Essential Ingredients Podcast (Justine Reichman)
Explore every episode of Essential Ingredients Podcast
| Pub. Date | Title | Duration | |
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| 05 Nov 2024 | 010: Rebel & Revolutionize: Tech-Driven Solutions to Affordable Plant-Based Meat Alternatives with Christie Lagally | 00:42:42 | |
“What a lot of people don't quite understand about plant-based meat is that you have to understand the industry that you are replacing.” —Christie Lagally
The plant-based meat industry is at a pivotal moment, with innovative companies harnessing the power of technology to transform the way we think about sustainable protein. By seamlessly combining cutting-edge manufacturing processes and high-quality products, these visionaries are paving the way for a future where plant-based alternatives are not just viable, but the preferred choice for consumers, institutions, and the planet. At the forefront of this revolution is Christie Lagally, the CEO and Founder of Rebellyous Foods. A mechanical engineer by trade, Lagally has leveraged her expertise to develop game-changing technology that makes plant-based meat production faster, better, and more affordable than ever before. In this episode, Justine and Christie dive into the challenges of building a business around plant-based alternatives, developing the technology and market strategy to succeed, the impact of the hype cycle, funding challenges, addressing health concerns, and more.
Meet Christie: Christie Lagally is the CEO and Founder of Rebellyous Foods, a manufacturing technology company working to make plant-based meat available and affordable for everyone. With a background as a mechanical engineer in the aerospace industry, Lagally transitioned to founding Rebellyous in 2017 to combine her personal values and professional expertise to address the negative impacts of industrial animal agriculture. Under her leadership, Rebellyous has developed innovative processing equipment to produce high-quality, price-competitive plant-based meat products, with a focus on serving large-scale customers like school lunch programs. Lagally is committed to creating a sustainable path forward for the meat industry to transition to plant-based production, driving positive change for the environment, human health, and animal welfare.
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Episode Highlights: 05:01 Rebellyous Foods: Challenges and Early Development 13:05 The Hype Cycle and Its Impact 23:55 Health Concerns and Future Plans 35:06 Collaborations, Partnerships, and Exit Strategies 40:00 Future Opportunities
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| 05 Sep 2023 | 001: Boosting a Healthy, Accessible Local Farm-to-Table Revolution with Andy Naja-Riese | 00:30:32 | |
“Sometimes, we can only make the choices when they're available to us.” —Andy Naja-Riese With six successful seasons behind us, we are thrilled to announce that Season 7 is live and ready for you! A hearty thanks to you for staying with us through the previous six seasons and continuously supporting the program. For us, you are not just our listeners. You are an integral part of this community. With lots of surprises and fresh series to pique your interest, we assure this season will be a unique experience. Our aim is not just to bring changes to the food system, but also to be a trusted ally for all respected founders and leaders out there. We are setting the ball rolling for this season with our former guest, Andy Naja-Riese, the CEO of the Agricultural Institute of Marin (AIM). A non-profit organization, AIM strives to educate, inspire, and connect diverse communities, dedicated farmers, and producers to strengthen local and regional food systems. Join Justine and Andy as they continue their enlightening conversation on bolstering local farmers and promoting a superior food system. Take the plunge as they discuss the challenges in the local food system, the struggles of every farmer, addressing the climate crisis and food insecurity with agricultural techniques, eating by the season, and how market matching can help in ensuring the affordability of local produce. After all, the end goal is improved food accessibility.
Meet Andy: Andy Naja-Riese brings 17 years of experience in community food systems, public health, and food equity programs & policy. As Chief Executive Officer, he leads AIM's major programs, partnerships, strategic planning, advocacy, and fundraising, including a capital campaign for AIM’s Center for Food and Agriculture in collaboration with AIM’s Board of Directors. Andy joined AIM in 2018 after spending 10 years working for the Federal government, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service.
Andy is currently the Co-Chair of the Marin County Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) Collaborative, serves on the Steering Committees of the Marin Carbon Project and Marin Community Health Improvement Plan, sits on the National Farm to School Network's Advisory Board, and represents AIM on the California Food and Farming Network & Food and Farm Resilience Coalition. He received the 2022 CVNL Heart of Marin Award for Excellence in Leadership and the 2023 Farmers Market Champion of the Year award from CAFF. He earned his master’s degree from the T.H. Chan Harvard School of Public Health and his bachelor’s degree from Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
He lives with his husband and dog in Sonoma, where he enjoys backyard gardening, cooking farmers market hauls, eating bagels, and enjoying Northern California’s natural beauty
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Episode Highlights: 02:02 Creating Change One Purchase At A Time 06:53 Farmers’ Challenges 12:24 The True Taste of Ripe Fruit 18:00 The Benefits of Eating by The Season 22:27 What is Carbon Farming? 25:51 What’s Next for Andy?
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| 28 May 2024 | 022: Adaptogenic Spirits— Ancient Herbal Wisdom for Modern Health Restoration with Connor Godfrey | 00:22:53 | |
“I try to remove ego from as many of these decisions as I can as that's one of the greatest inhibitors to future success.” —Connor Godfrey When external pressures or internal imbalances knock us from our center, discomfort and disease can take root. However, balance is not found by force but through nurturing what needs nurturing within. Therefore, by supporting our body's innate wisdom with natural remedies, mindfulness, and self-care, we allow its equilibrium to renew. Founded by Connor Godfrey, Rasāsvāda is a spirit restorative company that creates herbal spirits using traditional Chinese medicinal plants and ingredients. Rasāsvāda aims to help consumers on their lifelong wellness journeys through plant-based remedies without preservatives that promote healing and restore balance.
Listen in as Justine and Connor dive deep into nature-inspired wellness solutions, including traditional Chinese medicine and adaptogenic ingredients. They also share the importance of treating business obstacles as a game, balancing ego and growth, regularly assessing and pivoting the business strategy, including education in crafting marketing strategy, and more.
Meet Connor: Connor Godfrey is the founder and CEO of Rasāsvāda, a spirit restorative company based in New York City. Rasāsvāda creates spirits made from 100% plants and traditional Chinese medicinal herbs. Connor was inspired to start the company after turning to Eastern medicine to help heal from personal struggles.
Connor has a background in private equity and comes from a family with experience in herbalism and tea. As the sixth generation entrepreneur in his family, he leverages his knowledge of Eastern wellness practices to formulate Rasāsvāda’s adaptogenic products. Under Connor's leadership, Rasāsvāda focuses on education and innovation, with a mission to help customers on their wellness journeys through plant-based remedies and restorative rituals.
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Episode Highlights: 01:06 Eastern Medicine and Spirit Restoration 04:50 Business Partnerships and Navigating Challenges 11:47 A Focus on Adaptogenic Ingredients 17:47 Wellness, Education, and Education
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| 06 Feb 2024 | 006: How to Navigate the PR Timeline for Maximum Exposure with Kourtney Jason | 00:25:21 | |
“You have to give something away to get someone in.” —Kourtney Jason
For any small business, getting noticed isn't easy. Between all the noise online and in their communities, it's hard for owners to get their message heard. Hence, increasing visibility through smart PR and marketing can really help spread the word. When more potential customers learn about what the business has to offer, it leads to more opportunities for sales, growth, and success. This week, Justine chats with Kourtney Jason about getting publicity for small businesses and authors. Kourtney is the Co-Founder of Pacific & Court, a boutique book publicity and digital marketing firm based in Brooklyn. She helps small businesses and independent authors and publishers to expand their media outreach through various digital marketing services. Tune in as Justine and Kourtney discuss strategies for restaurants and startups to create buzz, the importance of following up, and tips for pitching media effectively. They also outline the PR process for hiring an agency and managing expectations as well as insights on digital advertising and maximizing publicity opportunities.
Meet Kourtney: Kourtney Jason is the President and Co-Founder of Pacific & Court. With more than 13 years of experience as a publicist, she has worked with and represented celebrities, world-renowned chefs, and bestselling authors. She led the in-house publicity departments at Ulysses Press and Time Inc. Books, and further honed her strategic communications skills at Bread & Butter and Smith Publicity agencies.
Since its launch in 2021, P&C’s publisher clients have included Ulysses Press, KeyPress Publishing, Jesse B. Creative, The Collective Book Studio, Rocky Nook, Dzanc Books, and more. She’s secured coverage for clients in top-tier national media that includes the TODAY show, Associated Press, People magazine, NPR, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, CNN, Oprah Daily, Salon, Reader’s Digest, and much more.
Her past work includes high-profile authors such as country music icon Martina McBride, actress Valerie Bertinelli, chef Todd Richards, TODAY’s Siri Daly, New York Times bestselling authors Syd and Shea McGee (of Studio McGee) among others. She is the author of five non-fiction books, including Lights Camera Booze: Drinking Games for Your Favorite Movies, which was included in the Academy Awards swag bags. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.
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Episode Highlights: 02:41 People and Perspectives 06:39 PR Strategies for Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs 11:17 The Importance of a Well-Written Pitch 16:03 The Importance of Building Long-Term Relationships with Professionals 20:08 How to Make Advertising Less Intimidating
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| 27 Jun 2023 | 025: Reimagine Your Diet— Elevate Your Well-Being with Functional Foods with Hoda Mohajerani | 00:31:39 | |
“We are A PART OF nature, we are not apart from nature.” —Hoda Mohajerani
At our core, humans are a part of nature, not separate from it. Our health and well-being depend heavily on the natural world around us. The modern world may have pushed us into a distance from nature, but if we want to achieve optimal health, we must ensure that our choices are in harmony with the world around us. By working with the natural rhythms of the earth, we can create thriving ecosystems that nourish both our bodies and the planet.
Founded by Hoda Mohajerani, Chakra Chai® is a heart-centered business that believes that food is not just vital for our bodies, but it can also heal the environment. Based on the Ayurvedic teachings on the interconnectedness of life, they are committed to spreading values that are in harmony with the earth and its people and are proud of their regenerative agriculture techniques and responsible business practices.
Their mission is not only to offer exceptional products but also to contribute positively to society. Being a part of the Eco-Alliance, Chakra Chai® is passionate about discovering sustainable packaging alternatives to reduce their impact on the planet. This is why they prioritize utilizing materials that are compostable, recyclable, and reusable.
In this episode, Justine sits with Hoda to discuss why we should be mindful of the food we consume and how we consume them. They also share how we can apply “regenerative” not only in agriculture but also in our business, how food can build a community, where individual and systemic change start, what Ayurveda means, what are chakras, and how we can nourish these energy centers. With so much valuable information to gain, you won’t want to miss this week’s podcast!
Meet Hoda: Following the loss of her newborn son, Arta, Hoda’s body, mind, and soul were in a state of disarray. Her heart was shattered, her energy depleted, and she suffered from chronic gut and colon problems. Hoda’s being was in turmoil while she struggled to find solace in her physical and emotional state. However, the sheer power of her will kept her going through the toughest of times.
While meditating at home, Hoda heard a whisper from her dear Arta: “Chakra Chai”. At first, she was not sure what it meant or what her little one was trying to tell her. Over time, though, she began to understand the profound message, delivered with the utmost tenderness and love.
Hoda received a download of information that she knew was sacred and powerful. She sat with her thoughts and quieted her mind, allowing for the message to sink in and take root. She knew that this was an incredible gift, one that she had to honor and pursue with all her being.
CHAKRA CHAI is the product of her loss and grief, but it has become Hoda’s mission in life to offer a drink that brings wholeness, balance, and strength to those who need it. It is a privilege to serve others, and she hopes that each sip of CHAKRA CHAI offers solace and healing to all those who come across it.
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Episode Highlights: 01:29 Inspired by Heritage 07:21 Deeper Into Regenerative Agriculture 10:07 In Tuned with Nature 17:50 Functional Foods 22:25 What is Ayurveda
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| 13 Jun 2023 | 023: How to Build a Good, Ethical Business with Sasha Millstein | 00:30:43 | |
"Do it for the love of the product, the love of the founder, and not necessarily the love of the bank." —Sasha Millstein
Thirty years ago, an incredible woman, by the name of Alicia Ethel Reinish, whipped up a recipe that still makes our mouths water to this day! She has been cooking up delicious pot pies for her local clients but she decided to share the love with everyone across the country. Hence, the birth of Aunt Ethel's Pot Pies. Led by her niece, Sasha Millstein, Aunt Ethel's Pot Pies offer restaurant-quality taste without any sketchy ingredients and are only half the calories of other pies. And the best part? It takes just 5 minutes to prepare!
In this week's episode, Justine and Sasha will be sharing insights about angel investment and its benefits, how giving back can be super valuable, tips on how to minimize the cost of mistakes, and ways to show respect for your product.
Plus, Aunt Ethel's Pot Pies is also cooking some new products for all the vegetarians out there! Finally, they'll wrap things up by sharing some insider knowledge about what you should keep in mind before investing in a company. You won't want to miss this one!
Meet Sasha:
Always surrounded by entrepreneurs, Sasha founded Aunt Ethel's to reinvent the ultimate comfort food— pot pie. By helping to create a nutritious, clean-labeled pot pie that is both quick and delicious, she hopes to fuel busy people the right way. Sasha hopes to grow the company keeping women centered in leadership and spreading pot pies far and wide.
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Episode Highlights: 01:30 Who is Aunt Ethel? 04:33 Angel Investing 10:59 The Cost of Mistake 14:25 Whipping the Right Ingredients 17:24 Health Factors 23:21 Formulating New Flavors 27:06 Success Takes Time
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| 18 Apr 2023 | 014: How to Accelerate Protein Transition with Chris Bryant | 00:22:18 | |
“Some people have an intuition that [alternative proteins] might be somehow bad for the environment because it's unnatural and that might upset the balance of nature. But in reality, animal products are one of the worst contributors to climate change and many other environmental metrics that you can think of. So reducing the consumption of animal products is one of the major ways that we can reduce our own environmental footprint currently.” —Chris Bryant
Protein is the building block of life, and it's crucial that we get enough of it in our diet every day. But we're hard-wired to crave meat, plus, we know how challenging it can be to find healthy foods that match up to the rich flavor profiles of meat. That's why there's so much excitement around plant-based proteins: they're taking over the market! This transition is not only beneficial for our health but it also helps us move toward greener solutions for our health while reducing our carbon footprint. Making this shift can bring about tangible benefits such as improved air quality, reduced waste and emissions, and healthier communities. Moving away from traditional methods of production is essential in order to achieve these goals. Bryant Research UK is one of the leading experts in advancing protein transition. Their team of experts in social science, market research, and policy analysis helps mainstream meat reduction and alternative proteins. Besides conducting independent research, they also collaborate with alternative protein companies and animal protection non-profits to help speed up this initiative.
In this episode, Bryant Research UK Director, Chris Bryant offers empirical evidence on how protein transition can help create a more sustainable future for everyone. Justine and Chris also talk about what makes protein transition so urgent, how culture and background shape people’s choices, what labels really say about animal welfare, how alternative proteins have progressed over the years, how misinformation affected how alternative proteins are perceived, and how businesses can make a successful transition in this trend.
Meet Chris: Chris Bryant is the Director of Bryant Research UK. He is an expert in alternative proteins and has published dozens of papers on the social dimensions of the protein transition. He has his MSc in Policy Research from the University of Bristol and his PhD in Psychology from the University of Bath.
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Episode Highlights: 01:43 Moving Protein Transition Forward 05:13 What Survey Says 10:03 What Labels Really Say 14:24 The Truth About Alternative Proteins 17:46 Facing the Horrible Truths of the Meat Industry 20:06 How Businesses Can Make the Transition
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| 24 Sep 2024 | 004: Bye Bye Bland Bites: How to Make Lunch Time the Highlight of the School Day with Betsy Rosenbluth | 00:29:45 | |
Series: Edible Schoolyards
Episode Description: “School meals are part of the education day.” —Betsy Rosenbluth
For far too long, the school lunchroom has been the butt of jokes and the source of dread for students and parents alike. Mention the words "cafeteria food" and visions of limp, gray mystery meat and rock-hard tater tots immediately come to mind. This pervasive stigma has reduced the lunchroom to a place where kids simply have to get through the meal as quickly as possible before rushing off to their next class.
By changing the culture and elevating the dining experience, we can empower students to see the cafeteria as an extension of the classroom, where they can learn about nutrition, explore new flavors, and take pride in the food that fuels their growing bodies and minds.
This week, we hear how we can transform the lunch room into a place of nourishment, community, and joy with Betsy Rosenbluth. Betsy is the Farm to School Director at Shelburne Farms, a nonprofit organization on a 1400-acre working farm in Vermont. For the past 10 years, Betsy has been spearheading efforts to expand farm-to-school programming across Vermont and support a national movement to transform the school food system.
Stay tuned as Justine and Betsy talk about the importance of tailoring programs to local needs, overcoming supply chain challenges, empowering students to make informed choices about their food, the benefits of building partnerships, and how farm-to-school programs are inspiring long-term impacts.
Connect with Betsy: Betsy is Co-Director of Vermont FEED, a nationally recognized farm-to-school partnership program of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont and Shelburne Farms. Betsy also coordinates the Vermont Farm to School & Early Childhood Network and the Northeast Farm to School Collaborative and serves on the Advisory Board of the National Farm to School Network.
Prior to joining Shelburne Farms, Betsy helped establish the Burlington School Food Project and Education for Sustainability programs in Burlington schools. She also helped Vermont FEED draft and pass Vermont’s first Farm to School bill and grant program. She led the effort to create a Lake Champlain museum on Burlington’s waterfront with a nationally recognized youth employment program. Most recently, Betsy was Director of Projects and Interim Director at the Orton Family Foundation with a focus on community planning, development, and engagement in small cities and towns.
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Episode Highlights: 01:06 Mission: Educate and Cultivate 06:38 Tailoring Programs to Communities 11:30 Getting Schools’ Attention 15:34 Getting Funding and the Importance of Partnerships 18:31 Incorporating Values 22:45 Celebrating Food Through Cooking Competitions 26:37 Empowering Kids to Try New Things
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| 14 Jan 2025 | 023: Customized Carbonation: Popping the Lid on Personalized Hydration with John Thorp & Buzz Wiggins | 00:39:36 | |
“There are ups and downs through all of that. You have to be prepared for those days when things don't feel like they're moving ahead. And you have to bring the same type of passion, the same drive on either type of day.” —John Thorp
“You're never trying to get a yes out of anyone you're talking to when you are an early founder; you are trying to get a not, no… If it's getting bad feedback, fix it immediately and go right back. You have the ability to change someone's mind after they've made an opinion.” —Buzz Wiggins
Sparkling water has become a beloved beverage for its refreshing fizz and health-conscious appeal. Yet, the environmental impact of single-use containers and the lack of customization options have left many consumers seeking a more sustainable and personalized solution. How can we rethink the way we enjoy carbonated drinks? John Thorp and Buzz Wiggins, the co-founders of Aerflo, have dedicated themselves to revolutionizing the sparkling water experience. With their innovative portable carbonation system, they are empowering consumers to take control of their hydration while minimizing waste. Tune in as Justine Reichman sits down with John and Buzz to discuss their entrepreneurial journey, the challenges of building a sustainable product, the far-reaching benefits of their approach to sparkling water, the benefits of having the right co-founder, the lie we were all made to believe about recycling, and more!
Meet John: With over a decade of experience as an alternative investment professional, John Thorp brings a strong business acumen and strategic mindset to Aerflo. John is passionate about designing sustainable products that improve the lives of consumers while also reducing environmental impact. Under his leadership, Aerflo has developed innovative carbonation technology and established a unique refill model to move beyond single-use waste. John is committed to building a company that creates positive change through thoughtful, consumer-centric design.
Meet Buzz: As a skilled designer and problem-solver, Buzz Wiggins has been instrumental in the development of Aerflo's innovative product design and packaging. Leveraging his expertise in product design and optimization, Buzz has led the team in creating a seamless user experience while also ensuring the environmental sustainability of the Aerflo system. Buzz's creative approach and attention to detail have been crucial in bringing Aerflo's vision to life.
Connect with Aerflo:
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Episode Highlights: 02:07 The Inspiration Behind Aerflo 16:33 Challenges and Prototyping 22:10 Business Building Lessons 31:50 Focus on Environmental Impact 34:30 The Lie We Were Made to Believe | |||
| 02 Apr 2024 | 014: Chocolate and Mushrooms: A Sweet Combination for Better Sleep, Focus and Beyond with Charlotte Cruze | 00:26:28 | |
“For functional mushrooms, you need to take a medicinal dose daily for about three weeks to feel something. They do not work instantly. That's a big gap in the market that people don't understand.” —Charlotte Cruze
When it comes to wellness, some pairings just make perfect sense. Mushrooms and chocolate may seem an unlikely match made in hedonistic heaven, but their union holds untapped potential.
Mushrooms have long been prized for their healing properties across cultures. Science now shows their ability to boost brain health, energy levels, and more. Chocolate, too, has benefits, with flavonoids that uplift mood and antioxidants aplenty. By melding mushrooms' functional powers with chocolate's feel-good compounds, a new generation of treats could emerge. This episode explores the exciting world of functional mushroom chocolate with Charlotte Cruze, the Co-Founder and COO of Alice Mushrooms, a company pioneering the use of functional mushrooms in delicious chocolate formulations. With a master's degree in Food Studies from NYU and over 10 years in the consumer food industry, she is dedicated to educating people about evidence-backed natural wellness solutions. Through her leadership of Alice, Charlotte is helping more individuals harness the profound benefits of functional foods like mushrooms in an enjoyable and effective way. Listen in as Charlotte provides an overview of Alice's three flagship mushroom chocolate products, their thoughtful formulation process to deliver both instant and long-term benefits, and tips for taking the chocolates throughout the day. Justine and Charlotte also discuss partner dynamics in business and the importance of complementing each other's skills, the role of education in spreading awareness of functional mushrooms' profound effects, as well as real customer success stories demonstrating the life-changing impacts of mushrooms.
Meet Charlotte: Charlotte Cruze is the co-founder and COO of Alice Mushrooms, a pioneering company crafting functional mushroom chocolates. She holds a master's degree in Food Studies from NYU and has over 10 years of experience in the consumer food industry. Prior to founding Alice, Charlotte worked on early-stage food brands and developed a passion for food's role in wellness. She is an advocate for natural, whole-food solutions and believes in food's power to profoundly impact lives. Under Charlotte's leadership, Alice has launched three flagship mushroom chocolate SKUs focused on energy, sleep, and arousal. She oversees formulation, operations, and education initiatives. Charlotte is dedicated to spreading awareness of functional mushrooms' benefits through delicious products and informative content. When not running Alice, Charlotte enjoys yoga, long-distance cycling, and learning about new functional foods. She finds fulfillment in empowering others to feel their best through high-quality nutrition.
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Episode Highlights: 03:14 Mushroom-Infused Chocolate 08:26 Different Chocolates for Different Feelings 13:23 Chocolate as a Functional Food 17:17 Formulating Functional Mushroom Products 21:13 The Benefits of Functional Mushroom
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| 07 Jan 2025 | 022 : Perimenopause and Protein: Nourishing Your Body Right Through Hormonal Changes with Meredith Mann | 00:27:37 | |
Episode Description: “You can't live out your best life and fulfill your passions… if you don't feel good.”—Meredith Mann
Perimenopause can be a time of profound hormonal shifts, often accompanied by challenges like fatigue, mood swings, and weight fluctuations. What if the key to navigating this transition lies in the power of protein? Meredith Mann, the founder and CEO of The Peachie Spoon, is a holistic nutrition expert and former personal trainer who has dedicated her career to empowering women to achieve optimal health and balance through simple, nourishing recipes and lifestyle strategies. Tune in as Meredith shares her personal journey with insulin resistance, the importance of blood sugar management, her experience and lessons learned from turning her hobby into a business, her insights on supporting perimenopausal women's health and wellness, plus much more
Meet Meredith: Meredith Mann is a CPT, holistic nutrition coach, and founder of The Peachie Spoon. Married for 19 years with three teenagers, she loves creating simple, wholesome recipes in her kitchen. She has written two cookbooks, runs the Well Made Academy online course, and has now launched The Peachie Spoon Nutrition Products.
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Episode Highlights: 02:11 Struggling with insulin Resistance and Hypoglycemia 04:40 From Hobby to Business 10:05 Developing and Launching a Product 16:42 Meredith’s Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs 22:47 Writing and Publishing a Book 26:11 Find the Ideal Recipe for Your Dietary Needs at The Peachie Spoon
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| 21 Nov 2023 | 012: Back to the Roots: The Principles of Regenerative Agriculture with Philippe Birker | 00:25:40 | |
“Most of the regenerative farms are still surrounded by conventional farms. Nevertheless, the food from the regenerative farm will be more nutritious and more healthy than the food from the conventional farms just 20 meters over the fence.” —Philippe Birker This week, we are joined by Philippe Birker. Philippe’s passion for regenerative agriculture's potential to address climate change and related challenges led him to co-found Climate Farmers, where he and his team assist farmers in adopting more sustainable methods. Hit play and join this insightful conversation as Justine and Philippe provide an understanding of solutions to climate change through sustainable food production. They also discuss the principles and benefits of regenerative agriculture, how regenerative practices help build healthy soil and increase biodiversity and drought resilience, the challenges of transitioning to regenerative agriculture, why regenerative farmers are the unsung heroes of the food system, and why a systemic change is necessary.
Meet Philippe: Philippe Birker is the Co-Founder of Climate Farmers, an organization working to transition Europe's food system to regenerative agriculture. Based in Portugal, Philippe bought an abandoned village in 2017 and has been rebuilding it while learning about regenerative farming practices. Prior to founding Climate Farmers, he worked for several tech startups. Through visiting regenerative farms across Europe, Philippe became passionate about the ability of regenerative agriculture to tackle climate change and other issues, leading him to support farmers transitioning to more sustainable methods.
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Episode Highlights: 03:00 Regenerative Agriculture and Its Benefits 07:05 The Lack of Support from the Current Agricultural System 11:14 A Need for Systemic Change 18:31 Regenerative Agriculture and Its Impact on Health and Climate Change 22:27 Regenerative Agriculture vs Conventional Farms
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| 06 Aug 2024 | 032: Eat Adventurously: Embrace the Unexpected Flavors of Overlooked Local Ingredients with Becky Selengut | 00:34:29 | |
“The individual decision is the difference maker.” —Becky Selengut
Our local markets and farms are brimming with a diverse array of ingredients. Yet, many of us pass them by because of their peculiar appearance or because we may be unsure of how to incorporate them into our cooking. But, by moving past our assumptions of how food should look like and embracing the unique qualities of these “ugly” and “misunderstood” vegetables, we can unlock a world of delicious, nutritious possibilities and transform our palates and perspectives while forging a deeper connection to the land.
Becky Selengut is an author, chef, and educator who has dedicated her career to inspiring home cooks to embrace overlooked, locally-sourced ingredients. Through her books, cooking classes, and advocacy work, Becky encourages people to look beyond the familiar and explore the diverse array of produce available in their own communities.
Join the conversation as Justine and Chef Becky highlight specific examples of overlooked local ingredients, the reasons these ingredients are often misunderstood, the importance of curiosity, experimentation, and a willingness to try new things when it comes to expanding our culinary repertoire, the impact of individual food choices, the divide between eating organically versus domestically, and how eating locally contribute to sustainability and improved local food systems.
