Episode #210 of the PricePlow Podcast lands live from the expo floor of the Arnold Sports Festival 2026 in Columbus, Ohio, with three back-to-back conversations that cover 40-plus years of supplement history, a landmark creatine collab, and a glimpse at where the whole category is headed next.

Spencer and Ben sit down first with Evan Centopani, a 20-year Animal athlete and competitive bodybuilder who now runs a financial planning practice in New Jersey. Next up is Easton Drake, just 90 days into his role as Animal’s Athlete Manager after stints at Bodybuilding.com (BBCOM) and Applied Nutrition.

The third conversation brings back Jason Budsock, an OG in Animal’s brand and marketing history who has been on the podcast before. The through-line across all three: the Smarties creatine chew collaboration (Animal’s first-ever licensed flavor collab and the first of its kind in a chewable creatine tablet), the newly signed athlete Billy Love, and how creatine is pulling in audiences far beyond the meathead demographic — including women, the elderly, and yes, even kids.

Subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on your favorite platform and sign up for Animal news alerts on PricePlow before diving in.

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/animal-evan-centopani-210

Video: Animal at Arnold 2026 with Evan Centopani, Easton Drake, and Jason Budsock

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVpezxJhxik

Detailed Show Notes: Animal at Arnold 2026 with Evan Centopani, Easton Drake, and Jason Budsock

• (0:00) – Introductions: Evan’s 20 Years at the Arnold
• (2:45) – Animal as a Legacy Brand
• (5:00) – The Steak, Not the Sizzle
• (7:00) – Brian Boss, Iconic Imagery, and the First Lifestyle Brand
• (14:00) – Financial Planning and the Creator Economy
• (20:45) – Meet Easton Drake: 90 Days at Animal
• (24:00) – Announcing Billy Love as Animal’s Newest Athlete
• (27:45) – Character Over Credentials
• (32:30) – Animal’s Strategic Content Philosophy
• (36:15) – Welcome Back, Jason Budsock
• (37:30) – Animal x Smarties: Two Industry Firsts
• (40:00) – Chews vs. Gummies and the Smarties Flavor Line
• (44:00) – Creatine’s Booming New Demographics

Where to Follow and Learn More

Connect with Evan Centopani, Easton Drake, Jason Budsock, and Animal

Evan Centopani

• Evan Centopani on YouTube – educational content, basement training, kitchen meal breakdowns
• Evan Centopani on Instagram
• Easton Drake on LinkedIn
• Jason Budsock on LinkedIn
• Animal Website
• Instagram: @animalpak
• Animal on PricePlow â sign up for news and price alerts

Resources Mentioned

• The CAGE Turns 20: Animal at the 2025 Arnold
• …

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Most supplement users have owned a shaker bottle, but very few have thought much about what separates a good one from a bad one. Episode #209 of the PricePlow Podcast changes that.

Recorded live at the 2026 Arnold Sports Festival, Ben Kane and Spencer Lynn sit down with Darren Thompson, co-founder of PerfectShaker. This episode pulls back the curtain on one of the supplement industry’s most overlooked categories.

Darren and business partner Mark started PerfectShaker in 2009, and over 15-plus years have built it into a full-service custom shaker brand used by Bucked Up, Redcon1, and hundreds of others. From injection molding in China, Hungary, and the USA to DC and Marvel licensing deals, to laser-etched stainless steel and a forthcoming aluminum shaker built for the RTD era, this conversation goes places most supplement media doesn’t.

The episode also covers trade show drayage, COVID survival, the Action Rod patent, and why a shaker bottle with your name on it psychologically hits differently than one without.

Subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on your favorite platform and sign up for Perfect Shaker news alerts on PricePlow before diving in.

