The Ground Up

In this episode of The Ground Up Podcast, host Tim Sallin sits down with Sam Baker, CEO and co-founder of WriggleBrew, to explore the intersection of soil science, sustainability, and entrepreneurial innovation. Sam shares his journey from fishing trip revelations to developing an award-winning organic fertilizer designed to combat red tide and restore soil health. We dive deep into soil microbiology, plant immunity, and the powerful role of microbes in supporting resilient landscapes. Looking ahead, we discuss WriggleBrew's bold vision for solving plastic pollution, remediating environmental toxins, and leveraging microbiology to advance ecological solutions. Whether you're a soil health nerd, an entrepreneur, or simply curious about the future of sustainable agriculture, this episode is packed with insights you won't want to miss.https://www.wrigglebrew.com/

Greg Noonan is a landscape designer, educator, and systems thinker helping redefine the future of Florida's communities. As Enhancements Manager at Cherrylake and founder of Connected Landscapes, Greg works at the intersection of ecological design, builder collaboration, and resident education. He leads the implementation of sustainable landscape practices at Sunbridge, a master-planned community that's pioneering a new standard in residential development.In this episode, we dive deep into Greg's personal journey—from installing edible gardens and founding a sustainable landscape firm to becoming a key driver of the OUTSIDE Collab model for transforming Florida landscapes. We discuss the challenges and breakthroughs of designing with native plants, creating year-round curb appeal, and helping builders meet sustainability standards without compromising aesthetics or budgets.

Caleb Quaid is the founder of Regenerative Shift, a holistic environmental consulting firm helping businesses, nonprofits, and municipalities pursue life-centered, regenerative initiatives. After more than a decade managing stadium operations and major construction projects for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Caleb made a dramatic career shift to align his life and work with his deeper values around sustainability, ecology, and whole-systems thinking.In this episode, we explore Caleb's journey from professional sports to regenerative consulting, his work to bring the principles of regenerative agriculture into corporate sustainability, and the role of public funding in catalyzing systemic change. We also discuss bioregional regeneration, the mindset shift from sustainability to regeneration, and how to put life at the center of every decision. Caleb brings a rare blend of entrepreneurial insight, policy fluency, and ecological vision to the conversation—making the case that regeneration isn't just possible, it's essential.https://www.regenerativeshift.com/

David Miller is director of applied agronomy at Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA). AEA  believes agriculture can be a force for good for both the environment and those who rely on it for their livelihoods. They are devoted to a scalable, whole-systems approach to revitalizing soil and plant health while generating economic returns for farmers. This includes agronomic consulting, effective biological and nutritional products, and cutting-edge plant nutrition technology and analysis. David is one of AEA's most expert agronomists and crop advisors. He currently designs and implements controlled field trials and leads the education of new agronomist hires, which is a rigorous process to give them the necessary skills to help farmers succeed. In this episode we discuss his work with IMG Citrus to address the challenges of citrus greening through regenerative practices as well as the work AEA is doing to advance regenerative farming practices at scale across the globe.

Dan Egan is a Journalist in Residence at the Center for Water Policy in the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's School of Freshwater Sciences. Egan is an environmental journalist and author of the Death and Life of the Great Lakes and The Devil's Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance. Egan was a reporter with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, covering the Great Lakes from 2002 until 2021. He has twice been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and he has won the Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award, John B. Oakes Award, AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award, and J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Award. Egan is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the Columbia School of Journalism.https://www.daneganauthor.com/

Dr. Patrick Bohlen is an ecologist and a professor of Biology at the University of Central Florida. Patrick has an extensive research and teaching background in ecosystem ecology, agroecology., urban ecology and wetland ecology.  As director of Landscape and Natural Resources, and the Arboretum at UCF, Patrick oversaw landscape design and operations, natural lands management and student and public engagement programs. Patrick is a founding member of the OUTSIDE Sustainable Landscaping Collaborative, a non-profit dedicated to increasing the adoption of sustainable landscape practices in Florida. He was recently named the new director of the University of Wisconsin Arboretum, in Madison, WI.

Founders of Cherrylake and IMG Citrus Michel and Veronique Sallin talk about their entrepreneurial journey, the importance of purpose, passion and values to growing a successful family business, and how they learned to transform adversity into opportunity.  They discuss the importance of diversification, vertical integration and differentiation in agri-business,  and share a few life lessons they learned along the way.

Soil Ecosystem Specialist Mark Singleton, and Chief Technical Officer, Darren Midlane of LifeSoils work to introduce composting as a mainstream practice in Florida landscaping.

Bryon White is a conservationist, entrepreneur, and co-founder and CEO of Yaupon Brothers American Tea. His company has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, The Washington Post, and The Orlando Sentinel.

In this episode of The Ground Up podcast, Tim chats with biologist, naturalist, and Florida native nursery man, Brightman Logan. We speak on groundcover restoration, site prepping, creating a Florida native plant foundation, and starting a Florida native seed project.

Tune into this mini episode with Laura Jones.

Dr. Pierce Jones revolutionizes sustainable landscaping practices in Florida through practices like perennial peanut farming, effectively trailblazing new ways to conserve our natural resources.