We recently connected with Kayla Lyons and have shared our conversation below.

Kayla , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you walk us through some of the key steps that allowed you move beyond an idea and actually launch?

Many may not believe in manifestation, but I am both a firm believer and a witness to its power. In 2019, I created the 1,000 Hours Dry Challenge, which evolved into a community of like-minded individuals seeking a healthier relationship with alcohol—known as the Dry Club. With thousands of participants and dedicated volunteer hosts facilitating meetings and discussions, our community grew to over 50,000 members.

During this time, I began exploring how to transform the Dry Club from a nonprofit into a business to reach even more people. Recognizing the lack of science-based, ad-free apps to support those struggling with alcohol misuse, I envisioned creating one. Although my background is in marketing and business, not engineering, I knew this was a critical gap in resources and felt compelled to act. However, building an app requires specialized expertise and significant funding—neither of which I had while I was still in school. So, I shelved the idea for the future.

A year later, two engineers reached out to me with an app strikingly similar to the one I had outlined in my notes. They were looking for someone with personal insight into sobriety and a community to beta-test their app, originally called Digital Sponsor. It was a perfect fit. Together, we laid the foundation for what is now Reframe.

Building a company from scratch is grueling—endless late nights, burnout, and the steep learning curve of wearing multiple hats. Without the capital to hire professionals, I taught myself skills like graphic design, UX/UI, copywriting, and paid media. Eventually, I left school when we secured our pre-seed funding, knowing I couldn’t balance my responsibilities as Marketing Director and co-founder with my studies.

In the summer of 2021, my co-founders successfully guided us through Y Combinator, and shortly after, we closed our Series A round. We hit milestone after milestone: reaching the Top 100 in the Apple App Store’s Health and Fitness category, being named App of the Day, and achieving our first million in revenue. It was surreal for the entire team.

In the summer of 2022, I made the difficult decision to step away from Reframe. Confident the company was in good hands, I turned my focus to new opportunities. Around this time, I was approached by Watkins Media to write a book—a chance I enthusiastically embraced. A year and a half later, Soberish was published as one of the first “quit lit” books to explore harm reduction rather than promoting abstinence alone.

What’s next for me is still unfolding, but I have a few ideas in the works and some exciting projects in the pipeline. Stay tuned!

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?

For those unfamiliar with my work, I am best known for creating resources for the sober and sober-curious community. LinkedIn would describe me as the founder of 1,000 Hours Dry (now part of the Reframe app), former co-founder and Head of Marketing at Reframe, and author of Soberish: A Science-Based Guide to Taking Your Power Back From Alcohol.

My own recovery journey began in 2016 after struggling with alcohol and drug misuse, and in July 2025, I will celebrate nine years of recovery. While I am no longer part of a formal program, the foundation of my recovery was shaped in Alcoholics Anonymous—a space that, at the time, was one of the few accessible and inclusive resources available. Those rooms taught me discipline, service, and the importance of community, yet as an Agnostic in my early 20s, some aspects of the program didn’t resonate with me. At 23, I wanted to enjoy my life in Los Angeles without the chaos that alcohol brought, but reconciling a higher power with my recovery proved challenging.

After two years in AA, I left in search of a community that aligned more closely with my values—one that didn’t impose rigid qualifications but focused instead on connection and self-discovery. When I couldn’t find such a community, I decided to create it myself. That was the birth of 1,000 Hours Dry, a 42-day alcohol-free challenge designed to help individuals better understand their relationship with alcohol. What began as an online space to find my own tribe quickly blossomed into a community of sober-curious people eager to participate. To meet the growing demand, I assembled a team of hosts, each with their own unique story and perspective, to help facilitate meetings and guide newcomers.

Eventually, while working on Reframe, 1,000 Hours Dry became part of the app—a transition that enhanced the challenge with modern tools like daily reminders and rewards for milestones. What had started as a printable PDF evolved into a digital resource impacting thousands of lives. It’s humbling to see how a simple hashtag celebrating my first 1,000 days of sobriety grew into something far beyond what I ever imagined. Even now, the messages of gratitude I receive from participants leave me overwhelmed, reminding me of the core lesson I learned in AA: to be of service.

After my time at Reframe came to an end, I was presented with an unexpected opportunity to write a book—an international publication through Watkins Media, distributed by Penguin Random House. This wasn’t something I had planned but rather a gift from the universe, reinforcing a critical lesson I’ve learned in recovery: opportunities are always around us, but we’re often too distracted by anxiety, unhealthy habits, or technology to notice them. By adopting an essentialist approach to life—drawing inspiration from Greg McKeown’s work—I was able to align my priorities and create space for what truly matters.

I am proud of everything I’ve built and the incredible people who helped bring these visions to life. I cannot choose just one accomplishment as the most meaningful; all are significant because, to me, my time here is borrowed. The lifestyle I once lived could have easily ended my journey far too soon, and the gratitude I feel for this second chance fuels my work. If it helps even one person on their path or leads someone toward a healthier, more fulfilling life, then every effort has been worthwhile.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

My authenticity. I have never been afraid to stray from the status quo or take an unorthodox approach to updating outdated systems. As a thought leader, transparency is essential for your audience to truly know who you are. While it’s both terrifying and liberating, it creates genuine connection. In my early recovery, each time I slipped, I shared my story openly to remind others that the journey isn’t linear—for most of us, anyway. Imperfection should be the standard. That’s how you create a safe space for radical honesty—not by setting impossible standards or enforcing rigid restrictions.

Punishment and shame, like taking away someone’s “time” or assigning labels, are proven to be less effective than positive reinforcement. I would always tell my clients: if you tripped during a marathon, would you go back to the starting line? If you missed a day of work on a house you’re building, would you take a sledgehammer to everything you’ve completed so far? No. Instead, you practice self-forgiveness, reflect on why you slipped or relapsed, and dig to find the root of the problem.

Behaviors like drinking, using, smoking, overeating, or not eating are often symptoms of deeper issues—usually formed during adolescence through a combination of predisposition and external factors such as socioeconomic status, trauma, personality traits, coping mechanisms, and access to resources. I believe the reason I was given my moment of clarity to choose recovery was to carry this message. It’s a hill I’m willing to die on.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Seeing the impact of my work is deeply fulfilling. Whether I’m speaking with a Reframe app subscriber, a reader of Soberish, or someone who has participated in 1,000 Hours Dry, I never lose the joy it brings me. This industry can be incredibly challenging—clients often disappear, and you can never be sure if they’ve simply unsubscribed or if something more serious has happened. At times, it’s a matter of life and death, which makes every interaction feel significant. It’s impossible not to wonder or worry.

They say you shouldn’t take your work home with you, but that’s impossible for me. I don’t think I could have built what I have at my age without caring so deeply, but this level of investment can be draining. Feeling others’ emotions as if they were my own can be all-consuming at times. Still, it’s all worth it. At the end of the day, I’ve seen clients who once couldn’t maintain a week of abstinence celebrate years of sobriety. I’ve witnessed clients become coaches themselves, start their own communities, and write their own books. Readers have reached out, sharing their stories and expressing gratitude for creating a safe space.

I often feel overwhelmed by gratitude—who am I to deserve such love from others? But then I remember the purpose that was chosen for me, and I am humbled by each interaction.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @kaylerlyons
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/kayla-lyons