Cory Gerlach did not follow the script. Teenage punk. Community college. Harvard PhD. Senior federal scientist. Congressional advisor on COVID-19. And then—in 2024—he and his husband rebuilt a dilapidated sailboat by hand, quit their jobs, and sailed away from the lives they had built.
He has been sober for 18 years. He got sober at 20. He never had a legal drink in the United States.
What comes through in this conversation is not a highlight reel. Cory writes about radical life transitions from the inside, in real time, through his Substack Radical Paths—documenting what it actually costs, what breaks down, and what emerges. He is currently anchored in Guatemala, living on 100 square feet of sailboat in over-100-degree heat. And he would not lead with that.
This episode covers what sobriety taught him about doing hard things, how he thinks about fear, and why he believes the struggle itself is where meaning lives.
If you have ever stood at a crossroads between the life you have built and the life you are drawn to, this one is worth your time.
[01:45] Introduction
Teenage punk from an LA suburb who got sober at 20, went from Portland Community College to a Harvard PhD
Spent years as a senior federal scientist and congressional advisor, including real-time COVID-19 briefings with members of Congress
In 2024, rebuilt a dilapidated sailboat by hand with his husband and sailed away—nearly 5,000 miles up and down the East Coast, through the Bahamas, now anchored in Guatemala
Writes weekly about radical life transitions through his Substack, Radical Paths
Key Insight: “What makes Corey’s story worth paying attention to isn’t the adventure itself—it’s how he thinks about change. He writes about radical life transitions from the inside, in real time... Not in hindsight, not with the benefit of a clean ending.” — Josh Woll
[02:15] Before Sobriety — A Small Life in a Big World
Grew up in an LA suburb, came out in high school around 2003-2004, and used alcohol and drugs to cope with living in a world that was not welcoming of queer people
Wanted out of LA badly enough that at 19 he flew to Australia with $2,000 and a one-way ticket, no safety net
Australia’s drinking age was 18—one of the reasons he chose it—and within a week he was using hard drugs, including crystal meth
After six months abroad, he came home flat broke, moved back in with his parents, and things got worse
Key Insight: “I know that’s a common thing that people can relate with—they call like geographics—where people deep in addiction will be like, oh, you know what I really need is just to move. Like that’s going to fix everything. And sometimes maybe that works, but a lot of times you just take your problems with you and start new ones.” — Cory Gerlach
[06:20] The Turning Point — A Customer, a Phone Call, a Friday Night
A customer at the coffee shop where Cory worked recognized something in him—the man had a daughter who had struggled with heroin and he gently suggested rehab
Cory called on a Friday. They could not take him until Sunday. He told them he would be fine—and that Friday night was the wake-up call
He did not go into rehab thinking he would stop drinking forever. He thought his problem was cocaine. The realization came when he started identifying with people decades older whose stories matched his exactly
He saw his future if he kept going, and he made a different choice
Key Insight: “I trusted that in order for me to really have to build a life that I wanted, I wasn’t going to be able to do it while drinking and using—because I knew the way that I did it was not in any moderation whatsoever. I never even had the fantasy of moderation and I was a total and complete mess.” — Cory Gerlach
[15:46] Sobriety as a Foundation — The Mirror Moment
About a month into sobriety, still living with his parents, Cory caught himself in a mirror and felt something shift
That moment cracked open a new belief: that being sober, having hope, forming real connections—that was enough
He carried that anchor forward into everything else: community college, Oregon State, Harvard, government work, and eventually sailing
The first year and a half of sobriety was the hardest thing he had ever done—and it set the template for every hard thing that followed
Key Insight: “I feel like a millionaire right now. I feel so... I feel like I have everything I need.” — Cory Gerlach
[20:43] From Harvard to Open Water — Building a Radical Path
After finishing his PhD, Cory built an unusual government career—using his science background to advise on public health policy, including one-on-one briefings with members of Congress during COVID-19
He and his husband eventually felt they had drifted from their core values of authenticity, adventure, and freedom
