No-Bullsh!t Vegan

This episode covers it all: running a large-scale vegan food festival, Erika’s vegan story, growing and supporting vegan businesses, and de-stigmatizing veganism. Erika Hazel is a nationally recognized vegan businesswoman, recipe creator, magazine contributor and philanthropist. As a vegan food expert, Erika is always discovering the best vegan cuisine to share with her family and social media followers to make the world a more vegan place, one bite at a time. The Bizerkeley Vegan is not only a popular social media influencer and food blogger, but also specializes in events, consultations and speaking engagements. Erika's goal is to engage with people to help them find the best plant-based foods the world has to offer. She has been featured in VegNews and VegOut Magazines, CBS and ABC news interviews, and more.

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau joins me to discuss the power of language and identity when talking about veganism, the importance of authenticity and compassion, and the role of metrics and self-critique in vegan advocacy.

Affectionately known as the joyful vegan, Colleen is a recognized expert and thought leader on the culinary, social, ethical, and practical aspects of living compassionately and healthfully. A long-time animal advocate and vegan, Colleen is a bestselling author of seven books, an acclaimed speaker, producer of one of the longest running podcasts in existence, a regular contributor to National Public Radio, and the host of luxury vegan trips around the world.

Colleen also announces her new book coming out in 2025 — A Year of Compassion: 52 Weeks of Living Zero-Waste, Plant-Based, and Cruelty-Free.

One of the most common excuses I hear from folks who aren’t completely vegan yet is, “It’s way too difficult to travel as a vegan!” Well, here’s the only B.S.-busting, info-packed episode you need if you’re a vegan interested in travelling the world. Brighde Reed is one of the founders of World Vegan Travel, a company dedicated to creating luxurious, immersive group travel experiences for vegans and the vegan-curious. Based in Squamish, BC, Brighde lives with Seb, the co-owner of World Vegan Travel. Before embarking on her journey in the travel industry, Brighde was a dedicated teacher. Her love for exploration has taken her across the globe, having lived in Thailand, Australia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and now Canada. Brighde and Seb started World Vegan Travel in 2017.

World Vegan Travel offers enriching travel experiences to a variety of destinations, including Thailand, Italy, Rwanda, Vietnam, and Japan. Each trip combines cultural immersion and exceptional plant-based cuisine. When she's not planning trips, Brighde enjoys hiking and immersing herself in nature.

We’re often told to take omega-3 supplements, especially as vegans. And non-vegans are often told to take fish oil. But are these recommendations backed by peer-reviewed science? Geoff Palmer is here to do some serious myth-busting. We also delve into meat and masculinity: why are they often linked in our society? How can we get more men on board with veganism?

Geoff Palmer is a 61-year-strong, 39-year vegan, natural bodybuilding and natural physique masters champion, the owner of Clean Machine Plant-Based Fitness Nutrition, author, national lecturer, vegan patent holder and 2-time NEXTY Winner for "Best Supplement of the Year”. Geoff was #40 of the "Top 100 Most Influential Vegans" by Plant Based News, and he created the first 100% vegan natural bodybuilding competition in the world.

Expert marketer Sandra Nomoto speaks with me about the animal agriculture industry’s marketing tactics. Specifically: four ways they’ve misled the public. These include discrediting research on plant-based diets that showed health benefits, specific marketing campaigns, fear-mongering about vegan diets, and online astroturfing. 

Sandra Nomoto is an award-winning ethical marketer for cruelty-free businesses. She also offers a suite of services for authors with impact. She previously ran Conscious Public Relations Inc. for a decade, which was the fourth public relations agency in Canada to earn B Corporation® certification. Sandra is the author of two books, including Vegan Marketing Success Stories, the world's first vegan marketing book, honoured by Vegan Choice Awards in 2023. On the side of her desk, she co-hosts VEG Networking Canada, Canada's only vegan networking group, blogs at SandraNomoto.com, and writes for several outlets.

