Today, I am joined by John Sanbonmatsu,  Professor of Philosophy at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, where he teaches courses in ethics, political theory, existentialism, philosophy of technology, and other topics.  He is the author of The Omnivore's Deception: What We Get Wrong about Meat, Animals, and Ourselves, and of The Postmodern Prince: Critical Theory, Left Strategy, and the Making of a New Political Subject,  as well as editor of the book Critical Theory and Animal Liberation.  He is also the creator of the CleanMeat-Hoax website, which takes a skeptical view of cellular or cultivated meat products.  Professor Sanbonmatsu's writing has appeared in Christian Science Monitor, CounterPunch, Huffington Post, and St. Louis Post-Dispatch, among other places. 

A thread in this episode is "to be." What do I mean by that? Guess you'll have to hit play to find out.

To connect with John:

Access his articles, essays, and interviews at www.JohnSanbonmatsu.com.  

Visit clean meat-hoax.com https://www.cleanmeat-hoax.com/

Follow John on Twitter (@SanbonmatsuJ) and Blue Sky (@jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social)

Buy his book - The Omnivore's Deception - https://www.johnsanbonmatsu.com/the-omnivores-deception.html

Mentioned in this episode:

Peter Singer - Animal Liberation

Article on Ants and their internal navigation systems: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982224017020

Better off Ted - Season 1, Episode 2 - Heroes. I can't find a specific clip about the "meat blob" but you can find the episode with this info.

United Poultry Concerns - https://www.upc-online.org/

To connect with me:

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram @didyoubringthehummus

DYBTH merch now available! Check out the shop here: https://did-you-bring-the-hummus.myspreadshop.com

For more info on my Public Speaking 101 program: ⁠https://www.didyoubringthehummus.com/publicspeakingforactivists⁠

Contact me here or send me an email at [email protected]
Sign up for meditation sessions here

Sign up for The Vegan Voyage, to sponsor the podcast, book meditations packages, or sign up for my Public Speaking program here

Join my Podcast Fan Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/didyoubringthehummus/

To be a guest on the podcast: https://www.didyoubringthehummus.com/beaguest

©2026 Kimberly Winters - Did You Bring the Hummus LLC

Theme Song ©2020 JP Winters ⁠@musicbyjpw⁠

Today, I am joined by Pragya Thakur. Pragya is a National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach, Upbuild-trained life coach, and Master’s of Public Health candidate at Boston University, studying lifestyle medicine, food policy, and environmental health. She's also a published writer whose work has appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer, The Law Journal Newsletter, and the National Health Association's magazine Health Sciences. 

Pragya and I met at Ethos Farm to Health, a place where, with the help of founder Dr. Ron Weiss and his team, Pragya’s health was transformed and her life forever changed. 

Now a coach specializing in plant-forward transitions, Pragya brings both evidence-based methodology and what she calls "systems thinking" to behavior change. She's also certified to teach Yoga for Osteoporosis and draws on her Indian heritage to bridge cultural perspectives on plant-centered eating.

To connect with Pragya:

https://www.pragyamthakur.com and https://paperbell.me/pragya-thakur

LinkedIn: LinkedIn/in/pragyamthakur

Substack: Fromsoiltosoul.substack.com

Twitter: https://x.com/penmaiden

Medium: https://medium.com/@pragya.thakur_60986

To connect with me:

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram @didyoubringthehummus

DYBTH merch now available! Check out the shop here: https://did-you-bring-the-hummus.myspreadshop.com

For more info on my Public Speaking 101 program: ⁠https://www.didyoubringthehummus.com/publicspeakingforactivists⁠

Contact me here or send me an email at [email protected]
Sign up for meditation sessions here

Sign up for The Vegan Voyage, to sponsor the podcast, book meditations packages, or sign up for my Public Speaking program here

Join my Podcast Fan Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/didyoubringthehummus/

To be a guest on the podcast: https://www.didyoubringthehummus.com/beaguest

©2026 Kimberly Winters - Did You Bring the Hummus LLC

Theme Song ©2020 JP Winters ⁠@musicbyjpw⁠

Today, I am joined by Forrest Tierce, US Project Director of Dharma Voices for Animals. In this role, Forrest works to raise awareness of the connection between the ecological crisis caused by animal farming and Buddhist ethics—helping individuals and communities align their food choices with sustainability and compassion for all beings.

