Worthy for Thirty: Where stories of leaders doing good while doing well are told!

Some founders build a business. Others build a system that keeps getting better long after the startup euphoria fades. Rob Tod, founder of Allagash Brewing Company , belongs in the second category: a leader who turned craftsmanship, discipline, and purpose into a company that has spent three decades proving that sustainability, employee culture, and profitability do not have to compete. Ahem, doin...

What Happens When Access Becomes a Strategy? Some conversations make you think differently about a topic you thought you already understood. This episode did that for me. I sat down with Diego Mariscal, founder of 2Gether-International and returning guest, now co-host, Mindy Scheier, founder of Runway of Dreams and Gamut Management , for a conversation that started with disability inclusion but qu...

“Most entrepreneurs don’t burn out because they’re lazy. They burn out because they keep building businesses that demand more of them than they were ever designed to give.” — Jen Aly In this conversation on the Worthy for Thirty podcast, thanks to Boardy. Ai , I got to sit down with coach, TEDx speaker, and entrepreneur Jen Aly to unpack what happens when success stops feeling sustainable and what...

Stanton ‘Stan’ Ross, CEO of Kustom Entertainment , joined me on the podcast to share how a lifetime around music, events, and customer experience shaped the way he leads today. A quick FYI: Kustom Entertainment is a live event production and ticketing company focused on delivering memorable fan experiences through concerts, festivals, and transparent ticketing. It also owns and operates  Country S...

What do sun damage, surf sessions, and a stubborn founder’s instinct have to do with building a beloved skincare brand? A lot, actually. In this episode, I had a chance to speak with Sam Stewart, co-founder of Mad Hippie (Dana, his wife, is his co-founder), to unpack how a personal problem while living in Nicaragua turned into a purpose-driven beauty brand with staying power. Sam’s story is a grea...

Before this conversation, Elisa Camahort Page had already helped shape an important chapter in digital media by co-founding BlogHer , one of the earliest and most influential platforms built to center women’s voices online. In this Worthy for Thirty podcast episode, that foundation becomes the basis for a larger conversation about what it really takes to build something meaningful: not just a comp...

How do nonprofits raise more without adding more strain to already stretched teams? What a great way to extend last night’s celebration of an incredible nonprofit with a slew of Broadway stars; a new epsiode with a founder who’s doing exceptional work in the space! On this episode of the Worthy for Thirty podcast, I sat down with Bobby Gibson, Co-founder of LuxGive , to unpack a model that is help...

Peter Tuchman — aka the Einstein of Wall Street — has spent more than four decades inside the noise, adrenaline, and emotional whiplash of Wall Street, and this episode captures why that matters now more than ever. In a market shaped by algorithms, viral headlines, AI, prediction markets, and nonstop volatility, Peter offers something increasingly rare: a human take on what actually moves prices,...

Removing Pain When a child goes to sleep on a floor, a couch, or a pile of clothes, something far deeper than comfort is missing. It is hard to overstate what a bed means: safety, dignity, rest, routine, and the quiet belief that home is a place that holds you. That is the heart of my conversation with Luke Mickelson, Founder of Sleep in Heavenly Peace , the nonprofit that began with one simple ac...

The Big Idea What if the future of social connection isn’t about what’s in your glass, but how it makes you feel? In this episode of Worthy for Thirty , I sat down with J.W. Wiseman, founder of Curious Elixirs , to unpack a deceptively simple idea: the most powerful businesses don’t just solve a problem, they reimagine a behavior. Use code THIRTY10 at checkout for $10 off orders of $50 or more Cur...

Impact in your own backyard In this episode of Worthy for Thirty , I sat down with Sapreet Saluja , Executive Director of New York Cares , to discuss what it really takes to turn compassion into action at scale. New York Cares is the largest volunteer organization in New York City, and Sapreet leads efforts to connect everyday New Yorkers with urgent community needs across the city, from winter co...

This conversation with Kaleido Life Co-Founder Craig Du Bruyn isn’t really about life insurance; it’s about rethinking where value lives in our lives. For decades, financial products have trained us to think in straight lines: save now, access later. Protection today, payout tomorrow. But Craig and his co-founder are challenging something deeper. Why is so much of our financial value locked in the...

What if the thing fueling your ambition is also quietly draining it? That’s the quandary that sits at the center of the conversation I had with Jeff Boyd, Co-Founder, MTE (More than Energy) . He is someone who has lived on both sides of the equation. Before co-founding MTE, he helped scale a logistics company across 100+ countries, saying “yes” to opportunity before knowing how it would work. It’s...

