Botanical Breakthroughs: How New Chapter’s Natural Approach is Rooted in Wellness

From plants to people, Charlotte Traas, former Director of Education at New Chapter, shares her story of creating groundbreaking products that bring nature’s power to everyday health. 🌱

Featured on:

• Tomorrow's World Today - S3E07 – Internal Health of Tomorrow
• Tomorrow's World Today - S4E13 – The Science Behind Supplements

Learn more about this topic:

• Why Do I Need Fermented Supplements?
• What is Regenerative Agriculture?
• Benefits of Fermented Foods
• 5 Ways To Boost Your Kid’s Immunity

Transcript

(0:00) Welcome to the Tomorrow's World Today podcast. (0:04) We sit down with experts, world-changing innovators, (0:07) creators, and makers to explore how they're taking action (0:10) to make tomorrow's world a better place for technology, (0:14) science, innovation, sustainability, the arts, and more. (0:18) On this Archive episode, host George Davison, (0:21) who is also the host of the TV series Tomorrow's World Today, (0:24) sits down with Charlotte Traz, (0:26) the former director of education for New Chapter.
(0:28) She discusses the company's focus on quality and innovation (0:32) in the natural supplement industry. (0:35) She shares how she became a master herbalist, (0:37) driven by a personal health crisis, (0:39) and a passion for holistic medicine. (0:42) Charlotte also emphasizes the importance of vulnerability, (0:45) continuous learning, and regenerative agriculture.
(0:49) Welcome, Charlotte. (0:50) Thank you. I'm so excited to be here.
(0:52) Oh, good. (0:53) Well, let's see if we can kind of walk us back a little (0:57) so our audience will know a little bit about New Chapter (1:01) and where did it all start? (1:03) Sure. So New Chapter was actually founded in 1982, (1:07) which actually makes us kind of older than most of the companies (1:10) in the natural supplement industry.
(1:13) And that makes us unique, but it also makes us credible (1:16) because, you know, in the natural supplement industry, (1:19) sometimes you get these fly-by-night companies, (1:20) and New Chapter isn't like that. (1:22) You know, we've been around for a long time, (1:23) and that's because we stand for quality, (1:25) but also because we're innovators and we're unique. (1:29) Interesting.
(1:29) So in the very beginning, (1:31) you must have had a couple of very serious people (1:34) who were really wanting to innovate the market, right? (1:37) Absolutely. (1:38) I think that one of the things that you look at (1:40) whenever you look at a market is what's missing. (1:42) And so, you know, that's what our founders wanted to do.
(1:45) They wanted to innovate within the industry (1:47) and really discover something new, (1:49) which is how we started to introduce fermented vitamins (1:51) into the space. (1:52) And so fermentation, again, is really an exciting process. (1:55) Don't get me started on it.
(1:56) But I get really excited talking about it. (1:59) But the cool thing about New Chapter is (2:00) is that we also continue to innovate. (2:02) So we're always finding new solutions (2:04) to problems that people experience every day, (2:07) and that makes working there really exciting.
(2:09) Interesting. (2:10) Well, that's kind of the key to success in business, right? (2:12) The continual effort and innovation. (2:15) Using your observational skills, (2:17) identifying needs and wants of your consumer, (2:20) and then coming up with ideas to overcome those challenges.
(2:24) And that puts you in a unique space, correct? (2:27) Yeah, in a creative space. (2:28) And people don't usually associate creativity with innovation, (2:31) but it's really a key part (2:33) because sometimes you have to go completely outside the box (2:35) to find something that, you know, nobody else has done before. (2:39) And, you know, once you get there, people are like, (2:40) oh, my gosh, that makes so much sense.
(2:42) But it's new, you know, and that's exciting to be a part of. (2:46) Well, it is exciting. (2:48) I've learned a lot about your organization (2:49) over the last few months, I'd say.
