Edible Empire

Dotsie Bausch is a plant-powered athlete, an Olympic medallist, renowned public speaker, podcast host and founder of the non-profit organisation Switch4Good. Her achievements are nothing short of phenomenal. After overcoming an eating disorder and cocaine addiction, her therapist suggested taking up an activity, which ultimately set Dotsie on the path to winning an Olympic silver medal – becoming the oldest athlete in her discipline to ever compete at the Olympics, let alone fuelled by plants!

Following on from a successful cycling career Dotsie founded Switch4Good, after becoming increasingly frustrated by the dairy industry’s infiltration of Team USA. Since its beginnings in 2018, Switch4Good has gone from strength to strength by not only helping people ditch dairy for ethical and planetary health reasons but also focusing strongly on food justice issues; campaigning the government to ditch dietary racism within the school system. Dotsie is such a passionate advocate for dietary justice, planet earth and earth’s animals. There’s a fire burning in Dotsie’s belly and her determination to create a better world is contagious. We hope you love this conversation as much as we did!

In this episode we discuss:
• Dotsie’s background of overcoming anorexia, cocaine addiction and suicide attempts, going on to become a champion cyclist
• Her journey to the Olympic podium - as the oldest Olympic athlete in history in her cycling discipline!
• Dotsie’s dietary change to veganism while in heavy training
• Her involvement in The Game Changers and Personal Gold: An Underdog Story documentaries
• The motivation behind establishing Switch4Good and their controversial launch into the world
• The amazing work of Switch4Good and their fantastic resources - including the podcast Dotsie co-hosts with Alexandra Paul
• Dietary racism within the American school system and current Switch4Good campaigns to change this

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website. Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast, leave us a review and share this episode with your friends and family.

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To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee or becoming a member of Athletes for Nature.
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Simon Michaux is an Associate Professor of Geometallurgy at the Geological Survey of Finland in the Circular Economy Solutions Unit.  Holding a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Physics and Geology and a PhD in Mining Engineering from the University of Queensland, Simon has extensive experience in mining research and development, circular economic principles, industrial recycling, and mineral intelligence. Through his recent publications, Simon has outlined the many challenges facing the global industrial ecosystem. He notes our world is currently energy and minerals blind and transitioning to renewable energies is not as straightforward as it appears.

We’ve been growing without care to planetary limits for too long and change is coming, whether we like it or not. We need a completely new energy paradigm to address the challenges ahead, and as Simon says, it all starts with a conversation. We cover a lot of ground in this one, so grab a notebook and strap in for an important conversation – this is one you’ll want to listen to more than once.

In this episode we discuss:
• Simon’s diverse work background from R&D in the Australian mining industry, to organic farming, involvement in the circular economy sector and now his important work at the Geological Survey of Finland
• A wake-up call; Simon’s detailed reports outlining the quantity of minerals needed to phase out fossil fuels and the shortage of critical raw materials that will impose limits on growth
• The need to restructure the circular economy into the resource balanced economy
• Leaving oil before it leaves us and the limitations of alternative energies like biofuels and renewables
• Simon’s commentary on current geopolitical tensions and past resource wars
• How technology is inextricably linked to commodities and why this means technology can’t completely bridge the energy gap
• Community strategies for overcoming our minerals and energy blindness and adapting to our lower energy future
• And SO much more!

• There was a lot we simply couldn’t cover in this podcast episode due to time constraints but we urge you to find out more about Simon’s work and recommend viewing his recent presentation at the University of Queensland’s JKMRC Friday Seminars.

To view all the links to the websites and documents, make sure you visit the show notes on our website. Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast, leave us a review and share this episode with your friends and family.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee.

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee or becoming a member of Athletes for Nature.
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Thomas Tothill is a passionate environmental consultant, research technician and PhD candidate with Marine Futures Lab at the University of Western Australia. With a diverse background in marine and environmental sciences, Thomas is now undertaking his PhD where he is working in collaborative partnership with the Esperance Tjaltjraak Native Title Aboriginal Corporation, pairing indigenous cultural values and marine research to understand Sea Country in the Recherche Archipelago.

