UnNatural Selection

At First, There Was Light: Candle Manufacturing • Alene Candles / Rodney Harl

Candles are one of the oldest technologies in human history. They lit our homes, guided our nights, and shaped civilization – until the light bulb nearly made them obsolete. So how does a 3,000-year-old industry reinvent itself and grow in a world flooded with artificial light? In Episode 52 of UnNatural Selection, Nic speaks with Rodney Harl, Chairman of Alene Candles, about innovation, safety, supply chains, and the surprising science behind a product millions of people light in their homes every day. Rodney shares how candles evolved from survival technology into lifestyle and identity products—and why modern candle manufacturing looks more like a biotech lab than a craft workshop. From chemical formulation and safety testing to rapid supply chains and global competition, this episode reveals how even the oldest industries must constantly reinvent themselves to stay relevant. If you think candle making is simple, this conversation will change your mind.

Infrastructure Wins: Research & Diagnostics • Danaher / JC Gutierrez-Ramos

Breakthroughs don’t fail because of bad science – they fail because the systems needed to deliver them don’t exist yet. In this episode of UnNatural Selection, Nic speaks with Jose-Carlos Gutierrez-Ramos, Senior Vice President and Chief Science Officer at Danaher, about the hidden bottlenecks slowing progress in life sciences – and what they reveal about innovation in every industry. JC shares how his journey from patient to immunologist shaped his mission to improve human health, and why the biggest barriers today aren’t discovering new therapies – they’re selecting the right patients, generating real-world evidence, and building the manufacturing and diagnostic infrastructure needed to scale breakthroughs. The conversation explores why innovation increasingly happens between industries, why incentives across ecosystems often don’t align, and why the next decade will reshape who leads discovery, development, and delivery. This episode is about the uncomfortable truth behind progress: discovery is only the beginning.

Brand Beats Commodity: Casual Hospitality • bartaco / Anthony Valletta

Tacos might be one of the most commoditized products on the planet. You can find them everywhere, at every price point, in nearly every city. So how do you build a truly distinctive brand around something so common? In this Season 2 premiere of UnNatural Selection, we explore how bartaco has done exactly that. CEO Anthony Valletta shares how the company escaped the commodity trap by focusing on something deeper than the menu: experience, community, and the feeling of belonging. This conversation dives into why the real competitor in hospitality isn’t another restaurant—it’s isolation, convenience, and digital overload. You’ll hear how bartaco designs environments that encourage connection, why simplicity can be the ultimate form of innovation, and how a brand can scale emotional experiences without losing authenticity. If you care about differentiation, brand strategy, hospitality, or building meaningful experiences in crowded markets, this episode is a masterclass in turning the ordinary into the unforgettable. Season 2 starts here.

Family Superpowers: Adaptability Starts at Home

Adaptability Starts at Home In this special pre–Season 2 episode of UnNatural Selection, the microphones move from global innovators to a much tougher audience: family. Before the official Season 2 kickoff, the Encina family gathers in the “Family Board Room” for a strategic review of Season 1. The goal? Apply lessons from world-class pioneers to the far more complex challenge of everyday family life. Because if innovation strategy can’t survive bedtime negotiations, sibling diplomacy, and the emotional volatility of snack shortages… is it really strategy? Most families overlook one of the most powerful skills that can transform how they communicate, solve problems, and grow together: adaptability. This conversation explores what happens when a family tries to evolve on purpose – in real time. Together, the team reviews the Season 1 playbook and pressure-tests it against real household challenges. Along the way, they discover a slightly uncomfortable truth: the principles that help organizations survive disruption apply suspiciously well to family life. If you’re a parent, partner, caregiver, or simply part of a group chat that occasionally spirals, this episode offers a practical and surprisingly relatable blueprint for evolving together. Season 2 launches next.

A New Era Begins: Next-Gen Content Strategy • Chief Content Officer/Valentina Encina

What does it take to reinvent a podcast for its next phase of growth? In this April Fool’s special of UnNatural Selection, we convene a high-stakes programming strategy session to chart the future of Season Two. To lead the effort, we’ve brought in Valentina Encina–Chief Content Officer, head of household programming, and a six-year-old executive with a flawless track record and absolute authority. In this candid (and highly directive) session, Valentina outlines a bold new content roadmap, including: * Ocean exploration and the mysteries of the deep sea * Zoology and the path to becoming a “zoo expert” * Farming, food systems, and making work more fun * Health, strength, and how bodies actually work * Cooking, with an emphasis on real-world application * High-speed competition, from NASCAR to Formula One * Infrastructure fundamentals—like how water gets to your house What emerges is a surprisingly coherent–and refreshingly unfiltered–vision for the future of the show: follow curiosity, prioritize what’s interesting, and don’t overcomplicate things. This episode is part of our April Fool’s series, but the shift is real. Season Two launches this May. A new era begins. Until then… we’ll be taking direction from leadership.