Katya Gorbacheva is one of the strongest vegans in the world. She is an elite powerlifter with a total of 1025 lbs at 165 lbs body weight and 453 DOTs (ratio of weight lifted to body weight). She shares her own vegan story, and how to get enough protein as a vegan strength athlete. We also discuss societal ideals of what women are “supposed” to look like or how they’re “supposed” to act, especially on social media.

Katya has been vegan almost 8 years and is a proud member of the Vegan Strong PlantBuilt Team. She goes to protests against foie-gras and marches against animal cruelty, and is a frequent speaker at vegan festivals around the world.

Why do the most effective forms of animal advocacy often involve letting go of our personal biases? How can we understand our strengths, and use them to help animals? What are the most impactful animal charity organizations and how can we best support them? Robert Cheeke joins me to discuss these topics, and more — all featured in his upcoming book. 

Robert grew up on a farm in Corvallis, Oregon where he adopted a vegan lifestyle in 1995 at age 15. Today he is the author of 5 books, including his latest, The Impactful Vegan, to be released on June 25, 2024. He is often referred to as the “Godfather of Vegan Bodybuilding,” growing the industry from infancy in 2002, to where it is today. As a natural bodybuilding champion, Robert is considered one of VegNews magazine's Most Influential Vegan Athletes. He tours around the world sharing his story of transformation from a skinny farm kid to champion vegan bodybuilder.

Robert is the founder of Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness and maintains the website VeganBodybuilding.com. He is a regular contributor to Forks Over Knives, The Center for Nutrition Studies, Vegan Strong, The Vegan Gym, and No Meat Athlete. He's a former multi-sport athlete, and has followed a plant-based diet for more than 28 years. Robert lives in Colorado with his wife and two rescued Chihuahuas.

What’s it like to train for a major strength goal for 1.5 years and nail it? How can we stay consistent with our training even when we don’t feel “motivated”? What lessons can we learn from almost a decade of consistent workouts? K.I. Health & Fitness team member Izzy Katz is here to talk about all this, and more! (Included cats, of course.)

Izzy is a Main Street Vegan Academy Certified Master Vegan Lifestyle Coach and Educator. She works with clients worldwide at all stages of their vegan journey. Growing up vegetarian, Izzy became vegan in 2012 following her move from Manchester, England to Vancouver, Canada. 

Izzy has a law degree from Manchester Metropolitan University. She works for Fraser Health as an Executive Assistant, the United Players of Vancouver Theatre Company as Reservations Manager, and is the Communications Head Honcho at my company, K.I. Health & Fitness. 

Why is critical thinking important in choosing one’s diet? Why (and how) are lifestyle and diet choices not binary? How do we make sense of all the conflicting diet information online? My guest joins me to discuss all this, and more.

Dr. Jeyashree Krishnan is a computational scientist and data science consultant with a personal passion for ultramarathons and plant-based cooking. Jeyashree lives in Germany, and uses her knack for simplifying complex data to solve problems and help others understand intricate concepts. Her drive stems from a deep-seated curiosity and a love for learning.

Coming from India and having pursued her Master's and PhD in Germany, Jeyashree brings a diverse range of experiences and insights to her work and daily life. She spends much of her free time diving into books and research papers, always eager to question and critically think about the world around her.

Beyond her academic and professional pursuits, Jeyashree cherishes the challenges of ultramarathons, testing her limits with each race. In the kitchen, she loves to experiment with various cuisines, with a special fondness for spicy dishes. Cooking plant-based meals is more than just a hobby for her; it's a way to explore creative, healthy eating.

How do social inequalities and environmental problems converge? How can we find opportunities for solidarity with food and farm workers as part of ethical veganism? What role have industry and governments played in expanding ag-gag legislation? Why should vegans strength train? I discuss these topics and more with my guest, Dr. Anelyse Weiler.

Anelyse is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Victoria. Her research explores workers' rights and environmental health, agricultural industry lobbying, and how everyday people are fighting for a more livable world. Alongside her research, she is involved in advocacy groups like the BC Employment Standards Coalition and Worker Solidarity Network.

Outside of work, Anelyse loves running, cycling, and lifting. She has been vegan since 2007, and her family includes a flock of cheeky rescue chickens and two adopted cats.