Forrest shares a lot of wisdom in this episode, you will definitely walk away with an understanding of just how well Buddhism and veganism align, Forrest’s powerful experience that lead to his going vegan 18 years ago, a different take on my question about hummus, and more!

Forrest's bio: Forrest Tierce is an advocate for animals, the Earth, and compassionate living. A dedicated vegan for 18 years, he draws from two decades of Buddhist practice across multiple traditions, with a deep commitment to the heart of the Buddha’s teachings—especially the Five Precepts—as guiding principles for compassionate and ethical living.

His professional background includes personal training, sales, and most recently serving as an Interpretive Park Ranger for the National Park Service. He also brings experience in animal liberation activism and environmental education.

Forrest currently serves as the U.S. Project Director for Dharma Voices for Animals, where he works to raise awareness of the connection between the ecological crisis caused by animal farming and Buddhist ethics—helping individuals and communities align their food choices with sustainability and compassion for all beings.

To support Dharma Voices for Animals and connect with Forrest:

Instagram:  @dharmavoices4animals

Youtube @ dharmavoicesforanimals

dharmavoicesforanimals.org

To connect with me:

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram @didyoubringthehummus

DYBTH merch now available! Check out the shop here: https://did-you-bring-the-hummus.myspreadshop.com

For more info on my Public Speaking 101 program: ⁠https://www.didyoubringthehummus.com/publicspeakingforactivists⁠

Contact me here or send me an email at [email protected]
Sign up for meditation sessions here

Sign up for The Vegan Voyage, to sponsor the podcast, book meditations packages, or sign up for my Public Speaking program here

Join my Podcast Fan Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/didyoubringthehummus/

To be a guest on the podcast: https://www.didyoubringthehummus.com/beaguest

©2026 Kimberly Winters - Did You Bring the Hummus LLC

Theme Song ©2020 JP Winters ⁠@musicbyjpw⁠

It's Season 7! Holy wow! I'm trying something new with the podcast this season, please let me know what you think!!

Today, I am joined by Clare Mann, the vegan psychologist who coined the term Vystopia and wrote the book by the same name. We dig into what Vystopia means, how we can care for ourselves despite it, and how we can continue to inspire those around us to make compassionate choices.

Clare's bio: Clare Mann is a vegan psychologist, communications skills trainer and the author of several books, including Vystopia: The Anguish of Being Vegan in a Non Vegan World.

She became vegan nearly two decades years ago, after realizing 30 years of vegetarianism was totally inadequate if she wanted to do everything possible to not use or exploit animals.

The skills she acquired through a successful career as an organizational psychologist, university lecturer and speaker, are now applied to help vegans become confident, hopeful vegan conversationalists who are ushering in a kinder vegan world.

Having lived with the Burden of Knowing vegans are so familiar with, Clare challenged the medical world that diminishes the vegan’s anguish as unnecessary. She therefore coined the phrase Vystopia and now helps individual vegans, coaches, therapists and animal protection agencies all over the world develop powerful ways to become influential vegan change makers.

To connect with Clare:

https://veganpsychologist.com

https://vystopia.com

To join the waitlist for Clare's next masterclass: https://veganpsychologist.com/master-class-register/

To connect with me:

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram @didyoubringthehummus

DYBTH merch now available! Check out the shop here: https://did-you-bring-the-hummus.myspreadshop.com

For more info on my Public Speaking 101 program: ⁠https://www.didyoubringthehummus.com/publicspeakingforactivists⁠

Contact me here or send me an email at [email protected]
Sign up for meditation sessions here

Sign up for The Vegan Voyage, to sponsor the podcast, book meditations packages, or sign up for my Public Speaking program here

Join my Podcast Fan Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/didyoubringthehummus/

To be a guest on the podcast: https://www.didyoubringthehummus.com/beaguest

©2026 Kimberly Winters - Did You Bring the Hummus LLC

Theme Song ©2020 JP Winters ⁠@musicbyjpw⁠

This is the final episode of Season 6 ! Season 7 is already shaping up to be amazing! Take the time to catch up on episodes you missed or some of your favorites!! Season 7 is coming in early 2026!

