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Episode240:HowEthicalBusinessesAreChangingtheWorldWithThriveMarketFounderNickGreen

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Child:WelcometomyMommy’spodcast.

ThispodcastisbroughttoyoubyJoovvredlighttherapy.I’vewrittenaboutredlighttherapybeforeandhowithelpssupportthebodyandevenreducethesignsofaging.MyJoovvispartofmydailyroutineandIlovethisrelaxing20-minuteritual.I’mgettingamoodboostwhileincreasingmycollagenandelastinproduction,improvingfatmetabolism,assistingwiththebody’sdetoxificationreactions,andboostingcellularenergy.Here’showitdoesallofthat:Justlikeplantsconvertlightenergyintochemicalenergyviaphotosynthesis,ourbodieshavetheabilitytometabolizeredandnear-infraredlightintoaformofcellularenergy--adenosinetriphosphate(ATP)--thatisessentialtorestoring,repairing,energizing,andmaintainingourbodies.ATPisoftenreferredtoasthe“energycurrencyoflife,”whichiswhylighttherapycanbesonourishing,healing,andsoothingallatthesametime.IhaveanduseacombinationJoovvlightwhichhastwowavelengthsfordoublethebenefits,660nmforredlightand850nmfornear-infraredlight.Bothwerechosenbecausethebulkofthescientificliteraturecentersontheirbenefits,andyoucangetthemseparatelyortogether.The660nmrangeisbetterforcollagenproductionandotherskinbenefits,whilethe850isbetterfordeeptissueissueslikemusclerecovery,jointdiscomfort,etc.TheynowhaveaJoovvGowhichisjustaspowerfulastheotherJoovvmodelsbutitcanfitinthepalmofyourhand.It’sasmaller,lessexpensive,andjustaseffectivemodelthatcaneventravelwithyouforaquickcollagenboostforyourfaceorinflammationreliefinasorejoint.Learnmoreatjoovv.com/wellnessmama

ThispodcastisbroughttoyoubySteadyMD.Thiscompanycombinesthecuttingedgeofmedicalknowledgewiththepersonaltouchofconciergemedicine.Itislikehavingthebestdoctorsinthecountryasyourpersonalold-schoolcometoyourhousedoctor.Here’swhatImean-youareconnectedwithavaluealigneddoctorwholearnsyourmedicalhistoryandyourfamily’smedicalhistory.Youcanconnectanytimeyouneedviaphone,textorvideochattoaskquestionsandtheycanhelpwithmostissuesandprescribemostthingslongdistance.Withtechnology,thisismyfavoritewaytointeractwithadoctornow.Wecanordereverythingelsefromourphonesandgeteverythingdeliveredtoourhousesandnowwecaninteractwithourdoctorsinthesameway.Withadigitalotoscope,I’veevenbeenabletoliterallysendmydoctoraninstantvideoofmykid’seardrumtoseeifshehadanearinfectionbefore.MydocunderstandsthatwhileIdothinkconventionalmedicineislifesavingandimportant,IprefertousenaturalremedieswhenpossibleandavoidantibioticsunlessreallynecessaryandIcantrustthatheisneverpushingatreatmentthatisn’tabsolutelynecessary.Infact,he’sgivenmenaturalremedyadvicemostofthetimeoversuggestingconventionalmedicineandsharesmystanceonnotoverusingantibioticsandpainmedicinetoreducefever.Trulyit’sbeenanamazingexperiencetohavemydoctorinmybackpocket.LearnmoreatsteadyMD.com/wellnessmama.

Katie:Hello,andwelcometo"TheWellnessMamaPodcast."I'mKatiefromwellnessmama.com.AndtodayIhavethepleasureoftalkingtoafriendandsomeoneIhighlyrespecttogodeeponthingslikeethicalbusiness,howwecanallhelpchangethefutureforgoodandpredictionsonthefutureofaccesstohigh-qualityfoodandnaturalproducts.I'mherewithNickGreen,whoistheco-founderandCEOofThriveMarket.ManyofyouarefamiliarwithThrive,whichisamembership-basedmarketthatmakeshigh-quality,healthy,sustainableproductsavailableforeverybudgetandlifestyle.We'lltalkaboutitmore.Butbasicallyfor$60ayear,similartoaCostcomembership,membersgettounlockwholesalepricesonallkindsofnaturalandorganicproducts.

ButwhatyoumaynotknowisthatThrivematcheseverypaidmembershipwithafreemembershipforafamilyorindividualinneed.Theyalsohavesomegivinginitiativesthatwe'regoingtotalkaboutandaverydeepdedicationtohelpingfamiliesandcommunities.AndthisisoneofthemanyreasonsI'msogratefulforNick.Andthisisn'tthefirstcompanythatNick'shadthatworkstomaketheworldbetter.He'saserialsocial

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impactentrepreneur.He'shadothercompaniesintheeducationspaceandhelpedover20,000studentsgetintobettercolleges.Outsideofwork,helovestotravel,invest,read,andspendtimewithhiswifeandadorableone-year-olddaughter.Nick,welcomeandthanksforbeinghere.

Nick:Thanks,Katie.I'msoexcitedtobehere.

Katie:Oh,it'salwaysapleasuretochatwithyou.AndalotofmylistenersalreadyknowthatIhavebeenamemberofThrivesincetheverybeginningandaninvestor.Infact,IwassopassionatewhenIfirstheardaboutwhatyouguysweredoingthatwewerereallyexcitedforthechancetoinvestinThrive.ButnowIalsofeellikethere'ssomuchmoretoThriveMarketthanjustamazingpricesonnaturalproducts.AndIwouldlovetogothroughsomeofthemanywaysthatThriveisworkingtoimprovethewholenaturallandscapeinourcountryandaccesstorealfood.

Nick:Iwouldlovetodothat.Andbeforewedo,Idowanttojustsayahugethankyou.Ithinkyoudownplayyourroleasaninvestor.ButyouwereactuallyoneofthefirstcheckstocomeintoThriveatatimewhenwewereactuallybeingrejectedbyalmosteveryventurecapitalistandinstitutionalinvestorthatwepitched.So,youknow,littleknownstory,butThrivebeforewegotbigandhithalfamillionmembersand,youknow,reallysortofgettingtowardsourmissionandmakinghealthylivingaccessibleforall,andwewerestrugglingtofundraise.Anditwasonlybecauseoffolkslikeyourselfwhobelievedinthemissionandalignedtothevisionandwerewillingtogetbehindusthatwegotoffthegroundinthefirstplace.Sothankyou,Katie.

Katie:Oh,thanks.ItwasexcitingandI'msogladtohavebeenapartofit.Andespeciallynowseeingallofthechangesandthebeneficialthingsthatarehappeningasaresultofyouguysandyourgrowth.AndonethingIthinkthatreallyseparatesThrivefromjustotheronlineretailersisthemembershipmodelbecauseit'soften,especiallyonlinecomparedtoCostco,whichIthinkisaninterestingcomparison.YouprobablywouldknowthisbetterthanIwould.ButthestatsI'veseenindicatethatCostcoisgoingtosurpassWholeFoodsasthelargestretaileroforganicproduceormaybethat'salreadyhappened.

Nick:Ithas.Yeah,ithas.

Katie:Ithas.Wow.Okay.AndI'vealsoseenthatCostcodoesmoresalesperstoreinthatcategorythanWalmart,whichhas15timestheSKUs.Socanyoutalkaboutwhyyouguyschosetogointhemembershipdirectionandthenkindofhowthatseparatesyouguysfromotheronlineretailers?

Nick:Absolutely.And,youknow,there'sawholedigressionIcouldgodownabouthowfascinatingandsuccessfultheCostcobusinessmodelhasbeen.Andifyoulookatthemasabusinessintermsoftheirvaluesandtheirprinciples,andtheirjustkindofconsistencytowhatthey'vealwayssetouttodoandthekindofvaluetheytrytodelivertotheirmembers,they'rejustatotaltouchdownonatonoflevelsforus.But,you

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know,therealreasonwhywewenttomembershipcamedownfundamentallytoourmission,whichistomakehealthylivingaffordabletoanybodyandaccessibletoanybody.

