Plant Yourself - Embracing a Plant-based Lifestyle
Plant-based inspiration, guidance, and support for a joyful and vibrant life
How to Prepare for a Journey of Transformation: Jacquelyn Lane and Scott Osman on PYP 580
March 19, 2024 • 54 MIN
Coaching can be a transformative experience in people's lives. Here's how to get the most out of your coach.
The Joy of Cooking as an Earth Citizen: Lois Ellen Frank, PhD on PYP 579
February 20, 2024 • 63 MIN
Until we fix our broken food system and broken web of human relationships, no one can be truly healthy. Today's guest shares an ancient and extremely timely perspective on how we can get there. Plus recipes!
Diversity & Inclusion: Wokeness Run Amok or Simply Good Business?: Sally Helgesen on Plant Yourself
February 9, 2024 • 56 MIN
Are initiatives to diversify the workplace helping or hurting organizations? Does diversity help or undermine excellence?
How to Make Healthy Vegan Bread: Ed and Natasha Tatton on PYP 577
January 24, 2024 • 65 MIN
In a Wonderbread world, what would happen if we returned to the old ways? Today's guests share the joys and meaning of slow, mindful, healthy sourdough baking.
The Sneak Attack that Makes Cravings Irresistible - and How to Resist Anyway: Glenn Livingston, PhD on PYP 576
January 17, 2024 • 74 MIN
Why do cravings return with a vengeance just when we think we've got them beat? And can the answer help us defeat our cravings for good?
Why Rational People Believe Irrational Things: Dan Ariely on PYP 575
January 8, 2024 • 63 MIN
Why do smart, well-educated people fall for insane conspiracy theories? And once caught in their web, can we make them see reason?
Can Economic Theory Help You Have a Good Life? Matthew Nagler on PYP 574
January 3, 2024 • 87 MIN
Understanding fundamental concepts in economics turns out to be darn useful in crafting a fulfilling life. Today's guest explains why and how.
A Journey of Healing and Service: Tracy Garrigan on PYP 573
December 5, 2023 • 87 MIN
A roller coaster ride of medical catastrophe and healing, miracles and despair, led Tracy Garrigan to become a holistic health coach. She's now training coaches to bring hope to those who have been suffering.
Removing Trauma Response with Yes/And Healing: Alun Parry and Yael Zivan on PYP 572
November 21, 2023 • 68 MIN
Neuroscience has recently cracked the code on how the brain updates and heals from trauma, but few therapists or coaches know about the breakthrough. Today's guest is working to change that.
The Anatomy of Life-Changing Conversations: Jon Connelly on PYP 571
November 13, 2023 • 84 MIN
Does trauma healing have to involve painful and lengthy therapy that forces patients to revisit their worst moments? Or, as Jon Connelly claims, can profoundly effective therapy be fun, light, non-threatening - and fast?
Overcoming OCD and Anxiety: Robert James on PYP 570
October 24, 2023 • 68 MIN
What is obsessive-compulsive disorder? What are the symptoms, and what's the lived experience? And how can we overcome it and live a full and satisfying life?
Does Business Have to Be Icky? Mark Silver on PYP 569
October 18, 2023 • 71 MIN
Do you have to become a ruthless predator in order to make money as a business owner? Or can running a small business be an act of healing and love?
Is Your Garden Fertilizer an Animal Graveyard? Erin Riley on PYP 568
October 11, 2023 • 63 MIN
Erin Riley shares why we need to avoid commercial fertilizer - even most "organic" brands - if we aim to nurture an earth- and people- and animal-friendly home garden.
My Coaching Evolution: Glenn Livingston interviews Howie Jacobson: PYP 567
September 13, 2023 • 70 MIN
My coaching has changed a lot over the past 20 years. Here's how I now help clients achieve lasting, effortless, transformational change.
True Privilege is Growing Up in a Low-Trauma Environment: Momma Kai on PYP 566
September 5, 2023 • 73 MIN
Momma Kai returns to the podcast to share her vision for a world without poverty or homelessness.
Kindness as a Strategy for Revolutionary Change: Teju Ravilochan on PYP 565
August 29, 2023 • 67 MIN
Is there real, revolutionary power in kindness and compassion in a "might-makes-right" world? Here's a story that will blow your mind.
Deepening Compassion and Connection with Ourselves: Veronica Monet on PYP 564
August 23, 2023 • 80 MIN
In order to heal our minds and spirits, we must contact - and welcome home - all the exiled parts of ourselves. Veronica Monet shares how IFS can help.
Fitness as a Deeply Embodied Practice: Philip Shepherd on PYP 563
August 17, 2023 • 69 MIN
Can we find belonging, peace, and deep healing in the gym, of all places? Embodiment guide Philip Shepherd shows us how.
Helping the Unhoused - and Homeless - Move From Poverty to Prosperity: Momma Kai Sanders on PYP 562
August 9, 2023 • 57 MIN
How can we end homelessness? Unhoused activist and visionary Momma Kai shares her experiences and solutions.
Introduction to My New Life in Spain
August 2, 2023 • 46 MIN
I've been in Spain for 9 weeks now, and some listeners have requested a "stream of consciousness" episode from my new locale. Today we go on a walking tour of my new town, Sitges, as I discuss what my life has been like and what I'm thinking about over these past 2 months.
Cultivating Grace Under Pressure: John Baldoni on PYP 560
July 26, 2023 • 65 MIN
What is grace, and how can we use it to navigate challenging times with compassion and resilience? And why is it a prerequisite of modern leadership?
The Wise Women of Psychedelia: Rachel Harris, PhD, on PYP 559
July 20, 2023 • 75 MIN
There have been women practicing psychedelic healing in anonymity for decades. What can they teach our modern culture about developing safe, effective, and respectful relationships with these powerful substances?
Fasting vs Long COVID: Roger Talbott on PYP 558
July 13, 2023 • 70 MIN
What's it like to suffer from Long COVID in one's 70s? And can water fasting bring about healing?
Venerating the Earth Through Wild Yoga: Rebecca Wildbear on PYP 557
July 5, 2023 • 63 MIN
Rebecca Wildbear is an outdoor guide, yoga teacher, and author of Wild Yoga: A Practice of Initiation, Veneration & Advocacy for the Earth. She invites us to view yoga as both a personal practice and a form of environmental and social advocacy.
Building a Shame-Free Zone in a Sexually Messed Up World: Veronica Monet on PYP 556
June 7, 2023 • 75 MIN
Veronica Monet grew up in a repressive and abusive cult, developed and recovered from severe addiction, toiled in the corporate world, and worked as a high-end escort for 15 years. She now helps people overcome trauma and heal from shame and advocates for sexual liberation and the rights of sex workers.
Practical Ethics for Our Time: Peter Singer on PYP 555
May 19, 2023 • 54 MIN
Peter Singer pretty much launched the animal rights and animal welfare movements in 1975 with the publication of Animal Liberation. Forty-eight years later, he's got a revised edition coming out: Animal Liberation Now.
Rising Together in the Workplace: Sally Helgesen on PYP 554
May 5, 2023 • 65 MIN
How can we create workplace cultures that include all of us, when there's still so much sexism, racism, and systematic fuckery in organizations?
The Art and Neuroscience of Transformational Change: Dr Tori Olds on PYP 553
April 6, 2023 • 66 MIN
For most of the 20th century, neuroscientists believed that old emotional memories could only be managed, not removed. Until the discovery of Memory Reconsolidation...
The Badass Vegan: John Lewis on PYP 552
March 24, 2023 • 53 MIN
John Lewis takes on the system in his blistering documentary, They're Trying to Kill Us. In his book and social media, he instructs, inspires, and delights.
Great Food, Not Education, Will Change Habits: Danny O'Malley on PYP 551
March 7, 2023 • 60 MIN
Danny O'Malley wants you to eat plant-based protein because it's inexpensive, convenient, and tasty.
The Brave Athlete -- and Screenwriter!: Simon Marshall and Lesley Paterson on PYP 550
March 1, 2023 • 62 MIN
Five years after Lesley and Simon appeared on this podcast to talk about how to set and achieve athletic goals, Lesley just won a BAFTA for screenwriting. So let's listen again to this 2018 conversation for clues about how to live a brave life.
How to Market a Vegan Business the Right Way: Sandra Nomoto on PYP 549
February 15, 2023 • 64 MIN
How can vegans market their businesses to take advantage of affinities in the vegan community, without alienating everyone else? And should they even try? 
Are We Having Fun Yet?: Mike Rucker on PYP 548
February 8, 2023 • 65 MIN
We can get so caught up in duty and obligation and self-improvement that we neglect one of the key elements of a good life: plain old fun.
How to Live Based on Values, Not Impulses: Russ Harris on PYP 547
January 18, 2023 • 59 MIN
Russ Harris, author of the bestselling The Happiness Trap, shares techniques and practices for unhooking from the mind's dictates to live a joyful, authentic, and purpose-driven life.
Preventing Prostate Cancer: Benny Gavi, MD, and Maya Eylon on PYP 546
January 10, 2023 • 68 MIN
Is prostate cancer preventable? What does the latest science say about dietary and lifestyle choices that can actually change the outcome?
How to Engage in "Healthy Conflict": Mark Goulston, MD, on PYP 545
January 2, 2023 • 60 MIN
Mark Goulston, MD, shares how to engage in healthy conflict, control your anger in tough situations, and defuse tension with "surgical empathy" and "radical patience."
Own Your Nervous System: Sukie Baxter on PYP 544
December 19, 2022 • 72 MIN
What are the root causes of physical tension and chronic emotional distress? How can we truly heal our bodies and minds? Today's guest points to the nervous system as the node of highest leverage.
How Palm Oil, Colonialism, and Greed Have Endangered the World: Jocelyn Zuckerman on PYP 543
December 6, 2022 • 78 MIN
In terms of human suffering and environmental destruction, there's little that can compare to the global trade in palm oil. Today's guest takes us a hard yet vital journey of discovery and understanding.
The Sounds of Life: Karen Bakker, PhD on PYP 542
November 29, 2022 • 65 MIN
Humans aren't the only beings that talk to each other. Whales, elephants, bees, corals, unhatched turtles, and even plants and fungi use sound waves to connect and coordinate. Can we begin to understand them, and talk back?
The Inner Work of Age: Connie Zweig, PhD, on PYP 541
November 22, 2022 • 60 MIN
Aging can be a hard ride, as we let go of everything that made us who we are. Or it can be an opportunity for spiritual growth as we drop roles in exchange for connection to our souls.
Design the Long Life You Love: Ayse Birsel on PYP 540
November 15, 2022 • 78 MIN
What makes for a meaningful and joyful long life? Is it just random, or can you proactively design it?
Midterms and Energizing Outcomes: Howie Jacobson on PYP 539
November 8, 2022 • 59 MIN
My walking thoughts on today's midterms, individual and social change, and healing our collective trauma while fighting against fascism.
Having - and Being - a Friend at Work: Morag Barrett on PYP 538
November 2, 2022 • 70 MIN
Do you feel supported and cared for at work? Are you a friend to others? The answers could determine your happiness, and the ultimate fate of your organization.
The Virtues of Settling: Howie Jacobson on PYP 537
October 25, 2022 • 53 MIN
Let's walk in the woods and talk about acorns, sustainable agriculture, cameras, frustration, and the pros and cons of settling.
The Seismic Shift in Leadership: Michelle Johnston, PhD, on PYP 536
October 20, 2022 • 61 MIN
The old "command-and-control" leadership style is proving less and less effective in the era of pandemic, Millennials, and growing appreciation of the value of inclusivity and safety in the workplace. Michelle Johnston tells us what has replaced it, and how you can master the new skills and mindsets.
Nature and the Nervous System: Howie Jacobson on PYP 535
October 11, 2022 • 42 MIN
Take a walk in the woods with Howie and catch up on what he's been reading and thinking about.
The Benefits of Qi Gong: Michael Gelb on PYP 534
September 27, 2022 • 76 MIN
What's a simple, elegant, free, convenient, and scientifically validated practice that combines the benefits of exercise, meditation, and relaxation?
Live Fierce, Stay Bold, Eat Delicious: Be a Plant-Based Woman Warrior with Ann and Jane Esselstyn
September 21, 2022 • 68 MIN
The fiercest, boldest, and most hilarious mother-daughter team in the plant-based world educate and entertain as they talk about their latest cookbook.
Is It OK to be Ordinary?: Dr Ronald Siegel on PYP 532
September 13, 2022 • 70 MIN
Our society tells us to excel; to be special; to reach for the stars. But what's the cost of setting the bar so high? Does it make us happy, or allow us to connect with the people around us? Can we be OK with being ordinary?
The Oldest Cure in the World: Steve Hendricks on PYP 531
September 6, 2022 • 80 MIN
Is fasting a cure-all, a desperate orthorexic cry for help, or a complex and powerful phenomenon that can be a valuable addition to the modern medical toolkit?
Navigating an Addictive World: Anna Lembke, MD on PYP 530
August 30, 2022 • 55 MIN
We are biologically hardwired to seek pleasure and avoid pain. But easy access to intense pleasure turns out to lead to intense suffering long-term. What are we do to?
Die Young - As Late as Possible: Bob and Fran German on PYP 529
August 23, 2022 • 75 MIN
"The worst years of our lives turned out to be the best ones." - Wisdom from healthy and happy octogenarians.
How COVID Has Changed: Michael Rothberg, MD, on PYP 528
August 9, 2022 • 66 MIN
COVID-19 is a very different disease that it was in early 2020. How should our behaviors and policies shift to reflect the new reality?
How to Fix Your Pain for Good: Rick Olderman on PYP 527
August 1, 2022 • 71 MIN
Is it possible to make subtle changes to posture and movement, and completely eliminate long-standing chronic pain?
How to Increase your Power and Value in a Negotiation: Greg Williams on PYP 526
July 26, 2022 • 74 MIN
How can you get what you want out of life if you're too scared to ask for it? A negotiation expert shows to be tough and kind at the same time.
Relentless Solution Focus: Dr Ellen Reed on PYP 525
July 19, 2022 • 70 MIN
Our brains are brilliant at finding problems, and are great at keeping us alive by avoiding them. But this doesn't work when our problems are in our heads. What does? Find out in this conversation.
Saying Yes to the Impulse of Freedom: David Berceli, PhD on PYP 524
July 12, 2022 • 64 MIN
David Berceli turned a couple of overwhelming constraints into a revolutionary way to help people heal from trauma.
Meat without Animals: Paul Shapiro on PYP 523
July 5, 2022 • 77 MIN
Humans will not stop eating and mistreating animals until animal-free meat is as delicious, convenient, and inexpensive as animal products. Today's guest explains how that's going to happen.
Playing the Long Game: Dorie Clark on PYP 522
June 29, 2022 • 63 MIN
"It's really hard to be the best, but it's surprisingly easy to be ONE of the best." Dorie Clark helps us balance commitment and ambition in pursuit of a good life.
How to Unlearn Bad Habits: Ana Gabriel Mann on PYP 521
June 21, 2022 • 84 MIN
Our bad habits can have deep roots, and superficial solutions only cause more distress. How can we pull out dysfunctional behaviors at the roots?
Citizen Science, the Gut, and the Wisdom of Pain: Will Bulsiewicz, MD, on PYP 520
June 14, 2022 • 121 MIN
If you feel bad after eating a particular food, you should stop eating it, right? Not so fast; today's guest explains FODMAPS, histamines, and what the largest microbiome study ever is teaching us about healing our guts.
The Biology of Resilience: Taylor Sittler, MD, on PYP 519
June 8, 2022 • 72 MIN
What's the connection between psychological and biological resilience? What tools do we have to increase our resilience, so we can bounce back faster and stronger to challenges, whether physical or emotional?
From Investment Banking to Vegan Chocolate: Rym Selmi on PYP 518
May 31, 2022 • 61 MIN
Rym Selmi is the founder of Miiro, a company that makes vegan and healthy chocolates and baking ingredients.
Food, School, and Politics
May 25, 2022 • 60 MIN
Maria Solanki is running for school board in Pinellas County, Florida, with a mission to improve the health and performance of students through better nutrition.
Can Marriage be More Than a Lifetime of Compromises? Ana Gabriel Mann & John David Mann on PYP 516
May 16, 2022 • 75 MIN
What's the purpose of marriage? Is it to get happiness for yourself? Give happiness to your partner? Or something bigger and grander that encompasses yet transcends both?
How to Make a Documentary Film: Charlie Morris on PYP 515
May 9, 2022 • 82 MIN
Charlie Morris is a self-taught documentarian who highlights environmental issues to help sway public opinion and affect policy. We talk about how he goes about his work.
The Art of Insubordination: How to Dissent and Defy Effectively with Todd Kashdan on PYP 514
May 2, 2022 • 83 MIN
Are you right in a world where almost everyone else is wrong? If so, do you know how to speak, strategize, and organize to change people's minds? Todd Kashdan has studied what makes some people incredibly effective at significant social change.
The Pissed-Off Entrepreneur: How to Turn Problems into Opportunities: Danny Warshay on PYP 513
April 26, 2022 • 87 MIN
Are you pissed off? Are there problems in the world you'd like to see fixed? Danny Warshay would like to teach you how to turn unsolved problems into opportunities to make a difference.
Don't Over-optimize Your Life: Glenn Murphy on PYP 512
April 19, 2022 • 66 MIN
Self-improvement is fine and good, but there's a danger in over-optimizing our minutes and missing our lives.
Loving and Grieving the Bayou: Josh LaJaunie on Navigating Climate Change on PYP 511
April 15, 2022 • 70 MIN
Josh LaJaunie talks about his disappearing bayou and the personal heartbreak of climate change.
Good Posture, Healthy Back: Leon Turetsky on PYP 510
April 6, 2022 • 60 MIN
Smartphones and computers have wrecked our posture. Today's guest explains the importance of good posture, and shows us how to get it back.
Can Business Heal the World? Michael J Gelb on PYP 509
March 22, 2022 • 89 MIN
How can humanity dig itself out of the giant mess we're in? Do businesses have to balance ethics and financial success? And how can each of us begin to use our unique qualities and abilities in service?
When You Know Better, You Can Choose to Do Better: Sagar Doshi & Zak Hourmouzis on Plant Yourself 508
March 15, 2022 • 66 MIN
Sagar Doshi and Zak Hourmouzis are both a pair of docs and a paradox: Emergency Medicine physicians who run a Lifestyle Medicine clinic.
Six Truths and No Lie: Sid Garza-Hillman on PYP 507
March 8, 2022 • 86 MIN
Set an example. Don't be a snowflake (or a bully). Don't get sucked into social media. Simple advice for challenging times.
Philosophical Ramblings: Glenn Murphy on PYP 506
March 1, 2022 • 53 MIN
Unlike the TV show Seinfeld, which was about nothing, my conversation with Glenn Murphy in December 2021 was about everything. We talked philosophy, practicality, hypotheticals, counterfactuals, and how to live a good life while embedded in uncertainty and ambiguity. I'd love to hear your contributions to this conversation. You can go here to record a message that I may insert into an upcoming episode. Links NCsystema.com
Can We Awaken Through Crisis? Steve Taylor on PYP 505
February 23, 2022 • 66 MIN
Can trauma and tragedy open us up to spiritual awakening? How can we prepare ourselves for the inevitable slings and arrows of life in a way that opens us to compassion and love?
You Can Call It the Master Bedroom, Just Let Me Get a Loan as Easily as a White Person: Keith Knight on PYP 504
February 14, 2022 • 93 MIN
Keith Knight is the creator of the comedy/drama series "Woke," on Hulu, and a creative, hilarious, and kind soul dedicated to making the world a better place. Listen in as my daughter Yael Zivan and I get to know Keith better and hear about his artistic vision and activism.
Negotiating for a Better World: Greg Williams on PYP 503
February 8, 2022 • 66 MIN
Can you be an effective negotiator if you're kind and mild-mannered? Or do you have to bully others to get what you want?
On Mother Teresa, Burnout, and Belonging: Saskia Kremer on PYP 502
February 1, 2022 • 68 MIN
Saskia Kremer burned out after spending 13 years tending the sick, dying, and impoverished as a member of Mother Teresa's order. How did she reinvent herself, and what can she teach us about a meaningful and heartfelt life?
Protecting Ourselves from GMOs: Jeffrey Smith on PYP 501
January 25, 2022 • 73 MIN
Are GMO crops and microbes safe and effective ways of improving agriculture and feeding our crowded planet, or ticking time bombs that threaten our health and the future of life on earth?
How to Make Someone's Day: Howard Prager on PYP 500
January 18, 2022 • 76 MIN
How would you like to have a superpower that can positively change the lives of the people around you? It turns out the ability to make someone's day is almost always available to us. We just need to remember, practice, and cultivate our identity as helpers and delighters.
Psychedelics as Medicine: Lynn Marie Morski on PYP 499
January 11, 2022 • 76 MIN
Many plants and synthetic substances that can profoundly improve our mental and physical health are currently illegal. Lynn Marie Morski is working to change that, by educating healthcare professionals and connecting activists with communities in need of healing.
The Feeling of Being Alive: Robbie Bent on PYP 498
January 4, 2022 • 61 MIN
With effects as profound as meditation and safer than psychedelics, breathwork, cold exposure, and heat exposure can democratize access to heightened and expansive states of consciousness, and better psychological and physical health.
How to Not Suck on Zoom: Alfred Poor on PYP 497
December 28, 2021 • 90 MIN
One reason for Zoom fatigue is the poor quality of other people's audio and video. Today's episode shows you how to become a Zoom pro - to influence others more powerfully and to connect more deeply.
How to Make Your Next Decision: Nika Kabiri on PYP 496
December 21, 2021 • 56 MIN
How happy are you with the outcomes of the decisions you've made? Would you like to get better at decision-making? Today's guest shows you how.
Wearing (and Being) Nature: Jeff Scult on PYP 495
December 14, 2021 • 68 MIN
Fast fashion is a disaster. For the planet, for the oppressed workers, and for the souls of those who are constantly exhorted to throw out their clothes and buy new ones. Today's guest offers an antidote.
The Only Sustainable Form of Wealth: Tyson Yunkaporta on PYP 494
December 6, 2021 • 115 MIN
How shall we live, on a boiling planet and enmeshed in a civilization that knows only how to use up and destroy all it encounters? Can we find meaning and healing in the shelter of each other, to bring to birth a new world from the ashes of the old?
Your Brain is not a Computer or a Muscle: Annie Murphy Paul on PYP 493
November 30, 2021 • 69 MIN
"Where does the mind stop and the rest of the world begin?" asked two philosophers in 1998. Today's guest follows the science to give us an unexpected answer.
Navigating Life with Evidence, Reason, and Compassion: Jamie Woodhouse on PYP 492
November 24, 2021 • 78 MIN
What would it look like to extend compassion to all sentient beings? And can we get there through reason, rather than because a deity or prophet told us so?
How to Talk So People Will Excel: Tom Reid on PYP 491
November 16, 2021 • 74 MIN
Tom Reid and I talk about how to communicate effectively when you need people to act in particular ways, in both personal and professional settings.
Batteries Made from Plants?: Virginia Klausmeier on PYP 490
November 9, 2021 • 65 MIN
Can plant-based batteries combat planetary overheating and help save the world? Today's guest is betting yes.
The Journey of Conscious Living: Bianca and Michael Alexander on Plant Yourself 489
November 2, 2021 • 61 MIN
Can the mass media market handle veganism and conscious living? Bianca and Michael Alexander take their show to the big time.
Healthy Enough and Vegan Enough: Dreena Burton on PYP 487
October 19, 2021 • 74 MIN
Dreena Burton has been churning out amazing vegan cookbooks for 20 years. In this conversation, we explore her career, and what the journey's been like.
Building Multi-Faith Community Through Music: James Pollard Jr. and Harold Messinger on PYP 486
October 12, 2021 • 49 MIN
Can music bridge the gaps that divide communities? Can we sing and play together and rediscover our common humanity and deep caring for one another? Cantor Harold Messinger and James Pollard Jr. have been conducting a music "Faith Gumbo" in Philadelphia for the past 13 years. I hope their bright spirits and loving hearts will inspire you.
Upcycling Food to Stop Climate Change: Caroline Cotto on PYP 485
October 5, 2021 • 32 MIN
What is upcycled food? What is it good for? Why should you care?
Bringing Lifestyle Medicine to Black Women: Aajay Shah and Meryl Fury on PYP 484
September 29, 2021 • 65 MIN
Black women in America suffer more from obesity and chronic disease than any other demographic. In this conversation, we talk about why, and what to do about it.
Change is a Break with the Past: Peter Bregman on PYP 483
September 19, 2021 • 70 MIN
Is it possible to change other people for the better? Or should we just mind our own business, and concentrate on ourselves?
How to Tell Truth from BS: Glenn Murphy on PYP 482
September 14, 2021 • 76 MIN
How do you know if something is true, or exaggerated, or more nuanced, or fake news? How can you get better at telling truth from fiction in a world of snake oil and misguided believers?
The Business of Compassion: Miyoko Schinner on PYP 481
September 7, 2021 • 64 MIN
Miyoko Schinner is founder and CEO of Miyoko's, one of the most successful plant-based dairy alternative ventures of the past decade. We talk about her journey - ups and downs - and lessons learned.
Hurricane Ida - appeal for immediate funds by Josh LaJaunie: PYP 480
September 1, 2021 • 13 MIN
Sick to Fit coauthor Josh LaJaunie and his family are trying to help their friends, neighbors, and community - many of whom have lost everything, and have no access to food and water, fuel, electricity, or transportation.1
Plant Teachers: Ayahuasca, Tobacco, and the Pursuit of Knowledge: Jeremy Narby on PYP 479
August 31, 2021 • 93 MIN
Can science learn anything from Indigenous knowledge about local plants, and animals? Can science acknowledge that debt and offer reciprocity?
Why You Should Care About Sharks: James Sulikowski on PYP 478
August 24, 2021 • 65 MIN
Are sharks vicious, erratic human-eating predators? Are they keystone species crucial for the health of marine ecosystems? Or are they just the subject of annoyingly catchy children's songs?
How to Change (Science-based Edition): Katy Milkman on PYP 477
August 17, 2021 • 64 MIN
How can you change your habits with ease and confidence, and without shame and struggle? Behavioral scientist Katy Milkman has answers.
The Making of "Meat Me Halfway": Brian Kateman on PYP 476
August 10, 2021 • 74 MIN
Is veganism the only way to stop climate change, reduce animal suffering, and improve human health? Or can we get there through just eating less meat?
The Plant-Based Athlete: Matt Frazier, Robert Cheeke, and Josh LaJaunie on PYP 475
August 3, 2021 • 74 MIN
Will a plant-based diet help you become a better athlete? Is it as simple as just eating plants, or is there more to doing it right?
The World Needs You to Love Your Work: Alaina Love on PYP 474
July 28, 2021 • 103 MIN
Alaina Love wants you to find your passion - and then express it through your most important work. But what is passion? How do we identify ours? And how can we create workplaces that validate and support them?
Calories, Love, and Growth: Josh LaJaunie on PYP 473
July 20, 2021 • 79 MIN
Josh LaJaunie and I talk about new science of metabolism, how Josh lost 230 pounds and kept it off, and how to pursue an authentic human existence.
