Roots To Fruits

We've become so accustomed to convenience that we rarely stop to think about the materials we bring into our homes, the food we eat, or what happens to the things we throw away. In this episode of Roots to Fruits, I'm exploring our relationship with plastic, the choices we're beginning to reconsider, and the challenges that come with changing systems we've depended on for decades. As a material scientist, I've spent much of my life thinking about what things are made of and why that matters. This conversation brings those questions a little closer to home.  Chapters (00:00:00) - Intro and the Three R's Reflection(00:01:35) - Welcome to Roots to Fruits(00:02:57) - JT Turner's Journey into Polymer Engineering(00:05:09) - Litter, Institutions, and Normalization of Waste(00:07:21) - The Boiling Frog and Spiritual Awareness(00:10:21) - Stuck in Uncertainty and Financial Inertia(00:12:50) - Disconnection and Institutional Barriers(00:15:15) - JT's Career and Early Biodegradable Work(00:17:21) - Explaining PHA Polymers(00:20:08) - The Ribeye Steak Analogy for Microbial Digestion(00:21:55) - PLA, Lactic Acid, and Circularity(00:23:44) - How Plastics Solved Problems and Created Liabilities(00:27:08) - Why Plastics Can't Truly Be Circular(00:29:30) - Microplastics Debate and Environmental Breakdown(00:34:04) - Microplastics in the Body and Health Risks(00:36:15) - Rethinking Cost vs Price in Biopolymers(00:40:14) - Distributed Manufacturing and Composting as Renewal(00:42:17) - Compostables, Litter, and the License to Litter Myth(00:44:38) - California, Recycling Myths, and Entropy of Value(00:48:12) - Mass Balance and True Circularity of PLA/PHA(00:49:22) - The Green Revolution and Food Dependence(00:51:06) - Crossing the Political Divide on Health and Plastics(00:51:52) - Deplasticizing the Home and Returning to the Three R's(00:54:05) - Entropy, Congress, and the Coming Reckoning(00:58:28) - Hope Through Reconnection and Awakening(01:01:13) - Taking Local Action and Community Composting(01:03:50) - Intelligent Material Deployment, Not Elimination(01:05:17) - University of Georgia Composting Study and Closing Thoughts

In this episode of Roots to Fruits, Kelly Williams sits down with Chris Cappelletti to explore healing after narcissistic abuse and toxic relationships. Together, they discuss breaking unhealthy patterns, setting boundaries, understanding triggers, and moving from survival mode toward self-love, authenticity, and freedom. Chris also shares how mindfulness and her Evidence Journal can help people reconnect with themselves and heal forward. Chapters (00:00:00) - Narcissism: The Feeding of Empaths(00:01:01) - Roots to Fruits(00:03:10) - How to Unpack the Truth from Your Love Life(00:04:10) - How to Carry the Weight of a Narcissist(00:07:50) - The Secret to Leaving a Narcissist(00:12:38) - In the Elevator With My Brother(00:13:26) - How to Live Your Truth(00:20:08) - How to Get Out of Alcohol Addiction(00:23:54) - The Evidence Journal(00:27:16) - Own Your Narcissism: Name It to Tame It(00:33:18) - The 7 Tactics of a Narcist in Parental Alienation(00:38:15) - A message from the(00:38:52) - Narcissism in the Elevator(00:40:12) - Getting Out of a Narcissist's Home(00:42:08) - Roots to Fruits: Build a Strong Community

