Guest Interviews
14. Purple Coach Conversations' interview with Alessandra Bester, Founder of Functional Foods Co Ltd. and Gabi Marriot, member of #teamnono.
Alessandra is the founder of the Functional Food Company. She and her team, #teamnono, produce allergy friendly, vegan, and gluten free food for people who have special dietary requirements for various reasons.
Alessandra is the single mother of 16 year old Ethan, who has autism, coeliac and struggles with allergies. When Ethan was a child, he would say "no no" to everything, including most foods. In fact, in the early days he only ate chocolate. Concerned about the amount of sugar he was eating, she researched and created Nono Cocoa chocolate products that contained all the nutrition Ethan needed, without all the sugar from normal chocolates.
Gabi is a mother of 2 children and is neurodiverse. She joined the company 6 months ago and talks about how working in an environment that is truly inclusive, and where she feels heard, has changed her life completely.
In this episode we talk about:
- Autism, and the stereotypes that surround people on the spectrum. Alessandra shares her story of her son's journey of living with autism and how he has overcome the stereotypes and limitations placed on him by others.
- Gabi talks about the misconceptions of being neurodiverse and shares her inspiring story of her journey thus far, including her work and children.
- Alessandra shares her way of explaining autism to children and adults. You will find this an insightful view!
- How team Nono intentionally works with a culture of inclusivity, from people with special needs, disabilities, LGBTQ, race, religion etc.
Watch the full video interview below:
You can also listen to an audio version of our interview here:
Resources:
The autistic lady who talks about Autism in a very different perspective: