Ep 196. What 5 Days Offline Taught Me About Stillness, Intuition and Energy, with Ash ButterssEp 196. What 5 Days Offline Taught Me About Stillness, Intuition and Energy, with Ash Butterss
Behind The Smile with Ash Butterss
Ash Butterss reflects on five offline days at a Gold Coast wellness retreat and how stillness shifted her relationship with stress, intuition and energy. She talks about trusting the body over devices, deep chats with strangers, and simple four-pillar practices to support recovery and wellbeing.
44:58•11 Oct 2026
Five Days Offline: Ash Butterss on Stillness, Intuition and Real Stress
Episode Overview
- Stepping away from Wi-Fi and constant phone use can reveal how much time is spent in distraction rather than self-connection.
- Wearable tech data is helpful, but it shouldn’t override the felt wisdom of the body and intuition.
- Short, regular regulation breaks during the day support stress management more than just morning and evening routines.
- Re-reading key spiritual or recovery books at a new stage of life can offer completely different lessons and relief from resentment.
- Balancing mental, physical, emotional and spiritual practices with small, consistent habits can strengthen life in recovery.
“My body and my intuitive wisdom is far more intelligent than any smartwatch or ring.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? This candid solo episode shares Ash Butterss’ week at a Gold Coast wellness retreat and what five days offline revealed about stress, intuition and energy. You’ll hear Ash talk openly about her struggle to genuinely switch off, even in long-term recovery, and how stepping away from Wi-Fi, work and routine exposed just how often she reaches for her phone without thinking.
The retreat’s “choose your own adventure” style gave her space to rest, move, and reflect, while communal meals brought surprisingly deep chats with strangers that highlighted how lonely modern life can be. A big theme is learning to trust the body over data.
After an in-depth nervous system session with practitioner Simon, Ash finds her heart health sitting in the 99th percentile, directly challenging her stress-obsessed smart ring: “my body and my intuitive wisdom is far more intelligent than any smartwatch or ring.” She talks about setting small check-in moments through the day rather than living in permanent “go mode”.
Ash also shares how a second read of *The Untethered Soul* hits completely differently in recovery, helping her release resentment and see painful thoughts as energy that can move through rather than define her. That reflection feeds into a bigger shift: listening to the quiet inner voice that led her to step back from teaching multiple public yoga classes and pour more energy into coaching and service.
Throughout, she breaks health down into four pillars—mental, physical, emotional and spiritual—and offers simple practices like gratitude lists, short walks, journalling and prayer that feel realistic for anyone rebuilding life after addiction. If you’re sober or sober-curious and craving stillness, connection and a gentler pace, this episode might nudge you to put your phone down, listen inward and ask: what is your intuition trying to say today?
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