Eating Healthy Actually Costs WAY More (Here’s Why)... | Addison LaBonte | DSH #1898

Summary

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Digital Social Hour – “Eating Healthy Actually Costs WAY More (Here’s Why)...”

Guest: Addison LaBonte (Founder, Sweet Addison’s)
Host: Sean Kelly
Date: March 30, 2026
Episode: DSH #1898

Episode Overview

In this thought-provoking episode, Sean Kelly dives deep with Addison LaBonte, founder of Sweet Addison’s—one of the fastest-growing healthy dessert brands. The discussion unpacks Addison’s entrepreneurial journey, her personal transformation through nutrition, the hidden challenges of healthy eating, and the role of mindset and community in both wellness and business. Expect candid takes on food marketing deception, the real costs of health, and how being “different” drove Addison to her unique success.

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Key Topics & Insights

Addison’s Entrepreneurial Origin Story

• From Finance to Cookies: Addison transitioned from the finance world to building a health-focused dessert company by leveraging her influencer background and viral recipes.
• Bootstrapping & Hustle:
  • “[Launching Sweet Addison’s] was the most grueling experience of my life. The first year was pretty much all I did—100 hours a week by myself.” (04:00, Addison)
  • She started out of her Dallas apartment kitchen in early 2024, with no outside funding, learning the business through six months of networking—what she called her “LinkedIn MBA” (06:45).
• Expansion & Distribution:
  • E-Commerce to retail: In under two years, Sweet Addison’s scaled to over 30 retailers with ambitions for nationwide presence.

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The Healthy Dessert Niche & Product Philosophy

• The Inspiration: Not a Crumbl copycat, but inspired by unmet demand for healthy treats that ship well and don’t cause guilt or discomfort.
• Unique Ingredient Choices:
  • Focus on almond flour, bone broth protein powder, and low-sugar, gluten-free recipes.
  • “We use Taylor Duke’s Wellness unflavored bone broth protein powder. You can’t taste it—and that’s incredible.” (11:38, Addison)
• Nutrition & Satisfaction:
  • “I eat chocolate every few hours. I didn’t want to be in a food coma after dessert. These are literally what I eat before bed every night.” (10:48, Addison)
  • Protein is a key differentiator: “Even this one has 17 grams of protein, which is pretty crazy for dessert.” (11:11, Host)

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Addison’s Personal Health Turnaround

• From Athlete to Health Advocate:
  • Played D1 soccer at University of Maine, fueling on fast food: “McDonald’s multiple times a week.”
  • After college, developed severe compartment syndrome preventing her from running; doctors recommended surgery or quitting.
  • Life-changing realization: “I overhauled my diet. The first thing I cut out was gluten—and that was the issue. Three to four days later, I could run normally again.” (14:14, Addison)
• Impact of Refined Sugar:
  • Removing refined sugar cleared up persistent adult acne and improved sleep and energy.
  • “All the expensive dermatologists and prescription products didn’t work. It was refined sugar the whole time.” (23:54, Addison)

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Food Marketing Deception

• Mislabeled ‘Health’ Foods:
  • Both Sean and Addison criticize misleading branding (“healthy,” “nutritious” on packaging loaded with seed oils and added sugars).
  • “I see ‘vegan’—turn it around, it’s canola oil and sugar… The deception in food marketing these days is crazy.” (22:09, Addison)
  • Apps like Yuka, Seed Oil Scout, and Olive are discussed for label transparency.

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The Economics & Trade-Offs of Eating Healthy

• Why Is Healthy Food Expensive?
  • “People ask me: Why is healthy food so expensive? My rebuttal is always—there’s nothing more expensive than being unhealthy… those bills are insane.” (27:03, Addison)
  • “You’re going to pay now or pay later. I’d rather pay now and have peace of mind and optimize my body.” (27:28, Host)
• Healthcare Costs as Motivation:
  • High health insurance burdens for entrepreneurs emphasize the long-term value of wellness (26:39).

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Mindset, Marathon Training, and Visualization

• Building Mental Strength:

  • Both credit distance running with developing grit and resilience.
  • “When it comes to marathon training, you’re training your mind just as much as your body… Your life becomes the stories you tell yourself… I choose the possibility group.” (02:28 & 36:07, Addison)

• Visualization & Manifestation:

  • “Every day I visualize crossing that finish line, imagining what it’s going to feel like… It’s not delusional—our lives become the stories we tell ourselves. Choose possibility.” (37:03, Addison)
  • “I do that every year—a vision board—I envision great episodes and then make them happen.” (37:10, Host)

• Standout Example:

  • Addison ran her first ultra-marathon (31 miles), achieving her “under 5 hours” goal entirely through this mindset. (30:55, Addison)

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Community, Comparison & Entrepreneurial Mindset

• Embracing Uniqueness:
  • “I always felt different or misunderstood… Now I’m embracing that. You have to be odd to be number one.” (39:54, Addison)
  • Focusing on personal growth, not competition:
  • “There’s no comparison for me. If I started day one and compared myself to Oreo or Crumbl cookies—forget it. Run my race.” (38:23, Addison)
• Proximity & Growth:
  • Advocates for networking with those ahead of you: “My goal is to be the least successful person in a room.” (46:24, Addison)

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The Power (and Price) of Influencer Marketing

• Influencer Collaborations as Breakthroughs:
  • “When we launched with Sydney Adams King and Hunter Stoller, in those days I did five times more revenue than on Black Friday the year before—insanity!” (28:29, Addison)
  • Emphasizes the importance of engagement over raw follower numbers.
  • Niche, loyal audiences were key to Sweet Addison’s viral growth.

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Holistic Health vs. Medical Establishment

• Doctors Missing Nutrition:
  • Doctors often overlook diet as a root cause:
    • “My specialist said, ‘there’s no link between what you’re eating and how you’re feeling.’” (24:39, Addison)
  • Need for lifestyle and holistic interventions before medication or surgery.
• Role of Social Media:
  • Platforms have enabled alternative perspectives and broader health education, shifting cultural attitudes (25:57).

