Take Out With Ashley and Robyn

Joel Babbit is the CEO of NARRATIVE CONTENT GROUP -- one of the nation’s leading content marketing companies. It creates, distributes, and publishes content for its own websites and in partnership with many of the world’s leading brands, including AT&T, Coca-Cola, Mercedes, Georgia-Pacific, Newman’s Own, SC Johnson, Delta Air Lines, and Bacardi. Websites owned by NARRATIVE include Mother Nature Network (mnn.com) – its flagship property, and the most visited for-profit site in the world for news and information related to sustainability. The company was founded in 2009 by Babbit and Rolling Stones keyboardist Chuck Leavell, and its equity partners include CNN and Discovery Communications. Prior to launching NARRATIVE, Joel spent over 25 years in the advertising and public relations industry. He began his career at McCann-Erickson, where he worked on The Coca-Cola Company account, and was a co-founder of Babbit & Reiman Advertising (acquired by Gold Greenlees Trott) and 360 (acquired by WPP's Grey Global Group). He also previously served as President of WPP’s GCI Group and Executive Vice President of Chiat/Day. Following Atlanta’s selection as host for the 1996 Olympic Games, Joel took a leave of absence from the private sector and was appointed as the City’s first Chief Marketing and Communications Officer. He has been active in numerous civic and non-profit organizations including Young Presidents Organization, The CDC Foundation Board of Visitors, Management Executive Society, GCAPP, The Atlanta History Center, and The Anti-Defamation League. He is a Director of Primerica (NYSE: PRI), GreenSky Credit, and The National Health Museum. In 1992, Joel received the John Drewry Award for Distinguished Achievement in Journalism and was an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist in 1997. In 2015, he was awarded The John Holliman Lifetime Achievement Award by his alma mater – The University of Georgia’s Henry Grady School Of Journalism.

Fred Haberman is an agent for change in the good-food movement. He’s the co-founder and CEO of Haberman, an agency that, in the last 20 years, has helped bring organic food into the mainstream, spurring the growth of brands like Earthbound Farm, Annie’s, Organic Valley and Traditional Medicinals. His agency fuels progress toward a better food system by supporting the work of pioneers such as the Organic Trade Association and National Cooperative Grocers Association, along with the McKnight Foundation’s Collaborative Crop Research Program (CCRP), a grants program that seeks to increase food security for people in developing countries. Fred is also the co-founder of Urban Organics, one of the first USDA-certified-organic aquaponics facilities in the country. A model for a new kind of sustainable farming, UO has been profiled nationally and internationally by Newsweek, FastCo and The Guardian. As a board member of Milwaukee’s Herzfeld Foundation, Fred has supported the vision of food activist Will Allen and the Milwaukee Public Market. He’s also served as co-producer of a PBS series about urban agriculture across America — “Food Forward,” which began airing in the fall of 2014, and he co-created Frog TV, which aims to nurture the conversation about the need to change our food system.

Kaiwi Lyman-Mersereau was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he played water polo, surfed, paddled outrigger canoes, practiced Brazilian jiu jitsu, and sailed but nothing excited him more than being on stage. Kaiwi has experience as a close up magician and has won and placed in several magic competitions. He was fortunate to have four years of intense theater arts training in high school at the Mid-Pacific Institute School of the Arts. After high school Kaiwi moved to California in 2002 to pursue his passion in the entertainment business. He attended Santa Monica College and, to fulfill an assignment, in the first few weeks of class, he delivered a monologue from The Crucible. The teacher realized his experience was beyond an Acting 101 class and had him then deliver the monologue to the drama department head. She immediately recognized his talent and suggested he audition for Julliard School. Kaiwi was determined, however, to get a screen role and it wasn't long before he got his first break when, in 2003, Kaiwi played the lead role of Colin in the horror film, Trespassers. Since then he has taken on a variety of different projects. His work displays his range of roles, from comedic to dramatic, in numerous films, TV shows, webisodes and commercials.

