We are all recovering from something.
Contrary to popular belief, reinventing the wheel is not a bad thing. We all deserve a new set of wheels once in a while. Am I right?
Out with the Old & In with the New
Most likely, the wheels you rode on as you bumped along the path to a dead end with alcohol were not in the best shape. It makes no difference if you hit bottom hard or simply got tired of letting alcohol play a lead role in your life. Chances are the circumstances that led to your ultimate decision to live alcohol free have left you feeling unsteady and unsure.
Whether you are truly addicted to alcohol or just have a tendency to engage in unhealthy consumption, your wheels have built up some rust, the tires are flat, and some of the spokes have snapped. Are you going to scrape off the rust, keep injecting air into leaky tires, and MacGuyver the spokes back together? Or, are you going to replace the rust with the brilliant glow of brand new chrome, mount fresh tires (maybe a little bit wider and easier to balance than the old ones), and swap the spokes for something stronger?
Gearing Up for Life’s Twists & Turns
Your wheels are what carry you through life. You ride on them every day. You rely on them to take you places. Lots of places. ALL the places. But, can you trust them? Not if you’re neglecting them. Bumping into curbs. Hitting potholes. And, if you’ve ignored them long enough, a swatch of duck tape here and a pump of air there just won’t suffice. It’s a fact.
Just getting sober takes everything you’ve got. You focus on one day at a time, just for today. And, you should, you have to, just to keep from picking up. You put faith in the wheels that drove your drinking days and hope you can steer them in the right direction as you navigate sobriety.
Sometimes, you’re rolling along, smooth and easy. Just like a perfect bicycle wheel. Other times a spoke gets bent or nudged out of place. You keep rolling – what choice do you have? – but, things start to feel bumpy. Because you didn’t fix that spoke when it went out of alignment. Then it snaps and you end up stuck in a rut. That’s when you know it’s time for an adjustment. Maybe something more than a simple tweak.
Despite the old adage, sometimes it’s best to reinvent the wheel, especially when they’re your wheels and you have a new road you want to travel. With new wheels, you can be prepared for the frost heaves and potholes, the hairpin turns and traffic jams, the construction zones and detours.
Luckily, you are capable of change. You are strong enough to become who you are meant to be and live your ideal life, even as you focus on recovery. Especially when you’re focused on recovery.
What if you could create exactly the wheels you imagine, wheels that turn smoothly and with ease, with each spoke specially designed just for you and with the perfect amount of air in the tires?
You Can!
A special year-long group coaching program for 2019, Reinvent Your Wheels is a chance to make an investment in yourself, give the spokes in your wheels a little check up, fill up the tires, perform some preventive maintenance, or even replace those wheels with something brand new.
Let’s review some of the SHE RECOVERS® Intentions and Guiding Principles:
Reinvent Your Wheels embraces all that and much more! It offers tools for recovery that are basic enough to handle minor repairs but also pack enough power to fuel complete transformation.
We tend to avoid reinventing the wheel. We think it’s a waste of time. But when it comes to living life as the best version of yourself, sometimes it’s the only way to go.
What Do I Get?
- 365 days packed with resources, wisdom, experience, tools, and more to help in your recovery – each month focuses on a different theme.
- Twice monthly, 60-minute group coaching sessions with Laura Ward via Zoom. Each session will cover a different recovery-focused topic, exercises and activities, and an opportunity for attendees to share.
- Weekly emails with links to relevant recovery-related articles, book and podcast recommendations, inspirational tidbits, tips, tricks, recipes, and more.
- Membership in a secret Facebook group for sisterhood, networking, community building, collaboration, and accountability with others. The group is designed to be an intimate community where women choosing to live alcohol free can be their authentic and vulnerable selves without fear of judgement or shaming, where they can hold one another accountable and serve as a source of support and motivation for others. Each month the group will feature a guest speaker via Facebook Live.
- Access to documents, group coaching session recordings, and more.
- Support to help you live your best life.
Keep scrolling to see monthly themes and
the amazing line up of experts!
January: Finding Time for Fitness
a month focused on moving your body every day
Special Guest: Alison Evans, NASM CPT
In January of 2017, Alison Evans’s life completely changed, as she decided to start living life on her terms rather than by the terms of another wine bottle. Since then, Alison has left her profession as a high school counselor, returned to school to earn a Masters in Exercise Science, and is now a NASM Certified Personal Trainer.
Her passion for health and fitness have led her to launch her upcoming company, Teetotally Fit, where she hopes to help women all along the teetotaler spectrum to build strength from the inside-out.
Alongside her professional titles, Alison is a proud Air Force wife, as well as mother to three crazy, fun-loving little kiddos. She and her family currently live in Sacramento, California with dreams of eventually settling in the Midwest.
In January, Alison will join us for a special Facebook Live conversation entitled “Let’s Move to Your Own Beat January.”
February: Love Yourself Every Day
a month focused on self-care
Special Guest: Kelley Kitley, LCSW
Owner of Serendipitous Psychotherapy/Best Selling Author
Kelley Kitley is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has been inspiring clients for the past 15 years. She’s a sought after international women’s mental health expert and best selling author of an autobiography of survival, MY self. Kelley has appeared in hundreds of publications, podcasts, live news, and radio including WGN, NBC, The Chicago Tribune, Huffington Post, Self, Shape, and as a columnist for Fitness Magazine, Recovery Connection, and Thrive Global. Kelley has shared her experience, strength, and hope on national media outlets such as Dr. Oz, Megyn Kelly TODAY, and Access Live, and as a TEDx speaker.
In February, Kelley will join us for a special Facebook Live conversation about self care.
March: Guiding You to Mindfulness
a month focused on peace and mindfulness
Special Guest: Diana Unlu
Yoga and Meditation Teacher
Diana Unlu is a proud sober woman, also a mom and a wife. Originally from Mexico, now living in Austin, Texas, Diana is a forever student of life as well as a RYT 500 yoga teacher. She teaches all different kinds of yoga and leads mediation practices as well. She is currently developing a yoga/mediation retreat in Turkey for Summer 2019. Diana is passionate about living a healthy lifestyle, finding balance between mind, body and spirit. She loves to cook, exercise, travel, listen to music, spend time outdoors, connecting with people and creating a safe/honest space for others to thrive. She solely believes in creating a ritual that serves your life style, likes, and needs – a non negotiable set of things that you will carve time every day to follow through. Diana’s list starts with mediation. “Meditation is the foundation of not only my sobriety, but my success in life,” says Diana. “It’s helped me find my center, control my reactiveness, rebuild the part of my brain that was affected by alcohol and prescription drugs, and it has given me control over my negative mind. More than anything, meditation has become the number one coping mechanism in my life for stress, anxiety, anger, sadness, and also for joy and peace. Mediation is like a force that shakes a trunk of a tree, all the dead leaves, twigs, and dried up fruit no longer serving the tree fall to the ground. We learn so much about ourselves through meditation, by the simple act of taking a few minutes of our day to be still and to focus on our breath.” For recipes as well as a peek into Diana’s life and lifestyle, follow her on Instagram.
In March, Diana will join us for a special Facebook Live conversation about getting started with meditation.
April: Remove the Shame from Your Game
a month focused on honesty and vulnerability
Special Guest: Amy Dresner
Author of My Fair Junkie and writer for theFix.com
Amy Dresner is a journalist, author, and former comedian as well as a recovering addict and alcoholic. She has been a columnist for the addiction/recovery magazine theFix.com since 2012 and has freelanced for Addiction.com, Psychology Today, and many other publications. Her first book, “My Fair Junkie: A Memoir of Getting Dirty and Staying Clean,” was published by Hachette in 2017 to rave reviews from critics and readers alike. Elle magazine compared Dresner’s darkly comic memoir to Carrie Fisher’s “Postcards from the Edge” and Mary Karr’s “Lit,” calling Dresner’s book “one for the ages.” Dresner has appeared on the television show The Doctors and on numerous radio shows and podcasts, including Dr. Drew and Rich Roll. She does regular speaking engagements around the U.S. and Canada. Her book is currently in development for a TV series.
In April, Amy will join us for a special Facebook Live conversation about why ugly honesty and vulnerability are good for you.
May: Redesigning Your Relationship with Food
a month focused on fueling your body with kindness and nutrients
Special Guest: Shelly-Anne Mckay, ACC, CPCC, CPRC, SRCD, MEP
Certified Professional Coach
Shelly-Anne Mckay currently resides in Saskatchewan, Canada. She is an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) through the International Coach Federation (ICF) and a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) through the Coaches Training Institute (CTI), a Certified Professional Recovery Coach (CPRC) through the International Association of Professional Recovery Coaches (IAPRC) and holds a SHE RECOVERS coach designation.
Shelly-Anne has supported many executives and professionals through her private practice specializing in the area of recovery. This includes recovery from trauma, addictions, disordered eating, major health challenges and fractured family relationships.
She has formal training as well as first-hand experience using mindfulness techniques and practices to heal the mind, body, and spirit. After experiencing the transformational benefits of these techniques personally, she decided to become a licensed Mindful Eating (ME) program facilitator and completed Mindful-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) training.
She views physical and psychological health and wellness through a holistic lens and firmly believes all areas must be addressed for true healing and recovery. She speaks openly about mental health and has completed Mental Health First Aid training with the Canadian Mental Health Association and possesses her Developmental Services Worker (DSW) diploma from Red River Community College.
Before her career as a professional certified coach, Shelly-Anne obtained her business administration (BAdmin) diploma and worked as a TV producer while managing a female recording artist in the entertainment industry for over 20 years.
Colleagues and clients say she is a creative individual who always sees the best in others and has a unique talent of bringing this to the surface. She is known to compassionately challenge one’s thinking, inspires people to live their life-purpose, and has been credited with culminating long-lasting change.
In May, Shelly-Anne will join us for a special Facebook Live conversation about changing our relationship with food.
June: Essential Oils in Recovery
a month focused on the benefits of using oils
Special Guest: Natalie Fairbrook, RYT200
RYT200 yoga teacher, alchemist, certified recovery + life coach
Natalie Fairbrook is a mama, grandma, wife, daughter, friend, teetotaler, light seeker, truth teller, RYT200 yoga teacher, alchemist, crystal enthusiast, recovery coach, and lover of travel + life.
She began her sobriety journey in August 2015 and has never looked back. She has become a yoga teacher and teaches a Yoga for Recovery series at her yoga studio. She knew early on in sobriety that being of service filled her up and helped her on her own path to recovery, so she took the leap and became a She Recovers Certified Professional Recovery and Life Coach. She thoroughly enjoys helping others on their path to reconnecting with their highest selves and breaking free from old habits and turning their fears into freedom.
Through her recovery Natalie found essential oils and quickly realized they were very grounding and uplifting and could easily change her mood or malady and they took center stage in her recovery. When it came time to purchase blends however, she never could find the “perfect one,” so she decided to invest in and learn about and create her own blends. She started sharing them with friends and lo and behold … people LOVED them! She has created a line of her own essential oil blends, chakra and energy clearing sprays, room + yoga mat sprays as well as aromasticks and other fragrant products. She meditates while blending and feels that her love energy and passion for oils can be sensed in the blends she creates.
Natalie lives in Northern California with her husband, 15-year-old twin daughters, and slightly neurotic black tuxedo cat.
In June, Natalie will join us for a special Facebook Live conversation about essential oils in recovery.
July: Telling Your Story
a month focused on recovering out loud (even in your own private journal)
Special Guest: Lisa Smith
Author, Girl Walks Out of a Bar
Co-host, Recovery Rocks podcast
Lisa Smith is a recovery advocate, writer, podcast host, and lawyer in New York City. She is the best-selling author of Girl Walks Out of a Bar, her memoir of high-functioning addiction and recovery in the world of New York City corporate law. She also cohosts the podcast, Recovery Rocks, an inclusive discussion of issues affecting people in all kinds of recovery, with fellow recovery advocate Tawny Lara.
