Tribe Sober - inspiring an alcohol free life!

Janet

How do I stop drinking? How do I cut down? Am I drinking too much? I’m sober but why aren’t I happy? Why do people stop drinking? If you ask yourself these kind of questions then this podcast is for you. This show is for people who want to learn how to stop drinking and learn to thrive in their alcohol free lives. If you have given up drinking, would like to give up drinking or are just plain sober curious this weekly podcast is for you. We have recovery stories to inspire you, experts to inform you and QuitLit authors to entertain you. After struggling with alcohol dependency for years Janet Gourand finally ditched the booze in 2015. She founded tribesober.com in 2015 and has helped hundreds of people to ditch the booze and thrive in their sobriety since then. Tribe Sober offer a membership, workshops, challenges and recovery coaching. For more info go to tribesober.com or email janet@tribesober.com

  1. 4d ago

    Choose the Hard That Leads to Freedom – Beth’s First Sober Year

    In this inspiring episode of the Tribe Sober podcast, Janet talks to Tribe member and Ambassador Beth as she celebrates her first full year alcohol-free. Beth had known for many years that alcohol was holding her back. She tried AA, medication, self-help books and numerous attempts at moderation, but nothing lasted. Then she discovered Tribe Sober and realised that it wasn’t too late to change -and that she didn’t have to do it alone. Beth speaks honestly about the difficult early months of sobriety, when her body and brain were recovering and her emotions felt overwhelming. She explains how trusting the process, connecting with the community and listening to others who had walked the same path helped her keep going. Gradually, the benefits began to emerge: peaceful mornings, mental clarity, renewed confidence, more energy and an almost childlike excitement about life. Beth’s decision also had a remarkable ripple effect. Her husband chose to stop drinking a month later and subsequently lost three and a half stone. His previously high blood pressure returned to a healthy level, allowing his doctor to take him off medication. Now a Tribe Sober Ambassador, Beth is passionate about helping others discover the freedom she has found. She also shares a moving story about a caged eagle that had forgotten it was born to fly - a powerful metaphor for the way alcohol confines us and sobriety sets us free. In this episode, we discuss: Why Beth’s previous attempts to stop drinking didn’t last The importance of getting off the fence and making a commitment Why the first six months can feel so challenging Trusting the recovery process through the difficult days How connection and community support lasting change The return of peace, clarity, energy and self-belief The positive effect Beth’s sobriety had on her husband Why helping others strengthens our own sobriety Beth’s hopes and creative ambitions for her second alcohol-free year Why we must “choose the hard that leads to freedom” Beth’s message to anyone who is still sitting on the fence is simple: “Seize the moment. Decide that this is your time for recovery and sobriety. You were created to be free.” If you’re ready to change your relationship with alcohol, visit www.tribesober.com to learn more about our community, programmes and support.

  2. Aug 29

    Thinking is best used as Power Tool

    Show Notes – Thinking Is Best Used as a Power Tool 🎙️ Tribe Sober Podcast 🎵 Intro and Outro Song: Remember – Sutherland 🦋 Episode Summary What if one of the greatest sources of our suffering isn’t our circumstances—but our relationship with our thinking? Inspired by a powerful insight from neuropsychologist Dr Julia DiGangi, Lynette explores why thinking is best used as a power tool: something to be picked up intentionally, used wisely, and then put down. Drawing on neuroscience, recovery, and lived experience, this episode explains why our brains are prediction machines, why familiar thoughts can feel like facts, and how emotional freedom begins when we stop treating every thought as an instruction. Recovery isn’t about controlling every thought. It’s about changing our relationship with thinking itself. ✨ In This Episode Why thinking is a powerful tool—but a poor master. How the brain creates predictions from familiar patterns. The difference between a thought and a fact. Why cravings often arise from well-rehearsed neural pathways rather than genuine need. How becoming a “detective” of your thinking creates freedom. Why awareness gives us choice. The difference between surviving on autopilot and living intentionally. How emotional sobriety extends far beyond alcohol. 💡 Memorable Quotes “Thinking is best used as a power tool.” – Dr Julia DiGangi “A thought is an invitation, not an instruction.” “Our brains don’t predict what is true. They predict what is familiar.” “Recovery isn’t about never thinking about alcohol again. Recovery is about changing our relationship with thinking itself.” “The most powerful tool in the workshop isn’t the drill. It’s the person holding it.” 🌱 Reflection Take a few quiet moments this week to reflect on these questions: Where in my life is my thinking running on autopilot? Which thoughts do I repeatedly mistake for facts? What old prediction keeps showing up in my life? Which thoughts deserve my attention… and which can I simply notice and let pass? What would change if I remembered that I am the operator—not the tool? 💛 Remember… Your brain is doing exactly what brains are designed to do. It generates thoughts. You don’t need to believe every one of them. You always have the power to choose which thoughts you nourish, which you question, and which you simply allow to pass by. That is where freedom begins. 🤝 Let’s Connect I’d love to hear your thoughts on today’s episode or learn more about your own recovery journey. 📧 Email: lynette@llrcoaching.com If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who may be carrying their “power tool” with the switch permanently on. Until next time… Stay curious. Stay compassionate. And remember… you are always more powerful than your thoughts. 🎵 Closing Song: Remember – Sutherland

