Take Out With Ashley and Robyn

Eric is a serial entrepreneur who has started, led, and advised organizations pursuing social change across the country and around the globe. As founder of Arabella Advisors, Eric has been at the forefront of innovation and impact in the philanthropic sector during one of its greatest historical expansions. While guiding Arabella from a small startup to a company with more than 160 employees that advises on several billion dollars of philanthropic resources annually, Eric has focused on helping clients achieve their philanthropic goals by devising grant-making strategies, mounting effective advocacy campaigns, evaluating impact, and managing their foundation’s operations. In addition to serving a broad range of family, institutional, and corporate clients, Eric leads the firm’s work with clients who are working to improve our food system through policies and business investments that promote nutritious, sustainable, and affordable food. Eric’s interest in the food sector extends well beyond his work at Arabella. He chairs the committee at the James Beard Foundation that oversees efforts to engage the culinary community in advocacy on food policy, and he created the foundation’s Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change. Eric also co-founded the Chef Action Network and has a personal private equity portfolio invested in businesses at the forefront of improving our food system. And, he proudly serves as an appointed member of Washington, DC’s Food Policy Council. In addition to his work at Arabella, Eric founded and serves as chairman of the New Venture Fund, a nonprofit that incubates new social sector innovations, and co-founded the Center for Disaster Philanthropy. Earlier in his career, Eric served as the national field director for the League of Conservation Voters. Then, as a White House appointee, he helped manage conservation issues during the Clinton administration. Before that, Eric spent six years with the National Democratic Institute, which sent him to the former Soviet Union, Southeast Asia, and throughout the Middle East to train civic and political leaders on strategies to encourage democratic change. Eric is on the boards of Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the James Beard Foundation. He is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization and Summit Series. He also serves as a trustee of his own family’s foundation, which holds assets generated by the sale of a fifth-generation family-owned business. Eric holds an Executive MBA from Georgetown University and a BA from the University of Colorado.

Jonathan R Latham, PhD is co-founder and Executive Director of the Bioscience Resource Project and the Editor of Independent Science News. Dr. Latham holds a Masters degree in Crop Genetics and a PhD in Virology. He was subsequently a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Genetics, University of Wisconsin, Madison. He has published scientific papers in disciplines as diverse as plant ecology, plant virology, genetics and toxicology. Dr Latham is also the Director of the Poison Papers project which publicizes documents of the chemical industry and its regulators.

THROUGH HIS BEST-SELLING books, television programs, products, and syndicated column, environmental lifestyle expert Danny Seo shares the creative ideas that have made him America’s leading authority on modern, eco-friendly living. Born on Earth Day in 1977, Danny has championed the natural biodiversity of our planet from a very young age. On his 12th birthday, he founded the organization Earth 2000 with just a few friends and $23. By his 18th birthday, he had transformed the grassroots organization into the country’s largest teenage activist charity, spearheading worldwide campaigns on behalf of the environment. Today, Danny is founder and CEO of Danny Seo Media Ventures, a multimedia lifestyle company that marries style and sustainability across a whole host of media and merchandising products. The Danny Seo portfolio includes a line of home products sold at over 4,000 stores like TJ Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods; a syndicated column called “Do Just One Thing” appearing in hundreds of newspapers everyday; Danny Seo Philosophy organic wines; Danny Seo Reserve Beauty, a collection of fine fragrances and bath products sold on HSN; and more than nine bestselling books covering decorating, entertaining, crafts and more. Danny is also a national spokesperson and partner with Wilsonart, an American-made manufacturer of eco-friendly laminate surfaces and is a brand ambassador with the Ford Motor Company.

Mike Weeks is a coach, trainer and speaker who specialises in peak performance coaching for people in high-pressure workplaces and environments. Mike has designed and delivered training for leadership, personal effectiveness, advanced communication, developing creativity, well being, resilience, modelling excellence and performance under pressure. For fourteen years Mike has worked with individuals and organisations to develop excellence in their chosen fields, including on TV, where his coaching successes have been viewed in 148 countries. In the therapeutic fields he has provided interventions for people with performance anxiety, burn-out, depression, fear, anxiety, phobias, stress, procrastination, relationship and parenting issues and many hundreds of cases of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Mike regularly coaches peak-performers in extreme sports, business, frontline services, arts and technology, alongside anyone who is genuinely committed to achieving their fullest potential.

