Real Talk with Tia & Jill

Tia Glave, Jill Stuber
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Management
  • Updated Weekly

Real Talk is a weekly leadership show for the food industry. Hosted by Catalyst Food Leaders founders Jill Stuber and Tia Glave, each episode dives into the wins, the missteps, and the mindset shifts behind courageous leadership. Whether you're in ops, safety, HR, or culture-building, these conversations are your invite to lead differently — and more humanly. Here's why Real Talk is worth tuning in for: 💬 Real stories, not rehearsed soundbites 🎯 Built for leaders in food — no fluff 🔁 Weekly rhythm, long-term value 👯‍♀️ Hosted by people who’ve walked the talk 📣 Built to drive growth, not just inspiration

  1. S3E33: What a Real Food Safety Foundation Looks Like for a Growing Small Business

    5d ago

    S3E33: What a Real Food Safety Foundation Looks Like for a Growing Small Business

    In this episode of Real Talk, Catalyst Food Leaders co-founders Tia Glave and Jill Stuber sit down with someone we have worked with and genuinely love. Taylor Clarke founded Amborella Organics, a seed-bearing lollipop company she and her husband built from an idea into a nationally recognized food brand with their own commercial kitchen and real retail presence. And along the way, she had to figure out food safety mostly on her own. No big quality team. No consultant on retainer. No resources built for a business of her size. What she had was a product worth protecting and the willingness to build what she needed one honest step at a time. We are talking about what that actually looked like. What she prioritized first. What nobody told her. And what finally made it feel solid. If you are a small food founder, this one is for you. Watch Real Talk live on Mondays at 11a ET / 10a CT https://www.catalystfoodleaders.com/real-talk

    43 min
  2. S3E32 The Leadership Decision You Keep Putting Off Is Already Costing You

    Jun 2

    S3E32 The Leadership Decision You Keep Putting Off Is Already Costing You

    Every food leader has something they know they need to do. Develop themselves. Build their team. Fix their culture. And most of them have been meaning to do it for a while. In this episode of Real Talk, Catalyst Food Leaders co-founders Tia Glave and Jill Stuber get direct about the real cost of waiting: not just the dollars, but the compounding effects. The people who leave. The culture that calcifies. The next-level role that goes to someone else. This is not a cheerleading episode. It's an honest look at why smart leaders keep delaying smart decisions, and what changes when they stop. For individual leaders who are ready to stop researching and start, the next Bootcamp cohort starts September 15th - registration is open. Download the module details at catalystfoodleaders.com/programs.  For organizational leaders who are heading into 2027 planning, set up a free 30-minute Culture Gap Conversation with us.  This will be the most useful 30 minutes you'll spend before you write next year's budget. Book at calendly.com/catalystfoodleaders/intro.

    52 min
  3. S3E31 From Burden to Solutions: What Food Safety Leadership Actually Requires

    May 19

    S3E31 From Burden to Solutions: What Food Safety Leadership Actually Requires

    World Food Safety Day is June 7. But the conversation about what food safety leadership actually requires does not start on a single day. It starts when food safety professionals honestly ask themselves: Am I just the expert in the room, or am I actually leading? Reagan Brashers is a food safety microbiologist with a PhD from Texas Tech, a fourth-generation agriculturist, and someone who has spent her career bridging the gap between science and the people who need to use it. On this episode of Real Talk, Catalyst Food Leaders co-founders  Tia Glave and Jill Stuber get into what it takes to go from food safety expert to food safety leader, and why that development gap is one of the most important conversations the food industry is not having loudly enough. Learn more about Strategic Leader and our leadership development courses here: https://www.catalystfoodleaders.com/leadership-development-programs Download Making the Case for Development here: https://www.catalystfoodleaders.com/making-the-case Watch Real Talk live on Mondays at 11a ET / 10a CT https://www.catalystfoodleaders.com/real-talk

    1 hr
  4. S3E30: Why Small Food Businesses Struggle with Food Safety (And It's Not What You Think)

    May 12

    S3E30: Why Small Food Businesses Struggle with Food Safety (And It's Not What You Think)

    May is Small Business Month. And here's a number worth sitting with: small businesses were responsible for 88.9% of all private-sector job growth from 2023 to 2024. In food, those small businesses are also navigating something that doesn't come with a manual: food safety. Without a dedicated team. Without a compliance budget. Without anyone who's done it before sitting across the table. On this episode of Real Talk, Kim Bryden of Cureate joins Catalyst Food Leaders cofounders, Tia Glave and Jill Stuber, ICF-PCC, to talk about why small food businesses struggle with food safety, and why the reason is almost never what the founder thinks it is. Kim has advised over 1000 food and beverage entrepreneurs. She sees where the wall is before founders hit it. Today she's telling us exactly what she sees. If today's conversation made you want to take an honest look at where your food safety foundation stands, we built something specifically for you. The Small Food Business Food Safety Starter Kit includes a foundational program checklist and a growth path guide that maps what food safety requires at every stage of your business, from farmers market to major retail. Download it free here → https://www.catalystfoodleaders.com/starter-kit And if you want to tell us where you are in your journey, reach out at hello@catalystfoodleaders.com. We're building something for this community and we want to hear from you. Watch Real Talk live on Mondays at 11a ET / 10a CT https://www.catalystfoodleaders.com/real-talk

