Jacob Pechenik on How He Developed a New Food System Through Lettuce Grow

Richie Van Houten is MMA coach who has been and is currently in the corner of the worlds greatest fighters including Valentina Shevchenko "The Bullet" UFC Flyweight Champion.

Richie is former Professional MMA fighter, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt ( NoGi world champ *brown belt) who now focuses on training Professional Fighters & Professional athletes in his Gym in New Jersey. He is also a fellow Ten Thousand athlete, helping you be better than yesterday. 

In todays podcast we chat about:

• What it is like to be in the corner of the #1 female UFC fighter in the world
• The cage mentality; facing your life challenge/opponent head on
• the split personality of competitiveness and how to use it to your advantage
• How to battle past your breaking point

Richie's instagram
https://www.instagram.com/richievanhouten/

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Looking to eat more plants? pick up my Chorizo and Bolognese made entirely out of real veggies

Scott O’neill spent eight years as the CEO of the Philadelphia 76’ers and the New Jersey Devils through his role as the CEO of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment. This alone is incredible, the 76’ers and the Devils were only one of the many organizations Scott directed as the CEO over those eight years. Being the CEO of an organization as established as the 76’ers is a massive achievement in and of itself. Managing multiple teams at that caliber at the same time is truly another level. Scott has moved on from that chapter of his life, becoming an author of the incredible book “Be Where Your Feet Are: Seven Principles to Keep You Present, Grounded, and Thriving.” This amazing book dives into the vulnerable methods Scott has used to find balance being the CEO of the 76’ers and the Devils, a husband, a father, mentor, coach, and leader to thrive in his life. In this episode, we specifically dive into:

• How to have and build discipline
• The power of strategic sacrifices to achieve success
• How to create balance in your life
• The importance of being where your feet are
• How to use transitory periods in your day to do more
• The importance of creating space for quality time
• How do you build a successful team? 

Team, this man is truly one of the best. He is a huge inspiration to me and I hope you receive as much value from this episode as I have. Follow Scott at the following links. Cheers legends!

• Scott’s Twitter
• Scott’s LinkedIn
• Scott’s Book: Be Where Your Feet Are

Legends, today’s guest is a beast in the food space. I am stoked to be joined by Andrew Carter, the CEO, and co-founder of Smallhold, to dive into how they have used technology to move the industry forward by improving the nutritional benefits of food while also producing food in a better way for the planet! This man is epic. His company Smallhold has created these super cool grow kits that allow you to make nutrient-dense mushrooms from the comfort of your own home!

Today we dive into:

• Why are mushrooms so good for you?
• Why do our taste preferences change over time?
• What is the best way to grow your food?
• How Andrew started Small Hold
• Why technology is essential for transforming the agricultural industry
• What are the gut health benefits of mushrooms?
• What are the benefits of eating mushrooms?
• Which mushroom is the healthiest?
• Can mushrooms be eaten daily?

Connect with Andrew and follow along with what Smallhold is doing here:

• Smallhold’s Instagram
• Andrew’s LinkedIn
• Smallhold’s Website

Legends, in today’s episode, the epic Alexandra Zatarain joins us to discuss the origin story of Eight Sleep, her company that has revolutionized what a mattress can and should be through its industry-defining technology. We dive into why sleep is so important, why some of your favorite athletes like Lewis Hamilton and Danny Green have invested in their sleep through partnering with Eight Sleep, and why we need to rethink the way we view sleep to make it a “sexier” part of our lives. 

We specifically discuss:

• Why is sleep so important?
• How can I get more sleep?
• How does temperature affect sleep?
• How does sleep affect performance?
• How many hours of sleep should I be getting per night?

If you legends want to stay up-to-date with Alexandra and Eight Sleep, head to the links below:

• Alexandra’s Twitter
• Eight Sleep’s Twitter
• Alexandra’s Instagram
• Eight Sleep’s Instagram
• Eight Sleep’s Website

Did you know that once a man hits 30, his testosterone levels begin decreasing 1-3% every year? It’s natural, and we’re here to help you find ways to change the narrative. 

Saad Alam, is the founder of Hone; an incredible business that treats men's hormone imbalances and low testosterone by providing access to at-home lab testing, physician consultations, and medication from the comfort of your home. Their mission is to help young men “get their spark back” and be the best version of themselves. The mission of Hone is directly in line with our mission here at the Epic Table: to help you improve your performance.  

