114 episodes

We live in fast-paced times, and in an ever-changing marketplace business owners must be able to adapt readily. The Pivot podcast, hosted by Stephanie Redcross West, features interviews with successful vegan business owners, keeping you up-to-date on topical issues & how the pros are handling them.

Pivot! A Vegan Business Interview Series Vegan Mainstream

    • Business
    • 5.0 • 5 Ratings

We live in fast-paced times, and in an ever-changing marketplace business owners must be able to adapt readily. The Pivot podcast, hosted by Stephanie Redcross West, features interviews with successful vegan business owners, keeping you up-to-date on topical issues & how the pros are handling them.

    Turning Tragedy into Triumph: An Inspirational Path to Thriving with Nancy Leeds Gribble

    Turning Tragedy into Triumph: An Inspirational Path to Thriving with Nancy Leeds Gribble

    Full Description:
    Prepare to be inspired by the incredible journey of Nancy Leeds Gribble, the driving force behind NourishLiftGrow. Her story embodies the power of resilience and transformation. Nancy's life took an unexpected turn when she faced the profound loss of her husband to terminal cancer, leaving her a widowed single parent while navigating a turbulent real estate market. Later, she experienced the pain of losing a new love to cancer, prompting her to redefine her path and refuse to let adversity define her.

    As someone who had been a vegetarian since her early twenties and a vegan for the past 17 years, Nancy's dietary choices were based on ethics rather than health. However, witnessing the devastating effects of disease and becoming the sole parent to her young son propelled her to seek the healthiest lifestyle possible. This awakening sparked a profound transformation journey encompassing health, fitness, self-development, and career.

    Nancy Leeds Gribble is now the founder of NourishLiftGrow and a Plant-based Vegan Culinary Nutrition Expert specializing in empowering women in midlife. She helps them achieve weight loss, body confidence, optimal health, and vitality, making their second season of life their best season.
    This episode offers a deeply moving and inspirational story of turning tragedy into triumph, embracing a vegan lifestyle, and empowering others to thrive. 

    Get to know Nancy Leeds Gribble and NourishLiftGrow better here: https://www.nancyleedsgribble.com

    Quote:
    I think when you start your business if you don't take the time to really figure out why you're starting it. If it was ‘This sounds like it will be fun” and then you find out it's not so fun all the time, you won't sustain it. So you really want to sit down and figure out why are you starting this business? Like, what is your driving force, aside from, we need to make money, we have to make money. But what are the other deeper reasons that this is so important to you? And that's going to help you when you hit that wall, and you will hit a wall and think it's very few people that they just start a business and off they go, and they're coasting and everything is great. You're going to hit the wall, whether it's because something didn't work, whether it's life, like God the world like COVID when it hit everybody, and you're going to have to either say, at that moment, I'm out, or no, this was important. And I'm going to figure this out, and I'm going to pivot And I'm going to adjust and, and you keep doing that you keep doing that until you hit the spot. 

    –Nancy Leeds Gribble 

    Show notes timestamps:

    🏆 [00:42] Turning tragedy into triumph and successful business.
    🤸‍♀️ [02:40] Growing up with the premise she needs to be skinny: going vegan due to ethical reasons.
    🖤 [04:10] Family tragedy and bankruptcy: one more tragedy and Nancy’s realization about getting more healthy is the key.
    🍏 [10:32] Nancy started focusing her business on healthy weight loss: most women are undernourished. 
    👉🏾 [14:49] Getting first clients: face-plant forward is failing in front of people. 
    🦄 [18:55] How to differentiate yourself on the market: worrying about clients you don’t have.
    🙇‍♂️ [23:05] Realizing that in a new, starting business, entrepreneurs need to be humble.
    🌞 [28:34] Figuring out the deeper reasons for starting a business.
    -----
    Thanks for listening to Pivot, our vegan business interview podcast. This is recorded as a live-streaming session, so I hope you’ll join us for future interviews as well! If you are feeling inspired but unsure of how to take actionable steps to improve your business, I invite you to explore our two premium paid podcasts, Going Solo and Fix It.

