Hey Y'all!

Welcome back! I'm happy to bring you a conversation with Richard O'Brien, General Manager of Giesen Group which is one of New Zealand's leading family-owned wineries and a global leader in premium non-alcoholic wine.

Since joining the company in 2015, Richard has held senior roles across finance and commercial strategy, playing a pivotal role in Giesen's growth in both traditional and emerging wine categories. He leads the company's global sales and marketing efforts, with a strong focus on the U.S.--Giesen's number one export market.

I was eager to chat with Richard about how Giesen had the foresight to enter the NA market before so many others and why he thinks there is mass resistance among traditional winemakers to innovating and joining the non-alcoholic category.

He shares a bit about the dealcoholization process, what's next for Giesen's NA portfolio, and where he sees the NA market headed in 2026.

I hope you enjoy this conversation!

Check out the full Giesen lineup

Follow Giesen Wines on IG @giesenwines

Connect with me on IG @creativesobriety and please follow along and subscribe to my Substack newsletter www.kristenbear.substack.com where you will also find The Creative Sobriety Method video workshop series!

Stay up to date with all upcoming events and offerings www.creativesobriety.co

Hey y'all!

I'm so excited to have writer Carly Schwartz on the show today. Carly is the former editor in chief of the San Francisco Examiner and founding editor of HuffPost's San Francisco bureau. Editor and Publisher named her one of 10 "Women to Watch," and her writing has appeared in the San Francisco Standard, ELLE Magazine, MSNBC, and more.

As an advocate for suicide prevention and addiction recovery, Carly has been a spokesperson for the Jed Foundation and Google's Recovery Month. She's also the founder of Mindwriters, a workshop series designed to help people transform their lives through storytelling. She lives in San Francisco's Mission District.

Pick up a copy of Carly Schwartz's debut memoir, I'll Try Anything Twice: Misadventures of A Self Medicated Life, out now from She Writes Press and available wherever books are sold.

Buy Carly's book from Bookshop.org and support local bookstores!

Follow Carly on IG @carlicita

Connect with me on IG @creativesobriety and please follow along and subscribe to my Substack newsletter www.kristenbear.substack.com where you will also find The Creative Sobriety Method video workshop series!

Stay up to date with all upcoming events and offerings www.creativesobriety.co

Hey y'all!

Welcome back! I'm excited to have Kathryn Sauser on the show today. Kathryn is over five years sober and has more than a decade of experience as a fitness, nutrition, and mental health coach. She's helped thousands of women transform their bodies, but everything changed for her after getting sober.

She created SoberFitGirl because it was everything she needed and couldn't find.

Visit soberfitgirl.com to work with Kathryn!

Check out The Sober Fit Girl Podcast

Connect with Kathryn on socials @kathrynsauser and @thesoberfitgirl

Connect with me on IG @creativesobriety and please follow along and subscribe to my Substack newsletter www.kristenbear.substack.com where you will also find The Creative Sobriety Method video workshop series!

Stay up to date with all upcoming events and offerings www.creativesobriety.co

Hey y'all!

Welcome back to another solo episode with me, Kristen, today! I'm catching up on everything that's gone down so far in 2026 when it comes to booze and it's a lot.

I'm talking about Dry January, the new alcohol guidelines from the clowns at HHS, the Year of the Fire Horse, Jeffrey Epstein, Sean "Diddy Combs, and Diageo's ties to all things dirty business. I'm even giving my review of Emerald Fennel's "Wuthering Heights." Strap in!!

Check out the full article about all the Diageo/Epstein ties on Substack here

Connect with me on IG @creativesobriety and please follow along and subscribe to my Substack newsletter www.kristenbear.substack.com where you will also find The Creative Sobriety Method video workshop series!

Stay up to date with all upcoming events and offerings www.creativesobriety.co

Hey y'all!

I'm so excited to bring you the first new episode of 2026! I've got Sara and Max on the show today, founders of Glasrose Farm. The American opera singer and German-born wine maker are raising their daughter on an organic vineyard filled with live oaks and herds of grazing sheep.

