Libsyn Directory

046: Your Kitchen, Your Garden: The Indoor Farming Game Changer with Conner Tidd

Release Date: 05/06/2025

054: Noodles Without the Guilt: Comfort Food Gets a Healthy Makeover with Jonathan Carp

Essential Ingredients Podcast

“An interdisciplinary approach to medicine is probably the way the future is going to go. There will be dieticians and a whole host of different people involved in helping someone to heal.” —Jonathan Carp For too long, we’ve been told that health comes in a medicine bottle or a doctor’s office, but what if the real power lies in the food we choose every day? If you’ve ever felt frustrated by quick fixes that don’t last or wondered how to make healthy changes that actually stick, you’re not alone—and this episode is for you. Dr. Jonathan Carp is a board-certified...

053: Making Business Personal: Lessons from 30 Years of Conscious Entrepreneurship with Susan and Brad Black

Essential Ingredients Podcast

“In the old days, families worked together, like on a farm, and that's the model we wanted to create for ourselves at EO Products.” —Brad Black Most businesses die because they chase profits instead of purpose—a raw, honest truth that cuts to the core of entrepreneurial burnout and lost passion. A lot of entrepreneurs pour their hearts and soul into a business, only to become a slave to spreadsheets and profit margins. But what if there was another way? Brad and Susan Black, co-founders of , are pioneering entrepreneurs who transformed a passionate curiosity...

052: Beauty Decoded: Skincare Truths, Sunscreen Myths & Brand-Building Wisdom with Carmine Montalto

Essential Ingredients Podcast

“You can’t be all things to all people, and a brand can’t be all things to all people. A brand can be as big as it gets with tons of money supporting it. But, there has to be a point of difference to stand out to consumers.” —Carmine Montalto Most beauty founders drown in a saturated market, chasing viral trends while struggling to build brands that resonate. They sacrifice authenticity for algorithms, forgetting that true loyalty starts with a razor-sharp point of view—not pink packaging or empty promises. Carmine Montalto is a NYC-based brand strategist with 25 years...

051: Marketing Mythbusters: What Really Makes Customers Buy with Jeff Greenfield

Essential Ingredients Podcast

“The truth is, when you start checking out other brands, you will start to notice how inconsistent they are. So just by being consistent, you're already ahead of the game.” —Jeff Greenfield. Most entrepreneurs are drowning in a sea of marketing noise, desperately trying to be heard while burning through limited resources with little measurable return. But the real battle isn't about having the most sophisticated tactics, but about crafting a message so compelling that it cuts through the digital clutter and speaks directly to our ideal customer's deepest desires and unspoken...

050: Skin Deep: The Surprising Power of Natural, Locally-Sourced Beauty Products with Nancy Rimbergas

Essential Ingredients Podcast

“You follow your passion, and when you have a purpose behind it, everything becomes a little bit clearer.” —Nancy Rimbergas Clean beauty isn't just another Instagram hashtag—it's a real movement that starts with actually caring about what we're putting on our skin. Every lotion, cream, or serum is like a tiny decision that ripples out, affecting not just our body, but the whole planet. We're not just buying products anymore; we're voting with our dollars, pushing brands to be real about their ingredients, and showing the beauty industry that we want something better. Nancy...

049: NASA's Dental Care Secret: Saving Teeth with Eco-Friendly Space-Age Tech with Belinda Lau

Essential Ingredients Podcast

“I had to find that niche, that core community of people who were trying to solve the same problems that I was and who were passionate about the solution. But if I hadn’t found that, I think it would be tough to try to keep promoting your product and your brand without actually knowing where it fits.” —Belinda Lau Every toothpaste tube and toothbrush we've ever used might still be existing somewhere on this planet! Plastic dental care products are silent environmental destroyers, with each toothbrush lingering for about 500 years in landfills and oceans. Belinda Lau,...

