Mocktails with Marina

Unmedicated birth. Sober mom. Two miscarriages. 200 days of vomiting. And a business that held through all of it.

In this episode, Marina shares the full story from meeting her husband in 2021 and building a life around their future family, to two pregnancy losses, a pregnancy that left her barely functional for months, and the unmedicated birth of their son, Bula Baby, on February 12th, 2026.

But this isn't just a birth story. It's about what happens when you reject fear in the birth room and in business and build something on your own terms instead.

Marina breaks down why she, as a sober woman, chose to go completely unmedicated through labor and delivery, the connection between sobriety and presence, why she saw labor as teamwork between herself, her husband, and her baby, and what it felt like to be fully in it without interference for every contraction.

She also gets honest about the entrepreneurship side of this season: how a business built for "later" became the lifeline that carried their family through the hardest year of their lives before baby ever arrived and what that taught her about building with real intention.

In this episode: — Why sobriety and an unmedicated birth are rooted in the same philosophy — Rejecting fear culture around birth and why 98% of people wanted to hand them their fears — The full birth timeline: water breaking at 7am, birthing center arrival, baby by 7pm, home by 11pm — Two pregnancy losses and what they taught Marina about resilience and intentional building — How a virtual business built for lifestyle freedom became the foundation that made this season survivable — Why your podcast might be your most underleveraged business asset and how to fix that

Resources mentioned: Profitable Podcasting Without Sales Calls → themodernmocktail.thrivecart.com/profitable-podcasting/

Nobody tells you that becoming a mom changes your capacity not just your schedule, but your actual bandwidth. And nobody tells you that building a business in the middle of that is still possible. In fact, it might be the thing that finally clarifies what you've been building toward all along.

In episode 102 of Mocktails with Marina, host Marina gets honest about what early motherhood actually looks like when you're also an entrepreneur. The fog, the grief of losing your old capacity, the 20-minute windows that somehow have to be enough and why those constraints ended up being the most clarifying thing that ever happened to her business.

This episode covers:

— Why the "perfect time to launch" is a myth, and what to do instead — How building in the margins of new motherhood forced Marina to get ruthless about what actually moves the needle — The connection between her bar industry background and building business systems that work without you — Why your podcast is one of the most powerful sales tools you're not fully using — How to build a podcast ecosystem that sells your offers without sales calls, discovery calls, or being available around the clock — 4 practical strategies for sustainable entrepreneurship in a full season of life

This one is for the mom entrepreneur who is trying to hold the baby and the business at the same time. It's for the multi-passionate woman who has been told to slow down, simplify, pick one thing and who refuses to. It's for the podcaster who has been pouring herself into her show and wondering why it isn't converting.

You don't have to choose between the life you're building and the business you're building. This episode is proof.

Marina also shares details on Profitable Podcasting Without Sales Calls: a program designed to help podcasters build an ecosystem that generates income without sales calls, valued at $3,000–$5,000 in strategy alone, available for $397.

🎙️ Listen now and leave a review if this one hit home.

🔗 Profitable Podcasting Without Sales Calls: themodernmocktail.thrivecart.com/profitable-podcasting/

Learn more about us and what we do: https://www.marinamars.com/themodernmocktail

After a few months away (and one very life-changing baby) Marina is back. Episode 101 of Mocktails with Marina is a deeply personal return to the mic, and the topic couldn't feel more fitting: what it actually means to be a multi-passionate entrepreneur, and how to embrace the evolution of who you're becoming without losing who you already are.

If you've ever felt like you have too many interests to "pick a lane," been told you're scattered, or wondered how to hold a career, a creative pursuit, and a whole new identity at the same time, this episode was made for you.

In this episode, Marina covers:

• What multi-passionate entrepreneurship really means (and why it's your superpower, not your problem)
• The concept of cross-pollination; how your different passions actually make each other stronger
• Matrescence: the identity transformation of becoming a mother, and what it taught Marina about evolving without erasing who you were
• What the bar and beverage industry taught her about iteration, craft, and building things with intention
• Identity grief; the quiet mourning that comes with growing into a new version of yourself
• 4 practical strategies for making a multi-passionate life actually work: seasonal thinking, protecting your transitions, asking for the right support, and giving yourself credit for the imperfect days

This episode is honest, warm, and unfiltered, the kind of conversation you'd have with a friend who gets it.

