Welcome back everybody to another episode of the Auto Accident Attorneys podcast brought to you by the AutoAcc group where our motto is simple. We take care of you in keeping with the team of team. That's the Persian accent coming out because I've got Persian co-hosts with me today. The theme of the day is taking care of you. Our theme is taking care of people. And today we want to have a conversation about uh friendship, about career pivots, uh about how it is to get sober in this day and age and be healthy. Uh I've got my co-host, attorney Holly, uh my sister. She's with me today as well as attorney Manushe Sadat. Uh Manous is a very I was going to say old friend, but actually you're quite young. But we've known we've known each other for a long time. Uh Manushe, before we get into uh current career path of uh what you've created in Atlanta, which is a massive hit, soberish, I'm going to bury the lead. Can you uh introduce yourself to our viewers and and tell us how you came to be where you are today? >> Yeah, thank you for having me here. I'm super excited. Um, wow. So, yeah, we go back, I don't know, 25, I don't know, 20 25 years, something like that for being kids. And um the shortest path of how I got here uh since you mentioned the attorney part is we're always told as kids that we got to be doctors, engineers or lawyers. So we didn't really have a lot to choose from. And I wasn't good at math and probably you weren't neither. >> No, >> not at all. >> So uh so I picked the the legal route after some after some struggle. I actually came out of undergrad. Um I studied international relations. I wanted to change the world and translate Farsy um and do things with that and quickly realized um that that wasn't the right path for me. Um became a realtor because my dad was a builder and um for 10 years did real estate um as a realtor in Atlanta and that was you know challenging but something kept pulling me to do something more do something different and um I got I don't know you know tied up in the you need to be an attorney, you need to be an attorney. really good at arguing because these are the reasons why everyone tells you you should be an attorney. So, uh, so I went to law school later in life, which, you know, at the time felt like I was too old to be doing it, but in hindsight, it's it's never too late to do anything you want to do. So, I was 28 when I started law school. Um, and, you know, did did three years of law school, came out and did not want to do real estate law at all, but um, I fell right back into it. I had some really fun experiences abroad doing international law in Dubai and in London and they were really cool. But something just kept telling me to stay here and water my grass where it was growing because there's something about knowing I mean you know this knowing every street in Atlanta left, right, and center for an hour in any direction. Like that's pretty special. And to have the close-knit friends that we've all had for so many years. We might not see each other as much as we'd like to but like there's something special about that. So um so I decided to stay in Atlanta and fell right back into real estate. Worked for a firm for about a year and a half and then you know the entrepreneurial spirit that is you know every in every Iranian's bloodline I think. Uh came back out and I started my law practice and it was phenomenal. It was it was very successful. It was a really great um time in my life. I was very young starting a law practice at 33. Um and I really enjoyed it and I was creating something that didn't exist at the time. Like I would show up kind of like you where I'm like in my ripped up jeans and my blazer and I don't care what people think and I'm my my firm was very like concrete and glass and modern and it was not stuffy and people really enjoyed that because I didn't think the closing process every I mean many people buy homes and it feels so uptight and I was like it really shouldn't be. You're coming to sign papers it should just be a really fun day. I did that and I had that practice for eight years but over time what was happening to me was the overwhelm of it all. I think that um every career path in being an entrepreneur is very stressful no matter what you do. I' I've learned now as we as we will pivot into soberish. I've learned now that owning a business is owning a business. It doesn't matter the widget. The stress is always going to be there no matter what. You just have to hope that you enjoy the widget. So um so but for me I wasn't enjoying it because the liability and the pressure and the intensity felt so high. Like I am a fast responder. My my clients knew that like you would get a response from me sometimes five minutes but like never longer than an hour. But even then in the world of real estate like and especially in 2020 as real estate amped up and in 2021 like it was just never enough. We were closing things in 10 days and 12 days. People were you know getting into these homes had to move. You couldn't be late. I herniated a disc in my back in 2019 and I was crawling into the office literally because you cannot miss someone's closing. Like it'll delay everything. and when you're the only attorney, there's no one you can sub in for you. So, it was just a lot of that pressure and intensity and being a small boutique firm and all the big firms were absorbing all of the parallegals. I couldn't compete. So, it was just a lot of factors. And so, I thought, okay, I think I need to merge in with another firm. I need I need some help. I need some support because I I don't know what I'm doing. I'm not doing it right. And um I did that and I learned two things very quickly. Um when you're on an island on your own, you think you're not doing it right. and sometimes you're doing it way better than you even thought. >> So, I definitely learned that. And then the second piece I learned is that um is that I don't work well for others. That that's just a big piece. I thought I could, but I but I cannot. So, I think that when you have ideas and passions and things you want to pursue, you you want to make them happen really quickly. And that's just kind of who I am. Like, if I have an idea, I'm going to execute it. But when you're working with other people, you have to have a little more patience and a little more like willingness to compromise. and that's just not my personality. So, all these things led me to go, okay, I've done this. I don't want to go back. I don't want to have my own firm. What's next for me? And um this is a little bit about where sobriety to some degree comes in. Um I I always start this because a lot of people say like, "Oh, how long have you been sober?" And I like to make the caveat that I am not. I still drink on occasion, but I think what I was finding in 2019, um I because of my herniated disc, because of the stress, um I saw a lot of naturopaths and and one of the first things they all recommended was let's cut out the alcohol to see if that alleviates your anxiety and your stress a little bit. And and I was breaking out in hives because I was so overwhelmed. And what I learned through the process, I mean this is very lengthy, but the short answer, and we can come back to this, is um in herniating my disc, I didn't want to take traditional medication because that will mess up your gut health, which messes with your serotonin, which makes you more anxious. And alcohol also makes you more anxious. So, for me, being a very holistic person my whole life, like I don't take an Advil unless I'm on death's bed. Truly, I even even yesterday I did not take an Advil. Haven't been feeling great. Um, and so they said, "You're gonna have to have surgery. Your back is so bad." And I was like, "I'm not going to do any of these things." And a friend of mine was like, "You remember those gummies you got in Colorado? Do you still have one of those? Like, you should take that. That's probably going to make you feel good until you can like get something." And I was like, "Okay, I'll try that." Um, and it worked. And then I learned about cannabis. And I learned that cannabis is actually a really great pain reliever. It's doing the same thing that Advil or Tylenol are doing, which is numbing your nerve pain. >> And that's how it's working. Um, and in reducing the alcohol, I started to feel better. And and it wasn't that I was a heavy drinker, but as as you all know, like when you take a client out, what do you do? You get a glass of wine, you have a cocktail, and if every night you're entertaining someone and you're going out, it adds up. Five drinks a week, 10 drinks a week, it's just two a night, but it adds up, right? >> And all of that toxicity in your body in addition to the toxins of the world that we're all putting in and all the chemicals and all the things, it's going to have a a reaction in your body. So, all of these things just kind of got me thinking. And as I was thinking about my next business venture and what I wanted that to be, I thought there's not a lot of people in this time. So this is like 2022 and 2023 when I'm thinking about this and I'm I'm one of my few friends who when we go out I'm like I'm just going to have a sparkling water and everyone's like, "Oh my god, why are you not drinking?" And I'm like, "I just don't feel like it. It doesn't have to be a thing." It's so crazy how fast we've come now where it's not even a question. If someone's not drinking, it's very accepted now. But that was 2022. Wasn't long ago. Um, so when I conceptualized Soberish, which is my current company, um, I thought there needs to be a space where you can get non-alcoholic products that are read like more readily available because when I started researching this industry, I mean, it was hard to find anything. You didn't know what was good. You didn't know the quality of things. So, I kind of took all that research, did all that research for everyone. And then I thought, well, in addition to that, how do we bring cannabis into the game? and how do we bring CBD and other adaptogens like functional mushrooms and lion's mane and really educate people on these holistic things without it feeling like a GNC, right? Like there's there's a place for that too if you're if you're a gym rat or you're super into these kind of things, but that didn't feel like the place that I wanted to bring this to. Um, and I thought a lot about how women are very excluded from the cannabis conversation. I feel like men are, you know, they they get a joint at 17 behind the bleachers and they they learn how to roll. I don't know how to roll a joint. Um, you guys talk about these things and and for us it's always been full of shame and you don't talk about it and if you're a good girl that's not something you partake in and all of this stuff and I thought we're going to we're going to radicalize that and bring it to the forefront. So when I created the store, it's very pink, it's very colorful, it's very feminine, it's very elevated. So it doesn't feel like you're sneaking into the corner gas station to do something illicit because it's not elicit. It is it is plant-made. >> I will say that it is a beautiful space. I I had the privilege of attending the opening in the East Atlanta location as I understand. I haven't been to it yet, but there's also one in Sar. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> Really, really beautiful shop. Have you gone there yet? >> I've been to the East Atlanta location and I was blown away. >> Thank you. >> It's amazing. >> You just like being there. First off, you I mean you you you >> you really have an aesthetic and I know that you are presenting it, you know, it's it's female ccentric, but as a a man I you know, guys like nice things, too. >> No, absolutely. Absolutely. It's not, you know, when I say feminine, and that that's another thing, too. I don't necessarily mean male or female. Just feminine. Feminine, softer. It's not it doesn't have hard edges. It doesn't have there. There's definitely an appeal for the men. What I find that's interesting is it does first attract the women and then all of a sudden their husbands, their boyfriends or whatever is like, "Oh, I don't have to go to that Skevie gas station I've been going to. Great." That and then that pulls them into. So, yes, I do think that the better term is probably adult. It feels like an adult experience instead of >> that other experience that we're all used to getting >> or or high-end or premium. I mean, these are all words that I think of when I think back to my time at Soberish. And then some beautiful pieces. Now it's going to start sounding like an advertisement, but I mean honestly like it's just >> it was reminiscent of being a kid in a toy store. I'm easily drawn to like bright colors. I love pop art. >> And so I think I even picked up I I don't typically actually smoke flower. Uh but I picked up a would you call it a pipe or a bong? I don't remember. >> Glass piece. >> It's a glass piece. Oh, that's way classier. That's that CD gas station. >> I'm I'm used to going to the vape shop. >> So, a a beautiful glass piece that it's I got it just to, you know, put it on a shelf. Yeah. As a display piece. It's awesome. >> Yeah. >> So, I'm sorry I interrupted. I just wanted to >> uh take a moment and uh give you a little bit of respect on on what you created and and what your vision was. >> Thanks. Beautiful. I never would have thought that this would be what I'd create, but I really enjoy the creation process of anything. And kind of I think again, you learn a lot about yourself. As just in everything you do in life, the older you get, you reflect back. But in business formation, too, you learn a lot about yourself. And I've learned that what I like the most is creating and breaking boundaries. Like when I made Blue in Title, which was the law firm, I felt like I was breaking a boundary. I was a very young female attorney, which is not again crazy to say, but that was not the norm for real estate closing attorneys in 2016, which again, not that long ago. In Georgia, they were always generally white men in their suits and ties at their mahogany table. There was maybe five female attorneys that I knew of in all of Atlanta. And I reached out to them, and a lot of them were very supportive to help me cultivate my space, too. Um, so, so then again, I wanted to break the mold. not only are you coming into this this female attorney's office, but she's in