Episode 71: This Underutilized Superfood Will Biohack Your Brain Health, Immune System, Hormones, & Microbiome, with Carly Stein Kremer
Carly Stein Kremer is the founder of Beekeeper’s Naturals, the fastest-growing immune supplement brand. After years of living with an autoimmune condition and constantly feeling sick, Carly discovered propolis while living abroad and it transformed her body in everything from treating common colds to healing her autoimmune. In 2017, she traded in her corporate career at Goldman Sachs to dedicate her life to beekeeping, selling products at the farmer's market. Since then, Carly has been recognized as a game-changing entrepreneur in Forbes 30 Under 30 list, and her little farmer's market stand has grown to be sold in Whole Foods, CVS, Target, and ranked #1 in the Cold and Flu category on Amazon. In today's episode, Carly breaks down the different bee products (from royal jelly to propolis to bee pollen), what they are, their (insane!) benefits, and how they're transforming the wellness game. She also shares what gave her the confidence to leave her stable job at Goldman Sachs, and what she took from her experience to apply to her own company. This episode is so jam-packed with mind-blowing tidbits in both wellness and career, it will leave you buzzing (pun intended!).
SHOW NOTES:
In light of everything going on in the world right now, this week’s episode involves a short solo intro from Josie before diving right into the interview with founder of Beekeeper’s Naturals Carly Stein Kremer. The interview begins with Carly’s wellness journey, and where she was in her life before founding Beekeeper’s Naturals. She shares how she found propolis as a key ingredient in fighting off symptoms she was experiencing as the result of her chronic illness when she studied abroad in Europe in college. She then explains how she returned to North America only to find that bee pollen and propolis were widely underutilized and inaccessible outside of Europe, which inspired her to start experimenting with creating her own products and beekeeping on her own. Josie and Carly discuss how North American health systems often overlook the value of holistic health products like propolis and bee pollen, and Carly explains part of the reason why she thinks that is. Then, Josie asks Carly to dive into the nitty-gritty details of what each bee product does for our bodies. Carly walks through the benefits of bee pollen, propolis, royal jelly, and more—while also explaining what each of these products are in relation to the bees themselves. She discusses how propolis specifically changed her own immune system and how royal jelly has improved her concentration and productivity levels drastically. Once Carly has gone super in-depth on the health benefits of each bee product, Josie turns the conversation toward her career journey. Carly explains what it was like to be an analyst at Goldman Sachs just after graduating college, when she was actually passionate about bees, bee products, and disrupting the pharmaceutical industry. She explains the lessons she took from that time in her life and how she applied her learnings when she started her own company. Josie then asks Carly what it has been like for many of her products to go viral with certain claims and names attached to them, such as the idea that bee pollen increases breast size or the dubbing of royal jelly as “nature’s Adderall.” Carly dispels the rumors surrounding these items while simultaneously expressing gratitude for the virality of her products. The episode closes with some rapid-fire questions for Carly.
Must-Listen Moments:
[4:53] How Carly first found propolis and bee pollen on her own health and wellness journey while studying abroad in Europe
[15:02] What are the different bee products that Beekeeper’s Naturals uses, and what are the health benefits of each of these products?
[28:38] Carly’s entrepreneurship story, from quitting her corporate job at Goldman Sachs to starting Beekeeper’s Naturals
[37:36] How Carly used the lessons she learned in the corporate world to build her own company in a healthier, more purposeful way
[43:49] Can bee pollen really increase breast size? Is royal jelly really “nature’s Adderall”? Carly explains the virality of her bee products
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