Be Better. Do Better.™

Bayard Winthrop: How to Vote with your Values in the World of Apparel:  Bayard Winthrop is the founder, president, and CEO of apparel company, American Giant. Rethinking a new standard for mainstream clothing, American Giant has made it their mission to offer quality American-made  products that ultimately rebuild and revitalize local communities. Did you know that the average American family throws away about 80lbs of clothing a year? 80 POUNDS! Yep…we didn't either. Bayard makes it clear, however, that we simply can't blame the consumers. Instead, through American Giant, Bayard made it his mission to provide consumers with informed alternatives, because “in this particular area of my life, wherever that might be, I'm going to vote with my values.” Save 25% on your order on American Giant with code QUINN25.This code will be valid from 6/18/23-7/30/23. Quinnsnacks.com - @Quinnsnacks Hosted by Founder of Quinn Kristy Lewis @kristyhlewis

At 22 years old, little did Daniel know that a light-hearted college trip to Mexico City would set the stage in inspiring him to create his frozen treat company, GoodPop®. Frustrated with the artificial and sugar loaded ingredients in popsicles coupled with his deep interest in social enterprise and entrepreneurship, Daniel was ready to take a leap and change the game and clean up frozen treats all together. Daniel threw his life savings into GoodPop at 23, and after many humbling moments of trial and error, GoodPop is now a major company found in retailers in 40+ states across the US. Quinnsnacks.com - @Quinnsnacks Hosted by Founder of Quinn Kristy Lewis @kristyhlewis

At the early age of 13, Arno Holschuh took his first sip of coffee and immediately fell in love. Despite his parents' apprehension about stunting his growth, Arno says, “what they couldn't have known is that they were setting me on a path that then would become my passion and my career.” Have you ever heard of a Chemex pot? What about a Siphon pot? Don't worry, we hadn't either! Arno's breaking down all of the lingo and letting us in on his personal journey in making coffee a career. You'll hear Arno touch on his experiences working at a cafe in college, and how he learned how to roast coffee the OG way! Fast forward a couple years, and Arno was living in the Bay area and working a whopping 4 jobs….one of which was being a barista! He knew that working with coffee was his true passion, and he was ready to dedicate himself to the coffee industry. Arno also gets real with us about how the coffee industry is seriously lacking in diversity, and how these structural questions need to be addressed at large. Quinnsnacks.com - @Quinnsnacks Hosted by Founder of Quinn Kristy Lewis @kristyhlewis

Allison Conrad: De-Bunking What's Normal and What's Not When It Comes To All Things Hair. Kristy and Allison tackle some of the most common questions when it comes to hair, starting with the topic of hair shedding. Kristy opens up about her hair loss during her three pregnancies, and Allison clears any myths about what is normal and not normal for how much hair you should be shedding each day/week…and yes, there's a number! Allison also gives us the ultimate crash-course on how Arey works within the body and why it takes 2-3 months to start seeing results. Not only does Arey help perpetuate better self-growth of hair, it also helps you grow thicker and fuller hair, with science to prove it! Allison Conrad is an entrepreneur and operator focused on consumer brands and e-commerce. Allison received her BA from Duke University, launched a side-hustled fashion brand online, received her MBA from Stanford University, ran a beauty brand and most recently has been consulting and advising tech-enabled consumer companies.Quinnsnacks.com - @Quinnsnacks Hosted by Founder of Quinn Kristy Lewis @kristyhlewis

Parker Brook: Leaving General Mills, Practicing What You Preach, and Revolutionizing Cereal                                                                                                                                  From working in the corporate world of General Mills to starting his own natural food company, Parker Brooks is nothing if not self-motivated to the max. He's letting us in on all of the behind-the-scenes secrets to what it was really like working at a multi-billion dollar company and why he decided to leave. Ever wonder why fruit loops and flavor blasted goldfish are soooo addicting? Parker breaks it down for us! Kristy and Parker also discuss how America has taken on a post WWII mindset of food scarcity and how the Western diet ultimately leads to chronic inflammation in the body. Parker outlines the symptoms associated with inflammation in the body and how dialing in on his diet was the only solution for relief. From trying to be gluten-free, to experimenting with the Whole-30 diet, Parker threw himself into the natural food industry and shifted his perspective about food: it's medicine. Now it was time to make a change, and Parker vowed to practice what he preached. And what better  than to tackle one of the most coveted breakfast foods…cereal? Tune in to hear more about how Lovebird came to fruition and what you can do to feel better about food, your body, and overall health! Quinnsnacks.com - @Quinnsnacks Hosted by Founder of Quinn Kristy Lewis @kristyhlewis

Ever since he was 14, Chef Khoran knew  that he wanted to pursue food. Having been inspired by cooking with his mom during childhood and watching his dad open a restaurant in Old City, Philadelphia, Khoran envisioned that someday he too would bring his culinary visions to life. But first, experience was needed! After graduating college, Khoran threw himself into the restaurant and hotel industry, as he worked both the front and back of the house. The work proved to be grueling (anybody relate?), and Khoran vowed that he “can't do this for anyone until I do it for myself.” So, in 2007, Khoran did a 180 and decided to work at Apple. The stainless steel and futuristic vibe immediately clicked with his vision, and he found a new work-home for the next 8 years. Ever wonder what it was like to work at Apple before the iPhone came out? Fast forward to 2012 and one inspiring visit to L.A. later, Khoran tasted his first ever cold-pressed juice, and BAM–he had an epiphany. This was the sh*t! But cold pressed juice in philadelphia? Now this  was a revolutionary idea. The vision was set, and now Khoran was going to make it happen. Tune in to find out more about how Stripp'd, Khoran's cold-pressed juice shop, came to life. Chef Khoran on IGQuinnsnacks.com - @Quinnsnacks Hosted by Founder of Quinn Kristy Lewis @kristyhlewis

Loren Brill Castle: Kicking Cancer, Honoring Your Sweet Tooth, and the Inspiration Behind Sweet Loren's Cookie DoughLoren (Brill) Castle is the CEO & founder of Sweet Loren's, a better-for-you baked goods company that is redefining what it means to be delicious and convenient. Sweet Loren's is the maker of the #1 cookie dough brand in the United States, as it's made from simple, non-GMO, gluten free, dairy free, plant-based ingredients and nut-free ingredients. Loren's mission to create health conscious sweets intensified after being diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin's Lymphoma at 22, on top of watching her mom battle Chronic Leukemia (CLL) throughout her youth. Loren's cancer diagnosis highlighted/illuminated the inseparable relationship between food and physical/mental health, and during her 6 months of chemotherapy, Loren filled up her free time with cooking classes and nutritionist appointments. Despite cleaning up her diet, Loren's sweet tooth wouldn't quit, but she refused to compromise her health by consuming harmful ingredients often found in conventional sweets. Loren quickly learned that her personal need to honor her sweet tooth was also a major public need–because who doesn't want to eat delicious treats and feel good about it after? At the end of the day, for Loren, leading a healthy life means listening to your body and honoring its cravings without deprivation, and Sweet Loren's is an embodiment of this worldview! Tune in to find out more! Quinnsnacks.com - @Quinnsnacks Hosted by Founder of Quinn Kristy Lewis @kristyhlewis

Lopa Van Der Mersch: Setting the Record Straight about Coffee, Why It's Addictive, and How to De-Stress Without It Lopa van der Mersch is many things: Serial entrepreneur. Mother of two. Sustainability freak. TEDx speaker. Five years ago, she added a new chapter: Founder and CEO of Rasa, the adaptogenic coffee alternatives transforming the way we energize. But do you really know what happens to your body when we drink coffee? Lopa does, and she's here to set the record straight! Both Kristy and Lopa know first hand the suffocating stress of juggling being a mom, running a business, and trying to have a personal life?! Culturally, one of the go-to ways that people curb stress and stay alert is to drink coffee…. yet at a neuro-chemical level, Lopa emphasizes how coffee is only making our stress worse! Did you know caffeine essentially tricks our body into staying awake? We didn't! Plus, let's not forget how ritualistic and emotional drinking coffee can be for many of us, which makes it so hard to kick indefinitely. Lopa highlights how coffee has become in-service to the ways we've not only commodified our sense of self, but also our sense of productivity, time, energy, and how we spend it. Quinnsnacks.com - @Quinnsnacks Hosted by Founder of Quinn Kristy Lewis @kristyhlewis

