Excelsior! Podcast with Britleigh Cocozello
April 25, 2024
Britleigh Cocozello, host of Excelsior! Podcast, invited me into her cozy studio on a rainy April morning to capture a conversation about being alcohol-free in today’s society. Our paths crossed through a mutual friend and I was immediately drawn to Britleigh’s energy and gift as a holistic storyteller. By that I mean, she’s a great listener and conversationalist and has a unique sense of photojournalism. I love the photos from our session while consuming a favorite nonalcoholic beverage of mine: Prima Pavé!
We get into sober bartending, belonging in social spaces, the essence of my TEDx Talk, NA advocacy, experimenting with an alcohol-free lifestyle, and Sauna and Sobriety. The subject of tattoos was also touched on…. noted, Britleigh!
Simon Says Inspire Podcast with Dina Simon and John Simon
April 23, 2024
I’ve known Dina Simon, followed and found her Unstoppable (her book!) for at least a decade. We reconnected in November 2023 at an event. On the spot she invited me on to her podcast with her father-in-law, John Simon, to talk about life, leadership, and legacy, because so much had transpired in purpose-driven work since our last contact.
It was so fun to chat with Dina and John in their venture together to have these conversations. They asked great questions. We touched on massive transformation in my life over the last nine months from empty-nesting to divorce; stepping into leadership; and finally what legacy looks like to me: creating safe alcohol-free spaces and experiences.
Confident Sober Women Podcast with Shelby John
April 9, 2024
Shelby and I connected over our journeys as Confident Sober Women and the conversation flowed from there! She’s east coast and I’m Midwest. We swapped notes on cultural norms and availability/ lack of availability of nonalcoholic options in social spaces. We also connected around our love of events.
In this episode we talk about past trauma as the root of addiction and how healing through therapy and self-care is a crucial part of a celebrated sober life.
Legacy Matters Podcast with Sam Devine, Kate and Marc
March 28, 2024
In all fairness, once I learned that the hosts of this podcast intentionally do absolutely no research on their guests before the show, I did none on them. The resulting experience between this party of four is quirky, strangely connected, and full of bizarre tangents. The first of which is the small town of 4,000 I hail from in Southwestern Minnesota: Jackson.
This inside sauna like conversation, meanders from Jackson to Minneapolis to Rome and Uptown in my roaring twenties. We sidebar about men pursuing women in the nineties (which is now the modern-day version of stalking), and the ease of meeting up at one of three bars in uptown, before we get into the heart of my current legacy work: Sober Not Somber. It’s entertaining for sure — thank you Sam, Kate, and Marc for the extended happy hour, and Glenn Auerbach of Sauna Times for the warm intro to this crew!
More Wiser Podcast with Joe Reichert
January 9, 2024
Joe and I connected on LinkedIn and I was immediately drawn to his content focus: TEDx Speakers. Joe amplifies TEDx Talks by interviewing the speaker and digging deeper into the subject matter.
Timed with Dry January 2024 (in it’s 11th year), I appreciated our conversations around the legal drinking age in the U.S., serving and intro’ing nonalcoholic alternatives to teens, and drinking culture. Over time, I would love to see “why aren’t you drinking (alcohol)?” shift to one of curiosity like “what are you drinking that’s nonalcoholic and can I have some?”
Sober.Coffee Podcast with Glenn H and Mike R
November 8, 2023
When Mike and Glenn reached out to invite me on, I enthusiastically said yes based on the conversational style of their podcast and its name. Everyone knows sobriety and coffee go hand in hand, and in my opinion it better be the finest coffee ever given it is now my socialization beverage of choice!
I appreciated our Table of 3, allowing space for Mike and Glenn to add their personal experiences around entrepreneurship and social gatherings like weddings while talking about my work in social spaces. We touched on my TEDx Talk and how the anonymity of AA can serve us well in early sobriety. At three years in, I wanted to be more open and discovered my route to service wasn’t becoming a sponsor, it was becoming an advocate for the sober life that is pretty amazing once we accept and start living in it.
Highway to Health Podcast with Jeremy Quinby
August 10, 2023
Jeremy Quinby, host of the Highway to Health Podcast, and I first connected on the bench – the sauna bench at Urban Wing Co. There was no alcohol involved as it was a sober safe space.
Over the course of the evening sauna session, we started the conversation around many of the topics we do a deeper dive into in the podcast including exploring your personal history of drinking, the science of drinking (see the Huberman podcast!), a correlation between highly productive people and propensity to become addicted, and the addictive nature of our culture.
Highway to Health’s vision – to bring together true integration in the way we care for ourselves, each other, and our natural world – plays out in the guest conversations they’ve hosted over eight sessions. Give our conversation and others in the archive a listen!
Impactful Authenticity Podcast with Lucy Rowell
May 28, 2023
Lucy and I met via my unofficial/official TEDx Coach, Renee Dineen (see Renee’s Talk: Authentic Inaction: Undoing the Doing in a Do Crazy World). What I love about Lucy’s style and approach is that she connects the authentic purpose of each guest to a challenge with impact for her listeners.
In the podcast, we cover the ritual of alcohol, how companies and individuals can support those that intend to be alcohol-free for an evening or for a lifetime, and we even threw in an nonalcoholic (NA) cocktail challenge at the end and talked a little bit about Taylor Swift : )
City Girl Empower Hour Podcast with Alyza Bohbot James
May 25, 2023
When I first connected with City Girl Coffee it was 2016, two years into my sober journey and eternally grateful for exceptional coffee and its saving grace. I aimed to introduce City Girl to AA groups everywhere. We need good coffee in the rooms! In 2019, I reconnected with Alyza after she spoke at a women’s leadership event and have been a fan of her social good work in business and her podcast ever since.
Our conversation took place at the height of her pregnancy with twin boys, a no-drinking space. A reminder that women in our society have the power to heal us all as a wide spectrum of us — from “sober necessary” to women who’ve born children — have had more than a Dry January’s worth dry run without alcohol. We cover so much, including what acceptance looks like — no matter where you’re at in your relationship with alcohol.
Motivational Voice Podcast with Oumar Dieng
May 8, 2023
I met Oumar in May 2022, when TEDx Edina announced the speakers who would be going to the red carpet on October 29, 2022. We would be part of 11 brave souls going forward in the process of creating, delivering, and launching our idea worth spreading into the world.
Oumar has such a calming, grounded, confident presence — you definitely want him in your supportive court! In our group of speakers, he instinctively and expertly took initiative to bring us together at key connection points in our journeys. In our conversation, we talk about the process of putting forth a TEDx Talk (my take on it here) and why YOU might consider going to the TEDx Stage.
The Optimization Toolbox Podcast with Jenna Redfield
Feb 21, 2023
I still marvel when I find out through conversation with someone that they’ve just never really drank alcohol — just never cared for it. Jenna Redfield is such a person. Over years, we’ve connected with each other at events, likely while holding a sub-par nonalcoholic option in hand. After understanding more about the space I’m in, she told me that she doesn’t drink either. In that moment, it didn’t matter how we came to be non-drinkers. It mattered that we shared and do share the experience of choosing not to drink.
In conversation we talk about Zero Proof Collective and all its learnings, being a sober person and navigating social spaces (what’s that LIKE?!?), the benefits of quitting alcohol, and the prompt: are we still asking the outdated question with a deprivation mindset how much alcohol can I safely consume? when we could and should be asking what would my life be like without it?
Feminist Book Club Podcast with Rah Hernandez
Jan 10, 2023
Rah and I connected at Dissonance’s Ghost Notes in Sept 2022 and quickly arrived at the idea that we should open up the conversation about how alcohol shows up in our communities, relationships, and social spaces. In this episode, timely released with Dry January 2023 in mind, we talk about how anyone can take 31 days of unpacking their relationship with alcohol forward with staying power.
We also quickly came around the term #BoozelessBaddies, Rah-coined language I immediately resonated with because while the two words seem in dissonance with each other — it’s a stigma-shattering phrase and one that pairs well with rebelliousness. As in…. in 2023 it is still considered a somewhat rebel move to ask for (and pursue actually being served) a nonalcoholic beverage in a space where alcohol is centralized and freely flowing. Let’s unapologetically #AskForNA, folks!
