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Karen Pendergrass
Called Paleo in 2009, four years earlyCalled tiny houses in 2010Called microbiome medicine in 2011First recorded FMT for celiac disease, 2012Called Keto in 2013Said Pepsi would put fiber on the can in 2020. It shipped in 2026Called the nickel problem in 2020. The EU began regulating in 2025Called phage therapy for antimicrobial resistanceCalled Paleo in 2009, four years earlyCalled tiny houses in 2010Called microbiome medicine in 2011First recorded FMT for celiac disease, 2012Called Keto in 2013Said Pepsi would put fiber on the can in 2020. It shipped in 2026Called the nickel problem in 2020. The EU began regulating in 2025Called phage therapy for antimicrobial resistance

Start Here

Where to begin.

This site documents how I build standards and frameworks before there is a market for them — and how you can use, fund, or build on that work. If you would rather be right early than agree late, you are in the right place.

What I am working on now

The through-line across everything I do is translating complex systems science into frameworks people can actually use. Right now that work points at the problem most of the industry still treats as a footnote: the heavy metals in what we eat, and the certification standard the food system does not yet have. It is the same pattern as the rest of my career — the standard arrives late, so I build it early.

Four ways in.

Start free. Go deeper when you need to.

Free

Read how I think

Frameworks, case studies, and STOP recommendations as I publish them. Start with the writing, or get it by email below.

Browse the writing →

$1,500 / hr

Advisory

For founders, executives, and product teams who need a specific question answered by someone who has already solved it.

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$75K+

Roundtable

Structured multi-omics sessions that produce prioritized targets, testable therapeutic directions, and a published synthesis.

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Inquiry

Board & advisory roles

Longer-term seats where the work compounds: standards, certification design, and AI-first operations.

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The free rung

New research and frameworks, delivered as I publish them. It is the cheapest way to see whether the way I think is useful to you.

Get new research as I publish it

Frameworks, case studies, and STOP recommendations. No spam.

Or read what I believe →