(2:52) And I've enjoyed learning about your innovation strategies, (2:56) and I've seen the changes that you've been making over time. (3:00) So great work, first of all, to you and your team. (3:02) Oh, thank you.
(3:03) It's all teamwork. (3:04) And, you know, we always say teamwork to make the dream work. (3:08) And that's really true.
(3:09) You know, there's no one person that, you know, it's like, (3:13) oh, it's all thanks to them. (3:14) Although I probably should say, blame my CEO. (3:16) Hey, buddy.
(3:17) But, no, the truth is that we're a team effort. (3:20) We all work together. (3:22) And, you know, I think in business, (3:23) sometimes you can feel really isolated and like you're on an island.
(3:26) And that's why I think it's really important (3:28) when you're looking for a job or you're looking for employment (3:31) that you find somewhere where you feel like you're part of a team (3:34) because what you're building is so much bigger than any one person. (3:38) And let's talk about that because you are a part of a team. (3:41) What's your direct role in the organization? (3:44) So I have the best job in the entire planet.
(3:46) Like, I just want to say that right now. (3:47) I'm the director of education. (3:49) So I get to teach about how our supplements work.
(3:52) And, you know, I get to study things like nutrition. (3:55) I get to talk about cool herbs and phytochemicals (3:58) and how they work and react in your body. (4:00) And I also get to talk about traditional, you know, herbals.
(4:05) And, I mean, really it's one of those things (4:07) where we also dive into sustainability and regenerative agriculture. (4:11) So there's so many different aspects of what I get to teach on. (4:14) So it's never boring.
(4:15) So there's always something new to learn. (4:17) And with science, because it's constantly changing, (4:19) there's something always to learn about. (4:21) So I'm always learning and challenging myself.
(4:23) And then I'm always learning and challenging the team. (4:25) And the team is always learning. (4:26) So they come in and they're like, hey, did you hear that? (4:28) Did you hear this? (4:29) I'm like, yeah, that's awesome.
(4:30) Or, no, I had no idea. (4:31) And then I have to go immediately look it up. (4:33) So that's great.
(4:34) But I'm a master herbalist. (4:35) And that's really exciting for me (4:36) because my love for plants is kind of ridiculous. (4:40) And so I get to learn about plants all day.
(4:42) And that's just as exciting as it sounds, everybody. (4:45) But it is. (4:46) It's really cool to be passionate about something (4:49) and get to have that be a part of the way that you make your living.
(4:53) So something must have sparked in you, (4:56) maybe when you were younger, that maybe mentor (4:59) or something must have sparked you to take an interest in plants, right? (5:04) So it's really funny. (5:04) Actually, I came to this later in life. (5:06) I think that sometimes in the United States, (5:09) everybody wants you to have everything figured out by the time you're 18.
(5:11) They're like, OK, you're 18. (5:13) So what do you want to do for the rest of your life? (5:15) And I was not that kid. (5:17) I was not that kid.
(5:18) I was a drama kid. (5:20) I really liked to communicate. (5:22) I liked to perform.
(5:22) I liked to write. (5:23) And I thought, OK, cool. (5:25) This is what I'm going to do.
(5:26) So that's what I went to college for. (5:27) I went to college in London. (5:29) And I went for theater.
(5:31) And I got out of school. (5:33) And I decided to go into education (5:35) because education for me was where it was at. (5:37) I wanted to share ideas and share knowledge.
(5:39) And I also liked the idea of education being exciting, (5:42) not just humdrum like Bueller, Bueller, (5:45) like that monotone teacher who doesn't say anything all day long, right? (5:49) And I wanted to bring personality and connection back into the classroom. (5:54) But then I got older, and my interests changed. (5:57) And I thought, OK, wow, I'm interested in things like mycology, (6:02) which is like the study of mushrooms.
