Adrian Chiles
Adrian Chiles is a British television and radio presenter, currently working for BBC Radio 5 Live. Previously, Chiles co-presented both The One Show and Daybreak with Christine Lampard. He was also the chief presenter for football coverage on ITV Sport from 2010 until 2015
Alex King
Alex has been apart of the wonderful Artesian bar at The Langham for over two years. Having worked in hospitality for 6 years, he has always from the beginning, been an advocate for a balanced lifestyle, pushing himself and others to focus on leading a healthy and positive life!
Alex Norwood-Hill – Founder of The Sober Sommelier & Cordus Drinks Ltd
Alex Norwood Hill is the ‘world’s first’ Sober Sommelier and founder of Cordus Drinks – a luxurious, bittersweet alcoholic free aperitif. An Ex-Michelin Star mixologist (The Canteen, London) and self-proclaimed ‘bon viveur’, he is a vocal champion of the holistic and life enhancing ‘sober curious’ / ‘mindful drinking’ movement, having chosen to go sober in 2017. He advocates his passion for this inspirational movement by discovering, reviewing and sharing the finest Alcohol Free (no and low) drinks, brands, cocktails and destinations this exciting new category has to offer as well as curating innovative non-alc pairing menus for every food occasion. He is currently working on a collaboration with Senser Spirits and Morning Gloryville on their ‘Back to Nature’ sober rave with 02 Priority and Canopy and Stars this August and has just been appointed No and Low Bar Consultant for Hastings first alcohol free bar The Nest, launching in early 2021.
Amanda Grace – Pilgrim Soul
Amanda Grace is an artist and former psychotherapist offering creative support, guidance and community for women who are done being ‘good’ and ready to start being unapologetically true to themselves.
Amanda Kuda – Authentically Amanda
Amanda Kuda is a mindset & life coach helping high-achieving women change their relationship with alcohol so that they can live their most authentic, vibrant lives. She is passionate about helping women achieve their potential in relationships, career, personally, and spiritually.
Amanda Ward – Author
Amanda Eyre Ward is the author of Sleep Toward Heaven, How to Be Lost, Love Stories in This Town, Forgive Me, Close Your Eyes, The Same Sky, The Nearness of You, and The Jetsetters. Her bestselling novels have been featured in People Magazine, The New York Times, and more. Amanda’s work has been optioned for film and television and translated into fifteen languages. She lives in Austin, TX and Ouray, CO. Amanda currently writes every morning and spends afternoons with her children.
Amber Tozer – Author of Sober Stick Figure
Amber Tozer is the author of Sober Stick Figure, a hilarious illustrated memoir that The Seattle Times called “the funniest book you’ll ever read about alcoholism.” She has written for Cartoon Network’s animated sketch series MAD and Adult Swim’s Moral Orel. Tozer has a Twitter following of over 60,000 people and was on Rolling Stone’s list of “Funniest People on Twitter.” She co-created #nitTWITS, a Twitter-based short film series featuring writers and performers from SNL, Modern Family, The Office and Conan. She splits her time between London and Los Angeles.
Andy Moore – CEO of Hello Sunday Morning
Andy joined Hello Sunday Morning as CEO in June of this year. Prior to that, he was General Manager of Marketing, Fundraising and Communications at the Royal Flying Doctor Service Australia, and before that held a number of roles in Europe, Asia and Australia, working in government, utilities, not-for-profit and consultancies. He has a Master of Public Health and a background in national policy development as well as cancer control education and advocacy.
Anit Chatrath – Member of Club Soda
Anit is a member of Club Soda
Anja Madhvani – Club Soda
Anja is Club Soda’s beer writer and general taster of things. She helps us with the Club Soda Guide, and enjoys music, travel and adventure racing.
Antony Moss – Professor
Professor Antony Moss is Professor of Addictive Behaviour Science and Director of Education and Student Experience for the School of Appled Sciences. His research interests focus on the cognitive aspects of addiction and the application of decision theory for understanding the onset, maintenance and offset of addictive behaviours.
Annie Grace – Author
Annie Grace is the author of This Naked Mind: Control Alcohol, Find Freedom, Discover Happiness & Change Your Life and The Alcohol Experiment: A 30-day, Alcohol-Free Challenge to Interrupt Your Habits and Help You Take Control. She grew up outside Aspen, Colorado, in a one-room log cabin without running water or electricity. Having discovered a passion for marketing, Annie Grace earned a Masters of Science (Marketing) and dove into corporate life. As the youngest vice president in a multinational company at the age of 26, her drinking career began in earnest. At 35, in a global C-level marketing role, she was responsible for marketing in 28 countries; she was drinking almost two bottles of wine a night. Knowing she needed a change but unwilling to submit to a life of deprivation and stigma, Annie Grace embarked on a journey to painlessly gain control of alcohol — for her that process resulted in no longer wanting to drink. Never happier, she left her executive role to write and share This Naked Mind with the world. In her free time, she loves to ski, travel (26 countries and counting), and enjoy her beautiful family. Annie Grace lives with her husband and three children in the Colorado mountains.
Annie Nolan and Bianka Ismailovski – We Want To Be Better Podcast
We Want To Be Better is an upskilling podcast unlike any other. The dynamic combination of Annie and Bianka has seen them hit #1 on Apple iTunes charts, and inspire a loyal fan base of people that are actively perusing betterment. As they say, “they’re pretty fabulous, but could always be better.”
Arron Smallman – Founder of Let’s Push Things Forward
Ashleigh Murray – Lyre’s
Ashleigh is Global Senior VP of eCommerce at Lyre’s
Caedz Hull – Sobar; Not So Straight Up
After a decade in fine dining and hospitality followed by a stint in vocational education, Caedz joined Meridian (formerly the AIDS Action Council of the ACT) last year to head up Sobar – Not So Straight Up, a Healthy Grants Promotion supported by the ACT Government. Focusing on harm minimisation and reduction rather than suggesting people need to give alcohol away entirely, the project will help sexuality and gender diverse people and people with HIV LGBTIQ+ Canberrans to address any risky drinking behaviour they may be indulging in. Having experienced his own struggles to moderate his intake in a profession that basically paid him to drink, he knows just how hard it can be to change up your habits and is focussed on providing his community members with non-judgemental advice and assistance.
Caitlin Padgett – Redefining Sobriety
Caitlin Padgett is the author of Drink Less Be More: How to have a great night (and life) without getting wasted and transformational coach for successful women who struggle with alcohol. At 29 years old, Caitlin’s work-hard / play-hard lifestyle started taking its toll. Thirsty for alternatives to mainstream treatment, Caitlin combined her background in psychology, nutrition, fitness, harm reduction and holistic health to craft an unconventional approach called Redefining Sobriety. This led to an ultimate journey of radical self-love, embracing and healing pain, showing up more fully in life and love, and finding freedom on her own terms.
Calvin Fox – Model
Calvin came into recovery 4 years ago, began his journey working around family addictions and is now One year sober. Calvin has worked In the entertainment industry for over 10 years, began his career as a dancer dancing for artists such as PINK, his career then moved into the world of Drag where he was then part of an MTV Reality show. Calvin now Lives in London where he is still working as a full-time Drag Performer in bars and clubs across London but feels his life career is now moving into the field of helping others and their sober journey.
Cam Cooney – Cam Cooney Meditation
Cam is an Aussie Vedic Meditation Teacher, living in Glasgow. His job is to help others reduce stress, feel more connect and lead a more intuitive lifestyle, all through the beneficial practise of meditation.
Camille Vidal – Founder of La Maison Wellness
Founder of La Maison Wellness, a multi-media platform that advocates mindful drinking, Camille Vidal is globally recognised bartender & drink expert who turned mindfulness, yoga and meditation teacher. Vidal brings her wealth of experience within the drinks industry, her passion and creativity with the idea of bringing mindfulness into the glass, she creates mindful cocktail recipes inspiring you to drink well and live well like a healthy hedonist.
Catherine Gray – Author
Catherine is the author of the bestselling book, The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober.
Carly Benson – Founder of MiraclesAreBrewing.com
Carly Benson is the founder of MiraclesAreBrewing.com, a personal development blog she started in 2012, which matured into a well-established platform for those seeking specialized coaching to become alcohol-free. She’s also the founder of The Hangover Free Club, her latest membership offering which creates a connection space for those seeking to find a tight-knit sober community to share daily life with. Carly has been sober from alcohol and cocaine since 2008 and began writing as an outlet to share her non-traditional approach to sobriety, rooted in the modalities of intentionality, spirituality and self-care. She is known as one of the leading voices in the conversation of progressive concepts related to drink and addiction culture and both her media and transformational programs are designed to help people create lives they don’t want to escape. Aside from being a teacher and having worked with and inspired thousands of people, Carly is also an international speaker who has delivered her talk, The Art of Intentional Living, to notable audiences such as Electric Daisy Carnival and Cirque Du Soleil. She’s a Certified Baptiste Yoga Instructor and the founder of Om Vibes Only, which curates alcohol-free yoga events with live deep house music to inspire conscious connection. Carly has two Pomeranians, Oliver and Ace, and loves traveling, hiking, coffee and dancing in her living room. You can find her riffing daily on Instagram, living out her motto “sober, not boring,” throughout all her adventures.
Charlotte Barker – Lyre’s
Charlotte is UK Brand Ambassador for Lyre’s
Chase Lee – Founder of Stone Cold Moderation
Stone Cold Moderation™ promotes a healthier relationship with alcohol for inquisitive minds who are tired of the constant cycle of debilitating hangovers and not being their best selves at all times. SCM explores the causes and consequences of our alcohol-related issues, presents specific strategies to control our consumption, and provides hope and community for those looking to improve and live better.
Chris Marshall – Founder of Sans Bar
Chris Marshall is former substance use counsellor, mental health advocate, and founder of Sans Bar an Austin-based sober bar and community that tours the US and Canada hosting upscale alcohol-free social experiences.
Chris Owen – Comms Director
Chris has a long history of open discussion on addiction and the need to tackle stigma; drive better understanding among the public; and change the media narrative on the topic. He has written about the issue for the Guardian, Independent, the i, Buzzfeed, City AM, The Daily Telegraph among others.
Christine Parkinson – Co-founder of Brimful Drinks
Christine is best known for her multi-award-winning work as Group Head of Wine for Hakkasan. Believing passionately that all drinks, whether alcoholic or not, should taste good, look good and feel good, she used her role to lead a 2-year project to develop the first major ‘No & Low’ list for a global restaurant group. As Co-founder of drinks consultancy ‘Brimful Drinks’, she is committed to driving the success of the No & Low category.
Claire Best – Pernod Ricard
With 20years of experience in the industry, Claire has done every role from fast food, waitress, bartender, manager you name it. She is now working for the Prestige team at Pernod Ricard and will bring a very interesting angle on how to find balance in the industry when representing brands. She will share her enthusiasm for the No & Low category and how we can find balance and enjoying drinking responsibly in hospitality industry.
Dan Crowther – Co-Owner of Hedonist
Dan is co-owner and director of Hedonist in Leeds
Dan Moore – Founder of Booze Break Podcast
The Booze Break Podcast is a diary of Dan’s journey taking a break from alcohol as well as looking into the different ways to help sustain a break from the booze!
Dani Moravek – Founder of Creative Nutrition Co
Dani identifies as a queer non-binary femme, using the pronouns she/they. Dani is a functional nutritionist with a passion for nutritional psychiatry, sober living, food justice, and sustainability. In 2019, Dani graduated from Maryland University of Integrative Health with a Master of Science degree in Integrative Health and Human Clinical Nutrition. After being officially diagnosed with bipolar 1 disorder, PTSD, and generalized anxiety disorder; on top of years of dealing with unsuccessful treatments, Dani decided to take full control through the healing power of real, whole foods. Thus, Creative Nutrition Co. was born.
Dani St James – Co-Founder of Not A Phase
Dani St James is the co-founder of Not A Phase, a charity set up to help trans people across the UK, she is proudly Welsh but based in Central London. Dani is 7 months sober and is loving every bloody minute of it.
Danny Shell from Lyres.
A bartender since coming of (legal) age, I began working in bars the same year Tom Cruise’s film ‘Cocktail” was released- 1987.
I used my bartending to fund my travels, and spent 7 years travelling and working in Europe, the Caribbean , South and Central America and Hong Kong.
Returning to London in 1996, I took a job running one of London’s Top Night Spots- Zola’s in Covent Garden, quickly realising that I was no good working for other people, I opened my first bar , Atlantis – in 1997 to much acclaim. After Atlantis came Lowlife, my second bar, which opened in 2002.
Both bars were listed in the Time Out Top Ten for the duration of their operation under my leadership. I sold up in 2008 and spent the next two years riding my Harley across the states and down the Pan-American Highway, through all of Central and South America. On my return I began working for Kamm & Sons, a lower alcohol Aperitif, where I stayed for another two years.
At the dawn of the Non-Alcoholic movement, I began working as a Training & Advocacy manager for Seedlip. I joined Lyre’s at the beginning of this year and have been busy playing around with non-alc and low-alc cocktails and drinks. A moderate drinker, I am not tee-total, but I love riding my Harley so much that it often keeps me off the booze, so being able to make delicious drinks with no booze is for me a little bit of heaven!
When I’m not riding or mixing drinks you may find me spinning classic funk, soul and Hip Hop on vinyl. I am what they call ‘old school’
David Burgess – Owner of Fugitive Motel
David is Director & Co-Founder at Fugitive Motel in East London
David Cooper – Veteran
A former Royal Marine veteran who served on operational tours of duty in Northern Ireland, Iraq and twice in Afghanistan, Dave is first and foremost a father of two children, husband and when downtime allows an outdoor and ultra running enthusiast whose ‘happy place’ is the mountains. After many years of using alcohol as a way to escape and manage the stresses and emotions he was feeling Dave took a giant step in managing his own mental wealth and recently completed the ‘One Year No Beer’ 28 day challenge, where he has subsequently continued with his alcohol free journey due to the overwhelming benefits he feels this has had in nearly all aspects of his life. Whilst at present he’s not completely committing to quitting, recent months have most definitely changed his relationship with alcohol!
Desi Yatigammana – JungleBird
Influenced by the 1988 film ‘Cocktail’ he has the charismatic smile and bad chat from Mr Flanagan himself. With 21 years of experience underneath his belt he has travelled the globe and worked in some of the top bars. From South East Asia to Africa. He now resides in London continuing to spread his knowledge, wisdom and tasty cocktails. He took the opportunity of isolation to go alcohol free, start running and totally changed his whole diet and lifestyle.
DJ Katash – Who’s Jardan Again
A travelling DJ, presenter and fitness instructor with a passion for adventure and curious thirst for culture.
Dougal Patmore
In hid early thirties, he gave up drinking which changed his life. He likes kayaking, wheelchair racing, keeping fit, books and alcohol-free beer!
Dr. Christina Delay – Altina Drinks
Christina started Altina Drinks because of her own experience with drinking. She became caught up in the drinking culture of her industry. She changed her relationship with alcohol, but found that there were few real alternatives that had a complex flavour profile or that made an occasion a bit special. Christina is the scientist behind Altina Drinks’ cocktail concoctions, bringing a love of food, a Bachelor of Chemical Biotechnology and a Ph.D. in Plant Biology to the table. She’s building the Altina Drinks brand as a vehicle for change: starting the conversation about mindful drinking and continuing it by creating unique and memorable alcohol-free experiences.
Dr. Clinton Schultz – Sobah Beverages
Clinton Schultz is a Gamilaroi man, registered psychologist with a PhD in Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing, who has a vested interest in holistic wellness. Being Gold Coast based, Clinton fills his free time surfing, rock climbing and ninja warrior training. He is an Assistant Professor with Bond University Medical School and Director/Owner of Marumali Consultations and Sobah Beverages. In a society where substance use is unfortunately more than norm than the exception, it can be difficult to find a reason to abstain from drinking. It is not just socially and systematically accepted, it is often promoted and associated as “a part of Australian social life”. Sobah was born from Clinton’s own struggles with alcohol and his frustrations with the lack of sophisticated “adult” beverage options available for those choosing not to drink for whatever reason. Sobah has allowed for Clinton’s passions for culture, flavour, education and social justice to be actioned while also filling a void in the Australian Market.
Dr Emily Nicholls
Dr Emily Nicholls is an alcohol researcher and senior lecturer in Sociology at the University of Portsmouth. Her early research explores the role of alcohol in young women’s lives and in ‘doing gender’ on a ‘girls’ night out’. More recently, she has undertaken research on the experiences of women who stop drinking in the UK in conjunction with the organisation ichange21. She is currently researching experiences of drinking transitions in ‘lockdown’ with Dr Dom Conroy from the University of East London. On a personal note, Emily has left her partying days behind her and stopped drinking in February 2018.
Dr. Radha Modgil – GP, Broadcaster, Health & Wellbeing Campaigner
Dr. Radha is a practising NHS GP, broadcaster and campaigner for wellbeing. Radha educates in a creative and fun way, encouraging people to stay healthy. She has a passion for connecting with and hearing people’s stories and understanding how we can all learn from each other.
Elaine Benson – Soberhood
Elaine laughs so loud she gets stared at in restaurants. She is a deep thinker but loves nothing more than watching Workin’ Moms with a pizza in her PJs. Her happy place is at home dancing to loud music with her handsome energiser bunny son Rory. When he was born she decided she was done trying to find her true spirit at the end of a bottle of wine. She stopped being a victim of her circumstance and started taking radical responsibility for the life she wanted and she woke up. She mainlines coffee these days instead of wine and empowers her clients to give up alcohol and gain freedom through self-acceptance, love and mindset shifts so that they can live unapologetically in their power. The world needs light, now more than ever and her mission is to never allow another women’s light to be dampened by alcohol.
Ella St John McGrand – Coach & TV Producer
Ella St John McGrand is a Mindset Coach and TV Producer on history documentaries. Bringing her expertise as a former French teacher, she coaches 30-something women, who want to change their limiting beliefs, so they can live an expansive life beyond their wildest dreams. She says changing her mindset was instrumental in stopping binge drinking and living a happy sober life.
Emily Lynn Paulson
Emily is a certified professional recovery coach, She Recovers Designated Coach, This Naked Mind Institute Trainee, founder of Sober Mom Squad, and a member of the long-term recovery community. She is passionate about connecting women with resources for recovery from trauma, eating disorders, and substance abuse, and believes that sharing our truth with each other is the best resource of all. She has appeared on media outlets including The Doctors, Parade, Today Parents, and USA Today, discussing how to end the shame and stigma of mental health by and substance abuse disorder. Sober since January 2, 2017, her recovery path is focused on ruthless honesty, grace, and self-love and is documented in her memoir, Highlight Real: Finding Honesty & Recovery Beyond the Filtered Life. She resides in Seattle with her husband and their five children.
Emily Syphas – Founder of Sober & Social
Emily Syphas is the pioneer behind, Sober & Social; the new-age of socialising that provides fun, support and exciting, alcohol-free events for people living or exploring a teetotal lifestyle. With a background in event management and working in London nightlife scene, Emily’s experienced first-hand what it is to ‘enjoy’ a night out. When alcohol started to have a negative impact on her mental health and wellbeing, Emily embarked on a life of sobriety. She wants to show you don’t have to compromise on your social life without alcohol and encourage others lead healthier and happier lives.
Geoff Jein – Wet & Dry Podcast
Geoff is an award-winning radio and podcast producer who turned 40 at the start of 2020 and decided to take a year off drinking. This greatly annoyed one particular friend who tried to convince him that he’d be LESS happy, and LESS healthy if he stopped drinking. And that’s when Wet & Dry podcast was born: It’s as much an exploration of male drinking culture, pubs, mental health and mid-life crisis as it is about sobriety, but most of all it’s a podcast about friendships, and the absence of alcohol.
Hannah Rodger – Co-Founder of Sober Seekers Club
Recruitment Consultant, Storyteller, new Mum and Co-Founder of Sober Seekers Club, a real life networking group for women who want to socialise in a safe and fun space without booze being part of the picture.
Harriet Waley-Cohen
Hunted down to speak for audiences including Microsoft, Sky and Barclays, Harriet Waley-Cohen has empowered thousands of people over the last 17 years to believe in themselves and their potential. She has been through multiple transformations and knows what it takes to make deep rooted changes that stick, and to get through tough times and emerge stronger and wiser. Harriet empowers people to leave behind self-doubt, disempowering patterns and overwhelm in favour of new ways of thinking, feeling and acting that create confidence, wellbeing and success. She has been sober for almost 18 years, and guards her sobriety fiercely. She is described by Vanessa Vallely OBE, MD of WeAreThe City as ‘a real superwoman who empowers others wherever she goes.’ Harriet won Best Storyteller and Most Memorable Speaker at the 2019 UK Annual Female Speakers Conference, plus was given an award for Leadership in the World by The Network for Transformational Leaders at the end of 2019.
Heather Lowe – Founder of Ditched the Drink
Heather Lowe is the Founder of Ditched the Drink, a wellbeing company whose mission is to help people evaluate their relationship with alcohol to align with their highest, healthiest self to do their greatest good. Heather has a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, Professional Human Resources Certificate, Yale University Certificate of Wellbeing, Life Coach Certified, and Certified Professional Recovery Coach. Heather offers private, online, digital classes, personalized coaching support, and corporate wellness consulting. Heather is a content creator, writer, and speaker. She has been featured in Thrive Global, Corporate Wellness Magazine, The Fix, Recovery Today Magazine, and Recovery Happy Hour, and Redesigning Wellness Podcasts. For more resources subscribe to www.ditchedthedrink.com, and follow Ditched the Drink on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.
ILL TONE – Hip Hop Artist
ILL TONE is a hip hop artist from Vancouver Island, Canada, where he’s also a prominent member of the recovery community. Known for high-energy performances, he’s toured in nine countries, appearing on bills with such acts as Tech N9ne, Xzibit, Talib Kweli, Rakim, Maestro Fresh Wes, Snak the Ripper, Merkules and Pete Rock & CL Smooth, among others. Having gained notoriety for his lyricism and production, ILL TONE has had the pleasure of working with Canadian Juno Nominees Jasmin Parkin of Mother Mother and Kyprios of Sweatshop Union. His first album, Bringin’ the Hope Back (2013), was released through UrbNet Records. Since then, he’s self-released other projects, most notably Up in My Head (2020). Throughout his career, ILL TONE has been awarded four prestigious FACTOR grants through the Canadian Government and has charted multiple releases within the top five for hip hop in Canada on Earshot (community/campus radio). He also dabbles in sketch comedy and is a regular guest on Mensplaining, a podcast hosted by Steven Kerzner (Ed the Sock).
James Alcock – The Local Larder & Wine Bar
James is the owner and sommelier from Brisbane’s smallest yet most awarded wine bar (3 glass list). He has 25 years of hospitality experience and has been working as a certified sommelier for the past 10 years. He has the WSET 3 qualification and teaches Wine Masterclasses twice a month. He mentor young sommeliers. He stopped drinking alcohol one and a half years ago but tastes (and spits) wines daily.