Ashley Koff RD is your better health enabler. Koff knows firsthand that better nutrition powers better health. Over two decades as a dietitian, Koff developed better nutrition tools to help her patients and their practitioners get results. Today as CEO of The Better Nutrition Program, Koff makes those tools available online as part of The Better Nutrition Membership and during her "Build Your Better Nutrition Plan" workshops for groups (book clubs, schools, organizations and businesses). A practitioner first, Koff is an award-winning nutrition expert, author, speaker, consultant, spokesperson and advocate. She regularly shares her better nutrition message with millions via national media, social media and co-hosts the podcast “Take Out with Ashley and Robyn." For more about Ashley or to get the Better Nutrition tools visit www.AshleyKoffApproved.com A former financial and food industry analyst, Robyn O’Brien triggered an allergic reaction in the food industry when she asked: “Are we allergic to food or what’s been done to it?”She has been called “food’s Erin Brockovich” by Bloomberg and the New York Times. From a conservativeTexas family, Robyn earned an MBA on a full scholarship, graduating as the top woman in her class before going to work as a financial analyst that covered the food industry. For over a decade, she has helped lead a food awakening among consumers, corporations and political leaders. Armed with data and analytics, food companies and policy makers respond to Robyn’s work. Robyn highlights the actions needed at the local, national and global levels to secure a smarter food system. She has presented to multinational corporations like Bloomberg, Compass Food Group, Chipotle, Nestle, Target and others. Robyn has also worked with and advised grocery stores, farming associations and startups in the food industry. She sheds light on how the changing landscape of food and health are impacting the food industry and our economy. While working as an equity analyst, she was specifically assigned to cover the food industry where she had the opportunity to meet with the management teams from Kroger, Costco, Whole Foods and other companies on a regular basis. She also met with Goldman Sachs’ Henry Paulson, Ebay’s Meg Whitman and Martha Stewart as they were taking their companies public. https://robynobrien.com/

Carlotta Mast is a recognized expert in the natural products and health and wellness arena. As senior director of content and insights at New Hope Natural Media, Carlotta oversees Natural Foods Merchandiser, newhope360.com, Functional Ingredients, Nutrition Business Journal and New Hope's consumer content portfolio. She also is the content director for the NEXT Natural Products Accelerator, a digital platform designed to help entrepreneurs launch and grow their natural products businesses. In addition, Carlotta engages in New Hope's multi-partner research and was the lead author of NEXT: The Natural Products Industry Forecast. Prior to this role, Carlotta was the editorial director for Nutrition Business Journal, the leading market research and business journal for today's nutrition and natural products industry executives. Carlotta is a frequent speaker at industry events and conferences, including the NBJ Summit, Natural Products Expo West and East, the NutriCosmetic Summit, SupplySide West and Nutrition Capital Network. She has been interviewed about natural products industry trends, regulatory issues and market performance by numerous media outlets, including The New York Times, Cosmopolitan, NPR, ABC News and others. Carlotta also appears in the 2013 BBC documentary The Men Who Made Us Thin. A paleo enthusiast, Carlotta is co-founder of Wholly Bites, maker of organic, nutrient-packed, grain-free snacks. Carlotta earned her bachelor of science degree in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

Steve Young (Strategy & Operations Advisor) provides growth expertise to portfolio companies in functional areas such as strategy, marketing, sales, innovation, and operations. Steve has 20 years of experience with General Mills, most recently responsible for the Annie’s acquisition and business performance, and leading General Mills’ broader $700+ million portfolio of natural/organic businesses. Steve has held U.S. and global management positions at the officer level within General Mills, on diverse categories ranging from yogurt, cereal, baking, meals, and better-for-your snacks. We partner with good people to build great brands. Sunrise Strategic Partners provides growth capital and expertise to emerging brands in the healthy, active and sustainable living space. We team up with founders to add strategic value, share guidance on tactical priorities and leverage our industry relationships to maximize potential. The team at Sunrise has been growing businesses for over 30 years and has deep experience with the unique challenges and decisions that growing brands face. We partner with passionate founders who are ready to take their business to the next level, because we know scaling your brand can be a challenging journey. We know because we've been there. The tide is turning in the consumer package goods industry and the current climate favors breakout opportunities for the next generation brands. Today's consumers - driven by the millennial generation - are focused on authenticity and are more willing than ever to try new brands that resonate with core values.  Our team is well versed in these changing dynamics and has the experience to capitalize on this new landscape to drive up and coming brands to the next level.

