Kari Schwear

About Kari Schwear

Hi! I’m Kari Schwear Founder of GrayTonic, and the Question the Drink℠ movement. I am a perpetual life-learner, a 7x career-path conqueror, speaker, writer, coach, and entrepreneur. I am also a former gray area drinker that struggled with understanding how and why I landed there.

What do gray area drinkers have in common?

Could YOU be a Gray Area Drinker?

Many adults that drink alcohol could easily fall into the gray area category. They experience similarities regarding their inner conflicts and struggles. Most are overworked, overstressed, and pulled in many directions. In other words, they lack having work/life balance and joy in their lives. Some are searching for a life purpose. Some have very little to no self-love or respect or carry around unresolved childhood trauma. Men and women that fall into the gray area […]

When Life Happens

What do you do when life happens? Just when you think things are going well for you in life, it happens. Something doesn’t go your way. How do you respond? What is your response? If you’re like most people, it’s anger, frustration, disappointment, sadness and a myriad of other emotions. But what if you knew it was supposed to be that way? What would you think then? Would you be accepting of this? What do […]

What is the Gray Area?

What I’ve found in working with clients, and in my own life, is that the behaviors we typically engage in to relieve stress can oftentimes become addictive and they can actually prevent us from enjoying vibrant health, fulfilling relationships, and career advancement that we deeply desire. We find ourselves living in what I like to call a “gray area” of life. A place where we intuitively know we’re capable of so much more but just […]

What are Coping Aids?

When you are carrying the weight of worry, stress, fear and overwhelm, your life can be quite messy. How are you supposed to handle these times? If you are like most people, you were never taught the “how”. Our brains are wired to be reactive in a fearful situation. It’s our fight or flight response. This is a good thing as we need to be reactive when our life is in danger. But in everyday […]

What is Sober Shaming?

There’s a new term emerging, sober shaming. So what is sober shaming? It’s when you decide not to drink and your friends & family give you a hard time about it. Say what? Let’s get this straight… You decide to do something healthy for yourself, get control of your habits, lose a little weight perhaps, save some money, and you’re getting harassed for it? How could this be? Why is alcohol the only drug we […]

The Crutches of Busyness Burnout- Are You Using Them?

As a ‘hurry-up’ society, we have programmed ourselves to be BUSY. We believe to be busy means successful or accomplished. We may even think it means to be productive. The truth is busy just means to be distracted. If you’re honest, you have said multiple times, “I’m too busy.” We wrap ourselves with things to do to feel productive. The problem with this thinking is that you aren’t prioritizing your needs and desires; thus creating […]

What does it mean to be sober curious?

When I first heard the term ‘sober-curious,’ I didn’t know what it meant. It seemed obvious enough, but was it really that literal? The answer is YES. It means to be curious about what it might be like to not drink alcohol. For those ready to take a break from drinking or just curious to know what life could be like without alcohol, this is the perfect place to start. It has a feeling of […]

What is Cognitive Dissonance?

Have you experienced an angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other, both giving you conflicting directions? Of course, you have. It’s the very essence of being human. The internal conflict is real. When we experience two conflicting thoughts that are incongruent with one another, this is referred to as cognitive dissonance. The definition, according to Merriam Webster: psychological conflict resulting from incongruous beliefs and attitudes held simultaneously. According to Word Hippo, their […]

Why You Should Question the Drink

Alcohol – you either like it, love it or you choose to leave it. Wherever you find yourself, you can benefit from learning how it plays a part in your life. Question the Drink is just that, question why you’re drinking. It is a conversation starter, a seed to be planted, and a little nugget of reality. Why is this important? Because far too often, we find ourselves not paying attention to the “why” and […]

Is Moderating Your Drinking Possible?

Let’s get real with one another, shall we? Very few people that love to drink alcohol want to stop completely. If you are like most people, this means you. What you really want is to learn how to moderate your consumption. Maybe you are at the point of recognizing your overindulgence at times. Have you said quietly to yourself that you should cut back? Alternatively, you promised you would only have a few glasses but […]

Posts by Kari Schwear