The ChickPeeps Vegan Podcast

This episode is brought to you by Vivo Life! Use our code 'chickpeeps10' to get 10% off your order at vivolife.com!

As the world continues to battle a global pandemic that originated from contact with a wild animal, it seems timely to contemplate humanity's relationship to wild animals. So this week on Chickeeps, Evy speaks to longtime animal welfare activist and vegan, Katie Tostevin-Hobbs of World Animal Protection about what it means to create safe and respectful boundaries between people and wild animals. We discuss why it's unethical to use animals in entertainment, what wild animals really shouldn't be kept as pets, and also why some animal welfare organisations choose not to take a publicly vegan stance.

• Katie shares how a love for animals from a young age inspired her to devote her life to protecting them.
• How one man was left a wooly monkey in his inheritance and how it lead to the founding of a monkey sanctuary and protection for monkeys in the pet trade.
• What is meant by 'wild animals in entertainment' and does it always involve animal cruelty?
• Seeing the problem from all perspectives: Katie explains how the mahouts and exployees of elephant riding companies are victims to the system too, and what World Animal Protection do to help them find a new livelihood.
• How to open a dialogue with people who work in the animals in entertainment sector.
• What to do when you see a friend posting about swimming with dolphins?
• What's the definition of a wild animal that shouldn't be kept as a pet?
• What is the most ethical thing to do if you already have a wild animal as a pet?
• Katie explains the Promise4Wildlife and how important it is to shift public perception of wild animals in entertainment.
• Why Katie chooses to work in animal welfare, and the impact WAP has on animals in factory farming systems.
• Will World Animal Protection ever take a publicly vegan stance?

Links

Check out The Monkey Sanctuary that Katie worked at!

Check out the work of World Animal Protection.

Take World Animal Protection's #Promise4Wildlife

World Animal Protection's Elephant-friendly tourism guide.

World Animal Protection on COVID-19: 'We must unite to end wild animal exploitation.'

Social Media

Twitter: @ChickPeepsPod

Instagram: @ChickPeepsPod

Facebook: @ChickPeepsPodcast

Momoko Hill: @oh_momoko

Robbie Jarvis: @robbjarvis

Tylor Starr: @tylorstarr

Evanna Lynch: @msevylynch

This episode is brought to you by Vivo Life! Use our code 'chickpeeps10' to get 10% off your order at vivolife.com!

This week, Evy speaks to full time activist and animal rights speaker, Joey Carbstrong, about his direct, no-nonsense style of activism. Joey talks about how his early life as part of a gang influenced his bold and confrontational approach to speaking up for the voiceless, and how he remains unperturbed by criticism when he focuses on his core mission of achieving animal liberation. Also on this episode...

• Joey recounts the time in his life as a gang member, and how a particularly depressing stint in prison prompted a total lifestyle overhaul, and eventually his vegan awakening.
• How Joey left his gang and found his calling in animal rights activism.
• How one-on-one street activism can have the greatest impact as an activist.
• 'The people who say animals are killed humanely, they haven't ever witnessed what happens inside a slaughterhouse. They're talking merely off of their indoctrination and what they're told.'
• Joey talks about his experiences in slaughterhouses as being some of 'the most horrific experiences' of his life.
• His mindset for dealing with the verbal and online abuse that comes with being a confrontational activist.
• Joey explains how to avoid ever being 'stumped' by an anti-vegan argument in a debate.
• How to focus and conserve one's energy for activism: 'I don't let anyone get inside my head to try to make me feel guilty for standing up for animals, no matter who it is.'
• What to say to people who accuse vegans of caring more about animals than humans.
• Do hardcore vegan activists want people working in the animal agricultural industry to go out of business, or evolve with the plant based food system?
• Joey explains how he takes a more forceful approach and how Gary Yourofsky's direct speeches about animal abuse was what he needed to hear to go vegan.
• 'People need to be held accountable for their contribution to something that is horrific.'
• Robbie and Evy talk about the c-word and how we can discuss the original source of the virus, as being the consumption of wild animals, without shaming and angering people.

