How Getting Plant-Curious Changes Lives with Planted Expo's Stevan Mirkovich

Sonya has been committed to a plant-based diet for almost a decade. Her interest in and passion for the benefits of plant-based eating has led her to connect to those equally committed to the space.  Cue this week’s episode with Stevan Mirkovich - owner of Planted Expo, a trade show, platform and network to connect Canadians to local vegan and plant-based businesses. Sonya will be speaking at Planted Expo this weekend and had a chance to speak with Stevan leading up to the event. Stevan is a recovering food addict, who experienced overeating, junk-food veganism, and eventually found his way to a plant-based style of living. He has guided hundreds of people in plant-based nutrition, cooking through sharing educational resources to help people transition to a better way of eating. Sonya and Stevan had a fantastic conversation spanning the topics of leadership, cooking, plant-based diets, human connection and more. "“That control piece is an interesting one because the truth is, you’re the only one that can control what you eat, or should be the only one that controls what you eat, right? And it shouldn’t be, well my spouse does this or my partner does this or my family does this, and therefore, I can’t have the agency that I’m looking for in my dietary choices...just to really stay narrow here. But, that being said, it is tricky because the nuance there is what you raised, in that a lot of our responses to our emotional upheaval or our emotional dysregulation is a desire for control. That desire for control can express itself in a variety of settings, in a variety of ways. For me, it happened to express itself through controlling what I eat and I think probably for a lot of people that is the truth. So it’s reframing your perception of control and not abnegating your agency in what you choose to eat, but also having a healthier relationship with the choices you make around food when you’re aware of your emotional state.”"  - Stevan Mirkovich     Key Takeaways When something throws life out of balance For the love of food and coffee Planted Expo Cooking classes Getting comfortable in the kitchen with plant-based recipes Going plant-based in 2003 Emotions around food Searching for control Food as a social issue Importance of human connection ___ Links Learn more about Planted Expo Liked this episode? Listen to other podcasts on plant-based nutrition Check out all of my info on plant-based nutrition Check out my Substack about high-performance mindset Sign up for my weekly newsletter!  ___ Try Inside Tracker Blood Test for Athletes For 25% off, get the Inside Tracker Discount code!  The Inside Tracker Discount Code is good for all purchases store-wide. How does the InsideTracker blood test work? They measure over 30 biomarkers like cortisol, hsCRP (inflammation), magnesium, vitamin D, ferritin and so much more. Each biomarker shows an optimized range and how you can add in healthy foods to get your blood biomarkers to perform better. Offers InnerAge testing Over 2,000 partnering labs in the USA + home testing in Canada Gives you a big picture view of your health and wellness.  It’s empowering to know what to do to enhance your performance and see tangible results.