The Value of Mentorship as a Daily Leadership Practice

In an exclusive interview with Nutritional Outlook, Amy Summers, founder and president of Pitch Publicity, discussed leadership, mentorship, and communication strategies within the dietary supplement and functional food industries. Summers emphasized that mentorship does not need to exist as a formalized corporate program to be effective, particularly in fast-moving startup environments where resources and time are limited. Instead, she described mentorship as an ongoing daily leadership practice centered around investing in employees and helping them connect to a company’s broader mission. According to Summers, leaders who neglect team development risk undermining long-term business success because organizational growth depends on employees understanding and embracing the company’s purpose.

The conversation also explored how brands can communicate more effectively with increasingly health-conscious and skeptical consumers. Summers stressed that storytelling plays a critical role in supplement marketing because regulatory restrictions often limit the types of health claims companies can make directly. While scientific substantiation remains essential, she argued that brands must also present relatable human stories that simplify complex science and demonstrate real-world impact. Anecdotal consumer experiences, she noted, can help make technical concepts more accessible and emotionally engaging for mainstream audiences.

Summers additionally highlighted the growing consumer demand for transparency, validation, and authenticity. She explained that consumers now expect brands to “show their work” by providing clear information about sourcing, manufacturing, and scientific validation. The rise of AI-powered search tools and digital information access has accelerated this trend, making it easier for consumers to quickly research ingredients and brands independently. As a result, Summers said companies that fail to establish a strong digital presence risk becoming invisible in the marketplace.

Throughout the interview, she repeatedly emphasized education as a cornerstone of successful nutraceutical communication strategies. Rather than relying solely on direct advertising or sales tactics, she argued that brands must continuously educate consumers in ways that feel trustworthy and human. According to Summers, the most successful companies will be those that prioritize long-term relationships and transparent communication rather than simply marketing products. She also broke down where she sees the biggest opportunities and risks for ingredient and supplement brands trying to maintain authentic connections with their audiences in this age of AI.

A transcript of Summers’ conversation can be found below.

Nicholas Saraceno: Your book Lift emphasizes mentorship as a daily leadership practice rather than a formal program. In your experience, how does that mindset translate to fast-moving industries like dietary supplements and functional foods, where teams are often lean and timelines are tight?

Amy Summers: The idea or the concept that mentorship has to be formalized or set into a program or, I'm sure that that works in some companies where it makes sense, but my experience with me was I didn't have time for that. And so I think that when you're looking at startups, and I've worked with many startups in this industry, you really just don't have time for that.

I wanted to encourage leaders that they could still pour into people and build teams. And, and while they are doing that, they could be building their own business successfully. And actually, what I've discovered now, after 23 years of doing this is that if you don't do it, and if you neglect pouring into people, then your business is not going to do well. It’s not enough for you to have some mission that you're after, and you have to transfer that mission to other people. That’s really difficult to do if you're not pouring into them.