Millie Gooch is the founder of The Sober Girl Society, a hugely popular Instagram community (currently 100k followers and growing) and one of the leading voices pioneering the sobriety movement here in the UK.
High-profile followers include Sam Smith, Bryony Gordon, Zoe Ball and Jameela Jamil’s iWeigh. As a journalist, she has written for a range of publications, and her campaigning work has been featured everywhere from ELLE and Stylist to the BBC and Evening Standard.
Tell us a bit about yourself, background and your current role
I’m Millie! I’m 29 with a background in journalism. When I was 26 I decided to give up alcohol because of the impact that drinking was having on my mental health and then started Sober Girl Society, a space for sober and sober curious women to make friends and celebrate being hangover-free.
Did you ever sit down and plan your career?
Never! This was a total happy accident. I didn’t even think SGS would become by career but it just grew beyond anything I’d ever imagined.
Have you faced any challenges along the way?
Definitely! I’ve always worked in offices so adjusting to self-employed life has been quite tricky. Social media can also be quite tough so I have to get really good at screen breaks and distancing myself from it.
What has been your biggest achievement to date?
Writing a book! The Sober Girl Society Handbook is now available to read at all good bookstores and it’s the thing I’m proudest of.
What one thing do you believe has been a major factor in you achieving success?
Being kind! I know a lot of people think you need to be cut-throat to be successful but I think my compassion and desire to help people live happier lives is more important.
How do you feel about mentoring? Have you mentored anyone or are you someone’s mentee?
I’ve done small bits of mentoring but I’ve never really been asked! I’m not an official mentee but I’m always asking different people for help/advice in different areas that I have no knowledge about.
If you could change one thing to accelerate the pace of change for Gender Equality, what would it be?
More workplace support for mothers, especially during this pandemic. I have a lot of friends who are relatively new Mums working from home with children who are falling behind at work because of it. A lot of them are struggling so much that they’re contemplating giving up their careers which is really heart-breaking.
If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self what would it be?
Stop drinking so much! It only holds you back from living your best life.
What is your next challenge and what are you hoping to achieve in the future?
My next challenge is trying to organise more SGS events in the middle of Covid – looks like they will have to be virtual for now!
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