Youknow,whenGunnarandI,myco-founderGunnar,weresittingattheveryearlydaysofthebusiness.theinitialideawaswearegoingtocreateaGrouponforhealthyfood.SoweactuallyweregoingtohaveGrouponbuyingeventswhereyousignedup,wepooledmoneytogetherandthenbought,throughawholesaleaccount,twoofthebestorganicandnaturalbrandsinthecountry.Andthatwasthewaythatweweregoingtogetwholesalepricingthatthenwas25%to50%offretailandideallytogettheorganicproductsatorbelowtheconventionalequivalent.Whatwefoundisthattryingtogetpeopletoshopfortheirgroceriesineventsandhave,youknow,differentgroceriescomingatdifferenttimesbasedonwhendifferenteventswererunningwasjustalogisticalnightmarewhenwestartedtotestit.Andsowewerelookingforanothermodelthatcouldworkandwelandedonthemembershipmodelbecausewhenyoudothemembershipmodel,thebusinesscanmakeprofitforamembershipandthenpassonthefullsavingstothemembersontheactualproductprices.

Soitwastheonlymodelwefoundwherewecouldcreateastablecatalogofthebestorganicandnaturalproducts,workwiththetopbrandstosourcethemandofferthematpriceswherewedidn'thavetomakeanymargin,butcouldpassonthesavingsdirectlytomembersandofferaKINDbarforthepriceofaSnickersbarandnon-toxiclaundrydetergentforthepriceofTide.Andforthefirsttime,makethislifestyleaccessibletoanyone.Sothatwasthegenesisofit.And,youknow,whenwelaunched,Iremembertherewasanarticle,andIthinkitwasin"Well+Good,"thedaythatwewentlivethatsaidifWholeFoodsandCostcohadababy,itwouldbeThriveMarket,andwehadneverthoughtaboutthatcomparisonbutitsortofstuckandalotofussaywe're,youknow,WholeFoodsmeetsCostcoonline.Thoughincreasinglythey'resayingit'sWholeFoodsmeetsCostcomeetsTraderJoe's,whichisawholeotherconversation.

Katie:Ilovethat.Ithinkthat'sanothergoodcomparison,especiallywiththenewThrivelineofproducts,whichIwasgoingtobringuplater.ButIfeellikethisisagreattimetojumpintothatbecauseTraderJoe'sisknownforitsownverybudgetfriendly,high-qualityproducts.AndyouguyshavenowawholeinitiativeofThrive-specificproducts.Socanyoutalkaboutthatandkindofthecategoriesyouguyscarrynow?

Nick:Yeah,absolutely.Imean,thatreallywentbacktothemissionaswell.Youknow,welaunched.Itwasallthird-partybrandedproducts.Andthere'ssomanyincrediblebrandsdoingamazinginnovationonqualitystandardsandsupplychainandethicallaborstandardsandenvironmentalsustainability.Itwasjusttotallyinspiringtostarttoworkwiththosebrandsandreallyamazing,too,toseehowalignedtheywerewithwantingtomaketheirproductsaccessible.Youknow,oneofthepushbacksthatwegotfromearlywould-beinvestors,especiallykindofVCsandinstitutionalinvestorsis,youknow,brandsaren'tgoingtowanttodothat.Theydon'twanttodilutetheirbrand.

AndIthinkinsomespaces,that'sthecase.Butinours,youreallyhavetheseorganicbrandsthatcaredaboutthemissionthemselves,weredrivenby,asmission-drivenentrepreneursthemselves,andwereonlytooexcitedtogetonboardwithusandgiveusgreatpricing.Soforthefirstcoupleyears,thebusiness,wedidn't

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doanythingwithourownbrand.Andthenwhatwestartedtofindwas,youknow,thelandscapechangessofast,andthere'ssomuchnewinformationcomingoutaboutwhatishealthyandwhatareproblemsintheexistingsupplychains,andwhatareimprovementsthatcanbehadintermsofsustainabilityofproductsourcingandwhatarenewingredientsthatwe'refindingnewhealthbenefitstowardsthatwereallysawanopportunityfromourmembersandfromfolkslikeyouwhoareonkindofthebleedingedgeofthosetrendstogooutandcreateproductsthatwe'reinnovatinginsomeway.

Andsowekindofthinkofabarbellapproachinourownbrandprogramwheresometimeswe'reactuallygoingafter,like,astapleproductthatwefeellikewecanincreasethequalityon.Soanexampleofthatwouldbe,youknow,ourlineofnutbutterswhereatypicalnutbutterthatyoufind,evenanorganicalmondbutterorpeanutbutterorcashewbutter,isgoingtohavesalt,itmighthavesugar,andit'susuallygoingtohavepalmoil.Andwewentandwecreatedalineofnutbuttersthatisonlythenut.Wedidthesamethingwithnutmilks.Sotookouttheemulsifiers,theadditives,thestabilizersandthings.Andthentheothersideoftheprogramhasreallybeengoingoutandtryingtolaunchproductsthatreallydon'texistinthemarketanywhereormaybeexistinthemarketbuthaven'tcaughtoninabigwayandbeatthebeginningofatrend.

Oneofthosethatthatcomestomindis,like,bonebroth.Welaunchedourorganicgrass-fedbonebroth,youknow,very,veryearlyinthattrendsmovementandhelpedtoreallypopularizeitandsharethebenefitsofbonebroth.Anditwasareallycoolprogram,too,becauseweactuallyendedupusingthebonesfromoneofourthird-partybrandsthatdidbeefjerkyandwasthrowingawayalltheirbones.Soitwasthiscoolopportunitywhereweintroducedthisgreatnewproduct.Itwasthehighestqualitystandardsinthemarketonthatparticulartypeofproductandwewereabletodo,youknow,furtherwholeanimalutilization,improveusageinthesupplychainandactuallyhaveabenefittooneofourthird-partybrandedpartners.

So,youknow,it'sbeenreally,reallyamazingtobuildouttheprivatelabelprogram.It'snow,Ithink,about500productsbridgingcategoriesfromcookingingredientstosnackstocleaningproductstodiapersandbabyproducts.Soit'sreallybecomearealcorepartofourbusinessandwewanttobethatbrandsimilartoTraderJoe'swhereit'snotjustthe,like,compare-tobrand,kindofcheaperversionoftheconventionalthingsyoufindontheshelf,butreallyabrandthatisoutthereinnovatingandstandingforsomethingthatyoucantrustwhereyouknowifit'sundertheThriveMarketbrand,it'sgoingtohitsomereallyfundamentalstandardsthatareimportanttoourmembers.Soit'sbeenreallyfuntodoandweseeitasreallyacorepartofthefutureofthebusiness.

Katie:Yeah,absolutely.IfindincreasinglymoreandmoreofmypantryisThrivebrandproductsbecauseyouguyshave,likeyousaid,allofthestaplesIwouldorderbutthey'relessexpensiveandthesameorbetterqualitythanthemorepriceybrandsplus,like,allthesecoolnewproductsthatarereallyinnovative.AndIlovethatalotofyourproductsaswell,theThriveMarketbrandarelesswasteandlesspackagingthanalotofotherbrands.Andthat'ssomethingelseIfeel,like,peoplemaynotreallyknowaboutThriveMarket,justthatthey'veonlyshoppedonthewebsite,isthecommitmentyouguyshavetoalsosustainabilityandtheenvironmentandthewaysthatyou'reworkingbehindthescenestoreduceextrawasteandextrapackaging.Socanyoutalkaboutsomeoftheinitiativesonthatfront?

