We were lucky to catch up with Ty Nicole Tucker recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ty Nicole , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

Yes — but it was not immediate, and it certainly wasn’t linear.

Before SoMixxy ever existed, I worked in corporate insurance as a catastrophe adjuster and later in a management role. In 2018, I was unexpectedly terminated from that position, which forced a major pause and reevaluation. I already had plans to move abroad for my MBA at IE University in Madrid, Spain, but there was a gap between losing my job and leaving the country. In January 2019, I took a bartending class as a temporary way to stay busy — never imagining it would become the foundation of my career.

That in-between decision changed everything.

While completing my 13-month MBA program in Madrid, COVID disrupted the world. Hospitality shut down, and I pivoted in real time by hosting virtual mixology classes. What began as a creative outlet quickly revealed real demand. People weren’t just looking for drinks — they wanted education, engagement, and connection. Those sessions helped me build confidence, refine my teaching style, and validate that my approach resonated beyond a single city.

When I returned to the U.S., I leaned into that momentum. Virtual mixology became a core offering while in-person events slowly returned. During this period, I noticed a gap in the spirits industry: education often felt inaccessible or disconnected from culture. I wanted to make it interactive and approachable without compromising quality. That curiosity led me to experiment with syrups at home, starting with a hibiscus flavor that became my first product. I paired those syrups with curated Mixx Kits for virtual classes, intentionally blending education, product, and experience into a scalable model.

In January 2021, I officially registered SoMixxy as a business. Shortly after posting my Calendly link, I received my first paid booking — a small but affirming milestone. Because in-person momentum was still limited post-COVID, I maintained a hybrid approach, expanding live events gradually while continuing virtual offerings. I also focused on consistency: strengthening my online presence, hosting pop-ups, and collaborating with local chefs and entrepreneurs.

Even while working craft cocktail and nightlife roles across Atlanta, I continued building SoMixxy — creating ready-to-serve cocktail offerings and activating in community-forward spaces, including early moments along the Atlanta BeltLine. Between 2021 and 2023, the business grew significantly, and demand eventually exceeded what I could manage alone. That growth led me to begin hiring additional bartenders, investing in equipment, and creating systems to support larger-scale events without compromising quality.

Sustainability came from intentionally refusing to rely on a single revenue stream. Virtual sessions continued to generate income and product sales, many virtual clients converted into in-person corporate bookings, and my craft cocktail work — especially at The James Room — strengthened my technical foundation in classic cocktails and spirits history. That experience opened doors to industry spaces like Camp Runamok and the United States Bartenders’ Guild, as well as cocktail competitions that sharpened my craft and visibility — leading to relationships with brands like Uncle Nearest, Lobos 1707, and ultimately my role as a Cultural Educator with Crown Royal.

Alongside SoMixxy, my work continues to expand into cultural and media spaces through the Pour Minds podcast, where I curate cocktails and help bring spirits education into culturally relevant conversations. That platform has become an extension of my voice as an educator and reinforces the importance of making knowledge approachable and relatable.

Throughout every phase, I remained committed to building with intention — refining offerings, learning the market, and prioritizing structure over spectacle. The work required long hours and discipline, but always in service of sustainability. Looking back, I don’t think the process could have been rushed without losing the lessons that made it sustainable. Every phase — corporate, hospitality, education, product development, and brand partnerships — played a role in turning creativity into a full-time career built for longevity.

Ty Nicole , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

About You, Your Art / Creative Works / Focus & Mission

I’m Ty Nicole Tucker — a hospitality entrepreneur, mixologist, and cultural educator based in Atlanta. At my core, I’m a curator. I use cocktails as a creative medium, but what I’m really building is connection: experiences that feel elevated, intentional, and rooted in culture.

My entry into hospitality came through curiosity and observation. As I began hosting mixology experiences and working behind the bar, I noticed a gap in how spirits were being presented and taught. Education often felt overly technical, intimidating, or disconnected from the people it was meant to serve. What excited me most was finding ways to make it engaging, accessible, and culturally relevant — without watering down the craft.

That curiosity led me to start putting my own spin on classic cocktails, beginning with house-made syrups. Hibiscus was the first — a way to layer flavor, color, and identity into drinks people already loved. What started as experimentation became a signature, and eventually the foundation of SoMixxy’s approach: blending creativity, education, and experience into something people could feel and remember.

In 2021, I officially launched SoMixxy as a boutique cocktail and bar catering brand. Today, the work spans custom cocktail experiences for private and corporate clients, brand activations, pop-ups, education-forward programming, and hybrid virtual offerings. I also create syrups and Mixx Kits that allow people to bring the SoMixxy experience home. Across all of it, my focus is thoughtful execution — menus that make sense, hospitality that feels seamless, and experiences that feel curated rather than generic.