In this episode we specifically discuss:

• What do hormones do to the body?
  • How can I regulate my hormones?
  • How testosterone affects the way you feel
• What causes low libido?
  • How does testosterone affect libido and performance?
  • How to become a beast in the bedroom through understanding your blood work!
  • How sleep directly improves sex drive
• What is the main function of hormones in the endocrine system?
  • How testosterone affects the sexual drive of men
  • How testosterone contributes to muscle building 
• What day-to-day activities and habits can optimize our hormone levels?
  • Meditation can have a dramatic impact on your ability to regulate your cortisol levels
  • Focus on things that make you happy to minimize the amount of stress in your life
  • GET MORE SLEEP

Legends, Saad is an absolute beast. Not only has he created a way for men and, within the near future, women to test their hormone levels through at-home testing, but he is breaking down the stigma attached to male libido levels and creating a new narrative. 

Follow along with everything Saad is doing at the following links:

• Saad’s Instagram
• Hone’s Instagram
• Hone’s Website

Also, follow along with my personal journey to improve my health by subscribing to my YouTube channel

“Mind your business, drink your water, and don’t worry about what other people are doing” - Jessamyn Stanley

Legends, have you ever felt that you don’t belong in a space, don’t love yourself enough, or need to accept yourself more? If so, then this is definitely the right podcast for you! I had the pleasure of interviewing the epic Jessamyn Stanley, an incredible yoga teacher, author, entrepreneur, and advocate. She is the co-founder of The Underbelly where she teaches amazing yoga classes and sells incredible products. She is also the author of several books including her new book Yoke and Every Body Yoga. 

In this episode, we discuss what specific actions we all can take in our daily lives to ensure we are making decisions that are good for us and what we want as opposed to what other people want us to do. We specifically dive into:

• How to handle food judgment
• How to accept your body
• How to manage your feelings in a beneficial way
• How to create positive habits

I truly loved this interview. Connect with Jessamyn and get on board with what she is doing at the following links:

• Jessamyn’s Instagram
• Jessamyn’s Website
• Jessamyn’s Books
• The Underbelly

Team, I am stoked to bring you today’s episode with the incredibly smart Jacob Pechenik. This absolute legend is the founder of Lettuce Grow, a company creating “Farm Stands” which are small hydroponic micro-farms that allow you to grow your own pre-sprouted plants that are ready to harvest, fresh, within three weeks. This company is truly amazing. Not only are they giving their consumers the power to produce at least 20% of their own food while using 95% less water. They are pesticide-free, non-GMO, use recyclable eco-conscious packaging, and do a host of other amazing things. If you are interested in entrepreneurship, sustainability, and or the agricultural industry, this is definitely the episode for you. 

Funny enough, too many it may seem like Jacob started Lettuce Grow out of nowhere. His story is actually quite incredible. Jacob attended MIT with no idea what he wanted to study. As he was undecided on his career trajectory, he chose the hardest major at the school, chemical engineering, and did it, graduating with a perfect GPA. I don’t know about you legends but to me, that’s pretty impressive. After graduating, he started a couple of companies in the finance and tech space, ended up becoming a film producer having helped produce over 30 films in his career, and then decided to drop all of that and get into the agricultural space in a unique way. 

After leaving the film industry, Jacob co-created the Farm Project and eventually built Lettuce Grow to help consumers develop a new food system. At this point, Lettuce Grow has over 1.6 million square feet of farmland across all of their individual consumer farm stands, which are truly improving the health of people and the planet.

In today’s episode we specifically discuss:

• How do I start a food selling business?
  • Focus on the experience, flavor, and impact. By dialing these factors in, you can make a competitive product.
• How can a business be sustainable?
  • You have to address all aspects of your business from ideation, design, production, function, distribution, and end of life. Lettuce Grow focuses on this.
• How can a farm be environmentally sustainable?
  • Lettuce Grow provides individuals with fresh produce that is better for them and for the planet. It requires 95% less water, eliminates trips to the grocery store thereby reducing co2 emissions, and has a host of other benefits.  

If you want to stay up to date with Jacob and Lettuce Grow, head to the following links:

• Jacob’s Instagram
• Lettuce Grow’s Instagram
• Lettuce Grow’s Website

Jordan Syatt shares this piece of gold in today’s episode from working with Gary Vee: “Someone else's B is better than your F” 

Team! Today’s episode is epic. I had the pleasure of having Jordan Syatt on the show who is a strength and nutrition coach, training people like Gary Vee and an amazing entrepreneur being the owner of his own brand Syatt Fitness. Jordan launched his website, in 2011 while in college and provided value free of charge for two years through weekly articles as he strictly wanted to help legends improve their lives. Naturally, he began building an audience and acquired a couple of epic clients. Through his passion for helping people improve their lives and his determination to make daily content without seeing a profit, he built a business. A huge topic we discuss today is how to build a business through consistency, adding value, and authenticity, and how to do it by using social media. A primary point of discussion today is how important it is to higher people to help you grow your brand and how to choose the right person to hire. We also discuss if affiliate marketing is a good route to take to grow your business and how to use email marketing and social media to maximize growth and sales. Jordan is an expert at SEO marketing for websites and YouTube and has loads of essential takeaways to provide. 