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Nick:Yeah,it'sagreatpoint.You'rebetteratsellingtheThriveMarketbrandthanIam,Katie.Ididn'tevenmentionthatontheontheprivatelabelside.Packaginginnovationisoneoftheplacesweseethemostopportunity.Andwhenyouthinkaboutpackaging,alotofittodayislegacy,iskindofthevestigeofwhatwasnecessaryinthe20thcenturyinthe19thcentury,whenthingsweresittingonshelves.So,like,anexampleiscans,right?Wetookourbakedbeans,forexample,outofthecanandputtheminaBPA-freeplasticpouch.Thecreationofthatpouchishalfthecarbonfootprintthatiscreatingtincansoraluminumcans.Itiseasiertoshipandlightertoshipsoithaslessofacarbonfootprintandtransportation.It'stotallyBPA-freeanditkeepstheproductsfresher.Sothat'soneexampleofpackaginginnovationonnaturalproduct.

Italso,insomecases,we'reactuallyabletobringthecostdownonthepackaging,whichhelpsus,toyourotherpoint,getourownbrandedproductstobeevencheaper.Andthat'soneofthethingsthatdrivesinnovationinthatareais,youknow,sometimeswecanfindagreatqualityproductfromathird-partybrand.Butevenwithourmemberpricing,evenwithoutustakingmargin,it'sstillnot,youknow,accessibleforsomepeople'sbudgetsandgoingprivatelabelcouldbeagreatwayforustomakesurethatwejusttakeallofthewasteoutofthesystem,cutoutasmanyofthekindofstepsinthesupplychainandareabletogetgreatpricing.

Buttogobacktoyourquestionaboutpackagingandenvironmentalsustainability,youknow,wesortofseebroadlyenvironmentalsustainabilityasthesecondofourtwopillarsofourbusinessandofourmission.Thefirstisthatprincipleofaccess,right?Howdowemakehealthylivingaffordableandeasyandaccessibletoanybody?Andthenthesecondishowdowemakethisentirethingofhowweeatandconsumeproductstrulysustainable?Andforus,weoftenseethatthosetwothingsgocompletelyhandinhand,thatthesustainableandenvironmentallysoundwaytomakeproductsactuallymakesahealthierproductforpeople.Wedon'tthinkthat'sjustacoincidence.Butwealsothinkthatmoreandmorepeoplearethinkingabouthealthmoreholistically,notjustintermsofthehealthforthemselvesandtheirfamily,butactuallycaringinitsownrightaboutthehealthoftheplanet.

And,youknow,Ithinkatthispoint,it'sprettyhardtoignorewhat'shappeningwithclimatechange.Youknow,hereinSouthernCalifornia,wejusthad,inthelastthreeyears,twoofthemostdevastatingfiresthelasttwocenturies.And,youknow,forthefirsttimeafewmonthsago,youactuallyhadmassive,theforestfiresthatwerecomingwithinafewmilesofLosAngelesdowninMalibu.Youknow,thisisstuffthatisreally,really,reallyscary.Andyou'vegotdifferentversionsofthosekindofclimaticeventshappeningontheEastCoastandinsomecases,evenmoredramaticclimaticeventshappeningaroundtheworld.So,youknow,weseeandwehearfromourmembersthattheycareaboutthoseissues.Forus,wecareaboutthemdeeplyourselves.AndsoIthinkourmembersdemanditandwebelieveinit.It'sjustano-brainertoineveryplacewherewepossiblycanbeworkingtodothingsmoresustainably.

Sothatstartswiththepackagingoftheproducts,whereverwecan,beingrecyclable,lookingforcompostablebags,pushingoursupplierstohavemoreofferingsinthatrespect,co-packers,co-manufacturers,etc.Itthenextendstotheactualboxesandpackagingmaterialsthatweusewhenwesendoutproduct.So,youknow,if

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youplaceanorderonAmazon,youget,like,thebubblewrapandstuff.Weusea100%post-consumerrecycledGeamiWrapthatactuallyusesairandpapertogetthatsameeffectbutwithouthavingthevirginplasticutilization.Andwe'renowatabout98%virginplastic-freeintheboxandworkingtogetto100%.

Anotherareathatwe'vereallytriedtoinnovateisontheactualfulfillmentcentersthemselves.Alotofpeopledon'tthinkaboutthis,butwhenyouorderproductsthroughecommerce,it'scomingoutofabigwarehousesomewhere.Andthosewarehousescanbereally,reallyincrediblywasteful.They'vegotalotofpackagingthat'sbeingdumpedout.Andthentheyalsohavealotofenergyutilization.Sowe'veactuallygonezerowasteinbothofourfulfillmentcenters.Didabunchofcapitalimprovementstodothingslikecardboardbalersthatcanrecyclealltheextraneouspackaging.We'vegothugeopenwindowsthatweinstalledonthetopsofourfulfillmentcenterssothatwecanusenaturallight.OneofthefulfillmentcentersisactuallyLEEDgold-certified.Andwhenwewentthroughthatwholeprogramofgoingtozerowaste,weactuallydocumenteditinordertocreateatemplatethatwecould"opensource"tootherbusinesses.

Andoneofourbiggoalsonenvironmentalsustainabilityistoshowthatyoucandoitinawaythatactuallyisgoodforyourbusiness.Weactually,believeitornot,aresavingmoneyeveryyearnowthatwe'vegonezerowaste.Andwhenwelookatthereturnoninvestmentofsomeofthoseinvestmentswe'vemade,itpansoutandcanbeapprovedbyaboardorbyaninvestorevenifitwerejustonthemeritsoftheinvestment.So,youknow,welovewhenwecanfindthatopportunitytobridgebusinessinterestsandthemission.Andthenifwecanprovethattoothers,wethinkwecanmotivateotherbusinessesthatmaynotbestartingwithamissiontodoitbecauseit'sjusttherightthingfortheirbusiness.There'stonsofotherexamples.Youknow,webuycarbonoffsetstoneutralizeourshippingfootprintorcarbonfootprintonallofourshippingunlikealotofotherecommercecompaniesthatwillship,youknow,oneitem,twoitems,threeitemsandtheycomefromdifferentfulfillmentcenters.

And,youknow,youplaceanorderonAmazonandoverthenextfivedays,you'regetting,like,boxesfromabunchofdifferentplaces.Weputallofouritemsinonebox.Soyou'llgetasinglebox.Ithinktheaverageboxesperorderis1.2.Soreallytrytoconsolidatethoseordersandjustbecognizantoftheenvironment.And,again,whatwe'refindingislike,one,wewoulddothatanywaybecauseit'stherightthingtodo.Butweareactuallygettingalotofcreditfromourmembersandincreasinglywehavememberswho,youknow,maybecouldaffordtogobuytheirproductsatagrocerystorethat'smoreexpensive,butthey'restillcomingtoThrivebecausetheyalignwiththevaluesandthemission.AndIthinkasconsumersbecomemoreconsciousandaspeoplestarttobemoreholisticinthewaytheythinkabouthealth,it'sjustgoingtobecomemoreandmorethecasethatcompanieswillhavetokindoffollowthisleadandfocusinonsustainabilityasacorepartofwhattheydo.

Katie:Yeah,absolutely.Ilovethatyouguyshavethatfocus.AndIthinkyou'resorightthatwe'regettingtoapointwherepersonalhealthandenvironmentalhealtharebecomingsoentwinedthatwereallydoneedtofocusonboth.AndI'vewrittensomuchabout,forinstance,justplasticuseandhowwe'refindingplasticresidueunderacouplekilometersoficeintheAntarctic,whichmeansourplanetissaturated.Sostepslikereducingalmostallofyourvirginplasticuse,that'sahugestep.AndsomethingIoftensaywithmyreadersandlistenersiswhileallofusobviouslyasfamiliesandindividualsandinourcommunitiesneedtostarttaking

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allofthesestepstoimprovetheenvironmentandtoimproveourownhealth,wealsoneedcompanieslikeyouguys,ethicalcompaniesthataredoingthisatscalebecauseifIjustchoosetobuyorganicandtoreducewaste,that'saprettysmallripplebutwhenacompanylikeyouguyswith,likeyousaid,halfamillionmembersdoesthat,theripplesaremuchbigger,muchfaster.

