There is a raccoon in this episode. Technically several raccoons. One of them is a local legend named Jimothy, one of them once stared down a thrown pencil like a tiny mob boss, and five of them once sat in a row outside a sliding glass door while my three-year-old read them a picture book.
I promise this is a business episode.
Episode 7 of The Sober Curator Podcast is the one where Tamar and I sit down with Preston Peterman, one of my favorite humans, definitely top ten. He’s tall, he has good shirts, he laughs at my jokes, and he happens to be the guy I call when I need to figure out how to turn a six-year passion project into an actual business. Because that’s where I am right now. The Sober Curator is no longer my side piece. I’ve now been unemployed for over six months, and it’s time to pivot.
The Hardest Thing You’ve Ever Done Was Your Business Training
Here’s the thesis of this whole conversation: if you’ve gotten sober, you’ve already done the hardest thing there is to do. (Followed closely by parenting. Parenting sober is easier. I have the receipts. Different episode.)
Preston has watched this pattern for years. People get sober and then suddenly they’re running ultramarathons, learning a language in a year, taking on the next hard thing on purpose. Tamar said the quiet part out loud: she spent years working hard because she was trying to prove something, and that thing she thought disqualified her turned out to be her superpower.
That’s the thread we pull all episode. Why so many sober people end up working for themselves. What we know about doing hard things with a playbook. And what happens when you finally stop asking “can I do this?” and start asking “okay, how?”
Preston’s credentials, by the way, are not vibes. He took a consulting company from $1.5 million to $17.5 million in three years. A 10X run. Then he left to help people like the yacht broker who canceled a two-week trip through the San Juans because one person quit on him. That story is in the episode, and if you’ve ever canceled your own life for your job, it’s going to sting in a useful way.
It Started in Orlando (Where Everything Starts, Apparently)
If you listened to [Episode 6, the sober travel one with the inflatable walkers], you already know about PodFest Orlando. What I didn’t tell you is what happened after the Golden Girls costumes came off.
All three of us were at Amplify Sober Voices, a one-day summit of about 50 sober entrepreneurs and content creators. Authors, podcasters, accountants, real estate people. A whole room talking business where the undercurrent is, oh right, we’re all sober. They’re doing it again in 2027 and the link is in the show notes.
We also went to Disney World for a day. Preston would like you to know it was tax-deductible. For him. I didn’t have a business yet. Lesson one, free of charge: start the business before the Disney trip.
From there, Preston led a small group of us through his Edge Program, and I’m not going to lay out the whole framework here because he does it better on the mic. What I’ll tell you is that it starts with three words, ends with something called Farpoint Freedom, and forces you to do the one thing every new business owner avoids: actually telling humans in your network what you do. Three weeks in. No hiding. The accountability nearly killed me and it’s also why I now have an ideal client instead of a vague hand gesture.
And Then We Talked About AI for a Long Time
You knew this was coming. Tamar and I joke that there are twelve steps for people like us. Let go and let Claude. (Read my Claude Anonymous 12 step re-write HERE or find a Claude Addicts T-Shirts HERE.)
But underneath the jokes, this section is the most useful thing in the episode if you run anything at all. Preston tells a client story involving a retreat property in Sheridan, Wyoming, a financial analysis done mid-conversation, and a website built from the ground up in about 60 minutes. Sixty. A thing we all would have paid thousands for two years ago.
I share what we built for The Sober Curator, where 39-ish contributors (the number moves; they’re volunteers; four are Canadian and therefore the nicest) publish about 60 articles a month on a site run by exactly one me. A couple of years ago, that required a full-time person. Now there’s a tool trained on six years of archives and our top 200 articles that helps contributors make their pieces stronger before they ever hit my desk.
And here’s the line in the sand, because I know some of you tensed up two paragraphs ago: nobody wants AI slop. You know it when you read it. I know it when I read it. The tools compress the boring parts. The discernment, the voice, the taste? Still human. Still us. That’s non-negotiable around here.
Preston also breaks down ROE, return on effort, which is the lens I now use for everything. I’ll let him explain it, but the short version changed how I decide what’s worth my time. Prices aren’t going down, folks.
