Resilient as F*k!

Key Takeaways:

The "Perfect Packaging" Trap: Why over-investing in your branding before testing your product is a massive mistake. Your brand will evolve; don't let your ego delay your launch.

No Replacement for Lived Experience: AI is a great tool, but it cannot replace the peer-to-peer mentorship of founders who are currently navigating the chaotic CPG landscape.

The Introvert's Advantage: You don't have to be the loudest person in the room to succeed in business. When introverts speak, people listen—but you still cannot hide from your customers.

Authenticity > Aesthetics: Forget the beauty glam shots and the perfectly curated outfits. Real business connections happen when you show up exactly as you are and drop the corporate fakery.

Memorable Moments:

The "Voluntold" Founding: How a casual dinner with industry friends led to Cheryl being "voluntold" to lead a brand new organization for women in food.

The $50,000 Holy Sh*t Moment: How C-WIF launched their "Gifts of Goodness" boxes during COVID and immediately landed a massive corporate order to keep their members afloat.

The Power of Peer-to-Peer: The story of Lashana (founder of Moss), who wasted six months trying to be perfect before realizing the real power of connecting with a community that actually wanted to see her win.

Key Takeaways:

The "Clear Window" Trap: Why designing for aesthetics over food science will cost you retail placements, and how Ohme Foods successfully pivoted their entire brand identity to protect their product's shelf life.

The RACI Chart: The ultimate operational framework for co-founders. Learn how to map out exactly who is Responsible, Accountable, Supporting, and Informed to eliminate overlapping tasks and founder resentment.

Start Messy at the Pop-Up: Stop waiting for perfect branding. Jenny brought two failed business ideas to pop-up markets before Ohme Foods finally hit. Validation happens in the real world, not behind a screen.

Mastering the "Dependency": The one question every founder needs to ask when a project stalls: What is the dependency, and is it on me or someone else?

Memorable Moments:

The "Pallet Panic": The hilarious and stressful reality of securing your first major retail order and realizing you have absolutely no idea what a shipping pallet is, where to get one, or how to assemble it.

The Accidental Retail Launch: The moment local cafes (like Mad Milk Bar and Federal Store) slid into their DMs just one month into their launch, proving the undeniable power of grassroots community testing.

The Ultimate Milestone: Reaching the financial and operational goals required to finally quit their corporate Healthcare IT jobs and go all-in on their brand.

About the Guest: Jenny is the co-founder of Ohme Foods, a Canadian company creating healthy, functional, and joyful freeze-dried fruit snacks.

Key Takeaways:

Clarity Over Cleverness: Stop butchering your customers' actual words to sound "creative." The ultimate sophistication in branding is absolute simplicity.

The "3 P's" Pitch Framework: Don't just sell the problem and your plan. You must sell the Place—the ultimate transformation and desired outcome the consumer will achieve.

Master the Story Loop: If you want to hook an audience, state the problem and immediately jump to the successful outcome. Make them beg to know what happened in the middle.

Reflective Intelligence vs. AI: AI can give you a template, but it cannot give you consciousness. Build a "vault" of personal reflections and stories so you can inject a unique piece of yourself into your brand messaging.

Memorable Moments:

How Leopold brilliantly flipped the script in the first 30 seconds of the interview using the psychological principle of consistency.

A candid breakdown of the infamous Lululemon CEO PR crisis, exploring how a failure to appeal to "System 1" (instinctual) thinking alienated an entire community.

The moment Leopold drops a one-sentence story ("My daughter just told me I will never be your friend again") to perfectly demonstrate how to open an irresistible psychological loop.

About the Guest: Leopold Ajami is a philosophical brand strategist, speaker, and the founder of Novel Philosophy Academy. He helps CEOs and founders develop thought leadership by integrating philosophy, creativity, and the science of influence.

Links & Resources:

Check out Novel Philosophy Academy: novelphilosophy.academy

Connect with Leopold on LinkedIn: Search for Leopold Ajami

Vamp Brand Studio: vampbrandstudio.com

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow us on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Stay resilient as f*k!

Key Takeaways:

● Authenticity is Your Best Strategy: Don't chase trends. Build products that you have a deep, personal connection to and that genuinely solve a problem you've experienced.

● Rebuilding from the Ground Up: Sometimes, experiencing a physical or emotional "rock bottom" is the exact catalyst needed to discover your true purpose and resilience.