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Mindfulness, Deathbed Mentality & Regret

• No Regrets Philosophy:
  • Both discuss the importance of living with courage and intention.
  • “When I’m a hundred years old, what stories do I want to remember? If I let fear hold me back, I wouldn’t be in Vegas right now. Starting a business, letting go of fear, radically transformed my life.” (52:14, Addison)
  • “I live every day with the thought of what regrets do I have on my deathbed.” (52:00, Host)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You have to be odd to be number one.” (39:54, Addison)
• “Healthy food is expensive? There’s nothing more expensive than being unhealthy.” (27:03, Addison)
• “If I started my Instagram account and told no one, just had faith and belief… If you have a passion, you’re doing the world a disservice if you don’t pursue it.” (50:34, Addison)
• “[Visualization] isn’t delusional—our lives become the stories we tell ourselves.” (37:03, Addison)
• “There’s so much deception out there… Every package says healthy, but then seed oils, sugar, preservatives.” (22:27, Addison)
• “Day one, I thought: I cannot compare. This is my race. This is my life.” (38:51, Addison)

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Key Timestamps

• 02:28 – Mind over matter in athletic training
• 04:00–06:45 – Addison’s business beginnings and “LinkedIn MBA”
• 11:08 – Health benefits and protein in cookies
• 13:06–14:28 – Compartment syndrome, diet overhaul, and recovery
• 22:00 – Deceptive “healthy” food marketing
• 23:05 – Reading ingredient labels & avoiding processed foods
• 27:03 – The true cost of health vs. health care
• 28:29 – Influencer collabs and business breakthroughs
• 30:55–31:01 – Addison’s ultra-marathon achievement
• 36:07–37:03 – Visualization and mindset for success
• 38:23–39:07 – Ignoring competition and “running your own race”
• 46:24 – Power of proximity—learning from successful peers
• 50:34 – Overcoming fear, following passion
• 52:00–52:58 – “Deathbed mentality”—living without regrets

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Closing Thoughts

The episode stands out as both an entrepreneurial blueprint and a passionate argument for holistic health. Addison’s journey illustrates the deep links between diet, mindset, and success, challenging listeners to question food industry norms, embrace discomfort, and redefine personal possibility. Both guests make a compelling case that the higher cost of real health is an investment—one paid either now, or much more painfully, later.

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Find Sweet Addison’s:
SweetAddisons.com – Shipping nationwide and expanding to retail

Final Note:
Addison’s mindset: "If you have faith and belief in yourself and you have a passion for what you do, you’re doing the world a disservice if you don’t pursue that." (50:34)

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Transcript

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[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Mmm.

[Host]

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[Host]

Tax tips and fees extra when it

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

comes to marathon training, you're training your mind just as much as you're training your body. And now I have a pretty good baseline of being able to distance run. So when I was Training for the Ultra. It was more mindset for those three months leading up to the race. Every single day, I visualize what it would be like crossing that finish line. And I thought, okay, 31 miles. And then the two weeks leading up to it, I thought, this is going to be one of the best days of my life. I'm going to do this. Going to hit under five hours. And then the few days leading up. Sunday's going to be one of the best days of my life. It's going to be an unforgettable experience. And then that morning I woke up and I thought, I'm going to do something really special today. Not because I'm delusional, but because our lives, I think, oftentimes become the stories that we tell ourselves. And we can view everything in terms of approach, problem, or a possibility. And I like to always choose the possibility group.

[Host]

Okay, guys, special guest. Today we got Addison from Sweet Addison's. Some of the best cookies I've ever had, and rookies and brownies. But thanks for coming on.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Thanks for having me.

[Host]

Yeah. I want to share real, real quickly about how I found out about you guys. It was at a local restaurant here called Greenhouse, and they sold these items in, like, a little fridge, little mini fridge. While I was checking out, I was like, let me try that.

[Commercial Announcer]

And.

[Host]

And it was so good. So I messaged you guys, and that's how this happened.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

And here we are.

[Host]

Here we are. And you guys are only two years old next month.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Yes. Yeah. Just about two years old. So it still feels like a baby, but we're growing fast, which has been really fun.

[Host]

That's crazy. It must have been a grind at first, right?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Oh, my goodness. Like, the most grueling experience of my life.

[Host]

I know how it is starting a business.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Yeah. The first year was. This is pretty much all I did 100 hours a week by myself, but I did what I had to do to get the business to grow as quickly as I wanted it to.

[Host]

Yeah. The first. Like any business that you start, it's. It's frustrating because you know, the product and service is good. Like, you knew how good these were, and it's just about getting them out.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right, right.

[Host]

Getting distribution.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right, exactly. Letting people know about it, getting more orders. Influencers have been vital for us. Just helping to spread the word because you can have the best product in the world, but if nobody knows about it, it doesn't matter 100%.

[Host]

And you see it in every single industry, whether it's podcasts, cookies, it's never the best tasting or best quality at the top, it's the best marketing.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Totally, totally agree.

[Host]

Yeah. So the first year, were you just bootstrapping it?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

It's still bootstrapped actually. Yeah. So I still own 100% of it. It's just been cash flowing ever since. But yeah, and that is my goal is to continue to grow it, own 100% of it and grow it into something really big.

[Host]

And you started off e commerce only or were you going to retail straight off the bat?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

E commerce only. And then about three or four months and I started to get some interest from local businesses in Dallas, where I live and where we operate out of.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

And then slowly word spread around the country. We're probably in 30 to 35 different retailers right now.

[Host]

Wow.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

But one of my goals for this year is to really increase our retail presence and hopefully partner with a national retailer to sell these.

[Host]

What was the inspiration? Was it the big cookie companies? Was it like crumble or was it more like. Different route?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

So. No, totally different. So I'm a full time influencer in the healthy baking space. And In December of 2022, I did a 25 Days of Christmas cookie series. I posted a different recipe every day leading up to Christmas that year and it went viral. And I started getting DMS from people saying, I'll pay you if you ship these to me. And I thought, well, that's an interesting idea. How would you ship cookies without them spoiling or breaking in half? And I thought, well, I have demand for something that doesn't really exist. And I live in Texas, my family's in Maine, my friends from college are all over the country. So I travel quite frequently. And I was always baking things at home, packaging it up for myself and traveling with them because I could never find what I was looking for. And I thought, well, something like this doesn't exist. I have people online already telling me they will pay for this. I'd be stupid not to start a brand. So. So I had absolutely no idea, like zero idea what I was doing at first. I come from finance, so what I did was I went on LinkedIn and I just cold messaged people in the industry.

[Host]

Wow.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

And I spent about six months, I call it my LinkedIn MBA. And I got on Zoom calls day after day with these people and said, hey, can I grab 20 minutes of your time? This is what I wanna start. I have no idea what I'm doing. Teach me about your lessons, your experiences. If there's other people I need to connect with, I've always loved meeting new people. So that's kind of how it got started. And then I launched this in late January 2024.

[Host]

That is incredible. Guys. Don't sleep on LinkedIn. By the way, I've made so many amazing connections and revenue deals from LinkedIn.

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[Host]

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[Commercial Announcer]

with over 100 great tasting, good source of fiber options to choose from.

[Host]

Whether you like old fashioned oats, instant oatmeal granola or oatmeal squares, Quaker makes it delicious.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Mmm.

[Host]

So good.

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Host]

good source of fiber products at a store near you.

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[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

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[Child]

Mom, can you tell me a story?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Sure.

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[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

She was tired, mostly.

