Joyful Sober: Recent Episodes
Alison Lasek
Conversations with artists, entrepreneurs and down-right fun people who believe ditching booze is anything but boring. Hosted by Alison Lasek.
Putting the Joy in Joyful Sober.
Welcome back to 2022 on the Joyful Sober podcast. Last year the focus was on the ‘sober’ in joyful sober and we met a range of inspiring people who have chosen life a little less boozy. This year we’re zeroing in on the ‘joyful’.
With that, my first guest for the year is Claire Bradshaw, holistic life and mindset coach, yoga teacher and host of her own podcast Becoming Whole. Claire firmly believes that the world needs more of us to reclaim our authentic power, purpose and passion. This is the starting point for her coaching practice, where she draws on many years as a yoga teacher and combines this with modern coaching methods, to help clients get out of their own way and bring their gifts to the world.
After suffering burnout, Claire knows how powerful the mind/body/spirit connection is in bringing us back to centre. She shares her story and loads of insights around what keeps us from the life of our dreams and how to start moving towards it.
Claire and I are working together on an exciting project together that we fill you in on in the episode too. A series of online workshops, that support our attendees to co-create with the potent energy of the new moon to bring their visions to life. I’m personally so excited about this and to be sharing my biggest sober passion – astrology – with the world.
Read more about our Lunar Circles workshop series here:
https://events.humanitix.com/pisces-lunar-circle?_ga=2.54961704.284236526.1644652721-1597715380.1644652721
And find Claire here:
https://claire-bradshaw.com/ https://www.instagram.com/_clairebradshaw_/
The brain space to keep listening and learning.
How cool is Rebecca Sullivan - sustainability advocate and much much more. Rebecca is a self-taught cook who has worked with some of the world’s best food producers, academics, activists, and chefs. She’s a Yale fellow, author, regenerative farmer, teacher and entrepreneur having founded Australian Native wellbeing brand Warndu with her partner Damien.
Rebecca's personality meant she has always been the one bringing people together, as a cook and as a drinker - a social ringleader in all areas. When she fell pregnant with her baby Mallie she naturally stopped drinking. Then after a traumatic birth and suffering PTSD, postnatal depression and anxiety, Rebecca made a conscious decision not to drink for a bit longer. This turned into two years and she isn't looking back.
In this inspiring conversation, Rebecca shares her favourite non-alcoholic drinks—made with beautiful native ingredients—and tells her story openly and passionately.
Rebecca's links:
rebeccasullivan.com.au
instagram.com/grannyskills
warndu.com
What you consume, consumes you.
In this episode, I chat to Van Nguyen sustainability advocate and founder of non-alcoholic drinks retailer Sip & Enjoy. Van enjoys finding products that support healthy and more environmentally friendly lifestyles and sharing her learnings with like-minded people.
It was a seriously busy day for Van when we spoke. Not only was it Black Friday, but she was also in the process of setting up a physical pop-up shop in Abbotsford, Melbourne. Sip & Enjoy Abbotsford will be open to the public a couple of days after the podcast goes to air on Friday 3 December 2021.
Thanks to Van, Melbournians can make sure we're not sipping water at such a festive time of year. She's looking forward to having conversations with customers, and being able to provide recommendations, which will no doubt include lots of local products using native botanicals. In this awesome chat, Van shares her own journey towards a more mindful relationship with alcohol as well as what she's planning to drink as the warmer weather hits and the silly season gets into full swing.
Sip & Enjoy
281 Johnston Street, Abbotsford, VIC 3067
Some free tastings happening in-store, 12pm-2pm:
- Saturday 4th Dec - Banks Botanicals
- Saturday 11th Dec - NakedLife mixers
- Saturday 18th Dec - Plus & Minus wines
- Sunday 26th Dec - Beer tasting (a variety of brands)
Van's links:
sipenjoy.com.au
instagram.com/sipandenjoy_au
Living with intention and gratitude.
In this episode, I chat to Albie Colvin, graphic designer and founder of Colour Them Safe; a Melbourne based arts organisation that aims to brighten the lives of young people experiencing disadvantage through art-making experiences.
I’ve known Albie for many years. We met at university, which feels like a LONG time ago for both of us (which it was). We had so much to catch up on, from our shared love of yoga to sobriety as a way of living with more intention and purpose.
It was cool to reflect on the early days of sobriety when we both discovered there are other amazing sober people around. Of course it's not as much of a solo road as anticipated - we just didn't notice all the other rad non-drinkers before! This conversation was a beautiful opportunity to re-connect with an old friend on a similar path.
