071: Community Baked In: PACHA Bread’s Secret Ingredient with Maddie Hamann
Release Date: 10/28/2025
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...
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079: Healthy Habits Start Young: Making Food Education Accessible with Carolyn Federman
Essential Ingredients Podcast
“If we can't bring the kids to the kitchen, maybe we can bring the kitchen to the kids.” —Carolyn Federman Food education often gets treated as optional, even though it shapes health, culture, and opportunity from the very start. When kids lack access to hands-on food learning, the gap shows up everywhere from classrooms to hospitals. This conversation explores what changes when education meets practicality. Carolyn Federman shares how years of work alongside Alice Waters and the Edible Schoolyard revealed a major barrier. Teaching kitchens worked, but they were out of reach...
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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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077: Perimenopause & Menopause Decoded: What to Watch for and How to Cope with Lauren Tetenbaum
Essential Ingredients Podcast
“In general, knowledge is power, and the more equipped we are with the tools we need, the better off we are. At a networking event, there were women who wish they knew about perimenopause, that it can be 10 years, and that it can impact mental health. Now I know, and I want me to tell my generation.” —Lauren Tetenbaum Some moments in life flip a switch and make our bodies feel unfamiliar. A quiet shift shows up in our mood, sleep, energy, or reactions, and it becomes clear that something deeper deserves attention. This episode sits right in that space where questions rise, and real...
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076: Old Gems, New Stories: Turning Heirlooms into Sustainable, Modern Treasures with Ashley Berman
Essential Ingredients Podcast
“Sustainability, where you can, is always an important resource to go to first… This earth gives us such precious resources, and it's nice to maintain and take care of the earth as well for your children and children to come.” —Ashley Berman The most meaningful jewelry isn’t bought, it’s reborn. It carries stories, fingerprints, and memories that outshine anything new. In a world chasing trends, there’s power in slowing down, honoring what already exists, and turning what once sat in a drawer into something extraordinary. For jewelry designer Ashley Berman, the pandemic...
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075: Gut Health Without Guesswork: The Emotional Side of Healing and the Science of Real Relief with Xeba Zareie
Essential Ingredients Podcast
“Learning and seeing what customers respond to and what they like is how your brand grows. It's half me, but then it's how it's received. They help me decide what the rest will be. And it's so fun to co-create with customers in that way.” —Xeba Zareie Some days, the body sends signals that can’t be ignored. The bloating that shows up out of nowhere. The foods that once felt safe are suddenly turning into a guessing game. The search for relief becomes an ongoing job that no one feels prepared for. Xeba Zareie knows that life well. Years of gut illness shaped her path from film...
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074: Empowering Farmers: Local Markets Boosting Community Food Access
Essential Ingredients Podcast
"It's hard work being a farmer, and we just don't value it. And we just don't realize… that we're losing them." —Jennifer Grissom When SNAP and EBT are in flux, local food systems become a lifeline. This episode breaks down how farmers' markets can become emergency food hubs that protect both people and producers. Jennifer Grissom from Food Access LA shares how her nonprofit expanded market match, launched emergency food distributions, and coordinated with partners to meet urgent needs while keeping farmers paid. Listen now to learn: How market match stretches SNAP and keeps choice for...
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073: Planting Self-Care: How Lavender Teaches Rest, Renewal, And Joy with DeAnna Schaefer
Essential Ingredients Podcast
“There is something missing in modern medicine that's not just about the therapy and exercises or about empowering the patient, but getting the patient to really choose self-care.” —DeAnna Schaefer Stillness doesn’t just happen; it’s created. Between deadlines, worries, and daily noise, most of us forget what it’s like to truly breathe. But when we give ourselves permission to pause, we begin to heal in ways no medicine alone can. After decades of treating pain through physical therapy, . Founder, DeAnna Schaefer, saw the missing piece: people weren’t just aching in their bodies,...
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072: Rethink Your Plate: How Agriculture Shapes Everyday Wellness with Jennifer Waxman
Essential Ingredients Podcast
“Everything about our waking being is affected by the food we eat. And it’s not just where your food comes from, but the ingredients…with integrity. Who is putting their love and passion into a crop? Who is not taking the shortcuts? How are individual ingredients… affecting our overall mood, physicality, all those things. All this is coming to light now— this is not pseudoscience anymore.” —Jennifer Waxman Every meal shapes more than our day—it shapes our health, our habits, and even our outlook. The world talks about superfoods and supplements, but the real power is digging...
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071: Community Baked In: PACHA Bread’s Secret Ingredient with Maddie Hamann
Essential Ingredients Podcast
“It’s a really interesting thing to figure out how to communicate the essence of something like [Pacha Bread] and the heart of what the product is. It’s a bread that could heal the planet and could heal our bodies. It’s something really magical.”–Maddie Hamann Sometimes the best things in life take time to rise, especially when you’re trying to build something people truly crave. If finding your people or turning loyal customers into true believers seems out of reach, you may just need a new approach to building community around what matters. Maddie Hamann left ocean...
info_outline“It’s a really interesting thing to figure out how to communicate the essence of something like [Pacha Bread] and the heart of what the product is. It’s a bread that could heal the planet and could heal our bodies. It’s something really magical.”–Maddie Hamann
Sometimes the best things in life take time to rise, especially when you’re trying to build something people truly crave. If finding your people or turning loyal customers into true believers seems out of reach, you may just need a new approach to building community around what matters.
Maddie Hamann left ocean science behind and got her hands messy by turning a simple, two-ingredient bread into a business that feeds both people and purpose. Her journey from a small kitchen to a nationwide brand proves that embracing transparency, adaptability, and values can transform skeptics into superfans.
Ready to see how the right mix turns business into a movement? Grab a slice of Maddie’s journey: jumping from academia to business, starting with almost nothing, adapting during a pandemic, the secrets behind simple bread done right, community-focused marketing, new product launches, and making business work with your spouse.
Meet Maddie:
Maddie Hamann is the co-founder and Director of Marketing at PACHA Bread, a company renowned for its organic, gluten-free bread made from sprouted buckwheat and sea salt. With a background in oceanography, Maddie transitioned from academia to entrepreneurship, leveraging her skills in storytelling and communication to build a successful e-commerce business. Under her leadership, PACHA Bread has expanded its reach nationwide, offering innovative products that align with sustainable and regenerative farming practices. Maddie's commitment to high-integrity operations and her ability to connect with consumers have been pivotal in Pacha's growth and impact.
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Episode Highlights:
02:23 PACHA Journey: Starting the Business and Navigating COVID
07:19 Building a Loyal Customer Community
13:11 The Power of Story: Real People, Real Brand
16:24 Navigating Career Shift— From Oceanography to Entrepreneurship
19:46 Co-Founders, Value, and Business Growth
22:00 New Products: Tortillas and Retail Expansion
24:30 Working with Your Spouse: Rewards and Challenges