Arran Stephens, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Nature’s Path Foods Inc. Entrepreneur, artist, writer, ecology advocate, gardener, volunteer and meditation practitioner, Arran Stephens has passionately followed the beat of a distant drummer for seven decades. Born and raised on his family’s farm on Vancouver Island, Arran learned a valuable lesson from his dad: “Always leave the soil better than you found it.” Leaving the Earth better became Arran’s driving ethos – from opening a successful vegetarian restaurant in 1967 to providing wholesome food in what was then a real food desert by creating Lifestream, Canada’s first natural foods supermarket (1971-1981). Arran and Ratana, his wife and partner of 45 years, share a profound commitment to organic agriculture, people and health. Together, from humble roots, they established Nature’s Path Foods in 1985, built on a foundation of social responsibility, sustainability and financial viability. Overcoming the odds, Nature’s Path has blossomed to become North America’s largest organic breakfast foods company with plant operations in Delta BC, Blaine, WA and Sussex WI. In 2012 Arran welcomed Que Pasa Mexican Foods and their delicious stone-ground, organic tortilla chips and salsas into the Nature’s Path family. Despite an age of consolidation and sell-outs, Nature’s Path remains proudly independent, with the next generation of son, daughter and other team leaders in place and to carry on the founders’ passion and mission. "No part of Nature's Path is for sale," is a frequent mantra. Arran served on the Organic Trade Association board during the development of the USDA Organic Rule, was a founding member of the Non-GMO Project and has been an avid supporter of federal and state-level mandatory GMO labeling initiatives. He has been a recipient of many industry awards and accolades including Ernst & Young’s 2002 Entrepreneur of the Year, the Schumacher Sustainability Award, the OTA 2013 Organic Leadership Award for Growing the Organic industry, in addition to being inducted into the New Hope and CHFA Halls of Legends. When not digging in his large organic garden, or the office, Arran lives to educate and bring about positive change through the written word. Published works include Journey to the Luminous (Elton-Wolf, 1999), Moth & the Flame and The Compassionate Diet—How What You Eat Can Change Your Life and Save the Planet, (Rodale Books, 2011).

Pamela Salzman is a Los Angeles-based natural foods cooking instructor and certified holistic health counselor. She teaches private, healthful cooking classes throughout Los Angeles and the South Bay. Pamela’s much-anticipated debut cookbook, Kitchen Matters, was released on June 13th, 2017 through Da Capo, an imprint of Hachette. Both practical and elegant, Kitchen Matters answers the most common questions heard in Pamela’s classes, weekly meal plans, tips on how to create a balanced meal, how to prep ahead, and how to make substitutions for the most common allergens and dietary restrictions.   It is the ease with which Pamela approaches food and nutrition that has established such a dedicated following. Her business grew organically, and within a very short amount of time, she was teaching private cooking classes 5-days per week. She inspires her clients, who range from stay at home moms to A-list actresses and fashion designers, to get back in the kitchen and cook real food. "Isn't she amazing?" raves Pamela’s regular client, designer Jenni Kayne. "I couldn't boil water, and now I regularly make dinner." Pamela is also skilled at substitutions, making healthier swaps and elevating traditional recipes to another level. With every dish, she encourages her clients to take steps toward a more whole-foods based diet, with conscious thoughts to its impact on the environment.    Pamela found her calling after volunteering as a nutrition docent in an elementary school for the nonprofit organization Growing Great. She recognized a huge problem in our society and wanted to help people grasp the importance of proper nutrition and eating REAL food. She was asked to teach a healthy cooking class for a group of young mothers, and from that first day her message and mission were clear: Eat Well. Live Well. Be Well. Pamela’s love of food began at an early age, and as a child she delighted in working in the family vegetable garden with her father and cooking with her mother. Although the food she grew up with was never fancy, it was always real, wholesome and nourishing. Her large Italian-American family frequently gathered together for simple meals – with long tables of bowls and platters piled high, complete with plenty of laughter and conversation to go around.   In addition to teaching classes, Pamela also authors a successful food blog, where she shares her favorite recipes and offers practical kitchen advice and tips on healthy living. She has appeared on “The Today Show,” Hallmark’s “Home & Family,” and “KTLA” multiple times. Pamela is a recipe developer for Clean Eating and contributes recipes and videos regularly for The Chalkboard Mag, Rip+Tan and HowYouGlow. In addition, Pamela has been featured in Elle, Allure, Vogue.com and C Magazine, amongst others. She resides in Manhattan Beach with her husband and 3 children.

