Latest / Skin Anarchy / Body Care’s Best Kept Secret Is Foot Care, With Barefoot Scientist

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Body Care’s Best Kept Secret Is Foot Care, With Barefoot Scientist · Skin Anarchy

• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: I have such a wonderful brand today.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: I think this brand really encompasses how I feel about just overall self-care.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: I think we focus so much on like facial skin and just, you know, all the products that are out here for just facial skin care, but we never talk about body care.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: And body care includes so many areas, right, of our body and um just trying to not only take care of them, but then you utilizing what we can to feel well overall.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: So without further ado, I want to introduce you guys to um the co-founder of Barefoot Scientist, uh Jen Thompson.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the show, Jen.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: I'm so excited to be hosting you.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_01: I am so excited to be here.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_01: I'm a big fan of your podcast.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I'm a big fan of your brand.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: It's a wonderful brand, and I know it's uh one of the brands in your in the portfolio um overall.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: You have I think a few brands, right, in the main portfolio.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: So Barefoot Scientist is definitely a heavy hitter for me.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: I know that our whole team at Skincare Anarchy really enjoys it.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: And I can't wait to dive into the actual brand itself.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: But first, Jen, I would love to learn about you and your background and your career and what really led up to creating such a wonderful line.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_01: Sure.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_01: Um, well, I'm currently chief brand officer at Japanes, and as you mentioned, uh, we have a portfolio of products.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um, Japanesque started as a beauty tools company under the Japanese main namesake.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_01: Um and since its beginnings in the 80s, um, we have built a portfolio of brands that were all female founded and instilled large part with myself on brand innovation.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_01: Um, leaders are like our supply chain, um, female and on a large female team, um, still are largely female-led.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we also have the original makeup eraser as part of our arsenal.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_01: And Barefoot Scientist was our latest edition that we brought into the fold last summer from Dana Ward.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_01: So Dana Ward started Barefoot Scientist in January of 2019, making a company of an inspiration she actually had several years before to feel better about her feet in order to feel better about her whole self.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um she started Barefoot uh as a single product uh preheals, which uh I'm if you'd like we can dive into later.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and from there has developed a whole arsenal of wellness products.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um that's a little bit about Japanesque and um a little bit about Barefoot.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_01: Um, in terms of my journey to coming to Japanesque, I started my career at Procter Gamble.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_01: Uh I have been in both sales and brand building capacity in my career.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um so I started in sales at P ⁇ G, um, did that for about eight years, and then moved into brand and spent the majority of my career in the beauty and grooming space and hair care specifically for 10 years of that.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um I worked on brands large and small, um, big household name brands like Panteen, Old Spice, Herbal Essences, um, and I led the incubation arm for new brands in North America, hair care, um, in my last role at PG.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_01: So building brands completely from scratch, um, all focused on areas of the market where people had real needs and products just weren't delivering solutions that met those needs, either through representation, um, performance, feel good ingredients, etc.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_01: Um, after my time at PNG, I went to Wreck It, where I led the global division of female intimate wellness.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I listened, by the way, to your latest episode on female intimate wellness that's near and dear to my heart to um close the gender gap in the intimate wellness space.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_01: So uh that that was great to listen to.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um but I uh worked at Wreck It developing basically a global strategy to close that gap in uh intimate wellness for women across the world.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um from there uh was approached about coming to Japanesque and was very excited to come in basically to take what I had learned at institutions like PNG and Wreck It on brain building, but apply that to younger scrapier brands that have a really interesting story to tell, a real need space to deliver against and help those grow to be the big contenders as many of the brands I used to work on are in their respective categories.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: I love that you have such a um solid background from PG.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: We're in Cincinnati, by the way, when you did that.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_01: I live there, yes.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_01: Not not a native to Cincinnati, but um spent uh about a decade in Cincinnati, had all the kids, started the family there.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_01: Uh so Cincinnati is near and dear to my heart too.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: I grew up in Cincinnati.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, you did have a funny place.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I I was at PG.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: I was in uh Tampax Pearl, so I get it.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: You know, oh amazing.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: It's a it's a great place.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, and that's so impressive that you've uh you know worked on so many of their like really heavy-hitting brands.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, that's really, really impressive.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I think I love what you said about um, you know, just basically wanting to bring that to smaller brands, you know what I mean?
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: Bring that vision because I think that's so important, like, especially now.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I see so many brands, right, that are like they're trying, you know, they're trying to flourish, but that vision, you know, that you get from that experience is huge.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: So I love that you you made that turn in your career and and really brought that because we need more of that.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_01: So yes, I'm very grateful for what PG taught me, um, but eager also to share the wealth.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: No, so I want to learn all about Barefoot.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's such a cool brand, and I know a lot of you listening out there might have already been, you know, using it and obsessed.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: I know a lot of people really love the um the like the spray for like you know, sleeping, uh the sleeping time spray.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: And I I think it's a really great product.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: I know a lot of people on our team love it.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I've heard about it in general, and you know, just the whole line I think is just phenomenal.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's such a great, great line.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I think um, you know, I want to learn obviously all about that, but I I really want to like ask you first and foremost, like, how was that, you know, approaching this space?
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_00: Because there's not a lot of foot care brands out, you know, when you really think about it, there's not a lot of people doing it.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: So when you first, you know, approached the space, what was your mindset?
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: You know, how did you come about, you know, creating this?
