DR. KELLY TEAGLE OFFERS TIPS ON KEEPING YOUR GUT IN CHECK
Kristin O’Connor Dishes on Super Dirt Foods— and Returning Home to Ridgefield
SPOTLIGHTING TWO LOCAL BUSINESSES AND THEIR ALLNATURAL APPROACH TO WELLNESS JANUARY 2025
As we welcome the New Year, Ridgefield’s real estate market continues to thrive with optimism. Buyer interest remains strong, drawing both local and outof-state buyers to Ridgefield’s charming community and exceptional lifestyle. Median and average home prices in Ridgefield stay steady, with some properties experiencing modest gains due to limited inventory. At Karla Murtaugh Homes, we are committed to helping you make the right move. Whether you’re buying or selling, partner with us for a seamless and personalized real estate journey in 2025. #1 Small Team in Connecticut, Real Trends Verified, 2024 From our Home to Yours, Best Wishes for a Wonderful 2025
Want to Track the Market in Real Time?
Karla Murtaugh
LIFESTYLE LETTER
A Letter from the Publisher
For many of us, this time of year is full of excitement. It presents us with a reset, new horizons, and goals to pursue.
But for others, January can be a reminder of failed attempts from years past and the burden of expectation that this year will be different.
We approached this issue of Ridgefield Lifestyle from a mindset of not supplying quick fixes to check boxes in the short term, but instead valuing what is sustainable over the long haul. We wanted to provide inspiration for making lasting, realistic, long-term improvements to your physical, emotional, and mental health.
When it comes to many things in life—business, finance, food, home, personal health—it’s not what you do some days that moves the needle. It’s what you do most days. For better or worse!
For instance, taking a vacation every day would be financially and practically unfeasible, but taking a trip a few times a year is doable. Having a beautiful steak dinner with a few cocktails and crème brûlée every night for dinner may not be the best for your health, but doing so once in a while might be fine!
It’s not the sometimes choices we make, it’s the most of the time choices.
So plan the vacation and work to establish more regular rest in your work week. Join a fitness community or gym and enjoy that dessert you’ve been wanting to try at your favorite local eatery. It’s not what you do some days—it’s what you do most days that will lead to a more peaceful, filling, and fabulous year.
Here’s to you! We’re rooting for you.
BRUCE BERNSTEIN, PUBLISHER
@RIDGEFIELDLIFESTYLEMAGAZINE
January 2025
PUBLISHER
Bruce Bernstein | bruce.bernstein@citylifestyle.com
A Conversation with Gastroenterologist, Dr. Kelly Teagle
Peterson Chiropractic and Wellness
Ridgefield's First Chiropractor Has Evolved into a Family Affair for Whole-Body Health
Super Dirt Foods
Kristin O’Connor’s Surprising Career Path—from Florence, to Los Angeles, and Back Home to Ridgefield
Kristin O’Connor, Founder of Super Dirt Foods, tells us about the winding road which took her from art therapist, to cookbook author, to private celebrity chef—then led her back to Ridgefield, BALLERS in hand! Photography: Mikey Neff
Farm’s Fundraising Gala, the 3rd Annual Farm Fete 1: William Bludgus, Hunter Martin, Jessica Dowling, Abby Abott, Susan Bralower, and Janet Jochem 2: Senator Richard Blumenthal and Katy Schermann 3: Brien and Kim Crotty 4: Lori and John Berisford 5: Michael McGuirk, Amanda Gabbard-McGuirk, Richard Patterson, Wendy Wooters, Everett Taylor, and Stephen Wooters (front)
Ridgebury
Photography by Michael Tomassi
Kindling hope. Strengthening families.
Struggling with the postpartum period not being what you expected? Looking to rekindle the joy, intimacy and communication within your relationship? Quiet Light Counseling compassionately provides therapy services for parents in the postpartum period and couples who are yearning to have a stronger and healthier relationship.
