Essential Ingredients Podcast

"The idea came suddenly one day. I was traveling and had this little Japanese perfume spray in my hand, It's actually aluminum and the inside glass, very little. And I said to myself, that's the concept of bottle I'm going to do. Glass.. Honesty." —Hardy Steinman   We drink water every day, yet most of us never question the container. We accept strange smells, plastic taste, and constant replaceme...

"The value you get out of Zucca and all the things it can do is far cheaper than what it would take to hire another person or hire an external consultant to do that work." —Karen Huh   Building a CPG product should not feel like juggling spreadsheets at midnight. Teams lose time, money, and clarity when formulas, costs, and decisions are scattered across multiple locations. This conversation confr...

 "Stop reaching externally for answers because intuitively, if you really, really sit quietly with yourself and feel, you have all the answers for yourself." —Dr. Jennifer Haley   Our skin reacts long before we slow down enough to notice. Breakouts, inflammation, and chronic issues often point to patterns we normalize every day, from food choices to stress to environmental exposure. This conversat...

"In an entrepreneurial journey, fear is a constant roadblock. But everything's at risk, and it's this balance between calculated risk while still managing a backup plan." —Leslie Danford   Growth does not come from chasing every opportunity. It comes from making clear choices and standing behind them. This conversation explores what it really takes to build a brand that lasts without losing direct...

 "If we can't bring the kids to the kitchen, maybe we can bring the kitchen to the kids." —Carolyn Federman   Food education often gets treated as optional, even though it shapes health, culture, and opportunity from the very start. When kids lack access to hands-on food learning, the gap shows up everywhere from classrooms to hospitals. This conversation explores what changes when education meets...

 "It is the most loyal customer segment that exists because people find it so hard to find places that they trust, that when they do and they have a good experience, they keep going back again and again. It's a huge revenue opportunity for restaurants to take advantage of transparency." —Dylan McDonnell   Nothing about dining out should feel like a gamble. In this episode, we talk with Dylan McDon...

"In general, knowledge is power, and the more equipped we are with the tools we need, the better off we are. At a networking event, there were women who wish they knew about perimenopause, that it can be 10 years, and that it can impact mental health. Now I know, and I want me to tell my generation." —Lauren Tetenbaum Some moments in life flip a switch and make our bodies feel unfamiliar. A quiet...

"Sustainability, where you can, is always an important resource to go to first… This earth gives us such precious resources, and it's nice to maintain and take care of the earth as well for your children and children to come." —Ashley Berman  The most meaningful jewelry isn't bought, it's reborn. It carries stories, fingerprints, and memories that outshine anything new. In a world chasing trends,...

"Learning and seeing what customers respond to and what they like is how your brand grows. It's half me, but then it's how it's received. They help me decide what the rest will be. And it's so fun to co-create with customers in that way." —Xeba Zareie   Some days, the body sends signals that can't be ignored. The bloating that shows up out of nowhere. The foods that once felt safe are suddenly tur...

"It's hard work being a farmer, and we just don't value it. And we just don't realize… that we're losing them." —Jennifer Grissom When SNAP and EBT are in flux, local food systems become a lifeline. This episode breaks down how farmers' markets can become emergency food hubs that protect both people and producers. Jennifer Grissom from Food Access LA shares how her nonprofit expanded market match,...

"There is something missing in modern medicine that's not just about the therapy and exercises or about empowering the patient, but getting the patient to really choose self-care." —DeAnna Schaefer Stillness doesn't just happen; it's created. Between deadlines, worries, and daily noise, most of us forget what it's like to truly breathe. But when we give ourselves permission to pause, we begin to h...

"Everything about our waking being is affected by the food we eat. And it's not just where your food comes from, but the ingredients…with integrity. Who is putting their love and passion into a crop? Who is not taking the shortcuts? How are individual ingredients… affecting our overall mood, physicality, all those things. All this is coming to light now— this is not pseudoscience anymore." —Jennif...