Thomas has previously studied the ecology and potential biodiversity benefits of offshore oil and gas platforms. Surprisingly some offshore platforms are amongst the most ecologically productive ecosystems and with more than 12,000 rigs worldwide, many soon reaching their end-of-life, there is a myriad of considerations for decommissioning these structures with minimal harm to the marine environment.

Here we have a fascinating discussion about both topics:

• Thomas’s background and his passion for research and the environment
• His Masters Thesis concerning offshore oil and gas rigs and their potential biodiversity benefits
• The complexities of decommissioning these rigs once they reach their end-of-life
• The need to assess decommissioning considerations on a case-by-case basis
• Translating knowledge about oil and gas rig marine ecology to renewable offshore structures such as windfarms
• Thomas’s PhD research identifies sites and species of cultural importance in the Recherche Archipelago
• The benefits of a yarning approach for engaging with Indigenous Australians in research
• The western approach to science vs Indigenous knowledge systems and the importance of a paired approach
• The unfortunate ‘publish or perish’ mentality in research and the need to make space for alternative knowledge systems and world views
• The importance of ongoing collaborative partnerships and cultural leadership models

 
If you’d like to take a deeper dive into some of the important topics covered by Thomas in this episode, here are some further resources recommended by Thom that complement our discussion:

• Offshore platforms as novel ecosystems (from the Marine Futures Lab):
• Yarning methodology
• Two-eyed seeing
• Karparti approach
•  Decolonising methodologies (with a strong Aotearoa perspective)

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website. Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast, leave us a review and share this episode with your friends and family.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee.

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee or becoming a member of Athletes for Nature.
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook, subscribe to this podcast, and share this episode with your friends and family.

In this episode, we’re chopping it up with the inspiring Josh Uluilakeba, AKA the Maoli Chef. Josh is a plant-based chef and entrepreneur, who’s on a mission to bring more plant-based cuisine to Fiji! Like many other Pacific Islands, Fiji has undergone economic and nutrition changes that have contributed to a dramatic rise in non-communicable diseases over the last few decades. In fact, over the last 30 years, the prevalence of these health conditions has risen faster in the Pacific region compared to the rest of the world.

And this is where Josh comes in! Raised in a plant-based family and having successfully overcome a chronic health issue of his own, Josh now keeps incredibly busy educating his fellow Fijians about plant-based cooking via his social media platforms and supplying vegan products locally. Josh’s goal is to inspire fellow Islanders to embrace healthy, plant-based lifestyles, one meatless dish at a time. And with his infectious positivity and zest, it’s a goal we’re pretty sure he’ll be ticking off his checklist in no time.

In this episode we discuss:
• Josh’s background, being raised in a plant-based family
• Dietary ‘rebellion’ during his teen years and consequent health problems
• Josh’s family pioneering the plant-based movement in Suva, opening one of the first vegan cafes
• Fiji’s Covid lockdown and the impact on local food supply
• The inspiration behind Maoli chef and Josh’s typical workday in ‘the lab’
• The move away from traditional dietary patterns and coinciding sharp rise in non-communicable diseases in Fiji
• Josh’s advocacy of healthy plant-based cuisine in Fiji
• Josh’s tips for making his tofu taste good! (Maoli Chef tofu is now stocked at Kundan Singh Supermarket for anyone who is local!)
• Plans for the future

Josh has also very kindly agreed to contribute one of his delicious traditional Fijian recipes to our Plan(e)t Cuisine campaign. Be sure to check it out on our website!

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website. Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast, leave us a review and share this episode with your friends and family.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee.

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee or becoming a member of Athletes for Nature.
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Chris Darwin’s mission is a life of love – and what a life he’s led so far! With a background in advertising and a career as a mountain guide, Chris is what you would call a certified adrenaline junkie, having been involved in two world-first expeditions: The world’s highest dinner party on Peru’s highest peak and the first round-Britain windsurfing expedition.

