Creating Authentic Connection with Christina Kimbrough '11

Meet Christina Kimbrough ‘11, founder of Free Life and a community organizer committed to providing authentic connections – without alcohol. Her Malone experience was integral in making it happen. 

Christina had a mixed relationship with alcohol after graduating from Malone, where her habit of social drinking eventually took up more and more space in her life. Right before the pandemic in 2020, Christina realized she needed a change. Stepping back from her life in Florida, Christina came back to Northeast Ohio to live with her grandmother for a few months. 

“The pandemic was great for me,” she remembers. “It removed social situations where I would have been drinking and gave me time to heal.” 

Upon returning to her home and husband, Christina realized that the social and community-building opportunities in her area often centered around alcohol. She joined a Facebook group of individuals who wanted to gather together without the pressure to drink, and they started organizing small events like coffee hours and outdoor gatherings. Their group quickly grew to over five hundred people and Christina found herself as a community organizer. 

While Christina never saw herself as an entrepreneur, in 2023 she opened Free Life: an organization committed to making it “easier, cooler, and more joyful to live alcohol-free.” 

“The best part of it all is the community,” she shares. “People get together to connect and realize they never needed alcohol in the first place.” 

Christina sees Malone as playing a huge role in this journey: not only did her degree in Communication Arts prepare her to create a compelling, story-driven brand, but her time on campus was a formative experience in understanding how true, authentic community could look and feel. 

“Community is an ethos within Malone, and my time at Malone taught me the importance of relationships and healthy community.” 

Christina still keeps in touch with several friends from her time here on campus, including her roommate. When she’s not pouring her time into the Free Life community, Christina enjoys running, yoga, and being with friends. 

You can learn more about Free Life on their website, freelifellc.com, and by following them on Facebook or Instagram at @freelifellc.

Pictured: a Free Life community event