Mocktails with Marina

Hosted by Marina Castillo | Kava & Non-Alc Business Consultant

Business Health FitnessInterviews guests

Website RSS feed

Episodes

113

Latest episode

Nov 2026

Language

About the show

Mocktails with Marina is a weekly business podcast for owners and operators in the kava and non-alcoholic industry: kava bars, non-alcoholic bars, sober lounges, booze-free bottle shops, functional beverage brands, and everyone building something in this space, whether you sell by the shell, the bottle, or the hour. I'm Marina Castillo, founder of The Modern Mocktail and a consultant to kava and non-alc businesses. I'm sober, I'm a mom, and I've worked almost every job this industry has. I've been a kavatender, a bar manager, a menu developer, an event producer, and a fractional COO for a multi-location kava bar company. I founded the Arizona Kava Coalition, I hold a Thought Leader designation from the Global Kava Coalition, and since 2014 I've helped more than 1,000 businesses open, grow, and in some cases franchise. I'm also the customer this industry was built for. I don't drink, my favorite nights out are at kava bars, and I buy the products my clients are trying to sell. When I give advice, I'm giving it from both sides of the counter. My husband Tyler and I run our business as a family, and God is with us in all of it. We cap our working hours and built the company so it doesn't need us on call. We make decisions based on lifestyle richness, which for us means owning every hour of our time and keeping room for our son, each other, and the work we want to do. I want that for you too, alongside a business that actually makes money. Every episode is built around one shift in how you think. Most of the problems I see in this industry start in the owner's head long before they show up in the books. Some episodes are pure small business strategy: operations, hiring and training staff, leadership, menus, pricing, marketing, events, and building a business that runs without you. Others are about what I'm living through, like pregnancy, loss, birth, motherhood, and sobriety. Both are on purpose. It's hard to take advice from someone you don't know, and the personal episodes are where you see how I actually make decisions. Pull up a chair. When you're ready for the operating system behind everything I teach, find Bula Boss at marinamars.com/bulaboss.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

November 2, 2026Episode 11312 min

ownership! i wrote you a job description (follow this SOP to get your life back)

When you opened your business, someone asked about your menu, your location, and your budget. Nobody asked what your job would be. So in this episode of Mocktails with Marina, Marina wrote one for you: an SOP for ownership that shows kava bar, non-alc lounge, and booze-free bottle shop owners what to keep, what to hand off, and what to stop doing before 2027. Grab a pen and last week's to-do list. You'll sort everything you do into four piles: own it, delegate it, outsource it, or delete it. In this episode: The short list of what an owner should actually own What your team can take on, and the two things that have to be true before you can delegate Which specialist jobs to outsource, and why it's usually the cheaper choice The free fix: what to delete from your week entirely Why the hardest thing to hand off is the thing you're best at How Marina and Tyler split their family business by strengths Resources mentioned: Join the Early Bird VIP list for holiday offers nobody else will see → https://tally.so/r/2EMMze Questions? Email Marina at hello@marinamars.com . Visit us and learn more: https://www.marinamars.com/themodernmocktail

October 26, 2026Episode 11212 min

never spend dollars counting pennies

Marina once watched a business spend more than $100,000 in two years switching point of sale systems, all to save a few hundred dollars a month. In this episode of Mocktails with Marina, she breaks down why so many kava bar, non-alc lounge, and booze-free bottle shop owners lose real money trying to save money, and why the hours you spend counting pennies cost more than the pennies themselves. Grab a pen. You'll work out what an hour of your time is actually worth, and it might change the next decision you make. In this episode: The $100,000 lesson from four POS systems in two years How to calculate what your hour is worth, and why most owners pay themselves $20 an hour without realizing it Why cheap is the most expensive word in your business How penny-pinching is usually fear, and why the instinct to save that kept many of our families afloat doesn't always serve a business Knowing your numbers versus doing the counting, and which one is actually your job Buying back your hours, and why that's the whole point of owning a business Resources mentioned: Join the Early Bird VIP list for holiday offers nobody else will see → https://tally.so/r/2EMMze Did you find this episode AFTER the holiday season? Learn more about us and what we do: www.marinamars.com/themodernmocktail Questions? Email Marina at hello@marinamars.com .