like ripped up jeans and high heels and a blazer. Like that's, you know, that's different. Um, and with Soberish, I wanted to do the same. I wanted to kind of like knock that industry on its head and create something different. And I and I think to this day, the non-alcoholic bottle shop has grown nationally. There are lots of them. Um, but I I'm I don't know. I'm thankful to say no one has quite replicated what I've done yet. And that's pretty that I don't know. That's special to me that I've done something really unique. I want I want to know the name. How did you come up with Soberish? >> I just love the most obvious answer. I think that like blue ink title. You have to sign legal documents in blue ink or at least closing papers in blue ink. Blue ink and title. It just worked. Um I think that's how I think about things like what's the most obvious thing that no one is doing. And soberish to me a lot of people think that the name soberish is sober stuff and then the other is and I like to make the distinction that it's not. It's wherever you are today. I am soberish. Today I might have a glass of wine but then I won't for three months. Um and I think that is the becoming the new norm. There's so many interesting terms in our industry now like zebra striping is an interesting term where you might over the course of an evening you might start with an alcoholic cocktail then you'll have an NA cocktail and then you might have one other cocktail that has alcohol or not but the point is that you're you're not going with three or four drinks back to back all night. So, I think um I think that's where most people are finding themselves and I think a lot of people resonate with that. I'm soberish. >> I uh I'm tickled by the fact that we have this uh these terms in our lexicon now where you know >> it's it's kind of nerdy to be like I drink in moderation. Be like, "No, no, tonight I'm zebra striping. >> It's cuter. It's more fun. >> It's way more fun." >> Uh I'm I'm more of a black stallion. >> You very much are. You very much are. All one way. Got it. I do appreciate the this new type of acceptance of that type of lifestyle and you and I have talked about it, Ali, where you think I'll share with you that I'm not in a drinking phase right now. And from maybe it's a generational thing or just the way that you've always approached alcohol. In your mind, you're like, well, then you're done. And then if I might have a drink after a few months, oh well, you must be back on the wagon. And it's like, no, we're we're it's this new space that I feel like a lot of, and I don't know if I'm curious to know if you think it's a generational thing, but I think a lot of the younger generation is kind of dabbling in sobriety, but not fully committing, which personally, I feel like that's just as good as going fully sober cuz >> ultimately, as you mentioned, there's you're putting all those toxins in your body and you're there's external exposure. So the most you can the more you can limit it, the better it is for you in general. >> I think that I don't know you're you're probably in a better position to respond to this, but I do think that it is a bit generational. And the only reason I say that is because I think back to um I won't drag you down to my age, but when when we were younger, >> uh do you remember like the Buckhead scene? The original Buckhead scene? I mean, it was >> hacked. Yeah. you go into no bar or I don't think nightclubs are even a maybe in Vegas that though, right? Like I think I think the night scene died because of co more than anything else and then I think now we're all just in a very different place. I think so many things changed because of co um and being you know I don't know whatever you want to call that time. >> I can't I can't remember like 2019 to be honest. It was was there a nightlife scene? >> I mean, we weren't in it, but yeah, I'm sure I'm sure it existed. >> Yes. >> Well, >> as someone who partake parttook in that. Yes, >> there was. In 2019, there it was. I see. >> Buckhead was still lively. >> Yeah. >> I mean, it still is. If you go out there, there's >> Yeah, it still exists. It's It's also like it's making its comeback more and more, but we're not in it because we're out there. >> Sorry. >> Speak for yourself. Just wait till your girls are older. Then then then you'll know if it exists or it doesn't. You don't have many years to find out. >> Way to ruin my mood, man. >> Way to keep them on the bottle. >> I do I do think that the shift of not drinking generationally though is when I think about it, there's it's a many tiers, right? I think I've started to question because I'm a big conspiracy theorist too, which I would love to talk about any and all of the things, but I've started to wonder if the alcohol industry is putting more and more chemicals into the alcohol than they used to to create more profit margins and that is why we all feel so sick when we consume it. >> It's not like it used to be. Um, so it could be that's one theory I have. The other theory, I mean, spiritually, are we all vibrating higher and alcohol is something that doesn't resonate for us like energetically anymore? That's another tier. And then society too, I think that like the world and America specifically is so go. You have to get up at 5 or 6 a.m. because you have to produce that work and you've got to get in your gym time and if you don't, you know, there's repercussions to pay. So, you can't afford to be hung over. So, if you want to have a career and you got to wake up at 5:00 a.m., you don't have that luxury anymore. I think it's a lot of these things. Mhm. >> So, I'm not really sure what one thing I mean, I see articles about them saying like Gen Z can't afford alcohol. I don't think that's true. They're buying NA, right? And that's the equivalent. There's not a price difference between those things. They're still going out. They're still buying their coffee that you you say they shouldn't buy if they want to buy a house. So, I don't I don't think that's the key to it. I think it's it's the a lot of the other things that I that are tiered up. And who knows which one it truly is, but the stats show, not just Gen Z or even Millennia, the stats are that everyone is drinking less across the board. I mean, beer sales are down, period. Alcohol sales are down. Um, which which brings us next to like all the legislation that they want to, you know, put against um the cannabis industry, whether hemp or marijuana, is also like a problem because the alcohol industry does not like how much they've lost as these categories have grown. So, you think that that legislation is a protectionism for the alcohol industry? >> Absolutely. Absolutely. Everything they're doing right now um is definitely about trying to save alcohol. So, uh, I want to take a step back and and go back to the process of the transition from, um, >> being an attorney to this >> what >> legal dealer, >> this I don't want to say transition, this growth into Yeah. becoming I want to know specifically why the product and and how it relates to you personally. What products because what I'm hearing is that >> alcohol was a part of your day-to-day life. >> Uh there were these negative side effects. Um