Today we’d like to introduce you to Tawny Lara
Hi Tawny, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m Tawny Lara, author of Dry Humping and co-author of The Sobriety Deck, co-host of the Recovery Rocks podcast, and co-founder of the vinegar-based botanical beverage, (parentheses). I’ve reported on the sober/sober curious/mindful drinking scene since 2015. I began with blogging and an event series called Readings on Recovery. I eventually pivoted into podcasting, publishing and now have my own drink! Life is wild.
I quit drinking in 2015 as a social experiment. I wanted to see if my relationship with alcohol hindered my writing and creativity. Spoiler alert… I WAS RIGHT. After that first year, my sobriety evolved from a social experiment to finally addressing the mental health issues that I suppressed with alcohol. Now I’m more than 8 years alcohol-free.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Our current obstacle is being an indie drink brand swimming in a sea of VC-funded drink brands. We just don’t have the budget that some of our competitors have. This means we have to get creative with marketing, sales, distribution, and much more. But hey, we’re scrappy entrepreneurs. We make it work!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
When I quit drinking, the thought of dating—let alone hooking up without booze scared the hell out of me. So, as a proper Millennial journalist, I took my questions to the internet. I quickly became the internet’s “Sober Sexpert” not because I know everything about the intersection of sex and sobriety (I DON’T!), but because I ask all the questions.
Writing my book also helped me zoom out of just sober sex and dating to research the role liquid courage plays in our interpersonal relationships. Now, my work is more inclusive of coworkers, family dynamics, friendships, and all other interpersonal relationships.
My first sobriety blog was called SobrieTea Party because (a) I love wordplay and (b) I love tea. I always wanted to have my own herbal tea line called SobrieTea. My new drink (parentheses) is a version of that dream. While it’s not tea, it’s still loaded with botanicals. Hubby and I eventually put our brains together to launch (parentheses), a vinegar-based botanical beverage.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
It takes a significant amount of boundary-setting, self-awareness, self-advocacy, humility, surrender, and communication skills to succeed in publishing and business. Giving up alcohol in order to focus on my mental health gave me access to those tools which ultimately prepared me for writing a book and launching a business. I now take *everything* one day at a time.
Pricing:
- $16.99 – Book
- $27 – Bottle of (parentheses)
- $200/hour – Book Proposal Coaching
Contact Info:
- Website: https://drinkparentheses.com
- Other: https://tawnylara.substack.com/
Image Credits
(1) Robert Riese Photography (2) Nonlinear Knitting