Clean Cookies & Career Pivots: Building a Food Brand with Purpose

Join Molly Baker and our guest for a candid conversation on career pivots, building in CPG, and rethinking what it means to create “better” food. Drawing on her experience across Martha Stewart, restaurant kitchens, and product innovation, she shares what it takes to go from idea to shelf, navigate the realities of fundraising, and build a brand rooted in both quality and purpose. Together, they explore the rise of clean ingredients and regenerative agriculture, the challenges of scaling a physical product, and why separating yourself from your ideas is key to long-term success. From persistence and networking to trusting your instincts and embracing trial and error, this episode offers an honest look at what it really takes to build something meaningful from the ground up.

MB (Molly Baker): What’s been the most pivotal moment in your career?

LL (Lindsay Leopold): I was working the cashier at a fast-casual restaurant while I was in culinary school, and one day I asked a customer where she worked. She told me she was an editor at Martha Stewart.

I asked if they took interns. They didn’t hire me the first time, but I followed up a year later after getting restaurant experience, and that eventually led to my dream job.

That experience shaped my career because it reinforced how much opportunities come from conversations and persistence.

MB: That’s amazing. Just because you started a conversation.

LL: Exactly. I think people underestimate how important relationships and curiosity are.

MB: What relationship has been most impactful professionally?

LL: My husband has honestly been my biggest cheerleader. He’s an entrepreneur and has this really fearless mindset about taking risks.

I always joke that I’m a toe dipper and he’s a cannonballer. Watching him build businesses made me realize maybe I could do it too.

His confidence and enthusiasm have really helped me take bigger swings.

MB: Tell us who you are and what you’re building.

LL: I’m Lindsay Leopold and I’m the founder of Joy Supply, a clean-label cookie company focused on modern nostalgic treats made with high-quality ingredients.

I felt like there was room in the cookie aisle for something that used better ingredients but still felt indulgent and fun. So many products today are either ultra-processed or trying hard to be “functional.” I wanted to create something delicious first.

MB: Tell us more about Joy Supply.

LL: I’m really passionate about regenerative agriculture, which is essentially farming that restores nutrients back into the soil instead of stripping them away.

That became a huge part of the mission behind the brand. The cookies use ingredients sourced from regenerative farms whenever possible, and oats are a major focus because they’re an important cover crop that helps improve soil health.

I always say the cookies are a bit of a Trojan horse. People buy them because they taste good, but behind the scenes they’re also supporting better agricultural practices.

MB: What inspired the business originally?

LL: I was feeling burnt out working in product development because I started questioning whether the things I was making actually mattered.

Around the same time, I was learning more about regenerative agriculture through a friend who invests in sustainable farming. She explained that farmers needed more demand for regeneratively grown ingredients in order for those farming practices to scale. That conversation became the lightbulb moment for me.

MB: How long have you been building Joy Supply?

LL: Almost two years now

It’s been a really intense process, but also really meaningful. I’ve spent a lot of time meeting with farmers and learning directly from people working in agriculture, especially in Minnesota where I’m from.

There are all these farmers trying to move away from monocropping and more industrial farming systems because they’re seeing the long-term impact on their land. That’s been really eye-opening.

MB: What’s been the biggest surprise throughout this process?

LL: I’ve learned that my bias toward action can sometimes work against me. I move quickly and get excited easily, which means I’ve occasionally pursued ideas or partnerships before fully thinking them through.

I’ve had to learn how to slow down a little bit and make decisions more intentionally instead of saying yes immediately.

MB: Why the name Joy Supply?

LL: The company actually started with a different name that leaned much more wellness-oriented. But over time, it didn’t feel aligned with the spirit of the brand.

I kept saying over and over that food should feel joyful. Not everything needs to be optimized or functional all the time. A cookie can just be a cookie.

Eventually we realized we were already saying the name constantly.

MB: Before Joy Supply, what did your career path look like?

