Tribe Sober - inpiring an alcohol-free life!

My guest this week is British Psychiatrist Dr Tony Rao.  He is an international expert of alchohol misuse in older people - with more than 20 years experience in this area.

He works with Baby Boomers in the UK who have alcohol issues - I was one of those for many years so found this conversation fascinating..

In this Episode

This episode is sponsored by the Tribe Sober Membership Program.  If you want to change your relationship with alcohol then sign up today. 

 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.

We release a podcast episode every Saturday morning.

You can follow Tribe Sober on Facebook and Instagram. 

Thank you for listening! 

Till Next Week

Janet x

Love Series – Tribe Sober Podcast

This month we’ve been exploring love.

Love as compassionate witness.

Love as unconditional.

Love as unbreakable across time.

And in this final episode of the series, we go deeper.

What if one of the fiercest acts of self-love in sobriety is falling in love with your brain?

Not believing every thought.

Not fighting your mind.

But understanding it. Training it. Leading it.

Because if you don’t direct your brain…

it will direct you.

And when it comes to alcohol, your brain isn’t protecting you from drinking.

It’s protecting your access to drinking.

That distinction changes everything.

In this Episode we explore :

✨ Why your brain isn’t broken — it’s programmable

✨ The five common distortions that argue for alcohol

✨ Why sobriety isn’t about willpower — it’s about leadership

✨ The power of deciding ahead of time who you are becoming

✨ What Olympic champion Eileen Gu teaches us about self-leadership

✨ How curiosity replaces self-criticism

✨ Why loving your brain is an act of fierce devotion

Lynette also shares a deeply personal reflection:

Her 54-year-old self — in her “Not This” moment — would absolutely love the 62-year-old woman she has become.

Not because everything is perfect.

But because she didn’t stay stuck.

She got curious.

She trained her thinking.

She led herself first.

And that is available to you too.

Sobriety is not about fighting yourself.

It’s about understanding the instrument you are living inside.

When you love your brain, you train it.

When you train it, you change your life.

And when you change your life, you become the version of yourself your former self would admire.

If you’re still early in sobriety and want structure and compassionate guidance:

👉 Accelerate – A practical, science-based program to help you stop drinking and build momentum.

https://www.tribesober.com/accelerate-2/

If you’re sober and asking, “Now what?”

👉 Path to Purpose – Lynette’s monthly coaching membership where we apply this work deeply. Identity. Emotional mastery. Conscious self-creation.

https://www.tribesober.com/path-to-purpose/

If you are serious about strengthening your brain intentionally:

👉 Mental Fitness Program & 1:1 Mentorship – High-level brain training, emotional regulation, and personal leadership work.

DM Lynette directly to explore : [email protected]

If this Love Series stirred something in you — don’t leave it at inspiration.

Take the next step.

Because love isn’t just emotional.

It’s neurological.

It’s intentional.

It’s leadership.

And sobriety?

Sobriety is you deciding to create a version of yourself you are proud to be.

💛 See you soon.

Unbreakable Love - Having your own back Across Time

And yes… I speak about love a lot.

Because I genuinely believe that love is the most powerful force in the universe.

But the most important place to practice love isn’t in your romantic relationships.

It’s in your relationship with yourself.

In this episode, we explore a deeper, sturdier kind of self-love — the kind that has your back across time.

Not fluffy love.

Not “treat yourself” love.

Not self-soothing disguised as self-care.

But unbreakable love.

The kind that protects your future self.

Honours your past self.

And steadies your present self.

Especially in sobriety, this distinction matters.

Because if something feels good in the moment but harms your future self — it isn’t love. It’s relief.

In this episode, I share:

The difference between romance love and sturdy love

Why self-discipline is actually devotion

How to stop shaming your past self and start integrating her

A powerful bridge metaphor for loving yourself across time

Why loving yourself properly makes you more available to love others

And I offer a simple, practical exercise to strengthen your relationship with:

✨ Your past self

✨ Your present self

✨ Your future self

If you’re still trying to get a handle on your drinking:

👉 Join my free Accelerate Webinar happening today, 21 February.

We’ll explore practical tools to stop the cycle and build momentum.

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/hpmdAdvxQO-bA0f8loMnIA#/registration

If you’ve stopped drinking and you’re ready for deeper growth:

👉 Path to Purpose is my monthly coaching community where we apply this work in real life — identity, emotional mastery, purpose, and steady self-leadership.

If you want to strengthen your inner steadiness daily:

👉 My Mental Fitness Pods are where we practice having our own backs — consistently.

If this episode resonated with you, send me a DM - [email protected]

Let’s talk about what support looks like for you.

The world needs more love.

But not just romantic love.

It needs steady love.

Grounded love.

Self-trusting love.

And that begins with you.

