Sober Curator Podcast

Sober Curator Podcast

Getting sober matters. Staying sober matters more. That’s the whole premise. The Sober Curator Podcast brings sober lifestyle, pop culture and recovery to the mic with personality, perspective and a glitter bomb of honesty. Founder and host Alysse Bryson (sober since May 1, 2006, and self-described Kevin Bacon of Recovery) is joined by co-host and show producer Tamar Routly of Podcast Impact Studio, plus a rotating bench of global Sober Curator contributors who pull up a chair as co-hosts. What we cover, episode to episode: Happy Every Hour: zero-proof drinks, NA beer, spirits and cocktails, reviewed by people who actually drink them. Health and Wellness: mental health, physical health and what recovery looks like on a Tuesday. Lifestyle: dating, parenting, shopping, style and the everyday logistics of alcohol-free living. Entertainment: quit lit, movies, TV, music, sports and celebrity sobriety, rated with our proprietary Sobees. Spiritual Gangster: Jesus to astrology, stoicism to the Celtic calendar. Travel: sober events, sober retreats, Sobriety in the City and global travel without a drink in hand. We also review other sober podcasts on Recovery Podcastland, dig into sponsored product spotlights, and go deep with contributors on how they got sober and what keeps them there. New episodes drop as video on YouTube and audio everywhere you listen. Want more? BACKSTAGE with The Sober Curator is our membership community with Media Nights, Studio Nights, Edutainment Nights and The Sober Curator Mixtape, a monthly mini-zine delivered in a cassette case. Details at https://thesobercurator.com/backstage-with-the-sober-curator/ Whether you’re sober curious or decades in, we’ve got you. We’re not here to help you get sober. We’re here to help you live sober and love it. Rate, review and subscribe. It takes 60 seconds and we will love you forever. Contact: thesobercurator@gmail.com

Episodes

October 14, 2026 • 62 mins

In the fourth grade, Paulina Pinsky was cast as Miss Piggy on Ice. At eight, she was praying to Elvis before skating competitions. By her twenties, she was smoking weed every day and telling everyone it was medicine.

Now she's almost five years sober, writes the Substack newsletters Newly Sober and Process Over Product, and she's our newest Sober Curator contributor, bringing something we haven't covered enough: marijuana addiction....

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Golf has the 19th hole. Skiing has après. Every sport comes with a drink attached, and three sober athletes on three continents decided to keep the sport and lose the drink.

In this bonus episode, recorded live at BACKSTAGE with The Sober Curator, SOBA Golf founder Corey Davis, Soberski founder Ben Coombes and electric skateboarder Bianca Criaco join Alysse Bryson and co-host Tamar Routly to talk obsession, potential and the rush th...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Some people look at a mountain and see a party. Ben Coombes used to be one of them: magnums of rosé at lunch, shots on the chairlift, and more near misses than he can count. Then he tried something nobody in a ski resort does. He did a sober season.

Now Ben runs Soberski, alcohol-free chalet weeks in Méribel in the French Alps, and he’s our newest Sober Curator contributor. Alysse and Tamar (a snowboarder, it turns out) talk w...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Sober is having a moment. NA beer is outselling the real thing in some markets, Dry January is an industry, and everyone is saying "gray area drinking" like it's new slang. So we brought in two people who've been in this conversation from opposite ends: Ruby Williams spent 20 years in the wine industry. Susan Larkin spent 20 years at Yale School of Medicine. They met as This Naked Mind coaches, became meditation partners, and now h...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

A Toronto mixologist spends years building other people’s nights out. COVID moves her cocktail classes onto Zoom, the kits sell, and she has never been less happy. So she books a one-way ticket to Mexico.

Amanda Chen went from Tulum to a 10-day silent meditation retreat on the Oaxacan coast, walked out with no desire to drink, white-knuckled it for two years, and then found her people on a stranger’s patio at her first m...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

You know the exact thing that would help. The phrase, the reframe, the tool your therapist gave you that one time. And in the moment your brain gets loud, it goes blank.

Emily and Lindsay Stetzer are sisters. They both live with OCD and anxiety, and during COVID, in matching sweatsuits, they built a company called Presently that puts the reminders from therapy on your wrist, your keys, and your bathroom mirror. Alysse and Amy Liz Ha...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Three shows, three different flavors of "a sober person definitely wrote this" or "definitely did not." A basketball dynasty imploding over fake sobriety. Two women in very good coats who may or may not have killed their best friend. A suburban thief with a cocaine problem next door.

Alysse's TV ride or dies are here: Lane Kennedy, Patti Clark (making us global from Portugal), and co-host Tamar Routly. Spoilers for everything, on pu...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

You hit publish, and right in the pit of your stomach it lands: someone you have never told is about to hear it anyway. In this house, that feeling has a name. We call it Wednesday.