Learn more about what we do: https://www.marinamars.com/themodernmocktail

Most people don't quit because they fail, but they fail because progress doesn't look the way they expected.

In this milestone Episode 100 of Mocktails with Marina, Marina reflects on what it actually takes to stay in the game (in podcasting, business, and the non-alcoholic industry) when motivation fades and results aren't linear.

This episode blends strategy, personal perspective, and industry call-outs to unpack:

• Why most founders burn out or disappear

• The biggest myths about consistency, visibility, and growth

• What Marina would do differently if she were starting over today

• Why systems matter more than talent or hustle

• How podcasting became her most effective evergreen client acquisition strategy

Whether this is your first episode or you've been listening from the beginning, this conversation is designed to meet you where you are and challenge you to decide what staying power really looks like.

🎧 New listeners: Go explore the first 99 episodes for a deep library of free, real-world insight. 🔥 Longtime listeners: If you're ready to stop circling the same challenges, this may be your moment to take action and step into deeper support.

Marina also shares why she'll be pausing new episodes for a few months in early 2026 and what's coming next after returning with fresh data, case studies, and real-world experience.

www.marinamars.com for more information

In today's episode of Mocktails With Marina, we're closing out the Department in a Box™ Series with one of the most important and most overlooked pillars of a profitable non-alcoholic business: Menu & Product Management.

Whether you run a kava bar, non-alcoholic bar, bottle shop, kombucha taproom, sober lounge, or functional beverage café, your menu is not just a list of drinks. It's a financial engine. A marketing strategy. And the #1 driver of your customer experience and business profitability.

Inside this episode, you'll learn:

Most business owners rely on vibes, taste, and creativity but without a system, you lose money on COGS, vendor errors, ingredient waste, and inconsistent pricing. We break down the difference between a hobby menu and a high-performing menu strategy.

You'll hear how to build one Notion-based product catalog that tracks ingredients, vendors, seasonals, costs, margins, substitutions, and pricing decisions so you can update your menu in minutes instead of reinventing the wheel every quarter.

No more guessing, running out of ingredients, or launching specials that secretly drain your margins. Learn the workflow real non-alc bars use to cost drinks, approve recipes, and roll out seasonal updates with confidence.

We talk about margin tracking, cost formulas, COGS transparency, and how to make pricing decisions based on actual data not emotion or fear of customer backlash.

From recipe approval to staff training to POS updates, you'll hear the full 360° process that makes menu changes smooth, consistent, and stress-free.

This episode is perfect for anyone managing non-alcoholic menus, kava drink menus, botanical beverage offerings, sober bars, NA bottle shops, and wellness cafés who wants to keep their menu fresh, cost-effective, and fully optimized.

Grab the Menu & Product Management Box™ (part of the Department in a Box™ Series) to get the exact Notion dashboards, costing calculators, vendor trackers, and seasonal planning systems I build for my private clients:

**We no longer sell Dept in a Box kits separately, but they are all included here: https://www.marinamars.com/bulaboss

In this episode of Mocktails with Marina, we dive into one of the most powerful and misunderstood growth engines in the non-alcoholic industry: Event Planning & Event Management.

If you run a non-alc bar, kava bar, bottle shop, sober lounge, or third space, you already know that events drive everything: foot traffic, community-building, customer retention, brand visibility, and revenue spikes. But most business owners treat events like last-minute ideas instead of what they really are: a core department inside your business.

In Part 5 of the Department in a Box™ Series, Marina breaks down:

• why events must function as an internal department, not a chaotic side project

• the three pillars of an effective event system: Planning, Management, and Debriefing

• the most common mistakes businesses make when hosting events (and why they keep happening)

• how to reduce stress, eliminate last-minute scrambling, and turn events into predictable revenue drivers

• the templates, SOPs, timelines, checklists, and systems behind high-performing event programs

• how the right structures can help you scale community events, vendor activations, tastings, pop-ups, sober meetups, live music, workshops, menu launches, and more

If you want the plug-and-play tools Marina uses with top NA bars and kava bars across the country, grab The Event Planner Box™, which includes ready-to-use event workflows, run-of-show templates, vendor coordination guides, permit checklists, marketing rollout calendars, Notion event databases, and full department SOPs.

