PLANTSTRONG Podcast

Today is 9/11, a day that none of us will forget. As we wind down Season Two of The Plant-Strong podcast, which is dedicated to those with the heart of a hero, we want to honor those who serve on the front lines when we call for help. To commemorate this special day, I want to share an open letter to first responders.

We all remember where we were that day when time stood still and the events that transpired across the United States imprinted on each and every one of us. I remember like it was yesterday, as I'm sure you all do. On this day every year, we think of you, emergency first-responders, and the sacrifice you make for others.

Lately, with the endless firefighting in California and Oregon, first responders are being put to the test once again and I want to remind everyone that the #1 cause of death for in-the-line-of duty deaths among firefighters is heart disease...not fires or smoke inhalation, not accidents…...heart attacks. Think about that. In a job that faces potential risk and personal harm every time a call comes in, it’s the effects of the standard American Diet that are more dangerous to these everyday heroes.

It’s our mission at Plant-Strong to educate and empower people to take back their health, to get in the driver seat and be their own hero. We want everyone to experience the benefits of living plant-strong and to learn that you do NOT have to accept type II diabetes, or high blood pressure, or high cholesterol as your fate. You can turn it around.

We want this for everyone, but I especially want this for firefighters and emergency first-responders.

So my letter to all of you is to be brave, take the plunge, and don’t wait until you are having chest pains to see the light. Make the change to put YOURSELF FIRST - you will be able to rescue so many more people when your own internal engine is in order.

We honor you today and always. We will never forget.

Peace, Engine 2, Keep it Plant-Strong.

Here at the Plant-Strong Podcast, as you can tell from all of our guests this season, having “the heart of a hero” means throwing your whole being behind a mission. It means putting health before everything else -- and not just OUR own health, but the health of animals, the planet, and...perhaps most importantly...our children’s health.

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a bigger advocate in this work than Suzy Amis Cameron. For over 30 years, she has dedicated herself to caring for the health and sustainability of our planet and Suzy is unapologetically passionate about plant-based foods as a solution to so many of these issues we face today. 

She’s the author of THE OMD PLAN: Swap One Meal a Day to Save Your Health and Save the Planet. This book was so powerful that she was even featured as a guest with Oprah on “Super Soul Sunday.” Suzy, along with her sister, also founded the MUSE School in 2005, the first school in the country to be 100% solar powered, zero waste, and with a 100% organic, plant-based lunch program.

And, perhaps most importantly, Suzy is also responsible for initiating her husband, film director, James Cameron, into a whole-foods plant-based lifestyle after watching “Forks Over Knives” together a few years ago. If not for this life-changing moment, the documentary, “The Game Changers,” Executive Produced by James and Suzy Amis Cameron, may never have had the global impact it’s having right now.

In fact, it is the most-watched documentary of all time with almost 100 million downloads...and counting.

So, thank you, Suzy, for your tireless efforts on these and all of your plant-based ventures that you’ll learn about in this episode.

Episode Resources:

• Suzy Amis Cameron Website and Resources

• The Game Changers Documentary

• Support for this week's episode comes from Wild Earth Dog Food. Visit the episode page at plantstrongpodcast.com to claim their offer of up to 50% your purchase.

• Engine 2 Meal Planner Use code: HEALTHNOW for $20 off yearly membership

• The NutraMilk - Make Alternative Milks and Butters in Minutes Use code: PLANTSTRONG for $50 off

• Theme music for episode

Victoria Moran is a veritable lighthouse in this plant-strong movement and a true matriarch. She's been in the trenches for well over 35-years and, at age 70, she’s just getting started!

Her mission? To share the joys and rewards of living a whole-foods vegan lifestyle with the entire world. She’s written 13 books, hosts her own radio show and podcast called, “Main Street Vegan” and most recently produced a documentary called “A Prayer for Compassion” that asks the question, "Can people who identify as religious or spiritual come to embrace the call to include all human and nonhuman beings in our circle of respect, caring and love?” Powerful, indeed.