Learning to Listen: A Guide to Ethical Mindfulness: Lani Muelrath on PYP 472
July 13, 2021 • 73 MIN
My dear friend Lani returns to the podcast to talk about her latest book, Mindfulness, published under the Conscious Care Guides imprint.  We had our usual freewheeling conversation, with some tears and lots of laughter.
Exercise Doesn't Burn More Calories and You Should Do It Anyway: Herman Pontzer on PYP 471
July 6, 2021 • 63 MIN
The formula to lose weight is obvious: eat less, move more. Unfortunately, it's wrong. And it's not because "calories don't matter." Discover the new science of metabolism with Herman Pontzer, PhD.
Free Yourself from Conflict: Jen Goldman-Wetzler on PYP 470
June 29, 2021 • 74 MIN
Have you ever found yourself in a "conflict loop," where every conversation just makes it worse? What if you had the ability to break free and find the best possible outcome? Today's guest, Jen Goldman-Wetzler, PhD, shows you how.
Cool Beans and Indoor Agriculture: Tyler Mayoras on PYP 469
June 22, 2021 • 77 MIN
How can we make whole food, plant-based options more convenient for consumers and more sustainable for the planet? Today's guest, Cool Beans CEO Tyler Mayoras, shares how he's investing and leading for a healthier planet.
What are You Really Hungry For?: Tara Kemp on PYP 468
June 16, 2021 • 73 MIN
What's the root cause of eating disorders? What's behind our current obesity crisis? Are we hungry for food? For nutrients? Or for joy and connection?
A World in Which We All Belong: Teju Ravilochan on PYP 467
June 8, 2021 • 86 MIN
Teju Ravilochan is an entrepreneur who sees problems and envisions grand communal solutions. From the Unreasonable Institute (now Uncharted.org), which he founded, to GatherFor.org, a community based mutual aid accelerator borne from the pandemic), he brings people together to solve problems and explore possibilities. 
Healing Ourselves to Heal the Climate: Jack Adam Weber on PYP 466
June 1, 2021 • 83 MIN
Can we fix our broken climate with technological and policy solutions alone? Or do we need to heal deep personal and cultural wounds as well?
Mastering the Chatter in Our Heads: Glenn Murphy on PYP 465
May 25, 2021 • 66 MIN
My favorite mind-body science stress performance guy, Glenn Murphy of Stressproof.net, and I kicked around the concept of mental chatter and how we can perform at our best when the voice in our head is getting in the way.
How is Your Story Showing Up in Your Life?: Michele Olender on PYP 464
May 18, 2021 • 67 MIN
Michele Olender is a health and life coach and founder of Vedge Your Best. She talks about her journey, her coaching, and how all of us can adopt new habits to be happier and healthier.
Getting Fluent in Digital Body Language: Erica Dhawan on PYP 463
May 11, 2021 • 54 MIN
It took a week for them to reply to your email. Your colleague has their camera turned off during a Zoom call. What does it all mean?
Cooking and Eating for a Connected World: Lois Ellen Frank on PYP 462
May 4, 2021 • 65 MIN
What can the world learn about food from the Native American tradition? How can those of us who no longer live on our ancestral land-base reclaim our cuisine, culture, and connection to the whole?
How to Reverse Global Warming: Marco Vangelisti on PYP 461
April 27, 2021 • 72 MIN
According to many climate scientists, it's already too late, and there's nothing we can do to avert global catastrophe. Today's guest has a different view. Marco Vangelisti explains how to reverse global warming through our financial decisions.
Helping Stressed-Out Kids Cope with Life: Shoshana Chaim on PYP 460
April 20, 2021 • 50 MIN
How can we help children deal with stress? Today's guest, Shoshana Chaim, shares the strategies from her new book, "I Am a Peaceful Goldfish."
Addicted to Spontaneous Decision-Making: Glenn Livingston, PhD on PYP 459
April 13, 2021 • 64 MIN
Glenn Livingston talks about the evolution of Never Binge Again, his system to help people conquer emotional eating and gain control over their relationship with food.
How to Be a Contented Vegan: Peggy Brusseau on PYP 458
April 6, 2021 • 28 MIN
Peggy Brusseau has cast a spell of peacefulness, calmness, joy, connection, and well, contentedness in her cookbook The Contented Vegan.
Meat Analogues, High-tech Protein, and Balancing Life, Work, and Art: Nava Atlas on PYP 457
March 30, 2021 • 55 MIN
Nava Atlas and I chew the plant-based fat (and protein) about her new book, Plant Powered Protein. Discover how to cook delicious, healthy meals that include vegan meat analogues.
From Diversity to Belonging: How to Create Workplaces that Work for Everyone: Jennifer McCollum of Linkage, Inc. on PYP 456
March 23, 2021 • 64 MIN
Women and people of color are systematically underrepresented in business. That's a problem for woman and people of color. But, it turns out, it's a problem for businesses as well. In today's episode, we'll learn what work, and what doesn't, in the effort to create an inclusive workplace.
How to Connect with Your Soul and Find Your True Purpose: Bill Plotkin on PYP 455
March 16, 2021 • 70 MIN
Why are humans destroying the planet and making each other miserable? Are we defective? Or have we lost the map to authentic human development?
Can You Change Other People? Howard Jacobson on Chef AJ Live
March 12, 2021 • 66 MIN
It's so painful to see your loved ones suffer unnecessarily. Can you change the people around you, when they're eating poorly and not taking care of their health?
How to Change Other People Without Being an A-hole: Glenn Murphy and Howie Jacobson on PYP 453
March 2, 2021 • 58 MIN
Do ever have the urge to tell other people what they're doing wrong? How can you help other people change without coming across as an a-hole?
Sparking an Anti-Litter Revolution Through Data: Jeff Kirschner on PYP 452
February 23, 2021 • 61 MIN
Litterati is an app and a movement to solve our planet's litter problem through individual empowerment and data-driven policy.
Rediscovering Movement That Brings You Joy: Rafe Kelley on PYP 451
February 16, 2021 • 88 MIN
Why are modern humans so unhappy and unhealthy? Today's guest says it's because we've forgotten how to move like humans.
Getting Fit in the "Church Basement" of a Facebook Group: Dan Carraciolo on Plant Yourself 450
February 9, 2021 • 64 MIN
Dan Carraciolo has engineered a remarkable self-transformation from unhappy, overweight diabetic to ebullient athlete. On today's show, we talk about how he achieved it - and the obstacles he's had to overcome.
The Science and Practice of Forgiveness: Nathaniel Wade, PhD, on PYP 449
February 3, 2021 • 85 MIN
Forgiveness sounds nice, and often feels like the hardest thing in the world. How can we learn to forgive others and ourselves without excusing terrible behavior?
Get Fit Quick: Ed Coyle on PYP 448
January 26, 2021 • 63 MIN
What's the most efficient way to exercise for fitness and health? And what's the most effective? Turns out there's a single answer to both questions: 4-second all-out interval repeats.
Transforming Transportation for a Greener and More Just World
January 19, 2021 • 83 MIN
A conversation with policy wonk, energy geek, community organizer, and visionary strategist Pam Frank on the transformative potential of a clean and efficient transportation system.
Should Vegans Own Guns?: Rabbi Hillel Norry on Plant Yourself 446
January 12, 2021 • 81 MIN
Given the shocking violence we've seen this week, with more predicted around the country, I found myself in a very strange place: feeling like my home and family are under potential threat. I reached out to vegan rabbi firearms instructor Hillel Norry for guidance.
After the First Marriage: Learning and Growing in Relationship: Dr Susan Orenstein on PYP 445
January 5, 2021 • 57 MIN
What can we learned from "failed" relationships that can help us succeed next time? Couples therapist Susan Orenstein talks about her work helping people move on and grow after a first marriage.
Liberation Through Improvisation and Imperfection: Stephen Nachmanovitch on PYP 444
December 29, 2020 • 71 MIN
Can we use the principles and practices of improvisation to make healthy choices? In this episode, improvisation teacher Stephen Nachmanovitch shares what a 639-year-long musical performance can teach us about being present while thinking of the future, and how steering a car can guide us to self-correct our mistakes in real time.
Discover YOUR Optimal Diet and Lifestyle Through Data: Dr Casey Means on PYP 443
December 22, 2020 • 66 MIN
Tired of the nutrition debates? Confused about what YOU should be eating? Dr Casey Means of Levels Health shares the power of closed-loop data to change our lives - and health destinies - for the better.
Plant Care is Self-Care: Yuvika Iyer on PYP 442
December 15, 2020 • 64 MIN
What are the best house plants for healthy indoor air? Which ones are easiest for beginners? What are the benefits to indoor plants? And how can we become more connected, calmer, and happier people through our co-nurturing relationships with these plants?
How to Become Intuitive: Christin Bummer on PYP 441
December 8, 2020 • 62 MIN
Christin Bummer used to lavish care on dogs via her Canine Kingdom business. Now she coaches humans to give similar consideration to themselves.  In our conversation, we explore the fruitful and scary landscape of operating intuitively rather than adhering to preordained rules.
Mind Hacks for Getting Through a Pandemic: Josh LaJaunie on PYP 440
December 1, 2020 • 69 MIN
Josh LaJaunie returns to talk about his strategies for staying sane, strong, and fit during the pandemic. How to resist junk food and junk information, and how to talk to ourselves for the long haul.
The Queen's Gambit, The Hero's Journey, Veganism, and Exercise: Tyson Yunkaporta on PYP 439
November 24, 2020 • 91 MIN
Author, academic, and artist Tyson Yunkaporta offers an Indigenous perspective on some of the core beliefs that have guided my life. Some, like veganism, survive in a different form. Others, like the Hero's Journey, lie in tatters. And some, like exercise, get transformed and deepened.
Healing Cultural Trauma: Tada Hozumi on PYP 438
November 17, 2020 • 92 MIN
Tada Hozumi is a somatics practitioner, and one of the leaders of a movement known as cultural somatics. Basically, cultural somatics explores how our culture influences our bodies - how we move, how we interpret reality through our senses, how we think about the relationship between mind and body. 
Own Your Health with Glenn Merzer and Chef AJ
November 10, 2020 • 65 MIN
Glen Merzer has possibly created a new genre, the comedic plant-based memoir. Join me, Glen, and recipe contributor Chef AJ to talk about their new book, Own Your Health.
Civilization as a Self-Terminating Algorithm: Tyson Yunkaporta on PYP 436
November 2, 2020 • 96 MIN
Tyson Yunkaporta is an Australian Aboriginal artist, philosopher, and researcher who lectures on Indigenous Knowledge at Deakin University in Melbourne. He's also the author of Sand Talk, a book that has influenced my thinking more profoundly than any other. Yunkaporta turns the lens of anthropology around and puts Western civilization under the microscope, showing us how insane and unsustainable the entire project is.
Supporting Spirituality Through Technology: Danielle Roberts on PYP 435
October 27, 2020 • 75 MIN
Danielle Roberts is a visual artist, technologist, and meditator. She's the creator of MeditationLab, whose mission is to support spirituality through technology, and AwarenessLab, which develops tools for awareness from a technological, artistic, and experiential perspective.
Embracing Discomfort When You're Already in Over Your Head: Glenn Murphy on PYP 434
October 20, 2020 • 59 MIN
Glenn Murphy returns to talk about the importance of embracing physical discomfort, even when we're already stressed out mentally and emotionally. He offers some tips about how to do so without burning out, and shares a 10-minute guided visualization exercise to help us get back in touch with our bodies and spirits.
Cancer is a Disease of Identity: Rethinking Evolutionary Biology with Perry Marshall: PYP 433
October 12, 2020 • 56 MIN
Perry Marshall is one of the organizers of Cancer & Evolution Symposium, and a "pantomath" of the highest order. An engineer, marketer, writer, and science enthusiast, he has devoted much of the past 10 years to cracking the evolutionary code. Mainstream Darwinism simply can't answer some of our biggest questions, or account for much of the fossil record, according to Marshall. And given that creationists and intelligent design advocates are the main opponents of this understanding of evolution, scientific consensus has refused to admit other possibilities. As Marshall quips, "Evolutionary biology is the field most resistant to evolution." Marshall argues that natural selection is not the only, or even the main factor, in evolution. Instead, the organism itself exerts its will, and is an agent in its own evolution to further its own goals. And that explains why we have such a poor track record when it comes to treating and preventing cancer. We act like cancer cells are stupid, and only engage in random mutation. But what if cancer is a disease of identity?: the cancerous cell gains immortality by killing off its kill switch (apoptosis), and fails to realize that it's part of a larger organism.
How Our Families and Communities Can Become Healthy at Last: Eric Adams on PYP 432
October 9, 2020 • 37 MIN
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams returns to the podcast to talk about his new book, Healthy at Last. Part family memoir, part political mission statement, part science review, part self-help book, and part cookbook, this is a celebration of the possibilities of health for the American people in general, and the Black community in particular. We talk about the title - from Etta James, and not Martin Luther King, Jr's "I have a dream" speech, as I first assumed - and the fact that, in Adams' words, "slavery never ended," and remains entrenched in the slave foods that are still harming Black people to this day. And we explore some of the policy initiatives BP Adams has launched to bring the practice of plant-based health to Brooklyn, New York City, and the world.
We Think, Therefore We Move: Barbara Tversky on PYP 431
October 6, 2020 • 85 MIN
Today's guest, Barbara Tversky, has spent her professional life questioning the primacy of the mind over the body. Her incredible book, Mind in Motion, argues that our abilities to think and perceive originate in our bodies. And more specifically, in the process of movement and feedback from the environment. Which means that physical activity is far from optional exercise. Moving our bodies in multiple ways, frequently, is the core of who we are as homo sapiens. If you want to grow and evolve, books and philosophies are fine, but challenging your physical body with new situations and challenges is a far more powerful engine of evolution.
Democracy Means a Healthy and Safe Environment for All: Jovita Lee on PYP 430
September 29, 2020 • 88 MIN
Today's guest, Jovita Lee, is co-founder and vice president of Democracy Green, a North Carolina-based non-profit dedicated to environmental justice. The environmental movement has a long and shameful history of privileging certain parts of the environment over others. Specifically, it's focused on preserving spaces enjoyed by the rich, and where the rich live. The result is a nation in which environmental racism condemns poor people and people of color - regardless of income and economic status - to lives cut short by chronic conditions caused and worsened by pollutants and climate instability.
Outlasting Broken and Unjust Systems: Meryl Fury on Plant Yourself 429
September 22, 2020 • 93 MIN
Meryl Fury is a registered nurse and CEO of the Plant-based Nutrition Movement. And she's a fierce advocate for justice and sanity in a world lacking both.
The Younger Skin Diet: Rajani Katta, MD, on PYP 428
September 15, 2020 • 62 MIN
Rajani Katta, MD, is a dermatologist and professor at the Baylor College of Medicine, and the author of Glow: The Dermatologist's Guide to a Whole Foods Younger Skin Diet. On today's podcast, we talk about the evidence connecting diet and lifestyle to radiant, healthy skin.
Tiny Leaps Make Big Changes: Gregg Clunis on PYP 427
September 8, 2020 • 85 MIN
Gregg Clunis learned most of what he knows about persistence, strategy, personal development, and success from watching his immigrant parents struggle to achieve their dreams. Originally from Jamaica, Gregg and his family followed his father, who had been a professor and police officer in their native country, and worked as a migrant farm laborer in their new home. Gregg was attracted to the self-help world, and quickly discovered that the tactics and messages were often at odds with his perspective, and that of his generation in general. 
Creating a Platform for Black Plant-Based Health Experts: Judy Brangman, MD, on PYP 426
September 4, 2020 • 43 MIN
Judy Brangman, MD, aka The Plant-Based MD, visits the podcast to talk about her labor of love, the Reclaim Your Health Summit. The summit is the first one featuring exclusively people of color in the plant-based healthcare space. Eighteen doctors, a dietitian, and a fitness expert all share their wisdom and action plans with Dr Brangman, and with everyone who signs up for this free event.
Steven C Hayes on PYP 425: How to Liberate Our Minds
August 31, 2020 • 102 MIN
Steven C Hayes is the originator of ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or Acceptance and Commitment Training, take your pick), one of the most important psychological approaches of the past 100 years.
Unraveling the Mysteries of Behavior: Mark Faries, PhD, on Plant Yourself 424
August 25, 2020 • 82 MIN
A key role of medical professionals whose job it is to help their patients and clients change, is to frame messages to maximize the odds of desired behaviors. Unfortunately, most medical professionals have been trained to communicate in ways that actually reduce patient self-efficacy by challenging their autonomy and undermining confidence in their competence. On today's podcast you'll discover how to talk so patients will not only listen, but adopt positive new behaviors and maintain them in the face of ongoing temptation. 
What We Know About COVID-19: The Science: Michael Rothberg, MD on PYP 423
August 18, 2020 • 76 MIN
Michael Rothberg, MD, returns to Plant Yourself to share the latest actual scientific understanding of COVID-19. We spoke first in mid-March, when we didn't know much. Fast forward five months, and we now know a lot, but in the US at least, we're ignoring most of the science and suffering for it. I've been as confused as anyone else, daunted by epidemiological models I can't evaluate for accuracy, overwhelmed by social media fights about masks and free speech and hydroxychloroquine and vaccines and government overreach that have riven the plant-based community, and befuddled by competing claims of conferred immunity and how long it might last. So I got Michael on the Zoom and peppered him with my questions.
The Stunning New Science of Breathing: Dr Ryan Robinson on PYP 422
August 11, 2020 • 100 MIN
Ryan Robinson, DDS, is a unicorn in the medical world: a dentist who helps people open up their airways and learn how to breathe properly.
Are Your Mutual Funds Building the World You Want? Marco Vangelisti on PYP 421
August 7, 2020 • 85 MIN
If you're fortunate enough to have savings, you've probably thought about how to invest them responsibly.  The standard answer is to stick your money into no-load mutual funds that track the market and leave it there for as long as possible. Low risk because of the diversification. Low fee because there's no genius managing your money, just an algorithm. And high return because over the long term, it's almost impossible to beat the market. What could possibly be wrong with that?
Preparing for a Healthy Pregnancy with Jeanne Schumacher and Debra Shapiro, MD: PYP 420
August 4, 2020 • 91 MIN
The COVID-19 pandemic is not a great time to be pregnant, according to my guests, Jeanne Schumacher and Debra Shapiro of The Pregnancy Advantage. It is, on the other hand, a terrific time to prepare to get pregnant. How does a woman do that, other than paint the nursery, give up booze, and buy a copy of What to Expect When You're Expecting?
Healing from Racism with Bianca and Michael Alexander: PYP 419
July 28, 2020 • 61 MIN
I reached out to Bianca and Michael because I was turning into an asshole. Specifically, I was full of rage and outrage and judgment at all the racists out there.  And the fact that I was right, and on the side of right, and standing shoulder to shoulder with people of color, and fighting against systemic oppression that has been going on far too long - just made me more of an asshole, to be honest. 
Broccoli alone won’t get you to 100 with Marta Zaraska: PYP 418
July 21, 2020 • 77 MIN
For the last 7 years, I've worked to improve human health and wellbeing by focusing on better nutrition, vigorous physical activity, sleep hygiene, and stress management. Turns out I may have been missing the most important determinants of health - the social ones. Marta Zaraska has written a book that is fun, fascinating, scientifically sound, and socially revolutionary. In Growing Young, she argues that eating well and exercising are all well and good, but spending time with friends, cultivating a positive attitude, and helping others are far more powerful (and enjoyable!) determinants of health.
Empowering Black Health with Lisa A Smith: PYP 417
July 14, 2020 • 75 MIN
Lisa A Smith is a serial entrepreneur who's made it her life's work to empower the Black community with information, skills, and philosophies that support health, peace of mind, and mutual support. 
Empathy is Stronger than Fear with Glenn Murphy: PYP 416
July 7, 2020 • 74 MIN
Glenn Murphy returns to Plant Yourself to talk about how we can self-regulate our emotions and actions during a time of great societal upheaval and division. We talk about our own impulses to "fight" with others, and where there's a messy intertwining of good intentions and unresolved psychological issues. We discuss the physiology of the stress response, particularly as it relates to the shame and guilt that accompanies some of our attempts to right wrongs and redress injustices.
Going from Racist to Anti-racist with Dustin and Josh LaJaunie: PYP 415
June 30, 2020 • 94 MIN
Dustin and Josh LaJaunie have amazing transformation stories. They went from obese to fit. From junk food addicts to plant-based eaters. From hunters to vegans. From sedentary to active.  And, as you'll see and hear, from racist to antiracist.
The Role of Science in Public Discourse and Racial Justice: Dean and Ayesha Sherzai, MDs: PYP 414
June 24, 2020 • 83 MIN
Team Sherzai, aka Dean and Ayesha, join me on the podcast to talk about the role of science and scientists in dealing with all the false statements propagated on social media (as well as, occasionally, traditional media). What the Sherzais value highly about science is the holy grail of falsifiability; the challenge that every theory and finding implicitly makes to other scientists: prove me wrong! They also appreciate the inherent humility that is baked into true science, as well as the imperfect nature of knowledge at any given time.
The Key to Human Resilience with Scott Carney: PYP 413
June 16, 2020 • 76 MIN
Most of my work as a health coach involves helping people respond differently to stimuli. That is, develop the ability to make different choices when confronted with tempting foods, tempting environments, tempting people, and tempting sensations, emotions, and thoughts. Think about it - NOT having that ability basically means you're a robot, a machine. If you can't control your responses, you have no freedom.
How Pollution Affects Chronic Disease with Richard Kwok: PYP 412
June 9, 2020 • 55 MIN
Richard Kwok is an environmental researcher who studies the effects of environmental pollution on human health. He's also my neighbor, and we met while cleaning up litter and quickly discovered a lot of interests in common. While the environment doesn't often change our genetics, it can have huge impact on our epigenetics, or how those genes get expressed in our bodies.
The Practice of Compassionate Self-Care During Times of Crisis with Bojana Jankovic Weatherly, MD: PYP 411
June 3, 2020 • 77 MIN
Dr Bojana Jankovic Weatherly is one of my favorite physicians, double board certified in internal and integrative medicine. She has also trained in functional medicine, nutrition and mindfulness. Dr Jankovic Weatherly is a real stickler for evidence of efficacy, whatever modality she's exploring or recommending. Which makes her a very reliable podcast guest, especially when talking about topics not fully embraced by mainstream medical practice. And, she's a mom struggling to homeschool two children in a New York apartment while working full time from home.
Tidings of Comfort or Joy: PYP 410
May 29, 2020 • 10 MIN
One day my grandfather punched someone in the face over some disagreement. The recipient of the blow, wounded more in pride than body, wobbled to a seat on the curb and began yelling, "Iodine! Police! Iodine! Police!"
Staying off the Trauma Train with Shay Seaborne: PYP 409
May 26, 2020 • 86 MIN
Shay Seaborne is a trauma survivor, educator, and activist dedicated to demystifying trauma and helping people heal from - and with - Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD). In our far-ranging conversation, we covered the origins of trauma, the mistaken societal beliefs that reinforce trauma and get in the way of healing, and ways of empowering trauma survivors to reconnect with their bodies.
How to Succeed at (Small, Heart-Centered) Business with Mark Silver: PYP 408
May 19, 2020 • 85 MIN
Mark Silver helps solo entrepreneurs and micro-businesses thrive through heartfelt business practices. The tagline for his company, Heart of Business, is "Every act of business can be an act of love." I wanted to pick Mark's brain on behalf of the many listeners who are in some kind of career limbo in the age of pandemic - unemployed, underemployed, unsure about the future, sick of being a cog in the capitalist system, tired of relying on yucky tactics to make payroll - and want a way forward that meets their needs and is in service of a More Beautiful World.
Do You Want to Play a Game?: PYP 407
May 14, 2020 • 14 MIN
One of the hot trends in behavior modification is gamification: that is, turning our goals and activities into behavioral chunks in order to win points and, sometimes, prizes. Gamification has its place, but there are a couple of pitfalls to watch out for. How best to gamify, and when not to - these are the subjects of today's podcast.
Why I won’t “wish you luck”: PYP 406
May 13, 2020 • 12 MIN
Often a coaching client will end a session by saying, "Wish me luck" after setting a goal and making a plan to achieve it. In health coaching, this phrase is a huge red flag that the client is going to fail.
The Magic of Fiber with Will Bulsiewicz: PYP 405
May 12, 2020 • 100 MIN
What's the most important dietary rule? Is raw better than cooked food? Why shouldn't I always avoid foods that give me an upset stomach? This conversation with Dr Will Bulsiewicz, author of the just-published Fiber Fueled, will make you rethink everything you know about the link between diet and health.
When There’s Nothing More to be Done: PYP 404
May 11, 2020 • 11 MIN
Sometimes I hear from clients that they've done all they can, and they can't move the needle. They're stuck. They've hit a plateau. And there's simply nothing more to be done. What do we do then? ============================================= Tip Jar: https://plantyourself.com/gift Get Coached: https://plantyourself.com/laser Become a Health Coach: http://wellstartcoach.com
Changing Your Thinking Isn’t Enough: PYP 403
May 7, 2020 • 28 MIN
Say you want to stop eating junk food, or drinking soda, or watching porn, or whatever. Maybe you've read a motivating article or seen a video, or gotten a scary medical result, or just got fed up at your current reality. So you set an intention, and then… you end up doing the same thing again. And again.
How to Eat Less During a Pandemic: PYP 402
May 6, 2020 • 8 MIN
Lots of us are moving less during this stay-at-home time. But we're often eating just as much, or more, or more frequently, or worse. It's easy to say, "Just eat less," but it's not that easy to do. In this short episode, I share three strategies for reducing caloric intake without feeling deprived.
Gardening Our Way Through Calamity with Will Bonsall: PYP 401
May 5, 2020 • 86 MIN
Will Bonsall is a self-described "back-to-the-land hippie homesteader," and author of two extremely important and prescient books: Will Bonsall's Essential Guide to Radical Self-Reliant Gardening, and Through the Eyes of a Stranger, an adventure novel that explores what a sustainable society might look like following what he calls "the calamitous times" of the 21st century.
The Power of Incantations: PYP 400
May 1, 2020 • 11 MIN
In the Jewish tradition, we say "Blessed is the righteous judge" upon hearing of a death. That's pretty much the opposite of how we may feel at that moment. We'd rather lash out at the unfairness of it, rather than praising the deity that ordained the death. So that incantation gives us the space to choose a response, rather than be jerked around by our default reactions.
Exploring Digital Spirituality with Gregory Grieve: PYP 399
April 28, 2020 • 69 MIN
Meditation apps have become a huge market. Headspace, Calm, 10% Happier, Insight Timer, and others promise stress relief, better health, and even spiritual contentment to users. Gregory Price Grieve, professor of religion at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, studies the nexus of spirituality and digital media. He recently published an article titled "Meditation apps might calm you – but miss the point of Buddhist mindfulness."
Liberating Humans and Animals with Michael Schwarz: PYP 398
April 21, 2020 • 68 MIN
Michael Schwarz is the founder of Treeline Cheese, a plant-based cheese company dedicated to ending the suffering caused by the animal-based dairy industry. He's also the child of one of the great heroes of the South African anti-apartheid struggle, Harry Schwarz. In our conversation, we try to connect the dots between political activism and vegan cheesemaking, between standing up for human rights and creating a company to reduce demand for the products of animal abuse.