James Kindred – Big Drop Brew
James is CCO & Founder of Big Drop Brew
Janet Devlin – Singer-Songwriter
Janet is a 25-year-old Northern Irish singer-songwriter living in London. Rising to fame aged 16 in 2011’s X Factor, she has been releasing music ever since and also creates content for her half a million YouTube subscribers. Recently released her album “Confessional” and published an accompanying book, openly charting many personal demons she has overcome including alcohol addition. A fierce advocate for mental health, she also uses her YouTube channel to promote awareness in young people.
Janey Lee Grace – Founder of The Sober Club
Janey Lee Grace is an author, commentator, and co-presenter on the UK’s biggest radio show, BBC Radio 2’s Steve Wright in the Afternoon. Janey has written five books on Holistic living including the #1 Amazon best seller Imperfectly Natural Woman and currently writes columns for many magazines, and runs training workshops and consultations on Media Breakthrough for holistic businesses and solopreneurs.
Jardine Libaire, Novelist
Jardine Libaire is a novelist (novels include Here Kitty Kitty, and White Fur) and screenwriter (co-wrote Endings, Beginnings with director Drake Doremus starring Shailene Woodley, whose character has given up alcohol). She is from New York, spent a blissful decade in Austin, Texas where she facilitated the Truth Be Told storytelling program in a local women’s prison, and lives in Los Angeles now. She’s been sober since January 8, 2013. She co-wrote THE SOBER LUSH (2020) with Amanda Eyre Ward.
Jason Quin, Co-founder of ETCH Sparkling
Passionate about the principles of good health and inclusion, Jason and his wife Andy champion Australian non alcoholic beverages, featuring Native Australian plants as the beverage base and zero to low sugar drinks with no preservatives. Jason spent 23 years in the wine industry across production, brand, sales and management from small family producers to large global alcohol companies before embarking on his own journey in the exciting and progressive category of non alcoholic drinks.
Jeff Simone, PharmD
Reaction Recovery is an addiction recovery service designed for individuals who want to maintain a life completely free from drugs and alcohol. We use video calls for an online meeting that is designed like a pharmacy consultation to assess and review the individual’s medication and nutritional supplement regimen.
Jeremy Shipley – Global Brand Ambassador, Lyre’s
Jeremy is an award-winning bar-beverage manager and brand ambassador who has had over 25 years’ experience in the hospitality industry in New Zealand and Australia. For the past 6 months, Jeremy has been working with Lyres Spirit Co as the Global Brand Ambassador where he is responsible for creating and implementing the full drinks strategy for all Lyre’s products and mentoring, developing and leading the Lyre’s global brand ambassador team. Jeremy also worked for 42 Below Vodka and with the Bacardi Martini portfolio as a Brand Ambassador from 2004 to 2013. Jeremy has worked in Michelin Star restaurants, owned a multiple award-winning bar in Sydney and completed many leadership and management courses throughout his 25 years in hospitality. Jeremy is regarded as one of the most experienced and well-respected hospitality figures in Australia.
Jessica Jeboult – A Sober Girls Guide
After 10 years or struggling with substance abuse and being in and out of AA, Jessica wanted a brighter, modern approach to recovery and sobriety. There was nothing around at the time that fit the bill so Jessica created it! A forward thinking modern, inspirational resource for women in recovery. As a traveling dj based in LA, Jessica decided to leave her club life behind and focus on her passion, building an international community and resources for women in recovery and sobriety!
Jesse Peterson – Bar Manager, Morning Glory
Jesse is currently the Bar Manager at Morning Glory for Consortium Projects in San Diego, California. Though native to San Diego, she has spent a majority of her hospitality experience in the Bay Area at various styles of restaurants and bars. After returning back to her hometown, she was able to further her education with her mentor, Chris Patino, and his company Simple Serve.
Jill Stark – Author & Journalist
Jill Stark is the best-selling author of three books, an award-winning journalist, and passionate mental health advocate. Her hard-won lessons from a life-long struggle with anxiety offer hope and connection to anyone doing it tough. Jill’s debut memoir, High Sobriety, charted her tumultuous year off the booze and offers a forensic examination of our drinking culture, inspiring people all over the world to embark on their own sobriety journey.
Joelle Drummond – Co-founder of Drop Bear Beer Co
Joelle Drummond is an award winning entrepreneur, co-founder of Drop Bear Beer Co., life long gay lady, dog mum, and crazy plant person. Get 10% off all products online with the code DROPBEARMDF10
Jon Bullock – Rad_Dad_Jon
Jon is a 33 year old Video Producer, working mostly in Sports Television, From Cricket to Football. After becoming a dad and realising how out of shape he was, he decided to change his lifestyle. This included a diet change, increasing exercise and giving up the grog. Since the change he has dropped 12kgs and his gut health has never been better! He now has a passion for NA beers! He’s trying as many Non Alcoholic Beers from around the globe and supporting the local scene through Instagram. He has recently picked up skating again after a 15 year break, he’s not as handy as he used to be, but still loves getting about for a cruise.
Josh Carlos – Lyre’s
With over ten years of experience in the food and beverage industry, Josh is currently working for Lyre’s Non Alcoholic Sprits Co as Vice President: North America – West. Lyre’s is the first of its kind in a dynamic and growing category of Non Alcoholic Spirits. Based in Australia, the goal of Lyre’s is to create inclusive opportunities for all to enjoy a classic cocktail, simply sans booze.
Julia Bailey – Coach
Julia is a 20 year old entrepreneur who runs an online fitness/ mindset coaching business. She has been sober for 22 months because she realised alcohol was no longer serving her.
Karolina Rzadkowolska – Coach at Euphoric AF
Karolina is a certified life and transformation coach. She works with dreamers and doers who want to see what they are capable of without alcohol weighing them down and unlock another level of potential in their lives.
Kat Farrants – Founder of Movement for Modern Life
Kat has been moved by the practise of yoga for 26 years. She is a yoga teacher who hasn’t taught much yoga – she realises that not all yoga teachers are created equally! Yoga for her has been fundamental in healing deep physical and emotional wounds, as well as simply bringing joy into the day. So, she left a career as a lawyer in London, moved to the country and founded Movement for Modern Life to bring world class teachers into people’s homes. Her mission is to enable her community to move freely into a happy, healthy and sustainable life.
Kelly Fitzgerald Junco – Author & Coach
Kelly Fitzgerald Junco is the author of the popular blog The Adventures of a Sober Señorita, as well as a life and recovery coach, and Head of Marketing at This Naked Mind. She is a lifelong soccer player and devoted CrossFitter. She lives in Florida and is currently writing a memoir.
Khadi A. Olagoke – Founder of Sober Black Girls Club
Khadi Olagoke is a civil attorney and the creator of Sober Black Girls Club – an organisation that focuses on health, wellness and sobriety among Black women. Khadi created Sober Black Girls Clubs in October of 2018 after noticing her own struggles with alcohol and the lack of digital support for Black women working towards sobriety. Since then Khadi continues to provide consistent content through Sober Black Girls Club to support and join other Black women pursue wellness, sobriety, social justice and much more.
Kirstin Walker – Founder of Sober Brown Girls
Kirstin is the founder and creator of Sober Brown Girls. Sober Brown Girls is a safe place for sober curious and sober women of color. SBG was created to promote inclusivity of black and brown women in the sober community. The fact remains, representation matters. Black and brown women have issues with alcohol, question their relationship with alcohol, and make the personal decision to be sober. We recover too! SBG’s message is clear, sobriety is nothing to be ashamed of. This journey is not without its challenges, but when women come together to heal, powerful things happen.