Albie shares a gratitude practice that he does with Colour Them Safe, where you take the time to think about the things you're thankful for, and then use art-making as an opportunity to really sit with it and create a physical expression of those feelings. This simple exercise helps people to go deep and experience the benefits of gratitude - way beyond making a few quick notes in a journal.
This incredible conversation certainly left me feeling very grateful too - thanks again Albie!
Albie's links:
https://www.colourthemsafe.org/
Sober and doing exactly what lights them up.
I loved meeting the vivacious Remi Gordon - an intuitive coach, space holder and card reader. They also identify as a vaxxed, sober, queer, fat, feminist witch. This is a high-vibe conversation where we chat about Remi’s sober journey and the incredible work they do, helping clients to realise their wildest dreams.
Remi has been sober for two years because drinking just wasn’t serving them anymore. Like for many of us, this took Remi a little while to come to terms with this fact. They tried moderation and periods without drinking but knew deep down it wasn’t working. Interestingly, all the clarity comes from looking back. They didn’t know just HOW GOOD sober life could be.
One of the cool things Remi has discovered after becoming sober is tuning into and trusting their intuition. And a silver lining of Covid was the opportunity to sit deal with whatever came up, the reasons why they were drinking in the first place, without the distractions of a full social calendar. All that inner work has certainly paid off; they are glowing – and this chat was recorded at 9.30am!
Remi loves working to support people do whatever the hell they want. To tune into what our hearts desire, and move beyond fear and the expectations of others. Their infectious zest for life shines through. This conversation left me feeling pretty jazzed up on sober life too.
Remi's links:
linktr.ee/remigordon
instagram.com/thisisremigordon
Bringing the cool-girl aesthetic to the non-alc space.
In this episode, I chat to Simone Williams, who writes the @drinksbysante newsletter, rounding up the best the non-alcoholic space has to offer. Sim is a writer and has worked as a journalist and ad agency gal all over the world.
Interestingly, she’s never consumed alcohol! She was inspired from very early on to envision a different way of socialising and interacting. Simone’s social life always involved fun activities, like going out for a dance or watching a theatre production and she never needed anything to elevate these experiences! Go Sim.
Already having a great time, she had no problems staying away from booze - except for maybe a few questioning peers, which Sim clearly handles with openness and grace.
In this inspiring conversation, we chat about navigating the Australian drinking culture as a sober young person. We hear about the birth of her newsletter, which takes an editorial / high-fashion approach to create an aspirational lifestyle around the choice not to drink. Attraction is a key ingredient for Sim: sharing products that look and taste beautiful and having fun doing it.
Simone’s links:
https://www.drinksbysante.com/
https://www.instagram.com/drinksbysante/
Not so temperate.
In this episode, we meet Phillip Adams, the Artistic Director of Phillip Adams BalletLab, a Melbourne contemporary dance company that’s made a huge impact on arts and culture in Australia over the last twenty years.
Phillip quit drinking at the ripe age of 21 when he realised that alcohol didn’t agree with him. The loss of control and the anxiety just wasn’t worth it, and while he doesn’t think about it that often, this choice has allowed him to be incredibly focused on his career.
A reaction to the consumption of alcohol has had threads throughout his creative work from very early on. When Phillip was a young boy he was hit by a drunk driver. This inspired his first major work in 1999, called Crash, which investigated the body in trauma.
And interestingly, his company is now located in a hall that was built by one of the influential temperance movements, the Emerald Hill Total Abstinence Society. This rich history and architecture inspire his work today.
In our chat, we dig into Phillip’s story as a highly conscious non-drinker, his creative work, and a little bit of the history too. It’s a great one.
Phillip’s links:
https://www.balletlab.com/phillip-adams
https://www.temperancehall.com.au/
Every time choose heath.
In this episode, I have not one but two guests on the show. Partners in both love and business, Jason and Andy Quin share the story of founding one of my favourite non-alcoholic drink brands, which is an overwhelmingly personal one.
Jason worked for 23 years in the wine industry and had a wonderful career. His work led to his progressive exposure to wine, the thing he loved most in his life, but it is possible to have too much of a good thing.
Jason is grateful to be on the other side. He’s found joy and a second go at life, but fear was a huge thing to work through at the time. His career was so important to him; it set his family up financially and gave him a sense of purpose and meaning. To be able to walk away was a huge challenge. But once he dared to take it on, there was no looking back.
Andy has been an incredible support and remembers having the first discussion with Jason about creating an alcohol-free drink - one that’s sophisticated, pairs well with food and provides the same sense of occasion - and saw sparks come back into Jason’s eyes. That’s when ETCH Sparking was born. The acronym Every Time Choose Heath is a beautiful reminder to check in on mental, physical, spiritual health. Whatever that looks like at the time.
https://www.etchsparkling.com.au/
A solid platform for personal transformation.
