Allison Deraney is an attorney, writer, and community leader who has become one of the most trusted voices at the intersection of midlife and sobriety. When she began writing about the collision of high‑achieving womanhood, recovery, and the unvarnished truths of midlife, something opened. Women began telling her that her words echoed the things they whispered only to themselves.

In her forthcoming debut memoir, Almost Enough, Allison tells of the quiet turning point when she finally meets her full story with honesty. Rooted in recovery, it exposes the seductive pull of reinvention that sobriety can spark – and the raw, unguarded self that emerges only when the urge to perfect, optimize, and outgrow falls away.

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Allison helps women return to themselves in a world that rarely slows down. Through her Substack, Dare to Be, she has shaped a distinctive brand rooted in presence, curiosity, and the quiet art of paying attention. Her work leans toward connection rather than reactivity, toward the beauty tucked inside ordinary days, toward the spaciousness that appears when we finally stop rushing.

In a crowded Substack landscape, her newsletter stands apart—consistently opened, thoughtfully discussed, and returned to by a loyal community. Readers come for her grounded reflections and stay for the sense of belonging she cultivates: a shared space to recharge, reconnect, and expand what’s possible in the days ahead. Her work is not theory; it is lived experience spoken aloud so other women don’t have to navigate their turning points in silence.

Allison has her finger on the pulse of the burgeoning sober community. She heads the Greater Boston chapter of The Luckiest Club, one of the largest global sobriety communities, where she hosts weekly calls and in-person gatherings. She also sits on the Advisory Board of the Women’s Recovery Leadership Foundation, working alongside leaders in recovery, faith, and mental health to support women navigating sobriety at every stage.

Allison earned her B.A. in English and went on to receive her law degree in 2007.  Currently a licensed real estate attorney, running her own business, she’s writing more creativity into her days. Allison lives in Massachusetts with her husband, two kids, and two rescue dogs, spending her free time wandering and wondering in nature, and cheering her kids on from the sidelines of the basketball court.

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