Tribe Sober - inspiring an alcohol free life!

Janet
  • 5.0 (29)
  • Health & Fitness
  • Updated Weekly

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

    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.

  2. 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

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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

  6. Jul 13

    How Smart & Successful People Quit Drinking - Lori Massicot

    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 I’m always fascinated by the way peoples drinking evolves over the years – I’m the first person to admit that drinking can be a lot of fun – until it’s not – until you become dependent - check out our podcast on how we go from "liking to wanting to needing"  Let’s remember that 20% of social drinkers WILL become dependent over the years – if we are in that 20% then that doesn’t make us bad people – or weak people – or diseased people. It just makes us people who have become addicted to an addictive drug!  People who will have to do a bit of work to change their habits – and that’s where people like myself and Lori come in – we’ve been where you are and we can help you make the change.  As you heard Lori did the fun bit in her teens and 20’s – partying as a teenager and then working in real estate, earning good money and drinking wine with friends and colleagues. Then it was the mommyjuice phase – in here 30’s Lori felt depressed, put on weight and found her high pressure job all a bit much. She was using wine at home to cope with her stress and felt trapped in a vicious cycle. She refers to her early 40’s as the “dark years, she lost her mom and could get through two bottles of wine at a time. She had a wake up call when a family member asked her if she was an alcoholic.  That’s when she realised that alcohol had become the centre of everything in her life. Of course like many of us she tried “the rules” (drinking only on certain days, drinking red rather than white etc etc) which of course didn’t work. Of course she also tried to “moderate” but of course that didn’t work either - in fact we agreed that for many of us its only when we try to cut down that we realise the extent of our problem.  We realise that we have crossed a line with our drinking and it’s going to take more than a bit of willpower to make a change. So if you are busy trying to “moderate” and using rules to control your drinking please save yourself a lot of heartache and take a complete break – no need to use the F (forever word) – just take a break “Playing the Movie Forward” is a very popular tool in our community.  Lori found herself “playing the movie forward 20 years” and was  horrified at what she saw.  She knew her drinking would escalate over the years and decided that she was done.  She poured her Chardonnay down the sink and got started on her life changing journey to sobriety. Lori used journaling as her key tool –there is so much evidence of the value of keeping a journal – and it helps us so much when we are on this path. We can use it to process our emotions, note our triggers and track our journey.  We can read back to the early days and see how much easier its getting and realise how many benefits we are experiencing. And of course the more benefits we do experience the less likely we will be inclined to return to Day 1! Exercise was another key tool for Lori and she educated herself about the best ways to strengthen her body in midlife. So journaling, exercise and playing the movie forward are all great tools which will help us to quit drinking. We all need to create a personal toolkit and we help you with that at Tribe Sober workshops.   Sobriety has given Lori freedom and peace. When she feels anxious she now understands how to self soothe without alcohol. I loved the way she said that in early sobriety we have to protect ourselves and build ourselves up so that we can learn to cope. Then we can go on to learn how to actually thrive our alcohol free lives. That’s exactly what we help our members to do at Tribe Sober with program – get more info and sign up here We agreed that ditching the booze gives us a feeling of power - we are doing something that the majority of the population would not even consider - Sobriety is a Superpower! Times are changing and the sober curious movement is helping that. People are getting “sober curious” and wondering what their life would look like without it.  Loris podcast is called "to 50 and beyond" and her website is here: lorimassicot.com. Lori coaches women on health, wellness and sobriety and you can contact her via her website and she’s also on Instagram. 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 - 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).

  7. Jul 4

    The Sobriety Experiment: Stop Looking for the Missing Piece

    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: Why your brain continues to predict alcohol long after you’ve stopped drinking. The difference between memory, prediction and genuine desire. Why enjoying memories of alcohol doesn’t mean you should return to it. Brooke Castillo’s Scientific Method as a framework for lasting recovery. The importance of making your own “best guess” rather than waiting for the perfect answer. How curiosity creates lasting change. Why sobriety is about building a life that becomes bigger than alcohol. What Lynette’s move from South Africa to Mauritius taught her about leaving something you love in order to step into something even more aligned. 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 What if there isn’t another hidden belief to uncover? What if you’ve already gathered enough information? What experiment could you try this week? What kind of life are you creating that is so meaningful, so expansive and so deeply yours that alcohol gradually becomes less interesting? If you stopped asking, “Why am I like this?” what new possibilities might open up when you ask, “Who am I becoming?” Resources Mentioned Recovery Rewired Podcast Series Path to Purpose Membership Positive Intelligence® (PQ) Brooke Castillo’s teaching on the Scientific Method Neuroscience of prediction and habit formation 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 lynette@llrcoaching.com   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.

  8. Jun 27

    From Moderation to Freedom: Lynn's Goodbye Alcohol Letter

    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. In this episode: 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 Memorable Quotes "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." Lynn's Top Tip "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. About Tribe Sober 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. Interested in taking a break from alcohol? 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 Subscribe & Review 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.

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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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