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_01: It's funny.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_01: I before I worked on barefoot scientist, I was a user of it.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so it felt like serendipity to be able to now bring it to scale.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_01: But um what's interesting about foot care space in a wellness context is when you take a second to think about it, it's surprisingly obvious what a role it should play in our overall wellness, in addition to how we treat our total body and our face in what we think of traditional beauty and wellness routines.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_01: We are on our feet all day long.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we feel it all over our body when our feet ache.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_01: We can't exercise properly if our feet aren't functioning properly.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_01: The feet are really the starting point to so much of health and wellness when you when you think about it in that very intuitive um sense.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um and I think the challenge has been you think of your feet more when it's aching or in pain, and it becomes and and has been supported in the industry as strictly a problem solution um area in in caring for our body.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_01: But when you then realize the role that feet play beyond whether you feel the aches and pains, that the their signal to the rest of your body for how you sense the world, how you how you feel, how you can even intake um critical uh nutrients, um, it really starts to frame up the mission of barefoot scientists, which is to shift people out of problem solution mode and reacting to foot care needs when they have them and going more to preventative.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, again, like we tend to do in so many other parts of our wellness routine, our diet, our exercise, our skincare routines.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, our feet are a major source of detoxification.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_01: There are 250,000 sweat glands on our feet.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and our shoes heat those feet up.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, your shoes can be over 100 degrees, um, wearing them all day long, especially think about the winter with your boots and your socks.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and as your feet get hot and sweat, uh they're they're purging a lot of toxins that your body has taken in.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, there are 8,000 nerves on your feet.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_01: So, in terms of that tactile, you know, we think of our sense of touch through our fingertips, but our our feet are sensing so many things for us as well.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um, they're real sensitivity receptors um to your surroundings, and um, treating them well can help with your total function of your body.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um if you can be properly educated on what to know about your feet in terms of what they can take in, how to care for them, and then have the right solutions.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_01: And um again, that's where Barefoot Scientists hasn't just been offering products, it's really been trying to first educate on how to think of your feet in your wellness routine, um, then walk you through solutions based on whether you're trying to get into a preventative regimen.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we do have things that can be reactive if if you're at that point.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then adapting the performance of products for the physiology of your feet.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, knowing that your feet need hydration is one thing, knowing how to properly hydrate the skin on your feet is another.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_01: It's not as simple as reapplying a body lotion to your feet.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_01: Our skin and our feet are eight times thicker than the skin anywhere else in our body because we compact it all day long with our weight.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so how do you get the right products to penetrate that skin?
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um, because it is such a detoxifier, because it is such a center of touch uh with all the nerve endings.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_01: There's also great sensitivity to the fundamental choice of ingredients you put on your feet.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um feet are transdermal and can pull things into your uh blood circulation.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_01: So navigating those effectively and safely is also really important.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_01: And that's the work to be done to really establish this category so it's more beneficial to more people.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_00: I love everything you just said because there is, you're so right, there is so much science to be learned, you know, when it comes to the feet.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_00: Like I'm one of those people, I don't know, you know, if you can relate, Jen, or if anyone in the audience can relate, but like I like I have a lot of heat that comes out like when I'm sleeping and I'm like hot or like you know, when you're laying around, like my feet, I can feel it in my feet.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_00: Like they're like getting rid of heat, like from your body.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_00: Like it's crazy, like how you know, things like that are just happening day in and day out.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: Like for example, like, you know, um we we talk about like detoxification, right?
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_00: But it's like we talk about the liver when we think of detoxification or like all these other organs, but just when you consider the sheer surface area of certain parts of your body, you know, and what that means.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, that's a huge topic, you know, in itself, where you really start to understand that, you know, because of the surface area, because of the different thickness of the skin, you know, there are different functions that come into play here.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_00: And the skin is, you know, I always say the skin is such a dynamic organ, but really, you know, that dynamic nature is also related to the anatomy of, you know, where you're looking and what your, you know, what functions a part of your body is performing in relation to your skin that's on top of it.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that's such a relevant area to talk about.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_00: And you you brought up some excellent points, you know, in relation to like obviously like the amount of nerve endings, but I think one of my big heavy hitters is this is this concept of like true detoxification of your whole body.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I feel like the scalp and the feet, like I mean, even growing up, like my I remember my mother used to tell me about this.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, you know, make sure you cover your head, right?
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_00: Like our mothers tell us, like, you know, in the winter time, make sure you cover your head in the winter.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you don't want all of that heat escaping through your scalp and your head.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_00: Same with your feet, you know, in certain ways.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you know, you want to make sure you're taking care of the actual surface area that is involved with your feet, because that has a lot to do with how you're pulling in certain chemicals, you know, if you're walking barefoot a lot and stuff.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_00: So that's a huge topic.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: And I think when it comes to a brand that is dedicated to foot health, that's I mean, that is so novel to me.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: You know, even here now in 2023, like I find it to be such a like underserved area in the market.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_00: And and in a lot of ways to tie it to kind of you had brought up the the episode on intimate care, I kind of consider it in the same bracket, you know, because you have to you have to have this level of like, you know, like defined care, you know, when it comes to certain parts of your body.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_00: And feet are definitely very different than any other part of our body.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_00: So I think it's it's so unique, you know, it's it's definitely interesting to me as a consumer.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_00: And I think, you know, your products really speak for themselves.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, Barefoot Scientist is, I mean, it's it's so different, you know, because I know there's a lot of giant brands that are, you know, kind of geared towards if you like you said, like if you have a problem and all of a sudden you're noticing, you know, I'm tired or I have like, I don't know, like sores or blisters, you know, they can treat those, those brands are geared towards stuff like that.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_00: But that daily care stuff, I mean, that that's a huge thing.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_00: And I I don't really see anybody else doing it like you guys are.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, huge hats off to you for that.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but you know, one of my questions though really is um, you you know, I had brought up the deep sleep spray, and I really want to focus on that formulation because you made a great point about the transdermal absorption, right?
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: And I think we should really learn more about that as consumers.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_00: So when you were you guys were developing this product, or maybe it was already developed before you came in, but I would love to learn about the formula of this product because it's a really interesting way to like have that magnesium component come into your daily routine, and because magnesium relaxes us overall, and for everyone listening, you know, um, I don't know if you guys know, but magnesium is a major binding factor for our GABA receptors and our near, you know, in our nervous system and it releases things that help you relax.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_00: It's like the relaxing neurotransmitter GABA.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_00: So, like, I'm really interested to learn about why, like, you know, how the process was for crafting this spray.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um well, as you can imagine, when Dana was um starting the company, um, it was quite a hectic lifestyle already as an entrepreneur.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um, she had also suffered some loss in her personal life, um, two very dear friends um passing before their time, you know, very young and and unexpectedly.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_01: And the combination of growing a business and dealing with personal tragedy just left her completely sleepless.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and she wanted to find a solution that was effective but safe as well.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_01: And um, as you mentioned, you know, magnesium is one factor you can look at for sleep, melatonin is the other.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, one thing we try to be very careful to educate is they're not interchangeable.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_01: Melatonin is more, you know, hormones, circadian rhythm.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_01: To your point, magnesium is more nervous system.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, when you have lack of sleep due to things like anxiety and stress, the role of magnesium becomes more important in that context.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_01: And that's exactly where Dana was.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_01: And as she had been able to develop so many formulas under barefoot, um, she thought, you know, why not try to find a solution that's in my control?