Lisa is passionate about breaking the stigma of addiction and mental health issues and is a frequent speaker at law firms, law schools, bar associations, and other organizations. She has appeared on NBC’s TODAY and BBC World News discussing alcoholism and addiction. Her writing has been published in The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Women’s Health, Refinery29, A Women’s Thing, and TheTemper.com, among others.
In July, Lisa will join us for a special Facebook Live conversation about smashing the stigma of substance use and mental health disorders.
August: Artists Retreat
a month focused on creativity in recovery
Special Guest: Jenn James
Joy Catalyst + Art Manifestor
Jenn is a Utah mountain girl who now lives is Austin Texas. She is a mom and wife and loves her backyard chickens and fat cat. Jenn is a Recovery Coach for women and calls herself a Joy Catalyst and Artist, for she loves helping women find their purpose and joy in life again through self awareness and art. She is three years sober, eats a plant-based diet, and loves podcasts, birds, reading, and yoga. Jenn feels most at home in nature and loves anything and everything color.
In August, Jenn will join us for a special Facebook Live conversation focused on welcoming yourself back home through creativity.
September: Yoga for Recovery
a month focused on the benefits of yoga
Special Guest: Taryn Strong
Taryn Strong is the co-founder (with her mother) of SHE RECOVERS. SHE RECOVERS is currently the largest online platform available (over 290,000 followers via social channels) to women in or seeking recovery from a wide variety of issues, including substance use and addiction, trauma, codependency, loss, and other life challenges. SHE RECOVERS is the first organization to connect, support, and empower women in or seeking recovery from all life’s issues.
Taryn is in recovery from substance use disorder, trauma, disordered eating, self- harm, codependency and all of the things that came with those things; shame, low self-worth, and low self-esteem. Today, she knows for a fact, that she has been through everything she has been through – every heartbreak, addiction, trauma, insecurity – to bring her to exactly where she is in this moment. Taryn is a Trauma Informed Yoga instructor, Recovery Coach, and dōTERRA Wellness Advocate. She has led over 25 yoga for recovery retreats, presented at several Yoga conferences, has an online yoga membership program, and has co-taught alongside Elena Brower. More recently, she has started teaching SHE RECOVERS Yoga at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health and is creating a SHE RECOVERS Yoga Teacher Training Program (launching October 2019.)
“It is my honor, privilege and responsibility to do this work. Deep bow in gratitude.”
In September, Taryn will join us for a special Facebook Live conversation about yoga for recovery.
October: Recovering Your Financial Health
a month focused on not spending money
Special Guest: Linda Parmar
Professional Recovery Coach, She Recovers Coach
Linda Parmar specializes in financial recovery and helping women in recovery to heal their money thoughts and behaviors. Her life in addiction led her to a life of financial chaos. With her recovery she has learned that alcohol and drugs were just a symptom of negative patterns and behaviors. This is the same for money. A few years into recovery she was ready to look at these patterns and behaviors which led her to become a Certified Money Coach and start her financial recovery. Linda has worked in the financial industry for 18 years and has made a career from helping people with their finances and is specifically trained to help women in recovery achieve financial success.
In October, Linda will join us for a special Facebook Live conversation about financial reocvery.
November: Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitude
a month focused on developing a gratitude practice
Special Guest: Tammi Salas
Artist, Writer + Podcaster
Tammi Salas is an artist, author, student, late-bloomer and co-host of The Unruffled Podcast, a weekly show that explores all topics relating to the intersection of creativity and recovery. After attending Write Doe Bay in the Spring of 2014, she returned home with her creative fire lit. She re-enrolled in college and will soon be transferring to Sonoma State University to pursue her BFA. Tammi lives in a small town in Northern California that boasts more cows than people. She makes art everyday and credits this practice as the path to her spiritual overhaul and creative awakening. Tammi has self-published My Daily Gratitude Practice: How I Got Started and Found My Visual Voice and has written a gratitude list everyday since December 10, 2015. Her illustrations can be found gracing the The Mantra Project: 40 Days of Sobriety Email Course, a collaboration with Holly Whitaker, Founder of The Temper (formerly Hip Sobriety). Learn more at www.tammisalas.com.