    54 min
  5. S3E29: What I See in Food Companies That Leaders Can't See Themselves

    May 5

    S3E29: What I See in Food Companies That Leaders Can't See Themselves

    When you've been inside an organization long enough, you stop seeing what's actually there. The workarounds become normal. The silence becomes expected. The gap between what the culture says it values and what actually happens on the floor becomes invisible — until someone from the outside walks in and names it. On this episode of Real Talk, Catalyst Food Leaders co-founders Tia Glave and Jill Stuber bring on special guest Beth Fernandes! Beth has spent over two decades in food safety and quality — including leading global programs at McCain Foods — and now consults across organizations. She sees things in the first hour that leaders have missed for years. You don't want to miss this conversation! Download your SQF / GFSI guide here: https://www.catalystfoodleaders.com/sqf-guide Watch Real Talk live on Mondays at 11a ET / 10a CT https://www.catalystfoodleaders.com/real-talk

    1h 2m
  6. S3E28 The Leadership Feedback Nobody's Giving You (And Why That's a Problem)

    Apr 28

    S3E28 The Leadership Feedback Nobody's Giving You (And Why That's a Problem)

    Most leaders aren't getting the feedback that would actually help them grow. Not because their teams don't have it, but because the culture, the dynamic, or the leader's own behavior has made it unsafe or pointless to give. Catalyst Food Leaders cofounders Tia Glave and Jill Stuber get personal in this week's Real Talk episode about the blind spots in their own leadership — the moments they couldn't see what they were doing until something or someone held up a mirror. And what it actually takes to close the gap. Learn more about Leadership Bootcamp here: https://www.catalystfoodleaders.com/leadership-development Watch Real Talk live on Mondays at 11a ET / 10a CT https://www.catalystfoodleaders.com/real-talk

    48 min
  7. S3E27 What SQF Edition 10 Is Actually Asking of Your Leadership Team

    Apr 21

    S3E27 What SQF Edition 10 Is Actually Asking of Your Leadership Team

    SQF Edition 10 was released on March 1st. Audits begin in February 2027. The change that most food companies aren't prepared for isn't technical — it's cultural. For the first time, food safety culture is a scored, auditable element. Auditors will assess whether your leaders are actively modeling and sustaining it. Not just whether the procedures are documented. On this episode of Real Talk, Catalyst Food Leaders cofounders Tia Glave and Jill Stuber are bringing in Allison DeGraffenreid, a #foodleader who has navigated this from the inside to talk about what that actually looks like — and what it asks of your leadership team right now. Watch Real Talk live on Mondays at 11a ET / 10a CT https://www.catalystfoodleaders.com/real-talk

    57 min
  8. S3E26 The Leadership Bias You Don't See — But Your Team Feels

    Mar 31

    S3E26 The Leadership Bias You Don't See — But Your Team Feels

    What if the thing holding your leadership back isn't a skill gap — it's a blind spot you can't see on your own? That's the conversation Catalyst Food Leaders cofounders Tia Glave and Jill Stuber are having on this episode of Real Talk. We're joined by Laurence Harvey — facilitator, coach, and former UK police officer who has spent 32 years helping leaders uncover the unconscious bias quietly shaping their decisions, their teams, and their culture. His story alone is worth showing up for. Before he takes the stage at the Catalyst Leadership Summit on April 8, Laurence is joining Jill and Tia for a live conversation about what leaders can't see — and what becomes possible when they finally do. Join us at our Leadership Summit: www.catalystfoodleader.com

    1 hr
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About

Real Talk is a weekly leadership show for the food industry. Hosted by Catalyst Food Leaders founders Jill Stuber and Tia Glave, each episode dives into the wins, the missteps, and the mindset shifts behind courageous leadership. Whether you're in ops, safety, HR, or culture-building, these conversations are your invite to lead differently — and more humanly. Here's why Real Talk is worth tuning in for: 💬 Real stories, not rehearsed soundbites 🎯 Built for leaders in food — no fluff 🔁 Weekly rhythm, long-term value 👯‍♀️ Hosted by people who’ve walked the talk 📣 Built to drive growth, not just inspiration

Information

  • Creator
    Tia Glave, Jill Stuber
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    33
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Catalyst LLC
  • Show Website
    Real Talk with Tia & Jill