Revving Up Wellness: Insights from Justin Lloyd

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Transcript

Introduction

Speaker 1 0:19

Welcome back to another episode of the Tech Exec Wellness Podcast. I am so excited to have Justin Lloyd from Angry Angel Energy Drink on the podcast today. We'll get into my testimonial, which has been great, and then we'll talk to Justin. So Justin Lloyd, 32 years old, is a former professional race car driver and the founder of Angry Angel Mind, body, soul Fuel, and if you listen to the podcast, you know that's right up my alley.

Speaker 1 0:48

Justin began racing cars at the age of five and turned a passion into a career. As he climbed the ranks to pursue his dream of becoming a NASCAR driver, he transitioned from a successful racing career after winning over 200 feature races and obtaining 10 championships to a beverage entrepreneur. His brand, angry Angel Mind, body, soul Fuel, is the only non-GMO project verified high performance energy beverage that can be found at retail locations across the United States. Under Justin's leadership, the company has grown from a novel functional beverage idea to one of the fastest growing health and wellness beverage brands in America and an industry leader with beverage ingredient transparency. In addition to his success as a race car driver and entrepreneur, justin obtained a degree in bioprocessing engineering from North Carolina State University in 2015. He participated in Pfizer's technical leadership program for two years and spent time applying his bioprocessing engineering degree as a gene therapy process engineer in Pfizer's novel global engineering division.

Speaker 1 1:59

Ooh, he is super smart. I love it. Justin's ability to successfully transition from his career as an athlete to an entrepreneur has helped pave the path and provided inspiration for many others looking to do the same. Justin has become a highly regarded business mentor and frequently speaks at events across America as an advocate for young and career transitioning entrepreneurs. His lessons learned as a professional athlete, bioengineering knowledge and passion for health and wellness offer an invaluable insight into what it takes to be a highly successful professional. So, without further ado, you are on the hot spot Before we start. What is your favorite music genre and what are some of your memorable concert experience? Maybe, if you can name one or two, can you share that with our listeners and welcome.

Speaker 2 2:52

Thank you, melissa. I appreciate you. Having me on this is exciting. Oh man, you're really putting me on the spot here with that initial question. Classic rock, for sure, nice Grew up with it. Remember vividly days on the lake growing up and listening to the likes of Steely Dan, the Eagles, fleetwood Mac, and then, kind of fast forward years later, actually spent time with my wife at this concert called Classic East. This concert called Classic East and it was this tour they were doing with Earth, wind, fire, steely Dan, the Eagles, fleetwood Mac and Journey, and it was like a two-day show and it just stands out in my mind as one of the greatest memories I've had at a concert and, quite honestly, with my wife. We weren't even married at the time, but it was something that was special to me and to her. So it was, it was a great time to connect the childhood music to to my life.

Speaker 1 3:55

That's incredible, and on our show we've mentioned the power of music, frequency and all of those bands. I found out yesterday that they were recorded at 432 hertz. That's very high vibrational. No wonder why we're in the car singing. Don't stop thinking about tomorrow, because they're happy, right.

Speaker 2 4:14

They are, they are. And actually that song you just sang, that was supposed to be our closing song to our wedding but unfortunately the bland played Don't Stop Believing my Journey. There was a little mix up there in the playlist.

Speaker 1 4:26

Justin, what do you think was missing in energy beverages before you started Angry Angel?

Meet Justin Lloyd

Speaker 2 4:35

Great question, I think. Number one ingredient transparency was missing. I think a lot of the brands even though they're masquerading as healthier, there was no real knowledge or information being shared from the beverage companies of what ingredients they were using to get to zero sugar or to make some of the natural label claims they had on their product. And then, number two, I really thought there was a huge gap between what was being offered in the organic marketplace, such as like a Whole Foods, and what was being offered at your typical marketplace, such as like a Whole Foods, and what was being offered at your typical convenience store and gas station. In terms of energy drinks, a lot of the quote-unquote healthier drinks at the likes of a Whole Foods still had a lot of sugar in there, typically 20 to 30 grams of sugar in a can and lacked the functional ingredients to really qualify them as effective energy drinks.

Speaker 1 5:30

So I thought there was a huge gap between those two marketplaces and saw a need for Angry Angel. You know, this kind of reminds me of iPhone when it came in and it disrupted the smartphone industry. So, yes, there were BlackBerry, there were all types of different smartphones, but again, you know, it's like you're missing that experience and I think with your product it definitely has disrupted the market and I know I've told my friends about it. But I want to know what inspired you with the flavors? How did you come up with those?