Professional Drinkers Podcast with Janet Hadley
Dec 16, 2022
Thanks to the reach of social media, Janet and I were easily able to connect even though we’re — as she says — across The Pond from each other! We connected around the idea that the workplace can be an amazing place for employees to see sober or AF people who are thriving, and a great entry point to explore healthy social experiences without alcohol at center.
We’ve seen it in action (see my article: Soberforce Models Sobriety Support in the Workplace). In my conversation with Janet, we talk about how workplaces can lead by creating a positive culture that decentralizes alcohol, some simple things companies can do (always offer elevated NA options at gatherings!; refrain from gifting alcohol), and the power of celebrating your AF employees.
The AWEd Life Podcast with Hallie Sawyer
Dec 1, 2022
Hallie and I met at ModernWell (an MSP co-working community) years ago and although we don’t live in the same city, we’ve continued to connect through social media and in-person when she makes the trek to ModernWell. We get into how being in a space like MW supports entrepreneurs, their growth and purpose — shout out, Julie Burton!
In our AWEd (Awake, Well. and Empowered) conversation we touch on an awakening over eight years of sobriety, the necessary cocooning (symbolically aligned with a pilgrimage to Mexico to be in the presence of monarch butterflies), transformation to step into purpose, and embracing five decades with a birthday celebration and NA bar. Love Hallie’s chosen title for this “Having the Flight of Her Life!”
Enjoy the ‘cast
Sun & Moon Sober Living with Mary Tilson
Sept 13, 2022
Mary is a wellness and sober warrior! I knew I loved her when she said she’s down with sauna and ice bath. Our sober dates are 8 and 9 years ago and we share a background in marketing and corporate — enough to know now that what was happening in the 90’s in our early careers around workplace and drinking were not a good mix. Perspective!
In our Sun & Moon conversation we explore how the workplace can be more supportive to those in recovery, and the critical role our social interactions and community plays in our overall sense of wellbeing. We ask: Is your company creating a culture free of stigma or would you be more comfortable keeping this part of your life private?
Give it a listen here: the ‘cast
The Art of Living Well Podcast with Marnie Daches Marmet + Stephanie May Potter
Sept 7, 2022
I first connected with Marnie and Stephanie at Modern Well, a women-centric co-working space in Minneapolis. I’ve so enjoyed witnessing their individual growth and work together with TAOLW and the amazing conversations I’ve listened to via their podcast!
In this episode we talk about how to explore your relationship with alcohol, become sober curious, and how to create a fun alcohol-free social experience. It is possible! We also touch on how, as a parent, you are modeling healthy (or unhealthy) alcohol use for your kids; and we even make time to talk about NA beverage makers like Ritual Zero Proof (NA tequila) and a local St. Paul favorite, ABV Technology, where breweries send their top brews to be dealcoholized, eventually gracing the “tapped beer” real estate at venues.
Revolutionizing the Nonalcoholic Beverages Community with Jasna Burza
Aug 10. 2022
Jasna and I have been ModernWellers since the early days of the coworking space that will celebrate five years in January 2023. We’ve witnessed each other’s way of being, energy, and work all along the way. Post-pandemic we hadn’t really connected to learn of what each other had been up to. The stars aligned for us to catch up in August and I was grateful.
Through Jasna’s Business Spotlight series, she hosts conversations with business owners to highlight their work. Her premise — there is A LOT of content and many entrepreneurial voices are missed if you leave it to an algorithm. We talk about the forming of Zero Proof Collective with community at the core, and the rise of nonalcoholic offerings in our social spaces. Revolutionary!
Creating Ripples Podcast with Alexandra Zauner
July 26, 2022
I met Alexandra Zauner, wellness advocate, sober sister, and podcast host of Creating Ripples through new buzz generated around the launch of Zero Proof Collective in May 2022.
