692 Catharine Arnston: Founder & CEO of ENERGYbits
40:03 Share

I am unwilling to give up, that I will start over from scratch as many times as it takes to get where I want to be. You just want to make sure you will get knocked down, but just make sure you don't get knocked out. So your only choice should be, go focus on what you can control. Hi everyone and welcome to the Kara Golden Show. Join me each week for inspiring conversations with some of the world's greatest leaders.

We'll talk with founders, entrepreneurs, CEOs, and really some of the most interesting people of our time. Can't wait to get started. Let's go. Let's go.

Hi, everyone. Welcome back to the Kara Golden Show. Today, we're diving into a topic that deserves way more attention, algae. That's right, one of the world's most powerful and misunderstood superfoods. And I'm excited to be joined by someone who has made it her mission to educate, innovate, and lead in this space, Katherine Arnston, who is the founder, CEO, and CEO of Superfoods.

CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of Energy Bits. Comes in four different verticals, but offers premium spirulina and chlorella tablets that are trusted by athletes, wellness experts, and everyday health seekers around the world. I can't wait to hear more about Katherine's

incredible founding journey, the science behind these incredible products using algae and why it's still such a hidden secret in the U.S. and what it really takes to really build a health brand today. This message is a paid partnership with Apple Card.

Hey everyone, Kara here. I've had an Apple Card for a few years now and honestly it's one of the best kept secrets out there. It's made managing my spending feel effortless because I can see what I spend when and where at a glance. And here's the best part, applying is so easy. You just go to the wallet on your iPhone to apply and see your credit limit offer in minutes.

Then start using your Apple Card with Apple Pay right away. No hassle, no waiting, just simple and fast. What I love most about my Apple Card, I get up to 3% daily cash back on the things I'm already buying. No points to keep track of. So if you're looking for a credit card that fits your lifestyle, Apple Card is it. Give it a try. Apply now in the Wallet app on your iPhone.

Subject to credit approval, Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Salt Lake City branch, terms and more at applecard.com. That lasts. So, Catherine, welcome to the show. Thank you, Cara. And congratulations to you and all that you did and have done at Hinge Water. I watched your show.

journey many, many years ago. And I'm still in awe as a fellow female founder. We, well, any founder, frankly, it doesn't matter whether you're wellness or female. It's, it's a, it is, you have to be very passionate about what you're doing because it keeps you going. Yeah, absolutely. It's, it's not for the faint of heart, but thank you for the kind words. Absolutely. So how would you describe energy bits to someone who's hearing about it for the first time?

Well, I believe we're the first premium algae tablet because it's medical grade for providing nutritional benefits, but also has nutrients that have healing properties. And I think a lot of people are familiar with spirulina, maybe not so much chlorella, and they know that it's a, quote, superfood, and they put it in their smoothies.

But they have no idea, outside of Asia, nobody is aware of the healing properties that are in spirulina in particular. But only if it's a high-quality algae and hasn't been dried with high heat, because high heat

deactivate some of these critical nutrients that protect your mitochondria, prevent chronic disease, prevent accelerated aging, protects your brain. And all of these things that I'm telling you about are documented in science. Like 100,000 studies have

documenting all these heart benefits, brain benefits, skin benefits, digestion, detox. So I don't say anything about algae unless it's been scientifically proven and with lots of, you know, thousands of documents. But the trouble is outside of Asia, none of this knowledge about this healing properties is known. And I attribute it to two reasons. One,

One, 99.9% of algae, spirulina, and chlorella in particular, because those are the two most popular, are grown in Asia. So you can't ride your bicycle to school or drive your car to work without going by an algae farm. It's just the way it is. Here we drive by, you know, cornfields or wheat fields or tomato patches, but we certainly

don't drive by algae farms because they're just not grown here. Although I'm planning to change that. I want to create a huge algae agricultural industry in Florida. We grow ours in Taiwan and Florida has exactly the same climate as Taiwan. And growing algae isn't like growing broccoli. It's like making wine. This episode of the Kara Golden Show is brought to you by Range Rover Sport.

You know that old saying, it's not what you say, it's how you say it. Well, I believe it's also how you show up because in business and in life, you have to lead with presence, power, and adaptability. That's exactly what the Range Rover Sport brings to the table. It's a force inside and out with a dynamic sporting personality, an assertive stance, and refined performance.

