PLANTSTRONG Podcast

Rip welcomes Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, “The Joyful Vegan,” to the PLANTSTRONG Podcast for a long overdue celebration of the massive growth and interest in all things plant-based - especially in the 15-20 years.

An empath and advocate her whole life, Patrick-Goudreau, first began her life’s purpose and awakening at age 19 after reading John Robbins’ Diet for a New America and then later, Slaughterhouse: The Shocking Story of Greed, Neglect, and Inhumane Treatment Inside the U.S. Meat Industry by investigative journalist Gail Eisnitz.

This awakening led to her life’s work, which now includes multiple books, podcasts, radio/TV appearances, cooking classes, and group vegan trips around the world.

She and Rip discuss:

• Her Awareness, Sensitivity, and Compassion toward animal suffering as a young girl
• Finding a Balance in Activism and Emotional Well-being
• Being a Joyful Vegan: Finding Wonder and Gratitude in Veganism
• Struggles and Difficulties of Coming Out as Vegan to Family
• Developing Empathic Communication Skills
• Managing Emotions and Compassion in Difficult Interactions
• The Power of Openness, Vulnerability, and Compassion in Conversations
• Finding a Balance between Belonging vs. Staying True to Values
• Overcoming Challenges in Relationships with Different Diets
• Effective Advocacy and Communication in Relationships
• “Eating the Rainbow” and Exploring Different Phytochemicals and Their Colors
• Exploring Culinary Delights in France and Italy with her Joyful Vegan Trips
• Her Passion for History and What it Can Teach Us About the Present

If you’re a fan of Colleen’s, then, of course, you’ll love this episode. If you’re not familiar with Colleen and her work, prepare to be impacted by her deep, deep compassion and empathy for all of life, and especially how to help others in their own transitions.

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, affectionately known as the joyful vegan, 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, Patrick-Goudreau is a bestselling author of seven books, an acclaimed speaker, producer of one of the longest-running podcasts, a regular contributor to National Public Radio, and the host of luxury vegan trips around the world. She can be found at JoyfulVegan.com.

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In the ever-changing world of “celebrity culture," it's hard to find someone so resolute about their activism as Moby. He's had undeniable staying power on the music scene, but it’s his vegan activism that has left the most lasting impression.

Moby went vegan in 1987 and remains an ardent supporter of animal rights, climate change advocacy, and humanitarian aid. He is also the author of several books, including memoirs and vegan cookbooks.

Moby, without question, is one of the most prolific and thoughtful thinkers on the planet and he and his co-host Lindsay Hicks recently started The Moby Pod to provide even more insight into their advocacy work.

Lindsay Hicks, like her pal Moby, is also an environmentalist and sustainability expert. On the Moby Pod, they discuss a wide range of topics with humor and humility, providing their unique perspectives on the entertainment industry, animal activism, and beyond. In fact, recent episodes have featured everything from guest, Dan Buettner, to writing songs…and even a little paranormal chat!

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If you believe in a divine purpose, then get ready for an important show.

The Daniel Fast is a scripture-based program that chronicles the story of Daniel from the Old Testament who “refused to eat the King’s Diet” of rich and indulgent food. Instead, in order to stay strong in body and mind, he subsisted and thrived on vegetables and water - or what we may refer to these days as a whole food, plant-based diet.

Today, modern-day Daniel Fasts are conducted all over the world and that’s what brought my two guests together.

Gigi Carter and Sersie Blue know the best way to live out their divine purpose with excellence is to be healthy and also help others who are on their own journeys.

Their first book, Daniel Fast - Why You Should Only Do It Once hits bookshelves everywhere on September 8th, and we're lucky enough to hear how they were called to eat the foods that serve their divine purpose - plants, of course!

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• Healthy for My Purpose - Learn More About Gigi and Sersie
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In 2021, Dr. Sandra Musial gave up a private practice and teaching career to go ALL-IN with what she loves most - helping people transition to a whole food, plant-based lifestyle.

