Milwaukee Blog | CreativeMornings

Love letter recap from our TRUST event!

Illustration by Aly Miller @aly_illustrations

Happy autumn, CM!

Have you ever had something in your drafts and never hit send? Same. Read on to catch up on a much-awaited recap from July’s TRUST event. In case you missed it: lots of tears were shed at this one.
We recommend you tune into our themed Spotify playlist, locate your tissue box, and relive some of these sweet, sweet summer memories.

Craig Burzynski is reliably one of the first to arrive at our CreativeMornings events. When he reached out generously offering his space at Adventure Rock as a venue, it seemed obvious to book the climbing gym for July’s theme TRUST. It was during our walkthrough when we asked Craig what brings him to CreativeMornings again and again to which he replied:

“I come back partially because CreativeMornings is a sober event."

From there, it became clear that our TRUST event would center around the relationship between trust and sobriety. Craig not only nominated our keynote speaker Byron but took to the stage to tell us about their friendship and shared gratitude for sports as an antidote to addiction.

Craig, if you’re reading this: we can’t thank you enough for hosting us, offering free day passes to Adventure Rock to our attendees, for giving from your heart so fiercely, and for being the reason we celebrated sobriety and the people and organizations that support a joyous, active, and integrated sober life. We love you!

Our chapter got a special visit from friends all the way from CreativeMornings/MIL (Milan, Italy)! Silvia Clo Di Gregorio (chapter organizer) and her partner in love & work Samuele Galli stopped through Milwaukee to share their short film, POLLO ALL'ANANAS ‘98 on their way to Toronto Film Festival. The film is not yet available to the public online but we will let you know when it is!

About the film
A Chinese restaurant in a small Italian province becomes the scene of conflict between the Chinese owners and their customers, a family who have emigrated from southern Italy. A story of immigration, stereotypes and mistrust that leads to a grotesque climax. In the surreal and comical finale, the children try to put the two similar and dysfunctional families back together.

Portrait by Linda Smallpage

Rock bottom ended up being the best place for me because I was willing to listen. - Byron Thompson

Byron Thompson is the senior community engagement manager for The Phoenix, a national non-profit organization whose mission is to build physically active sober communities. He is also the owner of Rebound Recovery House, a sober living home in Milwaukee, and the founder of Soberfest, a drug-free music festival fit with motivational speakers and dozens of recovery groups/resource tables.

Last year was the first annual Soberfest, which saw a whopping 250 attendees. That was a surprise to everyone involved, given how taboo sobriety seemed to be in what some call the beer capital of America. However, this last July at Pere Marquette Park, Soberfest welcomed over 500 people. Clearly Byron is striking a chord.

Byron celebrated 24 years of sobriety this September. A graduate of Marquette University (2014) and of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services’ Emerging Leaders program (2023), Byron has dedicated his life to helping others recover from alcohol and drug addiction. This year, Byron was the recipient of the Rising Star Award from the Museum of African American Addictions Treatment and Recovery.

At one point during his recovery journey, Byron had lost the trust of nearly everyone around him. During his talk, Byron generously shared how he gained that trust back — starting with himself. Thanks for trusting us with your story and bringing more sober spaces to meaningfully connect in Milwaukee. Hearing how you stood with your dear friend through his illness, started a basketball club to support hundreds of others on their sobriety journey, and how joy-filled you are to give a dog a great life makes us feel so dang grateful for a heart like yours, Byron. We’ll find ya at the next booze-free event (we downloaded the Phoenix app)!

Whether you are sober, wanting to get sober, sober curious, or know someone who is struggling: click below to get inspired. ⤵️

Filmed & edited by Maria Patrella

Follow The Phoenix on IG and search events happening in cities across the US!

CreativeMornings is about shining the light on our communities. One way we do this is via 30 Second Pitches. This is where we invite a few people to the stage and share a pitch. Our 30 Second Pitch Nomination Form is always open! Feel free to self-nominate :)

We heard from Sheila Teruty and Madelyne Strunsee of Amara Studios, an upscale vintage clothing shop in Bay View. Drawing inspiration from New York City street style and cult 90s runway looks, check out their carefully curated collection or bespoke events. Sign up for Amara’s newsletter or follow them on Instagram.

After spending years as a teacher, Kat Zilka grew passionate about helping young people detach from the internet. Through her organization, dis.Connect MKE, Kat leads social media recovery groups to help teens take a much needed digtal detox together. Send Kat an email to learn more (dis.connectmke@gmail.com) and look out for more updates in 2025!

Sober in the Brew City welcomes women and non-binary folks who are interested in trying out sobriety in social settings. Leia Ferrari Taner shared several upcoming gatherings, including a coffee walk, full moon standup paddle board yoga and fun with tarot. Follow along for some good, clean, sober fun!

Kat Doughty introduced us to AGENCY, America’s first 1:1 hybrid mocktail/cocktail bar. From the Smoked Manhattan to the Ghost Mango, there are plenty of delicious non-alcoholic beverages to choose from at AGENCY, now located in the historic Dubbel Dutch Hotel. Follow along on Instagram!