This SUV doesn't just handle challenges. It owns them. Seven terrain modes let you tune the drive to whatever comes your way. The adaptive off-road cruise control and dynamic air suspension mean you're always in control. Smooth, powerful, and confident. Inside, it's next level comfort. Active noise cancellation and the cabin air purification system elevate every drive.

And with a plug-in hybrid option offering up to 53 miles of electric range, it's all about performance and purpose.

So if you're expecting the best, like I know you do, the Range Rover Sport is your perfect ride. Build your Range Rover Sport at rangeroversport.com slash US slash sport to configure your Range Rover Sport today. Again, that's rangerover.com slash US slash sport. Trust me, you'll be glad you did. This message is a paid partnership with Apple Card.

Hey everyone, Kara here. I've had an Apple Card for a few years now and honestly it's one of the best kept secrets out there. It's made managing my spending feel effortless because I can see what I spend when and where at a glance. And here's the best part, applying is so easy. You just go to the wallet on your iPhone to apply and see your credit limit offer in minutes.

Then start using your Apple Card with Apple Pay right away. No hassle, no waiting, just simple and fast. What I love most about my Apple Card, I get up to 3% daily cash back on the things I'm already buying. No points to keep track of. So if you're looking for a credit card that fits your lifestyle, Apple Card is it. Give it a try. Apply now in the Wallet app on your iPhone.

Subject to credit approval, Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Salt Lake City branch. Terms and more at applecard.com.

So two things there. It's affected by the angle of the sun. So the angle of the sun in Taiwan just generates the best high quality nutrient dense algae. And then just like wine, it's the production processes. In wine, it's the type of wood you use for your barrels, how long you keep them in and all the different attributes for us and for algae. It's whether you dry it carefully to preserve the nutrients. Almost everybody else

uses high heat because they're lower quality, so they cut corners to get to market quickly. Well, that high heat deactivates a couple of these critical nutrients, one that will prevent things like mitochondrial damage, which will protect you from Alzheimer's and heart disease and just about a thousand other things.

And another one is the blue pigment found in spirulina. It's a blue pigment called phycocyanin, proven to kill cancer cells. Both of those nutrients are deactivated by high heat. So when you get the lesser quality, which 99% of the stuff that's on the market is the lower price, lower quality algae, you

You're not getting those benefits. So it's like getting a great deal on a fabulous car, except you lift the hood and there's no engine. Yeah, it looks great, doesn't perform. So I'm on a mission to help people understand all these great benefits that they're missing. You can also get frozen or fresh spirulina because, again, it has not been produced.

exposed to high heat, but we're missing some of these amazing attributes of spirulina in particular and also chlorella because the quality just isn't there, but it can be there. And I want it to be there so that we can start addressing the crisis that we're in, nutritional crisis, health crisis, environmental crisis, etc.

algae is the fixer. It can fix all of those issues. I love it. So what were you doing before? You are a scientist. So I'd love to hear a little bit about your background. This episode of The Kara Golden Show is sponsored by Kachava. Okay, true confession time.

I do wake up at 5 a.m. I don't have a cold plunge. And yes, I do still listen to 90s pop when I need a little boost. My mornings are a mix of inbox triage, quick dog hikes with my pups and squeezing in thinking time between back to back calls and figuring out what's actually going to fuel me through a nonstop day.

That's why cachava has become my go-to. It's not just a shake. It's a whole body meal that tastes really good. I started with the chocolate flavor and honestly, I didn't expect it to be so rich and satisfying.

It's got 95 grams of 100% plant-based protein and absolutely none of the weird aftertaste I've gotten with other powders. No artificial flavors, no preservatives, no GMOs, no gluten, no soy, just clean, powerful ingredients your body and mind crave.

With every two scoops, you're getting over 85 superfoods, nutrients, and adaptogens like chia seeds, goji berries, maca root, and satcha inki. Whether you're plant-based or not, adding more high-quality plant protein like this is a smart way to nourish your body and feel good.

They've got five indulgent flavors, chocolate, vanilla, chai, matcha, and coconut acai. So there's something for everyone. I personally love the chocolate, sometimes blended with almond milk and maybe even a frozen banana. It's quick, satisfying, and keeps me energized without crashing later.

