🎵 Intro and Outro Song: Remember – Sutherland

This week, Lynette reflects on the symbolism of the recent total solar eclipse and asks a powerful question:

What if it isn’t life that’s eclipsing your light… but the thoughts you’ve been practising?

Drawing on neuroscience, coaching, and her own journey as she approaches nine years alcohol-free, Lynette explores how our brains become prediction machines. Repeated thoughts, when linked with feelings and behaviours, become familiar neural pathways that shape our beliefs, our identity, and ultimately the life we create.

Using a simple coaching model—Circumstance → Thought → Feeling → Action → Result—this episode explores how we can become detectives of our own thinking, understand why we keep repeating old patterns, and intentionally create new ones.

Recovery isn’t just about stopping drinking.

It’s about remembering who you’ve always been.

Take a few quiet moments this week to reflect on these questions:

An eclipse never destroys the sun.

It simply hides it for a while.

Your light has never gone out.

Old stories, old beliefs, and old predictions may have hidden it—but they don’t define who you are.

As Sutherland’s beautiful closing song reminds us:

Remember.

Remember your strength.

Remember your light.

Remember who you’ve always been beneath the stories.

I’d love to hear what resonated with you from this episode.

You can email me at:

📧 [email protected]

Or come and join us inside the Tribe Sober community, where together we’re learning not only how to live alcohol-free, but how to create lives we genuinely love.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who may need this message today.

Until next time…

Keep noticing your thoughts. Keep protecting your light. And remember… your light has been there all along.

Tribe Sober - inspiring an alcohol-free life!

This week my guest is tribe member Clive Vanderwagen.  Clive is a business and leadership coach who is also a wine expert!  

In this Episode

 Help us to spread the word!

We made this podcast so that we can reach more people who need our help.  Please subscribe and share.

If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave us a 5 star review on Apple podcasts, take a screenshot of your review and DM it to Tribe Sober’s Instagram page - we'll send you something special to say thank you!

We release a podcast episode every Saturday morning.

You can follow Tribe Sober on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Thank you for listening! 

Till Next Week

Janet x

Episode Title : Sakili – Life is Beautiful

Episode Description

Sakili is a beautiful Creole expression that means, “It’s going to be okay,” or simply, “Life is beautiful.”

In this heartfelt episode, Lynette explores what it really means to participate in your own rescue. Recovery isn’t simply about giving up alcohol—it’s about reclaiming your life, expanding your world, and reconnecting with the joy that has always been available beneath the numbness.

Drawing on a powerful encounter with four magnificent sperm whales in the Indian Ocean, Lynette reflects on how addiction slowly shrinks our comfort zone until life itself becomes small. True recovery begins when we stop waiting for life to change and begin courageously participating in it.

In this episode you’ll discover:

If you’ve relapsed, feel discouraged, or are wondering whether life without alcohol can ever feel joyful, this episode is a gentle reminder that healing isn’t about perfection.

It’s about choosing one courageous step.

One new behaviour.

One breath at a time.

Sakili.

Life is beautiful.

Quote from this Episode

“Every time you choose life over numbness, every time you participate in your own rescue, your world expands.”

Resources

If this episode resonated with you and you’d like support on your own alcohol-free journey, you can connect with Lynette through:

Website: https://www.tribesober.com/

Path to Purpose Community: https://www.tribesober.com/path-to-purpose/

Email: [email protected]

Music

Intro & Outro Music:

Thank you for listening.

If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the Tribe Sober Podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who may need the reminder that recovery is not about losing your life—it’s about finding it.

Samantha Ancy is a coach, writer and wellness educator who helps people break free from diet culture and understand what's really driving their cravings. Her work combines trauma awareness, gut health and nervous system regulation to explain why so many of us find ourselves stuck in unhealthy habits.

What I loved about this conversation is how many parallels there are between food addiction and alcohol addiction. We talk about why willpower isn't enough, how ultra-processed foods hijack our dopamine pathways, why your gut microbiome has such a powerful influence over cravings, and how healing the nervous system can help us make lasting changes.

If you've ever blamed yourself for lacking discipline, or wondered why your cravings seem to have a mind of their own, then this episode will give you a completely different perspective.

In this episode, Samantha explains why cravings are rarely a sign of weakness and are often driven by biology, trauma and the modern food environment rather than a lack of willpower.