October 19, 2026Episode 11112 min

what a sober mama wishes your kava bar knew before thanksgiving

Marina sits on both sides of the counter. She's a consultant who has worked with more than a thousand beverage businesses since 2014, and between Thanksgiving and New Year's she's also your customer: a sober woman, and now a sober mama heading into her son's first holiday season. In this episode of Mocktails with Marina, she shares five things she wishes every kava bar, non-alc lounge, and booze-free bottle shop owner knew before Thanksgiving, and what she's watched it cost owners who don't. Thanksgiving is about five weeks away. If you haven't planned your season yet, this is the episode to listen to this week. In this episode: The February cliff, and why your January crowd disappears Why your customers aren't coming for the seasonal menu, and what they're looking for instead Why free product costs you twice, and what giving actually looks like The people in your city who need you this season and have no idea you exist How your January visitors decide whether you're part of their life Protecting your energy and your team's through the busiest six weeks of the year Resources mentioned: The Giving Season Playbook, a free holiday guide for kava bar, non-alc lounge, and booze-free bottle shop owners with a season calendar, event ideas, survival packs, holiday offers, and built-in AI prompts → https://tally.so/r/1A1Q4b Questions? Email Marina at hello@marinamars.com .

October 12, 2026Episode 11013 min

being needed is the most expensive feeling

When was the last time you went a full Saturday without checking your phone? In this episode of Mocktails with Marina, Marina takes kava bar, non-alc lounge, and booze-free bottle shop owners through six mindset shifts about what it really costs when your business can't run without you. If you've ever worn your exhaustion as proof of how much you care, this one is for you. In this episode: Why being needed is the most expensive feeling in your business The math on how many hours a year your presence is propping up your business How owners hire themselves into the one job nobody can cover Why busy is where we hide, and why 80% as good beats not at all Why your regulars are loyal to a feeling, and how a feeling becomes culture Getting ready for the hard season before it arrives Resources mentioned: Community That Nurtures You Back, a free guide with five chapters and five ten-minute AI exercises for kava bar and non-alc business owners → https://tally.so/r/1Ajelg Questions? Email Marina at hello@marinamars.com .

October 5, 2026Episode 10911 min

i took a client call before my dad's wake: building a business for your worst day

After four months away, Marina is back. In the comeback episode of Mocktails with Marina, she shares why the show went quiet after episode 108 and what kept her family business running while she stepped away to grieve the loss of her father. If you own or operate a kava bar, sober lounge, bottle shop, or non-alc beverage brand, this episode is a gut check: is your business built for your best day, or for the day you can't show up? In this episode: Why the show paused and what this summer looked like How Marina and Tyler built a business that kept serving clients through a newborn and a family loss Four questions to find out what breaks first when you disappear for two weeks Why income that comes in while you're offline is part of lifestyle richness Coming back after a hard season, and why you should come back small What's new on the show this season, and the return of the weekly newsletter Resources mentioned: Join the weekly newsletter → marinamars.com/contact New here? Start with the episodes on the podcast page at marinamars.com/mocktailswithmarina .

May 29, 2026Episode 10722 min

commitment: what it takes to really make it (professionals vs hobbyists)

What separates the entrepreneurs who actually make it from the ones who almost do? In this episode of Mocktails with Marina, we're talking about commitment not the motivational poster version, but the real, unglamorous, show-up-on-a-Tuesday version that actually builds businesses. Marina breaks down the core difference between professional and hobbyist business owners: it's not talent, it's not strategy, it's what you do when keeping your word costs you something. If you've ever quietly let a commitment slide, pivoted before giving your strategy a real runway, or felt the pull to shrink your way out of a financial problem this episode is for you. What we cover: The professional vs. hobbyist mindset — Why the difference has nothing to do with how much you work and everything to do with what you do when you don't want to. Contracts and follow-through — Your contract is a record of what you agreed to when you were thinking clearly. Marina gets real about what it means to honor agreements even when they're uncomfortable, underpriced, or inconvenient and why your reputation is built in exactly those moments. Making more vs. cutting back — When cash flow tightens, the hobbyist asks what to cut. The professional asks what to create. Marina shares why shrinking is almost never the right first move, and how she uses her own podcast and course ecosystem to drive revenue instead of pulling back. Operating from love, not fear — Building directly off Episode 107, Marina connects commitment to the love vs. fear framework: fear asks how to get out, love asks how to get through. Same situation, completely different outcome. Commitment and identity — Why the clarity doesn't come before the commitment. It comes after. And how fully committing to your business identity changes the decisions you make, the clients you attract, and the results you see. This episode is especially relevant for non-alcoholic beverage entrepreneurs, podcast-based business owners, and service providers navigating retainer work, client agreements, and the day-to-day reality of building something sustainable. Resources mentioned: Bula Boss → marinamars.com/bulaboss

May 15, 2026Episode 10715 min

love, as a state: there are 2 types of business owners (which one are you?)

