17: Lead Well Live Well with Dee Blick & guest Naomi Partridge17: Lead Well Live Well with Dee Blick & guest Naomi Partridge
UK Health Radio Podcast
Holos co-founder Naomi Partridge talks with host Dee Blick about kombucha, building a social-impact brand, and juggling business with motherhood. The conversation touches on sobriety, setbacks, kindness and creating alcohol-free drinks that genuinely feel special.
48:10•6 Jun 2026
Brewed for Good: Holos Kombucha, Social Mission and Life Beyond Alcohol
Episode Overview
- Kombucha is described as a chilled, sparkling fermented tea that supports digestion through organic acids and probiotics while still tasting “incredible”.
- Holos was created with a core social mission: providing meaningful work and now grants for survivors of exploitation and trauma.
- The founders faced blunt feedback, market stall failures and serious supply chain shocks, but relied on shared purpose and resilience to keep going.
- Naomi speaks openly about daily overwhelm and imposter syndrome, and about using intentionality, awareness, pragmatism and play to stay grounded.
- Dee highlights kindness and alcohol-free living, showing how fulfilling, non-alcoholic drinks like kombucha can support a sober, health-focused lifestyle.
“If your impact is not hitting your operations, if it's not costing you something, then you have to question, is it true impact and what more can be done?”
Experience the emotional and inspiring tales of recovery as UK Health Radio’s Lead Well Live Well brings together gut health, entrepreneurship and social justice in one packed conversation. Host Dee Blick chats with Holos Kombucha co-founder Naomi Partridge, whose brand mantra, “brewed for good”, sits at the heart of everything she does.
You’ll hear Naomi explain kombucha in plain English as “an absolutely delicious gut health drink” and why taste mattered just as much as probiotics when Holos launched back in 2016. She shares the unlikely origin story that began on the streets of Phnom Penh, working with women who’d been exploited, and how that experience shaped Holos’ mission to provide meaningful work and now grants for survivors rebuilding their lives.
Business fans get plenty of honest behind-the-scenes moments: early batches “tasting like salad dressing” on market stalls, supply chain chaos just after winning an M&S listing, and the scramble to replace a crucial bottle during Covid. Naomi keeps it real about juggling a fast-growing challenger brand with parenting six children between the two co-founding couples, admitting, “every single day” brings feelings of overwhelm and imposter syndrome. The conversation also speaks directly to anyone in recovery or trying to live alcohol-free.
Dee openly mentions her own sobriety and the joy of finding a grown-up, non-alcoholic drink she can pour into a nice glass without feeling left out. Naomi’s reflections on swapping “shoulds” for intentionality, awareness, pragmatism and play will resonate with anyone trying to lead and live more consciously. Add in Dee’s commitment to kindness and you’ve got a warm, funny, and very human chat that might have you rethinking both your drinks cabinet and your definition of success.
Could a simple bottle of kombucha really help fuel a kinder, more purposeful life?
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