Erin Stokes, ND is the Medical Director at MegaFood, and a registered Naturopathic Doctor in the state of Colorado. As Medical Director, Erin educates on health and wellness topics including lifestyle, nutrition, botanical medicine and dietary supplements. She hosts webinars, writes articles and blogs, and is a frequent radio and podcast guest. Dr. Erin Stokes received her Naturopathic Doctor degree from Bastyr University in 2001. Shortly afterwards she began to pursue her passion for educating others by teaching Western Pathology and Psychology of Healing at Southwest Acupuncture College. Erin combines her experience as a Naturopathic Doctor with an extensive background in the natural products industry. Prior to joining MegaFood, Erin provided expert consultations at Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy for 6.5 years. Erin's personal mission is to empower people with the inspiration and tools to improve their lives, primarily through education. She practices Naturopathic Medicine and lives with her family in Boulder, Colorado.

KaDee Strickland can next be seen starring opposite Jeffrey Donovan in Hulu’s upcoming drama series, “Shut Eye,” about the underground world of Los Angeles storefront psychics and the organized crime syndicate that runs them. Last year, Strickland starred in the ABC drama, “Secrets and Lies,” which also starred Ryan Phillippe and Juliette Lewis. Strickland is perhaps best known for her role as Dr. Charlotte King on the ABC drama, “Private Practice,” which earned her the 2011 PRISM Award for Best Female Performance in a Drama Series with a Multi-Episode Storyline. Her additional television credits include a starring role on the David E. Kelley series, “The Wedding Bells,” as well as roles on “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “All My Children,” “The Street Lawyer” and “Laws of Chance.” On the big screen, Strickland appeared in the critically-acclaimed Ridley Scott drama, AMERICAN GANGSTER, in which she played opposite Russell Crowe. She also starred in Tyler Perry’s THE FAMILY THAT PREYS with Kathy Bates, Sanaa Lathan and Alfre Woodard. Her additional film credits include the following: THE FLOCK, a thriller with Richard Gere and Claire Danes; FEVER PITCH, directed by the Farrelly Brothers and starring Drew Barrymore; the hit horror film THE GRUDGE; Woody Allen's ANYTHING ELSE; ANACONDAS: THE HUNT FOR THE BLOOD ORCHID; SOMETHINGS GOTTA GIVE; and THE STEPFORD WIVES. While studying at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Strickland was cast in THE SIXTH SENSE and GIRL, INTERRUPTED, among other features filmed in Philadelphia. After receiving a Fine Arts degree, she moved to New York and continued her studies with master teacher Maggie Flanagan at the Maggie Flanagan Studio. In May 2006, the University honored Strickland with the Outstanding Alumni Award. During her time in New York, she acquired stage experience in productions of A Requiem for Things Past, Near Tragedy and in John Patrick Shanleys Women of Manhattan. Strickland resides in Los Angeles.