(6:04) And then I got a corporate training job in Tokyo. (6:06) And that's when things really started to change for me (6:08) because I started to study kompo, (6:11) which is a traditional Japanese healing system. (6:13) And as I was studying this, I was like, oh, my gosh, (6:15) because I had just finished teaching at a medical college in St. Louis, Missouri.
(6:19) And I was just comparing Eastern medicine to Western medicine. (6:23) And it was so much more connected. (6:25) It was so much more holistic.
(6:27) It was, you know, I think of medicine sometimes in our country (6:30) as brilliant but sterile. (6:31) And this was a different level. (6:33) And so I became fascinated.
(6:35) I had to learn all about it. (6:36) And then it became necessity because I got sick. (6:41) And when I got sick, I was like, OK, what am I going to do? (6:43) I was in Hong Kong at the time.
(6:45) I didn't understand why my immune system was bailing on me. (6:48) And I was just constantly sick. (6:50) And I went to the doctor, and in broken Cantonese, (6:53) was trying to understand what they were telling me.
(6:55) And he said, you can go to a Chinese doctor tomorrow, you know, (6:59) and we can set you up. (7:00) Or you can wait for a Western doctor, but it's going to be a few weeks. (7:03) And I was like, let's go.
(7:04) Let's figure it out. (7:05) And I went into this shop, and I can only describe it as a Harry Potter wizard shop (7:09) because they had deer antler hanging from the ceiling, (7:12) and there was fermented beverages on the counter. (7:15) And I walk in, and the guy's taking my pulse, (7:17) and he has me stick out my tongue, (7:19) and he sends me home with six beautiful little bags of herbs.
(7:23) He's like, put them in hot water, and don't drink any cold drinks. (7:26) And I was like, OK. (7:27) So I went home, and I called my mom, and I was like, Mom, I'm going to die.
(7:31) Because this is so obvious. (7:33) You know, it's so obvious that these six bags of herbs, it's not going to help me. (7:37) It's not going to work.
(7:38) Because I was so used to that Western way of thinking, (7:41) like I should be hooked up to an IV in a hospital, (7:43) and, you know, this isn't going to work. (7:45) But it did. (7:46) And when I took those herbs, and I started to feel better day after day after day, (7:50) I was like, there's something going on here.
(7:53) Interesting. (7:53) There's something going on here. (7:54) And I became just so passionate.
(7:57) I had to know how this was working. (8:00) And then I went back to the United States. (8:02) I was going to start teaching at the college again.
(8:04) And I said, I think I'm actually going to go work in this health food store (8:07) and just connect with people and learn more about herbs. (8:10) And that just set me off on this trajectory of learning and loving plants (8:14) and loving communicating with people about how their bodies work (8:17) and helping them become their own health advocate. (8:20) And there's something, you know, when people learn and you get an idea, (8:23) it's so personal, and it's such a great connection.
(8:26) But what really excites me is when people learn about their own body (8:29) and how it works, and they start to feel the difference. (8:32) There's nothing better than that. (8:34) Well, that's quite a good story.
(8:37) It started with sickness. (8:39) So you started at the bottom, got excited, and worked your way on out of there. (8:43) That's right.
(8:44) That's almost, you know, a story that you could repeat again and again (8:48) in all sorts of different businesses and jobs that were not around 100 years ago. (8:54) Be it soap, be it medicine, but it all starts with that challenge, right? (9:00) Well, thank you for sharing your story. (9:02) So if I was to take you back into high school today... (9:06) No, it's great, guys.
It's great. (9:08) If there was one thing that you could do over again, (9:13) would you share that with our audience? (9:15) Sure. (9:16) I think that when I was in high school, I saw vulnerability as a weakness.
(9:22) And I know it's not now. (9:23) It's a strength. (9:25) Having the courage to say, (9:26) I don't know something and have someone take you through it (9:28) so that you can learn it is a huge strength.
(9:30) And I didn't learn that until later in life (9:32) because I was afraid to be vulnerable, (9:33) because I was afraid that if I said, (9:35) I don't know how to do this or I don't know this, (9:38) somebody would say, (9:39) Oh, she's so stupid. (9:40) She's so dumb. (9:42) And I didn't want people to think that about me.
