Happy AF!

As Americans prepare to celebrate Independence Day, Maxine and Isabelle explore one of the biggest drinking weekends of the year and how alcohol impacts the celebration. Inspired by a recent discussion on alcohol and creativity, they unpack the idea that alcohol helps us think more freely, examine the myth of "liquid courage," and reflect on what they've gained since choosing an alc...

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...

Episode 16 — The Summer Switch June 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 worr...

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 s...

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 a...

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 happen...

From communion wine to Manischewitz, alcohol shows up in some of our most sacred and social rituals, but the way we each experience it can be wildly different. In this episode, Maxine and Isabelle take a funny, honest look at alcohol, religion, and tradition, from hosting styles (never wanting the party to end vs. leaving at 9:30 sharp) to completely opposite feelings about Easter: the pastels, fo...

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...

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 passenge...

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 i...

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...

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 i...

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...

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 b...

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,...

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!  ...

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...

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, hi...