How microbiome science will transform our approaches to self-care and sustainability
How will a deeper understanding of our microbiome health encourage us to take better care of ourselves and our planet? How has human activity been impacting our earth's world of microbes, and what's at stake if our microbial diversity and richness continue to decrease?
Sharing her wisdom here is Ara Katz, the Co-Founder of Seed, which is pioneering the application of microbiome science for both human and planetary health. You'll hear about what exactly our microbiome is and does for us; how our personal ecosystems relate to our earth's microbes; how microbiome science will shift our entire approaches to self-care and earth stewardship; and more. Let's dive in!
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This is a conversation on Green Dreamer Podcast with Kaméa Chayne, a show exploring environmental and intersectional sustainability from ideas to life. Subscribe to Green Dreamer on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or any podcast app and let’s learn what it takes to thrive in every sense of the word!
Highlights
[3:29] What first inspired Ara's passion for nature.
[7:21] Ara shares how her experience becoming a mother led her to connect the dots between personal and environmental health.
[9:16] How Ara got into the world of microbiome science.
[12:32] What Seed does and how the company is working to change how we care for ourselves, our families, and the planet.
[15:03] Kaméa: "What was your greatest personal struggle in building this company as a pioneer?"
[18:01] Ara explains what our microbiome is and what it does for us.
[25:51] Kaméa: "How does our individual microbiome relate to our planet's health?"
[26:04] Ara: "We're not in this environment or on this environment—we are of this environment. And no matter what we think, this planet is predominantly microbial. The total weight of all microbes on this planet is greater than the total weight of everything we can see with our eyes."
[26:47] How using antibiotics in animal agriculture impacts our soil health, which in turn creates a harmful cascading effect on the health of our earth and ultimately, ourselves.
[27:38] Ara: "Everything is ultimately connected... Microbes are the invisible internet of everything."
[29:15] Kaméa: "How do we being to think on this micro-level and translate this into action?"
[32:58] What the impact of urbanization may be on our collective health, given that it leads to decreasing exposures to our microbes-rich living environments.
About our Guest
Ara Katz is the Co-founder of Seed and a serial entrepreneur who previously co-founded and served as CMO of mobile commerce marketplace Spring. For her work and leadership, she's been named in Marie Claire’s “The New Guard: The 50 Most Influential Women in America,” listed on Business Insider’s “Silicon Alley Top 100” and “36 Rockstar Women in NYC Tech,” and was recently included in Create + Cultivate’s 100 List for STEM.
Keep in touch:
Seed:
Website: www.seed.com
Instagram: @seed
Twitter: @seedhealth
LinkedIn: @seedhealth
Tips
Inspiration: @seed, On Being Podcast, and Massive Science
Note to self: "Don't suffer. Don't be attached to how you think something should be."
Health practice: Ara is intentional and thoughtful about her little day-to-day dietary choices.
Sustainability practice: Ara is thinking about growing more food on her own.
Element of hope: Conversations like this interview make Ara hopeful.
Closing words: "Don't not do something just because you don't have expertise in it. You can be a steward of a community without being an expert in it."
