<p>Charlotte Cruze went from producing Willard Scott's 100-year-old birthday segment at NBC, to running branded content for luxury men's publishers, to an NYU Master's in Food Studies, all before co-founding Alice Mushrooms, the functional mushroom chocolate brand now sold in Target, Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Erewhon. Named one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies of 2025, Alice has made functional mushrooms feel less "kombucha mother in the basement" and more "cute tin on your nightstand."</p><p>In this episode, Charlotte breaks down the science of functional mushrooms (no, they're not psychedelic, and no, microdosing isn't legal at Erewhon), why dark chocolate is the most bioavailable supplement vehicle on the market, and how she and co-founder Lindsay met over the phone during COVID and spent two years sourcing before they'd put anything in a wrapper. She also gets into the brand's "indulge, don't endure" philosophy, the delusion required to build in an emerging category, and why she takes all five chocolates (Nightcap, Brainstorm, Happy Ending, Party Trick, and Zen X) daily.</p><p>Whether you're building in a category that doesn't exist yet, curious about the mushroom-chocolate-industrial complex, or just looking for something to take the edge off without a glass of wine, this one's for you.</p><p>🎁 A gift from us + Alice Mushrooms: Use code WOMANSPLAIN20 at checkout on <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://alicemushrooms.com">alicemushrooms.com</a> for 20% off your order. Consider it your sign to finally try them.</p><p>Find Alice Mushrooms:🔗 <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://alicemushrooms.com">alicemushrooms.com</a>📲 @alice.mushrooms</p><p>Find Womansplain:📲 @womansplainpod✉️ <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="e-10270-text-link e-10270-overflow-wrap-anywhere encore-internal-color-text-announcement e-10270-text-link--use-focus sc-cRTpUI dklloJ" href="mailto:[email protected]">⁠</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="e-10270-text-link e-10270-overflow-wrap-anywhere encore-internal-color-text-announcement e-10270-text-link--use-focus sc-cRTpUI dklloJ" href="mailto:[email protected]">⁠</a></p><p></p>