From Ad Agency President to Free Spirits Founder: Milan Martin on Career Reinvention, Purpose & the Alcohol-Free Movement

In this episode of Code 3: Life Reinvented, I sit down with Milan Martin — advertising veteran and former President at Grey — to talk about how he walked away from a high-profile agency career to launch Free Spirits, a leading non-alcoholic spirits brand. Milan opens up about the moment he realized the corporate climb wasn’t his second-half game, why discomfort is a signal of metamorphosis, and how he de-risked his midlife career change with micro-actions, side hustles, and a realistic runway. We dive into the realities of ad-world drinking culture, building a business across supply chain, sales, and e-commerce, surviving a lender crisis, and redefining success as peace, purpose, and doing work you’re proud of. If you’re feeling stuck in corporate life, curious about the sober movement, or ready to start something new, this conversation is a playbook for career reinvention, entrepreneurship, and the fast-growing alcohol-free cocktail space. (Note: contains a little explicit language.) To learn more about Free Spirits, visit drinkfreespirits.com. To learn more about MORE®, visit morecareerwellness.com.