I'm such a huge fan. Adding more plant-based protein to your diet is a fantastic way to nourish your body. And trying Cachava risk-free with their Love It guarantee will help you get there too.

Fuel your day with Kachava. Go to kachava.com and use code CARAG for 15% off on your subscription for a limited time. That's Kachava, K-A-C-H-A-V-A.com, code CARAG for 15% off. Once again, kachava.com and use code CARAG for 15% off.

Check it out and let Kachava help you do what you do best. In honor of Military Appreciation Month, Verizon thought of a lot of different ways we could show our appreciation, like rolling out the red carpet, giving you your own personal marching band, or throwing a bumping shindig.

At Verizon, we're doing all that in the form of special military offers. That's why, this month only, we're giving military and veteran families a $200 Verizon gift card and a phone on us with a select trade-in and a new line on select unlimited plans. Think of it as our way of flying a squadron of jets overhead while launching fireworks. Now that's what we call a celebration. Because we're proud to serve you. Visit your local Verizon store to learn more.

$200 Verizon gift card requires smartphone purchase $799.99 or more with new line on eligible plan. Gift card sent within eight weeks after receipt of claim. Phone offer requires $799.99 purchase with new smartphone line on unlimited ultimate or postpaid unlimited plus. Minimum plan $80 a month with auto pay plus taxes and fees for 36 months. Less $800 trade-in or promo credit applied over 36 months. 0% APR. Trade-in must be from Apple, Google, or Samsung. Trade-in and additional terms apply.

Yeah, well, I fell into this because I'm actually Canadian, although I've lived in Boston, Massachusetts for 35 years, recently relocated to Miami where it's warmer in the winter. And I had an international corporate career, nothing to do with nutrition, although I did have a sub career in the interior design industry, if you can believe that interesting blend, but nothing to do with nutrition. And then 17 years ago, my younger sister in Canada, I have two sisters develop breast cancer.

And she completely healed. So I want to assure everyone the best news is that she completely healed. But as she was preparing for her chemotherapy, her oncologist, which is a cancer specialist, told her she needed to change her diet to an alkaline diet because it would help with her healing. They didn't tell her what an alkaline diet was or why it was specifically good for her. So my baby sister called me. I had no idea about anything with nutrition, but I'm a good researcher and just got my PhD last year.

So I said, I will find out. And I did. And it turned out an alkaline diet was mostly a plant-based diet. And it was the phytonutrients and the chlorophyll that would help build her immune system. And when you go through chemo, you want a strong immune system. So that was number one. Number two, it turns out that there was a German scientist who won a Nobel Prize in the 30s.

for discovering that cancer cannot exist in cells that are alkaline. There's a scale of 0 to 14, and as long as your cells are slightly like 7.1, you can prevent cancer from taking hold. So I have to believe, and plants are very alkaline, and chlorophyll is very alkaline, so that was the other reason why I'm sure her oncologist wanted her to have an alkaline diet. So I found her foods to eat, not to eat. She went through chemo. She completely healed. I learned about plant-based nutrition.

Nobody was talking about plant-based nutrition 15, 16 years ago. I decided, well, somebody needs to. So I gave up my corporate career. I went back to school, studied plant-based nutrition, got a health coaching certificate from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. And I taught plant-based nutrition for a year at companies, hospitals. But this is what led me to algae.

Because as I was telling people about the importance of eating more plants and more veggies, I got so much resistance. People said, "My kids won't eat them. My husbands won't eat vegetables. They go bad quickly. It's too much work. They give me gas." Yada, yada, yada. So I thought, "Okay, I've got to find something that's easy for people, doesn't give them gas, doesn't have bad taste.

that the kids and the husbands will eat them. And I looked at everything I'd found for my sister. And when I got to algae,

That's when the miracle happened. Because first of all, it's the most alkaline food in the world. It's the most nutrient dense food in the world. We have a quote from NASA that says one gram of algae has the same nutrition as a thousand grams of fruits and vegetables. So we it's also 100, as I said, 100,000 studies documenting the health benefits of it. It's grown and has been used in Asia for almost 75 years. It's a multi-billion dollar agricultural industry.

