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

Hi Graham, thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Funny story. The genesis of “Drunk Astrology” takes place at my best friend’s wedding in 2017. I had been a social astrologer for several years, asking strangers what time they were born so I could pull their birth charts, but after having one too many drinks at her rehearsal dinner, the bridesmaids and I all wound up tipsy on the front porch of our South Carolina rental. I casually asked one of the girls, “are you an Aries?” and that one innocent question triggered an all-nighter of fuzzy-headed mini-readings for every last one of them.

Laying in bed the next morning, fog-brained and hungover, I remember telling the guy I was dating at the time, “whew…doing drunk astrology is dangerous!” He laughed and responded, “hey, that actually has a ring to it!” That fly-by moment stayed with me but it wasn’t until one year, and one break-up later that I actually snagged the @drunkastrology handle on Instagram and began my entrepreneurial endeavor!

To that end, I didn’t have a clear idea of what I wanted Drunk Astrology to be when I first started the Instagram account. I only started it because my best friend and soul sister, Caitlyn Minns, was tired of hearing me talk about it and pressured me into it!

I was riddled with imposter syndrome, totally convinced that I couldn’t let my teachers see me practicing what they’d taught me, while simultaneously feeling that the industry of astrology had become too serious, overly woo-woo, and at times, incomprehensible to the non-astrologer. It was a tricky start, but I eventually leaned into doing astrology my way, which I’ve now dubbed as “astrology, straight up with a twist!”

Over time, followers flocked to the account, laughing and enjoying all the crazy characters I created to deliver the weekly cosmic news. Again, there was no sense of direction when I first started, Drunk Astrology was mostly a creative outlet where I could express myself authentically.

When I received the first DM requesting a 1-on-1 reading, I completely froze. I had never considered offering readings as a paid service to anyone! “Sure, VenMo me $50 and I’ll just video chat you in our IG DM?” was my response. Haha!

I was so nervous for that first reading. My brain rattled with thoughts like, “I wonder if she thinks I’m any good?” “Does any of this connect with her?” “I never should have done this!” “Oh my god, she hates it.” These were just *some* of the insecure ramblings running through my head during our 45-minute call. Afterwards, though, my inaugural client voiced her interest in setting up more frequent readings and my response was a full body panic and subsequent face plant into some couch pillows.

In the last quarter of 2019, I was mapping out all of the astrological aspects for 2020 and I remember telling myself, “jeez, whatever this big moment is next year, it’s telling me I need to get more serious about Drunk Astrology.” Accepting that, in January of 2020 I invested nearly $3,000 into Marie Forleo’s B-School and committed to building my own website. I knew next to nothing about business and even less about designing a website, but I pushed through my doubts anyway and launched the first iteration of www.drunkastro.com just a few weeks into the pandemic. Shortly after lockdowns went in place, readings came swarming in with folks from all walks of life looking for their purpose during that time. After receiving tons of positive feedback from these new clients, I began to see how truly unique and helpful my offerings were inside the cosmic space.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

When I first dove into astrology, I called it “broke man’s therapy.” In my personal life, I was in my early 20’s and blowing up relationships left and right, I didn’t understand who I was becoming, and I was desperate for guidance, but I was also broke AF. One of my best friends, Miranda Garrison, started sending me articles and YouTube clips about Virgos (my Sun sign) and everything I read really hit home.

I discovered the website of an astrologer who had paid lectures on all twelve zodiac signs as .mp3 downloads and I didn’t hesitate to buy every single one of them. I started my own binder, notating each sign’s characteristics as if I was taking a 3-credit college course. This was the beginning of a several years-long investment in books, lectures, podcasts, courses, and PRACTICE.

Now over 15 years later, I still have that binder with all of my handwritten notes as a talisman of where it all started for me.

In 2023, Drunk Astrology has really blossomed into a multi-faceted business. On the Astrology side, I offer 1-on-1 birth chart readings to new and existing clients once every quarter. Under the “Book a Reading” tab on drunkastro.com, any interested clients can submit their name and e-mail so they get priority access to scheduling their reading before I promote readings publicly. As an Oracle card reader, I pop up in the lobby bar of the Line Hotel in Koreatown every Tuesday from 5:30-7 PM + at other public and private events nationwide (might even be going international at the top of 2024!).

