Jen Gilhoi is inviting the world to rethink drinking culture. The Dissonance board member, Minnesota-based event and marketing consultant, and co-founder of Zero Proof Collective has emerged as a national thought leader on advancing nonalcoholic (NA) beverage options and experiences in social spaces. In July 2023, Jen’s inspired voice began to carry even farther when a message she delivered months earlier at TEDx Edina (Minn.) was published on the main “TEDx Talks” Youtube page, which has 39 million global subscribers.
Her talk looks at de-centralizing the role of alcohol in our our culture, and all of us at Dissonance were proud when we saw the video immediately attract tens of thousands of views and an overwhelmingly positive response. We love and admire Jen, and she has played a key role in helping us champion alcohol-free event and beverage options for years.
You will definitely see Jen’s influence on Sept. 23, 2023, at Dissonance’s 3rd annual “Ghost Notes” Fall Music Block Party in south Minneapolis. The alcohol-free event—open to all at no cost—will feature a delectable array of non-alcoholic beer and cocktail options along with incredible live music, food vendors, wellness resources, activities for youth, an arts fair, games and more. Jen’s mantra is Sober Not Somber, and that’s exactly what we will be on that day and evening.
To celebrate Jen and commemorate her TEDx Talk, we are happy to share it here, followed by a Q&A that sheds additional light on her experience and vision for evolving America’s social spaces.
Q: Your TEDx Talk was released this summer, eight months after you delivered it to a live, in-person audience. What was that process like?
A: Yes, eight months is an unusually long wait. I was eager to share my message when I first submitted my TEDx application in January 2022, so you can imagine how long a full 18 months — from the initial idea to the public launch — felt. A true test of patience.
I felt an urgency all along for the video to be published, but it was out of my control. It was in the hands of the TEDx folks. I watched the talks of my fellow TEDx Edina speakers go live in rapid succession starting in early March 2023. I waited eagerly, and in mid-April learned that my talk had been selected to be featured with top positioning on the primary TEDx YouTube channel and a global publicity campaign. I waited longer. Finally, in late June, I found out that it would be published on July 6.
It was so exciting to see it online and to be able to share with it all the people who supported me and were curious enough to keep asking for months: “When can I watch your talk?” Throughout the entire process, I had discussed themes with my Zero Proof Collective community, Dissonance, and many other organizations and people to create and shape the ideas in my message. When it was shared with the world, I instantly felt like I had given a voice to the nonalcoholic movement — representative of those communities and lived experiences I had consulted — while also owning my story.
Q: Now that your TEDx Talk is out, how has it been received?
A: It has more than 35,000 views just a month in, and many positive comments and engagements from people all over the world. It has been fun and encouraging to see. I’m also not naïve enough to think that my invitation to rethink drinking culture will resonate with everyone. Our culture has trained us to believe that there’s no reason not to drink unless you are in recovery from alcoholism or some other substance use disorder. While that’s a larger demographic than people realize (some 20 million people), the truth is millions more choose not to drink—for a night or for a lifetime—for a multitude of other reasons as well. But in early feedback while shaping my TEDx Talk, moderate drinkers said they felt resistance to my message – like I was trying to take their alcohol away despite their ability to take it or leave it.
In assessing feedback, I seek to understand the context and lived experience of every reviewer. Their lens is valid and has its own backstory as well. That’s why including and sharing my own lived experience during my TEDx Talk was so important. I also received feedback that I wasn’t advocating enough for those in recovery. What may have been perceived as an oversight was actually intentional, though. My strategic aim was to inspire everyone else in America to consider healthier drinking habits and nonalcoholic experimentation, and in doing so, to contribute to the prevention of alcohol misuse. It’s the majority that has the greatest power to change overall culture, and I recognized that any cultural shift toward safer, more inclusive social experiences would benefit those in recovery as well.
Q: TEDx Talks have certainly been done on the topic of alcohol. Tell us about your specific idea and how the message differs from other talks on the subject …
A: My TEDx Talk, Why We Should Rethink Drinking Culture, stemmed from my personal story as a sober-necessary person and deep desire to experience belonging in social spaces. That had been percolating for years within me. It wasn’t until the exponential growth of elevated nonalcoholic products that I was able to merge the idea of social spaces that support sober choices with the tactical offerings of amazing nonalcoholic beverages. I could finally see a pathway to evolve drinking culture.
The TEDx Talks on alcohol that went before me provided so much inspiration. The speakers discussed their personal journey with alcohol, gray-area drinking, the science of alcohol misuse, and their happily sober lifestyle. While I wove in my personal story, I wanted first and foremost to shed light on our culture of drinking, call out Big Alcohol and harmful inadequate labels, and look at the continuum and outcomes when people in our society, for whatever reason, aim to be alcohol-free for a night or for life.
