November 2025 Newsletter
Welcome to the team! Or should we say, welcome back, as you’ve had a long history with EMA. From earning our EMA Green Parent Award in 2016 to speaking at our IMPACT Summit, what drew you to EMA’s mission?
Like Debbie and the team at EMA, I am a storyteller and market maker.
I gave a TED talk in 2011, based on my first book, The Unhealthy Truth - How Our Food is Making Us Sick and What We Can Do About It. It went viral.
Debbie saw it, reached out and asked me to come to LA and speak to a group of women. It was in that moment that we both knew that we shared a passion for creating a healthy future for families. Together, we created a campaign with EMA and AllergyKids called “Mom’s Voices” with so many incredible women, Teri Hatcher, Molly Sims, Sharon Osborne, EMA Board Members Malin Akerman & Frances Fisher and others.
From that point on, the more that I worked with Debbie, the more I fell in love with her work, the mission of EMA and the joy and collaboration with which it approached environmental issues and storytelling.
Ensuring a healthier planet for our families has motivated your work; you wrote a book on it. Why is it so critical for those in the media and popular culture to connect environmental issues such as pollution to health?
In my first book, The Unhealthy Truth, I was very early to calling out the risks in our food supply. It was isolating and incredibly intimidating to do it on my own. I knew early that there would be strength in numbers so focused on building the movement. When there is a collection of voices, in the media, pop culture, it provides safety for a movement - strength in numbers.
In my second book, Seeding Innovation, I focus on the resiliency, mindset and resources needed to drive systems change and how it’s a smart business strategy for any company or organization in the 21st century. The media and pop culture are essential players in amplifying our collective ability to drive change!
The quality of our air, water, soil, food and everyday products have a direct impact on our health and the health of our families. Prevention and awareness are powerful levers in the hands of the media and influencers and celebrities. They truly have the ability to change the health of our families and country.
As COO at EMA, where do you see our organization growing its influence? Are there certain industries that align with our mission that might not realize it yet?
In a world that is so politicized, our work at EMA couldn’t be more important. The portfolio of talent, intelligence, brands, people and purpose that is the EMA universe is an asset to any industry. From food and fashion to travel and technology, so many sectors would benefit from working with us. The EMA Green Seal has so much potential across so many sectors and industries, from hospitality to corporate headquarters, campuses of all kinds and of course internationally. It is incredible what the studios and entertainment industry have done with EMA and the EMA Green Seal, and that opportunity exists for so many other sectors and companies, too! Of course, with my background in food and finance, I am really excited to expand into those industries.
As we end a challenging year, what’s something that’s giving you hope these days?
The challenges that exist are directly proportional to the opportunity in front of us to drive change. Surrounding yourself with positive, motivated, ambitious people is key. The last thing any of us need are naysayers, the ones who sit on the sidelines and criticize. Move away from those people as fast as you can and surround yourself with the do-ers, the ones who dream big and understand that change is possible. EMA has been instrumental in change. And visit a playground or a school. Nothing motivates me more than my four children who are now 20-25 years old, as well as my nieces and nephews and the younger generations who deserve to inherit a world that is safe and healthy.
And when things get heavy, because they do, I turn to movement and music. It’s oxygen for my soul and always helps me shake off whatever is weighing me down.
Finally, you’re a hiker and lover of the great outdoors. Where’s your happy place in nature?
Anywhere under a deep blue sky with someone I love! Whether it is on the coast of California, traveling with family, hiking a 14er with my kids or skiing, I cannot help but want to protect this big, beautiful home that we all share. Mother Nature is such a source of inspiration, and if we take care of her, she can take care of us!