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/darren-thompson-perfectshaker-209

Video: Inside PerfectShaker – Supply Chains, Superheroes, and Custom Shaker Innovation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwsmQW-8cnQ

Detailed Show Notes: Darren Thompson of PerfectShaker at the 2026 Arnold Sports Festival

• (0:00) – Introductions
• (7:15) – The PerfectShaker Origin Story
• (9:00) – Licensing Superheroes: A Six-Figure Bet on DC and Marvel
• (10:45) – The Action Rod and Customer-Led Innovation
• (12:30) – Injection Molding 101: How Shaker Bottles Are Made
• (16:00) – Quality, Durability, and Owning Mistakes
• (17:30) – Printing Methods and Color Science
• (19:30) – Manufacturing Locations: China, the USA, and Hungary
• (22:00) – Sustainability: Ocean Plastic and Material Innovation
• (24:30) – Trade Show Hustle and the Drayage Racket
• (27:00) – COVID, Bucked Up, and Small Business Survival
• (32:45) – Custom Metal Shakers and the PricePlow Partnership
• (35:00) – Laser Etching, Powder Coating, and Water Dipping
• (37:00) – Personalization at Scale
• (39:30) – All-In on Stainless Steel: MOQs, Risk, and Pre-Selling
• (41:00) – Breakthrough Moments and Why the Industry Matters
• (45:30) – Sports and Entertainment Licensing
• (49:00) – The PricePlow Origin Story and Bevlab
• (57:30) – Creating Content and Handling Online Criticism
• (1:01:30) – What’s Next: Aluminum Shakers and the RTD Convergence
• (1:04:15) – The $1.2B Shaker Bottle Market and the RTD Future
• (1:07:30) – Closing Thoughts

Where to Follow and Learn More

Connect with Darren Thompson and PerfectShaker

• LinkedIn: Darren Thompson
• Instagram: @PerfectShaker
• LinkedIn: PerfectShaker
• …

Read more on the PricePlow Blog

What does it take to build one of the supplement industry’s most flavor-forward protein brands from scratch? In Episode #208 of the PricePlow Podcast, Ben headed up to Long Island, New York, for an in-person visit at Musclesport HQ with founder and CEO Jason Mancuso, EVP and CMO Robert Oberholzer, and Kate Christensen, who handles everything from flavor development to logistics to customer service. Together, they trace Jason’s path from getting fired at McDonald’s in 1993 to managing GNC stores at 18 to running his own manufacturing plant, ultimately building a protein brand that has become a retail floor staple.

The conversation digs into how Lean Whey evolved from a side project into the core of Musclesport’s identity, why Jason bet big on dessert-inspired flavors and cereal-style inclusions before anyone else in the industry, and what it really takes to launch a new flavor: 6 months of planning, tight supply-chain relationships, and a small team that does everything in-house. They also cover the brand’s evolution from a strict brick-and-mortar-only model into a balanced omnichannel business — and why the community of ambassadors Kate manages is one of the most underrated growth engines behind the brand.

Subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on your favorite platform and sign up for Musclesport news alerts on PricePlow so you don’t miss what’s coming next.

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/musclesport-jason-mancuso-208

Video: Jason Mancuso and the Musclesport Team on Lean Whey, Flavor Innovation, and Building a Brand

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaovuO8ra6Q

Detailed Show Notes: Jason Mancuso, Kate Christensen, and Robert Oberholzer of Musclesport

• (0:00) – Introductions
• (3:00) – Grinding to Build the Brand
• (7:00) – Kate and Rob Join the Team
• (11:00) – From Distribution Model to Omnichannel Brand
• (19:00) – Rob’s Background and the D2C Push
• (24:00) – Content, Community, and Why the Brand Feels Real
• (30:30) – How Lean Whey Got Cereal Flavors First
• (34:30) – Lean Whey Becomes the Core of the Business
• (38:30) – Protein’s Rise and Retail Strategy
• (41:15) – CreaM’D Rice: Applying the Lean Whey Playbook
• (45:00) – Building the Community Flywheel
• (50:00) – Authenticity, AI, and the Value of Being Imperfect
• (54:30) – Formula Philosophy and Simplification
• (57:00) – Pre-Workout Creativity, Transparency, and Where Things Are Headed
• (1:01:30) – Retail Exclusives, the Flavor Vault, and Coming Launches

