Episode 65: How to Quit Drinking and Still Have a Social Life with Jakee Zaccor

Presence Over Escape: How Jakee Zaccor Built an Alcohol-Free Life Worth Showing Up For

In this episode, Lindsay Hennekey talks with Jakee Zaccor — creative director, yoga teacher, and founder of Shake Social Club — about what it really takes to quit drinking and build a life that feels good without alcohol.

Jakee got sober at 28 after years of high-pressure tech culture, late nights in New York City, and a drinking habit that had quietly taken over her identity, her friendships, and her free time. Now 11 years alcohol-free, she runs a booze-free nightlife and wellness movement in Burlington, Vermont, proving that fun, connection, and community don't require a drink in your hand.

If you've ever worried that quitting drinking will make your life smaller, this conversation will change your mind.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why a high-achieving, high-functioning life can hide a serious drinking problem
• What it felt like to get sober at 28 when no one around you drinks
• Why some people in your life will push back when you stop drinking and what that's really about
• How replacing happy hour with movement changed everything in early sobriety
• The exhausting mental gymnastics of monitoring your drinking around other people
• What it means to find your identity after alcohol has taken up all the space
• Why Jakee started Shake Social Club and what alcohol-free community can actually look like
• How sobriety made Jakee's life bigger, not smaller

Key takeaways:

Quitting drinking isn't just about stopping. It's about discovering who you are without alcohol filling up your evenings, your weekends, and your sense of self. When you remove it, you get to find out what you actually like, who your real friends are, and what kind of life you want to build.

The people around you may not always celebrate your decision to stop drinking especially if their own relationship with alcohol is something they haven't examined yet. That reaction isn't about you. It's a mirror.

Jakee's story is proof that sobriety isn't a life sentence of missing out. It's an invitation to show up fully — to the dance floor, the yoga mat, the dinner table, and yourself.