It's as big as the beef industry is here. And yet nobody in America knows about it. And the best part of all is that it comes in these little tiny tablets. We call them bits because they're bits of nutrition. So the darker one is spirulina. It's a blue-green algae. The lighter one is chlorella, which is green algae. Now, when you take these tablets, we recommend at least 10 of each as a minimum per day, 30 for medicinal purposes. But here's the thing.

it's so concentrated with nutrition that one tablet has the same nutrition as an entire plate of vegetables. So while I'm talking to you, Kara, I just have a plate of vegetables. One tablet has the same nutrition as a plate of vegetables. That's based on that quote from NASA. Now, I will say most people swallow the spirulina because it's very chewy, three times the amount of protein a steak is.

But even if you swallow it, it goes down in a second. So now kids do like to chew it because it turns their tongues green. And they think that's pretty funny. They're going to get it off my mouth. But if they don't even like the flavor, they just swallow it. There's no repeat, no flavor. They last for three years. There's no mess, no cooking.

We sell these, our tablets, in large bags of 1,000 tablets. And I use the math to figure out one bag of our 1,000 tablets has the same nutrition as 551 pounds of vegetables. Put another way, that's 30 grocery carts of vegetables in a bag. And it lasts three years. What vegetable lasts three years if it's real, right? So now we can get nutrition into people.

Because people are getting sick because our food supply is so damaged. A, the soils have no minerals in them. So even if you are eating vegetables...

You're getting fiber and calories, but you're not getting nutrition. And spirulina will fill all of those nutritional gaps. And then chlorella, you know, the other problem is we're surrounded by toxins. The average adult has 700 toxins in them. Chlorella algae is a wellness algae. That's why we call it recovery bits. It attaches to heavy metals, glyphosate, pesticide, alcohol, lactic acid, and pulls them out.

So it's like a wellness algae. I call spirulina your nutritional insurance because it fills all the nutritional gaps. You could live on this forever, honestly. And chlorella is your health insurance because it builds your immune system, helps you feed your gut biome, and heals your gut and pulls out toxins. So the two of them are really, they're not just superfoods. I call them super-duper foods. Okay.

No, I love it. And so the chlorella, you and I were chatting a little bit more about that before we hit record, but does it make you tired? Is that why you would do it at night? No, no. So I'll back up and I'll talk about the two key benefits. So spirulina has always been known to give you energy, but it's not energy like you would get from a stimulant. A stimulant is caffeine or chemicals or sugar, which is like putting a paper on a fire. You get a burst, but then you get a crash.

spirulina has the highest protein in the world, 18 of the 20 aminos. They're all the proteins in aminos, including the nine your body can't make, and very high B vitamins, which convert the aminos into energy. But the energy is at the cellular level. It also improves the production of what's called ATP, which is your cellular energy, in the mitochondria. So it's like putting a log on the fire. So spirulina is very much an energizing algae for your brain, for your

for your health, for your mitochondria, for your body. But there's no drama. There's no rush and there's no crash.

And it satisfies your hunger because it has the highest protein in the world, three times the amount of steak and very high in essential fatty acids and then these 40 vitamins and minerals. So usually you're tired and hungry in the morning, at lunch, in the afternoon, before a workout. So that's when most people have spirulina. Any of those times because that's when they're tired and hungry and want focus or more physical energy or they just want their appetites satiated. So that's when you take spirulina.

Now, most people take chlorella before bed. You can take it any time of day, but it's a detoxing, wellness, healing, restorative algae. And when you are sleeping, that's when your body goes through a detox repair cycle.

And by the way, chlorella has the highest amount of tryptophan in the world, five times more than turkey. So it, and tryptophan is a precursor to melatonin that helps you sleep. Now it won't make you sleepy, but it will help you get into that deeper sleep when you are sleeping. So generally we recommend people take chlorella before bed because your body's going to go through a detox repair anyways. So why not help it out, pull all the aluminum out of your brain and the

and the heavy metals and alcohol if you have a few cocktails or lactic acid if you worked out. And it also stimulates what's called peristalsis, a fancy word for saying bowel movement. Most people use fiber to help feed the gut biome and have bowel movements.

bowel movements. But honestly, you will never need to eat another vegetable again if you are taking this every night before bed, because what does it do? It has fiber that feeds the gut biome and it stimulates a bowel movement.