We discuss the remarkable similarities between alcohol addiction and food addiction, exploring how both activate the brain's reward system and why changing our mindset is far more effective than relying on self-control alone.

Samantha shares practical advice on managing sugar cravings after quitting alcohol, explains the importance of gut health and the microbiome, and introduces the concept of interoception—learning to listen to the body's signals rather than reacting automatically to cravings.

We also explore the hidden impact of ultra-processed foods, the role of fibre in balancing blood sugar, and why nourishing ourselves well is one of the foundations of sustainable recovery.

If you're building an alcohol-free lifestyle and want to understand the powerful connection between nutrition, the nervous system and long-term wellbeing, this episode is packed with practical insights that will help you on your journey.

If you'd like to learn more then you can order Sam's book on Amazon - it's called the Bio Hijack

Learn more about Sam by going to https://linktr.ee/SamanthaAncy

If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe to the Tribe Sober podcast, leave us a review and share the episode with someone who might benefit.

As always, if you'd like support with your own alcohol-free journey, visit tribesober.com to find out more about our community, courses and coaching.

Theme: Recovery • Self-Trust • Emotional Freedom

Music: “Remember” by Sutherland 🎵

What if one of the deepest addictions we ever recover from isn’t alcohol—but our search for certainty?

In this episode, Lynette explores how our need to know, predict and control can drive not only drinking, but also our endless consumption of books, podcasts, courses and reassurance.

Through personal stories of whale watching off the coast of Mauritius and kayaking through the mangroves, she shares why true freedom isn’t found in certainty, but in learning to trust ourselves amidst life’s uncertainty.

• Why our brains are wired to seek certainty

• How alcohol creates the illusion of safety

• The hidden addiction to information and reassurance

• Why knowledge alone doesn’t create transformation

• Lessons from whales, horizons and learning to trust the unfolding of life

• Why self-trust—not certainty—is the real gift of recovery

“The opposite of uncertainty isn’t certainty. It’s self-trust.”

Instead of asking:

“What else do I need to know?”

Try asking:

“What do I already know… that I haven’t yet lived?”

If you’re still struggling with alcohol, our Breaking Free and Accelerate programmes will help you build a strong alcohol-free foundation with coaching, neuroscience and community.

If you’ve already embraced sobriety and are asking, “What’s next?” then Path to Purpose is where we focus on becoming more—not learning more.

Because transformation happens when knowledge becomes lived experience.

Find out more at:

🌿 www.tribesober.com

🌿 email: [email protected]

Host: Lynette Le Roux

Podcast: Tribe Sober Podcast

Music: “Remember” by Sutherland

Tribe Sober - inspiring an alcohol-free life!

This weeks podcast guest is the lovely Lori Massicot a midlife sobriety coach.

I discovered Lori when I found her podcast – it’s called “to 50 and beyond” – it’s a podcast aimed at women in mid-life where she highlights the beauty of aging and the freedom that comes along with alcohol free life.

She’s on a mission to raise awareness towards the life changing impact of sobriety as we age.  She interviewed me for her podcast and you can hear that conversation on episode 182 of to 50 and beyond.

It’s called “Getting Sober Over 60” and you can access it here

In this Episode

More info

 Help us to spread the word!

We made this podcast so that we can reach more people who need our help.  Please subscribe and share.

If you enjoyed the podcast then please leave us a 5 star review on Apple podcasts, take a screenshot of your review and DM it to Tribe Sober’s Instagram page - see PS for instructions - we'll send you something special to say thank you!

We release a podcast episode every Saturday morning.

You can follow Tribe Sober on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram 

You can catch our FB live on Saturday mornings (11am SAST) and you can join our private Facebook group HERE

Thank you for listening! 

Till Next Week

Janet x

PS   How to leave an rating/review in Apple Podcasts (on an iOS device)

1. Open the Podcasts app. EASY.

2. Choose "Search" from the bottom row of icons and enter the name of the show (i.e., "Recover Like A Mother") into the search field.

3. Select the show under Shows (not under Episodes).

4. Scroll down past the first few episodes until you see Ratings & Reviews.

5. Click "Write a Review" underneath the displayed reviews from other listeners. You'll then have the option to rate the show on a 5-star scale, and write a review (you can rate without writing, too but it's always good to read your experience).