In today’s episode we specifically discuss:

• How can social media be used to build brands
• How do you introduce your brand on social media
• How do you find good people to hire 
• How do I hire the right person for the job
• What is SEO marketing
• What is SEO is simple terms
• What is email marketing and example

These questions are answered by Jordan who has been working with Gary Vee for years and who has built his own social following to well over 1 Million across his platforms. I learned so much in today’s episode and hope you all can walk away from it with a greater breadth of knowledge and practical understanding. 

Connect with Jordan at the following links:

• Jordan’s Website
• Jordan’s Instagram
• Jordan’s YouTube

Have you ever wondered how to build a successful brand in the food and wellness space? 

Team, today I sat down with Steven Flynn who, along with his twin brother Dave Flynn, founded The Happy Pear which is now a social platform with an incredible online course, multiple epic best-selling books, products, an incredible social following, a podcast hosting some of the most incredible guests, and a baller set of cafes. These guys are true legends. In today’s episode, we talk about how Steven Flynn and his brother Dave found their passion for food and eventually started The Happy Pear. Since their humble beginnings in 2004, they have built an incredible brand that is pushing the limits on what a vegan restaurant and food platform can truly do. We specifically discuss:

The origin of the Happy Pear:

• How Steven and David Flynn built their brand the Happy Pear
• How they created their brand through authentic community building
• How they used Twitter to launch their social following
• How long does it take to build a social media following?

We address some frequently asked questions such as:

• How did the Happy Pear start?
• Are the Happy Pear guys twins?
• Where do the Happy Pear live?

How the guys have built an extremely authentic and successful brand:

• How can social media be used to build brands?
• How do you introduce your brand on social media?
• How do I build myself as a brand?

The secret to publishing a successful cookbook:

• How the Happy Pear wrote and published their best-selling cookbooks

I am truly inspired by Steven and everything he and his brother Dave are doing. The Happy Pear is such an authentic brand driving true social and environmental good. Their new book The Veg Box is coming out June 6th. Stay up to date with the guys at the following links:

• The Happy Pear’s Website
• The Happy Pear’s Instagram
• The Happy Pear’s YouTube
• The Happy Pear’s Twitter

Legends! Today’s episode is particularly interesting and relevant. I had the pleasure of talking with Dr. Doni Wilson who is a naturopathic doctor, a clinical nutritionist, a best-selling author of The Stress Remedy, and now she is the author of her new book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health. Dr. Doni specializes in the field of stress and building our bodies to properly manage and optimize stress levels. From observing women in labor and giving birth, she realized that a certain amount of cortisol and adrenaline (stress) is needed to successfully give birth. This caused Dr. Doni to understand that all stress isn’t bad, and what we need to do is learn how to give the necessary support to individuals in high-stress situations to achieve the optimum cortisol and adrenaline levels. An amazing thing we talk about is how our bio-individuality and unique stressors change the way we can manage stress and become resilient to it. In today’s episode we specifically discuss:

We discuss cortisol, what it does, and healthy levels

• Is it good to have cortisol?
• What are the symptoms of high cortisol levels?
• What are the symptoms of low cortisol levels?
• Is cortisol the same as adrenaline? 
• What should my cortisol level be?
• What do cortisol levels indicate?

We also discuss adrenaline, its impact, and healthy levels

• What type of hormone is adrenaline? 
• What is stress?
• What causes stress?

We discuss the relationship between exercise and stress

• Why does exercise reduce stress?
• How does exercise affect cortisol levels?
• Can exercise cause high cortisol levels?

I find this topic of stress management so interesting as it relates to essentially every aspect of our lives. Whether it’s work, relationships, or reflecting upon yourself, stress is a present and necessary feeling. The problem arises when we don’t know how to properly manage stress. If you want to learn more about how to manage stress and improve your life, connect with Dr. Doni at the following links:

• Dr. Doni’s Website
• Dr. Doni’s Instagram
• Read her new book Master Your Stress Reset Your Health

ALSO, go pre-order Dr. Bulsiewicz’s new book The Fiber Fueled Cook Book Now!