AndhavingbeenintheThriveofficeafewtimes,Iwassoexcitedtogetyouonheretotalkaboutthat.BecauseIfeellikethereweresomanythingsthatyouguysdothatgounrecognizedthatarejusttheretohelpcommunitiesandhelptheenvironmentandhelpfamilies.AndyouguyshavethiswholewingalsocalledThriveGives.AndI'dloveforyoutotalkaboutthatbecauseIknowthere'smanyaspectstowhatyoudoforfamiliesandcommunities,bothwithfreemembershipsforlow-incomefamiliesandforsendingaid.WhenwegothitwithahurricanedownherewhereIlive,youguyssentaidtoourarea.SocanyoutalkaboutsomeoftheinitiativesthroughThriveGivesaswell?

Nick:Definitely,definitely.AndbeforeIdo,Ijustwanttounderscorethepointthatyoumadeaboutjusttheabilityofeachindividualtovotewiththeirdollarsandsupportbusinessesthataredoingtherightthing.AndasIsaid,youknow,noteverybusinessstartswithamissionthewaythatwedo,buteverybusinessdoestheROIanalysis.Andasconsumers,wechoosetovotewithourdollarsatthebrandsandthebusinessesthataredoingtherightthing.Eventually,allbusinesseswilldomoreoftherightthing.Anditmaysoundnaiveandoptimistic.Buteveninthefouryearssincewe'vestartedThrive,likeweseemoreandmorebusinessesthataresteppingup.And,youknow,wecanmakealotofdirectimpactourselvesbydoingwhatwe'redoing.Butifwecansetanexampleformorebusinessestobetakingthatstep,Imean,that'sthenirvanastate,that'swherewecanstarttoreallyhaveanimpactontheproblemandultimately,it'sconsumersthataregoingtodrivethat.It'sfolksathomethatarechoosingtosupportbusinessesthatdogood.

SoontheThriveGivesside,Iwouldputthatoveronthefirstcolumnofourmissionaroundaccess.Andforuswasjust,like,sortofanobrainer.Iknowifwestartwiththeprinciplethatwewanthealthylivingtobeeasyandaccessiblewitheveryoneandthenwerealizedthatthemechanismtodothatismembership,theverynextthingwerealizedis,well,forpeoplethatarereallystrugglingfinancially,evenmembershipmaynotbeaffordable.So,youknow,thetypicalThriveMarketmodelisyoupaythat$60ayear,similartoCostco,andyougetallyourproductsat25%to50%off.And,youknow,evenmoreinmanycasesontheprivatelabelproducts.Andsoourtypicalmemberwillmakebackthatmembershipfeeinone,twopurchasesandmanywillmakeitbackmultipletimesoverthecourseoftheyear.

Butforthelowest-incomeearnersinourcountry,eventhat$60upfrontinvestmentcanbereallychallenging.Sowesaid,"Look,let'sdokindofapricediscriminationexercise,ifyouwill,whichiswhatyoucallitineconomicsbutthere'snoharmtousasabusiness.Wecangiveawaythesemembershipsforfreetothosepeoplethatreallyneeditandwhowouldn'tbebuyingamembershipanyway.Let'salsomatchthatwithourmemberswhoarecomingon,onapaidbasis."Andthecommitmentthatwemadewaseverypaidmembership,we'regoingtogiveawayamembershipforfree.AndIthinkoneuniquethingaboutthatmodelforusisthatbecausegivingawaythemembershipforfreedidn'tactuallycostusanything,wewereabletoleanintotheprogramalotmoreheavilythanalotoftheseone-for-oneprogramsthatyouhearabout.And

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wewereabletoinnovatethemfromthereonhowcanwenotonlygiveawaythesememberships,butmakesurethattheyactuallygetused.

SotheThriveGivesprogramhasbeenreallysuccessful.Wegiveawaymembershipstolow-incomefamilies,tostudents,toteachers,tofirstrespondersandtoveterans.Soifyou'relisteningandyoufitintoanyofthosecategories,youcangototheThriveGivesapplicationandactuallyapplyandreceiveafreemembership.ButthenwehavegonefurtherandweactuallycreatedaprogramthatwecallSpreadtheHealth.AndthatwastheprogramwherewefundedorhavefundedhurricaneanddisasterreliefofthefiresthatIwasmentioningearlier,boththeWoolseyfiresupnorthaswellasthefireshereinSouthernCalifornia.Wehelpedthousandsoffamilies.Andthewaythatthatprogramhasworkedisthatweactuallyenableourmemberstodonateatcheckoutaportionoftheirsavings.

SowhenyoucheckoutatThriveMarket,let'ssay,youbuy$60ofproduct,youknow,you'resaving$20,$25.Youcanjustclickaboxandeasilydonatehowevermuchyouwant.And,youknow,somepeoplewilldonatequiteabit.Somepeopledonateverylittleandsomedon'tatall.Butwe'vecomparedourstatisticstootherpointofpurchasedonationplatformsandweseeaboutfourtimestherateofdonation,whichisjustatestamenttohowmuchourmembersreallycare.Andinthelastyear,weraisedaboutamilliondollarsthatway.Andsowhatwe'vedonewiththatbudgetischanneledittowardsgivingawaycreditstoGivesmemberswhohavegottenafreemembershipbutneedanotherkindofboosttostartbuyingtheproductsandthenfundingspecificreliefeffortsfor...Ithinkitwasdisasterrelief.Wedidsomethingdownattheborderwhentherewasthefamiliesandchildrenthatweredetained.Sowesentsuppliesdownthereandhavecontinuedthoseefforts.WedidasupperonStandingRockacoupleofyearsagowhentherewereprotestersatStandingRock,andtheyneededsupplies.

Sowesortofpickissuesandsituationswherethere'speoplethatreallyneedhealthyfood,andthenwepushfreemembershipstothemplusthesupplies.Andthenweactuallydocumentwhatwe'vedonesothatwecanshareitbackwithourmembers.Andthegoalistocreateamodelwheremembersfeellikethey'reparticipatingindoinggood,wheretheygettoseewheretheirdollarsaregoingandwhereweasacommunityarestandingupforourvaluesasnotjustabusinessbutreallyasamembershipcommunity.Andit'sbeenreallyamazingandhearteningtoseetheratesofdonationandtheenthusiasmthatourmembershave.It'salsobeenincredibletoseeotherbusinessesgetonboardwhenwe'veledsomeoftheseeffortsandthendodonationmatchingwithusandworkwithus,withsomeofthecharitablepartnersthatweworkwith.

Youknow,onepartnerthatweworkreallyheavilywithhereinL.A.iscalledBaby2Baby.Andhistoricallytheyprovideddiaperstosinglemomswhowerehomeless.Andthisisahugeneedwhereyouhavemomsinbusstationsthatarehavingtouseadisposablediapermultipletimesandwashitinasinkinapublicrestroom.Butwhattheydidn'thave...theyweredoingthisgreatworkonthediaperside.Whattheydidn'thaveissnacksandhealthyfoodforthesemoms.So,youknow,weworkedwiththemandthentherewereotherlocalbusinessesthatgotinvolved.AndsothepartthathasreallybeenhearteningformeontheGivessidespecificallyandtheSpreadtheHealthsideistheway,youknow,ourcommunityhasbeenabletobeacatalystformoreandmoregivingandforotherbusinessesrecognizingthatit'stherightthingtodo.Sosimilartothe

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sustainabilitystuff,Ifeellikewecanbethatwavethatreallystartsthemovement.Andit'sourmemberswhoarereallydrivingit.

