The Marian Flaxman Network Podcast

Regenerative Food Systems with Will Harris

Welcome back to the Marian Flaxman Network Podcast. On today's episode, Marian visits White Oak Pastures in Bluffton, Georgia, and speaks with their owner and operator, Will Harris. Will is a 4th generation farmer, who spent many years farming industrially, before an "aha" moment caused him to change his entire operation. White Oak Pastures is now a fully integrated regenerative farm, growing and raising a wide variety of plants and animals, rebuilding soil carbon, and protecting waterways. In this conversation, Will speaks about his transition to regenerative practices, his passion for the topic, and why he thinks advocates (like himself) need to take a nuanced, gradual approach, rather than forcing everyone to change immediately. He and Marian also discuss the complexities of the current food landscape, the overlaps between the food system and healthcare system, and what the business world could learn from nature. For more information on Will and his farm: https://whiteoakpastures.com/ [https://whiteoakpastures.com/] For more information on Marian: https://www.marianflaxman.com/ [https://www.marianflaxman.com/] Follow White Oak Pastures on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whiteoakpastures/ [https://www.instagram.com/whiteoakpastures/] Follow Marian on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marianff/ [https://www.instagram.com/marianff/] Connect with Marian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marian-flaxman/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/marian-flaxman/]

Regeneration and Systems Midwifery with Nadine Clopton

Welcome back to the Marian Flaxman Network Podcast. On this episode, Nadine Clopton talks about her impactful work in the regeneration movement, and how it all connects to her lifelong interests in, and passion for, human health and healing. From a childhood in which she dreamed of wearing many professional hats, to a life where she indeed does just that, Nadine walks us through how her education, personal health challenges, and lived experiences have informed the work she does today, and the work that comes next. We discuss sustainability vs. regeneration, the need to build diverse coalitions and form unlikely allies, and the importance of following resonance and alignment. For more information on Nadine, connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadineclopton/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadineclopton/] For more information on Marian, visit www.marianflaxman.com [http://www.marianflaxman.com] Connect with Marian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marian-flaxman/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/marian-flaxman/] For more information about our sponsor: www.informedsolutionsconsulting.com

Culinary Innovation in Food as Medicine with Kendra Nicole Stephens

Welcome back to The Marian Flaxman Network Podcast. On today's episode, a conversation with chef, innovator, and food as medicine advocate, Kendra Nicole Stephens. Kendra has been a chef for more than 20 years, following her passion for experimenting in the kitchen as a child, to running her own cookie business after college. She rose in the ranks of the pastry world, before pivoting to focus on her passion for local, sustainable, health-promoting food. Now, she is the Director of Culinary Operations and Innovation at Christ House, a respite for unhoused men in Washington, DC. There, she uses local, seasonal, fresh ingredients to creatively craft healing meals for their residents. In this role, Kendra exemplifies the importance of chefs in the food as medicine movement. In this conversation, we disucss how her experience and identity as a chef, and her passion for fresh ingredients, impact her operations, and why it is important to her that the food be just as delicious as it is healthy. To learn more about Kendra and her work, or to connect with her, find her on LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/kendra-nicole-stephens-431630152/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kendra-nicole-stephens-431630152/] For more information on Kendra's work at Christ House, please visit https://christhouse.org/ [https://christhouse.org/] Connect with Marian on Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/marian-flaxman/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/marian-flaxman/] Learn more about our sponsor- www.informedsolutionsconsulting.com [http://www.informedsolutionsconsulting.com] Learn more about Marian- www.marianflaxman.com [http://www.marianflaxman.com]

Healthier Policy for a Healthier Society with Melissa Maitin-Shepard

Welcome back to The Marian Flaxman Network Podcast. On today's episode, a conversation with public health policy consultant, Melissa Maitin-Shepard. Melissa has worked in the health, public health, and nutrition policy space for nearly two decades, first joining large organizations to support their work, and now working as an independent consultant. Through her firm, MMS Health Strategies, Melissa builds impactful teams, supports complex projects with many stakeholders, and works to create health-promoting policies that aim to make the healthier choice the easier choice. To learn more about Melissa and her work, or to connect with her, find her on LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmaitinshepard/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmaitinshepard/] For more information on Melissa's work with the GW Global Food Institute- https://globalfoodinstitute.gwu.edu/melissa-maitin-shepard [https://globalfoodinstitute.gwu.edu/melissa-maitin-shepard] Email Melissa- mmshealthstrategies@gmail.com [mmshealthstrategies@gmail.com] Connect with Marian on Linked In- https://www.linkedin.com/in/marian-flaxman/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/marian-flaxman/] Learn more about our sponsor- www.informedsolutionsconsulting.com [http://www.informedsolutionsconsulting.com] Learn more about Marian- www.marianflaxman.com [http://www.marianflaxman.com]

Fermentation as a Revolutionary Act with Rich Shih

Welcome back to The Marian Flaxman Network Podcast. On today's episode, Marian sits down with author, scientist, fermenter, advocate, and chef, Rich Shih. They discuss Rich's path to the kitchen, how and why he first learned to cook, and how he came to discover that fermentation could be harnessed to make food more delicious, more nutritious, and more sustainable. Marian and Rich met at The Georgetown University Food as Medicine and the Microbiome Conference, where Rich spoke about the power of koji to transform food scraps into delicious condiments and more. Since then, they have found a shared calling for promoting the use of fermentation to improve human health, and prevent food waste. Rich is the co-author of the book Koji Alchemy, which can be found here [https://amzn.to/41rClyC]. Rich is the co-organizer of an event that teaches about fermentation- KojiKon. You can find tickets to this event, and learn more, here [https://kojicon.org]. Follow Rich on Instagram - @ourcookquest [https://www.instagram.com/ourcookquest/] For more about Marian, please visit www.marianflaxman.com [http://www.marianflaxman.com] Follow Marian on Instagram- @marianff [https://www.instagram.com/marianff/] Connect with Marian on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marian-flaxman/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/marian-flaxman/] Learn more about our sponsor - www.informedsolutionsconsulting.com [http://www.informedsolutionsconsulting.com]