Alex arrived at sober necessary early in experimentation with alcohol, like in her early twenties. I continue to meet younger people who find sobriety earlier than I did and I’m incredibly impressed and excited for the clarity and purpose they’ll have over a lifetime of experiences. She’s a young mom of littles, a go-getter and I love her unbridled enthusiasm!
In this episode we touch on #SoberNotSomber (it’s an attitude!) and address the stigmas around choosing not to drink in our adult social spaces -- from bars and restaurants, to events and workplace. We talk openly about how these environments and experiences can directly lead to relapses, even encourage the use of alcohol to numb or de-stress (Mommy Wine Culture -- especially on IG, t-shirts and drinkware – we’re looking at you!). Thank you, Alex, for letting the conversation and ripples of impact flow! The ‘cast
Dear Nina Podcast with Nina Badzin
Feb 7, 2022
In true Dear Nina form, Nina Badzin, in prep for our podcast, asked her FB group: what do you want to know about friendship and sobriety? They replied with questions like do friends want to be congratulated on their sobriety? How do I support and talk to a friend in early sobriety?
We dig into these questions and more in this podcast. We talk about how you can have your friend’s back in awkward social situations. How you might suggest new activities that don’t center around alcohol. And if you’re in the one struggling with drinking, we offer some good ways to think about how your drinking is paired with activities to answer the question everyone wants to know: do I have a drinking problem?
My friendships have transitioned over seven years of sobriety. I welcomed this opportunity to talk with friendship guru, Nina, to unpack some of the nuances of friendship as it relates to sobriety. Thank you, Nina, and sober curious folks and friends of: I’d love to hear how you’re navigating friendships! The ‘cast
Our conversation inspired reflection on alcohol personified as a friend: A Baffling Breakup
Dream Possible Podcast with Maria Reitan
Jan 11, 2022
No more clouded judgment. Alcohol was not only interfering with dreams I’d once had, it completely shut them down.
I was grateful to talk with Maria Reitan, one of the first women I shared my one year soberversary news with on 7.28.15 in a professional setting (i.e. outside of AA). Our conversation recaps a 20-year journey through addiction and my mission with JenGilhoi.com: to invite others into inquiry in this space earlier and often.
In sobriety, dreams became possible. I certainly never dreamt all those years ago that we’d be coming together for this podcast. Thank you, Maria, and sober curious folks: let me know if you give it a listen!
The ‘cast
The Power of Nine Podcast with Aaron Eggert of Coalition 9
Oct 14, 2021
Clearly things needed to change. At 40 I was experiencing burnout to the nth degree. Quitting drinking was no easy feat, but it absolutely caused a paradigm shift.
In conversation with Aaron Eggert, Coalition 9 founder and masterful networker, we ventured into the corporate space and wove in my personal life’s journey and passions (Italy!). I’m thankful for his skill in drawing the story out of me and causing pause for reflection on that monumental moment. It set me on an entrepreneurial track I didn’t know I had in me.
It was a powerful way to share and normalize burnout and recognize that alcohol is a coping mechanism that so many turn to, then find it progressing to rock bottom. Thank you, Aaron, and sober curious folks: don’t let your high-functioning work performance be the reason you don’t seek help. The ‘cast
Dream It. Do It. Podcast with Molly Asplin
Sept 21, 2021
So many want to know the answer to this question: do I have a drinking problem? For me, an obsession started with my first social drinking experience. I loved the way it released inhibitions. It’s been a decades-long journey, but coming to terms with problem drinking has let in an amazing lifestyle that’s #SoberNotSomber
Molly Asplin and I talk about gray-area drinking, Mommy Wine Culture, and striving for perfection and achievement. Molly’s my wellness coach and we note that particularly for women, there are unique challenges to quitting drinking. Since we’ve both read Quit Like A Woman, a lot of our conversation stems from that groundbreaking book.
Reading QLAW inspired me to launch jengilhoi.com in August 2021, which was a quiet, still budding dream in early 2021. But I did it! And a dreamy takeaway: you don’t need to take a quiz to assess your drinking, you need to go deep within and trust your gut. Thank you, Molly, and sober curious folks: worry less about labels and explore your way to more wellness! The ‘cast