BTS: TBTS (Behind the Scenes of TOO BLESSED TO STRESS)

Alli Hoff Kosik
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Books
  • Series

Join podcaster and debut author Alli Hoff Kosik as she traces the lifelong origin story of her first novel in this six-part miniseries. From playing guest at over-the-top bat mitzvahs and experiencing youth group retreat envy to falling down the online rabbit hole of Christian influencers during the pandemic lockdown, she goes allllll the way back to the beginning in her quest to answer one question: how does a cultural Jew from a mixed-faith background find herself writing a book set in hardcore megachurch culture? Pre-order Too Blessed to Stress HERE! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

  1. Episode 1

    1. In the beginning

    In the first episode of a special mini-series leading up to the release of her debut novel, Too Blessed to Stress, Alli Hoff Kosik pulls back the curtain on how this book came to be... and why it’s the last subject she ever expected to write about. With pub day just weeks away (March 3, 2026), Alli sets aside the logistics of publishing to explore the deeper story: how a culturally Jewish, largely agnostic kid became fascinated by the spectacle, power, and contradictions of white evangelical megachurch culture. Through vivid childhood memories—first Holy Communions she didn’t attend, Christmas pageantry she was meant to observe from a distance, and an unforgettable Rockettes nativity scene—Alli traces how early experiences with religion taught her to watch closely without choosing sides. As Alli begins connecting the dots between her upbringing, pop culture, and the story she couldn’t not write, this episode sets the stage for the series to come—and the book she hopes you'll pick up in just a few weeks! Links:Too Blessed to Stress — available for pre-order nowEvents for Too Blessed to StressFollow Alli on Instagram: @allihoffkosikFollow Alli on Substack: Getting It Alli Together Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    11 min

  2. Episode 2

    2. Growing pains

    In Episode 2 of BTS: TBTS, Alli moves from elementary school into the emotional chaos of middle school—and deeper into her role as an observer of religion, tradition, and belonging. As a new kid in a new town, she reflects on extravagant bar and bat mitzvahs, standing on the edge of dance floors, and what it felt like to be close to faith communities without ever fully feeling inside them. The episode then fast-forwards to high school, where a confident, faith-rooted best friend and a sweet first boyfriend offer new glimpses of belief, love, and community—still appealing, still not quite hers. These experiences continue laying the groundwork for Alli’s debut novel, Too Blessed to Stress. In this episode: Middle school moves, culture shock, and tween awkwardnessBar and bat mitzvahs as a window into belongingFaith, friendship, and first love in high schoolLonging, observation, and the universal desire to fit in Next up: pop culture, televangelism, and a shift in perspective. Links:Too Blessed to Stress — available for pre-order nowEvents for Too Blessed to StressFollow Alli on Instagram: @allihoffkosikFollow Alli on Substack: Getting It Alli Together Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    13 min

  3. Episode 3

    3. God on TLC

    In Episode 3 of BTS: TBTS, Alli turns her attention to pop culture—specifically the early-2000s reality TV landscape that quietly shaped her understanding of religion, belonging, and belief. The episode opens with a reflection on balance, tradition, and the unexpected healing that can come from tending to multiple inherited narratives at once. From there, Alli revisits the golden age of TLC docuseries, including Little People, Big World and the rise of the Roloff family. What begins as comfort viewing slowly becomes something more complicated: an early encounter with faith-forward messaging hiding in plain sight, parasocial relationships, and the realization that mainstream entertainment was often platforming deeply conservative Christian ideology. The episode then widens its lens to include the Duggar family and TLC’s pattern of presenting “unconventional” families whose belief systems were way more problematic than they seemed. Along the way, Alli reflects on voyeurism, influence, and how consuming these stories as a teenager laid important groundwork for Too Blessed to Stress. In this episode: Early-2000s reality TV and the rise of TLC docuseriesLittle People, Big World and the Roloff familyParasocial crushes, MySpace, and faith hiding in plain sightThe Duggars, fundamentalism, and belief as entertainmentPop culture as a foundation for Too Blessed to Stress Next up: a major time jump—to 2020 and COVID lockdown Links:Too Blessed to Stress — available for pre-order nowEvents for Too Blessed to StressFollow Alli on Instagram: @allihoffkosikFollow Alli on Substack: Getting It Alli Together Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    14 min

