In this episode, Tara talks with mold expert Ariana Thacker, indoor-living researcher Dr. John La Puma, and regenerative rancher Eric Perner about the hidden environmental exposures shaping modern health.
Ariana Thacker is a chemical engineer, venture capitalist, and the founder and CEO of MoldCo, a health-tech platform addressing mold toxicity. After co-founding Conscience VC to invest in science-driven startups, Ariana launched MoldCo, inspired by her own health journey.
Eric Perner spent most of his early life and career on horseback learning the craft and trade of equine athletic competitions at the highest level. Eric owns the Double P Ranch in Mounds, Oklahoma where they produce grass-fed beef, goat, lamb and pastured pork as part of the supply chain for REP Provisions. He operates his ranch as a Savory Global Business Hub to provide restoration grazing education and guidance for other local ranchers in the methods of holistic management to create the conditions that lead to the regeneration of our native grasslands.
John La Puma, MD, ChefMD™ is a two-time New York Times bestselling author, board-certified internist, and professionally trained chef who pioneered Culinary Medicine. He now pioneers EcoMedicine from his small regenerative teaching farm. His upcoming book, Indoor Epidemic, reveals how spending 93% of life indoors steals sleep, focus, and years, and how reclaiming just 7% outdoors can restore them using the evidence-based Outdoor Rx framework.
RESOURCES:
CHAPTERS:
00:00 – Hidden toxins in modern daily life (intro) 01:09 – Ariana's mold story & symptoms 02:55 – Failed by standard care, diagnosed, and founded MoldCo 04:36 – Scale of the problem: 25–50 million Americans affected 05:56 – Why doctors miss mold as the root cause 08:15 – How MoldCo tests and treats patients 09:52 – Why mold makes some people sick, not others 11:38 – Tara's mold-in-a-car story 14:08 – Patient outcomes: 78% symptom resolution 14:52 – What indoor living does to your body 16:54 – Tara's own light-starved waiting room story 18:15 – The myopia epidemic and the eye-distance fix 20:59 – Screen burnout, front porch resets, and "digital obesity" 23:41 – The 17-minute minimum dose of nature 26:04 – Light as nutrient: circadian clocks and indoor air 28:58 – Nature is everywhere: small daily connections 30:25 – Why regenerative agriculture matters in 2026 32:34 – Biodiversity collapse: the WWF's 70% stat 33:58 – Vanishing wildlife and our disconnection from nature
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