Katie:Ilovethat.It'sbeen,asamembermyself,excitingtoseehowthat'sgrowninthelastcoupleofyears,andjustallthepeoplethathavebeenreachedthroughthoseefforts.Andtocirclebacktoyourpointaboutthefirstpillaraboutmakinghealthylivingaccessibleandeasytoeveryone,I'dlovetotouchonfooddesertsalittlebit,becauseIknowthiswasoneofthethingsyouguyswerereallytryingtotacklewhenyoufirstfoundedThriveandsomethingIfeellikeyoulargelyhavebeenabletotackleintheU.S.Butkindofexplainingwhatthatconceptisforthosewhoaren'tfamiliar,becauseI'veheardfromsomelistenersandreaders,especiallythoseinplaceslikeL.A.whokindofarelike,"Idon'tunderstandtheneedforsomethinglikethis.IcanjustgotoWholeFoods."AndI'vehadtoexplain,youknow,placeswhereI'velived.IwasoveranhourfromthenearestWholeFoodsandthelocalstoremaybecarriedfourorganicthings.AndthereareplacesintheU.S.stillthatreallydon'thaveaccesstothesekindsofnaturalproducts.Socanyoukindofexplainthatconceptoffooddesertsandhowyouguyswantedtotacklethatproblem?

Nick:Absolutely.Andthementalitythatyouwerejustdescribingorthekindofnaivetearoundthisconcept,it'snotjust,youknow,regularpeople.PartofthereasonthatwegotrejectedoverandoveragainbyVCsisthatthesebigimportantinvestorswhoaresupposedtobeawareofwhat'sgoingon,theythemselvesweren'tawareofitatall...Ican'ttellyouhowmanytimespeopleaskuswhenwewentintopitchthem,youknow,"HowareyougoingtocompetewithWholeFoods?"Andwehadtotellthem60%ofAmericansdon'tlivewithindrivingdistanceofaWholeFoods.Youknow,97%can'taffordthepricepremiumstypicallychargedfororganicproducts.WearenotcompetingwithWholeFoods.And,youknow,asit'sturnedout,wehavegotalotofcustomerswhowereWholeFoodsshopperswhoarecomingovertoThrivebecauseit'scheaper,moreconvenient,andtheyalignwiththevalues.

Buttheoverwhelmingmajorityofourbusinessisreallyinthese"non-consumptionmarkets,"whatwecallthehealthfooddeserts.And,again,it'sthereasonwhywedidn'tendupgettingfundedbyventurecapitalists.Wegotfundedbyordinarypeopleintheseplaceswhohadbecomesortofactivistsintheirownrightforhealthyfoodaccess,right?Itwasbloggers,itwasYouTubestars,itwasbestsellingauthorswhoarebecomingrealthoughtleadersinthemovement.It'speoplelikeyourselfthatgotinandsaid,"IseethisproblemdailyinmyowncommunityandIwanttomakeanimpact."Soitwasarealstruggleforusthatpeopledidn'tunderstandit.Andtojustsharealittlebitofnumberswithlisteners,youknow,ourmembershipbaseisabout50%intheMidwestandtheSoutheast,whicharekindofthetraditionalunderservedmarkets.

Today,youstillhaveoverhalfofAmericansthatdon'tlivewithindrivingdistanceofahealthfoodstore.Andsoevenifsomeplaceisnottechnicallyafooddesert,itmaystillbeahealthfooddesert.Youknow,IgrewupintheMidwestmyself.IgrewupinMinnesota.AndinMinneapolis,you'vegotsomegreatoptions.ButifyougetanywhereoutsideofMinneapolis,youreallydon't.Andso,youknow,I'llneverforgetwhenwelaunched,it'sprobablytwoorthreemonthsafterwelaunched.Atthispoint,Iwasstillactuallydoingcustomerserviceandwedidn'thaveanypeopleinourcallcenteryet.AndIremembergettinganemailfromawomanwho,herorderhadactuallygotteneatenoffherdoorstepbyabear.Shewaslike,"Ican'tbelieveit.Ijust,like,placed

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thishugeorder.Isavedsomuchmoney,butIstillspent$80,"orwhateveritwas,"andnowit'sallgone."Andweendedupsendingheranotherbox.Andfortunately,thebeardidn'teatthatone.

Butitwasjustthisincrediblereminderof,youknow,one,whatanimpactweweremakinginherlife.Butalsothat,like,therearealotofpeoplethatliveoutinplaceswherethere'smorebearsthantherearehealthfoodstores.Andsowereallywanttohaveanimpactonthat.ThelastthingI'llsayonthistopicisonethingthat'schangedinthelastfouryearssincewelaunchedisthattherearemoreandmoreplaceslike,youmentionedCostco,butit'sthesameatKroger,thesameatWalmart,kindofyourconventionalretailerswhoarecarryingmoreandmoreorganicproducts.AndIthink,insomesense,theproblemhasshiftedalittlebitwhereasevenfourorfiveyearsago,itwas,"Ican'tfindanythingthatevenclaimstohavethesestandards,"or,"Igointomyconventionalgrocerystoreandthere'snothingthatsays'organic.'"

Ithinknowactuallythechallengehasshiftedalittlebitforalotofpeopleinthatthereactuallyarenominallyorganicoptionsandyousee,youknow,brandsinyourconventionalgrocerystorethatclaimtobehealthy.ButIthinkalotofpeoplearerealizingthatthat'snotalwaysthecase.AndsoIwouldsaythethreatthreeorfouryearsagowasreallyjustaccesstoanyoftheseproducts.Ithinkthethreattodayisstillaccessforsomepeople.AndthenIthinkit'salsowhatIwouldkindoftermasgreenwashingwhereyou'vegot,youknow,brandsoryou'vegotretailerswhoareputtingproductontheshelfthatsaysitishealthyorit'snatural.Ornominally,it'sorganic,butit'sreallyveryindustrialorganic.Andinfact,thehealthqualitiesoftheseproductsisnotalwaysveryhigh.Now,there'ssitesonlinewhereyoucanbuyawholeassortmentoforganiccookiesandeffectivelyorganicOreos.And,youknow,Ithinkthat'sorganicinnameonly.

Sothere'sreallynow,Iwouldsay,yougothealthfooddesertsandthenIthinkyouhavearealtrustphenomenon.Whereevenoutsideofthehealthfooddesert,peopleareprettyoverwhelmedwith,"What'sactuallyhealthy?WhatcanIactuallytrust?"Andsotodayweactuallyseeoneofourchallengesisstilltoreachthehealthfooddeserts.Andthenanotheristobethatplacewhere,regardlessofwhereyouare,youcancomeonThriveandknoweverythingcanbetrusted.Andthat,wethink,ismaybethenextproblemtosolvebesidesshippingtothehealthfooddeserts.

Katie:That'sagreatpoint.Yeah,Ithinkgreenwashinghasbecomeahugeproblem.Andthereare,likeyousaid,organicalternativestoprettymucheveryjunkfoodthesedays.Andit'sgreattoknow,onThrive,youguyshaveyourvalueslistedonallthepackagingsoyoucanevenactuallyshopbythat.SoIknowIcanfindthingsthatareorganicandgluten-freeandwhatevercriteriaIneed.Sothereisthatleveloftrust.Ithinkyou'reright.Ithinktrustgoesatremendousdistanceinthatandwe'vetouchedonitkindofinafewways.ButI'dlovetogoalittlebitdeeperwithyouastheCEOofThriveandkindofsteeringthisshipthat'sdoingsomuchsocialgood,butalsoisafor-profitbusiness,howyoubalancethesocialmissionandthebusinessside?I'vealwaysbeenabelieverthatbusinessescanbeverymuchbothprofitableandatremendousforceforgood.AndIknowthatyoufeelthatwayaswell.Butcanyoujustkindoftalkthroughyourownvaluesasfarashowyoubalancethat?