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_01: So not only I can help myself, but I can help other people like me dealing with uh a lot of stress and not a lot of effective solution.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_01: And magnesium itself is fundamentally hard to intake.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um and there is a fundamentally pretty pervasive sleep deficit problem in the population as a result of that.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_01: So um the Sleep Foundation uh actually recently did a study and found that 56% of the adults they surveyed had taken at least one sleepbait in the past month.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um and you know, that's the symptom of a broader cause of deficiency.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um magnesium itself, um, through studies the NIH have done, um, going back to 2018, I believe was the last um uh study that that you can access to see these these kind of statistics.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_01: But 10 of 11 women in the US are magnesium deficient.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um and in terms of how you source it, you know, you look to diet, but the cooking process of so many foods depletes the magnesium from when it starts as a raw good to when it's a cooked good.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_01: Even if you can intake it through your diet, uh there's more and more being learned about your gut microbiome, um, where people absorb magnesium at different rates of efficiency.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um, sometimes, depending on the individual, up to 70% of the magnesium that you try to consume through your diet is not actually ultimately absorbed into your body.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_01: So, how else can you get it?
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um, transdermal magnesium, in this case, what we do on the Dream State Spurry, is considered effective because you can take a concentration and spray it onto the bottom of your feet where it intakes through the blood circulation and helps to improve the uptake and the absorption of magnesium.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_01: With proper magnesium, this isn't about overdosing yourself, um, you know, based on what we found in trying to understand the need for this, it's really just catching you up to sufficiency.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it just level sets your your nervous system, um, as you were saying, to just get to a back uh a baseline level of sleep.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um it's funny as as I've taken the reins from Dana, um I had my own encounter with a lot of sleep deprivation.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_01: My my daughter uh had a diagnosis of of a pediatric cancer earlier in the year, and um it was amazing how quickly I lost sleep and how quickly DreamState literally restored it.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um, because in addition to the magnesium, the second big ingredient um in the product is ashwagandha.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um ashwagandha, again, uh everything we put in our products, we work to really study the method of action, the uh effectiveness of the dosing, um, the effectiveness of the delivery system.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um, in a transdermal context, um ashwagandha in the levels we put in our products is also helpful in reducing stress.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um, ashwagandha has a lot of linkage to helping with neuropsychiatric disorders like anxiety, depression, insomnia.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_01: By no means do I say that in the context of playing doctor or prescription.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but dream state is powerful both on the purity of how it sources magnesium, but the combination in which it works with ashwagandha to um really help the whole body, the the nervous system and and stress, um, cortisol uh management, etc.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_00: Interesting.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, I love ashwagandha.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_00: I think that it's a very um obviously it's a very old tried and true uh, you know, um ingredient.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_00: It's something that I'm I'm a huge, you know, fan.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, I'm I'm Indian, so I uh grew up with Ayurveda everywhere around me.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I think Ashwagandha coming into the picture, you know, especially recently in the last I think decade, um, when it comes to beauty and wellness has been such a huge shift.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_00: But you know, I love what you said um in terms of the overall uh you know the way that this this foot spray, like the the vision behind it, you know, and the purpose behind it.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_00: I I think that's so genuine because it is so true for so many of us, you know.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um I'm in healthcare and I know that a lot of people can relate who might be, you know, working in like different fields, when you're on your feet all day, it will drain everything in you, you know, like your whole wellness, overall health, well-being, how you feel at the end of the day, if you're even ready to do something else, you know, when you come home, everything is impacted by it.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that something like this, this kind of a product is it's game-changing for a lot of us, you know.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's like when you're on your feet for 12 hours.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I remember when COVID was going on, you know, it was like you come home as healthcare workers, and it was like you're exhausted, you know what I mean?
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_00: And it's like even if it's not a situation where it's like a lot of stuff going on, you just your feet are telling you so much about your overall health and and your body that you want to relax them any way you can.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_00: So I know a lot of people like you know, if you don't have time to go get a pedicure or soak your feet, this is such a great alternative, you know, to be able to use it and feel that level of relaxation and it really just calms you down overall.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_00: So the product overall is fantastic.
• 21:58
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's just uh, I think.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, it's staple, you know, in a routine.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_00: It becomes such a staple.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_00: And I think with Barefoot, like that's what I keep noticing about your products is that it's every single product, it does serve that very unique purpose and it's really filling a white space in consumer routines.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's not so much of like, well, I can get this from like, you know, 15 different brands.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_00: No, it's a very unique set of products that you guys have created here, and I found that one to really stand out, obviously.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_00: But I mean, even the other ones, you know, I I would love to talk to you about those as well because, you know, I know a lot of us like we love getting pedicures and whatnot, but I'm curious, you know, was that something that the you know the team kind of kept in mind when they were crafting the products for barefoot?
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_00: Because um, a lot of them are very uh at-home pedicure kind of feel, you know, like it's like you you can take care of your feet at home.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_00: You don't really feel the need to go get your weekly pedicure or bi-weekly, whatever it is you prefer, because it's done that for me, you know what I mean, the in terms of maintenance.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm curious uh what was the the goal, you know, behind some of them.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, it what we discovered is that between you know going to get a a pedicure, there's so much the feet are going through between those visits, and um, it doesn't have a a staying power, the the pedicures.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_01: You know, you you get them nice and moisturized, and then it feels like three days later it's back to a dry state.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_01: You're already starting to see the reformation of you know, cracked heels or calluses forming.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and the reason is feet, again, through what they go through, the the pounding of your full body weight on the uh on the concrete, you know, long shifts, as you said, if if you have a a job that keeps you on your feet, um, sweating it out in hot shoes.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um element exposure, even if you're wearing sandals, there's so much your feet go through that the pedicures alone are not enough to sustain the health of your feet.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um, yeah, hydration is one of the biggest challenges uh that we saw and was the reason for developing our high dive lotion.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, as mentioned, our feet are eight times thicker uh on skin uh than anywhere else in the body.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_01: And that means that it's harder to intake moisture, it's harder to maintain moisture.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_01: Hence, we see the re-emergence, as I mentioned, of you know, cracked heels or dryness around the heels of your feet, um, callus formation.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so as we developed high dive, uh, we really wanted to make sure it was just developed for feet, it that it really could withstand that torture test.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_01: And what we found was the magic in that was a combination of four hyaluronic acids.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, many who are skincare enthusiasts, as I know many of your listeners are, know the importance and the role of hyaluronic acid as carrying, you know, a thousand times its weight in water.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, the four hyaluronic acid combination um multiplies that several times over.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and within the four, uh how they function is there's one core hyaluronic acid type.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_01: It's a sodium hyaluronate cross-polymer that acts as a webbing of interconnected hyaluronic acid molecules.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_01: And that cross-polymer works with the three other hyaluronic acids to attract water, and the molecular weights of how they carry that moisture are different, so that as you think about your foot with the thickness with the multiple levers to penetrate, you actually get the absorption and intake of water or moisture distributed through multiple layers of that hard-to-penetrate skin.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_01: And then the formula has the functionality of you know, ceramides and emollients to help with the skin barrier, um, humectants to make sure that the water that you're trying to pull into the skin is transferred well from what you apply on, but it even can draw skin in from deeper layers.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then occlusives to create that sustainable barrier uh to keep the moisture in.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_01: And one thing we try to work from an experience standpoint um when it comes to occlusives, you know, we know them uh sometimes as greasy, oily substances that don't feel too great.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um we really want to develop a lotion that, you know, as you put them into your feet, um, they really felt like they created the hydration, but without that greasy feel because nothing is grosser than having you know that squirmy feeling in your socks when you put on lotion if you're trying to get about with the rest of your day on your feet.
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_01: So um that took hundreds of iterations to get to.
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and it's now one of our most beloved products because it really was just designed for that torture test of getting into all those layers of skin and then locking in the moisture so that you can sustain healthy, hydrated feet between those pedicure visits.
• 27:11
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_00: I love that you guys took such a like intricate approach.
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_00: Like that's I see when it comes to body care, Jen, honestly, I am such a like fan of that that kind of like thinking.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_00: Because I feel like people do not think about body care like they think about face facial care.
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_00: Like they just don't.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_00: And I and I I'm getting sick of it, to be honest, in the industry.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_00: Like I feel like, you know, you have to, you know, skin is skin at the end of the day.
• 27:37
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that that level of thought is absolutely mandatory.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_00: And so like that's why, you know, like that's why I was like so curious because your products are they're phenomenal, and it feels like I'm putting like, you know, when you you think of facial care or skincare, right?
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_00: You you always like look for that immediate like effect or you know, some sort of um validation that this is a great product for me, you know, and we always look for that in our facial skincare.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_00: But when it comes to the rest of our body, we're just like whatever, I'll just slap whatever on, you know, and hope to God that it works.
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_00: And it's like people are not as critical about body care products, but when you have a product that works like, you know, with high dive, it's a really, really great product in the sense that you immediately notice like it is really moisturizing, it's really making my feet feel like I just got a pedicure, like as if someone just, you know, freshly hydrated my feet.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_00: And I, you know, you when you see that immediate effect, it makes you kind of more um passionate about doing body care, makes you passionate about investing in good products, investing in the right products.
• 28:36
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that in itself, like a brand being able to do that, it's like a huge statement for this whole sector, you know, when it comes to just overall products for any part of your body.
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_00: I think, you know, this kind of propels people in the right direction, is my point, right?
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's where I get very intrigued because you know, you have such great options out there or in the brand because you know, that really actually add to the value of overall consumerism shifting towards genuinely good products for overall care of your skin.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_00: And so I'm a I'm a huge fan.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_00: I love high dive.
• 29:09
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's you know, um, I I one of the strictest critics I think for uh foot care is my mother because she grew up in rural India and she has really bad problems with like cracked heels.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_00: And I actually made her try your products and she was loving them, like absolutely loves them, you know, and one of her biggest complaints was always my her heels will get so cracked sometimes that's really painful for her.
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_00: So like finding that really good moisturizing product is very, very difficult for her as a consumer, and um being able to see her be very happy with products, it made me happy to see that, you know, because when you have someone who's tried it all kind of thing, you know, it really speaks volume.
• 29:49
  SPEAKER_00: So yes, I I can definitely get behind everything you guys are doing because I know she's tried everything out there, you know.
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_00: So it's it's it's pretty cool.
• 29:57
  SPEAKER_00: But I want to hear that, yeah.
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_01: I um and we it's to your point on value, one of the other things that we're trying to do, because you know, flipping foot care from reactive to preventative, you don't want to make it difficult.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so making the product effective in one use was a goal.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_01: The other piece is getting to space out a little bit those more time-intensive maintenance moments.
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_01: So um, you know, many people who try high dive say that they actually can space out their pedicures more often, particularly on the dry cracked heels, because uh we also have urea in high dive.
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and one thing that was a learning for me um in why you need specific foot care products is um urea is this magical ingredient for the feet that um acts as a keratolytic agent.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_01: So it uniquely breaks down keratin so that it can reduce the pace and speed at which skin cells rebuild up to create that flaky, dry look that you see when you have dry cracked heels.
• 31:03
  SPEAKER_01: So um that that is an ingredient, you know, for those looking to be more familiar on, you know, what is unique about foot care.
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um I suspect you'll hear a lot more about urea, um, certainly from barefoot scientists, but but as this category we hope grows, um it's really a magical and unique part of the foot care wellness equation as well.
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_00: I love I know urea has a lot of interesting uh hydration properties too, right?
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, uh, correct me if I'm wrong.
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_00: I know I've seen it in some facial care products, but um, it's definitely an interesting ingredient, you know, uh from what I've heard about it.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_00: I I haven't heard about much.
• 31:40
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I I know there's a couple of products out there in uh facial care, but that's interesting that you guys have that in there.
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_00: It's pretty cool.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_01: No, you're spot on on the hydration.
• 31:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um, the upper layer of our uh dermis, the stratum corneum, which um, you know, both in your face and your feet, you want to be really mindful of how much you disrupt that because it protects your body, right?
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um, what urea does is it actually helps it retain water so that it's better fortified against the kind of external elements your feet are exposed to.
• 32:14
  SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that you know, that's a really cool way to kind of connect it.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I'm always thinking about like I know I keep saying it, but I honestly am always connecting, trying to connect for a general consumer.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you know, you got we start to recognize ingredients, right?
• 32:29
  SPEAKER_00: Like we know that what we know them from like our facial skincare or whatever we might have, and being able to see them come in to play, you know, with other products for parts of the body, I think that's huge for consumers, you know.
• 32:40
  SPEAKER_00: It it kind of gives you that safety blanket feeling, you know, like, oh, I understand this ingredient.
• 32:45
  SPEAKER_00: I know it's good for me, you know, like hyaluronic acid, like the one you were talking about.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_00: I think that makes it easier, you know, to buy products and to invest in them because you know it works, and um, that's that's huge.
• 32:55
  SPEAKER_00: And one of my things, I'll tell you, you know, I love overnight anything, right?
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_00: Like over even for my face, like I love a good overnight mask.
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I know you guys have a couple of um overnight products that um, well, you have sleep on it, which is your overnight, right?
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_00: But then you also have like um just things that you can use throughout the night.
• 33:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's huge for me because as a consumer, I like to just at night I do my routine at night, you know what I mean?
• 33:19
  SPEAKER_00: That's my heavy-hitting routine.
• 33:21
  SPEAKER_00: And I I love being able to just say, okay, I have time now, I can put it on, it's gonna work overnight, and I'm gonna wake up and feel great, you know, about my skin, wherever it is.
• 33:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I think um with foot care, I think it could be really beneficial for people to invest in a product like sleep on it, you know, because we don't really think about our feet throughout the day.
• 33:40
  SPEAKER_00: But then when you're taking care of them and you're allowing that long time span of, you know, a product staying on, doing its job, I mean, that's huge.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_00: So um what was the story be behind that one?
• 33:51
  SPEAKER_00: Sleep on it.
• 33:51
  SPEAKER_00: I really, really like that one.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we um we love nightstand friendly, nighttime friendly routines for sure.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_01: Because to your point, you know, when your feet are tired at the end of the day, the last thing you want is a long process to restore them.
• 34:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so the inspiration for Sleep On It socks was really that insight that uh a lot of people who are trying to get that extra lock in a moisture, probably because they were using creams that weren't specially formulated for feet, was they would put lotion on and then put socks on and go to bed.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_01: But that's a very uncomfortable, squishy feeling.
• 34:23
  SPEAKER_01: And it isn't necessarily locking in the moisture that you need just because you're putting it on your feet overnight.
• 34:29
  SPEAKER_01: So um Dana had developed these socks, um, and they're developed for you know, uh kind of small to medium foot sizes to large and extra large.
• 34:41
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but they're silicone-lined socks that are infused with just five simple ingredients argan oil, rose oil, shea butter, jojoba, and vitamin E.
• 34:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but the way that they're infused into the silicone, it creates a moisture release over the course of your sleep cycle.
• 35:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and the reason why it is a moisture release cycle and we have it as a night sock is there is a period in your sleep cycle where your body is regenerating.
• 35:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and in that window where your body is naturally regenerating, um, the products kind of intersect in that window to release all of these antioxidant oxidants and infuse them into your feet.
• 35:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um, the fact that they're silicone-lined socks creates a certain temperature where you're you know getting this nourishment um in a way that it's not too hot, not too cold for you to get a good night's sleep.
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and you can take it off the next morning, totally refresh feet.
• 35:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and they're infused in such a way that you can use them multiple times over.
• 35:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um, most people uh like to put them on once a week.
• 35:54
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, if you do that, you get three months use out of a pair of socks with um how the ingredients are lined in.
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um and of course, you can continue to use the socks after.
• 36:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but it's a really nice, convenient, um, non-time consuming way to treat your feet.
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_00: That is so cool.
• 36:11
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't I didn't know that it was like a time release thing.
• 36:14
  SPEAKER_00: That's really, really interesting.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, I feel like we had learned from that though.
• 36:18
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I I would buy like a facial mask like that if it was like a reusable mask that you can just like put on your face.
• 36:24
  SPEAKER_00: You know what I mean?
• 36:25
  SPEAKER_00: Like I would totally buy that.
• 36:26
  SPEAKER_00: Totally like other people need to learn from that.
• 36:29
  SPEAKER_00: That's really cool.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, no, that's really cool.
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_00: I I think that overnight, like I said, you know, overnight products are just, I don't know, they just hit home for me.
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_00: You know, they work and at the end of the day, you don't have to think about it.
• 36:39
  SPEAKER_00: You just put them on, wake up, and you have great skin.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_00: That's the end of the story.
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_00: And I think a lot of times, you know, I'm always I always find myself advocating for like uh, you know, products that can be used as like like you can kind of double up on their use, you know what I mean?
• 36:54
  SPEAKER_00: So like with this one, I always think about, you know, if you do want that super extra heavy routine, like you can do like uh, you know, a full exfoliation kind of thing where you're exfoliating your feet, you're doing the whole, you know, ordeal, but then you can put them on as like the last step, or if you have no time, just slip them on and you're good to go, you know.
• 37:12
  SPEAKER_00: So I really like that.
• 37:13
  SPEAKER_00: They have this like multi-functional approach to you know the overall product.
• 37:17
  SPEAKER_00: That's pretty cool.
• 37:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I wanted to ask you, you know, one of my big questions is, you know, this is a very unique market, like I said, you know, the category of you know, foot health, it's very, very, I think still from my perspective as a consumer, uh, you know, there's it's scarce, you know, in terms of what their the offerings are.