Meet Becky: Becky Selengut is an author, instructor, podcaster, and chef based in Seattle. Her books include: Misunderstood Vegetables, How to Taste, Shroom, Good Fish, and Not One Shrine. Selengut is the co-host of the local foods podcast Field to Fork. When Selengut is not the chef aboard the M/V Thea Foss, she forages, makes a mean Manhattan, and shares her life with her wife April Pogue, their lovably loony pointer mix Izzy and their semi-feral gray floof Jinx.
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Episode Highlights: 00:34 Misunderstood Vegetables 07:29 “Ugly Vegetables” for Global Problems 13:14 Eating Locally and Sustainably 19:38 Organic vs Local 23:00 Individual vs Systemic Change 28:55 Reduce Plastic
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| 13 Feb 2024 | 007: Vegan Valentines: Crafting Ethical Artisan Chocolates from Bean to Bar with Daniel Korson | 00:25:21 | |
“My goal and still is, is to be able to create a business that's ethical from the farm to the end.” —Daniel Korson The emerging category of ethical vegan chocolate appeals to health-conscious consumers who demand transparency and sustainability in their treats. As demand grows for plant-based options produced with care and compassion, vegan chocolate represents an opportunity for small businesses to delight taste buds while upholding values from bean to bar. On this special Valentine's Day episode, Justine sits down with chocolatier Daniel Korson. Daniel is the Founder and President of Coracao Chocolate, an organic and fair-trade chocolate company based in California. After developing digestive issues as a teenager, Daniel was inspired to create clean, allergen-free treats and has grown Coracao into an award-winning brand known for innovative flavors and sustainable practices. Listen in as Justine and Daniel walk us through the process of crafting decadent treats, scaling production and ingredients, employing innovative practices like employee ownership programs and sustainable packaging, tempering chocolate, and maintaining high standards for organic ingredients and sustainability in the business.
Meet Daniel: Daniel Korson is the founder and owner of Coracao Chocolate, an organic and fair-trade chocolate company based in Berkeley, California. With over 15 years of experience in the specialty food industry, Daniel pioneered the category of clean, allergen-free chocolate. Prior to launching Coracao, Daniel worked as a pastry chef where he began experimenting with raw cacao ingredients. This sparked the idea to recreate nostalgic childhood treats that he could enjoy despite developing digestive sensitivities. Under Daniel's leadership, Coracao has grown into an award-winning brand distributed nationwide, known for unique fillings and a commitment to ethical sourcing from farm to factory. When he isn't developing new chocolate recipes or running the day-to-day operations, Daniel enjoys educating consumers and the trade about bean-to-bar production techniques. He also advocates for sustainability initiatives in packaging and farming practices. Daniel continues advancing Coracao's mission to spread health and joy through thoughtfully crafted confections.
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Episode Highlights: 03:15 Tempering Chocolate 08:17 How Employee Ownership Works 12:17 Sourcing Quality Ingredients 17:37 Ethical From Farm to End
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| 21 Nov 2024 | 015: How Functional Food Breakthrough Is Revolutionizing Menopause Management Gita Vellanki | 00:38:44 | |
Cha Cha Cha Changes Mini Series
Episode Description: Part of the success of an entrepreneur is owning your story and taking control of that journey. So you have to put yourself out there.” —Gita Vellanki
Menopause can be a challenging transition for many women, marked by a range of uncomfortable symptoms that can significantly impact daily life. While often overlooked, finding natural solutions to manage these changes is crucial for maintaining overall health and wellbeing. Functional nutrition offers a promising approach to addressing menopause woes, empowering women to take control of their hormonal balance. Gita Vellanki is the Founder of Neeshi, a CPG company dedicated to creating innovative functional food products that support women's health. With a background in corporate operations and a lifelong passion for holistic wellness, Gita is committed to destigmatizing conversations around women's health issues and providing natural solutions. This week, Justine and Gita discuss Gita's holistic approach to women's health, her mission to destigmatize conversations around menopause, the invaluable support of her entrepreneurial community, her meticulous research and development process, and the strategic vision driving Neeshi's growth. Tune in.
Meet Gita: Gita Vellanki is the Founder of Neeshi, a CPG company that creates functional food products to support women's health. After struggling with her own and her daughter's painful period symptoms, Gita was inspired to develop a natural solution using high-quality, nutrient-dense ingredients. With a background in corporate operations and a lifelong passion for holistic health, Gita has leveraged her expertise to build Neeshi from the ground up. She is committed to destigmatizing conversations around women's health and empowering others to take a proactive approach to their well-being. Under Gita's leadership, Neeshi has developed a loyal customer base and received validation from healthcare professionals. As the company continues to grow, Gita remains dedicated to creating innovative products that seamlessly integrate functional nutrition into everyday life.
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Episode Highlights: 03:15 Unique Challenges and Mindset Required in Entrepreneurship 08:26 Support Needed 14:08 Bootstrapping and Marketing Strategies 19:31 Family Involvement and Product Development 23:36 Product Line and Market Positioning 29:13 Research and Development Process 33:39 Expanding Retail
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| 03 Dec 2024 | 017: Serving Up Second Chances: How the Sprouts Chef Training Program for Youths is Transforming Lives and the Future with Kate Rogers, Nelson German, and Michael Bauers | 00:36:46 | |
“A job is a give and take. You give your time, you build momentum, and you build value in the community; but then you also receive financial remuneration. But this is about cooking as well, and the healing component of kitchens.” —Kate Rogers
“It's not just for a job, it's for the future. These kids are thinking long-term, which is something that is hard to see in the youth.” —Nelson German
“Just one thing going right can change your life.” —Michael Bauer
For many young adults facing hardship, the path to a brighter future can seem daunting. But with the right support and guidance, their lives can be transformed in remarkable ways. Empowering at-risk youth to find their passion and purpose is a powerful catalyst for change. Kate Rogers, the founder and executive director of the Sprouts Chef Training Program, has dedicated her career to providing comprehensive job training, mentorship, and financial workshops to empower young adults. Partnering with renowned chefs like Nelson German and Michael Bauer, the program is changing the trajectory of lives, one trainee at a time. Tune in as Justine interviews Kate, Nelson, and Michael to discover the inspiring stories, the program's holistic approach, the long-term impact of empowering at-risk youth through culinary arts, and more. This Giving Tuesday, you can give the gift of opportunity. $5,000 sponsors a life-changing 3-month paid internship through the Sprouts Chef Training Program. And the best part? NextGen Purpose will MATCH your donation, doubling your impact. Donate today and change a life!
Meet Kate: Kate Rogers is the founder and executive director of the Sprouts Chef Training Program. Driven by her personal experiences and a deep passion for empowering at-risk youth, Rogers established Sprouts with the goal of providing culinary training and job opportunities to young adults facing hardship. Under her leadership, the program has expanded to multiple cities, partnering with renowned chefs and restaurants to offer comprehensive training and mentorship. Rogers' unwavering dedication to creating positive change in the lives of the program's participants has been instrumental in Sprouts' success and growth.
Meet Michael: Michael Bauer is a renowned food writer and restaurant critic. He served as the restaurant critic and food editor for the San Francisco Chronicle for over 32 years, establishing himself as a leading voice in the Bay Area culinary scene. Since leaving the Chronicle, Bauer has dedicated his time to supporting the restaurant industry and giving back to the community. He currently serves on the board of the Sprouts Chef Training Program, where he leverages his industry expertise to help mentor and empower at-risk youth interested in culinary careers.
Meet Nelson: Nelson German is the chef and owner of alaMar, a popular restaurant in Oakland, California. With over a decade of experience in the industry, German has established himself as a respected figure in the Bay Area culinary community. In addition to running his own successful restaurant, German has been an active participant in the Sprouts Chef Training Program, serving as a mentor and providing hands-on training to young adults looking to break into the restaurant industry. German's commitment to giving back and supporting the next generation of culinary talent has made him an invaluable asset to the Sprouts program.
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Episode Highlights: 00:17 The Sprouts Chef Training Program 05:46 Meet Nelson 14:45 Changing the Lives of Youths 15:06 Meet Michael 25:09 Giving Tuesday 36:03 Youth Empowerment: Investing on Long-Term Impact
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| 14 May 2024 | 020: The Buzz Without the Bite: Clean Cocktails for Conscious Drinkers with Jennifer Roman-Matito Part 1 | 00:26:48 | |
“When one person makes the decision to be more mindful, more conscious, it starts to have a little bit more of a ripple effect.” —Jennifer Roman-Matito Conscious drinking is gaining popularity as people recognize that alcohol consumption is a choice where informed decisions matter. Younger generations especially are looking for drinking experiences to satisfy their desire to socialize without sacrificing how they feel. This trend speaks much about the mainstreaming of preventative health habits and considering ingredients in all areas of life, including how we enjoy social beverages. Jennifer Roman-Matito is the co-founder of Mother's Milk, a groundbreaking coconut water-based cocktail brand designed for health-conscious individuals who enjoy vibrant experiences. With a passion for creating unique products that reflect her island heritage, Jennifer utilizes her expertise in hospitality, marketing communications, and event management to distribute the brand, foster partnerships, and generate excitement within a diverse and adventurous audience. The conversation explores the growing trend of conscious drinking. Tune in as Justine and Jennifer define conscious drinking and discuss how conscious drinking is impacting the food and beverage industry, social gatherings, and the overall health and wellness of consumers. They also talk about the rise of ready-to-drink cocktails and non-alcoholic options, as well as collaborating on future events and partnerships to further the conversation around mindful alcohol consumption.
Meet Jennifer: Jennifer Roman-Matito is a dynamic entrepreneur and co-founder of Mother's Milk, a pioneering coconut water-based cocktail brand aimed at health-conscious individuals with a penchant for revelry. Armed with a degree in Communications and Media Studies from CUNY-Hunter College, Jennifer combines her passion for innovative products with her rich island heritage to craft beverages that resonate with a diverse and adventurous audience.
As a self-funded and female-founded initiative, Mother's Milk stands as a testament to Jennifer's entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to creating distinctive offerings in the beverage industry. Leveraging her expertise in hospitality, marketing communications, and event management, Jennifer spearheads the brand's distribution efforts, forges strategic partnerships, and orchestrates impactful marketing campaigns to propel Mother's Milk into the spotlight.
Through Mother's Milk, she not only offers refreshing libations but also cultivates a community of like-minded individuals who embrace wellness without compromising on enjoyment. With Jennifer at the helm, Mother's Milk continues to captivate taste buds, spark conversations, and carve its niche as a trailblazer in the beverage industry.
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Episode Highlights: 00:46 What is Conscious Drinking 04:28 Conscious Drinking and Its Growing Popularity 11:06 Conscious Drinking and Its Impact on Social Gathering 19:45 Conscious Drinking and Collaboration with Brands 24:15 Conscious Drinking and Mindfulness
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| 15 Aug 2023 | 032: Crafty Ways to Curb Kitchen Food Waste with Alison Mountford | 00:26:40 | |
“Your cauliflower is not going to save nor destroy the world. But as we all make these decisions all the time and we scale, it can add up.” —Alison Mountford The relationship between home cooking and reducing food waste extends deeper than just being a simple solution. It’s about making conscious, constant decisions that influence both our health and our planet. Reinventing our kitchen practices could not only help us savor healthy, home-cooked meals but also contribute to a zero-food-waste lifestyle. Founded by Alison Mountford, Ends+Stems, a meal planning service, aims to reduce household food waste and combat climate change. She leverages her 15-year career as a professional chef and entrepreneur to alleviate the stress of weeknight dinners and food waste. Alison's mission centers around reviving home cooking and supporting environmental sustainability. Listen in as Justine and Alison answer intriguing questions around food waste namely, How can we use our expertise to contribute to shifts in the food system? Do individual efforts truly make a difference? How can social media help us amplify our impact? What is the proper way to store low-moisture vegetables such as cauliflower and asparagus as opposed to high-moisture vegetables such as lettuce and celery? Lastly, if we find ourselves generating food waste, does it mean we failed?
Meet Alison: Alison Mountford is the Founder and CEO of Ends+Stems, a meal-planning service designed to reduce household food waste and stop the effects of climate change. Alison turned 15 years of professional chef and entrepreneurial experience into a solution to help eliminate both weeknight dinner stress and food waste in one clever step.
Alison is a passionate problem solver and approachable leader with a dual vision; to get households cooking again and to save the planet. Before building Ends+Stems, Alison founded Square Meals in 2005, one of San Francisco’s first prepared meal delivery companies. Square Meals was the first to market and helped define the trend of chef-prepared meals delivered to your door.
For 10 years, Alison grew Square Meals into a successful cafe and catering company and had the opportunity to cook for celebrities, politicians, and many influential companies. After selling Square Meals, Alison had a short stint as Procurement Director for a food tech company, solidifying her passion for reducing food waste.
Alison has been named a Rubicon Waste Fit Champion, was a finalist for the Spoon Tech Startup Showcase, has appeared on many podcasts and radio shows, and works as a food waste consultant.
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Episode Highlights: 00:48 Reducing Food Waste as a Cook 03:26 Using Your Expertise to Create Change 07:07 Do Individual Actions Matter? 12:37 Leveraging TikTok 17:52 Low Moisture vs High Moisture Vegetables 20:44 Look Forward
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| 09 Jan 2024 | 002: Regen Reset Wellness: Driving Continuous Waste-Reduction Through Digital Solutions with Meredith Danberg-Ficarelli | 00:33:08 | |
“We're doing some work, but not enough work. We need to move away from just talking about our impact, and we need to actually start making an impact.” —Meredith Danberg-Ficarelli Digital tools hold great potential to transform waste management strategies. By tracking waste data and providing actionable insights, new technologies can optimize diversion efforts and maximize recycling rates. This revolution in waste analytics promises to make resource recovery vastly more efficient and sustainable. Waste Administration and Tracking Software (WATS) is a waste management software company co-founded by Meredith Dannenberg. It provides tools to help businesses track, measure, and reduce their waste streams like trash, recycling, compost, and e-waste. Listen in as Meredith shares insights about digitizing waste data and processes, understanding local composting guidelines, choosing a co-founder wisely, addressing the issue of food loss, and focusing on action over just measuring impact.
Meet Meredith: Meredith Danberg-Ficarelli built services and operations as Exec Director of Common Ground Compost LLC from 2017-2022. She sits on the US Composting Council board of directors and was a founding member of the New York City Microhaulers and Processors Trade Association. She believes that materials literacy and upstream/downstream supply chain transparency are foundational building blocks of the circular economy. Meredith is a TRUE Zero Waste Advisor.
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Episode Highlights: 03:48 Waste Reduction and Entrepreneurship 09:26 Recycling Best Practices 16:03 Streamlining Waste Management with Digital Tools 22:01 Co-Founding a Software Company 29:13 Addressing Food Loss Across the Supply Chain
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| 29 Nov 2023 | 013: From Founder to Facilitator: How Shifting Perspectives Can Transform a Growing Company with Roland Siebelink | 00:22:14 | |
“It's only when we learn to also let go and let other people make suggestions that they can grow and they can become maybe even entrepreneurs of the future.” —Roland Siebelink
Navigating the growth of a business while maintaining control and vision requires a delicate balance of delegation and oversight. The key is to find that sweet spot where you can trust your team members to handle the day-to-day stuff while still keeping your finger on the pulse. By empowering your teams, you not only reap the rewards of their collective brilliance but also create a workplace where individuals feel valued and inspired to excel. After all, business success isn't just about numbers— it's about the people who make it happen. This week, Justine sits with Roland Siebelink, the CEO of Midstage Institute to talk about how entrepreneurs can take ownership of their leadership role while giving their teams room to shine. Listen in as they discuss leadership challenges that arise as startups scale up their operations and team sizes, key skills founders need to adapt to successfully guide their business to the next phase, how to shift our mindset from being a founder to a facilitator, and practical strategies for using feedback to clear the air after disagreements.
Meet Roland: Roland Siebelink helps tech founders go big without going corporate. He specializes in mid-stage Internet, software, and technology startups. He works with Silicon Valley-style companies in the Americas, EMEA, and Asia/Pacific.
Roland’s purpose is to enable founders of tech companies to scale so that they can keep growing their companies while keeping the unique startup zeal and culture. Roland’s clients have (or are seeking) venture capital backing and target a trade sale or IPO. His programs target restoring growth momentum, slashing the burn rate, upskilling the team and sustaining a 10X advantage.
With over 40 years of experience in Silicon Valley, Roland and his team at Midstage Institute have a proven track record of guiding startups from the brink of failure to the pinnacle of success. By leveraging proprietary strategies, insights, and hands-on coaching, he's the go-to expert for businesses aiming to achieve lasting profitability.
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Episode Highlights: 01:40 Helping Companies Navigate Growth Pains 05:32 Coaching Different Types of Entrepreneurs 09:06 Effective Communication and Conflict Resolution in Business 14:51 Leadership, Growth, and Delegation 18:16 Exercising Liberty in the Work Environment
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| 04 Jul 2023 | 026: Home Cooking Made Fun, Quick, and Easy with Daniela Kratz | 00:20:29 | |
“It's so important to have an antidote that shows us how beautiful it can be to make food at home and how actually joyful and easy it can also be. Because in the end, this will be healthier for us but also for the planet.” —Daniela Kratz
Cooking can be a therapeutic and satisfying experience, but it's not always easy to find the motivation. Between finding the right recipe, shopping for ingredients, and having to clean up after the meal, it’s no wonder so many people opt for takeout. But what if, there is an “antidote” so that we can enjoy the cooking process just as much as the final product?
Founded by Daniela Kratz, Farmhouse Lab is all about celebrating the joys of sustainable, plant-based eating. Their goal is to help inspire a plant-based revolution from the comfort of our own homes. Not only are they passionate about ensuring that every ingredient used is consciously sourced and crafted with care, but they also choose their partners with great attention to detail. They want their customers to know exactly where their food comes from and how it's made, so they can feel good about every meal they enjoy.
Tune in as Justine and Daniela share how simplicity can make our food of superior quality. They'll also dish on the key ingredients for a delicious, healthy salad. Plus, they'll delve into how Ayurveda's guiding principles can help us find balance, and the secret to bringing more joy to our mealtimes. Don't miss out!
Meet Daniela: Daniela Kratz is a mom of two who calls the SF Bay Area home. In 2016, she decided to shift gears and launched Farmhouse Lab’s specialty dressings.
After years of working in sustainability leadership for a large global corporation, Daniela realized that what inspired her was helping individuals make healthier and more sustainable food choices. She noticed that most dressings on the shelves contained yucky stuff like preservatives and artificial flavors.
So, she decided to take matters into her own hands and create high-quality, sustainably sourced, and delicious dressings. As a busy mom, she knew firsthand how hard it can be to whip up healthy meals on the go. Combining her love of entertainment and passion for sustainability, Daniela created a business that promotes a healthy lifestyle.
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Episode Highlights: 01:20 Passion for Fresh Food 05:18 Food, Health, and Art 08:05 Home Cooking Made Easy 14:34 The Principles of Ayurveda and Food 18:33 Bringing More Joy Into Food
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| 26 Apr 2023 | S6 Ep16: From Classrooms to Communities to Perpetuity with Stephen Ritz Part 2 | 00:12:09 | |
"We are the ones we are waiting for. And that from the ground up— in communities that needed most where we are both under-resourced and over-extraction— together, in community, with community, and with dedicated people, we can grow something greater." —Stephen Ritz
School gardens are popping up all over the country as more and more people are recognizing their value in transforming both the lens of public education and green literacy. These gardens are usually designed and built by educators, parents, or community members with the help of students.
The gardens serve as living laboratories where children can learn about the environment and the importance of eating healthy. They also provide a place for students to relax and connect with nature. Gardens can be found in all types of schools, from urban to rural, and they come in all shapes and sizes. They can be as small as a window box or as large as an acre. No matter their size, all school gardens have the potential to make a big impact on the lives of the students who garden in them.
This is the mission of the Green Bronx Machine Curriculum, an indoor gardening educational program that allows children to eat what they grow! Not only does this help them develop healthy eating habits early on, but it also increases their school engagement and opens up job opportunities. And it’s not just a flash in the pan – this program is here to stay as this initiative keeps growing.
This week, Stephen Ritz is back on the show to share exciting news and developments about the Green Bronx Machine. They also talk about how kids can now both enjoy exploring, planting, and learning both physically and digitally. Tune in and learn what we can do to help more kids experience the joy of education and personal eating outcomes.
Meet Stephen: Stephen Ritz is a South Bronx educator who believes that students should not have to leave their community to live, learn, and earn in a better one. An internationally acclaimed award-winning educator, Stephen is the author of the best-selling book, The Power Of A Plant, and founder of Green Bronx Machine Known as “America’s Favorite Teacher,” Stephen is responsible for creating the first edible classroom in the world, which he has evolved into the National Health, Wellness and Learning Center. He and his students have grown more than 100,000 pounds of vegetables in the South Bronx. He was a Top Ten Finalist for the Global Teacher Prize, named Global Humanitarian, Food Tank Hero, TEDx Prize Winner and a Global Food Educator, and has presented at the Obama White House three times. Stephen believes that together, via collaboration, coalition and get to yes solutions, we can all prosper!
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Episode Highlights: 00:53 Growing From 17 to 270,000 03:33 The Green Bronx Machine Curriculum 07:19 From Box to Garden 10:30 Together, We Can Grow
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| 01 Oct 2024 | 005: Raising Kids to be Food-Literate Adults Through Hands-On Education with Charlotte Steele | 00:30:56 | |
Series: Edible SchoolYards
Episode Description: “It's harder for adults to try new things. So when we build those habits with kids, they can disseminate that and spread that joy to their family members— it's really, really powerful.” —Charlotte Steele
Food education is a powerful tool for supporting kids' holistic development. By providing access to fresh ingredients, teaching cooking skills, and connecting food to culture, we can empower the next generation to make informed, nourishing choices that benefit their health and communities.
The Edible Schoolyard Project is an innovative food education initiative that integrates garden and kitchen classrooms into the school day, empowering students to explore the connections between food, health, and community. By cultivating hands-on learning experiences that foster food literacy, agency, and appreciation for local food systems, Edible Schoolyard aims to equip the next generation with the knowledge and skills to become conscious, confident consumers.
In this episode, Edible Schoolyard New Orleans Director, Charlotte Steele joins Justine to discuss the transformative power of food education programs that go beyond just teaching nutrition facts, the challenges of implementing these kinds of programs, the broader implications of these programs for global food education and the role of cafeterias in promoting healthy food choices.
Connect with Charlotte: Charlotte Steele is the Director of Edible Schoolyard New Orleans, a pioneering food education program that empowers students to build a positive relationship with food through hands-on learning in gardens and kitchens. With a background in human development and social relations, Charlotte is deeply passionate about using food as a vehicle to support the holistic growth and well-being of young people.
Under Charlotte's leadership, Edible Schoolyard New Orleans has become a model for integrating food-based education into the school day, providing over 4,000 student experiences annually across four public charter schools. Through her work, Charlotte is committed to increasing food access, fostering agency, and cultivating food-literate individuals who will carry these essential life skills into adulthood.
An engaging public speaker, Charlotte has shared her expertise on leveraging food to drive personal and community transformation at events throughout the region. Her vision is to see food education become a standard part of every child's learning experience, empowering the next generation to make informed, nourishing choices that benefit both their own health and the health of the planet.
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Episode Highlights: 01:08 Access and Agency 07:16 Understanding Food Access 11:57 Food and Community 15:30 Equipping Students with Essential Food Knowledge 20:25 3 Ways To Help Kids Build A Positive Food Relationship 24:56 Tradition and Mindfulness 30:01 An Important Life Skill
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| 25 Jun 2024 | 026: Nourishing the Body and Soul Through Mindful Cooking with Aishwarya Iyer | 00:32:20 | |
“The things that you run away from, you end up going back to as you get older.” —Aishwarya Iyer Because of our busy schedules, it's all too easy to rush through meal preparation on autopilot. But cooking with presence and awareness has profound benefits for both body and soul. With each conscious action in the kitchen, whether stirring a pot of soup or mixing a salad, we nourish our mind and spirit, as well as our physical needs. The mindfulness we cultivate over the stove can spread throughout our day, improving mood and relationships toward more conscious living. Aishwarya Iyer’s passion for conscious cooking inspired her to create Brightland, where she strives to elevate people's connection to their food through products that encourage mindfulness. By sharing the stories of the farmers and flavors behind each product, she aims to help customers more present and aware during mealtimes, allowing them to reap the mental and physical benefits of living in the moment while nourishing themselves and their loved ones. In this episode, Justine and Aishwarya talked about overcoming self-doubt, the importance of surrounding oneself with knowledgeable people, Brightland's organic and regenerative products, Ash’s strategic approach to growing the company, and the value of mindful cooking and making thoughtful choices to nourish both body and soul.
Meet Aishwarya: Aishwarya Iyer is the founder and CEO of Brightland, an olive oil, vinegar, and honey company based in California. She launched Brightland in 2017 after becoming passionate about food and cooking oils. Under her leadership, Brightland has grown to produce a variety of high-quality, organic, and regenerative olive oils, vinegar, and honey. Brightland partners directly with small farms to source ingredients and tell the story of sustainable agriculture. Prior to founding Brightland, Aishwarya worked in the beauty industry and tech startups. She credits her experiences in consumer products and the startup world with giving her the skills to successfully launch and scale her own company. Aishwarya is committed to building Brightland through a strategic and calm approach while delighting customers.
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Episode Highlights: 00:55 Walking the Path of Entrepreneur 05:19 Overcoming Barriers to Success 10:30 Mindful Cooking 15:06 Partnering with Local Farmers 18:57 The Value of Advisors 23:51 Emphasis on Quality and Uniqueness 31:02 AVoiding Rancidity
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| 19 Mar 2024 | 012: Nature's Nutraceuticals: How Medicinal Mushrooms Are Transforming Natural Medicine with Aaron Hodgins Davis | 00:21:21 | |
“In the case of a business, pick a few ideas, do them well, and scale them up instead of doing a whole bunch of things at a very small scale.” —Aaron Hodgins Davi The medicinal mushroom industry is primed for exponential growth as research continues to uncover the vast health benefits of fungal powerhouses. Research found that mushrooms support brain, immune, cardiovascular, and digestive health in ways no other food or supplement can match. As public interest in preventative healthcare rises, medicinal mushrooms are emerging as highly effective and easily accessible wellness all-stars. Hence, many forward-thinking farmers are now helping to bring these adaptive allies from the forest to the forefront by making high-quality mushroom products available nationwide. One of them is Aaron Hodgins Davis. Aaron is the founder and operator of Hodgins Harvest, a certified organic mushroom farm in Hudson Valley. Through Hodgins Harvest, Aaron cultivates medicinal mushrooms organically and sustainably while educating communities about their health benefits. This interview offers fascinating insights into the past, present, and promising future of the medicinal mushroom industry. Listen in as Justine and Aaron talk about the wide-ranging health benefits of mushrooms supported by research, their adaptogenic properties and healing applications, and their potential in the preventive wellness industry. They also offer valuable advice for balancing a side hustle with a day job, maintaining focus, keeping realistic expectations, and overcoming challenges as an entrepreneur.
