FROM THE DESK OF THE FOUNDER
Hi Sip fam,
I'm going to say something controversial: Nashville was never really a show about country music. It was a show about what happens when you love someone and your capacity for them is just... gone. Senior Sober Curator Contributor Lane Kennedy is back this week with Part 1 of a three-part deep dive into Deacon, Rayna, Juliette, and every relapse risk hiding in that pressure cooker of an industry. It's good. It's the kind of good that makes you side-eye your own inherited baggage.
Then Sober Curator Contributor Julianne Griffin, our resident Sober Swiftie, has got a Taylor Swift piece that connects "I Can See You" to an actual brain scan and what craving really is. Not the Pinterest quote version. The real one.
And because it's summer, Senior Sober Curator Contributor Anne Marie is here to explain why your FYP is suddenly 90% Watertok and mocktails. Spoiler: it's not just aesthetic. It's ritual, and ritual is doing more work than you think.
Also in the mix this week: stoicism's four pillars, a sober poem about rescuing yourself, the Big Book's very fancy trip through a Christie's auction, and a non-alcoholic wine brand crashing a daytime dance party all summer long.
Now let's get to it…
— Alysse Bryson (*AB That’s Me 💋) / Seattle, WA 🌃 05.01.2006
THE MINDFUL BINGE
Nashville Was Never Really About Country Music
In Part 1 of her three-part series, Senior Sober Curator contributor Lane Kennedy revisits Nashville and discovers that the show was never simply about country music. Through Deacon Claybourne’s sobriety, Rayna Jaymes’ complicated love, Juliette Barnes’ family history, and the pressure cooker of the music industry, Lane explores how Nashville portrays addiction, relapse risk, inherited pain, recovery maintenance, and what happens when love is real but capacity is gone.
MUSIC
What "I Can See You" by Taylor Swift, and a Brain Scan, Finally Confirmed to Me About Craving
Sober Curator contributor Julianne Griffin, known as The Sober Swiftie, reflects on the emotional power of Taylor Swift’s “I Can See You” through the lens of recovery, visibility, and belonging. This piece explores what it means to feel seen, supported, and reminded that even when sobriety feels lonely, you do not stand in the hallway alone.
HAPPY EVERY HOUR
The Cult of the Cold Drink: Why Watertok, Mocktails, and Iced Coffee Rituals Are Taking Over Summer
Senior Sober Curator contributor Anne Marie Cribbin takes a smart, funny look at the internet’s summer obsession with cold drinks, from Watertok and flavored waters to zero-effort mocktails, iced coffee rituals, and craft non-alcoholic drink creators. More than a trend, these drinks offer a small daily ritual that feels refreshing, personal, and entirely hangover-free.
BACKSTAGE: Where Recovery Meets Real Life
WED JULY 08 | 6 PM Pacific / 9 PM Eastern
Edutainment Night: iPhone Content Creation with Sheena Kalso
You have a story worth telling. You have a phone in your hand. Now let’s make the two of them work together.
On July 8, BACKSTAGE welcomes Sheena Kalso of Behind Your Scenes for a practical, hands-on Edutainment Night dedicated to helping you shoot better content on your iPhone. No fancy equipment. No production team. Just your phone, the right settings, and one hour with someone who actually knows what she’s doing.
Sheena works with speakers, coaches, and leaders who know they should be showing up more on social media but aren’t sure how to make content that actually feels like them. Her approach is practical, real, and completely doable without a film crew.
By the end of this session you will know:
The exact camera settings to update on your iPhone right now
How to shoot video that looks and feels like you
What makes a Reel or TikTok actually worth watching
How to stop overthinking it and just hit record
Come with your phone charged and ready. This one is interactive.
Not a member? You are missing both. BACKSTAGE is our private culture club. Live events, member essays, brand drops, and a community of people deep into the long game. Join BACKSTAGE → Only $19/mo or $199/year (*includes two months free)
ALSO THIS WEEK ON TSC 📰
👉 Be Your Excellent Self: The Four Pillars of Stoicism in Recovery Read more here→
👉 I Rescued Myself: A Sober Poem About Courage, Reinvention, and Becoming Your Own Hero Read more here→
👉 The Big Book Found Its Way Home Read more here→
👉 Giesen 0% Is Bringing Non-Alcoholic Wine to Daybreaker's Daytime Dance Tour All Summer Read more here→
See you Wednesday!
