It’s a strange time to be talking positively about sacrifice. Over the past year, so many people have lost their businesses, their communities, even their lives. And it seems absurd, perhaps even offensive, to draw something good from that sacrifice. But that’s exactly what we need to do, on both a personal and collective level, to make progress.

And Matt Johnson is one of the best people I can think of to talk about that.

Matt was living a pretty normal life, and a pretty comfortable life, in his home state of Iowa when he first heard about Direct Action Everywhere. But that ordinary existence was jolted when Matt, a lifetime vegetarian in a sea of animal farming, saw people taking chances to make the world a better place. But I don’t think anyone could have predicted the dramatic transformation that Matt would go through, after seeing a single protest at a Chipotle on social media.

From topless protests of Bernie Sanders to investigations of ventilation shutdown, Matt has been one of the biggest newsmakers in animal rights history. The most important thing we can hear from here, however, is on the power of sacrifice. I have met few people, maybe not any, more willing to give whatever it takes to help make the world a better place. And while that is often a hard thing -- you’ll hear my voice shaking, and tears come to my eyes, as I talk to Matt about the challenges he’s facing -- it also brings a joy, of sorts, that cannot be matched by any other experience in the world.

This is a long one, but it’s a good one. Listen to the end. You won’t regret it.