● Embrace Trial and Error: Scaling a food product—like pioneering freeze-dried sea moss—takes time, money, and plenty of failed batches. Trust the process.

● Nature Provides Answers: From inner hydration and immune-boosting to topical skin remedies for eczema, looking to holistic and natural solutions can completely transform your well-being.

Memorable Moments:

● Amanie’s raw and vulnerable recount of her sudden MS diagnosis and the months spent in acute hospital care.

● The gritty reality of transitioning from a kindergarten teacher to a CPG founder trying to figure out freeze-drying technology and co-packing facilities.

● How a childhood connection to nature (and a love for Pocahontas!) shaped her holistic view of sourcing healing from Mother Earth.

About the Guest: Amanie is the co-founder of Survival Moss, a superfood brand dedicated to inspiring people to thrive—not just survive—through freeze-dried sea moss, lion's mane, and other immune-boosting blends.

"Good brands have great tension."

In this episode of Resilient as F*k!, host Vivian Perez (Vamp Brand Studio) sits down with Viggy Venkat, the mastermind behind Tocha Foods. This isn’t your typical "hot sauce" story; it’s a masterclass in using customer discovery to identify a market gap so wide you could drive a distribution truck through it.

Memorable Moments:

Iconic Quotes:

Resources & Links:

Work With Vamp Brand Studio: We build resilient identities for founders ready to play the long game. From high-end packaging that stops the scroll to digital strategies that convert, we help you master the details.

"Getting distribution is not easy... but the hard part is getting it off the shelf."

In this episode of Resilient as F*k!, host Vivian Perez (Vamp Brand Studio) sits down with CPG veterans Michelle McKay-Prychidny and Koreann Webster, the co-founders of Roadmap CPG. After serving as early key employees for industry giants like Vega and SmartSweets, they have seen exactly what it takes to survive the retail shelf—and the expensive mistakes that get brands kicked out.

Key Topics Covered:

"Get a thousand people to try your product... it's gonna save you so much money later on."

In this episode of Resilient as F*k!, host Vivian Perez (Vamp Brand Studio) sits down with Tony, the co-founder behind Queen Street Bakery, to discuss the wild journey of transforming an allergen-friendly bread concept into a national powerhouse available in over 3,000 stores.

Key Topics Covered:

"If you ever knew what it would take to get where you want to go... you'd never do it."

In this episode of Resilient as F*k!, host Vivian Perez (Vamp Brand Studio) sits down with Jason James, the visionary behind Vegan Supply, to discuss the transformation of the vegan industry from a niche market to a powerhouse of innovation.

Key Topics Covered:

Resources Mentioned:

Connect with Vanp Brand Studio:

"I thought, I'm going to make mistakes and that's okay. And I was okay with it all. So just be kind to myself about it. But learn as much as I can."

In this episode of Resilient as F*k!, host Vivian Perez (Vamp Brand Studio) sits down with Katie Merchant, the beekeeper and visionary behind The Honey Merchants, to discuss her transformation from a stay-at-home mom to a thriving CPG founder.

Key Topics Covered:

Resources Mentioned:

Connect with Vamp Brand Studio:

Services: Strategy, Identity, Packaging, Web, and Social Design for Resilient Founders.

In this episode of Resilient as F*k!, Vivian Perez sits down with Tirzah Adrian, a passionate entrepreneur, to talk about the challenges of burnout, overcoming self-doubt, and building a brand rooted in community and collaboration. Tirzah shares how she learned to trust herself, embrace vulnerability, and collaborate with others to create deep connections with her audience and expand her brand’s reach.

This episode is packed with emotional insights and practical strategies for entrepreneurs navigating setbacks, fear of failure, and personal growth.

Key Takeaways:

• Trust Your Instincts: Your intuition is built from experience—learn to trust it.
• Vulnerability Builds Connection: Sharing your story humanizes your brand and deepens relationships.
• Collaboration Amplifies Impact: Partnering with others helps scale your business while maintaining authenticity.
• Prioritize Self-Care: Emotional well-being is critical for sustainable business growth.

Memorable Moments:

• Tirzah’s reflections on burnout and how it impacted both her business and personal life.
• A moment when collaboration with trusted partners helped her regain momentum after a major setback.
• Tips on integrating self-trust, storytelling, and collaboration into your business strategy.

Where to Listen:

Catch the full episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or vanpbrandstudio.com for more insights on building resilient brands that connect.