If Only
If Only
Brenda McGregor
Finding Your North Star
49 minutes Posted Apr 14, 2026 at 11:00 am.
Meet Colleen And Her North Star
The If Only At Nineteen
Diagnosis Shame And Self-Loathing
Binge Drinking And Running Away To Sea
The 95-5 Factor And Denial
Love Loss And An Alcohol-Linked Suicide
Depression Signs People Miss
Practical Help And The 988 Lifeline
Coaching Speaking And The New Book
Quitting Alcohol And Choosing Self-Love
Tools For Changing The Story
Stop Repeating The Story
Final Thoughts And Goodbye
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Show notes
One moment of shame can become a life sentence if we never challenge the story it creates. My guest, Colleen Clifford, knows that firsthand. After a painful STI diagnosis at 19 and the judgment that came with it, she quietly decided she was unlovable and lived for years with self-loathing, binge drinking, and a drive to disappear into work and distance, including decades in the commercial fishing industry on massive vessels in the Bering Sea. We also go to the hard place: the loss of C...