How did Gaz Oakley go from city-life burnout to a calmer, more authentic life connected to nature?

Gaz Oakley, the chef, author and creator joins John Vincent for a powerful conversation about plant based food, burnout, fermentation, herbalism, homesteading, nature deficiency, social media, city life, anxiety, authentic living and the spiritual power of reconnecting with the land.

From starting work in professional kitchens at 15, to burning out after years of 80 hour weeks, building a huge YouTube and Instagram audience, leaving London, growing his own food in Wales and discovering the wisdom hidden in plants, Gaz explains why modern life has disconnected so many of us from the food we eat, the seasons we live through and the natural world around us.

In this episode you'll learn:

◼ Why Gaz Oakley believes society is suffering from “nature deficiency”, and how growing food helped him feel grounded, present and more himself

◼ How burnout in professional kitchens pushed him away from restaurant life and eventually led to YouTube, plant based cooking and millions of followers

◼ Why social media followers stopped feeling like success, and how Gaz realised he had been living an inauthentic life by chasing trends online

◼ How fermentation, sauerkraut, chilli hot sauce and preserving harvests can help people reduce reliance on supermarkets and reconnect with food

◼ Why Gaz believes the lawn is “the greatest scam that’s ever existed”, and why balconies, gardens, windowsills, allotments and community growing spaces can all become sources of food

◼ What herbs such as mullein, yarrow, southernwood and lemon balm taught Gaz about plant wisdom, folklore, natural remedies and the people who lived before us

◼ Why city life can make us forget birdsong, trees, seasons, soil and community, and how people in London and other cities can still start foraging, growing and noticing nature

◼ How love, fatherhood, family, community and living closer to the land have reshaped Gaz’s ideas of success, survival, happiness and what it means to provide

Key Moments:

0:00 Intro to The John Vincent Podcast 

1:26 Fermentation, sauerkraut and preserving the harvest

3:12 Gaz Oakley on YouTube, Instagram and why followers no longer define success

3:53 Living an inauthentic life, chasing trends and feeling ungrounded

4:36 Growing up in Cardiff, wanting to play rugby for Wales and discovering cooking

6:02 Starting in professional kitchens at 15

6:57 Burnout, 80 hour weeks and not looking after himself

10:04 Leaving restaurants, working in a builder’s yard and finding food again

12:06 Going plant based, sharing recipes and launching on social media

13:58 Becoming a new person through growing food

15:49 Nature deficiency as a physical and spiritual problem

16:02 Seasons, indigenous wisdom, weeds, folklore and feeling rooted

17:42 City convenience and forgetting the natural world

19:56 Mullein, lung health, tinctures and ancient plant uses

22:38 Southernwood, folklore and “lads love”

23:31 Yarrow, Achilles and the plant wisdom hidden in common weeds

24:58 Lemon balm, stress and the calming ritual of making tea

25:51 Opening your eyes to nature in the city

30:35 The fisherman story and redefining success

33:05 Why the countryside felt less lonely than London

34:43 Social media as a servant, not a master

38:38 The power of learning where your food comes from

39:03 Turn your balcony, windowsill or lawn into a farm

40:35 Local, seasonal, unpackaged food and avoiding plastic

41:48 Why culinary herbs are also part of medicinal plant traditions

42:44 Birdsong, lost wisdom and reconnecting with the natural world

44:13 Foraging, scything, soil, serotonin and getting dirt under your nails

46:42 Community, land, shared skills and intergenerational living

48:23 Opening a farm shop in Abergavenny and rebuilding local community

51:33 Plants, music, water, weeds and the healing power of nature

53:59 Finding your authentic voice online

56:33 Love, fatherhood and why Gaz now wants to provide presence, not just money

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does a teenager pushed into a toxic diet culture by the modelling industry end up a three-time Number 1 bestselling nutritionist on a mission to make healthy eating feel normal again?

Em the Nutritionist aka Emily English, joins John Vincent live to make the case that nutrition has been made far more complicated, frightening and expensive than it ever needed to be. She shares how a single comment from a modelling agency sent her spiralling into an eating disorder as a teenager, how recovery led her to study nutrition at King's, and why she now believes "your body is not a maths equation."