[Child]

But she went to Carvana.com and found

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

a great car at a great price. No secret treasure map required. Did you have to fight a dragon?

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Nope.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

She bought it 100% online from her bed, actually. Was it scary?

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[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Did the Car have a sunroof? It did, actually.

[Child]

Okay, good story.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Car buying.

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[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

your car today on delivery fees may apply. Right. I love LinkedIn.

[Host]

It's so slept on. It's also good just for figuring out, like, who's at what company and how to, like, getting an in at that company.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Definitely.

[Host]

My friend owns, like, a E commerce business that turned retail, and he got all his stores, like Walmart, Dick's sporting goods, through LinkedIn.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Wow, that's amazing.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

He must be crushing it. Those are big retailers.

[Host]

I know he's doing well. There's, like, a specific title. I think it's like, procurement Officer.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Okay.

[Host]

So if you look for those at these retail stores and then you message them.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

I'll do that.

[Host]

Try it out.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Yeah.

[Host]

Yeah, That's.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Like I said, that's my next goal is one of the most frequently asked questions I get is, where can I buy this in the store? And I get it. People don't want to get dessert always mailed to their house, or they don't want to try a certain number for a minimum order, and they want to just pick it up at their local grocery store.

[Host]

Absolutely.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

That's my next.

[Host]

Yeah. It's so easy. It's also, you mentioned you're big on health. Like, you started off as a health influencer. Right. And these, I mean, I just ate almost a full one, and my stomach doesn't hurt.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

That's good.

[Host]

Which for dessert is hard to say. Right. Eating a full brownie or a full cookie.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right. And that was my goal is I. I have the biggest sweet tooth in the world, but I don't want to feel run down or sick afterwards. I eat chocolate every few hours. Literally, like, every meal. So I didn't. I didn't want to be in a food coma after eating this dessert. These. I actually eat these. The. The last thing I eat before I go to bed every night, and then I fall asleep.

[Host]

Wow. Sweet dreams.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Literally.

[Host]

Yeah. Like, even this one, I mean, it has 17 grams of protein, which is pretty crazy for dessert, right?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Yeah. So it comes from. We use almond flour in all of our products, so we get a little bit of protein from the almond flour. We use eggs. We do have a few vegan options, but we use eggs in those. And then we use bone broth, protein powder.

[Host]

Wow. I've never heard of that in a dessert. How'd you come across that?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

It's unflavored. So I've been a big fan of this brand called Taylor Duke's Wellness?

[Host]

Yeah.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

She's actually Fort Worth, Texas based, so we're two female entrepreneurs in Texas.

[Host]

That's awesome.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

And I'd been using her protein powder. Really loved it. It's the highest quality. And I just love her story. She had a brain tumor. She's. She's thankfully healthy now, but she really dug into her health and all these healthy ingredients and holistic ways of healing. And so I messaged her and said, I'd love to partner with you on a protein cookie and use Taylor Duke's Wellness unflavored bone broth protein powder in that. And she agreed. And it's been a really fun partnership with them, and that's what we use. You can't taste the protein powder, so that's incredible.

[Host]

Yeah, I know. Speaking of athletics, you were a D1 athlete yourself and you had a pretty crazy story about how you got into all the health stuff from that, right?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Yeah. So I went to the University of Maine, played college soccer there, and was eating the standard American diet. I look back and I cringe because it was McDonald's multiple times a week. And I just was not taking care of myself. But I thought I was fine because I was able to be a D1 athlete and could eat whatever I wanted. So right after I graduated college, I had all of this competitive energy and all this extra time and thought, what's next? So I started long distance running. And I noticed that 20 to 30 minutes into every run, my. My feet and my legs would start to get like a tingly feeling, almost like your foot is falling asleep. And then if I kept running, my legs would go completely numb. Wow. Which is crazy when you're running.

[Host]

Yeah. I'm a distance runner myself, so.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Are you?

[Host]

Yeah. Picturing that is like unreal, Right.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

It's a very strange sensation. It's not necessarily painful because you can't really feel anything.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

But I just always thought, what if I misstep and I'm going to. Onto a curb and. And I fall because I can't feel anything. And so I went to a physical therapist, I went to my primary care physician, I went to a sports specialist doctor. And they all said you have what's called compartment syndrome, which is a blood circulation and inflammation issue. And essentially the blood flow gets cut off to my legs when I'm running. So I. They go numb.

[Host]

Wow.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

The crazy thing is within five minutes of stopping, the blood flow comes back. I can feel my legs again. And so I didn't think it was all that big of a deal, but when I Set my sights on wanting to run a full marathon. I thought I'm probably doing permanent damage at this point. And I was sitting down with the sports specialist doctor one day and he said, you really should not be running with this. If you ever want to run normally again, you have two choices. You can quit running altogether or you can get surgery on both of your legs.

[Host]

Jeez.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

And I thought neither. I've never had surgery before. I was just a D1 athlete. What do you mean I can't run? So I overhauled my diet. I went from being a McDonald's every week to reading every ingredient label and the first thing I cut out was gluten. And that was the issue.

[Host]

That's crazy.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

So it was a, a 360 pivot for me going from like I said, fast food all the time to super clean ingredients. But within three to four days I could run normally again.

[Host]

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[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Oh wow.

[Host]

Which was pretty decent. Yeah at the time but. But I look back at it and what I know now about dieting compared to then, oh my God. I could have been easily D1, right? Because 440 wasn't good enough for D1 for for men.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Wow.

[Host]

Yeah. You need like a 424 30.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

And yeah. If you had been eating correctly.

[Host]

I was eating just like you. Fast food all the time. Eating pasta with like the worst ingredients, like American pasta, which is like enriched and fortified. I'm actually allergic to it technically because I have the MTHFR gene break.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Oh, wow.

[Host]

So I was eating that. I was eating dairy, like all this terrible stuff.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

You know, even in college, we would eat pasta the night before every game, and then on the bus ride home, we would always eat pizza.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

And I'm thinking We are D1 athletes. Like, we should have nutritionists working with us and we should be fueling ourselves and eating the best of the best. But that just. That was not the case. I know they've since changed a lot, especially at the University of Maine. And there's a lot more dialed in nutrition there.

[Host]

Yeah. Back then, no one was talking about diet. You just showed up and practiced.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right.

[Host]

No one was like, what are you eating?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

No. And pasta and car. And refined carbs were very encouraged.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Which personally now I. I survive mostly off of rice cakes and sweet potatoes when it comes to fruits and veggies when it comes to carbs. But I don't eat anything over. I don't even eat gluten free bread or anything.

[Host]

Really.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

No.

[Host]

Is there something specific about what's in that type of bread or.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

I don't eat any refined sugars anymore. And a lot of gluten free products will have added sugars to make them taste more normal. But no. A few years ago, I realized I was eating way much refined sugar and I just. Just like gluten. Cut it out cold turkey. And it changed my life again.

