The Hero’s Journey℠ Podcast Center For Food Safety

We all want to eat food, but we don’t necessarily have the wherewithal to learn where and from whom our food came. That is where good storytelling comes in. Today, our guest is the Emmy and James Beard Award Winning Sophia Roe. Sophia is a chef, writer, and the founder of Apartment Miso. In this episode we go deep into Sophia’s background and how that informs her advocacy today, her relationship with food, and her interest in supply chains. In this candid episode, Sophia opens up about why activism requires you to be in a consistent  relationship with sorrow, the pressure of actively needing to care about everything, and advice for the younger generations about how to stay motivated and hopeful. 



Plugs:

Website

Counter Space

Instagram

Apartment Miso

For our season finale, we have Andrea Rogers, a Senior Litigation Attorney at Our Children’s Trust. For over a decade, Andrea has been successfully litigating in the climate space and serves as co-counsel in Juliana v. United States, Held v. State of Montana, and Navahine F. v. Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation, and supports a number of other youth-led cases. In light of the most recent win in Held v. State of Montana, where the judge ruled that the state’s failure to consider climate change when approving fossil fuel projects was unconstitutional, we wanted an inside scoop about all ongoing youth-led climate cases. In this episode, Ashley and Andrea discuss the role of legal precedent in case law, the landscape of current legal challenges, how this work found her, the wins we can celebrate, what inspires her, why a judicial strategy is required to make political change happen, a picture of the world if these cases continue to win, and more. This is a great episode for anyone curious about how we can use litigation as a tool to both address the climate crisis and give young people a voice in the face of a political system that can often create a feeling of powerlessness. 

“If you’re going to fight for anything, you should fight for freedom of speech.” 

Today on the pod, we have the inimitable journalist Carey Gillam. Carey shares her Kansan origins, what drew her to journalism in the first place, her career trajectory from national correspondent to uncovering Monsanto’s wrongdoings, how she’s stayed resilient in the face of corporate pushback, the value of non-profit journalism, dissecting the concept of “truth”, the need for nuanced thinking, and more. In this candid conversation, Ashley and Carey get real about their individual experiences as women in the media facing hostile actors. Thought-provoking and powerful, we end with the urgent call for freedom of speech and freedom of the press. 

Resources

The Twitter Files

The New Lede

The Guardian

The Intercept

Investigate Midwest

ProPublica

THE MONSANTO PAPERS: Deadly Secrets, Corporate Corruption, and One Man's Search for Justice

WHITEWASH: The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer, and the Corruption of Science



Plugs

Carey’s Website and Twitter

The New Lede Twitter and Instagram

All environmental entrepreneurs listen up! Today we had the pleasure of speaking with the CEO and Founder of Symbrosia, Alexia Akbay. Alexia is a member of the Forbes 30 under 30 2022 class in Social Impact and Symbrosia is a CleanTech startup reducing livestock methane emissions with seaweed. We discuss Alexia’s background, how her seaweed product works and where it originated from, what she’s learned working directly with producers and large consumer facing brands, where her company is headed and how to navigate competition, what it is like being a woman in business and STEM, her mentors, and more. If you have an idea or solution but aren’t sure how to execute it, this is a great episode to push you to keep innovating. The world needs your magic!

Resources:
Symbrosia Website
Neutral Foods

Plugs:
Symbrosia Instagram

If Elon Musk can put a gas station in a garage, why can’t you put a landfill in your kitchen? Joining us today is Matt Bertilli, CEO of eco-friendly company Lomi Home Composter- the first countertop composting appliance on the market. Does that sound too good to be true? Ashley certainly agrees, but she bought Lomi anyways and now has the greenest lawn in the neighborhood, sans chemicals. In this episode, Matt challenges our notions about the power of capitalism and impact entrepreneurship to effect change. Ashley and Matt discuss all things waste streams and management, the impressive climate impact of composting, why we should focus on progress over perfection, solving social problems with the market, the complexities of venture capital, the challenges of staying on mission, the importance of intellectual honesty, and more. 



Resources:

Epic Gardening

Plugs

Lomi Website

Lomi Instagram

Lomi Tiktok

Pela Case Website

When you prioritize diversity over specialization, amazing transformations can take place. Paula Daniels, our guest today has activated this theory of change throughout her career and spearheaded institutional change on local and national scales. Currently, Paula is the Co-founder, Chief of What’s Next, and Founding Chair of the Center for Good Food Purchasing. In this episode, we discuss Paula’s origins, how indigenous ingenuity motivated her towards food policy, her experience with civil service, the ins and outs of a food policy council, the power of procurement, Paula’s cat, turtle, and dolphin theory, and so much more. 



Resources: 

Center for Good Food Purchasing 

How Cities Can Build Food System Resilience

Plugs:

Paula’s Podcast

Center for Good Food Purchasing Twitter

Jailing a Nation

True Cost Accounting for Food: Balancing the Scale

True Cost of Food: School Meals Case Study

Investing in a Good Food Future

What Hurricanes Warn Us About the Future of Food

Designing a Renewable Food System