She also runs The Main Street Vegan Academy - a program for training and certifying vegan lifestyle coaches and entrepreneurs around the world.

Did we mention that she’s 70? Whew!

As you’ll hear in our conversation, one of her goals is to help others age in slow motion and I think you’ll agree, she’s doing just that! And, that’s a wonderful thing because the world needs Victoria Moran and others like her who have the heart of a hero and the compassion to change the world.

Episode Resources:

• Support for this week's episode comes from Wild Earth Dog Food. Visit the episode page at plantstrongpodcast.com to claim their offer of up to 50% your purchase.

• Engine 2 Meal Planner Use code: HEALTHNOW for $20 off yearly membership

• The NutraMilk - Make Alternative Milks and Butters in Minutes Use code: PLANTSTRONG for $50 off

• Theme music for episode

Victoria Moran Resources:

Main Street Vegan

A Prayer for Compassion Film

Main Street Vegan Instagram

We say it all the time here at Plant-Strong - “Real Men Eat Plants.” With the smashing success of The Game Changers documentary, we proved, through science, that it is optimal to build muscle on a plant-based diet. If you still have to see it to believe it, then you’ll want to feast your eyes and ears on today’s guest.

Nimai Delgado is a professional bodybuilder who has never eaten meat his entire life. That’s right, Nimai was raised vegetarian since birth and, in 2015, even while in peak training for bodybuilding competitions, went all in and became 100% plant-based. You know what? He’s been out-muscling his competition ever since.

What started as Nimai’s personal mission to stay fit and healthy, has quickly turned into a career and a powerful myth-busting fitness and nutrition platform of spreading the benefits and possibilities of a plant-based lifestyle.

Episode Resources:

• Support for this week's episode comes from Wild Earth Dog Food. Visit the episode page at plantstrongpodcast.com to claim their offer of up to 50% your purchase.

• The NutraMilk - Make Alternative Milks and Butters in Minutes Use code: PLANTSTRONG for $50 off

• Engine 2 Meal Planner Use code: HEALTHNOW for $20 off yearly membership

• Theme music for episode

Nimai Delgado Resources:

Instagram

VeganFitness.com

This week's episode was recorded from the Esselstyn Family Farm as the entire family prepares for the kick-off of our 9th Annual Plant-Stock event starting August 14th, 2020.

We affectionately coined the event “Plant-Stock” back in 2011 because the farm is located a scant 21 miles from the famed 1969 Woodstock event at which Grandpa Esselstyn served as the medical director.

This farm, as you’ll learn, has been in the Esselstyn family since 1685, and in fact, is one of only two family farms in New York state that has been owned and operated by the same family for over 335 years!

There’s a certain magic in bringing Plant-Stock back to its original home. The event may be virtual this year, but, serendipitously, it also allows us to open our doors to thousands of you to this special place. 

Today, I’m sitting on the front porch with Ann and Essy as we reminisce about the early days on the land. You’ll even get a detailed play-by-play of my Dad’s 1956 Olympic Gold Medal race in rowing! I still get excited hearing about this special moment in my Dad’s life again - even after all these years. And, his Olympic berth started right here on the Esselstyn Family Farm while his Dad treated patients (including a few famous ones you’ll hear about). 

So, enjoy this visit with my parents this week and join us, if you can, for our virtual Plant-Stock immersive weekend that starts tomorrow. We’re saving you a seat right next to us on the porch.

Episode Resources:

• Plant-Stock 2020 Details and Registration

• Support for this week's episode comes from Wild Earth Dog Food. Visit the episode page at plantstrongpodcast.com to claim their offer of up to 50% your purchase.