There are two types of non-alcoholic beverage business owners: those who build from love, and those who build from fear. In this episode of Mocktails with Marina, Marina breaks down exactly what each type looks like in practice and how to tell which one you actually are. Fear-based operators underprice their bottles before the buyer even flinches. They say yes to venues that don't align because they need the validation. They post and immediately check the metrics to find out how they feel about themselves. They look productive. But they're exhausted. Love-based operators what (Marina calls Bula Bosses) build differently. They price from belief. They create when they have something to say. They turn down partnerships that compromise the brand they actually want to build. In this episode you'll learn: The specific behaviors that signal fear-based business operation What it actually looks like to run a non-alc brand from a place of love and conviction The meaning of "Bula Boss" and why this framework was built for the sober and non-alcoholic industry Practical ways to begin shifting from fear to love as your default operating state Why the difference isn't about revenue, it's about whether you recognize yourself in what you've built Whether you're a non-alcoholic beverage founder, a sober-curious entrepreneur, or someone building a brand in the zero-proof space, this episode will challenge how you think about the decisions behind your business. Learn more about becoming a Bula Boss at www.marinamars.com/bulaboss .

May 15, 2026Episode 10627 min

flow state: a holistic approach to lifestyle richness through your business

Flow State: A Holistic Approach to Lifestyle Richness Through Your Business What does it actually feel like when your business is working; not just producing results, but genuinely working for you? In this episode of Mocktails with Marina, Marina breaks down flow state as a business design problem, not a personality trait. Drawing on nearly 30 years as a trained dancer, she explains why flow isn't mystical or accidental, it's what happens when you know your target and your structure supports you in moving toward it. Lose that clarity and everything starts to feel like friction. This episode is for entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and independent business owners who feel like they're working hard but not thriving and want to understand why. Marina introduces her three-dimension framework for flow in business: energetic alignment (doing the right work at the right time), structural permission (building a business that actually gives you room to be your best), and meaning depth (knowing why the work matters to you right now). She also shares five reflection questions that reveal exactly where your flow is blocked and closes with a short, honest conversation about how sobriety, presence, and business design are more connected than most people realize. No course pitch. No call to action. Just a conversation worth sitting with. In this episode: What flow state actually is and why most business structures make it impossible The difference between being productive and being alive in your work Why losing your target is what creates tension and friction (not lack of effort) The three things that either create or kill flow in your business Five questions to identify where you're blocked How full presence is the prerequisite for everything else If something comes up for you, email Marina directly: hello@marinamars.com Mocktails with Marina is a podcast about entrepreneurship, identity, and lifestyle design for people building businesses that actually fit their lives.

April 28, 2026Episode 10516 min

Family management & designing your household operations to share the load

what does it actually look like to build a business and a life at the same time without sacrificing one for the other? in this episode of Mocktails with Marina, Marina pulls back the curtain on how she and her husband have designed their household to run with the same clarity and intention as a business. from defined roles and shared documentation to the mindset shift that changed everything, this conversation is equal parts practical and permission-giving. Marina shares how she works up to 20 hours a week while running a business that fully supports her family and why that didn't happen by accident. you'll hear how she and her husband divided household responsibilities, why they treat family management like operations, and how Notion became the digital backbone of everything from grocery lists to financial planning. this episode also gets real about the postpartum season and what it taught Marina about the power of having systems before you need them and why clarity between partners is one of the most loving things you can build into a household. if you've been feeling the weight of running a home and a business at the same time, this one is for you. in this episode: — why Marina is done with the "working class hero" narrative and what she believes instead — how she and her husband divide executive responsibility at home without rigid, black-and-white roles — using Notion for household management, financial planning, and family operations — what postpartum taught her about sustainable systems and shared load — designing a life around presence, flexibility, and intentional business building — how her podcast supports her family without requiring her to be constantly on Learn more about us and what we do: www.marinamars.com/themodernmocktail

April 22, 2026Episode 10431 min

Maternity leave & the first 40 days as a business owner

Nobody hands you maternity leave when you run your own business. You build it or you don't take one. In this episode, Marina gets into exactly how she prepared for maternity leave as a consultant with active retainer clients, what the first 40 days of postpartum actually looked like as a business owner, and what she would do differently if she had to do it all again. This is the episode for every freelancer, consultant, and service provider who has wondered how to step away without losing clients, income, or momentum and for every new or expecting mom trying to figure out what sustainable business ownership actually looks like in the hardest season of her life. Topics covered: — How to prepare your retainer clients for your maternity leave — What to batch, what to delegate, and what to let go — The first 40 days postpartum: what nobody tells business owners — Why presence (not productivity) is what good preparation buys you — How a podcast can generate income while you're completely offline — Profitable Podcasting Without Sales Calls: the program that kept earning while Marina was in her first 40 days If your business only works when you do, this episode is the wake-up call and the roadmap. https://themodernmocktail.thrivecart.com/profitable-podcasting/