RECOVERY PODCASTLAND
Pathfinder’s Michael Toscano Talks Sober Nightlife and Non-Alcoholic Trends

The Sober Curator Podcast’s 13th episode welcomes Michael Toscano, a Brooklyn-based hospitality veteran who transitioned from mixing award-winning martinis at Dante, once crowned the world’s #1 bar, to championing non-alcoholic spirits with The Pathfinder. Toscano’s journey, candidly shared with hosts Alysse Bryson, Tamar Routly, and Alex Nyman, offers a front-row seat to the changing landscape of sobriety—one where grown-up, complex zero-proof beverages and authentic community take center stage.

#QUITLIT
A Clean Mess by Tiffany Jenkins 

Jenkins opens the memoir with a gut-punch of a text from her husband—the kind that makes you re-read it ten times and feel your stomach drop each time. That moment sets off a chain reaction in her life that’s messier, more chaotic, and way more complex than her early recovery. And isn’t that just so real? Anyone can quit for a day, a week, even a year. But life doesn’t stop just because we put down the bottle or the pills.

ENTERTAINMENT
Judah & the Lion’s “The Process” Finds Hope in Heartbreak

In an era where grief is often reduced to Instagram captions and curated vulnerability, Judah & the Lion’s fifth studio album, The Process, dares to dwell in the muck of mourning. Not for spectacle, not even for solace—but for truth. It is a grief record in the truest sense, mapped to the five stages of grief as outlined by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, but lived through the lens of front man Judah Akers’ real-life losses: a marriage collapsed, family members lost to suicide, and a nervous system frayed by trauma. If indie-folk music once promised healing in harmonies, The Process insists healing only comes from naming the wound.

CURATED CRAFTS
Paint and Sip: Disco Balls, Mocktails, and Curated Vibes

Let’s get one thing straight: this ain’t my first rodeo at SOBER AF Bottle Shop in Tacoma—and I guarantee it won’t be my last. Why? Because the space is hella cool, the vibes are immaculate, and Stephanie (the fearless founder and Chief Curator of All Things Fun) has built a sober sanctuary that gives Studio 54 a run for its money—minus the hangover and questionable life choices.

ENTERTAINMENT
Chrissy Teigen and the Courage of Not Knowing Yet

When Chrissy spoke about feeling like she let people down, it pierced something in me. The ache in her voice was real. It made me wonder what we owe each other, if anything, when it comes to our sobriety. The truth is, we don’t owe anyone our stories. But when we choose to share them, as Chrissy has, it can make people feel less alone. And that matters. 

#WEDORECOVER
Miley Cyrus Says Sobriety Is “Like My God”

Miley Cyrus’ journey with sobriety has become one of the most defining aspects of her personal and creative evolution. First experimenting with sober living in 2019, Cyrus has since come to see sobriety as essential to her well-being—calling it her “God” in a recent Apple Music interview. While she openly acknowledges the challenges, including a pandemic-era relapse she described with characteristic candor, Cyrus frames those missteps as necessary lessons that led her to deeper self-awareness and healing. “It all led me to writing ‘Flowers,’” she said, crediting her 2024 Grammy-winning anthem as a turning point that unlocked emotional recovery and artistic renewal.

Now 32, Cyrus is clear-eyed about what sobriety gives her: clarity, creativity, and control. She’s also quick to stress that recovery isn’t one-size-fits-all, saying, “Everyone has to do what’s best for them.” For her, staying sober isn’t about restriction—it’s about freedom from the destructive patterns that once clouded her decisions. Whether performing intimate shows or steering clear of rigorous touring to protect her mental and physical health, Cyrus prioritizes staying “mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally fit.” In reclaiming her life, Miley hasn’t just found stability—she’s found the key to making art that resonates with authenticity and power.

For anyone struggling, know that help is available: 📞 1-800-662-HELP (SAMHSA Helpline).

SOBER EVENTS
Happy Every Hour: Mocktails + Murals with The Sober Curator

Tired of the same old “happy hour” that’s all buzz and no substance? Enter Happy Every Hour: Mocktails + Murals, a vibrant new limited-run event series hosted by The Sober Curator (that’s me, Alysse Bryson!) in collaboration with the Henry Mural Tours and booze-free bevy badassery from NOPE. This is not your average city tour. This is your new favorite Thursday night.

SPIRITUAL GANGSTER
Classy Problems: Thank You is a Good Place to Start

As life becomes more complex, it becomes increasingly important to be precise with our words. Saying “No” versus “No, thank you” sends two very different messages.

Sequences dictate. How we put things in order has an impact on the outcome. The way we express our refusal can shift the tone of a conversation and impact relationships. Consider the difference between saying “No, thank you” and “Thank you, no.”

SPIRITUAL GANGSTER
The Lifecycle of Ghosts

All my life, I’ve felt haunted. Haunted by ancestors past, whose abuse would have devastating effects for generations. The two people responsible for raising me would each be plagued by their respective familial traumas— shadowed by the demons of addiction and mental illness for their— and my— entire life. I stood in my mother’s house, the house I grew up in, and I shivered. For the second time in five years, I was confronting the not-so-friendly ghosts of my childhood; complex memories wafted in and out of every dusty nook and cranny. An only child, now essentially an orphan (one deceased parent and one lost to dementia) I am tasked with taking care of the “stuff.”  

SOBER POETRY
My Soul Had Good Bones

My addiction was a drunken, cocaine-fueled weekend that stretched across years, a house party with no music left and no one real enough stay.