Mastering leadership, understanding consumer behavior, and balancing intuition with business savvy are important to success in the functional beverage world—insights Jim Tonkin has cultivated over four decades. Jim, the “Functional Beverage Guru,” joins Liesl Bernard in this episode to share his journey of creating iconic brands like Essentia Water, Zico Coconut Water, and Suja Juice. From leaving his family’s 7-Up franchise to pursuing healthier options, Jim’s story is a masterclass in leadership, consumer understanding, and the balance between gut instinct and business strategy.

This episode touches on the trends shaping the industry, from innovative packaging to the rise of health-focused drinks with ingredients like probiotics and turmeric. Jim also shares candid advice for entrepreneurs, including why market research and financial planning matter as much as the passion behind a great idea. His personal take on wellness and moderation ties it all together as he offers a holistic perspective on what it means to lead in the world of better-for-you beverages.

If you’re curious about the future of functional drinks or seeking insight into building impactful brands, Jim’s wisdom is not to be missed! What lessons will you take from his remarkable career?

Quotes

• “Most businesses are people-driven… I’m very, very focused on the individuals at the top of the food chain and any small entrepreneurial or startup.” (11:33 | Jim Tonkin)
• “In today’s world, for example, most players that are looking to purchase companies on the private equity or family office side, or even banks, they want companies with positive EBIT, with earnings before interest and taxes. So, if you can’t show a bottom line with some profit, it basically means you haven’t got a business.” (14:20 | Jim Tonkin)
• “Understanding consumer behavior and listening to your customer tell you what they think about your product is really, really important.” (18:10 | Jim Tonkin)
• “Moderation is the key to success. So, drinking eight Diet Cokes doesn’t make it any better than drinking eight Cokes with sugar in them, in my opinion.” (38:54 | Jim Tonkin)

Links

Connect with Jim Tonkin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-tonkin-51021aa/

Email: jimtonkin@outlook.com

Connect with Liesl Bernard:

https://kalonstaffing.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lieslbernard/

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

“Our vision is to pop it fresh and have really quality popcorn with purpose. Our popcorn is with purpose because we put intentional ingredients into it,” says Tim Wood, the CEO of Fired Up! Popcorn and a full-time fireman at Rancho Santa Fe in San Diego. In this episode, Tim joins Liesl Bernard to share his journey from creating a simple, healthy snack at the fire station to building a business rooted in wellness. His dedication to quality ingredients, like pure avocado oil and turmeric, reflects a broader mission to prioritize health in every bite.

Tim also opens up about the challenges of being a first responder and the toll it takes on mental health. How does he face trauma and loss daily yet remain passionate about helping others? The answer lies in his commitment to mental health advocacy, which led to co-founding Burning Layers, which is an initiative providing tools for emotional resilience, especially for first responders.

Could stadium snacks actually fuel wellness? Fired Up! Popcorn can be the answer, as Tim envisions replacing unhealthy options with nutritious, intentional choices that serve the community.

Quotes

• “If we don’t face more challenges and try new things and be creative, for me personally, I’ll always be in this little rut.” (03:47 | Tim Wood)
• “Mental and emotional health has been just always on the forefront of my mind to live with compassion and empathy, to understand that people are struggling in so many different ways.” (07:20 | Tim Wood)
• “Our vision is to pop it fresh and have really quality popcorn with purpose. Our popcorn is with purpose because we put intentional ingredients into it.” (11:42 | Tim Wood)
• “Things can always get better. Things are always changing. There is nothing permanent in this world. There’s always a shift. There’s always a change in thought. There’s always a change in an idea.” (30:25 | Tim Wood)
• “We all have purpose. We all have meaning. Everybody’s different. We all have something to shine through.” (31:09 | Tim Wood)
• “Sometimes all we really need is to reconnect that we’re alive and we’re not alone.” (32:33 | Tim Wood)

Links

Connect with Tim Wood:

https://www.fireduppopcorn.com/

https://www.instagram.com/fireduppopcorn/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-wood-6b0a08233/

https://www.instagram.com/alovingperspective/

Connect with Liesl Bernard:

https://kalonstaffing.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lieslbernard/

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

“There’s a lot of tradition and culture involved with the treatment and consumption of psychedelics that needs to be honored because of the nature of how all of it really started out years and years ago. We’re just kind of coming about it right now, and there’s a lot of wisdom there that we can understand,” says Gary Seelhorst, a pharma, biotech, and functional wellness executive. In this episode, he joins Liesl Bernard to talk about how psychedelics and functional wellness are redefining treatment for conditions like PTSD and depression, especially for veterans and elite athletes. Gary explains why diagnostics and preparation are important, and why integration work is often the most transformative part of the healing process.

Drawing from his personal health journey and years in big pharma, Gary discusses the need for a holistic shift in wellness—one that prioritizes root causes over symptoms. He shares actionable insights for leveraging tools like neurofeedback, meditation, and customized health protocols.

Join Gary and Liesl’s discussion as they challenge conventional approaches to health and explore how psychedelics can unlock new paths for resilience and recovery.

Quotes

• “I started to really understand the power of plant medicine. And then it was really more an experience that I’d had just before that, in the compounding pharmacy space, that I started to learn a little bit more about what naturopaths did because they were ordering a lot of products through the compounding pharmacy, with vitamin infusions, peptides, hormones, all those kinds of things. And that’s really what I think turned me into such a fan of functional health in general, and eventually plant medicine, if indicated.” (03:29 | Gary Seelhorst)
• “It’s really more about how effective the program is in which these different drugs are used, and that’s really the value. There’s a lot of pre-work you need to do in order to get to a space where it’s going to be effective—there’s the set and setting, and the dosing around the actual treatment. And then there’s all the work afterwards that needs to be employed as well, and that’s probably the biggest part.” (06:36 | Gary Seelhorst)
• “As a scientist, I like to kind of test a lot of hypotheses in general and work through all the different types of psychedelics that are out there. There’s a lot of tradition and culture involved with the treatment and consumption of psychedelics that needs to be honored because of the nature of how all of it really started out years and years ago. We’re just kind of coming about it right now, and there’s a lot of wisdom there that we can understand.” (14:49 | Gary Seelhorst)

Links

Connect with Gary Seelhorst:

linkedin.com/in/garyseelhorst

Connect with Liesl Bernard:

https://kalonstaffing.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lieslbernard/

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm