U.S. of N/A: Non-Alcoholic and Mindful Drinking | Podcast Guru

Details

The U.S. of N/A podcast series is about the people and places putting mindful drinking and functional beverages on the map, one crafted sip at a time. In our video episodes we sit down with founders and innovators who are contributing to a beverage culture that is a bit more healthy, and a little less boozy. And in our new audio-only Quiet Pour series, we'll bring you authentic stories from all walks of life talking about what mindful drinking means to them. Brought to you by N/ATION Collaborative, LLC.

Recent Episodes

Pour One Out For The U.S. of N/A

As they say, all good things must come to an end, eventually. Right? No, N/ATION isn't going anywhere, we're just re-tooling. But we'll be pausing our podcast series, the U.S. of N/A, which first launched in January of 2024. We're absolutely humbled by the incredible guests that have graced this series in nearly 60 episodes, and for everyone who listened to even one interview, THANK YOU! Before we go, we wanted to give the podcast one final chance to say goodbye, with a callback to our very f...

4 MIN

Taking Mindful Drinking To The Mainstream: A Conversation with Derek Brown

Few people have shaped the mindful drinking movement more than Derek Brown. He's the Co-Founder/President of Drink Company and the Mindful Drinking Fest, the latter being the largest event of its kind in the country. A celebrated bartender and sommelier turned NA pioneer, Derek has since consulted on high-profile non-alcoholic programs for Dōgon and Hilton, and judged some of the world's most prestigious food and beverage competitions. Key Topics: Derek's path from bartender and sommeli...

31 MIN

The Quiet Pour, with Vicente Ruiz

Today's guest on The Quiet Pour is Vicente Ruiz, whose relationship with alcohol was shaped early by family gatherings well before he realized it had stopped serving him. Those experiences caused him to decide to stop drinking alcohol entirely. In this episode, Vicente talks about what led him to sobriety, and how that shift sparked an unexpected career move — first helping NA beverage brands with distribution, then co-founding his own kava beverage company with a close friend. Mentioned in t...

18 MIN

Last Call For Hemp Beverages? The Path Beyond November

Unless something changes, a looming November 12th deadline threatens to upend the entire industry surrounding psychoactive hemp. With such an existential threat on the horizon, we asked Dani Baranowski, Executive Director of the Florida Hemp Beverage Coalition and founder of Highspitality, to join us and break down the high-stakes legislative battle that will ultimately decide the future of hemp-derived THC drinks. We explore the reality of a federal "total THC" cap, what lawmakers get wrong ...

34 MIN

The Quiet Pour, with Cindy Pokriefka

Today's guest on The Quiet Pour is Cindy Pokriefka, an avid (and accomplished) distance runner who re-discovered the sport in her mid-twenties, having completed six marathons in the past six years. In this episode, Cindy shares her thoughts on how running helped her during COVID, why it's so important to mental health, and how mindful drinking has helped her be present in social situations without feeling like she has to drink alcohol. She also shares her favorite (and simple) sparkly NA beve...

11 MIN