Last Updated on February 21, 2024
Today we’re incredibly excited to announce the launch of our new podcast Journey to the Sunnyside, hosted by Mike Hardenbrook, a longtime friend of Sunnyside, leader in the mindful drinking movement, and now part of the Sunnyside team!
About The Journey to the Sunnyside Podcast
Journey to the Sunnyside is your guide to mindful living, focusing on health, wellness, and personal growth. Each episode offers insights into topics such as the science behind habit change, how high-performers execute, personal stories of self-improvement, and of course mindful drinking. Ultimately the podcast provides listeners with practical tips and knowledge for a more balanced life.
Check out the first episodes of the Journey to the Sunnyside podcast
Episode 1: A Mindful Drinking Journey with Donald Peasley
Sunnyside customer Don Peasley shares his journey of mindful drinking and the decision to make a change in his relationship with alcohol. He discusses the benefits he has experienced, such as improved health, better sleep, and increased clarity.
Don emphasizes the importance of sustainability and consistency in mindful drinking, rather than relying on short-term challenges like Dry January. He also highlights the planning feature of the Sunnyside app as a helpful tool in setting and sticking to drinking goals. Don encourages others to make the choice to change and take control of their relationship with alcohol.
In this conversation, Don Peasley shares his journey of personal growth and transformation, particularly with his relationship with alcohol. He emphasizes the importance of accountability and support in making positive changes. Don also discusses the significance of setting goals and making plans to achieve them. He expresses his commitment to maintaining his health and wellness and his determination to never go back to his old habits.
Don highlights the importance of continued growth and improvement, as well as the challenges and rewards of being a caregiver. He also mentions his desire to write a book and help others going through similar experiences. Overall, Don’s story is one of resilience, self-discovery, and the power of taking action.
Episode 2: Neurohacking Your Brain’s Potential with Tobe Passman
In this conversation, Toby Passman, a board-certified neurophysiology trainer, discusses the concepts of neurohacking and biohacking.
He shares his personal journey into the field and explains how neurofeedback and neurostimulation can be used to improve cognitive functioning and mental health. Toby also highlights the importance of neuroplasticity in habit change and discusses the effects of alcohol on the brain. He provides insights into the benefits of red wine and emphasizes the need for mindfulness in our everyday habits. In this conversation, Toby and Mike discuss addiction, the brain, and the transformative power of psychedelics. They explore how addiction can hijack the brain’s reward system and the role of the prefrontal cortex in curbing addictive behaviors. Toby shares his personal experience with psychedelics and how it helped him overcome social anxiety. They also discuss the future of brain health and the importance of making brain-enhancing tools accessible to everyone.
Episode 3: No and Low-Alcohol Mixology with Derek Brown
In this conversation, Derek Brown shares his journey from being a bartender to becoming a mindful drinker.
He discusses his personal experiences with alcohol use disorder and the decision to seek help and make positive changes in his life. Derek explains the concept of mindful drinking and how it can be a beneficial approach for individuals who want to reduce or quit drinking. He also provides insights into creating no and low alcohol cocktails, emphasizing the importance of intensity of flavor, piquancy, texture, and length in crafting these beverages. The conversation highlights the growing trend of mindful drinking in the industry and the availability of non-alcoholic options for socializing and enjoying drinks without alcohol.
The conversation explores the topics of controlling alcohol consumption, the availability of non-alcoholic options in bars and restaurants, the future of bars, and functional ingredients. Derek Brown emphasizes the importance of having control over one’s drinking habits and how mindful drinking and apps can help. He also discusses the growing demand for non-alcoholic beverages and the need for bars and restaurants to offer options for those who don’t drink alcohol. The conversation concludes with a discussion on the future of bars and the potential inclusion of functional ingredients.
About Mike Hardenbrook
Journey to the Sunnyside is hosted and managed by Mike Hardenbrook, #1 best-selling author, neuroscience enthusiast, habit change expert, and part of the Sunnyside family. Mike was introduced to me through our investor Nir Eyal, and we became fast friends, trading stories and tips about our mindful drinking journeys, personal growhth, and marketing and entrepreneurship.
Mike recently released his book No Willpower Required: A neuroscience approach to change your habits with alcohol, a guide for anyone who drinks alcohol to redefine their relationship with alcohol. Mike’s science-based approach to moderation and mindfulness is perfectly aligned with our philosophy at Sunnyside.
We’re thrilled to be working with Mike, and look forward to growing an incredible podcast with his guidance.
Why make a podcast now?
We’ve always considered ourselves to be forging a new path when it comes to alcohol health. There is absolutely a place for sobriety and recovery solutions. In fact, they’re near and dear to us as our own families have benefitted from these paths.
However, when we looked at the data, we found that nearly 75% of U.S. adults drink alcohol and half of them want to cut back their drinking without quitting. That’s a massive amount of people that are left without proper tools and systems for building a new relationship with alcohol.
The old paradigm of “you’re either sober or a perfectly healthy drinker” is over. Alcohol health and personal goals exist on a spectrum. Just because you want to drink less doesn’t mean you have a problem. It means you want to be the best version of yourself.
Nearly every other area of health has its apps and trackers. Whether it’s diet, fitness, smoking, or just counting steps. We want to remove the stigma around alcohol health and tell people that it’s okay to want to make a change, and we have the best community, coaches, and app to help you do that. And we’ll never pressure you to quit.
As a natural evolution of our mission, I’ve always envisioned Sunnyside as the company that brings the disparate conversations around alcohol health into a central location so we can lift everyone up and help millions of people take the first step to creating a healthier relationship with alcohol.
That’s where this podcast comes in.
Journey to Sunnyside is a platform for us to elevate the voices that will inspire you to live your best life, and find a balance with alcohol in your life. It’s a place for us to build a community where mindful drinking is celebrated as a pillar of health. We’re excited to share this project with you and get your feedback!