    • 34 min
    Waves of Change: From Booming Seafood Business to Vegan Plant-Based Seafood Company with Monica Talbert

    Waves of Change: From Booming Seafood Business to Vegan Plant-Based Seafood Company with Monica Talbert

    Full Description:
    Mind Blown founders, mother-and-daughter team Shelly Van Cleve and daughter Monica Talbert, originally found success making gourmet seafood delicacies along the Chesapeake Bay. They started with a crab shack, Capt. Jack’s, which was wildly popular, leading them to create The Van Cleve Seafood Co.

    The two began to see deep-seated issues with the global fishing industry right outside their front door, particularly with illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices from non-domestic mega-ships. As the plant-based industry began to boom, they founded Mind Blown. Rather than alienating the seafood industry with unsustainable market solutions, Mind Blown works alongside the industry.

    Together, they create solutions that help to take pressure off of edge-of-extinction fish stocks, and regenerate abundant oceans, such as their future partnership with Atlantic Sea Farms, using their kelp. Today, their lineup includes Mind Blown Coconut Shrimp, Dusted Scallops, Crab Cakes and more. The company is backed by notable investors including eight-time James Beard recipient and host of Bravo TV’s Top Chef Tom Colicchio, as well as D.C. restaurateur, founder of PLNT Burger and Top Chef contestant Spike Mendelsohn.

    Get to know Monica and Mind Blown and The Plant Based Seafood Co. better here: https://plantbasedseafoodco.com/
    Quote:

    If you're going through the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, make sure that you let the downs go every day. Let that shit go at the end of every day and start every day new and fresh. Sounds simple, but it's very, very, very important.

    –Monica Talbert

    Show notes:🌊 [00:46] Vegan seafood: brands who innovate and disrupt landscapes of industries.🦀 [03:06] Creating a sustainable seafood brand: unacceptable practices in seafood industries and innovative new products.▶️ [06:34] Wanting to see change in the industry and food system: the journey of creating a brand.👉🏾 [08:42] Direct-to-consumer is a great step to test your product.🤯 [09:32] Naming your brand can be a struggle: “My mind is blown!”🦞 [11:49] Plant-based seafood industry has the potential to address ocean sustainability issues: making vegan seafood is not easy.🍥 [15:25] Benefits of vegan seafood: savings, consistency, and extended shelf life.🌞 [16:43] Most changes happen from consumer demand: balance in the market and consumer demand will take 3–5 years.🤔 [19:34] Challenges of mass adoption of new products: inflation, a problem with repeat purchases, and education of consumers.🔑 [24:38] The Importance of gratefulness and focusing on the positive can help in running your business.🧘‍♀️ [28:09] Handling stress differently is crucial for business owners: lean towards your mentors for help.🎙️ [30:07] Learning from podcasts: there are so many lessons to learn from other entrepreneurs. 
    -----Thanks for listening to Pivot, our vegan business interview podcast. This is recorded as a live-streaming session, so I hope you’ll join us for future interviews as well! If you are feeling inspired but unsure of how to take actionable steps to improve your business, I invite you to explore our two premium paid podcasts, Going Solo and Fix It.

    • 37 min
    Love Over Hate: A Vegan's Journey to Compassionate Living with Kate Galli

    Love Over Hate: A Vegan's Journey to Compassionate Living with Kate Galli

    Full Description:
    Get ready to dive into the inspiring story of Kate Galli, the unstoppable force behind a mission to create a healthier, happier, and more compassionate vegan world. Kate's journey began in the fitness world, where she sought to transform not only her body but also her confidence. Over the years, she has helped thousands of individuals sculpt their bodies and lives in a way they love. For the past seven years, she has been dedicated to Vegan Health Coaching, using it as a powerful tool to advocate for animal welfare while promoting fitness, strength, and overall well-being.

    During the episode, Kate opens up about the tensions and challenges faced by ethical vegans in their relationships. She candidly discusses the feelings of anger, frustration, and sadness that can arise when trying to navigate a compassionate lifestyle in a non-vegan world. However, Kate shares her personal story of how the toughest year of her life helped her transcend the negative emotions, while maintaining her passion for creating a compassionate vegan world.