Jennifer Zarine Photography
Jennifer Reidhead is a local mom whose hobby of photographing her children has transformed into a successful career. With nearly a decade of experience, Jennifer Zarine Photography has found a special niche: creating dreamy, playful maternity, newborn, and cake smash images utilizing her client closet of ethereal gowns and props. Jennifer travels for on-site family photoshoots and creates branding images with an editorial vibe at her Ridgefield home studio. Visit jenniferzarinephotography.com to learn more.
Photography by Jennifer Zarine Photography
Intention Factor®
Intention Factor® is a premier well ness studio in Ridgefield, offering 1:1 in-studio, at-home, and online weight training, yoga, mobility, and nutrition services. Enhance your jour ney with Essentials, our app featuring four weekly strength sessions, yoga, mobility, meditations, lifestyle tools, and recipes. Upgrade to Essentials+ personalized macros, interactive meal planning, and grocery lists. With expert guidance and community support, Intention Factor® helps you look, feel, and perform your best—at any age! started at intentionfactor.com.
Breathing Space
Start the year with Breathing Space... Breathing Space is a bespoke pro fessional organizing business owned and operated in Ridgefield by Rogene Pejanovic. Rogene prides herself on designing unique organizing solu tions for residential and commercial clients to achieve their goals in a way that makes the process less stress ful…even fun! If you’ve finally “had it up to here” (literally!), give her a call to discuss your project 914-215-4963 or visit breathingspaceorganizing .com. Together, you’ll find your breathing space.
Photography by Delilah Pappas Photography
Photography by Breathing Space
ARTICLE BY KATIE PARRY | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIMMY IENNER, JR.
REGENERATIVE WORKS
Healing the Body with “Liquid Gold” Your Own Platelet-Rich Plasma
In their sun-drenched office with gleaming white walls, Andy Paulson and his wife, Jessie, co-founders of Regenerative Works, sit down with us to chat about platelet-rich plasma therapy, or PRP. Never heard of it? You’re not alone—but what you don’t know might just change your life.
The concept of PRP traces its origins to 1970s Europe, with hematologists studying platelets and their role in blood-clotting and wound-healing. Gaining popularity in the 1990s, American athletes would travel to Europe for this non-invasive treatment as an alternative to surgery. In 2009, the FDA began regulating PRP, giving Americans with osteoarthritis, muscle injuries, sports-related injuries, and other chronic pain conditions access to this all-natural therapy.
Andy is a nurse practitioner, but he wasn’t always interested in PRP. He and Jessie met at Boston University, where he studied psychology and she, fine art. “I worked in nonprofits and figured out I didn’t want to be a clinical psychologist. But I liked helping people, so I went back to school for nursing,” Andy tells us. Earning his Masters from the University of Pennsylvania, Andy’s first position as a nurse practitioner was in orthopedics. There, he learned how to perform various types of joint and muscle injections.
“We were just injecting steroids—and over time, that’s detrimental to bone health,” Andy tells us. “Steroid injections [aka cortisone shots] can actually lead to worsening of your arthritis,” he says. “They can also lead to necrosis of the bones.”
Andy wanted a better, safer way to help people who were suffering—one that didn’t involve steroids. So he started researching various PRP treatments with Dr. Mark Thinieur, trying to discover the most effective therapy. “We experimented with different systems and realized that if you use high-quality, highly-concentrated PRP, you don’t need anything else,” he explains.
Conditions that can be treated with PRP include meniscus tears, rotator cuff tears, plantar fasciitis, patellar tendonitis, bursitis, and much more. The best part? PRP uses your own body as a tool for healing.
“We aren’t injecting corticosteroids, cortisone, hyaluronic acid, or any other foreign substances that can potentially hurt your cells or damage your bones. We’re putting your own platelets back into your body and giving your immune system a boost,” Andy says.