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Nick:Yeah,that'sareally,reallygreatquestion.AndIthinkthatthechallengeisifyourbusinessinterestsandyourmissionareintension,youknow,there'salwaysgoingtobethetemptationtoprioritizethebusiness.AndIthinkthatalotofbusinessesthatboltonasocialmissionafterthefactandevensomebusinessesthatreallydowanttocommittothesocialmissionendupunderpressurefromshareholdersifthey'republicorinvestorsifthey'renot,orjustthekindofbasicfactorofhumangreedto,youknow,cutcornersandfocusonself-interestfirst.Andsoforus,Ithinkthere'sbeentwothingsthathavereally,Ibelieve,insulatedusfromthat.Oneiswestarteditforthemission.Andthemissionactuallycamefirst.Itwasn'tputonafterthefactanditdidn'tevencomein,like,alongsidethebusiness.Wereallydesignedthebusinessaroundthemissionfromdayone.

And,youknow,youmentionedthisatthebeginning,butthiswasn'tmyfirstrodeo.Isoldabusinessafewyearsprior.Gunnar,myco-founder,wasinthesameplace.Sasha,ourthirdco-founder,samething.Andso,youknow,wewereinapositionwherewedidn'twanttostartabusinessjusttotrytomakemoney.Ihadasocialcomponenttomy,mylastbusinesswasintheeducationspaceandreallyworkingtomakeaccesstocollegeeasier.Andyetwealso,youknow,therewassomedynamictensionbecauseourbusinessmademoremoneyandweservedmoreaffluentareas.SoIwasreallydeterminedtomakethisonemissionfirstandGunnarfelttheexactsamewayandSashadid,too.AndsoIthink,youknow,thatbeingbakedintoourDNAfromthebeginninghasenableduswhenwehavetomakeharddecisions,whichwesometimesdo,tosay,"Hey,it'sgoingtobeforthemission."

Thesecondthingisfindingthoseopportunitiesorthose,like,businessopportunitieswherethemissionandthebusinessopportunityareactuallyaligned.Whereinsteadofbeingindynamictension,theyactuallygotogether.Andideally,they'rethesamething.AndI'lltellyouwhatImeanbythat.Youknow,wetalkaboutmakinghealthylivingaccessible.Like,thatisourmission,butitalsoisourbusinessopportunity,right?Ifwecanmakehealthylivingaccessibleandaffordabletoeverybody,youknow,we'retalkingaboutatrilliondollarmarketforgroceriesandforCPG,andforconsumerpackagedgoods.That'samassivebusinessopportunity.Andifwebuildamultibilliondollarbusinessdoingthat,wewillhavesucceededatourmission.

SoIthinkatareallyfundamentallevel,ourmissionandourbusinessmandategohandinhand.Andthenwithinspecificareasofourmission,we'velookedforopportunitieswherethey'renotgoingtobeindynamictension.LikeIsaid,ourzerowastefulfillmentcenteractuallyhasbeenapositiveROIinvestmentforus.Andit'satemplatenowthatwe'rehelpingotherecommercecompaniestodowiththeirfulfillmentcenters.Youknow,Ithinkanotherwaythatwe'vestartedtodoitistoreallythinkabouthowcanwebuildabrandaroundthemissioninawaythatourcustomerswillrewardus.Andthatwasn'tsomethingthatweintentionallydesignedearlyon.Butwhatwe'veseenisthatthememberswhoalignedwiththemissionandreadaboutourmissionworkandinsurveyssaythattheycareaboutthatmissionworkactuallyturnouttobemoreloyalcustomersandstaywithusforthelong-term.

AndsoIthinkyoucanmakeanargumentnowthatbecauseconsumersaremoreandmoreconsciousdoingtherightthingforthemission,evenifitcostsalittlemoreinsomeinstanceswillleadtolong-termcustomeror,inourcase,memberloyalty.AndsoIthinkwe'vebeenreally,youknow,fortunateinthewaythatwestartedthebusinessandthenfortunateinbeingabletofindspecificopportunitieswithinthebusiness.But,

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youknow,muchmoreoftenthannot,wehavefoundthatthatdynamictensionhasreallykindofnotbeenthecase.

Katie:Yeah,that'ssuchagreatpoint.

ThispodcastisbroughttoyoubyJoovvredlighttherapy.I’vewrittenaboutredlighttherapybeforeandhowithelpssupportthebodyandevenreducethesignsofaging.MyJoovvispartofmydailyroutineandIlovethisrelaxing20-minuteritual.I’mgettingamoodboostwhileincreasingmycollagenandelastinproduction,improvingfatmetabolism,assistingwiththebody’sdetoxificationreactions,andboostingcellularenergy.Here’showitdoesallofthat:Justlikeplantsconvertlightenergyintochemicalenergyviaphotosynthesis,ourbodieshavetheabilitytometabolizeredandnear-infraredlightintoaformofcellularenergy--adenosinetriphosphate(ATP)--thatisessentialtorestoring,repairing,energizing,andmaintainingourbodies.ATPisoftenreferredtoasthe“energycurrencyoflife,”whichiswhylighttherapycanbesonourishing,healing,andsoothingallatthesametime.IhaveanduseacombinationJoovvlightwhichhastwowavelengthsfordoublethebenefits,660nmforredlightand850nmfornear-infraredlight.Bothwerechosenbecausethebulkofthescientificliteraturecentersontheirbenefits,andyoucangetthemseparatelyortogether.The660nmrangeisbetterforcollagenproductionandotherskinbenefits,whilethe850isbetterfordeeptissueissueslikemusclerecovery,jointdiscomfort,etc.TheynowhaveaJoovvGowhichisjustaspowerfulastheotherJoovvmodelsbutitcanfitinthepalmofyourhand.It’sasmaller,lessexpensive,andjustaseffectivemodelthatcaneventravelwithyouforaquickcollagenboostforyourfaceorinflammationreliefinasorejoint.Learnmoreatjoovv.com/wellnessmama

ThispodcastisbroughttoyoubySteadyMD.Thiscompanycombinesthecuttingedgeofmedicalknowledgewiththepersonaltouchofconciergemedicine.Itislikehavingthebestdoctorsinthecountryasyourpersonalold-schoolcometoyourhousedoctor.Here’swhatImean-youareconnectedwithavaluealigneddoctorwholearnsyourmedicalhistoryandyourfamily’smedicalhistory.Youcanconnectanytimeyouneedviaphone,textorvideochattoaskquestionsandtheycanhelpwithmostissuesandprescribemostthingslongdistance.Withtechnology,thisismyfavoritewaytointeractwithadoctornow.Wecanordereverythingelsefromourphonesandgeteverythingdeliveredtoourhousesandnowwecaninteractwithourdoctorsinthesameway.Withadigitalotoscope,I’veevenbeenabletoliterallysendmydoctoraninstantvideoofmykid’seardrumtoseeifshehadanearinfectionbefore.MydocunderstandsthatwhileIdothinkconventionalmedicineislifesavingandimportant,IprefertousenaturalremedieswhenpossibleandavoidantibioticsunlessreallynecessaryandIcantrustthatheisneverpushingatreatmentthatisn’tabsolutelynecessary.Infact,he’sgivenmenaturalremedyadvicemostofthetimeoversuggestingconventionalmedicineandsharesmystanceonnotoverusingantibioticsandpainmedicinetoreducefever.Trulyit’sbeenanamazingexperiencetohavemydoctorinmybackpocket.LearnmoreatsteadyMD.com/wellnessmama.

Katie:AndIhopethisisokaytotalkaboutinapublicforum.ButIfeellikeanotheramazingaspectofthisisthatyou'vetakenthisevenbeyondthemissionofjustThriveastheCEOandintoapersonaldirectionaswellasaco-founderofAllianceforGood.Isthatokaytotalkabouthere?Andifso,canyouexplainwhatitis?

