Happy AF!

Lots of things are shifting in the culture around alcohol — and it’s bigger than just “drinking less.” From Gen Z redefining social life to the rise of wellness culture, daytime socializing, mindful drinking, and even the unexpected impact of Ozempic and GLP-1 drugs, a new relationship with alcohol is emerging in real time. And Maxine and Isabelle are HERE for it!In this episode, they talk trends, contradictions, and cultural forces reshaping drinking culture today — and how the alcohol industry is rapidly reinventing itself to keep up. They also reflect on their own experiences growing up pre-social media, from Maxine’s hilarious Atkins diet era to the very different pressures younger generations now face online. This isn’t about prohibition or perfection. It’s about something bigger: alcohol is no longer the unquestioned center of connection, celebration, and fun!Liquid Joy: Saint Viviana Cabernet SauvignonSend us a text - We'd love to hear what you thought of our show!Please remember to subscribe to the podcast and to visit our website at:www.happyafpodcast.com

Episode 16 — The Summer SwitchJune hits differently. Suddenly it’s graduations, backyard parties, weddings, long weekends, and endless invitations — and for many people, alcohol is still assumed to be part of all of it. In this episode, Maxine and Isabelle talk honestly about what it feels like to move through summer party season alcohol-free: the pressure of the social script, the lingering worry about how other people perceive you, and the strange guilt that can come with leaving early or seeming misunderstood.They also explore the “rosé all day” culture of summer and what begins to replace it when alcohol is no longer at the center of the season. For Maxine, it’s tennis and early mornings. For Isabelle, it’s time in the garden and being fully present for long summer days.They also correct a confused listener and take some constructive criticism to heart! Funny, thoughtful, and deeply relatable.Send us a text - We'd love to hear what you thought of our show!Please remember to subscribe to the podcast and to visit our website at:www.happyafpodcast.com

In this episode, Maxine and Isabelle are talking weddings. They both had multiple weddings to their husbands but had totally opposite honeymoons! They take a hilarious walk down wedding memory aisle and discuss how alcohol shaped the whole experience in Ireland, Montreal, NYC, The Maldives and The Himalayas! No corner of the world is safe! Not to mention an excommunicated priest, and one of them still can’t pronounce the names of religions. You don’t want to miss this one!Send us a text - We'd love to hear what you thought of our show!Please remember to subscribe to the podcast and to visit our website at:www.happyafpodcast.com

In this episode, Maxine and Isabelle respond to your questions—the real ones. The complicated ones. The ones that don’t have neat, tidy answers.From loving someone whose drinking worries you… to being the only one not drinking in the room. What to say when the pressure’s on, why people suddenly tell you everything about their own drinking, and how to stay steady in those early, shaky days.They also talk sugar, substitutes, and their colleague’s kid who calls them “the women who don’t know how to drink”, au contraire kiddo!Real questions. Real (often hilarious) answers.Send us a text - We'd love to hear what you thought of our show!Please remember to subscribe to the podcast and to visit our website at:www.happyafpodcast.com

After spending a lot of time on the road in recent months, Maxine and Isabelle unpack what travel really looks like without alcohol. From airport culture and in-flight drink carts to liquor stores in cities across the country, talking about it helps move the needle.  They explore why vacation has become so intrinsically linked to drinking (from the moment you arrive at the airport) and what happens when you replace that default. The result: new rituals, more energy, deeper presence, and no hangovers... even in paradise.  They share practical tips for navigating travel alcohol-free, from bringing your own options to advocating for better zero-proof offerings at bars, restaurants, and airlines. The conversation also highlights the growing sober and sober-curious movement—particularly the role women are playing as founders and consumers—and spotlights brands like Raising the Bar, making it easier to bring elevated alcohol-free experiences anywhere.Send us a text - We'd love to hear what you thought of our show!Please remember to subscribe to the podcast and to visit our website at:www.happyafpodcast.com