Spirulina does not do the stimulation, only chlorella. And I tell people it's not just what you are taking in for nourishment. In fact, it's not even just what you're eating. It's what you're absorbing that determines your nutritional efficacy.

And spirulina is absorbed instantly because it's not even a plant. It's a bacteria. It's called a cyanobacteria. And why is that important? Because there's nothing for your body to break down, no cellulose whatever, to get access to all the nutrients. If you chew it like I do, you have the nutrients in your bloodstream in seconds. If you swallow it, maybe about 10 or 15 minutes. So very...

very bioavailable nutrition. Now, chlorella is a plant and it has that hard cell wall and it takes about a good hour and a half to be fully absorbed. But that's why if you take it before bed, it will fully get into your system. And

A lot of people aren't talking about constipation, but it's a big problem because if you're on medication, if you're stressed, if you're traveling, if you're eating a lot of dairy, if you're eating a lot of carbs, I can promise you, you are constipated. And you do need another, at least one bowel movement a day to get rid of what I call the junk in your trunk. Because if you don't have that bowel movement...

it's just sitting there and your blood circulates around. And what's down there? Stuff your body didn't want. It's like having a garbage truck parked in front of your house permanently. So we need to help people get rid of the junk in their trunk and chlorella does it. So this is how the two of them work very, very differently. And if it helps you understand how different they are and when to take them,

I travel a lot and sometimes I get room service and after my room service, I feel fully nourished and energized and ready for the day. And I thought to myself, wow, that's sort of like spirulina. It energizes you, nourishes you, and you're ready for the day. And then

And then you come back to your room later on and it's all cleaned up and the garbage is taken out. And I thought, wow, that's sort of like chlorella. You know, it takes all the junk in your trunk out, cleans everything up. It's like housekeeping. So think of spirulina as room service and chlorella as housekeeping. And that might help you understand the difference between the two. Okay.

I love it. So you discovered this incredible world of algae years before it was on many people's radar and came, you mentioned it earlier, very personal place, trying to help your sister and your family member. How did you...

know that you were onto something bigger? Because of course, things often start in your kitchen and in your own house, but getting other people to like it, of course, you had to go through a process of actually creating it, getting packaging, whether you're selling it direct to consumer or on retail shelves, whatever it is, it's a lot, right? And

And then you got to, especially when you're doing a product that whether it's a food or a supplement or how are you going to position all of these things, it's just a ton, right? And the consumer wants to buy products that work, right? And so there's all of that that goes into it. So when did you know...

Like how long was the period of time before you said, I've got to go and launch this from the time you actually first started and realizing that this was a big idea?

Well, I wasn't planning on building a company. I just wanted to help my sister. That was it. And then after she got better and I learned so much about plant-based nutrition and decided I needed to do something about it, I've just been that kind of person all of my life. It's just, it's like you see someone falling into a pool of water. Do you jump in and help them or do you not? I'm the person who would jump in. Even if I didn't know how to swim, I would still jump in. It's crazy that I am like that, but it is what it is.

So when I learned how difficult it was for people to include vegetables into their diet, I just felt compelled to find an answer. I'm just someone who needs to find a way to help people. I've just been like that. I don't know whether it's because I'm Canadian or a middle child. I don't know what it is, but I've always been that way. And

And then when I discovered algae and I started reading the science, now remember, I had no science background, no biology, no chemistry, no nutrition, nothing. Although I will say I've always been an avid researcher.

learner. When other kids were trying to break into the movie theater to get a free movie, I would break into conferences so I could suck up the information. It's just the way I am. So when I read about algae and I started reading hundreds and hundreds of these articles, I didn't know there was a thing called PubMed, which is an online scientific library with millions of scientific papers. And I must have read at least 500 of them.

And I saw the science about algae. And it dawned on me, this is crazy that people don't know about this. So I just decided at the very, very beginning that this was my calling, that the universe had picked me. I was by myself for the first five years. I had no money. In fact, to be perfectly honest, because we're helping other entrepreneurs, I was so passionate about this.