On this episode of the Be Better. Do Better. Podcast Kristy chats with Ashley Rouse, Founder & CEO of Trade St. Jam .  Ashley creates fruit forward and clean tasting vegan jams that are low in sugar and high in flavor. She teaches jam classes to kids at underprivileged schools and aspires to use residual jams to feed the less fortunate, two efforts that are near and dear to the owner's heart.

Denise Woodard is the Founder and CEO of Partake, a line of nationally distributed allergy-friendly snacks inspired by her daughter's experience with food allergies. Launched in 2017, Partake's first product — 10 flavor varieties of delicious, nutritious, allergy-friendly cookies — can now be found in more than 6,000 retailers including Target, Sprouts, and Whole Foods Market. In December 2020, the company closed a Series A round of funding led by investors including Rihanna, CircleUp Growth Partners, FF2032 and Marcy Venture Partners. Of the $7.5 Million Denise has raised, more than 50% has come from Black investors. In January 2021, Partake released a 5-in-1 Baking Mix followed by a Brownie Mix in February—both are available on partakefoods.com. Prior to launching Partake, Denise spent a decade in consumer packaged goods at various Fortune 100 companies and is the first Black woman to raise more than $1 Million publicly for a CPG food startup.

Robyn is a globally recognized voice  in the food industry. She has been called “food's Erin Brockovich” by The New York Times and Bloomberg, and in 2020, Forbes recognized her on its Impact 50 List for her work in agriculture.Her TEDx talk (based on her book, The Unhealthy Truth, Random House) exposes the shortcomings in the food system. It has been watched by millions, translated into dozens of languages, and influenced policy, legislation, and product formulation in the food industry. Prior to founding rePlant Capital, Robyn advised CEOs and executives at multinational CPG companies, startups, and farm organizations and worked on a team that managed $20 billion in assets. 

Bayard Winthrop is on a mission is to craft high quality apparel, ethically and responsibly, right here in the United States. His company, American Giant, seriously makes THE best hoodies and sweatpants, pandemic tested and approved! Bayard is on a quest to take on the globalization of the apparel industry, starting on US cotton farms and then crafted in production facilities in the Carolinas. Bayard and American Giant aren't stopping there, their Delta Project highlights the work of activists, entrepreneurs, authors, and artists who are driving change and seeks to bring diverse perspectives together and remind us of all that we have in common. 

Kristy chats with Phil Taylor, Founder and Executive Director of Mad Agriculture, which works alongside farmers to advance regenerative agriculture  through farm planning, financing through their recently launched Perennial Fund, and crop + carbon markets.In a lively and introspective conversation on a sunny afternoon in Chautauqua Park in Boulder, CO, Kristy and Phil discuss race, social issues, humanity, morning rituals, and a big vision for a better future through farming and beyond.

Twenty years ago, Steve Tucker inherited his grandfather's farm in Western Nebraska. Since then, he was worked endlessly to learn and improve how he farms. Today, we're at that very farm talking to Steve about how we're working together to plant 85 acres of sorghum, aka milo, using regenerative ag practices. Steve and I have a lot in common, we're each hopelessly optimistic or some might say, just a little crazy. We both have a passion for dramatic film scores and we love Interstellar, particularly the corn chase scene. Want to know if our sorghum trial works, so do we, stay tuned.

Today, we're chatting with regenerative organic farmer and all around super hero, Dave Vetter. Dave is a real legend in regenerative agriculture, these farming practices  can actually reverse global warming by improving the health of the soil.Dave and I have known eachother for 9 years, he supplies the organic corn in our popcorn, and honestly Quinn might not exist without his belief in our vision. He is a legend, and the kindest human being that I know.  I hope you enjoy our conversation.