    As a Vegan Health Coach, author of "The Plant Positive Journal," and host of The Healthification Podcast, Kate is full of practical advice. She shares valuable tools, such as her 8 Step S.E.L.F. C.A.R.E. Acronym, the "Stop, Start, Continue" time magic'ing technique, and strategies to regain your exercising mojo. Additionally, she provides 10 Tips to Make Adopting a Plant-Based Lifestyle Easy, drawing from her own experiences and mistakes when she first transitioned to vegetarianism 30 years ago.

    Don't miss this episode if you're looking for empowering insights, actionable tips, and a powerful story of love prevailing over hate on the journey to a compassionate vegan lifestyle.

    Get to know Kate Galli and her mission better here: http://www.strongbodygreenplanet.com

    Quote:

    I bought into the ‘business from hell’, as I like to call it, and I learned so many lessons during that journey. The number one of which has really been so valuable is to back yourself 100%. You can't rely on circumstances or what's turning up today, tomorrow, or next year, but you can rely on yourself. And you can rely on yourself to turn up and to continually get better and to back yourself to come up with the goods. 

    – Kate Galli
    Show Notes: 🤔 [00:45] Dynamic changes on your business journey can be a big struggle.  😇 [03:05] Mindset about eating and exercise choices: Kate has a lot of clients who have been with her for two decades.✌️ [06:03] Laying foundations to success: do the do.▶️ [09:19] Referrals are the best way to grow and maintain your business: creating a strategy that provides results.🌞 [14:19] Journey from being a personal trainer, purchasing a franchise, and recreating all online: long-term entrepreneurs get bored and reinvent their business.📗 [16:18] Plant Journal: vegan Trojan horse that helps to adopt a healthy plant-based lifestyle one step at a time.⚡ [19:59] Getting professionals to help you in projects provides amazing products: creating content for Plant Journal.😍 [22:54] Helping her mom to become vegan on Christmas: why she stopped being an angry vegan.💚 [27:37] Focusing on love: it is hard being in a non-vegan world, but leading with love can help.🎙️ [28:15] Healthification podcast: education in health, fitness and food.🤓 [31:35] Importance of self-care and supporting yourself, and your body: implementing self-care steps daily for getting joy. 
    -----Thanks for listening to Pivot, our vegan business interview podcast. This is recorded as a live-streaming session, so I hope you’ll join us for future interviews as well! If you are feeling inspired but unsure of how to take actionable steps to improve your business, I invite you to explore our two premium paid podcasts, Going Solo and Fix It.

    • 35 min
    From Illness to Vegan Entrepreneurship with Rey Ortega

    From Illness to Vegan Entrepreneurship with Rey Ortega

    In this episode, we sit down with Rey Ortega, a true pioneer in the vegan food industry. Rey's health struggles led him on a path of discovery, from battling chronic illness to becoming a successful vegan entrepreneur.

    Rey's journey began with health issues that left him feeling unwell and desperate for answers. After identifying an egg allergy, he transitioned to a vegetarian diet, which significantly improved his health and led to a remarkable 95-pound weight loss. Inspired by dairy-free, eggless cookies at the Sacramento Natural Foods Coop, Rey decided to start his own vegan baking venture, the Alternative Baking Company.
    Despite initial challenges and setbacks, Rey's business flourished, reaching nearly $1 million in sales. 

    However, a difficult partnership forced him to start over. With a loan from a trusted friend, he founded Sun Flour Baking Company and continued to expand his presence in the vegan food market.

    Rey's expertise spans all aspects of the business, offering invaluable insights for aspiring vegan entrepreneurs. Join us to learn from Rey's experiences, avoid common pitfalls, and embark on your own journey to a profitable and successful venture in the world of plant-based living.

    Get to know Rey Ortega and Sun Flour Baking Company better here: https://www.sunflourbaking.com
    Quote: 

    When I first started an alternative baking company, I got so much slack for people not wanting me to put the word ‘vegan’ on my package. I had so many people say, “That's going to kill your sales”. I didn't care! I was an angry vegan at the time. In fact, when I became vegan, I became vegan for health reasons.

