Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Janssen.
Hi Courtney, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m a mom, the founder of ERA Club, and an entrepreneur. Getting here took about 32 years, a lot of wrong turns, and a stubbornness I probably can’t fully explain.
I grew up in a small town in Northern Illinois. The closest store was 20 minutes away, cornfields as far as you could see. It was quiet in the way that makes certain people feel safe and makes other people feel like they’re suffocating. I was the second kind. I knew from a young age that wasn’t my life, and the second I could leave, I did.
What followed was years of figuring things out the hard way. I moved to South Florida alone at 20, threw myself into hospitality and nightlife, and got completely absorbed into that world. There were a lot of wake up calls along the way. A lot of trials. A lot of moments where most people would have stopped. I didn’t, not because I had it figured out, but because somewhere underneath all of it I always knew I was born to build something. Born to make my own way. Born to create community and inspire people, even when the version of me at the time had absolutely no business believing that.
I’m a big believer in the butterfly effect. Every choice, even the bad ones, especially the bad ones, put me exactly where I needed to be.
At some point I realized I no longer needed alcohol. It didn’t support who I was becoming, my health, my mental health, or the goals I had for my life. But what I had always loved about going out wasn’t the drink. It was the connection. The feeling of walking into a room and being present with people. And I realized I didn’t need alcohol to have that. We could build that same energy without it.
ERA Club was born from that personal realization, and from recognizing that so many other people were looking for the exact same thing. People who don’t want alcohol to be the center of their social lives anymore. We host monthly events throughout South Florida and are currently expanding into other states. Alongside that I’m working on several other projects and building toward something bigger.
More than anything, I just hope what I’m doing inspires someone else to bet on themselves the way I finally learned to bet on myself.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
If I told you everything I went through to get here, this interview would be a lot longer. I could probably write a book.
The road has not been smooth. But the road built me, and I’ve made peace with that.
I grew up in an unstable environment. The kind that shapes how you see yourself and the world around you in ways you don’t even realize until you’re well into adulthood. It took me until about two years ago to fully understand that you don’t have to be a product of where you came from. You can choose to stop looking at life through the lens of whatever you grew up in and start building from a healthier place, no matter what cards you were dealt. That was a huge shift for me.
I went through a marriage that failed. I dealt with postpartum depression that was one of the darkest seasons of my life. Toxic relationships that took more from me than I knew I was giving. I started drinking at age 12, which led to other substances later on in life, and it took me until I was about 26 to finally walk away from all of it. I spent years hiding that from certain people, living two completely different versions of myself depending on who I was talking to, and that kind of thing wears on you in ways that are hard to describe.
I struggled with my mental health. I struggled with insecurity so deeply rooted that I would avoid certain situations entirely rather than face the discomfort of feeling like I didn’t belong.
What I can tell you is that something shifted when I hit 30. My confidence started catching up to who I actually was. The insecurity I had carried my entire life started to lose its grip. I stopped hiding and started getting honest, with myself first, and then with the world.
I believe every single thing I went through, every hard season, every bad decision, every rock bottom moment, was part of something bigger. None of it was wasted. It all led me here, to ERA, to this work, to finally feeling like the life I’m living matches the person I always knew I was capable of becoming.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
ERA started from a very personal place. I was someone who had built my entire social life around nightlife and going out, and when I walked away from alcohol, I realized there was nowhere to go that still felt like me. The options were a bar where I’d be nursing water all night or staying home. Neither felt right. So I started building the thing that didn’t exist yet.
What I didn’t expect was how many people were waiting for exactly that.
ERA Club is a zero-proof social club based in South Florida. We host events built around real energy, real connection, and an experience that doesn’t require alcohol to feel alive. DJs, wellness activations, alternative beverages, curated atmospheres, and people who actually want to be present. We started in West Palm Beach in September 2025 and we’re already expanding into multiple cities and other states.
What sets ERA apart is that we’re not a recovery brand and we’re not a wellness retreat. We’re nightlife, just a different version of it. One that reflects where culture is actually heading. More and more people are paying attention to what they put in their bodies. Drinking culture is shifting. Health and mental wellness are becoming non-negotiable for a generation that still wants a social life. ERA sits right at that intersection, and we got there before most people were talking about it.
I’m a founder-led brand intentionally. My story is part of ERA’s story. I think people are tired of faceless companies and polished personas. They want to know who built it and why. I built ERA because I needed it, and I stay visible because I believe vulnerability and authenticity are what actually build community. It feels uncomfortable sometimes, honestly. But the connections it creates are worth it.
What I’m most proud of is the community that’s forming around this. People are finding each other at ERA events, forming real friendships, showing up for each other. That was always the point. Not just to throw events but to create a space where people who are done letting alcohol define their social lives can find their people.
That’s what ERA is.
What does success mean to you?
Honestly, it’s something I’m still figuring out.
It’s really easy to get caught up in the idea that once I hit a certain milestone, once I reach this number or land that partnership or expand into that city, then I’ll feel it. Then I’ll know I’ve made it, but the goalpost is always moving. And what I’ve learned is that even when people around you perceive you as successful, you don’t necessarily feel it from the inside.
I have people come up to me and say you’ve done so much in under a year, you’re making such a big splash, I’ve been hearing about ERA everywhere. And that genuinely means a lot to me. But in my own head I’m already three steps ahead, already focused on what hasn’t happened yet. That’s just how I’m wired.
So what I’ve had to learn, and I have to remind myself of this pretty much every single day, is that there is no finish line. The goalpost is always going to shift. Success isn’t a destination you arrive at and finally exhale. It’s more about the journey and staying present in the work, in each day, in each connection you make along the way.
For me, success right now looks like waking up and doing something that’s aligned with who I actually am. It looks like building something real. It looks like someone walking up to me at an event and saying this changed something for me. That hits differently than any metric ever could.
If you can’t find gratitude and joy in the journey getting there, you’re going to miss the whole thing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.eraclubwpb.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eraclub.wpb/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtneyjanssen
- Other: https://dot.cards/eraclub