[Host]

That's interesting.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Skin cleared up, I was able to sleep better.

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[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

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[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

I'm Kelly Norris. People know my husband, Brian, as a veteran, a leader and a man of strong values. But to me, he's a loving husband, a devoted father to our three beautiful daughters, and a faithful Christian who lives out his beliefs every day. For 21 years, Brian served our country in the Army. He understands sacrifice, duty and what it means to put others before himself. As Secretary of State, Brian will work to secure our elections, protect our constitutional rights and serve Arkansas families with integrity on March 31st. First, I'd be honored to ask for your vote for Brian Norris in the Republican runoff for Secretary of State.

[Host]

Arkansans choose Brian Norris. Brian Norris Brian Norris Brian Norris Brian Norris. Brian Norris Brian Norris Brian Norris Brian

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Norris Brian Norris Brian Norris Brian Norris

[Host]

Brian Norris Brian Norris Brian Norris Brian Norris Brian Norris Brian Norris Brian Norris Brian Norris on March 31, but Brian Norris for Secretary of State paid for

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[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Even more inflammation went down.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

So, yeah. No gluten for me and no refined sugars.

[Host]

I used to love. I don't know if they had this in Maine, but Wegmans we don't.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

But I've been to them in New

[Host]

York, so I used to love the bread there, but I went back when I was visiting my family and there's like sugar and seed oils in almost every single bread there. Not to call them out, but like, I was like, what?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right. There's even seed oils and sugars in whole foods stuff now.

[Host]

Doesn't surprise me.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Which is crazy.

[Host]

I know. The hot bar, Whole Foods. If you read that there's like canola oil in almost everything.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right. It's alarming.

[Host]

Yeah. And they market themselves as like a super healthy store, so.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right. The. The deception in food marketing these days is crazy. It seems like you go to the grocery store and every package has the words healthy or nutritious or something.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Like that. Or I see vegan, and then you turn it around. Canola oil, seed oil. I'm like, okay, cool, Maybe that it's vegan.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

But if you have all these seed oils or you see no seed oils, but then there's refined sugars or preservatives, and it's just. There's so much deception out there.

[Host]

100%. Yeah. I had to get an app to help me navigate at Yuca.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Yes.

[Host]

That's a great app. Seed Oil Scout.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right. Olive is another good app.

[Host]

Is that for reading labels?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Yes.

[Host]

Olive, let's try that one out. Yeah. Yuca is decent, but I don't know because when I used to use it, at least they didn't catch on to the seed oils as much. I feel like.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Okay.

[Host]

So I'm not sure if they updated that.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right. I do a ton of research myself, so I personally don't use an app. But the first thing I check when I'm buying something is the ingredients. It's not the calories, it's the ingredients.

[Host]

And what are you looking out for?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Mainly, I want to be able to pronounce every ingredient to know what it is. Because if I can't pronounce it, how should my body know how to handle it?

[Host]

Right.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

So I like to see real whole foods. I like to see not a laundry list of ingredients. If it's a big, long paragraph, forget it. I mean, that's a science experiment. That's not a food product, in my opinion. And then I look for it must be gluten free, but also refined sugar free.

[Host]

Yeah. Did you have terrible acne growing up?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Also not terrible? No. But it lasted into my mid-20s, and that's when I gave up refined sugar. Cause I thought there's no reason for me. I'm active. I eat somewhat healthy. Yeah, healthy for the most part. I also don't really drink alcohol, so I thought there was no reason I should have acne. And it was the refined sugar. As soon as I gave that up, my skin cleared up.

[Child]

Wow.

[Host]

Just from giving up sugar.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Yeah. And at the time, I was seeing this really expensive dermatologist. I had all the brand names for help, for skin care, and now I just use drugstore products, and my skin is better than it's ever been.

[Host]

Yeah, that's how I feel. I, I, I was on Accutane. I don't know if you heard about that, but they never once said, what are you eating? You know what I mean?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Crazy.

[Commercial Announcer]

Yeah.

[Host]

They never asked me.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

And same with my sports specialist doctor. When he said, you can't run again, never once did he ask me what I was eating. And actually after going gluten free, I had like a 11 month later checkup with him. And I said, I've solved the issue. I became gluten free. I can run again. I ran 10 miles. And he said, that doesn't make any sense. Your symptoms will come back. There's no link between what you're eating and how you're feeling when you're running.

[Host]

And that's crazy. That's a crazy statement to say.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

So after that whole experience is when I started my Instagram account organically. Addison. Because I thought, people need to know about this.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

I was almost about to get surgery because I couldn't run. And giving up gluten. Now I can run. I'm training for my first marathon. Nine months after he said, you might never run again, I ran my first marathon.

[Host]

Wow.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

And so I wanted to spread the word about compartment syndrome and being gluten free and how to go to dinner if you're gluten free. How to train for a marathon if you're not loading yourself with pasta the night before. And then that account just continued to grow and grow, which has been such a blessing.

[Host]

Incredible. It makes you wonder how many people that have gotten surgery could have been avoided with diet change.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Yes.

[Host]

It's got to be a large percent. If I had to guess, like over 30%.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right. And not even just with compartment syndrome, but with anything. I think when we're feeling sick or something's wrong, we have an injury. I think the first thing we need to do is look at our lifestyle. So how are we treating our bodies? How are we treating our minds? At the very last resort should be doctors and medicines. And listen, doctors are brilliant. They go to school way longer than I ever did. But that should always be the last resort. Can I solve this holistically? Can I go to a naturopath doctor or holistic therapist or whatever it is, try to solve it that way?

[Host]

I think luckily times are changing because of social media accounts like yours. Because I have on a lot of doctors on the show and they're starting to admit they don't even learn about nutrition school.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

That's crazy.

[Host]

Yeah. Doctors.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

I would argue that nothing affects us as much as what we eat.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Not our genetics, but what we eat.

[Host]

I don't even think it's their fault. I think it's, it's by design. I think the people that make the medical textbooks are involved with hospitals and all that. So if they have. I know it's kind of like conspiratorial, but like more business for them is basically what I'm saying.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right. Sick. Sick patients pay the bills.

[Host]

Yeah. And that's what they don't want. Healthy people like us, you know, I mean, I just had to get my health insurance. Oh my God. Thousand, zero zero zero a month.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Oh, wow.

[Host]

Isn't that crazy?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

See, I have like the, the lowest possible health insurance but, but still, being self employed, that's something that comes out of our own pocket.

[Host]

Yeah, that's the one downside of it. Yeah. We don't get it covered.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Yeah.

[Host]

But I'm super healthy. Like I just got my blood work and it's. They don't give any discount for that. We all pay the same price, you know, I mean, unless you have like even worse conditions. But a thousand a month.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right.

[Host]

Average people can't afford that.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

I know.

[Host]

Now it's crazy.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

And I always say, because people ask me all the time, like, healthy. Why is healthy food so expensive? And my rebuttal to that is always, there's nothing more expensive than being unhealthy. Because the longer you're spending with doctors in the hospital, I mean, those bills are insane.

[Host]

100.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

So I like to invest in myself by eating healthy, working out, doing all those things, because it's worth it. We only get one body. We only get one life. I don't want to destroy my health. I'm just too short for that.

[Host]

You're going to pay now or pay later.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Exactly.

[Host]

You know, I'd rather pay now and have the peace of mind and optimize my body.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right, right. Being healthy is hard, but being unhealthy, to me is much more difficult. So, yeah, I'm going to choose to be healthy.

[Host]

I mean, if I was just unhealthy, it would affect my whole business.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right.

[Host]

If I wasn't thinking as clear, if I wasn't in shape.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right. I think back to the first 12 months of having sweet Addison's, and I was sleeping, like, four or five hours a night, which I would never recommend to anyone, but that's just how my business was. Working 100 hours a week. I was on my feet, and I never got sick once.

[Host]

Wow.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

I just. Because I was still eating healthy and I was still active. I mean, granted, it was walking around the kitchen carrying ingredients and things like that. Not out running marathons like I do now, but because I was eating healthy, it really sustained me.

[Host]

That's awesome. Was there a breakthrough moment in the business, or was it kind of like a slow and steady climb?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

There have been a few breakthrough moments. We've done some influencer collaborations which have, like, knocked my socks off. Some of these influencers have crazy high engagements.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

So we did one in May of 2025, and then one in October of 2025 with two of my influencer friends. Sydney Adams King, she was the first one in May, and then Hunter Stoller in October. And both of them have extremely loyal audiences. I'm talking on those days that we launched, I did about five times more in revenue than I did on Black Friday.

[Host]

Why?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

The year before, like, insanity.

[Host]

And how many followers did they have?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Sydney at the time had almost 400,000. Hunter had a little over 400,000.

[Host]

They're very targeted.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Yes. Yeah. These aren't people with millions of followers. They're not celebrities. But they have extremely loyal audiences who are obsessed with them.

[Host]

And that's the key for Me, Like, I actually, when I do outreach, like, followers play a little bit of a role, but I value engagement more.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right.

[Host]

Way more.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right.

[Host]

So if someone even has, like, 10,000 followers, but they're getting 50 engagement or 40 engagement, I'm like, that is someone I want on the show, you know?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Definitely.

[Host]

Because they got, like, actual movement.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right.

[Host]

Because anyone can have followers. You know what I mean? That doesn't mean anything to me.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Yeah. So I'd say those were the two biggest breakthrough moments. And then we also, like I said, partnered with Taylor Duke's Wellness through the protein cookie. That was something I was personally really excited about because I love Taylor and her team.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

But I'm. Because I'm an athlete, and I'm working out all the time. I eat a ton of protein. So if I can eat my dessert and eat protein at the same time, win, win for me. So that was another really big moment for us.

[Host]

So you're balancing the marathons and running this business.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Yeah, I run marathons. And a business.

[Host]

That's incredible because marathon training is hours a day, right?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Yes, it is. I actually just ran my first ultra Marathon.

[Host]

That's 52 miles.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Or this was a 50k.

[Host]

A 50k.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

So technically, an ultra marathon is anything farther than 26.2.

[Host]

Okay.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

So this was a 50k, which is 31 miles.

[Host]

Geez.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Essentially, it's like 10 5ks right? In a row.

[Host]

Yeah. That's nuts. I only did 5Ks. I never did more than that.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Okay. But I could never run a 440mile, so you got me beat on that one.

[Host]

Well, for a guy, I feel like it's. It's a little different.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right.

[Host]

What was your mile?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Oh, probably six. Six minutes. I'm not, like, super fast in terms

[Host]

of the mile, so the longer the distance, the better you are.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Yeah.

[Host]

What's your 5K?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

5K is probably, like, 21, 22 minutes.

[Host]

Okay.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

But 31 miles, I just fell into zone two and coasted, and it was a lot of fun. I did the one in Dallas, and I definitely want to do more of those.

[Host]

So you ran the whole way?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

I did. That was my goal. Under five hours and not walking once. That's amazing. And I hit. I got, like, 450.

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[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

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[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

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[Host]

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[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

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[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

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[Child]

the school calendar really starts to fill up. Spring activities, testing season, and that final push toward the end of the year. It's a great moment for kids to stay focused and build confidence in what they're learning. That's where IXL comes in. IXL is an award winning online learning platform that helps kids truly understand their schoolwork, from math and reading to writing and science. It's designed for Pre K through 12th grade with personalized interactive content that adapts to each child's level and pace. IEXCEL makes it easy to stay on track with instant feedback and clear explanations, skills organized by grade level and simple progress tracking. It fits into even the busiest spring schedules. It's also trusted nationwide. In fact, IXL is used in 96 of the top 100 school districts in the U.S. make an impact on your child's learning. Get IXL now. Listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up [e-mail] today. Visit ixl.com today to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

I'm Kelly Norris. People know my husband, Brian as a veteran, a leader and a man of strong values. But to me, he's a loving husband, a devoted father to our three beautiful daughters, and a faithful Christian who lives out his beliefs every day. For 21 years, Brian served our country in the Army. He understands sacrifice, duty and what it means to put others before himself. As Secretary of State, Brian will work to secure our election, protect our constitutional rights, and Serve Arkansas families with integrity.

[Host]

On March 31, I'd be honored to

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

ask for your vote for Brian Norris in the Republican runoff for secretary of state.

[Host]

Arkansans choose Brian Norris.

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

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[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

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[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

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[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

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[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

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[Host]

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[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

So I was right under my goal, and I felt great. Yeah, it was one of the coolest days of my life. Just such a cool experience. When you go into something like that and you think, I'm gonna do something that most people think isn't ever possible. And then across that finish line, still in one piece.

[Host]

That's incredible.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

It was a lot of fun.

[Host]

I attribute a lot of my mental strength to distance running.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Yes.

[Host]

Because you are like your own enemy.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right?

[Host]

Like, sometimes your mind can take over and you lose the race because of just mental. Not even physical.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Oh. Running, I think is mostly mental, especially when it comes to distance. I mean, a one. A timed mile, that's a little bit different.

[Host]

Yeah, agreed.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

But anything longer than a half marathon, it's so mental.

[Host]

100 agree. I've had on the best marathon runners in the world.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Oh, really?

[Host]

And they say similar things, like, do you know O's Pearlman?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Oh, my God, I love him. The mentalist.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Yes.