I also host two podcasts! “This Week with Drunk Astrology” comes out every Sunday on all major podcast platforms and is a free, weekly breakdown of the astrological weather for the week ahead. Get guidance around what your best moves are, what you should avoid/be aware of, and learn how you can work with the astrology of the moment to create your dream life. Fun fact: After starting off one episode with a pseudo-terrible, pseudo-awesome rendition of a song, my listeners have now made it mandatory that I sing at the top of every episode. I will say, though, each week’s song selects have been an absolute hit!

“A Daily Dose of Stars” is my daily, subscription-based podcast with personal growth tips, strategy, and guidance based on each day’s astrological aspects, including when the karmic fate and destiny points, called the Nodes of Fate, are in a favored position. These are the times to make a strategic move, have a VIP conversation, send a proposal, deliver a pitch, get out and about, shake some hands, start something new, etc. The daily doses provide an incredible amount of value and for the entire month of June, the Daily Doses are free! To subscribe, just search “A Daily Dose of Stars” in your preferred podcast platform.

On the product side of Drunk Astrology, my pandemic project was working with a perfumer to create custom fragrance blends for all twelve zodiac signs. I’ve taken those blends and mixed them into 14 oz. luxury, coconut-wax blend candles and 10 mL perfume roll-ons. I hand-pour everything myself and wholesale these products to select retail stores in SoCal, and around the United States, as well as at certain events around Los Angeles and Long Beach.

In November 2022, I launched the Drunk Astrology Web Store which has fun, unique zodiac merch for all twelve zodiac signs–tees, hoodies, coffee mugs, wine tumblers, and manifestation journals. It’s the perfect gifting suite for any cosmos-loving friends and family!

What sets Drunk Astrology apart from anything/anyone else is the fun factor (obviously!) but also how I break things down so that listeners/clients at any level can understand what I’m saying. At my core, I aspire to help my clients and listeners unlock fun, joy, and a sense of adventure and spontaneity in their everyday lives. Yes, we talk about the hard stuff. We do address life’s “sticky, icky” stuff if it’s there, but all with a breath of levity. My ethos is that the world is already hard enough, why come to an astrologer/card reader and have it piled on even more? Don’t get me wrong, we “go there,” but it’s also my job to help you flip your perspective and to see your current circumstances from a different vantage point. We’ll look at the past to see how you got to the present, then look to the future to see where you’re headed and connect the dots of the bigger stories running throughout your life.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Something I’ve had to really unlearn as a business owner is a self-limiting belief system. I’ve constantly had to encourage myself, along with an incredibly supportive boyfriend and group of friends, to push past what I THINK is possible for myself and for Drunk Astrology. As soon as I tapped into a “why couldn’t I do this?” mindset, bigger opportunities presented themselves—like card readings at the Line Hotel, the LA3C Music Festival, POPSUGAR’S PlayGround event, Beachbody leadership retreats—and more started presenting themselves.

I believe that Drunk Astrology’s success has come down to unlocking my confidence as a person and understanding what my personal “magic.” I’ve come to realize that when I show up in a new space, I can talk to anyone. My natural curiosity and genuine desire to connect with people is part of what makes me, and my business, me.

We all have our own distinct “sauce,” and once you understand what that is, you’ve unlocked the key to your own magic. Wanna know the best, and easiest, way to discover what your magic is? Ask ten people in your life (family, friends, lover, etc.) to describe what they like most about you.

When I did this exercise, people told me across the board, “I love your energy,” “I feel like I can talk to you about anything,” and “as soon as I see you, you make me smile.” I didn’t necessarily see myself in that way so hearing that feedback over and over made me really step back and go, “wait…I think I should just lean into this and see what happens!”

When I embraced myself wholly and fully, I began showing up authentically in every room I entered and naturally forged connections that have helped me get to where I’m at today. Don’t get me wrong, there is still an incredible amount of room for the business to grow, but my innate gnack for genuinely connecting with others has been instrumental in my personal growth and my growth as a business owner.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

This one’s easy! Newsletter, newsletter, newsletter! Over the years I have encouraged my followers, listeners, and clients to subscribe to my newsletter (“The Cosmic News Train”) so that they can receive weekly horoscopes for their Sun, Moon, and Risings signs, invites to Drunk Astrology events and workshops, and promotional offers for the Web Store directly in their inbox. Every Sunday, subscribers receive their horoscopes along with my suggested tips based on the energy of the week ahead and how I plan to use them myself.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.drunkastro.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/drunkastrology
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/drunkastrology
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@drunkastrology
• Other: “This Week with Drunk Astrology” Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-with-drunk-astrology/id1547938120 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3NcBrBNoE69ymxGVwZ0pFw Google: https://app.podcastguru.io/podcast/straight-up-astrology-1547938120