(9:44) I wanted people to think that I was intelligent and well-spoken (9:47) and passionate and kind. (9:48) And you have these ideas in your head (9:50) about how you make that persona come to life. (9:53) And you almost extract the thing that it takes you to get better, (9:57) which is vulnerability (9:57) and the ability to ask questions and make mistakes.
(10:00) And I wish that I would have allowed myself to fail more. (10:04) Nobody is an expert in anything automatically. (10:07) I think that's a really big fallacy.
(10:09) It doesn't really happen. (10:11) But what I can say is that as you learn and as you get better, (10:15) even now, I'm considered an expert in my field. (10:18) And yet there are times when I'm giving a lecture (10:20) and I still expect somebody to jump out of the audience (10:22) and be like, You, madam, you do not belong here.
(10:25) And I'd be like, You're right, I don't. (10:27) Because here's the thing. (10:28) There's always someone who knows more than you.
(10:31) So are you going to feel intimidated by that? (10:33) Or are you going to take the opportunity and say, (10:35) Teach me. Let me learn more. (10:37) Let me grow.
(10:38) And I think that's such an opportunity. (10:40) And I wish I would have known that back then, (10:42) that it's totally okay to make mistakes. (10:44) It's totally cool to ask questions.
(10:46) And it's awesome to fail because you always grow from that failure, always. (10:50) Wow, what a big share, huh? (10:52) So vulnerability and using it as a strength is what I just heard. (10:57) And I think we've talked before about Fail Your Way Forward on this podcast.
(11:02) So it's repeating again, everybody. (11:05) It's okay to fail because if you use your inner strength, (11:08) you can get back up and try another time, right? (11:11) Right, absolutely. (11:12) And that's the thing is that you get back up, (11:16) and you have to basically say to yourself, (11:19) Not today.
I'm going to do this anyway. (11:22) Even if I'm scared or even if it doesn't make sense right now, (11:24) I'm going to try and give it my all. (11:27) I've never shot a live podcast like this before.
(11:30) So you see, guys? Killing it. Killing it. (11:33) And she is.
Way to go, Charlotte. (11:35) Thank you. (11:36) We're thrilled to have you here.
(11:38) And you're good energy, so it's good to be with you. (11:41) Thank you. (11:41) You have great energy, too.
(11:43) It feels good to be with people who are excited about innovation (11:46) and excited about learning. (11:48) Again, I think sometimes education just gets a bad rap, (11:51) like all boring and, oh, it's books and stuff. (11:55) Books are amazing.
(11:56) I mean, there's so much within them. (11:57) I get excited talking about it because the discovery that happens, (12:02) it's just part of discovering part of your story, (12:05) and that's very cool. (12:06) It really is.
(12:08) So let's see here. (12:09) Knowing what you know today, (12:11) what advice would you give to a person interested in entering your industry today? (12:17) Sure. (12:17) So this is a little controversial, but I'm going to tell you to be selfish.
(12:22) There we go. (12:23) So actually, I think a better term for selfishness (12:26) when it comes to taking care of yourself is to be selfful. (12:30) We live in a society where people aren't taking care of themselves anymore, (12:33) and we divorce from our bodies.
(12:35) It's like, oh, I've got to accomplish this at the expense of sleep, (12:39) at the expense of food, at the expense of this. (12:41) And the next thing you know, you don't even feel like yourself anymore. (12:45) And I think that we have to stop doing that.
(12:48) And I think if you're interested in coming into natural health, (12:52) I think if you're interested in herbalism, you have to find what works for you. (12:56) As an herbalist, we think that there is an herb for everyone. (12:59) And I get really excited about this because there's usually more than one.
(13:03) But also your needs change over time. (13:06) My herb right now is rhodiola. (13:08) Love my rhodiola.