"It's a really interesting thing to figure out how to communicate the essence of something like [Pacha Bread] and the heart of what the product is. It's a bread that could heal the planet and could heal our bodies. It's something really magical."–Maddie Hamann   Sometimes the best things in life take time to rise, especially when you're trying to build something people truly crave. If finding your...

"Perimenopause, menopause, and andropause are such big biochemical shifts that they can affect every system in the body. There's no system left untouched by hormonal changes. o we want to use that as a filter to make sure that we're looking at the big picture." —Dr. Lisa Brent One day your body stops responding the way it used to: sleep slips, moods shift, food doesn't hit the same, and the anxiet...

"I believe what we're doing is based on something that's good for healing people and healing the planet. So, we're always organic and we're always working with regenerative organic farmers. And we're sticking to that mission and values, which is really important to me, because those are things that are always going to be good for you and for the…planet." —Neka Pasquale   Sometimes, wellness feels...

"I urge everyone to take a fraction of a second more to think before you throw something out— that's the moment that it matters whether we'll never see it again or whether it will go on to have a second life. It just takes that fraction of a second to try and do the right thing." —Laura Rosenshine   The way we handle waste isn't just about bins and bags—it's about habits, community, and the storie...

"We always say our mac and cheese is like a break from the chaos. When things are crazy in your life, you just need a break. You don't have to go off the deep end and eat a bowl of some boxed XYZ... I want to eliminate that 'Oh my God, what have I done?' part after you eat." —Myles Powell   Comfort food isn't just about taste—it's about trust, memories, and feeling good from the inside out. Too of...

"We're looking at the molecular composition of milk, all of its proteins and components, how they function together, and what makes it magical. Our technology is around how do we get those to come together and function in a way that looks, tastes, and functions like dairy."  —Thomas Bowman   Can a plant-based milk truly replicate the creamy goodness of dairy? Dive into a world where innovation mee...

"Every community has different values, and every community should have different choices. And that's why local food is so important so that local communities and local farmers can decide what's most important to them and how they want to connect the people who grow our food with the people who are seeking nourishment." —Andy Naja-Riese "The health of our Farmers Market is really dependent upon the...

"The cure for disease is not to eradicate disease, it is the ability to respond…The more self-empowered you get, the more you can respond." —Dane Johnson   You're eating "perfectly" but still dealing with bloating, pain, and fatigue. What if the problem isn't just the food you're eating, but your body's ability to handle the world we live in? It's a frustrating truth that requires a completely new...

"One of the things I learned through the course of my career is that people don't have any trust, confidence, or faith in you until they feel like you care about them and learn what they need." —Mark Spoone   What if the key to a healthier planet and better food lies right beneath our feet? The way we treat our soil today could transform our future, making it richer and more sustainable for genera...

"The core difference is, instead of, once you've paid your employees and your expenses, what's left, instead of it just enriching the investors, it's given away to good causes." —Alex Amouyel   What if doing good didn't mean giving up your paycheck or your dreams? Maybe you're tired of hearing that business and kindness can't mix, or you wonder if your small actions really matter. Here's a fresh l...

"In the entire decade of the 2000s, we had about a third of the billion-dollar weather disasters that we've had in the last three years. So in the last three years, we've surpassed threefold that entire previous decade. And it's not only fires in California and the West Coast— it's floods, it's storms, it's winter storms, wind storms. Most states are contending with this in some form or another."...

"At the end of this little tiny workshop, I hope everybody just comes away with the fact that they know they can do whatever they want with anything they want." —Sam Paone   Got more summer veggies than you know what to do with? Instead of letting them go to waste, why not turn them into delicious pickles that capture the season's flavors? Pickling is a fun and easy way to preserve your garden's b...

"I think one of the biggest things to convey to anybody who wants to start a business is know what you're good at, know what you like, and know what you're not good at, and then outsource that. Because that's going to help get the business to where you wanna go." —Arielle Moody   Ever wonder if you're settling for "good enough" when you could be living—and choosing—so much better? If you've ever f...