For such an effective procedure, the entire process is rather simple. First, Andy draws about 15 milliliters of blood. The vials go into a centrifuge, spinning at a rate of 3,500 revolutions per minute. In under ten minutes, the platelets are isolated, leaving 3 to 4 milliliters of “liquid gold”—plasma, the liquid portion of our blood, plus platelets, a type of blood cell that plays an important role in healing. This solution is drawn up into a syringe, then injected into the target area.
“If you have a chronic injury, the body has already done what it can to heal. PRP triggers the immune response again, which sends more white blood cells, platelets, and growth factors.
These work together to heal the damaged tissue, muscle, or bone.”
“When you get injured, first white blood cells flood the area, then platelets, then growth factors,” Andy explains. “If you have a chronic injury, the body has already done what it can to heal. PRP triggers the immune response again, which sends more white blood cells, platelets, and growth factors. These work together to heal the damaged tissue, muscle, or bone,” he says. From start to finish, the procedure takes just over an hour—but can relieve pain for up to two years.
One of Andy’s most rewarding cases, and a big reason why Regenerative Works exists, is Jessie’s father. “My dad was told that if he wanted to continue hiking, he needed surgery for meniscus repair in both knees. Andy did PRP for him, and he’s never had to have surgery. He’s hiked Machu Picchu with my younger sister, Iceland with me, and just traveled with my older sister from Portugal into Spain, hiking 14 miles a day. He is living proof of the benefits of PRP,” Jessie tells us.
PRP is not limited to healing—it can also be preventative. It can slow down, or even stop cartilage damage. “The amount of people we’ve helped that way is immense,” Andy says. “Our goal is to make PRP more accessible to more people.”
Visit regenerativeworksct.com to learn more.
Gut Check
A
CONVERSATION WITH GASTROENTEROLOGIST,
DR. KELLY TEAGLE
We’re sitting down with Dr. Kelly Teagle—Ridgefield resident, mom of three boys, and board-certified gastroenterologist for Nuvance Healthcare—to talk about keeping your gut in check.
DR. TEAGLE, CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT YOURSELF?
I grew up in Hudson Valley, New York, and from a very young age I knew I wanted to be a physician. I enjoyed school and learning. And ultimately, I wanted to have a career focused on helping others.
I completed my Gastroenterology Fellowship at Lenox Hill Hospital. Following my training, I moved to upstate New York to work in an underserved area, which was a very gratifying experience. In 2022, we relocated to Ridgefield to be closer to family. We’ve loved becoming part of this community.
THERE HAS BEEN A RISE IN COLORECTAL CANCER AMONG 30 AND 40 YEAR OLDS. DOES THAT TRACK WITH WHAT YOU’RE SEEING? CAN YOU OFFER ANY INSIGHT AS TO WHY?
Colorectal cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer among women, and the third among men. I have seen an increased amount of patients with either colon cancer or very aggressive pre-cancerous colon polyps. Many of these patients are well under 50 years old.
I wish we knew completely why we’re seeing a rise in colon cancer among this younger population—unfortunately, we don’t. Like many things in medicine, the answer is multi-factorial, and studies show that the risk for colon cancer increases with things we can’t control (like family history), and things we can (like diet and exercise, alcohol use, and tobacco use).
ARTICLE BY KATIE PARRY | PHOTOGRAPHY BY ASHLEY HUTCHINGS
I tell my patients to avoid eating fats, sugar, salt, and processed foods in excess, and to keep active with regular physical activity. Even moderate alcohol use can increase colorectal cancer risk, so cutting back can control a key risk factor. And avoid tobacco—past smokers have an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer, so regular screenings are essential.
WHAT IS THE GUT MICROBIOME? WHAT ARE SOME THINGS PEOPLE CAN DO TO PRIORITIZE IT AND IMPROVE IT?
The gut microbiome is a diverse population of living microorganisms—including bacteria, viruses, and other microbes in our gastrointestinal tract. It plays a critical role in our health, affecting all aspects—eating, digesting, producing essential nutrients, and supporting immune function. A healthier gut microbiome is generally associated with a higher diversity of beneficial bacteria, which contributes to a stable environment that resists pathogen overgrowth and reduces inflammation.