Kirsty Mulcahy – Sober Buzz & Founder of Skyrose Coaching
Kirsty is two and a half years sober and runs a microblog supporting people in sobriety, running sober meet ups and coaching and mentoring people who want to look at their relationship with alcohol. It’s her mission to remove the shame of admitting a problem with alcohol and to allow people to see that there is such a buzz in being sober! She is also a transformational life coach at Skyrose Coaching.
Lateef Joseph-Maynard – Founder of The Wagon
The Wagon is an alcohol-free pop up cocktail bar with the mission of creating more choice by providing a fun social space that doesn’t serve alcohol.
Laura Silverman – Founder of The Sobriety Collective
Laura Silverman is the founder of The Sobriety Collective, a digital recovery hub and go-to space for creatives living a life free of substances.
Laura Uberoi – Solicitor
Laura is a real estate finance solicitor and Council Member at the Law Society of England & Wales.
Laura Willoughby MBE – Co-Founder of Club Soda
Laura Willoughby MBE is co-founder of Club Soda, a social startup helping people change their drinking that has been supported by social investors Bethnal Green Ventures. Previously she was CEO of Move your Money, The National Campaign for the Arts and The Food Chain (a London based HIV Charity). From 1998-2010 she was an elected member in Islington and did many many things around public health, regeneration and community engagement.
Lauren Burnison – Founder of We Love Lucid
Lauren is the founder of We Love Lucid, alcohol-free holidays. She’s also passionate about sharing unique and inspiring stories of individuals who have been smashing it since quitting booze.
Lazarus Letcher – Tempest
Laz facilitates the BIPOC labs for Tempest, holding space for marginalized voices in recovery. They’re working on a Ph.D. in American Studies focusing on transgender and queer studies as well as Black liberation. Laz is a touring musician and works at Self Serve Sexuality Resource Center.
Leanne Franks & Leisa Leon – Founders of Rise Revolution
Leisa and Leanne are a couple of 30-somethings living in Melbourne who found themselves struggling with the amount they drank and decided to do something about it. They were both outwardly successful and confident women but dealing with a silent struggle that eventually took away their confidence, health and businesses. Sobriety has certainly thrown a lot their way but by learning to love themselves, build resilience and ‘feel all the feelings’ they’ve gotten through every obstacle thrown their way. They started Rise Revolution 18 months ago as a way of creating a community platform that empowers those wanting to rise up to be the best version of themselves. Rise currently comprises of an online community, events (online & IRL) a podcast (After Alcohol) and a soon-to-be launching peer to peer platform. They didn’t go down the traditional AA route but instead ‘personal developed’ the hell outta themselves and now feel empowered to say no to the vino. They are both driven to help and support those who want to question their relationship with alcohol – and it’s incredibly important to them that everything they do is inclusive and non judgmental.
Lee Mengo – The Gay Sober
Lee has been sober for 2 years and runs an Insta account and blog under the name @thegaysober. Always honest, often funny and, of course, forever sober.
Liz Horsman – Songwriter, Psychotherapist & Sobriety Blogger
Liz Horsman is a professional songwriter and sound engineer (Gabrielle Aplin, Tom Walker, Rudimental), qualified psychotherapist and sobriety blogger. Having quit alcohol 2 years ago Liz writes about the life changing joy of quitting alcohol on her blog The Alcohol Spell and has also written for Eastern Daily Press, Elephant Journal and The Telegraph. @thealcoholspell / www.thealcoholspell.com
Lorelei Bandrovschi – Founder of Listen Bar
Lorelei Bandrovschi, the founder of booze-free bar Listen Bar, started the concept on a dare. After forgoing alcohol for a month, Bandrovschi found that she loved going out booze-free. The only setback: the lack of places to go. So she set out to rewrite nightlife beyond alcohol. Featured on the Today Show, Good Morning America, the New York Times and more, Listen Bar has built a following among drinkers and non-drinkers alike. After throwing pop-up parties all over NYC for the past year and raising over 200% of its crowdfunding goal for a permanent location, it is now hosting virtual private parties and offers a full alcohol-free cocktail course on demand.
Luke Boase – Founder of Lucky Saint
It took Luke Boase, founder of Lucky Saint, over 2 years to develop the 0.5% Unfiltered Lager produced by the brand today. He set out with the ambition of creating a truly delicious alcohol-free beer that was uncompromising on flavour. Luke initially shared his idea with some industry folk – “An alcohol-free beer worth drinking”, he said, “progressively brewed with an impeccable taste”. Amused and somewhat dismissive, others in the industry told Luke that it was impossible to make a product to that standard and that he was better off making fizzy soft drinks. Deflated but not beaten, Luke immersed himself in the brewing process, spending 741 days in R&D, travelling 7,642 miles and testing 56,628 litres of beer before eventually creating a liquid he was proud of. The key to his success? Leaving the beer unfiltered, ensuring maximum flavour and body. Today, Lucky Saint is beloved by chefs and bartenders alike for its unrivalled flavour and body.
Luke Whearty – Co-founder of BYRDI
Luke Whearty has travelled the world and gained a wealth of accolades along the way. He’s at the forefront of forward-thinking minds in the world of bartending, and has presided over some of the most progressive drinking programs. You can currently find him at BYRDI in Melbourne Australia which he opened late last year with partner Aki Nishikura and focuses on an exclusively local offering working with small farms within the region of Victoria incorporating seasonal produce that ensures the menu is ever evolving.
Lotta Dann (Mrs D)
Lotta Dann worked for over twenty years as a TV journalist while also developing a nasty addiction to alcohol. She got sober aged 39 with the help of an anonymous blog called ‘Mrs. D Is Going Without’ which gained so many followers it eventually became a best-selling memoir. Another memoir, ‘Mrs D Is Going Within’, came next and she’s just released her third book, ‘The Wine O’Clock Myth: The truth you need to know about women and alcohol’. She lives in New Zealand where she promotes sobriety on social media, manages the large online community Living Sober and facilitates workshops on addiction and recovery.
Lucy Spraggan – Singer-Songwriter
Since her rise to fame on the X Factor in 2012, singer-songwriter, Lucy Spraggan has been kicking up a storm in the music world. This month she celebrates her one-year soberversary and has never felt better!
Mandy and Kate – Love Sober
Love Sober the podcast launched in May 2018 and is aimed at the sober and sober curious. Many and Kate wanted to fill a gap in the market: not to talk about addiction but to talk about problematic drinking, binge drinking and self-medicating depression and anxiety. They wanted to have the conversation as mums, discuss how they had bought into the “wine o’clock/mummy needs wine” market and how detrimental that had been to them both as women and also as parents.
Marcus Barnes – Author and Journalist
Marcus is a versatile author, journalist, copywriter and tastemaker with over 15 years experience in print and online. His love for music and innate empathy makes him an inquisitive storyteller and adept investigator of global music scenes. Driven by a strong desire to cultivate a legacy of positivity, he has become an advocate of self-development, a keen mentor and champion of mental health awareness. He has three books under his belt with more in development.
Mark Livings – CEO of Lyre’s
Mark Livings is the CEO of Lyre’s premium non-alcoholic spirits. Challenged by balancing professional life with the need to stay sustainably social, Mark saw an opportunity several years ago to develop a comprehensive range of non-alcoholic spirits that allowed people to enjoy their favourite drinks, their way, with or without alcohol and Lyre’s Spirit Co was born. Mark’s mission became to change the way the world drinks and after several years of product development, Lyre’s was launched in 2019 to industry acclaim. Launching with a diverse portfolio of 12 different spirits and liqueurs, including Gin, Whisky, Rum, Campari, Dry and Rosso Aperitif, Absinthe, Orange Sec, Amaretti and Coffee Originale, Lyre’s is ready to offer drinkers the freedom to enjoy their favourite cocktails when they want without the worry of the morning after at home or in a bar. A serial entrepreneur, Mark was nominated and progressed to the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award Finals for Australia.
