27. Christopher Gavigan on the Commitment to Being an Earth-First Brand

Purpose and Profit with Kathy Varol

Christopher Gavigan is Founder + Co-CEO of Prima. Christopher is a seasoned champion for environmental and human health, an acclaimed author, speaker, and social entrepreneur. His ‘commitment to better’ has spanned his entire career, including his earlier roles as CEO and Executive Director of Healthy Child Healthy World and Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer of The Honest Company.

Christopher also sits on the Board of Directors of Mount Sinai Hospital’s Children's Environmental Health Center, and is The New York Times Bestselling Author of Healthy Child Healthy World.

If you’re interested in learning more about Prima, or speaking with Christopher about his past endeavors, he invites you to email ([e-mail]) or call (tel:[phone])

Want to try Prima? Use discount offer “CTG" for 20% first order at prima.co.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The importance of transparency in building trust
• How having a purpose and strong company values simplifies decision making
• How efficiency can get in the way of connection

Key Takeaways:

• One theme that came up was leaning into what lights you up. It was great to hear that this is the advice Christopher gives to his four kids, and also to see how he has acted on this advice throughout his own career. Let me be clear, following what lights you up is not selfish, it’s what you’re here to do. The more we lean into what lights us up, the bigger impact we’ll have.
• The Honest Company wanted to make sure they weren’t hiding behind, or hiding under, stories. Important lessons for organizations are often also important lessons for individuals. After all, an organization is only a collection of individuals. His comment reminded me of a personal theme I’ve had come up repeatedly this past year. I’ve been intentionally looking for the personal narratives I’m hiding behind or hiding from. Stories from my past that my ego believes are what gives me value—or takes my value away. This is in line with Christopher’s comment about having tough conversations with yourself. The more aligned we are as individuals, the better leaders we’re able to be.
• I didn’t know that both cannabinoids and opioids block the release of pain-propagating neurotransmitters in the brain and spinal cord. Opioids are very addictive. So addictive they’ve caused a crisis in America, which the mini-series Dope Sick does a great job of portraying. Cannabinoids are not addictive. CDB is one cannabinoid from the cannabis plant. If you want to try CBD products as part of your wellness approach, check out Prima.

References:

Prima

The Honest Company

Healthy Child Healthy World

Healthy Child Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home by Christopher Gavigan

American Cancer Society information on Wilms tumors

Learn more about B Corp certification here

“An introduction to the endogenous cannabinoid system” by Hui-chen Lu and Ken Mackie

The Sierra Club

Children and Nature Network

The Loveland Foundation

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