Today, I am joined by Deborah Emin and Suzanne Pyrch of The Locals’ Bookshop. Deborah and Suzanne are a married couple and the owners of The Locals’ Bookshop. 

The LOCALS’ Bookshop is a vegan pop-up that makes the rounds in PA, NJ and occasionally other states. What began at their local farmers market has expanded to a number of VegFests and indoor events. 

Deborah is a newly elected Board Member of the Animal Defenders Greater Lehigh Valley and she serves in her local community on the Economic Development Committee (Vice Chair) and on the Revitalize 209 Committee (Chair). Deborah also sings in her church choir.

Suzanne spend most of her work life as a high school music teacher in Queens, NY. She’s been retired for 14 years now and luckily, retirement has proven to be nearly as busy and interesting as teaching. Suzanne is happily involved in her local Episcopal church and her love of music is kept active by participating in several community performing groups. The Locals’ Bookshop gives Suzanne an opportunity to do work she believes in as well as have fun meeting and talking to the interesting people who walk up to their table.

To connect with Deborah & Suzanne:

https://www.thelocalsbookshop.com

https://www.instagram.com/thelocalsbookshop/

https://www.facebook.com/GoVeganBuyBooks

Mentioned in this episode:

American Vegan Society: https://americanvegan.org/

So Delicious: https://sodeliciousdairyfree.com/

Woodstock Farm Sanctuary: https://woodstocksanctuary.org/

New Jersey VegFest: https://www.njvegfest.com/

Ethos Farm to Health: https://www.ethosfarmtohealth.org/

To connect with me:

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram @didyoubringthehummus

For more info on my Public Speaking 101 program: ⁠https://www.didyoubringthehummus.com/publicspeakingforactivists⁠

Contact me here or send me an email at [email protected]
Sign up for meditation sessions here

Sign up for The Vegan Voyage, to sponsor the podcast, book meditations packages, or sign up for my Public Speaking program here

Join my Podcast Fan Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/didyoubringthehummus/

To be a guest on the podcast: https://www.didyoubringthehummus.com/beaguest

©2025 Kimberly Winters - Did You Bring the Hummus LLC

Theme Song ©2020 JP Winters ⁠@musicbyjpw⁠

***My New Jersey accent has rendered me unable to pronounce Pura ViTa multiple times in a short time frame so at the end you'll hear me saying what sounds like Pura ViDa, please know that Tara's restaurant is called Pura Vita and all links in the show notes are correct. *** :-)

Today, I am joined by Chef Tara Punzone and writer Gene Stone. 

Tara is the founder of the award-winning Pura Vita restaurants in Los Angeles. Pura Vita is the first 100% Plant-Based Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar in the USA. A trailblazer in vegan Italian cuisine, Tara has been featured in Bon Appétit, Eater, and the Los Angeles Times. Chef Tara grew up in an Italian American home in New York, and has thrived on a vegan diet for over 35 years. Her passion for healthy southern Italian food has been evolving since her childhood when she made the decision to adopt a vegan lifestyle. It was then Tara began converting all her family’s traditional dishes to vegan versions of the same, without compromise. Vegana Italiana is her first book.

Gene Stone – A graduate of Stanford and Harvard, Gene is a former Peace Corps volunteer and newspaper editor for such companies as the Los Angeles, Times, Esquire, and Simon & Schuster. He has written more than a dozen books under his own name on a wide variety of subjects and has also ghostwritten or co-written another thirty-five books for a very diverse lot of people, many of which have been national bestsellers. However, for the past fifteen years he has concentrated mainly on writing or ghostwriting books about plant-based diets and their relationship to animal protection, health, and the environment. Among these books are such titles as Forks Over Knives, 72 Reasons to Be Vegan, How Not to Die, Living the Farm Sanctuary Life, Eat for the Planet, The Engine 2 Diet, and Animalkind.

