Better Days Sober Living

11/17/2025

When growth begins, it’s easy to look back and cringe at who you used to be.
The choices.
The patterns.
The seasons where you drifted or got stuck.

But that version of you wasn’t a barrier — it was the bridge.
Every habit, even the ones you outgrew, was your brain’s best attempt to survive with the information it had.

This week’s Mind by Fire breaks down what happens in that “middle phase” — the space between who you were and who you’re becoming — and why it matters more than you think.

Stay tuned — new fire-cooked recipe drops Friday.

Link in the bio!

11/13/2025

Beyond grateful for the support at the Ignite Recovery launch. Family, friends, and the recovery community showed up in an amazing way.

What is ignite recovery? Glad you asked!

Ignite Recovery is a monthly cooking series that gives residents a positive, skill-based outlet by bringing sober living homes together through food, fire, and fellowship-trading old habits for better ones and channeling that energy into something creative and productive.

Until the next one! Rumor has it there might be a chili cook off at the next event

11/11/2025

🔥 This Week’s Mind by Fire Issue 🔥

Read this week’s issue highlighting the Ignite Recovery event — a day built around food, fire, and fellowship.

What started as an idea turned into something powerful — Treatment centers, sponsors, and sober living homes all came together to help support this launch — showing what’s possible when we move with purpose and unity.

Read it here 👇

Inside the first Ignite Recovery event

11/04/2025

🔥 In this week’s Mind by Fire newsletter:
I wrote about how most of us rush through the week waiting for Friday — fast-forwarding five days just to enjoy two.

But when you start designing your week with intention, every day starts to feel like it matters.
Your brain learns what to look forward to — and when you build purpose and small joys into your weekdays, life stops feeling like something you’re escaping from.

✨ That’s what I call Time Wealth — a life you don’t need to retire from.

If you’ve been feeling like your days blur together, this one’s for you.

👉 Read “Every Day Deserves Your Energy” here:

The mindset shift that made my weekdays feel better than Fridays.

10/28/2025

Ever felt guilty for keeping a straight face when something really bothered you?
That’s not you being fake — that’s you trying to stay regulated in a world that often tells you to “just stay positive.”

This week’s Mind by Fire digs into toxic positivity — what it actually is, how it shows up in your brain, and how to protect your peace without guilt.

🧠 Read “Fire Beneath the Calm”

When protecting your peace means suppressing emotion with a straight face.

10/23/2025

Rewiring the Self-Pity Loop

The self-pity loop sounds like:
“It’s always me.”
“I can’t catch a break.”
“Other people just have it easier.”

Your brain believes you.

The Reticular Activating System (RAS) starts filtering proof to match the story you keep telling it.

You miss a call — “Of course.”
Someone cancels — “Typical.”
Another delay — “It’s just my luck.”

What you repeat — your brain rehearses.

🔥 This week’s Mind by Fire newsletter breaks down how to rewire the self-pity loop and retrain your attention toward agency.

Read it here
👇🏼
https://mindbyfire-newsletter.beehiiv.com/p/rewiring-the-self-pity-loop

Discover how your brain mistakes protection for punishment — and how to rewire self-pity into progress through gratitude, action, and purpose.

10/21/2025

Two years ago, Better Days Sober Living opened its doors with one simple goal — to create a safe, structured environment where men could rebuild their lives with purpose and accountability.

It hasn’t been easy. There have been trials, challenges, and lessons that shaped who we are today. But through it all, we’ve grown — stronger, more connected, and more committed than ever to serving those in recovery and supporting our community.

We’re still here. Still standing. Still serving.
And we’re just getting started.

To those I’ve had the chance to work with — thank you.
To those I haven’t met yet — I look forward to connecting, collaborating, and continuing outreach to build stronger partnerships across Tarrant County and beyond.

Here’s to more growth, more impact, and more Better Days ahead.

Christopher Pena

10/14/2025

🔥 Energy Follows Attention: Which Wolf Are You Feeding?

This week’s Mind by Fire newsletter is live.

The things we give energy to shape who we become — thoughts, routines, distractions, all of it.
Your brain doesn’t care if it’s focus or fear — it just builds what you feed.

In this issue, I break down how attention literally rewires your brain — and how to take that power back, one small shift at a time.

Read it here 👇

Discover how your brain’s Reticular Activating System (RAS) filters reality — and why the wolf you feed determines your focus, growth, and direction.

10/09/2025

The Purpose Behind Ignite Recovery

Recovery isn’t just about removing what’s harmful — it’s about igniting what’s meaningful. Many individuals in sober living lose access to community, structure, and excitement once treatment ends. Ignite Recovery exists to fill that gap — turning fellowship and cooking into a living practice of recovery.
By replacing destructive habits with creative ones, participants discover joy, confidence, and belonging. Cooking — especially over fire — becomes a powerful outlet for passion and connection. It’s tangible proof that something new, beautiful, and shared can grow in the same space where something destructive once lived.

Please join us at the Ignite Recovery launch event
Sunday, November 9th, 2025
1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
City on a Hill, 1140 Morrison Dr. Fort Worth, TX

10/07/2025

Check out this weeks newsletter drop here!
👇🏼

How autosuggestion and repetition train the subconscious to move.

10/02/2025

In a world full of distractions, compounded by an endless to-do list…
here’s some information to help you find your focus, one task at a time. 🧠🔥

📌 Mental models give your brain a blueprint.
They anchor your attention so interruptions don’t take over.

📌 The Pomodoro Technique locks it in.
25 minutes of focus + 5 minutes of rest → a rhythm your brain can sustain.

This week, ask yourself:
What boundary can I set to protect my focus?

👉 Save this carousel as your reminder.
👉 For more weekly brain-based rituals: mindbyfire-newsletter.beehiiv.com

10/02/2025