Meet *my* co-host, Alli!
Drum roll, please...🥁
As we prepare for the *official* launch of ITAT on 6/12 (tomorrow!!), we thought it was important that you get to know a little about who you’re listening to. After all, not everyone is a mom/husband/friend/domesticated animal of one of the co-hosts (hello to all of the moms, husbands, friends, and domesticated animals out there supporting us!). For better or for worse, it’s not always easy to see ourselves clearly. Others—especially those who love and care about us—tend to do a better job at that.
Today, I’m thrilled to introduce you to the one and only Alli Hoff Kosik.
At least, I think she’s the only one. But that’s neither here nor there.
Writing this introduction intimidated me. Yesterday, Alli wrote the nicest things about me, and while I most certainly will be printing and framing that post, I couldn’t help but wonder, “How can I possibly follow that?!” I was tempted to copy and paste everything she said and swap out some key details, like a Mad Lib. And it’s not because I’m lazy. It’s because summarizing who Alli is and what she means to me feels like an insurmountable task. But I’m going to try, and I’m going to do it in list form—because, after all, the start of my editorial career was built on listicles.
The inimitable Alli Hoff Kosik lives in Philadelphia, PA, with her husband, perfect golden retriever, and (almost) 18-month-old son. While she’s originally from that area, she also considers New York City home, as she lived and worked there for nearly a decade. For her first “real world job”, she traveled two hours by bus (each way!) to get to work before finally moving into Manhattan—and then later Brooklyn—and living out her city girl dreams.
Alli is a writer—and not just by trade. Writing has been in her bones since the time wallpaper borders were all the rage. After working for a publishing house for a few years, which may or may not have included some G**dreads drama1, she went out on her own and built a successful freelance career. As someone who has also done this, I can not stress how hard it is. Perhaps most excitingly, her debut novel comes out next March!!!!! I had the honor of reading one of the later drafts, and I can’t wait for you all to get your hands on a copy of TOO BLESSED TO STRESS. It’s smart and witty, and Alli expertly explores a topic with humor but without making fun of it—she treats her characters with as much care as she does the real people in her life.
Alli is relentlessly organized and an unofficial ambassador of Passion Planner. I think she’s been buying a fresh one for at least the past ten years.
Until a few months ago, she had a podcast called Sh*t She Read (SSR), which she released almost every week for seven years. Each episode, she and a different guest would discuss a book from their childhood or young adulthood. When I say Alli is organized, I really mean it. She was a one-woman show for the entirety of SSR. There is no other way she could have pulled this off—scheduling guests, figuring out how to launch a podcast, editing each episode, and the hundreds of tiny tasks it takes—without some incredible organizational skills.
Podcasting from her basement! As alluded to above, Alli is a mother to Will, who loves soccer, faceplanting into tiny ball pits, and eating pancakes in his stroller. But make no mistake: Her first child is her golden retriever, Irv, who is simultaneously too cool for school and also scared of many things, including cardboard boxes, thunder, and horses. Witnessing Alli enter and learn how to navigate (human) parenthood has been a gift. From day one, when WWK was just a little piece of stardust, she has been committed to raising a kind, empowered, empathetic son—but she’s been just as committed to ensuring she doesn’t lose herself in the process. Her willingness to be vulnerable about both the joys and struggles of being a mom and making other mom friends is something to be admired.
Alli loves sprinkles, especially when in sugar cookies or on an ice cream cone, and considers baking a good activity for when you are happy, sad, stressed, angry, bored, [insert emotion here]. She will try a recipe multiple times until it looks as good or better than the photos.
She is a loyal Nuuly subscriber, and we often send screenshots of our monthly hauls to each other. She loves wide-legged pants and a sweater or sweatshirt so big she could fit herself, Irv, and Will in it at the same time.
She is a prolific reader, but she’s definitely not afraid to DNF2 a book, even if she’s already read 85% of it. (Don’t tell her, but this is very much the type of boundary a cat would set.)
She does not like Halloween—though I think I moved the needle at least a little when she stayed at my house on Halloween last year—but loves the Christmas season, so much so that she joined a holiday movie screenwriting class last year. And while her first reaction was, “Wow. I thought I was really into Christmas, but some of these people are really, REALLY into Christmas,” I’m pretty sure her next thought was, “They seem really happy. Maybe I should be more into Christmas…”
Alli shows up hard for people, whether it’s raising funds for a certain cause, putting together a themed celebratory care package for a new friend’s exciting news, or consistently being there for her friends and family, even when she has a lot on her plate. She makes me laugh, she gets my humor, and she makes me feel seen, heard, and understood. I consider myself lucky to have her on my team.3
I could go on, but ten feels like a good number to stop at. To wrap it up, I’m going to steal a line from her, because I couldn’t say it better myself:
Alli is an amazing friend. That’s definitely a thing. And I can’t wait for you to get to know her better!
Is this a thing, Alli? Should we discuss it on the pod?
Stands for Did Not Finish, but the acronym has sort of turned into a verb.
Like, my team in life, not just my podcast team, although I’m grateful for that, too.