Skip the resolutions this year. Do this instead.

Winter Clearing: 13 Evenings for Sober Women

A live nightly series for sober women, December 21–January 2, 5–6 pm Pacific, online. Up to 12 women.

On the one hand, you are in a new chapter, raising your standards for how you spend your life. On the other hand, even as a conscious sober woman who's made a lot of changes, it's challenging to protect your personal peace during the holiday season.

But how do you expect to start 2027 on your own terms if you don't intentionally make time in December to prepare?

Whether you typically exhaust yourself by trying to be everything to everyone or numb out with cookies and screens, running out of steam by the end of the year feels inevitable, when what you really want is to start the new year with clear, calm focus.

Where this offering comes from

I was a few years sober, out of town to see family over the winter holidays. The days were full of negotiations about how we spent our time, what we ate, and how to make sure everyone got what they wanted. At the end of the evening, my husband and I returned to our Airbnb, where he unwound by watching TV, but I didn't want to fill my brain with more outside noise. It isn't that I was craving alcohol or weed. I was craving a sense of calm and all-right-ness. I needed something, but I wasn't sure what.

I remembered my sister mentioning a reflective journal she'd bought from a friend, so I texted her and asked for photos of the questions. I couldn't make out all the details, so I took what I could and made up the rest.

Starting back around age 25, I had thought of the holiday period as a time when I broke all of my own rules, ate and drank things my body didn't want, and generally went into what I called "f*k-it mode." But now, a few years sober and in my 40s, I was learning to live in alignment with my values and my true needs.

What I started that night was a self-guided version of what some people call 13 Sacred Nights, with roots in an old European tradition.

Every night, I reviewed a month from my previous year. The first night, January. The second night, February. Every night, another month. I reflected on highlights I'd forgotten about. I realized how challenges that seemed catastrophic at the time were now revealing their important lessons. I honored my own growth. I noted which threads I wanted to pull forward, and which seeds I wanted to plant in the coming year.

That year was one of incredible personal and spiritual growth, so every year since, I've done some version of this process. Sometimes alone, sometimes with others. I offered a self-guided version to the My Sober Girlfriends community (a personal growth and social membership I ran from 2019 to 2025) because that's how I'd seen it done.

But this year, I'm taking it one big step further.

Why? As I've participated in small cohorts moving through personal and professional development, I've noticed the impact on my life has been exponential. As someone who greatly values my alone time for contemplative practices, I know that my progress depends on purposeful connection with others.

That's why I created Winter Clearing.

It's a 13-session nightly process, offered live, for sober women to deepen their relationship with their truest self, in sync with the rhythms of nature.

We meet online during the most disruptive weeks of the year, which also hold the potential for meaningful reflection, releasing what has served its purpose, and pulling threads of the past into the future you want to create.

5 pm used to mean a drink to check out. Now it's an evening ritual of self-connection and purpose.

Begins: Monday, December 21
Last session: Saturday, January 2
Time: 5–6 pm Pacific nightly
Where: Zoom

Join a small group of sober women so you can:

Stay grounded during one of the most anxiety-provoking times of year
It's easy to get caught up in unrealistic expectations for the "perfect holiday," and run yourself into the ground trying to create it. This process is an intentional time to turn your focus inward, then step back and see your whole year in perspective.

Make intentional choices about the priorities you want to carry into the new year, and what you're ready to leave behind
If you try to carry everything you've ever accumulated, you'll wear yourself out and won't get where you want to go. Each night, you'll decide what's worth keeping.

Draw strength and inspiration from women with shared values, and from nature
The entire experience is infused with nature connection, as you look to the mother of all creativity and resilience.

How This Works

Each night, you'll log in to our live Zoom call at 5 pm Pacific (6 MT, 7 CT, 8 ET). It's a time you'll look forward to for a calm, intuitive, sober mind in the midst of the December whirlwind.

You'll start with a guided activity to help you focus your attention on your present-moment experience.

Night one, the Winter Solstice, sets the stage for the following 12 nights: your purpose and the structure.

