Podcast Summary: Problems to Profit

Episode: Turning Crap into Gold – Miki Agrawal with Preston Brown

Date: October 17, 2025
Host: Preston Brown
Guest: Miki Agrawal – Serial Social Entrepreneur (Thinx, Tushy, Wild, Hero)

Main Theme

This episode dives into how Miki Agrawal has built multiple category-defining companies by disrupting taboo markets—period products (Thinx), bidets (Tushy), health-conscious pizza (Wild), and now eco-diapers (Hero). The discussion explores Miki’s entrepreneurial journey, her cultural upbringing, her framework for changing culture, and her highly personal philosophy on risk, failure, and life after a near-miss experience during 9/11. The conversation intertwines business strategy, spirituality, plant medicine, and the art of making positive impact profitable.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Formative Experiences and Background

• Cultural upbringing: Miki grew up in a uniquely multicultural household (Japanese mother, Indian father, French Canadian influences) which encouraged debate, openness, and seeing alternative perspectives.
  • Quote: “There was no, like, this is the way it is. We got to really argue and, you know, and learn how to argue constructively. ... So I think as we became entrepreneurs, it was sort of like, oh, this doesn’t feel like it’s. ... There’s got to be a better way.” (06:30)
• Early loss and perspective: Miki was scheduled to be at her office in 2 World Trade Center on 9/11 but slept through her alarm, an event that gave her a new outlook on the preciousness of life and motivation to pursue meaningful work.
  • Quote: “It was the only single day in my life that I slept through my alarm clock...” (00:00, 13:53)
• Entrepreneurial origins: Realized early on that she was “unemployable” due to her independence, her problem with authority, and a desire to create rather than follow.

2. Entrepreneurial Journey: From Pizza to Periods to Poop

• Wild (Restaurant, Health Pizza): She started with gluten-free, organic pizza, one of NYC’s first.
  • Quote: “Pizza is a $32 billion industry. Americans eat a hundred acres of pizza every single day. ... We were the first gluten-free, 100% gluten-free restaurant pretty much in New York City.” (16:00)
• Thinx (Period Underwear): Changed the conversation for women around periods and normalized period-proof underwear, eventually inspiring mainstream retailers to follow.
  • Quote: “Now every Target, every CVS has period proof underwear. ... We made it cool.” (27:00)
• Tushy (Bidet Attachments): Democratized bidets in the US, challenged taboos around bathroom hygiene, and built a brand around clever, artful, and irreverent messaging.
  • “Once you go bidet, you can’t go back.” (64:07)
• Hero (Plastic-Eating Diapers): Newest venture uses fungi to break down diaper plastics, tackling the global plastic crisis at the landfill level.
  • Quote: “We have created the world's first scalable and shelf stable plastic eating fungi. ... The whole vision is, not only will it break down this diaper, but it'll start breaking down all the other plastics in landfills, too.” (57:17–61:39)

3. Framework for Disrupting Taboos & Changing Culture

Miki’s formula for cultural shift in business:

1. Best-in-class product – “It has to be the best. ... Not just ‘pretty good’.” (22:20)
2. Artful across every touchpoint – “It has to be artful, beautiful; even in diapers, make it look like flower petals.” (24:34)
3. Accessible, relatable language – “Like you’re texting your best friend.” (26:50)

• Quote: “That tension [between artfulness and accessibility] is what creates that culture shift, makes people be like, oh my God, that's so artfully beautiful. ... relatable ... [my] heart is now open to being changed.” (25:22–26:51)
• Applied across periods (Thinx), pooping (Tushy), and now diapers (Hero).

4. Taboo and Humor as Tools for Innovation

• Breaking taboos and using humor draws people in: “We made periods sexy, we made pooping sexy, and we've made diapers actually beautiful. ... How do you create this ... little toad crack in, to then have all of the taboo conversations?” (35:04–36:15)
• Marketing example: Preston describes using humor and controversy to overcome negative branding with a “Come Inside Me” house sign to drive sales; Miki explains her own irreverent campaigns.

