Real Talk with Tia & Jill

S3E31 From Burden to Solutions: What Food Safety Leadership Actually Requires

World Food Safety Day is June 7. But the conversation about what food safety leadership actually requires does not start on a single day. It starts when food safety professionals honestly ask themselves: Am I just the expert in the room, or am I actually leading? Reagan Brashers is a food safety microbiologist with a PhD from Texas Tech, a fourth-generation agriculturist, and someone who has spent her career bridging the gap between science and the people who need to use it. On this episode of Real Talk, Catalyst Food Leaders co-founders  Tia Glave and Jill Stuber get into what it takes to go from food safety expert to food safety leader, and why that development gap is one of the most important conversations the food industry is not having loudly enough. Learn more about Strategic Leader and our leadership development courses here: https://www.catalystfoodleaders.com/leadership-development-programs [https://www.catalystfoodleaders.com/leadership-development-programs] Download Making the Case for Development here: https://www.catalystfoodleaders.com/making-the-case [https://www.catalystfoodleaders.com/making-the-case] Watch Real Talk live on Mondays at 11a ET / 10a CT https://www.catalystfoodleaders.com/real-talk [https://www.catalystfoodleaders.com/real-talk]

S3E30: Why Small Food Businesses Struggle with Food Safety (And It's Not What You Think)

May is Small Business Month. And here's a number worth sitting with: small businesses were responsible for 88.9% of all private-sector job growth from 2023 to 2024. In food, those small businesses are also navigating something that doesn't come with a manual: food safety. Without a dedicated team. Without a compliance budget. Without anyone who's done it before sitting across the table. On this episode of Real Talk, Kim Bryden of Cureate joins Catalyst Food Leaders cofounders, Tia Glave and Jill Stuber, ICF-PCC, to talk about why small food businesses struggle with food safety, and why the reason is almost never what the founder thinks it is. Kim has advised over 1000 food and beverage entrepreneurs. She sees where the wall is before founders hit it. Today she's telling us exactly what she sees. If today's conversation made you want to take an honest look at where your food safety foundation stands, we built something specifically for you. The Small Food Business Food Safety Starter Kit includes a foundational program checklist and a growth path guide that maps what food safety requires at every stage of your business, from farmers market to major retail. Download it free here → https://www.catalystfoodleaders.com/starter-kit [https://www.catalystfoodleaders.com/starter-kit] And if you want to tell us where you are in your journey, reach out at hello@catalystfoodleaders.com. We're building something for this community and we want to hear from you. Watch Real Talk live on Mondays at 11a ET / 10a CT https://www.catalystfoodleaders.com/real-talk [https://www.catalystfoodleaders.com/real-talk]

S3E29: What I See in Food Companies That Leaders Can't See Themselves

When you've been inside an organization long enough, you stop seeing what's actually there. The workarounds become normal. The silence becomes expected. The gap between what the culture says it values and what actually happens on the floor becomes invisible — until someone from the outside walks in and names it. On this episode of Real Talk, Catalyst Food Leaders co-founders Tia Glave and Jill Stuber bring on special guest Beth Fernandes! Beth has spent over two decades in food safety and quality — including leading global programs at McCain Foods — and now consults across organizations. She sees things in the first hour that leaders have missed for years. You don't want to miss this conversation! Download your SQF / GFSI guide here: https://www.catalystfoodleaders.com/sqf-guide [https://www.catalystfoodleaders.com/sqf-guide] Watch Real Talk live on Mondays at 11a ET / 10a CT https://www.catalystfoodleaders.com/real-talk [https://www.catalystfoodleaders.com/real-talk]

S3E28 The Leadership Feedback Nobody's Giving You (And Why That's a Problem)

Most leaders aren't getting the feedback that would actually help them grow. Not because their teams don't have it, but because the culture, the dynamic, or the leader's own behavior has made it unsafe or pointless to give. Catalyst Food Leaders cofounders Tia Glave and Jill Stuber get personal in this week's Real Talk episode about the blind spots in their own leadership — the moments they couldn't see what they were doing until something or someone held up a mirror. And what it actually takes to close the gap. Learn more about Leadership Bootcamp here: https://www.catalystfoodleaders.com/leadership-development [https://www.catalystfoodleaders.com/leadership-development] Watch Real Talk live on Mondays at 11a ET / 10a CT https://www.catalystfoodleaders.com/real-talk [https://www.catalystfoodleaders.com/real-talk]

S3E27 What SQF Edition 10 Is Actually Asking of Your Leadership Team

SQF Edition 10 was released on March 1st. Audits begin in February 2027. The change that most food companies aren't prepared for isn't technical — it's cultural. For the first time, food safety culture is a scored, auditable element. Auditors will assess whether your leaders are actively modeling and sustaining it. Not just whether the procedures are documented. On this episode of Real Talk, Catalyst Food Leaders cofounders Tia Glave and Jill Stuber are bringing in Allison DeGraffenreid, a #foodleader who has navigated this from the inside to talk about what that actually looks like — and what it asks of your leadership team right now. Watch Real Talk live on Mondays at 11a ET / 10a CT https://www.catalystfoodleaders.com/real-talk [https://www.catalystfoodleaders.com/real-talk]