In this thought-provoking episode of Roots to Fruits, Kelly Williams sits down with regenerative designer, strategist, and meditation teacher Emma Chow to explore what happens when the life that once fulfilled us no longer feels aligned. Together, they discuss the quiet process of outgrowing old identities, why constant stimulation can leave us feeling disconnected, and how embracing ambiguity becomes an essential part of personal evolution. Through reflections on meditation, the nervous system, and living with greater awareness, this conversation offers a gentle reminder that growth often begins when we're willing to let go of who we thought we had to be. Chapters (00:00:00) - Roots to Fruits(00:02:22) - How I Learned To Win in Tennis(00:09:12) - Since Covid, I've been training in meditation(00:11:24) - What is a Mantra in Vedic Meditation?(00:17:01) - Seeking More: The Search for Truth in Life(00:19:23) - Brexit and the coherence of the business world(00:27:44) - Going Back to the 10 Year Old(00:34:57) - On Life's Midlife Crisis(00:40:55) - Essential Sound Bath(00:47:13) - What are the inputs to a business?(00:47:39) - How to Salvage Your Energy(00:51:05) - In the Elevator With Love for Yourself(00:58:05) - The Secret to Relaxing Your(01:02:21) - Roots to Fruits: Connecting the Roots

In this heartfelt episode of Roots to Fruits, Kelly Williams sits down with entrepreneur and yoga studio founder Emily Dressler to explore her powerful journey from high-level corporate marketing executive to creating Happily Ever Yoga, a thriving wellness community rooted in connection, healing, and transformation. Emily shares how yoga evolved from a physical practice into a life-changing philosophy that helped her navigate motherhood, grief, burnout, and purpose. Together, they dive into nervous system regulation, community, mindfulness, entrepreneurship, and the deeper meaning behind building a life aligned with authenticity and service. This conversation is an inspiring reminder that sometimes life’s hardest moments guide us toward our truest calling. Chapters (00:00:00) - Roots to Fruits(00:01:00) - Meet Emily Dressler(00:02:32) - How a yoga teacher started teaching in the studio(00:05:51) - How a Yoga Studio Became a Family Business(00:09:48) - The Yoga Studio by Synchronicity(00:12:18) - What I Wish I Knew About My Sister's Death(00:17:20) - "Yoga Is Not a Sport"(00:20:33) - How to live life to the fullest at 40(00:24:40) - What Does the Yoga Studio Do?(00:28:11) - Pilates and Sound Baths(00:31:18) - Where everything can be done in the wellness center(00:35:16) - An Empath's Guide to Leading(00:36:02) - On Starting Yoga Again(00:39:28) - The Secret to Good Yoga(00:42:44) - How to Get Out Of Boredom(00:44:20) - Mixed Yoga Teacher Training(00:46:49) - Reiki Community: Authenticity(00:51:09) - Ideas for the Next 10 Years(00:54:49) - A message about yoga in the corporate world(00:57:08) - How much do you think people learn from yoga classes?(00:59:38) - Roots to fruits

In this Season 1, finale of *Roots to Fruits*, Kelly Williams shares a candid conversation with longtime colleague and industry leader Rick Stokes. Together, they explore the core ideas behind Kelly’s book, *Tiny Hands* and the Soft Power Model. The belief that the smallest, most subtle forces are often the ones holding everything together. Blending science, leadership, and real-world experience, they discuss concepts like hydrogen bonding, enzymatic leadership, and the balance between structure and flexibility. Raw and unscripted, this conversation offers a thoughtful look at empathy, innovation, and the “physics of belonging”, and how leading with connection, not control, can transform teams and organizations. Chapters (00:00:00) - In the Elevator With Yoga(00:00:34) - Roots to Fruits: Episode 10(00:02:43) - Read The Book: The Search for Science in Engineering(00:05:22) - In the Elevator With An Enzyme Leader(00:07:58) - In the Elevation of Entropy and Hard Power(00:10:58) - In the Elevator With Yoga(00:14:33) - How to Find Your Truth in Your 40s(00:18:58) - When You're a 10-Year-Old(00:19:49) - The 10 Laws of Yoga(00:22:02) - The Power of Empaths(00:24:06) - Private Equity Exploring the Packaging Industry(00:24:39) - Steve Jobs: Permission to Fail(00:28:25) - Ultimate Human Dilemma(00:32:27) - The circular economy: A book review(00:35:30) - A Taste of Rick's Memoir(00:35:51) - Growing With Roots, To Fruits