Lali & Aubs: What We Sip Through podcast has launched, a conversational series designed to encourage openness, connection, and shared reflection around life’s most difficult experiences. Now streaming across major audio platforms and YouTube, the podcast brings together candid storytelling, humor, and thoughtful dialogue, often over a shared glass of wine.
Created by Laila and Aubrey, the podcast grew out of private conversations between two friends navigating profound personal challenges. According to Laila, the idea developed naturally from the way they supported one another. “We were already having these conversations over a glass of wine, and they were helping us heal,” she explains. “At some point, we realized that if this space was helping us, it might help someone else feel less alone, too.”
Both hosts bring lived experience to the microphone. Laila shares that she lost her husband unexpectedly, an event that reshaped her daily life in ways she says few people openly discuss. From managing grief and paperwork to coping with the sudden absence of community support, she frames the process as isolating. “You don’t realize how quiet the world can become after loss,” Laila says. “What made the difference for me was having one friend who stayed.”
Aubrey, who lost her mother and has faced multiple serious health diagnoses over the years, explains a similar need for sustained connection. From her perspective, the podcast is not intended as a place to dwell solely on hardship, but rather to demonstrate that difficult conversations can coexist with warmth and humor. “We cry, we laugh, and sometimes we do both in the same episode,” Aubrey says. “It’s about showing that it’s okay to talk about the hard things, and to find light inside them.”
Each episode of What We Sip Through centers on a theme drawn from lived experience. Early installments have explored grief anniversaries, relationships, trust after betrayal, illness, and resilience. The hosts also incorporate lighter elements, including discussions of art, film, shared memories, and wine education, an area Aubrey has long studied and written about. According to her, wine serves as both a metaphor and a bridge. “Wine is something people gather around,” she notes. “It becomes a backdrop for honest conversations.”
While the stories shared are deeply personal, Laila emphasizes that the podcast’s broader purpose is connection rather than confession. From her perspective, the goal is to normalize vulnerability and reduce the stigma around discussing grief, divorce, illness, and emotional recovery. “We didn’t always find the guidance we were looking for online,” she says. “So we are creating the kind of space we wished had existed.”
The podcast has already begun attracting a diverse audience. Initially envisioned with women in mind, the hosts explain that listeners have included men who relate to themes of loss, heartbreak, and personal reinvention. According to Aubrey, that response reinforced their decision to keep the platform open to all. “Pain doesn’t belong to one group,” she says. “If someone hears us and feels seen, that matters.”
Looking ahead, Lali & Aubs: What We Sip Through plan to expand the series with guest appearances from individuals willing to speak openly about their own journeys through hardship and growth. Several guests, both men and women, are already scheduled to join upcoming episodes. From Laila’s perspective, those conversations will broaden the dialogue while preserving the podcast’s intimate tone. “We want people who can sit down, be honest, and not feel like they have to perform,” she says.
Produced independently using in-home recording tools, What We Sip Through reflects the hosts’ hands-on creative approach. The set design, editing, and visual identity were developed internally, reinforcing what Aubrey frames as the project’s grassroots spirit. “It started in a living room with a painted wall and a sign,” she says. “It’s grown from friendship.”
With its official launch, Lali & Aubs: What We Sip Through is positioned as an evolving platform centered on conversation, community, and the shared human experience. Laila says, “We are not here to have perfect answers. We are here to sit at the table, pour the wine, and prove that even the hardest conversations can be had with honesty, humor, and heart.”