Today’s post on plant-based frist aid is by Jodi Scott, MS, Co-Founder of Green Goo and our guest in episode 502 on YouTube or audio on Podbean.

When I first studied psychoneuroimmunology (PNI), how thoughts, emotions, and stress responses influence the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems, I fell in love with a simple idea: the body is listening. Years later, I co-founded Green Goo with my mom and sister, and I learned that businesses listen too. The pace we choose, the ingredients we use, and the way we treat people all show up in the final product, and in our health.

We built Green Goo to make plant-based first aid and personal care that families can use: simple labels, multi-use tins, and fresh-plant extractions we perform in-house. Our kitchen experiments became farmer’s-market favorites and, eventually, a national brand. But the first decade ran on adrenaline, classic founder fight-or-flight. We sold the company, then bought it back, and that’s when the real work began not just scaling products but regulating a nervous system and rebuilding culture on purpose.

Why plants, and why “farm-to-formula”

For us, “plant-based” isn’t a trend; it’s a practical way to get complex chemistry without a complicated label. Whole botanicals deliver a spectrum of constituents that can soothe, soften the look of dry, rough patches, and support the skin’s natural barrier, all while keeping petroleum and antibiotics out of everyday care. We partner with regenerative growers and then do something rare at our scale: we still extract botanicals ourselves, in small, carefully controlled batches. That step preserves potency and transparency; we know exactly what goes into the jar.

Family business, clear lanes

Running a company with family can be a gift, or a gauntlet if you are not careful. Our rule: roles over relationships. We keep short feedback loops, write decisions down, and practice “hats on / hats off” time so dinner stays dinner and Monday stays Monday. When conflict happens (and it does), we repair quickly and directly, no triangulation. Redundant message, “Don’t leave your hand on the hot stove for too long”. Well then you need the Goo!

Leading differently

Building the business taught us systems and discipline. I realized that regulation comes before strategy: when you’re flooded, options look binary; when you’re grounded, smart paths appear. I rebuilt my day with micro-practices drawn from PNI and Positive Intelligence:

• A 90-second breath reset (longer exhales than inhales) before big decisions.
• Feet + Focus: feel the ground, name five things you see, choose one priority.
• Micro-movement between meetings so the body moves and the mind settles.
• Tiny PQ reps (sensory attention drills) to interrupt rumination and come back to the present.

These are not spa days. They’re one-minute deposits that compound into calm, better judgment, and kinder culture.

First aid is first line, not last resort

Our First Aid tin didn’t begin as a branding exercise; it came from real life. As a military family, we saw “medical deserts”, moments when you just need clean, dependable care for minor issues. Our goal is practical relief for everyday bumps and scrapes, with language that respects the line between comforting care and clinical treatment. We keep the claims sensible, “supports the skin’s natural barrier,” “helps reduce the look of dry, rough patches,” “soothes and nourishes”, and we encourage people to seek professional care when they need it.

What I wish every founder knew

• Potency lives upstream. Who you source from and how you extract matters as much as the label.
• Governance beats guesswork. Clear roles, written decisions, honest inventory and cash views.
• Regulation scales performance. A regulated nervous system is a strategic asset; it’s how you hear your team, your customers, and yourself.

If you remember one thing, make it this: your mind, body, and business are one system. Design for health at every step, soil to shelf, meeting to meeting, and performance becomes a by-product.