
BETTER with Mark Brand
Mark Brand is your host for BETTER; a podcast about hope & resilience and leaving the planet a better place than we found it. It’s a home for conversations with incredible people who are change makers, disrupters, and experts in their fields. Brand is a social-impact entrepreneur, chef, and systems designer who is committed to ending hunger. By sharing tools for hope & resilience, Brand believes w…Social links:

Season 4 Purpose Recap
Where is this season going? Into the systems that shape how food gets grown, made, shared, and accessed, and toward the possibility of making them work better for everyone. We are setting out to demystify the food system: how it works, who it serves, who gets left out, and how people can help chang…
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Season 4: Make Food Food Again
In Season 4, Make Food Food Again, Mark takes a deeper look at the systems that determine how we feed ourselves, who benefits, who gets left behind, and what needs to change. Through powerful human stories, investigative documentaries, and accessible explainers, BETTER explores the connections betw…
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Saltwater Sean: Cleaning Oceans, Healing People
In this episode of Better, host Mark Brand sits down with Nova Scotian diver and content creator Sean “Saltwater Sean” McMullen for a deeply honest conversation about curiosity, healing, and finding purpose beneath the waves. Sean shares how boredom during COVID, a wetsuit from Marketplace, and a c…
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Prequel: Saltwater Sean
Social impact entrepreneur Mark Brand and Producer Madison Irvine unpack their conversation with ocean cleanup creator Sean “Saltwater Sean” McMullen. From diving Nova Scotia’s rivers, lakes, and coastline for trash to becoming an unlikely online creator, Sean’s story opens up a bigger conversation…
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Matt Lillard: Nerds, Outsiders, and Owning Your Story
Actor, director, gamer, and entrepreneur Matthew Lillard has been a cult favorite for decades—from Scream and Hackers to Scooby-Doo and Five Nights at Freddy’s. But behind the characters is a story of failure, reinvention, and radical authenticity. In this conversation with Mark Brand, Matthew ope…
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Prequel: Matt Lillard
Coming soon! Matt Lillard! Actor, director, gamer, and entrepreneur Matthew Lillard has been a cult favorite for decades, from Scream and Hackers to Scooby-Doo and Five Nights at Freddy’s. But behind the characters is a story of failure, reinvention, and radical authenticity.
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Karen Washington: Food Apartheid and the Fight for Food Justice
In this episode of BETTER, host Mark Brand sits down with legendary farmer, organizer, and food justice leader Karen Washington. Together they unpack why the food system “is not broken, it’s doing exactly what it’s geared to do,” and what it really takes to transform it. Karen traces her journey f…
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Prequel: Food Apartheid and the Fight for Food Justice
In this episode of Better, host Mark Brand reflects on a powerful conversation with farmer, organizer, and food justice leader Karen Washington. Together they unpack why “food deserts” is the wrong language for the right problem, and why Karen insists we call it what it is: food apartheid. Mark a…
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Hope Blooms & Keonte Beals: Barriers into Bridges
In this episode of Better, host Mark Brand interviews with Hope Blooms Manager of Social Business and Innovation, Kolade and artist, author, and community leader Keonte Beals for a powerful conversation about self‑love, healing, and the transformative impact of community. This episode explores how …
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Prequel: Hope Blooms and Keonte Beals
In this episode of Better, host Mark Brand casts ahead to his interview with Hope Blooms Manager of Social Business and Innovation, Kolade and artist, author, and community leader Keonte Beals for a powerful conversation about self‑love, healing, and the transformative impact of community. This epi…
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