From communion wine to Manischewitz, alcohol shows up in some of our most sacred and social rituals, but theway we each experience it can be wildly different. In this episode, Maxine and Isabelle take a funny, honest lookat alcohol, religion, and tradition, from hosting styles (never wanting the party to end vs. leaving at 9:30 sharp) tocompletely opposite feelings about Easter: the pastels, food, and clothing!They explore the contradictions between what religion teaches and what culture practices, share stories ofnavigating unfamiliar traditions (including a very eye-opening first Passover), and reflect on how their relationshipwith alcohol has shifted - from cycles of fasting and overindulgence to something far more intentional andCONSISTENT!Along the way, they also touch on friendships, what falls away, what deepens, and amazing NEW community!Send us a text - We'd love to hear what you thought of our show!Please remember to subscribe to the podcast and to visit our website at:www.happyafpodcast.com

In Happy AF’s first on-location episode, Maxine and Isabelle head to the unique and wonderful Dorset Union Store to chat with the store’s wine buyer and explore how the beverage world is evolving, FAST. What does a modern wine buyer see shifting in the industry? Are people drinking less? Differently? What’s selling now? Together, they taste and don’t have to spit! But they may have to because they are VERY honest about what they like and what they dislike! Just like alcoholic beverages, Maxine and Isabelle don’t always agree on what tastes good! From Main Street Vermont to global trends, they explore how shopping for wine and beverages looks very different than it did even five years ago.The modern drink aisle isn’t just about alcohol anymore; it’s about intention and CHOICE!Send us a text - We'd love to hear what you thought of our show!Please remember to subscribe to the podcast and to visit our website at:www.happyafpodcast.com

Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, when everyone’s suddenly Irish and green beer flows, Maxine and Isabelle ask the question: Who decided what our passports drink? From Irish pints to French wine, national identity and alcohol have been tightly linked. But where did those stereotypes begin? And the women have been travelling; Maxine does a pretty spot on impersonation of her drunk fellow passenger on flight to Palm Beach and Isabelle talks about overreaching corkage fees in NYC! They’ve got opinions, and they’ll make you laugh! Send us a text - We'd love to hear what you thought of our show!Please remember to subscribe to the podcast and to visit our website at:www.happyafpodcast.com

Alcohol comes with a lot of stories, the ones society tells us, the ones Big Alcohol sells us, and the ones we tell ourselves to keep everything feeling “normal.” In this episode, Maxine and Isabelle call out the biggest lies around drinking, and the universal habit of lying to your doctor!With sharp humor and zero judgment, they laugh through self-soothing narratives that kept alcohol in place in their loves for years! Edgy, funny, and TOTALLY relatable.Send us a text - We'd love to hear what you thought of our show!Please remember to subscribe to the podcast and to visit our website at:www.happyafpodcast.com

Valentine’s Day has long been wrapped in alcohol; first dates, liquid courage, breakup cocktails, and the infamous walk of shame. In this episode, Maxine and Isabelle take a funny, honest look back at how alcohol shaped their dating lives, relationships, sense of self and now their marriages! They talk about dating culture, lowered standards, blurred boundaries, and why so many romantic decisions felt normal at the time but look very different in hindsight! With humor, clarity, and zero judgment, this episode reflects on the alcohol era of love. They taste a VERY sexy AF champagne and Maxine tells us about an EPIC walk of shame! Not to be missed!_________________Send us a text - We'd love to hear what you thought of our show!Please remember to subscribe to the podcast and to visit our website at:www.happyafpodcast.com

In this episode, we’re answering the questions you’ve been asking us most about our alcohol-free lives — honestly, openly, and without pretending we have it all figured out. We talk about why we chose to stop drinking, the hardest moments in the early days, and how our relationships and friendships shifted along the way — who surprised us, who stayed, and what we had to let go of. We also dive into what socializing looks like now, how we navigate dinners, parties, and how living alcohol-free has impacted our closest relationships in ways we didn’t fully expect. As always, the conversation is real, personal, funny, and rooted in connection.  If you’re sober curious, newly alcohol-free, or simply wondering what life can look like on the other side, this episode is for you.https://happyafpodcast.com/Send us a text - We'd love to hear what you thought of our show!Please remember to subscribe to the podcast and to visit our website at:www.happyafpodcast.com

In this episode, Maxine and Isabelle chat about their New Year’s resolutions (or lack of), why we so often fail, and how alcohol quietly undermines all of our best intentions. Reflecting on more than a year alcohol-free, they share how their energy, clarity, confidence, and emotional steadiness have truly changed and why they no longer believe in rigid resolutions. They look back with hilarity on a few other bad habits, from smoking, dumpster diving, and binge eating peanut M&M’s! You don’t want to miss this one. As usual, laugh-out-loud funny!Send us a text - We'd love to hear what you thought of our show!Please remember to subscribe to the podcast and to visit our website at:www.happyafpodcast.com

Maxine and Isabelle reflect on celebrating New Year’s Eve alcohol-free and what it truly feels like to wake up clear on New Year’s Day and EVERY DAY! Isabelle has a little Grinch in her, and Maxine shares the New Year’s Day moment last year—watching the sunrise on a Miami beach—that quietly changed everything. Another laugh out loud episiode, these women are living proof that you can sparkle and be the life of the party without a drop of booze!------------------------Please visit our website:  www.happyaf.buzzsprout.comSend us a text - We'd love to hear what you thought of our show!Please remember to subscribe to the podcast and to visit our website at:www.happyafpodcast.com

A sparkling, raw, and laugh-out-loud journey through the glorious highs and messy lows of Christmas — from colossal family feuds to the shockingly peaceful joy of your first truly Alcohol Free holiday. Along the way, we unwrap everything, you HAVE to listen to this one. Because honestly — who else can seamlessly cover cozy loungewear, country divas, French stews, family explosions, mother-in-laws, disordered eating, and dessert all in one episode… and still make you feel hopeful, connected, and seen? This one’s festive, fearless, and hilarious!______________https://happyafpodcast.com/Send us a text - We'd love to hear what you thought of our show!Please remember to subscribe to the podcast and to visit our website at:www.happyafpodcast.com

HAPPY AF | Episode 3 | THE ONLY THING LIT IT THE TREE!Maxine and Isabelle unwrap the truth about holiday parties, the sparkle, the pressure, and how we get from “just one” to “ah! Fuck it!” This week, they’re tackling how to stay festive and fun, when everyone else is reaching for a refill. There’s little detour into sex… but in code, because some things require discretion, and Maxine IS IRISH! Plus introducing a new segment Liquid Joy as they share their favorite drink recommendations from Prima Pavé perfection to Peak Cocktails’ mixology magic. They are here to talk about how celebration feels different (and SO MUCH better) when the only thing lit is the tree._________________Send us a text - We'd love to hear what you thought of our show!Please remember to subscribe to the podcast and to visit our website at:www.happyafpodcast.com

Happy AF - Episode 2: Family Time… Oh F***!Heading into the holidays…BREATHE!In this hilarious and honest episode, Maxine and Isabelle dive into the beautiful chaos of Thanksgiving, family dynamics, funerals, bachelorette parties, and all the emotional landmines that used to send them straight to a drink.From mispronounced words to side-splittingly funny cultural misunderstandings, this episode is full of laughs, but also a real reminder for anyone trying to stay grounded (and alcohol-free) during the season of “togetherness” that if you drink to solve a problem, you end up with two problems!This one’s for anyone who’s ever walked into a family gathering thinking… oh f**.*🌐 Connect with us:Website → https://happyafpodcast.comTastings: Peak Cocktails https://peakcocktails.comCo-Hosts: Maxine Linehan and Isabelle LaureierProduced by Linehan EntertianmentSupervising producer Priscilla PriebeVideo editor Michael O’NealAudio producer Andrew KossOriginal Music: Andrew Koss and Maxine LinehanSend us a text - We'd love to hear what you thought of our show!Please remember to subscribe to the podcast and to visit our website at:www.happyafpodcast.com

Funny. Free. Happy as F***!  In this debut episode of Happy AF, hosts Maxine Linehan and Isabelle Laurier share how one crazy challenge and one very real conversation sparked a zero-proof journey neither of them ever expected. From quitting alcohol to finding freedom, laughter, and clarity, they flip the script on what it means to live alcohol-free. Sober and Somber? No Way! Happy AF is honest, hilarious, and unapologetic. This is the story of how it all started and how  they discovered living alcohol free is far from what society tells us: it’s not dull or restrictive, and they’re not “sober.” They are empowered, free, and funny as f***!Send us a text - We'd love to hear what you thought of our show!Please remember to subscribe to the podcast and to visit our website at:www.happyafpodcast.com