She’s usually the one interviewing other people but in this episode, we get up close and personal with Joyful Sober host Alison Lasek.
In the past, Alison hasn’t been one to talk particularly vulnerably about herself, at least not in public. But life without alcohol has given her a new level of self-confidence and comfort with sharing more openly.
We hear about how Alison shifted from feeling like alcohol was something that would always be an important part of her life, to a place where she wanted to let it go for good. Even though this idea was met with quite a bit of resistance - even grief – she’s now in a place filled with joy, energy, and creative potential, and isn't looking back.
2021 has been a year of incredible self-development for Alison. She’s dropped limiting beliefs, resistance, judgement and opened her heart to the beauty of the everyday and the wonder of the universe. Hear how she made those changes by experimenting with Kundalini yoga, meditation, hypnosis, tapping (EFT) - finding what felt right for her, and saying no to the rest.
Let’s talk about wellbeing and wine.
In this episode, we meet Kirsten Chalmers, founder of Point Zero Cellars, an alcohol-free beverage store aimed at improving the experience of not drinking, by adding quality products to the mix. They also donate a dollar for every order to mental health.
Kirsten is also a registered psychologist, so comes to the non-alcoholic drinks space with a very informed and unique perspective. Kirsten isn’t anti-alcohol and still has the occasional alcohol day, as opposed to the occasional alcohol-free day like in the past.
Kirsten is very aware of the positive mental health and wellbeing benefits associated with cutting this one thing out of our diets. She loves the idea that her young daughters could go to a party, take a non-alcoholic sparkling and have no one really question them about what they are drinking.
When Covid hit, Kirsten and her therapy dog Nugget were working face to face supporting kids, which became much harder during the Victorian lockdowns. She drew on her entrepreneurial spirit and leaned into her passion for non-alcoholic wines to start Point Zero Cellars. In this growing industry, it will be fun to see where Kirsten takes this new and important business from here.
An opportunity written in the stars.
In this episode, I have the absolute pleasure of chatting with Andy Moore of Hello Sunday Morning, an Australian not-for-profit organisation dedicated to helping people who want to change their relationship with alcohol – including some of our previous guests on Joyful Sober!
At the age of 26, Andy was diagnosed with cancer, and this was the starting point for a career in not for profit dedicated to helping people change their health behaviours. At that time, Andy changed a lot in his own life, but alcohol was the one thing he didn't even consider. It wasn’t until he started to struggle with alcohol in his 40s and was diagnosed with depression, which he believes alcohol played a big part in, did he remove it from his life.
His CEO role at Hello Sunday morning was a perfect fit. And he is seeing their services even more in demand now. With higher levels of stress and risky drinking happening throughout the pandemic, and huge waiting lists to get into services like psychologists, Hello Sunday Morning are supporting people when they need it most.
Their Daybreak app is an anonymous non-judgemental platform to connect people at all stages of their journey. They also offer health coaching, run by psychologists, and care navigation to help people find the services they need.
Hear more about Andy’s story and Hello Sunday Morning's important work in this informative chat.
https://hellosundaymorning.org/
Sober and Connected to Country.
It was so cool to chat to Georgia MacGuire, or Black Gin,aninspiring artist working with a wide range of materials and practices that reconnect her to traditional craft making, from paperbark to weaving. And working collaboratively with women and community.
On challenging days, Georgia would love a drink, but she has some awesome strategies up her sleeve, like painting her toenails sparkly red, treating herself to chilli chocolate, or playing retro 80s music which she saves for these occasions.
Georgia has been experiencing incredibly positive results, in particular with managing her ADHD sans booze. In the past, drinking was certainly a part of her identity. She describes how it was a bit of a joke that I was the drunk aunty, and even had earrings that said, ‘drunk aunty’.
But now she’s finding incredible strength grounding herself on country, and engaging all her senses while looking for traditional bush foods or submerging her feet in freezing water.
She’s finding it really incredibly inspiring to see other high-profile Aboriginal people who have quit booze and are challenging stereotypes, such as Dan Saltan and Barkaa.
Her art practice has also really taken off over this time, and she has some exciting projects being completed and shows coming up which we hear more about in this episode.
Thanks Georgia, you are a legend!
Clear as a bell and still sharing stories.
In this episode of Joyful Sober, we meet much loved Australian artist, writer and broadcaster, Tai Snaith.
Tai is a storyteller. This quality resonates through her artistic practice, and it makes for beautiful listening as we delve into her journey to sobriety.
Tai has a practical approach to living her best life. She reflects on things as they happen and assesses what’s going well and what isn’t. And she reached a point where drinking alcohol was something she couldn’t ignore anymore.