  3. Aug 22

    How CBT Can Help Us Change Our Relationship with Alcohol - with Therapist Emily

    This week I'm talking to Cape Town-based CBT practitioner Emily about the practical ways Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can support behaviour change and an alcohol-free life. Emily explains how our thoughts, feelings and behaviours become connected over time, and why drinking can become an automatic response to anxiety, stress, celebration or discomfort. Rather than judging these patterns, CBT encourages us to become curious about them — and then start interrupting them. Emily introduces the simple STOP technique for dealing with an urge: S — Stop: pause rather than reacting automatically. T — Take a breath: interrupt the urge and calm the nervous system. O — Observe: notice the thought or feeling without treating it as a command. P — Proceed: choose what you want to do next with intention rather than running on autopilot. We also discussed urge surfing, journalling and thought records, as well as how to challenge limiting beliefs such as “I deserve a drink” or “I can’t relax without alcohol.” Instead of simply replacing these thoughts with positive ones, Emily suggests looking at the whole truth: What is alcohol really giving you — and what happens afterwards? The conversation also explores why people can become trapped in repeated attempts at moderation, the importance of building alternative coping strategies, and why an alcohol-free life needs to contain things that genuinely provide relaxation, pleasure, connection and purpose. There’s even a fascinating discussion about dogs and emotional regulation — including Emily’s six-month-old Staffy, Vizoo — and the role that movement, routine, connection and unconditional companionship can play in our wellbeing. Emily leaves us with a beautifully simple message: you don't have to change everything at once. If you're feeling stuck in your drinking, becoming curious is already a beginning. Take one small step — write down a thought, speak to someone, try a tool or experiment with a few alcohol-free days. Change doesn't require perfection; it begins with awareness, curiosity and action. You can find Emily on Instagram - @cbtincpt You can find Tribe Sober here

  4. Aug 15

    Eclipse the Story: Remembering Your Light

    Eclipse the Story: Remembering Your Light 🎵 Intro and Outro Song: Remember – Sutherland 🦋 Episode Summary 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. ✨ In This Episode Why the eclipse is a powerful metaphor for recovery. The difference between circumstances and the thoughts we have about them. How the brain becomes a prediction machine. Why familiar thoughts often feel like facts. How repeated thoughts become beliefs. The coaching model that transformed Lynette’s life. A real-life example of how one thought can lead to completely different outcomes. How to stop reacting to life and begin creating it intentionally. Why recovery is about changing identity, not just behaviour. 🌱 Reflection Questions Take a few quiet moments this week to reflect on these questions: What thoughts have been eclipsing my light? Which thought do I keep rehearsing that no longer serves me? What result do I want to create in my life? Who am I becoming? What new thought could I begin practising today? 💛 Remember… 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. 🤝 Let’s Connect I’d love to hear what resonated with you from this episode. You can email me at: 📧 lynette@llrcoaching.com 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.

