About the site:

Basically, I like writing and I like Survivor. I wanted a place to share my thoughts, my musings, my perhaps ridiculous insights. I can't help but view Survivor through a psychological lens. In fact, that's my favorite thing about it--the psychology. How people behave with each other in this wild (literally) set of circumstances. How they navigate relationships while trying to be the last person standing. How they see themselves, too. The hero? The villain? The pawn? How does their personalities affect their gameplay and how they are perceived (as a leader? weak? desperate? shady? authentic?). What do they bring from their life to these very contrived circumstances? How do their interpersonal skills help them and how does their lack of social awareness potentially hinder them? How much does the player become a character? Yes, many questions, many considerations. I love people's stories. And I love how their story shapes not only their behaviors but their sense of themselves. I love, too, how the 26-39 days playing this game, changes them (well, at least sometimes). For better or worse. So, here is my place for my thoughts about all things Survivor related. And, special treat, how we might even improve our own lives with lessons from the show (Better Living Through Survivor). Not in a traditional self-help way (ew). I'm not going to jump on any bandwagon pushing for us to be more perfect or enlightened or rich or popular. I just want us all to be a little bit more self-actualized and feel more at home in our bodies and lives and the world. Meaning and purpose and contentedness is this crazy thing called life.

About Me:

I'm a psychotherapist by trade, with my own private practice in Iowa City. I'm most definitely a midwesterner, with aspirations to be a Pacific Northwesterner (or Canadian or Aussie or Kiwi, depending on the day). I love nachos, blueberry muffins (even the sad ones from Starbucks), sweetened coffee, sweetened tea, spooky stuff, interior design, birds, squirrels, and bunnies, a good cocktail, a good book, prestige television (and the occasional reality show with outrageously dressed rich people), all things Greta Gerwig, Mike Birbiglia, Amy Poehler, Wes Anderson, P.T. Anderson, Billy Wilder, Jane Campion, David Lynch, Waxahatchee, The New Pornographers, Fleetwood Mac, The National, Boy Genius, vegetarian comfort food, the color green, reading articles about theoretical physics and not having any clue what they are talking about, and my cat, Birdie.

I have a husband who loves extremely complicated board games and the artiest of art films. I have a daughter who loves reptiles. They are awesome.

When I can't sleep at night I compose jokes for a stand up comedy routine that I'll never perform.

I am a feminist and a humanist.

I do not like mushrooms, beets, meat (except the fake kind), songs that last longer than 6 minutes (with a couple of exceptions), aggressive drivers, giant pickup trucks, suburban sprawl, flying, and using public restrooms.

I am going to do my best to update regularly with all things related to Survivor that my brain comes up with. Call me, Jeff Probst. Let's be besties, Dalton Ross. Cirie, I think you are the GOAT. Charlie, you were robbed. Rachel, you are amazing. Hannah, I love you so much.

My placeholder website is: alisoncoffey.com