Speaker 2 5:57

Now, great question. And really, initially it was actually just one flavor. We started with the blackberry lemon flavor, which is still our most popular flavor in our lineup to this day. Actually, I had the idea for Angry Angel and the energy drink and identified all the key functional ingredients to make the drink, but I knew that I needed to have a really strong flavor offering. I knew that I needed to have a really strong flavor offering. It was actually at a dinner with a cocktail pairing and one of the drinks was a blackberry sidecar. I had never had a blackberry sidecar in my life, but I took one sip of it and I said this is it. This is going to be the first flavor, obviously minus the alcohol.

Speaker 2 6:42

But the blackberry lemon was our first flavor and it came from inspiration, a little cocktail party that I had, and then from there I wanted to balance it with a tropical flavor.

Speaker 2 6:54

So we've got a pineapple mango, which is really refreshing. And then, over the course of a few years, we launched our strawberry kiwi, our ice pop glass, which is a recreate of the red, white and blue popsicle. Yes, we saw a huge need for a flavor like that, specifically within the fitness space, where people are attuned to drinking a sweeter product and kind of nostalgic in a way with the flavors. So that's really worked well. And then, since their brand has really grown up and grown strong in the natural retail space peach, ginger were some flavor combinations we saw actually the kombucha and tea categories and saw a huge opportunity to maybe grab some of those customers that were shopping in different parts of the store and pull them over to our energy drink, which was, you know, had healthy ingredients that maybe was scaring them off initially. So we wanted to have a flavor that they were familiar with and with ingredients they felt good of drinking. So those five flavors all serve a good purpose and speak to different customers.

Speaker 1 8:00

That is my favorite and that was my favorite popsicle growing up as a kid was that Bomb Pop? So that was definitely number one for me and I want to thank you very much for sending me that variety pack. I liked all of them, but I would say that one ranked up there Number one. Blackberry Lemon was second, and then I like the Tropical Drink drink.

Speaker 2 8:22

That's awesome. No, we, and that's why we offer five, right, we've got to have the flavor. We like to say an angel for everybody, so that that definitely fits.

Speaker 1 8:32

Well, I'd like to tell our listeners about my experience because obviously, if you tell it, it's kind of biased. But I had the opportunity to try all of the drinks and I got to tell you I love the taste and there are some competitors that I've had before and I felt like I had heart palpitations and it scared me, right. So I didn't drink those anymore. So my go to in the morning, if I worked out, was an espresso and I tried these drinks. I noticed that not only was the taste great, I had stamina, it was like clean energy. I didn't have an aftertaste.

Speaker 1 9:10

And I'll tell you the one big thing that really Sean Dude Wipes. I remember that he was going over your product on a post on LinkedIn and I saw CoQ-Tin and I'm like no way, because during COVID, my VA doctor's like okay, because you were in the war, you know, and exposed to chemicals, this is something that you're going to really have to pay attention to because we don't know what this virus is like, right. So he said you got to get on CoQ10. So I've been taking that for well since the pandemic. And then when I saw your drink, I was like, oh, my goodness, how cool is that? Because I think that supplement is very important.

Speaker 1 9:51

So for me, I give your drink a 10 out of 10. And for the reasons that I listed, and I will be buying more and I'm glad that you're at a lot of the retailers because I think it should be something that is accessible and available to the public, especially after they listen to this and hear my testimonial because I'm very picky. Anybody that knows me knows that I'm very picky about what I ingest and what I take, and I have to tell you Angry Angel is my favorite and I think it's going to be my go-to when I'm doing any type of racing, any type of long distance running where I need the stamina. So kudos to you.

The Path from Racing to Entrepreneurship

Speaker 2 10:28

Well, I appreciate it, melissa. Yeah, and first off I just want to say you know I've had a lot of family members that are veterans and served our country, so I appreciate your service and the sacrifices that you have made.

Speaker 1 10:41

Thank you.

Speaker 2 10:42

First off, give people like myself the ability to have an entrepreneurship career and had the freedom to do this. So thank you so much for your service. And yeah, the CoQ10 is a great call out. It's a unique ingredient. You're starting to see it come up a little bit more in some of the functional beverages, but I believe it's not used enough. We use the ubiquinol form which your body. When compared to ubiquinol form, it's faster absorbed and really there's a lot of key benefits of CoQ10 that I'm sure the listeners can go in and look up. One of the main benefits is it's basically the building blocks of all healthy energy and healthy cell growth within your body.

Speaker 2 11:27

Um, and I think um, it's found naturally in in many food items. Um, there's actually in the japanese market, has. Coq10 has been used for years and years and years, and majority of the coq10 is actually made in the japanese market, and so I think the us market is finally starting to catch on to a lot of those benefits. And then, in addition to that, you mentioned heart palpitations as a negative side effect that either people have experienced from drinking energy drinks or have heard others experience, and I think that scares a lot of people. No-transcript, I'll say unhealthy. Energy drinks has a really short half-life and there's a lot of it in there, so your body burns through it very quickly, giving you the effect of you know, feeling like you have energy, when it really it's. All it's doing is getting your heart rate up.

Speaker 2 13:10

And because it has that short half-life, your body really burns through it really quickly, so that thus the need for wanting or desiring more.

Speaker 2 13:18

So, yeah, so there's a couple of different components to our drink that we, you know, I built in based upon my own experience and my own research then as a bioengineer, and I think we have a really good product that, quite honestly, we were probably too early to the market when I launched it about seven years ago, and we're really getting demand now because people are turning around labels and they actually understand ingredients more now than ever. So, whether it's the CoQ10 or the Yerba Mate or the monk fruit, as our sweetener, customers know what those are. So they're actually surprised to see it being used in energy drink because they're so used to these artificial ingredients that have been used for so long. So I'm really happy and really proud that the general population is actually finding value in products like ours, because it's much needed, not only for people you know that are older in age, but definitely younger in age, for the keep their your futures intact and keep them healthy.

Speaker 1 14:17

No, I think that's incredible. And again, you know, I'll just, I'll just say this I like that. There's no aftertaste. That was probably one of the things I noticed. But I, you know, again, I don't know, I don't know a lot about these ingredients, but I will tell you this I had such a clear, I was just so focused and I felt really good with the energy drink, and I think the price too is I think you get a lot for your money. So I really, I really want to see this just be the number one out there, because I, I don't know, I've stayed away from energy drinks for a while, and this, when I saw CoQ10, I'm like I got to try it.

Speaker 1 14:59

So kudos to you and I'm just wishing you tons of success because I love it. So let's pivot here for a minute. You've got such an incredible background for you know, someone as young as yourself, I mean you've accomplished a lot. Can you kind of go back and tell us, like, what your career trajectory was? Education, like? Did you know you always wanted to go to college or be a NASCAR driver?

Speaker 2 15:32

Can you give the listeners some insight on that? Yeah, no, I appreciate you diving into that. Yeah, I guess you could say the genesis of the racing and the college desire kind of runs hand in hand. It was always a promise that I had to make my parents that even though I was going to be doing a lot of the car racing and sacrificing a lot of my time there, I still always needed to get good grades and if I didn't I wasn't going to be able to race. And in addition to that I always I had the promise I was gonna go to college and get a degree. There's. There was always a high value placed on that and the ability to have something to fall back on. Um, in case, you know, cause things happen, so in case things don't work out and luckily for me, you know, through racing I was able to find different opportunities but needed that college degree.

Speaker 2 16:19

So, yeah, from a young age I, I, you know I I grew up going racing at the age of five, um in in California, in San Jose, where I grew up, and you know, monday through Friday it was um, you know, head the books, doing school, uh, getting good grades, studying. But then, once 3 PM. The bell rang at 3 PM on Friday. My dad and my mom and my brother they picked me up in a race trailer and we're headed off to some racetrack in northern California and or southern California to go racing for the weekend. So I was very fortunate, very lucky to have those aspects of my life growing up and I think by being, you know, somebody that cared about education, it helped me become a better race car driver. Education it helped me become a better race car driver and then vice versa. I think by having that racing career and having that experience as a race car driver, it was really important to help me in school as well.

Speaker 2 17:14

And then, in addition to that, there was a lot of lessons.

Speaker 2 17:18

You know, it's probably a whole different topic to talk on of what's actually taught, what's emphasized in our education system, but there's a lot of lessons through racing that I learned that, quite honestly, school is never taught, and that comes in the form of money management Racing is a very expensive sport.

Speaker 2 17:36

It comes in the form of public speaking, having to stand in front of a bunch of fans and or groups of sponsorship and companies that you've got to present back to, and developing your own business plan and just really understanding the balance of taking risk in life. You know, like I said, I started racing at the age of five, so I learned very early on about a lot of those aspects. So, very thankful for my education, ended up getting a college degree at North Carolina State in engineering, worked in a corporate nine-to-five job for a while with that at a great company and a lot of great opportunities. I met a lot of great people there and then had the opportunity, obviously, to start my own company. So each piece along the way is intertwined and I think there's a reason for everything and it's how I've been able to get to where I'm at.

Speaker 1 18:29

Oh, that's impressive. So we're going to bounce around here for a bit, but I wanted to ask where do you see the company going, Because I think it's a fabulous product. Can you tell us about that? Where do you see it going?

Speaker 2 18:50

You go to your local Whole Foods market. That's the ultimate goal and the reality is it's the competitive marketplace right. So there's a lot of things that when I got in and started the beverage I didn't know anything about retail. I didn't know anything about distribution. I didn't know anything about. You know, I knew a little bit about supply chain and a little bit about the manufacturing aspects, but really where it was specific to the beverage industry. So in terms of actually what we're going to do and the steps we're going to take to achieve those goals, you know I've had to kind of learn along the way, um, in the importance of having the product um, market fit, um, which I think we've got that box checked now with our product.

What’s Unique About Angry Angel?

Speaker 2 19:37

We've got a lot of really good key anchor customers that are trusted. You know there's a lot of retailers we're in right now. We got, you know, whole Foods Market, central Market, harris, teeter, ingalls, lowe's Foods. We have a lot of great independent markets carrying us. We've got UNFI and Kehi and P10 and Capital Coffee and a lot of other regional distributors carrying our product and we're also sold on our website and on Amazon. So we've got the building blocks now to take that leap partners. We have build off the online customer base we have and access and really push the product through different marketing funnels, whether it be through the social channels, in-store promotions and advertising. I mean, it's a tough balance between the two because you got to spend so much time supporting the people that are giving the opportunity on the shelves in the stores, but then you also need to create that halo effect of targeting your, your core audience on social media to to build that brand awareness. So they're, when they see the product you know, once, twice, maybe three times, they're finally then willing to give you a try because, being in such a competitive category, people are so brand loyal and and we've got a lot of very loyal followers to angry angel and I feel confident that, um, that numbers are going to continue to grow because we put such a good product out there.

Speaker 2 20:57

We put a lot of care into our ingredients, the way it tastes and and and creating those relationships at the uh, the ground level.

Speaker 2 21:04

So, um, yeah, I, I think there's, there's for us, there's a plan in place to get there and, um, it's and it's kind of tenfold in the fact that, like I mentioned, with the marketing, digital, in-store retail partners, category reviews, hitting those on time and building key relationships there and basically just showing people that you know customers, that our product's going to do for them what they expect and doing for our retail partners what we promise when we pitch them and the product's going to be successful and it's going to move units off the shelves for them immediately and they're not going to have to worry about us being a slow lagger on their shelves. And really add to the category that is functional beverage and or energy drinks how are they labeled in the store and not just pull from other brands as well. We want to build value for them. So I think we're doing that currently and it's continuing to grow and we're seeing a lot of that. Those rewards kind of come our way now.

Speaker 1 22:00

I think what's unique about your product, just from an outsider perspective, is not only your background but the educational piece. And then there's that passion that you have for health and wellness. So to me it's coming from somebody who truly cares about all these different things. It's not just some flashy energy drink and you don't know what the heck's in it, but with you it seems like so much care and so much passion went into this, and I could tell that by the way.

Speaker 2 22:29

You know the packaging to the taste, so I think that's a differentiator 100% and I appreciate you, you know you calling that out and there's a lot of passion behind this because, you know, for me it's my baby. I've grown with the brand. We've made iterations along the way, but I think what's key to those iterations is we've listened to customers. You know the initial idea of what ingredients went into it was based upon my own experiences with with heart palpitations and and some of the negative side effects with energy drinks, um. But then from there we've taken it as far as getting the third party label verification from the non GMO project. So they vetted our ingredients, they vetted our suppliers, um. So we had that third-party verification to show what the claims we're actually making are honest claims. And in addition to that, we have very, very loyal customers. So our sales, for example, in Whole Foods what's crazy is we've had our blackberry, lemon and tropical flavors sold in Whole Foods for years now and in stores across the country, and between those two flavors it's split 50-50 in terms of sales 50% tropical, 50% blackberry.

Speaker 2 23:40

I think it's a very key indicator to show that people value our product line equally and they're willing to bounce around between different flavors and have trust of what's going to taste good, what it's going to do.

Speaker 2 23:52

You know for them what they expect with that clean energy component and really, at the end of the day, with the clean ingredients the yerba mate, the monk fruit, the CoQ10, those are ingredients that we had to educate customers on early on because there wasn't a lot of knowledge around it for the average person.

Speaker 2 24:13

And now at these samplings and events we do, and whether it's a customer and or a buyer for a retailer, they know what these ingredients are and I feel very privileged and honored to be. You know that we were on the cutting edge and kind of the early push for those ingredients. But I think we're only at the start of it. There's a lot of different areas of the grocery store that you've seen products kind of emerge because they're doing things healthier and better and they're doing a great job of marketing those key aspects. And I think within energy drinks I think we haven't seen the peak yet of that push for a product kind of emerging as the healthy kind of gold standard. So I think Angry Age is going to do it, product kind of emerging as the healthy kind of gold standard. So I think Angry Age is going to do it and I know we can just succeed and meet those goals here in the near term.