This week Alysse and Tamar take on the hazards of podcasting sober. Sober podcasters do not get the blackout excuse, and "radical honesty" was never supposed to mean unfiltered. Alysse tells the story of the episode her mom should have heard from her fir...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

You spend at least 40 hours a week at work. For a lot of people in recovery, that's 40 hours of navigating a culture that doesn't know you exist, or worse, doesn't care.

Eliza Zarka is changing that. She runs the National Recovery Friendly Workplace Institute, which certifies employers as recovery friendly, and she took an idea that started at a New Hampshire ski resort and turned it into a national movement with bipartisan federal ...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

A note before you listen: we recorded this episode in late July, several weeks before Hayden Panettiere died on August 16 at the age of 36. We are publishing it as recorded rather than editing her out. Her cause of death has not been released and we are not speculating. We recorded a separate conversation about her death, and it is the episode right before this one. If this is landing hard for you: 988 is the Suicide & Crisis L...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Hayden Panettiere died on Sunday, August 16, at the age of 36. Her cause of death has not been released. Police have said their preliminary investigation found no signs of foul play, and the coroner's office says the cause and manner remain pending further testing. We are not going to speculate past that.

In the same seven-day cycle, and completely separately, Brad Pitt told Esquire he is drinking again after seven years sober.

Two d...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

How do you create when inspiration seems gone?

Sabyn Mayfield joins Alysse Bryson to chat about retreats, new music, and life changes. This episode dives into the writing process behind his latest song "Worthy", the peace of silent retreats, and unexpected health journeys. It's about finding inspiration in unexpected places.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Sabyn discovered new musical inspiration during a silent monastery retreat.

  • Alysse shares crea...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

What's it really like to be a sober business owner?

Join Alysse and Tamar as they chat with Preston Peterman about the unique challenges and strengths of sober entrepreneurs. Discover how AI tools streamline business processes and hear real stories about facing fears and finding freedom in sober entrepreneurship.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

- The influence of sobriety on entrepreneurial success.

- AI tools can reduce work time dramatically.

- Access ...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
July 22, 2026 • 49 mins

Are you ready to build something that truly reflects who you are?

Monica Madrid shares her incredible journey from losing a record deal to Tupac to creating a women's football media empire. Her story is one of transformation, resilience, and the power of sobriety to fuel true passion and success.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Sobriety can be a foundation for building your dreams.

  • Gratitude can transform your perspective and life.

  • Embracing your ide...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
July 15, 2026 • 63 mins

Why do so many films glorify binge drinking?

In this episode, Alysse Bryson and Tamar Routly dive into how media impacts our perceptions of alcohol, aided by insights from Professor Ted Mandell. They explore how movies and TV shows depict alcohol consumption, often glamorizing binge drinking while ignoring the dangers. With a mix of nostalgia, frustration, and hope, the discussion uncovers the powerful but sometimes harmful narrativ...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Every club has a velvet rope. Ours just doesn't have a bar.

Alysse Bryson and Tamar Routly pull back the curtain on Backstage — The Sober Curator's membership community for people who want their sober life to come with actual people, actual events, and actual fun. Media Nights. Studio Nights. Edutainment Nights. If you've been wondering where the stylish, creative, slightly chaotic sober people hang out, the answer is: right h...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Can community make sobriety creative and fun?

In this episode, Alysse Bryson and Tamar Routly share the magic of The Sober Curator community. Discover how creativity thrives when sobriety becomes a lifestyle, with engaging stories from contributors who are transforming their sober journeys into inspiring art and connection.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • The Sober Curator is a vibrant, creative community for sober living.

  • Finding a supportive commu...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Season 1 was the proof of concept. Season 2 is the proof of life.

Alysse Bryson and Tamar Routly are back, and this season is everything the Sober Curator has always been — bold, irreverent, pop-culture-soaked, and built for the person who is done white-knuckling and ready to actually LIVE their sober life.In this first episode, Alysse and Tamar pull back the curtain on what's coming in Season 2: sober entrepreneurship, the Au...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

In this heartfelt episode of The Sober Curator, host Alysse Bryson is joined by a full lineup of Sober Curator contributors—Amy Liz Harrison, Alexandra Nyman, Megan Swan, Kim Parsley, and Dr. Sarah Michaud—to explore the life and legacy of Matthew Perry through a newly released documentary. The conversation delves into the documentary's focus on Perry's addiction battles, his recovery efforts, and his lasting impact. Th...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Ready to hear this one again?

In this lively roundtable, The Sober Curator crew dives deep into Mel Robbins’ viral book "The Let Them Theory " — and the controversy swirling around it. Hosts Alysse Bryson and Tamar Routly welcome guests Dr. Sarah Michaud, Megan Swan, Tony Harte, Carolyn Bunn and Amy Liz Harrison for a spirited discussion on whether "Let Them" is really a theory, how it fits into code...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

    The Bobby Bones Show

    Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.

    The Joe Rogan Experience

    The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2026 iHeartMedia, Inc.

  • Help
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • AdChoicesAd Choices