She doesn’t feel like not drinking is an achievement and she isn’t counting the days. This is something that has actually made her life easier.
Her biggest 'why' is that she’s a nicer person to be around - to herself, her family and her friends.
Tai was worried she’d become less social, but she has been enjoying some great nights out dancing. And she loves the idea that if someone needed help, she’d always be in a state to be able to offer assistance.
Having a body and mind clear of alcohol has taken her work to the next level too. It’s incredible to hear what she’s working on and what has in store for us next.
Tai’s links:
http://taisnaith.com/
https://www.instagram.com/taisnaith/
https://artsarenewsworthy.com.au/
Dinner and drinks anyone? Bring on the guilt-free social events.
After breaking her arm at a Bruce Springsteen concert and deciding to pursue a new booze-free path, Amy Armstrong has made it her mission to taste all the glorious craft-made options the non-alcoholic scene has to offer and to share her expert judgement with others via Dry but Wet. She has been instrumental in the push for venues to stock more than just soda water and juice right across Australia.
In this generous conversation, Amy talks about her quest to find the dream red wine replacement and a new off-switch without the booze. She describes being stopped on the street in her small town by people who want to talk about their own relationship with alcohol - something many of us negotiate but don’t always talk about publicly. I loved hearing about her burgeoning social life! And that she’s building greater trust and connection with her husband and daughter. Right on Amy.
Amy's links:
https://www.drybutwet.com.au/
A charmed and creative life sans booze.
Veronica is my sober icon! And my creative role model now too.
Her contemporary art practice spans painting, photography, collage, installation…. and she’s one half of the artistic duo, The Telepathy Project.
Interestingly, Vernonia’s creative energy isn’t purely directed at the outward-facing things she creates for the art world. When Vernonia’s not in her shed throwing the pottery cups and plates she uses in her home on Bruny Island in Tasmania, you might find her working in the garden, at the beach for a cold-water swim, or at her desk writing.
Since quitting alcohol five and a half years ago, her creative practice has become much more expansive. She sees creativity as the right of everyone and something to be infused into daily life.
In this gorgeous conversation, Veronica and I muse over how quickly intimacy can be built around a bottle… but how it doesn’t always stick. We talk about sobriety as a positive, empowering and anti-establishment move. And Veronica assures me that after a while, it just becomes normal – and oh so joyful.
Veronica's links:
www.veronicakent.com
www.thetelepathyproject.com
Sobriety as the greatest productivity hack.
Chatting to Pete, the founder of branding agency Electric and Analogue AND Heaps Normal booze-free craft beer was such a pleasure. Together with three of his best mates, he’s created a beer that not only tastes good but gives everyone a mindful option, sober or not.
After not drinking for two years, then going back to the booze for a bit, Pete’s now comfortable in his own sobriety. He’s enjoying all the benefits that come from being conscious of what he puts in his body and keeping his eyes planted firmly on his purpose.
Pete's fascinated with productivity. Never having a hangover gives him the superpower to focus on the important things, from waking up and reading a chapter of a book that’s been on his shelf for years, to throwing himself into his thriving business and spending quality time at the beach with his wife and kids. Growing up with alcoholism in the family—and wanting to make sure his kids never have to experience what he did—is a powerful motivator.
In this convivial chat, Pete turns the tables and asks me about my story(!)… and shares his top sobriety hack: know your WHY!
Pete's links:
https://heapsnormal.com/
https://www.eanda.cc/
No longer knitting under the influence.
Welcome to Joyful Sober. This is a series of conversations with inspiring people who think the topic of eliminating or reducing booze is anything but boring.
In episode one, we meet American, Australian artist Kate Just. Kate is known internationally for her contemporary knitting practice and for artworks that poetically confront social issues, from violence against women to systemic inequality of all kinds.
What fans and collectors might not know is that Kate quit drinking at the end of 2020. She’d been drinking every day in front of her family and wanted to role model a better way of dealing with difficult emotions. The first thing Kate needed to do was get community around her and connect with fun, joyful people who normalise not drinking.
The journey—of course—hasn’t always been easy. While Kate’s wife Paula notices a difference in the way Kate shows up for their relationship, Kate often needs to remind herself of the invisible benefits and treat herself with cake! Not surprisingly, Kate’s artwork has become more technically accurate and it’s no longer necessary to explain tipsy mistakes as an essential part of the process.
Kate is highly skilled in asking for what she needs. She gives some great pointers on putting your diva-demands out there with grace and ease.
Instragram @joyful_sober
Kate’s links:
https://www.katejust.com/
https://www.the-national.com.au/artists/kate-just/anonymous-was-a-woman/