Jackie Flanagan: Embracing Life's Detours & Twists on Traditions@amethystnon-alcoholicspiri7750| EP8Jackie Flanagan: Embracing Life's Detours & Twists on Traditions@amethystnon-alcoholicspiri7750| EP8
Mocktails Or Messy
Jackie Flanagan chats with Ryan and Kelly about swapping cocktails for mocktails, globe-trotting for live music, building a nonprofit career, and facing divorce and imposter syndrome with humour and candour. The conversation mixes light-hearted stories with personal reflections on ageing, identity and choosing new paths.
30:19•14 Mar 2024
Jackie Flanagan on Mocktails, Detours and Owning Life at 60
Episode Overview
- You can pause alcohol and still enjoy social occasions by subbing in non-alcoholic mocktails.
- Using concerts or specific events as anchors can help you actually take those trips you dream about.
- Early exposure to different cultures can shift perspective and encourage ongoing curiosity about life.
- Divorce can feel intensely personal and stigmatised, but it doesn’t have to define your identity on forms or in your own mind.
- Even experienced professionals can feel imposter syndrome, and acknowledging it openly may ease some of its grip.
“I think you're gonna go down one path, and then you just have to say, all right, this is what the universe had in store for me, you know?”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? Mocktails Or Messy brings in Jackie Flanagan, a tall, glamorous Pittsburgh native with a sharp sense of humour and a life full of detours, to chat about pausing the booze without pausing the fun. You’ll hear Jackie compare her beloved vodka-orange-cranberry "Madras" to its non-alcoholic twin made with Amethyst, while the crew joke through Dry January stretching into February.
The mocktail chat sits alongside plenty of laughs, as Jackie admits, "I guess I've just always been open to anything. I mean, live your life, you know? Do your thing." Jackie talks about travelling the globe to follow U2, turning gigs into reasons to see places like Portugal, Spain and Prague. She shares how a high school trip to Europe "literally transformed my entire life" and made her hungry for more experiences rather than stuff.
There’s New Orleans nostalgia too – fundraising at Tulane by day, bartending in a gay and lesbian bar by night, where "the girls wanted to do me and the boys wanted to be me." The conversation also gets heavy at times.
Jackie opens up about her late-in-life marriage and painful divorce, saying she still feels like she has "a scarlet letter" and quietly chooses "single" on forms rather than "divorced." Her honesty offers comfort for anyone feeling labelled by past choices. She also admits to long-standing imposter syndrome, even after 30-plus years in nonprofit leadership. Host Ryan Frankowski and co-host Kelly Flaherty keep things playful and affectionate, mixing teasing with genuine respect for Jackie’s resilience and curiosity about life.
If you’re curious how someone can enjoy mocktails, face heartbreak, question their career confidence and still throw themselves into travel and connection, this chat might spark a few reflections of your own. So, where might your own detours take you if you gave yourself permission to change course?
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.