I’ve been on the hosting side of a podcast conversation enough times now that I know how it goes. You prep your questions, you hold the space, you keep the energy up. You’re in control.
Being the guest is a completely different situation.
Kelley Kitley had me on her podcast, and I want to say I showed up with everything buttoned up and polished. But here’s the thing about sitting across from a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 25 years of experience and 13 years of her own sobriety: that woman knows how to get you talking. Not in a therapy-chair way. In a “you’re just suddenly telling the truth faster than you planned to” way. It was a good time.
Episode 37 of The Kelley Kitley Podcast dropped March 26, 2026, and yes, I’m the guest.
The Full Circle Moment
If you’ve been with us for a while, you know that Kelley was on The Sober Curator Podcast back in the fall. That episode was one of my favorites we’ve ever done. She talked about gray-area drinking, telling on herself before a craving could get loud, and driving around blasting Jelly Roll instead of ordering room service wine. She’s known nationally as America’s Social Worker for a reason: she says the things most people keep behind glass in case of emergency.
Now she had me on hers, and I got to be on the other end of that for once.
What We Actually Got Into
We talked about almost 20 years of sobriety. We talked about the fact that I used to call myself a “professional drinker” with actual pride, like it was a skill set. We talked about Alcoholics Anonymous and what it did for me when nothing else was working. We talked about what it looked like when I stopped running from all of that and started running toward something instead.
We talked about why I built The Sober Curator. Because getting sober is already one of the hardest things a person can do, and the content out there should not make it feel lonelier or more clinical than it already sometimes is. I’ve wanted this place to feel like the magazine I wished existed when I was figuring out how to have a real life after I stopped drinking. A place where sobriety isn’t the sad part of the story. It’s where the good stuff starts.
Twenty-nine minutes. No fluff. I love Kelley for it.
While You’re In the Kelley Kitley Universe: The Book
Her memoir just got a major update. “MY self: An Autobiography of Survival, Recovery, & Empowerment” is out in its 2nd edition on April 1, 2026, timed to Alcohol Awareness Month. The new edition includes chapters on the sober curious movement, parenting four teenagers while in long-term recovery, losing her dad, and a whole section of resources for people exploring their relationship with alcohol.
#ADDTOCART: Pick up your copy of “MY self” on Amazon.
Listen to the Episode
Catch Episode 37 of The Kelley Kitley Podcast on Apple Podcasts here. It’s also available on Spotify and wherever you listen.
Find Kelley in the Digital Places and Social Spaces:
Getting sober is hard enough. Finding good recovery content shouldn’t be. #SOBERNOTBORING #NODAYSOFF #ODAAT
SOBER CURATOR PODCAST: From Barstools to Boundaries: America’s Social Worker Kelley Kitley Gets Real About Sobriety
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Q: What is The Kelley Kitley Podcast?
A: The Kelley Kitley Podcast is hosted by Kelley Kitley, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and national mental health expert known as America’s Social Worker. The show features honest, human conversations about mental health, sobriety, and recovery. New episodes drop weekly on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Kelley’s Substack. The tagline says it all: Hopeful, Honest, and Deeply Human Conversations.
Q: What episode of The Kelley Kitley Podcast features Alysse Bryson?
A: Episode 37, titled “Alysse Bryson: Founder of The Sober Curator: The Ultimate Resource for All Things Related to Recovery and Zero-Proof Living.” It dropped March 26, 2026 and runs 29 minutes. You can listen on Apple Podcasts or Kelley’s Substack.
Q: What do Alysse Bryson and Kelley Kitley talk about in the episode?
A: We get into almost 20 years of sobriety, what it looked like before I got sober (spoiler: I called myself a “professional drinker” and thought that was fine), how Alcoholics Anonymous changed my life, and why I built The Sober Curator into the platform it is today. It’s honest and it moves fast. No filler.
Q: Has Kelley Kitley been on The Sober Curator Podcast before?
A: Yes. Kelley joined us on The Sober Curator Podcast back in the fall of 2025. That episode covered gray-area drinking, what it means to tell on yourself before a craving becomes a problem, and the very specific practice of blasting Jelly Roll in a hotel room instead of ordering wine. You can read the full recap and listen here.
Q: Who is Kelley Kitley?
A: Kelley Kitley is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker based in Chicago with over 25 years of experience in the mental health field. She runs Serendipitous Psychotherapy and is 13 years sober herself. She’s appeared on Good Morning America, CNN, People, the Drew Barrymore Show, Live with Kelly and Mark, and more. She is known nationally as America’s Social Worker. Find her at kelleykitley.com.
Q: What is Kelley Kitley’s book?
A: Kelley’s memoir is called MY self: An Autobiography of Survival, Recovery, & Empowerment. The 2nd edition released April 1, 2026, in honor of Alcohol Awareness Month. The updated version includes new chapters on the sober curious movement, parenting teenagers in recovery, the death of her dad, and resources for people exploring their own relationship with alcohol. Grab it on Amazon here.
Q: How long has Alysse Bryson been sober?
A: I’ve been sober since May 1, 2006. My last drink was April 30, 2006. That’s nearly 20 years, and sobriety is still the best decision I’ve ever made. Not because it saved me from some dramatic rock bottom, but because it gave me access to an actual life I never would have built otherwise.
Q: What is The Sober Curator?
A: The Sober Curator is a sober lifestyle and pop culture media platform I founded in August 2020. We publish 50+ articles a month across entertainment, wellness, non-alcoholic drinks, travel, spirituality, and sober events. The platform has reached over 1.1 million people. The whole point is simple: getting sober is hard enough. Finding good recovery content shouldn’t be. Visit us at thesobercurator.com.
