Everyone loves snacks, but they’re not always the healthiest option and snacking can come with a lot of guilt. Susan O’Brien, Founder of Hail Merry Snacks, wants to change that by making guilt-free snacks that you can eat daily. Susan started her career as an architect but she found her stride when she trained as a raw food chef. She merged her design skills and built a commercial kitchen to start Hail Merry Snacks. With a focus on reducing sugar, eliminating inflammatory ingredients, and using vegan milk chocolate, Hail Merry redefines the snacking experience. Susan uses her mastery of food science to navigate the challenges with recipe building for products like the key lime pie, Meyer lemon, sweet potato, and chocolate almond butter.  In this episode, Susan talks to Jen about her journey from architecture to creating nutrient-packed snacks with clean ingredients, the importance of mindful snacking, and the creation of Hail Merry's popular products. Key Takeaways [00:42] - Jen and Susan discuss managing demanding workloads. [05:05] - Susan talks about her all-raw food diet experience. [09:09] - Why people became worried about fats. [15:25] - Susan talks about the ingredients in Hail Merry Snacks. [23:41] - Susan’s inspiration behind her pie cups. [28:45] - How Susan went from being an interior designer to founding Hail Merry. [31:09] - How Susan's children adapted to eating well. [33:07] - Where can you find Hail Merry Snacks. Quotes [06:08] - “Fats are actually good for you if they’re raw and they’re good quality fats.” ~ Susan O’Brien [10:24] - “Plant-based fats can actually help lower your cholesterol level.” ~ Susan O’Brien [34:08] - “The consumer has all the power at the shelf. Whatever the consumer wants is what the retailers will bring in.” ~ Susan O’Brien Links  Susan O'Brien LinkedIn Susan O’Brien Instagram Hail Merry Snacks Hail Merry Snacks Instagram Udo Erasmus Udo’s Choice University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre Houston Methodist Hospital Instacart  Connect with our host Jen on Instagram Jen on Facebook Wake Up and Read the Labels! Schedule a 15 Min Breakthrough Chat with a WURL Food Coach! Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts