Between Two Brunettes

Tonya Papanikolov spent years searching for a functional mushroom product she could actually trust. When she couldn't find one that met her standards, she thought to build it herself.So in 2018, she did. Rainbo is now one of Canada's most recognized functional mushroom brands, a B Corp, seven-figure company stocked at Erewhon, Whole Foods, and Summerhill Market, built on organic growth and strong unit economics, with product quality treated as non-negotiable from day one.What drove her there was personal. Years of health symptoms that conventional medicine couldn't explain, and a deep conviction that the answers were sitting in nature, largely ignored.In this conversation, we unpack what functional mushrooms actually are and why most products on the market are nowhere near as clean as they appear, how Tonya bootstrapped Rainbo on $30,000 from friends and family, and why she believes the nervous system is the CEO of your body.She discusses:The difference between culinary, functional, and medicinal mushrooms and why the extraction process matters more than most people realizeWhy most functional mushroom products on the market don't actually contain real mushrooms, and what to look for insteadHow a mold exposure in a Toronto house became the turning point that sent her life in a completely different directionWhat nervous system dysregulation actually looks like in the body and why corporate culture rewards itHow she scaled Rainbo from zero marketing spend to major retail chains without institutional capitalBringing her husband Simon on as co-founder and what it takes to protect both the business and the relationship at the same timeWhy you don't have to choose between building something hard and taking care of yourself while you do it___Chapters00:00:00 What Are Functional Mushrooms?00:09:12 The Mycelial Network: How Mushrooms Communicate00:11:08 Lion's Mane, Reishi, and Chaga: The Big Three00:16:01 Why Quality Matters00:23:46 Bootstrapping Rainbo00:26:50 From Direct-to-Consumer to Retail: Scaling Without Institutional Funding00:32:00 Mold, Parasites, and the Health Journey00:34:02 The Nervous System: Your Body's CEO00:37:44 Corporate Burnout and Sympathetic Dominance00:38:41 Somatic Release: When Your Body Holds the Memory00:45:03 Launching Fungki: The Coffee Alternative Years in the Making00:48:46 Working with Your Partner00:57:21 Building with Community: Listening to Your Customers00:58:58 The Nervous System as Foundation01:01:52 Rapid Fire and Where to Find Rainbo___Rainbo Promo Code: 15% off with code BRUNETTEShttps://www.rainbo.com/BRUNETTES___Between Two BrunettesYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@betweentwobrunettesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/betweentwobrunettesTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@betweentwobrunettesLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/betweentwobrunettesX: https://x.com/twobrunettespodSamantha MillerInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanthaj_millerTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@samanthaj_millerLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthamiller111X: https://x.com/samantha_btbpodGermana KazaziInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/germanakazaziTikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@germanakazaziLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/germana-kazaziX: https://x.com/GermanaKazaziTonya PapanikolovInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyapapanikoloveLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonya-papanikolovRainboInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/rainbomushroomsTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rainbomushroomsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rainbomushrooms___Produced by Thirty Two Media Inc.

What if the most important health decision you could make right now costs less than Netflix and takes 30 minutes?That's the bet Dr. Drew Taylor has been building toward since he co-founded Acorn Biolabs in 2017. Acorn lets people bank their own stem cells, harvested non-invasively from hair follicles, before age degrades them. Acorn now operates across more than 200 partner clinics in North America and was just named one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies of 2026.Before any of this, Drew was a pitcher. He got drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays, walked away from a medical school acceptance to play professionally, and when a shoulder injury ended his career, came back to the lab and never left.In this conversation, we unpack what it takes to build a category from scratch, why your cells are aging faster than you think, and what Drew calls the biologic life insurance policy that most people don't know exists.He discusses:What regenerative medicine actually is and how it differs from the longevity and preventative health spaceWhy hair follicles turned out to be one of the most valuable and accessible sources of adult stem cellsThe "biologic life insurance policy" and what it means to bank your cells before you need themHow he navigated leaving a venture capital salary to start a company with a newborn at homeWhy Covid nearly stalled Acorn, and what kept them goingThe NK cell research that has shown early results suppressing ovarian, cervical, and breast cancer cells in the labHow Acorn thinks about the long road from aesthetics to advanced therapeutics and why that sequencing is intentional___Chapters00:00:00 What is Regenerative Medicine?00:03:14 Stem Cells: The Connective Tissue Powerhouse00:05:22 The Future of 3D Printing Organs with Stem Cells00:06:43 From Baseball to PhD: Drew's Journey00:10:11 How Acorn Biolabs Was Born00:11:48 Navigating the Patent Process: Lessons for Scientific Founders00:15:24 The Acorn Process: Banking Your Stem Cells from Hair Follicles00:20:43 Your Own Biology as an Aesthetic Treatment00:24:11 The Science Behind Secretome: Growth Factors, Exosomes, and More00:28:19 Secretome vs PRP00:28:49 The Future of Injectables: Clinical Trials and Regulatory Approvals00:29:48 Regulatory Landscape: Canada, US, and the Medical Tourism Problem00:33:49 Clinic Partnerships and Business Model00:37:54 Fundraising Strategy00:38:13 COVID's Impact: Turning Crisis into R&D Opportunity00:43:56 Balancing Fatherhood and Entrepreneurship: Drew's Approach to Family00:49:52 Turning Hair Follicles into Cancer-Fighting NK Cells00:54:49 Growing Acorn and Expanding Clinical Applications00:55:28 How to Get Started: Banking Your Cells with Acorn___Bank Your Stem Cells with AcornAcorn’s Live Cell Preservation service allows you to collect and cryogenically store stem-cell-rich hair follicles for future regenerative use.Investment:Standard collection ($945) + first year of storage ($190): $1,135Exclusive Offer:First year of banking ($190 value) for FREE with code BRUNETTESStep-by-Step Purchase Instructions:Visit www.acorn.me Select ‘Start Your Journey’, ‘Cell Banking + Storage’At checkout enter promo code: BRUNETTESAcorn’s team will reach out to coordinate their clinic visitNote: While Acorn has a wide network of practices, they do not yet have full coverage across Canada/USA. You can view their locations here: https://acorn.me/find-providers/___Between Two BrunettesYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@betweentwobrunettesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/betweentwobrunettesTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@betweentwobrunettesLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/betweentwobrunettesX: https://x.com/twobrunettespodSamantha MillerInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanthaj_millerTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@samanthaj_millerLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthamiller111X: https://x.com/samantha_btbpodGermana KazaziInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/germanakazaziTiktok:https://www.tiktok.com/@germanakazaziLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/germana-kazaziX: https://x.com/GermanaKazaziDr. Drew TaylorInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/drdrewtaylorLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drew-taylor-65b6ab10Acorn BiolabsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/acornbiolabsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/acornbiolabs (https://www.linkedin.com/company/acornbiolabs/posts/?feedView=all)___Produced by Thirty Two Media Inc.

John Ruffolo, veteran Canadian tech investor who built OMERS Ventures and founded Mavericks, reflects on shaping Canada’s venture landscape. He discusses digital sovereignty, why Canada must scale capital and talent, the Sidewalk Labs conflict, policy gaps, and Mavericks’ focus on sovereignty-related sectors. He also shares how a cycling accident reshaped his purpose and philanthropy.

Dr. Dana Sinclair, performance psychologist and author who works with elite athletes, surgeons, and executives. She explores what separates top performers from the rest. Listens cover why talent alone is not enough. She explains behavioral red flags, why confidence can mislead, in-the-moment breathing and reset tactics, and how imagery and directed daydreaming rewire performance.

Dan Eberhard, founder and CEO of KOHO and serial entrepreneur, built a challenger bank after early life lessons with a single mother. He talks about tackling hard regulated problems, why naivety can be an advantage, Canada’s competitiveness challenges, hiring for horsepower and humility, and building culture, transparency and long-term employee care while scaling to millions of users.

Alex Oosterveen was in the middle of building a company when his life changed overnight. A former investment banker turned founder, Alex was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at the very start of building Caribou - a moment that forced him to confront his health and the choices that led to this moment. In this conversation, we unpack what it really takes to scale a company while navigating uncertainty, chronic illness, and building a family.Alex is the Co-Founder and CEO of Caribou, a Canadian healthtech startup tackling one of the most overlooked challenges in healthcare: the caregiver shortage. Caribou is a caregiver engagement platform that helps home care companies better support and retain caregivers.He discusses:Being diagnosed with MS while building his company and how it reshaped his relationship with work, health, and ambitionThe lifestyle and environmental changes that transformed his health (spoiler alert: it wasn’t a drug)The deliberate path he took to gain the insight, experience, and credibility needed before entering the caregiver industryThe pivotal decisions that accelerated Caribou’s growthBuilding a company with his wife, and how that choice strengthened both their partnership and the businessHow he thinks about work-life integration while raising their young boy___Chapters00:00:51 The MS Diagnosis: A Life-Changing Moment00:03:27 Taking Control: Treatment and Lifestyle Changes00:11:15 The Origin Story: From Investment Banking to Caregiving00:19:22 The Labor Shortage Crisis in Home Care00:22:58 Building Caribou00:55:07 The COVID Pivot: Adapting to Survive00:31:42 Bringing on a Co-Founder00:38:10 Working with Your Spouse00:44:19 Becoming a Father00:45:56 Defining Success and Future Vision01:00:22 Closing Wisdom: Advice for Parents and Founders___Between Two BrunettesYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@betweentwobrunettesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/betweentwobrunettesTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@betweentwobrunettesLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/betweentwobrunettesX: https://x.com/twobrunettespodSamantha MillerInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanthaj_millerTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@samanthaj_millerLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthamiller111X: https://x.com/samantha_btbpodGermana KazaziInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/germanakazaziTiktok:https://www.tiktok.com/@germanakazaziLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/germana-kazaziX: https://x.com/GermanaKazaziAlex OosterveenLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-oosterveen/___Produced by Thirty Two Media Inc.

In this first episode of Between Two Brunettes, we sit down together to introduce ourselves, our relationship, and why we decided to start this podcast. This episode sets the foundation for the conversations that follow. We hope you enjoy the show!___Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@betweentwobrunettesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/betweentwobrunettesTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@betweentwobrunettesLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/betweentwobrunettesX: https://x.com/twobrunettespod___Produced by Thirty Two Media Inc.