Building a movement takes organization, inspiration, intuition, luck, and a lot of hard work. Rhiannon Menn is the founder and CEO of Lasagna Love, a grass-roots not-for-profit organization that engages and supports communities across the United States, and which has launched a viral movement during the Covid-19 pandemic. She joins Corinna & Jules to talk about the power of community, leveraging tools like Facebook groups and Zapier, and the importance of asking for help when you need it.
You’ll hear how her volunteer organization leveraged their volunteers and the talents of students from her alma mater, MIT, to build an algorithm that would enable them scale their business and grow. Rhiannon even shares some news, including how using TikTok has helped Lasagna Love gain exposure and raise funds (with no strings attached) from an unlikely source, Kentucky Fried Chicken. As of the recording of this podcast, 215,000 lasagnas have been baked and delivered to people in need across the United States.
00:00 Introduction
04:00 Overcoming helplessness and launching a movement with love and lasagna
12:33 Tim Yewchuck’s The Perfect Week Method
16:55 How to connect with with media
19:05 Getting attention on TikTok
27:10 Rhiannon’s namesake — from Fleetwood Mac to the Salem Witch Trials
Resources Mentioned:
Rhiannon Menn on Care More Be Better, Episode #10: https://caremorebebetter.com/love-lasagna-a-caring-community-with-rhiannon-menn-founder-of-lasagna-love/
Tim Yewchucks The Perfect Week Method: https://timyewchuk.com/home
Zapier automation tool: https://zapier.com
About Rhiannon Menn:
Rhiannon Menn is a mama, chef, and adventurer. She loves decaf coffee, traveling, and super fuzzy sweaters – which she unfortunately can no longer wear since she left New England. After the birth of her second child she had an epiphany: when she took good care of herself, she was much better at taking care of those around her. She founded Good to Mama as a way of changing the narrative about what it means to be a mom. In 2020, prompted by the COVID-related struggles of families in her community and her own feeling of helplessness, she founded Lasagna Love. A platform that connects neighbors for home-cooked meal delivery, Lasagna Love has transformed into a national movement of kindness, impacting thousands of volunteers and recipient families each week.
Rhiannon is a graduate of Berkshire Community College, Brown University, and MIT Sloan, and is a StartingBloc fellow and Siebel Scholar. She has been featured on the Today Show, the Kelly Clarkson Show, in the Washington Post, and on SouthernLiving.com. She lives in Kihei, HI with her husband, three children, and is relentlessly petitioning for a cat. You can find her online at www.begoodtomama.com and www.lasagnalove.org, or on Instagram @begoodtomama.
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