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Nick:Yeah,absolutely.Soagain,Ikeepsayingitgoesbacktothemission.Butthisonedoes,too,right?Westartedthebusinessbecausewewantedtomakehealthylivingaffordabletoeveryone.Wehadrealchallenges,really,inthebusinesswhereitdidn'tlooklikeweweregoingtosucceedandweendedupbeingsuccessfulbecauseoffolkslikeyourselfwhocameinandsupportedusveryearlyandthenspreadthewordaboutThrive.Andasco-founders,oneofthedistinctexperiencesI'vehadin,andthroughoutmyentrepreneurialjourneybutespeciallywiththisbusinessisjustreallybeinghumbledbythewaythatacommunitycancometogetherandaccomplishsomuchmorethanwecouldindividually.AndsowereallylookatwhatThrivehasbecomenotassomethingwe'veaccomplishedasfounders,butreallyasthisexpressionofpeople,youknow,kindofansweringthecalltobetheirbestselvesandtohaveanimpactandtosupportsomethingthat'strulygood.

Andit'sbuiltabusinessthat'salreadybecomeveryvaluable.Youknow,we'veraisednowhundredsofmillionsofdollarsatahighvaluationandit'screatedrealwealthforourshareholdersandforouremployeesandalsoforus.Andafterweraisedourlastroundofcapital,Gunnar,SashaandIwerereflectingonitandjustlookingatkindof,youknow,whywestartedthebusinessandtheamountofwealththatwasbeingcreatedinthebusinessandreallythinkingaboutwheredowewantthatwealthtogo.

Andifthebusinesswasmadetofocusonaccess,whyshouldn'tweputaportionofthatwealthbacktowardsthataswell?AndsowhatwedidisweformedwhatwecalltheAllianceforGoodandweactuallytookasignificantportionofourownsharesandmoveditintoavehiclethatbasicallycommitsthatmoneytocharitablegoods.Anditwasalittleover$10millionoftotalsharevaluethatwetookfromallthreeofusandputintothatvehicleandthatwastheinitialgenesisoftheAllianceforGoodwhichhasnowbecomeaplatformwherewehelpotherentrepreneurswhoareinterestedinthatdothesamething.SosortofsimilartowhatIwasdescribingwiththefulfillmentcenter,wewentzerowasteandthenwetookthattemplateandsaid,"Hey,here'showyoucandoit,too."

AndwhatwefoundwiththeAllianceforGoodisthere'salotofentrepreneursthatwouldliketocommitto,youknow,puttingwhateverwealththeygeneratefromthebusinessoraportionofthatwealthtowardsthereasonthattheystartedthebusinessorsomeothermissionthattheyfeelpassionatelyabout.Andsowerealizedwhenwesetitupourselves,ittookalotofwork.Wehadtocreatethiswholevehiclecalledthedonoradvisedfundandtherewasthesefeesanditwasjust,like,reallylegallycumbersometogetitall,andadministrativelycumbersometogetitallsetup.Wesaid,"Howaboutwetemplatizethis?"AndthatbecametheAllianceforGood.So,youknow,wedoworkasco-founderswiththefundsthatweputin.Andthenthegoalultimatelyovertimeistoreallycreatealargepoolofcapitalwhereentrepreneurshavecommittedtodoinggoodwiththewealththat'scomingoutofthebusinesses.

Katie:Ilovethat.AndIthinkitreallyspeakstothecommunityandfamilyfeelofThriveandthetimesthatI'vebeenthereandhoweverytimeIthinkI'vebeenthere,there'skidsthere,there'sdogsthere,there'sameditationroom.Youguysreallydowalkthewalkandprioritizethat.AndIknowfromourpersonalconversationsthatinyourownlifeinthelastcoupleofyears,therehavebeenthingsthathaveamplifiedyourmissionevenmoreinmakingnaturallivingandrealfoodavailable,widespread,whichincluding,especiallythe

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birthofyourdaughter.SoI'mcurious,whatwaysyou'reworkingtoimpartthesevaluestoyourdaughterandhowmuchthat'schangedoramplifiedyourmissionpersonallysinceshewasborn?

Nick:That'sareallygreatquestion.SoIguessthefirstthingIwouldsaytoyourpointaboutbeingthekindofthecommunityofThriveandjusttokindofendcaptheconversationabouttheAllianceforGood,Ithinkinallofthosethings,we'reconsistentlyinspiredbyourmembers.Like,ourdecisiontobegenerouswithwhat'scomingoutofThriveisinpartlookingatourmembersasanexampleandtheirgenerositywithdonateatcheckoutandSpreadtheHealth.Youknow,whatwedoforfamiliesandinourenvironmenthereintheThriveMarketofficeforouremployeesisverymuchlookingatwhatarethevaluesthatourmembershaveandwhat'sthewaythatthey'reliving?Andhowcanwecreatethatsamesortofexperienceforouremployees?

Andforme,it'sbeenaconsistentsourceofinspirationinthebusiness.Itbecamerealinaverydifferentwaywhenmydaughterwasborntwoyearsagoorayearand10monthsagointhat,youknow,ourmembershipbaseisabout90%women.It'salotofmoms.AndI'mobviouslynotawomanandatthetime,Iwasn'taparent.AndI'llneverfullyunderstandwhatit'sliketobeamomspecifically.Butbeingaparenthastotallytransformedmyconnectiontoourmissionandtojustwhatitmeanstoprovidethebestforyourchild.Soit'sredoubledmycommitmenttomakingthatpossibleforanyoneregardlessoftheirincome,regardlessofwheretheylive,regardlessofwhetherthey'vehadthetimeortheexperienceoreducationalbackgroundtoreally,youknow,becomeresearchedthemselvesonthebestwaytogethealthytoreallymakeiteasyforanyone.Sothat'sbeenonemajorimpact.

Andthen,youknow,intermsofthewaythatit'saffectedmyparenting,youknow,mydaughter'slessthantwoyearsoldsoI'mnotexactlyteachingheryethowtoeathealthy.But,youknow,it's,I'vegottentoseefirsthandhowmucheasieritiswhenIhaveoneplacethatIcangotoandtrust,evenassomeonewhoknowsalotaboutthesedifferenttopicsandis,youknow,prettydiscerningandhasthetimeandthekindofindustrybackgroundtodoallthework.WhenIgointoaWholeFoodsorIgointo...hereinVenice,wehaveErewhon,like,it's,I'mlikeakidinacandyshopinsomesensebutit'salsointimidatingandcanbeoverwhelming.Soit'sjustbeenareminderofwhyit'ssoimportanttomakethiseasy.Theamountoftimethatittakestojustbeacompetentparent,IwouldsayI'macompetentparentbutit'sreallyhardtoevengettothatplaceandtohaveontopofittryingtoshopforabunchofdifferentplacesandbudgetoutforhowyou'regoingtomakekindofthemonthlybillswork,buyinghigh-qualityproductsandkeepupwiththelatestfoodtrends,it'sahugeamountandsoit'smadethewholemissionandthewholebusinessmuchmorepersonalforme.

Katie:Ilovethat.Andaswegetclosetowrappingup,I'dlovetohearyourthoughtson,assomeonesoinvolvedinthismovement,whereyouseethefutureofrealfoodandnaturalhealthproductsinthenextcoupleofyears,andspecificallyanygoalsthatyouguysmayhaveinthenextfewyears?

Nick:Wow,that'sabigquestion.Icouldspendanotherhourtalkingaboutthat.Ithinkthatthesinglemostimportantmovementhappeningincapitalismtodayandmaybeinthehistoryofcapitalism,sinceitstarted,isconsciousconsumption.Itisconsumersreallywakingupandtakingthatmoreholisticapproachtothewaythattheyconsume.AndIthinkpartofthisiswe'resuchaconsumersaturatedsocietyatthispointthat

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consumptionisjustahugeportionofwhatwedoandwearemeaning-creatingcreatures.Wewanttobefulfilled.Wethinkaboutouridentity.AndIthinkpeoplearestartingtodothatwiththewaytheyconsume.AndIthinkaspeoplebecomemoreconsciousandwantwhattheyconsumetoreflecttheirvaluesand,youknow,useeducationalresourcesonline,reallytaketheirknowledgeintotheirownhandsandtheirhealthintotheirownhands,Ithinkyou'regoingtohavejustmoreandmoreandmorepeoplewhoyoucouldproperlyterm"consciousconsumers."

