Dear, Citrus Diaries

Leesa Renae is a commercial photographer specializing in food, beverage, and product, based in the vibrant culinary scene of Portland, Oregon. Leesa thrives on translating the beauty and appeal of natural foods into captivating visual stories.

What We Chat About

• Leesa’s career journey & how she found herself in food

• Developing creative processes

• Wellness practices at the intersection of self care & food

Find Leesa —

I’m so excited to welcome Chiara to the podcast! She is such an incredible founder who has accomplished so much in such a short period of time.

Chiara Munzi is the co-founders of ChiChi Foods, a first-to-market grain free hot cereal made from chickpeas. As a better-for-you alternative, ChiChi Foods is carving a new path in the breakfast category with a healthier, easy solution.

Find ChiChi —

I am thrilled to welcome Lauryn, founder of S’NOODS, to the podcast! I’ve admired her leap into being a CPG brand owner for awhile now. It was so great to hear her story and learn more about her brand. Such a great listen

I’m so happy to welcome Breanna of Kokada to the podcast this week! She makes one of my favorite snacks and has recently launched their version of dunkaroos which are just spectacular. Breanna’s story is so inspiring and will give you a much needed push forward on your journey.

Breanna’s lifelong dream was to play sports at the highest level. Throughout her international travels through sport and work, she went out of her way to find sweet, “not too unhealthy” snacks that would satisfy her cravings but not harm her health. After years of exploring, she started creating coconut spread in her kitchen.

After years of experimenting, she launched Kokada to share with more people!

What We Chat About

• Transitioning from a D1 + national team athlete to CPG business owner

• Building an accessible healthy snack brand

• Taking back your health

Find Kokada—

I’m so excited to welcome Clara Veniard, founder of Coro Foods, to the podcast!

Clara Veniard is the co-founder and CEO of Coro Foods, a premium salami brand that marries old world techniques with global flavors like Molé and Lemongrass. Clara's life and career has taken her all over the globe so it's not a surprise that she has a deep passion for food and international flavors. Beyond their flavors, Clara is dedicated to making the best product possible. That includes only using pork from US family farms that are humanely raised without any hormones or antibiotics. 

What We Chat About

• Introduction to the cured-meat space

• Recipe development process

• Food inspiring connection

Find Coro —

I’m so excited to welcome fell podcaster and James Beard Award winner, Abena Anim-Somuah to the podcast! Abena’s work in the food space is truly admirable. Lifting up voices and stories of those are the beginning of their career but already making such a tremendous impact. It was so awesome to hear from Abena what her show means to herself. This episode is such a great listen!!

Abena Anim-Somuah is a James Beard award-winning podcast host, writer, and entrepreneur. Born in Ghana and raised in Canada, she knows the power of food as a vessel for belonging. Abena hosts The Future of Food is You, a show on Cherry Bombe’s Podcast Network, highlighting emerging talents in the culinary scene. She splits her time between Mexico City and New York where can probably find her on a tennis court, dining out, or digging into a good book. 

What We Chat About

• Making your dream a reality through unusual paths

• Bringing food to the forefront of your career

• CDMX & NYC food scene

Find Abena—

I’m so excited to welcome my friend & business mentor, Sophia Karbowski to the podcast! Sophia is the co-founder of realsy — a nut butter filled date brand that is so beyond delicious. I loved hearing how her career journey has panned out and what life looks like now. Check it out!

Austin and Sophia became business partners in college in 2017, while (conveniently) studying entrepreneurship. They started their first business with an unrelenting mission to spread healthy vibes all over the country, as they grew from a single food truck to health food cafes on college campuses across the country.

Since then, the duo has entered the CPG (consumer packaged goods) space, with a strong desire to make their genuinely nutritious food options even more accessible and convenient. realsy is a snacking company with a mission to make real delicious, real nutritious snacks, that take it a step past better-for-you, but genuinely GOOD-for-you snacking. Think: ingredients as simple as fresh produce – but exciting, novel, and uber easy to take with you wherever you might be headed. Our commitment to using real ingredients in every product we offer you is unwavering, and we can tell you that for realsy.

What We Chat About

• realsy’s story + Sophia’s experience as a founder

• Building solid routines to stay happy + energized

• Saying no to what doesn’t serve you

Find realsy—

Welcome my wonderful friend & the coolest creative, Candace Molatore to the podcast! I was so lucky to record with Candace in person while I was in Portland a few weeks ago. She was the perfect person to do a deep dive on the current state of the wellness industry with. If you’ve been a longtime fan of the pod [thank you], you’ll feel some nostalgia listening to this discussion topic.

Candace Molatore is a creative director, photographer, model, and branding consultant based in Portland, OR.

What We Chat About

• What is wellness? How does it play out through a micro & macro view?