🎁 Get instant access to The Event Planner Box™: **We no longer sell Dept in a Box kits separately, but they are all included here: https://www.marinamars.com/bulaboss

This episode is essential for any founder or operator who wants to host smoother events, drive consistent traffic, and build a real community around their business without burning out.

In today's episode, we're diving into the department most founders avoid until it becomes a problem: Employee Manuals + SOPs, the backbone of consistency, culture, and operational sanity inside any non-alcoholic bar, bottle shop, or third place.

If you've ever felt like you're repeating yourself every day, constantly correcting the same issues, or carrying the entire business in your head, this episode will be a breath of relief. We break down why your manual isn't just a "rules document," but your team's source of clarity, empowerment, and protection. And we talk about how SOPs go far beyond checklists; they create accountability, reduce training time, and stabilize the customer experience no matter who's on shift.

Inside this episode, you'll learn:

• Why "chill vibes" still require structure

• What a great employee manual actually includes

• How SOPs remove friction from your leadership

• The hidden staff retention benefits of clarity

• The difference between policies, expectations, and step-by-step procedures

• The real reason things fall apart when you're not there

If you're ready to stop running your business on oral tradition and start building a team that's confident, consistent, and self-sufficient, this is the department that will change everything.

Get instant access to The Employee Manual + SOPs Box™ here: (The same templates and frameworks we use with clients to build professional, plug-and-play manuals and procedures.) **We no longer sell Dept in a Box kits separately, but they are all included here: https://www.marinamars.com/bulaboss

In today's episode, we're breaking down one of the most important (and most misunderstood) departments in every non-alc bar, bottle shop, or third space: Interviewing, Hiring & Onboarding.

Most owners treat hiring like an emergency. A scramble. A reaction.

But the truth is if you don't build this department as a system, your business will always feel unstable.

Inside this episode, we look at:

• Why hiring is a department, not a task • How to interview for values, not just resumes • The standards that determine the quality of every hire • The onboarding mistakes that cost businesses thousands • What a real onboarding system looks like • How this department reduces turnover, protects culture, and stabilizes growth

If you want the templates, the interview scripts, the hiring rubrics, and the complete onboarding system we use with clients, you can get The Hiring & Onboarding Box here:

**We no longer sell Dept in a Box kits separately, but they are all included here: https://www.marinamars.com/bulaboss

This is Part 3 of the Department in a Box Series.

In today's episode, we're diving into the second installment of the Department in a Box Series™ and this time, we're talking about the department that keeps your non-alc bar, bottle shop, or third space alive: your Marketing Department.

This episode isn't a tutorial on content creation or how to run ads.

It's a high-level breakdown of why marketing must function as a real department inside your business, not as random posts, rushed flyers, or last-minute "I guess I should say something today" content.

We explore:

• Why marketing is your 24/7 reputation system

• How a consistent marketing engine positions you as a leader (not a noise-maker)

• Why education-driven marketing is essential in the non-alc world

• What most founders get wrong when they "do" marketing

• The difference between chaotic posting vs structured brand storytelling

• How a marketing department builds trust, demand, and community over time

If you've ever felt like you're reinventing the wheel every time you sit down to market your business, this episode will give you clarity on what's missing and what becomes possible once you have an actual system.

To get the full set of templates, frameworks, SOPs, and marketing structures mentioned in this episode, check out The Marketing Department in a Box™ here:

**We no longer sell Dept in a Box kits separately, but they are all included here: https://www.marinamars.com/bulaboss

Let's build your departments one by one, so you can finally work like the business you're trying to become.

In today's episode, we kick off a six-part series designed to walk you through the core departments every non-alc bar, bottle shop, or third space needs in order to function smoothly.

This first installment focuses on the importance of Project Management & To-Do's. NOT the mechanics of setting up systems, but the deeper reason this department determines whether your business operates with clarity or chaos.

You'll learn why project management is the foundation of a sustainable, scalable company… why most founders struggle without it… how forgotten tasks quietly erode momentum… and why you can't grow a business you're still running from memory.

If you want the templates, Notion dashboards, and full plug-and-play system that goes with this episode, get instant access to The Project Management Box here:

**We no longer sell Dept in a Box kits separately, but they are all included here: https://www.marinamars.com/bulaboss