Meet Aaron: Aaron Hodgins Davis is the founder and operator of Hodgins Harvest, a certified organic mushroom farm based in the Hudson Valley region of New York. As the chief fungi enthusiast at Hodgins Harvest, Aaron oversees all aspects of growing and producing medicinal mushrooms such as Lion's Mane, Reishi, Turkey Tail, and Shiitake. With over five years of experience in the mushroom farming industry, Aaron is passionate about cultivating mushrooms using organic and sustainable practices. He is also dedicated to educating communities about the health benefits of medicinal mushrooms through growing kits, extracts, and community outreach. Prior to starting Hodgins Harvest, Aaron worked in the documentary film industry for 15 years. He founded Hodgins Harvest as a side hobby that has now grown into a full-time career focused on the future of medicinal mushroom farming. When not working on the farm, Aaron enjoys foraging for wild mushrooms, cooking with culinary varieties, and staying up to date on the latest mushroom research. He aims to continue expanding Hodgins Harvest's organic mushroom operations in the years to come.
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Episode Highlights: 01:30 Hobby Turned Full-Time Business 02:49 Balancing Side Hustle and Career 07:25 Overcoming Challenges 12:07 Medicinal Properties of Mushrooms 16:40 Scaling Up Operations
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| 23 Jul 2024 | 030: Beyond the Symptom— Treating and Preventing Food Sensitivities with Functional Medicine with Dr. Heather Stone | 00:31:07 | |
“The industry responds to the consumer. If we would stop buying all of the processed foods, they would change. We have the ability to change the industry by where we put our dollars.” —Dr. Heather Stone
For many people, certain foods can trigger uncomfortable and sometimes debilitating symptoms. However, identifying the culprit foods isn't always straightforward. Through traditional trial-and-error elimination diets, it's possible to pinpoint sensitivities over time. But, by taking a holistic view of the body's systems and how they interact with diet and lifestyle, it is possible to uncover and address underlying imbalances that may be exacerbating sensitivity reactions. Dr. Heather Stone is a functional medicine practitioner who helps clients overcome food sensitivities and autoimmune conditions by identifying and correcting imbalances in a holistic manner. By focusing on nutrition, lifestyle factors, and reducing inflammation, she empowers people to take control of their health and minimize symptoms naturally. Listen in as Justine and Dr. Stone dive into the importance of addressing the root causes of health issues rather than just treating symptoms, how traditional and functional medicine can work together comprehensively for optimal patient care and health outcomes, how to clean up diet to manage blood sugar levels, reduce inflammation, and insulin resistance, what a balanced approach to moderation means, and the role of cultural competence and community in making lifestyle changes.
Meet Heather: Dr. Heather Stone, DC is one of the top functional medicine practitioners in the world. She has over twenty years of clinical experience in private practice. During that time she has successfully helped thousands of women overcome the symptoms of hypothyroidism & Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.
In addition, her Thyroid Transformation Blueprint has been used by hundreds of doctors, and thus has helped countless women return to happy, healthy, & lean. Her mission is to change the face of healthcare through her private practice, books, masterclasses, webinars, educational programs, and retreats.
Dr. Heather believes the body was born to heal and works tirelessly to remind her patients that the power to heal always comes from within. When she is not working to help her patients achieve their goals she is spending time with her family, friends, and a menagerie of animals on her ranch. She is passionate about great food, cooking, regenerative farming, gardening, raising animals in a healthy and humane environment, and her quest to live to 120 years old. She currently resides in Texas where she runs Born To Heal Ranch, which is a retreat center for women dealing with hypothyroidism & Hashimoto’s.
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Episode Highlights: 01:27 More Than Just Symptoms 07:47 Integrating Traditional and Functional Medicine for Optimal Health 13:40 Continous Glucose Monitors for Improved Patient Care 18:25 Managing Food Sensitivities 24:51 Personal and Cultural Competence
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| 18 Jul 2023 | 028: The Morning After -- Beating That Next-Day Misery After Alcohol with Zack Abbott | 00:28:49 | |
“The technology was getting thrown under the bus so that brands can make a buck. And technology is very powerful and extremely important for humanity in terms of addressing a lot of existential crises.” —Zack Abbott
Many people find solace in drinking alcohol, whether it be during social gatherings or as a means to decompress and find some relief after a tiring day. Unfortunately, as our bodies metabolize alcohol, a toxic substance called acetaldehyde begins to accumulate. Experiencing high levels of acetaldehyde can bring about various distressing symptoms such as throbbing headaches, nausea, and other indicators of a hangover.
Founded by Zack Abbott, ZBiotics offers a unique solution by leveraging genetic engineering to produce novel probiotics that can break down acetaldehyde more efficiently. This allows our bodies to recover faster and feel better after a night of drinking. This revolutionary product is designed to help our bodies catch up by temporarily adding good bacteria to our gut to help mitigate the effects of excessive acetaldehyde and promote overall health.
Listen in as Zack explains the science behind this groundbreaking product and how genetic engineering can change the whole trajectory of food tech. They will also share how alcohol is metabolized by the body, what probiotics and functional proteins are, and how biotechnology can help promote overall health.
Meet Zack: Zack Abbott is the CEO and co-founder of ZBiotics. He is the inventor of the company’s proprietary technology and sets the mission, vision, and values for ZBiotics. Zack has a Ph.D. in microbiology & immunology from the University of Michigan and holds a Bachelor’s Degree from UC Berkeley, where he double-majored in immunology and classical art & archaeology. Before starting ZBiotics, Zack worked in clinical trial design as well as researching HIV vaccines and pursuing novel antibiotics in both academia and industry.
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Episode Highlights: 02:18 Alcohol Toxicity 08:31 Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology 13:24 From Microbiology to Entrepreneurship 18:43 Promoting Overall Health 21:19 Customer Satisfaction and Product Evaluation 25:57 The GMO Advocacy
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| 27 Feb 2024 | 009: Unlocking Supply Chain Efficiencies with Data Standards with Liz Sertl | 00:19:21 | |
“It's a big undertaking when you start thinking about data and how you want it to move. But that foundational layer of data and getting that right internally is the first step whether you're a small business, or whether you're a large business.” —Liz Sertl Supply chain visibility refers to the ability to access accurate and real-time data across all processes within the supply chain, from raw material sourcing to the final delivery to the consumer. This allows them to proactively address issues and inefficiencies, better manage risks and disruptions, and meet evolving customer demands. When implemented effectively, visibility can help reduce costs, improve on-time delivery rates, strengthen customer relationships, and boost overall supply chain resiliency. This week, we hear from Liz Sertl, a seasoned supply chain leader passionate about enabling efficient and sustainable commerce through global standards. As Senior Director of Supply Chain Visibility at GS1 US, she's helping businesses of all sizes streamline operations and future-proof for compliance using foundational data standards. Listen in as Liz pulls back the curtain on the real-world impact of clean, shared supply chain data. Justine and Liz also discuss how even the smallest operations can start reaping rewards today, tips for getting supply chain-savvy without breaking the bank, food safety regulations every business needs to address, the simplest path to competitive advantage, and much more.
Meet Liz: Liz Sertl is the Senior Director of Supply Chain Visibility at GS1 US. She has over 15 years of experience in supply chain management and data quality in the consumer packaged goods industry, having previously worked at Anheuser-Busch and Coca-Cola. Liz is passionate about enabling efficient and interoperable supply chains through the use of global standards. At GS1 US, she leads initiatives to promote supply chain visibility and data sharing across industries. Liz enjoys educating others on how foundational standards can drive impactful results for businesses of all sizes. In her role, she aims to increase awareness of key issues like food safety compliance and sustainability in the supply chain.
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Episode Highlights: 01:42 Supply Chain Efficiency and Data Quality 06:22 The GS1 Standard for Small Businesses 10:43 Supply Chain Tech and Its Impact on Businesses 14:47 Food Safety and Visibility
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| 25 Jul 2023 | 029: Spanish Savory Secrets: From Idea to Table Success with Aaron Luo | 00:38:56 | |
“We want to make sure the product is different—not better, but different than what's out there.” —Aaron Luo Nestled among the country's many gastronomic wonders lies an unsung hero: authentic Spanish charcuterie. With its rich history, meticulous craftsmanship, and mouthwatering flavors, this culinary gem has captured the hearts and palates of food enthusiasts worldwide. Every slice tells a tale of age-old techniques handed down through generations, carefully selected ingredients, and an unwavering commitment to quality. The meticulous curing process involves patiently air-drying meats in natural environments such as mountainous cellars or coastal breezy areas. This time-honored method ensures that each product develops its unique flavors while preserving its authenticity. This week, Justine sits with Aaron Luo. Along with his business associate Carmen Chen Wu, Aaron shares a rich Chinese heritage with a Spanish upbringing where they developed a deep appreciation for local Spanish cuisine, particularly charcuterie. Roughly two decades ago, they relocated to the United States only to face the difficulty in sourcing high-quality Spanish charcuterie at a reasonable price. This challenge led them to establish Mercado Famous, a European gourmet food brand, specializing in Spanish delicacies.
Listen in as Aaron reveals the best-kept secrets of Spanish Cuisine as he walks us through his entrepreneurial journey. Justine and Aaron also cover the process of popularizing Spanish cuisine, ensuring the quality and consistency of products, criteria for choosing team members and potential partners, the significance of value differentiation, the necessity of fostering appropriate conversations, and how to turn a viable idea into a viable business.
Meet Aaron: Aaron Luo has an extensive background in the global supply chain, operations, and corporate finance. His impressive portfolio includes the foundation of innovative consumer brands and services including Caraa, a New York City-based sports bag and accessory company, and Mercado Famous, a haven for authentic Spanish charcuterie. Born and raised in China, Aaron and his business associate, Carmen, share a passion for food, especially Spanish cuisine they discovered during their upbringing in Spain. They developed a particular interest in Spanish charcuterie, which eventually became a crucial aspect of their culinary journey. After relocating to the U.S. nearly two decades ago, they soon realized that finding affordable, high-quality Spanish charcuterie was a daunting task. Spurred by this challenge, they launched their second venture, Mercado Famous where they aim to bring people closer together with high-quality, delicious food.
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Episode Highlights: 02:05 A Look Into the Spanish Culture 06:46 Spanish vs Italian Charcuterie 10:32 The History of Farm Industry 15:47 Bringing the Best of Spain to the US 20:38 Making Spanish Food More Mainstream 24:29 Finding the Right Product 29:12 The Importance of Value Differentiation 32:53 From a Viable Idea to a Viable Business
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| 26 Dec 2023 | 017: Leading with Heart and Mind— Understanding Unconscious Patterns to Transform Leadership Presence with Marika Messager | 00:24:13 | |
“It's a business, but more than anything, it's a community, and it's a movement.” —Marika Messager The level of consciousness profoundly shapes a leader’s effectiveness. Self-awareness of one's blindspots, biases, and triggers is key to leading with wisdom, empathy, and care for all people affected by decisions. This approach benefits every member of the company as it centers around long-term well-being over temporary gains. In this episode, Justine is joined by Marika Messager, a researcher and teacher of consciousness, and Founder of Conscious Leadership, an organization that helps develop conscious leaders capable of creating systemic change. Tune in as Justine and Marika explore how unconscious biases, emotional triggers, and disconnect from one's emotions can negatively impact leadership, tools for cultivating presence, ways to create a more inclusive culture, and strategies for managing energy states.
Meet Marika: Marika Messager is the founder of Conscious Leadership, an organization dedicated to researching unconscious behaviors and toxic patterns. Through her work, Marika helps individuals and organizations uncover the root causes of unhealthy behaviors and transform themselves. With years of experience, she guides her clients on their journey of self-awareness and emotional mastery to become conscious leaders. Marika is passionate about creating systemic change by developing healthy behaviors in individuals, families, and professional circles.
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Episode Highlights: 00:56 The Connection Between Consciousness and Leadership 03:07 Leadership Core Values 09:18 Energy Management and Emotional Regulation in Business 16:19 The Importance of Cultural Competence 19:11 Conscious Leadership and Inclusion
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| 02 May 2023 | 017: Uncovering the Hidden Secrets Behind Time-Honored Culinary Cuisines with Dana Thompson | 00:20:32 | |
“The most irresponsible thing I could do as an entrepreneur is fail." —Dana Thompson
Native foodways have been an integral part of various indigenous cultures for centuries. However, due to the economic and health crises affecting native communities, access to traditional foods has become more difficult. This has resulted in a lack of culturally relevant food options contributing to the overall health disparities across the continent.
Re-establishing native cultures and making traditional foods more accessible through noble initiatives such as community gardens, farmers markets, and educational programs is an essential step towards addressing these issues and promoting greater equity for indigenous peoples.
The Sioux Chef, co-owned by Dana Thompson is helping to bridge the gap between traditional culture and accessibility. Through their commitment to equity, they help indigenous people reclaim their heritage while also providing affordable, tasty, and nutritious meal options. By understanding the importance of food in indigenous culture, they are also able to create a platform where everyone can experience the richness of native cuisine.
Listen in as Justine and Dana talk about how to create a company that champions the indigenous community, how to build an authentic brand, the benefits of involving the community in business building, the importance of continuity in branding, and the key to making good decisions.
Meet Dana: As co-owner of the company The Sioux Chef, Dana Thompson, lineal descendant of the Wahpeton-Sisseton and Mdewakanton Dakota tribes and lifetime Minnesota native, has been working within the food sovereignty movement for the past six years. Within that time, she has traveled extensively throughout tribal communities engaging in critical ways to improve food access. Last year Dana jointly founded the non-profit NATIFS (North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems) for which she is acting Executive Director. Through this entity, she will focus her expertise on addressing and treating ancestral trauma through decolonized perspectives of honoring and leveraging Indigenous wisdom.
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Episode Highlights: 00:48 Inside The Sioux Chef 05:03 Relationships Create Success 09:21 Building the Community 11:17 Continuity in Branding 14:24 How to Make Good Decisions
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| 24 Oct 2023 | 008: Fun and Funky Blobs— A Tastier and Healthier Take on Candies with Mike Schanbacher and Nicholas Kheny | 00:24:14 | |
"If we're not having fun, we need to stop doing it." —Nicholas Kheny "Work with people only bigger than you and you become a company of giants." —Mike Schanbacher
When it comes to candy, the word "healthy" might not immediately come to mind. However, with the rise of vegan lifestyles, there is an increasing demand for plant-based alternatives, including vegan candy. Vegan candy delivers a guilt-free indulgence, without compromising on taste. These candies are often made with natural flavors and colors derived from fruits and vegetables, making them a more wholesome option that aligns with your healthy choices. Blobs is a better-for-you candy brand founded in 2020 by childhood friends Mike Schanbacher and Nicholas Kheny. The company creates vegan, low-sugar gummy candies that aim to provide an accessible and fun candy option for health-conscious consumers. Blobs gummies contain only 2g of sugar per serving while still delivering bold fruit flavors. Their signature pectin-based recipe achieves a traditional gummy texture without the added sugar or guilt typically associated with candy. This week's conversation offers inspiration and practical lessons for anyone interested in starting a CPG business. Listen in as Mike and Nick share their journey starting the company together as friends and co-founders; the challenges of developing the right vegan, low-sugar recipe and finding a manufacturer to partner with; Blobs' expansion into retail stores; their upcoming new product launches, and much more.
Meet Mike: Mike Schanbacher is the Co-Founder and Marketing Lead at Blobs, a better-for-you candy brand. With over 10 years of experience in growth marketing and strategy, Mike oversees all marketing and sales efforts at Blobs. Prior to founding Blobs, Mike worked at several startups helping drive organic growth. At Blobs, Mike leverages his expertise to position the brand as a fun and accessible candy company while creating healthier products. When not working, Mike enjoys spending time with his family in New York.
Meet Nick: Nicholas Kheny is the Co-Founder and Operations Lead at Blobs. With a background in finance and biochemical engineering, Nick handles product strategy, operations, and business development. Prior to founding Blobs, Nick worked on growing several consumer brands through acquisitions and sales. At Blobs, Nick applies his analytical skills to ensure the business runs efficiently while creating great tasting yet healthy candy products. When not working, Nick enjoys spending time with his family in Philadelphia and coming up with new product ideas for Blobs.
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Episode Highlights: 00:58 Meet Mike and Nick 05:19 Making Candy Healthy 08:25 Launching Business with Fun 12:32 Vegan Gummy Bears 16:37 What It's Like Being Co-Founders 20:24 Potential for Growth
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| 08 Aug 2023 | 031: Changing the Narrative with Regenerative Agriculture with Ryan Slabaugh | 00:26:42 | |
“[Regenerative Agriculture] is a mindset that early adopters and farmers have, and it's a love of life that we're translating into the food supply, how we look at our food, how we look at our farming, and how we look at our agriculture. This is a multi-generational mindset shift that is dependent upon us.” —Ryan Slabaugh Our current agricultural system revolves around sustainability— maintaining the status quo while doing minimal damage. But our world can no longer afford this argument. We need a better narrative, a regenerative one that encourages growth, revitalization, and improvement. By realigning our agricultural practices with the ecological realities of our time, we will be able to approach the future with a hopeful lens. And this requires a shift not only in our mindset but also in our actions. Think Regeneration, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, was established by Ryan Slabaugh with a focus on the regenerative movement. They are actively developing programs throughout the nation that aim at assisting farmers and ranchers. Their strategy includes revitalizing food cultivation ecosystems, curbing chronic disease rates, amplifying the perspectives of regenerative cultivators, and enhancing community resilience. Listen in as Justine and Ryan present a different perspective on regenerative farming and how education plays a role in getting the outcome that we want. Plus, they also discuss the challenges faced in the regenerative space, the indispensable role of education in changing the narrative around regeneration, the importance of building the vision before the policy, ways to provide support for farmers and ranchers, and facing the question of long-term sustainability.
Meet Ryan: Ryan Slabaugh is the founder and director of Think Regeneration and former executive director of Acres U.S.A., a 51-year-old education and media company known for being the Voice of Eco-Agriculture. Ryan has more than 20 years of experience leading businesses and individuals through change. Ryan is also the chair of the board of directors for Resource Central, a diversified nonprofit in Boulder, Colorado, that supports water management, landfill diversion, and energy use reduction goals for thousands in Colorado and students around the country.
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Episode Highlights: 01:38 Meeting Different Needs 04:23 What is Regenerative Agriculture 08:03 The Role of Education 14:03 The Challenge in Changing the Narrative 20:32 The Future of Regenerative Agriculture 23:34 The Biggest Concern
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| 07 Nov 2024 | 011: Midlife Transitions: An Integrative Approach to Navigating Menopause Naturally with Dr. Anjali Dsouza | 00:29:24 | |
Cha Cha Cha Changes Mini Series
Episode Description: “We need to know what we're doing so that we can support women to feel their best and live long lives.” —Dr. Anjali Dsouza
Welcome to the Cha Cha Cha Changes Mini Series, a special limited exploration of menopause and the essential ingredients for navigating this transformative life stage! Menopause and perimenopause are significant life transitions that impact women's health in profound ways. From changes in mood and cognition to increased risks of chronic conditions, this natural hormonal shift can bring a host of challenges. Yet, with the right knowledge and support, women can navigate this transformative period with greater ease and vitality. District Center for Integrative Medicine (DCIM) Founder, Dr. Anjali Dsouza, is a leading expert in integrative medicine and a certified specialist in menopause care. Drawing on her extensive training and passion for holistic wellness, she provides comprehensive guidance to help women optimize their health during this pivotal stage of life. In this insightful conversation, Justine and Anjali delve into the physiological changes of menopause, the importance of food as medicine in navigating the challenges of menopause and perimenopause, practical tips for symptom management, and a wealth of resources to support women on their journey.
Meet Anjali: Dr. Anjali Dsouza is the Founder of District Center for Integrative Medicine (DCIM). She is a board-certified physician specializing in Integrative Medicine, Palliative Care, and Psychiatry. Her areas of particular interest are women’s health optimization, autoimmunity, digestive dysfunction, lifestyle medicine, nutritional medicine, preventative care, and metabolic health.
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Episode Highlights: 00:17 The Cha Cha Cha Changes Mini-Series 03:10 Meet Anjali 08:33 Understanding Menopause and Perimenopause 12:28 Menopause: Common Symptoms and Health Risks 16:51 Food as Medicine for Menopause 20:03 Tips for Managing Menopause Symptoms 26:44 Resources and Support for Menopause
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| 03 Oct 2023 | 005: Health in a Sip: Fuel Your Day with Functional Clean-Label Shots with Leslie Danford | 00:27:03 | |
“People are looking for easy and they're looking for their foods and beverages to deliver a lot of value to them. It's not enough anymore to just taste good. They want to know why it tastes good.” —Leslie Danford Food is more than just a medicine. Food is health. By capitalizing on “superfoods” and other high-nutrient sources and leveraging advanced technologies to load their products with extra nutrients, we are now seeing a shift toward food products that promote convenience without compromising quality. With food companies pushing boundaries, the future of food is truly filled with excitement! Founded by Leslie Danford, Vitaminis is a clean-label functional food and beverage brand. The company launched its first two products— juice shots providing immune support and gut health. Vitaminis aims to provide trustworthy "mini bites and sips. Vitaminis is focused on transparency and using clinical research to substantiate the functional benefits of its ingredients. This week’s conversation provides valuable insights for entrepreneurs on validating ideas, building retail partnerships, and leveraging experts. It also offers a glimpse into the future of food and how brands are innovating to meet consumer demand for nutrient-dense, easy-to-consume options. Justine and Leslie also discuss the importance of clean ingredients and transparency in labeling, the challenges of being a solo founder, overcoming self-doubt, and more.
Meet Leslie: Leslie Danford is the founder and CEO of Vitaminis, a clean-label functional food and beverage brand. Prior to starting Vitaminis, Leslie worked for a global spirits company in the beverage industry. She also briefly worked in the hospitality industry before being laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic. This inspired her to pursue her long-time passion of starting Vitaminis. Under Leslie's leadership, Vitaminis has launched juice shots providing immune support and gut health. Leslie is focused on using clean, recognizable ingredients and being transparent about her products and their benefits. When not working on Vitaminis, Leslie enjoys networking with other entrepreneurs.
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Episode Highlights: 01:23 What Inspired Vitaminis 02:36 Defining Clean-Label 05:46 Addressing Natural Flavors 11:06 A Career Change to Entrepreneurship 16:15 Achieving Shelf Stability Without Compromise
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| 12 Dec 2023 | 015: A Taste of Discovery: Bridging Cultures by Sharing Diverse Flavors Around the World with Jia Liao | 00:29:30 | |
“A lot of times, taking over business legacy doesn't necessarily mean that brand or that company, but how do you continue that story.” —Jia Liao The bold and complex flavors of a hotpot have introduced many new food lovers to unique culinary experiences. Eating hotpot allows diners to immerse themselves in the tingling, numbing, and spicy sensations as different ingredients are cooked in the communal broth. Gathering with friends and family to cook ingredients has also won fans worldwide and helped spread appreciation for this cuisine to distant parts of the globe. This week, we are joined by Jia Liao. Jia has dedicated her career to sharing the rich culinary traditions of Sichuan that she grew up with through her brand Hotpot Queen. Having worked for many years in her family’s hotpot restaurant, Jia is passionate about introducing new audiences to authentic Sichuan flavors and the cultural experiences that can be shared through food. Listen in as Jia shares her journey of carrying on her family's culinary legacy while innovating to introduce Sichuan cuisine to a global market. Justine and Jia also talked about sourcing ingredients from local Chinese chili farmers, tips on making family business work, the challenges of building a new product line for expansion, popular ways to use Hotpot Queen products, goals of expanding distribution, and insights about bridging cultures through food and sparking curiosity about diverse flavors.
Meet Jia: Jia Liao is the founder and passionate leader behind Hotpot Queen. She was born and raised in Sichuan, China where her family has operated a hotpot restaurant for over 40 years. Jia studied economics and business in the United States before returning to China to work in the hospitality industry for 13 years. In 2021, Jia launched Hotpot Queen to share Sichuan cuisine and málà flavors with a global audience through premium condiments and sauces. Her goal is to make málà the next umami sensation and start a málà revolution.
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Episode Highlights: 03:14 Innovating Legacy 09:06 Cultural Exchange in the Food Industry 13:36 Creating New Culinary Experiences 17:41 Expanding the Family Biz with a New Product Line 21:33 How to Make Family Biz Work 27:06 Building Online Presence
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| 20 Feb 2024 | 008: How Soil Stewardship Provides Solid Solutions for Climate Change and Food Security with Sarah Wentzel Fisher | 00:19:22 | |
“Soil health can be complicated but it's also super simple and something that everybody can participate in.” —Sarah Wentzel Fisher Soil health is the foundation of our food systems and ecosystems. Yet many are disconnected from the living soil that sustains us. The soil is a complex web of microbial and ecological activity below our feet, working constantly to cycle nutrients, sequester carbon, and support plant life above and below ground. When soil health declines, it impacts water quality, biodiversity, our ability to grow nutritious food, and ultimately all living beings. In this episode, Justine interviews Sarah Wentzel Fisher about the transformative potential of getting more people involved in agriculture and stewarding soil health. Sarah is the Executive Director of the Quivira Coalition and a regenerative farmer. Through her work with the Carbon Ranch Initiative, she aims to improve soil health on rangelands and educate farmers and ranchers on the importance of soil stewardship. Listen in as Justine and Sarah discuss the importance of soil health for functioning ecosystems and its central role in mitigating climate change, the impact of research in providing practical solutions, ways to inspire conversation around soil health, and more.
Meet Sarah: Sarah has worked in food and agriculture planning for over a decade with a focus on supporting young and beginning farmers and ranchers. She was the editor of Edible Santa Fe from 2011 to 2017. From 2013 to 2015 she worked for the National Young Farmers Coalition as an organizer and is currently on the board of the Southwest Grassfed Livestock Alliance and the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union. She is a committed champion of the local food movement and of resilient and regenerative agriculture. In her free time, you can find her feeding pigs, turkeys, and cows, checking the compost pile, or possibly weeding a patch of beans at Polk’s Folly Farm where she lives.
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Episode Highlights: 02:21 Creative Conveing and Food Systems 06:27 Soil Health and Its Impact on Ecosystems 10:40 The Importance of Understanding Soil Health 15:03 How Soil Health Impacts Climate
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| 09 Jul 2024 | 028: Cooking Up Innovation: Turning Outdoor Passions into Sustainable Culinary Creations with Jamie Poe | 00:33:38 | |
“The food system is broken. There's no way around it… But can you make the best choice you can make with what's in front of you?” —Jamie Poe
The traditional camping aisle has long been due for an overhaul. Growing consciousness now allows us to see outdoor adventure not just as an escape, but as an extension of our values. We seek harmony with nature through mindful gear, sustainable practices, and nutrition in tune with the landscape.
Into this space have stepped innovators who understand the modern outdoors person. Poe&Co. is a catering and food products company founded by chefs and partners Jamie Poe and Jayson Poe. Driven by their passions for local, seasonal cuisine and the outdoors, they have established a thriving catering business while launching a line of plant-based camping meals.