Speaker 1 25:01

Well, as a Gen Xer and my Gen Xers out there, the Bomb Pop taste, that's nostalgic. So for me that was like, ooh, this is my favorite. And I loved those growing up as a kid, like I had to have one like I don't know two to three times a week in the summer. But I mean that really just brought back some great feelings and I think, from a mental perspective I was back there in the you know the 80s, the late 80s, having a blast and that taste just took me back. So again, that's awesome.

Speaker 2 25:32

Yeah, taste is key. You know, and I think that's the big, one of the biggest changes we've seen overall in the in the natural food industry, where, even like six, seven years ago, you could create a product that had, you know, no or low sugar and you know natural substitutes for artificial ingredients and and people would buy it up just because it had you know the. They kind of were like, eh, this tastes okay, but I know it's healthier, so I'll buy it. Customers, they want it to be healthy and have quality ingredients, but they also want it to taste good.

Speaker 2 26:04

And in order to get those repeat customers which is vital for any food and beverage business because we work in such thin margins, you need that repeat customer to come back and continue buying it You've got to have those clean ingredients. But then you also have to have it towards a great experience from start to finish with taste and where you have those nostalgic moments where you say, oh, this tastes like X, y, z or this tastes unique and I love it. So you've got to create a quality product from all those aspects. And really how we've been able to, you know do that is I. I still, you know I've been doing this for years now when we have a team of people that go in and do demos and product samplings. But I was just yesterday where we launched our product. Um, we launched our peach ginger flavor actually in the southwest region for whole foods and we did our first sampling event at the headquarter whole foods yesterday and I was the one there sampling it at lunchtime.

Speaker 2 26:54

So for me to still be in the field. Getting that direct feedback is how we've been able to iterate and make a good product that tastes good, that's healthy, and I think people just love hearing the story right from. Obviously I'm biased, I'm the owner, but they love hearing the aspects of the story of why we're doing the certain things we're doing, and not somebody just reading off of an ingredient list or a script of why it's healthier. So we're going to continue being hands-on, rolling our sleeves up, whether it's at a trade show, whether it's at a store, whether it's online, interacting with customers. We want that personal touch to remain there as long as possible as the brand continues to grow.

Speaker 1 27:33

You definitely check all the boxes and I had a long tenure at Apple launching the iPhone and it's an Apple, I think, with Steve Jobs well, he did do this. It was more emotional than hey, here's a phone that does this, this and this. It was very emotional. If you look at the commercials, it was always storytelling and this it was very emotional. If you look at the commercials, it was always storytelling and I think with this drink it definitely evokes like emotion. Like I said about the you know, being a Gen Xer the bomb pop. I mean, I think that you definitely check all the boxes and I and I bring that up because I've experienced that and then with your drink, it was just more than an energy drink. So, yeah, I love it. So question for you what are you and I'm going to bounce around here what are you hearing from athletes? So, I know you're talking about the consumer market, right, and you know people that are going into the grocery store, but what are you hearing from athletes and is this what they're looking for?

Speaker 2 28:34

what they're looking for. Yeah, it's a great question and I'm actually. The timing of it is interesting because just a couple weeks ago, we actually had a um, angry angel viral on social media, on instagram specifically because a former wwe um wrestler, uh gabby, made a post about Angry Angel and the post was you know, being the WWE athlete, I mean, they're always watching everything on their body and they're in tune with with everything when it comes to their fitness regimen. And what was interesting, what caught my eye was somebody so high profile reviewing our product was they had done their research and putting out individual studies on ingredients specific, such as sucralose, you know, artificial sweetener that's found in nearly everything.

Speaker 2 29:24

Zero sugar these days, you know and talking about the negative health side effects about sucralose in that review and basically explaining why you need to be care. Consumers need to be careful, and basically explaining why you need to be care. Consumers need to be careful. General consumers and also athletes need to be careful about what they put in their body because not only short-term effects, but but long-term effects as well. So it was a direct call out to that um. She also made a direct call out to the b12 vitamin we're using.

Speaker 2 29:49

We're using the methylated form versus the cyanoform um, which is the b12. The cyanoform is a cyanide derivative and there's a lot of studies and research obviously around that and you know there's. So, as an athlete, when she made these call outs, it was something that we were already aware of because you know you've got organizations such as nsf that certify products and and and kind of match what's required by the NCAA to what's allowed these athletes' bodies to basically not make them fail a drug test. So these athletes that are looking at ingredients and turning around the labels, they're relating it right back to direct research that's being done. It's not some five-second clip they hear on social media and preach it. There's actual studies that have been done, have been published and have study groups, focus groups of thousands of people that ingredients have now been tested on, to say, okay, this is bad for you, here's a better alternative. And I think that the athlete world, I think it's so important to have people that are so in tune with their body, because it creates an opportunity for products for the general population to evolve, because they're so you know, stringent about what they can intake in their body. So we like to follow kind of hand in hand with that and put ingredients in that you know athletes, such as you know that could be WWEs people, the NASCAR, the people that are football players, basketball players, golfers, pickleballers, tennis players, it doesn't matter. We want a product that can meet those needs and isn't going to take away from their ability to perform at the highest level possible. And I think, with that, there's products like Gatorade that have evolved out of that.