Chris is also an enthusiastic nature conservationist, with the audacious goal of preventing the global mass extinction of species.  Chris is working towards this goal in a number of ways. Firstly, he acts as an Ambassador for Bush Heritage Australia, has raised millions for charities, and was instrumental in establishing the Charles Darwin Reserve in Western Australia.

More recently he became a founder and CEO of The Darwin Challenge charity and its associated (award-winning) app. Oh, and did we mention he’s Charles Darwin’s great-great-grandson?! Talk about honouring a family legacy…

In this episode we discuss:
 • Chris’s adventurous background and work in advertising
• The importance of working out your purpose and emotional resilience
• Chris’s path to conservation
• Keys to sustainable behaviour change
• The Darwin Challenge App, for making meat reduction easy
• The multiple benefits of plant-based eating for people and planet
• Consumer motivation for choosing meat vs plant-based foods
• Chris’s passion for conservation and work with Bush Heritage Australia

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website. Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast, leave us a review and share this episode with your friends and family.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee.

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee or becoming a member of Athletes for Nature.
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Summer Wright (Ngāti Maniapoto, Pākehā) is a dietitian, Co-Convenor of OraTaiao, and current PhD candidate at Massey University. Passionate about food sovereignty and social justice issues, Summer’s PhD will investigate the social and economic opportunities for Māori businesses in plant-based foods, under the umbrella of the Future Foods Catalyst Programme.

Her research will also assess overseas demand for these products and generate insights for alternative land-use decisions for Māori businesses and landowners. Summer’s research will help carve a path forward, moving us towards a brighter future – one where food systems aren’t so exploitative of people, planet or animals!

In this conversation we discuss:
• Summer’s background and interest in nutrition
• Motivation behind Summer’s PhD thesis; ‘Unique Value Proposition of Māori Plant-based Foods’
• How Summer’s research aligns with Tikanga Māori
• Land as vital to Māori prosperity and history of land alienating policies
• Key concerns regarding consumer choice of plant-based proteins
• The need to better integrate education around sustainable food systems into the nutrition and dietetic curriculum
• The disconnect between food system intensification and impact on planetary health
• Opportunities for plant-based foods to foster social and environmental justice
• Summer’s role as co-convenor of Ora Taiao; NZ Climate and Health Council
• Summer’s hope for the future

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website. Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast, leave us a review and share this episode with your friends and family.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee.

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee or becoming a member of Athletes for Nature.
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Dr Peter Johnston is an Accredited Practising Dietitian, lifestyle medicine practitioner and wellness coach with a PhD in Human Genetics. Peter is also a fellow of the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine acting as a facilitator with Melbourne Lifestyle Medicine and running his private practice; Perfect Human Food.

We chat with Peter about the benefits of a whole food plant-based diet and the common learning curves experienced as people transition. Peter brings a wealth of knowledge to the conversation and rounds out our chat with a sombre look at the ecological impacts of our current food system and what needs to change to secure a prosperous future for people and the planet.

In this episode we discuss:
• Peter’s background working in shearing gangs and venturing into slaughterhouses
• Peter’s previous research, his ‘obsession’ with not aging and his motivation for transitioning to a plant-based diet
• The changes in plant-based offerings in supermarkets and cafes in the last 30 years and what that has meant for health outcomes
• Processed foods, cravings, and weight management
• Salt, sugar and fat and their role in our diets
• The importance of cooking skills and learning to enjoy foods as grown
• Peter’s private practice work and his facilitator role with Melbourne Lifestyle Medicine
• Peter’s involvement in educating the next generation of health professionals about the benefits of plant-based nutrition
• The current food system’s immense impact on the planet and risk to long-term food security

Please note: In our conversation we mentioned the Melbourne Lifestyle Medicine upcoming July immersion, however, due to a change in scheduling the next available immersion runs 4th-11th September.

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website. Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast, leave us a review and share this episode with your friends and family.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee.