I I deal with them as well. and you saw I whether it it was uh a market opening or whether it was a belief yourself did one weigh more than the other were they both together like what led you down this path >> in full honesty who I am as a business person we've talked about this um so yeah market opportunity of course is what's going to lead I had lots of other great business ideas that were more heart-c centered but if they can't make money then they can't then I can't do good things with the money I make to return to to the universe. So, I can't even really like I had really great ideas for a meditation style business. Um, but I couldn't make the numbers work. And so, I can come back to that one day later in life maybe, but in this moment in time when I'm trying to build and grow, um, I needed something that was more financially stable. And so, to me, I thought I saw that this category was a need. I saw that there was no one filling this void in Atlanta specifically in the way that that I could see doing it because again, there were vape shops and there there are non-alcoholic options, but combined together in all the ways, it didn't exist. So um so yeah mostly led by that but also led by I mean secondarily in a close second is I know that people need this not the non-alc I know that people need to pursue holistic medicine and this is a small step of getting them if they're not going to go to GNC to know what I know like our I don't know about your mom but my mom was so holistic like I I was thrown so many herbs and supplements as a kid that I didn't want to take any of them and now I understand better about all them but as an example example, like most people don't know that oil of oregano is nature's antibiotic. So, whenever I feel like I'm getting sick, I pop a couple oil of oregano instead. And I rarely get sick. I wanted to bring that to people, but on a scale that would be like a tippytoe way for them to start thinking about that and learning that. And if that was through CBD, if that was through adaptogen and drinks that have Valyan root, everyone's problem today is I can't sleep, I'm stressed out, I I need to like zone out or I'm anxious is all I hear all day long. And we're like a little pharmacy. people come in and that is really like I need something for sleep, I need something for anxiety. And so when they when we talk to them, we talk a lot about here are the herbs that are going to help you with that. So then we show them that like do you want to drink it? Do you want a gummy? Do you want how do you want to take that form? And we kind of work through that. But so to your point, yes, financial, yes, but also like again passion led of wanting to educate people of the alternatives that exist that are actually going to produce better results for their body. Uh you're absolutely correct that that's one of the u that's the biggest impression or my biggest takeaway was that it becomes very approachable and it's almost it >> subconscious I don't want to say brainwashing because that makes that sounds porative >> but it it you're not realizing that this is your it's your gateway drug to a healthier lifestyle. That's the way I'd say it right. It's super approachable. Um it's fun. It's colorful. It's really nice. But then like you said when you start doing this these thoughts go into your head like oh well these natural naturally occurring substances or or chemicals or whatever they might be >> uh compounds they are helping to relieve whatever these symptoms I am dealing with. Let me look into the other things because you just said oil of oregano. I'm not even thinking when I go in I'm like oh well is there something like weed >> but you know a month later you're like oh oregano has this sort of benefit right and the introduction has come through soberish >> right yeah yeah a lot of times and I mean yes a lot of our customers are coming in and making a beline in for the weed and that's fine right like everyone has their thing but we do try to say like what else might you be looking for and there there is there is so much else and people have really discovered so much else through that like I've got people putting functional mushrooms rooms in their coffee every morning when they used to come for a year straight. They were just getting their THC drink. Great. And then we talked to them for two minutes about, well, I feel sometimes foggy. Well, let me tell you about this thing. And now they're like, oh my god, this is the best thing ever. So, it does continue to open that up and then people explore like, what does Lion's Mane really do for your brain? And and go down that path. Is there uh such a thing has it has the industry gotten here yet where you can have the equivalent of a uh of a pharmacist in this area like where they can give you a protocol >> like you should have like this much mill this many milligrams of lion's mane you should have this is that >> I mean I think that's functional medicine and I think there is um if you don't know this center it's really great it's um stat wellness you heard of them >> stat >> stat wellness okay um I've been there David's been there, you should go there. It's amazing. It's a team of doctors and nurses, but their first round when you go in um and they have lots of different modalities within their uh structure and there's multiple locations now around Georgia. Um, but they they take your blood work first and the first round of anything is let's go holistic first and then let's do your blood work again and let's do all these things and see if we can get better and then at the end of the day if they feel like there is a need for prescription pharmaceutical type medication they can talk to you about that path because again they're licensed doctors and nurses but they always take the path first of functional stuff and I think that's pretty and I think there are more and more functional doctors that are existing. I mean, that's who I chose to see back in 2019 when I was having so many issues where they're testing your gut health and really examining things that I think Western medicine and our most of our doctors here don't even don't even think to ask. >> Yeah. >> You've you went to stat? >> I haven't been, but I have heard of them. I mean, I think there's a huge rise in functional medicine, especially within Atlanta. >> I don't think that existed. So, I'm I didn't realize they were around in 2019. Um, but you're hearing a lot about that kind of uh modality, if you will. >> This is an interesting conversation from the perspective of I'm thinking about, you know, possible clients of the auto accident attorneys group listening dealing with >> uh perpetual pain. >> Yeah. >> Um, and a lot of them they have to do annual uh epidural steroid injections. And I think that the idea that they could I don't want to put any of my pain docs piss anyone off, but >> I I'll I'll say this. So, I saw a really good friend who is a pain doctor when I her needed my disc. And we did we had to do the same thing. I did an epidural shot because I I could not walk. And I do I thank him every day for that. Like he saw me immediately, took me in and it helped. And then I had to have a second one. But he was like, "You're going