Sober AF, Michael Scott Phobia, and How to Politely End a Conversation

Marking a major personal milestone, Brené shares what led her to 30 years of sobriety and Adam asks what it taught her about change. From there, they pivot to why Brené can’t tolerate the cringe of The Office —and Adam’s take on how to engage with it. Finally, they deliver a masterclass on the art and science of ending social interactions, sharing the ultimate shortcut to a graceful exit. This is great! You can find The Curiosity Shop on ⁠YouTube⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠ (@thecuriosityshop). 0:00 - What Are We Talking About Today? 5:00 - Sober AF: Celebrating 30 Years of Sobriety 16:30 - Grieving for Joy 28:22 - Why Can’t Brené Watch The Office? 43:18 - Loving or Hating Violating the Rules 49:30 - The Art of Leaving Conversations Respectfully 1:03:40 - The Shortcut to a Graceful Exit 1:08:39 - What Adam and Brené Are Watching Now Gottman Institute - Research and History - Drs. Julie and John Gottman (Founded 1996) https://www.gottman.com/about/research/ The Love Prescription, Part 2 of 3 - Brene Brown with Drs. John and Julie Gottman, 2022, Unlocking Us Podcast https://brenebrown.com/podcast/the-love-prescription-part-2-of-3/ The Power of Vulnerability - Brené Brown, 2010, TED Talk, TEDxHouston https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCvmsMzlF7o Everything You Think You Know About Addiction Is Wrong - Johann Hari, 2015, TED Talk, TEDGlobalLondon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY9DcIMGxMs The Fresh Start Effect: Temporal Landmarks Motivate Aspirational Behavior - Dai, Milkman & Riis, 2014, Management Science https://faculty.wharton.upenn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Dai_Fresh_Start_2014_Mgmt_Sci.pdf Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead - Brené Brown, 2012, Gotham Books https://brenebrown.com/book/daring-greatly/ I Love Lucy: Job Switching - Desi Arnaz, 1952, CBS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnHiAWlrYQc The Office: Scott's Tots - B.J. Novak, 2009, NBC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0N2ZxQJYTw Benign Violations: Making Immoral Behavior Funny - McGraw & Warren, 2010, Psychological Science https://leeds-faculty.colorado.edu/mcgrawp/pdf/mcgraw.warren.2010.pdf Office Ladies - Fischer & Kinsey, 2019-present, Audacy (Podcast) https://officeladies.com/ Do Conversations End When People Want Them To? - Mastroianni et al., 2021, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences https://dtg.sites.fas.harvard.edu/MASTROIANNI2021.pdf Politeness: Some Universals in Language Usage - Brown & Levinson, 1987, Cambridge University Press (Book) https://www.amazon.com/Politeness-Universals-Language-Interactional-Sociolinguistics/dp/0521313554 Want to Improve Your Relationship? Start Paying More Attention to Bids - Logan Ury, 2026, Gottman Institute https://www.gottman.com/blog/want-to-improve-your-relationship-start-paying-more-attention-to-bids/ The Virtues of Gossip: Reputational Information Sharing as Prosocial Behavior - Feinberg, Willer, Stellar & Keltner, 2012, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2012-00030-001 Jury Duty - Eisenberg & Stupnitsky, 2023-2026, Amazon Prime Video (TV Series) https://www.amazon.com/Jury-Duty-Season-1/dp/B0B8JM2BBS Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat - Eisenberg & Stupnitsky, 2026, Amazon Prime Video (TV Series) https://www.amazon.com/Jury-Duty-Presents-Company-Retreat/dp/B0GMYJLHK6 The Madison - 2026, Sheridan, Paramount+ (TV Series) https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/the-madison/ Landman - Sheridan, 2024-present, Paramount+ (TV Series) https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/landman/ Opening Up Closings - Schegloff & Sacks, 1973, Semiotica https://web.stanford.edu/~eckert/Courses/l1562018/Readings/SchegloffSacks1973.pdf Closing the Conversation: Evidence from the Academic Advising Session - Hartford & Bardovi‐Harlig, 2009, Discourse Processes https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01638539209544803 Collaborative Strategies in Chinese Telephone Conversation Closings - Sun, 2005, Pragmatics https://www.researchgate.net/publication/48516906_Collaborative_Strategies_in_Chinese_Telephone_Conversation_Closings_Balancing_Procedural_Needs_and_Interpersonal_Meaning_Making Ending Social Encounters - Albert & Kessler, 1978, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1031(78)90048-3 Relations in Public: Microstudies of the Public Order - Erving Goffman, 1971, Basic Books https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/51.4.504 Sorry for Your Kindness: Japanese Interactional Ritual in Public Discourse - Ide, 1998, Journal of Pragmatics https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-2166(98)80006-4 Getting Down to Business: Talk, Gaze, and Body Orientation During Openings of Doctor-Patient Consultations - Robinson, 1998, Human Communication Research https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2958.1998.tb00438.x Negotiating Last-Minute Concerns in Closing Korean Medical Encounters - Park, 2013, Social Science & Medicine https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2013.08.027