The Power of Diversity: PYP 397
April 17, 2020 • 15 MIN
One of the factors that weakens any system - a garden, a community, a nation - is lack of diversity. Monocultures provide economies of scale, but also opportunities for scaled disaster. A messy, diverse ecosystem is far healthier and more resilient. Today I talk about how we support diversity in our garden, and why the messiness and inefficiency is more than compensated for in terms of yield and risk management.
Gardening with Nature: PYP 396
April 16, 2020 • 16 MIN
Today I talk about one element of my gardening practice and philosophy: working with, rather than against nature. This includes growing perennials, mulching with wood chips, and refraining from unnecessary tilling.
Investing for an Uncertain Future: PYP 395
April 15, 2020 • 23 MIN
Those of us in one kind or another of "limbo" - life, career, relationship - are all facing the same question: what do we do with our time and energy right now to support our future? When the future is so uncertain, our old "default" answers can feel insufficient. Today I talk about my own "investment philosophy" with regard to time and energy.
Self-Care: PYP 394
April 14, 2020 • 17 MIN
Some of us have had more time for self-care over the past few weeks than we even know what to do with. And we're loving it. How can we take advantage of this time to make ourselves, our families, our communities, and our societies healthier and more compassionate?
Homecoming: PYP 393
April 13, 2020 • 17 MIN
How we got home from South Africa. (Not particularly interesting; just an update for folks who've been listening for the past two weeks and were wondering what happened to us.) Returning tomorrow with a clear and rested head, for all new daily episodes.
Corks in the Stream: PYP 392
April 8, 2020 • 11 MIN
We may be going home tomorrow. There are dozens of unknowns, and we have little to no control over any of them. I'll stay in touch as I can!
Weaving a Web of Generosity: PYP 391
April 7, 2020 • 21 MIN
In tough times, you might expect people to hunker down and hoard what's theirs. We see some of that these days, for sure. But we also see incredible displays of generosity. I personally am benefiting from the generosity of my listeners as I broadcast from lockdown in South Africa. Today I talk about how generosity benefits us as givers and receivers.
Training Montage: PYP 390
April 6, 2020 • 25 MIN
People are comparing their experience of lockdown as an endless repetition of Goundhog Day, the 1993 Bill Murray movie about a man trapped in the same day over and over again. What I recall about that movie was, once Bill Murray's character makes peace with his situation, he uses it to better himself.
Sifting Through Conspiracies: PYP 389
April 5, 2020 • 38 MIN
In a world full of conspiracy theories, how can we know what to believe? We can't. But we can choose to adopt worldviews based on whether they empower us to help ourselves, others, and the world.
Decisions, Decisions: PYP 388
April 4, 2020 • 28 MIN
In these challenging times, we may think we have a lot of decisions to make. And we can agonize over those decisions and feel tremendous regret if they don't work out the way we hoped they would. But it's almost impossible to make rational decisions when the future is so unpredictable. Past experience doesn't provide a road map anymore. Instead of applying more data-power and algorithmic thinking, I'm finding that developing a calm presence allows me to tap into body wisdom. And also that most decisions ultimately end up being made for me, not by me. How are you dealing with decision-making these days? Guided Relaxation Exercises for the Homebound and Stressed Out – pay what you can Tip Jar: PlantYourself.com/gift
The Silver Lining of Constraints: PYP 387
April 3, 2020 • 19 MIN
I'm very very constrained these days. Locked down in a foreign country with luggage for a 3-week vacation, with no light at the end of the tunnel. Crappy internet, little social contact outside my family, and beautiful hikes all around that I can't go on. And those same constraints also are providing opportunities for me to shake up my routines, innovate, and come out of this with a better, more integrated life. How can you benefit from the constraints that are currently imposed on you? Tip jar: http://plantyourself.com/gift Guided Relaxation Exercises for the Homebound and Stressed Out – pay what you can
The Gift of Boredom: PYP 386
April 2, 2020 • 32 MIN
Many of us are bored right now, in lockdown or sheltering in place. We can paper over our boredom with mindless consumption, or we can use it to begin a process of profound healing.
Stress and Resilience in the Time of Pandemic with Glenn Murphy: PYP 385
April 1, 2020 • 67 MIN
Glenn Murphy returns to the podcast in the nick of time, to help understand, manage, and overcome stress reactions and symptoms in this time of fear, lockdown, and uncertainty. He shares an evolutionary perspective on why this pandemic produces stress responses unlike other typical stressors, and offers exercises, solutions, and mindsets to help us get through and build our resilience along the way.
Gratitude: PYP 384
March 31, 2020 • 20 MIN
It's easy for me (and I guess, a lot of us) to focus on the negative these days. I'm reminding myself daily to look for things to be grateful for - and finding them!
What is Essential: PYP 383
March 30, 2020 • 22 MIN
In these strange times, we have an opportunity to remember what is essential, and what is fluff. Who are we really, and how can we carry that realization forward once we attain a new equilibrium?
The Illusion and Reality of Control: PYP 382
March 29, 2020 • 20 MIN
In a world in which we have virtually no control, how do we assert control in a useful way?
Cultivating Emotional Herd Immunity: PYP 381
March 28, 2020 • 11 MIN
Those of us who have survived difficult times - physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual - have a gift for the rest of society: the knowledge that we can handle what seems unmanageable, and grow from what seems diabolical. Let's share those gifts now, to counter all the fear and panic and despair out there.
You and What Army?: PYP 380
March 28, 2020 • 18 MIN
A special Covid-19 Lockdown Edition of the Plant Yourself Podcast. Halfway through I realized I was using the wrong mic. If that's the worst thing that happens today, cool! Now is not the time to indulge in crappy food choices, even though we may be stressed and cooped up and grieving. We have an army inside us - our immune system - that does its best to keep us safe. Now's the time to feed it well. We have an opportunity to find new sources of dopamine, of joy, of connection. What are you doing to get your daily dopamine fix?
Straight Talk on Covid-19 with Michael Rothberg, MD: PYP 379
March 26, 2020 • 57 MIN
Michael B. Rothberg, M.D., M.P.H. is the Vice Chair for Research in the Medicine Institute of the Cleveland Clinic and Director of the Center for Value-Based Care Research. He joined me on Skype to talk about the current state of knowledge about Covid-19, and what we can and should do as individuals and a society to save as many lives as possible.
Plant-Based Cardiology in Practice with Shane Williams, MD: PYP 378
March 23, 2020 • 65 MIN
Shane Williams, MD, has been practicing plant-based (or as I would say, evidence-based) cardiology in Canada for nine years now. With hundreds of patients and lots of experience with what works and what doesn't in terms of advocacy, education, and support, Dr Williams is a valuable resource for plant-based physicians everywhere.
Don and the Perfect Game: PYP 377
March 19, 2020 • 11 MIN
Don Larsen died this month, at the age of 90. He played baseball professionally from 1953 to 1967, and had a less than stellar career. As a pitcher, his lifetime record was 81 wins and 91 losses. He played five of those years with the powerhouse New York Yankees during their dynastic heyday in the 1950s; his record for lesser teams was a dismal 36 wins and 67 losses. And yet he's one of my favorite players of all time.
The Dangers of Toxic Spirituality with Justin Luria: PYP 376
March 16, 2020 • 79 MIN
Justin Luria now lives what he calls a "muggle" life, managing on online bookshop. Before that, he trained as an energy healing and shamanic practitioner, and immersed himself in many of the spiritual practices of the "New Age," and learned from many contemporary spiritual teachers: Byron Katie, Eckhart Tolle, and others. He also actively pursued the goals of the self-help movement as modeled and taught by folks like Tony Robbins and others. And somewhere along the way, he realized that the bulk of self-help and spirituality was little more than our grasping consumer society wrapped in finer threads. Rather than being a cure or counterweight to modern life, mainstream spiritual and self-help culture intensifies our feelings of inadequacy and need, and often takes advantage of the vulnerable state in which that inadequacy leaves us.
How to Accelerate Your Progress by Stepping on DGAS: PYP 375
March 12, 2020 • 10 MIN
If you've adopted a new good habit today, you're probably very excited and motivated. What about tomorrow? Will you be motivated then as well? Fingers crossed...
A Behind-the-Curtain Health Coaching Demonstration with Ian Lawton and Howard Jacobson: PYP 374
March 9, 2020 • 52 MIN
In this episode, I share a personal coaching session that I conducted with Ian Lawton, host of the Workshed Podcast.
Van der Waals Forces to the Rescue: PYP 373
March 6, 2020 • 14 MIN
When I was in 11th grade, I came in 3rd in the New Jersey Science League Chemistry II competition. Which was odd. I wasn't one of the best chemistry students in the state, by far. I wasn't even close to being the best chemistry student in my high school. Hell, I wasn't close to be the best chemistry student in my chemistry class.
Healthy Penis, Healthy Life with Aaron Spitz, MD: PYP 372
March 2, 2020 • 64 MIN
Aaron Spitz, MD, is the director of male reproductive and sexual medicine at Orange County Urology Associates. He's served as president of the California Urological Association, was the lead urology delegate to the American Medical Association, and has been an assistant clinical professor at UC Irvine's Department of Urology for the past decade and a half. Impressive, no doubt. But cinematically compelling? You might not think... In one of the final parts of the documentary filmed before submitting it to Sundance, Dr Spitz performs an experiment with three male college athletes. They eat a meat-filled burrito for dinner one day, and a plant-based version of the same burrito the next. Both nights, the guys are hooked up to devices that measure the size and duration of their erections.
Lost in the Land of the Liars: PYP 371
February 28, 2020 • 19 MIN
There's a logic puzzle, well-known to those of us who never dated in high school, about an island that's inhabited by two tribes - the Liars and the Truthtellers. As you might guess, the Liars always lie, and the Truthtellers always tell the truth. It's impossible to tell them apart by looks.
Becoming a Joyful Vegan with Colleen Patrick Goudreau: PYP 370
February 25, 2020 • 71 MIN
Colleen Patrick Goudreau is author, most recently, of The Joyful Vegan. It's a book about joy, yes, but joy as a strategic imperative in a world that is relentless in trying to undermine our resolve about living compassionate and brave lives. While steadfastness and willpower and outrage can provide bursts of energy for our journey, Goudreau asserts, it's joy that gives us the long-burning, clean fuel that allows us to come from love and compassion and understanding in all our interactions.
Feed the Crying Baby at 3am: PYP 369
February 20, 2020 • 18 MIN
After the third consecutive night of no sleep, I was starting to lose it. Our newborn daughter, who had looked so sweet and angelic in the moments right after her birth (9 on the APGAR - you go, girl!) had morphed into a demonic nighttime presence. She needed less sleep than any human I had ever encountered. And when she did snooze, she did so with hair-trigger sensitivity to the environmental cues to full alertness: an adult cranium touching a pillow, an eyelid closing and not reopening within a tenth of a second.
Solving the Passion Paradox with Brad Stulberg: PYP 368
February 18, 2020 • 75 MIN
Brad Stulberg returns to the podcast to discuss his latest book, The Passion Paradox, co-written with Steve Magness. They wrote the book mostly for themselves, which is how a lot of great self-help books begin. Basically, they had learned a lot of weird and contradictory lessons about passion and how to harness and incorporate it into their lives. On the one hand, we're supposed to "follow our passion." On the other hand, we're supposed to lead a "balanced life." Well, guess what? You can have a passionate life, or a balanced life. So which do you choose?
The "Love at First Sight" Trap: PYP 367
February 14, 2020 • 18 MIN
I'll never forget my daughter's first birthday party. On a chilly February afternoon, a bunch of friends and relatives gathered at our house to share the joy of the event. We had decorations, presents, singing, and of course birthday cake. Everything went well, until the cake.
Becoming Beloved Ancestors with Carolyn Raffensperger: PYP 366
February 11, 2020 • 78 MIN
Carolyn Raffensperger has been advocating for the environment since 1982. She's currently executive director of the Science and Environmental Health Network, and a tireless proponent of the Precautionary Principle when it comes to balancing economic and environmental impacts.
Lessons from Platform Nine and Three Quarters: PYP 365
February 6, 2020 • 14 MIN
When we adopt a new habit, we often experience a honeymoon period. Partly it's our enthusiasm and motivation at the first flush of hope and desire, and partly we've chosen this time to start because it's particularly convenient or easy. But the universe will test our resolve not too long after that. It can feel like slamming into a brick wall at the end of a runway.
The Joy of Movement with Kelly McGonigal: PYP 364
February 3, 2020 • 69 MIN
Kelly McGonigal's latest book, The Joy of Movement, is both a work of science and a love letter to the human body/spirit. I admit, when I ordered it, I thought I knew what I was going to read: a well-researched, engaging tale of how exercise improves our mood and our brain functioning. I was delighted to be surprised by a treasure trove of ideas and philosophies that go far beyond the biochemistry of mood and movement.
Should You Sanitize Your Environment?: PYP 363
January 31, 2020 • 20 MIN
The public health crisis was going to be unprecedented, and catastrophic. As the Americans clumsily extricated themselves from the Vietnam War in the early 1970s, tens of thousands of US troops would be returning home. And by some estimates, 90% of them had become addicted to heroin during their tour of duty.
How Not to Diet with Michael Greger, MD: PYP 362
January 28, 2020 • 44 MIN
Michael Greger's latest book, How Not to Diet, is just stunning. It's a love song to science: its potential, its process, even its limitations. There has never been a more comprehensive, accessible, and evidence-based look at our current knowledge of how to get to and maintain a healthy weight.
This is What Getting Older is Like with Matt Buckner: PYP 361
January 21, 2020 • 79 MIN
Matt Buckner's low point came one day about 9 years ago, when he was 41. He was getting ready for an international business trip, and realized that one of his key medications, tramadol, was going to run out during the trip. The drug, which Matt took for the back pain caused by his morbid obesity, was one of five meds that he consumed every day. The others were for hypertension, high cholesterol, acid reflux, and depression. Matt also suffered from sleep apnea; his wife would force herself to stay awake at night so she could hear when he stopped breathing and wake him up. While waiting on line at the drug store, without an up-to-date prescription since he couldn't get in touch with his doctor on short notice on a Friday afternoon, Matt looked around and saw the other people in line. All of them old and sick. There's where he was headed. Matt took action.
Changing Hearts and Minds Through Laughter with Myq Kaplan: PYP 360
January 14, 2020 • 85 MIN
Myq Kaplan is a stand-up comedian who also happens to be vegan (or is it the other way around?) He's performed on the Tonight Show, Conan, the Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Seth Meyers, the Late Late Show with James Corden, in his own half-hour Comedy Central Presents special, and in his own one-hour special on Netflix and Amazon, Small, Dork, and Handsome.
Democratizing Water with Rich Razgaitis: PYP 359
January 7, 2020 • 83 MIN
Rich "Raz" Razgaitis is on a mission to get water out of plastic, and plastic out of water. As co-founder and CEO of FloWater, which aims to reduce and ultimately end our dependence on single-use plastic water bottles, Raz has become an impassioned advocate for public health and environmental sanity. His message: bottled water is the new cigarette. As in,  it's killing us. Huh? How is that possible?
Reversing the "Diseasification of America" with Jim Loomis, MD: PYP 358
December 31, 2019 • 84 MIN
Jim Loomis, MD is Medical Director of the Barnard Medical Center, and one of the stars of the blockbuster documentary The Game Changers. Dr Loomis' journey to plant-based practice for himself and his patients began with a viewing of Forks Over Knives, at a time when his own health was starting to fail. Once he discovered and benefited personally from Lifestyle Medicine, he began to see that the paradigm of human health he had been taught was seriously flawed. He summed it up this way: "If I'm not sick, then I must be well."
Healing Racism in the Vegan / Plant-based Community with Milton Mills, MD: PYP 357
December 24, 2019 • 91 MIN
In June, 2019, Dr Milton Mills gave testimony before the USDA Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee about their persistent recommendation to include dairy in our diets. Dr Mills short presentation was not what I was expecting to hear. Instead of just repeating the overwhelming body of evidence showing that cow's milk is not a healthy or suitable food for humans,  he put the debate in the context of racism.
Giving Farm Animals a Refuge with Lenore Braford: PYP 356
December 20, 2019 • 88 MIN
Lenore Braford is founder, volunteer interim Executive Director, and volunteer Shelter Manager at the Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge, located in Pittsboro, North Carolina. Which makes her (and the sanctuary) my neighbor!
Combating BS with James "Lightning" Wilks: PYP 355
December 17, 2019 • 77 MIN
James Wilks is a producer, as well as narrator and chief instigator of The Game Changers, already the bestselling documentary of all time on iTunes. He got his nickname "Lightning" during his career as a mixed martial artist (which, as far as I can tell, means that he can kill me in at least a dozen ways using just a box of toothpicks and a birthday candle), the highlight of which was winning season 9 of The Ultimate Fighter in 2009. As good a fighter as he was, the sport had taken its toll on his body. He had enough cracked bones that his doctors told him that continuing to fight would probably lead to paralysis. Following his retirement from MMA in 2012, James spent several years learning how to rehabilitate himself. That's when he discovered that diet can play a significant role in healing and human performance.
Orienting Ourselves to Natural Time with Brian Tourville: PYP 354
December 13, 2019 • 60 MIN
Is time linear, or cyclical? According to analog watches, time goes around in circles. According to calendars and planners and most of Western culture, time moves ever forward. And few of us take seriously the cycles of nature when we contemplate time and how we move through it. Brian Tourville has been thinking about time, and how our disconnection from the rhythms and cycles of the natural world contribute to our alienation from it.
The Science of Breaking Bad Habits with Wendy Wood, PhD: PYP 353
December 10, 2019 • 85 MIN
Wendy Wood, PhD, knows more about the science of habit formation - and habit breaking - than just about anyone. While popular writers share their opinions about habits, Wood does the research. More than 30 years worth, as a research psychologist first at Duke University and now at the University of Southern California. Wood has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers, and the paper trail of her research demonstrates a curious and creative and extremely tenacious approach to uncovering the mysteries of human behavior - particularly those human behaviors that are a mystery to the humans engaging in them.
Healing the Warrior Spirit with Ron Tibbs: PYP 352
December 3, 2019 • 96 MIN
Ron Tibbs is a wellness coach, plant-based advocate, and all-around great guy. He's part of the core team at WellStart Health, where he coaches, guides, and cheerleads clients to make significant positive changes in their lives. Ron is perfectly situated to do this, because he's created his own massive changes in the face of very strong opposing forces.
Can My Relationships Survive My Veganism? with Melanie Joy, PhD: PYP 351
November 26, 2019 • 71 MIN
Melanie Joy, PhD is a social psychologist, vegan activist, political strategist vs all the oppressive "archys" out there, organizational consultant, and relationship coach. She joins the podcast to talk about her book Beyond Beliefs - essentially a merging of the political and relational. How can we advocate for human health, environmental sanity, and ethical treatment of animals without wrecking our relationships with family members, friends, partners, and coworkers?
Getting Healthy and Giving Back with Brittany Sade: PYP 350
November 19, 2019 • 73 MIN
Brittany Sade is a vegan entrepreneur and health coach. Her company, Prosperiteez Clothing, devotes part of its profits to combatting food insecurity in impoverished communities. Brittany wasn't always a paragon of healthy living. Thanks to meat three times a day, along with a serious cheese addiction, she suffered from skin problems, arterial blockages, and overweight. It took the suffering and death of close family members to wake her to the realization that life didn't have to be an inexorable descent into disability and disease and painful premature death.
Thriving on Plants, Kindness, and Connection with Karen Smith, RD: PYP 349
November 12, 2019 • 89 MIN
Karen Smith is a plant-based registered dietitian, runner (sub-3 hours in the Boston Marathon, baby!), and all around good person. At Progressive Health of Delaware, which includes my Ultimate Frisbee buddy and podcast guest and lifestyle medicine superhero Dave Donohue, MD, Karen counsels patients on improving their diets and their health with a combo of skills: her RD training, her knowledge of plant-based nutrition (which she did not learn in school), and coaching techniques from the WellStart Coach Training Academy (hey, that's my school! :))
PlantPure Cooking with Kim Campbell: PYP 348
November 8, 2019 • 3 MIN
Kim Campbell is the culinary force behind PlantPure Nation and PlantPure Foods. She kindly agreed to visit the Plant Yourself test kitchen (which is just the kitchen in my home, cleaned up sufficiently for video) and make some delicious food for me, my wife, and my sister who was visiting from NYC. She also introduced us to nifty kitchen gadgets, one of which I promptly broke. This moment definitely deserves pride of place in the blooper reel of my life. Because this episode was so hands-on and visual, it didn't make sense to release the whole thing as an audio podcast. So today's podcast just introduces the videocast, which you can watch here. https://youtu.be/_6HzzJTeZT4
Healing Asthma with a Plant-Based Diet with Margot Freitag: PYP 347
November 4, 2019 • 76 MIN
Margot Freitag is a coach who helps people transition to a plant-based diet successfully and sustainably. Growing up in Northwest Ontario (cue "Helpless" by Neil Young), she suffered from asthma, and made constant trips to the ER throughout her childhood. As a teen, she became a yoyo dieter, trying every variation she stumbled across in an attempt to lose weight: the apple-only diet, the "don't eat for a week" diet, low carb, etc. One plan she tried allowed her to eat cheese but not carrots, because sugar. (Sigh...)
Mindful and Pain-free Walking and Running with Danny and Katherine Dreyer: PYP 346
October 29, 2019 • 80 MIN
Danny and Katherine Dreyer are the co-authors of three of the most valuable books ever on human bipedal locomotion: Chi Running, Chi Walking, and Chi Marathon. The promise of their methodology is that you can walk or run a lot farther and faster, without pain or injury. I can personally testify to its effectiveness, AND to my own ability to learn something great and totally forget about it for, like, a decade and a half. I met Katherine and Danny at their home in Asheville, where they regaled me (and now you) with tales of ultra-running and pain, and discovering how to apply the principles of Tai Chi to running, and starting a business and movement.
The Magic of Walking to the Mailbox with Elizabeth Bell: PYP 345
October 22, 2019 • 61 MIN
I interviewed Elizabeth Bell in order to record a testimonial for WellStart Health, and ended up having a conversation so compelling and instructive and inspiring that I decided - with Elizabeth's blessing - to share the whole thing. When Elizabeth first joined the WellStart program, she was more or less house-bound. A mysterious malady had taken her balance, her energy, and much of her eyesight. She was in danger of having to go on full disability, give up her professorship in astrophysics, and lose the apartment she had worked so long and hard to afford. Her beloved pastimes - reading and playing cello and piano - were also out of reach due to her dizziness, fatigue, and blurred vision. It's easy to see how Elizabeth could have felt like a victim at that point.
How to Have a Good (and Healthy) Day with Caroline Webb: PYP 344
October 15, 2019 • 80 MIN
Caroline Webb is the author of the wonderfully entertaining and useful How to Have a Good Day, which is basically a cookbook on how to be an effective human in the world. She is an executive coach, economist, and speaker, and the book comes out of her extensive knowledge of behavioral science and its application in the real world. How to Have a Good Day has influenced my own health coaching so much, I wanted to talk with Caroline specifically about applying her tools and "recipes" to the challenges around improving diet and lifestyle.
Documenting the Possibilities of Health with Carly Asse: PYP 343
October 8, 2019 • 73 MIN
Juan-Carlos "Carly" Asse is a fitness trainer and documentarian. His first film, Unsupersize Me, has been viewed over 3 million times, and has inspired and guided countless people to embark on their own journeys of healthy weight loss. Carly was a guest on one of the earliest Plant Yourself Podcasts. We talked about his prison transformation: his commitment to bettering himself after being incarcerated for drug charges, his encounter with The China Study, and his new career of personal fitness trainer. Carly's second film, Unsupersize Us, continued and validated the story of Unsupersize Me, this time with five participants from Carly's town of Gainesville, FL. Carly's goal was to broaden the message, and make it clear that this lifestyle and diet was for everyone, and that Tracy's transformation in the original film was not an anomaly.
We are Our Own Healers with Benjamin Alter, ND: PYP 342
October 1, 2019 • 82 MIN
Benjamin Alter, ND, treats his patients as if they actually have the power to heal themselves. This power introduces a wonderful and frustrating messiness into the scientific pursuit of truth. It's hard to control for. It's hard to randomize for. And it's hard to replicate. In fact, science has dealt with this messiness by, at best, pretending it doesn't exist, and at worst, actively denigrating people's subjective experiences of illness and healing.
Normalizing Plant-Based Eating with Gwyn Whittaker: PYP 341
September 24, 2019 • 76 MIN
Gwyn Whittaker is a change-maker, and for the past several years she's deployed her considerable "get-it-done" skills to the plant-based movement. Whittaker is CEO of Greenfare Cafe in Herndon, Virginia, which is the only 100% whole-food, plant-based (WFPB), organic restaurant either of us has ever heard of.
Stephen Porges, PhD, on Safety as the Most Important Thing: PYP 340
September 17, 2019 • 92 MIN
For my money, Stephen Porges' Polyvagal Theory has done more to improve our ability to heal and grow and thrive as a civilization than any other scientific breakthrough of the past 50 years. Its advances over prior understandings of the human nervous system, psychology, and experiences of states like well-being, happiness, and love - are profound. Paradigm-shifting. And, unlike a lot of theory, incredible practical and applicable to our everyday lives.
Bouncing Back from Heart Disease with Ray Martin: PYP 339
September 10, 2019 • 80 MIN
Ray Martin, aka "Old Man Skin and Bones," is on a mission to save others from what he went through: heart disease, expensive and unnecessary and potentially harmful medical care, and a bad case of the "If only I'd knowns." I met Ray through the Missing Chins Run Club (first rule of the Missing Chins Run Club: tell everybody in the Missing Chins Run Club how much you ran today), and was instantly charmed by his energy, passion, sense of humor, and fierce determination to spare others from his fate. The before and after photos accompanying this podcast says it all. In October, 2015, Ray came out of triple bypass surgery, alive and ready to change his life.
Learning from Sacred Plants with Amber Antonelli and Anthony Esposito: PYP 338
September 4, 2019 • 87 MIN
Amber Antonelli and Anthony Esposito run the Awaken Your Soul iboga retreat center in Costa Rica. Iboga is the name of a plant native to Gabon and neighboring West African countries that acts as a psychedelic, or as Amber and Anthony put it, a "teacher plant." Iboga, along with its better-known (in the US) cousins, Ayahuasca and psilocybin-containing mushrooms, appears to act pharmacologically by down-regulating parts of the human brain responsible for the moment-by-moment construction of the ego.
"It Turns Out Willpower Doesn't Exist" with Jud Brewer, MD PhD: PYP 337
August 27, 2019 • 69 MIN
Jud Brewer is Director of Research and Innovation at the Mindfulness Center at Brown University, and a second-time guest on Plant Yourself. When we first talked, two years ago, Jud had just published his groundbreaking book, The Craving Mind, and was in the process of releasing mindfulness apps, Eat Right Now (for dealing with food cravings),  Craving to Quit (for smoking cessation), and Unwinding Anxiety (for, you guessed it, anxiety). I wanted to catch up with Jud to find out how his academic research and public writing had migrated into the world. What is the state of mindfulness-based health improvement? Does he have data on how his approach compares to current best practices, like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for smoking and other addictions?
