What happens when you take the convenience people want and refuse to sacrifice the quality they deserve? In this episode of the Taste Toast Travel Podcast, I’m sitting down with Ken MacKenzie, founder of Fresh Victor, to talk about the evolution of cocktails, the changing alcohol industry, and the story behind creating premium cold-pressed cocktail mixers made with real ingredients.

We dig into:
🍹 How Fresh Victor came to life and why Ken wanted to rethink what a cocktail mixer could be
🍹 The problem with traditional cocktail mixers
🍹 How Ken and his wife developed the original Fresh Victor formulas at home
🍹 Why Fresh Victor was intentionally designed to work across different types of alcohol
🍹 The rise of mocktails, mindful drinking, and the growing desire for more interesting non-alcoholic options
🍹 Why Ken believes the future of drinking isn't about alcohol versus non-alcohol
🍹 How Fresh Victor creates an inclusive drinking experience where everyone can enjoy the same flavors
🍹 The challenges of building a refrigerated, fresh product in an industry designed around long shelf life and easy distribution
🍹 What happened when the pandemic disrupted the industry
🍹 Why Ken believes we're moving toward a more quality-driven, transparent, and intentional drinking culture

Whether you're a cocktail lover, a tequila fan, someone exploring mocktails and mindful drinking, or simply interested in how a beverage brand can evolve with changing consumer habits, I know you'll get a lot out of this conversation!

Connect with Ken:

• https://shop.freshvictor.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/freshvictorcocktails/
• https://www.facebook.com/FreshVictorCocktails/
• https://www.tiktok.com/@freshvictorcocktails

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After a divorce at 35 turned her life upside down, Jess Prudhomme found herself questioning everything she thought she wanted. The career, the marriage, the carefully planned checklist life she'd built suddenly no longer fit, and she had to figure out who she was outside of those expectations.

In this powerful episode, Jess shares how travel became a powerful tool for healing, self-discovery, and rebuilding confidence after one of the most challenging seasons of her life. What started with local trips and joining a friend's vacation eventually led to solo and group travel experiences across Croatia, Crete, Puglia, and Italy's Amalfi Coast, helping her realize she didn't need a partner to create a meaningful and adventurous life.

Jess also shares the inspiration behind her podcast, The Great Detour, where she explores life's unexpected twists and how those detours often lead us exactly where we're meant to be.

✈️ Navigating divorce, identity shifts, and rebuilding confidence in your mid-30s
✈️ How a group trip to Croatia changed the way Jess viewed travel and independence
✈️ Lessons learned from traveling through Crete, Puglia, and the Amalfi Coast
✈️ The realities of solo female travel, safety concerns, and building confidence while traveling alone
✈️ Travel mishaps you have to hear to believe
✈️ Why solo dining can feel intimidating and how to become more comfortable doing it
✈️ The story behind launching The Great Detour podcast
✈️ Leaving a Fortune 500 career for a year-long sabbatical focused on personal growth and inner work
✈️ Why life's unexpected detours often lead to the greatest transformations

Whether you're navigating a major life transition, considering your first solo trip, or simply looking for inspiration to step outside your comfort zone, Jess's story is a reminder that travel can be much more than a vacation. It can be a catalyst for growth, healing, and rediscovering yourself.

Connect with Jess:

• https://www.thegreatdetour.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/thegreatdetour/

💻 https://tastetoasttravel.com/
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🧳 https://www.tiktok.com/@tastetoasttravel
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Have you ever felt caught between cultures or wondered where "home" truly is?

In this episode I sit down with Urmi Hossain, author, speaker, podcaster, and multicultural storyteller, to explore what it's like growing up between worlds. Born in Sicily, Italy, to Bangladeshi parents and now living in Montreal, Canada, Urmi shares her journey as a third-culture kid navigating identity, belonging, family expectations, language, and cultural traditions across multiple countries and communities.

From growing up between Italian and Bengali cultures to building a life abroad in Montreal, Urmi opens up about the challenges of finding her place in the world and how travel, storytelling, and self-discovery helped shape her understanding of home.

We dig into:
✈️ Navigating life between Bangladeshi and Italian cultures
✈️ Identity, belonging, and the search for "home"
✈️ Cultural expectations and family dynamics
✈️ Moving to Montreal and adapting to a new country
✈️ Learning languages and connecting across cultures
✈️ Building community while living abroad
✈️ Insights from her book, Discovering Your Identity: A Rebirth From Interracial Struggle

Whether you've lived abroad, grown up between cultures, or simply love hearing stories about life around the world, this conversation offers an honest look at identity, resilience, and finding belonging across borders.

Connect with Urmi: https://linktr.ee/urmihossain

💻 https://tastetoasttravel.com/
✈️ https://www.instagram.com/tastetoasttravel_/
🧳 https://www.tiktok.com/@tastetoasttravel
🌎 https://www.youtube.com/@tastetoasttravel