I am so beyond excited that Season 2 of this Webby Award Winning podcast is finally coming out - tomorrow! Episode one releases on January 1st, 2023, and I could not be MORE PROUD! We have been working on this for almost two years, and it has been so cool to be a part of the entire process.
Katie Mack is one of the most incredible people I have met on my sober journey, and I am so fortunate that she took a chance on me.
It all started back in 2020. I was about 14 days sober and couldn't sleep. I was awake, tossing and turning at about 2am, wondering what the fuck I was doing with my life and where I was going with it. I was lost. I probably was crying. My husband snored beside me, and I truly believed my life was never going to get any better without alcohol. I was having a dark moment, which I often did in the beginning. My moods were all over the place and unpredictable. I was feeling sorry for myself. So I began to scroll Instagram to distract from the self-pity.
I happened upon the F*cking Sober IG page. I had started following sober accounts as soon as we poured out the last sip of alcohol on day 1, and as many of you know, I began writing on that first day as well. The words poured out of me into my blog. I was desperate for connection and to understand what was happening to my body. Why me? How did I get to this point? I wanted to feel less alone. Reading other accounts on the 'gram helped with that too, and by listening to podcasts, I began to find answers. But that night something caught my eye.
Katie Mack had posted on IG on the F*cking Sober page - a call to all writers, to submit a writing sample to be considered for future seasons of the podcast. "Tell your story." I had already listened to as many episodes of Anita's story, as were available at the time and was fully obsessed with this unique, narrative podcast. I felt that perhaps this was a sign. I sat up and stopped my little pity party.
At 2am, sitting in bed, I began to write my story of sobriety. My life story. How I came to be a mom of three in the suburbs of Boston. Lost, alone, confused and sober at the age of 38 in a culture obsessed with wine. I wrote the writing sample on my iPhone, propped up in bed, and per usual, the words just flowed out of me. I needed to tell my story to Mack. She needed to hear it. At 2:00 in the morning. I heard back from her immediately the next day.
She called me a few days later for our first real conversation, and I was terrified to talk to her. It seemed so official and scary. Like an interview. I was just a useless stay at home mom and no one had wanted anything from me, ever, in the past 10 years. Why was this woman with a Manhattan area code number calling me about a writing opportunity? I felt so incapable of what she wanted from me. But she told me she loved my writing sample. She was excited to work with me, if I was willing. That day, I felt one of the first genuine smiles spread across my face, since I stopped drinking. Suddenly, the world felt huge and wide open. I began to feel a tiny bit freer.
Katie Mack was one of the first people that saw my talent as a writer, besides my husband, and believed that I actually had something to say. She wanted me to tell my story and she saw something in me. I didn't believe her at the time, and I was terrified. Fuck, I wasn't even a month sober. She told me to take my time and think about it, but she wanted to work with me at some point down the line. She told me that even though I didn't believe it yet, I was a writer. She saw it in me, and I will forever be grateful to her for her kindness and generosity. It took me at least another year to believe her and call myself one, though. Now, I am a published author though - thanks to her support all those months ago.
Over the last couple years, our paths have wandered all over. Katie Mack is an actor and travels all over, and I have continued to do my thing here in Needham. But we kept coming back to the story of Betsy. Mack has been one of my biggest fans, checking back in again and again - always asking about my memoir and my personal writing. But in the end, I knew we would make this thing happen someday... here we go.
Most recently, I worked alongside an incredible team of writers - EmJ Hova and Dillon Heape, who taught me so much about the craft of writing and helped me in the final stretches of both this podcast and my memoir.
I am so grateful for the opportunity to work on F*cking Sober, Season 2: Betsy, and to share my story with everyone in a completely different format, unlike anything I ever could have done on my own. The artistry and work that this team has created together is truly magical, and you will be blown away by the beauty of it all.
Mack has devoted her heart, soul and endless hours of time to this project. She lives and breathes it. She believes in it. And because of that - I cannot wait for you all to witness the birth of her next baby, season 2! Check it out, January 1, 2023!! (And go binge season 1 today if you haven't yet listened!!)