Andthatisthesinglebiggestopportunitythatwehaveforourbusinessistobethecommunityforconsciousconsumers.Ithinkit'sthesinglebiggestopportunitythatwehavetoreshapetheeconomyandpushotherbusinessestodotherightthing.AndIthinkit'sanopportunityinbasicallyeverysingleareaforusjusttocontinuethrough,like,asconsumers,topushbusinessesandindustryandinnovationtohappenatamoreacceleratedpacetosolvesomeofthebiggestproblemsthatwehave.Andforus,thosetwohavetodowiththeenvironmentandhealthfoodaccess,youknow.There'sbeensomerealimprovementsoverthelastfewyearsthatIspoketoearlier,buttherealityiswestillhavetensofmillionsofpeopleinthiscountrythataredealingwithseveremetabolicsyndromesthataretheresultofdiet.

Wehavehundredsofmillionswhoareeatingadietthatisbasicallynotreallyfoodandontheenvironmentalsustainabilityside.Ireallybelieveweareataninflectionpointwherewecanturnitaround,orwecanreallymessthingsupfor,youknow,thefutureofourplanet,ourclimate,andourkids.Sothestakesarereally,reallyhigh.ButIthinkconsumersarewakingupinawaythattheyhaven'tbefore.Andthatawakeningconsciousness,Ithink,ishappeningexponentially,butweseeiteverysingleday.AndsoIthinktheopportunityisasconsumersbecomemoreawareand,bytheway,Ithink,likeWellnessMama,likeyoursite,Katie,isareallygreatexampleofaplacethatconsumerscantaketheirhealthandtheirawarenessintotheirownhandsandgetamazingeducationalresourcesandknowledge.Youknow,andatalevelofaccessthatwasn'tpossible10or15yearsago.

Soasthathappens,Ithinkthere'sjustahugeopportunityforus,theconsumerstopushtheenvelope.Sothethingsthatwe'rereallythinkingaboutarehowdoweexpandintonewcategoriesthatwehaven'tdonebeforeandpushtheenvelopethereinareaslikemeatandseafood,whichwelaunchedlastyearandnowhave,youknow,organicgrass-fedbeefsourcedfromPatagonia,regenerativeporkthatissourcedfromoneoftheleadingregenerativefarmsintheU.S.Howcanwepushtheenvelopeonstandards,right?Ijustmentionedregenerativebutthat'saperfectexample,right,OrganicNow.There'sbrandsandproductsthattechnicallymeetorganicstandards.Butarguably,organicisnotenoughtoundosomeofthesoildegradationthat'shappenedinmuchofthiscountry.Sohowdowepushstandardslikeregenerativeandencouragepeopletogoevenastepfurther?Ithinkthosearethetypesofthingsthatwegetreally,reallyexcitedabout.

Andwhenwelookatthekindsofbrandsthatwe'regoingtoworkwithandtheinnovationthatwe'regoingtodoinourowncatalog,youknow,othernewcategories,onethat'sreallyexcitingtousisfrozen,right?There'sahugeproblemrightnowwithfoodwaste.Andthetypicalwaytoavoidfoodwastehasbeenputtingpreservativesintoproducts.Turnsoutifyoufreezeproduct,youactuallypreserveitsfreshness,preventnutritionaldegradation.Andhaveareallysimplepreservationtoolthatishealthyandpreventsfoodwaste.Sowe'rereallygoingtoleanintonotonlythemeatandseafoodsidebutmorefrozenfood.Sojustkindof

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running,Ithink,everythingthroughthatlenshasbeenreallyimpactfulformesofar.AndasIlookouttothenexttwo,three,four,fiveyears,andtryingtobecome,youknow,reallytheplatformforhealthylivingandtheplatformforconsciousconsumers,it's,youknow,beingthatplacethat'sjustraisingthestandardsfurtherandfurtherasconsumersraisetheirstandardsfurtherandfurther.

Katie:Yeah,absolutely.Ilovethat.AndIlovethattherearecompanieslikeThrivethataredoingthisonsuchalargescale.AndI'malsosogratefulforpeoplelikeourlistenerstodaywhoaredoingthisintheirownfamilies.AndIthinkwe'vementionedacoupletimes,thecombinationofthosetwo,Ithink,isthebesthopewehaveforreversingalotoftheseproblemsthathavebecomesowidespread.SoI'msogratefulforyou.AndIknowforanyonelistening,ifyou'renotalreadyamemberofThrive,youguyscangotothrivemarket.com/katie,andsave25%onyourfirstorder.Andifyou'realreadyamember,youcanloginthereandgetaccesstofreegiftswithpurchaseoncertaindaysandallkindsofotherincentives.So,ifyouguysarenotfamiliar,definitelycheckitout.And,Nick,asakindofselfish,self-servinglastquestion,Iwouldlovetoknowifthereareanybookorbooksthathavereallychangedyourlife.Andifso,whattheyare.I'malwaysonthehuntfornewbooks.

Nick:It'sagreatone.OnebookthatIgeekoutoniscalled"Principles,"andit'swrittenbyaguynamedRayDaliowho's,ofallthings,ahedgefundinvestor.AndwhatIlikeaboutthatbookishetalksaboutturninglifeintoagamewhereyou'relearningandidentifyingtherulesandlearningnewprinciplesforhowtogetwhatyouwantintheworld.AndIfoundthattobeareallyvaluableframeworkforentrepreneurship.Anotherbookthatisreallyimpactfulforme,ironically,isJohnMackey's"ConsciousCapitalism."SoJohnisthefounderofWholeFoods.AndthatwasthefirstbookthatGunnarandI,Gunnarismyco-founder,readtogether.Andhisvisionofastakeholder-drivenbusiness,andIthinkWholeFoodswasreallyapioneeronthis,hasbeenatotalinspirationforusin,youknow,notjustbeingthecustomer-centricbusinessthewaythat,say,Amazonis,butthinkingaboutourcustomers,ourvendors,oursuppliers,ourpartners,ouremployees,theworkersinoursupplychain,reallybeingastakeholder-drivenbusinesshasbeensuperimpactfulforme.So,thosewouldbetwo.

Katie:Awesome.AndI'llmakesurethosearelinkedintheshownotesalongwiththelinkforyouguystocheckoutThriveandgetadiscount.ButNick,Iknowhowbusyyouare,andtrulyhonoredthatyouwouldspendanhourwithustodayandshinelightonallofthethingsthatpeoplemaynothaveknownthatThriveisdoingtocreategoodintheworld.Sothankyouforyoureffortsandthankyouforyourtimetoday.

Nick:Thankyou,Katie.Thiswasreally,reallyfun.Again,asyousaid,thankyoutothelistenersouttherewhoaretakingtheirhealthintotheirownhandsandvotingwiththeirdollarsforcreatingmoregoodintheworld.

Katie:Absolutely.Yeah.Thankyou,guys,forthatandforsharingyourmostvaluableassetofyourtimewithustoday.Wedon'ttakethatlightly.We'regratefulforyou,andIhopethatyouwilljoinmeagainonthenextepisodeof"TheWellnessMamaPodcast."

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Ifyou'reenjoyingtheseinterviews,wouldyoupleasetaketwominutestoleavearatingorreviewoniTunesforme?Doingthishelpsmorepeopletofindthepodcast,whichmeansevenmoremomsandfamiliescouldbenefitfromtheinformation.Ireallyappreciateyourtime,andthanksasalwaysforlistening.