Tribe Sober - inspiring an alcohol free life!

💛 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:

Love as an act of self-leadership, not self-indulgence

Why how we speak to ourselves matters more than willpower

How sobriety deepens our relationship with truth and self-trust

What it means to meet a wobble or slip with curiosity instead of cruelty

A gentler way to work with early-morning shame spirals and mental noise

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:

Are exploring or recommitting to sobriety

Struggle with harsh self-talk or inner criticism

Want a kinder, steadier relationship with yourself

Are learning to respond to life with compassion rather than force

💌 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 


Coming in at number 8 is Dr. Loretta Breuning, who helped me to unpack the cause of my own early sobriety blues.

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


At number 5 is Stanford Psychiatrist Dr Anna Lembke 

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.

So that's our top 10. I'd like to say a big thank you to all our listeners. Thanks to you, the Tribe Sober podcast has had nearly  450, 000 downloads, which keeps its global ranking in the top 2 percent of all podcasts.

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 

More Info


This episode is sponsored by the Tribe Sober Membership Program.  If you want to change your relationship with alcohol then sign up today
Read more about our program and subscribe HERE

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)

Open the Podcasts app. EASY.

Choose “Search” from the bottom row of icons and enter the name of the show (e.g. Recover Like a Mother) into the search field.

Select the show under Shows (not under Episodes).

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

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).

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

More Info


Tribe Sober membership – you can 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 [email protected].

If you would like to come to our Saturday afternoon Zoom Cafe as a guest and meet our community, just email [email protected].

 

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
Read more about our program and subscribe HERE

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)

Open the Podcasts app. EASY.

Choose “Search” from the bottom row of icons and enter the name of the show (e.g. Recover Like a Mother) into the search field.

Select the show under Shows (not under Episodes).

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

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).

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:-

I talk about the warning signs of alcohol dependence as well as the benefits of an alcohol free lifestyle

The Breaking Free program has four components…

Four pieces of a puzzle that come together to create a transformation…

The first piece of the puzzle is Community Support so we connect you with the other people on the Breaking Free program

 We put you in a chatgroup with where you’ll also find some TS team members to answer any questions you may have

You'll also be invited to several Zoom meetings every week

The second piece is our 4 hour Masterclass – a group session which we hold via Zoom.  Another opportunity to get to know the other people on the program as everyone will share their story at the beginning of the session.  By the end of the Masterclass you’ll understand:-

The importance of a mindset change and the damage alcohol does to our health

We’ll be sharing our tried and tested sobriety toolkit and you’ll end the session feeling motivated and excited about the changes ahead.

While the Masterclass will give you an overview of the Tribe Sober approach to thriving in sobriety the online course will enable you to dive deeper at your own pace.  You’ll get all the theory and training you need to overturn your limiting beliefs around alcohol which is the key….

Just as we’ve been programmed into thinking that alcohol is an essential part of our daily lives our online program will de-program you and enable you to understand that you will be happier and healthier without it!

The third piece is our online course which includes videos, podcasts, articles and book recommendations so you’ll be able to throw the book at your sobriety – you’ll be able to treat it as a 3-month project that will take a deep dive into psychology, biology and neuroscience - a project that will change the trajectory of your future.

The fourth part of the puzzle is the personal support. 

You’ll have a 1.2.1 Zoom call with Monica who will explain how everything work and help you with any tech issues

Mid-way through the 3 month program you'll have a session with Coach Darren to review learnings so far

A final session with our Coach Lynette who will discuss how you are applying the theory of the Breaking Free program to your daily life

So that’s the four pieces of our Breaking Free puzzle, four pieces that will come together to create an alcohol free lifestyle that you love..

Apart from creating a program that will get results we’ve created a program that is flexible and will fit in with your busy lives…. 

All of the 1.2.1’s can be scheduled to suit your convenience, the online course can be worked through at your own pace so the only timeslot you need to fit in is the four hour Masterclass. (we can send you a recording if  you can't make it)

While we’re on the subject of time that’s one of the unexpected benefits of sobriety….. when we no longer spend time drinking and recovering from the drinking we find ourselves with extra time on our hands….

As well as the energy to do something constructive with that time!

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

More Info


Tribe Sober membership – you can 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 [email protected].

If you would like to come to our Saturday afternoon Zoom Cafe as a guest and meet our community, just email [email protected].

 

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
Read more about our program and subscribe HERE

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)

Open the Podcasts app. EASY.

Choose “Search” from the bottom row of icons and enter the name of the show (e.g. Recover Like a Mother) into the search field.

Select the show under Shows (not under Episodes).

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

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).

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:-

James was a moderate drinker, but after 20 years of consistent drinking, he realized the negative effect on his health and stopped for what was supposed to be a 30-day experiment. That was 13 years ago and he’s been alcohol free ever since!

Like many of us James hesitated to quit due to societal conditioning – he associated alcohol with socializing and fun and feared being perceived as dull or boring without alcohol. And indeed…

There was some Social Awkwardness for a while - navigating social situations without alcohol felt awkward and he shared a story of pretending to drink alcohol when on a date – this strategy proved to be a mistake when his date discovered he had lied!  

In spite of the tricky start James was soon embracing his alcohol-free lifestyle openly.

We discussed the strong influence of peer pressure and the need for a supportive tribe when quitting alcohol.

We are both seeing a societal shift as people acknowledge the health risks of drinking alcohol – which is heading for a cigarette moment.

Although drinking alcohol before bedtime may help initially with falling asleep but compromises the quality of sleep, leading to irritability, fatigue, and other negative effects on health.

Alcohol's Effects on Sleep and Health:  Alcohol consumption can compromise sleep quality, metabolism, and overall health. It can disrupt the body's natural processes, leading to weight gain, reduced productivity, and increased cravings for unhealthy foods.

James shared some Benefits of his alcohol-free lifestyle which included improved physical health, mental clarity, productivity, and financial success. I

I asked him for his advice for anyone who is struggling to get started on this journey: He suggested starting with a commitment to at least 30 days of sobriety as an experiment, but most importantly be open to extending it to 90 days or longer.

We agreed on the importance of Avoiding the stop-and-start cycle and focussing on the long-term benefits of sobriety.

Overcoming cultural conditioning and resistance may feel challenging, but taking action building an alcohol free lifestyle will lead to transformative results and a better quality of life

You can contact James Swanwick via his website alcoholfreelifestyle.com


More Info

 

Tribe Sober subscription membership – you can 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 [email protected].

If you would like to come to our Saturday afternoon Zoom Cafe as a guest and meet our community, just email [email protected].

to join our mailing list click 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
Read more about our program and subscribe HERE

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)

Open the Podcasts app. EASY.

Choose “Search” from the bottom row of icons and enter the name of the show (e.g. Recover Like a Mother) into the search field.

Select the show under Shows (not under Episodes).

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

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).