RISING ICON #92: Marin Nelson
What name do you prefer to be called?
Marin (pronounced like “FAR”)
What are your pronouns?
she/her (and thank you for asking!)
Where did you grow up?
St. Paul, Minnesota
What city are you currently based in?
Afton, Minnesota (my 20-something Brooklyn residing self would be horrified but I’m here for this 40-something farm life)
How do you typically introduce yourself to new people?
Loudly (and with a hug)
What’s one thing you wish more people knew about you?
If you’ve heard any of my podcasts, you’ll quickly learn that I believe in sharing our darkest moments so we can help reach others and eliminate shame and stigma. That said, no one is with me when I’m out talking to the trees, the hummingbirds, the moon. I lost my mom, Nancy Nelson, to pancreatic cancer 4 years ago and I connect with her through nature. She was a fierce advocate for women’s rights and children. I definitely feel her living through me in the work I do today.
Who do you help?
Any employee or family member seeking support with substance use disorder or sober curiosity.
What are you building now?
An enterprise benefit solution to meet the needs of the 46 million Americans who are suffering with SUD, and the 2 out of 3 family members who are impacted.
What were you building ten years ago today?
I was selling for a healthcare SAAS startup to the largest insurance companies in the world. The goal was to bring price and quality transparency to the individual making healthcare decisions for themselves and their families.
What do you predict of yourself 10 years from now?
I hope Sobrynth is a household name - that everyone knows we’re here to help and that they don’t need to navigate sobriety or SUD alone. Whether it’s Sobrynth or I’m off working on another passion project, I am confident I’ll still be tackling the most challenging, and stigmatizing needs. My passion for bettering access to care, eliminating shame, and empowering others to live their truth out loud drives me.
What’s a fact or statistic you wish everyone knew about your industry?
That 70% of the 46M with SUD are employed. And that we do recover! 21m Americans are in recovery and we are amazing workers - we take 10% fewer days off and are retained at a 22% higher rate. It’s just good business to be a recovery friendly workplace.
Why do you believe the work you do matters?
Because no one should suffer alone, in silence. Whether you’re a mom worried about your teenager’s substance use, or you just want to use less but don’t know how to start, we’re here to walk this personal, sober journey alongside you. I would not have 19 years of sustained sobriety if it hadn’t been for all the people who came before me and held my hand through the process.
Who is your mentor and what is the best advice they’ve given you?
Ingrid Lindberg was my mentor for 15 years before joining me as a co-founder of Sobrynth. She showed me that passion for purpose is possible in work. Her belief in me and in this vision gave me the confidence to take the leap and build this company. And I’m so happy to be doing it alongside her.
What piece of content about you or your company are you most proud of?
We just had an awesome review with one of our customers and they read out the personal emails that employees sent in following the launch of our partnership. The honesty in these employees’ stories brought me to tears. Here they were, feeling safe to share their sobriety date with the HR team, because we had provided language and a framework to make being sober, or asking for help, ok. More than ok but encouraged and celebrated. There’s nothing more meaningful than seeing the impact on individual lives up close. We’ll be turning these stories into public facing content later this year!
What publication do you hope to appear in next?
SHRM now, NYT next.
Who would you love to be interviewed by?
Rebecca Jarvis at ABC (Business Correspondent). I am eager for the market to see that investing in recovery ready workplace benefits is not only the right thing to do for your employees and their families, but it just makes good business sense.
If you had to give a TEDTalk tomorrow, what would the title be?
Changing workplace culture, one sober journey at a time.
What award would mean the most to win?
Whichever one inspires all workplaces to see SUD benefits as table stakes.
What makes zero sense to you?
When people assume SUD is a moral failing. SMH.
What’s a word in your industry you hope gets re-evaluated?
Recovery versus Sobriety. Language is personal. Follow the lead of how people identify. Both words are valid.
What game are you changing?
Bringing sobriety out of the closet and into the light so others can see it’s possible. And doing it at work.
What’s the next thing you’re a part of that you want to invite more people to participate in?
TCSW! We’re speaking on the morning of Tuesday, September 17 on sobriety in the workplace and then we will also be sitting on a panel of female founders. With the stat still hovering around less than 2% of Venture Cap money going to female founder-led companies, it is great to have opportunities to talk about what it is like for us (link for tickets: Home - Twin Cities Startup Week 2024 (cvent.com) )
Where can we follow you online?
https://www.linkedin.com/company/sobrynth
What’s one thing that makes every leader better?
Breathing. Remembering that this is all a journey, so flow with it. If I’m grounded, I’m a much better leader, friend, mom, wife.
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We’re grateful to each Rising ICON for their transformative work. Thank you, Marin, for sharing your story!
LAUREL is a media relations partner for bold leadership. For nearly a decade, we’ve helped leaders build effective strategies for scale and growth specializing in key opinion leadership and go-to-market strategy for emerging brands. To follow along with the RISING ICONS series, nominate a leader or subscribe to our weekly email newsletter. To accelerate your own rise, get our free guide to elevating your leadership profile, FIT(lite). RISING ICONS is made possible by grant funding from Knight Foundation.
“My passion for bettering access to care, eliminating shame, and empowering others to live their truth out loud drives me.”
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