Tess Masters My sister and I grew up with wild and wonderful parents, both airline crew and relentless adventurers. We lived and traveled all over the world, and tucked into any and all foods put in front of us. Until I hit my teens, when I was diagnosed with Epstein-Barr virus. That was the impetus to a revolution of my diet. A naturopath suggested I forget gluten, dairy and meat, and embrace a diet high in plant-based foods and fish. Almost overnight, I felt better. It turned out I was gluten and dairy intolerant. This was my awakening to food as medicine. I developed a keen interest in health and nutrition. I studied nutritional science, and began taking cooking classes to develop my skills and knowledge. Only in my early twenties did I truly become inspired by the power of whole foods. My friend, Toni Hudson from Kerekt Living had been married to Dirk Benedict who had overcomer prostate cancer by following a macrobiotic diet. His book, Confessions of a Kamikaze Cowboy inspired me. The power of whole foods Finding macrobiotics worked for me. I did feel good. But, in sticking with it religiously for many years, I still didn't feel as good as I knew I could. I embarked on a journey of discovery, searching for the perfect whole-foods diet to keep myself in a state of optimum health. As a perfectionist, I was going to master the art of my own health even if it killed me! My self-imposed and largely self directed crusade had me trying out every whole-foods diet known to man. I became vegetarian, then vegan. I discovered the benefits of raw foods, and dabbled in Ayurvedic philosophy, and Chinese yin and yang principles. Next, on to alkalinity, then Body Ecology anti-candida principles, blood-group strategies, and zillions of green smoothies. It was exhausting. While all of these regimes had something to offer, none was one-size-fits-me. I would feel really good, but eventually, symptoms of lethargy and fatigue, so familiar from my early experience of Epstein-Barr, would set back in. When I embraced the concept of bio-individuality—the recognition that one blanket strategy won’t work for everybody—things shifted. I supplemented by knowledge with an intuitive-experiential approach, listening to the signs in my body, and teaching myself a healthier way to move through the world. I discovered that flexibility and fluidity, not rigidity, were for me keys to wellness. Finding the “Tess” diet Today I cherry-pick from all of the healthy diets I’ve tried, working successful practices into my immune-boosting Tess diet. This diet adapts in response to climate, stress, emotions, physical activity, and specific health questions that arise. I’m a seasonal eater. In the hotter months, I eat a high percentage of raw foods; when it’s cold, more cooked foods. But green alkaline smoothies, juices, and soups are year-round staples. Birth of The Blender Girl With those staples as a focus, I started this website, using the blender as my inspiration. I quickly saw blending not only as a method of food preparation, but also as a guiding metaphor for how I live. Combining different concepts, flavors, and philosophies plays a crucial part in my ideal balance of food, exercise, work, and fun. While my approach isn’t a system exactly, it does add up to a recipe for success and happiness, and one that I believe is worth sharing. A diet featuring ample quantities and varieties of leafy greens, alkaline vegetables, and raw sprouted nuts, seeds, and grains, combined with daily green juices and smoothies, can be beneficial to just about anyone. In addition to this, each of us will discover that individualized, perfect blend of joyful activities, fulfilling work, loving relationships, time with family, food, exercise, and more. With all this in mind, my recipes aim for versatility and simplicity. The Recipes All of my recipes are gluten-free and vegan. Whilst I'm a plant based eater, and am convinced that a diet containing vast quantities and varieties of leafy greens, alkaline vegetables, raw sprouted nuts and seeds, all combined with daily green juices and smoothies can be beneficial to anybody, I also believe that each person’s "perfect blend" (foods, exercise, joyful activities, fulfilling work, loving relationships, time with family, etc.) will add up to a unique combination, and so the ingredients each of us will put into the blender will also be a unique blend. We nourish our beings with many things, and so it only makes sense that we nourish our bodies in diverse ways, too. So, I ask you, “What’s your perfect blend?” Main Bio Tess Masters is an actor, cook, lifestyle personality, and author of The Blender Girl, The Perfect Blend, The Detox Dynamo Cleanse, and The Blender Girl Smoothies app and book. In high demand as a spokesperson, presenter, and recipe developer, Tess collaborates with leading food and lifestyle brands. Collaborating with leading food and lifestyle brands, Tess is the global spokesperson for KitchenAid blenders, ambassador for Massel broths, and has presented videos for Sprouts Market, Silk, So Delicious, Earthbound Farm, Vega, Driscoll's, KitchenIQ, and others. She and her healthy fast food have been featured in the L.A Times, Washington Post, InStyle, Real Simple, Prevention, Family Circle, Vegetarian Times, FootNetwork.com, Shape.com, Glamour.com, Yahoo.com, Parents.com, among other publications around the world. Away from the blender, Tess enjoys a diverse performance career. She has toured internationally with acclaimed theater productions, worked in film and TV, and lent her voice to commercial campaigns, audiobooks, and popular videogame characters.

Trained at the University Of Sydney Dr Steven Lin is a practicing dentist, and writer with a background in biomedical science. A passionate health educator, Dr Lin’s work on the interface between dental and nutritional science and integrates the relationship between oral disease and systemic connection through dietary principles. He has been published on platforms such as TEDx, The Sydney Morning Herald, The British Dental Journal, The Huffington Post Australia and About.com. He is currently writing his own publication ‘The Dental Diet’ acquired by Hay House in the US, UK, Australia and Germany set to be released in January 2018. Dr Lin’s CPD accredited practitioner training course Nutrition and the Dental Practice is educating a new wave of dentists to incorporate preventative dietary principles into oral healthcare. His website www.drstevenlin.com is a resource for people to learn the food principles to eat for a healthy mouth, gut and body. You can follow him on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Linkedin @DrStevenLin

