Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol

Holly Whitaker is an American author, entrepreneur, and sobriety coach. She attended the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she graduated with a degree in business management economics. Whitaker began her career at an accounting firm in Silicon Valley before transitioning to a job at a healthcare start-up in San Francisco. In her work, Whitaker reveals that her drinking and drug use began in her early teens and remained a regular part of her life throughout her twenties. When her alcohol dependence escalated, Whitaker turned to self-help books and recovery programs to learn how to become sober. Eventually, she left her job to focus on her sobriety and her new purpose in life: educating others about alcohol and addiction.

Whitaker founded the online community Tempest in 2014 to offer resources for people healing from addictions. Tempest offered a positive take on sobriety that encouraged self-empowerment, optimism, and a growth mindset towards failure. Tempest’s curriculum included guided meditations, workshops, access to community, and personalized coaching. Whitaker managed the company until 2022, when it was acquired by Monument, which integrated it into their existing digital recovery platform. Whitaker is the author of Quit Like a Woman and the Audible audiobook 30 Days to a New Relationship with Alcohol.