Martin Tod – Men’s Health Forum
Martin works as Chief Executive of the Men’s Health Forum, the centre of excellence for men’s health policy and practice. In May 2012, he was elected as one of the three City Councillors for St Paul ward on Winchester City Council. He was re-elected to the position again in May 2016. In May 2013, he was elected as the Hampshire County Councillor for Winchester Westgate. Previously he was the 2010 Parliamentary Candidate for the Liberal Democrats in Winchester. He was also Co-Chair of the Liberal Democrat Policy Working Group on Housing and one of the organisers of Lib Dems against the NHS Bill. Before joining the Men’s Health Forum, he worked for Shelter in a range of roles, including Head of Corporate Fundraising, Head of Strategy Development and Deputy Director of Communications, Policy and Campaigns. Previously he was UK Head of Brand & Advertising for Vodafone and a Marketing Director for Procter and Gamble.
Matt Chauhan – @guiltfreepints
Aged 31, 1 September 2018 was his last ever drinking session… 18 days later he underwent life changing heart surgery meaning he’d have a new metal heart valve and be on blood thinners for the rest of his life. This meant a sensible move away from alcohol, but his strong love for all things beer was always going to be a challenge to overcome. In November that year he started exploring alcohol free beers and started @guiltfreepints. He has since made it a mission to get hold of, try and review as many AF beers from around the world as possible not only out of personal interest of taste but to be a guide and reference point for what’s good – and what’s not – when it comes to AF Beer. He’s a Londoner based in Amsterdam – and he’s thirsty.
Maz Compton – The Social Rebellion
What started out as a passion for music and entertaining, gloriously landed her a dream job as a VJ with MTV. Maz was the original host of its flagship show Total Request Live (TRL). During her 5 years with MTV, Maz travelled the globe attending music festivals and interviewed pretty much every celebrity including her girl crush Sandra Bullock, super producer and hip hop star Kanye West, from the biggest bands including Coldplay, Foo Fighters and Red Hot Chili Peppers to pop icons Lady Gaga and Katy Perry and Aussie stars Wolfmother, Guy Sebastian and Margot Robbie. Back in Australia she anchored the MTV Video Music Awards and ARIA Red Carpet Specials and was nominated for most popular female presenter in 2008. Maz found herself on a late night radio show in 2010 and rose to the heights of radio fame in just a few. By 2014 she was crowned Cosmopolitan’s Women of the Year in Radio, then in 2015, Maz headed to the US for RedBull TV to host the their global live TV events and launched her own digital interview series as the entertainment specialist with rebranded digital platform Yahoo 7 Be. and A couple of years later she wrote a book about her time in the spotlight, UnEdited. After over a decade of fun making headlines and memories in media, Maz has redirected her attention to health and wellness. She is a qualified Wellness Coach, owns a fitness studio and is currently studying a degree in psychology. Her second book, The Social Rebellion, has been instrumental in the alcohol-free living movement. Written to empower people to redefine their relationship with alcohol, The Social Rebellion has had countless messages of praise.
Melinda Staehling – Founder of Chekplease
Melinda Staehling is a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and Personal Trainer working 1:1 with clients in person and online.
After a series of chronic health conditions compelled Melinda to take a look at her drinking, she left a 20+ year career in restaurant and wine hospitality to chart a new course.
Michael Bright – Founder of Edenvale
Made in Australia from quality South Eastern Australian wine grapes, Edenvale offers an extensive range of alcohol-removed wines for the sophisticated drinker looking to avoid or cut back on alcohol. Launched in 2006, when founder Michael Bright saw the opportunity for a premium lifestyle beverage that was non-intoxicating, Edenvale is now the leading alcohol removed wine brand in Australia and New Zealand, and is currently exported to a growing number of countries across the globe. Dedicated to developing high quality non-alcoholic wines, Michael has steered the innovation, production and product development process to ensure that Edenvale wines measure up to alcoholic alternatives in terms of taste and varietal integrity. He continues to lead product development for the business and is continuously looking for innovative ways to improve the products and extend the range.
Millie Gooch – Founder of Sober Girl Society
Millie Gooch is a writer, speaker, activist and founder of Sober Girl Society. In February 2018, after years of partying and hangovers started taking a toll on her mental health, Millie gave up alcohol and 7 months later founded Sober Girl Society, an online and real-life space for women who don’t drink booze.
Millie Milliken – Deputy Editor of Imbibe UK
Millie is Deputy Editor of Imbibe UK, a drinks magazine and website for the UK bar industry.
Raakhee Thompson – Triyoga
Raakhee is Head of Partnerships at Triyoga
Rakhee Jasani – Yoga teacher
Rakhee a yoga teacher and writer based in London. Yoga has always been a part of her life and as a Londoner, yoga helps her to find calm amongst the hectic buzz of city life. She combines vinyasa and restorative yoga, qigong and meditation practices and draws inspiration from nature, culture, philosophy, myth and the world around us.
Richie Crowley – RICKiRICKi
Richie Crowley is the seed that grew RICKiRICKi, a Creative Project Management Agency. He is a thoroughbred shaper, a curious, non-conforming, independent thinker. His past and current projects are populated with the individuals and brands that are driving the movements of global culture, from dance music to tattoo, meditation to sober curiosity, and a new masculinity. To understand where the 28-year-old is today, we must understand where he has come from. An Ivy League-educated, former professional athlete, when his peers graduated, swapping caps and gowns for shirts and ties, Richie moved to Europe. He spent the next 3 years living in France (French National Champion) and Italy playing professional Ice Hockey, his final season as a member of the Italian National Team. This wasn’t his first experience competing at an international level. Richie was the captain of the United States National Ice Hockey Under-18 Team for two seasons (2x IIHF Gold Medalist, 3x IIHF Silver Medalist) prior to attending Brown University (2x ECAC Finalist), where he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and a Bachelor’s Degree Political Science, focused on International and Comparative Politics. At the end of his athletic career, in 2016, Richie began life as an independent Creative Projects Manager for himself and others at RICKiRICKi, encouraging clients to play in the arena for the bold. He has toured as a corporate speaker, published works of poetry and writing, and appeared as a guest on podcasts. He is a brand strategist, creative director, and idea generator, working with business executives, millennial brands, and Grammy-nominated recording artists.
Rob Hobson – registered nutritionist and author
Rob Hobson is a registered nutritionist whose work spans across public health, the NHS, alongside charity organisations and with many of the UK’s leading health and wellness brands. Rob is regularly featured in the UK health media, having written hundreds of articles for publications including the Daily Mail, Daily Express and Women’s Health, as well as being a regular voice on both radio and TV. Rob’s simple, realistic approach to living well is infectious and the result of both expert knowledge and personal experience. He is author of The Detox Kitchen Bible and The Art of Sleeping.
Robin Lomax – AF Beer Club
Robin shares alcohol-free craft beer though social media and a monthly subscription beer box. He likes to celebrate what he’s always loved about craft beer – incredible flavours, groundbreaking breweries, inclusive community – just without the booze!
Roxy Deniz Ozalp – Morning Gloryville
Roxy is an expert Event Producer in the wellness space. Currently, she heads up Partnerships and Community Development at Morning Gloryville. Over the last 7+ years Morning Gloryville evolved from being just a sober early morning rave into a global movement and phenomenon. The experience can be described as a complete wellbeing and mindfulness journey that inspires and encourages conscious self-inquiry and personal transformation. Roxy will be joining the Sober and Socialising panel to discuss what Morning Gloryville means and how they’re changing the world one sober rave at a time!
Morning Gloryville are offering festival attendees a 75% discount for our upcoming big and exciting virtual event! This is a very unique event featuring the incredible DJ Joe Goddard (Hot Chip) on 22nd August between 11am-1pm. Just go here and enter CLUBSODAUK code to GET A MASSIVE 75% OFF!