We can support a healthy and diverse gut microbiome by maintaining a diet that is high in fiber, which you can achieve by consuming diverse foods including fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. We should avoid a diet high in red meat. I generally advise my patients to limit intake to 1-2 times per month.
ALRIGHT, THE TIME HAS COME TO TALK ABOUT COLONOSCOPIES. CAN YOU TELL US WHAT TO EXPECT?
I recommend the first time screening colonoscopy at the age of 45 for all average risk patients. Patients may be above average risk if they have a certain family history. The American College of Gastroenterology states that increased risk for colon cancer
CONTINUED >
“A colonoscopy is one of the most effective preventative procedures, and the only test where your gastroenterologist can find precancerous cells and remove them.”
“I tell my patients to avoid eating fats, sugar, salt, and processed foods in excess, and to keep active with regular physical activity. Even moderate alcohol use can increase colorectal cancer risk, so cutting back can control a key risk factor. And avoid tobacco.”
is with one first-degree relative, or two second-degree relatives diagnosed before the age of 60 with either colon cancer or pre-cancerous polyps with high-risk features. So it’s very important to understand your family history.
Ultimately, all patients should listen to their body. If you notice any changes in your bowel habits, abdominal pain, or bleeding, a colonoscopy should be considered.
A colonoscopy is one of the most effective preventative procedures, and the only test where your gastroenterologist can find precancerous cells and remove them. It’s a same-day procedure where patients are sedated. While asleep, a camera is used to thoroughly evaluate the inside of your colon, and possibly a small part of your small intestine. We look for polyps or anything that looks abnormal and needs to be removed or biopsied. On average, the total procedure time is 20 minutes. Many patients tell me it’s the best nap they’ve had in years. It can also be the most important!
Dr. Teagle is part of Nuvance Health and performs colonoscopies at both their Danbury and New Milford locations. Call or visit nuvancehealth.org to schedule your appointment today!
Peterson Chiropractic and Wellness
Daniel David Palmer, an Iowan, performed the first chiropractic adjustment in 1895. His patient was a partially deaf janitor named Harvey Lillard whose vertebra, Palmer noticed, was out of alignment. After Palmer completed the adjustment, Lillard partly regained his hearing—and the world gained a new medical practice: chiropractic care.
Dr. Nickalos Peterson was Ridgefield’s first-ever chiropractor, opening an office on Main Street in 1976. Nickalos had served as a paramedic in Vietnam, for which he earned a Bronze Star. This experience made
him realize he wanted a career in helping people. He decided he’d seen enough gore and shellshock in Vietnam. And because he, too, hailed from Iowa, Nickalos was familiar with Daniel David Palmer. “With the GI bill, I could pick what I wanted to do, and chiropractic sounded interesting,” he tells us.
Nickalos’s wife, Dawn, grew up in nearby Dutchess County, so after earning his degree, the Petersons moved to Ridgefield with their small daughter in tow and another baby on the way. Peterson Chiropractic settled into its present location at 31 Bailey Avenue
RIDGEFIELD'S FIRST CHIROPRACTOR HAS EVOLVED INTO A FAMILY AFFAIR FOR WHOLE-BODY HEALTH
ARTICLE BY KATIE PARRY | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIMMY IENNER, JR.
nearly 45 years ago—and it has always been a family affair. Dawn works as the office manager. Two of her sisters helped out for a time. And the baby, Nicholas (yes, it is indeed spelled differently than his father), grew up visiting the office. Nicholas recently took the helm of the business, telling us he always knew this is what he was going to do. But it’s the newest family member who is by far the star. He also happens to be the fluffiest.