(13:10) Rhodiola is an adaptogen, guys. (13:11) It helps you adapt to stress. (13:13) So that's why it's my herb right now, right? (13:15) But again, if you're studying and you're looking for a great study herb, (13:20) check out lion's mane mushroom.
(13:22) Again, it's nootropic. (13:23) That means it works with your brain. (13:24) It's super cool.
(13:25) Helps you study, focus better. (13:27) Guys, lion's mane. (13:28) I'm serious about this.
(13:30) I really wish I had known about that when I was in school. (13:32) But I think that if you find something that works for you (13:35) and it connects with you, then it starts to make a huge difference, right? (13:41) And then you want to talk about it. (13:43) You're like, hey, check out this thing I found.
(13:45) And then you want to learn a little bit more, right? (13:47) How does that work? (13:49) How does lion's mane help with neurite outgrowth, (13:52) which is how your brain communicates with itself? (13:55) How does rhodiola help your body adapt to stress? (13:58) How do GABA levels raise in the body? (14:01) And again, you just have to break it down, break it down, break it down. (14:04) And so if you're interested, become your own health advocate. (14:08) That's going to be your most powerful advocate and ally in getting into this field (14:12) because then you're going to develop a passion for it (14:14) and a passion for helping others.
(14:16) And the next thing you know, not only are you going to feel awesome, (14:19) you're going to help other people feel awesome. (14:21) All right. (14:22) So let's talk about the... (14:24) Do you believe that anybody could be successful today? (14:28) Yes, I do.
(14:29) I think that sometimes it takes a little bit more. (14:33) There's this great book by Angela Duckworth. (14:35) It's called Grit.
(14:37) She talks about grittiness, right? (14:39) She talks about the need to succeed. (14:41) And again, you can't really... (14:43) She measures it, but it's hard to measure. (14:46) But I think sometimes we look at these standardized test scores (14:49) and we're like, you're good at this and you're good at that.
(14:51) But the truth is that you can be good at anything. (14:56) You can do anything. (14:58) And I feel like I'm proof of that.
(15:01) When I was in school, I was terrible in my biology class, like awful. (15:07) And my biology teacher, he was interested in biology, (15:11) but you could tell it wasn't his driving passionate force. (15:14) He was also the football coach.
(15:15) I hear he's an amazing football coach. (15:17) But it wasn't his... (15:18) You could tell he just wasn't feeling it. (15:20) So it was very routine.
(15:24) And so I thought of biology as just being, (15:26) okay, this is how your body works, right? (15:28) But then I was teaching in a medical college (15:32) and I sat in on a lecture by this guy named Dr. Mink (15:34) and he made the body sound like a symphony. (15:40) He talked about how your body is connected (15:43) and everything's working together. (15:46) And as it works together, (15:48) you're creating within yourself energy and life itself.
(15:53) And it became this exciting endeavor to understand (15:58) and I thought, where has biology been all my life? (16:01) And that's when I was like, yes, the passion is here, right? (16:05) So again, I think that you have to find what you're passionate about (16:10) and sometimes it's just getting explained in a different way, (16:12) which is why it's such an opportunity. (16:14) I wish that I would have found someone who was passionate, (16:17) again, when I was in high school and said, (16:19) wow, what do you love about biology? (16:21) What makes you so excited to teach about biology? (16:24) I had an English teacher who was amazing for me. (16:27) Her name was Minnie Phillips and she was an English teacher (16:31) and I wrote an article about the awakening.
(16:34) It's a story by Kate Chopin and it's about, (16:38) it's like the roots of feminism are being explored within it. (16:42) And I wrote an article because she had us write a book review for it. (16:45) We had to read it aloud in class and she goes, (16:48) Charlotte, you should write for Ms. Magazine.
(16:51) And I remember that being such like a huge thing for me. (16:54) I was like, I should write for Ms. Magazine. (16:57) I should do that, right? (16:59) But I found this love for communicating because she inspired that within me (17:03) and she made me feel like my voice was valid and that my voice had a place.