Battling Bullshit with Garth Davis, MD: PYP 336
August 20, 2019 • 71 MIN
Yeah, them's fighting words in the title of today's episode. And Garth David, MD, my lead author of Proteinaholic and co-conspirator in a mission to tell the world that chronic disease and obesity are preventable and reversible, is a fighter. He's mixed it up on national TV, giving and taking punches on The Doctors. He's scrapped with Z-Dogg, tussled on Twitter with Joe Rogan, and publicly debated many of the best-known low-carbers out there. His agenda? Good science. The truth, as best as we can know it. And teaching people how to avoid "Internet-borne Misery" by becoming savvy consumers of information.
The heART of Medicine with Jody Esselstyn, RN: PYP 335
August 13, 2019 • 68 MIN
Jody Esselstyn is a registered nurse at the Charlottesville, VA, city schools, and docent at the Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia. An unusual combo, perhaps, but Jody combines her two interests - medicine and art - in some innovative and lifesaving ways. She leads programs that help medicine students make better diagnoses, display more empathy at the bedside, and collaborate more generously with their medical peers through visits to art museums. It turns out that art is a perfect medium for helping people see beyond their assumptions and projections, to observe what's actually in front of them.
Reconnecting with the Healing Power of Plants with Joe Cross: PYP 334
August 6, 2019 • 72 MIN
Joe Cross was, in the words of his first film, "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" when he embarked on a 60-day experiment to escape the pain and discomfort of a lifestyle-induced auto-immune disease. His transformation story, chronicled in that 2010 documentary, has inspired millions of people to start juicing, and to add more plants to their diets. His second film, Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead 2, highlights the stories of some of those people.
Pleasure Activism with adrienne maree brown: PYP 333
August 2, 2019 • 72 MIN
I had the best time talking with New York Times' bestselling author and love goddess adrienne maree brown! I stumbled upon her work through a sidebar article about her most recent book, Pleasure Activism, and was sufficiently intrigued to reach out to her publisher for a copy of the book and a request for an interview. Once the book arrived, I knew I was in for an education.
Eat Your Way Healthy with Lauren Plunkett: PYP 332
July 24, 2019 • 74 MIN
Lauren Plunkett is a registered dietitian living with type 1 diabetes. She's also the newest addition to the WellStart care team - and we couldn't be more pleased or delighted! Lauren is a dynamo of positive energy, and a shining example of the power of lifestyle to enhance quality of life. Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 11, Lauren struggled for years to feel good and have the energy to do what she wanted to do. She went on a mission to learn everything she could about nutrition and health. Once she discovered plant-based nutrition, she knew she had found the key to thriving with diabetes: reducing insulin resistance.
Mastering the Air Fryer with Kathy Hester: PYP 331
July 17, 2019 • 75 MIN
Kathy Hester is a cookbook author, gear and gadget junkie, and vegan wizard. She's also a neighbor of mine, and a hilarious and warm and wonderful human being. This is her third appearance on the podcast - and frankly, I got tired of talking about food and not getting to eat it! So for this episode, I invited Kathy into my kitchen, to teach us all how to use the air fryer to get low-fat plant-based deliciousness into our lives.
Tackling Food and Economic Insecurity Through Urban Agriculture with Jesse Herrera: PYP 330
July 10, 2019 • 87 MIN
Jesse Herrera is founder and chief visionary of Urban Theory, which I'd categorize as a "think tank" and an "act tank" for social and economic and environmental justice. Or as Jesse puts it, an "innovation lab" to prototype and scale solutions to urban poverty.
Overcoming Depression with Linda Carney, MD: PYP 329
July 3, 2019 • 82 MIN
Linda Carney, MD, returns to the podcast to talk about a wholistic approach to treating depression. It turns out that while adverse childhood events, genetics, and traumatic life circumstances all contribute to the onset and severity of depression, we do have choices and tools and strategies to prevent and recover from this debilitating mental condition.
Overcoming Depression with Linda Carney, MD: PYP 329
July 3, 2019 • 82 MIN
Linda Carney, MD, returns to the podcast to talk about a wholistic approach to treating depression. It turns out that while adverse childhood events, genetics, and traumatic life circumstances all contribute to the onset and severity of depression, we do have choices and tools and strategies to prevent and recover from this debilitating mental condition.
We are Nature with Josh LaJaunie: PYP 328
June 26, 2019 • 69 MIN
Josh LaJaunie returns to the podcast for a fifth (?) time, for a conversation about our relationship with nature. We talk about the beauty and grandeur of nature, and the ways human beings benefit and grow from being exposed to that loveliness. And also about nature’s dangerous and scary and yucky and itchy and hot and humid and freezing and soaking and uncomfortable aspects - and how we need those experiences in equal measure with the pleasurable ones.
Fixing Health Insurance with Emma Passé: PYP 327
June 18, 2019 • 111 MIN
Emma Passé is Chief Operating Officer at E-Powered Benefits, one of the renegade benefits brokers challenging a bloated and broken healthcare system. I first met Emma a year ago at a healthcare conference, where she brought down the house with a spirited, entertaining, and incisive look at how health plans negotiate prices with providers. You might not think that the topic of "reference-based pricing" would be all that interesting to the non-wonks in the room, but Emma has a way of making it relevant and fun. And, when you discover how you've been overpaying for healthcare all these years, you might become outraged as well.
Rediscovering Radical Wholeness with Philip Shepherd: PYP 326
June 12, 2019 • 103 MIN
How can we better ourselves without going to war with ourselves? How can we engage in "self-improvement" - around habits of mind and habits of action - without setting up a supervisor and a supervised? How can we pursue mastery without subjugating ourselves to a master - even if that master is some part of ourselves?
Honoring Tradition While Charting a New Course with Ramona and Dustin Lajaunie: PYP 325
June 4, 2019 • 80 MIN
Ramona and Dustin LaJaunie are part of a family that has lost over a thousand pounds through plants and running. The mother and brother, respectively, of Josh LaJaunie, Mona and Dustin are now the cooks in the family. And one of their biggest challenges was abandoning all the classic southern recipes that they loved and took pride in making and sharing - gumbos, jambalayas, turnip stew, cabbage rolls, and all the delicious desserts - in favor of low-fat, plant-based fare.
A Systems Approach to Fighting Chronic Disease with Olivia Kelly: PYP 324
May 29, 2019 • 78 MIN
Olivia Kelly is CEO and co-founder of WellStart Health, the fabulously amazing startup that I also co-founded. So everything I'm going to say about her is totally unbiased.
Dr Wayne Jonas on the Science of Healing: PYP 323
May 22, 2019 • 78 MIN
Dr Wayne Jonas is a pioneer in integrative, healing-based, patient-centered healthcare who has been at the nexus of healthcare and healing for over 40 years. He served as director of the National Institutes of Health Office of Alternative Medicine in the 1990s, as well as leading the World Health Organization’s Collaborative Center for Traditional Medicine.
The Martial Art of Tech-Proofing with Glenn Murphy: PYP 322
May 14, 2019 • 80 MIN
Our lives have changed dramatically since 2007, when the first iPhone was introduced. As today’s guest, Glenn Murphy, points out, if we handled any other object over 1000 times a day, we would be considered severely OCD, or addicted, or certainly life-impaired in some way.
Improving Athletic Performance Through Plants with Shiann Darkangelo: PYP 321
May 7, 2019 • 61 MIN
Shiann Darkangelo plays professional hockey for the Toronto Furies, in the Canadian Women's Ice Hockey League. If that isn't a place you'd expect to find a committed plant-based athlete, join the club! Shiann is not only one of the world's best hockey players, but she's a passionate plant-based coach and mentor.
How to Really Change Habits with Kevin Davis: PYP 320
May 1, 2019 • 90 MIN
Kevin Davis is a WellStart Health “Supercoach,” and co-leader of the WellStart Health Coach Training Academy. Today we talk about his story, from being the “fat kid” in high school, to getting into bodybuilding and embracing extreme keto, to a traumatic car crash that led to years of agoraphobia, to his plant-based journey and healing of anxiety.
Covering the Ground with Josh LaJaunie: PYP 319
April 23, 2019 • 72 MIN
My buddy Josh LaJaunie returns the to podcast for his fourth? fifth? appearance. We've been busy building WellStart Health, dealing with logistics and curriculum and business development and whatnot, so we were both hungry for a slow, meandering, purposeless, deep conversation. The kind friends have, with no agenda, except with thousands of people listening in. If you don't know about Josh, see the links below for background info. Short story shorter, ex-football playing bayou boy goes from 420 pounds to the cover of Runner's World magazine through the power of plants and running.
Holding Ourselves to a Higher Standard with Marco Borges: PYP 318
April 16, 2019 • 74 MIN
Marco Borges, founder of 22 Days Nutrition, is a visionary social entrepreneur. From humble beginnings, Marco has partnered with Beyoncé and Jay-Z to bring plant-based health to as many people as possible, as affordably as possible. And he's one of those folks whose very presence and easy self-confidence compels others to take him seriously - in short, a powerful spokesperson and ally.
Bringing Health to the People, One Step at a Time with David Sabgir, MD: PYP 317
April 9, 2019 • 71 MIN
David Sabgir, MD, is a board-certified cardiologist practicing at Mount Carmel Medical Group in Columbus, Ohio. Frustrated at his inability to move the needle on his patient's self-care, he had the idea to just invite them to go on a walk with him. This modest idea eventually blossomed into Walk with a Doc, a movement within the field of lifestyle medicine whose mission is to empower doctors to share the health and happiness benefits of walking with their patients.
Banishing Loneliness Through Mindful Acceptance with Emily Lindsay: PYP 316
April 2, 2019 • 64 MIN
Emily Lindsay, PhD, is lead author of an uber-important scientific paper on how to mitigate loneliness through mindfulness and acceptance training. Lindsay is a research scientist in the Psychology Department at University of Pittsburgh who studies how mind-body practices like mindfulness and meditation affect our physiology and ultimate health outcomes. It's an important field of study, because negative mental and emotional states can be terrible for our health. It turns out, for example, that loneliness and social isolation may be as bad for your health as smoking, or eating a crappy diet. Which is precisely the condition that Lindsay and her team sought to address in a recent study.
Changing Habits and Lifestyle Through the Entrepreneurial Process with Danny Warshay: PYP 315
March 26, 2019 • 80 MIN
Danny Warshay is the executive director of the Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship at Brown University, and a long-time friend. He dropped by to talk about how to apply his Entrepreneurial Process to lifestyle and habit change. Neither of us knew exactly what we would discover when we began speaking, although we both had hunches that there was direct applicability somehow, some way. We talked about viewing our “problems” from the perspective of “treasure hunt” rather than shame. Danny shared his philosophy of finding problems worthy of solution via the tools and mindsets of anthropology.
Finding Balance and Reimagining Cardiology with Monica Aggarwal, MD: PYP 314
March 19, 2019 • 85 MIN
When I asked Dr Monica Aggarwal to join me on this podcast, I figured we'd talk about her plant-based advocacy at the University of Florida, where she is an assistant professor of medicine and Director of Integrative Cardiology and Prevention. We got there, eventually, but took a fascinating detour into the gender politics of medicine, and cardiology in particular.
The Health Benefits of the "Poor Mans' Meat" with Jeff Chilton: PYP 313
March 12, 2019 • 84 MIN
Today's a huge departure for this podcast. For the first time, we explore the virtues of eating something other than plants. No, don't worry. I haven't gone paleo or keto or carnivore (although one of my prior guests has (SMH)). I'm not into fish oil or organic beef liver or hummingbird tongue. Today we explore an entire kingdom that can boost our immune function, mood, and possibly bring us sanity: fungi.
Relishing the Struggle with Sarah Bofinger: PYP 312
March 5, 2019 • 64 MIN
Sarah Bofinger is an unlikely Olympic hopeful, a WellStart Health Coach, and a fountain of positivity. Today she returns to the podcast to update us on her Olympic dreams, and to share how becoming a WellStart Health coach has taken her training and life to a new level of awesome.
Self-care for Busy Professionals with Diane Randall: PYP 311
February 26, 2019 • 52 MIN
As a newly divorced mother of two small children and high-powered professional, Diane Randall had let her health take a back seat to all her responsibilities. Overweight, diagnosed with high blood pressure and high cholesterol, she was jolted into action by a doctor's warning that her current trajectory was going to take years off her life. Having seen type 2 diabetes lead to disability and premature death among family members, Randall took the warning seriously. Employing her training as a systems engineer and consultant, she approached her own health challenges strategically and methodically. She discovered plant-based nutrition, along with other modalities and practices amenable to a healthy lifestyle, and eventually came to a point where she started helping other busy professionals make health a priority in their own lives.
The Six Words that Killed the American Health System with Josh Luke: PYP 310
February 19, 2019 • 63 MIN
Dr Josh Luke was enjoying his career in sports marketing when his grandmother got sick. He watched in amazement and frustration at the way she was treated when she didn't have the money for the treatments prescribed. He saw the lack of communication and coordination among different nodes in the system. He saw the avoidable pain and suffering, and decided sports marketing wasn't important to him anymore. Luke jumped into healthcare, and worked his way up from one CEO position to another, running larger and larger hospitals. And learning about - and tackling - the roots of the dysfunctions he saw from the sidelines of his grandmother's illness.
Charles Eisenstein on Climate Reductionism and True Planetary Healing: PYP 309
February 12, 2019 • 92 MIN
Charles Eisenstein has been challenging my thinking for about 15 years now, but never more so than with his latest book, Climate: A New Story. Basically, Eisenstein argues that focusing all our environmental activism on reducing greenhouse gas emissions to combat global warming is a bad idea.
Healthy Plant-Based Pregnancy with Micaela Karlsen: PYP 308
February 5, 2019 • 75 MIN
When I polled my listeners about topics or guests they’d like to hear on upcoming episodes of Plant Yourself, I got a lot of requests for a show about plant-based pregnancy. I thought this might be a little too niche, until I reminded myself that every one of us is the result of a pregnancy, and that for the foreseeable future, all our descendants will continue to be born in this fashion. So no problem there… When I asked my Facebook Hive Mind who would be a great guest for this topic, Micaela Karlsen’s name came up again and again. So here we are today :)
Andrew Taylor on Taking Radical Steps to Breaking a Food Addiction: PYP 307
January 28, 2019 • 96 MIN
Andrew Taylor was tired of being out of shape, obese, and sick. An olympic hopeful in his teens, he had let his fitness and health slip away as his commitment to kayaking waned but his addictions to food persisted. His depression, largely fueled by the thought that he was far away from the person he wanted to be, always kept him returning to the trough for another supersized hit of vegan junk food. His revelation - and the spark of his transformational year of eating nothing but potatoes - was that he was treating food like an alcoholic treats booze.
Vanquishing Procrastination with Hillary Rettig: PYP 306
January 22, 2019 • 80 MIN
Hillary Rettig is both an activist and a productivity expert, two vocations that don't seem to have much in common at first glance. But as soon as I started reading two of her books, The Lifelong Activist and The 7 Secrets of the Prolific, I got the connection. Unproductive would-be activists are disempowered activists. And in a world that systematically tries to disempower those who challenge its structures of power and privilege, the last thing we need is to get in our own way when we stand up to injustice.
Veggies, Opportunities, and the Gold Rule of Improv with Tess Masters: PYP 304
January 7, 2019 • 89 MIN
Tess Masters, aka The Blender Girl, is a powerful spokesperson for a healthy plant-based lifestyle, and a force of nature. Growing up in Australia on a "meat and three veg" diet, she was plagued at age 14 with extreme lethargy. A naturopath suggested that she eliminate gluten, meat, and dairy, and within 48 hours she felt dramatically better.
Howard Jacobson on Procrastination, Cocoons, and the Unfinished Office: PYP 303
January 2, 2019 • 52 MIN
Happy New Year! I come to you today from the cab of my truck, in my driveway, to talk about the fact that my new office isn’t ready to move in, and it’s January 1, and it’s kind of driving me crazy. I don't even have access to my studio, my computer, my completed interviews - nothing. Everything is in tight storage, because I thought the new office would be ready for me by New Year's Eve. (That's a photo of me in my old office, which has returned to its old role as child's bedroom...
"Give us This Day Our Daily Plants" with Tina Ahern: PYP 302
December 26, 2018 • 67 MIN
Tina Ahern is a long-time Plant Yourself Podcast listener and supporter. When she reached out to share her inspiring story, I knew I wanted to share it with you. Long story short, Tina and her husband Brian opened up a partially plant-based restaurant in Perry, Oklahoma, as part of their mission to serve their community through their Christian faith.
Defeating Distraction and Living Powerfully with Chris Bailey: PYP 301
December 18, 2018 • 84 MIN
When you're doing a video podcast with the guy who wrote the book on focus and mastering our attention, you don't take lots of notes. Instead, you look at your guest and stay present to the wisdom and insight he's dropping left and right. Which explains why I don't have a lot of show notes for today's guest, Chris Bailey. Chris and I got on Skype to discuss his latest book, Hyperfocus: How to be More Productive in a World of Distraction. 
Unleashing Nurses to Revolutionize Patient Care with Caroline Trapp, DNP: PYP 300
December 11, 2018 • 80 MIN
Caroline Trapp, DNP (that’s Doctor of Nursing Practice to you and me), is the director of diabetes education and care with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), as well as a nurse practitioner specializing in the care of people with diabetes in Michigan. Trapp is a passionate advocate for the role of nurses in educating and empowering patients on lifestyle medicine to combat chronic disease, particularly diabetes.
The Strategic Passion of a Bunch of "Lonely and Powerful Vegans" with Darina Bockman: PYP 299
December 4, 2018 • 80 MIN
Darina Bockman is a business mover-and-shaker; a Senior Finance Director at <a href="http://cbre.us">CBRE</a>, and a long-time vegan activist. She felt split; on the one hand, committed to helping her organization succeed and achieving personal career success, and on the other hand, representing her views on animal rights, human health, and environmental stewardship through plant-based advocacy. And it occurred to her that there might be others like her; leaders in corporate management who happened to be vegan (or, if you prefer, vegans who happen to be in corporate management).
Thriving Despite Chronic Pain with Emily Skamla: PYP 298
November 28, 2018 • 55 MIN
While leading the morning run groups at Engine 2's Plantstock this August, I met a young woman named Emily Skamla. She was fit and speedy  - easily pounding out 6-minute miles, and smoking me during the hill repeats. I figured that the combination of youth, a Plant Strong diet, and a commitment to training were the whole story. Instructive, mildly inspiring, but certainly not Plant Yourself Podcast material. Boy was I wrong. Turns out, Emily has been suffering since the age of 7 with Type 2 Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD; now known in medical circles as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, but we'll stick to RSD since that's the term Emily uses).
"People Are Ready to Heal" with Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams: PYP 297
November 20, 2018 • 44 MIN
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2016. Unwilling to surrender his health destiny to the medical profession, Adams did some research, adopted a plant-based diet, lost 30 pounds, and reversed his condition. And he didn't stop there. Instead, he committed to making Brooklyn into Ground Zero for healthy living.
Feminism, Veganism, and Activism with Carol Adams: PYP 296
November 13, 2018 • 84 MIN
Carol J. Adams is the author most recently of Burger and Protest Kitchen, and a self-described "feminist-vegan." Our conversation was eye-opening to me in many ways. I noticed my language in ways I hadn't before. I saw for the first time a chunk of cultural programming that was determining a lot of my attitudes and actions. And I watched myself tread lightly - and I suspect clumsily - for fear of offending Adams and listeners to the podcast.
Launching Your Next Chapter with Sanyin Siang: PYP 295
November 6, 2018 • 69 MIN
Sanyin Siang is a CEO Coach, Author, and the Executive Director of the Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership & Ethics (COLE) at Duke University. In other words, quite a big deal. When I reached out to Sanyin and asked her to appear on the podcast, I had two audiences in mind. First, plant-based entrepreneurs like myself. (Actually, as a co-founder of a startup, I just kind of wanted to pick her brain.) Second, anyone who wants to grow anything new in their life. A new habit. A new lifestyle. A new identity as a healthy person. The conversation ping-ponged between these levels. I hope you find it useful, whatever idea or venture is bubbling within you.
Community Innovation and Global Solutions: PYP 294
October 30, 2018 • 97 MIN
This past Saturday, I set up my portable recording studio in Cary, North Carolina, to live-podcast the PCRM Kickstart Your Health NC Triangle event.
A Community Effort: PCRM Comes to the North Carolina Triangle: PYP 293
October 23, 2018 • 90 MIN
This weekend, the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) is bringing its big guns to my neck of the woods, the Triangle region of North Carolina (Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill). Neal Barnard, Suzy Cameron Amis, Eric O'Grey, and others will be bringing their messages of hope and inspiration and information to my community. But PCRM also highlights local heroes - the folks who do good work in this community every day.
Harnessing Positive Emotions to Defeat Bad Habits with David DeSteno: PYP 292
October 16, 2018 • 51 MIN
Why do 92% of New Years' Resolutions fail, one year on? Why has the current cultural obsession with grit and willpower failed to move the needle on our behaviors? And why do long-time Buddhist monks demonstrate more self-control than the rest of us? Today's guest, David DeSteno, PhD, has been studying these and related issues for a long time.
Neal Barnard, MD, on Not Eating, Testing, or Exploiting Animals in Pursuit of Health: PYP 291
October 9, 2018 • 71 MIN
Neal Barnard, MD, is the president and founder of the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) - an organization far too large and influential to still be called a "committee," but who among us hasn't outgrown our childhood name? - and the founder of the Barnard Medical Center in the DC area. He's also the author of a crazy number of books, including the recent The Cheese Trap - which you should give to all your vegetarian dairy-loving friends just to gross them out and blow their minds.
Healing through Hypnosis with Grace Smith: PYP 290
October 2, 2018 • 69 MIN
When Grace Smith resolved to quit smoking in 2011, she began with the most common approaches: nicotine gum, the patch, going cold turkey (is there a vegan equivalent to that phrase?). When a single hypnotherapy session led her to quit that same day, she turned from a skeptic into an avid promoter. She shifted her career from the high-stress world of New York sales, got certified, and made it her mission to share the power of hypnosis with the world - in her words, "to make hypnosis mainstream."
Ketogenic Smoke and Mirrors with Robyn Chuter: PYP 289
September 24, 2018 • 81 MIN
There's so much buzz about keto these days, there must be something to it, right? I mean, if it didn't work to help people lose weight and feel better, they wouldn't be doing it. I admit, despite my years of research and practice; despite having co-written three books on nutrition; despite seeing the positive effects of a plant-based diet on people's health and vitality every single day - I still have this little voice in my head that's incredibly susceptible to really good marketing. And boy, does the keto/paleo crowd have us beat on marketing!
Brian Wansink on Tricking Ourselves into Eating Better: PYP 288
September 18, 2018 • 63 MIN
Brian Wansink is the researcher behind some of the most surprising findings in recent behavioral science, the most famous of these involving the interaction between plates and bowls and eating behavior. Specifically, he found that changing the size of dinnerware had a big impact on how much food people will consume. Small plate, eat less. Big plate, eat more.
The Art of Fitness and Transformation with Gary Whitaker: PYP 287
September 12, 2018 • 67 MIN
Gary Whitaker is the founder and owner of Plant-based Fitness, a transformation gym located in Oakland, CA.
Crazy Adventures and Looking at the World Differently with Jeff Seal: PYP 286
September 4, 2018 • 70 MIN
Jeff Seal is a comedian, documentarian, adventurer, and undercover clown operating out of New York City. One of my son Elan's favorite YouTube artists, Jeff points out the hilarity, absurdity, and injustices of life through art and comedy. When Elan shared Jeff's work with me, I was particularly struck by his videos on dumpster diving and train-hopping.
How to Engineer an Epic Transformation with Adam Sud, Joseph Alexander, Ken Lander, and Josh LaJaunie: PYP 285
August 28, 2018 • 53 MIN
I had the great privilege of moderating a panel discussion at Engine 2's Plant-Stock event, held this year in Black Mountain, NC, over a weekend in August. The topic was, "Transformation and Recovery from Addiction." The panelists included Adam Sud, Joseph Alexander, Ken Lander, and Josh LaJaunie. They talked about what helped them on their journeys to health and authenticity; on how paying it forward played a large part in their ability to stay the course; and they answered audience questions about overcoming plateaus, dealing with setbacks, and helping others.
Challenging the Immune System to Beat MS with Bob Cafaro: PYP 284
August 22, 2018 • 42 MIN
Bob Cafaro is a professional cellist, author, and ass-kicker of multiple sclerosis. In his latest newsletter, he revealed two MS-busting tactics that he hadn't written about in his book, When the Music Stopped: My Battle and Victory Against MS. Partly as an excuse to have another conversation with Bob (he's such a kind and passionate and awesome guy!), and partly to explore these two tactics, I reached out and managed to grab 30 minutes of his time in between the five dozen other things he has going on.
Sharing Music and Making This Place Our Home with Micah Hendler: PYP 283
August 15, 2018 • 80 MIN
Micah Hendler is the founder and director of the YMCA Jerusalem Youth Chorus, and one of Forbes' magazine's "30 under 30" (global leaders and change-makers under the age of 30). He founded the chorus to promote connection and peace between the teen communities of East and West Jerusalem; that is, inaccurately but roughly speaking, Palestinians and Israelis. We met at a Seeds of Peace concert in New York City in May, and Micah graciously agreed to be on the podcast. I wasn't sure exactly how I was going to "shoehorn" this theme into Plant Yourself, but the wiser part of me whispered, "Who gives a shit? Just have an inspiring and wonderful conversation!"
Joel Kahn, MD, on Keto, Sex, and the Next Generation of Doctors: PYP 282
August 8, 2018 • 56 MIN
Welcome back to Joel Kahn, MD, one of the great gentle pugilists of the plant-based, evidence-based, lifestyle medicine movement. Joel has gotten a lot of air time since our last talk three years ago - he's a regular on The Doctors, weighing in with actual science against some of the crazier nutritional theories of our time (ie vegetables are dangerous). And he's a publishing powerhouse, coming out with The Plant-Based Solution, The No B.S. Diet Book, Dead Execs Don't Get Bonuses, and Vegan Sex, with Ellen Jaffe Jones.
Howard Jacobson on Staying True to My Mission: PYP 281
August 1, 2018 • 64 MIN
Yup, that's me, talking directly to you in this episode. I wanted to take a break from the guest-interview format because I have a lot on my mind. Yesterday was my 53rd birthday, and would have been my dad's 100th (he and my mom planned well ;). I've been thinking about him a lot around this milestone. And I'm on day 3 of a planned 7-day water fast, so my mind is doing all sorts of deep dives that I normally miss because of eating and business.
Marching Lifestyle Medicine into the Belly of the Beast with Ted Barnett, MD: PYP 280
July 24, 2018 • 72 MIN
Ted Barnett, MD, is also known as "Dr Veggie." An interventional radiographer by day, he has been a plant-based advocate, educator, activist, and gadfly in Rochester, NY and nationally since the early 1990s. Over the past 27 years, Ted has been in the forefront of the movement to get lifestyle medicine known, respected, and practiced by the medical profession. We talked about his journey, and the obstacles, and the big challenges still confronting the lifestyle medicine movement as it seeks to deliver true wellness to the masses.
Nourishing Our Brains and Preventing Dementia with Ayesha Sherzai, MD: PYP 279
July 17, 2018 • 68 MIN
Ayesha Sherzai, MD, is one half of Team Sherzai, along with her husband, Dean (also MD). She's codirector of the Brain Health and Alzheimer's Prevention Program at Loma Linda University, where she leads the Lifestyle Program for the Prevention of Neurological Diseases. She's got three lifetime's worth of degrees (preventive medicine, neurology, advanced research methodology, lifestyle and vascular brain diseases) as well as certificates from two cooking schools.
Succeeding by Letting Go of the End Result with Amy Baglan: PYP 278
July 10, 2018 • 68 MIN
Amy Baglan is both a Type A Entrepreneur and a committed mindful meditator. The founder of MeetMindful, an app and movement that connects spiritually engaged people for both dating and friendship, Amy drives hard for achievement, and also consciously aims for that "being OK in the moment" vibe that doesn't depend on external success. I wanted to talk to Amy about dating, and romance, and sex; topics highly correlated with health and happiness, and topics that I've managed to avoid pretty much completely over five years of this podcast.
The Ultimate in Gut Health with Will Bulsiewicz, MD: PYP 277
July 3, 2018 • 111 MIN
Will Bulsiewicz, MD MSCI, trained to become a gastroenterologist at some of the top hospitals in the world: Georgetown, the University of North Carolina (go 'heels!), and Northwestern. He's board certified in both gastroenterology and internal medicine. Why am I trotting out Will's credentials to introduce this podcast? Because even with all that education, Will found himself unable to answer even his patients' most basic questions about what they could do about their own GI conditions. What should they eat? What should they avoid? What causes gluten sensitivity and celiac disease? Why eat local and organic?
Busting Plant-Based Myths with Martica Heaner: PYP 276
June 26, 2018 • 74 MIN
Martica Heaner PhD, is a nutritionist and exercise physiologist and health writer. She is an adjunct associate nutrition professor at Hunter College in NYC and the author of 6 books including Cross-training for Dummies and Lean Mommy. She has been a group fitness instructor for over 30 years and starred in a fitness TV show while living in London in the 90s. She has been a vegan for 5 years (prior to that was vegetarian for 32) and teaches plant-based nutrition in a conventional nutrition 101 class. Martica and I got on the phone and talked about her childhood, her education, her fitness career, and some of the myths floating around the plant-based world.
Lifestyle Medicine for the Win with Marcy Madrid: PYP 275
June 19, 2018 • 74 MIN
Marcy Madrid is Vice President of Planning and Marketing at Midland Memorial Hospital in Midland, Texas. (That's about halfway between Dallas and El Paso on I-20.) When Midland decided to embrace plant-based nutrition as a pillar of their disease-treatment protocol, Madrid was brought in to spread the message. Both internally, and to the larger community. What she didn't expect was to need that message herself, and soon.
The Science of Longevity with Janice Stanger: PYP 274
June 11, 2018 • 99 MIN
Janice Stanger, PhD, is author of The Perfect Formula Diet and a genius at getting other people to become nutritional geniuses. Her approach to any topic - diabetes, pregnancy, hormones, whatever - is to dig down into first principles and build from there. This way of thinking helps non-experts understand the issues without having to rely on experts or gurus to tell them what to think. Grok the first principles, and you can build your own understanding on any topic.
Harnessing the Entrepreneurial Spirit for a Plant-Based World with Matt Tullman: PYP 273
June 5, 2018 • 85 MIN
Matt Tullman wants 30% of the US population to go plant-based by the year 2030. And that's not an idle wish - Matt is doing something (a lot of things, actually) about it. Matt is a long-time policy wonk, entrepreneur, bio-hacker, and venture capital guy. And he brings all these talents and outlooks to bear on the central problems of our time in history - all of which, he points out, can be solved or significantly improved by the switch to a plant-based diet.
Recovering from Rheumatoid Arthritis with Clint Paddison: PYP 272
May 30, 2018 • 86 MIN
Clint Paddison was pursuing a career as a stand-up comedian in Australia when he was struck with a debilitating case of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A former athlete and science all-star, Clint found himself almost unable to work, to move, to enjoy life. He discouraged his girlfriend from marrying him because he didn't want to ruin her life. At first, Clint followed the doctors' advice, and embarked on an aggressive pharmaceutical protocol that was almost as bad as the disease. Pain, disability, misery, and early death seemed the only path forward. Then, one day, he discovered a secret delivered via a poisoned cherry: fasting, induced by food poisoning, profoundly relieved his symptoms.
An Olympic Quest Powered by Plants with Sarah Bofinger: PYP 271
May 22, 2018 • 79 MIN
Sarah "Mergoddess" Bofinger swam before she walked - literally. Born with hip dysplasia (I thought the same thing: "Isn't that something Golden Retrievers get?"), she required six surgeries before she celebrated her fourth birthday. Sarah was put in the water for therapy and rehabilitation, and took to it like a, well, mergoddess to water. Swimming, as well as dancing and gymnastics, helped take her mind of the discomfort and pain of the constant hip problems.
Training for Life (Literally) with D Anthony Evans: PYP 270
May 15, 2018 • 125 MIN
D Anthony Evans found out at age six that he had a rare disorder (Neurofibromatosis) that caused painful tumors to emerge at random all over his body. And things just got worse from there. His doctors explained that this disease generally leads to a highly aggressive form of cancer, MPNST (Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors). So he spent his youth wondering when and where the cancer would strike.
Valter Longo, PhD, on the Longevity Diet: PYP 269
May 9, 2018 • 95 MIN
Valter Longo, PhD, is a longevity researcher at the University of Southern California whose broad vision and ability to focus on the details of scientific enquiry over a 30-year career may provide the data we need to extend the human lifespan by decades. And not through CRISPR or nanotechnologies or Himalayan yak butter in our coffee, but through simple lifestyle and diet tools readily available to many of us, like plant-based food and moderate physical activity.
Three Words That Can Double Your Influence with Gregg Sparkman: PYP 268
May 1, 2018 • 57 MIN
Today's guest, Gregg Sparkmann, PhD, runs experiments to test the idea of dynamic norms. That is, the concept that what's considered normal and acceptable can change. Sparkmann and his mentor, Greg Walton (last week's podcast guest), hypothesized that because change is hard, the knowledge that people are changing might indicate to a person that there was a good reason for it.
The Counterintuitive Science of Wise Interventions with Gregory Walton, PhD: PYP 267
April 27, 2018 • 33 MIN
Gregory Walton, PhD, has done some of the most groundbreaking social science research of the past decade. His "Wise Interventions" model utilizes brief, targeted experiences to permanently alter a mindset and create a cascading series of life events. Example: a one-hour Wise Intervention for freshman students of color at a major university reduced the GPA achievement gap by 50% for the next three years.
From Butcher to Vegan Nutritionist with Fraser Bayley: PYP 266
April 24, 2018 • 74 MIN
Fraser Bayley's arc of transformation is long and inspiring. Growing up in Auckland, New Zealand, Fraser was a poor student who struggled in school despite putting in the effort. He felt stupid, like something was wrong with him. His social anxiety was so severe, he dropped out of college but managed to keep a crushing load of student debt. When an after school job at a local supermarket offered him a chance to learn about butchery, Fraser jumped on the opportunity to apprentice himself in the grueling trade. It didn't require smarts, or much reading, or sitting still.
Dirty Little Secrets of the Health Benefits Industry: Pulling Back the Curtain with Eric Krieg: PYP 265
April 20, 2018 • 62 MIN
Eric Krieg spent decades in the belly of the beast; the benefits industry beast, that is. Until one day he asked a profoundly inconvenient question: "Am I doing the right thing?" By way of answer, he left his job as a traditional broker and went rogue, revealing the ethically questionable practices of the benefits industry to the world.
Restoring the American Dream by Reimagining Healthcare with Dave Chase: PYP 264
April 18, 2018 • 83 MIN
Dave Chase is one of those quiet innovators who moves mountains through vision, energy, and sheer persistence. With a healthy dose of trickster energy in the mix... Chase is one of the founders of Healthcare Rosetta, a non-profit dedicated to accelerating "adoption of simple, practical, non-partisan fixes to our healthcare system."
Ending Self-Deception and Becoming Real with Bethany Stec Janicek: PYP 263
April 17, 2018 • 76 MIN
Bethany Stec Janicek grew up on a Nebraska pig farm, on a diet of meat and dairy and cheese and butter. Always bigger than her peers, she began dieting in elementary school, and suffered the anguish that came with always failing, always giving up, and always feeling disappointed in herself. She was deeply disconnected from her true self, and masked her sense of inadequacy with a bubbly exterior and various coping mechanisms: food, cigarettes, alcohol, clothing, and makeup. Everything in her life was literally or figuratively sugar-coated.
Becoming a Brave Athlete with Simon Marshall and Lesley Paterson: PYP 262
April 10, 2018 • 67 MIN
Lesley Paterson, aka the "Scottish Rocket," is a three-time world champion in off-road triathlon, an Ironman triathlon champ, a professional mountain biker, an athletic coach, and a world-class slinger of profanity. Simon Marshall, her husband, is a sport and exercise psychologist at San Diego State, performance psychologist for BMC Racing, and a self-described "mid-pack age-group endurance athlete." Together, Lesley and Simon comprise Braveheart Coaching, a service that gets athletes performing to their potential in spite of the "3-pound lump of crazy" that lives in their cranium.
Saving America's Healthcare System through WellStart Health: PYP 261
April 3, 2018 • 70 MIN
This episode is special to me, as I share the next phase of my journey and mission. I've just joined WellStart Health as a co-founder, along with CEO Olivia Kelly, Chief Medical Officer Bojana Jankovic Weatherly, and Chief Brand Ambassador Josh LaJaunie. Our mission is, in Olivia's words, to "put chronic disease out of business." We're doing this through a potent combo of evidence-based protocols (like, eat more whole plants and less garbage), behavioral science (my title is Chief Behavioral Science Officer), crackerjack technology, and a network of coaches like Josh who have street cred based on their own struggles and journeys.
Matthew Prescott on Solving Our Biggest Problems Through Plant-Forward Eating: PYP 260
March 27, 2018 • 72 MIN
Matthew Prescott is one of the most influential voices in the animal welfare, plant-forward movement. He's Senior Food Policy Director for the Humane Society of the United States, and advisor to the Good Food Institute. He's both contributed to and harnessed the stunning change in public perception and habits around reducing animal consumption by helping giant food companies alter and improve their supply chains.
Darren Morton on Happiness, Meaning, Longevity, and Smiling Baseball Cards: PYP 259
March 21, 2018 • 75 MIN
Darren Morton, PhD, is a Fellow of the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine, which means that not only is he wicked-smart about how to live a long and healthy life, but also he shares his insights in a cool Australian accent. Darren's original research (more than 50 published articles, y'all!) includes quantifying the effects of the Complete Health Improvement Program (CHIP) on participants' biomarkers, disease outcomes, and quality of life.
Cyrus Khambatta, PhD and Robby Barbaro on Thriving with Type 1 Diabetes: PYP 258
March 13, 2018 • 80 MIN
Cyrus Khambatta and Robby Barbaro are the co-creators of Mastering Diabetes, an online program and support network for people living with all forms of the disease: type 1, type 2, type 1.5, prediabetes, and gestational diabetes. And both have been living with type 1 diabetes, also known as insulin-dependent diabetes, for most of their lives. Type 1 can't be reversed or cured through diet and lifestyle, so they must take synthetic insulin in order to remain alive.
Fooling Meat Eaters with Plant-based Replacements with Rody Hawkins: PYP 257
March 6, 2018 • 60 MIN
I personally wouldn't have predicted that the guy behind Lunchables and Slim Jim jerky sticks  might save the planet. But Rody Hawkins, muscle physiologist, consultant to the meat industry for decades, nutrition wonk, and pioneer in shelf-stable food technology, has just launched a plant-based meat replacement company that's getting global attention for the quality and environmental benefits of its product.
Carl Safina on Sharing Emotions with Animals: PYP 256
February 27, 2018 • 64 MIN
Carl Safina is the author of, most recently, Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel. I consumed it on Audible a couple of years ago, and was utterly mesmerized and transformed by the listening. I think it was one of the sneaky factors that pushed me, somewhat against my better judgment, into the Animal Welfare camp of the plant-based movement. The book describes the author's encounters with three fascinating and endangered animal populations - the elephants of East Africa, the wolves of Yellowstone, and the Orcas of the Pacific Northwest - and the humans who have devoted their lives to studying, documenting, and understanding these magnificent creatures.
Transforming the System of Medical Care with David Donohue, MD: PYP 255
February 20, 2018 • 71 MIN
David Donohue is a primary care physician in Wilmington, Delaware, and one of only 280 board-certified lifestyle medicine specialists in the United States. As David points out in our conversation, that's fewer than one for every million Americans. I wanted to talk with David about the successful and innovative Cure Diabetes program that he's run over the past year, but we quickly started egging each other on (is there a vegan egg-replacer metaphor for that phrase?) to describe our pet peeves about the current medical system.
Mastering the Meditation Habit with Emily Fletcher: PYP 254
February 13, 2018 • 73 MIN
Emily Fletcher is one of the new faces of an ancient practice. Former Broadway star and founder of Ziva Meditation, she talks funny, dirty, relatable, and wise about one of the simplest, cheapest, and most profound of wellness practices: going within ourselves. Emily draws upon her experiences in a stress-inducing profession, her immersion in the spiritual technologies of ancient India, and cutting-edge research into the neuroscience of consciousness to give meditation a modern angle: it's a brain gym for high performers.
The Neuroscience of Changing Other People's Minds with Tali Sharot: PYP 253
February 6, 2018 • 67 MIN
Tali Sharot is an Associate Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London, and director of the Affective Brain Lab. Affective, as in emotions and motivation. Brain, as in processing and decisions. Drawing on recent groundbreaking work in behavioral economics and neuroscience, Sharot shows us how to navigate the intricacies and predictable biases of minds; our own and those of others. Dr. Sharot is the author of the new book The Influential Mind: What the Brain Reveals About Our Power to Change Others. When I saw the title, I knew I had to discover what she knows about influence: how we can do it well, and how we often screw it up.
Giving Ourselves the Gift of Health with Kassi and Derick Harrington: PYP 252
January 30, 2018 • 78 MIN
Kassi and Derick Harrington grew up in Thibodaux, Louisiana, where they grew obese and ill and miserable on the Standard Cajun Diet. Derick's life revolved around food: hunting and fishing and then frying whatever he caught. Kassi was overweight her whole life, as was her entire family. Derick suffered from hypertension, high cholesterol, an auto-immune disease, and was on the fast track to type 2 diabetes. He had no energy, no passion for life outside of the gustatory, and in his own words, was "just existing."
How to Live a Better Life Every Day with Bryan Falchuk: PYP 251
January 24, 2018 • 66 MIN
From the moment his parents' marriage fell apart, Bryan Falchuk turned into the fat kid. In a world out of control, food was the one thing he could control, and the one thing that could soothe his deep hurts and anxieties. Every day Bryan woke up and was determined to lose weight, and twenty minutes later he'd be elbow-deep in the foods he'd sworn to give up, or at least moderate. He experienced himself as someone untrustworthy, someone who lacked agency, someone to whom life happened.
Tina Seelig on Designing Our Ideal Life Through Creativity: PYP 250
January 16, 2018 • 49 MIN
These days I'm really into creativity, and how we can foster it, and how it can help us lead happier and more fulfilled lives. Plus it's fun. So when I saw today's guest, Tina Seelig, give 90 seconds of truly excellent advice to Daniel Pink's audience in his PinkCast, I reached out to see if she would be willing to share her wisdom "long form" with the Plant Yourself crowd.
"Carbs are Not the Enemy" with Type 1 Diabetic Josh Turner: PYP 249
January 10, 2018 • 66 MIN
Josh Turner, is one hell of a smart, compassionate, committed human being. A type 1 diabetic who was told that his quality of life, health, and longevity would be compromised by his condition, Josh has adopted a plant-based diet and taken up running. In the process, he's lost almost 100 pounds, gained his life back, and become an inspiration and lighthouse for other type 1 diabetics who are struggling to escape the grip of the wrong-headed medical model of disease management through low-carb, high-protein diets.
Becoming a Health Mechanic with Phil Green: PYP 248
January 2, 2018 • 80 MIN
Phil Green is a heavy equipment mechanic for the military. Which is to say, he can fix things that people rely on for their lives. And yet his own body was in a terrible state of disrepair. As a red, white, and blue son of Texas, Phil's diet was (in his own words) "fried everything." Except for the barbecued meat.
Cultivating Simplicity and Progress with Ian Cramer: PYP 247
December 25, 2017 • 72 MIN
Plant-based Cyclist Ian Cramer and I spent a lovely hour geeking out on our journeys, and podcasting, and our gratitude for the trailblazers who introduced us to the plant-based lifestyle. Ian is a certified athletic trainer at the University of Rochester, a competitive cyclist, a podcaster, and a freelance health and performance coach. We met at PlantStock 2017, and in the space of two hours, recorded episodes for each of our podcasts. Check out his other guests (mostly plant-based medical professionals and researchers) at the Plant-based Cyclist Podcast.
Diet for a Living Planet with Michael Klaper, MD: PYP 246
December 19, 2017 • 83 MIN
Michael Klaper, MD, is one of the world's most eloquent, convincing, passionate, and persistent advocates of a plant-based diet. He's studied the health effects, the environmental ramifications, and the psychological aspects of eating meat and junk food, and can put the most complex science in totally accessible terms. Here's how he explains the vast majority of chronic disease in the Western world: "We're putting diesel fuel in a gas engine." Boom. Simple. Powerful. Inarguable. For the past eight years, Dr Klaper has practiced nutrition-based medicine at True North Health Center in Santa Rosa, California. Come January 2018, he's unleashing his best self into the world of education, sharing his knowledge and passion with medical professionals, medical students, and the public. Once you hear our conversation, you'll be as excited as I am about his unfolding quest.
Scott Stoll on Disrupting Healthcare with Plants: PYP 244
December 11, 2017 • 82 MIN
Scott Stoll, MD, understands the power of Believing You Can. Which is a good thing, because he's made his life mission a task that would seem daunting to most: to transform the healthcare industry into one that actually practices health care rather than disease management and mitigation. Scott is, among many other things, co-founder of The Plantrician Project.
Designing Your Life with Dave Evans and Bill Burnett: PYP 243
December 4, 2017 • 76 MIN
Dave Evans and Bill Burnett are co-authors of the New York Times bestselling Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life. You may not have heard of them, but their design work has almost certainly touched your life. You know Dave's work if you've ever used an Apple mouse or laser printer. And Bill's designs include the hinges on Apple's Powerbooks and the original Hasbro Star Wars figures. What do these guys have to teach us about being healthy and happy? As it turns out, plenty.
The Mental Health / Lifestyle Link with Dr Elizabeth Winings: PYP 242
November 28, 2017 • 69 MIN
Elizabeth Winings is Doctor of Nursing Practice at  Nemours Children's specialty care and Wolfson Children's Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. She specializes in working with children and teens who are receiving mental health care in an acute in-patient setting. In her work with the children and their families, she emphasizes wholistic, therapeutic, and lifestyle approaches toward wellness. Ironically, it was Dr Winings' early exposure to nursing care in the Emergency Department and on a surgical unit that sparked her abiding interest in prevention through lifestyle. Dr Winings is also a voice for plant-based, lifestyle medicine. She interned at True North health center, and presents frequently at Engine 2 events and immersions.
Raising Healthy Parents with Sid Garza-Hillman: PYP 241
November 21, 2017 • 75 MIN
Sid Garza-Hillman returns to the podcast to talk about his new book, Raising Healthy Parents. In typical Sid fashion, the book is funny, irreverent, wise, and insanely useful. Sid is the Nutritionist and Program Director at The Stanford Inn by the Sea in Mendocino, California, and host of the Approaching the Natural podcast. He's also a race director, YouTuber, and health coach.
From the Sidelines to the Starting Line (and Finish Line!) with Anthony Masiello: PYP 240
November 17, 2017 • 78 MIN
Anthony Masiello grew up as the "fat kid," and owned the identity with resignation. Growing up in a town with three pizza restaurants within walking distance, it was easy to avoid the healthy food his mom stocked in their refrigerator and rely on the standard American junk diet. His weight continued to grow as his health and wellbeing began to decline. One day while away at college, a conversation with his mother got Anthony to try giving up meat and alcohol for a few months and "see what happens."
Exploring the Pathless Land of Truth with Jeff Stanford: PYP 239
November 14, 2017 • 87 MIN
Jeff Stanford combines a scientist's mind with a vegan's heart and a mystic's soul. He's co-founder of the Stanford Inn by the Sea in Mendocino, California, an eco-resort complete with a fully vegan restaurant, The Ravens. Jeff's a longtime spiritual seeker, an old-school "back to the land" hippie, and a philosopher. And an advocate of a vegan diet, from all the usual perspectives as well as some that are uniquely his. Jeff is equally at home citing the works of Krishnamurti, Jeremy Narby, and Stephen Batchelor as those of T. Colin Campbell and Caldwell Esselstyn. He's a student of anthropology, and uses his background in that field to challenge the assumptions of the paleo movement.
Code Blue: Challenging Conventional Medical Education and Practice with Saray Stancic, MD: PYP 238
November 11, 2017 • 78 MIN
Dr Saray Stancic became an infectious disease specialist in response to the HIV and hepatitis C crisis of the 1980s and 90s. On October 11, 1995, the then-3rd year medical resident found a short nap window at 2am, and collapsed in fatigue in the on-call room of the hospital where she worked. When she was awakened for her next shift, Dr Stancic couldn't feel her legs. She was rushed to the ER, and an MRI revealed multiple sclerosis (MS) with multiple lesions in the brain and spinal cord. In addition to the neuropathy in her legs, it turned out that her kidneys were also failing. She was admitted to the hospital, given an IV steroid drip and a bunch of other medications. And just like that, a young, energetic, ambitious doctor was converted into a frightened, confused, dispirited patient.
Rip Esselstyn on Growing a Movement and Being Open to Opportunity: PYP 237
November 8, 2017 • 97 MIN
Rip Esselstyn is founder of Engine 2, a food and education company dedicated to eliminating chronic disease through a whole food, plant-based diet. As Engine 2 continues to grow in influence and reach, Rip is stewarding the company to new opportunities. As a food brand associated with Whole Foods and an education provider to their employees, Engine 2 is poised to explode with Amazon's purchase of Whole Foods this past year. I see Amazon as a potential blessing and curse, both in its current behavior, and its continuing disruption of retail into the future. I wanted to get Rip's take on the opportunities and dangers inherent in a tight relationship with Amazon.
Navigating a Plant-Based Thanksgiving with Elspeth Feldman: PYP 236
November 3, 2017 • 31 MIN
Elspeth Feldman is The Speedy Vegan. Combining a love of cooking with a stint in culinary school with a dedication to human health and love of all sentient beings, she teaches and coaches people on adopting a plant-based diet in a delicious and non-time-consuming fashion. Elspeth is on the podcast today because she sent me a beautiful cookbook called (wait for it...) Pardon My Turkey. A lot of my coaching clients start clenching up as the holidays approach, bracing themselves for unpleasant interactions around food with family and friends. Pardon My Turkey is kind of a handbook for misdirection - make food this tasty and nice-looking, and the conversation about protein seems much less urgent.
Nathan Runkle on Showing Mercy to the Animals in Our Care: PYP 235
October 31, 2017 • 83 MIN
Nathan Runkle is the founder of Mercy For Animals, an organization that focuses on the prevention of cruelty to the billions of farm animals raised for food in the United States. Nathan's just written an amazing memoir, titled Mercy For Animals, with friend-of-the-podcast Gene Stone. The book is part coming of age story, part exposé of the animal agriculture industry, and part gripping tale of adventure and risk and strategy as a few passionate, committed young people go undercover to expose the abuses that are a regular and normal and accepted part of our meat-based food chain.
Rob Greenfield on Wearing Trash, Opting Out of Capitalism, and Waking Up to the Effects of Our Actions: PYP 234
October 24, 2017 • 63 MIN
Rob Greenfield has put the fun and friendly into environmental activism. Known for his eye-catching and media-worthy campaigns and adventures to wake people up to the destruction we're causing to our planet, Rob brings a positivity and sense of humor and humility to what is too often a dreary scold-fest. Rob was originally on track to live an opulent American dream, complete with nice stuff, fast car, big house, and enough money to do whatever he wanted. A life in which he never had to think about the downstream consequences of his actions, choices, and consumption. Then, somehow, he woke up. It dawned upon him that there was a direct link between his individual choices and the faraway and hypothetical poisoning of our ecosystem. That his convenient, comfortable existence was being underwritten by factory farms, oil spills, and trash heaps that wouldn't decompose for 500 years.
Having a New Heart and Filling It With Love with Ken Lander: PYP 233
October 17, 2017 • 73 MIN
When Ken Lander disembarked from a plane on December 16, 2016, he lost his breath, stumbled, and couldn't make to baggage claim. When the 430-pound Lander was examined in the emergency room, it was determined that it was a very sick heart that had nearly cost him his life that day. Further tests revealed a 90% blockage in the left descending artery, and severely compromised heart efficiency ("ejection fraction" in cardio lingo). On December 17, 2016, Ken googled "books on heart disease and diet." Of the hundreds of options, he chose the one with the most hopeful title: Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, by Caldwell Esselstyn, MD.
Peter Breggin, MD, on Toxic Psychiatry and the Heart of Healing: PYP 231
October 10, 2017 • 88 MIN
Peter Breggin, MD, has been known as the "conscience of psychiatry" since his crusade starting in the 1970s to abolish psycho-surgery (lobotomization) and electro-convulsive therapy. Since then, he's become an outspoken critic of the entire psychiatric profession, largely based on their reliance on neurotoxic drugs instead of humane and effective treatment options.
The Mindful Vegan by Lani Muelrath: PYP 230
October 5, 2017 • 83 MIN
Lani Muelrath is a good friend of the podcast (on the show for the fourth time), and a prolific thinker, teacher, and writer. Lani's new book, The Mindful Vegan: A 30-Day Plan for Finding Health, Balance, Peace, and Happiness, covers the third of her three pillars of a healthy life: mastery over habits of thinking the first two being physical activity and a whole-food plant-based diet).
Replacing Fear with Love, Losing 200 Pounds, and Finding Purpose with Russ L'Hommedieu: PYP 229
September 26, 2017 • 76 MIN
Now Russ is an accomplished weight loss (and "life gain") coach, and has started an innovative food delivery service, Harvest Food Box, to support his clients and others in the tri-state region of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. In this episode, we talked some about Russ's fascinating past, his journey to health, his entrepreneurial venues, and his current work. But most of our conversation highlights Russ' wisdom around the mental aspects of big change.
Tackling Our Healthcare Crisis by Growing Food with Thi Squire: PYP 228
September 19, 2017 • 73 MIN
Thi Squire is the garden manager for Homestead Hospital, located 35 miles south of Miami on Florida's east coast. A longtime urban gardener and sales rep in the burgeoning farm-to-table industry in South Florida, Squire talked her way into a position growing fresh organic produce for the hospital cafeteria. Not only that, she began using the 10 acre garden to educate and inspire members of the community of Homestead (which see describes as an agricultural center that's also a food desert) to start cooking with whole, fresh, organic plant foods. Her "Grow 2 Heal" and "Grow Your Lunch" programs are proving incredibly popular with kids and adults alike, and are introducing thousands of farm workers to the culinary potential of the plants they tend and harvest every day.