Atlas is a very sweet miniature goldendoodle puppy. “My dog is important, I think he makes people feel more relaxed when they’re receiving treatment. Whether it’s an adjustment, acupuncture, or simply being in a medical office,” Nicholas says. And he’s right, the office’s atmosphere is made immensely lighter by the presence of this adorable little pooch. Think of Atlas as providing services in goldendoodle grounding. He’ll happily snooze beneath the table of a patient, allowing them to stroke his silky fur, easing their mind off of their therapy.
Not only did Nicholas grow up around chiropractic care—he knows its benefits firsthand. “I learned about whiplash from being in a car accident. I got an avulsion fracture on C5,” he casually slips into our conversation. But he’s far from flippant, adding. “If you can give people sound advice from experience, that can change their life.”
Nicholas, who tried to play professional hockey until he was 28, goes on to tell us, “All of these teeth are all fake,” laughing as he points to nearly his entire upper row. “I ruined my body, and my father put me back together.”
Once it became clear that professional hockey wasn’t in the cards, Nicholas doubled down on his studies, earning his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Life University College of Chiropractic in 2007. Soon after, he joined his father’s Ridgefield practice, and the duo’s accumulated expertise is now closing in on 75 years.
Nearly fully retired, Nickalos still helps at the practice as a sounding board for his son, but his procedures are limited to traditional acupuncture—something he began studying in the 1970s at the National College of Chiropractic. “When I first came to Connecticut, well…it was very archaic. To get the needles, we would have to send away to China,” Nickalos tells us. “And then of course, we would use them over and over! We’d clean them with alcohol and steam them,” he reminisces, chuckling in disbelief.
While there are many more chiropractors in town these days, Peterson Chiropractic and Wellness has evolved into something greater than a revolving door
for cracking backs. They’ve embraced a multi-faceted, whole-body approach, applying various techniques to help their patients. Cupping therapy and acupuncture are two effective methods they use to encourage the body to promote natural healing.
“You can’t always get to a muscle with your hand. Muscles on the side of your spine or deep underneath your trap lend themselves to acupuncture because there’s no other way to treat them,” Nicholas explains. “It’s called dry needling, or deep needling. Insurance often pays for it, it’s bloodless, and for the most part, painless.”
Then there is electroacupuncture, where needles are inserted into the patient, electrodes are attached, and an electric current is turned on, stimulating large areas around the needle points. Studies have found this releases stem cells, relieving pain and promoting tissue repair. “It has to be the right candidate with the right condition. I’ve had people say to me, ‘No one has been able to fix my neck,’ and that will fix it,” Nicholas says.
Acupuncture isn’t just limited to pain management. Nicholas also sees patients for help with anxiety, headaches, and even fertility treatments. “I don’t treat diseases, I treat conditions,” he tells us.
Nicholas’s aptitude for being nimble in an ever-changing field means he nixed his father’s X-ray machine room (there are many places one can get an X-ray these days), opting to convert the space into a massage therapy room. Though devoid of standard spa flair (there are no babbling fountains), Jade Lee has extensive training in many massage healing
techniques. “We have a lot of people who come in and want massages for stress management,” Nicholas says.
Active release is another procedure Nicholas is adept in. “We didn’t know why nerves would get stuck in fascia a few decades ago, and we’re still learning things about the body,” he tells us. But something that truly sets Peterson Chiropractic and Wellness apart from other practices in the area is not a technique—it’s a piece of equipment.
“People with sciatica and herniated or bulging discs are often told to get injections of cortisone—which relieves the pain… temporarily. But the spinal decompression table is a very effective machine,” Nicholas tells us. Once the patient is strapped in, the table gets to work, gently stretching their spine, creating negative pressure within the spinal discs. With a recommended round of therapy, this can result in the retraction or repositioning of the disc material—and relief from chronic pain.