[Host]

So people don't even know this, but he's like, one of the best marathon runners.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

I follow him.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

And he'll go and post, be like, I'm gonna go run 30 miles today just for fun. And it's crazy. I. I love Oz. I think he's awesome.

[Host]

And the reason he's good is because not physically, he's one of the shortest people on the whole race, but he's setting state records and marathon records just from mental.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right.

[Host]

He said he's getting into people's heads while they're running. So he'll pass by David Goggins and start talking shit to him. And then he says he talks as he's not out of breath to put on, like, a strong presence while they're, like, huffing and puffing and it just messes them up.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Yeah.

[Host]

So he's literally shit talking while he's running.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

That's so insane.

[Host]

Using mentalism.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Oh, my goodness. He's amazing.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

So is David Goggins. I mean.

[Host]

Yeah, he's a beast.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Yeah. But I really think when it comes to marathon training, you're training your mind just as much as you're training your body. And now I have a pretty good baseline of being able to distance run. So when I was training for the Ultra, it was more mindset. And the three months leading up. Cause I didn't actually didn't train for that long. Cause I did have the. A solid baseline. But for those three months leading up to the race, every single day, I visualize what it would be like crossing that finish line. And I thought, okay, 31 miles. And then the two weeks leading up to it, I thought, this is going to be one of the best days of my life. I'm going to do this. I'm going to hit under five hours. And then the. The few days leading up, Sunday's gonna be one of the best days of my life. It's gonna be an unforgettable experience. And then that morning I woke up and I thought, I'm gonna do something really special today. Not because I'm delusional, but because our lives, I think, oftentimes become the stories that we tell ourselves. And we can view everything in terms of a problem or a possibility. And I like to always choose the possibility route.

[Host]

That is so cool. Visualization, right?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Yes.

[Host]

Yeah, I do that every year at least. Like a vision board. And, like, throughout the week, I'll tell myself, like, I'll envision a great episode with a certain guest, or, like, I'll envision someone crazy on the show and get them on a few months later.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

That's awesome.

[Host]

Yeah. Something with the universe and manifesting it's actually real.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right.

[Host]

I know some people are like, that. That's not possible, but. Right.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

My faith is super important to me. So it's. For me, it's about God and what he's done in my life. And I like to use the term visualization. I'm seeing myself crossing that finish line, imagining what's it going to look like, what's it going to feel like? How am I going to feel after the race? And for me, that's been instrumental.

[Host]

It's a real thing.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

It is. And especially with starting this business, like I said, the first year was very challenging, mentally and physically. But I always thought, one day this is going to be some big company and I'm going to have more freedom to come on podcasts like this and to travel and to do other things that bring me joy. So always having that visualization really helped me.

[Host]

You'll be there. I mean, I can't think of, like, just being objective. I can't think of a healthy dessert brand that tastes as good.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Wow.

[Host]

Like, is there anyone, like, crushing it in that. In this category? Are you kind of like the first one?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Just us. Wow.

[Host]

So you're like, setting a whole new lane.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

There are others, of course, but. And I don't. I really don't like to look at other brands. I. I really focus on what we're doing, and that's been another thing that's been really key. Staying locked in, running. And I say this with running. Run my race.

[Host]

Yeah. A lot of people compare themselves.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

There's no. There's no comparison for me. Because if I. If I started day one and compared myself to Oreo cookie or crumble? Cookie. Forget it.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right. We're tiny. I started this in my 700 square foot apartment kitchen less than two years ago. So I. Day one, I thought, I cannot compare. This is not their race. This is my race. This is my life. Let's focus on the task at hand here and not let other people intimidate me.

[Host]

I love that. Yeah. I get asked sometimes, like, who's your competition? Like, what podcasts are you competing with? And I say, none of them.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right.

[Host]

Like, I'm doing my own thing.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Exactly.

[Host]

My show's so unique. Like, I have on all sorts of walks of life, and I don't view anyone as direct competition.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right. Have you always been that way?

[Host]

No. No, definitely not. I definitely used to compare myself a lot on a personal level with people and also just like on a business level too, like, in terms of revenue, because I was insecure.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Did you come from an entrepreneurial background?

[Host]

My dad was on the side, but both my parents had nine to five jobs. But my dad was an entrepreneur on the side. He sold books.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Okay.

[Host]

And that definitely inspired me.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

That's awesome.

[Host]

Yeah. But to be an entrepreneur, you got to be, like, different, you know?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Oh, you have to be different.

[Host]

You can't listen to what people say.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

No. One of my favorite quotes is, you have to be odd to be number one. And I think it's so true because all of these people, like take O's, for example, or David Goggins, their brains are just wired differently. And I feel like for a lot of my life, I oftentimes felt different or misunderstood. And now I'm embracing that because it's given me these experiences that otherwise I would have never had. And I. I don't want to be normal. Right. I don't want a normal life. I want to be extraordinary and have this big, fun, exciting life that takes me to all these places. And I'm introduced to all these cool people. So this business has really highlighted the fact that I am different. But that's okay and it's worth celebrating.

[Host]

That's how I felt too, growing up. I felt like I never fit in. I was bouncing friend groups and. Yeah, exactly what you said. So that's cool to see that we have similar journeys almost.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right.

[Host]

So you felt like you never fit in.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

I always felt a little bit different. And I always felt like I was kind of doing my own thing and had my own ways about doing everything in life. And I. I worked in finance for a few years after college and quickly realized that it was not for me because I just always felt very stuck at a desk. And I thought, well, I want to do this my way, or I. If I finish all my work in time, why do I have to sit here until 5pm to clock out? And so that's kind of what sparked the entrepreneurial journey for me. Because my parents worked in finance. They are not entrepreneurs.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

So this is. What I'm doing is very different. And I think at the start they're like, you're going to start a cookie brand. Okay, we'll always support you and, you know, good luck with that. But, yeah, I always. I always felt a little bit different than most kids growing up and then through high school and college. Just a little bit different.

[Host]

That makes sense.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Just wired differently, you know? And it wasn't until I became an entrepreneur myself, honestly, that I realized that there are other people out there like me. I just thought, well, maybe I'm just really different from everybody else. But then getting to meet people like yourself and just different entrepreneur masterminds and cohorts that I'm in. Like, wow, there are people out there just like me.