• 37:35
  SPEAKER_00: So when you guys are navigating through it from the business standpoint, you know, what is the real what's the one of the biggest hurdles that you've encountered, you know, working on this brand?
• 37:44
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, if if there are any.
• 37:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um, online we've seen tremendous traction because um we can intercept the searches for various elements of feet.
• 37:57
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, we have the benefit of um content creators, blogs, editors to help drive the preventative um care education that really helps people understand the role of barefoot scientists.
• 38:11
  SPEAKER_01: I think our biggest challenge is when it comes to broad retail um is reframing, again, foot care from just problem solution and quite frankly, a medicinal heavy focus to wellness, to routine and prevention, um, so that you maintain healthy, happy, happy feet without these large setbacks that you're reacting to.
• 38:36
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we do see uh retail partners coming along with us on this journey to reframe it so that wellness foot care is more accessible to more people.
• 38:47
  SPEAKER_01: Umlta has partnered with us and supported the Barefoot Scientist brand.
• 38:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um Walmart has as well.
• 38:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um and we're you know bringing uh our our point of view uh to many more.
• 39:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um and within that, um, you know, we know that it's not just as simple as bringing barefoot in into the space.
• 39:09
  SPEAKER_01: We really have to educate on the need for curated foot care products and the benefit long term of using them proactively so that you have less painful or expensive remedies later on.
• 39:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um so we're on the early cusp of this of this journey, but it does remind me of so many paradigms I've shifted in my career.
• 39:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, in hair care, it was really helping to drive the textured hair uh offerings in in hair care to be recognized as the more mainstream fact that we have textured hair.
• 39:45
  SPEAKER_01: It's not a niche portion of the population.
• 39:47
  SPEAKER_01: And we need to be more inclusive and more comprehensive in solutions there.
• 39:52
  SPEAKER_01: As I mentioned, my female intimate wellness days, um really reframing intimate wellness not as a strictly medicinal space, but it's quite frankly a mental health space to care for yourself intimately and to um have more access to solutions without stigma.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um in a way, foot care is stigmatized uh in a similar fashion, although to a lesser degree, of what I saw in intimate wellness, right?
• 40:22
  SPEAKER_01: People are embarrassed by the thought of having to go down an aisle for corns and calluses.
• 40:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um but when you talk to consumers, you know, in in the surveys that we've done, 70% of people said, I wish I could find more products that were more like foot peels and lotions to use, but I don't see it made accessible to me.
• 40:47
  SPEAKER_01: I don't see it presented in a way where it feels like something I'll enjoy using.
• 40:51
  SPEAKER_01: And I don't want the intensity of only medicated products when I have foot issues.
• 40:57
  SPEAKER_01: I I want something more gentle than that.
• 40:59
  SPEAKER_01: I only want medicine when I have a serious issue, right?
• 41:02
  SPEAKER_01: Not a not a maintenance issue.
• 41:04
  SPEAKER_01: So those are the examples of the things that we're we're tackling.
• 41:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, reframing, um, destigmatizing, um, educating.
• 41:13
  SPEAKER_01: And the good news is that we have partners, like I said, that are are starting to come along that journey with us in retail.
• 41:20
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 41:20
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, that's such a good point, though.
• 41:22
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I feel like I'm also one of those consumers.
• 41:25
  SPEAKER_00: I relate to that, the survey analysis.
• 41:27
  SPEAKER_00: You know, like I think at the end of the day, yeah, like it sucks when you're just like looking for, you know, something that's a like a really truly a self-care product, right?
• 41:37
  SPEAKER_00: And you're just you don't find it, you know, you can't find it.
• 41:39
  SPEAKER_00: Or like you you go to a drugstore, you go wherever it is you shop, and you just absolutely are bombarded with or like the products are too simplistic.
• 41:48
  SPEAKER_00: That also gets on my nerves.
• 41:49
  SPEAKER_00: So I can definitely relate to that.
• 41:51
  SPEAKER_00: Like I remember one time, many it was like, you know, like a year or two ago, and I remember I was looking for a foot mask, and it was like the only thing I found was like a coconut, like a coconut oil infused, you know, whatever.
• 42:04
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, I could do this at home.
• 42:06
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I don't need to buy a sheet mask for my feet with co just coconut butter, whatever it is, you know.
• 42:12
  SPEAKER_00: So it was like almost as if like no one put any thought into it.
• 42:15
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it was like just here you go, we just put an ingredient in there, this should work, you know.
• 42:20
  SPEAKER_00: That's what it felt like.
• 42:21
  SPEAKER_00: So I definitely think that, you know, as a consumer, yeah.
• 42:24
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, if I were to have filled out your survey back then, I probably would have said the same thing because it's a huge area that and it's like you know, what we were talking about earlier with the hydration aspect, you know, no one no one thinks about these things, and I don't know why, because your feet, I mean, even more so than I think any other part of your body, like we said, it's going to impact your overall health immediately.
• 42:46
  SPEAKER_00: You'll immediately feel it.
• 42:47
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, you know, if you don't feel good and your feet are hurting, your whole body like reflects it.
• 42:52
  SPEAKER_00: And so to not have that amount of care and to not have that amount of like I guess interest from the industry in this in this specific, you know, niche or uh, you know, I guess white space really, I mean, it's just baffling to me, uh, genuinely as a consumer.
• 43:07
  SPEAKER_00: But, you know, thank God you guys are there.
• 43:10
  SPEAKER_00: I love your product.
• 43:11
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, it's a great thing.
• 43:12
  SPEAKER_00: But I wanted to ask you, do you guys have a lot of podiatrists that you've consulted, or like how did that work in terms of the uh medical side of things?
• 43:19
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, were there any on the team or are there currently?
• 43:23
  SPEAKER_01: In the early days of formulation, uh, Dana worked hand in hand with both podiatrists and dermatologists.
• 43:29
  SPEAKER_01: So we we think of the how we help the feet, but we also we know it's it's skin.
• 43:34
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so we're really careful to all of our formulations.
• 43:39
  SPEAKER_01: It was really important that we were dermatologists tested, that we were hypoallergenic, you know, we we are sensitive to the fact that feet are sensitive, um, and that we were addressing real pain points.
