In this episode, the roles are reversed. Instead of interviewing a guest, Samantha Pfotenhauer — host of The Artist Rendezvous — sits in the guest seat as her friend Bradley interviews her about the winding, honest path that led her from a life centered on productivity and ambition – practicing corporate law in New York City – to a life centered on creativity.

What begins as a conversation about career pivots quickly opens into something deeper: how unprocessed trauma quietly shapes our choices, how curiosity creates exits where none seem to exist, and why creativity is not a frivolous exploration, but a skill that can provide direction and confidence. Samantha shares about panic attacks, leaving a prestigious legal career, dismantling an entire life she had built, and choosing aliveness over numbness again and again.

This episode is about what happens when you stop trying to force yourself into a life that looks good on paper — and start listening to what your body, intuition, and creativity have been asking for all along. You’re successful on paper but quietly miserable

What We Discuss:

• Leaving a “golden path” career in law and confronting the fear of starting over without a clear plan

• How unprocessed trauma and panic attacks quietly dictated career choices — and what changed when it was addressed

• Why curiosity and openness are foundational skills to build a meaningful life

• Choosing aliveness over numbness, even when it brings instability, grief, and identity loss

• The courage it takes to be bad at something publicly — and why that’s essential to creating anything meaningful

• How creativity becomes a tool for emotional regulation, healing, and self-trust

• The three pillars behind The Artist Rendezvous: inspiration, creativity, and connection

• What it means to live a creative life that is rooted in service, beauty, and community rather than status or certainty

This Episode Is For You If…

• You feel a pull toward creativity but don’t know how to trust it

• You’ve experienced panic, burnout, or emotional shutdown and want to understand why

• You’re navigating a major identity shift — career, relationship, or belief system

• You want permission to start before you feel ready, polished, or confident

• You’re craving a more alive, intentional way of living

Notable Mentions:

• Human Design (learn more at ⁠moonrisecommunity.com⁠ and our ⁠Youtube⁠)

• Somatic and trauma-informed healing work - check out Sam’s website ⁠www.wildriver.live⁠

• Austin, Texas as a creative and connective ecosystem

• The concept of “aliveness” as the space between terror and ecstasy, inspired by ⁠Annie Lalla⁠

Follow + Support The Artist Rendezvous
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Website: theartistrendezvous.com

Reach out: hello@theartistrendezvous.com

The Artist Rendezvous celebrates the creative spirit of Austin, Texas, sharing stories of inspiration, risk, and the courage to create. Each episode explores what it means to live a creative life — and the mindset shifts that make it possible.

Dear Dry Drinkery was a shop that sold non-alcohol drink options, including wine, beer, and spirits. But in the years that it was in business, Dear Dry became a community living room for sober-curious Austinites. However, after two years in their brick-and-mortar location (and a few more years operating out of a food truck), Grace Vroom and her husband Joe made the decision to close their doors. In Part 2 of our conversation, Grace shares what went into that choice — including unexpected personal loss, break-ins, shifting market realities, and the honest realization that the business had grown into something different than the “simple little shop” they originally envisioned. (If you missed it, catch Part 1 to hear all about the creation of Dear Dry, Grace’s sober journey, and the importance of pursuing your creative passions, even when its hard.)

This is a candid conversation about entrepreneurship that is sometimes overlooked: the hidden costs, the emotional weight of being so publicly available, and the courage it takes to end something at the right time. Grace also reflects on what Dear Dry gave her: proof that she can do hard things, a deeper relationship to community, and a new clarity about how she wants to create going forward.

What We Discuss:

• Running a business during personal turbulence: Llosing her mom during their first Dry January

• The emotional + financial toll of break-ins

• When the market catches up to your mission: major retailers carrying NA products, shifting customer behavior, and margin pressure

• When the business looks different than you expected: how Dear Dry became an event space, community hub, and a bar/restaurant consultancy, rather than just a shop

• The real cost of a brick-and-mortar: rent, utilities, security, events, broken shipments, and constant “small emergencies”

• Defining success on your own terms and why closing the business did not feel like a failure

• The power of telling founders you admire that they matter — how one comment can carry someone for months

• What she’d tell someone feeling embarrassed about closing — and how to handle the “I knew you wouldn’t last” energy

• The post-close blank space: rebuilding confidence, choosing stability, and making room for the next creative chapter

This episode is for anyone who:

• Has built something and is questioning whether it’s time to let it go

• Is too afraid to start a project or business because of the fear of it closing

• Feels pressure to “keep going” even when it no longer fits

• Wants a realistic look at what brick-and-mortar retail actually demands

• Is navigating grief or major life change while still trying to show up for their work

• Needs permission to redefine success, set boundaries, and choose sustainability

Subscribe to The Artist Rendezvous on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube for more conversations with inspiring creatives.

Follow The Artist Rendezvous:

• Instagram/TikTok/YouTube: @theartistrendezvous

• Website: www.theartistrendezvous.com

• Reach out to Samantha at hello@theartistrendezvous.com

The Artist Rendezvous celebrates the creative spirit of Austin, Texas, sharing stories of inspiration, risk, and the courage to create. Each episode explores what it means to live a creative life and the mindset shifts that enable artistic success.

Grace Vroom was afraid sobriety would ruin her life. Instead, it made her a creative entrepreneur.

Grace is the co-founder of Dear Dry Drinkery, Austin’s only non-alcoholic bottle shop, which was located in East Austin. Dear Dry is more than a store. It’s a beautifully curated space where ritual meets intention — offering non-alcoholic wines, beers, spirits, and functional beverages that bring all the flavor and none of the hangover. Since launching as a tiny custom trailer, Grace and her husband Joe have built a thriving brick-and-mortar business that’s become a hub for conscious celebration, creativity, and community connection.

After this episode was recorded, Grace and Joe made the decision to permanently close Dear Dry Drinkery. Come back for episode 7 in two weeks to hear about what went in to that decision. In the meantime, this episode is still relevant and inspirational, even though Dear Dry is no longer in business.

What We Discuss:

In this episode, Grace and I talk about what it really means to rewrite your rituals and reclaim your life. Here’s what we explore:

• Grace’s sobriety story — what made her realize alcohol was draining her joy, power, and time

• How building Dear Dry Drinker started as a dream and took shape through scrappy action, a food truck, and a lot of courage

• Ritual, connection, and social pressure — and what happens when you decide to opt out of drinking

• How non-alcoholic beverages can help preserve celebration while protecting your well-being

• The emotional and logistical challenges of starting a small business from scratch in Austin

• The surprising gift of boredom, play, and doing "kid things" as a path to reconnect with joy

• The impact Dear Dry Drinkery is having on customers — and why one thoughtful conversation can keep someone on their sober path

This episode is for anyone who’s ever wondered:

• How to stop drinking without losing your social life or identity

• What a non-alcoholic lifestyle can actually look and feel like

• How to build a business from scratch, especially when people don't get your vision

• Where to find joy, beauty, and ritual — without the booze

• What it takes to start over and create something truly meaningful

Credit for Dear Dry Drinkery Photos: Carson Rounds

Subscribe to The Artist Rendezvous on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube for more conversations with inspiring creatives.

Follow The Artist Rendezvous:

• Instagram/TikTok/Youtube: @theartistrendezvous

• Website: www.theartistrendezvous.com

• Reach out to Samantha at hello@theartistrendezvous.com

The Artist Rendezvous celebrates the creative spirit of Austin, Texas, sharing stories of inspiration, risk, and the courage to create. Each episode explores what it means to live a creative life and the mindset shifts that enable artistic success.