There was chaos. There were tears. There were late nights and early mornings. Most importantly, there was teamwork, dedication, and growth. This is how we Sow Good's team spent Easter/Passover weekend, preparing our largest order yet.  Returning to the mic is Sow Good's Co-Founder and CEO, Claudia Goldfarb, diving into the last few weeks of highs and lows, mistakes made, and how proud she is of the team (from accounting to graphics and beyond!) coming together. Claudia discusses how she is learning to be a better manager to her employees and the growing pains of scaling a start-up. Story Bites: Recharge: The team is tired (Claudia is wearing a baseball cap this episode), but we want to be authentic and show you the REAL sides of a start-up. (2:00) Know How to Run Your Floor: This weekend, everyone became a production employee. Claudia notes the importance of knowing how to run every position in your production line. (5:57) Open the Floodgates: Expo West launched Sow Good into production mode. (7:25) Young Entrepreneurs: Claudia is inspired by the next generation of entrepreneurs at Expo West. (10:46) What's Next? Expanding to Canada! Lexie heads to a tradeshow in Vancouver (spoiler: it was a success!) (14:38) Making Mistakes: Claudia reflects on how to empower and guide employees and managing without micromanaging. (19:25) A Toast to Mistakes and Growth: Hold yourself accountable, learn, then move on! (26:00) Watch this episode on YouTube! Do you or some you know have a good story to share on the show? Contact us at [email protected]! Shop our Goods: https://thisissowgood.com/

As his late wife's caretaker during her battle with cancer, finding nutritious food was Tak's daily stressor. Not wanting to give her hospital food or leave her side to cook, Tak felt helpless. After years of researching nutrition and meeting with doctors, experts, and food suppliers, Tak has built Teatis, the budding one-stop-shop for diabetics and medically vulnerable communities. Teatis is a snack subscription box offering convenient and delicious diabetic-friendly foods.    Story Bites: What is Teatis? How being a caretaker inspired him to make nutrition convenient for medically vulnerable communities. (2:00)   No Slowing Down: After selling his tech company, Tak searched for a meaningful next venture. (6:00)   The Beginning of Teatis: Seaweed superfood tea. Stay with us on this one; the science is cool. (8:15)   PIVOT: From superfood teas to subscription boxes plus telehealth services, Tak stays genuine and avoids the pitfall of adding too many features quickly. (10:40)   "Curiosity is the secret sauce to a better life": Tak's curiosity, instilled in him by his dad who was a scientist; gave Tak a unique business mindset. (18:05) Japanese vs American Business Cultures: Tak discusses the differences in business cultures,  markets, and competition between Japan and the US. (19:45) A Toast: Tak toasts to surrounding yourself with positive influences; curiosity; and helping others live healthier lives. (28:00) Ready for yummy snacks? Order your Teatis box here. Do you or some you know have a good story to share on the show? Contact us at [email protected]!  Shop our Goods: https://thisissowgood.com/

Jacob Johnson built Calyan Wax Co., a candle company that has donated over $210,000 to Traffick911’s programs that have helped over 700 human trafficking survivors heal and rebuild their lives. How? 5% of all candle sales are donated to Traffick911, a foundation that first responders can call 24/7 to aid victims in emergency situations then pair with Traffick911’s advocates to mentor the survivors through their healing process. Jacob’s goal was to create a simple way for people to help human trafficking survivors. Through steps as small as buying a candle, we have the power to make powerful changes. Jacob shares how he built Calyan, staying competitive in a saturated field, and how his past business ventures may not have worked out exactly as planned, but they were stepping stones to the one venture that (in our unbiased opinion) is sure to last. Story Bites: Meet Calyan Wax Co.! (1:01) Half the Battle is Learning How to Help: Jacob always had a desire to help others but didn’t always know how to practically help. Such as selling t-shirts to fund stable police forces in the Congo—Jacob quickly realized this was a difficult project for a college student. We walk through his philanthropic and entrepreneurial evolution and inspiration behind Calyan. (6:02) Why Soy? 100% soy wax is clean-burning, sustainable, fragrant, and better for you—releasing less soot and fumes when burning. (17:37) The Starburst Side Hustle: Jacob began from humble beginnings, as in selling Starbursts as his side hustle on the school bus. (20:02) Sex Trafficking Misconceptions: Human trafficking is complex, beyond what we’ve seen on “Taken”. Lexie and Jacob walk through misconceptions and parallels between trafficking and other coercive practices such as cult indoctrination. (20:59) From Mom’s House to Warehouse: Jacob’s saint of a mom offered her house as Calyan’s candle-making HQ for 2 years until they grew and found an official warehouse. (27:36) Calyan Shouldn’t Be Working, But It Is: Jacob explains why this venture is working when all his others have not. (31:06) A Toast to Jacob and Calyan: Jacob’s humility, faith, dedication, and passion for others’ wellbeing are inspiringly interwoven in Calyan’s DNA and serve as a lesson to all of us. (33:24) Shop Calyan's candles here. Learn about Traffick911’s work here. Do you or some you know have a good story to share on the show? Contact us at [email protected]! Good Stories on Youtube thisissowgood.com

