1183634221760266 No More Starting Over — Why You’re Already on the Path - Thrive Beyond Pornography (Formerly The Self Mastery Podcast)

Episode 312

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Published on:

31st Aug 2025

No More Starting Over — Why You’re Already on the Path

Thrive Beyond Pornography is about real change. Overcoming pornography was the hardest challenge of my life and marriage. It shattered my confidence, tainted my most important experiences, and felt impossible to escape.

But I did.

This podcast—and the resources at GetToThrive.com—will help you understand the struggle, break free from pornography, and build a thriving life with your spouse.

At some point, I stepped away from 12-step meetings and counselors. I stopped looking for outside solutions and started figuring out my own mind. That shift changed everything. Here, I share those lessons with you. You’ll get the tools, principles, and mindset shifts you need to reclaim control—starting today.

Whether you're struggling with unwanted pornography use, supporting a spouse, or just feeling stuck, this podcast will help you move forward. You’ll hear real conversations with my spouse, experts in human sexuality, and former users who have broken free.

Thrive Beyond Pornography brings a fresh perspective to your journey, helping you change the way you think—and, ultimately, the way you live.

Transcript

🎙️ Episode 312: No More Starting Over — Why You’re Already on the Path

Intro (2–3 minutes)

[Soft intro music fades in, then under voice]

Host (you):

Hey friend — welcome back to the show. If you’ve ever found yourself saying, “Ugh, I have to start over again,” today’s episode is for you.

Because here’s the truth:

You’re not starting over. You never were.

Even in the moments that feel like failure… even when the habit breaks, the streak ends, or the old pattern creeps back in — you are still on the path.

In this episode, we’re dismantling what I call the “reset button” mindset — that belief that if you slip up, the whole thing gets wiped clean.

You reset your tracker, maybe feel a wave of shame, and whisper to yourself, “Okay… starting from day one. Again.”

But let’s pause here.

What if you never left the path in the first place?

What if your progress wasn’t erased… just evolving?

Today, I want to offer you a new frame — one that honors your full journey, not just the highlight reel.

Because transformation doesn’t live in perfection.

It lives in your pattern of returning.

So let’s talk about it:

Where this reset mentality comes from, how it holds us back, and — more importantly — how to move forward without starting over.

Let’s dive in.

🎙️ Segment 1: Why We Think We Need to Reset

(Estimated runtime: 5–7 minutes)

[Music fades out fully]

Host:

So let’s start with this: Why do we feel the need to reset at all?

Why do so many of us, after a slip or setback, automatically reach for that inner “restart button” — like the only way forward is to wipe the slate clean?

It’s not your fault. This mindset runs deep. And it's more common than you think.

Here are three major places it usually comes from:

🧠 1. All-or-Nothing Thinking

We’re taught — often from a young age — to think in extremes.

Either you’re on track, or you’re off.

You’re doing it right, or you’ve totally blown it.

But real life doesn’t work like that. Growth is not binary.

And yet, when we fall into all-or-nothing thinking, we treat every misstep like a collapse.

You might say:

“I was doing so well, and then I messed up — so now I have to start over.”

But here’s the reframe:

What if “messing up” is just part of doing well?

📜 2. Moral Models of Behavior Change

This is a big one. A lot of us carry the idea — often subconsciously — that change is a test of character.

So when we backslide, we don’t just see it as a mistake — we see it as a failure of who we are.

This is where language like "falling off the wagon" or “back to square one” comes from. It’s moral. It’s shame-loaded. And it’s not helpful.

Because when you frame your behavior as a reflection of your worth, you’re going to respond to setbacks with guilt, self-judgment, and — yep — hitting the reset button.

💭 3. Cultural Conditioning from Recovery Models

Now to be clear: recovery models like 12-step programs have helped millions of people — and the day-counting method has its place.

But outside of those specific contexts, a lot of us have internalized the idea that a “clean streak” equals progress.

So when that streak ends — whether it’s sobriety, meditation, healthy eating, screen time, you name it — we feel like everything resets to zero.

But ask yourself this:

“Does a single slip erase everything I’ve learned, built, or overcome?”

Of course not.

💬 Quick Reflection Prompt:

If you’re listening and thinking, “Wow… I do this a lot,” take a breath. You’re not alone.

And more importantly — you can unlearn it.

Because this mindset isn’t based in truth.

It’s based in shame. And shame is a terrible fuel source for growth.

Let me say that again:

Shame might spark a change — but it can’t sustain it.

The reset button isn’t just unnecessary — it’s counterproductive.

It keeps you stuck in the loop of self-judgment and disconnection from your progress.

But here’s the shift: Instead of seeing every lapse as a failure…

What if you saw it as feedback?

That brings us to the next piece: how to reframe change as a process — one rooted in practice, not perfection.

Show artwork for Thrive Beyond Pornography (Formerly The Self Mastery Podcast)

About the Podcast

Thrive Beyond Pornography (Formerly The Self Mastery Podcast)
(Formerly The Self Mastery Podcast) This podcast is for Couples who want to overcome pornography. We teach you how to retrain your brain to completely quit pornography. If you are excited to move past pornography, this is the...
Learning to Thrive Beyond Pornography use was the greatest challenge of our life and marriage. It had rocked my self confidence, tainted all of the most important experiences of my life and become the most impossible challenge I had as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
With this podcast or at https://www.zachspafford.com you'll learn about the struggle, how to overcome pornography use, and where to find additional resources to begin to thrive beyond pornography with your spouse.
At some point I took a step away from all the 12 step meetings and councilors and started to figure out my own brain, to look at my issue as something that I had the answer to and I was going to figure it out. Here I share those lessons and give you the power to start your own journey free. Whether you struggle with unwanted pornography use or are the spouse or partner, whether you feel stuck or just don't know where to start, here I will teach you principles, tools and skills that you can use today to change how you think and, in the end, what you do.
You'll hear interviews with my spouse, with experts on human sexuality and with former and current pornography users on how you can overcome your own struggle with addictive behavior.
The Thrive Beyond Pornography podcast will bring new perspective to your struggle and keep you coming back to improve all aspects of your life. (formerly, The Self Mastery Podcast: Overcome Pornography Forever)
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About your host

Profile picture for Zach Spafford

Zach Spafford

Zach Spafford is an Acceptance and Commitment Coaching, Be Bold Masters, and The Life Coach School trained life coach with over 25 years of experience with addictive behaviors.
He has been coaching in the business world for over 15 years and changing lives through increased productivity and achieved results.
Zach has a passion for making peoples lives better through helping them move past their addictive behaviors and becoming the people they want to be.