Where to Follow and Learn More

Connect with Jason, Kate, and Robert

• Jason Mancuso on LinkedIn
• Robert Oberholzer on LinkedIn
• Kate Christensen on LinkedIn
• Musclesport on Instagram: @musclesportusa
• Musclesport on PricePlow – Sign up for news and launch alerts

Resources Mentioned

• …

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Episode #207 of the PricePlow Podcast brings together Keely Johnson, VP of Sales and Marketing at Arjuna Natural, and Dr. Jessie Cavanaugh of Nutraceuticals Research Institute for a deep dive into cortisol science and ashwagandha research methodology. Jessie, a Harvard Medical School Clinical Scholars Training Program alumna, just completed what she describes as the first botanical study ever to use timestamped cortisol awakening response (CAR) measurements. The subject: Shoden ashwagandha at 60mg, in a three-arm trial with Shoden, Shoden-R, and placebo.

Also joining for her podcast debut is Victoria Johnson, registered nurse and familiar face from the PricePlow Instagram channel, who brings a hands-on clinical angle to the conversation.

The episode covers what separates quality nutraceutical research from noise, why cortisol balance matters far more than cortisol suppression, and where Shoden is headed: into beverages, pre-workouts, and potentially women’s multivitamins. If you caught Keely on Episode #171 covering the Shoden revolution, this is the scientific sequel.

Before diving in, subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on your favorite platform and sign up for Arjuna Natural news alerts on PricePlow so you’ll know the moment the CAR study publishes.

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/cortisol-awakening-response-shoden-207

Video: Shoden Cortisol Awakening Response Research with Jessie Cavanaugh

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEDJdOv4B14

Detailed Show Notes: Keely Johnson, Jessie Cavanaugh, and Victoria Johnson on Cortisol, Stress, and Shoden

• (0:00) – Introductions
• (1:45) – Jessie Cavanaugh’s Background
• (3:00) – What Makes Good Nutraceutical Research
• (5:30) – Recruiting the Right Study Population
• (7:00) – Acute vs. Chronic Stress
• (11:15) – Cortisol: Beyond “The Stress Hormone”
• (13:45) – The Cortisol Awakening Response
• (18:00) – Study Protocol & Lifestyle Controls
• (20:00) – The Three-Arm Shoden Study
• (23:30) – Decentralized Studies & Participant Compliance
• (27:15) – Study Outcomes & the Blunted Cortisol Surge
• (31:00) – Formulating with Shoden: Beyond Calm
• (34:00) – Shoden-R in Functional Beverages
• (37:00) – Cortisol Balance, Testosterone & Consistency
• (40:30) – Sleep Hygiene, Shift Work & Daily Habits
• (44:30) – What’s Next: Menopause Research, Publication & The Book

Where to Follow and Learn More

Connect with the Guests

• LinkedIn: Keely Johnson – VP of Sales and Marketing, Arjuna Natural
• LinkedIn: Jessie Cavanaugh – Founder, Nutraceuticals Research Institute
• Instagram: @primovictoria_rn – Victoria Johnson, RN and PricePlow Instagram team
• Arjuna Natural
• Nutraceuticals Research Institute

PricePlow Resources

• ……

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If you thought Part 1 with Paul Eftang and Matt Harrier was wild — an FDA raid with guns drawn, two years of legal battles, and a crusade against supplement fraud — Part 2 is where it gets genuinely useful. Episode #206 of the PricePlow Podcast picks up right where we left off, this time diving deep into the actual ingredients and products that Nootropics Depot has developed, sourced, and standardized over more than a decade of pharmaceutical-grade R&D.