(17:09) That's a good segue because I was going to ask you as well about mentors. (17:15) Maybe that's not a really, let's say a teacher that's a great storyteller (17:20) that's passionate about what they love to do and they can connect. (17:24) Were there any other types of mentors in your youth? (17:27) I like to just kind of define mentor a little bit.
(17:30) Sure. (17:31) Because I think that, again, people mix up mentors and teachers (17:34) and teachers are amazing. (17:36) Mentors are a little bit different for me.
(17:37) Mentors are people who take you under their wing, (17:41) who show you a different perspective, (17:44) but they don't just tell you what you want to hear. (17:46) They challenge you. (17:48) That's where feedback is truly a gift because feedback can be hard to take.
(17:52) It's one of the things that we struggled with in drama school a lot (17:55) was somebody would say, I don't like the way that you did that scene. (17:58) You need to do it again. (18:00) You get this little anger ball inside of you, (18:02) but then you have to push it down because you're doing a love scene.
(18:07) Unless you're doing The Taming of the Shrew, it doesn't belong there. (18:11) The crazy part is that you can find these great mentors. (18:15) They should inspire you, but they should also challenge you.
(18:20) I've been lucky enough to have several in my life. (18:23) Again, I didn't ask for a lot of help when I was younger, (18:25) so maybe I didn't have them a lot in my younger years. (18:28) But as an adult, one of the things that I have to say I get excited about (18:32) New Chapter is that I'm surrounded by mentors.
(18:37) We have these partnerships. (18:39) I have my social media manager who teaches me about social media (18:43) because I'm hopeless there and I'm really learning how to do the Facebook guys. (18:47) I'm getting better, but I think she takes me under her wing (18:51) and she helps me learn and get better.
(18:53) I have a brand manager who teaches me about branding (18:56) and who really wants me to understand that. (18:59) I have finance people who explain to me about how the financial choices that we make (19:03) make an impact on our overall business. (19:06) It's a group of mentors mentoring each other to create a better business.
(19:12) And that is so inspiring to be a part of, (19:15) but I get excited because I love going to work (19:17) because I never know what I'm going to learn that day. (19:18) I'm like, ooh, never know. (19:21) But what I do want to say is that I had a really impactful mentor.
(19:25) And where I think that there is a... (19:29) people have this misconception that mentors have to be above you, (19:32) and that's not true. (19:34) I had a partner. (19:36) Technically, she worked for me, but she taught me more than anyone.
(19:41) Her name was Shawna Wall, and she worked for me, (19:46) but it was never that she worked for me. (19:47) We were a partnership. (19:49) And as you pick partners, (19:50) as you pick people that you work for and with, (19:53) look for someone who is willing to challenge you and teach you (19:57) and be there with you.
(19:59) Because she was there with me. (20:00) We lost her a few years ago. (20:03) And I take her lessons with me everywhere, (20:06) and I still apply and teach them to other people (20:09) because that is what helps her legacy to live on.
(20:14) But it also inspires me to be the best mentor that I can be to others (20:18) because you have the power to be someone's mentor. (20:22) You have that power within you. (20:24) So reach out, teach someone something, show them how to grow, (20:29) give them positive feedback.
(20:31) We'll learn how to do that a little bit more, I know, as we get older. (20:34) But give them positive feedback so that they can grow. (20:36) And their success and their growth will feel just as good as your own.
(20:41) What great advice. (20:42) Thank you for sharing that. (20:43) It's very powerful.
(20:45) Thank you very much. (20:47) Wow, you're getting the full course today, folks. (20:52) So I hope you're listening up.
