The Changeup

This week's guest is the founder and CEO of Ithaca Hummus, Chris Kirby.Ithaca Hummus makes amazing hummus with minimal ingredients and maximum taste.We talk about his journey from selling at farm stands in upstate New York to being in over 9,000 doors (with the final boss coming in October), the diversification of flavors, the importance of steady growth versus exponential growth, and a little lesson on Beanie Baby sales.

This week's guest is the founder, owner, and cheese maker at McGrath Cheese Company, Colin McGrath. McGrath Cheese Company is an artisan producer based in New York's Hudson Valley.They make some of the most incredible cheese, sourced from local dairies. We discussed Colin's remarkable path into the cheese business from the CIA (that's the Culinary Institute of America) to apprenticing, to making his own. He brings his unbridled passion for the product into every batch.

This week's guests are the founders of Moonrise Bagels, Jeremy and Ali Rhodes. Moonrise Bagels are award-winning stuffed bagels that are ridiculously good and are taking over upstate New York.We talk about how a party invention and Jeremy's obsession with finding the perfect way to stuff a bagel turned into a full-scale business with three locations, how Ali is able to leverage her sharp PR skills to grow awareness and engagement with the business, and how setting up their business in their hometown (and mine), Woodstock, New York, has led them to grow their roots.

This week's guest is the founder of Driftaway Coffee, Anu Menon. Driftaway Coffee is an immigrant-owned, women-led company that prioritizes women and minority producers, and making accessible coffee for all consumers.We discussed her leap from the marketing world to brewing coffee, how her brand helps people find their next favorite blend in a unique way and how the business went from a passion project to a full-scale operation.

This week's guest is the CEO and co-founder of Seed + Mill, Rachel Simons. Seed + Mill is a women-owned artisan food brand focusing on food products derived from sesame seed, like tahini and halva.We talk about Rachel's evolution from corporate lawyer to food entrepreneur, the nuances of running an online business that also has a physical location in Chelsea Market, and her upcoming book launch, and why it means so much to her.Seed+MillSesame: Global Recipes and Stories of an Ancient Seed

This week's guests are the co-founders of Overlook Bakery, Rosie and Mike DeVito. Overlook Bakery is my local bakery here in Woodstock, which makes some of the best cookies, cakes, and desserts in the world.We talk about starting their business during COVID by making cakes in their home, leaving the corporate confines of the accounting world to build out a physical location, and how their direct, honest messaging led to one of my favorite billboards of all time.Overlook Bakery

This week's guest is the co-founder of Burlap & Barrel, Ori Zohar. Burlap & Barrel is an American spice importer that sources sustainable single-origin spices directly from farmers and foragers.We talk about the origins of the idea with his business partner, growing a business with omni-channel components, and the richness and diversity of the spice world. Burlap & Barrel 

This week's guest is the founder and CEO of Eat2Explore, Rowena Scherer. Eat2Explore makes it easy for kids and families to explore world cuisines and cultures with their award-winning experience-in-a-box cooking kits. We talk about how she went from private equity to the French Culinary Institute, the spark for the idea, and the importance of inspiring kids to appreciate and explore all cultures of the world through delicious cuisine.Eat2Explore

This week's guest is dual threat, Taylor Cocalis Suarez. Tay co-founded Good Food Jobs, a website and newsletter with over 80,000 subscribers helping satisfy the hunger for meaningful work in the food industry. She's also co-founder of one of my all-time favorite breweries, Suarez Family Brewery, which is based near Hudson, New York. We talked to Tay about running both businesses, the aversion for scale at scales sake, and how meaningful work is the backbone of what she does.

We are back for season six of The Changeup. What started as a project while I was bored at home during the throes of COVID is now over 100 episodes with smart founders sharing their journey along the way.This season, we're continuing down the path of food and beverage with a focus on New York owned and operated companies. There's something about tangible items in the digital age that gets me excited and I hope the same is true for you. We kick off with one of the OG craft purveyors, Ommegang.We sat down with their head brewer, Justin Lottridge, and brand manager, Jordan Egbert. We talked about the early mission of Ommegang, growth in the industry that gave way to consolidation, and how being acquired by Duvel Moortgat has given them a new spark in the industry.