Recorded at Nootropics Depot’s headquarters in Tempe, Arizona, Paul and Matt walk us through tongkat ali’s redemption arc from “gas station boner pill” to clinically meaningful testosterone support, explain why almost every mushroom supplement on the market is mislabeled, detail a 6-year journey to bring a real Ecklonia cava to market, and reveal how a bacopa extract binds to the same receptor as psilocybin.

Along the way, they cover cistanche, lion’s mane, Tribugen, a prebiotic fiber system, a novel protein concept, and an industry-wide testing fraud landscape that makes their product philosophy make total sense.

Sign up for Nootropics Depot news alerts on PricePlow and subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on your favorite platform before diving in.

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/nootropics-depot-products-206

Video: Paul Eftang and Matt Harrier of Nootropics Depot Break Down the Products

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkZ-GDzEQRo

Detailed Show Notes: Paul Eftang and Matt Harrier of Nootropics Depot on Ingredients, Innovation, and Industry Fraud

• (0:00) – Introductions
• (0:15) – Tongkat Ali: From “Gas Station Boner Pill” to Top Seller
• (7:30) – The TRT Problem: Are Doctors Telling Men They’re Broken?
• (10:30) – EurycoMax: The Optimized Tongkat Ali Stack
• (12:00) – Lance Dreher: A 70-Year-Old Mr. Universe Case Study
• (14:30) – Cell Culture Research at Nootropics Depot
• (17:45) – Lion’s Mane: The Mycelium vs. Fruiting Body Debate
• (23:45) – Building Reference Standards from Scratch
• (26:30) – Erinamax: The World’s First Erinacine A Product
• (28:30) – Nerve Growth Factor and Real Consumer Stories
• (30:45) – Tiger Milk Mushroom and Traditional Wisdom
• (36:30) – Ecklonia Cava: A 6-Year Quest
• (44:00) – Dieckol: The UV Protection Discovery
• (47:00) – Why Most Ecklonia Cava on the Market Is Fake
• (52:00) – Consumer Expectations vs. Long-Term Ingredient Reality
• (55:00) – Cistanche: The Most Underrated Ingredient
• (59:15) – Cognance: Bacopa Reinvented with Ebelin Lactone
• (1:01:30) – Solving Bacopa Anhedonia
• (1:03:00) – The Sabroxy-Cognance-Saffron Stack
• (1:05:00) – Infinifiber and the Akkermansia Ecosystem
• (1:10:15) – The Protein Frontier and Future Ingredients
• (1:16:15) – AI as an R&D Tool
• (1:21:15) – Tribulus, Protodiosein, and the DHT Angle
• (1:22:45) – The Turkesterone Exposé
• (1:29:00) – Amazon Fraud and Industry-Wide Testing Failures
• (1:31:30) – Third-Party Lab Shopping and Dry Labs

Where to Follow and Learn More

Connect with Paul Eftang, Matt Harrier, and Nootropics Depot

• Matt Harrier …

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Tom Reilly, president of VMI Sports, brings a perspective from all over the industry, and he’s got a lot of educational things to say. Two decades spent at GNC, then in natural food distribution at UNFI, and eventually as a purchasing director and director at Lone Star Distribution gave him an unusually complete map of how supplements actually move through the market. VMI grew out of that experience, launched as a house brand for Lone Star in 2012 before Tom took it full time in late 2015, and has been grinding ever since — bootstrapped, profitable, and growing every single year.

In Episode #205 of the PricePlow Podcast, Mike and Ben sit down with Tom to cover the full arc: how VMI got started, what distribution taught him that brand founders usually learn the hard way, the evolution from specialty sports nutrition into grocery chains, the K-XR pre-workout legacy, the PEZ collaboration strategy, and some genuinely exciting teases for what’s coming in 2026, including two canned beverages that are neither energy drinks nor protein sodas.

This is a good one, and Tom’s willingness to mentor others shines through, as we learned a lot in this one – and we guarantee you will too.

Subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on your favorite platform and sign up for VMI Sports news alerts before diving in — you won’t want to miss those can reveals when they drop.