  4. Episode 4

    4. The algorithm made me do it

    In Episode 4 of BTS: TBTS, Alli makes a big time jump—goodbye, early aughts religious curiosities; hello, 2020, pandemic scrolling, and a social media algorithm that changed everything. What started as idle Instagram voyeurism during lockdown quickly turned into a deep dive into the world of Christian influencers: their language, their aesthetics, their confidence, and the very particular way they speak to (and shape) young women online. As Alli traces how this unexpected obsession became the creative spark for Too Blessed to Stress, she reflects on the strange intimacy of influencer culture, the power of branding, and what it means to study a belief system you don’t share—but can’t stop watching. In this episode, we cover: The pandemic scroll that rewired Alli’s algorithm foreverThe language, aesthetics, and “seasons” of Christian influencer cultureInfluencers, couples, and ministries that became unexpected creative researchLurking Reddit, fundie snark, and ethical discomfortTurning cringe-worthy internet obsession into fiction that feels real Next up: Alli goes deeper into the writing process itself—how she transformed this research into characters, scenes, and a story that early readers say feels uncomfortably authentic. Links:Too Blessed to Stress — available for pre-order nowEvents for Too Blessed to StressFollow Alli on Instagram: @allihoffkosikFollow Alli on Substack: Getting It Alli Together Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    16 min

  5. Episode 5

    5. The hardest goodbyes

    In Episode 5, we shift from origin story to craft, breaking down the writing and editing decisions that shaped Too Blessed to Stress. Alli walks through why the novel moved from five narrators to four, how one character became a composite of two original points of view, and what it meant to cut beloved subplots around infertility, minimalism, mission culture, race, and cancelation—even when those threads felt important. This episode is about killing your darlings, telling the truest version of a story, and accepting that absence can be part of the point. In this episode: Why Too Blessed to Stress lost a narratorHow one narrative POV was reshapedWriting about infertility and faith under public scrutinyThe subplot about race and mission culture that didn’t survive editsLetting go of a documentary-style structureWhat revision teaches you about power, performance, and belief Next week, the mini-series wraps with a forward-looking conversation about influencer culture, media, and why Christian influencers matter more than we might want to admit. Links:Too Blessed to Stress — available for pre-order nowEvents for Too Blessed to StressFollow Alli on Instagram: @allihoffkosikFollow Alli on Substack: Getting It Alli Together Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    15 min

  6. Episode 6

    6. TOO BLESSED TO STRESS: What's really at stake

    In the final episode of BTS: TBTS, we zoom out from personal origin story to cultural stakes, asking why stories like Too Blessed to Stress matter right now. With publication just days away, Alli reflects on what six weeks of deep excavation—of faith, influence, media, and power—revealed about the world her novel is entering. This episode explores influencer culture as an economic system, the normalization of Christian ideology online, and how seemingly “harmless” platforms can shape belief, politics, and real-world consequences. It’s a closing argument for nuance, media literacy, and taking our feeds a little more seriously. In this episode: Why media about influencers matters in the first placeWhy books about influencers deserve to be more than “beach reads”The risks of commodifying belief through platforms and brandingWhat fictional groups like the Moral Mavens reveal about real-world powerHow online influence connects to political polarization and cultural movements Links:Too Blessed to Stress — available for pre-order nowEvents for Too Blessed to StressFollow Alli on Instagram: @allihoffkosikFollow Alli on Substack: Getting It Alli Together Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    13 min

  7. Jan 16

    Welcome to BTS: TBTS (Behind the Scenes: TOO BLESSED TO STRESS)

    Join podcaster and debut author Alli Hoff Kosik as she traces the lifelong origin story of her first novel in this six-part miniseries. From playing guest at over-the-top bat mitzvahs and experiencing youth group retreat envy to falling down the online rabbit hole of Christian influencers during the pandemic lockdown, she'll go allllll the way back to the beginning in her quest to answer one question: how does a cultural Jew from a mixed-faith background find herself writing a book set in hardcore megachurch culture? Pre-order Too Blessed to Stress HERE! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    3 min

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Join podcaster and debut author Alli Hoff Kosik as she traces the lifelong origin story of her first novel in this six-part miniseries. From playing guest at over-the-top bat mitzvahs and experiencing youth group retreat envy to falling down the online rabbit hole of Christian influencers during the pandemic lockdown, she goes allllll the way back to the beginning in her quest to answer one question: how does a cultural Jew from a mixed-faith background find herself writing a book set in hardcore megachurch culture? Pre-order Too Blessed to Stress HERE! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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