What I'm working on next (and why it feels personal)

In my new advisory role at Pave Health Ventures, I’ll be tapping my entire network across CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods), wellness, fitness, and healthcare. If you’re a mission-driven, early-stage founder (or know someone who is) and will be at Expo West in March, let’s talk! I love a good full-circle moment. I’ve been building Whole30 since 2009. Over the last 17 years, we’ve grown an enormous, fiercely loyal community, and helped Whole30 Approved partner brands like Primal Kitchen, nutpods, Waterloo, and Chomps become household names. I’ve done a lot through Whole30, but I’ve also been thinking about what’s next for me. Around the holidays, I told my husband, “I want to do something on my own, not through Whole30. I want to find a way to help other founders have the same kind of impact that we’ve had.” This is when the universe said, “Hold my LaCroix.” Nick Gradinger and I met in 2016, when he founded Vessel Kitchen and reached out to talk about their menu. They opened their first restaurant as a Whole30 Approved partner, and Nick went on to scale the business to ten locations, including one in the SLC airport. We’ve been friends and colleagues ever since. When Nick called a few months ago asking if I’d be an advisor for Pave Health Ventures, his new VC fund, it was like a shove from the universe. I remember saying to my husband, “You know how I’ve been wanting to build on my own work, outside of Whole30? I just got the perfect opportunity—with Nick, no less.” Pave Health Ventures invests early in founders building long-term health solutions for their communities. Their mission is to support better health across every stage of life. They back companies that treat health as a continuous journey and meet people where they are. For me, this is personal. My life’s work has been empowering people to change their own lives—and to do that, you need trust. Too often, I’ve watched people fall prey to hype cycles, misinformation, and false promises. Through my work at Pave, I can help shape what gets funded, identify founders who deserve your attention, and help move health and wellness in the right direction. After a month of conversations about expectations, time commitment, and goals, I said yes. Today, I’m proud to announce my role as Advisor in Nutrition, Lifestyle, and Health at Pave Health Ventures. But what does an advisor do, specifically? Y’all love to peek inside my job, so here’s what this advisory role means for my day-to-day. Pave isn’t my first advisory role. I’m currently an advisor for a few established CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) brands, and I’ve been involved with VC (venture capital) in one capacity or another for the better part of a decade. Here’s what my role has already entailed, and what I’ll be doing in the future: Through my work at Whole30, I’m at the intersection of food innovation, health trends, and consumer behavior. I’m good at spotting trends before they blow up, often reading between the lines based on what I’m seeing from my community. I see just as much pseudo-science as I do credible scientific research, and through my connections, can help Pave differentiate between the two. In my advisory role, I’ll guide Pave towards science-backed trends with real staying power, and away from those which are not well supported or destined to flame out. How this looks: We’ve already had a long conversation about GLP-1s, the impact on consumers’ food choices and buying habits, and where I think CPG is going in response. This can help Pave view potential CPG partners through this lens. GLP-1s aren’t going anywhere, and though large brands are trying to evolve, they’re doing it slowly, and often inadequately. There is a real opportunity for smaller brands to capture a much bigger market share here. Pave has already sent me brands of interest and asked for my input. First, I’ll research the brand, founders—their story, their mission, and the science behind it (where applicable). I’ll review their social presence and community to see what their customers are saying, and how the brand responds. I’ll look at the brand or product as part of the larger health, food, or wellness landscape. Who else is in their category? What risks are present in the category? What opportunities exist? Where could this product and brand go in the future? What are the persuasive marketing angles, and what are they missing? I’ll also reach out to knowledgeable contacts in my network to get their thoughts on the product formulation, ingredients, or current research. Ideally, I’ll also test the product for myself. How this looks: Last week I evaluated a new “functional” product. (I can’t say which, though!) I was able to provide Pave with feedback on the product itself, the competitive space, consumer and expert sentiments around this category, areas of opportunity, and the specific ways this brand could potentially rise above the noise. I also tapped a food scientist at another company to advise me on one of this brand’s key functional ingredients, and passed that knowledge along to Pave. Through Whole30, I see a lot of new brands and products. Some aren’t yet on the market, some are just launching, and others are looking to innovate or grow. I’ll be evaluating these brands through both a Whole30 lens and a Pave Health lens going forward. Are their products a fit for the Whole30 community? Are they a fit for Pave? I’ll reach out to founders to learn more, and preview my finds with the team at Pave. Ideally, I’d like to find at least one brand that is a great fit for Whole30 and Pave. If I can both invest in a brand and have a hand in their success, that is a huge win-win-win for all of us. How this looks: I’ll be at Expo West in Anaheim in two weeks. Expo West is the world’s largest trade show for the natural, organic, and healthy products industry. Though it features home, personal care, and supplements, I’m there for the food and drink. This is a prime opportunity to network, scout new brands and products, and spot trends. (Fun fact, I first shared about a new brand called Siete at Expo West, back when they were selling their almond flour tortillas locally in Austin!) I’ll also be a resource for Pave’s portfolio companies. I’ll use my experience and connections to offer guidance on everything from new product innovation to marketing, community building, establishing a competitive advantage, and navigating challenges. My goal is to help Pave’s investment brands grow and succeed in a sustainable way, so they can have a lasting positive impact. (I haven’t done this yet, as my advisor role is new, but I’m looking forward to it!) I’ve been on board for a few months now. Here is the first phase of one specific CPG product they wanted to get on my radar. Texts from Nick: “Can I send you this product? Want your input.” An hour-plus down the research rabbit hole. A week of testing this product for myself. An email to a food scientist in my network: “I’ve seen the research on this ingredient, but how much is too much?” A quick gaze into my crystal ball. (Sadly, this does not exist, but I am thinking about what I’m seeing now, and what I think we’ll see next.) A Google doc for Pave, with my detailed review, research, links, and recommendations for next steps. To be clear, I’m not running the fund. I’m not making final investment decisions. I’m not sitting in a boardroom giving speeches. I’m doing what I’ve always done: connecting with people, discerning what’s real and what’s noise, and finding people who are building a brand worth trusting. If you’ll be in Anaheim in early March for Expo West (or know a brand who is) and want to talk more about Pave Health Ventures, drop a comment or send me a DM on Instagram! This year, I’ll be scouting the show through both a Whole30 and Pave Health lens. If you want to hear more about what an advisor does, how it works, or how this fits into my work at Whole30, you can ask those questions too. I’m always happy to share more behind-th…