This week's guest is the co-founder of Sound, Tommy Kelly. Sound was born from its co-founder's desire for a better-tasting, more exciting unsweetened beverage. We talk about the company's founding happening while Tommy was an engineer looking for a drink to keep him going during long days and partnering with his then co-worker and now co-partner, Salim.Tommy embraces the ebbs and flows of the hard-to-navigate CPG business. He speaks honestly about the hurdles and brings incredible insight to the field. We also talk about his role in growing Brooklyn pizza empire Roberta's and the up-and-coming Ever Hop hop water.SoundEver HopRoberta's

This week's guests are the co-founders of Saucy Confections, Alexander and Mary Rose Zaranski. Saucy Confections makes an alcoholic gummy called Winosaurs, which is, you might've guessed, filled with wine. We talk about how they took a fun idea for their wedding party favors and turned it into a business that keeps growing. We learn how they built their own machinery before buying and what's next on the rise in the gummy game.Saucy Confections

This week's guest is the founder of Dirty Water, Dominic Minogue. Dirty Water is a hard seltzer brand born in New York City, aiming to be the accessible, easy-drinking dive bar hard seltzer. We talked to Dominic about the David versus Goliath battle in the hard beverage industry, the door-to-door grind of getting his product into bars and bodegas, and how his background and design and fashion helps influence Dirty Water's look and feel.Dirty Water Hard Seltzer

This week's guest is Nathaniel Harrington, the founder of Nat's Nuts. Nat's Nuts is a gourmet roasted nut company in upstate New York that ships across the United States and is in over 2000 stores. We talk about how he turned a school fundraising project to Guatemala into a full blown business, how he's built the business from his apartment to a large scale operation, and how faith plays a major role in every aspect of his life.

This week we welcome Tom Vaughan and Nakiska Vaughan of Westmeadow Farm and Dairy. Westmeadow Farm and Dairy is a family-owned and operated farm and creamery making fresh milk, cheese, and ice cream. We talk about Tom's original path to farming, moving from Ireland to Connecticut and then eventually landing in upstate New York. We also learned how Nakiska's plan to swim with dolphins was thwarted by COVID, but that ultimately led to her running the farm and being an integral part of the family business.

This week's guest is the co-founder of Bjorn Qorn, Bjorn Quenemoen. Bjorn Qorn is a non-GMO popcorn with all-natural gluten-free and vegan ingredients. They use nutritional yeast instead of butter and cheese, and it's probably the best popcorn I've ever had from a bag. We talk about how a college party concept with a friend turned into a thriving business, the science behind popping using mirrored reflectors to collect the sun's rays, and how a popcorn business got into the roller skating business.Bjorn Qorn

This week's guest is the co-founder of Barrel + Brine, RJ Marvin. Barrel + Brine is a food and beverage company located in Buffalo, New York, specializing in pickled foods, kimchi, and kombucha.  We talk about leaving the restaurant business to get into the pickling business and returning to the restaurant business to help complement the store. RJ shares his thoughts on packaging design, packaging his own food, and how he intends to grow the business thoughtfully. And the Bills- of course we talked about the Buffalo Bills.Barrel + Brine

In this week's episode, I'm talking with the co-founders of Loisa, Scott Hattis, and Kenny Luna. Loisa is a Latin-owned food company focusing on bringing organic versions of the most famous Latin seasoning to the market. They started with Sazon and Adobo and are growing exponentially, with their most recent partnership with Whole Foods opening doors across the country.We talk about starting in their kitchen, learning the family recipes, the importance of breaking out of the artificial ingredients for Latin family health, and how they are continuing to expand.https://loisa.com/

This week we welcome Brian and Dahlia Graham, the co-founders of Fruition Chocolate Works. Fruition is an ethically sourced chocolate company using traditional and modern techniques to make their award-winning chocolate in Catskills. This episode is a bit of a departure as we met in real life to do the interview. You might hear the sounds of the shop and a change in our voice as we move around, but it led to an intimate and lively conversation and I'm excited to do more of them.https://www.fruitionchocolateworks.com/

This week's guests are the founders of Our Daily Eats, Caroline and Paul Barrett. Our Daily Eats is an Albany based nuts and granola company founded by a husband and wife team who left their corporate gigs to follow their passion, creating exceptional food that they would be proud of and their kids would actually eat. We talk about the journey from cooking it in their kitchen, printing the labels and selling it individually at local farm stands to being in stores across the country. They shared their other project, Capital Cooks kitchen and co-op where they have community-based cooking classes and bring in world-renowned chefs.Our Daily EatsCapital Cooks

This week's guest is the founder of Heyday Canning, Kat KavnerHeyday Canning Co. is a canned food company making fun products like harissa lemon chickpeas, kimchi sesame beans, and enchilada beans that are accessible and delicious. We talk about how the company was started at the height of COVID while in Australia, the importance of bringing the fun back into what is arguably a boring food vertical, the shops that embraced Heyday first, and how they expanded to 2000 stores.