to have to have surgery." And I was like, I'm just and and take these meds. And I was like, I'm going to I'm going to find alternatives for that. But I did need that instant relief. There is a time and a place always for a combo of resources, right? Sometimes Western medicine is the right way, and sometimes we can look into plant-based and functional medicine. So, um, so if it feels right for the client that's looking at pain management, then I mean, we do have certain gummies that are made for pain and, and something that's very easy to supplement. It doesn't have to be THC. So, a little education. THC is going to be a psychoactive. THC works like an Advil. It's not fixing anything. It's a temporary band-aid. It makes you feel good. It numbs the pain. You feel floaty. I mean, if you've had one, you know. Um, some people, you know, when they're when they're talking about all these THC drinks now, they'll sell it like it feels like two glasses of wine or two cocktails. And yes, that is somewhat true, although I always say they're drunk and high are two very different feelings. But sure. Um, but CBD actually with which comes from the same plant. So it comes from the cannabis plant. It is non-csychoactive and so you will not feel high. You will not feel drunk. You will not feel any of those things. But it is actually working to calm the inflammation in your body. Like it binds to your cannabonoid receptors in your body in a way to actually fix the issue. And so there are things also that within the CBD plant then it has all these different strains too. For example, CBG is really great to give you energy. That's how we kind of remember that. So it's kind of like your sativa of CBD. And then you have CBN, which is your nighttime, and that's going to help you fall asleep. So, kind of like your indica. And then we have CBC. CBC is the highest in anti-inflammatory powers. And in high doses, CBD, CBC, CBG, all these things help people with things like Crohn's disease manage their pain. So, I think that like even if you're taking pharmaceutical medication because you really need to in that moment, there are still these resources to look into that are going to be beneficial or also helping to maintain your gut health while you're taking that medication to make sure you're you're not depleting all the serotonin in your body and things like that. So, a combo of these things can be true. >> That's >> I just saved your business. >> Well, I mean, we're still going to get them settlement for being injured. It's just what do they do? like how how do they deal with their their daytoday? Yeah. You know, as they go on, >> I learned so much. I mean, having a herniated disc like that for such a long time, I mean, it doesn't it gets better. It doesn't go away. I mean, I still deal with it all the time. And when you live with that kind of chronic pain, you really have empathy for people that have extensive chronic pain from accidents. Like, it it is it is difficult and it is it's a mental emotional load on you, too. It's tough. >> Yeah. I think you just said something so important was that you continue to have pain from that and it's chronic pain and I think a lot of you know you were afraid to put your doctors out but unfortunately through an accident case there's only so much help you can get and ultimately a lot of the injuries that people have are injuries they're going to have to live with for the rest of their lives. So any way that you can bring knowledge to them as to what their alternatives are because certainly nobody wants to be taking pain medication for all their entire life. So, I think it's amazing that these things exist. And I had no idea that there were so many different types of CBD. >> That's pretty cool. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. We should do on one of the social media clips, we should do like a breakdown in the captions. >> Yeah. >> So, there's like a little cheat sheet. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Absolutely. >> I would love that. >> What um what you said everyone either suffers from. I I can't sleep. I have anxiety. I'm >> Yeah. >> I can't sleep. >> Yeah. >> What do you recommend? drinking less is probably a good idea. >> Oh, that's what you're doing with your eyes. You're looking at >> um I do I do I think truly um alcohol is a disruptor of the of a lot of hormones in our body. And so yes, drinking less will help you long-term sleep better. That that is but I mean finding ways to reduce your stress levels and anxiety. If you want to go, you know, just easy level, I can say we have got great sleep gummies at Soberish because we really do. We have some of the best ones that people say they've gotten off their ambient and they take these now. Right. So, we have some >> That's a bold claim. >> Truly. Truly. I have a lot of people. Um, these have 10 milligrams of THC, CBD, CBN, also chamomile, a little melatonin. So, we have a bunch of different ones. If you don't like melatonin, we have this one that doesn't have that, but we really we really source and vet the best products on the market. I'm constantly looking for like the best of the best and what's the most potent within fitting into Georgia guidelines, of course, because the max we can go is 10 milligrams. Um, so, so that can exist truly. Um, so yes, that's easy. And then we have to look at all the other factors of like what what else are you doing in the day? Like you can't just take a gummy and think your sleep's going to be magic forever. What does your day look like? Are you drinking enough water? How's your nervous system? Are you taking ashwagandha to help with the stress level? Because the reason you're probably not sleeping is you have a very stressful life. Really boils down to that. Um, you're probably not getting enough sunshine. You're not all these things that we know, but it's impossible to do in today's world. So, the best that we can do, the best I can do for me is, and I'm not good at taking a supplement. I've never been good at it, but I will drink my vitamins all day. >> So, if I can put it in some kind of a form where I can just consume it like that, that's easy for me and I'll do that. So, we have like this really great drink called Drum and it's a non-alcoholic cocktail. You would use 2 ounces of this and then build it with tonic water. Super easy. Um, it has I'm just going to list off from my memory, but um it it tastes like a cocktail you've never had that's amazing. It's one of my bests sellers. It's ginger. It's just super yummy. But ashwagandha, MCT oil, lion's mane, rishi, valyan root, um, turmeric, ginger. I mean, the list goes on. And it's clean and it tastes like a cocktail. Like, so it's your perfect night cap for every night. And it replaces alcohol for a lot of people. And they're like, "Oh, I'm sleeping better. I'm getting my supplements. I felt like I had a cocktail because it was nice and and every Yeah. So there's >> this is the the substance is called Drrome or the brand is called Dome." Yeah. So, it's a you >> I'm trying to imagine it's just a bottle and it says Dr. on it. >> I actually wanted to bring it for you today, but I could, but I will get you one. Um because I think that's going to be really