A major pillar of my work is cultural education within the spirits space. As a Cultural Educator for Crown Royal, I lead whisky education and community-forward experiences throughout the Southeast, translating heritage and craftsmanship in ways that feel approachable and relevant. My work also extends into media through the Pour Minds podcast, where I curate cocktails and contribute to conversations that blend spirits, culture, and real-life perspective.

What sets me apart is that I don’t just create — I operate. I’ve built teams, scaled experiences, and developed systems that allow creativity to live alongside structure. Along the way, I’ve continued to sharpen my craft through cocktail competitions and formal spirits education, including WSET Levels 1 and 2, with Level 3 currently in progress.

What I’m most proud of is building a brand people trust — one that reflects growth, intention, and joy, and still feels true to who I am. I genuinely love what I do. I love curating dope cocktails, culturally educating for a major brand across the Southeast, and seeing the moment it all clicks for clients — that smile, that pause, that “this is exactly what I wanted” feeling after they’ve had the SoMixxy treatment.

That joy is what drives everything. I take hospitality seriously, but I believe it should feel effortless. My goal is always the same: create experiences that feel intentional, memorable, and unmistakably personal.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Yes — at the heart of my creative journey is a commitment to access, education, and advocacy within hospitality, especially for women behind the bar and creatives building businesses that deserve to be respected and properly valued.

I’ve seen firsthand how often hospitality work — particularly when led by women — is undervalued, underpaid, or treated as interchangeable. One of my goals is to help shift that narrative by showing what it looks like to build with intention, to price with confidence, and to advocate for fair compensation without apology. Through SoMixxy, I aim to model what sustainable hospitality can look like — not just creatively, but economically.

Education is another core pillar of my work. Spirits education can feel intimidating or exclusionary, so I’m intentional about translating knowledge in ways that feel engaging, accessible, and relevant. That might look like breaking down whisky flavor profiles through storytelling instead of jargon, leading interactive tastings where questions are encouraged, or designing experiences that invite participation rather than performance. Education, to me, should empower people — not make them feel like they don’t belong.

I’m also motivated by being a resource and guide for women who see themselves in my journey — women of color, women in hospitality, women who want more and aren’t afraid to go for better. I want them to know it’s okay to evolve, to ask for what you’re worth, and to build a business that reflects both ambition and alignment. You don’t have to shrink to succeed, and you don’t have to choose between creativity and structure.

Ultimately, my goal is to create spaces — both literal and figurative — where people feel supported, informed, and inspired. If my work helps someone feel more confident behind the bar, more prepared in business, or more courageous in pursuing what’s next, then I’m doing the work the way it’s meant to be done.

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

One of the most important lessons I had to unlearn was the belief that being booked and busy automatically meant I was building something successful.

Early in my journey with SoMixxy, I equated momentum with volume. I said yes to nearly every opportunity, priced myself too modestly, and stretched my capacity thin because hustle culture taught me that constant motion was the goal. Social media made it easy to believe that packed calendars and nonstop visibility were signs of progress — but behind the scenes, that pace wasn’t always profitable, aligned, or sustainable.

The turning point came when demand began to outgrow what I could realistically handle on my own. I realized that being busy didn’t always mean I was building well, and that burnout isn’t a badge of honor. I had to unlearn the fear that slowing down, raising my prices, or setting boundaries would make me less desirable — and trust that clarity would actually attract better-fit opportunities.

Another lesson I had to unlearn was the idea that I had to do everything myself to protect the quality of my work. Building a team was both humbling and transformative. Bringing in additional bartenders and support allowed me to focus on strategy, client relationships, and creative direction instead of operating in constant survival mode. It taught me that leadership is not about control — it’s about trust, systems, and shared standards.

I also had to challenge the notion that education had to be rigid or overly technical to be respected. In the spirits industry, knowledge is often gatekept through language and tradition. I learned to trust that my approach — translating complex concepts into engaging, accessible experiences — wasn’t a shortcut, but a strength. Education can be both informative and inviting.

Unlearning these beliefs changed everything. It allowed me to move away from hustle for visibility and toward growth with intention. My hope is that other creatives see that refinement isn’t a step back — it’s a step forward. You don’t have to be everywhere, do everything, or exhaust yourself to build something meaningful. Sometimes the most powerful growth comes from choosing sustainability over spectacle.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.somixxy.com
• Instagram: @tynicoletucker @somixxy @crownroyaltyatl
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoMixxy/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ty-nicole-tucker-0b0b48128
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@somixxy

Image Credits

Latisha Marie
Janay Peters
Kylah Edge