048: Taste Training: How to Turn Picky Eaters into Food Explorers

Essential Ingredients Podcast

Episode Description: “In the CPG industry, so many individuals are just so friendly and eager to help emerging brands and founders succeed. Ask for help and they’re always willing to make an introduction.” —Danny Auld Early childhood nutrition is more than just filling tiny bellies with food. It's about creating lifelong eating habits that can shape health, curiosity, and cultural understanding. The first few years of a child's diet can determine their relationship with food for decades to come. Danny Auld and David Fullner are the co-founders of , a groundbreaking baby food...

047: Waste Less, Taste More: Tasty Guide to Pickling Everything with Sam Paone

Essential Ingredients Podcast

Episode Description: “I would say stick to your values because once we start to slip on that, everybody knows it and we’re not authentic anymore— and what people want is the transparency of who’s making their food.” —Sam Paone We've all been there—watching those beautiful farmers market finds slowly wilt in the fridge, feeling guilty with every sad, soggy leaf. What if there was a delicious way to rescue those forgotten vegetables and turn them into something not just healthy and edible, but absolutely crave-worthy? Sam Paone is a culinary alchemist who traded restaurant...

046: Your Kitchen, Your Garden: The Indoor Farming Game Changer with Conner Tidd

Essential Ingredients Podcast

Episode Description: “How can we make growing your own food possible in environments where it normally wasn’t? Or can we drastically lower the impact of water use, fertilizer use, or resources used to drive to the grocery store? That’s a big impact that we can have if we can allow you to grow your own food right at home.” —Conner Tidd What if you could grow fresh, pesticide-free produce just steps from your refrigerator, regardless of where you live? Indoor vertical farming isn't just a trend— it's a revolutionary approach to sustainable, accessible food production....

045: Urban Food Hacking: Your Yard's Hidden Food Potential with Marjory Wildcraft

Essential Ingredients Podcast

Episode Description: “Once you start eating your own food, it expands your taste horizons and you can’t be afraid to experiment. If it doesn’t work out and it’s horrible, just put it in the compost bucket and start over. It’s okay, you’ll be fine.” —Marjory Wildcraft Food is not just sustenance; it's a fundamental human right that we've outsourced to complex, fragile systems. This disconnection from food sources has transformed us into passive consumers dependent on a market that creates an illusion of abundance, masking a precarious supply chain that can unravel in...

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Episode Description:

“How can we make growing your own food possible in environments where it normally wasn’t? Or can we drastically lower the impact of water use, fertilizer use, or resources used to drive to the grocery store? That’s a big impact that we can have if we can allow you to grow your own food right at home.” —Conner Tidd

What if you could grow fresh, pesticide-free produce just steps from your refrigerator, regardless of where you live? Indoor vertical farming isn't just a trend— it's a revolutionary approach to sustainable, accessible food production.

Conner Tidd is a sustainability expert and the co-founder of Just Vertical, a pioneering company reimagining how urban dwellers grow food. With a Master's in Sustainability and a passion for solving global food challenges, Conner has developed innovative indoor gardening solutions that make fresh, local produce possible for everyone.

Tune in as Justine and Connor reveal how indoor vertical farming can slash water usage, eliminate pesticides, reduce food miles, and empower individuals to become home producers—transforming our relationship with food, one garden at a time.

Meet Conner:

Conner Tidd is the co-founder of Just Vertical, an innovative indoor farming company that designs indoor gardens and vertical farming solutions. With a Master's degree in Sustainability, he aims to make fresh, locally grown food accessible to people in urban environments and remote locations. Conner's entrepreneurial journey focuses on addressing food security, reducing environmental impact, and providing sustainable solutions for growing produce in challenging climates. Through Just Vertical, he helps individuals grow pesticide-free, fresh vegetables and herbs in their own homes, with a mission to create resilient and affordable food systems.

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Episode Highlights:

03:25 Historical Context and Current Trends in Food Production

05:09 Water and Resource Efficiency in Vertical Farming