5. Philosophy on Risk, Failure, and Authenticity

• Surviving 9/11 and subsequent life experiences have deeply lessened her fear of failure or judgment.
  • Quote: “We're all gonna die. Like, fuck it. ... What is success? ... In my book, Disruptor, I talk about replacing the word ‘failure’ with revelation.” (38:31)
• Emphasis on authenticity and self-knowing: “The good news is ... I know who I am. ... So fucking what if something bad ... happens? ... Everything is going to be okay.” (39:22–40:10)

6. Spiritual Practices and Self-Discovery

• Plant medicine and ceremony: Discusses life-changing experiences with plant medicine (psilocybin, ayahuasca), the transformational feeling of being alive, processing trauma, and the value of darkness retreats for deep self-reflection.
  • Quote: “Holy shit, we get to be alive. ... We get to have this human experience. ... Like, I want to skid to death's door sideways ... thoroughly used up, loudly proclaiming, wow, what a life.” (40:54)
  • On darkness retreat: “It was the hardest and scariest fucking thing I've ever done in my life.” (51:12)

7. Integrating Impact and Profit

• Belief that outsized profit and outsized impact are not just compatible, but interdependent.
  • Quote: “Can you do both? I believe the answer is yes. ... Conscious businesses outperform pure shareholder businesses 10 to 1. ... I think you can 100x your impact and profit.” (66:51–68:42)
• “Soft power” and stakeholder orientation as keys to building sustainable success.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Culture and Taboos:
  “How do you create tension? Sex appeal is tension. ... I've entered these taboo spaces—periods, poop, pee—and it comes with so much stigma, taboo, weirdness. ... Once we harness taboo subjects through a product, it creates this—what else can I disrupt in my life?”
  (35:13) – Miki Agrawal

• On Failure and Life Perspective:
  “We're all gonna die. ... So fucking what if something bad, like, everything is gonna be okay?”
  (38:31–40:10) – Miki Agrawal

• On Ayahuasca/Plant Medicine and Death:
  “If you really fear death, then you worship life, not God. ... Where's your wisdom?”
  (46:04–46:05) – Preston (relating his journey, with Miki’s resonance)

• On Authenticity in Brands:
  “I love little tells. ... She just took a bite out of a big perfectly tasting pizza every time she describes any of her products.”
  (29:39) – Preston, on Miki’s passion for her ventures

• Product Impact:
  “We have created the world's first scalable and shelf stable plastic eating fungi ... the vision is, not only will it break down this diaper, but it'll start breaking down all the other plastics in landfills, too.”
  (57:17–61:39) – Miki Agrawal

Important Timestamps

• Entrepreneurial Origins: 05:19–07:25
• Near-Miss on 9/11, Impact: 13:53–16:03
• Pizza, Restaurant Industry Disruption: 16:00–22:20
• Three-Pronged Framework for Changing Culture: 22:20–28:53
• Thinx, Tushy, and Taboo-Busting Marketing: 27:00–36:15
• Risk, Death, Plant Medicine Stories: 38:31–44:17, 46:04–48:17
• Darkness Retreat/Processing Trauma: 48:22–52:15
• Hero Diapers & Fungi Technology: 57:17–62:04
• Playful Bidet Evangelism: 64:07–65:59
• Impact + Profit, “Conscious Capitalism” Data: 66:51–68:42

Resources & Calls to Action

• Miki’s Companies:
  • HelloTushy: hellotushy.com (not tushy.com)
  • Hero Diapers: herodiapers.com / @herodiapers on IG
  • Wild (Pizza): eatdrinkwild.com
• Books:
  • Disrupt-Her: A Manifesto for the Modern Woman – Disrupts every area of life for empowerment.
  • Do Cool Sht* – For aspiring entrepreneurs.
• Social:
  • @mikiagrawal on Instagram

Key Takeaways

• Solving real problems, even messy ones, leads to massive business opportunities and mainstream impact.
• Disrupting taboo industries requires exceptional product, artful branding, and authentic, relatable language.
• Facing life’s uncertainties (and mortality) fortifies risk-taking and makes the entrepreneurial journey more courageous—and more joyful.
• Conscious entrepreneurship, soft power, and stakeholder focus are not just ethically superior, but also generate exponential business returns.

Conclusion:
Miki Agrawal’s journey exemplifies how cultural openness, humor, authenticity, and bold risk-taking—all rooted in a philosophical embrace of mortality and personal growth—can transform “crap” into genuine gold for both customers and the world. The episode is a master class in using entrepreneurship as a tool for cultural change.

For detailed timestamps and more, see above. Skip the ads and outros, and go straight for the insights!