166: The power of the microbiome with Seed co-founder, Ara Katz

The Fitnessista Podcast: Healthy In Real Life

I’m so excited to be chatting with Seed Co-founder Ara Katz today.

Here’s what we discuss:

- The microbiome and how we can best support it

- The creation of Seed

- The importance of the vaginal microbiome and supporting this delicate ecosystem — we’re going to hear more and more about this

- Her tips for being Healthy in Real Life

and so much more.

166: The power of the microbiome with Seed co-founder, Ara Katz

Here’s more about Ara and her background:

You might already be familiar with Seed from their flagship product, DS-01®, which has garnered mass attention and the title of the #1 selling probiotic, gaining attention from celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Karlie Kloss, and Cameron Diaz. But the story behind Seed and Ara herself extends far beyond their acclaimed product.

Ara is a dynamic three-time founder (recently named to CNBC’s inaugural Changemakers list) who has built, advised, and invested in some of the most notable consumer brands across consumer, health, and tech. Her path to science began not in a lab but with personal challenges –– 20 years ago, her mom’s pancreatic cancer diagnosis ignited her passion for health and science. Later, Ara was introduced to the microbiome by way of a miscarriage, struggles with breastfeeding, and the realization of how little science informed the products she turned to. It was this journey that led her to found Seed Health. Seed has seen 800+% revenue growth in the last 3 years, but it isn’t just a commercial success story; it’s the culmination of Ara’s lifelong passion for technology, storytelling, and design, all harnessed to leverage science for humanity's benefit. In addition to her role as CEO, Ara oversees the company’s environmental research under SeedLabs, and co-directs LUCA Biologics, the company’s venture targeting the vaginal microbiome for the future of women’s health.

Now, Ara is expanding Seed’s impact beyond the gut, with its first innovation targeting the vaginal microbiome –– a watershed moment for women’s health.

You can use 25FITNESSISTA for 25% off Seed products, including their new VS-01, here.

Partners:

Filter your shower water with Canopy! It’s made a huge difference in my hair and skin, and I love that it removes harmful contaminants from our shower water. Use FITNESSISTA15 here.

I’ve been using Nutrisense on and off for a couple of years now. I love being able to see how my blood sugar responds to my diet and habits, and run experiments. You can try out Nutrisense here and use GINA50 for $50 off.

Join us for Fit Team! This is my online fitness community and you can try it free for 7 days.

I love love love the meals from Sakara Life! Use this link and the code GINAHSAKARA for 20% off their meal delivery and clean boutique items. This is something I do once a month as a lil treat to myself and the meals are always showstoppers.

If any of my fellow health professional friends are looking for another way to help their clients, I highly recommend IHP. You can also use this information to heal yourself and then go one to heal others, which I think is a beautiful mission. You can absolutely join if you don’t currently work in the health or fitness industry; many IHPs don’t begin on this path. They’re friends who are passionate to learn more about health and wellness, and want to share this information with those they love. You can do this as a passion, or start an entirely new career.

You can use my referral link here and the code FITNESSISTA for up to $250 off the Integrative Health Practitioner program. I highly recommend it! You can check out my review IHP Level 1 here and my review of Level 2 here.

I’m still obsessed with my sauna blanket. This is one of my favorite ways to relax and sweat it out. I find that it energizes me, helps with aches and pains, I sleep better on the days I use this, and it makes my skin glow. Link to check it out here. You can also use my discount FITNESSISTA15 for the PEMF Go Mat, which I use every day, and the red light face mask, which is a staple in my weekly skincare routine.

Get 20% off Organifi with the code FITNESSISTA. I drink the green juice, red juice, gold, and Harmony! (Each day I might have something different, or have two different things. Everything I’ve tried is amazing.) I’m currently obsessed with the shilajit gummies!

Thank you so much for listening and for all of your support with the podcast! Please be sure to subscribe, and leave a rating or review if you enjoyed this episode. If you leave a rating, head to this page and you’ll get a little “thank you” gift from me to you.