Not everyone wants to have their neck cracked, or is willing to endure electricity pumping through their body via needles in the name of pain relief, and Nicholas also has his finger on the pulse of this movement towards “light technique.” He’s currently taking classes in a cranial sacral technique to aid in abetting headaches. “Some people don’t want pain, or anything forceful. This is a gentle way to balance cerebral spinal fluid, which can help with a variety of conditions,” he tells us. “It’s quite difficult, but if it was easy, it wouldn’t be so valuable.” Other gentle procedures include facilitated stretching, therapeutic ultrasound, and myofascial release.
Sports injuries, chronic pain, and other conditions—many due to stress—are all things many people suffer from. “I like to do catch and release, where you fix someone, maybe they come back if they have another problem,” Nicholas tells us. But at this warm, welcoming, and knowledgeable family-affair of a practice, “The ultimate goal is to make people better.”
The best part? Not only do they accept most insurances, you’ll also get some quality time with Atlas. Visit petersonchiropracticandacupuncture. com to get started on your healing journey.
SUPER DIRT Foods
Photo by Mike Altobello
KRISTIN O’CONNOR’S SURPRISING CAREER PATH—FROM FLORENCE, TO LOS ANGELES, AND BACK HOME TO RIDGEFIELD
ARTICLE BY KATIE PARRY PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIKE ALTOBELLO AND OTHERS
Kristin O’Connor was on an overnight flight from Paris to Moscow when frustration-induced inspiration struck. She was on tour with an A-list actor (more on that later), working as his private chef. While she sat behind him on the plane, watching him eat his perfectly portioned, balanced, delicious meal, she lamented the fact that her snack options were chips, nuts, candy, or protein bars with unpronounceable ingredients. O’Connor craved something healthy, something real to feed her body. The seed that would become Super Dirt Foods had been planted.
O’Connor was not always a chef. In fact, she has no formal training in the kitchen. Earning her Masters Degree in Art Therapy, O’Connor began her career at the Renfrew Center in New York City. While she loved helping people, she yearned for something still more fulfilling. So, at 24, O’Connor packed her suitcase and headed to Florence for a month-long painting class. “It was in Italy I realized I was doing myself and the people I worked with a disservice,” she recalls. “I had no passion or purpose when I went to work in the morning.”
Something she was passionate about? Cooking. O’Connor, who moved to Ridgefield when she was 4, and whose parents still live in her childhood home, struggled with health issues in her early 20s. Her mom, Susan, guided her towards a more naturopathic approach. “I was eating gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free. And I’ve loved to cook since I could stand!” she tells us. “So I thought: Other people should know how to cook like this.” Voilà, she had found her why.
Without any connections in the television world, O’Connor pitched an idea to Food Network. “I was obsessed with Food Network,” she says, laughing. “So I hired a videographer and came up with an idea for a show, Cooking for Life. I mailed the tape to a production company, and a couple of months later, a producer called. He said they loved it and asked me to come meet with them,” she says. Together, they developed a demo, which O’Connor then formally pitched to Food Network.
Ultimately, Food Network passed on Cooking for Life because it was at odds with their various sponsors (a moment straight out of Lessons in Chemistry).
“They loved the pitch, but said they couldn’t have a show with all of this healthy food made from scratch, then cut to a commercial for Hidden Valley,” O’Connor dishes. But it wasn’t all bad news.The production company liked O’Connor so much (it’s hard not to like her—she packs a lot of personality into her petite frame, and while she is warm, poised, and gracious, her presence is calmly commanding), they asked her to come on board. She worked there as an Associate Producer and recipe developer for a couple of years in NYC. During this period, Susan became very ill, and O’Connor frequently visited Ridgefield to bring her mom to doctor’s appointments at the office of Dr. Peter D’Adamo.
Dr. D’Adamo is a renowned naturopathic physician whose practice happened to be located in Wilton at the time. “My mom was trying all different things to get better. And he literally saved her life,” O’Connor says. Dr. D’Adamo created the Blood Type Diet, and when he learned of O’Connor’s passion for healthy cooking, he suggested they work together.
