The Functional Cantina

In this episode, I share the part of the story that still catches in my throat. I talk about my mother-in-law and the night that changed everything. I talk about what it means to love a man who has had to carry something unimaginable. About how grief doesn't just live in the past, it shows up at holidays, in quiet moments, in the empty spaces at the table. We talk about guilt. About resilience. About how life keeps moving even when part of you is still standing in the wreckage. I'm angry. Angry at alcohol. Angry at what it normalized. Angry at what it took from our family. This episode is also about my own relationship with drinking. How it shifted. Not overnight. Not dramatically. But slowly, honestly, through years of reflection. Kava Cantina didn't start as a business idea. It started as a question: What if we did this differently? This conversation is raw. It's personal. And it's the foundation of why I am building something better. If you've ever felt tension around alcohol at family gatherings… if you've ever questioned your own habits… if you've ever carried anger you didn't expect to have… this one is for you.   www.kavacantina.com Follow the Journey: Instagram Instagram Facebook

Some stories don't begin with us but they still shape who we become. In this first episode of The Functional Cantina, Kandice shares the moment that quietly changed the way she views alcohol forever. A story rooted in trauma, survival, and the long-lasting ripple effects of one night that occurred long before she ever entered her husband's life. This isn't a story about addiction or recovery it's about what happens after. About the injuries that follow someone for decades. The emotional weight families carry. And how alcohol's impact doesn't always show up in obvious ways. In this episode, Kandice opens up about: • Becoming part of a story she didn't live through • How trauma can echo through a family for generations • Why alcohol conversations often stop too soon • The difference between judgment and compassion • And the questions that eventually led her toward a booze-free life This episode sets the foundation for everything to come  the personal journey, the shift toward harm reduction, and the creation of Kava Cantina. If you've ever questioned alcohol, felt its presence in your life in subtle ways, or sensed there might be another path forward  this conversation is for you. This is only the beginning.