Climate change education. What was your reaction to that phrase? If it's negative, that's what Blake Blaze and Addie Klimek are dedicated to changing through WOULRD (Our World), an online education platform that makes learning about the environment and tracking your carbon footprint fun and engaging. For Blake, life experiences from being the oldest brother of 5, captain of all his sports teams, not passing Navy Seal Hell Week and serving as a Cryptological Warfare Officer, shaped him into the leader and team-player he is today. Addie was 16 when she co-founded a non-profit that bridged the gap between middle school and recently relocated refugee girls in Cleveland through outdoor adventures. Addie heard a lot of "No"s from adults, but that perseverance and determination to make a positive change helped shape her into becoming WOURLD's co-founder. STORY BITES: • Meet Blake! (1:20) • The Blaze Boys: How being the eldest of 5 brothers and having a competitive edge shaped Blake as a leader. (3:31) • Joining the Navy: Blake says being a Cryptologic Warfare Officer isn't as cool as it sounds but we find that hard to believe. (5:59) • Navy Seal Hell Week: After not making it through Hell Week, Blake reevaluated his idea of success, wellness, and strength. (8:38) • The beginning of Our World: Blake wrote a children's book but "realized I wasn't the second coming of Dr. Seuss." After meeting Addie, they developed WOURLD. (11:58) • Meet Addie! (15:53) • How Addie fell in love with nature. (16:15) • Founding REACH: Uniting middle school girls and refugee girls through outdoor adventures, overcoming cultural and language barriers, and founding the non-profit as a 16-year-old. (17:34) • Let's make sustainability fun: creating a positive, solutions-forward curriculum (26:26) • Blake & Addie (28:02) • When Blake met Addie (28:00) • The future or Our World: What Blake and Addie have in store for making climate change education fun, engaging, and just a little competitive. (30:07) • Shifting our perspective from doom-and-gloom to hopeful. (31:40) • A Toast to Teammates: Creating change together is more powerful than doing it alone. (32:25) Ready to change Our World? Game on. Follow the journey: @itswourld Do you or some you know have a good story to share on the show? Contact us at [email protected]! Good Stories on Youtube https://thisissowgood.com/ thisissowgood.com

In Anthony Peniston’s own words, he is NOT a wildlife whisperer, just a regular guy who wants to protect wildlife. Yes, just a regular guy — who has dedicated his life to rescuing and often risking his life for animals most people fear… lions, cheetahs, leopards, and wolves, to name a few. Lexie and Ava spent two highly intense, eye-opening months at Ant’s lion rescue and rehabilitation reserve in All Days, South Africa. The stories they heard and experienced were too wild (cue pun ping) and enlightening to not share on Good Stories. Ant is the epitome of a person who sows goodness in his community, from opening his own school when his daughter was criticized for being mixed race, rehabilitating lions from the brink of starvation, living with cheetahs in the bush, and finding ways humans and wildlife, and humans with vastly different cultures and views, can coexist. STORY BITES: THE SISTERS' DEBRIEF (0:17) The sisters set the scene with stories of close calls when feeding the lions, life on the reserve, and the darkest day of seeing one of the lions die. THE MAIN EVENT: ANT PENISTON (21:24 — End) Origin Story: How reading wildlife books helped his battle with dyslexia Living with Cheetahs: training cheetahs he rescued to be self-sufficient in the bush Wildlife-Human Conflict: Working with a divided community toward coexistence Mixed-Race Couple: Why Emma and Ant built a school for their kids Vision Africa’s future plans… Netflix series? Step aside Tiger King A Toast to Hopeless Optimists: don’t let the big problem stop you from solving the small one Ready for your epic wildlife experience? Book you adventure here Follow Ant’s journey here Do you or some you know have a good story to share on the show? Contact us at [email protected]! Good Stories on Youtube thisissowgood.com