This week's guests are the Founders of Weiss Ferments, Erica and Brian Weiss. Weiss Ferments is a family-owned farm, brewery and sourdough bread bakery in Schoharie County, New York. We talk about their past lives working as sommeliers and bartenders at Michelin-rated restaurants, the decision to leave New York City and build their farm, and how they both found their passions in brewing and baking respectively.Weiss Ferments

This week's guest is the founder and CEO of Partake Foods, Denise Woodard. Partake is a Black-owned, women-led company that offers delicious allergy-free cookies, baking mixes, pancake and waffle mixes that are certified gluten-free, non-GMO, vegan, and free of the top nine allergens. We talk about the very personal story of her daughter's allergies that led to her founding the company and how she scaled her kitchen to over 9,000 stores nationwide.https://partakefoods.com/

This week's guest is the CEO and founder of Treeline Cheesemakers, Michael Schwarz. Treeline Cheesemakers is a dairy-free vegan cheese made in upstate  New York. We talk about his decision to become vegan in 2011 and how that compelled him to leave his job as a lawyer and build Treeline. Often business leaders speak in platitudes, but this is not one of those interviews. Michael brought conviction, clarity of our moral obligations, and a convincing rationale for why we all should be vegan. We talk about the science behind cashew cheese, how he landed his first clients, and how we all can do our part to stop animal cruelty.

This week's guests are the founders of Outsiders Kitchen, Julie and Austin Landes. Outsiders Kitchen is a gourmet pretzel bite that needs to be tried to be understood. Trust me, it's that good. We talk about their journey from Pennsylvania to upstate New York, starting a cafe business that turned into a pretzel business sold in over 1000 stores, and how even with that growth, each bag is still packaged by hand.

This week's guest is the founder of Jack and Friends, Jessica Kwong. Jack and Friends is on a mission to make snack foods you can feel good about eating, regardless of your lifestyle or diet. Made with jackfruit and pea protein, Jack and Friends jerky is not only vegan and top nine allergen-free, but a good source of protein and fiber with no added sugar. We talk about the science behind snack foods, how she developed the idea for Jack and Friends, and how she has scaled the business in a really tough vegan and vegetarian competitive market.

This week's guest is the co-founder and CEO of Finger Lakes Cider House, Garrett Miller. Finger Lakes Cider House is a diversified organic farm that specializes in making some of the best hard cider from New York apples. We talk about the origins of the company initially being a farm with friends to now being one of the top cider houses in New York, how he grew the business and what he wants to give back to the land, and the community with this project.

This week's guest is the co-founder and CEO of Wandering Bear Coffee, Matt Bachman. Wandering Bear makes big strong coffee with a smooth side delivered on tap to offices and homes nationwide. We talk about how he and his co-founder started the concept while in grad school, how they scaled it from their apartment kitchens to a nationwide business and how they compete in the super competitive coffee business.

This episode's guest is the CEO and founder of Bokksu, Danny Taing. Bokksu delivers authentic Japanese food and lifestyle products to customers around the world. I was so impressed with his story that I bought a box for my daughter, and it's awesome. We talk about the inspiration behind Bokksu, how he evolves the company in a competitive subscription box market, and how his decision to come out has influenced his leadership style.

This week's guest is the founder of Phoenicia Diner, Mike Cioffi. If you have ever been to the Catskills or ever had a friend go to the Catskills, you have surely heard of Phoenicia Diner.  It's a time warp to classic diners and yesteryear. It almost feels like you pulled up in a wood-paneled station wagon. And the food is really good. Actually, it's fantastic. We talk about his choice to change careers, how it became a social media phenomenon, some mistakes along the way, and why it has such a lasting power in a frantic fickle world. , 

This week's guest is Matt Gallira, the Founder and CEO of Big Mozz.  Big Mozz is just that... Big mozzarella sticks, and they are delicious. We talk about his journey from creating the recipe, to entering the Brooklyn Shmorgasboard, to scaling the business to be in over 1000 grocery stores across the country. If you can find them at a store near you I highly recommend snagging a few to chew while listening to his story.

