We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Zaida Marin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Zaida, thanks for joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

We are a Mobile Bar & Functional Mocktail Service catering to Weddings, Birthday Parties and Corporate Events. Even though we do cater with full spirit alcohol (as per our client’s requests) what sets us apart are our Functional Mocktails. We blend together fresh fruit, tea bases, herbs & adaptogens for anti-inflammatory and brain boosting benefits. With the use of Zero-Proof Spirits we enhance the flavor profile to closely imitate full-spirit cocktails and promote inclusivity for non-alc enthusiasts who opt (or prefer) to avoid drinking full spirit alcohol.

I decided to incorporate Functional Mocktails into our Menus after I was diagnoses with Lupus and felt overwhelmed adapting to a new lifestyle focusing on lowering inflammatory markers. This meant lowering alcohol intake, increasing anti-inflammatory foods and finding supplements to lower my extremely elevated cortisol levels.

Saddle Soirée has become an extension to bring awareness to auto-immune diseases along with fun mocktail options that can be as desirable as full spirit cocktails. With the current culture surrounding a more health conscious lifestyle, it was a perfect time to try to blend these worlds together

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started Saddle Soiree after I recovered from suffering a stoke at the age of 29. My condition limited my ability to give 100% to my Construction company and I needed to find a way to sustain myself while not overexerting my body while I was able to heal. I decided that working a few bartending events a month would be easier on my body rather than the 40+ hours I was giving to Construction.

I felt compelled or better yet obsessed, with learning all that I could about the disease. Reading through public medical journals, listening to Health Podcasts with Dr.’s and Neuroscientists and diving deep into the study of Herbalism. I had great clients who allowed me the creative liberty to experiment with flavor profiles while adding in Adaptogens and the use of great readily available products.

I am most proud of our recent event in May where we partnered with Lupus LA Org to raise awareness and donate a portion of proceeds to their foundation. We were fortunate enough to have sponsors such as AG1, Moss Drink & Tadin Tea & Co. believe in us so much that they donated product to either curate a Specialty Mocktail Drink gift in our Swag bags.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Post-stroke was probably one of the scariest and toughest times of my life. I am self-employed and at the time I was legally contracted to complete projects through my construction company. I didn’t have the luxury to stop and recover per my doctor’s instructions. I had to push through the pain to complete what was required of me while also realizing that my current lifestyle was not doing me any good.

I was in need of an income that wouldn’t require 40+ hours and I needed to prioritize my health. In search for this new lifestyle – I would get home after my construction shift and start working on starting up Saddle Soirée. I was extremely determined to find a different rhythm of life. I had to keep pushing forward working overtime, in hopes that I would find success in Saddle Soirée to cover my finances and pivot for a more adequate lifestyle for myself and finally give my body the care and attention it needed.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

There is a difference between Client satisfaction and People-pleasing. I had to learn how to draw a line between creating a positive experience for my clients vs just diving into my personal people pleasing tendencies.

I would constantly over-commit to work and neglect my own needs for the sake of any project and it definitely led me to feel burnt out very frequently. Unlearning this has made a world of a difference in my life. I’ve understood how to be more assertive and set boundaries between my personal life and my small business while still providing a fun, tasty and positive experience for our clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.saddlesoiree.com
• Instagram: saddlesoiree