The Sobriety Experiment: Stop Looking for the Missing Piece

Episode Summary

Have you ever wondered why, even after months or years of sobriety, a part of you still remembers alcohol fondly?

Does that mean you’re destined to drink again?

Or could it simply be that your brain is doing exactly what it was designed to do?

In this episode, Lynette explores a thoughtful question from a Tribe Sober listener who has spent years learning about recovery, trying different approaches, and wondering whether there is still a “deep-rooted belief” keeping her stuck.

Together we’ll explore a different perspective.

Rather than endlessly searching for the missing piece, perhaps recovery invites us into something much more exciting: becoming curious enough to discover who we are without alcohol.

Drawing on neuroscience, Brooke Castillo’s teaching on the Scientific Method, and Lynette’s own experience of leaving South Africa to build a new life in Mauritius, this episode is an invitation to stop waiting for certainty and begin experimenting with the life you truly want to create.

In this episode we explore:

Key Takeaways

Your brain predicts your past—it doesn’t determine your future.

Research and education are important, but transformation happens when you begin experimenting with your own life.

You don’t have to hate alcohol to decide you’re finished with it.

Sometimes we leave something we love because we’re saying yes to something we love even more.

Sobriety isn’t about certainty.

It’s about curiosity.

Reflection Questions

Resources Mentioned

Ready for the Next Step?

If this episode resonated with you, and you’d like support creating a life where alcohol is no longer at the centre, Lynette would love to work with you.

Whether through one-to-one coaching or the monthly Path to Purpose membership, you’ll explore your brain, your nervous system, your identity and the practical tools that help you create lasting freedom.

Connect with Lynette by emailing her [email protected]

If you enjoyed this episode…

Please subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who may need to hear this message today.

Every review helps us reach more people looking for freedom from alcohol.

Music

Intro and outro music kindly supplied by Sutherland.

Thank you for listening, and remember:

Sobriety isn’t about becoming certain you’ve left the right thing behind; it’s about becoming curious enough to discover the life waiting in front of you.

This week Janet talks to Tribe Sober member Lynn Griffith from Durango, Colorado, who shares her powerful journey from decades of drinking to discovering the freedom of an alcohol-free life.

Lynn first began worrying about her drinking back in 1999, yet it took many years, several attempts at sobriety, and countless moderation strategies before she finally found lasting freedom. In this honest conversation, she reflects on the exhaustion of trying to control alcohol, the impact on her health, confidence and creativity, and why mindset change has been the key to making sobriety stick.

The episode concludes with Lynn reading her beautifully written "Goodbye Alcohol" letter—a heartfelt farewell to a substance that stole decades of precious time and energy.

Why Lynn knew she had a drinking problem as far back as 1999

The moderation tricks that never worked

How a health scare became a turning point

The books and podcasts that helped shift her thinking

Why community support is essential for lasting sobriety

The surprising role of alcohol-free drinks in her recovery

The connection between drinking, depression and cognitive decline

How alcohol robbed her of confidence, creativity and vitality

Why it's never too late to reclaim your health and happiness

The importance of taking recovery one day at a time

Finding your tribe and building meaningful sober connections

"I know how I felt drinking and I know how I feel not drinking, and there's just no comparison."

"I wish someone had told me that it's so much easier just to quit than spend a lifetime trying to moderate."

"I don't want to be an old lady drunk."

"The poisonous effects of every previous night confiscated my brain cells, robbed me of my confidence, tamped down my spirit and crushed my creativity."

"Just don't drink."

It sounds simple, but as Lynn explains, recovery begins one day at a time. Focus on the one thing that matters most in early sobriety and allow everything else to follow.

At Tribe Sober we help people discover that an alcohol-free life doesn't have to be boring, lonely or difficult. Through community, connection, coaching and education, we support our members to create a life they no longer want to escape from.

Join our next 3-Day Reset taking place 1–3 July.

During the Reset you'll discover:

Why alcohol affects us differently as we get older

The neuroscience behind cravings

How to navigate social situations alcohol-free

Practical tools to make sobriety stick

How to create an alcohol-free lifestyle you genuinely enjoy

Find out more at:

Tribe Sober

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review and share it with someone who might benefit from hearing Lynn's inspiring story. Every conversation helps break the stigma around alcohol and shows others that change is possible at any age.