• The NutraMilk - Make Alternative Milks and Butters in Minutes Use code: PLANTSTRONG for $50 off

• Engine 2 Meal Planner Use code: HEALTHNOW for $20 off yearly membership

• Theme music for episode

• Footage from the 1956 Olympic Rowing Gold Medal Race

This is a special episode because, instead of looking forward, we actually take a look back and shine the light on the heart of a true hero, Rich Roll.

Rich and I both abandoned our steady and stable “normal” careers about 10 years ago to release books and venture into uncharted career territories that didn’t even really exist at the time. We both had young families and, let me tell you, it was scary.

BUT, when you believe in something so much and when you’re being pulled so strongly into a direction that resonates with your whole being, you have to act...and fortunately, we both did.

This interview was recorded last Fall so, while you won’t hear any dialogue around the current issues we’re all facing, you will hear a thoughtful conversation on fear, vulnerability, suffering, epiphanies in life, learning to give and receive love, meditation, and the bravery it takes to shed our old skin and start over.

So even though we look back this week, as you’re listening to both of us reminisce, ask yourself:

• Are there changes in my own life that I want to make?

• Is there a cause I believe in so much that I’m willing to give up virtually everything?

• What are my own fears that might be prohibiting me from going after these goals?

• How can I get out of my comfort zone?

I hope that you, like Rich and myself, recognize and act on those unique moments in your life - those epiphanies - that can ultimately alter the course of your life for the better.

Episode Resources:

• Support for this week's episode comes from Wild Earth Dog Food. Visit the episode page at plantstrongpodcast.com to claim their offer of up to 50% your purchase.

• The NutraMilk - Make Alternative Milks and Butters in Minutes Use code: PLANTSTRONG for $50 off

• Plant-Stock 2020 Details and Registration

• Engine 2 Meal Planner Use code: HEALTHNOW for $20 off yearly membership

• Theme music for episode

• Rich Roll Website

Rip welcomes human resources consultant, intercultural sensitivity expert, author, and plant-based advocate, Dr. Jarik Conrad, to the podcast to discuss his book, "The Fragile Mind" and many other timely cultural and health issues.

As Dr. Conrad suggests, when you rid your body and mind of unnecessary toxins and processed junk food, it will have a direct positive impact on your emotional IQ and leadership style both at work and in the home. It’s also Conrad’s belief that changing what we eat will also help us forge deeper and more meaningful connections with each other right here in our own communities.

His life’s work is to help others find common ground through shared experience to develop deep and meaningful relationships, both in the workplace and in society.

Rip and Dr. Conrad explore many questions in this eye-opening episode.

• Despite our vast differences, how can we all come together to make our lives better and more fulfilled through shared experiences?

• How can we, regardless of our backgrounds, foster empathy and understanding with each other?

• How do we move the needle for others on a global understanding of health and plant-based nutrition?

The conversation is rich with lessons about human behavior because, regardless of where you come from, we are the same in our desire to live a more full, happy, and healthy life.

Episode Resources:

• Support for this week's episode comes from Wild Earth Dog Food. Visit the episode page at plantstrongpodcast.com to claim their offer of up to 50% your purchase.

• The NutraMilk - Make Alternative Milks and Butters in Minutes Use code: PLANTSTRONG for $50 off

• Plant-Stock 2020 Details and Registration

• Engine 2 Meal Planner Use code: HEALTHNOW for $20 off yearly membership

• Theme music for episode

Additional Episode Resources:

Twitter: @DrJarikConrad LinkedIn: Linkedin.com/in/cornellians/

Tracye McQuirter is, without question, one of the trailblazers of the plant-based movement who has spent the last 30 years coaching people to go vegan for life. She’s the author of the book, By Any Greens Necessary, as well as her most recent book, The Ageless Vegan, written with her own mother.

Today, Rip and Tracye reminisce about her journey to veganism all because of one inspirational lecture she heard almost 35 years ago back in college from civil rights activist, Dick Gregory. We also dive into her role as author and nutrition coach from the perspective of a black female, and her own world-wide initiative, “The 10,000 Black Vegan Women” Movement. Her goal? Empower people of color to improve their health. 