Sharing a deep love for the land and a commitment to mindful living, the vineyard is not just their home but a testament to their creativity and commitment to sustainability.

After a Dry January turned February and beyond, Max decided he wanted to make something new. The couple has been developing a beautiful zero proof beverage made from organic verjus from their vineyard and exciting and unexpected ingredients like cardamom, hibiscus, and black pepper.

Check out their offerings!

Be sure to follow Sara, Max and their family on IG @glasrosefarm

Connect with me on IG @creativesobriety and please follow along and subscribe to my Substack newsletter www.kristenbear.substack.com where you will also find The Creative Sobriety Method video workshop series!

Stay up to date with all upcoming events and offerings www.creativesobriety.co

Hey y'all!

I'm so pleased to introduce you to Jermaine Dante' Burse today. He is an author and critically acclaimed visual fine artist whose life embodies radical transformation. Once consumed by addiction, Jermaine rebuilt himself through discipline, honesty, and an unwavering devotion to creative expression.

His fine art, known for its emotional depth and bold storytelling, has been commissioned by major recognizable brands and collected by professional athletes, entertainers, and celebrities around the world.

His debut book, Autopsy of My Former Self, captures the profound inner excavation that led to his personal rebirth, offering a powerful reflection on recover, identity, and the courage required to evolve. Beyond the canvas and page, Jermaine channels his creativity into meaningful ventures and experiences that inspire others to confront their truth and rise. His story is not just about overcoming--it's about becoming.

Follow Jermaine Dante' on IG @jermainedante_art

Purchase his book, Autopsy of My Former Self

Connect with me on IG @creativesobriety and please follow along and subscribe to my Substack newsletter www.kristenbear.substack.com where you will also find The Creative Sobriety Method video workshop series!

Stay up to date with all upcoming events and offerings www.creativesobriety.co

Hey y'all!

I'm back with another solo episode, a follow up to my most recent Substack piece about a potential wine bailout in the US that reflects how the EU is approaching their struggling wine industry.

In this episode I go through some key points of the EU's agreement including incentives for no and low alcohol production.

I also take a fun little detour through some of the wine industry's more notable scandals in recent history including Austria's antifreeze moment in 1985, a Napa CEO's midnight heist, and a "Catch Me If You Can" con-man that swindled rich wine snobs out of over $35 million dollars before he was caught. It's a fun one.

My opinion is that the wine industry needs more than cashflow, they need an attitude adjustment. We have reached sink or swim season for wine--swim towards innovation or sink with tradition. Grab your popcorn!

Here's an article about the EU bailout

A fun read in Los Angeles Magazine about Rudy Kurniawan

Be sure to catch up on my Substack posts on all of this!

Connect with me on IG @creativesobriety and please follow along and subscribe to my Substack newsletter www.kristenbear.substack.com where you will also find The Creative Sobriety Method video workshop series!

Stay up to date with all upcoming events and offerings www.creativesobriety.co

Hey y'all!

So excited to introduce you to Inga Headland Seppala today! Besides being an all-around cool sober chick, Inga is a creative director, writer, and the creator of Landline, a lo-fi call-in show about connection and second chances.

After more than a decade designing pitch decks for studios like Netflix, HBO, and Apple, she now helps writers clarify their stories through her app, The Perfect Pitch Deck.

Inga got sober in her 40's and draws on recovery, humor, and faith in all of her creative projects.

I think all creative artists would benefit from Inga's app, The Perfect Pitch Deck, regardless of medium. Check it out!

Tune into The Landline Show on YouTube and follow along on IG @thelandlineshow

Want to be a caller on Landline?? Call The Landline Show 615-212-5437

Connect with me on IG @creativesobriety and please follow along and subscribe to my Substack newsletter www.kristenbear.substack.com where you will also find The Creative Sobriety Method video workshop series!

Stay up to date with all upcoming events and offerings www.creativesobriety.co