Listen in Justine and Jamie also talk about how bootstrapping allows creative control over the business, how strong partnerships require balancing visionary and operational roles, why new ventures require flexibility, the challenges of choosing sustainable packaging, and the importance of supporting local economies and small businesses, as well as consulting with experts to improve products.
Meet Jamie: Originally from Los Angeles, Jamie Poe attended The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. After graduating in 2005, she moved to New York City and cooked at Danny Meyer's Union Square Cafe and Michelin-starred Gramercy Tavern. Since then, Poe has worked as a Private Chef in New York City, The Hamptons, Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, and Santa Barbara. Jamie also managed a boutique olive oil company in Napa Valley and has contributed to multiple cookbooks and online publications.
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Episode Highlights: 04:38 Challenges of Building a Catering Company 08:21 Partnership and Division of Responsibilities 14:23 Making It Healthy and Accessible 18:33 Lessons in Launching a New Food Product 22:39 Packaging Focused on Sustainability 26:47 Catering with Plant-Based Options
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| 09 May 2023 | 018: Revolutionizing the Urban Landscape with Meredith Shepherd | 00:23:55 | |
“Urban agriculture always seemed like a beautiful solution to so many environmental problems like food miles, seasonality, getting rid of the sod; not to mention all of the physical and mental benefits that gardens bring to people." —Meredith Shepherd
Urban farming can help create a future where everyone has easy access to fresh, nutrient-rich produce. Additionally, these gardens provide green spaces in cities that can be used for leisure activities and contribute to improved physical and mental health. With the help of modern technology, urban farmers will be able to maximize their yields while minimizing their use of resources such as water, energy, and land. This could lead to a more sustainable future for our cities and a healthier lifestyle for all.
For one woman, this was the motivation to start Love & Carrots, a company that helps city dwellers to enjoy the benefits of urban farming while also reducing their carbon footprint. Not only will they be able to access fresh and healthy food right from their backyard but it will also bring them closer to nature and provide them with an opportunity to learn new skills. From seedlings to soil preparation, this initiative is providing all the necessary tools and advice that one needs for successful urban farming.
Listen in as Justine and Love & Carrots founder, Meredith Shepherd share the benefits of urban gardening, finding good people to join your team, operating with a system in place, being adaptable and patient, being able to delegate tasks strategically, and taking baby steps as you navigate your journey.
Meet Meredith: Meredith Sheperd has been working in organic agriculture and environmental sustainability for 15 years. Before founding Love & Carrots in 2011, she was the manager of Chaily Farm in VA, which produced organic herbs and vegetables for DC restaurants. Meredith received the 2013 DC Mayor's Sustainability Award, 2014 Green America Award, and Business Insider's Top 50 'Coolest' Businesses in America.
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Episode Highlights: 02:44 The Growth of Love & Carrots 06:29 It’s All About Your Team 13:52 Overcoming the Pandemic and Other Challenges 18:09 How to Focus on What You Love 21:27 It Takes Time
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| 30 Jul 2024 | 031: The Daily Grind: How Coffee Powers Minds and Markets Around the Globe with Wade Johnson | 00:31:00 | |
“Everything in the world is about how you're connecting to other people.” —Wade Johnson
From the women farmers cultivating coffee beans in remote regions to the baristas crafting specialty drinks in bustling cafes, coffee brings people together. But more than an everyday beverage, coffee also offers cultural and economic significance. It provides livelihoods for millions while fueling creative and business endeavors. However, coffee production faces growing threats from climate change and fluctuating prices.
Exploradora Coffee is a socially conscious coffee roaster co-founded by Wade Johnson, her mother Alison, and her sister, Hollis. By exclusively sourcing from women farmers and reinvesting in programs for coffee growers, Exploradora Coffee promotes food security as well as economic and social empowerment. The family-run business strives to uplift women coffee producers while securing a sustainable future for this culturally and economically significant crop.
Listen in as Justine and Wade open up about their experiences in navigating family business dynamics and growth strategies, the importance of mentorship, collaboration, and creating efficient tools and processes, the impact of regenerative agriculture practices and building long-term relationships with coffee farms, Exploradora’s future growth plans, and more.
Meet Wade: Wade Johnson is the co-founder of Exploradora Coffee, a coffee roastery that sources exclusively from women farmers around the world. With a background in politics, executive recruiting, and coffee, Wade brings diverse experience to building Exploradora Coffee. Wade is passionate about empowering women in coffee-producing countries and donates company proceeds to support mothers through the Springboard to Opportunities nonprofit. Under Wade's leadership, Exploradora Coffee has expanded its restaurant and cafe partnerships while committing to long-term relationships with coffee farms. When not running the day-to-day operations of Exploradora Coffee, Wade enjoys mentoring other entrepreneurs and advocating for sustainable agricultural practices like regenerative farming.
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Episode Highlights: 01:35 Building a Family-Owned Roastery 09:08 Empowering Women in Coffee Production 15:46 Evolving Leadership Roles 19:31 Giving Back as Entrepreneurs 26:16 How Regen Ag Impacts Coffee Production
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| 29 Oct 2024 | 009: Granola Redefined: The Tasty, Nutrient-Dense Twist on a Classic with Adrienne Lufkin | 00:27:11 | |
“For something that you eat every day or consume every day, shouldn't it be the best quality ingredients that you can possibly have?” —Adrienne Lufkin For something we consume on a daily basis, the food we choose should be of the highest quality possible. Granola has long been a breakfast staple, but many store-bought varieties are packed with added sugars and artificial ingredients. It’s time to shift to a granola that’s good for us.
Adrienne Lufkin, the Founder of Struesli, brings a unique perspective to the granola game. As a former private chef, she learned firsthand the power of using food as medicine to support her clients' health needs. Now, she's on a mission to share her better-for-you granola with the world.
In this episode, Adrienne takes us through her entrepreneurial journey - from ideation to securing investors, building a talented team, and expanding Struesli's distribution. Tune in to learn how she's revolutionizing the granola category and providing a healthier breakfast option for all.
Meet Adrienne Lufkin: Adrienne Lufkin, seasoned private chef and founder of Struesli, combines her love for food, health, and human connection through her recipes. With a background in crafting clean and nutrient-dense meals for clients and her personal struggles with Crohn's Disease and Migraines, Adrienne is passionate about supporting people along their health journeys.
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Episode Highlights: 01:04 Adrienne’s Personal Health Challenges 04:43 From Chef to CPG Founder 09:51 Funding and Team Building 15:38 Balancing Roles and Responsibilities 20:54 Product Expansion and Distribution 24:15 What’s Next?
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| 26 Mar 2024 | 013: Upcycling for Health— Transforming Produce Trimmings Into Nutritional Gold with Jeni Britton and Jeremy Nelson | 00:32:59 | |
“We're not doing a marketing campaign to try to convince you that we're doing good stuff. It doesn't work. What works is creating beautiful products as a team who's devoted because we believe in the mission.” —Jeni Britton
“When you can put your ego aside and focus on the larger vision, you can achieve so much more than you can alone.” —Jeremy Nelson
Upcycling in the kitchen isn't just about saving money— it's about redefining what "waste" truly means and unlocking a hidden world of culinary creativity. It empowers us to break the cycle of consumption and injects valuable nutrients back into our diets, promoting a more mindful and resourceful approach to cooking and eating. This week, Justine sits down with James Beard Award-winning ice cream maker and founder of Jeni's IceCreams, Jeni Britton and Michelin-starred chef, Jeremy Nelson, to discuss their new venture, Floura, a company creating high-fiber, prebiotic snacks and ingredients from upcycled produce trimmings. Listen in as Jeni and Jeremy delve into their personal wellness journeys and how it inspired Floura’s mission and innovative processes. They also explain the importance of fiber and prebiotics for microbiome health, the importance of upcycling, the power of building a company alongside customers, farmers, and investors, and the role of research in moving toward sustainability and planetary wellness.
Meet Jeni: Jeni Britton is a James Beard Award-winning ice cream maker and the founder of Jeni's IceCreams. She has over 25 years of experience in the food industry, constantly developing direct relationships with farmers and using fresh, local ingredients in her products. More recently, she has focused her efforts on gut health and microbiome research. As the co-founder of Floura, Jeni is leading the company's mission to upcycle fresh produce trimmings into high-fiber, prebiotic ingredients, and snacks to support overall wellness. She enjoys spending time in nature, where she finds inspiration for her creative work.
Meet Jeremy: Jeremy Nelson is a Michelin-starred chef from San Francisco and the Chief Product Officer at Floura. He has over 15 years of experience in the culinary industry with a background in plant-based and health-supportive cooking. At Floura, he applies his culinary expertise to develop delicious, nutritious products using upcycled fruits and vegetables. Jeremy is passionate about connecting with others through food and creating options that are good for both humans and the planet. In his role, he oversees product development and ensures Floura's recipes deliver on taste, nutrition, and sustainability.
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Episode Highlights: 02:04 The Floura Mission 05:30 Nutrition on a Personal Level 09:03 The Bridge Between Health and Entrepreneurship 12:52 Prebiotics and Fiber for Gut Health 16:56 Upcycling For Health and the Environment 20:46 Working Remotely 28:05 What’s Next?
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| 07 Nov 2023 | 010: From Bean to Green: Roasting a Solid Foundation for Growth with Melissa Villanueva | 00:17:22 | |
“[Entrepreneurship] is a mix of optimism and hope coupled with just a tenacity to make it work no matter what happens.” —Melissa Villanueva
Embarking on the journey of being a first-time founder is like that invigorating first sip of coffee in the morning, filled with both excitement and uncertainty. Just as each carefully roasted bean lays the foundation for a rich and complex brew, every decision and milestone achieved forms the bedrock of your startup's growth. With time, effort, and a sprinkle of innovation, you can watch your business percolate and flourish, just like that first sip of freshly brewed success. Brewpoint Coffee CEO, Melissa Villanueva went from being a recruitment director to a coffee shop owner overnight after finding a listing on Craigslist. Without experience nor a solid plan, she took a chance, bought a struggling coffee shop and turned it into a thriving multi-location business. Tune in to hear her tips for entrepreneurial optimism and problem-solving your way to success, inside scoop on Brewpoint Coffee's mission-driven approach, the importance of creating an inclusive and diverse community space, the impact of data-driven decisions to profitability and sustainable growth, and her advice for founders dreaming big.
Meet Melissa: Melissa Villanueva is the CEO, owner, and founder of Brewpoint Coffee. Brewpoint has four coffee shops, a wholesale roastery, a premiere event space, and a book called, “Starting & Running a Coffee Shop.” Brewpoint Coffee has been mentioned in Forbes, Entrepreneur, Fast Company, Sprudge, and a number of leading publications.
Melissa is most proud of building a thriving business she 100% owns and leads. This is important because profit often dictates a business owner's decisions. Still, if you have the power to fully decide why you do what you do, you can build a system that is not just about profit but about social and environmental impact.
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Episode Highlights: 02:00 Entrepreneurship= Passion 06:10 Scaling to Multiple Locations 08:39 The Importance of Data-Driven Decision-Making 12:46 Building a Foundation for Growth
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| 16 Jul 2024 | 029: Transforming Underutilized Superfoods to Revolutionize Diet with Joni Kindwall-Moore | 00:26:43 | |
“When you're an entrepreneur, there's opportunities everywhere. And part of the art is the discernment of the opportunity that is not only going to be achievable but has the highest, long-term return. That comes with experience, but if you understand your tools better, you get there faster.” —Joni Kindwall-Moore Our modern food system has become disconnected from nature's inherent wisdom. Agriculture prioritizes yield over nutrition, flooding our bodies with empty calories that lack phytonutrients and fiber. This imbalance is having disastrous health consequences, amplifying the rising rates of preventable diseases. Reconnecting agriculture with its original purpose of nourishment is key to reversing these trends. Snacktivist Foods is a food innovation company that is transforming underutilized crops into healthier comfort foods using ancient grains and ingredients. Founded by former nurse Joni Kindwall-Moore, Snacktivist's mission is to elevate nutrition and sustainability through innovative plant-based products. This week’s conversation aims to reestablish the linkage between agriculture, food, and human health by creating products from nutrient-dense crops that provide medicinal benefits. Listen in as Justine and Joni discuss why modern highly processed foods are leading to overeating, how creating better-for-you alternatives can help address diet-related diseases, how embracing imperfection and continuous improvement leads to more sustainable behavioral changes and success in wellness goals, and how lifestyle interventions can impact health outcomes.
Meet Joni: Joni Kindwall-Moore is the founder and CEO of Snacktivist Foods, a food innovation company focused on elevating underutilized crops. She has over 15 years of experience as a registered nurse, where she worked in critical care units and saw firsthand the human suffering caused by diet-related diseases. This inspired her to leave healthcare and launch Snacktivist to create healthier comfort foods using ancient grains and ingredients with medicinal properties. Under Joni's leadership, Snacktivist has raised over $3 million in grants to further its mission of connecting agriculture to better health outcomes. When she's not running her company, Joni enjoys advocating for more responsive and sustainable food systems.
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Episode Highlights: 03:48 Nutrition and Microbiome Health 09:19 The Importance of Balance in Food Choices 12:44 Food Innovation for Health 17:21 Meeting the Challenges of Fundraising 20:58 How Diet Impacts Life Expectancy
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| 10 Dec 2024 | 018: Rooted in Change: Reimagining the Christmas Tree Tradition for a Greener Future with Scott “Scotty Claus” Martin | 00:29:21 | |
“It's not that capitalism is out to destroy the environment. It's basically there to make money. And so, if you can replace the mechanism by which it makes money with something that is beneficial for the environment, it'll continue to do that.” —Scott “Scotty Claus” Martin
Christmas trees are a beloved tradition, but the environmental impact of cutting down millions of trees each year is undeniable. But what if there was a way to enjoy the festive spirit of a Christmas tree without the waste? The answer may lie in the concept of living, rented trees— a sustainable solution that's gaining traction. Scott “Scotty Claus” Martin, the founder of the Living Christmas Company, has dedicated his career to revolutionizing the way we celebrate the holidays. With a background in landscape design and a passion for environmental stewardship, Scotty has been on a mission to change the narrative around Christmas trees and promote a more sustainable approach. Tune in as Scotty shares his inspiring journey of founding the Living Christmas Tree Company, the strategies he's developed to balance business needs with his social mission, the power of changing people’s narrative, his broader vision for using social entrepreneurship to drive positive change, plus tips for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Meet Scotty: Scott Martin, also known as Scotty Claus, is the founder of The Living Christmas Company. The idea for the company was born from his experience delivering Christmas trees for a local nursery during his Christmas vacation. Scotty Claus was struck by the joy and magic that a Christmas tree brought into homes but also saddened by the sight of discarded trees after the holiday season. This inspired him to create a more sustainable way to celebrate Christmas. In 2008, he founded The Living Christmas Company, which allows people to rent living Christmas trees for the holiday season. After the season, the trees are returned to the nursery, repotted, and cared for until the next year. If a tree becomes too large to be used as a Christmas tree, it is planted in the local community or nearby forests through an Urban Reforestation Project2. Scotty Claus's innovative approach has not only provided an eco-friendly alternative to traditional Christmas trees but has also expanded to include various communities in California, with hopes of reaching environmentally conscious people across the nation
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Episode Highlights: 00:47 The Evolution of The Living Christmas 03:16 Sustainability and Value of Living Christmas Trees 09:23 Navigating Challenges and Expanding Impact 14:46 Social Entrepreneurship 19:09 Tools and Strategies for Success 21:03 Future Goals and Vision 24:19 Tips for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
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| 10 Sep 2024 | 002: The Price of Produce: Exposing the Harsh Realities of Agricultural Labor with Gerardo Reyes Chávez | 00:26:34 | |
Series: Labor Day Special Episode
Episode Description: “Suffering doesn't have to be part of the food we eat. Workers feed every family in this country, and it is only fair that everyone, everywhere should do something to make sure that farm workers have the same ability to feed their families with dignity and respect. And it doesn't take much. It takes for us to have these conversations.” —Gerardo Reyes Chávez
The food we consume is often built upon the backs of a vulnerable workforce struggling to maintain their dignity and basic rights. While we enjoy the convenience and affordability of our food, we must reckon with the unseen sacrifices made by the men, women, and children who toil in the fields, a sobering reality that challenges us to consider the true price we pay for the food we consume.
Gerardo Reyes Chávez is a seasoned farm worker and community organizer who has dedicated over 25 years to advocating for the rights of agricultural laborers. As a long-time member of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), Gerardo has been instrumental in the development and implementation of the groundbreaking Fair Food Program, which has dramatically improved working conditions and wages for tens of thousands of farm workers across the United States.
Tune in as Justine and Gerardo relate the stark contrasts between farm workers' cultural expectations and the harsh realities they face in the agricultural industry, the systemic nature of the abuses and exploitation they endure, the outsized power of major food brands driving industry consolidation and wage stagnation, the innovative and persistent approach of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers in targeting this systemic change, the potential for replicating successful models like the Fair Food Program, and the critical importance of building solidarity and collective action between consumers, advocates, and the farm worker community to address the deep-rooted challenges in the food system.
Connect with Gerardo: Gerardo Reyes Chávez is a distinguished farmworker advocate and a key leader of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW). With a background in farm labor that began at the age of 11 in Zacatecas, Mexico, Gerardo has dedicated his life to improving the conditions and rights of farmworkers. He has worked in the fields of Florida, picking a variety of crops including oranges, tomatoes, blueberries, and watermelon. As a leader in the CIW, Gerardo has played a pivotal role in the development and implementation of the Fair Food Program, which aims to protect workers from exploitation and improve labor conditions. His efforts include facilitating community meetings, educating workers about their rights, and attracting new buyers to support the program. Gerardo is also actively involved in addressing issues such as wage theft and modern-day slavery, ensuring that farmworkers’ voices are heard and their rights are upheld. Gerardo’s work has been recognized nationally and internationally, and he frequently speaks at events to raise awareness about the challenges faced by farmworkers and the importance of ethical labor practices.
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Episode Highlights: 00:50 Farmer vs Farm Worker 08:02 Overcoming Challenges and Abuse 15:41 The Role of the Coalition 20:32 Change the Farming Community 23:25 Suffering Should Not Be A Part of Our Food
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| 30 Jan 2024 | 005: From Awareness to Purchase: Advertising Strategies That Deliver Results with Aditya Varanasi | 00:29:07 | |
“You don't start by showing them everything; you start with what's that one thing that matters most. But then through that journey at the end, you make available everything that may matter to them.” —Aditya Varanasi Digital advertising has become vital for businesses as consumers spend more time online. Advanced tools now allow advertisers to precisely target audiences across platforms based on detailed data. For startups and small businesses especially, digital provides an affordable and measurable way to efficiently build awareness, engage customers, and boost sales. In this episode, Justine Reichman interviews Aditya Varanasi to discuss effective yet affordable advertising strategies for startups and small businesses. Aditya is the founder and CEO of Awarity, a digital advertising platform that helps small businesses efficiently build brand awareness. With over a decade of experience in marketing, he was able to make targeted and data-driven advertising affordable and accessible for all businesses. Listen in as they explore the challenges of building brand awareness with limited budgets, when digital advertising makes sense, how to determine the budget and target the right audience, how targeted digital ads can help businesses stretch their dollars further, actionable tips on crafting clear messaging, consistency, analyzing campaign performance, and allowing time for behaviors to change, grassroots marketing alternatives, and how to amplify their message in a way that makes sense for their goals and budget.
Meet Aditya: Aditya Varanasi is the founder and CEO of Awarity, a digital advertising platform that helps small and mid-sized businesses maximize the impact of their marketing budgets. With over 15 years of experience in brand marketing and advertising, Varanasi previously led brands at Frito-Lay and worked as the CEO of a startup funded by private equity. He holds an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. Varanasi founded Awarity to make world-class advertising accessible and effective for all businesses. Under his leadership, Awarity has grown to serve thousands of clients across industries and helped boost their sales and brand awareness through targeted digital campaigns.
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Episode Highlights: 01:52 Advertizing Challenges and Strategies for Startups 08:32 How Advertizing Impacts ROI 12:03 Marketing Strategies and Agency Costs 18:26 Aligning Goals with Advertising Strategies 22:30 Simple and Consistent Advertising
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| 15 Oct 2024 | 007: Safeguarding Agricultural Legacy for Generations to Come with Lily Verdone | 00:30:10 | |
Series: World Food Day
Episode Description: “If you have healthy soil then you have a healthy system.” —Lily Verdone
Our agricultural lands are the beating heart of our communities, tended to by the hardworking hands of farmers and ranchers. Safeguarding these vital landscapes is not just an environmental imperative, but a moral obligation— a promise we make to those who came before us, and a gift we must pass on to generations yet to come.
As Lily Verdone settles into her third year as CEO of the Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT), her focus has shifted towards reinvesting in the lands the organization has worked tirelessly to protect. By channeling resources into innovative stewardship programs, MALT aims to not only safeguard the land but also empower the farmers and ranchers who are the backbone of Marin's agricultural community. Lily believes that this reinvestment will unlock the full potential of the land, benefiting both the environment and the people who depend on it.
In this episode, Justine and Lily explore the critical role that land trusts and conservation organizations play in addressing pressing environmental and agricultural challenges. Join in as they discuss innovative programs that support farmers and drive holistic, systems-based approaches to land management, the value of partnerships, and the trend of younger, diverse leaders bringing fresh perspectives to traditional conservation organizations.
Connect with Lily: Lily Verdone is the CEO of Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT), a leading land trust focused on protecting farmland in Marin County, California. Lily has over 20 years of experience in environmental conservation, having previously worked with organizations like The Nature Conservancy on climate change and land management initiatives.
As CEO of MALT, Lily is responsible for leading the organization's efforts to preserve over 60,000 acres of agricultural land through conservation easements and sustainable stewardship practices. She is passionate about finding innovative solutions to support the viability of local farming and ranching communities.
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Episode Highlights: 00:49 What is MALT? 07:44 Protect the Land 10:16 The Water Conservation Issue 15:30 Shifting the Quality of Life 18:17 The 5 Pillars of MALT 23:17 Building Partnerships 26:23 The Land Trust Movement
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| 05 Mar 2024 | 010: Natural Optimizers: Discovering Non-Synthetic Solutions for Enhancing Wellness Without Compromising Health with Dustin Baker | 00:31:29 | |
“Realistically, as we age, we just physiologically are not the same as we used to be. And that has not just a physical effect on us; it has a mental, cognitive, and emotional effect on us as well.” —Dustin Baker While modern medicine has achieved incredible feats, dependence on synthetic prescription drugs is not without its downsides. By their very nature, these medications are designed as "selective poisons" that incur side effects for many users. From minor issues like drowsiness or nausea to more serious long-term health impacts, taking synthetic drugs always involves trading one's well-being for another. As more people seek to proactively manage their health and optimize wellness without compromising on risks, the demand has grown for natural alternatives that can provide prescription-level benefits without the potential dangers. Led by Dustin Baker, BioProtein Technology develops natural, non-synthetic supplements that provide the same benefits as prescription drugs without any side effects. Through innovative research and clinically-backed products, BioProtein Technology aims to help individuals enhance their health, performance, and quality of life in a safe and natural way. Listen in as Justine and Dustin share a behind-the-scenes look at product research and development processes, scaling a company, developing gender-specific products to meet more customer needs, and innovating revolutionary products for a healthier future without dependence on synthetic medications.
Meet Dustin: Dustin Baker is the Founding President of BioProtein Technology and BioPro+, the first non-synthetic alternative to HGH - Human Growth Hormone and Peptide Treatments that works FASTER, EASIER, and SAFER. With over 15 years of experience in the fitness, health, and wellness industries, Dustin brings a passion for human optimization and performance to his role. Under Dustin's leadership, BioProtein Technology is focused on developing innovative, gender-specific products and continuing clinical research to support its mission of providing prescription-level benefits without side effects. When not in his office, Dustin enjoys spending time with his family and staying active in the community.
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Episode Highlights: 01:52 Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy 06:59 From a Small Company to a Global Organization 11:05 Business Growth Strategies 15:57 Developing Gender-Specific Products 21:03 Optimizing Wellness with NO Side Effects 26:03 Natural Supplements for Brain Health
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| 10 Oct 2023 | 006: The Dirtbag Diaries: Chronicling the True Saga of Building a Better-For-You Snack Brand with Mark Gravel | 00:27:28 | |
“Don't let these things stop you. Figure out how to work with them.” —Mark Gravel In the volatile world of CPG branding, establishing a successful better-for-you brand may often feel like treading on eggshells. While the steep slopes can hefty baggage are indeed formidable, the right strategies can tip the scales in your favor. Dirtbag Bar is an organic, vegan, gluten-free chocolate date bar created by Mark Gravel. Inspired by his passion for the outdoors and healthy living, Mark developed Dirtbag Bar as a clean, nutrient-dense snack without added sugars or refined ingredients. Starting as a homemade treat shared among friends, Dirtbag Bar has expanded to over 75 stores across California. In addition to wholesome ingredients, Dirtbag Bar supports causes like mental health awareness and environmental protection. This conversation provides insight into entrepreneurship and wellness. Listen in as Mark relates the challenges of transitioning from chef to building a CPG brand and his personal struggles with mental health and how it impacts running a startup. Justine and Mark also talk about the aspects of product development like deciding on the branding and design, expanding your reach, the value of varied experiences, the importance of taking care of yourself as an entrepreneur, and more.
Meet Mark: Mark Gravel is the founder of Dirtbag Bar, an organic, vegan, gluten-free chocolate date bar. He started making the bars for himself as a snack while running a food stand at Smorgasburg, a seasonal food market in New York. Mark has a background in food, having worked as a chef, running a burger pop-up, and published a cookbook about beans. While the burger stand was successful, Mark wanted to create something healthier without added sugars. He developed Dirtbag Bar to be nutrient-dense but not too calorie-dense, using whole food ingredients. Mark strives to make the brand purpose-driven by donating to mental health causes. As an entrepreneur, his biggest challenge is managing his own mental health struggles with depression while running a stressful business. Dirtbag Bar is currently in over 75 stores in California with a goal of 100 by the end of the year as Mark works to expand distribution on the East Coast.
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Episode Highlights: 01:26 Why Gluten-Free and Vegan 05:17 From Chef to Entrepreneur 09:39 Developing the Dirtbag Brand Identity 14:30 Goals for the Coming Years 19:25 The Value of Varied Experiences 22:05 Coping with Mental Health Challenges 24:19 Don't Let Challenges Stop You
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| 09 Apr 2024 | 015: Regenerative Baking for Healthy Land and People with Molly Carney | 00:20:24 | |
“That's the lesson of baking bread that you think you're in control and you're not. You're just a guide in the process. You're on the bread’s timeline.” —Molly Carney
Bread is a simple yet profound food that has sustained cultures for millennia. More than just a vehicle for nutrients, bread represents community, tradition, and comfort. Today, artisans continue this living tradition, honoring ancestral practices while innovating with modern techniques and heirloom ingredients, providing nourishment for both body and soul while keeping alive the memories and meanings embedded in this most humble of foods.
This week, Justine interviews Molly Carney to discuss the time-honored craft of artisanal bread baking and its impact on community health and sustainability. Molly Carney is the founder of Dirt Lady Bread, a small bakery in Tucson, Arizona that makes organic, sourdough, and fermented breads using locally grown ingredients. She started the bakery to connect people to high-quality, nutritious food through her artisanal breads. Listen in as Justine and Molly talk about the importance of regenerative farming partnerships and efforts to educate customers about intuitive eating, how the quality of soil affects the quality of food, the challenges and rewards of running a values-aligned food business with a long-distance partner, and insights into the nutritional benefits of traditional fermentation methods as well as cultivating a culture that values artisanal food producers.
Meet Molly: Baker Molly Carney has been trained in naturally-leavened bread from James-Beard semi-finalist chef, Taylor Petrehn. Under Petrehn and Executive Chef Jake Dodd-Sloan, Carney learned the trade at “Kansas’ Top Bakery” (Food and Wine 2022) 1900 Barker Bakery and Cafe where she served as head baker.
In her recent move to Tucson, Carney noticed that local support is present and the demand is high; the market is nowhere near saturated. In this niche market, the demand is not being fully met. Carney created Dirt Lady Bread as a response to her community - clean-ingredient yummy bread for everybody!
Prior to baking, Carney was an organic farmer, growing heritage varieties that best benefited environmental and human health. Carney incorporated her deep understanding of place and farming practices with her MA in Sustainable Communities to develop a healthy and earth-conscious sourdough bread.
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Episode Highlights: 02:26 Artisanal Bread-Making 07:09 Gluten-Free Bread and Gut Health 09:43 Integrating Regenerative Farming Practices 14:21 Seeking Partnerships for Business Growth 17:22 Involving the Community
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| 22 Aug 2023 | 033: Be Tech Smart— Leverage the Digital Market with 'No Effort Web' with Ameet Kallarackal | 00:24:51 | |
“We like to think of ourselves as doing the dirty work behind the scenes to make everyone else look good.” – Ameet Kallarackal There are thousands of humble yet hardworking entrepreneurs like small restaurant owners and operators who are not that savvy technically and who are restlessly operating their in-person craft and business. Though necessary, they might not have enough funds to employ a skilled person in the field of marketing or to hire a technical team. How can entrepreneurs with limited digital experience enhance their business' online footprint? Ameet Kallarackal, the co-founder and CEO of Fisherman together with their high-class customer support team make it possible for business owners to focus on the in-person side without having to touch anything on their gadget’s screen, and yet can see how their businesses are flourishing virtually. Fisherman is a company that brings about websites, manages social media and wields the online presence for hardworking small business owners with a focus on the restaurant industry. They have a set of tools that succor traditional small businesses become automatically fortunate online. No wonder they call their website “No effort Web,” as they say it, “No code, no drag & drop, no effort.” Harken as Justine eagerly interviews Ameet about his journey and how his passion has helped countless entrepreneurs navigate the tricky waters of the digital world. Plus, they also delve into the importance of surrounding ourselves with experts, why entrepreneurs should have a website, how to improve UX, and how rejection leads to learning. Lastly, learn more about Fisherman's new resource to help boost social media presence.
Meet Ameet: Growing up, Ameet’s parents had a website, and that was his first exposure to the world of graphic designers and WordPress. So even when he was still a kid, he became an ace at using these tools. He would always find it so interesting to create something without necessarily knowing how to code and yet that thing could look great and even lead to sales. His family were also working with some small business owners. Ameet also personally spent time working at a local restaurant of his best friend's dad, where he witnessed firsthand how busy the life of an entrepreneur is. Having also tried being the one primarily to put food on the table, he came to say then, “You're learning 100 things to make that dream a reality. And a lot of times, computers, technology and the online component is the last thing you want to have to worry about. And so, I just remember being there and seeing how busy they were, how often they were fielding conversations with salespeople who are coming in soliciting business, all sorts of things they had to deal with.” Cut to the chase, during Ameet’s college years, he worked on a different startup with a friend of his and ended up working on that for a few years and built out an organization until they were able to eventually exit that startup. And at the end of that, he fell in love with the idea of building something from scratch. Harking back to his experience, both virtually and in-person, he wanted to get to the bottom of how they could help more small business owners ‒ not only at a certain degree of measure, but how they can buttress multitude of small business owners to become prosperous. So, that was the evolution of the Fisherman concepts. After a handful of years, that mission was effectuated.
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Episode Highlights: 00:03 Getting Into The Industry 04:31 The Importance of Surrounding Yourself With Experts 05:58 Infiltrating The Restaurant Industry 08:32 Showing The Final Product Before Anything Else 11:14 Interaction With Clients 15:12 What Does Social Media Look Like 17:16 AI's Standard Offering 19:08 The Passion of Being An Entrepreneur | |||
| 14 Nov 2023 | 011: Growing Food, Growing Minds, Growing Change— How to Cultivate the Next Generation of Food Justice Leaders with Katherine Soll | 00:33:04 | |
“Providing pathways for today's young people who are going to be tomorrow's leaders is critical because we need them to be the problem solvers for us in the future. We have no alternative.” —Katherine Soll Today's food injustice weighs heavily on our global conscience, with millions suffering from hunger while others face the dire consequences of unhealthy diets. The involvement of youth is paramount in addressing this pressing issue, as they carry the power to challenge the status quo, champion sustainability, and demand equitable access to nutritious food for all. Teens for Food Justice (TFFJ) is an organization that works to end food insecurity through school-based hydroponic farming. Students then learn to how to operate and maintain the farms through STEM classes and internships. This gives students access to fresh, healthy food and teaches them about sustainable food systems. The goal is to address the lack of access to nutritious food and educate youth to advocate for change. This week, Justine sits with TFFJ Founder and CEO, Katherine to Soll to discuss the pressing issue of addressing food justice through youth empowerment and access to education. Listen in as they share impactful stories of how the program advocates for healthier food policies, plans for expansion, the importance of youth involvement and community engagement in addressing food injustice, the health impact of food insecurity on vulnerable communities, and more.
Meet Katherine: Katherine Soll brings her lifelong and deep commitment to social justice and her belief in the power of young people to build a better and more equitable world in her role as Founder, CEO, and leader of Teens for Food Justice (TFFJ). By empowering youth as 21st-century urban farmers growing fresh produce for their schools, and as nutrition educator-advocates leading their communities to healthier futures, TFFJ’s multi-faceted approach offers more than a technologically-advanced solution to affordable fresh food access in neighborhoods that need it most – TFFJ is laying the foundation for a sustainable youth-led social justice movement that can close huge gaps in food access, health, and opportunity between lower-and upper-income communities in NYC and beyond. Katherine has received various awards for her work in the nonprofit sector, including her selection as a 2021 AARP Purpose Prize Honoree. She has held high-level management and marketing roles in the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors throughout her career and serves on the advisory boards of various professional organizations, including the Food and Nutrition Innovation Council and the Healthy Living Coalition.
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Episode Highlights: 04:59 Sustainable Food Systems and Youth Involvement 10:56 Food Justice and STEM Education 15:37 The Impact of School Gardening Program and Students’ Advocacy 19:43 Replicating the Farm-to-School Program 25:16 The Importance of Community Involvement
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| 13 Aug 2024 | 033: The Natural Pharmacy: How Holistic Wellness is Redefining Healing and Prevention with Shizu Okusa | 00:31:47 | |
“I traded my life in WallStreet for the world of WellStreet, and I became an entrepreneur.” —Shizu Okusa
The wellness industry has experienced a remarkable transformation in recent years, as consumers increasingly seek natural, holistic solutions to address their health and well-being. This shift reflects a broader societal trend towards a more integrative understanding of health, one that recognizes the interconnectedness of the mind, body, and environment. As this intersection continues to evolve, innovative companies are poised to capitalize on this growing market, offering consumers a new generation of wellness products and services that prioritize prevention, personalization, and overall well-being.
Founded by serial entrepreneur Shizu Okusa, Apothekary offers a range of herbal remedies, functional foods, and educational resources to empower people to take a more proactive approach to their health. As a respected voice in the wellness industry, Shizu continues to develop innovative products and experiences that help people live healthier, more balanced lives.
Listen in as Shizu shares her inspiring entrepreneurial journey, from her time on Wall Street to her passion for herbal medicine and holistic healing. Justine and Shizu also discuss the growing intersection of wellness, healthcare, and food as medicine, the importance of using your gifts to create solutions that benefit others, their personal morning routines for better skin and mental health, and the importance of knowing your numbers, having a clear business plan, and being strategic about fundraising.
Meet Shizu: Shizu Okusa, is a Wall Street alum-turned-wellness entrepreneur. After leaving an intense finance career, she became inspired to live a more balanced lifestyle and revisit her Japanese roots and passion for herbal medicine. Shizu set out to help others regain their holistic health using traditions she grew up with and ones she learned along the way. Now, she proudly leads Apothékary in our mission to deliver natural herbal remedies that get to the root cause of health issues rather than masking the symptoms.
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Episode Highlights: 01:10 From WallStreet to WellStreet 08:27 Empowering Consumers with Natural Healing Solutions 12:42 Morning Routine for Skin and Mental Health 16:55 Managing Workload 21:28 Fundraising Challenges and Tips 26:42 The Founder’s Role | |||
| 07 May 2024 | 019: Mothers Know Best— Honoring Motherhood in Business with Hoda Mohajerani | 00:24:56 | |
“Without our mothers, we wouldn't be here. We need to put mothers and nurturing maternal relationships at the forefront of our families, of our communities, and also how we lead businesses as well.” —Hoda Mohajerani Motherhood is at the heart of many businesses today. Where some see constraints, these mompreneurs find freedom in following passions with impacts that nourish families and the future. Their brands reflect the love, care, and vision that sustain communities, just as motherhood sustains families. Chakra Chai founder Hoda Mohajerani returns to share her journey as a mom and business leader. Listen in as Justine and Hoda discuss more about the intersection of motherhood and entrepreneurship, Chakra Chai's latest products that aim to nourish both physical and spiritual well-being, the importance of collaboration and community in business success, nurturing communities through sustainable practices, and more.
Meet Hoda: Following the loss of her newborn son, Arta, Hoda’s body, mind, and soul were in a state of disarray. Her heart was shattered, her energy depleted, and she suffered from chronic gut and colon problems. Hoda’s being was in turmoil while she struggled to find solace in her physical and emotional state. However, her sheer power will keep her going through the toughest of times.
While meditating at home, Hoda heard a whisper from her dear Arta: “Chakra Chai”. At first, she was not sure what it meant or what her little one was trying to tell her. Over time, though, she began to understand the profound message, delivered with the utmost tenderness and love.
Hoda received a download of information that she knew was sacred and powerful. She sat with her thoughts and quieted her mind, allowing for the message to sink in and take root. She knew that this was an incredible gift, one that she had to honor and pursue with all her being.
CHAKRA CHAI is the product of her loss and grief, but it has become Hoda’s mission in life to offer a drink that brings wholeness, balance, and strength to those who need it. It is a privilege to serve others, and she hopes that each sip of CHAKRA CHAI offers solace and healing to all those who come across it.
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Episode Highlights: 02:37 Building a Conscious Brand that Supports Mothers 05:16 Love Truffles 08:04 Finding the Right Team 13:27 The Importance of Collaboration and Community 19:03 Honoring Motherhood in Business
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| 11 Apr 2023 | 013: Getting People on the Urgency of Upcycling with Anna Hammond | 00:30:42 | |
“There was so much need for healthier food and so much extra food.” —Anna Hammond Food is an important part of our lives. It's what we eat, and it's how we celebrate and mourn. But sometimes, getting the right ingredients can be a challenge—especially if we're trying to do right by our environment, too. As faithful stewards of the earth and advocates of our health, we are faced with the urgency to act upon this inherent responsibility. Upcycling is a great way to reduce waste and give something new life. It's also a great way to support local communities and build connections with the people we're working with. Thankfully, more companies are embracing upcycling as a sustainable business practice. Matriark Foods is a Founding Member of the Upcycled Food Association, therefore, all their products are Certified Upcycle. Their dedication to sustainability is also seen in their FSC (Forest Council Certified) packaging, which means that their products are totally eco-friendly and sourced responsibly from the inside out.
In this episode, Justine sits with Matriark Foods’ CEO, Anna Hammond to discuss the urgent reasons we must reframe our food system and how businesses can help in achieving this goal. They also talk about food and art, how food strengthens bonds, tips on starting a new business, getting your products on the shelf, and the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs.
Meet Anna: Anna Hammond is the Founder and CEO of Matriark Foods, a social impact business— inspired by the thousands of children Anna has worked with (including her 3 children and 4 grandchildren) — to scale access to healthy food for the benefit of people and the environment. Anna has spent 25 years as a nonprofit leader scaling programs and teams into dynamic, and stable organizations. Most recently, she was Executive Director for The Sylvia Center and collaborated with farmers, institutions, funders, and foundations committed to solving food insecurity through education and reimagined food systems. Together they expanded healthy eating and cooking programs in public housing community centers in all 5 NYC boroughs and all 6 school districts in Columbia County.
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Episode Highlights: 00:56 The Goals of Matriark Foods 03:55 Weaving Environment, Economics, and Health 07:04 Creativity in Food 10:56 Tips When Starting Something New 18:03 Getting on the Shelf 22:30 Challenges of a Female Entrepreneur
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| 08 Oct 2024 | 006: Taste of Learning: Bridging the Gap Between Food and Academics with Laura La Vacca | 00:26:41 | |
“They know they're going to get taken care of when they come to school. That's one of the most important things that we can do, and then they're ready to learn.” —Laura La Vacca
Food and nutrition are often overlooked as the most important part of a child's day, despite their crucial role in fueling young minds and bodies. Yet, while schools play a vital part in ensuring students have access to healthy, nourishing meals, the integration of food education into the curriculum remains a challenge.
Laura La Vacca is the Food Service Director of Burlington School District in Vermont. Her primary role is to oversee the district's federally funded meal programs and spearhead initiatives to incorporate local, fresh produce into school cafeterias.
From the importance of building trust with students to the transformative power of hands-on food education, this conversation offers valuable insights into the future of school nutrition and its potential to shape the next generation's relationship with food.
Tune in as Justine and Laura discuss the importance of building trust and relationships with students to encourage them to try new, healthy foods, the transformative impact of hands-on food education, the challenges of balancing federal nutrition guidelines with student preferences and limited resources, he vital role of school nutrition programs in providing nourishing meals and a sense of community for all students, plus much more.
Connect with Laura: Laura La Vacca is the nutritionist for the Burlington School District in Vermont, bringing over two decades of experience in school nutrition to her role. Responsible for overseeing the district's federally funded meal programs, Laura is dedicated to integrating local, fresh produce into school cafeterias and empowering students to develop a lifelong love of nutritious foods through hands-on education and community-based partnerships.
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Episode Highlights: 00:49 USDA Guidelines and Requirements for Meal Planning 04:24 The Impact of Peer Influence and Hands-On Experiences 07:23 Healthy Meals for the Community 11:17 The Number of Food-Insecure Students 15:02 Integrating Food and Nutrition Into Education 22:01 Mission: Sustainable School Nutrition Programs 25:06 The Need for Continued Advocacy
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| 16 Jan 2024 | 003: Regen Reset Wellness: Optimizing Health from the Ground Up with Season's Best Ingredients with Kevin Bressani | 00:19:46 | |
“Food as your medicine is anything that's not processed. These are things that we should be eating [because they] prevent you from having to take drugs. So if you're interested in health, you should be eating holistically in that regard.” —Kevin Bressani Your best self starts on the plate! The food we put on our plates each day has a profound impact on our health and well-being. Yet in our fast-paced world, it's easy to lose sight of how the small daily choices around what we eat can nourish our minds and bodies. During his travels abroad, Healthy Roots Chef Kevin Bressani was exposed to permaculture and the connection between soil health, biodiversity, and nutrition. This experience brought him to an awareness of how this impacts the whole food production process, and ultimately the health of the consumers. In this conversation, Chef Kevin shares insights into how eating for optimal health starts on the plate by cooking in tune with the seasons from sustainable, organic sources. Justine and Chef Kevin also delve into how prioritizing whole, minimally processed foods and supporting local farms through our shopping decisions can help optimize wellness from the ground up. Tune in to learn practical strategies for making meals that not only taste delicious but also care for people and the planet.
Meet Kevin: Chef Kevin Bressani has always been passionate about food and nutrition. As a young kid, he became interested in cooking by watching great chefs such as Jacques Pepin and Julia Child on television. This interest sparked a desire to work in various restaurants and to travel around the world to places like Australia where he worked and learned on organic and biodynamic farms. Kevin also traveled to Belize to study the natural healing power of plants and herbs with traditional Mayan healers. Through these adventures, he became inspired to nourish his community by creating healthy meals.
In 2009, he enrolled in the Natural Chef program at Bauman College in Berkeley, California. He polished his culinary skills and expanded his knowledge of therapeutic cooking at Bauman College and an internship at Three Stone Hearth, a community supported kitchen in Berkeley, CA. Chef Kevin believes that food is a powerful medicine and a vital component in our own longevity. As a personal chef, his cooking philosophy emphasizes the use of whole, local, and organic foods to provide every cell in the body with the vital nutrients and minerals needed to stay healthy and prevent disease.
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Episode Highlights: 01:30 Food Choices and Seasonal Eating 05:59 Personalized Meal Planning and Holistic Health 11:13 Private Chef Services 15:59 Evolving a Food Business with a Focus on Healthy Products
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| 23 Jan 2024 | 004: Modern Technology and Innovation: Molecular Biology Meets Consumer Demand for Natural Sweeteners with Todd Rands | 00:25:37 | |
“What we needed was the diversity of what nature provides, we needed to get better nutrition to more people… not in the big corporate way, but doing something different than anything that we've done before.” —Todd Rands
With sugar consumption linked to health issues like obesity and diabetes, consumers are looking for healthier options that allow for moderation without compromise. Innovation in natural low-calorie sweeteners holds promise for addressing this need and empowering personal choices. Led by CEO Todd Rands, ELO Life Systems is developing sustainable, natural ingredients by engineering plant biofactories. With decades of experience in molecular biology, agriculture, and venture capital, Todd's vision is for ELO to make healthier, plant-based products accessible to all through agricultural innovation. Join in as Justine and Todd explore ELO's research process, partnerships with major brands, goals of making plant-based ingredients widely accessible, and leveraging molecular farming to revolutionize global agriculture and food production.
Meet Todd: A seasoned life-sciences executive, Todd Rands has more than 25 years of scientific, legal, and business leadership at Fortune 500 companies, venture capital-backed startups, and top-tier law firms. With Elo’s advanced technology and a world-class team of innovators, Todd brings a singular focus to making everyday foods consumers love more nutritious and better for the planet.
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Episode Highlights: 02:10 Reimagining the Food System with Cutting-Edge Tech 06:58 A Natural Alternative to Sugar 13:13 Molecular Farming for a Healthier, More Sustainable, and More Affordable Food 19:22 Sugar Alternatives and Their Health Impacts
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| 02 Jan 2024 | 001: Regen Reset Wellness: How Probiotics Impact Mood, Immunity, and GI Balance with Natasha Trenev | 00:29:06 | |
“We are more microbes than we are human cells. And it's the only alien thing that's in our body that we have to form a unity with in order to enjoy phenomenal health.” —Natasha Trenev
Probiotics are live microorganisms that can enhance digestive health when consumed in adequate amounts. Cutting-edge research continues to reveal exciting new ways specific probiotic strains can promote a healthy immune response and reduce inflammation throughout the entire body. As the gut microbiome plays a vital role in overall wellness, maintaining a diverse population of beneficial bacteria through probiotic intake is crucial, but only if done the right way.
Joining us for the premiere episode of Season 8 is probiotic pioneer Natasha Trenev, a pioneer in the fields of fermented foods and probiotics, introducing these concepts over 40 years ago. As founder and president of Natren Probiotics, she continues her mission to educate on gut health and choose probiotic strains that support the immune system.
Listen in as Natasha provides a historical perspective on how our understanding of gut health and functional foods has evolved. She details early studies on probiotics and women's health as well as controversial topics like soy milk, kombucha, and raw foods consumption based on her decades of research and experience.
Justine and Natasha also share important factors to consider when choosing a probiotic supplement and practical advice on reintroducing foods and incorporating fermented options like homemade yogurt into our diet.
Meet Natasha: Probiotic pioneer, Natasha Trenev, has significantly contributed to the evolution of the probiotics industry. Prior to her work in the field, consumers had very limited knowledge of the supplement and its many benefits. Natasha's extensive experience and knowledge of the industry began with her family's 750-year history of producing the most beneficial yogurt prized by the royal family of Yugoslavia.
After graduating from UCLA in 1970, a decade of research led to Natasha's development of the first revolutionary method of producing an effective and scientifically validated single-strain probiotic bacteria product. Her efforts helped to establish the entire probiotics category in the world!
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Episode Highlights: 01:42 Gut Health and Holistic Approach to Health 06:28 Research Studies 12:26 Probiotics and Gut Health 17:55 A Focus on Safety and Effectiveness 24:06 The Impact of Diet on Overall Health
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| 24 Dec 2024 | 020: Transparency and Authenticity is the New Currency with Jake Karls Part 2 (Re-release) | 00:13:55 | |
“Transparency and authenticity are the new currency. If you don't figure that out, you won't be able to get the purchases because consumers today want to understand what the brand is about … They want to see the humans behind the brand.” -Jake Karls
Transparency and authenticity are the new currency in today's business landscape. Consumers crave genuine connections with the brands they support, valuing honesty and vulnerability over polished perfection. In a world saturated with noise, the brands that dare to be unapologetically themselves will rise above the rest. Jake Karls is the co-founder of Mid-Day Squares, a modern-day chocolate company redefining the way we indulge. As a passionate advocate for transparency and innovation, Jake has built a brand that prioritizes both functional nutrition and emotional connection. Revisit this insightful conversation as Jake shares Midday Squares' journey of growth, legal challenges, and the power of staying true to your values in a rapidly evolving industry.
Connect with Jake: Jake Karls is an actuary turned modern-day Willy Wonka. He co-founded Mid-Day Squares in 2018 along with his sister and brother-in-law. They manufacture the world’s first Functional Chocolate Bars: “Everything a chocolate bar isn’t, everything a protein bar wishes it was.” The social skills he acquired from running run a clothing brand (Chase & Hunter) became a strength for Mid-Day Squares, his role being the Chief Rover Officer and Resident Social-Personality. He makes a noise, builds relationships, and spreads love.
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Episode Highlights: 01:26 What’s New with Jake? 04:50 Giving the Ownership to the Consumers 08:17 Transparency is the New Currency 10:50 Trust is the Key
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| 20 Aug 2024 | 034: Flour Power: Preserving the Flavor of Tradition to Nourish Local Communities with Jennifer Lapidus | 00:21:12 | |
“The flavor and the taste of our regions, as soon as you start industrializing it… it strips the flavor of the grain. It might be good as a crop that will bring in money, but it's not going to have that same soulful value that the type of flour that is stone-milled.” —Jennifer Lapidus
From the farmers who nurture the grains, to the millers who coax out their complex flavors, to the bakers who transform these flours into loaves that nourish the soul, these artisans play a crucial role in preserving the unique tastes of their regions.
Jennifer Lapidus founded Carolina Ground, a small flour mill that aims to revive traditional milling practices and strengthen the connection between farmers, millers, and bakers. With a passion for history and a deep appreciation for the art of sourdough bread-making, Jennifer has spent over 30 years championing the use of locally sourced, stone-milled flour to create exceptional baked goods that nourish both body and soul.
Join the conversation as Justine and Jennifer talk about the importance of following your passions even if the path is not straightforward, how collaboration and support help the baking community thrive, the power of preserving tradition in the age of rapid industrialization, the benefits of focusing on the quality over quantity, and the value of finding the right balance for a mission-driven business.
Meet Jennifer: Jennifer (she/her) is a baker, a miller, an author, a wife, a mother and stepmom, a sister, a fan of beagle mutts, bitter foods, long walks, and Belgian road bikes. She’s forklift certified and her favorite musical is A Chorus Line (though Hamilton is a close second).
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Episode Highlights: 00:40 Baking as a Mark in History 05:21 Making Sourdough More Nutritious and Flavorful 09:16 The Farmers-Millers-Bakers Community 13:16 The Benefits of Growing Laterally 16:39 More than Just Sugar and Egg
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| 12 Mar 2024 | 011: Making Fruits and Veggies a Delicious Habit with Colorful Concoctions on the Go with Amber Benson | 00:26:03 | |
“You're not going to heal unless you're creating that environment in your body. We should understand that fruits and vegetables help you every single day.” —Amber Benson
While we're often told the importance of "eating the rainbow" each day, many struggle to fit those colorful servings of produce into their busy routines. Without sufficient intake of these nutrient-dense whole foods, we miss out on essential vitamins, minerals, fiber, and plant compounds shown to support longevity and decrease the probability of chronic illnesses. Hence, this widespread deficiency has become a major public health issue that demands innovative solutions. This week, Justine is joined by Amber Benson, the co-founder of Ruvi, a company that uses freeze-dried technology to preserve the nutrients in fruits and vegetables while making them easy to enjoy anytime in a convenient powder form. Listen in as Amber discusses how their clean label approach and use of freeze-dried technology help more people increase their fruit and vegetable consumption. Justine and Amber also explore the importance of balancing fruit, vegetable, and fiber intake for wellness, strategies for educating consumers, making healthy eating easier through convenient fruit and veggie delivery, and more!
Meet Amber: Amber has a passion for healthy eating and a disdain for waste. The co-founder of Ruvi, she is on a mission to crush nutritional deficiency with the planet’s purest source of nutrition: fruits and veggies. Amber worked in food and supplements for 20 years and loves the challenge of starting a new business. She received an MBA from Brigham Young University. She’s married with three children and feels accomplished when she gets a healthy meal at her family’s dinner table at night. Her favorite fruit is papaya with a squeeze of lime.
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Episode Highlights: 01:16 Leveraging Freeze-Dried Technology 04:25 The Benefits of Delivery Service 09:02 How Fruits and Vegetables Impact Health and Wellness 13:25 Product Development foe Healthy Eating 17:57 The Power of Easy and Readable Labels 22:01 Go Ruvi, Get Ruvi
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| 06 Jun 2023 | 022: Unlocking The Secret to the Best Tasting Dishes with Max La Manna | 00:30:43 | |
"Simple dish with simple ingredients is always going to be the best." —Max La Manna
Every year, tons of food are wasted, leading to environmental pollution and economic losses. By adopting low waste cooking methods, we can save food, money and natural resources.
Low waste cooking is a way of life that reflects our values and priorities. It shows that we care about the planet, the people, and the future. By reducing food waste, we also reduce greenhouse gas emissions, conserve water, and protect biodiversity. We also support local farmers and communities, reduce food insecurity, and promote food justice.
Chef Max La Manna is a superstar in the world of low waste cooking! With a laid-back approach to creating delicious meals, he’s captured the hearts of over 1.2 million fans on social media. Max’s passion for reducing waste and using every bit of an ingredient has inspired his menus, and people can't get enough of his viral recipe videos. It's no surprise that he's been featured by top publications and even given his own TV series. Today, Max has become a household name for his food waste reduction efforts.
Hear what he'll cook up next in this week's episode as Justine and Max dive in an in-depth conversation about zero food waste and the secret to the best dishes. They also discuss how to build a community, create an impact through a movement, the connection between culture and the future of food, the importance of accessibility, and how to make a success in the food industry.
Meet Max: Max La Manna is an award-winning author, low-waste chef and digital creator whose casual approach to cooking has captivated an audience of over 1.2 million followers across his social media accounts.
Inspired by his own life experience, Max creates simple, affordable dishes that use as much of each ingredient as possible. His viral, easy-to-follow recipe videos have racked up over 1 billion views across socials.
His debut cookbook More Plants Less Waste was named Most Sustainable Cookbook at the 2020 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. He has also been featured in publications including Vogue, Vice and The Guardian, hosted the BBC Earth series Regeneration Food, cooked live on BBC Saturday Kitchen, featured as a guest on BBC Breakfast talking about reducing food waste in the home, and won Digital Creator of the Year at the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards in May 2022.
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Episode Highlights: 01:32 A Staggering Amount of Food Waste 06:11 Low Waste Cooking 09:30 Building a Community Through Social Media 13:40 Starting a Movement 20:40 Culture and the Future of Food 26:17 Food Does Not Lie
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| 20 Jun 2023 | 024: Better-For-You Delights Now At Your Local Stop-and-Shop with Rachel Krupa | 00:22:58 | |
“Food is always where people are. Food equals a time and an emotion; it's that moment of comfort.” —Rachel Krupa
Choosing better-for-you products has been about endless label-reading and guessing games. Moreover, these products are hard to find and often comes with a higher price tag. But what if healthier options can be found in convenience stores? Well, that sure would be a game-changer!
Rachel Krupa, the founder of The Goods Mart, has one important principle: putting the community and people first above anything else. Her passion for providing a unique kind of convenience store began with Krupa Consulting, a PR agency dedicated to promoting genuine and healthy food, snacks, and wellness brands that value quality ingredients, ethical practices, and sustainable business.
The Goods Mart has more than 200 carefully selected products designed for the environmentally and health-conscious community. They offer lots of healthy options without sacrificing taste. With The Goods Mart, everyone can finally say goodbye to doubtful food choices and shop without worries knowing every item they see is better-for-you and better for the planet.
Listen is as Justine and Rachel defines what convenience means in our current generation and why choosing healthier options does not mean it has to be perfect. They also discuss what it means to choose better-for-you products, how to figure out what customers want and need, and how PR can help emerging brands grow. Stick around for some great ideas to expand your reach!
Meet Rachel: Rachel Krupa is a trailblazer in the world of PR, particularly when it comes to guiding better-for-you brands. She's the mastermind behind Krupa Consulting, which launched back in 2010, and the brilliant concept behind The Goods Mart, which opened its doors in 2018. With over 20 years in the PR industry, Rachel is an expert at navigating the peaks and valleys of the culinary, hospitality, and wellness landscapes. She's worked in the trenches of D.C. politics, represented major league baseball, spent five years under the tutelage of the legendary Lizzie Grubman, and even opened the first West Coast office of Berk Communication.
What sets Rachel apart is her keen awareness of what makes a brand successful, from nailing the perfect price point to crafting killer marketing language. The Goods Mart is a true testament to her expertise. By running this one-of-a-kind convenience store, Rachel and the Krupa Consulting team have a distinct advantage when it comes to delivering powerful storytelling, strategic social consciousness, and purposeful partnerships. Suffice it to say, Rachel is a true force to be reckoned with and we can't wait to see what she conquers next!
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Episode Highlights: 01:01 Inside The Goods Mart 05:53 Emerging Brands and Convenience 08:54 Better-For-You: Good Choice Not Perfect 15:15 PR Help 19:12 Getting a Wider Reach
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| 23 Apr 2024 | 017: How to Leverage Data to Reveal Hidden Market Opportunities with Kate Burns and Andreas Duess | 00:36:01 | |
“Wi-Fi and the Internet have now become a utility. But food is not. It should be! Good food should be as available and accessible as Wi-Fi.” —Kate Burns
“Hit the market where the market is not where you wish it would be.” —Andreas Duess
Leveraging data and insights provides businesses with a strategic edge. Rather than relying solely on assumptions or untested ideas, a data-driven approach empowers companies to design products and strategies that deliver impactful solutions that meet customers’ needs.
6Seeds is a company that provides data-backed insights to guide businesses toward sustainable growth. Their analysis helps founders move past assumptions to make fact-based choices. By acting on insights from real consumer behavior and preferences, entrepreneurs can create relevant offerings and navigate the path to success.
Listen in as Justine interviews 6Seeds co-founders, Kate Burns and Andreas Duess to discuss how understanding real customer behaviors through data empowers entrepreneurs to expand their brand beyond initial expectations.
They also talk about the key questions founders should ask themselves upfront, how hard data can help reframe business models, how a data-first approach can set the stage for long-term wins, and much more!
Meet Kate Burns: After running Google Europe, and then launching Buzzfeed Tasty during her tenure as CEO of Buzzfeed, Kate has now co-founded 6 Seeds to support brands that build a sustainable future for food.
Meet Andreas Duess: Andreas started his career at Ogilvy in London, focusing on tech with Sony, Canon, and Cisco. He moved to Toronto and co-founded one of North America’s leading marketing agencies focusing on food, drink, and ag. He is now utilizing his deep CPG knowledge to support the brands that are building the future of food.
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Episode Highlights: 01:16 Leveraging Tech for Food 04:19 Food and Beverage Industry: Challenges and Solutions 13:14 Utilizing Data for Product Development 18:01 Determining Potential Target Audience 25:03 Identifying the Core Opportunity for Businesses 30:48 Building a Successful Business Through Data-Driven Insights
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| 16 Jan 2025 | 024: Gut-Brain Axis Explained: How Food Impacts Mental and Physical Health with Dr. Edison de Mello Part 1 | 00:22:58 | |
Gut, Food, & Health series
Episode Description: “Your taste buds have a different agenda than your mind and your gut. They're not connected in congruence all the time. So what tastes good in your mouth, is not necessarily what your gut or your brain needs.” —Dr. Edison de Mello
Your gut is the gateway to your overall health and well-being. Did you know that the gut-brain connection can significantly influence your mood, cognitive function, and immune system? Maintaining a balanced gut microbiome is crucial for optimizing both physical and mental wellness. Dr. Edison de Mello MD, PhD, is a renowned expert in the field of integrative medicine. As the Founder and Chief Medical Officer of the Akasha Center for Integrative Medicine, he seamlessly blends cutting-edge Western medical practices with the wisdom of Eastern holistic approaches to provide personalized, comprehensive care to his patients. Discover the profound impact of food on gut health, the challenges of implementing dietary changes, and the importance of tailored solutions as Dr. de Mello and Justine Reichman dive deep into the gut health revolution.
Meet Dr. de Mello: Dr. Edison de Mello, MD, PhD is the founder and Chief Medical Officer of the Akasha Center for Integrative Medicine. He is a board-certified integrative physician and a licensed psychotherapist. Dr. de Mello completed his residency at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, where he trained in a biopsychosocial model and integrated complementary medicine into Family Medicine. Inspired by his grandmother, Nana, who practiced natural healing, Dr. de Mello's approach combines Western and Eastern medicine, focusing on treating the mind, body, and spirit. He has written several articles and contributed to Dr. Andrew Weil's upcoming book on the microbiome and food addiction. Dr. de Mello is also on the advisory board of several organizations and a member of various professional associations.
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Episode Highlights: 01:13 Food and Gut Health 04:46 Mindfulness and Food Insensitivity 07:33 Allergy and Intolerance Test 13:59 Tailoring Dietary Advice and Personal Needs 16:45 The Role of Medical Education in Nutrition 20:50 Navigating Global Health
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| 05 Dec 2023 | 014: Drink Mindfully: Redefining Booze with Regenerative Organic with Maddy Rotman and Taylor Lanzet | 00:29:41 | |
“When we think about our community, we don't feel alone at all. We look at all of our farmers, all of these amazing other CPG brands, we are becoming a loud minority that is shaking and moving the system.” —Maddy Rotman
“Be a little bit more curious when you're out there shopping for alcoholic products. Gravitate towards the brands that fully disclose everything.” —Taylor Lanzet
As the world of spirits embraces regenerative organic farming, a new era of eco-conscious consumption is taking root. By adopting practices that mimic nature's restorative cycles, distillers are not only crafting exceptional spirits but also nurturing a more sustainable and equitable future for the industry. This shift reflects a growing awareness that the spirits we enjoy come not just from the land but also from the hands of those who care for it.
Driven by their passion for sustainability, Maddy Rotman and Taylor Lanzet founded Anytime Spritz, a company offering a line of low-ABV canned cocktails made with ingredients sourced from regenerative organic farms. Their commitment to regenerative agriculture led to the creation of three delicious flavors, expanding distribution from New York to California. This initiative sets a new standard for the alcohol industry, paving the way for a more sustainable future.
Listen in as Maddy and Taylor share how they met, the inspiration and vision behind launching Anytime Spritz, what regenerative farming means to them, and the importance of partnering with organic growers. They also discuss the challenges of entering the alcohol industry as first-time entrepreneurs, why transparency around ingredients is so important to their brand, and their upcoming spirits releases.
Meet Taylor: Taylor Lanzet is a passionate food policy expert dedicated to transforming the food system for the benefit of farmers, workers, and consumers. Known as a food policy nerd, Taylor blends academic expertise with practical experience, working tirelessly to bridge the gap between policy and action. With a focus on sustainability and equity, Taylor collaborates with diverse stakeholders to advocate for mission-driven initiatives and build a more resilient and ethical food system for all.
Meet Maddy: Maddy Rotman has extensive experience in sustainable food systems and building farm-to-table supply chains. She met her co-founder Taylor Lanzet while they were students at Brown University where they studied the intersection of food systems and climate change. Maddy brings her passion for organic and regenerative agriculture as well as her business experience to Anytime Spritz's mission of creating transparent, organic canned cocktails.
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Episode Highlights: 00:55 The Sustainable Farm-To-Can Cocktail 06:31 Identifying Market Need 13:02 Sustainable Spirits and Consumer Impact 19:08 Regen Ag and Natural Flavors 23:30 Lack of Transparency in the Alcohol Industry 25:20 Drink Mindfully
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| 11 Jun 2024 | 024: Regenerative Ranches: How Sustainable Livestock Farming Can Help Solve Climate Change with Marshall Bartlett | 00:41:28 | |
“This isn't just a purchasing decision. This has huge and sweeping ramifications. As consumers, we dictate the food system; our choices pull a lever that directly dictates how all this works.” —Marshall Bartlett
Sustainable meat production is about more than just the end product— it's also about supporting a holistic farming system that nourishes both people and the land. When consumers make the conscientious choice to purchase meat from farms practicing this kind of care, it solidifies a food system that will continue nourishing communities for many years to come.
This week, Justine sits down with Marshall Bartlett, the co-founder and CEO of Home Place Pastures, a fifth-generation family farm in Mississippi that has transformed over the past decade to practice regenerative agriculture through rotational grazing of grass-fed beef and pastured pork. Marshall aims to improve soil health, support ethical animal welfare, and make locally grown, sustainable meat accessible in his community.
Tune in as Justine and Marshall talk about the challenges of conventional agriculture, how regenerative practices like rotational grazing can improve soil health and sequester carbon long-term, and the importance of education and storytelling to help consumers understand labels and make informed choices that support small, local producers.
Meet Marshall: Marshall grew up in the Home Place and fell in love with the farm and his hometown throughout his childhood. After graduating from the Mississippi School of Math and Science, Marshall left the South to attend Dartmouth College for undergrad. After college, he spent time in Montana, completed an AmeriCorps term in New Orleans rebuilding houses destroyed in Katrina, and eventually ran operations for a small business specializing in sourcing local meat for New Orleans chefs.
In 2014, at the age of 24, Marshall returned to the Home Place with a new vision for the family farm and has worked for the last 10 years to bring this vision to reality. You can usually find him on the Home Place Monday through Saturday somewhere between the meat plant, the farming operation, and the Farm Store. He often gives farm tours and butcher classes at the Home Place. He spends his off-farm time with his wife Katie and daughter Joan or traveling to help learn from other farmers and meat processors.
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Episode Highlights: 02:33 Farming Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Practices 12:44 Financial Viability Concern 16:13 Connecting Food with Health and Planet 21:56 Manipulated Label Claim in the Meat Industry 25:17 Local and Sustainable Meat Production 28:44 Local Foods and Consumer Impact 34:05 Animal Welfare and Regenerative Agriculture 36:46 Supporting Local Agriculture
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| 21 Jan 2025 | 025: The Busy Parents’ Partner: Wholesome Alternatives to Kids’ Midday Meals with Lisette Howard and Katy Tucker | 00:27:34 | |
The Busy Parents’ Partner: Wholesome Alternatives to Kids’ Midday Meals with Lisette Howard and Katy Tucker
“There are a lot of no's… you just keep knocking, and you will eventually find the people that believe in what you're doing and not where you are in that exact moment.” —Lisette Howard
“There's a lot of flash-in-the-pan products out there that hit the market fast as all they're gone… It’s really important to know your end game right when you start.” —Katy Tucker
Feeding our little ones can be a constant battle— between picky palates, busy schedules, and the overwhelming options on grocery shelves. But what if we could provide our kids with snacks that not only satisfy their cravings, but also nourish their growing bodies? The future of kids' food is clean, simple, and deliciously nostalgic. Sunnie is a mission-driven snack brand dedicated to upgrading snack time for busy families. Co-founders Katy Tucker and Lisette Howard are on a mission to provide better-for-you options that never compromise on taste or convenience. Tune in as Justine sits down with Katy and Lisette to discuss their journey in revolutionizing the snack industry, the importance of clean ingredients, and their plans to bring more wholesome choices to families nationwide.
Meet Katy: With a background in fashion, Katy Tucker brings a unique perspective to the food industry, focusing on creating products that are not only nutritious but also nostalgic and appealing. As a mother of three, Katy is passionate about empowering parents to make better choices for their children's snacking needs. Through Sunnie, Katy aims to redefine the snack landscape and inspire a healthier future for families.
Meet Lisette: With a background in online marketing, Lisette brings a strategic and innovative approach to building Sunnie’s brand and reaching health-conscious consumers. As a mother of three, Lisette understands the challenges of finding snacks that both nourish and delight children. Through Sunnie, Lisette is on a mission to provide families with better-for-you options that never compromise on taste or convenience.
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Episode Highlights: 01:44 Bridging the Market Gap in Kids’ Lunch 06:51 Navigating the Business Landscape During COVID 10:31 Pitching and Fundraising Challenges 14:46 Target Partnership 18:56 Distribution and Expansion Plans 24:21 Future Plans for Feel Sunnie | |||
| 03 Sep 2024 | 001: Cultivating Change: A Look Into the Biggest and Best Season Yet | 00:10:41 | |
“I wanted to share a look at what's to come in the biggest and the best season of essential ingredients yet!” —Justine Reichman
The wait is over! Season 9 of Essential Ingredients is finally here, and it's the most impactful and eye-opening season yet, and we can't wait to share it with you!
This season, we're pulling out all the stops to bring you the most captivating, thought-provoking, and downright inspiring stories from the frontlines of the food revolution.
Get ready to meet the visionary entrepreneurs, passionate activists, and pioneering innovators who are transforming our food systems in remarkable ways. But it's not just about the latest breakthroughs— we're also diving deep into the critical issues that are transforming our food systems, from the fight for food access and worker dignity to the quest for true environmental sustainability, and more.
Prepare to be informed, inspired, and galvanized into action as we explore these vital topics through the lens of real people creating real change.
The future of food has never looked brighter! Tune in.
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Episode Highlights: 00:23 The Biggest and Best Season Yet! 02:03 Sneak Peek: Biodiversity and Organic Farming Practices 03:58 Sneak Peek: Carbon-Negative Flooring 05:13 Sneak Peek: Edible School Yard 06:15 Sneak Peek: Rice Intensification Impact 08:52 Sneak Peek: Community Building and Personal Groth 10:17 Sneak Peek: Agriculture
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| 19 Dec 2023 | 016: Chocolate to Love: How Cell-Culture is Creating a Healthier Treat with Alan Perlstein | 00:17:41 | |
“The three main factors are taste, price, and availability. Make sure things taste amazing, make sure it's affordable, and make it even more healthy.” —Alan Perlstein Cell-culture technology is unlocking new frontiers in food production by growing crops from single cells instead of plants. This novel approach allows us to see a new generation of "designer" foods engineered at the cellular level to promote wellness in tasty new ways. California Culture is pioneering the use of cell culture to grow cocoa and coffee from single cells, allowing them to produce chocolate and coffee with unprecedented health benefits. By cultivating cocoa cells in bioreactors, they can infuse chocolate with high levels of heart-healthy cocoa flavanols while removing lead and other toxins. Their vision is to make chocolate not only more delicious but also a secret weapon for cardiovascular health.
Listen in as California Culture CEO, Alan Perlstein shares how his background in biotechnology and entrepreneurship led him to this innovative idea, the health benefits of cocoa flavanols, and his vision to make chocolate healthier and more sustainable through this technology. Justine and Alan also talk about the potential of cellular agriculture in improving the food industry, the process of scaling your biz from lab to market, expanding distribution, making products more affordable, guiding principles for product development, and more.
Meet Alan: Alan started working in a tiny cell-cultured fish lab in Long Island 17 years ago, back in the early days of cell-culture technology. He launched his first food tech company Joywell Foods (formerly Miraculex), where he commercialized protein-sweetened foods. When he saw tension brewing between the huge demand for chocolate and the sustainable/ethical issues surrounding it, he knew he had to look towards something bigger and thus, California Cultured was born.
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| 18 Jun 2024 | 025: Reinventing Regenerative Systems Through Bio-Regional Approach in Education with Dr. Laird Christensen | 00:26:55 | |
“You can't leave the question of justice out of sustainability. Because if large numbers of people feel disempowered, or left out of the process, there's nothing sustainable about that.” —Dr. Laird Christensen
Building a sustainable and regenerative future requires innovative education and community engagement. When educational programs empower people with practical knowledge of their local ecosystems and economies, they gain the tools to strengthen food systems, land use, and social networks where they live. Dr. Laird Christensen is an award-winning instructor and administrator at Prescott College, where he directs innovative graduate programs focused on sustainability and resilience. Through story-based and project-centered learning, his curricula empower professionals to create just and sustainable communities. Tune in as Justine and Dr. Christensen cover critical issues on empowering students to address challenges in their regions through bio-regional and solutions-based approaches, the need for inclusive solutions that benefit all people as energy systems transition away from fossil fuels, overcoming climate anxiety, and reinventing systems in a more regenerative and equitable manner.
Meet Laird: Laird Christensen is an award-winning instructor, writer, and administrator. As the director of the Master of Science in Resilient and Sustainable Communities program at Prescott College, he has developed innovative project-based curricula and interdisciplinary programs focused on how stories shape the interaction of human communities and their environments. With over 10 years of experience directing online graduate programs, Laird is passionate about empowering working professionals to build more sustainable and just communities through place-based and solutions-oriented learning.
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Episode Highlights: 04:35 A Focus on Solutions-Based Learning 08:38 Student Innovation Builds Sustainable Food System 14:51 Creating Systemic Resiliency Through Education and Community Engagement 19:31 Understanding Different Perspectives to Address Social and Environmental Issues 23:33 Communication Strategies for Creating a Regenerative Future | |||
| 17 Oct 2023 | 007: Biodynamic Regenerative Farming: Benefits Beyond Organic Practices with Gregory Kalinin | 00:29:58 | |
“You can also look at resources of putting your time into building that network of advisers. It's a bit of time to build that but then you get so much value out of that as long as you're willing to listen.” —Gregory Kalinin
Dynamic agriculture can be seen as a way of weaving regenerative farming into a holistic and adaptive system that can benefit both the farmers and the environment. By blending these two practices, farmers can meet specific goals, such as minimizing tillage, recycling organic matter, using cover crops, rotating crops and livestock, avoiding synthetic inputs, and diversifying production. Dynamic agriculture can also help farmers respond to the changing demands and preferences of consumers, such as organic, local, fair trade, or niche products. This week, Gregory shares his journey from being a coffee geek to the Co-Founder of Holistic Roasters, a biodynamic and organic coffee roasting company. As a coffee enthusiast who was introduced to high-quality siphon coffee in Japan, Gregory developed a passion for exploring different coffee brewing and roasting methods. He began home roasting and sourced biodynamic coffee for a school fundraiser, which led to the creation of Holistic Roasters alongside his business partner. Under Gregory's leadership, Holistic Roasters has expanded its product offerings while committing to sustainable and regenerative farming practices. Listen in as Justine and Gregory explain what biodynamic agriculture means and how it fits into the larger movement of regenerative farming. They also discuss the importance of testing ideas through small pilots before fully committing as well as insights into building a values-aligned business in the specialty coffee industry.
Meet Gregory: Gregory is a serial entrepreneur and corporate executive with a track record of developing and implementing new business ideas across multiple industries in start-up, turnaround, and rapid-change environments.
After completing an MBA from McGill University in 1995, Gregory co-founded a high-tech startup that achieved a successful IPO on the Canadian stock market. The company was recognized by Canadian Business Magazine as one of the hottest software companies and by Profit Magazine as one of the country's fastest-growing companies.
In 2001, Gregory was recruited by Bombardier Aerospace to launch a new business unit called Flexjet in the Asia-Pacific region. Executing a pioneering development strategy allowed the business to surpass growth targets using a fraction of the allocated budget. Flexjet Asia-Pacific became the region's #1 business aircraft charter network by attracting ultra-high-net-worth individuals, political leaders, and Fortune 100 clients. For his work, Gregory received a special bonus from the Bombardier Board of Directors for having "achieved exceptional results, with an exemplary level of perseverance".
In 2008, Gregory led the turnaround of an aerospace manufacturer where he increased sales by 680%, diversified the customer base, and rebuilt the Company’s reputation. Emergia Aerospace became the #1 supplier of production line tooling in Quebec with customers ranging from Bombardier to the Canadian Air Force and Bell Helicopter Textron.
Currently, Gregory works with several companies including a talent assessment and performance management company; Holistic Roasters, a Demeter USA-certified roaster and distributor of biodynamic coffee; and MiX Café, a private café for employees and their guests.
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Episode Highlights: 00:33 Biodynamic Agriculture Defined 05:12 How Biodynamic Fits Into Regenerative Agriculture 11:03 The Third Wave Coffee Movement 15:47 Navigating Product Market Fit 21:34 Product Development, Feedback, and Pivoting Tips 25:01 The Value of Building a Network of Advisors and Experts
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| 02 Jul 2024 | 027: When Mushroom Magic Meets Chocolate Bliss with Maria Paula Garces | 00:25:50 | |
“If you always knew, you may think twice. But then you approach it with audacity.” —Maria Paula Garces
Mushrooms are nature's secret superfoods, quietly working behind the scenes to nourish both humans and Earth's ecosystems alike. Combined with the indulging flavor of cacao, these mushroom morsels form the newest way to nourish both taste buds and total wellness.
Founded by Maria Paula Garces, Fungible Chocolates creates chocolate bars infused with single strains of functional mushrooms to provide targeted health benefits like focus, immunity, and relaxation. They aim to educate consumers on the untapped wellness potential of mushrooms through clean, simple products.
Listen in as Justine and Maria share the benefits of using single-mushroom extracts versus blends in functional mushroom chocolates, the challenges of starting a business related to fungi, the importance of finding a product that aligns with one's values and enjoying the process of creating something material from an idea, and the value of building a strong foundation for a successful business through diverse advisory boards and consistent networking events.
Meet Maria: Maria Paula Garces is the founder and CEO of Fungible Chocolates, a functional mushroom chocolate company based in California. She has over 10 years of experience as an entrepreneur, having launched 10 startups in various industries including health foods and organic clothing. Prior to founding Fungible Chocolates, Maria worked as a marketing manager in the biotech industry. Maria takes a lean, self-funded approach to building her businesses and has raised a small round of investment. She is focused on researching new mushroom extracts and expanding Fungible Chocolate's product line while maintaining simplicity and accessibility. When she's not running her company, Maria enjoys networking in the startup community to build her knowledge and advisory network.
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Episode Highlights: 03:32 A Dive Into Functional Mushrooms and Chocolate 10:12 Mushroom Benefits and Their Role in Agriculture 16:46 Funding and Growth with a Lean Perspective 21:07 Building a Strong Advisory Board
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| 16 Apr 2024 | 016: Beyond the Seder Plate— Springing into Season with Matzo Recipes with Ashley Albert and Jeremy Nelson | 00:09:34 | |
“I love matzo! I eat matzah year-round as a snack.” —Ashley Albert
“The goal is to do something out of the box that people wouldn't normally do to give matzo a rebrand.” —Jeremy Nelson Passover is a joyous springtime holiday that celebrates freedom and renewal. At the heart of the Passover seder meal and ritual is matzo, an unleavened flatbread that represents the hurried departure of the Israelites from ancient Egypt. Made simply of flour and water, matzo takes center stage during the week-long celebration as a symbol of the oppression the Jews endured. However, modern chefs and food entrepreneurs are putting a fresh spin on matzo, rebranding it as a versatile ingredient for light and healthful spring recipes. Companies like The Matzo Project are keeping matzo traditions alive while introducing new ways for people to celebrate Passover with healthful, innovative recipes.
The Matzo Project Founder, Ashley Alberts returns to the Essential Ingredients Kitchen along with Floura’s Chief Product Officer, Jeremy Nelson to share new recipes and partnerships that are continuing to push the boundaries of what's possible with Matzo.
Tune in as Justine, Ashley, and Jeremy share the beginnings of The Matzo Project, Jeremy’s journey as a plant-based chef, a recipe for Mexican Matzo Ball soup from Chef Fany Gerson, exciting new potential products from Ashley and Jeremy’s collaboration, and more.
Meet Ashley: Ashley Albert is an accomplished American voice actress, singer, and entrepreneur, born in 1973 in Miami Shores, Florida. With a multifaceted career spanning various industries, Ashley has left an indelible mark on each endeavor she undertakes.
However, Ashley's entrepreneurial journey took an unexpected turn when she revisited a long-dormant idea from her past. In collaboration with her old friend Kevin Rodriguez, Ashley resurrected her concept of artisanal matzo, inspired by a childhood encounter with her neighbor's pizza shop. What began as a nostalgic reminiscence evolved into "The Matzo Project," a thriving enterprise that revolutionized the traditional Jewish cracker.
With unwavering determination and a commitment to quality, Ashley and Kevin embarked on a journey to redefine matzo, infusing it with innovation and culinary excellence. Their meticulous attention to detail, coupled with a bold and unconventional approach to branding, propelled The Matzo Project to unprecedented success. From humble beginnings in a small bakery in Coney Island to securing coveted placements in prestigious establishments like Zingerman's and earning recognition from cultural icons like Oprah Winfrey, The Matzo Project has become a testament to Ashley's entrepreneurial vision and Kevin's dedication.
