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/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@littlesaintsco 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices