The Business of Wellness – Details, episodes & analysis

This week on The Business of Wellness, I’m joined by Stevi Gable Carr, Founder & CEO of WISe Wellness Guild, to talk all things CPG wellness branding — what works, what doesn’t, and what it actually takes to create real impact in this space.

Stevi shares how WISe has become a trusted partner to brands like Kroger and P&G, helping them go beyond the buzzwords to build community, credibility, and meaningful engagement through wellness. From brand strategy and consumer insights to storytelling that resonates (and doesn’t just ride a trend), this conversation is packed with insights for anyone building—or rethinking—a wellness brand in 2025.

We also talk about WellNXT, the national movement Stevi co-founded to bring wellness back to real life through in-person events and connection-first activations.

If you work in brand marketing, consumer goods, wellness, or media—or you're just trying to cut through the noise—this one’s for you.

Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction to Wellness and Personal Journey

02:47 The Intersection of Brand and Product

05:50 Fear-Driven Marketing and Consumerism

09:04 The Fundamentals of Wellness

12:03 The Audacity to Live by Your Design

15:06 Navigating Leadership and Expectations

17:53 The Importance of Prioritization

21:00 The Three Rs of Resilience

23:51 Relighting Your Spark

27:04 Current Trends in the Wellness Landscape

36:18 The Seed Oil Debate and Market Responses

37:13 Brand Strategies: Unilever vs. PepsiCo

40:13 Building Trust in Wellness Brands

41:49 Retailers and Consumer Accountability

44:21 The Role of Community in Wellness

47:12 Tailoring Wellness to Community Needs

51:30 Generational Differences in Wellness Needs

56:09 The Intersection of Wellness and Arts

01:02:20 Starting a Wellness Brand: Key Considerations

Keywords:

wellness, branding, marketing, resilience, leadership, consumerism, self-care, health, personal development, strategy, seed oils, wellness brands, Unilever, PepsiCo, consumer trust, community wellness, generational wellness, arts and wellness, wellness brand strategy, optimization in wellness

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In this episode of The Business of Wellness, Jaclyn London, RD breaks down everything from Expo West 2025—the biggest trade show in natural and functional foods. From the latest wellness trends (dragon fruit, GLP-1 marketing, and caffeine + protein combos) to behind-the-scenes industry buzz (the influence of MAHA, the show's winners and losers) and updates to the FDA's proposed Front-of-Pack Nutrition Label (FOPNL), I’m giving you behind-the-scenes intel on the nutrition news you need to know about, the brands to keep an eye on, and the influencers and policy changes that are shaping the food industry today.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• The top 13 trends shaping food and beverage in 2025
• The truth about front-of-pack nutrition labeling and why it’s (likely to be) a waste of time & resources
• Regenerative Agriculture Certified and the status of sustainability claims
• How brands are marketing to GLP-1 users—and why some of it is just hype
• The rise of dates, pulses, electrolytes, tropical fruit, protein everything, and more prebiotic sparkling waters
• Why single-serve snacks and aluminum cans are taking over grocery aisles
• The wildest moments from the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) panel and what it means for the future of food policy

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction to the Business of Wellness

01:48 Expo West 2025 overview

03:00 Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labeling panel & proposed policy

12:51 Trends from Expo West 2025 - 13 trends to watch in wellness, CPG food & beverage; dietary supplements & personal care.

21:52 Emerging ingredients and innovations

29:43 The future of food marketing

30:13 The nutritional value of dates

33:03 Mochi mania: The new snack trend

36:07 Mood and morality themes in food & beverage branding

39:40 The rise of pulses and legumes

42:46 Raw honey: A functional food rebrand

44:30 Plant-based vs. animal-based products

47:28 The Gell-Mann Amnesia Effect in nutrition media

49:00 MAHA Updates: The MAHA panel, behind-the-scenes insights, updates in the RFK Jr. Agenda & the food industry's response thus far

59:26 Expo West recap and closing thoughts

Connect with Jaclyn London, RD

• Subscribe to The Business of Wellness with Jaclyn London, RD on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube
• Follow @jaclynlondonrd on

Stephanie Middleberg is an NYC-based Registered Dietitian, author, & founder of Middleberg Nutrition based in New York City. She joins me today to discuss her new book out this week, The Big Book of Pregnancy Nutrition: Everything Expectant Moms Need to Know for a Happy, Healthy Nine Months and Beyond. 