While Kevin oversees the day-to-day operations of The Matzo Project, Ashley remains actively involved, infusing her unique perspective and creative flair into every aspect of the business. As she reflects on the remarkable journey they've embarked upon, Ashley's pride in their accomplishments is palpable, serving as a testament to the power of perseverance, creativity, and the enduring bond of friendship.
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Meet Jeremy: Jeremy Nelson is a Michelin-starred chef from San Francisco and the Chief Product Officer at Floura. He has over 15 years of experience in the culinary industry with a background in plant-based and health-supportive cooking. At Floura, he applies his culinary expertise to develop delicious, nutritious products using upcycled fruits and vegetables. Jeremy is passionate about connecting with others through food and creating options that are good for both humans and the planet. In his role, he oversees product development and ensures Floura's recipes deliver on taste, nutrition, and sustainability.
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Episode Highlights: 00:59 Beginnings: The Matzo Project 04:17 Meet Chef Jeremy 06:12 Matzo and Ricotta Dumpling Recipe 07:45 Mexican Matzo Ball Soup Recipe 08:38 Matzo All Year Round
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| 22 Oct 2024 | 008: Rethinking the Grain: Regenerative Approach to Sustainable Rice with Caryl Levine and Ken Lee | 00:35:37 | |
“If your soil is nutritious, all those micronutrients are now being born into your food.”—Caryl Levine
“There's no standing still. You're moving forward or you're moving backwards. To regenerate is to actually restore or bring to health, or bring to life, the living systems that sustain us.” —Ken Lee
Rice is the staple food for over half the world's population, providing essential nutrients and sustaining livelihoods. Yet, the true potential of this ancient grain remains largely untapped. From heirloom varieties to regenerative farming practices, the story of rice is one of resilience, innovation, and global impact. As the co-founders of Lotus Foods, Caryl Levine and Ken Lee have dedicated over three decades to promoting rice biodiversity, empowering smallholder farmers, and championing sustainable agriculture. Their unwavering commitment to transforming the rice industry has positioned them as trailblazers in the realm of conscious consumerism and regenerative food systems. Tune in to this captivating conversation as Caryl and Ken share their journey, from uncovering hidden rice treasures to spearheading the regenerative organic certification movement. Discover how Lotus Foods is addressing misconceptions, educating stakeholders, and navigating challenges to drive innovation and create a more nourishing and equitable future for rice.
Meet Caryl and Ken: Caryl Levine and Ken Lee are the co-founders of Lotus Foods, an organic heirloom rice company they started in 1995. With a shared passion for promoting rice biodiversity and supporting smallholder farmers, Caryl and Ken have dedicated over 30 years to building a purpose-driven business that creates positive social and environmental impact. As pioneers in the organic and regenerative food movement, Caryl and Ken have led Lotus Foods to become the first rice company to achieve Regenerative Organic Certification. They have championed innovative farming practices like the System of Rice Intensification, which reduces water usage and labor-intensive work, particularly for women farmers. Through their commitment to education and advocacy, Caryl and Ken have worked tirelessly to address misconceptions about rice cultivation and elevate the voices of smallholder farmers in the global food system. Their vision for a more sustainable and equitable food future continues to inspire and guide the evolution of Lotus Foods.
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Episode Highlights: 03:59 The Road to Entrepreneurship 09:32 Smallholder Farmers 20:53 Education and Consumer Perception 29:35 The Importance of Maintaining Company Culture 33:32 Staying True to Company Values
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| 30 Apr 2024 | 018: Purposeful Packaging: Plant-Based Packaging Solutions for a Sustainable Supply Chain with Jared Damman | 00:26:39 | |
“We believe that small businesses change the game. They'll be the future of everything and they are more adaptable. So if we can support small businesses, that's going to lead to a better economy, a better future for everyone.” —Jared Damman Traditional plastic and petroleum-based packaging have severe environmental consequences, filling landfills and releasing greenhouse gases. Hence, sustainable packaging is becoming increasingly important as consumers demand environmentally-friendly options. However, compostable packaging also faces challenges in terms of availability, cost, and processing infrastructure. Innovation is key to developing sustainable solutions that are viable for both businesses and the planet. Led by Jared Damman, WildKind Packaging, a sustainable packaging manufacturer, utilizes innovative digital printing technology to make compostable packaging more accessible and cost-effective. With over 15 years of experience in product development and manufacturing, Jared was inspired to launch WildKind to create a meaningful environmental impact. Tune in as Justine and Jared look inside the efforts to develop financially viable and truly sustainable packaging solutions through empowering employee ownership models. They also talk about the challenges of measuring environmental impact and educating consumers, how digital printing and E-beam curing allow for customized, small-batch production using plant-based materials, navigating partnerships within a parent company to launch a new initiative, and the importance of considering future generations through business decisions.
Meet Jared: Jared Damman is the Founder and CEO of WildKind Packaging, a sustainable packaging manufacturer focused on plant-based flexible packaging. With over 15 years of experience in product development and digital printing technologies, Jared was inspired to launch WildKind after wanting to create a tangible environmental impact. Under his leadership, WildKind utilizes innovative digital printing and E-beam technology to make compostable packaging accessible and affordable for small businesses.
Prior to founding WildKind, Jared helped develop new business lines and digital applications as part of an employee-owned manufacturing company. Jared is passionate about empowering employees and future generations through sustainable business practices.
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Episode Highlights: 03:18 Plant-Based Materials Innovative Packaging Solutions 08:45 Leveraging Digital Printing Technology 13:49 Educating Consumers About Packaging Alternatives 15:45 Employee Ownership Model 20:55 Business Decisions and the Future Generations
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| 17 Dec 2024 | 019: Graze the Day: Sustainable Secrets from a Sixth-Generation Ranching Family with Mandy Schmidt | 00:32:08 | |
“Our mission is to raise healthy animals, to get a healthy product by having healthy soil.” —Mandy Schmidt
Healthy soil leads to healthy animals, which in turn lead to nutrient-dense, sustainable food. This cyclical relationship holds the key to a more resilient food system. Mandy Schmidt is a 5th generation rancher at Marin Coast Ranch, where she and her family have been raising grass-fed livestock for over 30 years. Committed to regenerative agriculture, Mandy prioritizes land stewardship and species-appropriate diets to produce the highest quality meat. In this episode, Mandy shares the secrets to her family's sustainable ranching practices, from the importance of soil health to the benefits of grass-fed beef and lamb. Tune in as Justine and Mandy talk about the definition of grass-fed vs. grass-finished livestock, the role of soil health in animal and human nutrition, generational knowledge and continuous learning in family farming, transparency and consumer education in sustainable agriculture, and more.
Meet Mandy: Mandy Schmidt is a 5th generation rancher at Marin Coast Ranch in West Marin, California. Mandy and her family have been raising grass-fed beef cattle, sheep, and goats on their family ranch for over 30 years. Committed to sustainable and regenerative agriculture practices, Mandy prioritizes soil health and species-appropriate diets for her livestock. As a mother of two, Mandy is passionate about providing nutrient-dense, transparent food options for her community. Mandy leads ranch tours and educational events to connect consumers with the origins of their food. Through her work, Mandy aims to inspire others to make more informed choices about the food they consume and its impact on personal and planetary health.
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Episode Highlights: 01:27 Traditional Livestock Care Methods 03:29 Grass0Fed vs Grass-Finished 07:08 Evolving Conversations About Food 10:34 The Role of Soil Health and Food Quality 14:58 Buying Power and Direct Relationships 18:35 Questions for Informed Choices 22:45 Generational Challenges and Continous Learning 27:10 Transparency and Consumer Education
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| 12 Sep 2023 | 002: Revolutionary Bioengineering Breakthrough— A Solution to the Decontamination Dilema with Steve McDaniel | 00:22:47 | |
“Be sure that you instill in your children and your children's children the fact that farming is not the problem, it is the answer.” —Steve McDaniel
Biological threats due to the worsening effects of climate change pose significant risks to both the environment and human health. Decontaminating these threats proficiently can be challenging due to their varied nature, persistence, and potential for dispersal. Fortunately, key developments in the field of bioengineering have led to the development of innovative solutions focused on solving this particular problem. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in 2001, Reactive Surfaces Founder, Steve McDaniel pondered the possibility of an enzyme that could neutralize organophosphorus pesticides and detoxify organophosphorus nerve weapons. His research found that when this enzyme was captured and stabilized in a coating system, it effectively countered nerve weapons and maintained its functionality for extended periods. This led to the creation of a bioengineered additive that continually and consistently decontaminates chemical and biological threat agents. Today, Reactive Surfaces is recognized globally as a pioneer in leveraging advanced bio-engineering to enhance the functionality of paints and coatings. Join in as Justine and Steve propose a more efficient, nature-based solution to decontamination. They also discuss the vital part played by farmers in addressing global challenges, nature's power in combating environmental issues, agriculture's role as a solution rather than a contributor to climate change, and how Steve plans to scale and boost the impact of bioengineering solutions.
Meet Steve: Steve McDaniel, Ph.D., is the founder and Chief Innovation Officer of the award-winning paint and coatings company, Reactive Surfaces, an innovation company operating in the paint, coatings, and specialty chemicals industries for the past 20 years. His technical expertise includes organic chemistry, polymer chemistry, biochemistry, and molecular biology.Dr. McDaniel has a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Texas, a master's in science in Genetics from Texas A&M University, a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Texas A&M University, a Post-Doctoral fellow in chemistry at Baylor College of Medicine, and received a Juris Doctor specializing in Intellectual Property Law from the University of Houston. He regularly speaks and presents on topics related to polymer chemistry, bio-functional coatings, and space exploration.
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Episode Highlights: 01:45 Give It To The Farmers 05:46 Engineering Against Contaminants 09:06 Farming the Atmosphere 13:39 Bioengineering Paint 16:03 Farming is the Solution 18:24 How to Scale Up
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| 04 Jun 2024 | 023: Sips to Lips— Get Gruvi in Your Next Night Out With Award-Winning Non-Alcoholic Options with Anika Sawni | 00:34:35 | |
“Choosing a non-alcoholic option isn't a less than choice.” —Anika Sawni The lines between drinkers and non-drinkers are beginning to blur as new options emerge. Where social events were once defined by their alcohol consumption, people now gather for deeper connections unbound by beverage choices. Gruvi co-founder, Anika Sawni’s vision celebrates the joy of community while empowering individuals to make choices that align with their health, values, and mood. Their growing range of sophisticated yet accessible zero-proof options ensures no one ever feels left out or like a third wheel due to their drinking habits alone.
Listen in as Anika shares her journey launching Gruvi, and their focus on taste, variety, and accessibility when crafting their award-winning non-alcoholic bevies. Justine and Anika also discuss the growing interest in reducing alcohol consumption, what mindful drinking means, and how we can help build an inclusive drinking culture.
Meet Anika:
Anika Sawni is the co-founder and Director of Marketing at Grüvi, a company that produces alcohol-free beverages. She studied neuroscience at McGill University before teaming up with her brother, Niki Sawni, to launch Grüvi.
Anika’s journey with Grüvi began when she noticed the lack of non-alcoholic options at social gatherings. This observation led her to create a healthier alternative that could complement social experiences without adding inebriation.
Grüvi started with a focus on the cannabis community in Denver, and it quickly gained popularity. Today, Grüvi’s products, which include alcohol-free wine and beer, are sold across more than 1,500 stores, including Whole Foods, Total Wine, Target, and the Canadian grocery chain, Sobeys.
In addition to her work with Grüvi, Anika has also served as the VP of Events for McGill Students for DueNORTH from 2016 to 2019. She was named to Forbes’s 30 Under 30 list in its food and beverage category in 2021. Anika’s future aspirations include founding a company focused on brain-based interventions.
Anika Sawni’s work with Grüvi exemplifies her commitment to promoting healthier lifestyle choices and her innovative approach to addressing gaps in the beverage market.
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Episode Highlights: 01:42 Building a Non-Alcoholic Brand 08:49 Working with Family 11:58 Addressing Consumer Barriers 18:45 Shifting Societal Attitude Toward Drinking 22:36 Mindful Drinking Habits 28:02 Focusing on Taste and Accessibility
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| 26 Nov 2024 | 016: Fabric of Change: Conscious Gifting Meets Sustainable Wrapping with Monica O’Neil and Cindy Estes | 00:25:00 | |
“It is challenging to stand out there and pitch your idea to total strangers. But as you do it, you realize you can do it, and you get better at it the longer you do it.” —Monica O’Neil
“Not only in the business, it's extended to our life. I'm now driving an electric car, and we're now both composting, which we weren't before. The little, tiny bits we're doing with this are starting to eat into our lives.” —Cindy Estes
The holiday season is a time of joy and celebration, but it also generates an overwhelming amount of waste from single-use gift wrapping. This staggering issue highlights the urgent need for sustainable alternatives to reduce our holiday footprint. Monica O'Neil and Cindy Estes, the co-founders of Rapt GiftWrap, have answered this call with their innovative and eco-friendly solutions. Monica and Cindy have combined their expertise to create a reusable fabric gift wrap that not only reduces waste but also offers a stylish and practical alternative to traditional wrapping paper. Tune in as Monica and Cindy share their inspiring journey, covering key insights on sustainability, thoughtful product development, embracing sustainable lifestyles, educating and building a market, leveraging entrepreneurial experience, adaptability and customer-centricity, overcoming marketing challenges, and their collaborative strengths.
Meet Monica and Cindy: Monica O’Neil is a New England transplant with a youth spent in Chile, Venezuela, and Morocco. Fluent in 3 languages with a Master’s in French Literature, Monica spent a decade teaching at several area high schools. Becoming a mother was a natural evolution - there is a lot of overlap in the skill set. Monica is still trying to educate but the subject is a little more straightforward - reducing waste with fabric gift wrap - and there’s a lot less homework. A California native who married New England, Cindy Estes started Seam, a children’s clothing line, with 4 children in tow. As a young graduate, Cindy became the first in-house graphic designer at The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles and worked with various artists and curators to create a consistent brand strategy. With a background in design and experience in clothing manufacturing, she brings her sense of style, design, and implementation to Rapt gift wrap.
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Episode Highlights: 00:50 The Birth of Rapt 04:02 Developing the Product Concept 06:52 Sustainability and Business Practices 09:45 Cultural Context 13:02 Marketing and Customer Feedback 15:16 Entrepreneurship and Collaboration 18:28 Navigating Challenges 23:07 Community Engagement
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| 01 Aug 2023 | 030: Gut Health and Prebiotics: A Fundamental Connection to Superior Health with Marc Washington | 00:31:27 | |
"The path towards better health is through food. But at the same time, we have to do more… not just better for you, but that are really functional" —Marc Washington
Gut health refers to the balance of microorganisms in the digestive tract. However, our gut flora has more function than we think. A gut filled with diverse and beneficial bacteria can impact every dimension of our health including digestion, immunity, and even mental health!
That's why, ensuring that our gut receives the best care has a significant bearing on our well-being. This can be achieved by ensuring that our diet is rich in prebiotics, a type of dietary fiber that fosters the growth and activity of beneficial bacteria in our gut. By understanding the symbiotic relationship between gut health and prebiotics, we can pave the way to better health.
Founded by Marc Washington, Supergut's goal is to leverage the potential of the gut microbiome, enabling everyone to gain and maintain control over their physical wellbeing. Marc has always aimed to provide people with effective control over their health through the means of evidence-based nutritional products that taste delicious too. Supergut is his tribute to his late sister, Monica, a victim of diabetes and other chronic health disorders.
Join the conversation as Marc expounds on the significance of a meaningful name in business success and the distinctions between regular, medicinal, and functional food, while understanding the relevance of prebiotics. Justine and Marc also talk about the concept of food as a lifestyle, the need-to-knows about fiber, and the influential part entrepreneurs play in fostering healthier choices.
Meet Marc: As the founder and executive of health and wellness brand Supergut, Marc has always focused on empowering individuals to gain better control over their health with nutritional products grounded in scientific evidence. He launched the Supergut brand in memory of his late sister, Monica, who struggled with diabetes and other chronic health issues.
Supergut is dedicated to leveraging the power of the gut microbiome, allowing individuals to regain and maintain control over their health. Their evidence-based nutritional products are not only designed to be beneficial for health, but also taste good.
A Black entrepreneur himself, Marc is passionate about addressing the vast health disparities that affect Black and Brown communities. Supergut is envisioned to be a major part of the solution in closing these health disparities.
Marc's background includes prestigious academic qualifications including degrees from Princeton and Harvard Business School. He also brings extensive experience in leading large, successful health-focused companies, where he honed his understanding of optimizing nutrition to achieve health objectives.
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Episode Highlights: 02:10 Food as a Lifestyle 05:42 The Gold Standard Clinical Study 08:10 Functional Food vs Medicinal Food 11:32 Prebiotic Fiber Blend 16:11 Low FodMap Diet 22:10 Rebranding- the Importance of a Meaningful Name 27:48 Empowering Others to Make Healthier Choices
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| 11 Jul 2023 | 027: Nurturing Nutrition—Choosing the Right Formula for Your Little One with Mia Funt | 00:24:38 | |
“Infant formula is a baby's first food. And it's the first decision you make as a new parent… We had to do better for babies and for parents because this is the most important food.” —Mia Funt Breast milk is often referred to as the "magical superfood" for infants due to its numerous health benefits and essential nutrients. While breast milk is considered the gold standard for infant nutrition, infant formula serves as a viable alternative when breastfeeding is not possible or preferred. That’s why, infant formula should be developed to closely mimic the composition of breast milk, providing babies with the necessary nutrients they need for healthy growth and development. Co-Founded by Mia Funt, ByHeart’s infant formula goes beyond just filling your baby's tummy— it's a specially formulated blend that mirrors the essential nutrients found in breast milk. With an emphasis on quality and safety, each ingredient is carefully selected to meet the nutritional needs of growing infants, while providing the peace of mind that comes with a safe and trusted product. Join Justine and Mia as they chat about the motivation behind ByHeart’s baby formula and their careful selection of ingredients. They also touch upon the significance of breastmilk as the ultimate first food for infants and explore the uphill battle of innovating in the world of infant formula, how advancements in science have revolutionized the nutritional aspect of infant formulas, the benefits of having multiple clinical trials, tips in working with your family, and why direct-to-consumer marketing holds great importance.
Meet Mia: Mia Funt, as the co-founder and president of ByHeart, heads a company dedicated to developing an infant formula that closely emulates the benefits of breastmilk. Recognizing the shortcomings within the infant formula industry, siblings Ron Belldegrun and Mia Funt embarked on a transformative five-year journey to create an uncompromised and superior first food for babies. They laid the foundation for robust quality systems and stringent supplier approval requirements while traversing the globe in search of like-minded ingredients and farm partners. With an unwavering commitment to excellence, they perfected their small batch approach, ensuring every ingredient's quality and benefits were retained. Through close collaboration with parents and experts, as well as extensive clinical trials, they successfully crafted a clean-label, nutritious, and top-tier infant formula.
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Episode Highlights: 03:57 Doing Better For Babies and Parents 06:11 The Challenges in the Infant Formula Category 11:59 Changing the Nutritional Landscape of Infant Formula 14:17 Choosing the Right Ingredients 19:22 Manufacturing vs Outsourcing 21:12 The Importance of Clinical Trials
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| 29 Aug 2023 | 034: Advocating for the Plate— A Palate’s Plea with Nina Curtis | 00:47:08 | |
“I'm an artist on the plate. I'm an advocate on the plate. I get to paint the plate with all these beautiful colors of the food I choose to cook.” —Nina Curtis
Advocating for the plate is a multi-faceted concept at the intersection of aesthetics, quality, and social responsibility. It is an essential part of promoting our health and shaping the well-being of our earthly home and everything in it.
But this movement is not as complicated as it may seem. In fact, the epitome of good health often lies in the simplicity of the food we choose to serve on our plates. By taking advantage of the natural wealth that whole foods have to offer, we can reconnect with our food’s roots and break away from the chains of food politics that denied us our basic right to healthy food.
This week, Justine interviews Nina Curtis, the Director and Executive Chef of Plant’ish, a food company that offers nutritious plant-forward meals that are quick and easy to prepare. Join the conversation as Justine and Nina help us rekindle a love for homemade, nourishing meals and embrace the plant-forward approach while celebrating traditional food practices.
Meet Nina: Nina Curtis is recognized as a thought leader and trailblazer in the plant-based culinary movement. Chef Curtis presents lectures and demonstrations on health, nutrition, and whole plant-based foods around the country. She has developed wellness training programs, has set up and led kitchen operations, and has worked closely in conjunction with culinary master gardeners to develop seasonal and gorgeous seed-to-table recipes that are essential to having an exceptional plant strong culinary experience. Chef Curtis has appeared on national TV and she is a guest speaker at several national culinary conferences. As the former Director and Executive Chef for Adventist Health, Roseville Campus Vitaliz Café, and Culinary Arts, Chef Curtis was at the helm of this dynamic culinary division. From inception, launch, and execution, Chef Curtis recruited, trained, and led both the front and back of the house team, providing delicious and nutritious plant-based meals for associates and guests at the Adventist Health Corporate offices. She also led whole plant-based food educational programs and presented demonstrations to encourage associates and guests to incorporate more whole foods in their diets outside of work, receiving rave reviews. During her time as Executive Chef at The Ranch at Live Oak, Malibu, the acclaimed seven-day fitness and wellness bootcamp, and the Chief Nutrition Officer for the Ranch Daily a meal subscription service in Southern California, Chef Curtis kept her finger on the pulse of the wellness and plant-based lifestyle trends and incorporated the best of best practices and cuisines for guests to have a full wellness experience. Chef Curtis has been an avid proponent of a plant-based lifestyle for over twenty years. Her food and beverage background includes working with the Marriott Group, Hilton Hotels, Baxters, Manhattan Beach, the El Caballo, Oakland, Pure Food and Wine in New York, and the Springs Restaurant and Wine Bar, Los Angeles. An MBA graduate of Pepperdine University, Curtis was also trained at Living Light Culinary Institute, Trinity School of Natural Health, the Natural Gourmet Culinary Institute and she holds a Plant-Based Nutrition certificate from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutritional Studies, Cornell.
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| 14 Nov 2024 | 013: Seaweed: The Secret to Menopausal Symptom Relief with Sachi Singh | 00:32:19 | |
Cha Cha Cha Changes Mini Series
Episode Description: “Seaweed is an essential ingredient.” —Sachi Singh
Seaweed may be one of the most overlooked superfoods on the planet. This nutrient-dense aquatic plant is a true powerhouse, packed with protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds that can work wonders for our health. Yet, many of us relegate seaweed to the occasional sushi roll or salad garnish, failing to recognize its full potential. Led by its Founder, Sachi Singh, Rootless is on a mission to mainstream the health and sustainability benefits of seaweed. With a background in climate and ocean solutions, Sachi is passionate about using seaweed to help women navigate menopausal symptoms while creating a more regenerative food system. Elevate your wellness routine and the planet's future as Justine and Sachi share why eating seaweed is beneficial for thyroid health, how seaweed can alleviate menopausal symptoms, tips for building a strong brand and product development team, how we can invest in a greener future, and Sachi’s advice for new founders.
Connect with Sachi: Sachi Singh is the Founder and CEO of Rootless, a mission-driven food company on a mission to make seaweed an essential part of the American diet. With over a decade of experience in the climate and ocean space, Sachi is passionate about developing sustainable, nutrient-dense solutions that benefit both human and planetary health. As a first-time founder, Sachi has built Rootless from the ground up, leveraging her background in environmental management and her family's roots in the "food as medicine" philosophy. Under her leadership, Rootless has developed a line of seaweed-based snacks that are helping women navigate the hormonal changes of menopause through the power of this ancient superfood. Sachi is committed to creating a more equitable and regenerative food system, and she continues to be a vocal advocate for increasing access to sustainable, bioavailable nutrition. With Rootless, she is on a mission to change the way people think about and consume seaweed.
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Episode Highlights: 00:28 Seaweed Essential Ingredient 06:24 A Regenerative Food Crop for Climate Solution 13:28 Seaweeds as Medicine 19:51 Founder Things 26:07 Put Your Money Where Your Values Are
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| 21 May 2024 | 021: The Buzz Without the Bite: Clean Cocktails for Conscious Drinkers with Jennifer Roman-Matito Part 2 (EPISODE 200) | 00:21:47 | |
“We want to get people to recognize that there are better-for-you options in the alcohol world.” —Jennifer Roman-Matito
While a night of fun and frivolity is part of the social experience, the unpleasant physical effects of a hangover can leave us longing for a better way— a way to continue the party without the painful playoff. In this episode, Justine sits down with Jennifer Roman-Matito, the co-founder of Mother's Milk, a coconut water cocktail company that offers a healthier alternative to alcoholic drinks. She created Mother's Milk to provide hangover-free beverage options made with natural ingredients for conscious drinkers. Jennifer shares how her interest in healthier alternatives was sparked by unwanted physical reactions to alcohol and how this led her to create a line of coconut water-based RTD cocktails designed for hydration without hangovers. Tune in to hear the challenges of launching and growing a female-founded business from the ground up, what conscious drinking means, plus, advice on choosing the right ingredients, building strategic partnerships, and fundraising as a small business.
Meet Jennifer: Jennifer Roman-Matito is a dynamic entrepreneur and co-founder of Mother's Milk, a pioneering coconut water-based cocktail brand aimed at health-conscious individuals with a penchant for revelry. Armed with a degree in Communications and Media Studies from CUNY-Hunter College, Jennifer combines her passion for innovative products with her rich island heritage to craft beverages that resonate with a diverse and adventurous audience.
As a self-funded and female-founded initiative, Mother's Milk stands as a testament to Jennifer's entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to creating distinctive offerings in the beverage industry. Leveraging her expertise in hospitality, marketing communications, and event management, Jennifer spearheads the brand's distribution efforts, forges strategic partnerships, and orchestrates impactful marketing campaigns to propel Mother's Milk into the spotlight.
Through Mother's Milk, she not only offers refreshing libations but also cultivates a community of like-minded individuals who embrace wellness without compromising on enjoyment. With Jennifer at the helm, Mother's Milk continues to captivate taste buds, spark conversations, and carve its niche as a trailblazer in the beverage industry.
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Episode Highlights: 00:29 Alt Drinks for Hangovers 05:05 Building a Lifestyle Brand 09:17 Challenges and Solutions for Female-FOunded 13:38 Finding Strategic Partners 18:09 Conscious Drinking | |||
| 27 Aug 2024 | 035: Season 8 Highlights: Pioneering Pathways to a Better, More Nourishing World | 00:15:53 | |
“It's been a journey. Our conversations this season have been incredibly inspiring, and they've left me hopeful for the future of food… Thank you for a great season!” —Justine Reichman
What an incredible ride this season has been!
To our devoted listeners, your unwavering support and engagement have fueled our mission from the very start. And to our esteemed guests, your willingness to share your personal journeys, innovative ideas, and visionary perspectives has been truly inspiring.
Together, we've embarked on a transformative exploration of the food landscape— uncovering challenges, celebrating triumphs, and catching glimpses of a future where nourishment, sustainability, and community converge.