Speaker 2 31:36

The original formula. Gatorade was basically like lemon juice, water, some salt and how it's evolved into this concoction of chemicals. And really, if you look back at what the product was made for, it was made for athletes. It was made with those natural, clean ingredients. And now you have the general population, which spends hundreds of millions of dollars on Gatorade, and the formula is this chemical blend that, quite honestly, probably isn't the best thing. It's definitely no better for you than the natural alternatives, than the natural alternatives. So I think getting back to the roots of you know key ingredients that are going to do for you what they say they're going to do and not have negative side effects or long-term effects is super important. So I think there's a lot that could come out of you know athletes drinking energy drinks and turning around labels and really educating others around them and the general population on what's good and what's bad.

Speaker 1 32:35

Yeah, and I think I mentioned this before, but one of the things I liked about this drink is the sustainability, and I didn't crash at the end of the day With other drinks. I ended up with a headache and it just was an ick feeling. I didn't feel that at all.

Speaker 2 32:51

Yeah, I think the key is you got to have that clean, clean energy, clean taste. Um, I think people immediately, if they have negative side effects or they're going to look for another brand that they're trying to find one that can land on. So it's important to hit on those notes, um, right right off the bat, and I believe our combination um does just that.

Speaker 1 33:22

Absolutely.

Speaker 2 33:24

Let's ask you what's your current fitness routine.

Speaker 1 33:26

You're busy.

Speaker 2 33:27

How does wellness play into your life? How are you incorporating that with everything you're doing? I love running, uh, so, physically for me, getting those miles in running, uh, I try to do it, at least, you know, four or five days a week. Um, I love doing it for the um physical aspect, um, but equally as much the mental aspect. It's a way for me to clear my mind.

Speaker 2 33:46

Um, some of the best ideas I've had have come during my time, you know, on a run, uh, around Austin. I live in Austin, texas, so there's a lot of great running areas here, um, and and, quite honestly, anytime I go visit a new city, I use running as an opportunity to stay physically fit, uh, and then be able to eat the foods I want when I'm visiting some cool cities, um, and and yeah, so I think, from there, it's important to mix that in, to keep yourself physically fit at the top of your game, because if you're not able to perform at your highs, you're not able to be there for the people and the team around you that are trying to work towards this goal that you got. So it's important for me to continue to put the work in stay physically fit, but also stay mentally fit as well.

Speaker 1 34:36

Do you listen to music when you're running, or do you just kind of meditate as you run? What does that look like?

Flavor Inspirations Behind Angry Angel

Speaker 2 34:43

Well, I do listen to music, but I'm also a crazy person when it comes to that. I can actually run for long distances, or even drive for long distance without music, but lately it's been a lot of music and, yeah, I queue up some of those classic rock songs from those bands that I'd mentioned earlier. Uh, depending on the mood, and sometimes I'll play a little bit of, uh, you know, a little house music or some electric music to kind of get the the, the legs going on on some of the slower days. So, um, yeah, definitely a mix of of of music versus no, no music.

Speaker 1 35:15

It really depends on the mood and, uh, how far we're running that day you know, I I don't know about you, but I I like edm, I like the tso and, uh, dead mouse, and for me I like that because I've got the music going but I don't have any words, so I don't have to listen to a story. We talk about Fleetwood Mac and those other bands and I feel like that really gets my mood elevated and I can also meditate at the same time. So you like EDM too, right?

Speaker 2 35:46

Yeah, absolutely. You mentioned Deadmau5. I love Deadmau5. One of my favorites is the song. I Remember it's got a good beat to it, the song, I remember it's got a good beat to it. And then you mentioned music and working out and fitness. I'll call this out.

Speaker 2 36:09

One thing I'd like to see emphasized more specifically within corporate America.

Speaker 2 36:11

I think there's got to be some sort of way we can incentivize corporations or employees to get out in the middle of the day, or at lunchtime or two o'clock or at some point in the day, to get out there and go for a little walk, or, if there's a gym located inside these workplaces, to get the blood flowing.