LL: I actually started in advertising and digital marketing before deciding to go to culinary school.

At the time, social media wasn’t even really considered important yet. I remember people saying things like, “Likes are not dollars.”

But I felt pulled toward food. I moved to New York and became obsessed with food media, restaurants, and cooking. Culinary school felt like something I needed to do or I would regret it forever.

MB: What happened after culinary school?

LL: I worked in pastry kitchens for a while and eventually landed at Martha Stewart Living as a recipe tester and food editor.

Honestly, that experience taught me more about food than culinary school did because I was surrounded by incredibly talented editors and stylists who had decades of experience.

It was also the final era of print magazines, which was really special to be part of.

MB: You later moved into product development and innovation. What did that teach you?

LL: At Martha, I worked across everything from grocery products to cookware to wine clubs and gift baskets.

It was basically a crash course in learning categories quickly and figuring things out fast. Martha would decide she wanted to create something new, and then it became your job to figure out how to make it happen.

That experience shaped the way I think about products today.

MB: What did working at Martha Stewart specifically teach you about building products?

LL: Martha had these core pillars around quality, function, innovation, and beauty.

The biggest thing I learned is that innovation only matters if it’s actually useful to people. You can create something creative or trendy, but if it doesn’t serve people in a meaningful way, it won’t last.

That framework has stayed with me throughout my career.

MB: When did you realize you wanted to start your own company?

LL: It wasn’t one lightning-bolt moment. I was doing a lot of reflection at the time because I had achieved several “dream jobs” and still found myself asking, “Okay, now what?”

I worked with a career coach who helped me think more intentionally about what mattered to me and what kind of work felt meaningful.

At the same time, I had become a mom, which also shifted my perspective a lot.

Eventually I realized that if I didn’t try entrepreneurship now, I might never do it.

MB: What’s been hardest about building a CPG brand?

LL: Honestly, there are endless challenges. Physical products are complicated because there are so many moving pieces and so much outside your control.

Margins are difficult. Supply chains are difficult. Grocery is difficult.

I joke that anyone who starts a CPG company is a little insane.

But I also love that it’s tangible. You’re building something people experience in their everyday lives.

MB: You mentioned fundraising has also been difficult.

LL: Fundraising as a woman has definitely been challenging.

There have been moments where people underestimated me or implied my husband must somehow be involved in the business decisions. You really have to keep reminding yourself that you know what you’re talking about and trust your own expertise.

At this stage, I’ve mostly raised through friends, family, and angels.

MB: Do you think regenerative agriculture can actually scale?

LL: I think it can, but the food system is incredibly complicated.

Policy, subsidies, and large-scale agriculture all influence what farmers are incentivized to grow. That’s the hard part.

But I also think people are waking up to the fact that our current system isn’t working particularly well. We’re seeing more health issues, more conversations around food quality, and more awareness around where ingredients come from.

A lot of these farming practices actually aren’t new at all. They’re closer to the way food used to be grown before everything became heavily industrialized.

MB: What gives you confidence to keep going?

LL: I think a lot about the butterfly effect. People always talk about how one small change in history could alter everything.

Why don’t we think about the future the same way?

If I make one small change today, what ripple effect could that create later on? That idea makes taking risks feel worthwhile.

MB: At 21, did you think you’d end up here?

LL: Absolutely not. I thought I was going to become a magazine editor and live in some glamorous New York apartment.

But I do think every version of my career led me here in some way.

MB: What advice would you give someone early in their career?

LL: Talk to as many people as possible. Every major opportunity in my career came from conversations and relationships.

And when you’re networking, don’t say, “I’ll do anything.” Be specific about what excites you and what your strengths are. People genuinely want to help, but they need direction in order to do that.

Find Lindsay on Linkedin and Instagram or visit the Joy Supply Website!

As for us, follow @namedrop.pod on Instagram & LinkedIn and @molbakes on Instagram for all future episodes and insights.