Michael Berger is a Founding Partner and the VP of Supply Chain of Elevation Franchise Ventures, franchisor of Elevation Burger. As one of the founding partners, Michael has lead the company’s growth from a single restaurant to a chain of 60+ restaurants in seven countries. Under his supply chain leadership, Elevation Burger’s purchases of certified organic, grass-fed beef have grown into one of the largest certified organic beef purchasing programs in the United States and the largest such program of any restaurant group in the US. He is also responsible for developing the restaurant chain’s organic chicken program. Michael has been featured in various forms of media and is a recognized leader in sustainable food supply chains. He currently serves on The Organic Center’s Board of Trustees and Food Tank’s Board of Directors and was honored as the Organic Trade Association's “Rising Star” of 2015. Recently, he has also partnered with the founders of Virginia-based Neapolitan pizzeria, Pupatella, to develop the company's operations as they pursue franchise and corporate restaurant growth.

Seth Goldman co-founded Honest® Tea in 1998 with Professor Barry Nalebuff of the Yale School of Management. Over the past eighteen years the company has thrived as consumers have shifted toward healthier and more sustainable diets. In March 2011, Honest Tea was acquired by The Coca-Cola Company, helping to further the reach and impact of Honest Tea’s mission by becoming the first organic and Fair Trade brand in the world's largest beverage distribution system. Today, Honest Tea is the nation’s top selling ready-to-drink organic bottled tea and Honest Kids® is the nation’s top-selling organic children/youth beverage. The brands are carried in more than 100,000 outlets in the United States, including all Wendy’s and Chik-fil-A restaurants. In 2016 Honest Tea’s distribution will be expanding to Europe. In 2016, Seth transitioned to a new role at Honest Tea as TeaEO Emeritus and Innovation Catalyst for Coca-Cola’s Venturing & Emerging Brands business unit. This transition allows him to take on an additional role as Executive Chairman of Beyond Meat, a privately held California-based enterprise where Seth has served as a board member since 2012. Beyond Meat is a company on the cutting edge of plant protein research and development, with a goal of providing plant-based protein foods - without sacrificing the taste, chew or satisfaction of animal meat. In addition to offering a range of lower-calorie beverages, Honest Tea has been recognized as the first company to launch an organic bottled tea (1999) and a Fair Trade Certified bottled tea (2003). Today every Honest Tea variety is certified organic and Fair Trade. The company has initiated community-based partnerships with suppliers in India, China, Paraguay and South Africa. In 2015 Seth was named the #1 Disruptor by Beverage World, and Beverage Executive of the Year by Beverage Industry magazine; he was also inducted into the Washington DC Business Hall of Fame. Seth has also been recognized by the United States Healthful Food Council with a REAL Food Innovator Award for helping change the food landscape by providing options that are healthier for both the body and the planet. Seth serves on the advisory boards of Ripple Foods, the Yale School of Management, the American Beverage Association, and Bethesda Green (a local sustainability non-profit he co-founded). He graduated from Harvard College (1987) and the Yale School of Management (1995), and is a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute. Seth and Barry are the authors, along with graphic artist Soongyun Choi, of The New York Times bestseller Mission in a Bottle, which was published by the Crown Business division of Random House in September, 2013. The book, told in comic book form, captures their efforts to create a mission-driven business in a profit-driven world. Seth lives with his wife and three sons near Honest Tea’s Bethesda, MD headquarters in an eco-friendly house.

Margot is the author of Raising an Entrepreneur: 10 Rules for Nurturing Risk Takers, Problem Solvers and Change Makers, based on her interviews with 60 successful entrepreneurs and their moms about how they were raised. Previously, she was the publisher and editor-in-chief of The Scene Bisnow, a daily online newsletter with 40,000 subscribers and 100,000 readers detailing the vibrant life of Washington D.C., one of the 32 newsletters published by Bisnow Media, the company her family founded, which they sold in 2016. She was involved for 25 years in developing, managing, and communicating high-level economic policy as a White House economic aide and regulatory Commissioner. She was chief of staff of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, Treasury’s international division, and the Millennium Challenge Corporation; staff director of the HELP Commission that reviewed US foreign assistance; and a Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission. For 12 years, she was president of the non-profit Chesapeake Associates, which set up economic think tanks in Eastern Europe. She has a BA from Northwestern University and an MBA from its Kellogg Graduate School of Management. She has been married to Mark Bisnow for 34 years; they have two sons. Elliott founded the successful Millennial conference series Summit Series, whose philosophy is that good business should be good for the world, and which purchased Powder Mountain in Utah to create a permanent home for its community. Austin founded and is the lead singer of the popular LA-based indie revival band Magic Giant.

It's our 50th episode! Here's a round up of 2016. Today we discuss the significant headlines of 2016. Epigate and increasing prices of the Epi Pen. Changes in the nutrition facts label for package foods. The Paleo and plant based diet for cleaner food and protein. How the consumer needs to be more vocal in what they want. How we need to leverage technology, the GMO legislation and taxes in the food industry.

Anahad O’Connor is a bestselling author and staff reporter for The New York Times. Anahad covers consumer health for the paper, writing about topics such as nutrition, chronic disease, obesity and the food industry. He joined the paper in 2003 and has covered everything from business to politics and culture. His focus since 2011 has been the intersection of food and health. Anahad’s news stories and investigative articles frequently appear on the front page of the New York Times, and he's been a featured guest on national news programs such as PBS News Hour, Good Morning America and NPR’s All Things Considered. He is the author of four books, including the best selling, “The 10 Things You Need to Eat.” Anahad hails from New York City and is a graduate of Yale. He currently lives in San Francisco.

Jeff Arnold is Chairman and CEO of Sharecare, a health and wellness engagement platform he founded with Dr. Mehmet Oz, in partnership with Harpo Productions, Sony Pictures Television and Discovery Communications. Sharecare’s ultra-personalized and comprehensive platform helps consumers connect to the knowledge, evidence-based programs and health professionals they need by building each user a unique, dynamic health profile where they can access all of their health resources in one place. Previously, Arnold was Chairman and CEO of HowStuffWorks.com, an award-winning online resource used by millions of people each month, which he sold to Discovery Communications, where he served as Chief Digital Strategy Officer, and Chief Architect of The Curiosity Project until December 2011. In 1998, he founded and served as CEO of WebMD, the first healthcare company to harness the power of the Internet to create a destination for consumers, healthcare institutions and physicians to find trustworthy medical information. He was inducted into the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International, as an Honorary Member in recognition of his superior achievements and contributions to the advancement of nursing and health care on both a national and global level. Arnold also has been honored by the World Economic Forum; inducted into the Technology Hall of Fame of Georgia; named Entrepreneur of the Year, Southeast Region by Ernst & Young; and received the prestigious Phoenix Award, which recognizes companies and individuals who embody strength, tenacity and leadership in Georgia’s healthcare information technology industry. Currently chairman of Forbes Travel Guide, Arnold also has served on numerous boards for public, private and charitable organizations over the years.

Elena Brower is the author of Art of Attention, a renowned yoga workbook, now translated into five languages. Studying and teaching since 1998, she's respected globally for her distinct blend of alignment and attention in her teaching of yoga and meditation. Her audio meditation coursework, Cultivating Spiritual Intelligence, is beloved for its accessibility and relevance, and her yoga teaching is influenced by several traditions including Katonah Yoga, Kundalini and ParaYoga. Elena is also the founder of Teach.yoga, a global website for teachers, and her second book, Practice You, will be published in 2018 by Sounds True. Practices with Elena can be found on YogaGlo.com.

Maria Rodale is CEO and Chairman of Rodale Inc., an independent healthy, happy living company whose mission is to inspire health, healing, happiness and love in the world, starting with you. Dividing her time between Rodale Inc.’s Emmaus, Pennsylvania headquarters and Manhattan offices, Maria oversees a global business with partners around the world in 70 countries. Rodale is the publisher of New York Times bestselling book such as Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, Jessica Alba’s The Honest Life, Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis, and Thug Kitchen by Matt Holloway and Michelle Davis; brands that include Women’s Health, Men’s Health, Runner’s World, Bicycling, Prevention magazine and Rodale’s Organic Life; and creator of the e-commerce brand Rodale’s. Maria has authored numerous books, including 2010’s Organic Manifesto: How Organic Farming Can Heal Our Planet, Feed the World, and Keep Us Safe. She just released her first cookbook, Scratch: Home Cooking for Everyone Made Simple, Fun and Totally Delicious (October 2016). She is also the co-chair of the Rodale Institute.