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/tom-reilly-vmi-sports-205

Video: Tom Reilly of VMI Sports on Distribution, Grocery, PEZ, and What’s Next

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIkHJOngDPk

Detailed Show Notes: Tom Reilly and VMI Sports

• (0:00) – Introductions
• (0:30) – Tom’s Background: GNC, UNFI, and Lone Star
• (3:00) – Building VMI from Within Lone Star
• (7:45) – Going Full Time: The 2015 Pivot
• (10:30) – Business Wisdom from Distribution
• (13:00) – Consumer Education and Supply Chain Reality
• (18:00) – Vision Meets Innovation: The VMI Name
• (23:15) – K-XR: Origins and the Miami Vice Flavor
• (25:00) – K-XR: Three Caffeines, Grocery, and the High-Stim Formula That Works
• (30:15) – Winning on the Grocery Shelf
• (33:30) – Packaging Evolution and the PEZ Aesthetic
• (36:00) – More on the PEZ Collaboration
• (41:15) – Pump & Flow: The Sleeper Hit with Hydronox
• (44:00) – Protolyte: Ahead of the Hydration Curve
• (47:30) – Acquisition, Retention, and Brand Philosophy
• (52:00) – Staying Independent: VMI’s Long Game
• (54:30) – Two Canned Beverages Coming in 2026
• (57:30) – K-XR RTD and the Beverage Category Landscape
• (1:01:30) – Distribution Realities of Canned Beverage
• (1:05:00) – Wrap-Up and What’s Next

Where to Follow and Learn More

Connect with Tom Reilly and VMI Sports

• LinkedIn: Thomas Reilly
• LinkedIn: VMI Sports
• Instagram: @tom_vmisports (Tom Reilly)
• Instagram: @vmisports (VMI Sports)
• VMI Sports Website
• VMI Sports on PricePlo…

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What if you could deliver all the benefits of traditional collagen without any animal ingredients?

In Episode #204 of the PricePlow Podcast, we explore VC-H1, a revolutionary vegan collagen alternative derived from organically grown hibiscus. Eric Withee from Freemen Nutra returns to discuss the science behind this innovative ingredient, while Marc Bruggemann, an e-commerce expert specializing in Amazon strategy, reveals the massive untapped market opportunity for plant-based collagen products.

Unlike traditional “vegan collagen boosters” that merely mimic amino acid profiles or throw together kitchen-sink formulas, VC-H1 delivers actual collagen peptides from a botanical source. At just 1.5 grams per serving, this clinically studied ingredient stimulates collagen synthesis through the same pathways as bovine or marine collagen (with price parity, organic certification, and sustainable sourcing from Laos).

With 400,000+ annual searches for “vegan collagen” on Amazon alone and virtually no legitimate products to meet that demand, the timing couldn’t be better for brands to enter this blue ocean market.

Subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on your favorite platform and sign up for our alerts before we dive into this game-changing ingredient.

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/vegan-collagen-freemen-nutra-vc-h1

Video: Vegan Collagen from Hibiscus: VC-H1 with Eric Withee & Marc Bruggemann

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tchb8BYjqpU

Detailed Show Notes: Eric Withee (Freemen Nutra) and Marc Bruggemann Discuss VC-H1 Vegan Collagen

0:00 – Introductions

Ben welcomes returning guest Eric Withee from Freemen Nutra and introduces Marc Bruggemann, an e-commerce expert with deep Amazon marketplace experience. Unlike typical podcast episodes that focus purely on ingredient science, today’s conversation takes a different angle by examining how innovative ingredients actually perform in the marketplace. Marc brings valuable perspective from his career building Amazon channels for supplement brands, including working at NutriBio Labs and Thrasio (the fastest company in US history to reach $10 billion valuation) before specializing in helping top-10 supplement brands dominate Amazon’s competitive landscape.