• 43:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and since then, um, we've developed a fan base of foot doctors.
• 43:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um and uh one one of my favorites uh Um Erie Foot and Ankle in Beachwood, Ohio.
• 44:05
  SPEAKER_01: They're on Instagram as Ohio Foot Docs.
• 44:09
  SPEAKER_01: They fell in love with our products.
• 44:11
  SPEAKER_01: They have shared it with their audience.
• 44:14
  SPEAKER_01: You know, they're on a mission to educate on preventative care.
• 44:18
  SPEAKER_01: Both, you know, in the orthotic lens, but you know, formulaic, the whole gamut really, of foot and ankle issues.
• 44:26
  SPEAKER_01: And as uh Barefoot has engaged in with them over the years, we've gleaned a lot of insights from education advocates, I would say they are uh in the social space to sense you know what what products are resonating and why.
• 44:46
  SPEAKER_01: What are the ailments and for how we've developed the solutions?
• 44:49
  SPEAKER_01: Is there are there any gaps that we missed?
• 44:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um we solicit opinions a lot on you know ingredient choices, ingredient levels.
• 44:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um and as I mentioned before, we're constantly consulting literature as well.
• 45:02
  SPEAKER_01: Um it's really important that we are not just formulating, you know, safe, effective, and gentle ingredients, but um professionally supported, that that it's not just you know smoke and mirrors, I guess you could say.
• 45:18
  SPEAKER_01: There's a lot of puffery as as you know in the in the beauty space.
• 45:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um and it's really important, you know, we we take these issues and and the opportunity to prevent seriously, and and with that we get serious consultation on anything we bring to market.
• 45:32
  SPEAKER_00: I I mean that's so cool though that you guys are so invested in this.
• 45:35
  SPEAKER_00: I I love that that you have some some fans, you know, in the podiatrist uh space because I know that I I have a few colleagues, you know, and they're very, very uh passionate about this topic, right?
• 45:45
  SPEAKER_00: In terms of OTC care.
• 45:47
  SPEAKER_00: And um, you know, I I remember I've had these conversations with them where even I've heard them say things like, well, what about like, you know, reflexology?
• 45:56
  SPEAKER_00: You know, why don't OTC brands focus on things like that?
• 45:59
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, there's real MDs out there that really believe in this stuff, you know, that they know that there is value, and you know, your feet are kind of like in some ways, I don't want to, you know, over over exaggerate, but it's kind of like the brain.
• 46:12
  SPEAKER_00: You don't know much about the feet, let's be honest.
• 46:14
  SPEAKER_00: You really don't.
• 46:14
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, at the end of the day, the nervous system that's uh that's there and it it's just a lot of um, you know, just precise sensory input that's happening.
• 46:24
  SPEAKER_00: And what's interesting is that we could do so much with it, right?
• 46:29
  SPEAKER_00: So when you look like a you look at like a reflexology chart, right?
• 46:32
  SPEAKER_00: You have that whole like mapping and whatnot.
• 46:35
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm interested to see, you know, if there is benefit there, it would be really cool to see a brand like yours, you know, explore that that whole area because I I think it would be hugely beneficial, you know.
• 46:47
  SPEAKER_00: And and I know a few doctors that might be, you know, kind of interested in that because they've expressed it to me.
• 46:52
  SPEAKER_01: So you're totally spot on.
• 46:54
  SPEAKER_01: And another space that we're continuing to learn about so we can provide solutions is um prenatal um foot care.
• 47:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um I remember uh when I was pregnant getting, you know, the tips of when it was okay to get a foot massage or a pedicure and not based on where I was in my pregnancy.
• 47:16
  SPEAKER_01: And that was just as a consumer one of those areas that really opened my eyes to wow, our feet really are interconnected.
• 47:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I'm sure some in your audience got similar um advice on you know, being careful in the last two weeks of your term to not induce labor through an intensive foot massage.
• 47:37
  SPEAKER_01: And I it just blew my mind to get that kind of advice from my doctor.
• 47:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but it that was actually the start of me paying more attention to my feet because between being pregnant and carrying that weight, between getting these, what I thought at the time unusual pieces of advice on, you know, where I could have pressure applied or not.
• 47:59
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then after just, you know, working parenthood, etc., all these things on my feet, I went down a real wellness journey.
• 48:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and like I said, I discovered barefoot scientist first as a consumer before I started to work on it because Dana was the only one out there really talking about all these things.
• 48:18
  SPEAKER_01: Even if, even if there wasn't a product yet that she had developed, she was engaging in these conversations just so people could first understand more.
• 48:27
  SPEAKER_01: And so um you're absolutely right.
• 48:29
  SPEAKER_01: Between what you're hearing from other MDs on reflexology, um, from what we're working to understand on life stages, you know, occupational dynamics of being on your feet, um prenatal implications.
• 48:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, there's a whole gamut of this foot care wellness expert uh uh world or universe uh that that we can still explore.
• 48:54
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 48:54
  SPEAKER_00: And I love that you guys are tuned into that.
• 48:56
  SPEAKER_00: That's really cool and it's exciting, you know.
• 48:58
  SPEAKER_00: And I I I hope to see you guys, you know, whatever product you come out with next is probably going to be phenomenal, like all of your other ones.
• 49:05
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, with that, I do want to ask you, is there anything on the horizon that we can uh you know look forward to as consumers?
• 49:11
  SPEAKER_00: If you can share anything.
• 49:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um, well, I I might have hinted a little bit.
• 49:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 49:17
  SPEAKER_01: Uh the space that we're we're just really trying to explore those extra tension points where we've learned people have very acute foot care sensitivities, um, you know, needing for care, but needing to be careful about you know, pressure they put on their feet.
• 49:31
  SPEAKER_01: Are there other ways to deliver that?
• 49:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um we have had a tremendous amount of success, as you pointed out, with products that you can put on at night or that you can kind of put on and relax our reboot foot peel, uh, you know, which you slip on your feet, you sit back for an hour and a half, and then take it off, and for two weeks works exfoliation magic.
• 49:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um, we're looking at the general space of how do we make prevention and wellness convenient, you know, instant use, slip it on, slip it off.