Bill Shore is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Share Our Strength, a national nonprofit that is ending childhood hunger in America through the No Kid Hungry campaign. Bill founded Share Our Strength in 1984 with his sister Debbie Shore and a $2,000 cash advance on a credit card. Since then, Share Our Strength has raised and invested more than $600 million in the fight against hunger, and has won the support of national leaders in business, government, health and education, sports and entertainment.  Our track record includes connecting 3 million more kids with school breakfast, adding 40,000 new summer meals sites to feed kids when school is out and continuing to be a strategic grant maker helping kids and their families in all 50 states.   Bill is also the chairman of Community Wealth Partners, a Share Our Strength organization that helps change agents solve social problems at the magnitude they exist. From 2014 to 2015, Bill served as a Congressional appointee to the National Commission on Hunger, a group tasked with finding innovative ways to end hunger in America. From 1978 to 1987, Bill served on the senatorial and presidential campaign staffs of former U.S. Senator Gary Hart (D-Colorado). From 1988 to 1991, he served as Chief of Staff for former U.S. Senator Robert Kerrey (D-Nebraska).  Bill is the author of four books focused on social change, including “Revolution of the Heart” (Riverhead Press, 1995), “The Cathedral Within” (Random House, 1999), “The Light of Conscience” (Random House, 2004) and most recently, “The Imaginations of Unreasonable Men” (PublicAffairs, 2010).  A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., Bill earned a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Pennsylvania and his law degree from George Washington University in Washington, DC. He has been an adjunct professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business and an advisor for the Reynolds Foundation Fellowship program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. From 2001 to 2011, he served as a director of The Timberland Company.  Bill was named one of America’s Best Leaders in 2005 by US News & World Report. In 2011, the Jefferson Awards Foundation presented Bill with the S. Roger Horchow Award for Greatest Public Service.

Frances Fisher began by apprenticing at the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia. She spent 14 years based in New York City, playing leads in over 30 productions of plays by such noted writers as John Arden, Noël Coward, Emily Mann, Joe Orton, Sam Shepard, William Shakespeare, Jean Claude Van Italie, Eudora Welty and Tennessee Williams. She won a Drama Logue Award - Best Ensemble for the American Premier of Caryl Churchill's "Three More Sleepless Nights", played in the American premier of Judith Thompson's "The Crackwalker" and originated roles in Elia Kazan's "The Chain" and Arthur Miller's last play "Finishing the Picture". Besides working with Kazan and Miller, some of Ms. Fisher's more interesting theater experiences were creating roles from two great works of literature: George Orwell's "1984" and Victor Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". Ms. Fisher worked at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles alongside Annette Bening and Alfred Molina in Anton Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard". Fisher starred in "Sexy Laundry" with Paul Ben-Victor at the Hayworth Theatre in Los Angeles. She studied with Stella Adler and became a lifetime member of the Actors Studio by actually "walking up the stairs" and auditioning for legendary acting teacher Lee Strasberg. Ms. Fisher recently completed The Host (2013), Love on the Run (2016), Red Wing (2013) and will work with Catherine Hardwicke in her new film Plush (2013) in August 2012. Ms. Fisher was honored for a Lifetime Achievement Award 2011 in her old hometown of the Pacific Palisades, California.

Haile Thomas is 16 years old, a homeschooled 11th grader, youth health activist, motivational speaker, teen vegan chef, and the youngest certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Haile is also the founder and executive director of the HAPPY Organization established in 2012 in Tucson, AZ, now based in New Windsor, NY. HAPPY (Healthy Active Positive Purposeful Youth) was established to address the need for free and/or low cost nutrition and culinary education for young people in underserved/at-risk communities. At 10 years old, after successfully helping to reverse her father's Type-2 Diabetes through healthy eating & other lifestyle changes, Haile began her journey to engage, educate, and inspire youth and families to embrace healthy habits. Her experience in the health food movement includes personally engaging over 7000 young people in schools, summer camps, community events, and through HAPPY's youth programs and special events, as well as through her appearances at major health and wellness conferences across the country. BIO Haile has served on several advisory boards, including the Canyon Ranch Institute Life Enhancement Program, Chop Chop Magazine, and the Hip Hop Public Health Organization. She is also served for 3 years on the Clinton Foundation's Alliance for a Healthier Generation Youth Advisory Board.   Haile is one of the first 8 young chefs featured on season one of Rachael vs. Guy Kids-Cook-Off, and also on Cupcake Wars Kids both airing on Food Network. She also worked for two years as the Jr. Chef Advisor for Hyatt Hotel’s “For Kids - By Kids” Menu, with her kids menu recipes served at all Hyatt Resorts in North America and the Caribbean, and most recently as a Nutrition Science Assistant with Canyon Ranch Institute.  She currently hosts the "Plant-Powered Haile" Cooking Series on YouTube where she shares delicious and nutritious plant-based recipes that everyone can enjoy!   Haile has been featured on the Today Show, Dr. Oz, Home and Family Show, and The Rachael Ray Show, and highlighted in several major publications including O Magazine, Teen Vogue, and YES Magazine, and is the first teen featured on the Cover of Experience Life Magazine in the October 2016 issue.

