We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Hilary Sheinbaum. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Hilary below.

Hilary, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I’ve been so lucky to work on a bunch of really meaningful projects. My latest book, Going Dry: A Workbook, is one of them. It came out in September 2024 and has been featured on Good Morning America, on CNN, and in The New York Times. This book was fun to work on, and I’m proud to know that its interactive prompts, activities and other puzzles are helpful to those who are looking to drink less and live more.

I’ve been in the “sober curious” space for 10 years now, and when I started my journey, I had no idea it would lead to two dry-ish books, dozens of events across the United States and menu collaborations from New York to Jackson Hole, WY, to Maui and more.

Hilary, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

What started out as a silly bet on New Year’s Eve 2016 has turned into two books in the sober curious space, as well as events, menu collaborations and more.

I’ve been really lucky to host events ranging from cycling classes, dinners, happy hours, and other fun get-togethers. And, of course, we serve nonalcoholic beverages! For example, in Los Angeles one year, we had a yoga class on Cinco de Mayo and served margaritas with Free Spirits tequila.

The events are always different and guests not only have the opportunity to not only try nonalcoholic drinks but also learn about them. It’s fun and educational.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Having 10 years of Dry Januarys in my pocket has likely helped! But in all seriousness, I’m really passionate about what I do, and I think people see that.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

It’s not so much me — but, I do think people once believed (and some still believe) that you are either sober or you weren’t. I’ve tried my best to help explain that you can choose to not drink and not need a reason for doing so. You can also drink once in a while and still explore being a nondrinker. There’s more of a range. It’s not one or the other.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hilarysheinbaum.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/hilarywritesny