I’m Lucas Kraft, the co-founder of the digestive health company, Wonderbelly. Wonderbelly is focused on developing clean and effective digestive health medicine while also working to destigmatize conversations around digestive issues and related topics.
The idea for Wonderbelly is rooted in my past experience of struggling with an eating disorder, bulimia nervosa, from the age of fifteen. While I was fortunate to recover in my mid-twenties, I'd already done lifelong damage to my digestive system leaving me to rely on products like over-the-counter antacids on a regular basis. These OTC products were extremely effective but contained many ingredients that are now being removed from food and beauty products, yet I was consuming them daily. This sparked the idea to create Wonderbelly, a clean, sustainable digestive health medicine company that uses the same active ingredient as the effective products I had relied on while taking out and replacing many of the inactive ingredients that aren't necessary. Along with my brother Noah, whose past experience included operating disruptive companies, we put together an amazing team of gastroenterologists and pharmaceutical scientists to create our first product, Wonderbelly Antacid.
Wonderbelly has also started a program called “Spill Your Guts” where we promote people to talk honestly about their digestive system and issues in hopes of opening up real conversations around digestive health disorders, concerns, and causes. Wonderbelly will host medical professionals on social media, open forums for people to share their experiences and journeys to recovery, in-person events to answer real-life questions, post stories from around the country, and help take the shock out of everyday burps, farts, burns and shame that come from everyday life. Join the conversation on @itswonderbelly or find Wonderbelly near you.
Dr. Hecht was Division Director of Gastroenterology and Nutrition at Loyola University Chicago and Chief of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition at University of Illinois–Chicago. She was President of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) from 2009-10, after serving as Chair of the Intestinal Disorders Section. In 2020, she became only the second woman to receive the Julius Friedenwald Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the AGA for an individual’s lifelong contributions to the field of gastroenterology. Her NIH and VA funded research has focused on E. coli and the impact of gut microbiome on intestinal function and health.
Dr. Mayer is a Professor in the Departments of Medicine, Physiology and Psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He is a pioneer of—and leading researcher in—the role of mind-brain-gut interactions in health and chronic disease. He was the recipient of the 2016 Paul D McLean award from the American Psychosomatic Society and the Distinguished Mentor Award from the American Gastroenterological Association. He has been interviewed on NPR and PBS and by national and international media outlets including the Los Angeles Times, Atlantic, Time, Newsweek, and National Geographic. He has published more than 300 scientific papers and co-edited 3 books. His book, The Mind-Gut Connection, was published by HarperCollins in 2016 and has been translated into 14 languages.
Dr. Mandel is an award-winning, practicing Obstetrician Gynecologist who has dedicated his life to the practice of high-quality health care and assuring access to such care. Mandel received his degrees from The Johns Hopkins University and NYU School of Medicine. Dr. Mandel also serves as the President of the City of Los Angeles Health Commission, on the Board of Directors of the National Board of Physicians & Surgeons, current advisor to two sitting Senators, advised the House of Representatives serving on the National Physician’s Council for Health Care Policy and has previously served on “Obama for America Health Policy Advisory Committee” advocating for equal access to health care for women, children, the homeless and underrepresented populations. Most recently he was selected as one of the “Leaders of Influence: Top Los Angeles Doctors” by the Los Angeles Business Journal and previously one of the Top Three Gynecologists in Los Angeles. Dr. Mandel has been recognized for his leadership and public service by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, New York University School of Medicine, and The Johns Hopkins University Distinguished Alumnus Award.