    – Rey Ortega
    Show notes with timestamps: 🍪 [00:43] Cookies and entrepreneurship: health challenges and tasty pivots: dominating market with vegan cookies.😎 [02:30] In cookie business for almost 30 years: How he became an angry vegan.😇 [06:53] Learning how to make cookies without eggs: starting first company with just $5000 and huge passion.😋 [08:54] Taking slack for creating a vegan baking business in 1994: giving away cookies for convincing people of its great taste.👉 [12:30] Vegan cookies these days don't have issues with taste but with competition: saturated market.👀 [15:20] Plant-based but not vegan: vegan products are getting to the mainstream, but we still need to look at labels.🤕 [17:48] From illness to entrepreneurship: struggles with chronic illness made him learn about food digestion, and his sicknesses catapulted Rey into veganism.💚 [23:25] Rey’s passion comes from veganism. 👨‍🍳 [26:16] Vegan cannabis producer of edibles: becoming a serial entrepreneur is a natural way of entrepreneurship life.  -----Thanks for listening to Pivot, our vegan business interview podcast. This is recorded as a live-streaming session, so I hope you’ll join us for future interviews as well! If you are feeling inspired but unsure of how to take actionable steps to improve your business, I invite you to explore our two premium paid podcasts, Going Solo and Fix It.

    • 31 min
    Pivoting from Live Events to Online Success with Karen Ranzi

    Pivoting from Live Events to Online Success with Karen Ranzi

    Karen Ranzi is a pioneer in the vegan and raw food movement, vegan since 1989 and raw vegan since 1994, guiding thousands of individuals and families to excellent health and wellbeing through a vegan and raw food lifestyle.

    In 2020, when the COVID pandemic rocked the world, Karen Ramzi had a thriving live raw vegan coaching and classes business called Feel Fabulous With Food that she had built over decades. Karen was no longer able to host live classes for students and couldn't offer her in-person coaching appointments. Instead of panicking, Karen quickly started exploring ways she could continue to share her passion for teaching the vegan and raw lifestyle. 

    By leveraging her newsletter and social media platforms in a whole new way, Karen was able to bring in more new students and clients for online classes and sessions than ever before. In this episode, Karen shares how she did it. From creating interesting content and leveraging various tools for communication to restructuring her offers to appeal to new students and clients with varied interests, Karen shows us what a truly successful pivot can look like. 

    Karen Ranzi, M.A. is an Award-Winning Author, Vegan Health Coach, Autism Expert, Internationally Acclaimed Speaker, Director of the Vegan Coach Certification Course, Raw Food Health Retreat Leader of retreats in Costa Rica and the Women’s Health Retreat, and Speech/Language/Feeding Therapist. Karen has been a featured speaker worldwide for over twenty years, presenting at events such as the London VegFest and the annual Woodstock Fruit Festival. 

    Get to know Karen and Feel Fabulous With Food better here: https://feelfabulouswithfood.com/
    Quote

    Go with your passion, get strong, realize that your mindset is going to establish your business going forward. If you're fearful of getting on camera, just look at your underlying cause. Why are you passionate about spreading the information of a vegan business? Why do you want to get your message out there? I hope today’s show will give you that solid grounding that you need to spread your own message. 

    –Karen Ranzi
    Show notes:
    👩‍💼 [00:43] Longevity in establishing a business: Karen’s expertise and experience.📣 [03:31] Helping people understand the vegan message through coaching and courses from  1988.👵 [10:57] Karen’s inspirational story from her grandmother: issues with skin pushed her into the vegan way of life. 🎯 [15:29] When medications are not working: be in control of your health and the health of the world.😷 [18:56] Entrepreneurship during the pandemic was in panic mode: in-person events and meetings moved to Zoom.🌞 [22:43] Transitions in business: doing things Karen never did before - using the power of social media.💎 [27:06] Courage to do new things in business: learning new things and being willing to be visible.📚 [30:17] Karen’s books and websites: focus on children, coaching and coaching certificates.🔥 [35:27] Your beliefs and passion are the pillars of your business.
    -----Thanks for listening to Pivot, our vegan business interview podcast. This is recorded as a live-streaming session, so I hope you’ll join us for future interviews as well! If you are feeling inspired but unsure of how to take actionable steps to improve your business, I invite you to explore our two premium paid podcasts, Going Solo and Fix It.