Everyone has their own motivational and inspirational MOMENT - that THING that finally lights the spark to inspire real change. Tracye's epiphany inspired her life’s work to help others fall in love with the vegan lifestyle. Perhaps this episode with Trayce will be YOUR spark for lasting action.

Episode Resources:

• Support for this week's episode comes from Wild Earth Dog Food. Visit the episode page at plantstrongpodcast.com to claim their offer of up to 50% your purchase.

• The NutraMilk - Make Alternative Milks and Butters in Minutes Use code: PLANTSTRONG for $50 off

• Plant-Stock 2020 Details and Registration

• Engine 2 Meal Planner Use code: HEALTHNOW for $20 off yearly membership

Additional Episode Resources:

• Tracye McQuirter Website and Contact Information
• By Any Greens Necessary
• Ageless Vegan
• Sign Up for the 10,000 Black Vegan Women Movement
• Theme music for episode

We welcome one of our all-time favorite plant-strong BROC-STARS back to the podcast, Dr. Michael Greger!

You know him from his website nutritionfacts.org or even his wildly popular books - How Not to Die and How Not to Diet, in which he lays out, in much detail, the science behind the benefits of whole food plant-based diet.

Today, Rip talks with Dr. Greger in-depth about his new book - How to Survive a Pandemic. Most people may not realize that Dr. Greger’s medical background is actually in infectious disease and he even wrote a book back on pandemic planning and preparedness way back in 2006. Well, his time in quarantine was spent revisiting that material and presenting the latest science amidst the noise and nonsense that surrounds us.

When it comes to the global health of our planet, your choices do have a profound impact. Dr. Greger and Rip discuss measures to protect yourself now and in the future - and - ways we can stop the emergence of pandemics in the first place. This, of course, includes the disastrous implications of our current animal agriculture practices.

It wouldn’t be a conversation with Dr. Greger if he didn’t dig into other nutrition facts as well, so buckle your seat-belts for this one! He is a man who walks the walk and talks the talk.

Episode Resources:

• Support for this week's episode comes from Wild Earth Dog Food. Visit the episode page at plantstrongpodcast.com to claim their offer of up to 50% your purchase.

• The NutraMilk - Make Alternative Milks and Butters in Minutes Use code: PLANTSTRONG for $50 off

• Plant-Stock 2020 Details and Registration

• Engine 2 Meal Planner Use code: HEALTHNOW for $20 off yearly membership

• NutritionFacts.org - All Things Dr. Greger

• Theme music for episode

Adam Sud and Tara Kemp, two rising stars in the plant-based movement, have been enveloped in a groundbreaking research study into the far-reaching impacts that plant-based nutrition can have on addiction and recovery; not just to help people stay sober, but in all facets of recovery - resilience, self-compassion, physical health, and spirituality.

Believe it or not, this study is the first of its kind and is backed and supported by an enthusiastic and reputable team of physicians and experts, including Team Sherzai.

They call their study the INFINITE study, which is wildly appropriate because these two have an infinite level of passion, commitment, and dedication to helping people reconnect with their true selves and rediscover their self-worth. 

Today, they share the details and some of their encouraging results with Rip. 

Episode Promos:

• Support for this week's episode comes from Wild Earth Dog Food. Visit the episode page at plantstrongpodcast.com to claim their offer of up to 50% your purchase.

• The NutraMilk - Make Alternative Milks and Butters in Minutes Use code: PLANTSTRONG for $50 off

• Plant-Stock 2020 Details and Registration

• Engine 2 Meal Planner Use code: HEALTHNOW for $20 off yearly membership

Additional Episode Resources:

• Plant Based For Positive Change - Website with details on the INFINITE study. Learn more or make a donation.

• Healthy Food, Happy Family - Book by Tara Kemp

• Adam Sud Instagram

• Tara Kemp Instagram

• Theme music for episode