great for your sleep. I think you'll be surprised if you replace that. Um if you if you're someone who has a night cap at night, if that's your ritual, and that's part of what all this is about, right? Keep your rituals. If if having a glass of wine when you make dinner is part of your ritual, you can still do that. You can still have a non-alcoholic glass of wine. And if you need to add something to it, like an adaptogen, which is means herbs. If we need to add something like that to it to give us an effect, we can also do that. So, we can just change what we're consuming um from alcohol to not alcohol, that's actually going to benefit us. But keep the ritual. >> I love that approach because I do think a lot of drinking, I think this applies to smoking, is the ritual of it. Um, and I don't know how you feel about it, but I love that you brought up like having a glass of wine with dinner because that 100% or making dinner. If you just have that there and it's not water, you feel like you're getting something out of it. I think it could have a huge impact. >> I like that. >> Is there Ollie? You you mentioned uh the the ritual. I know smoking isn't a ritual, but like the the the act of it. Is there anything similar for that? I see. I know on the alcohol side there it seems to be >> smoking. >> Yeah. >> Well, I think that's why we I don't So, we used to carry in the early days we carried hemp flour and other and some vapes. >> And about 6 months in, I thought, you know, this really doesn't align with the brand I'm creating. Um it's just not good for you, period. And we know that. Um I'm not opposed to smoking flour because we've done that >> for centuries. Um but Georgia banned that and all that. So that also just takes that category out. Um, but when it comes to vapes, let's say, cuz a lot of people have moved from smoking cigarettes to smoking ecigarettes or even from smoking, you know, a joint to smoking a vape. And the studies just show you over and over again that all the toxins in that are bad for you. Like it is not good. It's it it so that person just needs to to figure out what they need to do to get off that because neither alternative is good. And if that means going back to a natural form of some smoking, if that's a joint or if that's a cigarette you roll for yourself, maybe that's I don't know. I'm not I'm not a fan of any of it. But like find your most natural option of that thing you need to do. Yeah. >> Is all I can say. >> Uh I mean that makes a lot of sense. I I'm I'm not a scientist and I've never studied this stuff, but I just think about it. If this this oil is being heated up by a battery and it tastes like grape strawberry punch >> cannot possibly be good in in your lungs. We had a a couple weeks ago, we had an attorney on here that had brought a a massive lawsuit against Konagra Foods, who who creates Pam cooking spray, which is meant to be in ingested, right? Like it's an edible, and it it has uh this thing called diaol, which is naturally occurring, but when you put it into >> uh to make it into a compressed like aerosol spray, >> it it gives you popcorn lung. >> And this is Pam in in America. that has to go by FDA. So I can only imagine what or rather I cannot imagine what is in the oils of these vapes. >> As we talk about the FBI FBI, they're listening. >> That was before you slip I've ever heard. >> The FDA and this is what I'm saying too about when I I when I was saying the alcohol industry maybe maybe pumping it full of things that are are not natural. But I read this interesting stat the other day that you can do everything right in America. You can eat clean. You can wake up early, drink the recommended water, eat organic, do all of it perfectly, all the exercise, all of it, and you will still only be at 70% of someone in Europe. >> Think about that. >> Wild. >> Because of our food chain, our food supply, our lifestyle, all of it. We will never be as healthy as people. And it just really makes you question so much about what are we doing here? What have we done to our food supply chain? >> It's it's a disaster. And I think the recent legislation of >> you know, You know what I'm talking about. Um, what is what is that? Not the Monsanto, but that they just approved that they said was bad for us and they just approved to put more of it into our Roundup. Basically, Roundup Chemical. I can't think of the name right now. >> Yeah, I'm Yes, I 100% agree with you. Um, we're I my personal belief is that this is a problem that we've c I don't think it comes from maliciousness. I don't think that they're evil companies. Um, actually that's that's a crazy stance for me to take. I think it started from a a benevolent idea of being able to preserve food to feed the masses. And I think that it's um it's impossible to do. You have to go to n they try to find a a cheap way to do it and there is no cheap way to do it at scale. Uh maybe it's coming from a monopoly. Um um as I'm speaking with every word, I'm already this hasn't even been published. I know comments. >> You're being very kind because I think every bit of chemicals they put into our food increases every bit of pharmaceutical company that they're all tied to, which makes us all sicker, which leads us back to our doctors, which leads us back to the pharmaceuticals. And so, and they're all one big company, truly. So, I think I think listen, I still love a good Dorito every now and again, right? You do the best you can every day. That's it. That's it. These are these are facts and they're depressing facts, but we know it. I think we know it more now that more than ever, which is actually really exciting to see that like um and again I know I know the way we all grew up like our parents were fresh fresh everything. We didn't have McDonald's. We weren't going to they were telling us it was bad because that's not how they grew up. And all we wanted to do was do what all of our friends were doing. And I think I think that's everybody, right? And I think now we look back and we're like, "Oh, I get it now." Um, and and so we have more information. We still do our best. We still might love to get a Mickey De's or a Doritos every now and again, but we we limit it, right? Because we know it's not good for us. >> You know, as I was listening to you talk just now, it made me think about this connection uh of you being Persian and the way we grew up and and you're absolutely right. Our mom still is giving us, you know, just like all of a sudden it's like uh uh here is the I went over to watch a Persian movie two nights ago. She brought me barberry tea. So she had put barberries and saffron and just poured boiling hot water on it and she's like drink this tea. >> Uh you're what you're doing and the reason this thought I'll get there if if you eventually I'll connect the dots. the idea of you were talking about like a good Persian girl doesn't do this or whatever. So the idea of it's like the product and soberish or oh it's taboo or you know it's it's a I can't say punk rock but you know it's not like what a good girl does but if you think about it you're really actually going to your roots of these natural and holistic >> methods of of getting these substances to take care of your