Today’s guest is Anna Robertson, co-founder of The Cool Down. You may be familiar with The Cool Down from Episode 85 with Nina Tooley. If not, the Cool Down provides educational content with not just the goal of raising awareness about climate change, but it's also about empowering communities and individuals to take meaningful action. Today, we'll explore Anna's personal journey that led her to launch The Cool Down and learn about how her personal commitment to sustainability extends beyond her...
Oct 31, 2023•45 min•Ep. 105
As you know, this month on the podcast, we are diving deep into the inspiring journeys of individuals who are making a significant impact in the world of climate change. Today’s guest, Kate Gaertner, is a woman of immense achievement and accolade. Kate is the Recipient of the prestigious Global 50 Women in Sustainability Award in 2022, a Circular Leader, Board Member, Keynote Speaker, and the award-winning author of the transformative book, "Planting a Seed: 3 Simple Steps to Sustainable Living....
Oct 24, 2023•48 min•Ep. 104
As many of you might know, I spend the summer living in Chamonix, France where the impacts of climate change are front and center as the glaciers around Mont Blanc are receding. As I travel back and forth across the Atlantic each Summer, I can't help but think how my own travel is having an impact on the environment. Here is the dilemma that I, and I’m guessing many of you, have. I love to see and experience new places, cultures and people, but how can I do it in a way that is least impactful to...
Oct 17, 2023•46 min•Ep. 103
Earlier this year, I attended an event hosted by the Kilian Jornet Foundation and the outdoor brand, Normal where world-known mountain athletes shared the ways they are reducing their environmental impact and the impacts of climate change. The event's MC and today’s guest was Huw James; an adventurer, filmmaker, and science communicator. Huw has dedicated his life to inspiring positive actions in the fight against climate change. Huw believes that one of the answers to tackling the climate crisi...
Oct 10, 2023•51 min•Ep. 102
In this episode, I am joined by three remarkable teenagers who will be sharing their experiences, insights, and aspirations as they navigate the most pressing issue of their time, climate change. We'll be talking about their motivations for entering the world of climate activism, the specific impacts of climate change on their lives and those of future generations, and, it wouldn’t be an episode of This or Something Better without you walking away with small actions you can take to make more cli...
Oct 03, 2023•46 min•Ep. 101
Welcome to the 100th episode of This or Something Better! I started this show 6 months into the global pandemic. My goal was to share stories of hope; to introduce you to inspiring people doing things to help make people and the planet safer, healthier and happier, and as I look back at the guests I have talked with over these 100 episodes, I am in awe. Despite all the bad things happening in the world, there are positive changemakers among us, and when we stop to tell their stories, when we tak...
Feb 21, 2023•44 min•Ep. 100
This week we are digging deeper into Beauty and endocrine disputing chemcais. For anyone who follows the podcast, you know this is a topic I have addressed here multiple times. Other episodes include my conversations with Lindsay Dahl, Mia Davis and Drs. Shana Swan, Leonardo Trasande and Lora Shahine. In each of these episodes, I try to provide more insights into the science and data behind the claims, not to invoke fear but to empower you with knowledge. In this week’s episode I am talking with...
Feb 14, 2023•43 min•Ep. 99
It's hard to believe it, but it has been over two years since Dr. Annie Fenn's debut here on the podcast in episode 13. Let me introduce you to Annie if you haven't listened to that conversation. She is the founder of Brain Health Kitchen, an evidence-based online resource for how and what to eat to resist cognitive decline. Annie's mission is to help people care for their brains while still eating delicious food. She just recently launched her new book, Brain Health Kitchen. Not only is it a co...
Feb 07, 2023•44 min•Ep. 98
Today we are diving into the very important topic of sustainability in the fashion industry. There are all sorts of statistics thrown around about sustainable fashion, many of which aren’t actually true. Bad information can be shared in greenwashing campaigns trying to sell you something, or it may even be shared, unintentionally, through channels like this. The goal of today’s guest is to dispel myths, share reliable, honest and science based information on how to make more sustainable choices ...
Jan 31, 2023•48 min•Season 5Ep. 97
Nearly everyone owns at least one pair of jeans, if not multiple. There is so much to love about denim: its range of shades, faded appearance, it’s versatility. We all love denim so much that it’s estimated that billions of jeans, and with that 70,000 tons of indigo, are produced each year. What you may not know is that synthetic indigo and most dyes are made from fossil fuels and are processed using toxic chemicals. Indigo, along with many other dyes used in the textile industry pollutes waterw...