Links

Check out Joey's website.

Watch Joey's debates on Youtube.

Follow Joey on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Video about the origins of Coronavirus that we discuss at the end of the podcast. Please note, this video contains graphic images of animal abuse.

Social Media

Twitter: @ChickPeepsPod

Instagram: @ChickPeepsPod

Facebook: @ChickPeepsPodcast

Momoko Hill: @oh_momoko

Robbie Jarvis: @robbjarvis

Tylor Starr: @tylorstarr

Evanna Lynch: @msevylynch

This episode is brought to you by Vivo Life! Use our code 'chickpeeps10' to get 10% off your first order at vivolife.com!

This week, Momo and Evy talk to the brilliant Venetia La Manna about making sustainability a factor in our wardrobe choices, and how the animals are not the only victims of the fashion industry we should be speaking up for. Venetia is a climate activist and sustainability expert, and in this episode she speaks about her journey that began with ethical veganism and evolved to her role as a slow fashion advocate which sees her speaking out passionately against the fast fashion industry, and inspiring people to embrace a lifestyle of consuming less. Also in this episode...

• Venetia shares why she considers that going vegan was 'one of the best decisions' she's ever made.
• Venetia talks about her initial resistance to embracing slow fashion, and we talk about what makes someone 'ready' to learn about veganism and sustainability.
• Beyond vegan fashion: why cutting out animal derived fabrics isn't enough.
• What is fast fashion?
• 'What we're forgetting is that when a garment is as cheap as it is, someone somewhere is paying for that.
• The similarities between factory farming and fast fashion factories.
• Are vegan materials made from plastic off the table now?
• We discuss whether or not being a sustainable vegan is a privilege or can it be accessible to all?
• What should you do if you can only afford to shop from fast fashion brands.
• Venetia names some of the worst offenders in the fast fashion industry.
• Are influencers helping or hindering the sustainable fashion movement?
• Venetia shares her non-negotiable morning routine and mindfulness practices that keep her mental and physical health in balance.
• Listener question from Jamie about the inherent frustration of being your friends' 'vegan google'

Links:

Follow Venetia on Instagram, Youtube and Twitter!

Check out Venetia's website.

Listen to Venetia's podcast, Talking Tastebuds!

Check out Venetia's recommendations for learning about fast fashion:

The True Cost,

Kristen Leo's Youtube

Eco-Age

Social Media

Twitter: @ChickPeepsPod

Instagram: @ChickPeepsPod

Facebook: @ChickPeepsPodcast

Momoko Hill: @oh_momoko

Robbie Jarvis: @robbjarvis

Tylor Starr: @tylorstarr

Evanna Lynch: @msevylynch

This week on The ChickPeeps, Robbie, Tylor and Evy visit the Stray Cat Alliance headquarters and talk to founder, Christi Metropole about her work running a shelter that saves and rehomes 1,400 cats per year. We discuss the role of vegan advocacy in an animal welfare organisation, the inherent inner conflict vegans face when adopting a cat, and the imperfect solutions we have to the problem of overpopulation. Also in this episode...

• Christi shares how her vegan values and her love of cats went hand in hand, and the decision to advocate for veganism through her work in animal welfare..
• How Christi 'trapped' her first cat and began her mission to protect cats when she founded Stray Cat Alliance.
• Christi explains the 'Trap, Neuter, Return' program and why culling animals in the wild doesn't work to control the population.
• Isn't spaying and neutering our companion animals taking away the reproductive rights of that individual?
• Christi highlights the urgency for resources for companion animals in underserved communities.
• We discuss the inner conflict of vegans who feed their cats a meat diet.
• Christi explains why Stray Cat Alliance is a 'No-Kill' organisation and why she believes the no-kill approach 'isn't a fantasy'.
• Christi gives her opinion on open admission shelters in LA.
• We talk about why the animal welfare community puts such a strong emphasis on the 'Adopt, Don't Shop' initiative for companion animals.
• Momo and Evy discuss listener, Samantha's question as to when does the frustration towards one's non vegan friends and family subside.

