Creative Sobriety

Today I'm speaking with my friend and Killjoy Non-Alcoholic Bottle Shop founder, Stephanie Styll about beauty standards and why we need more honesty and open discussion in the conversation around anti-aging. I wrote piece for Substack last week titled, Aging Through the Lens of My Sobriety, and the response has been so encouraging and also illuminating. Women are really reaching their breaking point when it comes to unrealistic beauty standards. I had been speaking privately with Stephanie about the subject and asked if she wanted to bring the convo to the podcast. Luckily, she was stoked to do it!We both share the pressures we've felt over the years to participate in anti-aging culture and what it's like to be in our forties and trying to find the balance between looking and feeling our best and rejecting the patriarchal/capitalistic/oppressive demands on women to remain looking 25 forever. We don't have all the answers!! This discussion is not a judgement on anyone for anything they choose to do to feel their best, it's just an honest chat between girlfriends about how exhausting it is to be a woman. Steph and I are hosting some fun events at Killjoy this summer. Join us for the Summer Author Series where I'll interview a sober author each month about their current book, we will sip on NA cocktails from Curious Elixirs, and chat as a community about themes of sobriety, creativity, womanhood, sexuality, identity, love and relationships, mental health and so much more. Get your tix here! Connect with me on IG @creativesobriety and please follow along and subscribe to my Substack newsletter www.kristenbear.substack.com where you will also find The Creative Sobriety Method video workshop series!Stay up to date with all upcoming events and offerings www.creativesobriety.co

Hey y'all!I'm so thrilled to have author Jessica Guerrieri back on the podcast! She's back to discuss her brand new novel, Both Can Be True (Harper Muse), available 5/19/26!She is an award winning novelist and essayist, winner of the 2023 Maurice Prize for Fiction, and a proud sober mom of three with over a decade of sobriety. Her essays have appeared in People, HuffPost, Writer's Digest, and she is a frequent voice in the sobriety and mental health communities. Jessica lives in Davis, California with her family. For those listeners near Nashville, TN, Jessica will be joining me at Killjoy in East Nashville on July 25th to discuss her work and sign copies of her books! Tickets are available now and include non-alcoholic beverages courtesy of Curious Elixirs. Buy BOTH CAN BE TRUEBuy BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEAJoin us in July at Killjoy for the book event Let's support sober artist's work and celebrate the healing power of creativity. Connect with me on IG @creativesobriety and please follow along and subscribe to my Substack newsletter www.kristenbear.substack.com where you will also find The Creative Sobriety Method video workshop series!Stay up to date with all upcoming events and offerings www.creativesobriety.co

Hey y'all!Welcome back. In this episode I'm chatting with author Mary Alice Stephens about her sobriety journey and her memoir, Uncorked: A Memoir of Letting Go and Starting Over. Mary is an award-winning storyteller who shares her raw, funny, and ultimately inspiring journey from alcohol-fueled chaos to clarity, connection, and self-acceptance. Uncorked was an Amazon #1 new release in alcoholism recovery, reached #4 on the Amazon bestseller list in midlife self-help, and won a PenCraft Best Book Award for Inspirational Nonfiction. Mary is a former television writer and producer for HGTV, Food Network, and other media outlets. She earned her MFA in creative writing from Dominican University of California and lives in Marin County, CA. Get a copy of Uncorked today and be sure to leave Mary a review!! Follow Mary on IG @maryalicestephenswritesConnect with me on IG @creativesobriety and please follow along and subscribe to my Substack newsletter www.kristenbear.substack.com where you will also find The Creative Sobriety Method video workshop series!Stay up to date with all upcoming events and offerings www.creativesobriety.co