Outta The Cage

In this compelling episode of Outta the Cage, host Roy Thompson sits down with Seda and Amanda, founders of Esas, a groundbreaking clean fragrance company that’s disrupting the toxic norm of the industry. From the polished boardrooms of the world’s largest fragrance corporations to humble beginnings blending formulas at home, these two women share how chronic health battles, cultural heritage, and relentless curiosity led them to revolutionize the way we think about fragrance.
They discuss the hidden truths behind the perfume industry, their bold departure from corporate life, and the power of reconnecting with ancestral wisdom. From sourcing ingredients directly from local farms to involving family in production, they break down what it means to create products rooted in integrity.
Links & Products Mentioned in the Episode:
Grab the Regenerative Health Toolkit 
Follow Roy on Social Media
Brand Website: https://esasnyc.com 
Product Highlighted: Hamam – Spa on the Go
Fragrance kit: Esas Assorted Discovery Kit
Book: The Bulletproof Diet by Dave Asprey
Fragrance name mentioned: Sea Salt & Sage
Chapters / Timestamps
00:00 – Intro: Why Outta the Cage exists00:55 – Meet Amanda & Seda of Esas02:00 – Roy’s first impression of Esas products03:00 – The fragrance industry’s dirty little secret05:00 – Amanda’s background in cosmetic chemistry08:00 – Seda’s grandfather, Turkish remedies & inspiration11:00 – Lyme disease & health turning points13:30 – Discovering the Bulletproof Diet & the power of food15:45 – Shifting perspectives and values18:00 – The meaning behind the name Esas20:00 – Turkish baths, hammam rituals, & product naming stories23:00 – Creating spa-on-the-go products for real life26:00 – Building a vertically integrated clean fragrance company30:00 – Parallels with regenerative farming & transparency33:00 – Chaos of corporate life vs freedom of entrepreneurship36:00 – Mental/emotional toll of the old job vs new journey41:00 – The struggle to own your message publicly44:00 – Big fragrance = few players, massive control47:00 – The power of family support in starting a business52:00 – Friendship origin story & business partnership57:00 – Outro & final thoughts
Key Takeaways
Fragrance industry is controlled by only a few companies, with little transparency or consumer awareness.
Clean ingredients matter, even in things you apply to your skin like perfume and deodorant.
Health crises often catalyze life change—both Amanda and Seda left their careers after chronic illness.
Family involvement can be powerful in entrepreneurship, even if they're not experts.
Transparency builds trust—Esas sources from local farms and controls every part of their process.
You don’t need to do things the way they’ve always been done. Challenging norms leads to innovation.

In this episode of Outta the Cage, host Roy Thompson returns to talk about healing the land. He shares how his health journey inspired him to radically change his family’s farming operation. From heavy chemical use to regenerative agriculture, Roy walks through how reconnecting with the soil helped him find passion, purpose, and a more sustainable way forward. Whether you're a consumer or a fellow farmer, this is a call to rethink how we grow, nourish, and steward the land.
LINKS:
Organic Cold Pressed Olive Oil: use code: TRIPLETBRAND at checkout for 20% off zimmsorganics.com/TRIPLETBRAND 
Organic Pop Sports and Energy drinks: use code: TripleT25 for a 25% discount on your first order! drinknooma.com/?ref=tripletbrand  
Gabe Brown – Understanding Ag: https://understandingag.com
NRCS Pollinator Program: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov
Regenified Label: https://regenified.com
Connect with Roy: https://www.instagram.com/triple.t.brand/
TAKEAWAYS:
“All health begins in the soil” isn’t just metaphorical—it’s scientific.
Regenerative agriculture can increase profitability and ecological health.
Transitioning a farm takes time, strategy, and faith.
You don’t have to “sustain” broken systems—you can regenerate them.
Quality food starts with quality soil.
CHAPTERS:
0:00 – Welcome & intro to regenerative agriculture
1:00 – From disillusionment to a new mission in farming
3:00 – Soil health and the human gut: unexpected parallels
5:00 – Discovering Gabe Brown and a new model of farming
8:00 – Why Roy walked away from chemical-heavy practices
11:00 – What “regenerative” really means
13:00 – Economics: Cutting costs while increasing soil health
17:00 – Government support programs that helped the transition
21:00 – Financial struggles, breakthroughs, and new hope
23:00 – The 6 Tenets of Soil Health
26:00 – Life returns to the land—and so does Roy’s passion
KEYWORDS:
regenerative agriculture, soil health, Gabe Brown, NRCS, cover crops, chemical-free farming, carbon sequestration, ecosystem, farming transformation, faith and farming, food quality, ranching

