Sunday Session Newsletter Ep.2

Welcome back to what is the most inconsistent newsletter you’ve ever subscribed to.

So, given that a lot of you are checking in for the first time and joining the ‘community’ (argh). The struggle of wanting to actually build something real with real connections online is real. But let’s be honest — many of us are here because we may have never found our ‘people’.

In recovery there’s alot of contradictions around ‘your people’ and who you surround yourself with is almost taboo. There have been times when I’ve offended the masses due to my thoughts on it, but with sobriety, I genuinely do believe this is a catalyst – the secret sauce.

On that note, let’s rewind. For me, I spent years in the corporate world where substance abuse was rife and many would say encouraged — there’s zero blame here, but that’s just where it was. It wasn’t The Wolf of Wallstreet – no, but I can very clearly relate. I remember spending my days wishing the time away, imagining I was somewhere else and with someone else. One of the first blogs I spent my time escaping into was one called Korduroy.tv. I grew up a surfer who didn’t have much and found myself longing for this past connection I had lost. Korduroy had stories on people living differently. Over the years surfing changed, and Korduroy was always something I felt was relatable to my youth.

The reality was, though, I was in a deep spiral of abuse and neglect towards my body — essentially the furthest thing from the people featured on Korduroy. I had become something I hated, surrounded by people that didn’t know me or who I wanted to be. Once again, it was my ‘fault’ I was in this position, but I was living a lie. Although I thought Korduroy was what I was searching for, it actually wasn’t – which ended up costing me dearly. Probably a story for another Episode.

That lie lasted a long time — jeez, it still lingers — and those people that I spent my days and nights with are still floating around, but a lot less. Because, to be honest, the most impactful thing that happened on my sobriety journey was the discovery that I needed to find my people again — and maybe along the way I’d find myself. I knew, though, that I had to break off some connections to do this, despite what people told me along the way.

Yeah, Korduroy wasn’t the answer for sure but man working an office job consuming copious amounts of substances while life passes me by surely wasn’t it. Which is really the reality of it all, you stumble with sobriety, its not going to about landing on your feet first go or even the second or third. Thats cool though, it’s about wanting to fight for that life you believe in, fight for that freedom to be yourself – whoever that is and there’s no cookie cutter, one sized fits all app for that. Which I think is what has kept me spinning my wheels with building this app out.

So the current app vision is all about connection but I’d also like to put a stop to some of the industry pretenders… Because in reality whats the point of doing it any other way. Real connections, support those businesses that don’t support big booze and provides time and space to heal.

All I know is this helped, and that’s what this newsletter and this community is about — not quick fixes, not selling shit, not fake gurus — just insights into stories that help.

This is why we’ve struggled to finish the app, but that’s for another newsletter. Maybe we’ll get back to the weekly updates, but for now, we don’t want to just create something for the sake of it.

Anyway, I hope you are enjoying the content. I wanted to include this interview with Banning Lyon, as someone who also rediscovered the small beauty in life through the outdoors this is an amazing story.