Links

Check out Stray Cat Alliance

Foster a cat with Stray Cat Alliance

Follow SCA on Instagram, Twitter, Youtube and Facebook.

Social Media

Twitter: @ChickPeepsPod

Instagram: @ChickPeepsPod

Facebook: @ChickPeepsPodcast

Momoko Hill: @oh_momoko

Robbie Jarvis: @robbjarvis

Tylor Starr: @tylorstarr

Evanna Lynch: @msevylynch

Dr.Neal Barnard, MD, FACC, speaks to The ChickPeeps about his work in the medical field advocating for the many health benefits and healing properties of a plant-based diet. He shares a bit about his groundbreaking work that proved that eliminating animal products from one's diet can reverse type 2 diabetes. He also talks about his new research that explains how hormones can be brought into balance by what we eat, curing things like menstrual cramps, endometriosis, infertility, cancer, erectile dysfunction and many other conditions. Also on this episode…

This episode is brought to you by Vivo Life! Use our code 'chickpeeps10' to get 10% off your order at vivolife.com!

• How working as an autopsy assistant made Dr.Barnard start seeing meat as 'dead bodies' rather than food.
• 'Getting the animals off your plate isn't the end goal' - how eliminating animal products is just step 1 to cultivating optimal health.
• How Dr. Neal started a movement that succeeded in eliminating every animal lab from every medical school in the US and Canada.
• 'Of all the people who are taking a cholesterol drug, probably 90% of them would not need them because a diet change could accomplish this.'
• 'The body can heal.'
• Dr.Neal shares stories of patients who have been fully cured of type 2 diabetes.
• How do plant based burgers compare to meat burgers from a nutritional standpoint?
• Robbie outs himself as a Ravenclaw once again by quoting a bunch of medical studies...
• Dr.Neal explains how the lack of integrity in medical publishing and reporting is due to a notable conflict of interests.
• We all rag on the nutritional and moral issues of dairy milk for a bit.
• Should we be limiting our intake of soy?
• How soy reduces the likelihood of getting breast cancer.
• Dr.Barnard brands the 'carnivore diet' as 'a silly, childish, macho thing'.
• Neal shares his latest research into how a plant-based diet can actually make menstrual cramps go away!!
• How one woman solved her lifelong infertility issues after a month on a plant-based diet.

Links

Get a copy of Dr.Barnard's new book - Your Body In Balance: The New Science of Food, Hormones and Health.

Read more about Dr.Barnard's work at The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

Attend a talk by Dr.Barnard on his book tour.

Greta Thunberg article mentioned at the end of the episode.

Social Media

Twitter: @ChickPeepsPod

Instagram: @ChickPeepsPod

Facebook: @ChickPeepsPodcast

Momoko Hill: @oh_momoko

Robbie Jarvis: @robbjarvis

Tylor Starr: @tylorstarr

Evanna Lynch: @msevylynch

This episode is brought to you by Vivo Life! Use our code 'chickpeeps10' to get 10% off your order at vivolife.com!

This week, Robbie and Evy talk to Josh Bolding, the co-founder of Vivo Life, a plant-based health and fitness company. In this episode we talk about the role of supplements in a vegan diet, and Josh's journey in transitioning his company to be 100% vegan. Josh is also a passionate advocate of sustainability and he shares his thoughts on how companies can grow and thrive whilst remaining environmentally friendly. Also on this episode...

• Josh discusses how the disingenuous nature of the supplement industry inspired him to form his own vegan supplement company.
• The orphan elephant story that broke Josh's heart open to an ethical vegan way of life.
• The persistent myth of protein deficiency in vegans.
• How risky is it to transition a business to be 100% vegan?
• Josh shares how he transitioned his packaging to be home compostable, and speculates on why more companies aren't doing it.
• How refining a strong ethical core for Vivo helped the business take off.
• The milieu of conscious consumerism and why people don't want to buy from 'soulless companies'.
• Shouldn't we be aiming to eat a well-rounded diet without the need for supplements?
• Josh shares the daily supplements he takes.
• What kind and how much B12 should we be taking?
• Josh weighs in on the wave of influencers denouncing veganism last year.