    • 39 min
    Embracing Culinary Activism: The Story of Crystal Dawn Culinary with Crystal Bonnet

    Embracing Culinary Activism: The Story of Crystal Dawn Culinary with Crystal Bonnet

    Get ready to be inspired by the remarkable journey of Crystal Bonnet, the mastermind behind Crystal Dawn Culinary. As a raw food chef, instructor, and cookbook author, Crystal embraces her culinary artistry as a potent form of activism, changing skeptics' minds about vegan food. Join us as we explore her captivating foray into entrepreneurship and how she leverages her passion for plant-based cuisine to make a positive impact on the world.

    Having honed her culinary skills at Matthew Kenney Culinary Academy and Pure Joy Academy, Crystal's deep knowledge of raw foods led her to establish Crystal Dawn Culinary. Here, she shares her insights with students eager to discover the health benefits of plant-based living.

    Beyond creating delectable plant-based menus for new restaurants and catering health retreats across Canada and Europe, Crystal is passionate about using her culinary skills as a form of activism to influence change. She shares her experiences of how she effortlessly showcases the ease and deliciousness of raw desserts, proving that choosing plant-based options doesn't mean compromising on taste or satisfaction.

    Moreover, we delve into Crystal's inspiring journey as an entrepreneur. Armed with determination and a vision for a more compassionate world, she ventured into the world of business, founding Crystal Dawn Culinary almost four years ago. Throughout her entrepreneurial voyage, she has encountered failures and mistakes, but she embraces them as invaluable lessons that have contributed to her growth and success.

    Join us as Crystal shares her insights on transforming failures into stepping stones and the resilience required to navigate the world of entrepreneurship. Her passion for culinary activism and unwavering dedication to her mission will leave you inspired to make positive changes in your own life and the world around you.

    Don't miss this empowering episode, where we celebrate the fusion of culinary artistry, activism, and entrepreneurship with the incredible Crystal Bonnet.

    Get to know Crystal Bonnet and Crystal Dawn Culinary more here: https://crystaldawnculinary.com/ 
    Quote:
    If you are feeling you're feeling stuck, and you're feeling overwhelmed and stressed – it will pass. Just know that this means that you're on the right path, you're growing, you are doing something important. And just keep going – they say that only 4% of business owners don't quit and keep going. So be that 4%. Be that 4% because those 4% are the ones that succeed. So just keep going and don't quit, and it will all work out.
    –Crystal Bonnet
    Notes:👩🏻‍🍳 [02:03] Activism intertwined with entrepreneurship: Crystal embraced culinary activism.🌞 [03:45] From raw food classes to creation of an online academy and raw dessert culinary course. 👂🏻 [06:15] How Crystal serviced her community: polls, surveys, market searches and finding gaps in the market. 😇 [08:01] Fun dehydrating series: what is a successful online course?😎 [10:19] Crystal’s priority is her students: being present and super engaged is her secret sauce.🤓 [13:59] The biggest risk Crystal takes: when you create a product that is not suitable for business growth.🙃 [16:23] Managing your emotions and difficult decisions: growing and learning as a person together with your business. 📸 [19:19] Tech challenges, photography, filming and food preparation Crystal does all by herself.📕 [21:31] Cookbook The Art of Raw Desserts: it took two years to create this project.🤹🏻‍♀️ [23:41] Managing multiple projects at the same time: keeping your business sustainable and having multiple revenue streams.⚡ [26:26]  Only 50% of her students are vegans: other people just enjoy the food.⚖️ [28:24] Taking breaks and taking time off is hard for Crystal: balancing work and her time.🎯 [33:23] If you don’t feel like you want to quit - you are not doing it right: be the 4% of the ones who never give up!

    • 36 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
5 Ratings

5 Ratings

cburt987 ,

A god send

Being able to hear the prospective of other vegan business owners has been so helpful for me. Thank you for having these conversations!

JenDC33 ,

Loving this podcast!

Found this podcast because I wanted to hear more from Michelle Schwegmann, and I’m so excited to have stumbled upon Stephanie!! She’s such a warm, encouraging host. I love her interview style and instantly hit subscribe. So many good interviews already recorded, cannot wait to listen to them all!

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