Have a beautiful week. 💛

Episode 2 – Unconditional Love, Lovability & The Sobriety That Follows

In this second episode of our February Love Series, we go deeper into one of the most powerful forces in our lives: love.

Not romantic love.

Not conditional love.

But unconditional love — and what it has to do with sobriety.

What if choosing sobriety is one of the fiercest acts of love you will ever perform?

What if withholding love — from others or from yourself — is what keeps you stuck in shame, relapse, resentment or self-sabotage?

In this episode, Lynette explores:

Lynette also shares a client story illustrating how choosing regulation over reaction becomes an act of self-respect and emotional leadership.

Whether you are still questioning your relationship with alcohol, early in sobriety, or months/years alcohol-free and wondering what comes next — this episode will meet you exactly where you are.

✨ Ready to Go Deeper?

If you’re exploring stopping drinking or want practical support:

Free Webinar – Accelerate Your Sobriety

Register here: https://www.tribesober.com/accelerate-2/

If you’re sober and asking “Now what?”:

Path to Purpose – Monthly Coaching Membership

This is where we take this material and apply it.

We train it.

We embody it.

We study it at a deeper level.

https://www.tribesober.com/path-to-purpose/

Opening and closing music: Remember by Sutherland

💛 The Love Series — Episode 1

Intro music:

🎵 “Remember” by Sutherland

Love as Self-Leadership: Becoming the Compassionate Witness

February is often called the month of love.

But what if love isn’t something we look for outside of ourselves —

what if love is how we lead ourselves, especially when things feel messy, tender, or hard?

This episode is the first in a four-part mini-series exploring love as self-leadership — through sobriety, self-talk, and the way we meet ourselves in moments of struggle.

In this opening episode, we begin with the idea of the compassionate witness — the part of us that can notice what’s happening without judgment, punishment, or shame.

If you’ve ever woken up in the early hours of the morning replaying a slip, a choice, or a moment you wish had gone differently…

this episode is for you.

Instead of berating ourselves, what if the most loving response sounds more like:

“What’s the matter, love?”

“Help me understand.”

“We’ll solve this in the morning.”

In this episode, Lynette explores:

This conversation invites you to soften — not to give up, but to grow up emotionally.

To move from punishment to partnership with yourself.

This is not about being perfect.

It’s about practicing love where it matters most — inside.

✨ This episode is the beginning of The Love Series.

Over the next three episodes, we’ll explore love through repair, self-trust, choice, and the quiet courage of staying.

If this resonates, stay with me.

🎧 Listen if you:

💌 Stay connected

If you’d like to go deeper into this work — through sobriety, emotional self-leadership, and building self-trust — you’re warmly invited to explore working with Lynette or joining one of her programs. Email [email protected] to set up an exploratory session.

This week we're celebrating our 300th podcast by taking you through our top 10 podcasts. The episodes that have had the most downloads since we started the podcast back in 2020.

So coming in at number 10 is James Swanwick who has some great advice about Alcohol and your Body Fat

He explained how Alcohol consumption can compromise sleep quality, metabolism, and overall health.

It can also disrupt the body's natural processes, leading to weight gain, reduced productivity, and increased cravings for unhealthy foods.

Coming in at number 9...

Recovery it's a Brain Thing – which is the name of the book by my two guests – David & Susan Kenney

They run a program to train Recovery Coaches and one of our Tribe members Darren was so impressed by their approach he signed up for their course and is now a qualified recovery coach working with our Breaking Free program 

Have a listen to the first interview I did with her, which was in August 2021

We called her episode - how to be sober...and happy

At number 7 we have the brilliant William Porter

William is a lawyer with a passion for the science behind alcohol dependence, and he's written two books, Alcohol Explained and Alcohol Explained 2. They're both essential reading, and I think the more we understand the damage that alcohol does to our bodies and brains, the less likely we are to want to drink it.

His episode is called Why we get Hangxiety

Coming in at number 6 we have Neuroscientist Staci Danford 

Stacy taught us about our lizard brain and how we need to manage it before it manages us. She even recommended that we give it a name. She calls hers Ernie. My interview with Stacy came out in August 2021 and is called Your Lizard Brain

Anna has written a top selling book called Dopamine Nation.

It's an awesome book, which I highly recommend if you're interested in the science of addiction. Her explanation of the pain pleasure balance is superb. That episode is called, Why We Get Addicted, and it came out in November, 2023.

Next up at number 4 is a firm favourite with Tribe Sober – Ken Middleton with his “How Drinking Limits our Potential” episode

He's the author of Bamboozled, which has the clever subtitle of How Alcohol Makes Fools of Us All,  Do grab a copy if you haven't yet read it. Such a brilliant description of how we've been manipulated by big alcohol for decades.