She and other plant-based physicians started Plant Docs Providence to provide classes, education, and consultations to the public and medical professionals about how whole food, plant-based nutrition can prevent, improve, and reverse chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and certain cancers.

Today, she and Rip discuss:

• Her Ukrainian roots and why she wanted to pursue medicine
• Why she become a pediatrician to work with children
• What or who inspired Sandy to pursue plant-based nutrition
• The rewards and challenges of working with children and their fammilies
• The dedication and outcomes of starting an obesity clinic and a food garden at Hasbro Children’s Hospital
• When she knew it was time to go all-in on plant-based nutrition education
• How Plant Docs found a home at Plant City in Providence, Rhode Island
• Upcoming programs at Plant City

This career transition hasn’t come without risk, but when you pursue what you believe, the risk also comes with high-reward when you KNOW you’re making a difference in the lives of motivated people. 

Sandra Musial, MD is a physician specializing in food as medicine who is dedicated to preserving health and reversing lifestyle-related chronic disease through whole, plant-based nutrition. Sandy earned a BS degree in Nutritional Sciences from the University of New Hampshire, and an MD degree from the University of Massachusetts Medical School. She has worked in a private pediatric practice and at Hasbro Children's Hospital teaching the pediatric residents and medical students from the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She is a Culinary Coach from Harvard’s CHEF Coaching program, has a certificate in Plant Based Nutrition from eCornell, and a Health Coaching certificate from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition®. Sandy is board certified in Pediatrics and Obesity Medicine and started an obesity clinic and the first vegetable garden at Hasbro. Though she has witnessed the healing power of conventional medicine, she has also seen its limitations, especially with regard to disease prevention through healthy nutrition. Sandy started the nonprofit Plant Docs as an avenue for people to learn about the power of plant-based nutrition to improve health.

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Episode Webpage www.plantstrongpodcast.com/blog/sandra-musial-md

• Plant City Website
• Plant Docs PVD | Best Nutritionists in Rhode Island - Learn more about their upcoming "Jumpstart Your Health" programs

After this interview, I promise you’ll want to load up the family and head east to Providence, Rhode Island!

Over eight years ago now, Kim Anderson and her family watched “Forks Over Knives” and “Cowspiracy” and felt an IMMEDIATE responsibility to educate others and inspire change.

They hosted movie nights and dinners where hundreds would come to enjoy a delicious plant-based meal, but the refrain they kept hearing was, “It’s a shame I can’t eat my values and my health when I go out to eat.” There just weren’t many plant-based options.

That changed when Kim and her family opened Plant City, the world’s first plant-based food hall and marketplace in the heart of Providence, Rhode Island. Packed with multiple restaurants (including Mexican, sushi, Italian, and burgers), Plant City also features a bakery, coffee shop, and a vast community space packed with monthly educational programs and cooking classes.

Today, she and Rip discuss:

• The genesis and inspiration behind Plant City
• Her personal journey to plants, inspired by her son
• How this experienced entrepreneur with no restaurant experience brought her vision to life with internationally acclaimed chef, Matthew Kenney
• The unique environment and worldly flavors they bring in each of the restaurants
• Transformations of guests who visit since most are not plant-based
• How Plant-City, which opened in the fall of 2019, adapted the business to survive the pandemic
• How Kim continues to educate students at area universities about the impact of climate change, animal agriculture, and sustainability

Kim and her family’s mission is to invest in companies for a more sustainable and humane future and you’ll hear that unrelenting passion in today’s conversation. She was inspired by "The Game Changers," but she, too, is a true game changer.

Article on Kim in Rhode Island Monthly Magazine

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Rip welcomes author and health coach, Janet Verney, to the PLANTSTRONG Podcast.

For 40 years, Janet suffered from an undiagnosed illness that affected her lungs and gut, leading to years of medical treatments, antibiotics, and even a cumbersome breathing machine.