To connect with Tara: 

Website (you can buy Vegana Italiana here):  https://puravitalosangeles.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/puravita_la/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cheftarapunzone/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PuraVitaLosAngeles/

To connect with Gene:

Visit his website www.genestone.com

To connect with me:

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram @didyoubringthehummus

For more info on my Public Speaking 101 program: ⁠https://www.didyoubringthehummus.com/publicspeakingforactivists⁠

Contact me here or send me an email at [email protected]
Sign up for meditation sessions here

Sign up for The Vegan Voyage, to sponsor the podcast, book meditations packages, or sign up for my Public Speaking program here

Join my Podcast Fan Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/didyoubringthehummus/

To be a guest on the podcast: https://www.didyoubringthehummus.com/beaguest

©2025 Kimberly Winters - Did You Bring the Hummus LLC

Theme Song ©2020 JP Winters ⁠@musicbyjpw⁠

Today, I am joined by Prit Patel. Prit is a natural storyteller with a deep passion for real human connection.He believes that stories have the power to uplift, inspire, and shape the world we live in. Over the past 18 years, his journey has taken some bold and unexpected turns — from working as a weapons engineer by day and performing stand-up comedy by night, to becoming an agile coach, life coach, and ultimately a destination wedding celebrant and MC. As Prit puts it, he made the leap "from the war industry to the love industry."

His life has been full of transformative chapters: two major career changes, seven moves across the UK, Germany, and Spain in just 13 years, and embracing a vegan lifestyle three years ago.

Prits latest venture? HumanKind Communities — where he helps build thriving, purpose-driven networks of small businesses with big dreams, using the guiding forces of the Law of Attraction and Ikigai.

Mentioned in the episode:

Gamechangers: https://gamechangersmovie.com/

Butenland: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/butenland 

To connect with Prit:

https://pritumpatel.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/celebrantprit/

And https://www.instagram.com/humankindcommunities

YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@pritumpatel

And https://www.youtube.com/@HumanKindCommunities

To connect with me:

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram @didyoubringthehummus

For more info on my Public Speaking 101 program: ⁠https://www.didyoubringthehummus.com/publicspeakingforactivists⁠

Contact me here or send me an email at [email protected]
Sign up for meditation sessions here

Sign up for The Vegan Voyage, to sponsor the podcast, book meditations packages, or sign up for my Public Speaking program here

Join my Podcast Fan Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/didyoubringthehummus/

To be a guest on the podcast: https://www.didyoubringthehummus.com/beaguest

©2025 Kimberly Winters - Did You Bring the Hummus LLC

Theme Song ©2020 JP Winters ⁠@musicbyjpw⁠

Today, I am joined by author Joe Gagnon. Joe is driven by a simple mission: helping people realize they are capable of far more than they believe is possible. Over the years, he has led six companies as CEO, coached top performers, and pushed himself to physical and mental extremes—completing six Ironman races, running 100-mile ultramarathons, finishing Six marathons on Six continents in Six days, and completing the legendary Badwater 135 ultramarathon through Death Valley.
As CEO of Raynmaker, he leads the development of an AI-powered sales platform designed to help small businesses grow smarter and faster. As a high-performance coach, he partners with bold, ambitious leaders to break through their self-imposed limits and lead lives filled with purpose and greater impact.
Joe’s life and his second book, *Living Intentionally*, are rooted in the belief that growth happens at the edge. It’s in the uncomfortable, uncertain, and transformational moments that we find out who we truly are. The principles of grit, grace, and groundedness guide every step he takes. Whether he’s building a company, mentoring a founder, or speaking on stage, his goal remains the same: to inspire others to live intentionally by design, not by chance.

We talk a lot about finding our own way in life and how we do that with meaning, intention, and love. 