• 50:04
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, and so you'll see a lot more coming out on the space in those kind of convenient delivery systems.
• 50:10
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 50:11
  SPEAKER_01: That's really cool.
• 50:12
  SPEAKER_00: I love that product too, by the way.
• 50:14
  SPEAKER_00: That's a good one too.
• 50:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, I mean, that's so cool.
• 50:17
  SPEAKER_00: I I think your whole the whole line is just it's fantastic.
• 50:20
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it's fantastic.
• 50:21
  SPEAKER_00: And I think there's nothing else like it out there.
• 50:23
  SPEAKER_00: And so, you know, a huge fan.
• 50:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and for everyone listening, you guys have to go check out Barefruit Scientist.
• 50:30
  SPEAKER_00: I know a lot of you might already, like I said, already using it, already know about it.
• 50:34
  SPEAKER_00: But if you haven't heard of it, please, you know, this is the foot care brand.
• 50:39
  SPEAKER_00: Like literally, I don't think there's anything like it on the market.
• 50:42
  SPEAKER_00: And I am such a fan.
• 50:43
  SPEAKER_00: I know everyone I've spoken to that's tried it immediately falls in love.
• 50:48
  SPEAKER_00: So huge, huge, you know, must-have kind of brand, you know, for everyone listening.
• 50:52
  SPEAKER_00: But um, you know, I really, again, I want to uh round out the interview and I want to ask you for career advice because you know, one of the things I'm noticing now is that people are um, you know, they want to be successful, right?
• 51:04
  SPEAKER_00: And and you had kind of started the interview off with, you know, kind of hinting at that, you know, bringing your expertise to smaller brands.
• 51:11
  SPEAKER_00: But I would love to hear your advice for young entrepreneurs, new entrepreneurs, you know, that want to bring that same level of success to their brand or to their endeavors, if you could offer some words of wisdom for them.
• 51:26
  SPEAKER_01: Uh ask questions.
• 51:28
  SPEAKER_01: No question is too dumb.
• 51:29
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, if if you're an entrepreneur and navigating a space that uh you know you you haven't had the the traditional exposure to, you know, I need to market this, but what content's relevant?
• 51:42
  SPEAKER_01: I am developing this formula, but I don't know um what I should be looking for as I try this, or that you know, um what does quality assurance mean?
• 51:54
  SPEAKER_01: You know, there's so many um questions, especially if you're an entrepreneur really playing all these hats of you know, business builder, financial, um analyst, uh, marketer, product developer.
• 52:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um don't be shy about reaching out to people who have traditional experiences like mine, um, and and ask questions.
• 52:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I have been approached so many times in my career uh by people who had an idea and they just wanted to philosophically understand for me like, how do you approach the question of market fit?
• 52:36
  SPEAKER_01: Or how how do you have a sense that it's not just you who thinks this is an idea, but that someone would buy it?
• 52:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um how do I negotiate on these costs I'm getting from the manufacturers?
• 52:47
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, by and large, I I have found myself and my old colleagues uh included, you know, as long as there weren't questions about you know trade secrets and like a category we're directly in, there are a lot of things we can share just philosophically that we've learned.
• 53:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um personally, in in my own journey to try to make sure that I could take my more traditional PNG knowledge and be scrapping entrepreneurial in the way that brands like Barefoot Scientists um command, you know, because you don't have the infrastructure of a PNG.
• 53:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um in my past, I used to take uh you know consulting gigs, um, you know, short-term um translating that knowledge.
• 53:33
  SPEAKER_01: But what I found was the entrepreneurs were teaching me about how I'm gonna have to reframe my own brain to rely less on the infrastructure of a large company and and more, you know, tackle the strategy fundamentally in the same solid way, but with far more scrappy means, you know, working through a network, um, cold calling more to pitch and support.
• 53:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um but use your network, ask questions.
• 54:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um don't think that a lack of structure will set you up for a lack of success.
• 54:11
  SPEAKER_01: My mind has been blown by what I saw the likes of Dana Ward do um to bring barefoot scientists to market as a one-woman and then a three-person machine at one point.
• 54:22
  SPEAKER_01: But you know, it it was um probably daunting for her at first, but she focused on the consumer need.
• 54:33
  SPEAKER_01: She stayed true to the consumer solution she wanted to create.
• 54:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and if you can do those two things, marketing it becomes a much easier job as well, right?
• 54:43
  SPEAKER_01: Because it's coming from an authentic space of a of a real problem real people have and a solution people can understand.
• 54:51
  SPEAKER_01: That's really effective when they try it.
• 54:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so focus on those fundamentals, um, ask questions, and um, I think you'll be amazed at what you can you can self-start.
• 55:02
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 55:03
  SPEAKER_00: That's such uh that's awesome advice.
• 55:05
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much.
• 55:06
  SPEAKER_00: And I agree with everything you said.
• 55:07
  SPEAKER_00: I actually learned, yeah, I was listening to you because I know I it's hard, it's hard, and I know there's a lot of entrepreneurs out there, and so um such such you know wonderful advice is so appreciated.
• 55:18
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much.
• 55:19
  SPEAKER_00: And for everyone listening, I hope you guys really, really enjoyed this episode and and have definitely um learned something from it.
• 55:25
  SPEAKER_00: I would love to hear from you guys if you've tried the brand.
• 55:28
  SPEAKER_00: If you love the brand, please chime in, let us know.
• 55:31
  SPEAKER_00: We will definitely pass your comments along to uh Jen and her team and and uh maybe Dana will hear it as well, and you know, just feed you know, share your feedback with us.
• 55:40
  SPEAKER_00: We'd love to hear from you.
• 55:41
  SPEAKER_00: But thank you so much for your time, Jen.
• 55:44
  SPEAKER_00: This has been so lovely.
• 55:45
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, the pleasure was mine.
• 55:46
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much.
• 55:48
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 55:52
  SPEAKER_00: Hey guys, so I hope you love that episode.
• 55:54
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• 55:59
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• 56:01
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• 56:16
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• 56:33
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• 56:37
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• 56:47
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• 56:54
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• 56:59
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.