Jan 24, 2023•44 min•Season 5Ep. 96
If you listen to the podcast regularly or follow me on social media, you know that ingredient safety and transparency in the beauty industry is something I am particularly passionate about. And, while I have an immense amount of knowledge on this topic, I am certainly not an expert. Fortunately, today’s guest is. Today I am talking with Mia Davis, VP of Sustainability & Impact at Credo Beauty, the largest clean beauty retailer. Mia is also the co-founder of the nonprofit organization Pact Co...
Jan 17, 2023•54 min•Season 5Ep. 95
I will admit that I used to think the people standing outside Trader Joe's asking me to sign a petition against glyphosate and Monsanto were crazy. I didn’t really know anything about Monsanto or about Glyphosate or anything about farming, for that matter. All of that changed when I heard Dr. Zach Bush on the Rich Roll podcast. Suddenly, my eyes were opened to the impact of pesticides on our declining health, our food systems and on our soil. That is when I really started paying attention. Today...
Jan 10, 2023•56 min•Season 5Ep. 94
We, and I am going to speak directly to women right now, do, on average, more household work and more of the child related work than men; and in many cases, while also trying to maintain full-time professional careers. So, is there really a way to actually balance all of that without making sacrifices? I’m going to go out on a limb and say “no”. My guest today, Alicia McKenzie, knows a thing or two about the struggle to maintain balance, and she is writing all about it in her new book, Balance i...
Jan 03, 2023•39 min•Season 5Ep. 93
Our guest today is my friend Regan Nelson, host of the This or Something Better podcast. Her podcast is dedicated to the stories of innovators and positive change-makers committed to making the world better. Regan is also a consultant for Beautycounter, the leader in clean beauty products. "The $63 billion beauty industry in the US is predominantly governed by the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, which was signed into law by President Franklin D Roosevelt on June 25, 1938. Despite the indus...
Dec 27, 2022•57 min•Season 5Ep. 92
Every 30 seconds a football field's worth of natural area disappears. Open spaces serve so many important functions within our communities; they help improve air quality, reduce urban temperations, give people a place to enjoy an active lifestyle and promote a sense of community. They play a vital role in our cities and despite their known benefits, they are difficult to protect and preserve. My guests today are Tim and Kerry Francis, owners of Dharma’s Garden, a garden situated right in the hea...
Dec 20, 2022•41 min•Season 5Ep. 91
Every 30 seconds a football field's worth of natural area disappears. Open spaces serve so many important functions within our communities; they help improve air quality, reduce urban temperations, give people a place to enjoy an active lifestyle and promote a sense of community. They play a vital role in our cities and despite their known benefits, they are difficult to protect and preserve. My guests today are Tim and Kerry Francis, owners of Dharma’s Garden, a garden situated right in the hea...
Dec 20, 2022•41 min•Season 5Ep. 91
I am going to put it out there in all my shame and embarrassment, but there have been multiple occasions in the past few years where I have said something to my daughter after a game or race and then immediately knew it was the wrong thing to say. When it comes to balancing being a caring parent with my innate competitor, sometimes I fail, and I fail miserably. Today’s guest is going to help me and all of us learn how to help say the right things to our children to help them be more confident in...
Dec 13, 2022•52 min•Season 5Ep. 90
There is only one brand whose mission is to save the planet, and that is Patagonia. Just recently, the founder, Yvon Chouinard, transferred his family’s ownership of the company, valued at $3 billion, to a specifically designed trust and non-profit organization committed to fighting climate change. While most people are familiar with the Outdoor brand Patagonia, fewer people know about their food company, Patagonia Provisions. Today I am talking with Paul Lightfoot, the General Manager of Patago...
Dec 06, 2022•39 min•Season 5Ep. 89
Fertility has dropped more than 50% over the past 50 years worldwide and while some might think it’s an evolution problem, that’s not the case. The reality is that chemicals in our environment and unhealthy lifestyle practices are disrupting our hormones and causing reproductive havoc. This has resulted in decreased testosterone and sperm count increased miscarriage and an alarming decline in fertility. With reproductive health directly linked to overall health and longevity, this is a serious p...
Nov 29, 2022•49 min•Season 5Ep. 87
Our consumption of clothing has risen by 400% in the last two decades. The textile industry produces 10% of global greenhouse emissions. Approximately 85% of clothing ends up in a landfill, and the average U.S. shopper doesn’t wear 50% of the clothing in their closet. How’s that for some eye-opening stats? The textile industry is a major contributor to climate change, and there is no time like the present to start doing something about it. It’s time to make clothes a force for good. That’s what ...