Come Sit With Us
Two things before you press play.
First: Backstage, our private membership community, holds space once a week just to talk AI. Sometimes there are three of us, sometimes ten. You go around the room, share one cool thing or one frustrating thing, and I have never once left without something new to try. It’s $19 a month or $190 for the year, cancel anytime, and if “business-oriented nerds who geek out on sobriety and AI” sounds like your people, they’re already in the room. [Join us Backstage.]
Second: if you’re a sober business owner, loud and proud about it, The Sober Curator Rolodex is your free, SEO-optimized listing on our site, brought to you by Preston’s company, Far Point Strategy. Real estate, dental, legal, marketing, contracting, whatever you build. There’s a spot with your name on it.
The Part I Almost Didn’t Say Out Loud
I’ve run one of Seattle’s largest magazines. I’ve done six years at the city’s biggest TV station. And I still can’t say “I’m a business owner” out loud without getting weird about it.
So I’m doing this the same way I stay sober: out loud, with my community, imperfectly. Preston said something near the end of the episode that I made him repeat because it belongs on a Sober Shot: you’re allowed to believe you already have what it takes.
You’re allowed to believe you already have what it takes.
Preston Peterman, Far Point Strategy
You’ve done the hard things. You’re just looking for the next one.
Press play. Bring a notebook. Watch out for raccoons.
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What is Episode 7 of The Sober Curator Podcast about?
Sober entrepreneurship. Alysse Bryson and Tamar Routly are joined by consultant Preston of Far Point Strategy to talk about why sober people make natural business owners, how to leave corporate America without setting your life on fire, and how to use AI in your business without producing slop. Also, there are raccoons. Multiple. One is named Jimothy.
Who is Preston?
Preston is a consultant and founder of Far Point Strategy who started his own practice in 2023 after helping scale a consulting company from $1.5 million to $17.5 million in three years. He now works with entrepreneurs and early-stage business owners, including Alysse as she takes The Sober Curator from passion project to full-time business. He also runs The Edge Program, a four-week cohort that gets new business owners from idea to actual launch.
What is The Edge Program?
It’s Preston’s small-group program for people launching or growing a service-based business. The framework is built around three areas (serve, scale, and self) pointed at a long-term vision he calls Farpoint Freedom. The part everyone remembers: three weeks in, you’re required to tell real humans in your network exactly what you do and what you’re asking for. Both Alysse and Tamar went through it after meeting up at PodFest Orlando. Preston explains how it works in the episode.
What is Amplify Sober Voices?
A one-day summit for sober entrepreneurs and content creators held as part of PodFest in Orlando, where about 50 sober authors, podcasters, speakers, and business owners gathered to talk shop. It’s where this episode was born. The next one happens in 2027, and the link to learn more is in the show notes.
How is The Sober Curator using AI without creating AI slop?
With human discernment in the middle of everything. The Sober Curator publishes roughly 60 articles a month from nearly 40 volunteer contributors around the world, and a custom tool trained on six years of archives helps contributors strengthen their drafts before Alysse edits, publishes, and curates every piece herself. The tools compress the busywork. The voice, taste, and final call stay human. The full breakdown, including Preston’s 60-minute website story, is in the episode.
Where can I talk about AI with other sober business owners?
Inside Backstage, The Sober Curator’s private membership community, which holds a weekly one-hour AI meeting. Some weeks it’s three people, some weeks it’s ten, and everyone shares one thing they learned or one thing they can’t figure out. Membership is $19 a month or $190 a year, cancel anytime. Join BACKSTAGE HERE
What is The Sober Curator Rolodex?
A free, SEO-optimized directory on thesobercurator.com for sober-owned businesses, brought to you by Far Point Strategy. Real estate, legal, dental, marketing, accounting, contracting, whatever you do. If you’re a sober business owner who’s out and proud about it, you can get listed for free at thesobercurator.com/the-sober-curator-rolodex/.
Where can I listen to The Sober Curator Podcast?
Everywhere you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart, and in full video on YouTube at @thesobercurator. New episodes drop weekly. Getting sober matters. Staying sober matters more.