We discuss:

• The link between birth control and nutrient deficiency: What to know before you start trying to conceive 

• Weight changes during what to expect & how to handle changing weight (or not!) during first trimester

• Macronutrient & hydration basics: What to know about carbs, protein, fat and electrolytes during each trimester

• Key lab results: What health practitioners should keep an eye on when working with patients who are trying to conceive and in their first trimester

• Guidance for buying prenatals: What to buy, what to avoid, and what your OBGYN won’t tell you

• Debunking the biggest pregnancy nutrition myths: Cheese, alcohol, caffeine, weight gain, and more.

• Environmental toxins and pregnancy: What we should know vs. what we don't know yet, and how NOT to get swept up in the wellness economy 

• Managing diet-related conditions during pregnancy: Managing Gestational Diabetes & hypertension

• Foods that actually induce labor: Which ones are evidence-based to induce labor in the last few weeks of pregnancy

• The fourth trimester: How to fuel and prepare once the baby arrives 

Thanks for listening to The Business of Wellness with Jaclyn London, MS, RD, CDN. 

🎙️Follow The Business of Wellness on Apple Podcasts & leave a 5-star rating & review 

🎙️Hire me to consult before you invest in or get to work on that better-for-you product  

🎙️Follow me @jaclynlondonrd  

**Advice on this podcast should not replace medical advice provided by your physician. 

Daisy Jing is the CEO and Founder of Banish, the first brand to normalize at home microneedling, along with one of the first brands to advocate for no fragrance in skincare. The products are freshly made in small batches and products are made to order, therefore you can only purchase them directly on their website, banish.com. Daisy launched the brand Banish out of her kitchen and bootstrapped a now multimillion dollar business from the ground up. 

• Subscribe to On the Side with Jackie London on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-side-with-jackie-london/id1575619683 
• Check out Banish products & follow on Instagram & TikTok
• Check out the On the Side YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwfCcFBpKrvgsoJfCcVluKg 

If you like this podcast, you’ll LOVE this book: www.jaclynlondonrd.com

Merry Christmas, On the Side listeners! To celebrate the holiday, I’m joined by the incredible King of Wine & Food, Lee Schrager–author, fried chicken expert, breakfast enthusiast, and creator of the Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach and NYC Wine & Food Festivals. We’re celebrating all things FOOD & wine today, so if you love restaurants, travel, food-- this episode is like a global tasting menu for your ears. I loved hearing about Lee’s personal favorite breakfasts, from the supremely high-end to the best grease in the biz… plus, we get into what it’s like to travel the U.S. in search of the perfect bite of fried chicken, and what YOU need to do to get the BEST of the best. 

I’m answering this question at the top of the episode: What are your thoughts on plant-based “meat” alternatives? 

• Subscribe to On the Side with Jackie London on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-side-with-jackie-london/id1575619683 
• Follow us on instagram @leeschrager & submit questions you want answered:  @jaclynlondonrd 
• Get your tushy to Miami for SOBEWFF 2022 : https://corporate.sobewff.org/ & check out these books: https://www.amazon.com/Cookbooks-Food-Wine-Lee-Schrager-Books/s?rh=n%3A6%2Cp_lbr_one_browse-bin%3ALee+Schrager 
• Quick hit list of Lee’s honorable mentions: The Crow’s Nest, Cindy Lou’s, Il Pelicano, & Jimmy’s Eastside Diner 
• Check out the On the Side YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwfCcFBpKrvgsoJfCcVluKg 

If you like this podcast, you’ll love this book: https://www..jaclynlondonrd.com 

My guest today is Susie Hewson, Founder and CEO of Natracare, the world’s first brand of organic and natural period products founded in 1989. Susie disrupted a billion-dollar industry by bringing her first product to market. Now in her 70’s, Susie continues to steer the ship of her 30 year old global brand, advocate for best manufacturing practices in personal care products, and champion science-based strategies for creating efficacious and sustainable solutions for today’s consumer. 

We discuss: 

• What you need to know about plastics in personal care products: Why Susie’s dedicated her professional life to creating products she can stand behind from a personal health & sustainability standpoint 

• What it means to be a mission-based company in 2024: Why purpose is integral to brand identity in consumer products

• Starting out as a female founder in the 1980’s & ‘90’s: What motivated Susie to continue pursuing her mission of changing product development for period products, and her experience securing funding, expanding the company, and expediting business growth 

• Marketing and distribution before social media: How Susie raised awareness & gained visibility for her products before content marketing existed

• Trends in the sustainability space: The difference between a flash-in-the-pan marketing trend vs. a category disruption

•  Why age can be an asset as a business leader 

Thanks for listening to The Business of Wellness with Jaclyn London, MS, RD, CDN. 

🎙️Follow The Business of Wellness on Apple Podcasts & leave a 5-star rating & review 

🎙️Hire me to consult before you invest in or get to work on that better-for-you product  

🎙️Follow me @jaclynlondonrd  

**Advice on this podcast should not replace medical advice provided by your physician.

My guest today is Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RDN, CDN, award-winning author of, Read It Before You Eat It – Taking You from Label to Table, and creator of the website and blog called, BetterThanDieting.com.  Bonnie is a media personality, spokesperson, motivational speaker, journalist, and corporate and brand consultant whose messages are laced with her culinary passion as a foodie, her credible guidance as an advisor and her wit and wisdom as a mom. Bonnie brings 30+ years of industry experience to this conversation, along with her vast knowledge of the dietetics profession and media. 

We discuss: 

• The biased premise of the latest dietitian hit piece in The Washington Post,  which is propagates the myth that dietitians and Big Food are colluding to keep Americans obese and sick
• What is “Big Food:” Why ignoring its impact on the American and global  food system is ignorant and misguided
• The anti-diet movement: What’s intended by practitioners who identify as “anti-diet,” and the perception vs. reality of this term on social media
• Social media vs. real life practice: Given that Gen Z uses social media search engines as their primary method of seeking information, do practitioners have even greater responsibility to creatively  deliver credible, evidence-information online in ways that are optimized for virality?  
• What it means to be an expert with influence vs. an influencer: How dietitians are distinctly different from influencers in the digital & social media space, and how dietitians might rethink their approach to marketing and media in 2024+
• The authors’ negative bias towards dietitians:: Myth-busting key points made in this article, including dietitians being compensated by Big Food; General Mills’ #derailtheshame campaign (and the pros and cons of this marketing alignment); keywords that indicate bias in media, and how to know when you’re reading/watching/listening to something with a clearly biased point of view on scientific topics

Thanks for listening to The Business of Wellness with Jaclyn London, MS, RD, CDN. 

🎙️Follow The Business of Wellness on Apple Podcasts & leave a 5-star rating & review 

🎙️Hire me to consult before you invest in or get to work on that better-for-you product  

🎙️Follow me @jaclynlondonrd

**Advice provided on this podcast should not replace medical advice provided by your physician. 

…annnddd we’re back! 

My guest today is Linda Boardman, the Chief Executive Officer of Bragg Live Food Products since 2019. Previously, she was president of Branch Brook Holdings, an investment partnership between Swander Pace Capital, Jefferson Capital Partners and United Natural Foods, Inc. that invests in natural and specialty product companies. Linda currently serves on the board of directors of Oregon Ice Cream (Alden’s Organic), Reliance Vitamin Company and PlantFusion.  Previously, she was board president of Frontier Natural Product Cooperative (Simply Organic and Aura Cacia) and was a board director of Kicking Horse Coffee Company.  Prior to joining Branch Brook, Linda was president of Applegate Farms, the leading brand of natural and organic deli meats. She also led the private label group at Whole Foods Market, known for its 365 brand.  Linda started her career in the food industry at Ocean Spray Cranberries, where she worked in brand management and communications.

We discuss: 

• Linda’s background & experience: What brought her into the food industry and her experience starting out at Ocean Spray 

• Leading private label for Whole Foods Market: What she learned about retail & product development from this unique experience

• Brand building for consumer products: What Linda’s learned throughout her tenure and across her myriad experiences working in the specialty & natural food industry

• What food companies should  know about investors: What investors are looking for in 2024, the current state of investing, and advice for someone looking to gain traction and secure funding in the specialty food space

• Linda’s tenure and experience at Bragg: What’s interested her about the role of CEO, what she’s learned from her time leading Bragg thus far, and what it means for Bragg to be a category leader in apple cider vinegar 

• Behind the scenes of product development and route-to-market at Bragg: What sets them apart from other food companies at which Linda has worked 

• The most important brand decisions business leaders can make in the specialty foods space 

• Trend forecasting for 2024+: Linda’s top predictions in the specialty & natural foods space for this year and beyond  

Thanks for listening to The Business of Wellness with Jaclyn London, MS, RD, CDN. 

🎙️Follow The Business of Wellness on Apple Podcasts & leave a 5-star rating & review 

🎙️Hire me to consult before you invest in or get to work on that better-for-you product  

🎙️Follow me @jaclynlondonrd  

**Advice provided on this podcast should not replace medical advice provided by your physician.

Dr. Rachel Goldman is a licensed clinical psychologist, speaker, consultant & Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine specializing in health behavior change, stress management, eating behaviors, the treatment of obesity and weight management.

We discuss: 

• Rachel’s background, education & training and some of her consulting highlights, including the 2022 film, The Whale starring Brendan Fraser and sharing a stage with the queen herself, Oprah Winfrey  

• What media gets right & wrong about obesity medications (including the names we use to discuss this type of treatment), plus who for whom GLP-1’s like Ozempic are really intended?

• Is obesity really a disease? Why/when it IS, when it’s NOT, and the distinction between obesity as a chronic condition vs. an unintentional misuse of language.

• Making the most of GLP-1 medications: How to increase efficacy, tolerance & medication adherence for patients just starting on these meds– which interventions actually work, and when/why do other adjuvant interventions backfire? 

• Setting patients up for success on GLP-1’s, including defining what that looks like; how long patients should be on GLP-1 medications, and what other lifestyle factors are necessary to consider before prescribing/taking one of these weight-loss medications? 

• The rise of new behavioral modification as a result of “quieting food noise.” Plus, what the term “food noise” actually means and why it’s so hot right now in media & marketing.

• The need for interdisciplinary approaches when prescribing & treating patients with obesity.

Thanks for listening to The Business of Wellness Podcast with Jaclyn London, MS, RD, CDN. 

🎙️Follow The Business of Wellness on Apple Podcasts & leave a 5-star rating & review 

🎙️Hire me to consult before you invest in or get to work on that “better-for-you” product  

🎙️Follow me @jaclynlondonrd & Dr. Rachel @drrachelnyc

**Advice provided on this podcast should not replace medical advice provided by your physician. 

Dr. Jaime Zuckerman is a licensed clinical psychologist, media pro, author, podcast host, and nationally-recognized expert on narcissism and recovery from narcissistic abuse. 

We discuss: 

• New Year’s Resolutions: How they’re made, the psychology behind them, and why we just can’t seem to quit them year over year. Plus, why these come up so frequently for Dr. Z in private practice/with her population of clients, and the similarities/differences between individuals’ unique  New Year’s resolutions 

• The top mistakes people make when making New Year’s Resolutions: Why Dr. Z thinks most of them are too broad, too difficult, set-up for failure, and generally don’t reflect the realities of someone’s everyday life. 

• How to set up a New Year’s resolution that’ll actually work for you: What the “key ingredients” of a good resolution actually are; why you need structures & systems in place to turn your best laid plans into real life action, and what to do when you feel like you have “no time” or “no bandwidth” for your specific goals

• What actually inspires individuals to make their first appointment with a licensed clinical psychologist and/or registered dietitian (like Dr. Z & me, respectfully) and why the answer to this is more surprising & nuanced than you might think 

• How Dr. Z counsels someone to approach goal-setting & actualization without creating increased anxiety/depression, setting oneself up to failure, or falling into the trap of setting goals that are misaligned with your values. 

• 2023 therapy trends to say goodbye to forever– what are they, where did they come from, why Dr. Z thinks they’ve gained traction on social media, and a little trend forecasting on the biggest therapy trends for 2024 (which ones are legit vs. not this year). 

 Thanks for listening to The Business of Wellness with Jaclyn London, MS, RD, CDN. 

🎙️Follow The Business of Wellness on Apple Podcasts & leave a 5-star rating & review 

🎙️Hire me to consult before you invest in or get to work on that “better-for-you” product  

🎙️Follow me @jaclynlondonrd & Dr. Z @drzpsychologist 

**Advice provided on this podcast should not replace medical advice provided by your physician.