Links:

Follow Josh's work at Vivo Life on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube.

Check out the Vivo Life vegan supplements.

Social Media

Twitter: @ChickPeepsPod

Instagram: @ChickPeepsPod

Facebook: @ChickPeepsPodcast

Momoko Hill: @oh_momoko

Robbie Jarvis: @robbjarvis

Tylor Starr: @tylorstarr

Evanna Lynch: @msevylynch

This episode is brought to you by Vivo Life! Use our code 'chickpeeps10' to get 10% off your order at vivolife.com!

Please note: the content of this episode is for a more mature audience so we recommend listeners be 16+ years.

In anticipation of Valentine's Day, this week Evy, Momo and the incomparably spangly guest-host and actor, Elliot Knight, are tackling the thorny issue of dating in and out of the vegan community! In Part 2 we discuss the logistics of vegans' sex lives and introduce a new Chickpeeps relationship game :) Also on this episode...

Part 2

• Is sex vegan?
• Vegan condoms - we discuss the non animal products included in some mainstream brands, and some alternative vegan brands.
• How shame around sex is messing with your vegan standards!
• Important discussion about crystal wands and natural vegan lubricants!
• We play an epic round of our new favourite scenarios game: 'He's vegan but….'
• 2 listeners experiences with bringing veganism into relationships.

Links

Follow Elliot Knight on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!

Vote for The ChickPeeps to win the Vegan Food and Living Reader Awards!

Social Media

Twitter: @ChickPeepsPod

Instagram: @ChickPeepsPod

Facebook: @ChickPeepsPodcast

Momoko Hill: @oh_momoko

Robbie Jarvis: @robbjarvis

Tylor Starr: @tylorstarr

Evanna Lynch: @msevylynch

This episode is brought to you by Vivo Life! Use our code 'chickpeeps10' to get 10% off your order at vivolife.com!

In anticipation of Valentine's Day, this week Evy, Momo and the incomparably spangly guest-host and actor, Elliot Knight, are tackling the thorny issue of dating in and out of the vegan community! Often when people transition to veganism, their close relationships are challenged by this dramatic shift in their partner's outlook. In part 1 of this extra, in-depth episode we discuss the many common dilemmas faced by vegans in navigating intimate relationships. Also on this episode...

Part 1

• Dating vegans vs. non vegans.
• 'Just because someone's vegan doesn't mean that they're a great person'
• Is veganism more openly accepted by the queer community?
• How to deal when you're dating someone who is more hardcore vegan than you.
• Kissing non vegans - yay or nay and what is the social vegan etiquette of kissing people who eat animals.
• We discuss our personal relationship non-negotiables with non vegan partners.
• What do you do if your date rocks up in a Canada Goose jacket?
• Should I try and convert my partner to veganism?
• Momo braves the vegan dating apps!
• The vegan bio cliché you should avoid in your online profile!
• Should you let them know you're vegan before the first date?
• What do you do when you match with someone with a tiger selfie?

Links

Follow Elliot Knight on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!

Vote for The ChickPeeps to win the Vegan Food and Living Reader Awards!

Social Media

Twitter: @ChickPeepsPod

Instagram: @ChickPeepsPod

Facebook: @ChickPeepsPodcast

Momoko Hill: @oh_momoko

Robbie Jarvis: @robbjarvis

Tylor Starr: @tylorstarr

Evanna Lynch: @msevylynch

This episode is brought to you by Vivo Life! Use our code 'chickpeeps10' to get 10% off your order at vivolife.com!