• How has the wellness industry been influenced by social media?

• What does taking care of ourselves truly look like?

• The importance of your home environment

Find Candace—

Please welcome Morgan Murdock, founder of Unbothered Foods, to the podcast! I have been sitting on this episode for about a month now and I’m so excited for you to hear it. We chat all about sourdough and why those with a gluten-intolerance can enjoy it. Definitely a must listen!

After years of working with patients with digestive issues and dietary limitations, Morgan - a Chicago registered dietitian - recognized the need for more gut-friendly food brands that her patients could trust and enjoy. Unbothered Foods is on a mission to take the worry and stress out of eating by creating foods that are not only packed with flavor, but leave your bellies feeling happy and unbothered.

What We Chat About

• Explain to me the story and purpose of Unbothered Foods, from working with clients as a registered dietitian to baking them fermented sourdough products to starting your own brand?

• How did you land on the name Unbothered Foods?

• How did you decide on crackers and the 3 flavors available?

• How has this all played into the Low FODMAP diet? Why can gluten-intolerant

• people eat sourdough products?

• How has social media affected the proliferation of gluten-free products & diets being thought of as “healthier”? What is your perspective on this?

Find Unbothered Foods—

Please welcome Caroline Buck, co-founder of Petaluma to the podcast! If you’ve ever been curious about how human health claims can mirror themselves for animals, you’ll find this episode fascinating.

Caroline Buck brought Petaluma to market with her partner in 2021 to combat the environmental impact of the pet food industry, which accounts for a quarter of all industrial animal agriculture consumed in the US. Petaluma offers veterinarian-formulated, gently oven baked dog food made with organic ingredients from small farms. 

What We Chat About

• How Caroline got her start in the pet space

• What do plant-based diets look like for pets?

• How animal nutrition can mirror that for humans

Find Caroline—

I’m so excited to welcome Rosa Li of wildwonder to the podcast! We chat all about what it’s like to turn your childhood experiences into something bigger. If you’ve every been curious about what the process looks like of turning your goals into tangible results, this episode is for you.

Rosa Li is the founder and CEO of wildwonder, the world’s first sparkling beverage to combine both prebiotics and probiotics for a healthy gut. Inspired by the Chinese healing tonics her grandmother brewed for her as a child, each can is the perfect blend of the herbs and botanicals from her heritage and the bold fruit flavors of a California fruit stand, where she now calls home.  

What We Chat About

• What is the inspiration behind wildwonder?

• How did wildwonder first get its start? 

• Tell me more about what inspired you to return to your roots. What does it mean to be connected to your heritage?

• Are there any rules/boundaries you’ve set for yourself to ensure your mental and physical wellness are in check? Are there any activities you do to manage stress?

• What is your biggest motivator? What drives you to succeed?

Find Rosa—

Please welcome Amy Zitelman of Soom Tahini to the podcast! Soom is a premium tahini that is silky-smooth, mildly-nutty, and easy to mix. Aside from traditional tahini they have a chocolate version and tahini bites which are oh-so-delicious!

What We Chat About

• What is Soom and how/why did you start it?

• Talk me through your products, why was developing Tahini & related items important to you? Why was the quality so important to you?

• What is your favorite Soom product that you’d recommend for first time customers?

• How has it been growing your brand over the past 10+ yrs while having a family and personal life in general?

• How do you continue to take care of yourself to make sure you have enough energy to invest into Soom?

Find Soom—

This week’s pod guest is Ashley Sondergaard. A friend of mine, brilliant health coach, and compassionate podcast host. We chat all things astrology and its intersection with wellness + self care. If you’ve ever wanted to know more about how astrology works and how to understand it for your life — this episode is for you.

Ashley is a certified health coach and ERYT-200 yoga teacher with more than 11 years of experience. Her mission is to remind you of your magic through simple yet impactful daily practices. Through yoga, weekly podcast episodes, and astrology inspired 1:1 health coaching, Ashley is here to help you discover just how magical you truly are!

Find Ashley—

Welcome to this week’s episode all about changing diets, plant-based eating, wellness routines, hormones, etc.! It’s a nice lil overarching intro to health and wellness.

Find me—

IG @citrusdiariesss

TikTok @citrusdiaries

YouTube @laurenhodgen

Welcome Claire Goldwitz of Square Fare to the podcast! We chat all things food based wellness routines and attainable self-care to prevent burnout.

Claire is the Founder of Square Fare, NY's newest (and soon in LA!) healthy meal delivery service.

All Square Fare meals are made from scratch, fresh, clean (no added sugar, just a touch of olive oil and salt, they make their own sauces / dressings). The kicker is that they use AI technology to tailor each meal to the individual needs of their customers.

Find Claire—

Welcome to this week’s episode all about my word of the year and goals I’m striving towards!

