Rethinking Alcohol: The Truth About Drinking We Avoid Talking About

This episode is brought to you by Little Saints, a zero-sugar, non-alcoholic cocktail and spirits brand created for people who love the ritual of drinking but not the aftermath. Use code VALERIA for 15% off at https://littlesaints.com

In this episode of Not Alone, Valeria sits down with Megan Klein, founder of Little Saints, a non-alcoholic cocktails and spirits brand, for a candid conversation about sober curiosity, reinvention, and building a business that challenges the way we socialize. Megan shares her unconventional career path and what she discovered after testing nearly every non-alcoholic drink on the market. They dive into betting on yourself, her Shark Tank experience (and why she walked away from the offers), and her complicated relationship with the word “sober.” The conversation goes deeper into the physical and emotional effects of alcohol, why so many of us drink to numb, and what dating without alcohol can look like. Megan also opens up about how her personal experiences, including extensive work with ayahuasca, shaped her outlook on wellness, presence, and connection. It’s a thoughtful, honest episode about choosing clarity, building something meaningful, and redefining what it means to feel good.

Follow Little Saints on Social Media

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littlesaintsco/

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Shop Little Saints drinks here: https://littlesaints.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoruaDMYXrtdiYTR7lCR2iMKX2fpyV74KyHXDhxcv7bg1zQ7Omza

Megan’s Book Recs:

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron - https://amzn.to/498dvYq 

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas - https://amzn.to/44QVHys 

Shop my looks from this episode: 

https://shopmy.us/collections/3446096?tab=collections

Follow me: https://www.instagram.com/valerialipovetsky/ 

What we talked about: 

0:20 - Dry January & Sober Curiosity 

2:35 - Introducing Megan Klein

4:19 - Start of interview

6:55 - Her common thread through careers

9:55 - Pivot from farming to a food brand

12:04 - Birth of Little Saints during Covid

13:18 - Testing all the non-alcoholic drinks

15:03 - Explaining Little Saints

16:50 - Decision to invest her own money

17:28 - Selling Little Saints out of a trailer

19:18 - Megan’s Shark Tank experience

21:57 - Why she didn't take the deal

22:40 - After the tank

23:40 - Why she dislikes the word ‘sober’

27:30 - The side effects of drinking alcohol 

31:30 - Drinking to numb ourselves

33:00 - Personal benefits from not drinking

35:54 - Doing Ayahuasca 60 times 

38:16 - Lessons learned from Ayahuasca

39:42 - Data about the impact of alcohol 

41:14 - Dating without alcohol 

43:50 - What’s next for Little Saints

48:10 - Megan’s book recommendations

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