  5. Aug 8

    Missing Madonna - with Clive

    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 Clive’s father offered him a taste of wine at quite an early age in an effort to make it “less exciting” but looking back Clive feels this was a bit naïve and if he was ever a parent he would probably share with his kids that he had struggled with alcohol himself and that it should be treated with caution. Educating our kids about alcohol is SO tricky but one thing is for sure – it’s easier to do it if we don’t drink – it’s no good saying one thing and then modelling another as we open our nightly bottle of wine! Like many of us Clive felt invincible when he was younger and the fact that he became dependent on alcohol took him by surpise. Alcohol dependency tends to sneak up on us over the years and its only when we try to cut down or give up that we realise we have a problem! That’s why regular breaks are so important – if you want to try 21 alcohol free days with online, community and audio support then just sign up for Accelerate I could really identify with Clive when he said he went to AA to see everyone chain smoking and talking about their rock bottoms and just didn’t feel he fitted in! He just didn’t feel like an alcoholic because he wasn’t drinking in the morning, crashing cars, losing jobs etc The thing is we don’t have to wait until we hit “rock bottom” before we make a change Like most of us Clive tried “moderation” and we agreed that our “drinking neural pathway” will always be there so once you’ve crossed a line with your drinking moderation is no longer an option. Clive talked about being triggered by a sunny day and the thought of drinking rose – he has a sensible approach to his triggers – he just recognizes them, gets a bit curious about them and then lets them pass without acting on them One way of dealing with those triggers is to create another ritual to replace it – for example if Clive started enjoying a glass on AF bubbly everytime he sat drinking in the sunshine then his subconscious would gradually create a new and less harmful trigger. Clive’s Madonna Story was a classic example of how we expect alcohol to enhance our experiences – in Clive’s case he ended up almost blacking out and missing most of a concert he’d been looking forward to for months! Clive has made the joyful discovery that “Clive doesn’t need alcohol to be Clive” – he can still be the life and soul of the party when stone cold sober! 11 months into his sobriety Clive feels he's regained control of his life and reduced his anxiety -he feels strong and is proud to be alcohol Clive ended our interview by reading his stunning Goodbye to Alcohol letter which he found a powerful and cathartic experience  Just go to tribesober.com and hit the "join our tribe" button to read more about the benefits of membership More info Subscription membership for Tribe Sober join up HERE To access our website click HERE If you would like a free copy of our "Annual Tracker" or our e-book "66 Days to Sobriety" please email janet@tribesober.com If you would like to come to our Saturday afternoon Zoom Cafe as a guest and meet our community just email janet@tribesober.com     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

  6. Aug 1

    Sakili – Life is Beautiful

    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: Why recovery is about so much more than stopping drinking. How addiction gradually shrinks your world—and how to begin expanding it again. The difference between understanding your past and participating in your future. Why thoughts alone don’t change the brain—behaviours do. A fresh perspective on the Hero’s Journey, and why sometimes the dragon has to slay the old identity before a new life can emerge. How coming home to your body reconnects you with your joy, vitality, and life force. 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: lynette@llrcoaching.com Music Intro & Outro Music: “Life is Beautiful” by The K Club featuring Brittany Rogers. 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.

  7. Jul 25

    The Bio Hijack: How Modern Food and Alcohol Rewire Your Brain - with Samantha Ancy

    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. Episode Summary 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.

  8. Jul 18

    The Addiction Nobody talks about

    Show Notes The Addiction Nobody Talks About — Our Search for Certainty Theme: Recovery • Self-Trust • Emotional Freedom Music: “Remember” by Sutherland 🎵 🌊 Episode Summary 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. ✨ In This Episode • 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 💭 Memorable Quote “The opposite of uncertainty isn’t certainty. It’s self-trust.” 📝 Reflection Instead of asking: “What else do I need to know?” Try asking: “What do I already know… that I haven’t yet lived?” 🌿 Your Next Step 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: lynette@llrcoaching.com 🎧 Credits Host: Lynette Le Roux Podcast: Tribe Sober Podcast Music: “Remember” by Sutherland

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About

How do I stop drinking? How do I cut down? Am I drinking too much? I’m sober but why aren’t I happy? Why do people stop drinking? If you ask yourself these kind of questions then this podcast is for you. This show is for people who want to learn how to stop drinking and learn to thrive in their alcohol free lives. If you have given up drinking, would like to give up drinking or are just plain sober curious this weekly podcast is for you. We have recovery stories to inspire you, experts to inform you and QuitLit authors to entertain you. After struggling with alcohol dependency for years Janet Gourand finally ditched the booze in 2015. She founded tribesober.com in 2015 and has helped hundreds of people to ditch the booze and thrive in their sobriety since then. Tribe Sober offer a membership, workshops, challenges and recovery coaching. For more info go to tribesober.com or email janet@tribesober.com

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