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee or becoming a member of Athletes for Nature.
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Professor Diana Sarfati (MBChB, MPH, PhD, FNZCPHM) is a public health physician, cancer epidemiologist and health services researcher. Serving as Tumuaki, Chief Executive and National Director of Cancer Control New Zealand, Diana discusses the goals of the Cancer Control Agency and their aims to both assist and challenge the cancer care sector to achieve fewer cancers, better survival and equity for all.

Professor Sarfati brings her wealth of knowledge to the conversation and provides us with an understanding of cancer and its many challenges, including an important discussion around the unequal burden of disease within our society.

In this episode we discuss:
• Diana’s background in medicine and her passion for public health
• Te Aho o Te Kahu, Cancer Control Agency
• An overview of cancer statistics in Aotearoa and elsewhere
• Heath disparities between population groups
• Key drivers of health inequality
• Cancer prevention and modifiable risk factors
• The importance of both individual and systemic changes for cancer prevention, treatment and management
• What we can all do to reduce cancer risk for ourselves and our loved ones

To view all the links to the websites and documents, make sure you visit the show notes on our website. Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast, leave us a review and share this episode with your friends and family.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee.

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee or becoming a member of Athletes for Nature.
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Jack Santa Barbara, PhD is a retired CEO, academic, philanthropist, author, and environmental and peace activist. Jack has long been writing and educating on environmental and energy issues and the consequent impacts on people and the planet.

Here Jack discusses the current predicament we find ourselves in regarding energy use and our limits to growth. We have within reach an opportunity to carve a new and better path forward and Jack argues that for our future to be truly sustainable our thinking needs to be bigger and bolder…but that our economy should not be. To seriously engage with the overshoot issue, we need to think differently.

In this episode we discuss:
• Jack’s background - from conflict resolution to business to ecological economics
• Reconceptualising economics to acknowledge biophysical limits to growth
• The role of fossil fuels in the development of our civilisations and economies
• The importance of understanding net energy and the changing net energy return of our current energy sources
• Our carbon ‘tunnel vision’ with a tendency to overlook other aspects of living sustainably within planetary boundaries
• The pros and cons of current renewable energy options
• The framing of needs vs wants in a lower energy future
• Individual and community actions to accelerate change

To view all the links to the websites and documents, make sure you visit the show notes on our website. Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast, leave us a review and share this episode with your friends and family.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee.

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee or becoming a member of Athletes for Nature.
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook, subscribe to this podcast, and share this episode with your friends and family.

Dr Angela Egan is a trained GP, now working in a highly specialised team undertaking major heart and lung surgery in Townsville. Angela is a passionate advocate of lifestyle medicine, health equity and climate action in her community. In fact, her determination for stronger changes in these areas has motivated Dr Egan to run as an independent candidate in the upcoming Australian federal election.

Angela discusses the health and social issues facing regional, rural and remote areas and we learn more about Cardiovascular Disease and Rheumatic Heart Disease in Australia, noting the high Indigenous burden, which necessitates urgent and transformational change.

In this episode we discuss:
• Angela’s background; from a career in the army to medicine, and now running for politics!
• Her passion for preventative and lifestyle medicine principles and her work in the community encouraging this
• Multiple factors that contribute to the health disparities still seen between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, and how we work towards closing that gap
• Heart health primer: An overview on the prevention, treatment and management of both Cardiovascular Disease and Rheumatic Heart Disease
• Food insecurity in rural and remote areas
• The impacts of climate change on the social and environmental determinants of health
• Angela’s motivations for standing for the federal election and her policy priorities

To view all the links to the websites and documents, make sure you visit the show notes on our website. Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast, leave us a review and share this episode with your friends and family.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee.

To view all the links to the websites and documents, visit the show notes on our website.

Please support our work and enable us to deliver more content by buying us a coffee or becoming a member of Athletes for Nature.
Follow us on Instagram and Facebook, subscribe to this podcast, and share this episode with your friends and family.