In November, Tammi will join us for a special Facebook Live conversation about developing and maintaining a daily gratitude practice.
December: Breathwork for Recovery
a month focused on different ways to breathe
Special Guest: TBA
Breathwork for Recovery Facilitator
Who We Are
Breathwork for Recovery® is an organization of trained and certified mental health professionals who use breathwork to help clients process and heal from trauma. Breathwork for Recovery® is the only breathwork service provider that requires facilitators to receive training in treating trauma, addiction, and mental illness. We are also the only breathwork organization abiding by a Code of Ethics in line with the APA.
What We Do
Using a two-stage breathing technique, Breathwork for Recovery® practitioners help clients regulate their autonomic nervous system, connect to their emotions in a healthy way, process trauma, free themselves from fight/flight and freeze patterns, and manage stress and depression. We have created a pathway to recovery by offering The Recovery Circle, nationwide breathwork-based support group which is available to everyone regardless of their socioeconomic status. We also have developed the only training specifically for clinicians wanting to learn how to utilize this powerful practice.
Who We Work With
Breathwork for Recovery® practitioners host weekly one-on-one and group breathwork sessions at adult and adolescent residential, IOP, OP, sober living facilities, and mental health treatment centers across the country. We specialize in working with substance use disorders, eating disorders, compulsive behaviors, mental illness, depression, anxiety, and with clients who are seeking tangible ways to manage their daily lives.
What’s Breathwork?
Breathwork is a somatic treatment modality that assists in processing trauma, developing healthier thought patterns, and forming a deeper connection to oneself. It can be used at any stage of the treatment process and is an important component of clients’ aftercare. Because breathwork doesn’t depend on conscious thought, breathwork can successfully circumnavigate the defense mechanisms and roadblocks typically encountered during conventional talk therapy. Breathwork allows clients to increase empathy and decrease defensiveness, which enables them to participate more effectively in the therapeutic process.
What is Reinvent Your Wheels?
Who is It For?
Developed by Laura Ward, Reinvent Your Wheels is a subscription-based recovery membership offering group coaching and community support. It is designed for women who are choosing to live alcohol free and, in that space, wanting to identify blocks that prevent them from living their ideal lives; embrace what brings them joy, peace, and purpose; and harness what nourishes their mind, body, and spirit.
The mission of Reinvent Your Wheels is twofold:
- To support sober women looking to add to their recovery toolbox, and
- To invite sober curious women to explore an alcohol free environment and all that comes with it.
If you are …
- Sober but still suffering.
- Trying to get sober but can’t seem to find the right path.
- Curious about the dry life.
- Open to self-examination and personal development in areas such as self-love, mindfulness, gratitude, spirituality, creativity, physical fitness, financial well-being, shame and vulnerability, truth telling, and more.
- Wanting to embrace the opportunity to be the best version of yourself.
- Looking for a community of people who are living, or trying to live, alcohol free.
… then Reinvent Your Wheels is for you.
How Do I Sign Up?
As of December 29, 2018, registration for Reinvent Your Wheels is closed. However, we may be able to open up a few spots right after the New Year. If you are interested in joining the program, please add your name to the waiting list by clicking the button below.
How Much Does It Cost?
One easy payment of $550 (no cancellations; no refunds)
or
Monthly payments of $60 (automatically charged to your credit card by PayPal every 30 days through December 2019 unless you cancel; no refunds)
How Do I Cancel My Membership?
If you are a monthly subscriber, you may cancel any time (via your PayPal account) and not be charged for the month following cancellation. You may access your Reinvent Your Wheels online account and the Facebook group until the end of your current billing cycle.