Saying Goodbye to Lupus and Other Autoimmune Diseases with Brooke Goldner, MD: PYP 227
September 13, 2017 • 70 MIN
When Brooke Goldner, MD, was 16 years old, she was told by her doctors that she probably had about six months to live. Her lupus, a chronic autoimmune condition that commonly attacks joints and skin, had gone after her kidneys, and it didn't look like they (and she) could be saved. Thankfully, the weekly chemotherapy worked well enough to stomp on her immune system, and it gave her kidneys and the rest of her a break and allowed her to grow up and have a fairly normal life. Goldner decided that however short her time on this planet, she wanted to make it count. She excelled at school, entered med school despite warnings that the stressful lifestyle could trigger debilitating relapses. Despite these health setbacks occurring, she became a doctor and began her intern year of residency hoping to keep her lupus at bay.
Bernie Roth on Designing the Lives We Want: PYP 226
September 6, 2017 • 74 MIN
Bernie Roth is a co-founder and Academic Director of the incredibly influential d.school at Stanford University (officially known as the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design). He's also the author of a charming, unflinchingly honest, and hugely helpful book, The Achievement Habit: Stop Wishing, Start Doing, and Take Command of Your Life. Bernie's great contribution to the world, aside from his numerous inventions and innovations in machine design, robotics, and engineering, is the insight that successful, happy, healthy people generally don't achieve these nice things by accident. Instead, they apply design principles to their lives, and make the good stuff happen.
Damien Mander on Becoming an Anti-Poaching Warrior and Rediscovering His Heart: PYP 225
August 30, 2017 • 63 MIN
Damien Mander's entire identity centered around war: as a 19-year-old who joined the Australian Royal Navy and trained as a clearance diver; as a spec-ops sniper; as a member of an elite Tactical Assault Group; and as a special operations soldier in Iraq for several years. After leaving Iraq in 2008 after 12 tours of duty, Damien was burned out, dispirited, and ill-equipped to manage in civilian society. Still addicted to adventure and thrill, he found his way to Southern Africa, where he started working with the rangers and organizations dedicated to protecting the big animals of Africa from poachers. Something clicked within his heart as he witnessed a pregnant rhino dying from wounds inflicted by the poachers who took her horn. As he pulled the trigger to put the great beast out of her misery, he knew that his "shitty skillset" that was no use in normal society could do much good in the bush of Africa. Damien began liquidating the fortune he had amassed while fighting in Iraq, and founded the International Anti-Poaching Federation (IAPF).
Radically Self-Reliant Veganic Gardening with Will Bonsall: PYP 224
August 22, 2017 • 77 MIN
Will Bonsall is the visionary gardener whose half-century of experimentation and iconoclasm can help us save human civilization from collapse. His method, which he refers to as "gardening without borders," takes into account all the inputs and outputs of a garden or farm, in contrast to the usual methods of conventional, organic, and permaculture production. In addition to gardening, teaching, and seed saving, Will is also a novelist. His 2010 work, Through the Eyes of a Stranger: Yaro Tales Book One, takes his philosophy and imagines it in practice in a working, sustainable civilization.
Doing Epic Sh-tuff and Having Fun with Aaron Stuber and Jackson Long: PYP 223
August 16, 2017 • 76 MIN
Aaron Stuber and Jackson Long are the irreverent, hilarious, and extremely fit duo behind the Thought For Food Podcast and nascent publishing empire. Aaron is a cardiovascular nurse, and a long-time competitive climber. When he first started dating his vegetarian girlfriend, he initially dismissed that diet as "the dumbest thing I've ever heard of." Then he began to feel the effects of adding more plants to his diet, checked out the science, and was hooked. Jackson is a competitive road cyclist who has competed at the national and international levels. During one particularly grueling training season, he followed his coaches' paleo advice and ditched the carbs - and started feeling terrible. He also turned to research, found Forks Over Knives, Rich Roll, and Brendan Brazier, and turned his health and his fitness around in short order.
Overcoming Disordered Eating Through Self-Love and Education with Tara Kemp: PYP 222
August 9, 2017 • 105 MIN
Tara Kemp is one of the happy luminaries of the plant-based movement. Spend an hour in her presence and you'll be charmed and delighted into eating better - no lectures or harangues required. When I first met Tara, I just assumed she was a natural-born positive person, never given to depression or anxiety or even garden-variety snarkiness. But as I discovered in our conversation, she has overcome a great deal to get to where she is now. And it's that journey, and the hard-won lessons gleaned from it, that give Tara the wisdom and authority and power to take on the task she's chosen for herself: helping people everywhere learn to love themselves, make peace with food, and eat life-nourishing plants.
Integrating Plant-based Nutrition into the Medical System with Michelle McMacken: PYP 221
August 2, 2017 • 72 MIN
Michelle McMacken, MD, is a leader in the field of plant-based lifestyle medicine. She's an assistant professor at New York University's School of Medicine, and the director of a medical weight-loss clinic at Bellevue Medical Center. She's also responsible for teaching doctors-in-training at Bellevue, where she gets to introduce the next generation of medical professionals to the wonderful world of lifestyle medicine. Bellevue serves a very diverse patient population, including people who live in homeless shelters, who speak very little English, and who have multiple other obstacles to the "Whole Foods" lifestyle. And yet she works with them, and with the other healthcare professionals who work with them, to improve their health outcomes and happiness by replacing junk food and animal products with life-supporting plant foods.
How to Overcome Our Cravings with Judson Brewer: PYP 220
July 25, 2017 • 67 MIN
Judson Brewer, author of The Craving Mind: From Cigarettes to Smartphones to Love - Why We Get Hooked, & How We Can Break Bad Habits - kept his meditation practice and medical career separate for a decade. Luckily for us, it eventually dawned on him to inform his research and clinical practice with the 2500-year-old insights of Buddhism. As he dove deep into the dynamics of addiction, he noticed that the primary western model for understanding human learning - BF Skinner's operant conditioning - was simply another way of describing the Buddhist concept of dependent generation. That is, humans, like all organisms, survived because they learned to associate certain triggers with behaviors that produced a reward that conveyed survival benefit.
Living Life on Purpose with Vic Strecher: PYP 219
July 19, 2017 • 65 MIN
Vic Strecher was a stellar public health researcher and entrepreneur when his life lost all meaning. A professor at the University of Michigan, founder of the Center for Health Communication Research, and creator of an online health coaching company that was bought by Johnson & Johnson in 2008, Strecher was at the top of his game. And then in 2010 his life fell apart when his daughter Julia died at the age of 21. It wasn't unexpected, exactly. Julia had had her heart destroyed by a chicken pox virus at six months old, and had received a heart transplant and had suffered from health problems for her entire life.
Kim Williams, MD on Building an Evidence-based and Inclusive Cardiology Profession: PYP 218
July 12, 2017 • 61 MIN
Kim Williams, MD, is past president of the American College of Cardiology (ACC). Let's take a moment to appreciate how amazing that is. First of all, he grew up poor and black on the South Side of Chicago. One winter he ended up in the hospital with pneumonia; his family couldn't afford to buy him a coat. His step-dad died of an intercranial hemorrhage when Kim was five years old. Second, Dr Williams chose medical school over a promising career as a professional tennis player. Third, he's the first and thus far only president of the ACC to "come out" as a vegan. The current chairman of cardiology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago has been vegan himself since 2003, and now recommends a vegan diet to his patients as the first line of defense against heart disease.
Creating a Safe "Couple Bubble" with Susan Orenstein: PYP 217
July 4, 2017 • 67 MIN
Susan Orenstein, PhD, is a couples therapist in Cary, North Carolina. She's also a long-time friend (I believe we met in 1986) and neighbor (since we moved to NC in 2005). I wanted to pick her brain about a challenge that many of my clients face - navigating their health journey in tandem with their significant other. Many of my clients and students feel like they don't want to impose their new healthy way of eating and living on their partners. Others feel blocked by their spouse's disapproval or resistance or defensiveness. And still others feel supported, but don't know how to get their partner to join them on the journey to wellness.
The Biogas Revolution with Alon Civier: PYP 216
June 27, 2017 • 52 MIN
Alon Civier is the Customer Experience Manager at HomeBiogas.com, an Israeli startup whose mission is to bring clean and elegant biogas technology to the world. I discovered biogas when I lived in South Africa six years ago. Some remote Zulu villages had installed underground tanks near their cattle, and every day shoveled manure into these tanks. Somehow, as the bacteria in the tanks went to work on the manure, methane was produced, which was siphoned off for use in cooking and heating.
Achieving Behavior Change Through Pleasure and Positivity with Sid Garza-Hillman: PYP 215
June 20, 2017 • 76 MIN
Sid Garza-Hillman is one of the world's great bald plant-based podcasters of Jewish origin. He's also a remarkably savvy and sane health coach, and a funny and frank philosopher of what constitutes a good life. We met in person in Marshall, TX, during Healthfest, and found ourselves agreeing on lots of things that almost nobody agrees with us on. So deciding we were kindred spirits, we planned a podcast conversation around the state of plant-based practice and advocacy in 2017. Oh, and Sid gave me a copy of his book, Approaching the Natural, which is sized conveniently to fit in a back jeans pocket. So we talked about his general philosophy of health behavior change as well.
Hacking the Instant Pot and Air Fryer with Kathy Hester: PYP 214
June 13, 2017 • 59 MIN
My good friend and neighbor Kathy Hester is a combination cookbook factory and mad scientist. I like having her on the podcast partly because I get lonely and it's fun to have in-studio guests, and partly because she brings me vegan goodies to share with my family, and partly because she is always pushing the boundaries on how to make healthy plant-based meals easier and tastier and mainstreamier. Her latest book, The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook for Your Instant Pot: 80 Easy and Delicious Plant-Based Recipes That You Can Make in Half the Time, capitalizes on the electric pressure cooker craze sweeping the plant-based community. I basically cook soups and stews in my Instant Pot, and I love that I can get totally absent-minded and nothing bad happens. But Kathy takes everything to the next level, and this book shares clever ways to extend the usefulness of the Instant Pot to many other types of food. Kathy's working on a new book about the latest healthy cooking gadget, the Air Fryer. I have never seen one, or used one, or tasted anything made in one, so this was all new territory to me. We'll see if I catch the bug.
Avoiding Burnout and Achieving Peak Performance with Bradley Stulberg: PYP 213
June 5, 2017 • 58 MIN
Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness know a lot about burnout. They were up-and-comers in their respective fields - consulting and running - and neither managed to live up to their early promise. Both "burned out," losing interest, passion, and the performance edge they had honed through years of hard work and deliberate practice. As they rebuilt their lives, they both gravitated to the field of high performance. Wondering what happened, perhaps, and seeking a way to turn things around for themselves and others. Today their efforts have culminated in the release of a new book, Peak Performance: Elevate Your Game, Avoid Burnout, and Thrive with the New Science of Success. It's fantastic. It's incredibly useful. It's inspiring. It's fun to read. And best of all, it's 100% evidence-based.
The Nature Fix with Florence Williams: PYP 212
May 30, 2017 • 46 MIN
Florence Williams is the author of a must-read book, The Nature Fix. Why must-read? Because contact with nature, it turns out, is one of the foundational elements of human health and well-being. Florence is not only a great science journalist, she's a fantastic storyteller, and all-around hilarious writer. In case you think of science books as medicine, this one is coated in enough sugar to make you feel like you're reading a guilty pleasure.
Putting Our Money Where Our Hearts Are with Lee Slonimsky: PYP 211
May 22, 2017 • 83 MIN
Lee Slonimsky is both a financial wizard and an accomplished poet. His abiding interests include social justice and animal welfare. Lee has managed to fit all these skills, interests, and passions into a singular and impactful life. He's the co-founder of Next Era Capital Partners LLC, the country's first hedge fund majority owned by Native Americans. He uses his investment chops to shift the capitalist game from amassing resources at any cost to using capital as a tool to reorient business toward more life-sustaining practices. He's also published several volumes of poetry, as well as a detective novel, Bermuda Gold, that fictionalizes the scandalous and secretive world of hedge funds.
Josh LaJaunie on Naturally Attainable Quantities: PYP 210
May 16, 2017 • 78 MIN
On the road from Marshall, Texas to MSY airport in New Orleans, Josh LaJaunie and I (shown, left, after surviving the Crescent City Classic 10k and attaining new personal records) tried out a concept that we've been playing with for about a year. Josh came up with it originally (not that no one's ever thought it before, but he was the first person who articulated it in a way that empowered me to make good decisions based on it). And the more I applied it, the more it started looking like the Unified Field Theory of How to Be an Authentic Human. The concept is Naturally Attainable Quantities.
Overcoming Addiction with Adam and Lecia Sud: PYP 209
May 9, 2017 • 87 MIN
Adam Sud is only 34 years old and he’s already battled against obesity, type II diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, drug addiction, fast food addiction, and severe depression. Once weighing over 300 pounds, he had lost all interest in life. Addicted to fast food and prescription drugs, Adam dug himself out with plant-based nutrition, after attending an Immersion with Rip Esselstyn. Having reversed all of his chronic health conditions and losing 160 pounds, Adam is now health coach for the Whole Foods Market Medical and Wellness Clinic in Austin, Texas. He is also an addiction recovery counselor who has developed a program using plant-based nutrition as a tool for strengthening recovery and relapse prevention. Adam and Lecia spoke openly and often poignantly about their journey, pain and suffering and anguish and guilt and worry and regret and all.
Chris Voss on Negotiating with Others and Ourselves: PYP 208
May 1, 2017 • 64 MIN
Chris Voss learned negotiation in one of the most high-stakes professions possible: as a lead international hostage negotiator for the FBI. Having learned from the super-smart, super-rational Harvard negotiation experts, Chris quickly discovered that humans are not rational, and that principles and tactics that work with Rational Humans (a fictitious species) do not reliably work with Real Humans. Drawing upon the work of behavioral economists like Daniel Kahneman, Amos Twersky, and Dan Ariely, and upon hundreds of real-life situations with bank robbers, terrorists, hardened criminals, and all manner of desperate people, Chris has distilled his counter-intuitive approach to negotiation into a fabulous book, Never Split the Difference.
Educating a Generation of Healthy, Savvy Moms and Girlfriends with Lana Kontos: PYP 207
April 25, 2017 • 62 MIN
Lana Kontos is a naturopath and women's health advocate who somehow managed to transcend her training and embrace the true sources of health. While still in high school, she was told by her guidance counselor that she should become an MD. But the contradiction in her education - like the brilliant, morbidly obese dean of her state university with a PhD in nutrition who was always in pain, and whose dietary preferences consisted largely of  steak and eggs - sent her into the business world. The combination of poor food habits and a high-stress job led to Lana developing acid reflux and IBS. At this point, her medical mind came to the rescue, as she researched the conditions and discovered her own successful treatment protocol.
Making Familiar Food Healthy with Kim Campbell: PYP 205
April 16, 2017 • 78 MIN
Kim Campbell is the author of two really useful cookbooks: The PlantPure Nation Cookbook, and The PlantPure Kitchen. Her recipes are featured in the Jumpstarts chronicled in the documentary PlantPure Nation, directed by her husband, Nelson Campbell. Kim dropped by the Plant Yourself World Headquarters to talk about food, cooking, transitioning yourself and your family to a plant-based diet, and why she and Nelson and the rest of the PlantPure team are so focused on improving the diets of impoverished rural communities.
Brian Kateman on Reducing Animal Consumption by Building a Big Tent: PYP 204
April 3, 2017 • 46 MIN
Brian Kateman is cofounder of the burgeoning Reducetarian movement, and one of the bright young stars in the fight to save humanity, animals, and planet earth from spiraling into an unredeemable mess. Brian reached out to me about a year ago, sharing a modest vision for an edited book designed not to turn ordinary people into vegetarians or vegans, but simply to encourage and empower them to eat less meat.
Overcoming Guilt and Shame with Michael Edelstein: PYP 203
March 27, 2017 • 64 MIN
Michael Edelstein, PhD, returns to the podcast to help me wrap my mind around two of my most faithful mind-companions, guilt and shame. Dr. Edelstein is a clinical psychologist, and author of the most excellent self-help book, Three Minute Therapy. He's also a student of the great Dr. Albert Ellis, founder of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), one of the foundational contributions to cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). I reached out to Dr. Edelstein after reading Peter Breggin, MD's book, Guilt, Shame, and Anxiety: Understanding and Overcoming Negative Emotions. While I loved the book, I couldn't totally shake my belief that guilt and shame have played a useful role in my own life.
The Nuts and Bolts of a Good Night's Sleep with Emerson Wickwire: PYP 202
March 21, 2017 • 86 MIN
Emerson Wickwire, PhD, returns to the Plant Yourself Podcast to share his message of a good night's sleep. In this show we focus on actionable advice: What to do when you have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, getting back to sleep, or waking up fully rested. I used to be all about diet. Then I was all about diet and natural human movement. Then I became aware of the importance of environmental exposure, to nature and to extremes. And Emerson has reminded me that the fourth leg of a healthy life is positive sleep.
Caring for Our Bodies as Temples of Spirit with Nalida Besson: PYP 201
March 13, 2017 • 73 MIN
Nalida Lacet Besson wasn't so concerned about weighing 240 pounds or passing the occasional painful gallstone. What got her attention in the summer of 2013 was a physical malaise so complete and overwhelming, she believed she was dying. Everything hurt, including her skin. It was as if her body were saying, "I've had enough of this. Time to rest." Nalida lay in bed, thinking about how to say goodbye to her young son, when she suddenly decided to fight for her life. She prayed to God, asking forgiveness for how she had treated her body up to that point, and vowing to take care of it, if God would only show her what to do. She turned her head, and saw on the nightstand a copy of Joel Fuhrman, MD's Eat to Live.
Saving America by Reforming Health Insurance with Ken Beckman: PYP 200
March 6, 2017 • 62 MIN
Ken Beckman (who's not into having his photo out on the Internet, so I grabbed a graph instead) is Vice President and Actuary at Central States Indemnity. He's a member of theAmerican Academy of Actuaries, and an Associate of the Society of Actuaries and Casualty Actuarial Society. With 0ver 20 years of actuarial experience, primarily in life and health insurance, he's done a lot of writing and thinking on the best ways to cover individuals efficiently and manage pools of risk. (Now hang on, you non-math folks - this is going to be a lot more interesting (and accessible) than you might think. Give us a chance here... :) After getting turned on to the health benefits of a plant-based diet, Ken began seeing the health insurance industry in a radically new light. If the best possible outcome is a slow decline mediated by appropriate drugs and timely procedures, then we're probably doing OK. If, on the other hand, disease prevention and reversal is really possible, then our current system is a paragon of inefficiency.
Getting a Second Lease on Life - and Using It in a Big Way with Paul Chatlin: PYP 199
February 27, 2017 • 76 MIN
At age 55, Paul Chatlin was a few minutes away from surgery on a 100% blockage in his right coronary artery when his cardiologist asked him out of the blue, "Would you consider a nutritional change instead of bypass surgery?" Turns out the cardiologist's mentor was a dude named Caldwell Esselstyn, which is the only way this story makes any sense. Paul, tired of his severe angina, terrified of the life that followed bypass surgery that he witnessed in his father and three uncles, and in agony from the "elephant sitting on his chest," agreed.
Ed and Amanda Smith on Leadership, Community, and Health: PYP 198
February 20, 2017 • 77 MIN
Ed and Amanda Smith are the co-founders of Healthfest, a three-day annual event in a small Texas town that's become an unlikely hub of plant-based nutrition in the United States. Marshall, Texas, population 27,000, is smack in the middle of the "stroke belt." Where beef is king, hunting is a rite of passage into manhood, and if it ain't deep-fried, it ain't food. And there, where Ed served as mayor, is where they decided to bring plant-based knowledge and practice.
Scott Carney on Extreme Cold and Facing the World as It Is: PYP 197
February 14, 2017 • 85 MIN
In the winter of 2013, Scott Carney traveled to Poland to debunk the prophet/madman Wim Hof, a charismatic Dutchman who claimed that his method of breathwork, cold exposure, and meditation could confer superpowers on its practitioners.
Pharmaceutical Brainwashing of America with Vanessa Sardi: PYP 196
February 7, 2017 • 84 MIN
When Vanessa Sardi was a drug rep for one of the world's largest and most powerful pharmaceutical companies, she firmly believed that she was educating doctors to make better prescribing decisions and was helping patients live healthier, more comfortable lives.
"I'm not speeding up; they're all slowing down" with Ellen Jaffe Jones: PYP 194
January 24, 2017 • 75 MIN
I ran into Ellen Jaffe Jones at the Raleigh NC Vegfest, where she was inspiring young and old to get off their butts and embrace a healthy, active, vegan lifestyle. We had met on Skype for a podcast interview more than three years ago, but this was the first time we had met in person. And since I've become a runner, I badly wanted a copy of her new book, Vegan Fitness For Mortals. As one of the most decorated track and field athletes in the country (and getting more and more competitive as her non-plant-based rivals slow down and quit as their bodies decline), she has a lot to teach me about running well and sustainably.
Escaping the Dungeon of Obesity with Justin Lacy: PYP 193
January 17, 2017 • 69 MIN
Two years ago, Justin Lacy weighed 500 pounds, and could move about only on crutches — when he could move about at all. His tendonitis and lymphedema made standing painful and walking all but impossible. Following his mother’s stroke, the then-30-year-old Justin decided that he was going to make changes and get healthy, no matter what.
Healing from Whiteness with Tad Hargrave: PYP 192
January 10, 2017 • 81 MIN
Tad Hargrave is an environmental activist and marketing teacher whose heartfelt wisdom and elegant and ethical strategies inspired and guided much of my own thinking when I was in the online marketing field. We've stayed in touch over the years, and as Tad is a prolific writer, I spend a fair amount of time pondering his pensive and powerful essays on, basically, how to be a courteous and committed ally to those on the planet who are suffering.
Hal Hershfield on Befriending Our Future Selves: PYP 191
January 4, 2017 • 73 MIN
Hal Herschfield is a UCLA psychology professor, and author of some really interesting studies on the connection between what we do now and how we think about the future. Specifically, he's shown through brain scans that the more we think of our future selves as a person different from ourselves (and most of us do), the less we're willing to sacrifice today to help that future self.
Stumbling Toward a Healthy and Kind Diet with Clay Garrett: PYP 190
December 27, 2016 • 62 MIN
Growing up in rural East Texas, Clay Garrett was raised to appreciate meat. His father, an agriculture instructor, literally taught an entire class on how to produce, process and cook meat. And the "meat and butter at every meal" cuisine was never linked, in anyone's mind, to the family history of high cholesterol and cancer, let alone to the digestive issues that ruled Clay's life.
The Simple Practices that Healed His Depression with Dave Wiskowski: PYP 189
December 20, 2016 • 78 MIN
In 1987, fresh out of college, I took a job as a teaching intern at a fancy prep school in central New Jersey. One of the students who never made it across my radar was a quiet, blonde fifth grade boy named Dave Wiskowski. In his class photo, he’s not smiling, unlike many of his classmates. He told me that he was struggling with depression at that time, any for many years later. Like many people who find themselves overwhelmed by life and negative emotions, he became adept at self-medicating through food, alcohol, and self-pity.
Dr Chad Teeters on Becoming an Infamous Cardiologist: PYP 188
December 13, 2016 • 70 MIN
Dr John “Chad” Teeters grew up eating a good old meat and potato diet in his home state of North Carolina. An active kid, he looked and felt healthy and fit; his diet started catching up with him only when combined with the rigors of college, medical school, and medical residency. For his entire adult life, Chad struggled with weight, gaining and losing pounds as his activity levels and self-control waxed and waned. After competing in a couple of triathlons in 2005, he let go of the struggle and gained roughly 10 pounds a year for the next 10 years.
The Universal Language of Food with Katie Simmons: PYP 187
December 6, 2016 • 57 MIN
Katie Simmons was working as a traditionally trained chef and moonlighting as a fitness instructor when the dare happened. She was struggling - as she had been her whole life - with her weight and her health. She managed to achieve a tentative balance between compulsive overeating and compulsive overexercising, but still dealt with feeling lousy and often ashamed of herself. Then the dare - go vegan for one month - changed everything.
The Healing Power of EFT with Robyn Chuter: PYP 186
November 30, 2016 • 81 MIN
Robyn Chuter is a plant-based "recovering naturopath" and wellness researcher from New South Wales, Australia. She's particularly interested in how groups of people support each other's health journeys, and is currently running an ethnographic study on a whole food, plant-based Facebook support group to identify effective strategies and barriers to behavior change.
Finding (and Sharing) the Fountain of Youth with Doug Schmidt: PYP 185
November 22, 2016 • 61 MIN
Doug Schmidt is an enrichment teacher and health and wellness coordinator for his upstate New York school district. Now, health and wellness coordinators generally focus on stress reduction in the workplace, smoking cessation, and getting teachers to increase their physical activity by taking the stairs and parking farther away from the front entrance.
Adam and Shoshana Chaim on Eating Their Way Out of a Medical Nightmare: PYP 184
November 15, 2016 • 75 MIN
Adam and Shoshana Chaim are the hosts of the most excellent Plant Trainers Podcast. Their journey of discovery and transformation is one that needs to be heard by everyone who may ever come into contact with the medical establishment. (And even more so by the members of that establishment.)
Being an "Ayurvegan" with Darshana Thacker: PYP 183
November 8, 2016 • 65 MIN
Darshana Thacker is the culinary project manager for Forks Over Knives, as well as the chef responsible for 125 kid-friendly recipes in the brand new Forks Over Knives Family book. She has been a Forks Over Knives (FOK) insider since the very beginning (in addition to being a top-notch plant-based chef, she's also FOK producer Brian Wendel's girlfriend).
Becoming Pain-free Like an Animal with Tom Dalonzo-Baker: PYP 182
November 1, 2016 • 66 MIN
When my right knee started hurting so bad that I couldn't run, do yoga, squat, or ride a bike, I did all the things I knew how to do. I got massages. I iced. I rubbed hot and cold ointments into the skin. I visualized. I went to the chiropractor. I stretched. And nothing worked.
Detoxing from Dairy with Michelle Cehn and Allison Rivers Samson: PYP 181
October 25, 2016 • 75 MIN
Michelle Cehn and Allison River Sampson have spent over a year creating a 12-day program designed to wean participants off dairy - permanently.
Peak Performance for the Rest of Us with Bradley Stulberg: PYP 180
October 19, 2016 • 77 MIN
Bradley Stulberg writes about the connections between exercise and human physiology and psychology. He's interviewed many of the world's elite athletes, and has synthesized their insights into valuable lessons for the rest of us.
Becoming a Lean, Green Dad with Cory Warren: PYP 179
October 11, 2016 • 67 MIN
Cory Warren is a plant-based athlete from Orlando, Florida, and dad to three whole food, plant-based kids. After struggling through a medicine morass of misinformation and toxic treatment when his wife was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (UC), they took matters into their own hands and started looking for alternatives.