At 19 years old, Coss Marte made over $2 million as a drug dealer. At 23, he was charged as the kingpin of one of the largest cocaine operations in New York City. Now, he is the founder of CONBODY, a prison-style fitness studio taught by former convicts reintegrating into society. Coss’s story is an inspiring testament to a person’s ability to change and the power of second chances. When Coss was sentenced to 7 years in prison, his doctor told him that he had 5 years to live due to his unhealthy weight—that math didn’t work in his favor. He developed workout routines within his 9x6 cell, lost weight, then helped other inmates do the same. At Coss’s bleakest point in prison that landed him in solitary confinement, one moment changed his life, prompting him to make what is sometimes the most difficult decision we face: choosing a better path. Story Bites: New York, New York: Growing up poor in the Lower East Side in the 80's surrounded by drugs and crime. (1:46) Side Hustles to Selling Drugs: From innocent side hustles as a kid to selling weed at 13 and spiraling to cocaine-dealing. (8:42) A Deadly Sentence: Realizing he might die behind bars, Coss became dedicated to exercising… despite the “Fat Forrest” taunts. (14:16) Fork in The Road: While in solitary confinement, one moment opened Coss's eyes to the harm he'd caused and trade drug dealing for helping others. (17:00) CONBODY: Creating a business plan in his cell and the obstacles Coss overcame to accomplish his mission. (23:55) Advice to My Younger Self: What Coss would say to his younger self and lessons he's learned about the capacity to change. (24:35) Toast to the Moral of Coss’s Story: Stay open-minded, never discount another person, and believe in second chances. (30:07) DO THE TIME and book a class now: conbody.com Follow CONBODY on social: @conbody Do you or some you know have a good story to share on the show? Contact us at [email protected]! Good Stories on Youtube https://thisissowgood.com/

Settle down for story #2 with Ira Goldfarb. Ira’s experience as a child of Holocaust survivors who built a meaningful, warm life and watching his father grow a successful business inspired him to become an entrepreneur with both drive and compassion, creating opportunities for employees who made better lives for themselves and became family. To Ira, Sow Good is a chance to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs and continue the entrepreneurial spirit passed down from his father. Story Bites: Growing Up: Life in New York, middle school side hustles, and how Ira’s aptitude for math influenced his trajectory as an entrepreneur. (00:46) Life Influences: How being raised in a community of Holocaust survivors and immigrants shaped Ira’s work ethic, empathy, story-telling, and family values. (5:55) A Manufacturer’s Guide to Success: Efficiency, Excellence, and Redefining Excellence. (20:00) Flying the Coop: Leaving the family business to build his own companies. (24:50) Entrepreneurial Spirit: Spotting talent, giving opportunities, and passing down lessons to the next generation of entrepreneurs. (30:06) Success: What does it look like to Ira now? How ideas of success change, but values stay steadfast. (34:56) Building a Team: Going public and how Claudia and Ira established their positions and balance each other’s strengths and weaknesses. (38:23) Staying Relevant: Pivoting, leaning into change, and including the newer generations. (41.52) Advice For Your 20s: Balancing family, friends, work goals, and giving to others. (43:17) Toast to the Moral of Ira’s Story: If you’re going to do something, do your absolute best. Then success, however you define it, will come because you’ve become the best version of yourself. (45:52) Do you or some you know have a good story to share on the show? Contact us at [email protected]! Good Stories on Youtube thisissowgood.com

Welcome to our first story! Claudia Goldfarb walks us through her journey from being a single mom working as a retail cashier to becoming the CEO and Co-Founder of Sow Good. Story Bites: Why would a family start a snack company during the height of the pandemic? 6:02 Pivoting from the pet food industry to the good-for-you snack space. 16:50 Cutting through the noise of a highly saturated and competitive space with innovative products, adapting to customers’ needs, and staying true to your mission (Sow Good’s: to revolutionize the snack industry). 24:44 It’s almost unheard of for a start-up to go public in its first few months. Claudia walks us through how Sow Good accomplished this, her initial fears and misconceptions, and gratitude for gaining a Board filled with experienced and powerhouse mentors. 28:40 We end with Claudia’s beginning: immigrating to America from Mexico with her parents and how being a single mother gave her the hunger to build a better life for her daughters, Lexie and Ava, and shaped her as a businesswoman. 40:08 Lastly, we toast to the moral of Claudia’s story: be a mentor to others whenever you can. You never know just how much it could change someone’s life. 57:25 Do you or some you know have a good story to share on the show? Contact us at [email protected]! Good Stories on Youtube thisissowgood.com

Hello and welcome to Good Stories! A podcast presented by Sow Good, the snack company that our family founded during the pandemic when jobs and shelf-stable, healthy snacks were needed most. We are SOW excited to bring you into our start-up world! We will share the stories of people who have inspired us, to inspire you to sow goodness in your health, communities, and environment. We bring the knowledge and lessons learned from guests in all fields health and wellness, sustainability, and, of course, entrepreneurship. You’ll also hear the stories of our founders, employees, and mentors to give you a deeper look into what it takes to build a start-up. As any good story does, you will be taken on an emotional rollercoaster by our guests: expect to laugh, cry, and be inspired to take a small action today to change your world for the better. Because as small an act as the food you buy and stories you share can make a positive impact. So tune in every first and third Monday of the month for some good stories and help us sow goodness one snack, sip, and story at a time! Do you or some you know have a good story to share on the show? Contact us at [email protected]!