Recovery isn’t a formula — it’s a framework. In this article, Prairie Francia explores the neuroscience behind personalized healing, why no two brains recover the same way, and how to map your unique pathway through values, motivation, and intentional change.

When emotions take over, the brain’s alarm system—the amygdala—hijacks control, leaving the logical prefrontal cortex offline. The result? Reactivity.

Learn how mindfulness, reflection, and identity-based regulation strengthen emotional balance and create lasting recovery through neuroplasticity…

Why do habits feel so hard to break? And more importantly — how can they be rewired to support recovery?

In this episode of Breaking Free from Within, host Prairie Francia explores the neuroscience of habits and how they shape our recovery journey. Drawing on research from Charles Duhigg (The Power of Habit), Ann Graybiel (Nature Reviews Neuroscience), and real-world client success stories, Prairie explains how habits are formed through the loop of cue → routine → reward and how new pathways can be built through habit substitution…

What happens when you stop saying, “I’m trying to quit” and start saying, “I’m the kind of person who…”?

In this episode of Breaking Free from Within, host Prairie Francia explores the power of identity shift in recovery. Instead of focusing only on what you’re resisting, identity-based recovery asks you to step into who you want to become…

What do you truly stand for? In this episode of Breaking Free from Within, host Prairie Francia explores how values-based recovery helps individuals and treatment providers anchor decisions in what matters most.

Values are the compass that guide our lives — qualities like honesty, family, freedom, or health. According to Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory (1977), values are shaped early through modeling and parental influence. But in the chaos of addiction, people-pleasing, or survival mode, values often get buried…

In this episode of Breaking Free from Within, host Prairie Francia dives into the fascinating science of cravings and why they extend far beyond food or substance use. Drawing from neuroscience, addiction studies, and recovery coaching, Prairie explores how the brain interprets cravings as signals—often pointing to unmet needs, emotional avoidance, or disrupted balance in the body…

In this episode of Breaking Free from Within, host Prairie Francia explores the habit loop—a powerful framework that explains why we repeat the same behaviors even when we want to change. Drawing from neuroscience, recovery coaching, and motivational interviewing, Prairie breaks down the cycle of cue → craving → response → reward and shows how we can begin to shift it.

Recovery isn’t just about stopping a behavior—it’s about reshaping the brain and aligning your life with the person you want to become. As a Substance Use Disorder professional and wellness coach, I’ve seen how transformation happens at two levels: the clinical, evidence-based rewiring of neural pathways, and the energetic alignment of our thoughts, actions, and intentions.

When these two worlds meet, change doesn’t just become possible—it becomes sustainable…

In this episode, Prairie Francia breaks down what your cravings are really trying to tell you—and how to respond with self-awareness and aligned action. Drawing from her expertise as a health coach, SUD counselor, and energy mentor, Prairie reveals the dual nature of cravings: some are biological cries for nutrients, and others are emotional attempts to fill an internal void…

Sugar, grains, alcohol, and inflammatory oils might be the reason you feel stuck, swollen, or fatigued—even if you’re trying to eat “healthy.” In this episode, Prairie Francia breaks down the science behind modern inflammation, the importance of gut and lymphatic health, and how your body type plays a role in how you metabolize these substances. Learn the truth about hidden ingredients, sugar addiction, and the dangers of normalizing inflammation. It’s time to reset—lovingly and powerfully—with the Clean Body Reboot.

Tired of feeling puffy, foggy, or stuck in self-sabotaging cycles? In this episode, Prairie Francia shares the hidden causes of inflammation, the gut-brain connection to emotional eating, and how to reboot your body with her 28-Day Clean Body Reboot.

In this episode of Breaking Free From Within, Prairie Francia explores the energetic and emotional wisdom of your organs—from ancient systems like Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda to modern science on the gut-brain axis and heart coherence. Learn how specific breathwork and touch techniques can help release stored emotions in the liver, lungs, heart, kidneys, gut, and more. Discover how healing your internal energy centers brings your body back into alignment—so you can manifest from a place of clarity, safety, and wholeness. Includes practical rituals, affirmations, and powerful insights for becoming a clear vessel for creation.

I’m sharing not just what I’ve learned professionally, but what I’ve lived personally. I’m taking you into the Body Pillar of Energetic Alignment, and how your physical body—your health, your energy, your metabolism—is holding the key to the life you’re trying to manifest…

In my 20s, I said yes to everything. I overbooked myself, I stayed late, I took on more than I could carry—because deep down, I thought my worth was measured by how productive I was.

I wore exhaustion like a badge of honor. But looking back, that wasn’t strength. That was survival mode.

Now I know the truth: your nervous system matters more than your to-do list.

In this deeply personal and reflective episode, Prairie Francia shares the five aligned reasons she’s chosen to step away from alcohol—and how this decision reflects a broader invitation many women are beginning to feel.

In this powerful episode, we’re pulling back the curtain on how dopamine—the brain’s reward chemical—shapes not just our habits, but our energy, alignment, and ability to manifest.

As a Substance Use Disorder (SUD) professional and aligned living mentor, I share how I learned that dopamine doesn’t just spike when you receive a reward—it spikes in anticipation of it. This understanding shifted everything for me, and today I’ll show you how it may be silently driving your self-sabotaging behaviors, addictive loops, and even your mindset around success and worth.

This season, I’m speaking straight to the part of you that’s ready for more—more peace, more clarity, more self-trust. These episodes are designed to reflect not just what you’re walking through, but who you’re becoming.

I’ll be sharing the truths I’ve lived, the tools that helped me heal, and the exact frameworks I now teach in my courses and retreats to help women come back into full energetic alignment.

Today we’re talking about something that may be sitting quietly in the background of your life… something you may have felt unsure or even afraid to explore—and that’s your relationship with alcohol.

Not from a place of judgment. Not from a place of labeling.

But from the place I always come from with you: energy alignment…

If you’ve ever struggled with anxiety, addiction, emotional numbing, or chronic relationship patterns—and you don’t quite understand why you do what you do—this episode will give you insight, validation, and a map for healing.

We’re going to talk about:

What ACEs really are
How they show up in your adult life
The science behind why they affect your health and behavior
And most importantly—how to begin healing and reclaiming your power…

Today we’re talking about why it’s so important to allow the person struggling with addiction—what we call the “identified patient”—to experience the full repercussions of their actions.

And why stepping in to shield them—even when it’s done with love—can unintentionally block their growth and prolong the cycle of addiction.