(20:54) Let's jump back into the world of where New Chapter is for a minute (21:01) and try to walk back into that world of innovation (21:05) and what would you say are some of the innovation initiatives (21:10) that might be going on inside your operations? (21:15) And what kind of opportunities, if those initiatives were successful, (21:20) would that create for our youth coming up tomorrow? (21:24) Well, I could tell you about our innovation, George, (21:26) but then I would have to kill you. (21:30) It's a little cutthroat in industry sometimes, though. (21:33) Let's be honest.
(21:33) Sure. (21:34) Everyone wants to keep their innovation a little tight to the chest (21:37) because if you're coming out with something really cool and new and groovy, (21:40) you have to be careful because sometimes your competitors can move faster than you (21:44) or they'll move faster but more sloppy than you. (21:47) So they'll come out with a very similar product that you're going to come out with, (21:50) but their quality and ingredients won't be on par with what you've had planned (21:53) and what you're working towards.
(21:55) But what I will say that we're working on from an innovation standpoint, (21:58) I know, see, circled around there. (22:01) I surprised you. (22:02) What we are working on is regenerative agriculture and sustainability, (22:07) and this is something that I think everybody should be getting involved in right now (22:11) because our planet needs our help, (22:14) and we have people who are geniuses who work to source our ingredients (22:19) from where they grow best, (22:21) but also we aim to source sustainably whenever possible (22:24) because our resources are finite, (22:26) but also remember that our soil is really nutrient depleted, (22:31) and why that happens, guys, (22:32) is because we don't grow for nutrition for food in this country.
(22:35) We grow for yield. (22:36) So no one's like, oh, hey, my oranges have the most vitamin C ever. (22:39) That's not what happens.
(22:40) What happens is they say, I have the most pretty. (22:43) I have the prettiest orange, (22:45) but if I told you that that orange actually had less nutrients (22:49) and less nutrition than it did in the 1970s, (22:52) and you'd have to eat eight oranges today (22:54) to get the same amount of nutrition from one orange in the 1970s, (22:58) you would say we've got to change our farming practices, right? (23:00) We've got to figure out how to get nutrition back into the soil, (23:03) and that's exactly what regenerative agriculture does, (23:06) and these are huge opportunities, guys, because here's the thing. (23:10) You can be a groundbreaking innovator here (23:13) because, A, you get to save the planet, (23:16) which, by the way, it's not just for Will Smith anymore.
(23:19) It's totally for you, too, (23:20) and maybe we won't be fighting aliens, (23:22) but I don't know. (23:23) Also, the UFO stuff is pretty cool. (23:26) Come on, guys.
It's so cool. (23:28) But the other thing is that you can save the planet (23:31) by paying attention to how we can make things better (23:36) to keep our food supply growing (23:39) and at the same time not deplete our nutrition, (23:42) and those are huge areas of opportunity, (23:45) solar power, wind power. (23:47) Any of these ways are ways that we're looking at a new chapter (23:50) in order to help make our supplements, you know, (23:53) and again, we're exploring these things, you know, (23:56) and I think it's that exploration, that question, that stuff (23:59) that really drives us forward (24:01) because now it's not only we want to make the best multivitamins in the world.
(24:05) We want to make them in a way that there are going to be multivitamins (24:07) for many, many centuries, thousands of years to come, (24:11) and how can we make that happen, (24:13) and you can be a part of that (24:14) because, honestly, it's groundbreaking research. (24:16) So we're back into the conversation again about innovation, (24:21) and it starts with a challenge, (24:24) and as we're hearing right now, regenerative, (24:27) meaning, you know, can we redo, right? (24:30) Or we're noticing that soil is not as nutrition rich or vitamin rich. (24:36) Is that a fair way to say it? (24:37) Absolutely.
(24:38) So now it sounds like a whole new industry, (24:41) a whole new science is emerging in that field. (24:45) You are very well spoken, (24:48) and she's traveled well, and she's a good communicator. (24:52) You've worked very hard to try and communicate to our audience today (24:55) and to make it interesting, (24:58) and that's a skill set from listening to what the challenges are, (25:03) trying to think through how do I want to get out what I want to say (25:07) and make it interesting to my audience, right? (25:09) That's storytelling 101, (25:11) but it's really, it's not always done all that well (25:15) because the person isn't listening closely enough.