A few years ago, I came across a video feed of two eagles working on a nest for the fledglings they hoped to hatch. Each day, the pair took turns sitting on the eggs, arranging more sticks, and bringing each other freshly caught fish. Finally, they realized their eggs weren't going to hatch. For the first time in days, they both flew away, leaving the nest to scavenger birds. Later, they returned and tried again.

We often have hopes and dreams that don't come to be. Just as the eagles had to leave their unhatched eggs behind, you have burdens and expectations to release so you can move on. That's why we start by clearing the nest, releasing all that might have been and all that was, with reverence and resiliency.

Each of the next 12 nights corresponds to a month from the past year: Tuesday you'll review January 2026, Wednesday you'll review February, and so on.

Each night I'll take you into the month by evoking nature-connected sensory awareness. Then you'll review your photos, calendar, journal, and so on, and respond to reflective questions to help you make sense of what happened and make conscious decisions about how to frame your past experiences to create your future.

You'll have opportunities for lightly facilitated sharing and listening, in small breakout rooms and in the whole group.

On the last night, Saturday, January 2, we'll culminate by tapping into your accumulated wisdom and what it means for you going forward.

Throughout the whole process, you'll turn your attention to the past, the present, and the future, almost as if you're speaking to yourself across time.

This is a reminder that you aren't a helpless passenger in life. Your identity is a continuous, evolving narrative you can shape. Your sobriety is a keystone factor in your flourishing life.

What You'll Get

• 13 live, guided nightly sessions over Zoom

• A small group of like-minded sober women

• A preparation guide to help you get the most out of this experience

• An accompanying workbook, as a downloadable PDF

• 12 nature-connected guided meditation recordings to deepen the impact of Winter Clearing, and to use again as part of your own monthly ritual in 2027 and beyond

Bonus: a 45-minute 1:1 integration call in January to help you reorient as the year begins.

First-cohort price: $329. Up to 12 women.

What participants have said about my workshops and group events

"Knowing this group is here for me gives me a sense of belonging, peace, and community." Midlife professional, returned to sobriety, six months

"I appreciate the events because of the forward projection that is cultivated with knowledge and understanding of our past experiences." Entrepreneur, writer, five years sober

"With Naomi as your guide, there's time and space to come to a place of more wholeness." Mom, artist, one year sober

"Thank you for the lovely community you've created and the supportive content you share. It's really helped me to stay true to myself and my health goals." Healthcare professional, one year sober

About Naomi

Naomi Veak is an ICF-credentialed, nature-connected life coach certified through the Earth-based Institute in Colorado. She’s 8 years sober, and the founder of My Sober Girlfriends. 

FAQ

What if I can't attend every night? Will there be recordings?
Winter Clearing includes a workbook and a recorded nightly meditation, so you can still do the core process on your own if you miss a live session. Live calls aren't recorded by default, to protect the privacy of our group. Sharing is never recorded.

Do we meet on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Eve?
Yes, we meet every night. For many sober women, those evenings are exactly when an hour of grounding matters most.

What do I need?
A journal, your calendar and photos from 2026, and a quiet spot. A candle and a cup of tea are optional but recommended.

What definition are you using for "sober"?
My intention is that this space is supportive primarily for women who abstain from alcohol, weed, and possibly other recreational drugs. If you have questions specific to your situation, please email me at naomi@theilluminatededge.com.

Do I have to be completely sober to participate? What if I'm working on my sobriety, but I plan on drinking or getting high during the holidays?
This may not be the best fit for you at this time if you aren't already sober and planning to stay sober through the holidays.

Is this a recovery group or therapy group?
I'm a sober life coach, not a recovery coach or therapist. I don't provide mental health treatment or crisis support. Winter Clearing is a contemplative process, not designed for venting or for processing intense or escalating distress in real time.

What's your refund policy?
You can get a full refund until December 7th. After that, you can transfer it to another sober woman, or apply the amount to a future event of 1:1 sessions with me. 

But if you attend the first session and decide it isn’t for you, you may also ask for a refund before night two.