To connect with Joe:

www.linkedin.com/in/joegagnon/

substack.com/@joecurious

www.thehighperformancelife.net/

www.instagram.com/thehighperformancelife

To connect with me:

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram @didyoubringthehummus

For more info on my Public Speaking 101 program: ⁠https://www.didyoubringthehummus.com/publicspeakingforactivists⁠

Contact me here or send me an email at [email protected]
Sign up for meditation sessions here

Sign up for The Vegan Voyage, to sponsor the podcast, book meditations packages, or sign up for my Public Speaking program here

Join my Podcast Fan Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/didyoubringthehummus/

To be a guest on the podcast: https://www.didyoubringthehummus.com/beaguest

©2025 Kimberly Winters - Did You Bring the Hummus LLC

Theme Song ©2020 JP Winters ⁠@musicbyjpw⁠

Today, I am joined by Philosopher and author of Hungry Beautiful Animals, Matthew Halteman. Matt is is professor of philosophy at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and a fellow at the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics in the UK. He is the author of Compassionate Eating as Care of Creation and co-editor of Philosophy Comes to Dinner: Arguments about the Ethics of Eating.

His book Hungry Beautiful Animals, of which we talk a lot about, is a heartfelt, humane, and humorous exploration of how going vegan can bring abundance into our lives.

This is such a rich conversation of veganism, morality, abundance, leading with love, and the parallels we observe in the state of our world right now, Matt and I dig in deep with a lot of care, love, and laughs. 

To connect with Matt:

Book website is here: www.hungrybeautifulanimals.com

Personal website is here: www.matthewchalteman.weebly.com 

Instagram is @hungrybeautifulanimals: https://www.instagram.com/hungrybeautifulanimals/ 

LinkedIn is https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-halteman-49b2b56b/ 

Mentioned in this episode:

Ethos Farm to Health - https://www.ethosfarmtohealth.org/

Nathan Nobis Ph.D - https://www.nathannobis.com/

Clare Mann - https://vystopia.com/

To connect with me:

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram @didyoubringthehummus

For more info on my Public Speaking 101 program: ⁠https://www.didyoubringthehummus.com/publicspeakingforactivists⁠

Contact me here or send me an email at [email protected]
Sign up for meditation sessions here

Sign up for The Vegan Voyage, to sponsor the podcast, book meditations packages, or sign up for my Public Speaking program here

Join my Podcast Fan Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/didyoubringthehummus/

To be a guest on the podcast: https://www.didyoubringthehummus.com/beaguest

©2025 Kimberly Winters - Did You Bring the Hummus LLC

Theme Song ©2020 JP Winters ⁠@musicbyjpw⁠

Today, I am joined by Ellen Kanner, the author of the award-winning book Feeding the Hungry Ghost: Life, Faith and What to Eat for Dinner. And her newest book, Miami Vegan. She writes about the intersection of food, culture, community, wellness, and sustainability for outlets including HuffPo, VegNews, and Edible South Florida, which calls her “the lovable and entertaining voice of plant-based.” She’s a vegan advocate and culinary instructor, recipe developer for major brands, and the creator of the Substack newsletter Broccoli Rising. A fifth generation Miami native, she lives with her husband in — where else? — Miami.

To connect with Ellen:

Visit her website: https://soulfulvegan.com/

Follow her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soulfulvegan

To connect with me:

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram @didyoubringthehummus

For more info on my Public Speaking 101 program: ⁠https://www.didyoubringthehummus.com/publicspeakingforactivists⁠

Contact me here or send me an email at [email protected]
Sign up for meditation sessions here

Sign up for The Vegan Voyage, to sponsor the podcast, book meditations packages, or sign up for my Public Speaking program here

Join my Podcast Fan Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/didyoubringthehummus/

To be a guest on the podcast: https://www.didyoubringthehummus.com/beaguest

©2025 Kimberly Winters - Did You Bring the Hummus LLC

Theme Song ©2020 JP Winters ⁠@musicbyjpw⁠