(25:20) And so listening, it can serve well in storytelling to set up your story, (25:25) but also it can serve you well in the field of innovation (25:29) because if you're listening really well, (25:31) you might just, in a way, listening, (25:33) you'll notice that the soil is being depleted. (25:36) That is where you find opportunity, right? (25:39) And so innovators are usually very good listeners, (25:43) and then they use their observational skills to identify, (25:48) all right, now what can I do with this? (25:50) And then you begin the experimental phase, (25:53) and you need to be able to fail a lot (25:55) in order to become an innovator in that field. (25:58) So you've really helped us a lot today.
(26:01) I can't thank you enough, Charlotte. (26:04) Do you have anything else you'd like to offer our audience today? (26:07) Yes. (26:08) First of all, have a really good time learning (26:12) because learning is so much fun, (26:15) and sometimes you get frustrated when things don't go right.
(26:18) You know what I'm saying? (26:18) It's all part of that scientific process. (26:20) When things don't go right, you know, (26:22) I mean, we even see it in, like, movies (26:23) when the scientists are trying to figure things out, (26:25) and they throw the beaker against the wall, (26:27) and they're like, ah, but they keep going, right? (26:29) Yes. (26:30) So keep going.
(26:31) Keep exploring. (26:32) When somebody tells you it's all been done, that's not true. (26:35) There's always things to explore.
(26:37) There's always places to explore. (26:38) There are always things to be discovered. (26:41) Sometimes within us, within, you know, (26:43) people didn't even know what the microbiome was, you know? (26:45) Do you remember, like, in the 90s (26:47) when everybody thought, like, good bacteria, (26:49) it wasn't a thing.
(26:51) It was like, germs are bad. (26:52) Germs are yucky, right? (26:53) That's bad bacteria. (26:55) But then people were like, wait, there are good germs, (26:57) and you're like, what? (26:58) Good germs? (26:59) So keep exploring because, trust me, (27:02) there's never one side to any coin.
(27:05) Like, you have to keep looking for what makes it special, (27:08) what makes it unique. (27:10) Challenge, be rebellious. (27:11) By the way, one of the things that I'm going to tell you (27:13) is be a total rebel.
(27:15) I love this about herbalism (27:17) because herbalism is founded by rebels. (27:20) Our founders were rebels. (27:21) They wanted to challenge the system.
(27:23) Our company is a little bit of a rebel, (27:25) and this is why I like working for them. (27:28) Because if you challenge the status quo, (27:31) if you say, this is the way it's always been done, (27:33) but could we do it better? (27:35) Is there another way? (27:37) And see, that's how herbalism actually got started (27:40) is that people started moving towards Western medicine, right? (27:44) And they were like, oh, herbalism. (27:46) It's so passe.
(27:48) Then it's funny. (27:50) Do you know a lot of the pharmaceutical drugs (27:51) that we have today are based on herbal medicine? (27:54) And again, how are we cycling back? (27:57) How are we learning about what these plants can do? (28:00) So again, explore, be a rebel, (28:02) challenge the system, fight the man. (28:05) I'm joking.
(28:06) But have fun doing it because fail forward. (28:10) All right, Charlotte. (28:11) Well, thank you so very, very much (28:13) for being a part of our podcast group, (28:16) and I hope everybody gained a lot out of this today.
(28:19) Thank you very much, and that's another episode. (28:23) Thank you for listening to this episode (28:25) of Tomorrow's World Today Podcast. (28:27) Join us next time as we continue to explore (28:29) the worlds of inspiration, creation, innovation, and production.
(28:33) Discover more at tomorrowsworldtoday.com, (28:36) connect with us on social media at TWTExplore, (28:39) and find us wherever podcasts are available.