“I wrote four cookbooks in nine months and had a massive knee surgery in the middle of it all!” O’Connor says. At the launch party for the cookbooks, her career took another turn. “There was a trainer there, he worked with models and celebrities, and he suggested we collaborate. I didn’t have my sights set on being a private chef,” she tells us. “But I knew I could cook!”
Cook, indeed. But not just for anyone. Remember those A-listers? Prepare yourself. “Leo” ( yes, O’Connor refers to him as Leo) DiCaprio was her first client. “I ended up cooking for him out of a suitcase for the first two weeks because I had broken up with my boyfriend and was traveling around staying at friends’ places!” she recalls.
It was during this Leo Era that O’Connor had an epiphany. “I knew I wanted to put something out into the world that everybody could have. First I thought it was pancake mix, gluten-free, healthy. But I put it on the back burner, because I was so busy,” she tells us.
After cooking for DiCaprio on the set of The Wolf of Wall Street , then in Los Angeles for a year and a half, Bradley Cooper poached O’Connor for American Sniper. “He had to put on 30 pounds of muscle in 3 months for that movie. What I learned from Dr. D’Adamo is how food impacts our body and why,” O’Connor explains. “So I was able to apply that knowledge around what I was doing.”
The following year, O’Connor had another intensive knee surgery, staying with her parents in Ridgefield to recuperate. As during her other post-ops, she occupied her downtime with extended education courses online, including Sustainable Agriculture and Bean to Bar Chocolate Making. Then, in 2016, CONTINUED >
Cooking for Leo on 'The Wolf of Wall Street' set
Photo by Steve Depino
O’Connor dug deep into her experience, passion, and hobbies. That intangible product, which had begun percolating in her DiCaprio days, which had reached an ethereal apex on that flight from Paris to Moscow, was finally taking shape. “I asked my parents to put a folding table in their basement. I sat there with my leg up, did tons of research, ordered all different ingredients, and started developing BALLERS,” she tells us, smiling.
O’Connor’s biggest barrier, as with so many entrepreneurs, was capital. “I was talking to my brother every day, he’s a gastroenterologist, and he’d say, ‘What do you need, what’s preventing you from getting started? Let’s just do it!’” she recalls. So Dr. Ryan O’Connor and his wife, Iwona Lacka, became the first investors in what would become Super Dirt Foods.
Sow Good, a clever play on words, was the company’s first name. “One of my huge focuses with the product is Equal Emphasis on Human and Environmental Health,” O’Connor explains. “If we’re creating more demand on a diversity of crops, that’s much better for soil health. And soil health is the number one thing that can help environmental health overall.” But when her friend pointed out that “sow” is another word for a female pig, that was out. (In addition to being gluten-free and organic, the product is also vegan.)
The company’s second iteration was Seia and Co. Seia is the Roman Goddess who protects the seed once sown. Alas, O’Connor decided Seia was too obscure. “I eventually landed on Super Dirt Foods. Food and health can be such a serious subject, so I thought—let’s have fun with it and be playful,” O’Connor says. “It’s a tasty product, but it has a lot of layers to it also, hence, Super Dirt!”
Super Dirt’s flagship product also has a playful name: BALLERS. Nixing the traditional bar, O’Connor opted for six one-inch balls in a resealable pouch. (Portionable and practical, farewell, crusted-over, half eaten bars!) There are six satisfying flavors to choose from, for now: Figgy Chocolate, Banana Chia, Mocha Maca, Berry Bender, Ginger Zing, and Lemon Greens. BALLERS protein base is composed of quinoa, flaxseed, pumpkin seed, and almonds.
“These are all different sources that feed your gut bacteria in various ways. And that diversity is super healthful for humans. Brain health, emotional health, all of it,” O’Connor explains. “When my brother saw the formula, he said several of the ingredients are prebiotics, which really doubled down our intention of creating a gut-healthy product, using real food ingredients for gut diversity and providing prebiotics.”