This week we conclude our three-part Recovery Rewired series with perhaps the most important question of all:

If I understand my patterns and I can see what’s happening, how do I actually change?

The answer is surprisingly simple:

Recovery is repetition.

Not perfection.

Repetition.

In this episode, Lynette explores how the brain rewires itself through small repeated actions, and why lasting sobriety is built one choice, one breath, one pause, and one day at a time.

Following the continuing story of “May,” we discover that awareness alone isn’t enough. Real transformation begins when we consistently practice new responses to old triggers.

Through neuroscience, practical recovery tools, and real-life examples, Lynette explains how confidence is built through evidence, how the brain’s Reticular Activating System (RAS) shapes what we notice, and why the tiny decisions we repeat each day ultimately create our future.

When May joined Tribe Sober, she wasn’t thinking about ninety days sober.

She wasn’t trying to figure out how she would stay sober forever.

She was focused on the next craving.

Instead of trying to change everything overnight, May began taking the next best step.

She joined Zoom meetings.

Most importantly, she stopped trying to win forever and focused on one decision at a time.

Today, May is ninety days sober.

Not because of one dramatic breakthrough.

But because of hundreds of tiny choices repeated over time.

“The brain changes because you repeatedly practice something new.”

“Confidence is not created through positive thinking. Confidence is created through evidence.”

“An urge is not an emergency.”

“Where attention goes, wiring grows.”

“Recovery isn’t one big decision. Recovery is thousands of small decisions repeated long enough that the brain starts predicting a different future.”

“The brain predicts from the past. Recovery asks us to create from the future.”

Choose one thing.

Just one.

One thought.

And change it by 10%.

Not dramatically.

Not perfectly.

Just intentionally.

Ask yourself:

Remember:

You don’t need to figure out forever.

You only need to take the next step.

Episode 1: Why the Brain Chooses Alcohol

Episode 2: The Theatre of Surprise

Episode 3: Recovery Is Repetition

If you’ve enjoyed the Recovery Rewired series, please leave us a rating and review. It helps more people discover the Tribe Sober Podcast and supports our mission of helping people create a life they no longer need to escape from.

And if you’re ready to take the next step in your own recovery journey, we’d love to support you.

Visit:

Or email Lynette directly:

Intro and outro music:

Recovery Rewired:  Why Knowing Better is not Enough

Episode 2:  The Theatre of Surprise

Why we keep repeating what we already know

In this second episode of the Recovery Rewired series, Lynette explores one of the most powerful concepts in recovery, emotional growth, and self-awareness: The Theatre of Surprise.

How often have you found yourself saying:

But what if the problem isn’t the pattern?

What if the problem is pretending we’re surprised by a pattern we’ve seen many times before?

Drawing on the teachings of neuro-psychologist Dr Julia DiGangi, Lynette explores how the brain’s role as a pattern detector can keep us trapped in cycles of frustration, disappointment, and resistance to reality.

Through the continuing story of “May,” we discover how recognising familiar patterns is not a sign of failure—it’s the beginning of freedom.

Because recovery isn’t about becoming someone new.

It’s about becoming honest enough to see what is already true.

Take a few moments to reflect on the following questions:

Where am I pretending to be surprised when it’s really no surprise at all?

What pattern have I been seeing for months—or even years?

What truth have I been resisting?

What disappointment, grief, or longing might be sitting underneath my frustration?

And perhaps most importantly:

What changes when I stop saying,

and start saying,

“Ah, there it is again.”

“The Theatre of Surprise is when we pretend we don’t know what we already know.”

“The pattern isn’t the problem. Pretending we’re surprised by it keeps us stuck.”

“The moment we stop fighting reality, we gain the power to work with it.”

“Honesty is not punishment. Honesty is freedom.”

“We don’t become free when the pattern disappears. We become free when we stop pretending we can’t see it.”

Recovery Rewired – Episode 3

In the final episode of the series, Lynette explores how real change happens.

Not through willpower.

But through repetition.

Learn how the brain builds new pathways, how confidence grows through evidence, and how sobriety becomes stronger one small choice at a time.

If you found this episode helpful, please take a moment to leave us a rating and review. It helps more people discover the Tribe Sober Podcast and supports our mission of helping people create a life they no longer need to escape from.

And if you’re ready to take the next step in your own recovery journey, we’d love to support you.

Visit:

Or email Lynette directly:

Intro and outro music: