We had the good fortune of connecting with Austin Martz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

What was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I was raised in the 80’s, in a small, Texas town eating boxed, frozen, or fast food. Not because my parents didn’t care about my health, but because they thought processed food was perfectly fine.

This was during the height of “Milk, it does the body good” campaigns, followed by “got milk?” ads featuring celebrities wearing white milk mustaches. Needless to say, I was utterly shocked and offended when the raw vegan at Whole Foods in 2005 told me that milk was for baby cows, not humans (gasp)! He also told me the food pyramid only contained dairy because it was created by the USDA, which was highly funded by the beef industry. I never had a bad reaction to dairy, but so many people I knew, including my dad, had to take lactase pills before consuming a milk product. It got me thinking… (cont. pg 2)

I was working at Whole Foods at that time, surrounded by food activism. This was nearly 20 years ago, prior to the Amazon takeover that changed the culture. Back then, Whole Foods leadership and staff took their food mission very seriously: composting, tracing sourcing, active against exploitation of farm workers, the importance of organic foods, lobbying for Non GMO labels, and much more. Working there was akin to ‘food bootcamp’.

I had been out of prison less than a year, and was desperately looking for community, purpose, and focus. Upon release, I had a small duffle bag of items: letters, select toiletries, a couple of items of clothing, and a gallon-size ziploc bag of medications ranging from antidepressants to sleeping pills to antiviral medications because my brain, body, and immune system was shot.

I was fatigued, depressed, and ate processed foods because they were cheap, convenient, and I hadn’t considered any other course of action for my health. A pizza for dinner and an Egg-McMuffin for breakfast was standard. I remember going to different doctors for anxiety. Their solution? More medications.

No one had ever told me that my health was within my control. No doctor recommended that I change my diet. I was made to believe that my health problems and psychological disorders were not my fault: it was genetics and/or illness, a sad, unfortunate diagnosis due to no fault of my own.

I was almost completely broken when I exited incarceration. Most of my dignity had been stripped away at that point. It was the perfect time for me to hear a new message, because quite frankly, I needed a miracle.

When this same raw vegan (the one who informed me about the dairy conspiracy) looked me in my eyes and told me that if I went vegetarian, my body and health would change, I heard him.

I couldn’t bear to take another medication or use alcohol to numb myself another day. I was overweight and felt lifeless.

Within 30 days of my vegetarian journey, my entire life changed. I noticed that I could think more clearly. For someone on as many medications as I was, thinking more clearly was pivotal. I also noticed my senses heightened. I could see, smell, and hear things more easily. Over the next few months, I lost 30 pounds and got off my entire bag of medication. Every single one.

In hindsight, I believe my weight loss and new found sense of mental clarity was a result of reducing inflammation in  my body, specifically my brain.

Learning about the power of real food gave me a new way of seeing myself and the planet. From that point forward, I knew that food could change the world.

It could heal dis-ease, reverse illness, change people, reverse climate change, and replenish our soils – if food was grown responsibly.

This food knowledge never left me. I later moved to NYC and had to figure out how to feed myself nutritious, organic, plastic-free food without spending $100 every time I crossed the street. I started making meals in jars and throwing them in my oversized purse before hopping on the train to work. I remember my coworkers’ eyes ogling at my layered organic ingredients as I dumped it into a bowl next to their hot processed food they had delivered in styrofoam.

All I could feel was gratitude in those moments because I couldn’t unlearn what I knew: that food touching chemicals and plastic meant food in our bodies. And that meant potentially more dis-ease.

Today, I still take zero medications. When I’m feeling “off”, I usually know it’s because I need a workout, a healthy meal, a supplement, or time in nature. Very rarely do one of these things not cure whatever is going on with me.

Food is by no means a cure for everything, but it’s certainly an effective and empowering place to start. And as I look around, I can see that real nutrient-rich food is not as available as I’d like it to be.

I realize change is not easy. You’ve got a million things going on from work, to kids, to a fast-paced lifestyle to juggle. I had that too in NYC. That’s why I started PTYD. I knew I couldn’t be the only one in the world who thought good food was important. No plastic. No pesticides. Responsibly sourced, packaged, and reused. You shouldn’t have to choose between living your life to the fullest and eating high-quality, nutrient-dense food, ready in less than 5 minutes.

What should our readers know about your work?
I’m grateful to build a company that is actively working to transform the food system, consult other businesses on how to grow their business, and be a keynote speaker, where I tell my story and encourage others to do so as well.

My mission is to inspire others to tell their story through hearing mine, and I firmly believe that story-telling provides transformational evolutions within each person.

I graduated from University of Texas with dual degrees in Mathematics and Linguistics, and in 2020 with my Masters from Harvard University.

In 2016, I founded Prep To Your Door with my partner, Faiez Rana, to strengthen local food systems so that everyone wins: the community, our health, our planet. The company serves Austin and Houston organic, farm-to-table meals in zero-waste packaging. All products are plant-based, gluten and dairy free. I am currently co-leading a team of 30 people and growing.

My proudest accomplishment is winning “FAVE Sustainable Business” in 2019, being named as Forbes Next 1000 up and coming entrepreneurs for 2021, and winning Austin Under 40 for the Culinary Arts category. 

Prep To Your Door also won the prestigious Austin Women’s Way Award for “Business to Watch” in 2021.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Casa De Luz and ATX Food Co

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
To my husband, Faiez Rana, both my partner in life and business and everything in between.

Contact information:

Email: heather@preptoyourdoor.com

Website: www.heatheremerson.com

Instagram: @theheatheremerson 

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.