Let me take you back to 2006.
I got sober on May 1st, which means my first full year without a drink was also the year everyone was losing their minds over “SexyBack” and nobody had an iPhone yet. If I’m remembering correctly, I had a burgundy BlackBerry. MySpace was the social network. Tom was everyone’s first friend. And the concept of a sober lifestyle publication was so far in the future it might as well have been science fiction.
There was no content ecosystem for people like me. No podcast library. No sober influencers. No beautifully curated corner of the internet where someone was saying, “Hey, you’ve figured out the not-drinking part. Here’s what the rest of it can look like.”
So (eventually), I built it.
In August 2020, right in the middle of a global pandemic when literally nothing made sense, I launched The Sober Curator. I hit publish before I was ready, couldn’t figure out how to unpublish it, and just… went with it. I took the phrase “start before you’re ready” quite literally. That accidental launch is now a platform with more than 1,000,000 unique visitors, 17,000+ newsletter subscribers, 38 contributors across six countries, and 3,000+ published articles.
And honestly? We’re just getting started. (cracks knuckles and settles back behind her sticker covered laptop)
The Problem Nobody Was Talking About
Here’s what I kept running into: the sober content world has gotten incredible for people in early recovery. And that matters. That work is necessary and good.
But what about the rest of us who have been doing this for a while, with no days off?
What about the people who are tired of being treated like they’re one bad day away from relapse? Who don’t need another meditation app or gratitude journal? Who want to talk about the Severance finale without someone asking if they’re ‘doing okay’?
Most of the membership communities I’d seen fell into one of two camps: peer support groups (which are great and necessary, and also not what I was looking for) or subscription boxes with nice candles. And while I will always respect a well-curated candle, I was looking for something different.
I wanted a room where we talked about books we loved and movies that wrecked us. A place we can talk about an article we just read in the New York Times or a fascinating rabbit hole we’ve discovered on ConspiracyTok. Where someone could ask, “Has anyone else been obsessed with Love Story on Hulu?” without it becoming a conversation about recovery metaphors. Where we could talk about building businesses, planning trips, navigating creativity, and figuring out what the next chapter looks like when you’re sober and you’re doing well and you still want more.
That room didn’t exist.
So I’m building it.
Introducing Backstage with The Sober Curator
Backstage is not a recovery meeting. It’s not a support group. It’s not a subscription box.
It’s a cultural membership. A private room for people in long-term sobriety who want to talk about everything else.
Think of it as a clubhouse. The kind with a virtual velvet rope — not because we’re gatekeeping, but because curation matters. The people inside should actually want to be there. And the conversations should feel like the after-party, not the committee meeting.
Picture this: it’s a Wednesday night. You’re on your couch with a glass of something fizzy and a notebook. Fifty other people are logged in from six different time zones. Someone just said something brilliant about Anthony Hopkins’ book “We Did Ok, Kid.” Someone else is making a joke about their sourdough starter. You’re laughing. You’re taking notes. You feel like you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.
Every month, Backstage members get three curated virtual experiences — all recorded, so you never have to miss one because of a schedule conflict:
Media Night is where we gather around culture, not confession. Books, TV, podcasts, film, theater, headlines. Sharp takes, better conversation.
Studio Night is hands-on. We make things together. Journaling, collaging, painting, sticker club, whatever the season calls for. Creative momentum without performance pressure. Artist skills not required and a playful open-mind being mandatory.
Edutainment (aka Learn Night) is exactly what it sounds like: think MasterClass, but make it sober. You learn something new or get better at something you already love, from people worth listening to.
Members also get access to exclusive content you won’t find on the main site, a quarterly digital zine that’s actually worth saving (art-forward, culturally rich, designed to be devoured), and curated brand drops from companies we actually love. Not your standard 10% off. Limited access, members-only opportunities.
Who This Is For (And Who It Isn’t)
Backstage is for people who are already doing the work.
People who are stable. People who are steady. People who have survived their own brains, done the foundational stuff, and now want to actually build or keep leveling up a life they’re excited about, with other people who understand the specific texture of long-term sobriety.
