What is kava? Where does it come from and how does it affect the body? My guest today shares more about the plant Pacific Islanders have been sharing in ceremony for thousands of years to relax and socialize with.

I sat down with Virginia Cherie, co-founder of Kavayn, a kava extract brand. Her co-founder Brad Tabone was invited to a farewell kava circle in a village in the Pacific Islands, woke up the next morning after the best night's sleep and no hangover, and called Virginia to build the go-to-market plan. Along the way, Virginia and her husband both stopped drinking.

We get into what kava actually is, how it interacts with your GABA receptors, why the traditional brew tastes like earthy mud water, and why Kavayn works directly with subsistence farmers in Fiji and Vanuatu instead of middlemen. If you've been curious about alcohol alternatives that still give you the ritual, the calm and the connection, this one's for you.

Find Virginia and Kavayn at kavayn.com.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• How a farewell kava circle in the Pacific Islands inspired a new brand, and why Virginia and her husband both stopped drinking along the way
• What kava actually is: the roots of a pepper plant, the kavalactones inside them, and how they connect with your GABA receptors to calm your mind
• Why Virginia describes kava as "a deep sigh" for anyone who has ever needed a drink to feel less socially anxious
• How Kavayn turns an earthy, bitter traditional brew into spirits, snap packs and gummies, and why coconut makes kava work better
• Why Kavayn refuses to buy from middlemen, and how micro loans support subsistence farmers in Fiji and Vanuatu
• The three pillars of calmness, connectivity and community, and how to reclaim the moments alcohol marketing has claimed for decades

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