And I was determined not to give up. My family thought I was crazy, even though it was the inspiration for whatever. My friends thought I was crazy. I went through bankruptcy. I was in foreclosure for three years. I had my car repossessed. People thought I was nuts. But I just thought the universe had tapped me on the shoulder. I argued with it for five years, like, pick somebody else with science background. I know nothing.

nothing, but it wouldn't let me give it up. And so I just slowly but steadily learned the science. The more I learned, the more passionate I became. And then I thought, well, what are the steps I have to go through? Well,

I thought, I need to build a company. I entered, gosh, a dozen different contests for startups all over the country and never won anything. Well, actually, it's not true. I did win something. I won something from the Entrepreneur of the Year magazine. And part of the prize was $15,000, which I used to create my first set of packaging. But I couldn't afford a package designer. So I decided, okay, I have to teach myself package design.

So I went to Whole Foods and I got all the Laura Bar empty boxes and the kind of empty boxes. I lined them up on my dining room table, took the measurements, length, width, height, what was on the front, what was on the back. And you got anyone who's listening who's an entrepreneur and knows this is the stuff we do, right? I had no design skills whatsoever, although I did have that flirtation of, you know, 10 years in the interior design industry. So I have a good eye.

But I designed all of my packaging, everything on PowerPoint. And then I would print it up on paper and cut it up into little models. And that's how I, and then once I had the, I did that over and over and over again until I got the first designs. They were, the first designs were darn ugly. In fact, when I was on Shark Tank, I was with still my first early ugly designs, but that's how I did it. And, and then I would find a,

you know, someone to put in what's called a die line that the actual packaging company would need to use to actually make it. But same with supply chain. I had to teach myself supply chain. I had to teach myself production. I went through five or six fulfillment companies, five or six supply chain organizations. I had to keep reinventing the website, the packaging. And

even though I have an MBA, I was not in finance, I was in marketing. So I had to teach myself finance. I had to teach myself how to run a company because there's one thing when you're by yourself and maybe you get one or two people and they're still kind of a solopreneur. But then when you get, we're now 12 people and we're soon to be 15, maybe 20, you have to step away from the day-to-day because you can never grow and you have to go from being an entrepreneur to being a leader. And that's a completely different skill set. And then

along the way I kept learning science and I wrote papers and I lecture all over the country on mitochondria health and using algae to help with mitochondria health but some places wouldn't let me speak because I wasn't an MD or a PhD so I thought okay I'm

I'll get one. And so I did, I studied, I wrote my exams last year and at the ripe old age of 59, I got my PhD. So, or not 59, 69. What am I telling you? So I'm going to be 70, seven zero. So anyone who's listening,

and they're not a 20-year-old entrepreneur, I want to tell you that passion and purpose and focus and perseverance can get you through anything at any age. Don't let society tell you you're too old to do anything. It's all about

you and your desire for your own life. And I just did not want to leave the universe down or the world because for some reason I was selected to bring algae to America and I am, I'm in, I'm doing it against all odds. I love it. So what's been your smartest move when it comes to growing distribution and awareness for energy bits?

Well, and some people will probably take this the wrong way. My smartest move was not taking venture money because I knew this was, I knew I was way ahead of my time. Remember I started this fifth in 2010 and I did some of the research in 1999. So earlier, so I knew this was going to be a marathon, not a sprint. And unfortunately at,

my stage investors they like to be able to get their exit within five or six years and I just knew that wasn't going to happen and the reason I wanted them to I didn't want their money is because I knew they would push me to retail and I did

not want to go to retail because it's a very difficult process. The margins are high. There's no loyalty. You can spend a lot of money on your inventory, send it out to a retailer. If it doesn't turn fast enough, they'll just dump it. And so you're left paying for everything. Maybe you don't get paid by the retailer. And also, I didn't want that kind of product. We're a medical grade, high-end

high prestige product that really delivers. And so I wanted my product to be in places where the customer was gonna get a lot of handholding, a lot of support. And you get that from functional medicine, biohacking clinics, spas. So I chose not to take the venture capital, not to go the traditional route of retail

And it's paying off because there is no other algae company in the world that has our sophisticated branding and packaging, high quality endorsements by doctors. Last year, I made 20 videos teaching people. We're all about science, all about education.

bringing the highest quality product to the consumer as possible. We do most of our sales through direct consumer, but the practitioner community is an anchor for the credibility and the visibility. And I really like working with that community because they're all science-based. I didn't want to compete on a shelf with somebody based on price.

or positioning in terms of what shelf you were going to be on. So I was able to decide to choose my route, which was the unconventional route. And now that the world is waking up to the importance of nutrition, the importance of prevention, the importance of all these functional medicine clinics and doctors,

It's turning out to be the right choice. But man, I was fighting an uphill battle. People kept trying to push me to go into general retail. I will tell you, we did do one small retail test and it blew up in our face. We got accepted by Neiman Marcus and they put us in their beauty counter and they took our beauty test.