Telling the Plant-based Story to the World with Gene Stone: PYP 177
October 4, 2016 • 68 MIN
Gene Stone is the author of about 40 books (he wasn't quite sure of the exact count), and has become the pre-eminent co-author on books in the plant-based and vegan genres, including Michael Greger's runaway bestseller How Not to Die, Rip Esselstyn's The Engine 2 Diet and My Beef with Meat, and a bunch of others.
Dave Willits on Plant-Based Life After Death: PYP 175
September 27, 2016 • 68 MIN
On March 28, 2014, Dave Willits suffered a heart attack at work, and died at the hospital later that day. Several times, in fact. Luckily for him (and us), he was revived every time, and awoke from his surgery vowing never to take another day for granted. Dave had thought himself in good shape at the age of 53, so he quickly realized that all his assumptions about how to have a healthy heart were flawed.
Nature's Brilliant Protocol and a Popcorn Fart in the Wind with Josh LaJaunie: PYP 174
September 23, 2016 • 77 MIN
Josh LaJaunie is, by his own admission, a simple Bayou coonass who discovered plants and running, and transformed his life. His backstory is well documented in a couple of Rich Roll Podcasts, which you should drop everything and listen to if you don't know Josh yet (links below). Josh can do that kind of reductionist rebuttal as well as I can, but he prefers to stay out of the weeks and just talk in terms of common sense. So when Joe Rogan tweeted about a report that the sugar industry had influenced scientific studies on the dangers of saturated fat by proclaiming "China Study RIP," Josh jumped in. Joe argued: "There are certainly benefits to eating lots of plants. The question is are there also benefits to eating animals." Here's how Josh responded: @joerogan @Drgarthdavis absolutely. It's called avoiding starvation. In excess of that, it's ignoring nature's brilliant protocol. — Josh LaJaunie (@joshlajaunie) September 14, 2016 I wanted to talk with Josh about this concept: that simply by looking at nature with curiosity and humility, we can intuit how we should eat and move and live for optimal health and happiness. So that's the conversation on this episode. A caution: Josh employs "salty" language, so keep the earbuds on if you're listening in the presence of the innocent :) [powerpress] We covered: reductionist science: enjoying the music rather than analyzing every note appreciating the brilliant self-sustainable protocol of nature "human animals are the only ones that f--- it up" modern human culture is a "popcorn fart in the wind" the "quantity problem" of animal food consumption extrapolating the pointy stone at the end of a spear to CAFOs and heated box blinds with porn and beer hunting and fishing in the woods - a drive to understand one's relationship to the environment and its resources our reliable calories and nutrients: tubers and leafy greens how to get off track within the plant-based paradigm (nut butters, breads, pastas) on not judging hunters running and human survival overfeeding a deer on dead birds and much more...
Navigating Life Through Feelings with Mark Leuchten: PYP 173
September 21, 2016 • 91 MIN
At various times in my life, I've felt like I was hitting my head against the universe. Struggling to figure out what to do next. Stuck in a house and neighborhood that wasn't right for us. Navigating a conflict between duty and pleasure. That sort of thing. And eventually, I would call my friend Mark Leuchten and ask him to help me "figure things out.
Marta Zaraska on Why We're Meathooked and How to Unhook Ourselves: PYP 172
September 13, 2016 • 68 MIN
Marta Zaraska is the author of Meathooked: The History and Science of Our 2.5-Million-Years Obsession with Meat, which was just published this year (2016). Marta writes about science and health for some of the most influential and prestigious publications, including Scientific American, The Atlantic, and the Washington Post. And now that she's been published on the Plant Yourself Podcast, I suppose she's reached the height of achievement ;)
Pam Kropf on Becoming a Plant-Based Trail Momma: PYP 171
September 6, 2016 • 55 MIN
Pam Kropf is on an inspiring journey of wellness and self-actualization that lacks some of the drama our culture associates with growth and change.
Heather Goodwin on Harnessing the Butterfly Effect for Health: PYP 170
August 31, 2016 • 79 MIN
Heather Goodwin is fond of saying that she was born at her ideal weight, and that was the last time she ever saw it.
Jim Gray on Defeating Genetics Through Diet: PYP 169
August 23, 2016 • 56 MIN
Jim Gray (middle of the photo) knew that he had been dealt a lousy health hand when he was diagnosed with high blood pressure at the tender age of 18. At that point, he was in good shape, a high school athlete, muscular and lean at six feet tall and weighing under 200 pounds.
Dr Milton Mills on Our Marvelous Microbiome: PYP 168
August 16, 2016 • 73 MIN
Dr Milton Mills combines an encyclopedic knowledge of human biology, anatomy, physiology, and pathology with a passion for health and justice for all creatures. Plus, he's a top-notch debater with a flair for analogy.
Jason Cohen on Taking the Wheel of Your Own Life: PYP 167
August 10, 2016 • 72 MIN
Jason Cohen tipped the scale at 297 pounds when a buddy of his moved and left him a bicycle. That, along with the death of a slightly older, leaner friend, carrot-and-sticked Jason to a weight loss journey that soon turned into much more.
Timaree Hagenburger on Making Food that Loves You Back: PYP 164
July 19, 2016 • 66 MIN
Timaree Hagenburger is a full-time nutrition professor at Cosumnes River College, a professional speaker working in corporate wellness and is a Certified Exercise Physiologist. She discovered plant-based nutrition a few years ago, and hasn't looked back.
Tim Kaufman on Doing a Little More Today Than You Did Yesterday: PYP 163
July 12, 2016 • 77 MIN
When Tim Kaufman was in his late 30s, he weighed about 400 pounds, struggled with addictions to pain killers, and figured this was how his life was gonna be from now on. After all, he had been diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a genetic disease that messes with connective tissue and left his knees essentially useless.
Dr Michael Edelstein on Overcoming Addiction and Procrastination: PYP 162
July 5, 2016 • 63 MIN
Michael R Edelstein is a clinical psychologist with a practice in San Francisco, and globally via Skype. As a teenager, he was depressed and anxious, and a chronic procrastinator. After a long, unsuccessful stint of psychoanalysis, Michael discovered the pioneering work of Albert Ellis, the founder of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT).
Eric O'Grey on Being Rescued by an Obese, Middle-Aged Dog: PYP 161
June 28, 2016 • 83 MIN
Eric O’Grey co-stars in a 6-minute video that’s been viewed over 50 millions times. He’s been on NPR, Rachael Ray, Oprah.com, and Today.com. He runs multiple marathons a year, advocates for animal rescue and plant-based diets, and is in the process of inking a book deal. All because of a scruffy, obese, middle-aged rescue dog.
Ashley Rhinehart on Promoting a Plant-based World from Top Down and Bottom Up: PYP 165
June 26, 2016 • 70 MIN
Ashley Rhinehart is Food and Nutrition Manager at the Humane Society of the United States. A military brat by upbringing and a pediatric nurse by training, Ashley is uniquely positioned to advocate for plant-based nutrition in high places.
Doug Lisle on the Evolutionary Uses of Pain and Sacrifice: PYP 160
June 21, 2016 • 65 MIN
Doug Lisle, PhD, is an evolutionary psychologist, Director of Research at True North Health Center, and co-author of one of the most important and - to me - challenging books on human happiness and health, The Pleasure Trap. The other author, Alan Goldhamer, was a recent guest on this podcast, and credited his desire to beat Doug at basketball as the motivating factor behind his own search for the truth about health.
Glen Merzer on Writing, Standup, and the Politics of Healthcare: PYP 159
June 14, 2016 • 77 MIN
Glen Merzer juggles multiple careers with a grace and impact that makes me a bit jealous. From standup comedy in 1980s San Francisco, to sitcom writing, to screenplays, to non-fiction collaborations with plant-based authors, to his very own novel (now I'm a lot jealous!), Glen is doing a lot of good in the world through his pen.
Sandi Kronick on Facilitating a Sustainable Food System: PYP 158
June 7, 2016 • 53 MIN
Sandi Kronick is founder and CEO of Eastern Carolina Organics (ECO), an innovative food hub company that connects medium-scale organic farmers with local and far-flung markets. Located in Durham, NC, ECO is part of a new breed of mission-driven for-profit companies looking to help us eat better within a capitalist framework.
Keegan Kuhn on Not Hurting Anybody and Questioning Authority: PYP 157
May 31, 2016 • 65 MIN
Keegan Kuhn was raised with two rules: don’t hurt anybody, and question authority. Judging by what’s he’s become and what he’s accomplished, I think those two rules may comprise a necessary and sufficient philosophy of child-rearing. Keegan is an accomplished bio-intensive farm and garden developer, a social activist, and a documentary filmmaker whose latest project, What the Health?, promises to rip the cover off the pharmaceutical / medical / agricultural conspiracy to ruin our health.
Howard Jacobson on Motivation and Transformation: PYP 156
May 24, 2016 • 58 MIN
Hey there, it's me, Howard. My mind has been buzzing lately, full of input from some of the guests I've interviewed over the past few months. It's like they've been talking with each other, in my mind, and I have these momentary revelations and confusions as I go on runs, sit down to write, and lay awake at night when I'm not tired enough to sleep
Jamie Gannon on Brain Cancer, Golden Tickets, and Silver Linings: PYP 155
May 17, 2016 • 85 MIN
When Jamie Gannon was 27, he was an aspiring actor living the dream in Hollywood. Reading for films, TV, and commercials. Working his day job. Working out to keep his leading man physique. Taking voice and acting classes. And living a healthy, active life. When it all fell apart, thanks to a golf-ball sized malignant tumor at the base of his brain. A tumor that, even after its removal and long courses of chemo and other intensive medical therapies, left Jamie with a 10-15% chance at survival.
Matt Frazier and Sid Garza-Hillman on the Sane and Happy Path to Change: PYP 154
May 10, 2016 • 74 MIN
Matt Frazier and Sid Garza-Hillman have teamed up to produce plant-base meal plans that are designed to get us to the point where we no longer need meal plans.
Bob Cafaro on Beating MS: PYP 153
May 3, 2016 • 81 MIN
Bob Cafaro was enjoying a successful career as a professional cellist with the Philadelphia Orchestra when he was struck with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in December, 1998. After some serious denial and three increasingly nasty attacks, he was forced to confront the reality and severity of his diagnosis. With Bob's eyesight worsening to the point of blindness and his hands unable to control the cello, it was only natural for his doctor to write him a note for permanent disability. And slip him a script for an antidepressant to help him cope with the loss of his profession, his livelihood, his passion, and his independent existence
Nina Cooke on Being One Thought Away from Happiness: PYP 152
April 26, 2016 • 66 MIN
Nina Cooke is a performance coach who specializes in helping people find success, balance, and happiness in their lives by questioning their most subterranean beliefs and thought patterns. I met her through a mutual friend who shared with me how helpful Nina had been in showing him how to unlock his own potential.
PYP 151: Steven Sashen on Running Barefoot and Feeling the World
April 19, 2016 • 76 MIN
Steven Sashen is co-founder of Xeroshoes.com, and a fierce critic of the athletic footwear industry. Steven and I met when we were in the digital marketing world, and stayed in touch as we both migrated into health and wellness.
PYP 150: Dustin Rudolph on Meds vs Diet for Hypertension and Diabetes
April 12, 2016 • 72 MIN
Dustin Rudolph, PharmD, is a repeat guest on the podcast. As one of the only pharmacists in the world who favors a plant-based treatment approach, he shared his "coming of age" story and his take on the world of doctors, drugs, and health care. Today he's back to talk about two specific conditions: high blood pressure (hypertension) and type 2 (insulin resistant) diabetes.
PYP 149: Dr. Linda Carney on the Dangers of Excess Estrogen
April 5, 2016 • 62 MIN
Dr. Linda Carney got her first taste of medicine - an addictive one, as it turns out - when she managed to witness an autopsy at the age of 14. Her vegetarian-chef / Mr. Mom stepdad added the experience of delicious plant-based eating to her life, and when she heard Hans Diehl, PhD, describe the results of his CHIP program (see below for my interview with Hans), she combined the two and embraced plant-based medicine. As Medical Director of the original Engine 2 Immersion with employees of Whole Foods in Austin, TX, Dr. Carney witnessed daily what most doctors would consider medical miracles: 100 point drops in cholesterol in 5 days, type 1 diabetics reducing their insulin requirements by 20% a day, and more. I became acquainted with her work through her website DrCarney.com, which renders complex nutritional and health science in layperson's terms. I specifically wanted to speak with her about women's health issues.
PYP 148: Marc Schoen, PhD, on Surviving Our Survival Instinct and Defeating Bad Habits
March 29, 2016 • 59 MIN
True confession: I usually multitask while I eat, despite telling other people not to. I read, I Facebook, I talk on the phone, I create presentations, and so on. I rationalize it very well: I'm busy, I can still chew slowly (note to self: "BS!"), and this is the last time.
PYP 147: Vlad Chituc on How (Not) to Change Hearts and Minds
March 22, 2016 • 74 MIN
Vlad Chituc is a behavioral economics researcher at Duke University. He works with Dan Ariely at the Center for Advanced Hindsight, and focuses on issues of ethics, morality, and decision-making.
PYP 146: Michael Greger, MD, on How Not To Die
March 15, 2016 • 44 MIN
Michael Greger is the founder of NutritionFacts.org, an amazing website that produces daily what would take me six months to do: a short, entertaining video exploring some aspect of nutritional science and its application to everyday life. From humble beginnings, the website now educates millions of viewers about the relationship between diet/lifestyle and disease/health.
PYP 144: Irving Kirsch on Harnessing the Placebo Effect and Discovering the Truth about Antidepressants
March 1, 2016 • 62 MIN
Irving Kirsch is a soft-spoken researcher who accidentally stumbled upon one of the biggest and most costly errors in modern medicine. His cautious yet relentless search for the truth has made him persona non grata to much of the psychiatric profession and pharmaceutical industry, and a hero to the rest of us.
PYP 143: Janice Stanger on Hormonal Disruption and Dietary Dangers
February 23, 2016 • 65 MIN
Janice Stanger, PhD, author of The Perfect Formula Diet, is a repeat podcast guest. This time, she's on because she gave a remarkable presentation on hormonal health and disease at the annual Wellness Forum Health conference.
PYP 142: Alan Goldhamer on the Fastest Way to Improve Health
February 16, 2016 • 61 MIN
Alan Goldhamer, DC, is coauthor, with Doug Lisle, of The Pleasure Trap, and co-founder and director of one of the most important medical institutions in the world: The True North Health Center in Santa Rosa, California. Using lifestyle medicine and supervised water fasting, the staff at True North achieve medical miracles on a daily basis.
PYP 141: Antonia Demas on Overhauling Food Education
February 8, 2016 • 68 MIN
Antonia Demas, PhD, is founder and director of the Food Studies Institute, an organization that creates and promotes nutrition-based curricula for elementary schools.
PYP 140: Chef AJ on the Ultimate Weight Loss Challenge
February 1, 2016 • 70 MIN
Chef AJ is a funny, ferocious, blunt, and incredibly warm and supportive leader in the plant-based movement. It's always a treat to talk with her, and this podcast gives me a good excuse to do so at least a couple times a year.
Robert Whitaker on Institutional Psychiatric Corruption: PYP 139
January 25, 2016 • 49 MIN
Robert Whitaker has written some of the most dystopian, disturbing, and fascinating stories of evil unleashed that I've ever read.
PYP 138: Kelly Turner on Radical Remission from Cancer
January 19, 2016 • 65 MIN
Kelly Turner, PhD, is the author of Radical Remission: Surviving Cancer Against All Odds. If you have cancer, or know anyone who has cancer, or are a human being (Western men have a 1/2 chance and women a 1/3 chance of developing cancer in their lifetime), you need to read this book. It's not one of those "Think happy thoughts and cure everything books." Instead, it's a profoundly scientific look at a group of people who may hold the key to curing cancer - and who have been systematically ignored, marginalized, and dismissed as irrelevant by medical research for the past 150 years.
PYP 137: Paul Kerton on harmonizing strength and compassion
January 12, 2016 • 43 MIN
I goggled at my Facebook feed, early one December morning, when I read that Arnold Schwarzenegger, of all people, was advocating for a plant-based diet at the Paris climate talks. The "You hit like a vegetarian" actor, bodybuilder, and politician was the last person on earth I would have ever guessed to make such a statement.
PYP 136: Eileen Kopsaftis on How to Become Ageless
January 5, 2016 • 54 MIN
Eileen Kopsaftis is an amazing physical therapist based near Albany, New York. She's unusual in many ways, including her use of nutrition to help her patients get out of pain and regain function, and her hands-on (literally) approach to resolving pain and mobility issues.
PYP 135: Susan Benigas on Growing a Generation of Plant-Based Doctors
December 29, 2015 • 70 MIN
Susan Benigas is executive director of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) and founder of the Plantrician Project. Through these and other efforts, Susan is in the forefront of the movement to educate doctors about the healing power of diet and lifestyle.
PYP 134: Glenn Murphy on the New Science of Stress
December 22, 2015 • 70 MIN
Glenn Murphy is a science writer and educator, bestselling author, and longtime student of the Russian martial art known as Systema. He's also my teacher, my friend, and a hilarious guy with a kick-ass British accent.
PYP 133: Kathy Hester on Beans, Oats, Slow Cookers, and Just Having Fun
December 15, 2015 • 85 MIN
Kathy Hester is the author of five vegan cookbooks (more if you count the Halloween ebook), including the new Easy Vegan Cookbook: Make Home Healthy Cooking Practically Effortless and OATrageous Oatmeals: Delicious & Surprising Plant-Based Dishes From This Humble, Heart-Healthy Grain.
PYP 132: Jay Oliveira and Michelle Muench on Thriving Through Plants, Passion, and Consistency
December 8, 2015 • 61 MIN
Jay Oliveira and Michelle Muench are pretty much poster children for an athletic, plant-based lifestyle. YouTube and Instagram stars, with tens of thousands of followers, Jay and Michelle share their philosophy, their fitness and food strategies, their often-salty opinions, and the ups and downs of their lives in a public and powerful way.
PYP 131: Anthony Dissen, RD, on Empowering vs Preaching
December 1, 2015 • 68 MIN
Dietitian Anthony Dissen has the plant-based science down cold, like many of us. What sets him apart is his research in and experience with group programs to change behaviors in an engaging, positive, and sustainable fashion.
PYP 129: Dr Rekha Chaudhary on Giving Hope to Cancer Patients
November 17, 2015 • 77 MIN
Dr Rekha Chaudhary is an oncologist and assistant professor of medicine at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Until a chance viewing of the documentary Forks Over Knives, Dr Chaudhary had never once encountered the concept that diet could affect cancer intiation, progression, or outcome.
PYP 128: Queenie Moore on Being Black, Plant-Based, Fit, and Curvy
November 10, 2015 • 72 MIN
I met Queenetta (Queenie) Moore at her booth at the Raleigh VegFest, where she was promoting a "21 Day to Plant-Based" Challenge: Soul Food edition.
PYP 126: Jill McKeever on Cooking Speedy-Healthy-Delicious
October 27, 2015 • 68 MIN
Jill McKeever is not an introvert, I suspect. I began to form this suspicion when we started our video Skype conversation and I noticed she was wearing fuzzy bunny ears.
PYP 124: Samantha Carrie Johnson on Eating Real and Living Our Passion
October 20, 2015 • 65 MIN
Samantha Carrie Johnson, at age 30, has already accomplished several lifetimes worth of personal and social achievement. A chef, restauranteur, entrepreneur, actor, model, Miss Pennsylvania 2007, and MTV reality show star, Samantha devotes her energy and her time to raising consciousness, promoting plant-based health, and keeping her own life balanced.
PYP 123: Dina Rose on Helping Parents End the Food Fights
October 13, 2015 • 68 MIN
Dina Rose, PhD, grew up in a household rife with dysfunctional lessons, attitudes, and behaviors related to food and eating. Her mother struggled with food and obesity, and ultimately died of obesity-related illness when Dina was 5 months pregnant with her daughter.
PYP 122: Howard Jacobson on Proteinaholic
October 7, 2015 • 72 MIN
Today, something a little different. To mark the publication of Proteinaholic, which I worked on with Garth Davis, MD, I wanted to talk about, well, Proteinaholic.
PYP 121: Dr. Ron Weiss on the Healing Power of Farming
September 29, 2015 • 0 MIN
After 7 years in the emergency room and 15 years running a traditional medical clinic in suburban New Jersey, Dr. Ronald Weiss decided to radically change his practice.
PYP 120: Hendrie Weisinger on Performing Under Pressure
September 22, 2015 • 82 MIN
Hendrie "Hank" Weisinger, PhD is the co-author of a fabulously empowering book, Performing Under Pressure. He's a New York Times bestselling author, and a consultant to some of the biggest names in business, sports, government, and health care. He's worked with people under pressure like I couldn't even imagine.
PYP 119: Lani Muelrath on the Right Mindsets for the Plant-Based Journey
September 14, 2015 • 45 MIN
Lani Muelrath is one of the world's most accomplished wellness and fitness coaches. She combines cutting edge scientific research on fitness, diet, and mindset with an encyclopedic knowledge of behavorial science with a lifetime of experience helping people achieve health and happiness.
PYP 118: Andy Bellatti on Professional Integrity in Nutrition
September 8, 2015 • 64 MIN
Andy Bellatti became a card-carrying member of the American Dietetic Association (now Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics - AND) as soon as he completed his training as a registered dietitian.
PYP 117: Glenn Livingston on Never Bingeing Again
September 1, 2015 • 58 MIN
Glenn Livingston is a clinical psychologist, marketing consultant to Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneur, author, and all-around good guy. Also, a dear friend, colleague, and mentor.
PYP 116: David Katz on Eliminating 80% of Disease, and Polar Bears in the Sahara
August 18, 2015 • 70 MIN
David Katz, MD, is a crusader on the front lines of health sanity in an insane culture. Somehow, he's managed to command attention and respect from the mainstream media, as well as medical and governmental establishments, despite talking sense and not being on the take from industry.
PYP 115: Don Matesz on the Absurdity of Paleo
August 11, 2015 • 81 MIN
Don Matesz loves ideas and philosophy as much as he loves nutritional and health research. After spending many years eating a vegetarian diet, he was swayed by a storybook, NeanderThin by Ray Audette, masquerading as serious science.
PYP 114: Miyoko Schinner on Homemade Liberation
August 4, 2015 • 59 MIN
If there were a Nobel Prize for food, Miyoko Schinner would be rehearsing her Oslo speech right now. Committed to human health and happiness, environmental stewardship, and animal welfare, her activism tends toward the decidedly delicious.
PYP 113: Sonia Faruqi on the Truth About Animal Agriculture
July 28, 2015 • 66 MIN
Sonia Faruqi had spent her entire life preparing for a career on Wall Street. She grew up fascinated by the acquisition and accumulation of nice possessions. She studied government and economics at Dartmouth College. And she landed a prize job out of college as a consultant at an investment bank.
PYP 112: Zoe Weil on Raising a Generation of Solutionaries
July 21, 2015 • 66 MIN
One day, Zoe Weil came to the radical conclusion that the main goal of education is to produce kind people who contribute to the wellbeing of the world by tackling huge problems.
PYP 111: Micaela Karlsen on Popcorn, Gizmodo, and Nutritional Science
July 14, 2015 • 70 MIN
Micaela Karlsen is a lot more optimistic about the future of nutritional science than I usually am. Maybe it's genetic, and she's just more upbeat in general. Or maybe - and I fervently hope this is the case - her decade of experience in the world of nutritional research, policy, and public discourse leads to her see a bright future for our increasing understanding of how to eat.
PYP 110: Dreena Burton on Feeding the Plant Powered Family
July 7, 2015 • 67 MIN
Dreena Burton has taught an entire generation how to cook delicious, innovative, and down-home vegan meals. In her fifth cookbook, Plant Powered Families, she combines delicious, accessible, and kid-friendly to create one of the books you will never lend to anyone, ever.
PYP 109: Amie Hamlin on Feeding Kids Right in 2015
June 30, 2015 • 63 MIN
I recently republished an August 2007 interview with Amie Hamlin, Executive Director of The New York Coalition for Healthy School Food. In that conversation, we covered:
PYP 108: Del Sroufe on the Joys of Planning Meals
June 23, 2015 • 48 MIN
Chef Del Sroufe is a master of efficiency, which is a good thing. As co-owner and head chef at Wellness Forum Foods, Del feeds a crazy amount of people every week. If he didn't have his act together, his business would be a hot mess of chaos and waste.
PYP 107: Annie Oliverio on the Dance of Cravings, Denial, and Pleasure
June 16, 2015 • 64 MIN
Annie Oliverio's mind works differently from most people's. When she sat down to write a cookbook, she didn't come up with chapter headings like Breakfasts, Lunches, Snacks, Soups, Desserts, and so on.
PYP 106: Corey Rennell on Food as the Foundation of a New Economy
June 9, 2015 • 58 MIN
Corey Rennell doesn't do things halfway.
PYP 105 Kerrie Saunders on Navigating Cravings and Overcoming Addictions
June 2, 2015 • 53 MIN
PYP 105 Kerrie Saunders on Navigating Cravings and Overcoming Addictions
PYP 104: Robert Ostfeld on Healing Individuals and Communities from the Roots Up
May 26, 2015 • 73 MIN
Robert Ostfeld was collecting Ivy League degrees like some people collect state quarters. With a BA from Penn, an MD from Yale, and a Masters in Epidemiology from Harvard, Robert was well on the way to a prestigious and lucrative career at the pinnacle of conventional medicine.
PYP 102: Nelson Campbell on Bottom-Up Revolutions that Transcend Left and Right
May 13, 2015 • 36 MIN
Nelson Campbell is the eldest son of Dr. T. Colin Campbell, co-author of The China Study, and author of Whole, and The Low Carb Fraud. (I helped with those last two.) For the past two years, Nelson has been quietly working on a remarkable project with the potential to change everything for the better.
PYP 101: Amie Hamlin on Healthy School Food 2007
May 6, 2015 • 49 MIN
Today's podcast is the first half of a double-header with Amie Hamlin, founder and executive director of the New York Coalition for Healthy School Food.
PYP 100: Rich Roll on the Transformative Power of Mindful Authenticity
April 28, 2015 • 82 MIN
Rich Roll, along with his wife Julie Piatt, has just released The PlantPower Way. Already #38 on the amazon bestseller list, the book is a wonderful introduction to a family-centered, plant-based lifestyle, and a font of recipes, advice, and philosophical guidance.
PYP 099: Julie Piatt on Alchemy and "Cutting the Zucchini with the Closest Knife"
April 27, 2015 • 74 MIN
Julie Piatt returns to the Plant Yourself Podcast to celebrate the imminent release (like, tomorrow) of her and her husband Rich Roll's new book, The PlantPower Way.
PYP 098: Ben Chesler on Fixing an Imperfect Food System
April 21, 2015 • 43 MIN
Ben Chesler was finding - and fixing - broken food systems before he even got to college. As a freshman, Ben cofounded the Food Recovery Network, a non-profit that feeds the hungry with excess food from college dining halls. Now with chapters in over 100 colleges nationwide, it’s donated over 700,000 pounds of perfectly good food that would otherwise have gone to waste.