They decided to go sailing with almost no experience—his husband had sailed small dinghies one season; that was the sum of it
They bought a boat that needed massive work, moved to North Carolina, and spent 10 months rebuilding it by hand before it was sailable
Key Insight: “It wasn’t even like a question of like can I do it—it’s like do I want to do it? And also realizing that if I’m sober, I have everything I need.” — Cory Gerlach
[26:46] Fear Is Not a Stop Sign — It Is Information
Cory describes himself as an ordinary person when it comes to fear—not wired like Alex Honnold, whose brain literally registers fear differently
What has changed is his relationship to fear. He does not let it be the deciding vote
He camped alone in Yellowstone to face his irrational fear of bears. He walked alone through New Orleans and Bogotá to face his fear of violence
The finding, repeated every time: the idea of the thing is far scarier than actually doing it
Key Insight: “It’s not acceptable for me to let fear stop me from doing things... there’s things I want to do and my first thought is fear and then I’m faced with a decision about, okay, do I do it or not?” — Cory Gerlach
[37:35] Doing Hard Things Is the Point — Easy Is Not the Answer
Cory pushes back on the idea that the goal is to find a shortcut—he does not advocate that anyone quit their job and become a sailor
What he does believe is that real change requires committing to a timeline. In sobriety, it was “give yourself a year.” On the boat, it was the same
Meaning does not come from achieving the dream. It comes from the work toward it—and from discovering that even after you get there, you will want something else
The challenge is not an obstacle to the life. It is the life
Key Insight: “I don’t know anyone that’s really been able to do like a big life change—including sobriety—that didn’t require a shit ton of work, you know, at least one day at a time.” — Cory Gerlach
Key Quotes
“I trusted that in order for me to really have to build a life that I wanted, I wasn’t going to be able to do it while drinking and using—because I knew the way that I did it was not in any moderation whatsoever.” — Cory Gerlach
“Recovery and sobriety was like one of the first things where I learned that... doing hard things is actually okay. That’s how I get where I want to go next.” — Cory Gerlach
“It’s not acceptable for me to let fear stop me from doing things... there’s things I want to do and my first thought is fear and then I’m faced with a decision about, okay, do I do it or not?” — Cory Gerlach
“We’ve done hard things before and we can do them again.” — Cory Gerlach
“There isn’t really such thing as a happily ever after when we follow our dreams, per se. Things are hard along the way and we have fear and we struggle and we have challenges. We’re able to get through it over time. And over time, you start to have a life that you are really proud of and really love.” — Cory Gerlach
Resources Mentioned
Free Solo (documentary) — Alex Honnold’s free climb of El Capitan; discussed in the context of how individuals experience fear differently
Dark Wizard (documentary) — A climber and tightrope walker who operates without safety equipment; referenced when discussing the spectrum of risk tolerance
The Revenant — Leonardo DiCaprio film; Cory’s mental image when camping alone in bear country
“Geographics” — The phenomenon in addiction where someone believes moving will fix their problems; referenced from recovery culture
Radical Paths — Cory’s weekly Substack newsletter documenting life transition in real time
Where to Find Cory
Substack: Cory writes weekly at Radical Paths—stories about the real cost and reward of radical life change, told from a 30-foot sailboat somewhere in the Americas.
He also works one-on-one with people standing at their own crossroads—people who have built the career, hit the milestones, and still feel like something is off.
Thank You
A heartfelt thank you to Dr. Amber Hull, Noelle Richards, Lady Starlight***, and everyone who joined us live for this conversation, and to Cory Gerlach for his honesty and generosity of spirit. Documenting a life transition in real time—without a clean ending, without the comfort of hindsight—takes real courage. This conversation is the kind that stays with you.
Is Something Holding You Back?
Cory talks about what happens when you have built the career, checked the boxes, and still feel like something is off. Alcohol often lives in that space. Maybe you have made the rules, reset the counter, had the conversation with yourself more times than you can count. Maybe you are not even sure it is a problem — you just know something keeps getting in the way.
Answer 10 questions, see clearly where you stand, and learn what your next step is.
It takes 5 minutes and it is completely free.