Nov 22, 2022•52 min•Season 5Ep. 87
Women are 50.8% of the population and 52% of the professional level workforce. Yet, in the world, Women account for only 25% of senior-level officials and managers, only 20% of board seats and only 6% of CEOs. With a lot of discussion happening around the lack of women in business leadership positions and the lack of funding for women-led businesses, Cassie Abel thought, “‘why aren’t we making a point to support brands that already have women at the top?’” Thus the creation of Women-Led Wednesda...
Nov 15, 2022•39 min•Season 5Ep. 86
Many people find it hard to talk about climate change. They find it overwhelming, frightening, or even uncomfortable. While we may not realize it, simply talking about climate change can be an important step toward addressing the problem. I hope this conversation helps you to think about it in a new and different way and make you a little more comfortable. My guest is Nina Tooley, Head of Commerce & Marketing at The Cool Down, a community of content, commerce, and climate experts making the ...
Nov 08, 2022•42 min•Season 5Ep. 85
When we hear the word environment, we often think of the natural resources around us; water, soil, and air. After today’s episode you might agree that the most important part of our environment is not the outdoors but indoors in the home we live in. Our homes are made of and filled with products, some containing toxic chemicals that may be harmful to our health, and today’s guest has committed his career to helping people make safer and healthier choices for their homes. My guest is Andrew Pace,...
Nov 01, 2022•41 min•Season 5Ep. 84
One of the topics we discuss regularly here on the podcast is the impact of environmental toxins on our health, and today we’re digging specifically into their impact on reproductive health. My guest is Dr. Lora Shahine. She is a reproductive endocrinologist, fertility and miscarrige specialist, author, and speaker. She is also a passionate educator about the impact of environmental toxins on our reproductive health. I first learned about Dr. Shahine and her work because she is a member of Beaut...
Oct 25, 2022•45 min•Season 5Ep. 83
We spend approximately 30% of our life sleeping on a mattress, yet have you ever thought about what your mattress is made of and how that might also be impacting your health. When Tim Masters' infant daughter was suffering from severe allergies and eczema he started to think about how the chemicals in her mattress might be playing a role. As a mattress craftsman by trade, Tim knew there was something better he could do for this daughter. This marked the beginning of My Green Mattress: a company ...
Oct 18, 2022•44 min•Season 5Ep. 82
What is the right age to give a child a smartphone? This is a question parents of previous generations have never had to grapple with but here we are… navigating what can be for some parents, me included, a very difficult decision. On one side of the spectrum you will find the “wait until 8th” parents, and on the other, parents who are giving their children phones in 2nd or 3rd grade, and sometimes even before. So what is the right age? Of course, with most parenting questions, there is no right...
Oct 11, 2022•50 min•Season 5Ep. 81
A study conducted in 2019 found that coverage of women athletes on televised news and highlight shows accounts for only 5.4% of all airtime. And that number has risen only .4% since 1989. Today’s guest, Jenny Nguyen saw an opportunity to help change this. Jenny is the founder and owner of The Sports Bra PDX, a sports bar in Portland, OR dedicated to girls’ and women’s sports. Their motto, We Support Women The Sports Bra not only seeks to empower women in sport but also women in the food and beve...
Oct 04, 2022•33 min•Season 5Ep. 80
I know that many of you are thinking about how the personal care products you put on your body can impact your health, but have you ever thought about your clothes in the same way? Just like in personal care products, many of our clothes contain known carcinogens, hormone disruptors, and allergens. Chemicals like Chlorine, formaldehyde, PFAS, and others are used in the dying process and applied as treatments. These chemicals can absorb into our skin and have a negative impact on our health. Thin...
Sep 27, 2022•44 min•Season 5Ep. 79
Women are not small and men yet for decades research findings on nutrition and exercise on men have been applied to women with no regard for our unique physiology. Our hormones, metabolism and our genetics are different, and there are ways that we can eat, live and train to optimize these differences. Today’s guest is Dr. Stacy Sims is an applied researcher, innovator, and entrepreneur in human performance. Her mission is to create a world of healthy women who understand their bodies and know ho...
Sep 20, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 5Ep. 78
We deserve to know what we put in our bodies, be it in the food we eat or the supplements we take. Unfortunately, like with food and beauty products, not all supplements are created equal. The quality and brand of our supplements matter. Today, I am excited to welcome Lindsay Dahl, the Chief Impact Officer from Ritual to the podcast. Ritual makes supplements, including multivitamins, probiotics, and protein powders with the highest level of commitment to science, transparency, traceability, and ...
Sep 13, 2022•46 min•Season 5Ep. 77