'I've got a plan to save the world', promises Dino Luciano, the talented and dynamic chef who broke new ground when he became the first vegan to win Masterchef in 2017 - and we're inclined to believe him! In this in-depth interview Dino speaks candidly to the ChickPeeps - and special guest host Elliot Knight! - about his experiences as a vegan competing in the world's biggest cooking show, why he chose to compete in the first place knowing he'd have to cook meat, and whether or not veganism can heal the world. Also in this episode...

• 'I wanted to be a vegetarian ever since I could remember'. Dino explains how, despite his traditional italian upbringing, he always felt at heart that he didn't agree with consuming animals.
• His earliest experiences working in restaurants and getting fired a lot when he wouldn't taste the food.
• Dino's rationale for being 'a little more stealth' about his vegan advocacy now.
• Dino talks about how his need to save his family's health pushed him to learn how to make healthy vegan food taste as good as and better than animal products.
• 10 points to you if you can guess which Hogwarts house Dino is!
• Dino speculates on why being a vegan chef would be controversial on network tv in America.
• 'My vegan food actually is a little bit better than my meat, and my meat is the best meat anyone in the world can cook.'
• Dino shares his theory on how cooking could be the solution to ending racism.
• How and why Dino's OCD and anxiety lessened when he switched to a plant based diet.
• How visualisation and the law of attraction was a key component to his winning Masterchef.
• One person Dino would like to see go vegan.

Links:

Follow Dino on Instagram, Youtube and Twitter!

Check out Dino's website and have him cater your next plant-based event or dinner!

Vote for The ChickPeeps in the Vegan Food and Living Reader Awards!

Social Media

Twitter: @ChickPeepsPod

Instagram: @ChickPeepsPod

Facebook: @ChickPeepsPodcast

Momoko Hill: @oh_momoko

Robbie Jarvis: @robbjarvis

Tylor Starr: @tylorstarr

Evanna Lynch: @msevylynch

This episode is brought to you by Vivo Life! Use our code 'chickpeeps10' to get 10% off your order at vivolife.com!

This week we are also sponsored by Veestro! Use code PEEPS at checkout for 25% off your first order at https://try.veestro.com/chickpeeps!

This week on The ChickPeeps we take time out of our vegan-focused discourse to discuss the wildfires that broke out across Australia causing unimaginable devastation to Australia's wildlife. Evy speaks to Simone Clarke and Lena Aalby of World Animal Protection Australia to get an insight into what daily life is like now for the animal advocates in Australia, working to protect perhaps the most vulnerable victims of disasters. Simone and Lena share about the challenges faced in recovering from the fires, what's happening to the rescued animals and why they believe in prioritising long-term recovery work to best protect animals in disasters. Also on this episode…

• Simone and Lena discuss how charities spring into action and coordinate their strategies to approach all aspects of protecting animals affected by disasters.
• Lena shares about the emergency relief work she personally partakes in to rescue and rehabilitate injured and orphaned animals.
• 1 billion animals perished: Is this statistic accurate and what does it mean for the future of the Australian wildlife?
• Can these animals be rehabilitated and released into the wild after so much of the land was destroyed?
• The resilience of the Australian landscape.
• Why World Animal Protection believe in advocating for policy change as part of their strategy to protect animals.
• What is the point of saving farm animals affected by disasters when ultimately people are going to kill them to eat?
• Is veganism included in World Animal Protection's disaster prevention strategy?
• Is fundraising the only thing we can do to help Australia heal?
• Isn't climate change only going to make the fires increase and is there hope for handling this problem?

Links:

Donate or get involved with World Animal Protection's work: WorldAnimalProtection.org.au

Follow World Animal Protection Australia's recovery relief efforts on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Listener Sarah recommends The Vegan Society's Vegan Passport for great vegan tips when traveling.

Social Media

Twitter: @ChickPeepsPod

Instagram: @ChickPeepsPod

Facebook: @ChickPeepsPodcast

Momoko Hill: @oh_momoko

Robbie Jarvis: @robbjarvis

Tylor Starr: @tylorstarr

Evanna Lynch: @msevylynch