PYP 097: Susan Peirce Thompson on Bright Line Eating to Overcome Food Addiction
April 14, 2015 • 71 MIN
Susan Peirce Thompson knows something about addiction. Starting at age 14, she lurched from addiction to addiction, finally getting clean and sober at age 20. Years later, in grad school, she had become obese, and found that she was powerless to control - or even understand - her cravings and binges.
PYP 096: Mimi Kirk on Juicing Your Way to Health
April 8, 2015 • 59 MIN
Mimi Kirk started experiencing health problems at age 69, and instead of selling her luggage and taking up sudoku, she took matters into her own hands. Mimi adopted a raw vegan diet and started juicing like crazy.
PYP 095: Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz on Animal Welfare and Human Dignity
April 1, 2015 • 75 MIN
Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz is Founder and CEO of the Shamayim V’Aretz (Hebrew for “Heaven and Earth”) Institute for Animal Welfare. Newsweek magazine named him to their list of “America’s Top 50 Rabbis” (whatever in the world that means!) in 2012 and 2013.
PYP 094: Karen Page on the Secret Reason to Go Plant-Based: Flavor
March 24, 2015 • 71 MIN
Karen Page is one of the most influential food writers of our time. The author, with her husband Andrew Dornenberg, of several impressive books about gourmet cooking, chefs, and fine restaurants.
PYP 093: Sharon Livingston on Conquering Emotional Eating
March 17, 2015 • 58 MIN
When Sharon Livingston was a kid, her parents were kosher caterers and she had to watch them nourish the world while, often, ignoring her. She doubled her weight between ages 9 and 12, and had to deal with being "the fat girl" all through high school.
PYP 092: Tracy Russell on Green Smoothies as the Easiest First Step on the Road to Health
March 9, 2015 • 81 MIN
On December 31, 2007, Tracy Russell went to bed in mediocre health, lacking energy to exercise, and 40 pounds overweight.
PYP 091: Heather Crosby on the Courage to Become Healthy
March 3, 2015 • 65 MIN
When Heather Crosby found herself in poor health and, according to her doctors, destined to be on meds for the rest of her life, she decided to take her health into her own hands.
PYP 090: Heather Jo Flores on Turning Lawns into Gardens as a Radical Act
February 24, 2015 • 82 MIN
Heather Jo Flores came of age in an "addicted, abusive, and estranged family" in the slums of Los Angeles in the 1980s.
PYP 089: Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn on Ending the War Against Our Hearts
February 17, 2015 • 92 MIN
I'm delighted to share my interview with one of the most important medical figures of the 20th and 21st centuries. I hope this recording will be around in a hundred years so my descendants can brag that great-great grandpa knew both T. Colin Campbell and today's guest, Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr, MD.
PYP 088: Anjali Shah on Being - and Feeding - a Picky Eater
February 10, 2015 • 56 MIN
In a recent email from Coach.me, a smartphone app devoted to positive habit formation, I was introduced to a healthy eating coach named Anjali Shah.
PYP 087: Lani Muelrath on Exercise and Other Fuels for the Plant-Based Journey
February 3, 2015 • 87 MIN
Lani Muelrath is one of the world's most accomplished wellness and fitness coaches. She combines cutting edge scientific research on fitness, diet, and mindset with an encyclopedic knowledge of behavorial science with a lifetime of experience helping people achieve health and happiness.
PYP 086: Martin Gibala on Fitness in 3 Minutes a Week
January 27, 2015 • 68 MIN
Today's podcast guest, Martin Gibala of McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, has been studying that question in his lab for a decade. And his answer is a great piece of news for folks like me who may have only 10-15 minutes in which to get in that daily workout.
Feeling the Bad Stuff and Becoming Radically Alive: Ann Bradney on PYP 085
January 21, 2015 • 84 MIN
Ann Bradney's life spun out of control from the age of 13, when she first discovered drugs and drinking. For the next 18 years, she lived in constant misery, self-medicating and functioning barely above life support. At 31, she had a fleeting yet powerful realization: she wanted to live.
PYP 084: Julieanna Hever on the Vegiterranean Diet
January 14, 2015 • 72 MIN
Julieanna Hever, the Plant Based Dietitian, was torn.
PYP 082: Susan Levin on the Truth about Diet and "a Bad Game of Telephone"
December 22, 2014 • 71 MIN
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine Director of Nutrition Education Susan Levin grew up on a high-fat, highly-processed Alabama diet.
PYP 081: Robert Cheeke on a Vegan Teen Rebellion and Refusing to be Average
December 16, 2014 • 66 MIN
Robert Cheeke was a scrawny, scrappy teenager who embraced veganism - and raised hell in the process.
PYP 080: Mike Crockett on Overcoming Addiction, Reconnecting with His True Nature, and Becoming an Unlikely Love Warrior
December 11, 2014 • 112 MIN
Mike Crockett, aka Big Bald Mike, has an amazing and inspiring story.
PYP 079: Plant-Based Katie on Healing Her Relationship with Food and Experiencing True Pleasure
December 4, 2014 • 69 MIN
Katie Mae grew up eating chicken, beef, mashed potatoes - and overcooked frozen vegetables (when her parents forced her). In high school she exhibited disordered eating patterns, and thought of herself as an "ice cream addict."
PYP 078: Alan Muskat on Wild Foraging as the Way Home
December 1, 2014 • 62 MIN
Alan Muskat has shown some pretty famous people how to feed themselves off the ground.
PYP 077: Julie Piatt on Influencing Others, Coming Back to Ourselves, and "Meditating on One Foot in the Moonlight"
November 26, 2014 • 54 MIN
Julie Piatt is a musician, plant-based chef and healer, yogi, home-schooling mom, cookbook author, and contributor to MindBodyGreen.com.
PYP 076: Katherine Nilbrink on Evolution, Diet, and the 24/7 "Open For Sex" Sign
November 25, 2014 • 52 MIN
PYP 076: Katherine Nilbrink on Evolution, Diet, and the 24/7 "Open For Sex" Sign
PYP 075: Ann Crile Esselstyn and Jane Esselstyn on Healthy Cooking Made Really Easy
November 24, 2014 • 71 MIN
Mother and daughter Ann Crile Esselstyn and Jane Esselstyn are co-authors of the brand spanking new Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook. The recipes are inspired by two things: the nutritional profile of heart-protective foods validated by their husband and father Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, and a knack for making healthy food prep as easy and familiar as the Standard Western Diet.
PYP 074: Tom Campbell, MD on Writing The China Study and Talking to Doctors About Nutrition
November 21, 2014 • 69 MIN
Thomas M. Campbell is a family practice doctor in Rochester, NY, an instructor of Clinical Family Medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, and executive director of the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutritional Studies. He's also co-author of what's probably the most influential book on science-based nutrition, The China Study.
PYP 073: Debra Orenstein on Gratitude and Winning the Lottery of Life
November 19, 2014 • 54 MIN
Debra Orenstein is an author, lecturer, and actor. Her many accomplishments are catalogued on her bio page at Congregation Bnai Israel in Emerson, New Jersey, where she serves as pulpit rabbi.
PYP 072: Peter Bregman on the 4 Seconds that Can Change Your Life
November 17, 2014 • 65 MIN
Peter Bregman consults with CEOs and their leadership teams to achieve high performance. He's been doing this work in a deep way since 1989, and I've been fortunate enough to observe and sometimes assist him as he's developed and delivered his methodology.
PYP 071: John Bruna on the Myth of Happiness and the Little League Secret to a Good Life
November 13, 2014 • 76 MIN
When John Bruna was 10 years old, he was already stealing from liquor stores. Born into an environment of poverty, violence, and substance abuse, John began to turn his life around at the age of 22.
PYP 070: Patrick Sherwin on Cooking with the Sun and Eradicating the Second Leading Cause of Death Worldwide
November 11, 2014 • 37 MIN
Patrick Sherwin was decommissioning a solar hot water system on someone's roof when he had a crazy idea.
PYP 069: How to Keep Kids Healthy Even if They're in Daycare
November 9, 2014 • 59 MIN
Sparked by a situation in my own family, I devoted this episode to supporting parents who send their kids to daycare and still want to feed them well. I reached out to my network of "Here's how to do it" genius educators and collated the short interviews into this comprehensive and hopefully valuable resource.
PYP 068: Paul Scutt on Trusting Children and the Problem with Coercive Education
November 7, 2014 • 55 MIN
When you think of the school you went to, or the school your child goes to, do these words pop into mind?
PYP 067: Kathleen Melanson on Eating Slow and Losing Weight
November 3, 2014 • 24 MIN
Kathleen Melanson, Director of the University of Rhode Island’s Energy Metabolism Laboratory, is conducting a series of brilliant and simple experiments about the connection between how fast we eat and how many calories we consume.
PYP 066: Glenn Murphy on Systema, Subverting Fight or Flight, and Remaining Human No Matter What
October 30, 2014 • 65 MIN
In addition to being a bestselling science author, musician, and tiger-handler (really!), Glenn Murphy is an instructor of one of the most powerful, esoteric, and valuable martial arts ever developed: Systema.
PYP 065: Alissa Bilfield and Adam Aronovitz on The Cookbook Project, Starting a Big-Hearted Non-Profit on a Tiny-Ass Budget, and the Problem as the Solution
October 15, 2014 • 50 MIN
Alissa Bilfield and Adam Aronovitz are co-founders of The Cookbook Project, an amazingly inspiring, effective, and elegant not-for-profit dedicated to the fine mostly-lost art of home cooking.
PYP 064: Chef Alan Roettinger on Navigating Life Through Joy (and much more)
October 8, 2014 • 102 MIN
Alan Roettinger packs a ton of wisdom, compassion, and humor into a 102-minute interview - one of the longest and most inspiring I've had the privilege to conduct.
PYP 063: Matt Frazier on Running Long Distances, Plant-Based Nutrition, and Building a Movement without Trying to Convert Anybody
October 7, 2014 • 49 MIN
OK, so I've been procrastinating writing this intro to the Matt Frazier interview for about a week, because I wanted to get the prose just right.
PYP 062: Elana Priesman on a Junk-Food Childhood, "Try Anything" Desperation, and "Plantsformation"
October 1, 2014 • 59 MIN
Elana "Titanium" Priesman is an unlikely subject for a magazine devoted to fitness.
PYP 060: Sean Kane on Automobile Safety, Runaway Computer Code, and the Promise and Perils of Technology
September 23, 2014 • 42 MIN
From his early days in the belly of the beast as a claims adjuster for the tire industry, to his work on the front lines with Ralph Nader's Institute for Auto Safety, to his own work making companies pay for their negligence, Sean has seen it all as an insider.
PYP 059: Dr Garth Davis on Weight Loss and True Health
September 22, 2014 • 63 MIN
Dr Garth Davis is medical director of Surgical Weight Loss at Memorial Harmon Memorial City Hospital in Houston, Texas.
PYP 058: Janice Stanger on The Perfect Formula Diet and Trusting Our Own Bodies
September 19, 2014 • 56 MIN
In college, Janice Stanger developed serious eating disorders to hide her binge eating from others. At 5'4", she ballooned somewhere past 165 pounds (she admits to having stopped weighing herself when the news got too grim).
PYP 057: Emily Nolan on Radical Honesty, Radical Kindness, Radical Self-Acceptance, and Going "Topless"
September 17, 2014 • 61 MIN
Emily Nolan is one of my heroes. She's an internationally sought after model, a former Olympic trainee, a serial entrepreneur, and a tireless advocate for kindness, self-acceptance, and positive body image.
PYP 056: Bianca and Michael Alexander on the Journey of Conscious Living
September 16, 2014 • 51 MIN
Bianca and Michael Alexander are buddies of mine and co-founders of ConsciousLivingTV.com.
PYP 055: John Pierre on Fueling Ourselves for Action and Compassion
September 15, 2014 • 39 MIN
John Pierre is fitness trainer to the stars, including Ellen DeGeneres, Pamela Anderson, and Emily Deschanel. He's also a tireless advocate for the voiceless, powerless, and dispossessed: animals, the aged, and abused women.
PYP 054: Joel Kahn, MD on The Whole Heart Solution
September 12, 2014 • 71 MIN
Joel Kahn, MD is a preventive cardiologist, a rare breed in Western medicine. He's the author of The Whole Heart Solution, available for purchase on September 16, 2014.
PYP 053: Dan Hanley: The Gay Vegans
September 11, 2014 • 17 MIN
When Dan Hanley was in the navy, he first encountered cultures where meat wasn't the center of every meal. In this interview, done live at a Vegan conference in May 2013, he discusses his 17 year journey into ethical veganism and healthy plant-based eating.
PYP 052: Michele Simon on the Unholy Influence of the Junk Food Industry
September 10, 2014 • 16 MIN
In WHOLE, we wrote an entire chapter about the sleazy influence of the junk food industry on the powerful Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
PYP 051: John Robbins: "Speak to the Queen and the Queen Will Reply"
September 9, 2014 • 50 MIN
Wow, a second interview with John Robbins
PYP 050: John Robbins: Rebel, Peacemaker, Pragmatist
September 8, 2014 • 37 MIN
John Robbins rose to prominence with the 1987 publication of his book Diet for a New America. The young heir to the Baskin-Robbins ice cream empire (and fortune) put out an eloquent and powerful call to action against the consumption of animal-based foods.
PYP 049: Jeff Rogers on Vegan Ice Cream, Being a Naughty Vegan, and Discovering the Raw Lifestyle
September 5, 2014 • 31 MIN
Jeff Rogers, The Naughty Vegan, may have saved my sanity back in the day when I had foresworn Ben and Jerries, but couldn't stomach the taste or texture or nasty ingredients of then-available non-dairy frozen desserts.
PYP 048: Lara Heimann on Yoga as Preparation for Life
September 4, 2014 • 63 MIN
Lara Heimann runs the Yogastream studio in Princeton, New Jersey. Originally trained as a physical therapist, Lara brings anatomical and functional sensibilities to her classes to enable her students to push their limits in a safe and powerful way.
PYP 047: Lani Muelrath on Debunking the Fitness Myths
September 3, 2014 • 68 MIN
Lani Muelrath is the author of Fit Quickies: 5-Minute Targeted Body-Shaping Workouts, which is a lot more comprehensive than it sounds. It covers exercise physiology, diet, health, mindset, and just about everything else relevant to a happy and healthy life.
PYP 046: Kelly Coffin on Making Healthy Delicious
September 2, 2014 • 33 MIN
Kelly Coffin is founder and CEO of Wayfare Foods, a Montana company dedicated to making healthy and animal-free versions of many of our favorite foods, including ice cream, pudding, cheese, sour cream, and even bacon bits.
PYP 045: Kathleen Hale on the Healthy Way to Rebel at Work
September 1, 2014 • 36 MIN
PYP 045: Kathleen Hale on the Healthy Way to Rebel at Work
PYP 044: Julieanna Hever on Raising Healthy Kids in a Junk-food World
August 31, 2014 • 28 MIN
Julieanna Hever is the author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition. She hosts Veria Network's "What Would Julieanna Do?", is the nutrition columnist for VegNews.com, and is a frequent guest on The Doctor Oz Show.
PYP 043: Joseph Gonzalez on Diabetes Reversal, Common Supermarket Killers, and Peanut M&Ms
August 30, 2014 • 62 MIN
Joseph Gonzales is Staff Dietitian for PCRM, the Physicians' Committee for Responsible Medicine.
PYP 042: Jon Hinds on Getting Fit Like a Gorilla
August 29, 2014 • 44 MIN
Jon Hinds is founder of the successful and rapidly growing Monkey Bar Gym chain of contrarian gyms. He believes in using the body the way nature intended:joyfully, freely, and naturally.
PYP 041: Nick Freudenberg on 5 Lethal But Legal Industries
August 28, 2014 • 55 MIN
Nicholas Freudenberg is Distinguished Professor, Public Health and Social/Personality Psychology at Hunter College campus of the City University of New York (CUNY).
PYP 040: Nava Atlas: Plant-based Cooking, Holidays, Greens, and Transitioning Your Pantry
August 20, 2014 • 38 MIN
I had a lovely chat with legendary cookbook author Nava Atlas, whose first vegetarian cookbook was published in 1984! (Had tofu even been invented then? ;)
PYP 039: Miyoko Schinner: Artisan Vegan Cheese That Will Completely Fool You
August 19, 2014 • 39 MIN
Miyoko Schinner cooks gourmet plant-based food for omnivores, demonstrating that there's no need to "give anything up." She's a popular speaker, teacher, and cookbook author whose latest book is Artisan Vegan Cheese.
PYP 038: Ocean Robbins: Leverage, Kindness, and Justice
August 18, 2014 • 47 MIN
Ocean Robbins co-founded YES! (Youth for Environmental Sanity) at the age of 16, and hasn't slowed down since. He's co-founder, with his dad John Robbins (author of Diet for a New America and many other awesome books), of the Food Revolution Network, which advocates and educates about food justice, safety, compassion, and sustainability.
PYP 037: Ruth Heidrich: 78-Year-Old Breast Cancer Survivor, Triathlete, and Marathoner
August 17, 2014 • 62 MIN
Today I got to fulfill one of my dreams - I spent an hour on the phone with Dr. Ruth Heidrich, one of the fittest women in the world (of any age).
PYP 036: Mimi Kirk, the "World's Sexiest Vegan Over 50"
August 16, 2014 • 55 MIN
75-year-old Mimi Kirk looks and acts like someone in her 40s, not a person shopping for an assisted living facility.
PYP 035: Mary Wendt, MD: Get Waisted
August 15, 2014 • 46 MIN
After Mary Wendt had been practicing medicine for several years, she discovered that despite exercising like crazy and eating "right" (lots of meat for protein and dairy for calcium), she was pre-diabetic and had dangerously high cholesterol.
PYP 034: Tamasin Noyes: Grills Gone Vegan
August 14, 2014 • 43 MIN
Tami Noyes of VeganAppetite.com has tackled the biggest, baddest bastion of carnivory with her latest cookbook, Grills Gone Vegan.
PYP 033: Ronda Collier on Heart Rate Variability and the hidden causes of weight gain and “falling off the wagon”
August 12, 2014 • 36 MIN
Ronda Collier is CEO and founder of Sweetwater Health, a technology company that sells a couple of neat little iPhone apps called SweetbeatLife and Sweetbeat.
PYP 032: Stephanie Dignan, the Boot Camp Girl
August 11, 2014 • 42 MIN
Stephanie Dignan was working as a financial advisor when she was asked to help people with a whole different set of goals: health and fitness.
PYP 031: Sharon McRae on Healthy Eating Made Easy
August 10, 2014 • 21 MIN
Sharon McRae runs Eat Well, Stay Well, a plant-based health coaching service. She's an expert at balancing a full life with feeding her family (busy husband and three kids) well, and knows how to help others transition to a healthy plant-based lifestyle.
PYP 030: Sam Carpenter on Working the System to Upgrade Your Health
August 9, 2014 • 26 MIN
Sam Carpenter is an entrepreneur and author of Work the System, a book about the easiest way to make meaningful and permanent improvements in your work, life, and health.
PYP 029: Jessica Porter on the Diet that Cannot Be Named (on NBC prime time, anyway)
August 8, 2014 • 43 MIN
Jessica Porter is co-author of The Kind Diet, with Alicia Silverstone, and the author of The Hip Chick's Guide to Macrobiotics, and the recently published The MILF Diet.
PYP 028: Jill Nussinow: The Veggie Queen Demystifies the Pressure Cooker
August 6, 2014 • 39 MIN
Jill Nussinow, aka The Veggie Queen, has been helping people eat healthy and delicious for over 20 years.
PYP 027: Tracy Ryan on Losing 200 Pounds and Gaining Her Life
August 6, 2014 • 59 MIN
At age 29, Tracy Ryan weighed 350 pounds, and was comfortable in her role as the "funny fat girl."
PYP 026: Lucinda Duncalfe on Real Food
August 6, 2014 • 55 MIN
After Lucinda Dulcalfe sold her latest tech startup, she began casting around for her next project. After watching Forks Over Knives and wondering a) if this could possibly be true, and b) if it was, why hadn't she ever heard about it, Lucinda transitioned to a whole-foods, plant-based diet and discovered the benefits for herself.
PYP 025: Milton Mills on "Soul Food," Liberation, and the Myth of Predatory Eyes
August 6, 2014 • 54 MIN
Milton Mills, MD, is Associate Director of Preventive Medicine for the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), as well as a practicing internist at Fairfax Hospital in Virginia. He also provides medical care and counseling in several free clinics in Washington, DC. In this conversation, Dr Mills shared his provocative views - all of them supported by overwhelming evidence - on the ideal human diet.
PYP 024: Margarita Restrepo on the Achievable Way to Optimal Health
August 6, 2014 • 17 MIN
Margarita Restrepro is the founder and editor-in-chief of Naked Food Magazine.
PYP 023: Julie Morris on Superfood Smoothies
August 6, 2014 • 50 MIN
Julie Morris is a cookbook author and recipe developer for "Superfoods" companies.
PYP 022: Laura Bartels: Natural Building and a Mindful Life
August 6, 2014 • 45 MIN
Laura Bartels is the founder/owner of Greenweaver, Inc., a consulting and education company that promotes sustainable building and community development.
PYP 021: Dustin Rudolph, the Plant-Based Pharmacist, on Getting Healthy Without Pills
March 26, 2014 • 59 MIN
When we get sick, most of us go to the doctor. And most of the time, the doctor prescribes a pill. Or two. Or a whole handful.
PYP 020: Dr. Ana Negron: The Living Experience of Healthy Eating
March 11, 2014 • 47 MIN
Dr. Ana Negron is a family physician in the Philadelphia area who treats her patients with healthy food, empowerment, community, and love.
PYP 019: Ashley Flitter: The Unintentional Vegan
March 11, 2014 • 17 MIN
When Ashley Flitter, the Unintentional Vegan, discovered that she was lactose intolerant, she began a transition that culminated in her adopting a 100% plant-based diet.
PYP 018: Brenda Davis: Defeating Diabetes and Debunking Paleo
March 11, 2014 • 65 MIN
Brenda Davis is a plant-based Registered Dietitian, and co-author of eight books, including Defeating Diabetes and Becoming Vegan.
PYP 017: Brendan Brazier: How Athletes (and the Rest of Us) Can Thrive on a Plant-Based Diet
March 11, 2014 • 27 MIN
Brendan Brazier is a professional Ironman triathlete, author, and formulator of Vega plant-based nutritional supplements.
PYP 016: Brian Wendel: Producer of Forks Over Knives
March 11, 2014 • 21 MIN
Today I had a lovely chat with the amazing Brian Wendel, creator of the #1 amazon bestselling documentary Forks Over Knives.
PYP 015: Juan Carlos Asse: UnSuperSize Me and Escaping Our Various Prisons
March 11, 2014 • 51 MIN
Award-winning film-maker and fitness trainer Juan Carlos (Carly) Asse had everything going for him. High school valedictorian, good-looking, popular, and enjoying college in Florida on a tennis scholarship.
PYP 014: Cathy Fisher on Straight Up Food
March 10, 2014 • 36 MIN
Cathy Fisher's plant-based food blog, StraightUpFood.com, is a popular and delicious source of whole food, plant-based recipes.
PYP 013: Chef AJ: Unprocessed and Utterly Transformed
March 9, 2014 • 82 MIN
Chef AJ is well known in the plant-based world for her entertaining and bawdy cooking demos. She sings, does handstands, tells dirty jokes about kale and avocados (really), and wows audiences with her energy, fitness, and lean and radiant demeanor.
PYP 012: David Robinson Simon: Meatonomics
March 8, 2014 • 55 MIN
Dave Simon's Meatonomics is a fascinating and terrifying descent into economic, social, political, environmental, and ethical insanity.
PYP 011: Dreena Burton: Plant-based cookbook author, mother, and hummus lover
March 7, 2014 • 53 MIN
Dreena Burton is the author of one of my favorite plant-based cookbooks: Eat, Drink & Be Vegan.
PYP 010: Ellen Jaffe Jones: Obliterating the Obstacles to Plant-based Eating
March 6, 2014 • 46 MIN
Ellen Jaffe Jones is an Emmy-winning investigative reporter, a crack financial analyst, a chef and cookbook author, and a multiple-event running champion.
PYP 009: Emerson Wickwire: The Secret World of Sleep
March 5, 2014 • 63 MIN
Dr. Emerson Wickwire is Sleep Medicine Program Director at Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Associates in Columbia, Maryland, and Assistant Professor, part-time, at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He is board certified in behavioral sleep medicine and cognitive and behavioral psychology.
PYP 008: Char Nolan interviews Howard Jacobson
March 4, 2014 • 32 MIN
Char Nolan is a health coach, community connector at RealFoodWorks in Philadelphia, and graduate of the same Health Education program that bestowed a PhD upon me (the no-longer-existing school of HPERD at Temple University).
Goodbye Diabetes: Dr Wes Youngberg on PYP 007
March 3, 2014 • 53 MIN
Dr. Wes Youngberg, author of Goodbye Diabetes, was just a boy when his mother died of cancer. At the age of 13, he was already obsessed with discovering and mitigating his own risk factors of disease.
Healthy by Choice, Not by Chance: Hans Diehl on PYP 006
March 2, 2014 • 77 MIN
Hans Diehl is founder of CHIP (The Complete Health Improvement Program), a 30-day health education program that has been changing lives for the better for decades. In this interview, Hans and Howard discuss the simple and incredibly powerful health effects of a few simple choices.
The Magic of Sriracha, and Learning to Love Our Veggies: Randy Clemens on PYP 005
March 1, 2014 • 51 MIN
Randy Clemens is the Sriracha-loving author of two Sriracha-based cookbooks. (In case you haven't tried it, Sriracha sauce is a fairly spicy, totally amazing Vietnamese hot sauce that has generated a cult following in the past few years.) Randy's first book was a general introduction to Sriracha cooking. His latest, The Veggie-Lover's Sriracha Cookbook, is dedicated to getting us to eat - and love - our veggies. In this fun chat, Randy and Howard bond over hot sauce, discuss cool (and totally crazy) uses of Sriracha, and wax philosophical about how a condiment can change the world.
It's Never Too Late: Char Nolan on PYP 004
February 28, 2014 • 41 MIN
Howard had a lovely chat with the kind and courageous Char Nolan, Connector at Real Food Works and powerful promoter of a plant-based diet in the Philadelphia area.
Better Than Vegan: Del Sroufe on PYP 003
February 27, 2014 • 43 MIN
10 years ago, Del Sroufe ate his way to 475 pounds - on a vegan diet! Now, 200+ pounds thinner (and counting), Chef Del is the culinary genius behind the Forks Over Knives cookbook.
Fran Costigan's Vegan Chocolate: Unapologetically Luscious and Decadent Dairy-Free Desserts: PYP 002
February 26, 2014 • 61 MIN
Fran Costigan believes there's more to life than veggies. Like luscious chocolate cakes, for example. A world-renown pastry chef and educator, Fran has done wonders for the plant-based movement's PR and sex appeal.
Lindsay Nixon is The Happy Herbivore: PYP 001
February 25, 2014 • 44 MIN
In this first Pant Yourself Podcast episode, Howard has a lovely chat with the Happy Herbivore, Lindsay Nixon, about her transition to a whole-foods plant based diet, her evolution from kitchen klutz to accomplished cookbook author, and the Happy part of being plant-pure and strong.