Carl Radke Says Being 'Vulnerable' About His Struggles on TV Made Him 'Connect' With Others: 'It Can Be Scary'

Carl Radke put his life out in the open when appearing on Summer House — and he couldn't be happier about it.

"I felt very vulnerable. I felt naked, but I think over time what I've realized is there's a lot of strength in being really honest. It was important for me to be fully authentic about what was going on. It's almost like, if you don't like me, it saves me time. It's better to be liked for who you are than loved for who you're not," the Summer House star, 40, who teamed up with Outshine and his new NA venture Soft Bar + Cafe for custom soft beverages at the Outshine Savor The Summer Pop Up in NYC, exclusively told OK!.

"I was able to have the courage to open up, and the amount of people who were receptive to that is amazing," the star, who is sober after a public struggle with alcohol and substance abuse, which played out on the Bravo reality series, added. "It was a beautiful thing to have all these people welcome you after opening up. It can be a scary place, but on the other side, there are a lot of people that are just like you."

Radke also acknowledges his Summer House costars and friends are so supportive of him through his journey. "I have an amazing friend group. I feel very, very blessed. Personally and professionally, I've had a lot of love and support from Kyle [Cooke] and Ciara Miller has been incredibly supportive and sweet. Everyone was supportive over the summer," he gushed.

Additionally, Radke, who is embarking on a new journey: opening Soft Bar, Brooklyn’s new non-alcoholic café and bar designed for mindful socializing, focused productivity, and elevated connection, on September 18, is thrilled his friends will be coming to his new space in the future.

"It's beautiful to see your friends go, 'OK, he's dead serious. He's very passionate,' so let's support him. It's been nice to have people who care about you say, 'I'm proud of you and I'm happy.' Though they've all seen the space, the best feeling is watching their faces when they walk in. They were like, 'You did this, this is cool.' That's what I was hoping for — and I think I got that," he shared.

Additionally, Bravo has been there for him ahead of opening his business. "I was like, 'Here's what I am doing, and if you guys want to capture it...' They've been since last year. They covered my announcement of building this company, doing the family and friends pop-up. They were all about it. The exposure that it provides is tremendous," he stated.

As the launch nears, Radke is "feeling good" about how far he's come and what the future holds. "I'm ready to get started! I'm excited for people to come and experience it. It's open in the morning — think of it as a coffee shop that stays open later, but as it turns into night, it's a cool cocktail bar that has a vibe. Good music, food, amazing, light healthy bites, snacks that pair well with our non-alcoholic drinks. It's an event space," he explained of the concept. "I wanted to elevate the experience. Each drink has a specific glass and each ingredient we use is very intentional. My head bartender is from Eleven Madison Park, and he brings advanced bartending experience. I've got an amazing team, and I'm very lucky with the group I've put together."

Since Radke has been "visualizing" Soft Bar for three years, he's ready to see it come to life. "If I put my goals down, I always do it," he said, adding he wants to create a "community."

"For people who don't drink alcohol or do hard drugs, community is one of the single most important things for these folks," he said. "It's like, where do you find your people? Where do you get together? In New York City, we still don't have places like that, where you can get non-alcoholic options and other alternatives at any time of day. I'm very social, and I go to coffee shops a lot, but if I am feeling this way in a city of 9 million people, there has to be a few others."

Outshine has teamed up with Radke and his new NA venture Soft Bar + Cafe for custom soft beverages, making it the perfect collaboration.

"A friend of mine — his wife is associated with Outshine, and I got a call about a year ago. They were telling me they were interested in doing something with me personally. I love fruit bars. I was familiar with the brand, but I didn't connect the dots, and they wanted me to do something with a mocktail. I love their Outshine Fruit Blends Pina Colada Fruit Bars. Once we did the mocktail, it did well on social media. I wasn't thinking about fruit bars at Soft Bar, but my beverage director and COO were like, 'What if we used it as a garnish and we sprinkle functional ingredients on top and incorporate it into a soft cocktail?' We presented that to Outshine, and they loved it!" he explained. "We've been working with them on a couple of different events, and we had a soft opening two weeks ago."

"Outshine was featured as our beverage," he continued. "So, I am here to support the Soft Bar team. We're serving a functional soft cocktail — I don't like to say mocktail. It's a soft cocktail. This feels very aligned with my lifestyle."