This week's guest is the Co-founder of TALEA Beer Co.,  LeAnn Darland.  Leann and her co-founder Tara Hankinson have built an amazing brewery with 2 locations in Brooklyn and 2 in Manhattan. I am lucky enough to have one two blocks from my office so I visit it pretty frequently. We talk about her journey from the Navy, to Google, to startup land, to finally going all in on building her own company. We discuss how they are bucking the trend of the Bearded Beer Bro, which I'm one of, and created spaces for people of diverse backgrounds to enjoy great beer. Not only is their beer amazing, they have some of the best designed spaces in the game. This was recorded at their brewery in Williamsburg while the team was brewing, so you will hear the lively reality of a brewery in the background.TALEA Beer Co.

This week's guests are two of the founders of Wayward Lane Brewing,  Andrew Rowles and Kyle Bergen.Wayward Lane is an amazing farm, brewery, and taproom located in a restored 1800's hophouse in the town of Schoharie, New York.  They were crowned 2023 New York Brewery of the Year and since opening my shop they have become one of my favorite breweries as they make some amazing IPAs, crisp lagers, and dense porters- They're just crushing it! The interview was done at their brewery so you'll hear some hustle and bustle in the background. We discussed how they came together and decided upstate New York would be home, how they grew from selling out of the taproom to distributing across the state, and what excites them most about the beer industry in 2024.https://www.waywardlanebrewing.com/

This week we talk to the founder of Glidelane, Chris Genteel. Glidelane is an advisory firm with a mission around economic equality to marginalized communities.  By supporting founders of color, they are rooting bias out of products, services, and go-to-market stories. We talk about how his career at Google evolved as he grew into leadership roles, his transition from the corporate world to startup life, how growing up as the black child raised by a single white mom formed his view on sexism, racism, inequality and how leaders of color can navigate the DEI roller coaster of today. 

This week we talk with Bharani Rajakumar,  the CEO and Founder of Transfr. Transfr aims to provide every person an opportunity to acquire the skills needed for employment.  Through their VR coaching platform, prospective employees get hands-on training at real technical jobs.We talk about how growing up working class shaped his vision for what entrepreneurship could be, how he scaled his company, and how VR and AI will play a pivotal role in the future of the workforce.

This week's guest is the founder of More Lake, Erzsi Sousa. More Lake is a brand consultancy focused on working with climate companies. We talk about her decision to leave the marketing tech world of Google,  Microsoft and Stripe to focus on companies making an impact on our climate emergency. She shares how our family ended up moving from San Francisco to Portugal, finding the right fit with prospective clients, and how a love of the outdoors led to the company's founding.Interested in learning more about climate change? Check out these resources:If you want to start with the basics: The Science of Climate Change Explained from the New York TimesIf you like learning on Youtube: Climate Science Translated and Climate Town, and The Big Misconception About Clean Energy from Huge if TrueIf you're the New Yorker long reads type: Annals of a Warming PlanetIf you like great journalism with personality: HeatedIf you want a great primer in book form: How to Avoid a Climate Disaster (Bill Gates)

This week's guest is Peter Corbett,  the Founder, CEO and Coach at Still Rush, a mindful leadership coaching practice. We talk about his decision to sell his agency and retire from advertising, his volunteer work as a spiritual caregiver, life, love, loss, and death, and the motivations that moved him to his new life. 

This week's guest is the Co-founder and CEO of Unlock, Jared Cozart.Jared and I met as fellow agents for the Management Leaders of Tomorrow program and became fast friends as I  gravitated toward his high empathy for others, strong leadership, and his ability to just be real.We talk about his path to entrepreneurship the struggles and hurdles along the way, how adversity on the baseball field helped sharpen his focus, and how he found the true balance between friendship and work with his co-founders.

This week's guest is the Co-Founder of HUDSY TV, Angel Gates. HUDSY TV is an award-winning streaming television platform rooted in the community of Upstate New York. Their goal is to highlight and elevate the incredibly diverse voices and spirit of the Hudson Valley through the power of film and storytelling. We talk about their decision to move from a co-op to a nonprofit, his decision to leave the Bronx and move to the woods upstate, and how producing original work for communities has helped strengthen his bonds to it. 

This week we talked to the founder and CEO of C-Suite Coach, Angelina Darrisaw. We discuss how she has scaled her business to include 40-plus coaches and works with partners like Google, Major League Baseball, and Wayfair. We learn the adjustments needed to go from being a solo coach to being CEO of a thriving business, how our early experiences in the corporate world share her vision for C-Suite coaches, and why everyone should have a board of directors for their career. www.csuitecoach.com

This week we talk to the co-founder of Third Act, Jesse Samberg. We learn how Jesse initially started this business with one of his best friends, the difficult decision to go out on his own, and how mentoring small business owners propelled him to create Third Act.