Ruby Warrington – Author of Sober Curious
Ruby Warrington is the voice behind the term Sober Curious. Author of the 2019 book of the same title, her work has spearheaded a global movement to reevaluate our relationship to alcohol. Other works include Material Girl, Mystical World (2017), The Numinous Astro Deck (June 2019), and the upcoming Sober Curious Reset (Dec 2020). Founder of “Now Age” lifestyle platform The Numinous, and with 20 years’ experience as a lifestyle journalist, Ruby is also an editor, book doula, podcaster, and brand consultant, and is known as a true thought leader in the modern wellness space.
Ruari Fairbairns – Founder of One Year No Beer
One Year No Beer is a behaviour change programme and online toolkit for surviving modern society alcohol-free, aimed at anyone drinking more than 3 glasses of wine a week. We help people change their relationship with alcohol which leads to most of them fundamentally transforming their lives – for the better.
Rynda Laurel – Founder of VRYeveryday
Rynda Laurel is the founder of VRYeveryday, a wellness company founded with the mission to help support emotional wellness, mental health and biochemical recovery by providing all natural solutions though neuro-nutrition and supplementation. As a long time Creative Executive, Rynda has an extensive background in the music, entertainment, brand, online and wellness space. Early in her career she struggled with substance abuse and mood issues but she was able to transform her life through various modalities. She now has over 28 years of sobriety, is clinical depression free and is a holistic recovery and mental health advocate. Her wellness journey ultimately led her to launch VRyeveryday. Get 15% off Single Formulas and Sets by using the code “ClubSoda” at checkout.
Saf Buxey – Addiction Therapist & Human Behaviourial Coach
Saf is a recovered addict, Alcohol Practitioner, Addiction Therapist, Human Behaviourial Coach, speaker, radio and talk show host, but above all a survivor. His mission is to give those who are suffering a message of hope and help these individuals transform their live in a peaceful, powerful and positive way.
Sam Tomlinson – Founder of seeking sobriety
Having once led a heavily Pinot fuelled existence, Sam now walks free from that crutch, living a free and joyous life, on her own terms and within her own values. seeking sobriety was born out of her desire, passion and drive to encourage and support women to replace their addictive behaviours with an holisitic approach to whole life wellbeing. seeking sobriety works specifically with women who wish to temper the grip alcohol has over their lives, and support those who seek alternate ways to create and live their best life.
Sam Thonis – Founder of Getaway Bar
Sam Thonis opened Brooklyn, N.Y., alcohol-free bar Getaway in 2019 after he discovered his typical socializing in New York City changed when Thonis’ brother became sober.
Sam Wilson – Founder of Sober Mates
Sam was what you would call a heavy social Aussie drinker. She got to the point when one glass of wine would affect her mental health and she couldn’t ignore the link anymore. She didn’t want to drink but she also didn’t want to not drink either. She didn’t think being sober was an option. So she told herself it would only be for 3 months, yet here she is today with zero urge to go back to drinking As much us Sam loved being sober she couldn’t find an Aussie community she could relate to so she decided to create one, Sober Mates. Sober Mates is a community, an educational platform and a place to go where you can explore your drinking habits. Sober Mates was created for those people that want to cut down, learn more about their drinking habits and to find all the information in one place with no judgement from others. It is a community where you can feel safe to explore. You don’t need to be sober. You may have already decided alcohol isn’t serving you or you may not, that is all okay.
Samantha Manning – Founder of Monday Distillery
Samantha Manning is a brand specialist, entrepreneur and founder of Monday Distillery. With a background in marketing, Sam started Cha Cha Tea in 2016, followed shortly by luxury beverage brand and social media sensation Osun Sparkling in 2018. Based on that success she has now established Monday Distillery in 2019, rounding out her portfolio of beverage babies.
SUNANA is a London-based DJ/producer duo
Composed of Sun Philips and Ana Her. An explosive mix of endless energy, positive vibes and top quality music, Ana and Sun hail from two very different musical backgrounds. Ana studied classical music at the Royal Academy of Music and Sun was a rapper and ragga man in the French urban scene. The pair united through their mutual love for House and Latino music a number of years ago and have never looked back.
The duo have an impressive 25 years combined experience, performing in hundreds of venues across the world including Ministry of Sound, Pacha, Glastonbury Festival, the Barbican and Wembley Arena.
SUNANA are also successful producers and have released original tracks on various labels including Black Lizard, Groover Records, Sarape Records and Soundrepublic. One of their most recent releases, “Keteke” reached number 7 in the Beatport chart. The pair are known for their impeccable music taste and unrivalled feel-good energy and have also produced more than 500 remixes between them. They release The Six Pack, their original pack of mashups, every month.
During the 2020 lockdown, SUNANA performed various live DJ streams across Facebook and Instagram, with a total audience of more than a third of a million. You can listen to their weekly Latin House show on Select Radio, London & the UK’s number 1 dance music station, every Wednesday 10-12pm. Instagram
Sarah Connelly – Founder of Sober Sommelier
Sarah (@sober_sommelier) is 46, a company director, writer, mum of two and on a mission to grow the number of alcohol-free options in Australia! She used to drink (a lot) to escape life, problems, depression and anxiety, But the drinking made it all so much worse, who knew! So, she searched for help and alternatives, exploring all aspects of getting sober and finding the ways that worked for her. @sober_sommelier was created because when she quit, she still wanted to have a fabulous social life, but she didn’t want the stigma, pressure and limited choices that she felt being a non-drinker entailed. So, for anyone looking to experience the joy of drinking without the downsides she shares sophisticated alcohol-free options, where to buy them and where to go get them. Her website links to all the amazing people, organisations, and tools that have helped her on her way and @sober_sommelier is her adventure finding AF choices for discerning non-drinkers. If you’re in Brissy you can also join her meetup group. They get together at venues that cater to anyone looking to drink more mindfully, or not at all! Join them! Everyone is welcome.
Sarah-Jane Clarke – Lifestyle Coach
Sarah is a lifestyle coach who uses This Naked Mind methodology. She helps people change their relationship with alcohol.
Sarah McNena – Co-Founder of Drop Bear Beer Co
Sarah is the co-founding Director of Drop Bear Beer Co., the world’s first customer owned specialist alcohol free beer company. Get 10% of all products with the code DROPBEARMDF10
Scott Gemmell – Founder of Liquid Academy
The Liquid Academy provides leading operators and drinks brands with industry leading bartender training courses, experiential events and specialised drinks development services. Founded by lifelong professional bartender Scott Gemmell, The Liquid Academy was Scotland’s first professional bartender academy in Scotland.
Scott Pearson – Proud and Sober
After embarking on his own journey to give up alcohol, Scott has set his sights on creating Proud and Sober, a social and online platform that encourages open dialogue about booze and what it means to be alcohol-free and LGBT+.
Shahroo Izadi – Author
Shahroo is a Behavioural Change Specialist and bestselling Author of The Kindness Method and The Last Diet. Drawing from both professional experience of working in addiction treatment and personal experience of changing engrained eating habits, she hands over simple tools designed to help people change unwanted behaviours. Her focus is on helping others to build the self-awareness, self-esteem and self-belief required to make meaningful changes in any area of their lives.
Shanna Whan – Founder of Sober in the Country
Shanna Whan is the CEO, founder, and force behind national charity Sober in the Country. She’s a self-described ”garden variety alcoholic” who was fortunate enough to make a full recovery – and simply chooses to use her very imperfect life and story to pay it forward and offer hope for those still in the fight. She risked it all when going public after rebuilding her life from ground zero at the age of forty and going on to spend 15,000 volunteer hours in the ‘trenches’ to start a conversation around making it okay to say no thanks to beers in the bush. Against all odds – today Shanna is a respected leader in the alcohol awareness space, and her conversations have become a national charity with a laser-focus on bringing ‘common sense’ talk and advocacy to the overlooked demographic of hard working rural, regional, and remote Australians who are more than familiar with the concept of living in ”isolation.”