In 2013, she started focusing on optimizing her health through lifestyle changes and a whole foods, plant-based diet and it was only then that her real healing began. As she says in the episode, she now has control over her illness. It no longer controls her. Today, she is affectionately referred to as the "plant-based princess of positivity" by friends and clients.

As a coach, she helps others "unearth" their dis-ease to get to the root cause of their issues. How?

* She helps you "weed" out the excuses and roadblocks

* She teaches you to "nourish" your body with nutrition, self-care, and doing the things you love

* If you weed and nourish, you will "bloom" into the person you were always meant to be

Her books Roots2Wellness and her new cookbook Health'd Up are available at https://janetverney.com/

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Not long ago, we received an email that stopped us in our tracks. It was a letter of thanks written to Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., but the email also told a harrowing surgery story that was so compelling, we just had to share it with you. And, it’s actually the first time Rip and his Father have interviewed a patient together on the PLANTSTRONG Podcast.

Rip's guest, Mike Melloh, was seemingly doing everything right. He exercised regularly, ate a “healthy” diet, and even booked appointments for preventative tests to ensure he was a picture of health, as he always believed.

He was in for the surprise of his life when test results came back showing significant blockage. What happened next in the operating room is something no one could predict; however, it's given Mike a whole new appreciation for life and the power of whole food, plant-based nutrition.

His story and the commentary and education that Dr. Esselstyn provide are so powerful. We hope you'll listen and share because it just may save a life.

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Rip welcomes Anthony Masiello, co-founder and CEO of Love Life Telehealth, who shares his personal transformation and innovative approach to healthcare access to whole food plant-based physicians. Anthony recalls his own struggle with weight issues from a young age, trying various methods to lose weight. Despite his active lifestyle, his weight continued to fluctuate, leading him to question how weight gain occurs and the role of genetics and environment in this process. After sharing his own personal journey, Anthony delves into the creation of Love Life Telehealth, a platform that aims to revolutionize healthcare by providing comprehensive support through coaching, education, and community. He explains the concept of telemedicine and how Love Life Telehealth connects patients with doctors across different states, offering lifestyle medicine consultations. The ultimate goal of Love Life Telehealth is to change the way healthcare is practiced, prioritizing a lifestyle-first approach and using medicine only when necessary. The team of ten doctors work collaboratively with patients to understand their complete profile and help them achieve their goals. Anthony describes the development of other programs and offerings, such as a monthly payment model and a year-long program, all designed to help people not just live life, but love life and be passionate about enjoying it.

About Anthony Masiello

Anthony has been working in healthcare for more than 25 years. His professional career started in the 90s at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) doing bioinformatics for the Human Genome Project. He later shifted into Research and Development at Novartis Pharmaceuticals, where he was interested in contributing more directly to the development of new disease therapies.

After transforming his own health, and learning there is a better way, he shifted once again and is now 100% focused on providing access to medical services centered on the prevention and reversal of disease utilizing lifestyle medicine rooted in whole food plant-based nutrition.

Anthony came to a plant-based lifestyle himself after being denied a 20-year term life insurance policy at age 33. He was morbidly obese, weighing more than 360 pounds, medicated for high blood pressure, and suffering from psoriasis, eczema, migraine headaches, and sleep apnea. Through the transition to a whole food plant-based diet and healthy lifestyle, Anthony lost 160 lbs. and reversed all of these conditions. He has maintained that weight loss, optimal health, and a greatly improved quality of life for more than 15 years and counting.

Anthony’s personal health transformation has been featured on the Megyn Kelly Today show, on PBS, in The Huffington Post, in the bestselling book Eat to Live, and by Forks Over Knives, Runners World, and numerous magazines, websites, radio shows, podcasts, and articles.

Anthony was Co-founder and CEO of Plant Based TeleHealth, a national lifestyle telemedicine service focused on the prevention and reversal of disease with lifestyle medicine and whole food plant-based nutrition. In 2022, Plant-Based TeleHealth was acquired by Love.Life, a national network of wellness hubs that is leading the convergence of food, medicine, and wellness for a one-stop transformative health experience.