[Host]

That to me. Yeah, that to me was another breaking point when I started going to events like that, masterminds, conferences. Because the era you grew up in, the odds of them being another entrepreneur were pretty slim back in the day. I feel like it wasn't as cool as it is now, for sure.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

And I'm from a really small town in Maine, so there were very few entrepreneurs there. And now that I'm in Dallas, Texas, it's been much better. I have a much bigger worldview than I did living in Maine and getting to connect with so many business owners in Dallas has been huge. Especially mentally. I don't feel. I mean, I still feel different day to day compared to most people, but I realized that. That there are people out there like me.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

And getting to connect with them and talk with them and have these conversations with them mentally Start your day with

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This time of year, the school calendar really starts to fill up. Spring activities, testing season and that final push toward the end of the year. It's a great moment for kids to stay focused and build confidence in what they're learning. That's where IXL comes in. IXL is an award winning online learning platform that helps kids truly understand their schoolwork, from math and reading to writing and science. It's designed for Pre K through 12th grade with personalized interactive content that adapts to each child's level and pace. IXCEL makes it easy to stay on track with instant feedback and clear explanations, skills organized by grade level and simple progress tracking. It fits into even the busiest spring schedules. It's also trusted nationwide. In fact, IXL is used in 96 of the top 100 school districts in the U.S. make an impact on your child's learning. Get IXL now. Listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up [e-mail] today. Visit ixl.com today to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price.

[Commercial Announcer]

Kim Hammer is bad for Arkansas Kim Hammer punished counties that wanted to move to paper ballots and away from vulnerable Chinese made voting equipment going directly Against President Trump's election security agenda. He supports letting Chinese lobbyists influence Arkansas legislators about our farmland. He wrote legislation that put foreign trucks over Arkansans. When citizens fought to protect their right to self govern, Kim Hammer took those rights away. Tim Hammer stands with foreign interests, insiders and the political class not with us. Brian Norris stands with Arkansas. Brian Norris is a Christian husband, father and veteran who's fighting to restore our rights and protect our elections. He supports President Trump's agenda to remove vulnerable voting computers from Arkansas elections. Brian Norris believes in secure elections, Arkansas values and putting our citizens first. The choice is clear. Kim Hammer puts foreigners first. Brian Norris puts Arkansans first. Vote Brian Norris for Secretary of State March 31.

[Host]

Paid for by Norris for Arkansas.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

It's really awesome.

[Host]

Agreed. Yeah. Moving is another game changing moment if you're in a small town like that. I grew up in similar one in Jersey. Probably a little bigger than yours, but not a lot of entrepreneurs. Right?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

And here you are in this big

[Host]

city now and yeah, Vegas has some of the biggest shows, biggest, most successful entrepreneurs. I think we have like nine billionaires here.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Wow.

[Host]

You could find a mentor in whatever field you're in. The owner of Panda Express lives here. Alex Hormozi is out here.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Oh, is he? I love his.

[Host]

Yeah, he's great. Yeah. Casino executives, like whatever you want to do, you know.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Yeah. And that's the thing is I. I really believe in the power of proximity. So if I want to be the best entrepreneur and the best human being that I. That I can be, I need to surround myself with people who are way ahead of me in life. I. My goal is to be the least successful person in a room. If I can walk into a networking event and know the least, have the least amount of revenue, I love that. It's the best, right? It really is.

[Host]

It's honestly the best. I always leave rooms like that. So inspired.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Yes, me too. And I think when I meet. I've met a few billionaires in Dallas and the first thing I think is, you know, how did you get here? What did you do? Tell me your life story. And I find it very inspiring. I don't think it's excessive at all. I think, wow, this is really cool that they were that dedicated and disciplined to reach these astronomical levels of success.

[Host]

It's more attainable than I thought previously. I've had over 10 on the show now, 10 billionaires. And a lot of them came from nothing, believe it or not. Like most of them, I would say didn't inherit much, so I'm actually not

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

super surprised by that. They talk about this on Shark Tank sometimes, is that sometimes the best entrepreneurs came from nothing because they had nothing to lose.

[Host]

Right.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

So they bet everything on themselves. Whereas people who grew up with money are used to that comfort and maybe less comfortable spending their money or taking a chance or going out on a limb.

[Host]

Yeah, there's some crazy stats on that, I think. What percentage of likes millionaires are self made versus inherited. And most of them are self made these days.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

I like that.

[Host]

I think closer to 80, actually.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Wow.

[Host]

We'll have to verify it, but I believe it's around there.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

That's amazing.

[Host]

I used to love Shark Tank, by the way.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

I really want to get on Shark Tank. That's one of my goals. I live like four or five miles away from Mark Cuban.

[Host]

Oh, nice.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Because he lives in Dallas. And I've just always been inspired by that show.

[Host]

Yeah, they definitely inspired me. I've probably watched. I watched the first like eight seasons. Every episode. Yeah, Like I used to go hard on it.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Yeah, I love it. Actually. The first year of starting this business, I would put on Shark Tank every night and I'd be like signing thank you cards for orders or making like packaging up boxes and I would just have shark take on in the background. And I always said to myself, I'm going to be on that show someday.

[Host]

I love it. I'm sure you will. They were just here for ces.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Oh, really?

[Host]

Last week? Yeah, they did a casting. Have you ever gone to one of those auditions yet or.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

No? No, I haven't. When they come to Dallas.

[Host]

Yeah. This might be the year.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right. I've had a few friends, not maybe not friends, acquaintances go on the show and from what I hear, it's an amazing, life changing opportunity. And again, just surrounding yourself with people who are that successful, that's what I want to do.

[Host]

Yeah, I've had a few of them on the show and I've heard similar things.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Wow, that's awesome.

[Host]

Like their business, like 5 to 10 X's overnight.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Wow. Crazy, crazy. Yeah.

[Host]

Yeah. Shout out to Shark Tank, man. American Dream.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Truly what I feel like what I do every day is the American dream, and I want to emphasize that to people, is that what I do now doesn't require a college degree. It required very little in upfront capital. I started this out of my apartment kitchen and through so much hustle and hard work, it has turned into what it's turned into. And I think every day, what if I let fear hold me back? I wouldn't be in Vegas right now. You know, maybe I'd be here for a convention if I was still working in finance or something, but I wouldn't be on this podcast. I wouldn't be. I probably wouldn't be running an ultra marathon. I mean, this starting a business and completely letting go of fear and pushing through that has radically transformed my life.

[Host]

I love that I had to push through some fears as well.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

It's scary.

[Host]

Fear of being judged.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

That's a big one.

[Host]

That was my biggest one. And I think you kind of learned that from public education because you're trying to fit in all the time.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right.

[Host]

You know what I mean? Like, it's like an unintentional side result of it. But once I posted that first episode, I'm like, let's. Let's go all in.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right?

[Host]

Like, I no longer fear this.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right. I thought when I first started my Instagram account, I didn't tell any of my friends about it, and they found out, and thankfully, they're very supportive. But there is. There's always a fear. And I. I sometimes say there's a million reasons not to do something.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

But there's one reason, too. If you have faith and belief in yourself and you have a passion for what you do, you're doing the world a disservice if you don't pursue that. I really believe that.