Shari Hampton – Founder of Served Up Sober
Shari Hampton is a sober enthusiast, recovery coach and founder of Served Up Sober — a holistic healing space for women of color who are sober and sober curious.
Sharon Walters – artist
Sharon Walters is an artist, mother of two, artist educator and coordinator of community engagement programmes at a few London museums. After drinking mindfully for a year, Sharon has been sober for a year and a half and can see he hugely positive impact sobriety has had on many aspects of her life, most notably her family life and her career as an artist.
Since January 2018 Sharon has been working on a mixed media collage series entitled ‘Seeing Ourselves’. She now has over 250 pieces in the collection, and she has exhibited in several public spaces including the NOW gallery in Greenwich. Her work is shared regularly on Instagram on her London_artist1 account.
Shea Boland – Coach
Shea Boland is a Men’s Transformational Coach, primarily focusing on helping men get out of their heads and into their heart. He has an extensive list of mental/emotional health speaking engagements ranging from SXSW to drug/alcohol rehabilitation centers. He is the creator of the ATX Sprint Squad, a community of over 150 people of all fitness levels that meet every Saturday to move their body’s and intentionally connect . He was awarded a lululemon ambassadorship based on his intentional efforts to build community where he resides in Austin, TX. Almost 8 years ago he decided to get sober and since then his calling in life has transpired into so much more than simply staying sober. The touchstone of his work is to help Men reclaim their innate sense of guidance by using various modalities such as emotional awareness, meditation, mindfulness, vulnerability and fitness to remind them how powerful they truly are.
Shea Gomez – Founder of No Booze Babes
Shea is the creator of No Booze Babes, a community of sober and sober-curious babes who have been there, drank that, and are looking to live their best lives booze-free.
Simon Chapple – Author & Founder of Be Sober
Simon is the founder of Be Sober, one of the largest and fastest-growing online ‘quit drinking’ communities in the world. If you haven’t already joined the Be Sober movement you can do so for free online, simply search ‘Be Sober’.
Spencer Matthews – Founder and CEO of Clean Liquor Co
Spencer is Founder and CEO of The Clean Liquor Co. He is a keen investor in start-ups and early growth companies.
Stephen Marks – international yoga and sleep meditation teacher
Stephen has been practising yoga for over 20 years and teaching for 5 years. His yoga story has taken him around the world and into many styles and schools. As a sports enthusiast too he understands the body having trained in martial arts and endurance events. Through extensive yoga and pilates he has worked himself back from injury to peak fitness on a number of occasions . With an interest in the philosophy of yoga too he is equally focussed on relaxation techniques and mind/body connection. He did his teacher training with the Shamanic school of yoga in the rainforests of Costa Rica and is further qualified with the yoga nidra network. He describes yoga nidra as the single most important contribution to yoga in the 21st century. He has taught all over the world and regularly teaches classes in central London. Stephen has worked with Google, BDO, Knight Frank and international law and accountancy firms as well as the UK government. He is a regular speaker at conferences on sleep, welltech and healthy buildings and writes often for the wellness press. He has also worked with hotels including Lanserhof and the Ace hotel and devised a sleep programme for the Palm Retreat Hotel in Dubai in January 2020.
Steve Livens – The British Beer and Pub Association
Stephen is a beer lover and microbiologist with over 20 years experience in the brewing industry. He has a particular excitement for the diversity of beer styles and flavours available today, the provenance of beer’s natural ingredients and the quality and passion exhibited by brewers on a daily basis both large and small. Steve has worked with brewers around the world and, since 2010, for the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), where he is active in raising the profile of beer as a drink of both quality and diversity but also as the perfect, natural match with food.
Tammi Salas – Artist and Creativity Coach
Tammi Salas is a Sober. Dignified. Creative. Woman. She is a painter, diligent list-maker, creativity coach and co-host of The Unruffled Podcast, a show that discusses the intersection between recovery and creativity. She makes art every single day and documents her forays, sobriety milestones and creative offerings at tammisalas.com and on IG @tammisalas.
Tawny Lara – SobrieTea Party
Tawny, AKA The Sober Sexpert, is an NYC-based writer. Her words are published in Playboy, Men’s Health, HuffPost, and her blog, SobrieTeaParty.com. She also co-hosts a podcast with Lisa Smith, Recovery Rocks, about recovery and rock n roll.
The Margarita Mum – Aka Rhonda
Rhonda is not your ‘stereotypical’ mixologist or bartender. She is a busy full-time working mother with 2 young daughters, a husband, and 3 step-sons. Originally hailing from Brisbane, Australia, she has since moved to Melbourne. Starting her career as a Registered Nurse, and continuing to work in the healthcare industry to this day, she never would have dreamed she’d end up pursuing my passion for Margaritas. She started @the_margarita_mum just over 3 years ago, quite simply because she loves them and wanted to share this. Her personal Facebook page was overflowing with friends and family members posting Margarita recipes and memes, and she became affectionately known as ‘rhondarita’ and ‘margarhonda’. She created The Margarita Mum Facebook and Instagram to showcase her Margarita journey. It wasn’t long before she began creating her own Margarita recipes, and eventually a wide variety of cocktails and mocktails using all sorts of spirits and aperitifs. Things have evolved quickly. The Margarita Mum Instagram account has naturally grown to over 58000 followers.
The NA Guys
Meet Sonny and James. A plumber and a GP. Best mates on the search for the best NA Beers from around the world.
Tom Ward – Founder of Wise Bartender
Tom is the Founder of WiseBartender.co.uk, stocking the largest range of alcohol free drinks in the UK including beers, ciders, wines & spirits.
Tori Felder – The Retired Party Girl
Tori is from Seattle WA and runs an online empowering community for sober women who are retired from the party, not the fun.
Tricia Lewis – Recovery Happy Hour
Tricia Lewis is the host and producer of Recovery Happy Hour, a weekly podcast that celebrates stories of life beyond the bottle. She hosts recovery retreats and events in the US and is the co-founder of Sober by Southwest.
Vaughan Yates – Founder of The Virgin Mary
Vaughan has set up several successful businesses within the drinks sector over a 20+ year period and has a unique understanding of compelling strategies and brilliant brand positioning. He is the Founder of Europe’s first dedicated alcohol-free cocktail bar, The Virgin Mary Dublin, and Co-owner of TVM Global, the world’s only alcohol-free bar group. He is passionate about driving a new socialising paradigm within the global alcohol industry, and his innovative concept is poised to expand beyond Irish shores in the very near future.
Vlada Mättig & Katharina Vogt – mesober
Vlada and Katharina started working on the idea of mesober in summer 2019. At the beginning of 2020 they went online and established the first sobriety mentoring program in Germany. Vlada is bringing her own experience of addiction and sobriety into the brand. Kathi went from being sober curious to living sober now. They think community is key in establishing and living a sober, as well as having people around you that you can relate to. That is the main goal of their work.
Wes Geer
After getting sober back in 2007, US-based Wes embarked on a life of adventure and self-discovery. In 2010 he joined world-renowned band Korn as touring guitarist. Since then Wes has formed a new band Hu3m3n (@hu3m3n).
Zanna Mercer – Founder of Drink Bright
Zanna is a mixologist, beer geek and bar manager with over 10 years experience in the industry. She recently founded Drink Bright – an inclusive platform raising the bar for low and no, championing the benefits of mindful drinking and (literally) shaking things up for the sober curious. Spotlighting alcohol free with the same creativity found in abundance on the drinks scene, Drink Bright exists to make booze-less culture an equally accessible and tempting option for everyone. You can find drinks inspiration, recipes and lifestyle @drinkbright on Instagram.