Summer House's Carl Radke Makes a Bold Move: Leaves Loverboy Amid Complex Friendship Dynamics with Kyle Cooke tram

Carl Radke understands that business and friendship don't always mix.

The Summer House star spoke with PEOPLE ahead of Monday's season 7 premiere about the challenges of working atLoverboy, the beverage brand founded by castmate Kyle Cooke, where he servedas vice president of sales.

"I've been working really hard with Loverboy for the last three and a half years. Coming into the summer, I think I kind of hit a point where I wanted to really sit down with Kyle and kind of discuss my future and what that looks like," says Radke of what's to come on the new season.

ET confirmed on Friday that Radke cut ties with Loverboy, but is staying on as an investor.

Radke tells PEOPLE that working and living in the house with Cooke and his wife Amanda Batula, who also works for Loverboy, created tension in their friendship.

"Working at a startup with your friends is not for the faint of heart," he says. "The summers for Kyle and I have always been fun. And the weekends are to let loose and kind of forget about the work. But unfortunately, this season, it's a lot of the work talk and a lot of the professional dynamic."

"There's just a lot of layers and it's been complicated," he adds.

Radke, who announced his sobriety in 2020, has been open about his struggles with alcohol and partying. His sobriety also played into his decision to quit Loverboy, which sells alcoholic tea and spirtzes.

"Let's be honest, I don't drink alcohol, and it's a big lifestyle change for me," he tells PEOPLE. "It's been hard. It's been a lot of late nights traveling, and I started thinking a lot in the spring before filming, 'Is this the best thing for me moving forward?'"

Batula spoke with PEOPLE about Radke and Cooke's business falling out, saying that she respects Radke's decision. "Their friendship is what's most important at the end of the day, and we support whatever decisions Carl needs to make, especially when it comes to his sobriety and what's right for him and his life," she says. "And he's been such a big part of the business for us for so long, and we love him and want the best for him."

Radke admits the situation left his relationship with Cooke "in a weird place," but after a recent dinner together, things are looking up.

"I'm optimistic about our friendship moving forward and what that looks like. It's going to be different, but that's okay," he says.

"It's going to be healthier for them to get back to a friendship and not just have a professional relationship," Radke's fiancé, Lindsay Hubbard tells PEOPLE, "because they got away from the friendship and it was just working relationship."

In January, Radke celebrated his two-year sober anniversary. On Instagram, Hubbard shared a sweet photo from a previous beach day to commemorate the special moment.

"Congrats on 2 years of sobriety to my babe!" Hubbard, who has been engaged to Radke since August 2022, wrote alongside a red heart emoji. "I am so beyond proud of you, your journey, your strength, and your dedication to becoming the best version of yourself."

Radke tells PEOPLE that it's in moments like these — being present and taking the reins in his relationships — that reinforce his sobriety.

"Trust me, watching old seasons back, it's pretty obvious some of my behavior. I'm just proud that I've been able to look myself in the mirror and use what's been going on the last seasons previously to make some discoveries about myself and try to grow up and prove that," he says.

He also shares that it's possible to "not drink alcohol and have a great time."

"You can be social and be in a relationship and have all the really exciting things. And it's opened up a lot of new doors," he says. "But it's the Summer House. I mean, we partied really, really, really hard on that show. I now can remember my weekends."