Episode Resources

Watch the Episode on YouTube

Love.Life Telehealth

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In April 2023, we first aired this special Facebook Live Friday episode with Trucker Steve.

Steve lives on the road as a semi-truck driver. As you can imagine, this is NOT an easy life, especially when you’re trying to keep yourself healthy. Long days in the truck, gas stations, truck stop food, lonely stretches for days on end…you get the point.

Well, after hitting over 500 pounds, Steve committed to a whole food, plant-based diet and, at the time of this recording, had lost almost 200 lbs!

How does he do it? What are his favorite on-the-go meals? What does he always have stocked in his truck cooler?

Steve shares some of his tips from the road that, no doubt, will help anyone who does a fair amount of traveling.

Episode Resources

Watch the Original Episode on YouTube

Episode Webpage

Join our PLANTSTRONG Sedona Retreat - October 9-14, 2023

To stock up on the best-tasting, most convenient, 100% PLANTSTRONG foods, including our teas, stews, pancakes cereals, granolas, pizza kits, broths and soups, check out all of our PLANTSTRONG products HERE.

Give us a like on the PLANTSTRONG Facebook Page and check out what being PLANSTRONG is all about. We always keep it stocked full of new content and updates, tips for healthy living, delicious recipes, and you can even catch me LIVE on there!

We’ve also got an Instagram! Check us out and share your favorite PLANTSTRONG products and why you love it! Don’t forget to tag us using #goplantstrong 🌱💪

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Chef Vegan Vicki is a proud Cleveland native who, in 2008, was diagnosed with non-smoking lung cancer.



After surgery, she started researching ways to get healthy and avoid a recurrence of this or any form of cancer. No surprise, her homework led her to a whole foods, plant-based diet and she ended up losing almost 100 lbs!

This transformation changed everything in her life and she went from working in the insurance industry to becoming an iconic chef.

In this inspiring conversation, she shared how she started her cooking journey at the Cleveland Veg Fest and Taste of Black Cleveland events, offering mouthwatering vegan soul food that no one else was making at the time. 

As you can imagine, she faced initial resistance and skepticism towards vegan food; however, she persisted, gained recognition, and eventually became the first vegan to be in a major sports arena at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland!

Today, as founder of Koncious Kuisine, she’s also a private vegan chef to several families and members of the NBA and NFL, and continues to run pop-ups in the arena and all over the Cleveland area.


Episode Highlights

10:10 Her surprising diagnosis and Medical journey in 2008

15:00 How she went from the Queen of Longhorn Steakhouse to a plant-based diet, thanks to a stranger in a grocery store

22:15 From insurance to iconic chef?! 

35:00 From initial skepticism and reluctance, to all-out stardom with her vegan soul food

38:00 Where does she find her inspiration and what's it like cooking for the stars?

41:36 Vicki’s favorite mouth-watering sandwich

45:00 More rapid fire questions with Vicki - her best scrambled egg substitute, sweet potato pie, risotto and more

50:00 Vegan Vicki’s favorite cookware

Episode Resources

Watch the Episode on YouTube

Follow Vegan Vicki on Instagram - @koncious_kuisine

Article on Vegan Vicki in VegNews

Koncious Kuisine Website

Join our PLANTSTRONG Sedona Retreat - October 9-14, 2023

To stock up on the best-tasting, most convenient, 100% PLANTSTRONG foods, including our teas, stews, pancakes cereals, granolas, pizza kits, broths and soups, check out all of our PLANTSTRONG products HERE.

Give us a like on the PLANTSTRONG Facebook Page and check out what being PLANSTRONG is all about. We always keep it stocked full of new content and updates, tips for healthy living, delicious recipes, and you can even catch me LIVE on there!

We’ve also got an Instagram! Check us out and share your favorite PLANTSTRONG products and why you love it! Don’t forget to tag us using #goplantstrong 🌱💪

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