0:45 – Marc’s E-commerce Background and Amazon Expertise

Marc shares his journey through the dietary supplement e-commerce space, starting with building Amazon channels and eventually working with some of the industry’s largest brands. His experience spans everything from product development to advertising strategy, taking brands from limited distribution to nationwide presence. This unique perspective on both the marketplace dynamics and consumer behavior sets the stage for understanding why certain ingredients succeed or fail on platforms like Amazon. Marc’s track record includes elevating multiple brands into Amazon’s top 10 supplement sellers, giving him invaluable insights into what drives consumer purchasing decisions in the crowded digital marketplace.

1:45 – Introducing VC-H1 Vegan Collagen Alternative

Eric introduces VC-H1, a vegan collagen alternative that immediately captured Marc’s attention during their initial conversation. Unlike traditional collagen supplements derived from animal sources, VC-H1 is composed entirely of peptides…

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What happens when a supplement company built on pharmaceutical-grade testing standards gets raided by federal agents? In Part 1 of our two-part series with Nootropics Depot, founder Paul Eftang and Director of Business Development Matt Harrier take us through their origin story, the harrowing 2021 FDA raid that changed everything, and why regulatory inconsistencies leave consumers more vulnerable than protected.

Paul started on Reddit’s r/Nootropics community, calling out mislabeled supplements that sent people to hospitals. When donations to test products revealed widespread fraud across the industry, he founded Ceretropic (later acquiring Nootropics Depot) to prove quality control was possible. Matt was part of the original Nootropics Depot team, and they united by their shared priority: making sure what’s on the label is actually in the bottle.

But their commitment to transparency and pharmaceutical-grade testing made them a target. In 2021, while Paul was out of the office, armed agents raided their facilities — not for safety violations, but for technical regulatory interpretations around compounds like racetams. The agents complimented their equipment and testing standards even as they seized products. Two years and significant legal costs later, a deferred prosecution agreement required destroying inventory and paying fines, but no criminal charges stuck.

This episode reveals uncomfortable truths about FDA enforcement: selective raids while warning letters go to others, funding through civil asset forfeiture, and regulatory ambiguity that punishes good actors while bad actors continue unchallenged. It’s the backstory that shaped why Nootropics Depot now operates pharmaceutical-grade supplement testing lab that most supplement brands wouldn’t even recognize.

Be sure to subscribe to the PricePlow Podcast on your favorite platform and sign up for Nootropics Depot news alerts before we dive into this revealing conversation.

https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/nootropics-depot-fda-raid-203

Video: The FDA Raid That Changed Everything – Paul Eftang & Matt Harrier of Nootropics Depot

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSZIlbPsT7c

Detailed Show Notes: Inside Nootropics Depot’s Origin, Raid, and Fight for Consumer Protection

• (0:00) – Introductions and Welcome
• (2:15) – The Reddit Origins: When Fake Supplements Sent People to Hospitals
• (7:45) – Matt Joins: From Nootropics Depot’s First Incarnation to the Team
• (13:15) – The Pivot Point: From Synthetic Nootropics to Natural Ingredients
• (20:20) – The Regulatory Gray Zone: Why Racetams Attracted Attention
• (25:30) – 2018: Scaling Back and Hoping for Clarity
• (34:30) – The 2021 Raid: Guns Drawn at a Quality-Focused Facility
• (45:45) – The Investigation: When Good Faith Meets Civil Asset Forfeiture
• (1:01:15) – The Resolution: Deferred Prosecution and Its Costs
• (1:15:30) – Strict Liability: Why Testing Doesn’t Protect You
• (1:28:45) – Civil Asset Forfeiture: The Funding Model That Warps Enforcement
• (1:33:00) – The NMN Situation: Regulatory Ambiguity by Design
• (1:38:25) – Chevron Doctrine and Regulatory Authority
• (1:40:50) – DSHEA and the Third Classification Debate
• (1:44:15) – The Implementation Problem: When Regulations Fail Consumers
• (1:49:15) – The Emotional Toll: Why Paul Can’t …

Read more on the PricePlow Blog