Join our host, Justine Reichman, for a look back at the most inspiring moments from the past few months. Hear from founders, experts, and visionaries who are redefining the future of food— from startups tackling health and wellness, to the conscious drinking movement, to moms building better choices for their families.
As we close the curtain on Season 8, we are overflowing with gratitude for the privilege of walking this path alongside all of you. The road ahead is paved with promise, and we can't wait to embark on the next leg of this remarkable journey.
Onward to Season 9!
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Episode Highlights: 00:17 The Importance of Start Ups 05:20 Stories for Inspiration 08:12 Conscious Drinking Series 10:21 Making the World a Sweeter Place 13:43 Upcycling 15:17 It’s Been a Journey
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| 31 Oct 2023 | 009: Twice-Baked Nostalgia— How to Reimagine a Family Recipe to Conquer New Markets with Stephanie Berlin | 00:27:04 | |
“Food is a unifier. We are more similar than different and that cultural aspect is really important.” —Stephanie Berlin An entrepreneurial journey with cultural flair! Once upon a time, biscotti and cookie had a serendipitous encounter, and they birthed a magical creation called Wandel. Baked by Stephanie Berlin, this delightful treat with its adventurous spirit, ignites a love affair with taste buds worldwide. Crafted with utmost care and using natural ingredients, Wandel transports its customers to a nostalgic paradise with every crumble. The mere sight of this baked beauty is enough to make hearts flutter and mouths water. Truly, baked goods are the universal love language, and Wandel is the whimsical ambassador that keeps the world craving for more fearless flavors and sweet memories. Tune in as Stephanie gets real about the highs and lows of starting a business from scratch, details on exciting new collaborations just in time for the holidays, plus insider tips for nurturing retail partnerships from day one. Press play to join the adventure of building community and culture through food!
Meet Stephanie: Stephanie Berlin is the CEO and Founder of Wandel, a twice-baked cookie company based in New York. She launched Wandel in 2021 after being inspired by her mother's mandel bread recipe. Prior to starting Wandel, Stephanie worked in the film industry for over 10 years in roles such as film marketing and development. As the head of her own company, Stephanie has learned about various aspects of running a business from operations to finances. Under her leadership, Wandel's classic recipes are available online and in select stores in New York. Stephanie continues to grow the business while staying true to its roots in Jewish culture and tradition.
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Episode Highlights: 01:35 A Modern Take On Traditional Cookies 06:39 Cultural Food Branding and Integration 12:57 Starting a Business Without a Plan 17:44 Starting a Business with Limited Funds 22:44 A Focus on Cultural Relevance
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| 26 Sep 2023 | 004: Functional Food— A Quick Fix Yet A Sustainable Aid To Monthly Cycles with Asha Caroll | 00:33:39 | |
"Our functional pantry staples are designed to support people at every phase of life and their cycles." — Asha Caroll
When dealing with reproductive health and monthly phases like mood swings, cramps, headaches, anxiety, and period pain, we might waver between a quick fix and a sustainable solution. We would've wanted both, but most of the quick treatments traditionally offered in the market are not sustainable, or vice versa. We would also prefer a natural and organic solution that steers clear of unwanted side effects. Is incorporating quick, sustainable, natural, and organic into one solution nonviable? Let's find out.
Phasey, founded by Asha Caroll, formulates functional pantry staples to give a quick fix and sustainable support at every phase and cycle of people. Phasey products are organic, raw, and plant-based. For instance, their Seed Cycle Blends contain essential nutrients from six powerful seeds specially formulated to support each cycle phase. Their famous Period Chocolate has organic hemp extract that gives a package aid to cramps, cravings, and pain relief. Who would not want to leap from conventional treatment to accessible, phase-based functional food when dealing with monthly phases? Knowing that functional foods offer health benefits beyond their nutritional value, Phasey believes in the ability of whole foods to change relationships with reproductive health and provide everyday nutrition for everybody. Listen in rapt attention as Justine and Asha talk about functional food and how it aids in monthly phases and cycles. You absolutely don’t want to miss to see how functional food helps us not only to feel “just okay” but to have a greater opportunity to feel better longer.
Meet Asha: Asha came from an unconventional background and worked for years as a professional opera singer. At that time, opera companies were struggling to keep audiences in attendance so a lot of opera houses were closing. Her interest led her to work in food marketing. She had her first business, which was a vegan baking kit. That same time though, she had to deal with her hormonal challenges. So, she took a bit more of her time to focus on dealing with her hormones.
Like any other, Asha believed in an integrated approach to health care, like visiting a gynecologist and working with a registered dietician. She also worked with an herbalist who specializes in women's health; that's when she began using food and herbs. However, keeping pace with the modern lifestyle where things get faster and faster, she felt the need to have that quick fix and sustainable treatment. That mentality brought in Phasey's first functional food products.
Having a background in holistic nutrition, Caroll also founded Phasey to destigmatize periods and promote reproductive education. She stated, "I knew that food could be an excellent vehicle for driving conversation and community. That's how Phasey was born."
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Episode Highlights: 03:50 Getting Into Functional Food 07:17 The Marriage of Food and Productivity 10:29 How to Be Sustainable for One's Life 17:30 What Led to the Evolution of Phasey 29:05 More Functional Food for New Phases of Life
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| 23 Jan 2025 | 026: Gut Feelings: Exploring the Profound Influence of Digestive Health on Mood and Cognition with Dr. Edison de Mello Part 2 | 00:22:30 | |
Gut, Food, & Health series “The food that you eat affects everything, including your mental health.” —Dr. Edison de Mello
What if the key to better mental health was as simple as the food on your plate? Emerging research reveals the profound influence of gut health on cognitive function, mood, and emotional resilience. By nourishing the body, we may unlock the path to nourishing the mind. Dr. Edison de Mello is an integrative medicine specialist and the founder of the Akasha Center for Integrative Medicine. As a physician and psychologist, he has dedicated his career to exploring the intricate connections between physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Tune in as Dr. de Mello shares his insights on leveraging the power of nutrition to support brain health, combat depression, and optimize cognitive performance.
Meet Dr. de Mello: Dr. Edison de Mello, MD, PhD is the founder and Chief Medical Officer of the Akasha Center for Integrative Medicine. He is a board-certified integrative physician and a licensed psychotherapist. Dr. de Mello completed his residency at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, where he trained in a biopsychosocial model and integrated complementary medicine into Family Medicine. Inspired by his grandmother, Nana, who practiced natural healing, Dr. de Mello's approach combines Western and Eastern medicine, focusing on treating the mind, body, and spirit. He has written several articles and contributed to Dr. Andrew Weil's upcoming book on the microbiome and food addiction. Dr. de Mello is also on the advisory board of several organizations and a member of various professional associations.
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Episode Highlights: 02:16 the Impact of Diet on Mental Health 05:35 Dietary Reboot 08:46 How IV Therapy Works 14:22 Addressing Memory Issues and Depression 19:53 Gut and Mental Health Connection
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| 25 Apr 2023 | 015: Beyond Cancer— Improving Quality of Life Through Personalized Lifestyle with Stephen Freedland M.D. | 00:32:21 | |
“It's very easy to sit and read a recipe but the key is not going on a diet— you really need to adjust your way of life." —Stephen Freedland M.D. Eating healthy is not just about looking good, it is also about feeling good. Food has been used as medicine for centuries, and with the right knowledge and eating habits, we can use food to heal ourselves. This week, Dr. Stephen Freedland delivers compelling reasons we must rethink our eating habits and lifestyle. Dr. Freedland is a leader in the field of urology, with expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer. He has contributed significantly to cancer prevention and awareness through a patient-centered approach that focuses on understanding the whole person rather than just the disease. Join in as Dr. Freedland outlines a decade worth of research on how carbohydrate affects tumor growth, the challenges of conducting a clinical trial, how a personalized lifestyle can make greater impact, how we can gain more control over our health journey, and what can help us make better choices not only for our health but for our future.
Meet Stephen: Stephen Freedland, MD, is the director of the Center for Integrated Research in Cancer and Lifestyle, co-director of the Cancer Genetics and Prevention Program, and associate director for Faculty Development at the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute. He is a faculty physician in the Division of Urology at the Cedars-Sinai Department of Surgery. Freedland's clinical expertise focuses on urological diseases, particularly benign prostatic hyperplasia, and prostate cancer. His approach toward cancer prevention and awareness focuses on treating the whole patient, not just the disease, by combining traditional Western medicine with complementary holistic interventions. His research interests include urological diseases and the role of diet, lifestyle, and obesity in prostate cancer development and progression, as well as prostate cancer among racial groups and risk stratification for men with prostate cancer.
Freedland has published over 400 studies, and his research has appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Journal of Urology, Cancer Prevention Research, Cancer and BJUI, among others. Freedland is an active reviewer for more than 50 journals. He sits on the editorial board for Cancer Prevention Research, European Urology, International Journal of Urology, Nature Reviews Urology and BJUI, and serves as editor-in-chief for Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases and as a consulting editor for European Urology. Freedland earned his MD from the University of California, Davis. He completed a residency in urology at UCLA and a fellowship in urological oncology at Johns Hopkins. Before joining Cedars-Sinai, he was at Duke University, where he specialized in surgical oncology and urologic oncology, and served as an associate professor in the Division of Urology.
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Episode Highlights: 01:00 The Link Between Food and Cancer 06:49 Carbohydrate and Tumor Growth 12:15 Measurable Outcomes 16:25 Personalizing Lifestyle 22:06 Be an Active Participant in Your Health Journey 30:33 Make Better Choices
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| 12 Nov 2024 | 012: Rethinking the Foundations: Sustainable Alternatives to Traditional Building Products with Gregory Wilson | 00:34:14 | |
“People want to know where your food comes from. Why shouldn't people know where your building materials come from?” —Gregory Wilson
Many of the building materials we use in our homes and workplaces can pose serious health risks. From toxic chemicals like formaldehyde to hazardous plastics, these materials can negatively impact indoor air quality and overall well-being. Therefore, it's time to rethink the foundations of construction and seek out sustainable, plant-based alternatives that prioritize human health. Gregory Wilson is a serial entrepreneur and the founder of HempWood®, a company revolutionizing the building industry with its eco-friendly, carbon-negative flooring solutions. With over 28 years of experience in the field, Wilson is on a mission to provide healthier, more sustainable materials for residential and commercial spaces. In this episode, Wilson discusses his entrepreneurial journey, the environmental and health benefits of Hempwood, the challenges of competing with cheaper but less sustainable options, and his plans for global expansion.
Meet Gregory: Gregory Wilson is the founder of HempWood®, a company that produces sustainable building materials made from hemp fiber and soy protein. He has a background in business strategy, financial modeling, and product development, with experience in setting up operations in the USA and China. Gregory is also involved in other ventures such as SmartOAK Pty Ltd and QPC Partners, focusing on innovative and eco-friendly solutions in the real estate and manufacturing industries. He holds an MBA from Frostburg State University and has completed executive education at Harvard Business School.
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Episode Highlights: 01:47 Loving the Outdoors 05:40 The Only Carbon-Negative Flooring Company 14:00 Overcoming Challenges in Sales 18:49 Do Not Be a Minority Owner in Your Own Company 23:59 Expanding Global Reach 27:43 What People Care About Most 31:06 It's Not Easy to Do What's Right
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| 30 May 2023 | 021: Democratizing Health and Nutrition with Shreela Sharma Ph.D. | 00:33:07 | |
"We need to think about health, not just health care." — Shreela Sharma Ph.D.
We are currently living in one of the most prosperous times in human history. The problem is that many people are still not having access to enough high-quality food or even the right education about it.
But if we were to look at nutrition as something that is a lot more accessible than we think in terms of both quality and quantity, then it could be possible for us to make huge changes in the world of nutrition.
This is the vision of Brighter Bites, an organization founded by two inspirational women leaders: Lisa Helfman and Dr. Shreela Sharma. Their mission is to bring better nutrition into the lives of everyone—not just those who could afford it or had time on their hands to cook healthy meals. They believe that if every household has access to fresh, nutritious foods, we can not only change the food system in general, but also raise the next generation to be more aware of how their food choices create an impact on them and the future of the food system.
Listen in as Dr. Shreela Sharma walks us through the processes of their organization and how they were able to build efficient processes to turn their ideas into executable steps. Justine and Dr. Sharma also discuss how bringing fresh foods to schools can help children learn the language of nutrition, why thinking health over healthcare can benefit us more in the long run, and Dr. Sharma's advice to help business leaders build trust among their team and identify their strengths as leaders.
Meet Shreela: Dr. Shreela Sharma is the co-founder of Brighter Bites. Dr. Sharma is responsible for operationalizing the Brighter Bites formula. She developed the research infrastructure for the program and continues to ensure rigorous replication of Brighter Bites across all of the sites in Houston, Dallas, Austin, New York, Washington, D.C., and Southwest Florida.
Dr. Sharma is Professor of Epidemiology at UTHealth School of Public Health and a trained dietitian and physical therapist. As a health professional, she strongly felt she was treating preventable diseases stemming from poor lifestyles: heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension. She saw the repercussions were devastating the community. Her love for teaching, academics, and the community led her to purse a PhD in epidemiology with a minor in biostatistics, health promotion and behavioral sciences. Her interest is in nutrition and physical activity-based interventions to address obesity via school, family, and community-based approaches. In addition to her significant contribution to building the Brighter Bites model and overseeing its expansion, Dr. Sharma serves on the Mayor of Houston’s Go Healthy Houston Task Force.
In addition to Brighter Bites, Dr. Sharma’s research portfolio includes her leadership in: the ongoing ENRICH study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to pilot test a home visitation program to improve parenting behaviors for healthy weight management of overweight and obese toddlers; the Healthy Eating/Active Living (HE/AL) designed to promote healthy birth outcomes and prevent maternal and childhood obesity among low-income Medicaid patients using evidence-based strategies including Brighter Bites; and evaluation of the BUILD collective impact model to create healthy food systems in the North Pasadena community in Houston. Additionally, Dr. Sharma was the lead investigator in the development and evaluation of the CATCH Early Childhood program to improve opportunities for healthy eating and physical activity in three to five-year-old children attending preschool.
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Episode Highlights: 00:53 Bringing Healthy Foods to Kids 06:10 The Importance of Access and Nutrition Education 12:43 Capturing Lived Experiences 15:58 Building Trust as Leaders 19:17 The Importance of Partnership 22:36 Idea Incubation vs. Implementation 27:03 Mother, Not Smother 30:15 Democratizing Nutrition
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| 23 May 2023 | 020: Agtech and the Food System: A New Era of Innovation with Aaron Magenheim | 00:45:35 | |
"Don't allow yourself to have excuses is one of the biggest things in building a business or in your life in general." —Aaron Magenheim
Agtech has been used as a buzzword a lot lately as the farm industry moves to digitalization. But there's more to this than just growing food with the latest technology and equipment. Advanced technologies can also be used by farmers to gain an edge when it comes to attracting customers and building relationships with them over time.
Aaron Magenheim, an agtech veteran, has been helping farmers and entrepreneurs around the globe leverage this arena. Along with his co-founder and partners, Aaron built Agtech Insight and Growers Insight as a consulting platform to help agribusinesses, food companies, and investors navigate the evolving food industry with less risk and more profitability.
Listen in as Justine and her co-host Lisa Johnson as they interview Aaron on what agtech means and how it impacts the food industry, the importance of traceability, how blockchain can be integrated in the food space, how to be culturally competent, benefits and challenges of having a startup accelerator, and the three factors that can help you build a market.
Meet Lisa: Lisa Johnson is a leader in food loss and waste - focused on agricultural production. She is a seasoned horticulturist with a broad range of experience in local, organic, sustainable, conventional and biotech food and agriculture. Lisa’s research has aimed to understand the loss of edible vegetables. Understanding constraints from the growers’ perspective has been critical: always encouraging people to incorporate more growers' voices in their work. Lisa is fortunate to be able to work with some of the most forward-thinking specialty crop growers in the country, as well as non-profits, governments, start-ups, industry and the academy.
Meet Aaron: Aaron is an entrepreneur working globally across the Agriculture and technology nexis specializing in Go-to- Market strategies; farm operation innovation planning; and advising corporates, investors, governments, NGOs, and startups through successful AgTech integrations and best farming practices across the supply chain. Aaron has been a co-founder of AgTech startups in both hardware and software development with global operation as well as has become a leader in the AgTech movement and speaks to groups around the world.
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Episode Highlights: 01:16 Finding Global Opportunities in Agtech 07:43 Defining Agtech 11:31 Blockchain in the Food Chain 14:09 The Importance of Product Traceability 18:57 Looking at the Picture 22:09 Execute and Achieve Results 27:25 All in the Attitude 33:02 No Excuses 37:48 Building a Market in Agtech 40:08 Benefits and Challenges of Startup Accelerators
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| 31 Dec 2024 | 021: From Classrooms to Communities to Perpetuity with Stephen Ritz Part 2 (Re-release) | 00:14:43 | |
"The secret to success is the art and science of growing vegetables online to high-performing academic standards. So we are transforming both the lens of public education and personal eating outcomes." —Stephen Ritz
Imagine a classroom where students don't just read about science but experience it firsthand by growing their own food. This isn't some futuristic fantasy— it's the reality created by the Green Bronx Machine, a pioneering program that is transforming public education one school at a time. Stephen Ritz is the visionary behind this game-changing initiative. As an educator, social entrepreneur, and passionate advocate for community empowerment, he has dedicated his life to unlocking the potential of underserved students through the power of hands-on, food-based learning. Listen in as we revisit this classic episode and discover how Stephen's innovative approach is yielding remarkable results, from improved academic performance to greater environmental stewardship and a renewed sense of purpose.
Connect with Stephen: Stephen Ritz is a South Bronx educator who believes that students should not have to leave their community to live, learn, and earn in a better one. An internationally acclaimed award-winning educator, Stephen is the author of the best-selling book, The Power Of A Plant, and founder of Green Bronx Machine. Known as “America’s Favorite Teacher,” Stephen is responsible for creating the first edible classroom in the world, which he has evolved into the National Health, Wellness, and Learning Center. He and his students have grown more than 100,000 pounds of vegetables in the South Bronx. He was a Top Ten Finalist for the Global Teacher Prize, named Global Humanitarian, Food Tank Hero, TEDx Prize Winner, and a Global Food Educator, and has presented at the Obama White House three times. Stephen believes that together, via collaboration, and coalition and get to yes solutions, we can all prosper!
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Episode Highlights: 02:15 Steve’s Documentary 04:52 Steve’s Impact on Schools 06:29 Green Bronx Machine Curriculum and Accessibility 09:49 The Impact of Green Bronx Machine Programs 10:07 How to Donate to Green Bronx Machine 12:24 Student Success Despite Economic Challenges
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| 19 Sep 2023 | 003: Speak with Candor— Shaping a More Inclusive Workplace Culture with Kelsey Bishop | 00:21:08 | |
“Make your workplace a place that everybody is happy at. That's one that goes unsaid a lot. When they're happy in their relationship with their teammates, it's more likely that they're happy in their jobs.” —Kelsey Bishop Facing barriers when working in a team where one does not feel part of it is an unfortunate reality in many companies. Astonishingly, this kind of adverse company culture is accepted and ingrained as the norm. However, it’s high time we shift from this perspective. A workplace should be a warm and welcoming place where everyone can put forth their most authentic selves. So how can company leaders rethink this glaring issue and cultivate an accepting company culture? As part of our newest initiative here in Essential Ingredients, we give you Founders’ Resources, a brand new series that caters explicitly to founders and company leaders. We believe that it's not just about building, it's about building right— and the first chapter of this series focuses on guiding leaders to cultivate a more inclusive company culture. Join us in welcoming Kelsey Bishop, the creative mind behind Candor, an innovative platform dedicated to assisting businesses and organizations foster an environment of connectivity and inclusivity. Candor opens an opportunity to change what has become the ‘norm’, proving that workplaces can indeed be inviting spaces expressing collective authenticity. Justine and Kelsey reveal the key to transforming our workplace from just being clusters of cubicles to nurturing spaces. Hear as Kelsey deftlyexplains how Candor works, who is it for, how to start a Candor profile, and how it can benefit you and your team.
Meet Kelsey: What sets Kelsey Bishop apart is her passion for genuine human-level connections. Candor, Kelsey’s brainchild, offers a unique solution to better comprehend the humans behind the workforce, understand what makes them tick, and how they bring their unique selves to work each day. As a relentless force, Kelsey also extends resources, time, and support to budding companies. As an angel investor for various companies such as Noula Health, Candid Health, Taiyaki, and Areyo which was later acquired by Zillow, she demonstrates her trust and belief in their mission to make the world a better place.
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Episode Highlights: 01:34 Bridging the Gap in Team Connection 07:10 Said with Candor 11:41 How Candor Works 15:54 Company Culture is Team Work 18:51 What’s Next for Candor?
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| 16 May 2023 | 019: Moving Towards a More Resilient & Regenerative Farm Model with Nina Mannheimer | 00:21:16 | |
“It's super important not to define regenerative agriculture as this ultra-advanced way of doing agriculture— we define it more through the measures that are being applied rather than the state that a farmer is at." —Nina Mannheimer Industrial agriculture has been the backbone of food production for decades, but it is now being challenged by a new approach— regenerative agriculture. This method of farming has been gaining traction in recent years due to its potential for positive system change and its scientific foundation. It is also being supported by new agritech platforms that are making it easier to implement and track progress. Regenerative agriculture is not just about improving the environment, but also creating a sustainable business case for farmers. This became the mission of one company. By focusing on soil health and other elements of sustainability, regenerative agriculture can create a more resilient agricultural system that will benefit both people and the planet. This week, Justine sits with Nina Manheimer, a founding member of Klim Foods. Nina is a true champion for regenerative agriculture and her work at Klim Foods is a testament to her commitment to making a positive impact on our planet. As the Chief Product Officer and climate strategist, she is dedicated to the development of products that can help reduce environmental damage while also promoting climate-friendly agriculture. Nina understands that in order to make meaningful change, it is essential to communicate the importance of sustainable practices and educate consumers on the benefits they can bring. Join in as Justine and Nina talk about how we can scale regenerative agriculture and magnify its impact, why we should define “regenerative” through the systems applied instead of where the farmer is at, how regenerative agriculture provides the key to human health and environmental sustainability, how to navigate the rough terrains of starting your business, why human element is important in a world of tech, how to help both farmers and companies make a smooth transition towards a regenerative future, and much more!
Meet Nina: Nina works as the Chief Product Officer and sustainability strategist at Klim Foods. She is dedicated to the development of products that make a difference and is passionate about networking with like-minded individuals working towards a better planet.
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Episode Highlights: 02:09 Defining Regenerative Agriculture 05:26 Soil Health— The Key to Environmental and Human Health 09:04 What to Expect When You Start Building a Business 14:48 Incorporating Tech 18:25 Short Term vs Long Term Rewards
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| 17 Sep 2024 | 003: Voices from the Field: Grassroots Strategies to Empower Farmers and Ensure Food Security with Rosalinda Guillen | 00:33:16 | |
Series: Labor Day Special Episode 2
Episode Description: “If we were smart as a country, we would look at all of these immigrants that are new citizens of the United States, and look at all of these food production methods and skills that they bring. We would have better food security by including the immigrant farmers in the decision-making on how food production is going to be developed for the future is hitting us really hard with climate change.” —Rosalinda Guillen
Farming is the backbone of our communities, yet too often, the hard-working men and women who toil in the fields are overlooked and undervalued.
But a growing movement is changing that narrative, empowering farmers to take the reins and shape a more sustainable, equitable food system. Community to Community (C2C), founded by Rosalinda Guillen, is a pioneering organization that empowers farm workers and immigrant communities to lead the charge in building a more sustainable, equitable, and community-driven food system.
In this episode, Justine and Rosalinda discuss the challenges and barriers in organizing farm workers, the integration of immigrant farmers' practices, the vision for community farms and food security, the role of regenerative agriculture in addressing climate change, and Rosalinda’s hopes for the future of empowering farmers and transforming the food system.
Connect with Rosalinda: Rosalinda Guillen (she/hers) is the founder of Community to Community and a lead strategist and visionary within the non-hierarchical ecofeminist leadership of C2C. Her perspective is fundamentally influenced by her introduction to the multi-racial, working-class community organizing model of the Rainbow Coalition, the Cesar Chavez house meeting model, The World Social Forum, the Landless Workers Movement (MST) of Brazil and growing up a farmworker in La Conner, WA. Rosalinda has organized farmworkers in WA State and the strawberry fields of Salinas CA. She has represented farmworkers in the Legislatures of California and Washington State and in ongoing policy and Movement dialogues on immigration issues, climate change, labor rights, trade agreements, ecofeminism, and strengthening the food sovereignty movement towards a Solidarity Economy.
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Episode Highlights: 01:30 What is C2C? 09:18 Learning How to Organize a Community 11:54 Creating a New Narrative 18:09 Getting Into Consensus 21:49 Agricultural Lessons From Immigrant Farmers 26:50 The Answer is in Collaboration 30:45 The Role of Regenerative Agriculture
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| 19 Nov 2024 | 014: Saucy Sustainability: A Chic Approach to Eco-Friendly Linens with Nikki Reed and Staci Inspektor | 00:21:41 | |
Holiday Gifting Series
Episode Description: “If you're passionate about something, go for it. It's just lots of ups and downs, and you just gotta ride that wave.” —Staci Inspektor
“We want to give back to the community that inspires us and has allowed us to do what we do.” —Nikki Reed
Elevating the every day with sustainable style - that's the new frontier of eco-conscious living. Thoughtfully designed textiles are proving that being kind to the planet doesn't have to sacrifice an ounce of sophistication. It's a delicate balance that's both beautiful and responsible. Atelier Saucier is a design house committed to breathing new life into fashion industry waste, reimagining discarded textiles into luxurious table linens and home accents. Founded by Nikki Reed and Staci Inspektor, the brand is rooted in sustainability without sacrificing style. Learn more about Atelier Saucier's multifaceted approach to sourcing deadstock and upcycled textiles, its seasonal collection model that balances core essentials with limited-edition pieces, and its design process inspired by fashion, architecture, and current trends. Discover how the co-founders' complementary skills and collaborative company culture drive product development and community engagement. Tune in to uncover Atelier Saucier's inspiring story of marrying eco-consciousness and covetable design.
Meet Nikki and Staci: Nikki Reed and Staci Inspektor are the co-founders of Atelier Saucier, a modern table linen and tabletop decor brand based in Los Angeles. With a background in the restaurant and hospitality industry, Nikki was inspired to create sustainable and stylish linens after struggling to find the right options for her own restaurant. As the operational and organizational force behind Atelier Saucier, Nikki brings her problem-solving skills and attention to detail to help grow the business. Staci Inspektor: With a creative background in fashion design and interior design, Staci's innovative spirit and design expertise are the driving force behind Atelier Saucier's unique product offerings. Staci is responsible for the brand's seasonal collections and collaborations, constantly finding new ways to reimagine textiles into modern, eco-friendly home goods.
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Episode Highlights: 01:38 Challenges and Solutions in Sustainable Sourcing 06:02 The Importance of Shared Strengths in Business 13:11 Empowering Employees 17:49 Holiday Collections and Unique Offerings 20:34 Future Collaborations
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