[Host]

Agreed. I also believe a lot of fears are, like, in your own head for sure. I don't think there's actually, like, obviously there's some legitimate ones, but, like, most of them, you could just get through mentally.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right. I think there's some stat out there that, like, 90% of the things we worry about never actually happen.

[Host]

I saw that. Isn't that crazy?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Crazy, yeah. People are so worried.

[Host]

So worried.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

And, you know, for me, talk about moments of transformation in our lives is when Covet hit. I was still living in Maine. I was working in finance, was suddenly working from home. And that was the moment for me when I saw what living in fear looked like. Granted, a lot of it was justified, but there were a lot of people who suddenly their. Their life was completely different. Day and night, they stopped living. They stopped leaving their house. And I thought, if this is what living in fear is like, I never, ever want to do that. So that prompted my move to Dallas, which prompted the start of this business. And I just made a goal for myself, is to never let fear hold me back, is to push through, to have courage in the face of fear. And again, I think all the time, what If I didn't start this, what if I was scared about what people thought or if it cost too much money or this or that? Like, my life would be so much more boring and less fulfilling and less joyful.

[Host]

Well said. Yeah. I live every day with the thought of, like, if I'm on my deathbed, what regrets do I have?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Oh, my goodness. I think about my deathbed every day.

[Host]

Yeah. Because you never know. People are dying young these days, so I'm actively trying to, like, just not have regrets.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

That's funny that you say that. And maybe that's why we're entrepreneurs is I think every single day, when I'm a hundred years old and I can't get out of bed and I can't do. I can't run, what stories do I want to look back on my life and tell? When I'm hopefully, God willing, surrounded by children and grandchildren and great grandchildren. I have my family there. Do I want to say, oh, I played it safe, and I was fearful about what people thought, and I never really pursued my dreams. I never took that trip, started that business, reached out to that person. Or do I want to say, man, I did it all, and maybe I didn't succeed at this. Maybe I failed at this. Maybe. But I tried and I pursued those dreams. So it's funny you say deathbed, because I. I call it my deathbed mentality.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

And I feel like it has completely changed my life.

[Host]

Absolutely. Yeah. Because as we get older, you know, we're seeing people pass away, unfortunately, and it really makes you, like, I've had five guests pass away of the show, and it really. A lot of them were young. Makes you really value life and look at it differently, you know?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right.

[Host]

What am I leaving behind?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Right. We're not promised tomorrow or not. Right. We got to live it today while we can.

[Host]

Yeah. Like, honestly, like, recipes. Charlie Kirk, he was 31. He was one of the guests on the show, and that one messed me up, honestly.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Me too.

[Host]

Like, not to get too political, but just, like, his whole ideology of free speech and, like, debate, I really. He was a big reason I started the show, honestly.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Wow.

[Host]

Seeing him debate on campus and just have these conversations. Now I'm doing a lot of debates on the show.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Yeah. Talk about courageous. I mean, I can imagine how fearful he was putting himself out there like that. But he had this greater purpose, and he pushed through that fear. And his. His death really affected me as I don't think I've ever cried about someone else's death. Same that I didn't know personally, but that also really changed my thinking and I thought if he could go out there and be that courageous and that bolds, then I can do the same thing.

[Host]

Absolutely. Well, Addison, this was incredible. You're selling all this stuff online, right?

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Yes. Yeah, right. Through our website, sweetaudisons.com, we ship nationwide and like I said, we're trying to get into some big retailers in the next year or two. So hopefully the distribution will increase, but anyone can go online and order.

[Host]

Beautiful. Anything else you want to close off with here.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Thank you so much for having me on. I really appreciate it. I flew to Vegas for this event, for this podcast, and that's how much I believe in your content and the audience and network that you've built. So thank you so much.

[Host]

Thanks for taking the time to come out here and I'll try to help you get into some retail stores.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

That would be awesome.

[Host]

All right, check her out, guys. Definitely order these. We'll put a link in the video. And stay healthy.

[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

Thank you.

[Host]

Stay healthy. Yeah. See you guys. Peace. Thanks for watching to the end, guys. Please comment below your thoughts on the episode if you agree. If you disagree, I'd to like. I love to hear it. I read every single comment. It means a lot to me. Thank you so much.

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[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

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[Host]

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[Child]

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[Addison (Sweet Addison's Founder)]

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[Child]

This time of year, the school calendar really starts to fill up. Spring activities, testing season, and that final push toward the end of the year. It's a great moment for kids to stay focused and build confidence in what they're learning. That's where IXL comes in. IXL is an award winning online learning platform that helps kids truly understand their schoolwork. From math and reading to writing and science. It's designed for Pre K through 12th grade with personalized interactive content that adapts to each child's level and pace. Iexcel makes it easy to stay on track with instant feedback and clear explanations, skills organized by grade level and simple progress tracking. It fits into even the busiest spring schedules. It's also trusted nationwide. In fact, IXL is used in 96 of the top 100 school districts in the U.S. make an impact on your child's learning. Get IXL now. Listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up [e-mail] today. Visit ixl.com today to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price.

[Commercial Announcer]

Kim Hammer is bad for Arkansas Kim Hammer punished counties that wanted to move to paper ballots and away from vulnerable Chinese made voting equipment, going directly against President Trump's election security agenda. He supports letting Chinese lobbyists influence Arkansas legislators about our farmland. He wrote legislation that put foreign truckers over Arkansans. When citizens fought to protect their right to self govern, Tim Hammer took those rights away. Kim Hammer stands with foreign interests, insiders and the political class not with us. Brian Norris stands with Arkansas. Brian Norris is a Christian husband, father and veteran who's fighting to restore our rights and protect our elections. He supports President Trump's agenda to remove vulnerable voting computers from Arkansas elections. Brian Norris believes in secure elections, AR values and putting our citizens first. The choice is clear. Kim Hen Hammer puts foreigners first. Brian Norris puts Arkansans first. Vote Brian Norris for Secretary of State, March 31 paid for by Norris for Arkansas Finding great candidates to hire can be like, well, trying to find a needle in a haystack. Sure, you can post your job to some job board, but then all you can do is hope the right person comes along. Which is why you should try ZipRecruiter for free at ZipRecruiter.com Zip ZipRecruiter doesn't depend on candidates finding you, it finds them for you. Its powerful technology identifies people with the right experience and actively invites them to apply to your job. You get qualified candidates fast. So while other companies might deliver a lot of hay, ZipRecruiter finds you what you're looking for. The needle in the Haystack. See why 4 out of 5 employers who post a job on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. ZipRecruiter the smartest way to hire and right now you can try ZipRecruiter for free. That's right. Free at ZipRecruiter.com Zip that's ZipRecruiter.com Zip ZipRecruiter.com Zip.