Today Ashley and Robyn discuss the "Every Day Hero" and the role they play when everything around us seems to be crumbling. With Robyn's close links with Texas they wanted to discuss what was happening after hurricane Harvey and how the human spirit rose above the carnage caused by this natural disaster and what we can do in times of need.

Tonya Antle has been a driving force in the farming and produce industry for the past thirty plus years. She grew up on her own family’s table grape and citrus farm in Delano, California. She is recognized as a top spokesperson and a true trailblazer for the organic produce segment, helping to propel organic produce from the fringe to mainstream mass-market retailing.   Tonya is the Cofounder and EVP of the newly formed Organic Produce Network. OPN, based in Salinas, Ca, is focused on connecting all facets of the organic produce, specialty crop community through education, information and live events. She previously held the position of Vice President of Organic Sales for over 13 years at Earthbound Farm, the country’s leading brand of organic vegetables and salads. During her tenure at Earthbound Farm, she worked with leading retailers throughout the US and Canada to develop and build organic programs and markets. Tonya was an instrumental leader in helping to build this California brand to its half billion-dollar sales level prior to her departure. Tonya brings an unabashedly positive outlook and can-do attitude to everything she does and understands the power of the judicious use of humor, even in business, which means that she’s in high demand. She has also consulted for leading US Venture Capital firms on investments in the organic space.   Tonya, is the 2017 recipient of the Ag Against Hunger, Ag Women of the Year, the 2016 co-recipient, along with her husband, Rick, of the United Fresh, Lifetime Achievement Award, and the 2003 recipient of the Women in Produce achievement award. In 2010, she joined the Ag Business Department at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo as an Adjunct Professor in Fresh Fruit and Vegetable marketing and has also served the university as a member of the President’s Council. Tonya also enjoys guest lecturing at Hartnell Junior College, Ag Business Department and most recently at CSUMB, School of Business. She currently leads the Women's Fund Leadership Council which is a field of interest fund at the Community Foundation for Monterey County, where she recently completed a 1.5-million-dollar endowment campaign for this fund. Tonya also serves on the CSUMB Foundation Board.   Tonya holds a Bachelors of Arts degree in Communications from the University of California at Irvine. Her time is well balanced between her entrepreneurial role in the organic produce industry, community volunteerism, mother, and wife.   Tonya takes great pleasure in the time she spends with her husband Rick, CEO of Tanimura and Antle, whether it’s boating the waterways of the Americas or playing tennis in Pebble Beach. Tonya brings a joyful enthusiasm to all of her endeavors.

Shep Gordon is known in the entertainment industry as having an eye for talent and an innate understanding of what people find entertaining. After graduating from SUNY Buffalo, Shep moved to LA and in 1969 co-founded Alive Enterprises. Over the years, Gordon has been responsible for managing the careers of Alice Cooper, Groucho Marx, Raquel Welch, Luther Vandross, Kenny Loggins, and countless others. He’s also credited as creating the celebrity chef, which revolutionized the food industry and turned the culinary arts into the multi-billion dollar industry it is today. His clients that include culinary legends, Wolfgang Puck, Emeril Lagasse, Nobu, Daniel Boulud and many more. In addition to the impact he’s had on the music, film and food industries, he’s also highly regarded for his philanthropic endeavors. Shep was named one of the 100 most influential people in Rolling Stone magazine. He was the subject of Mike Myers 2013 documentary - Supermensch The Legend of Shep Gordon.  Anthony Bourdain ECCO will be releasing his book - They Call Me Supermensch A Backstage Pass To The Amazing World Of Film, Food, and Rock ’N’ Roll in September 2016. Through Sheps efforts, The Maui Food Bank has been able to provide 994,000 meals to those in need.