body. What was that drink when we were when we were kids? >> Uh, it's a it's a Persian drink at >> I think I want to say she >> Hakir did you know? I love Did I know what >> did you know that's where I was going? >> I did. I did because it's like the it's we all were forced to drink that so much and it's so good. I don't know where you find that anymore. I don't remember. I don't know what the American name for that is. >> It's not chia seeds but it's for the for the listeners. It's the equivalent of drinking a cup of chia seeds, but it's not. It's not a chia seed, but it kind of looks like it. >> But it was also delicious. >> Yes. Well, they put sugar in it, I think, to make us like it. >> I see. >> I think there was that, too. >> I think there's nabat candy. >> If there's a Persian listener right now and you're happen to be watching this, leave a comment so we can find some. >> And then another drink that I really liked, I don't know if it was healthy or not, but I got to imagine cuz I I I've seen on health books, they're like, you know, drink apple cider vinegar. >> Oh, yeah. There was um uh syanjamin. >> Oh, I never had that. >> Is that what it was called? >> I think so. >> It's a vinegar drink. >> Oh, interesting. >> And if like for summer and it's a wild thing to think about to be like, oh, it's a it's a nice refreshing cocktail of vinegar. >> Yeah. >> Well, I mean, you said barberries and that makes that made me think like barberries and I learned this at Stat Wellness. didn't know but um when you want to regulate blood sugar or we can talk about nature's ompic is barberry >> really >> yes so like >> not the way I eat it >> so for me when I went to stat wellness all those years ago they were like well because I was having some weight and hormonal fluctuations and they were like let's put you on this barberry supplement and this is how you're going to take it and now today it's also discussed again it's it's a weight loss kind of thing because it's regulating your blood sugar so there's always a natural path for how we can get to these things. But I think I hope I don't get killed for this, but I think so so much in America, we've gotten so far away from any traditional medicines and even in in Eastern countries too, we're getting further and further away as we continue to adopt some of these models. But I think I think when you look back into Persian culture, like that's why they can eat a heavy plate of rice with the barberries and not gain weight like we would here. And I think those are the different things of tying into food that happened culturally for us. It's delicious. It's great. All that, but I think that ancient civilizations of all over the world knew what they were doing. >> Yeah. >> And so I think I think also with cannabis, bringing it back to here, yeah, there was so much shame built around it just like with alcohol and prohibition once upon a time too, right? Um, so there's shame built upon it by governments when it becomes too popular or people are not using it properly or whatever you want to call it. But in proper use, um, there is a use for every single plant and and it can be a really good use. And again, I think cannabis is really great to to I mean, yeah, zone out because sometimes we need that, too. It's helpful with anxiety there, too. But but sleep and and of course pain. So, lots of uses. Where do you see this going, this movement? Do you think that >> I thought you meant my life. I was like, I don't know. >> That's the harder question. What I'm doing? >> No. Do do you think that uh this uh movement away from alcohol it's going to get u is there going to be a wider gap? Do you think this is a blip? Do you think that >> I don't want to put the thoughts in your mouth. What do you think? >> I I do think this is and we can I mean again I don't think it's Gen Z specific, but I do think that this shift away from alcohol is bringing us back to looking at natural things. I think people are really what I'm seeing in front of me is more and more people are going, what am I putting in my body and how is it really making me feel and let me think about that. And so I I am definitely seeing that and then people looking at more natural things in general. as a whole. What I'm finding interesting right now in this moment is I'm finding that even all of my non-alcoholic products, so a gin that tastes like a gin but has no alcohol, which is really easy to emulate when you think about because gin is very floral and it's very juniper forward and that's really easy to emulate. When you get into like the tequilas and the mezcows, you're getting a spicy water. They're they're they're creating these through capsasonins of some kind. And so a spicy pepper of some kind to emulate the burn and then maybe like a liquid smoke for doing mecal. So they're emulating in some different way. Um I'm finding that my consumer is not as interested in the NA as they are in anything functional. So if I give them that drone which has all this good functional night cap and it tastes like a cocktail, that's a yes. That non-alcoholic gin that I was was really popular last year, not as much. So I think the shift I'm seeing too is that more and more brands are shifting to making everything functional. And I think that's what we'll see. we'll see a decline in alcohol. Hopefully, more restaurants and bars will pick up the functional aspect of cocktails. What I'm seeing right now that I don't love as much is a massive trend upward in THC sales and drinks. And I think that's great. I think it has a time and a place, but I I think also that's it's just replacing alcohol instead of really the thoughtfulness behind I don't I shouldn't need to disassociate this much. Let me fix what's really going on in my life. Let me look at what's really happening. How do I really make myself feel better instead of having another crutch? I listen, I I have that crutch a couple nights a week because I do need to just like I've gone so hard all day. I just need to zone out. So, I'll have a cannabis drink. But I I see too often that people are doing that every day. And that is not what I hope people I hope we don't shift from one thing to the other. I hope we shift to looking at plant medicine as a whole. >> That makes a lot of sense. I like the way that you phrase that. >> Yeah. >> Uh you were talking about how you hope that restaurants start bringing these onto their program. We're going to go after >> this episode. We're going to go to Roomies for lunch. Roomies now has a curated water menu. >> Did you know this? >> I didn't know they had it, but I've heard about these things. >> I was so excited when I saw it. I genuinely was. I I I love bubble water is what I call it, >> but it was the first time that I've ever seen uh a dedicated, you know, they bring you a wine list, you got your menu, and now they've got this little curated water menu. and um had three or four different selections from all over the world. And uh I ordered I went with Maddie and we ordered a first time in my life a $24 bottle of water. >> Wow. >> Yeah. So I think I I say that with optimism. Uh it sounds silly that you would spend that much money on on water, but uh the idea that more and if it makes it to a restaurant's menu, it means that it's commercially viable. There's consumers there. So it gives me optimism that we're going to get more. >> I do I do think Alli, the owner of Roomies, is always on the cutting edge of things like this and bringing really world-class experiences to to Roomies, which is really cool. And I so I've heard about these in other like Michelin starred restaurants. I hadn't heard that he had done it at Roomies. So that's interesting. I I don't know how I feel about that yet. I have to sit with it. >> Well, let's see. We'll find out in about an hour. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. I just want to say to your point, there is a bar in New York and I can't remember the name of it now. And I use bar and quotes because it's a completely NA bar and they have a ton of adaptogen type drinks obviously like a bunch of mocktails. And I discovered this in 2022 I believe. So I guess around the same time Soberish came on the scene and I remember at that time being like I wonder like I loved it because that was like when my sober journey started soberish journey and I was like I wonder if this is going to carry on and at the time I would I had doubts and I feel like ever since then it's only gotten better and better more widespread. Um and maybe one day in Atlanta maybe >> you'll expand. You know, I um I do I do want to throw this out there because you said like where do you I thought you were going to say like where do you see soberish in x amount of years or whatever and I was like I don't know I don't know what I'm doing because where I'm at right now is there is so much legislation against hemp. So, in in November when they reopened the federal government, ironically, Mitch McConnell threw in, and I say ironically because he's the one that also threw in that we should have hemp altogether in 2018 under the Fed Federal Hemp Farm Bill Act, but he threw in a clause that would ban hemp November of 2026. So, we had one year and it passed. And so as a result now we're on this ticking time clock of will we be even able to have all of these products that I that I sell um by November. I am sure it's a $30 billion industry nationally not only with hemp farms and things like that but then there's so much to think about right so okay do the hemp farmers even want to take the chance and grow are we going to have a shortage? Are we going to have pricing like it's it's a crazy time right now and a lot of uncertainty for small bottle shops and vape shops and whomever right now. In addition to that, I'm seeing all of the NA makers now moving to Sprouts and Target and all these because because why not? And so I don't know if the non-alcoholic bottle shop survives. And that is my biggest concern as I think about like and and that's okay. I I do think a shop like mine is where people get a lot of education. You don't get an education like we give in a vape store. And that's kind of one of the jokes I make all the time. you go in, it's some like teenager, he doesn't care, like he's not talking to you. And if you go to Target, you're not having a conversation about what does this wine taste like and do you like it and having tastings. So, it would be it would be bad, I think, if we didn't survive for so many small business owners and also bad for the industry. Um, great for the industry that these things can grow and flourish and doesn't need regulation and can be in so many places. So, I don't I don't know where things are going, but I I I am always happy when I see more spaces carry non-alc. Speaking back to Roomies, um when he onboarded some wines onto his menu and they were really good wines and had more options, I was really happy to see that. Um I get frustrated when I see certain restaurants having just mocktails. I hate the word mocktail. Mocktail means a sugar syrup water, lemon, lavender, what? Great. I don't want a kitty drink. I want a zero proof cocktail. I want it to taste like a margarita but not have the alcohol in it. So I think I'm I'm hopeful more and more restaurants adapt that. I'm hopeful they adapt functional drinks as well because I'd love it to have a little ashwagandha in it. Why not? That'll help me relax with my friends or, you know, things that elevate me. There's the drum um has a pre-dinner cocktail, too. So, you can like and it when I've served that, everyone's like more chatty and talky and it's it's just pepper. It's just cayenne pepper that gets your blood pumping. Um but little things like that. So, um, so let's let's hope that the industry does expand, that the federal government does not ban, and that, uh, and that maybe there's a space for, you know, small shops like this to keep going and educating. >> I'm I'm excited about going to CRM specifically to see the shop, and I want to spend an entire afternoon looking at every product. Now, >> Man, u, we're going to continue this conversation over lunch. Uh we'll wrap up just so we can go ahead and check out that curated water menu at Roomies. But before we go, what I like to do at the end of every episode is turn it over to the guest and have you share either if there is a question that you feel like I should have asked you that I failed to ask or if there's a piece of information that you feel important that uh our listeners should know. uh doesn't necessarily even have to be on on this topic, but there's anything in your heart that you want to share with our listeners, this is the time to do so. >> Um, no, I think we covered a lot of great things. I'll give a little a little plug for Soberish again. We have two locations. Um, one is in East Atlanta, Kirkwood neighborhood. Um, I've been in that neighborhood for over 10 years and it's an awesome part of Atlanta. If you don't know it, explore it. There's tons of fun festivals and things to do and come see Soberish. Um, and then our Sarbi location is newer. We've been there about a year and a half. Sarah is a beautiful wellness community about 45 minutes south of Atlanta, but only 15 from the airport. Um, it is an intentional wellness living community on I can't I never say it right. I think it's like 50,000 acres or something massive. But there's a farm that services the restaurants and it's all about slowing down and just like enjoying time and enjoying being. Um, and our website is bsoberish.com. And our Instagram is boberish. And um, and just support your local non-alcoholic bottle shops. If you're listening to this outside of Atlanta, just find a local non-alcoholic bottle shop to support instead of getting your goods online, instead of getting them. I think small business is more important than ever right now to keep the lifeblood of what keeps us all going. Um, so yeah, shop small. >> I love that. Holly, thanks for being with us today. >> Thanks for having me. >> Man, it's uh always a pleasure to see you. Um, a lot of our listeners probably don't know, but there was a connection to this episode and David Garrison's episode, so I'll see which one drops first. Um, listeners, I hope you got something out of today's episode. Uh, as always, if you could like, share, or comment, uh, subscribe if you wish. Mom, thank you for always listening. I love you, and I'll see you next week. Take care, everybody.