I often quote Ken, who says, "even if alcohol doesn't destroy us, it will limit our potential".  His Tribe Sober episode is called How Alcohol Limits Your Potential - released in April 2023

Ken was also one of our guests back in November 2020 when he shared his own story and explained the science behind alcohol dependence. And why drinking regularly for 20 years means you're very likely to develop a problem

Next up at number 3 is me sharing my story - our very first podcast episode, which was released in May 2020 to celebrate my fifth soberversary.

At number 2 we have another episode by William Porter - called Managing Cravings

Finally, still hogging the number one slot is Australian sobriety coach, Kathryn Elliott.

It's called "How to Stop Binge Drinking" and came out in June 2022.

Like me, Catherine's had breast cancer, which prompted us to do an episode together recently. Because neither of us had realized that our heavy drinking was putting us at risk of breast cancer, so we celebrated Breast Cancer Awareness Month by having a conversation about it, spreading the word to other women that more than three glasses of wine a week increases your risk of breast cancer.

We called it "Drink Less for Your Breasts" and it was released in October 2023.

More importantly, nearly 20 percent of our members found their way to us via the podcast.

So don’t forget to make a playlist of our Top Ten and you might want to check out our Top 100 Playlist 

So if you want to join our tribe and connect with others on this path, just hit Join Our Tribe 

This episode is sponsored by the Tribe Sober Membership Program.  If you want to change your relationship with alcohol then sign up today

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 below 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, TikTok and Instagram.

You can join our private Facebook group HERE.

PS: How to Leave a Rating/Review in Apple Podcasts (on an iOS Device)

On last weeks podcast I talked you through the Breaking Free course in detail so do have a listen if you missed it

I recently hosted a discussion on Zoom with four Breaking Free graduates which will give you a real insight into the results that people are getting…

You’ll hear from Grania and Helen who did the course last year and then you’ll hear from Lynne and Lori who have just completed the latest program…

On the podcast you'll hear the soundtrack from that discussion

So if you want to be sure of a place on the next BF program which kicks off on 31st January then please sign up today as places are filling up fast

You can sign up for Breaking Free here

Tribe Sober membership – you can join up HERE.

Episode Sponsor

This episode is sponsored by the Tribe Sober Membership Program.  If you want to change your relationship with alcohol then sign up today

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 below 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, TikTok and Instagram.

You can join our private Facebook group HERE.

PS: How to Leave a Rating/Review in Apple Podcasts (on an iOS Device)

On this weeks solo episode I talk about our 3-month Breaking Free program which we run just three times a year. 

Registration for the current program is open   - more info on tribesober.com

We limit each Breaking Free group to 20 so you’ll always get personal attention

In this episode:-

Tribe Sober membership – you can join up HERE.

Episode Sponsor

This episode is sponsored by the Tribe Sober Membership Program.  If you want to change your relationship with alcohol then sign up today

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 below 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, TikTok and Instagram.

You can join our private Facebook group HERE.

PS: How to Leave a Rating/Review in Apple Podcasts (on an iOS Device)

My guest this week is James Swanwick, an Australian-American investor and entrepreneur He is the creator of the Alcohol Free Lifestyle, which helps people change their relationship with alcohol

In this episode:-

You can contact James Swanwick via his website alcoholfreelifestyle.com

Tribe Sober subscription membership – you can join up HERE.

Episode Sponsor

This episode is sponsored by the Tribe Sober Membership Program.  If you want to change your relationship with alcohol then sign up today

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 below 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, TikTok and Instagram.

You can join our private Facebook group HERE.

PS: How to Leave a Rating/Review in Apple Podcasts (on an iOS Device)

In this New Year episode, Lynette records from a small guesthouse in Evander, a dusty coal-mining town in South Africa — a place marked by both decay and unexpected beauty.

Through a moving real-life encounter, she reflects on how we are all dealt a hand of cards in life, and how joy, purpose, and meaning are not found in better circumstances, but in how we meet the life we have.

This episode gently explores the illusion of “readiness,” drawing on the work of Dr. Julia di Gangi, to show why change is not about more time, but about emotional power, identity, and presence.

Using the poetic metaphors of the snake shedding its skin and the horse moving forward with aligned energy, Lynette invites listeners to step into the now — not by forcing change, but by listening to the quiet inner yes.

This is a conversation about emotional sobriety, relationships with self and others, and creating a life of vibrancy and quiet joy — right where you are.

In This Episode, We Explore:

Path to Purpose

Path to Purpose is for people who are sober and asking: now what?

It’s about learning how to take your hand of cards and create a life of vibrancy, connection, and joy — meeting life on life’s terms without numbing, bracing, or waiting for things to be different.

The next intake opens in February.

If you feel a quiet yes, you don’t need to work out the how.

Path to Purpose is the what.

📩 Email Lynette: [email protected]