Speaker 2 36:28

I just think that there's so many good benefits that come from staying active, not necessarily, you know, before you go to work or after your work, but in the middle of the day too. I just think productivity and there's a lot of studies around this that productivity actually goes up when you're able to to, you know, get those endorphins going and and and keep the creative juices flowing and keep you motivated throughout the day with that physical activity. So I try, I try to do that. Um, if I had time, you know, in the middle of the day I take a little break and and and go for a run or walk or um. A lot of times you'll find me in a grocery store looking at shells and I do plenty of laps around there to get the heart rate going. So, um, so, yeah, I think. I think that's something that I would love to see incorporated more in workplace and keep people in tune with their bodies and keep people sharp throughout the day.

Speaker 1 37:20

Yeah, especially with the return to office coming back. And I was having a vision, as you were talking, when I was in the Navy I was in DC. We did that every afternoon. We do PT, so we'd be in the office if you want to call it that the base at seven till five, but we took time out around two, three and we did a group run and I got to tell you that really helped as far as collaboration ideas, mood. So I a hundred percent agree with you. I think that needs to be incorporated into the corporate environment, especially now that we have returned to office.

Speaker 2 37:57

Yeah, I totally agree. And I think in addition to that and you know this is a whole new topic so I'll just kind of touch the surface of it no, please, we've been. You know a sales funnel that is key is, you know, is food service. So food service, a lot of times your cafeterias and your grab and go areas in these workplaces and or you know, co-work spaces and you know Angry Angels is a great product for those and we have a lot of great customers. But I think there's a, there's a huge opportunity area to offer or get healthier products into these workplaces, whether it be through the cafeterias or to-go areas.

Speaker 2 38:37

A lot of the contracts that a lot of companies sign, they're with exclusive contracts with distributors that have partnerships with a lot of the big food and beverage companies that keep, quite honestly, the healthier options out of those workplaces. And I can speak from my experience working in corporate America. You know you go to the cafeteria, 90% of the menu is just, you know, carb loaded, highly processed fried foods. And then you look at the snack section and it's, you know. You know Lay's potato chips. And you look at the coolers and it's, you know it's Coca Cola, pepsi and I'm just and I see pictures and stuff and I know of places now that still have a lot of that, and I think balance is fine, and I'm not saying all that shouldn't be offered or allowed.

Speaker 2 39:23

I think people should be afforded the choice, though, to have a healthier option. So I think that's a big area. Like you mentioned people returning to work I would love to see, and would love to continue to build partnerships that get products even if it's not Angry Angel, even if it's like a healthier protein bar or a healthier juice or something with some sort of functional benefit offered alongside the traditional options in these office places that I I think employers, I think they'd be smart and wise to actually, you know, maybe spend a little bit more money and invest in their people in this sort of way, because it's going to, you know, if you're able to improve the health of an individual, you know working for your company, they're going to probably have more energy and work harder for you and get more productivity from it. When you look at the bottom line from a dollars and cents standpoint, it benefits everybody, then, and I think there's a huge opportunity area there to get healthier products into the cafeterias of these workplaces.

Speaker 1 40:32

I 100 percent agree with that.

Speaker 1 40:33

As a leader, I want sustainability in the workplace and the companies that I've worked for in the past they have done a great job of balance right, you do see the Coke products, the Pepsi, but they've also had some other non-traditional things like chia pudding and things like that. And I remember when I'd go to the Apple campus and this is before they built the spaceship but they had a sushi station, salad, pizza, so it catered to everybody, and I really think that's key and that's probably why you saw a lot of great work come out of a company like that, because they did cater to those that were health and wellness focused and maybe those younger folks that wanted the and I was guilty of that a coconut Snickers bar for lunch or something. So I 100% agree with what you're saying and I think, as we continue on with some of the things like AI, digital wallets, crypto, as that continues to emerge, we're going to need to see sustainability and you know we really have to be focused on what we take in, because we need those, we need that brainpower.

Speaker 2 41:48

Yeah, I mean, health is the most. You mentioned crypto, but at the end of the day, your own personal health is your most important currency. You mentioned crypto, but at the end of the day, your own personal health is your most important currency. I think it's important that people see that value. It's kind of two things right. I hear so many people say well, I want to eat healthier. Oh, I know, I need to be healthier, I want to eat healthier. But then there's a flip side of that coin of okay, um, what actions are you actually do taking to to achieve those goals and to actually be healthier? And I think we're in a better spot now as a country than we were, you know, seven, eight years ago.