In this episode of Outta the Cage, Roy Thompson takes us deeper into his healing journey—this time focusing on practical lifestyle changes that lead to big changes. From soda to bone broth, and seed oils to healthy fats, Roy walks listeners through the gradual shifts he made in his nutrition and home environment that led to dramatic changes in his health. 
LINKS:
Organic Cold Pressed Olive Oil: use code: TRIPLETBRAND at checkout for 20% off zimmsorganics.com/TRIPLETBRAND 
 
Organic Pop Sports and Energy drinks: use code: TripleT25 for a 25% discount on your first order! drinknooma.com/?ref=tripletbrand  
AquaSana Water Filters: https://www.aquasana.com
Vital Choice Seafood: https://www.vitalchoice.com
US Wellness Meats: https://www.grasslandbeef.com
Connect with Roy: https://www.instagram.com/triple.t.brand/
TAKEAWAYS:
Healing doesn’t happen overnight—it’s a series of small, intentional steps.
“Food is medicine” is more than a slogan—it's a lifestyle.
Start by changing the things you consume the most.
Better water and better fats can lead to massive improvements in how you feel.
Progress over perfection: just keep moving forward.
CHAPTERS:
0:00 – Welcome & gratitude
1:30 – Reflecting on Episode 1 and the spark to start recording
4:00 – From Mountain Dew to throwback soda: the first baby step
6:00 – How switching beverages opened the door to bigger changes
8:00 – Bone broth, kombucha, and gas station health hacks
10:00 – Water matters: filtration systems and why we switched
12:00 – Changing fats and oils: olive oil, ghee, and how to find quality
14:00 – Switching proteins and what pork taught Roy
17:00 – Real food, real healing
KEYWORDS:
functional health | food is medicine | bone broth | Mountain Dew | gut health | kombucha | water filtration | seed oils | nutrition transformation | healing foods | autoimmune healing | real food

In this first episode of Outta the Cage, host Roy Thompson shares his story of going from Dis-Ease to Abundant Life. After getting diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and PSC (Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis) in his early 20s, Roy opens up about the journey that led him to reevaluate everything—starting with what it truly means to live a healthy, abundant life. Through faith, functional health, and time, Roy lays the foundation for his life and this podcast: seeing things differently leads to change.
LINKS:
Organic Cold Pressed Olive Oil: use code: TRIPLETBRAND at checkout for 20% off zimmsorganics.com/TRIPLETBRAND 
Organic Pop Sports and Energy drinks: use code: TripleT25 for a 25% discount on your first order! drinknooma.com/?ref=tripletbrand  
Connect with Roy: https://www.instagram.com/triple.t.brand/
TAKEAWAYS:
Health isn't just about symptoms—it's about root causes and whole-person healing.
Seeing things differently can be the gateway to real freedom.
Roy’s journey began when he stopped accepting a life of disease as his fate.
Functional medicine and mindset both played crucial roles in his recovery.
Support systems, faith, and persistence matter more than we often realize.
CHAPTERS:
0:00 – Welcome to Outta the Cage
1:00 – Meet Roy and his family
3:00 – School, love story, and the first signs of illness
5:30 – Misdiagnosis, confusion, and searching for answers
9:00 – A turning point: Mayo Clinic and the real diagnosis
11:30 – Crohn’s, PSC, and the long road of treatments
16:00 – Realizing the role of food and stress in healing
19:00 – A new way of living begins
KEYWORDS:
Crohn’s disease | PSC | Mayo Clinic | health journey | autoimmune disease | functional medicine | healing | hope | alternative health | inflammation | mindset | faith-based healing