What does it really mean to lead, especially when you’re handed something iconic? In this episode of Worthy for Thirty , I sat down with Elizabeth Sobol, CEO of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) , for a conversation that feels less like an interview and more like catching up with a wise friend who’s lived a few lifetimes and learned and gained from each one. Elizabeth’s story doesn’t begi...

She left rural Australia for this…. On this episode of Worthy for Thirty , I sat down with Amy Bett , co-founder and CEO of Melo , a non-alcoholic sparkling kava brand helping people unwind without the hangover, sugar crash, or regret. What struck me most wasn’t just the product. It was the posture. Amy moved to Los Angeles without her family for a year to get Melo off the ground. She also recentl...

In this episode of Worthy for Thirty , I had the fortune of speaking with Janine Shea , Co-Founder and COO of Primi Foods, and what unfolds is far more than a conversation about pasta. It’s a masterclass in how founders move markets. Primi is redefining convenience with Italian-made pasta cups that are non-GMO, preservative-free, under 300 calories, and ready in minutes. But as Janine makes clear,...

What happens when data meets nostalgia and storytelling becomes a growth lever? In this episode of Worthy for Thirty , I sat down with Tom Leigh, the UK-born brand builder and fundraiser turned food entrepreneur behind Tommy Popcorn , a gourmet popcorn brand designed to give popcorn its long-overdue “craft moment.” Tommy Popcorn isn’t built around health badges, macros, or functional claims. Inste...

2026 begins in earnest, and many of us are thinking about goals, resolutions, and the kind of impact we’re focused on making, not just personally, but through our work, our businesses, and our communities. In this episode of Worthy for Thirty, I sat down with Eliza Blank , CEO of The Farmlink Project and founder of The Sill , for a grounded and timely conversation about what it really means to com...

Cheers and welcome to 2026! As we head into a new year, there’s a familiar pressure to optimize everything: bigger goals, grandiose ambition, lofty promises, and perhaps faster execution. This conversation with my dear friend, Jeff Ragovin , is a clear reminder that the work that lasts for posterity doesn’t start with perfection. It begins with people. Jeff—founder, builder, storyteller, and the c...

A pre-Christmas / 2026 read and listen. Some inspiration to keep you thinking as we head into the new year. In this episode of the Worthy for Thirty podcast, I sat down with Blake Niemann , the founder of Levels Protein . From humble beginnings in his Jersey City, NJ apartment in 2016 to becoming a trusted name in the supplement industry, Blake shares his insights on building a brand that prioriti...

In this episode of Worthy for Thirty , I sat down with Frankie Scanlon , founder of Gustus Vitae , a small-batch, mission-driven gourmet seasoning brand that started at a local farmers market and has grown into a community-loved staple. Frankie’s story is a reminder that you don’t need a fancy launch, deep funding, or a flashy brand strategy to build something real. You need relentless curiosity,...

Right before Thanksgiving, when we catch up with friends and families, sharing our gratitude for everything we have and experience… In this episode of Worthy for Thirty , I sat down with Rachel Doyle , Founder and CEO of Glamour Gals , a nonprofit that’s been changing lives for nearly 25 years. What started as Rachel’s way of honoring her late grandmother has grown into a national movement that co...

🎙️ Purpose-Driven Profits: The ANDI Brand’s Blueprint for Doing Good While Doing Well 🚀 Introduction Welcome back to the Worthy for Thirty podcast. If this is your first time here, welcome! I am your host, Eric Tash. We talk a lot about scaling, funding, and product-market fit, but what about the core “why” that truly sustains a business through the inevitable challenges? Today, we’re diving deep...

How to Build a Purpose-Driven Brand That Disappears Off the Shelf In a crowded market full of fleeting trends and artificial flavors, how do you build a product that commands premium quality, which correlates with deep, immediate customer loyalty? Meet Amit and Marcin, the founders of Mission Craft Cocktails . They aren’t career bartenders or spirits industry veterans; they are simply two friends...

For most of us, leaving a 20-year career as a senior leader in global banking with stops at renowned institutions like JP Morgan and HSBC sounds like an overwhelming, terrifying risk. But for Cate Luzio , the founder and CEO of Luminary , it was simply the next logical step. Luminary is a gender-inclusive community and platform that has grown from a single 25,000 sq ft physical space in New York i...