This week's guest is the co-author of Do Remember!!: The Golden Era of NYC Hip-Hop Mixtapes, Dan Isenberg. Dan and I grew up together in White Plains, New York, where he was obsessed with hip-hop and hip-hop culture. This book comes from his passion for the music, the people, and the culture around mixtapes, and is a must-read for any hip-hop fan. We talk about his journey from rapper to teacher, to creative agency director, to writer, and all of the fun in between. 

This week's guest is the co-owner of See and Be Kitchen,  Chrissy Traore.Chrissy is a Chef with food-based business experience and her husband and partner Ben is an amazing Baker, having worked at some of the most prestigious places in New York City, including Bien Cuit, The Dutch, Saraghina, MaPeche, and Corton. We talk about their decision to leave the city behind and build a farm bakery in the Catskills, the joys and hurdles of running your own business and we try to figure out which one of the breads is her favorite.See and Be Kitchen

Welcome to Season 4 of the Changeup. Our first guest is the Co-Owner and Treasurer/Secretary/Writer at Baseball Prospectus, Rob Mains.  While we did not predict the devastating early exits of the Braves and Dodgers, we did talk about the changing landscape of what next-generation teams like the Diamondbacks, Orioles, and Rangers are doing to lead the way moving forward. If you like baseball, you will love this episode as we go deep on the numbers and history of sabermetrics, advanced statistics, and why the Mets and Yankees blundered so hard this season. 

This week's guest is the EVP and CMO of the New York Mets, Andy Goldberg. He is a seasoned marketing executive with prior leadership roles at American Express and GE before embarking on this new challenge.We talk about the major differences in marketing baseball teams versus a global corporation, how building a Super Bowl spot in less than three weeks came to fruition and the growing success baseball is having with the new rule changes. Also, listen to me try my hardest not to freak out about wins and losses- I need to have Andy's calm demeanor!This episode will also be our season finale. It's hard to believe that what started out as a way to pass time during the height of Covid has turned into three seasons with over 75 episodes. Thanks for listening and we will be back in August with the new season!

This week we welcome the founders of Latinx Healthy Minds, Sarah Romero and Patty Alvarado. Latinx Healthy Minds is on a mission to eliminate the stigma associated with mental health and provide professionals with the tools they need to live healthy, productive lives at work and in the community. We talk about why mental health is such a difficult topic in the Latinx culture, how leaders can help forge a path for a more open conversation around mental health, and the amazing story of how Sarah and Patty linked up to bring this company to life. 

This week's guest is the founder of With it Girl, Marialidia Marcotulli.With it Girl is a multifaceted, multi-generational platform with a goal to amplify the voices, work, visions and ideas of women in skate, surf and active lifestyles. The With it Girl community engages in conversations that further the narrative around action sports, prioritizing community, diversity and creativity. We talk about the important decision to relaunch With it Girl nearly 20 years after shutting it down originally, the differences and similarities between generations of young adults and how she approaches every new opportunity with curiosity. 

This week we talk with the Co-Host of "Am I on Mute?", Katrina Craigwell.Katrina is a marketing digital transformation leader who has had leadership roles at Meta, JP Morgan Chase, and General Electric where she spearheaded marketing programs at the intersection of storytelling and technology.  Katrina has been named to Business Insider's "Most Creative Women in Advertising", Digiday's "Changemakers" and Adweek's "Most Influential Women in Media and Marketing"We talk about leading teams in the hybrid world, whether the promise of technology maps to its use for marketers and how experimentation is key to innovation.

This week's guest is the founder and CEO of KERV Interactive, Gary Mittman.KERV is a patented interactive video platform that drives deeper user engagement, boosts creative performance, and increases time spent with brands. We talk about the genesis of the patent that led to the company, his very insightful thoughts on artificial intelligence and machine learning, breaking into the infomercial business, and what the future holds for interactive advertising.

This week's guest is the Co-Founder and CEO of Restore Hyper Wellness, Jim Donnelly. Restore Hyper Wellness is a system of total balance, energy and proactive healing.  It is their belief that the holistic approach to wellness is what is missing from conventional health care. We talk about the path that led to creating Restore Hyper Wellness, his five-year theory on building new companies and shifting careers, his approach to leadership, and how alligators were key competitors in one of his early businesses. 

This week's guest is the owner of Alphabet City Beer, Zachary Mack.ABC Beer Company is a beer bar and store located in the lower east side of Manhattan. We talk about how he built the business in 2012, the evolution of the beer industry over the last decade, and how he will help anyone, and I mean ANYONE, find the right beer.