Beauty Bits brand. But the problem is they asked, they required us to hire people to go into every store where we were in this, that particular store and train their staff and be there once a week. So I had to hire all these people, you know, Miami, Beverly Hills, all over the place. And it

The orders, it cost me five times as much to support their order as the revenue I got from it. And then after six months, they pulled us out because their beauty consultants, the beauty consumer didn't care about science. We were just, it was not where we belonged. And so we pulled out completely and I'm so glad we did. And we are fantastic.

into the wellness, longevity, biohacking space where science is required and science is revered. And, you know, it's funny because all the science that I know has been available online through these PubMed articles and whatever for up to 50 years, but nobody's

no other algae company has gone into them. Not a single person, not a single company. We are the only ones educating people and taking the time and making all this rich science available. And so I don't think at this point anyone's going to be able to catch up with us because

I chose the hard, untraveled path because of the positioning and the integrity that I wanted to use to get this product to the consumer. And it was longer and harder and more expensive than I ever expected, but very satisfying and it's working.

I love it. So looking back on the journey, what's been the proudest moment? I mean, this took a little while to kind of find your groove, I guess, so to speak, right? And now people are understanding it and it's...

definitely has a great implant on the industry and people are talking about it. You've got beautiful packaging. I mean, the product just is awesome. So what's been one of the more proudest moments over the years that you've seen with the product?

Well, there's been a number. Everybody thinks growing a company is sort of like this, and it's not. It's like this. Somebody gave a great analogy. They said, when

When you're an entrepreneur, it's sort of like being a duck on the water. You see the duck just gliding along and they look so graceful or a swan. And underneath their feet are just going like this, right? So there have been a couple of really very proud moments. One was when I won this award from Entrepreneur Magazine. Daniel Lubinsky from Kind Bars won the same award a couple of years earlier.

And they flew me out to California with a family member and got me on stage and gave me one of those big checks, you know, those big cardboard checks on stage for $15,000. And my sister was there to see me win it. So that was really nice. And it paid for my packaging. Also being on Shark Tank, that was about eight years ago. And I wasn't planning on being Shark Tank. I didn't want their money, but

I had hundreds of people saying, you should be on Shark Tank. You should be on Shark Tank. So, okay, I'll apply. I knew nobody. I just applied, you know, put a great package together. You have to send in videos and testimonials and product and they interview you every week for like, you know, three months.

But I stayed the course. And then they called me and said, you're on, you know, get on a plane tomorrow. So, and after you're on the plane, then it was, you know, lots of fun. So being on the, they didn't invest and I didn't want their money and I would have taken, wouldn't have taken anyways. However, getting on the show,

was a lot of fun. And they've aired my segment probably a hundred times. People recognize me still because of my glasses. Although if you see the Shark Tank episode, as again, it was about eight years ago, the packaging was the ugly first packaging, all black with just the logo. And clearly we've advanced beyond that. So that was kind of fun.

The other couple of high points for me was when I had no money and I was struggling and just keeping things alive, I never once missed a payroll. I could only afford interns, but fresh out of college. So I was teaching them everything, but my skill set only extended so far.

So I was very proud when I finally, three years ago, hired my first real executive hire. She became my head of operations. She's now our VP of operations. And

She brought to me knowledge and skills that I never knew existed, and that encouraged me to keep hiring at that level. Of course, when you have money, it's a lot easier to hire really good executives and attract good talent. We're in that stage now where we're...

only hiring really competent rock stars. But she was my first three years ago. And then recently, on a more recent note, I've been working out of a very small office. The first eight years, the company was run out of my condo. There wasn't a square inch in my condo here in Boston that didn't have... I had inventory in my bathtub. I had shelves where we filled all of the orders in my living room. There were

algae tablets everywhere, like for eight years. I mean, it's only been eight to 15 years. So the first half was in my condo. And then I kept trying to find an office, but it was too expensive and they were crappy offices. So I ended up renting, which is where we have been for the last six years.