Q: We know that a social experience with Dissonance sparked something for you in 2017. Can you elaborate on that experience and its importance in your TEDx Talk and your work today?
A: Ah yes, my first social hour with Dissonance occurred on St. Patrick’s Day 2017 at a coffee shop. It was significant because it was a safe space and a healthy alternative on a heavy drinking holiday. The energy in the group was so positive. I appreciated the contrasting experience: we weren’t gathering at a Twelve Step meeting to deeply examine our thoughts, feelings and behaviors — as I’d been doing and benefitting from in many important ways for three solid years — we were in a public community space, socializing on all manner of topics and enjoying a light, celebratory experience that just happened to not include alcohol. There was a feeling of belonging that day and I wanted more of it.
From that point forward, I began to seek out more social experiences like this and found our culture in Minneapolis at that time lacking in this area. A few months later, I wrote my first blog for Dissonance: Let Go Out Loud. It was the first time I publicly shared my story. Being vulnerable in that post paved the way for more sharing and openness, which led to more answers and confidence. I joined Dissonance in November 2018 and began the journey of exploring social spaces that support those in sobriety even when alcohol is present or a central to the environment.
I look back on that sober happy hour as a defining moment that lit me up. Whenever I shared my thoughts on the importance of social spaces with awesome NA options, people would generally agree with mild to moderate levels of enthusiasm. And with each conversation, I was able to confirm the value I perceived and my unique passion for the opportunity, explore why it meant so much to me, and develop my vision.
Q: Fast forward five years since you became more vocal in the NA movement … What do social experiences that support sober choices look like? In other words, what are we doing if we’re not gathering with friends at the bar for six hours on a Saturday night?
A: Dissonance has afforded a tremendous opportunity to model what these alcohol-free spaces and celebrations can look like. Events such as Hazelfest (an annual concert at Hazelden Betty Ford that Dissonance was a part of before it sunset in 2020 due to the pandemic), SoberBowl (a large alcohol-free Super Bowl party that Dissonance supported) and Ghost Notes (a Dissonance block party featuring local musicians), have paved the way. A host of other Dissonance-led social experiences — including our Unhappy Holidays, Story Well, and Sober New Year’s Eve events — have contributed to the #SoberNotSomber vision for what healthy social experiences can look like.
The culture of drinking in America is so deeply ingrained that we have to start with where we are. Two thirds of Americans drink alcohol and half of those say they’d like to drink less or not at all. This means we have an opportunity to lead people to their own goals in intentional ways by creating different social experiences for them. This can start by simply offering NA beverages everywhere alcoholic beverages are served, and eventually lead to shifting our social activities to be more movement- and experience-based. For example, one activity I’ve found to be an absolute yes in sobriety: sauna and cold immersion experiences in community (see Sauna and Sobriety).
Q: You cofounded Zero Proof Collective in May 2022 to create spaces where nonalcoholic beverages are thoughtfully crafted, served, and celebrated to educate, evolve culture, and ultimately increase revenue in the NA industry. In your experience, what does it look like to be an advocate in the nonalcoholic movement in 2023?
A: Since the launch of Zero Proof Collective (ZPC), which sprang from a fabulous alcohol-free event experience, my cofounder and I have witnessed the rapid growth of the NA industry and professionals and leaders in this space. There are successful product makers, owners of brick-and-mortar establishments (restaurants, bars, NA bottle shops), sober coaches, “quit lit” authors, sober influencers, workplace wellbeing and culture leaders, NA associations and publications, and speakers driving change.
This community, which I could not locate two years ago, is now connected on LinkedIn, and the ability to access each other and share our work and experiences is fueling growth. Collaboration in this community is very strong. And while we have a long way to go in our effort to normalize not drinking, we’re at least talking about wins and why and how to decentralize alcohol in the workplace and throughout our culture. I view my advocate role — with ZPC and in my own personal brand and TEDx Talk — as one of speaker and gatherer of communities of influence to affect change at the highest level possible.
Q: Now that your TEDx Talk is in the world, what’s next?
A: I am reveling in it for a short while, then seeking speaking engagements and panel conversations. I envision these conversations in many spaces—namely corporate conferences and workplace events at the onset. I am open to partnerships and collaborations with aligned brands that can create and amplify alcohol-free experiences. It’s also critical to have a way for me to hear from individuals impacted by the work and message — that’s going keep me lit up and in my purpose. More of that!
Read more ABOUT Jen’s behind-the-scenes TedX Talk experience