You may remember, if you’re a long time pod listener, that 2023’s word was peace. That sure had a way of showing itself haha.

2024’s word has a lot to live up to but I have a feeling it’ll be really sweet. At least that’s what every astrology prediction for Leo’s seems to think. This is the year that our (if you’re a Leo) hard work comes to fruition and the fruit is plentiful!

Check out this week’s episode to hear all about contentment

Find me—

IG @citrusdiariesss

TikTok @citrusdiaries

YouTube @laurenhodgen

As we near the start of 2024 I thought it would be a great time to do a wrap up of all the amazing advice this season’s podcast guests have shared! So, while you write your New Year’s resolutions and/or choose your word for 2024, take a listen to the episode. You may find yourself inspired!

Hear from the following guests:

Check out part 1 of our convo in the last episode!

Welcome to this week's episode featuring a clip of my conversation with Ann & Maddy Baum of Spillt! I get into what happened to having hobbies and passion projects that weren't monetized, how "peace" can mean so many different things, and creating a life that works for me specifically.

Find Spillt —

Welcome back to this week’s episode featuring a clip of my conversation with Anja Westhues of Endure Sport Nutrition! I get real existential on you all with a conversation about the beauty of choice. I talk work/life balance, Sylvia Plath’s fig tree, striving for a better tomorrow, and not giving a f*ck about what anyone else thinks. It’s a good one, I have to say.

Find Anja & Endure —

Avery Primis, is a multifaceted creative based in NYC! With her work in creative and social media at TBH, freelance community support, and her food blog, flaveryavery, she is quite busy.

It was so nice to chat with a fellow gen-z creative and talk shop while also realizing how important passion projects are to our generation. If you’re a gen-z creative or something who is looking to pursue a passion project…this convo is FOR YOU!!

Find Avery—

This week’s guest, Hannah Bae, is the founder of Halmi! What is Halmi? Well,

This week we’re chatting all about taking care of ourselves! Which is what we talk about every week but it resonates even more now. I hope this episode bring you a moment of peace and solace during very stressful times.

We chat about:

• The pressure femme-presenting women are under to react appropriately

• Taking breaks from social media & reworking our relationship with it

• How this idea of “doing enough” is a common theme amongst all of the podcast guests

• Cam Bailey from Crooked Owl’s story through developing a gluten-free brew that worked for her life + running a company with her husband (full ep came out last Wed!)

• Hannah Bae from Halmi’s story of creating a brand that honored her grandmother and Korean heritage (full ep coming out this Wed!)

Welcome back to another amazing guest interview! This week I'm chatting with Cam Bailey of Crooked Owl Hard Tepache. We get into working with a significant other, balancing work & play, finding connection through food/bev, and so much more. Cam was such a joy to talk to and I'm so thankful she was willing to share her story.

About the brand--

Crooked Owl is the first hard Tepache brand on the market! Cam and her husband took their love for traditional Tepache and turned it into a 5% ABV bev. This allowed Cam, who is gluten-free, to have a go-to bev option. They soft launched this year (2023) and will be having a formal launch in 2024!

I was lucky enough to try their brews when I was out in Atlanta and OMG are they delicious!!

Find Crooked Owl:

This week’s episode is all about Lori Levine of Scott’s Protein Balls! Her husband, Scott Levine, wanted to create a product to soothe Lori’s cravings during her breast cancer journey. Lori shares how her breast cancer journey led to major lifestyle changes, from what she was eating to what her mindset.

Find Scott’s Protein Balls:

Welcome back to the pod! This week we’re chatting all about what it means to be a woman in wellness. In our guest segment this week, Rachel Kishore of Empowered Economy, shares her perspective of why women are unique economic entities. From there we open the conversation to sharing how cool it is when women support women. Plus I share my favorite kitchen, food & bev items and some new self care rituals I'm implementing!

Find Empowered Economy:

Welcome back to the pod!! After a short break between seasons, I'm back with a new episode format but all of your favorite OG content. I'm rolling out a paid tier for those who can't get enough and want to hear more from the amazing women founders coming on this season. Along with that, I'm pumped that the newsletter has transitioned to Substack with free + exclusive content as well.

Tune into this episode to get acquainted with all the newness. If you're new, welcome! Take a listen to hear a little reintroduction to myself and the podcast

*I had a slight audio issue with this episode which I believe is fully fixed but just incase you run into some issues, I'm so sorry!

Thank you to Sun and Swell for sponsoring the pod --

Welcome back to the pod! In today's episode I give a little life update and run through my list of 23 things I learned at 23 years old. My birthday was last week (Aug 22!) and I wrote down everything I learned this past year. It was a very pivotal time both personally and career wise so I wanted to gather all of the lessons together. I hope you enjoy and are reminded that life is all about growth. The up and down bumps are to be expected.