You don’t need to have a decade under your belt. But you should be past the phase where every conversation needs to circle back to your origin story. You’re ready to talk about everything else. The books. The business decisions. The weird joy of paying your bills on time every month, not being the drunk parent at your kids’ soccer game, or waking up on a Saturday morning and knowing where you are.
If you’re still navigating early recovery and need peer support, I want that for you.The Sober Curator has a full resource guide, and there are incredible communities built specifically for that season.
Backstage is for the next chapter.
Why I’m Doing This Now
Let me tell you why this matters so much to me right now.
I’ve been building The Sober Curator for five years while working a full-time career in corporate media and events. What’s on the back of my baseball card? I was the Publisher of Seattle Met magazine for nearly a decade. Director of Business Development at KING 5 NBC for six years—including two years during COVID. And most recently, I spent 3.5 years working for a global shipping and logistics company specializing in large-scale corporate events for some of the biggest brands on the planet. I did all of it simultaneously because I believed in what we were building here. (Yes, I do sleep, but it is truly amazing what you can accomplish when you aren’t putting a fifth of vodka down your throat every day.)
And now I’m all in. I’m pushing my sober chips into the center of the table and doubling down my efforts to do The Sober Curator full-time. One of my gifts is the knack for bringing people together and then stepping out of the way and watching the magic happen between them. I was self-dubbed the “Kevin Bacon of Recovery” a few years back and my track record shows I’ve done my best to live up to that Gen-X inspired phrase.
I can’t wait to see what the next 20 years of my sobriety brings. But here’s the thing: I don’t want to build this next chapter for you. I want to build it with you.
Backstage is that.
It’s me, taking 20 years of sobriety and 25 years of media experience and saying: here’s a room worth being in.
Come help me decorate it.
The Founding Member Opportunity
Founding Membership is capped at 200 people.
That’s not a marketing trick. That’s an intentional design decision. The first cohort shapes the culture of the room. I want the founding group to be intentional, curious, and genuinely invested in what we’re building together.
Founding Members lock in at $19/month or $197 for the year—the lowest rates this membership will ever be. When those 200 spots fill, the membership moves to the standard rate of $27/month or $297 for the year. The founding rate is a thank-you for showing up early and helping set the tone.
Invitations go out Spring 2026. You have to be on the list to get in.
One Last Thing
Recovery has been framed as survival for a long time. And survival is not nothing. Survival is where it starts.
But sobriety at its best is not a story about what you gave up. It’s a story about what you built instead. The career you didn’t blow up. The relationships you actually showed up for. The Saturday mornings that belong to you. The life that fits.
I love waking up on a Sunday, making a perfect iced caramel macchiato, and spending three hours reading or making art without my brain screaming at me. It’s the business I built because I was clear-headed enough to see the gap. It’s the Tuesday nights where I’m not wondering where the cool people are—I’m building the room they’re walking into.
Backstage is where we talk about that life.
Get on the waitlist. Founding spots are limited to 200 people and invitations go out Spring 2026.
Learn more about Backstage with The Sober Curator here.
SOBER POP CULTURE: Sober Celebrities: 100+ Famous People in Recovery
SOBER POP CULTURE at The Sober Curator is where mainstream trends meet the vibrant world of sobriety. We serve up a mix of movie, podcast, fashion, and book recommendations alongside alcohol-free cocktails, celebrity features, and pop culture buzz—all with a sober twist.
We’re here to shatter the “sobriety is boring” myth with a mash-up of 80s neon, 90s hip-hop edge, early 2000s bling, and today’s hottest trends. From celebrity shoutouts to red-carpet style inspo, this is where sober is as chic as it is fun. To the celebs using their platform for good—our Sober Pop Trucker hats are off to you!
Resources Are Available
If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties surrounding alcoholism, addiction, or mental illness, please reach out and ask for help. People everywhere can and want to help; you just have to know where to look. And continue to look until you find what works for you. Click here for a list of regional and national resources.