an apartment in my condo building. So we decked it out like an office. So it's a real office, but it's still an apartment building. So I was very proud last summer. I signed a five-year lease. I moved the company to Miami. We finally moved in in November, but I signed a five-year lease in a big boy's office tower where it has our office name on the outside of the door. We take an elevator to work just like everybody else. We're surrounded by other businesses and

and I was just so proud we got one of those lit signs like in the back of you energy bits and it just makes me other women maybe want diamonds and I don't know I wanted a

I wanted a real office and where we can have my real team come, come in. Although a lot of our team is virtual, but, but that was a huge, huge milestone for me. We're actually shutting down this office where it's empty because we're cleaning it out and we'll be out of here in another four months and we'll be completely working out of our Miami office and,

And I'm already looking at more office space because we're going to be growing in the office tower. We'll be growing and needing more office space soon. So,

So those are a couple of high moments for me. But there was no plan B for me. I was going to do this. And it was, like I said, a marathon. And so I didn't want to get too many people involved. I don't have an advisory board. Because I didn't want people telling me no, because I knew that this was needed. And it's already a multi-billion dollar industry in Asia. There's no

reason why it won't be a multi-billion dollar industry here, but I also believe it needs to be grown here. Because the way that supply chain is and tariff changes, it has to be here. And that's not an easy thing to do. But I'm up for the challenge. I've met with Casey and Callie Means and told them about my plans and the Maha people. And I said, we need an algae industry here in America. And I will

I will work on it for you. America, you know, I'm envisioning like a visitor center, not quite a Disneyland, but teach children about how we grow it and give them a tour and give them a lunch and give them clothing and packaging made of algae is incredible what it does. And there's a huge undercurrent of algae experts around the world. We all know what it can do.

getting consumers interested in taking it and explaining, I call our product bits because they're bits of nutrition. There's nothing added, nothing subtracted. But, you know, I don't want people to think, ooh, algae is weird. I want them to say, hey, did you take your bits today?

Like that, that's playful, right? We've made animated characters, you know, the M&M characters. We've made Algie, we call her the Algie gal. She's animated. She blows kisses. She looks like me with my big glasses. We're doing everything we can to make this fun,

and playful for the whole family and bring nutrition to the people so it's effortless and nutrient dense so we can get out of this crisis that we're in nutritionally.

But you have to make it fun. Yeah, no, totally. No, you are just such a bulldozer. I mean, I love it. I love the resilience and I love energy bits are terrific. So thank you so much for joining us today. And thank you for taking a very overlooked

industry, algae and turning it into a powerful health movement as you have your passion and commitment for educating and really driving changes. Really, really amazing. And everyone needs to try Energy Bits. We'll have all the information in the show notes. They're also going to be offering a discount for everybody listening too. So we'll get you all of that.

But thank you again. Really appreciate you coming on. Yes. And if you want to just learn about algae, you can come to our website, energybits.com, and you can purchase it there as well with the Kara Golden as a discount code, 20%. I just want to leave your listeners with one final comment. Algae's been here 4 billion years. It's the first life on Earth. We've only been here 200 million, so it predates us by a long shot.

But it's not new. It's just new to you. And you didn't know about collagen powder or bone broth or chia or matcha, which had been used for centuries in other countries. Same with algae. So I'm just here to help bring America up to speed on what some of the ancient cultures

traditions and civilizations new so we can get ourselves out of this hole that we find ourselves in with nutritional deficiencies. But I'm going to make it fun for you, I promise, and science-based. So thank you, Kara, for allowing me to share. Thanks again for listening to the Kara Golden Show. If you would, please give us a review and feel free to share this podcast with others.

who would benefit. And of course, feel free to subscribe so you don't miss a single episode of our podcast.

Just a reminder that I can be found on all platforms at Kara Golden. I would love to hear from you too, so feel free to DM me. And if you want to hear more about my journey, I hope you will have a listen or pick up a copy of my Wall Street Journal bestselling book, Undaunted, where I share more about my journey, including founding and building Hint.com.

We are here every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Thanks for listening and goodbye for now.