Libsyn Directory

S9 Ep69: The Urban Remedy: How Real Wellness Sparks Real Growth with Neka Pasquale

Release Date: 10/14/2025

Essential Ingredients Podcast

In this episode of Essential Ingredients, Justine Reichman speaks with Gita, founder of gutBFF, about the importance of gut health and plant diversity in our diets. They discuss Gita's personal journey with health challenges, the role of food in wellness, and the entrepreneurial challenges she faced while launching her product. The conversation also touches on sustainability, consumer trust, and the growing awareness of nutrition, particularly among women. Gita emphasizes the need for more accessible information and the potential of the digital age to influence healthy eating habits. ...

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Essential Ingredients Podcast

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Essential Ingredients Podcast

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084: From Matcha to Millionaire: Bella's Journey in Food Entrepreneurship

Essential Ingredients Podcast

Summary In this episode of Essential Ingredients, host Justine Reichman welcomes Bella, a holistic nutritionist and entrepreneur who has successfully built her brand around matcha and boba. Bella shares her journey from bartending to launching her pop-up shop, Happy Belly, which has now evolved into a platform for teaching others how to start their own food businesses. The conversation dives deep into the importance of quality ingredients, particularly matcha, and how Bella's passion for Japanese flavors has shaped her offerings. She emphasizes the significance of educating consumers about the...

083: Clean Water, Wrong Bottle: Upgrade to Lab-Grade Hydration with Hardy Steinmann

Essential Ingredients Podcast

“The idea came suddenly one day. I was traveling and had this little Japanese perfume spray in my hand, It’s actually aluminum and the inside glass, very little. And I said to myself, that’s the concept of bottle I’m going to do. Glass.. Honesty.” —Hardy Steinman We drink water every day, yet most of us never question the container. We accept strange smells, plastic taste, and constant replacement as normal. This conversation challenges that mindset and asks us to slow down and rethink what daily hydration is doing to our bodies and the environment. Listen in as Hardy...

082: Build CPG Faster— Stop CPG Product Chaos With One AI-Powered System with Karen Huh

Essential Ingredients Podcast

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081: Your Skin is Talking: Why Internal Health Determines Skin Outcomes

Essential Ingredients Podcast

“Stop reaching externally for answers because intuitively, if you really, really sit quietly with yourself and feel, you have all the answers for yourself.” —Dr. Jennifer Haley Our skin reacts long before we slow down enough to notice. Breakouts, inflammation, and chronic issues often point to patterns we normalize every day, from food choices to stress to environmental exposure. This conversation cuts through noise and shame and brings the focus back to what our bodies are already telling us. Dr. Jennifer Haley shares how her background in nutrition and dermatology reshaped...

080: Busy Lives, Better Health: How Drinkable Vitamins Fit Real Life with Leslie Danford

Essential Ingredients Podcast

“In an entrepreneurial journey, fear is a constant roadblock. But everything's at risk, and it's this balance between calculated risk while still managing a backup plan.” —Leslie Danford Growth does not come from chasing every opportunity. It comes from making clear choices and standing behind them. This conversation explores what it really takes to build a brand that lasts without losing direction along the way. We sit down with Leslie Danford, founder of , to talk through her evolution from a small, kid-focused idea into a national functional beverage brand now on Sprouts...

079: Healthy Habits Start Young: Making Food Education Accessible with Carolyn Federman

Essential Ingredients Podcast

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078: Menu Transparency Unlocked: Find Safe Restaurant Choices Fast with Dylan McDonnell

Essential Ingredients Podcast

“It is the most loyal customer segment that exists because people find it so hard to find places that they trust, that when they do and they have a good experience, they keep going back again and again. It’s a huge revenue opportunity for restaurants to take advantage of transparency.” —Dylan McDonnell Nothing about dining out should feel like a gamble. In this episode, we talk with Dylan McDonnell, founder of , about how accurate ingredient data and personalized menus restore trust and enjoyment at restaurants for people with celiac disease, allergies, and special diets....

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“I believe what we’re doing is based on something that’s good for healing people and healing the planet. So, we’re always organic and we’re always working with regenerative organic farmers. And we’re sticking to that mission and values, which is really important to me, because those are things that are always going to be good for you and for the…planet.” —Neka Pasquale

Sometimes, wellness feels like a luxury instead of a way of life. Between the stress of business, family, and bills, it’s easy to put health last until the cost of burnout catches up. What if the values that ground us—nourishment, balance, and purpose—were also the very things that drive sustainable success?

An acupuncturist turned entrepreneur, Neka Pasquale has built Urban Remedy from her kitchen into a movement by pairing holistic values with smart business. Her journey shows that growth doesn’t come from chasing trends but from honoring what genuinely heals and sustains people.

This week, Justine and Neka provide clear, usable lessons about product-first growth, sourcing, hiring leadership, bootstrapped problem-solving, pivoting retail models, investor trade-offs, and how to scale without losing the values that made you special.

Meet Neka:

Neka Pasquale is the founder of Urban Remedy, a nationally recognized organic food company rooted in the philosophy of food as medicine. With a background as a licensed acupuncturist and practitioner of Chinese medicine, Neka has dedicated her career to promoting health and wellness through functional, organic, and healing foods. Since founding Urban Remedy over 13 years ago, she has grown the company from a local business in Marin, California, to a national brand featured in Whole Foods and other major retailers. Neka is known for her innovative approach to nutrition, her commitment to sustainability, and her passion for making healthy, fresh food accessible to a wider audience.

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Episode Highlights:

00:41 Urban Remedy: First Store to Wild Growth

04:43 Developing the Menu: Chinese Medicine and the Power of Food Temperatures

08:41 Finding Food Balance and Early Entrepreneurial Spirit