#104 – Curtis and Dani: The Sober App#104 – Curtis and Dani: The Sober App
Recovery Survey
Curtis and Dani share their contrasting yet equally chaotic journeys through alcohol and drug addiction, and how recovery led them to create The Sober app. They explain how the app gathers resources, community and practical tools to help people build a life they actually enjoy after getting sober.
42:32•9 Mar 2022
Curtis and Dani Build The Sober App They Needed in Recovery
Episode Overview
- Alcohol and drug use often begin early and can be rooted in trauma, grief and chaotic family systems.
- Stopping substances is only the first step; many people feel they have to relearn who they are and how to live day-to-day without drinking or using.
- Online communities, social media, podcasts and meetings can offer vital connection, education and hope, especially in early sobriety.
- The Sober app brings together resources like podcasts, courses, coaches, yoga, fitness and themed community groups to show there’s more than one way to recover.
- Curtis and Dani emphasise that the app is shaped by community feedback, aiming to keep it practical, inclusive and focused on real-life sober living.
“I started drinking at 12 years old… when you wake up at 38 years old, without alcohol, without any kind of substance, you go, oh my God, who am I?”
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction? This conversation brings together Curtis and Dani, co-creators of The Sober app, as they share how chaotic drinking and drug use led them to build a tool they wish they’d had in early recovery. Dani talks openly about growing up in an abusive, drug-filled home, starting to drink at 12, and spending 27 years relying on alcohol and opioids.
Her turning point came on 13 June 2020, helped by her sister-in-law’s sobriety: “I woke up the next morning and said, I’m done. I want what she has.” She explains how Instagram, AA, and a strong spiritual connection helped her rebuild her identity and confidence, eventually leading her to partner with Curtis on the app. Curtis shares a very different childhood – close family, popular kid, entrepreneurial streak – but the same destructive outcome.
Heavy partying, cocaine, a serious drink-driving crash, and a major drug bust left him drowning in shame and anxiety. After losing his home and relationship, he committed to change, threw himself into books, podcasts and online recovery content, and even cycled from Seattle to San Francisco to face his own thoughts. Out of that mix came The Sober app, which they describe as “Netflix meets MasterClass, but sobriety-based”.
It pulls together podcasts, blogs, courses, recovery coaches, yoga, fitness and more, alongside community groups on specific themes like grief, early sobriety, or being married to someone who still drinks. There’s also mood and habit tracking, virtual meetings, and plans for live Q&As and city-based sober meetups. The chat stays honest, practical and community-focused, aimed at anyone in or curious about recovery who wants more than just counting days.
If you’ve ever wondered how to actually enjoy life alcohol-free, this one might spark a few ideas – and maybe a bit of hope too.
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