning is central to all of his work.
Sam knows that wisdom doesn’t follow rules, so he creates spaces for people to break free from their thinking and show up differently in the world. His Mystery School program helps spiritual seekers become finders so they can break free from self-help addiction and live a more relaxed and authentic life, without having to ‘effort’their way to positivity all the time.
If you’re looking for a place to experience post-addiction growth, check out Sam’s links below. Having lived 9 years alcohol free Sam will show you how to live a badass life and uncover the truth of YOU before and beyond your conditioning.
Come and discover what you’re really made of