Photo by Mike Altobello
First taste of BALLERS from the co-packer Visiting the facility where BALLERS are produced
After years of recipe testing, a global pandemic, working with food scientists, finding a co-packer to make and package the product, more knee surgeries, a Kickstarter campaign, and still grinding away in the grueling role of private chef (“Jennifer Lawrence is my absolute favorite person. She is a fantastic human being!”), Super Dirt BALLERS launched in April, 2024. “It was a scary moment to be that vulnerable, but really cool,” O’Connor tells us. “There are always going to be people who say BALLERS aren’t for them. But we’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response.”
So positive, in fact, that soon after their Kickstarter campaign, O’Connor received a phone call from another television producer—this time for Amazon Prime’s new show, Buy It Now. “It took four months of submitting videos and tons of in-depth interviewing to finally make it on,” O’Connor says. But good things come to those who wait, and she was in the pilot episode which premiered on Prime October 30th, 2024.
“This felt like a make or break moment. It meant everything to represent Super Dirt and BALLERS in a clear way to the audience, judges, and viewers. Hearing the response from Gwyneth Paltrow is still sinking in! It was surreal,” she beams.
After two decades of traveling the globe—and many career pivots—O’Connor recently moved back to Ridgefield and is expecting her first baby this month. “It’s comforting at this stage of my life to come back to the town I grew up in. Ridgefield is a wonderful place, we’re so lucky. The community is so nurturing,” she tells us.
“There are definitely times where people can’t sit down and prepare an amazingly balanced, perfect snack for their kids—or themselves—but they want that.”
O’Connor is also gracious in bestowing her gratitude on the many family members and friends who’ve helped make Super Dirt a reality. “I’m a one woman show here, but I have amazing support that has been so unwavering and so genuine. I have incredible people around me—my brother, parents, friends, my fiancé, Jesse. Without them, it would be really hard to keep going,” O’Connor says.
“Everyone has a busy life and there are definitely times where people can’t sit down and prepare an amazingly balanced, perfect snack for their kids—or themselves—but they want that,” she tells us.
Thanks to O’Connor, having that perfect snack is now just a click away.
SUPER DIRT BALLERS
BALLERS are available for purchase at superdirtfoods.com Become a subscriber and choose your flavors and delivery frequency. Something happened and you need more (or less) BALLERS than usual? Adjust your subscription as needed. Not looking for a serious commitment? You can place a one-time order with options to choose one flavor, a variety pack of all flavors, the “refreshing” flavors, or the “comforting” flavors.
BALLERS are also available for purchase on Amazon and in the Amazon Buy It Now store!
Photo by Mike Altobello
JANUARY 14TH
Taproom Tastings: 19th
Century Health & Wellness
Virtual | 7:00 PM
Join Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center’s Chief Curator Catherine Prescott and Hendrick I. Lott House’s Executive Director Mary Tsaltas-Ottomanelli as they investigate historic food and drink cultures. Their conversational style is an engaging way to learn about how food and drink have been central to building and maintaining community and cultural identity. $10 suggested donation. Register at keelertavernmuseum.org/events
JANUARY 19TH
Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical
Ridgefield Playhouse | 11 AM & 2 PM
This hilarious musical adaptation of Dav Pilkey’s spin-off series, Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical, is written by Kevin Del Aguila and Brad Alexander— the team that brought you Dog Man: The Musical! Recommended for ages 6 to 10 or grades 1st through 5th. There will be two shows: 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Visit ridgefieldplayhouse.org for tickets!
JANUARY 20TH
Martin Luther King
Jr. Celebration
Ridgefield Playhouse | 3:00 PM
Ridgefield will host the 29th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration at the Ridgefield Playhouse. Honoring the legacy of the great Civil Rights leader, there will be an awards ceremony, speakers, and performances. The Spirit of Dr. King Community Service Award will be given to A.C.T. of Connecticut’s Artistic Director Daniel C. Levine. Free to attend!