Also, cheers to the end of season 3!! This season has been such a pivotal point in the podcast. From bringing on our first sponsors, to reaching 1000+ subscribers just on Spotify, to have so many amazing guests, and the community feedback has been amazing. I'm so thankful for each and every one of you. I feel so blessed to record this podcast every week and know people are listening. It's such a validating experience.

Season 4 will be back mid-September -- hit my line if you have any specific segments, guests, sponsors you'd like to see! Catch ya then :)

All the Goods:

Welcome back to the pod! This week I'm so happy to welcome on Carissa Cabrera of Future Swell. Carissa is a ocean conservationist working on solutions to heal our oceans and protect our coral reefs. The ocean regulates our global climate system and is often a missing piece in key climate solutions. The climate crisis can often be a divided issue, when it should not be, but the ocean is an area that brings everyone together. We all have such a deep connection to the ocean regardless of where we are located.

In this episode we chat about our inherent connection to the ocean, what we can + should be doing to support mother nature through the climate crisis, and a truthful look into climate anxiety. This is such an important conversation especially in lieu of the recent fires in Maui.

Enjoy the episode and remember how important your actions + voice is in the climate crisis!

Welcome back to the podcast! I’m so excited to share this episode with you all featuring a good friend of mine. Daniel Shaffer is the Founder & CEO of Gratitude Plus (a previous sponsor of the pod!). After working through grief and looking for ways to get through it he found gratitude journaling. From there he decided to build an app so he could share his gratitudes with family + friends and lean on them to hold him accountable with his mental health.

I’ve chatted a lot about gratitude journaling on the podcast and finding this app has made such a major impact on my mental health journey. We all know my mental health has been on a never ending wave this year but my practicing writing daily gratitude lists I’ve been able to soothe my mind. This episode is a great listen if you are unfamiliar with gratitude journaling or are on the fence about starting it. It’s also great for those that are looking for mental health practices that have a low barrier to entry. Honestly, I can’t say enough good things about it!

Welcome back to the pod! Today's episode is all about the art of pivoting! I've chatted on the pod about how I have been through *a lot* the past few months and have been a little angry at the world that it's happening to me. I've had to pivot more times than I can count but most recently have made changes to Wholesome. I'm at a spot now, because of those changes, where I feel so much better. I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and I've come to the conclusion that life is about how we react to external factors. We know we can't control everything which can be a hard pill to swallow but oftentimes the best things come from pivoting. Hear more about this in today's episode -- it's one of my favs

All the Goods:

I am so excited to welcome this week’s guest to the podcast — Carmen Crow of Carmen in the Garden! I have been such a fan of her content for awhile now and I am so honored she came on to chat. We talk all about her Los Angeles garden, how she got started, the importance of seasonal cooking, taking care of yourself, and so much more. If you’ve been interested in starting your own garden of any size, this episode is for you!

Welcome back to the pod! Today's episode is a fun lil chit chat all about my upcoming move and the feelings surrounding it. Moving always brings up a wide range of emotions and this one is no different. I hope this episode brings comfort to anyone going through these same weird stages of our 20s and beyond.

Thank you so much to Liquid I.V. for being a friend of the podcast!

Welcome back to the pod and welcome Cait! I'm so excited to be chatting with Cait, the founder of Botany Box -- an online succulent shop. Botany Box and Citrus Diaries both got their start in 2018. I've been following Cait's journey since the beginning and it's so cool to see all the growth that's been happening. In this episode we chat, of course, about houseplants but we also dive into the sense of community they bring. It's such a fun episode even if you know very little about plants. It reminds you of all the ways you can take care of yourself and find community. Enjoy!

Hi hi! Welcome back to the podcast! I'm so excited to share this solo episode with you. My live has been all over the place the past few months and I've gotten to the point of acceptance. Accepting that the future I thought I was going to have does not exist anymore. Simply because that was not the universe's plan for me and that's okay. Since realizing this I've come to terms with the fact that I have not been taking the best care of myself. I gave myself a ton of grace, which was absolutely necessary, and now it's time to pick back up the pieces. In this episode I chat about my new wellness practices, my exceptions for them, and intended results. I hope you enjoy and always remember that healing/wellness is a cycle, we're never perfect!

In this thought-provoking episode with Avishai Greenstein, President of Method Sourcing & Bamboozle Home, we dive into the ambitious efforts of companies to achieve sustainability goals. Join us as we explore the challenges and limitations they face in their quest for perfection. From eco-friendly practices to supply chain transparency, we examine the innovative solutions and ongoing struggles faced by businesses. Discover how sustainable aspirations must contend with real-world constraints, and explore the role of technology, policy, and consumer behavior in shaping a more sustainable future. Tune in for a candid conversation on the complex reality of sustainable business practices and the potential paths forward.