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

Alli Hoff Kosik

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 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
  2. 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

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.