Speaker 2 42:27

I see you know more people, like I said earlier mentioned on the podcast, turn around labels on reading ingredients, but I still think there is a disconnect from people's belief in wanting to be healthier and actually taking the steps and actions to to be healthier. So I think if any sort of um things along the way that can make it, you know, healthier products and or education on ingredients, um, and in the food chain, um, more accessible and more in front of the average everyday person, um, I think that those steps need to be taken and I think as a whole country, we could benefit from from that. Um. So yeah, so I think there's a lot of great products out there and what's what's been fun and one of the fun things about creating angry angels I've met a lot of great uh other you, of great brand owners along the way and plenty of disruptors in other categories. So I think there is a huge push and I believe that we're just at the tip of the iceberg of what's possible in our food system here in America of offering healthier options. It's going to take time, obviously, to make that change.

Speaker 2 43:36

I think when you look at the retail space, it's very much a pay-to-play area and I think a lot of these companies. A lot of them, by virtue of just being you know the company's been around for 50, 60 years, pulled down a lot of the shelf space and are able to shuffle in traditional products there and kind of keep the better for you products out. I see those things starting to change. For example, walmart they just announced recently that they're creating a whole different set for healthier, better for you sodas, which I think, if Walmart is dedicating a special set for something like that, I think that's a very key indicator for the marketplace and where it's headed in terms of disruptive, healthier products.

Speaker 2 44:24

So I'm bullish on health and wellness here in America. I'm bullish on Angry Angel and what we can do for the energy drink space, on Angry Angel and what we can do for the energy drink space. But I'm also bullish on, you know, the other brands that are making waves in categories such as soda, which, quite honestly, you know it's liquid calories and liquid. You know sugar intake it's one of the most you know harmful effects for a lot of people here in America. To have a healthier option that you know fill the prebiotic, probiotic or whatever functional benefit. I think it's great and it's great to see retailers such as Walmart make that move.

Speaker 1 45:02

Well, the consumers have spoken and I think, with the pandemic, we all had a lot of time at home to recalibrate our lives, whether that's meditation, exercise or you know that mental well-being, the wellness like what can I walk away from, what can I digest that's going to make me a better person. So I think the consumer has totally spoken up and I think companies like yours that are pivoting to the wellness category in a way where it's going to have some added benefits, is going to be beneficial. And I think you're out front right now, which is going to be great, and I think people are going to have to catch up. I know I used to like having a Coke and a Snickers bar when I was in Chicago. I was taking the train. I can't do that anymore. It really physically affects me, so I'm very mindful of what I'm eating, what I'm drinking. So I think, uh, I honestly think the market is is ready for that, for change.

Speaker 2 46:05

Yeah, 100%. I couldn't agree more. And um, that's what gets me going every morning.

Speaker 1 46:11

No, I'm going to get the word out there me going every morning, knowing me to get the word out there. So, uh, a couple uh points here. Um again, where can listeners find the angry, angry angel energy drink?

Speaker 2 46:25

yeah. So if you, we, you know we've got limited distribution across the us, but whole foods market great place. If you're in texas, central market's great. If you're in the southeast, we've got harris teeter, ingles, lowe's foods, uh, amongst a bunch of independent retailers carrying it, uh. But the best spot, probably the easiest one we can ship it right to your door from our website, which is wwwangry-angelcom, or via amazon.

Speaker 2 46:52

And I know we've got a unique coupon code set up for the listeners of this podcast, so that coupon code is TECHEXEC and you get 20% off your first order on our website. So be sure to check us out if you want to try Angry Angel. It's a good way to do it. We've got all of our flavors listed out there and we usually, you know, get the product right to your door within less than a week from time of order. So, yeah, we'd love to have any new customer come and try Angry Angel. We've got many different flavor options, so I think we've got something that could really work for you and get you energized on your day in a healthy way.

Speaker 1 47:34

Well, we thank you so much for that generous offering. That was so cool. So I know I'm excited for this podcast to launch and I think it's going to be great. So any parting thoughts for our audience. And again, Justin, we thank you so much for coming by. I know you're so busy and everything, but I thought this was important for us to get the word out on such an amazing product.

Speaker 2 47:57

No, I appreciate you having me on, and the podcast is the Tech Exec and Wellness Podcast. So I think parting words is if you're somebody that is in the workplace or has an idea of your own, or is in an entrepreneurship, I don't think it matters, so as long as you're. What's more important is you're taking care of your body, putting things in it that are healthy. I think no matter what your goals are, if you're able to be consistent with that, you're going to be the best version of yourself, not only in professional life, but your personal life too. So I always preach you know, if you can pick the healthy option, do it. I think it's important to do that. So creating those healthy habits. So, yeah, I encourage everybody to take those steps.

Speaker 1 48:45

Well, thank you very much, and for our listeners, thank you so much for subscribing to our podcast, and you can find this episode available on Tuesday on platforms including Apple, Spotify, iHeartRadio and many more. Thank you for tuning in and take care.