In this episode you'll learn:

◼ Why "we don't eat nutrients, we eat food", and how to translate nutrition science into meals you'll actually look forward to 

◼ The four everyday pillars she'd give anyone who wants to feel better, starting with sleep and a daily walk 

◼ Why your body "isn't a maths equation", and how obsessive tracking can quietly take more from your life than it gives 

◼ "Protein diversity is king": how to build meals that leave you fuller and more satisfied without just piling on meat 

◼ What the Blue Zones get right that has nothing to do with what's on the plate, and everything to do with how, and who, you eat with 

◼ Why she calls it "criminal" to prey on people's insecurities to sell health, and her take on the personalised-nutrition and glucose-monitor boom 

◼ How pressure from the modelling industry led to an eating disorder in her teens, and the realisation that set her on the path to recovery and a career in nutrition 

◼ Why nutrition should feel normal, joyful and unintimidating, not a source of fear

Key Moments: 

0:00 Intro 

01:02 Starting with the book: So Good Express, her third Number 1 in a row 

01:31 The lost romance of cookbooks (and her mum's cocoa-dusted Nigella) 

03:40 Recipes that actually work, and the chefs who sabotage theirs on purpose 

05:00 Why nutrition doesn't need reinventing at every corner 

05:34 Her own story: when food stopped being simple 

06:56 The agency photoshoot that changed everything 

08:18 Falling into toxic diet culture, and the eating disorder 

09:25 "If your goals take more than they give, it's not health" 

10:00 Therapy, King's, and turning pain into purpose 

12:26 "We don't eat nutrients, we eat food" 

14:03 Why nutrition research is so hard: we're all unique 

15:27 Why she calls fear-based wellness marketing "criminal" 

16:23 The four everyday pillars: sleep, move, whole foods, hydration 

17:54 How food makes you feel, during and after 

18:30 Being present at the table, and the Blue Zones 

20:12 The most important ingredient in health: purpose 

22:31 "Your body is not a maths equation" 

23:00 The protein question: why "protein diversity is king" 

26:29 Rapid fire: meat-only diets, fasts and "your body, your choice" 

29:08 What she most wants people to remember: nutrition should be normal

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does someone go from homelessness, poverty and violence to selling over 3 million books worldwide? 

Number 1 Sunday Times bestselling author Vex King reveals the single mindset shift that ended his victim story, why your sense of purpose only ever exists in the present moment, and the "spiritual ego" trap that keeps so many seekers stuck. Recorded live, this is one of the most honest conversations John Vincent has had on self-love, healing, manifestation and what it really means to live a whole life.

Vex King is the Number 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Good Vibes, Good Life, Healing Is the New High, Closer to Love and Things No One Taught Us About Love. A mind coach and one of the leading voices in modern personal development, Vex rose to fame on Instagram before his debut, Good Vibes, Good Life, went on to sell over 2.5 million copies, get translated into 40 languages, spend 132 weeks on the Sunday Times bestseller list and land at number 18 on the Sunday Times Top 100 books of the past 50 years. Born into hardship after losing his father as a baby, he turned his life around to build an audience of millions.

In this episode you'll learn:

◼ The mindset shift that ended his victim story, and why seeing yourself as a victim keeps your life stuck

◼ Why your purpose only exists in the present moment, and how chasing it in the future is the reason you can't find it

◼ The "sunshine" truth that means nothing inside you is ever actually missing

◼ Why he walked away from TV shows, lucrative courses and even an approach from OnlyFans to stay aligned with who he is

◼ How to tell genuine, nourishing excitement apart from the empty dopamine spike

◼ The difference between passion and anger, and why anger never takes you anywhere good

◼ How to spot the "spiritual ego" in yourself before it traps you

Key Moments:

0:00 Intro

1:33 The second-ever live John Vincent Podcast

2:44 Vex's story begins: a blank canvas

3:22 Growing up with homelessness, poverty, violence and racism

5:35 The book that changed his life (and how he got hold of it)

6:59 Was there a mentor? His mum's visit to the guru

10:47 The seed that was planted, and the vanishing woman on the train platform

14:59 Synchronicities, omens and deciding to trust the path

16:43 Quitting his corporate job with no backup plan

17:18 The hustles: clothing lines, the music industry and "Good Vibes Only"

21:50 "What are you doing with your life?"

22:48 Anger, Wing Chun and the true self

25:15 The sunshine analogy: why nothing in you is missing

29:21 Why every wisdom tradition points to the same truth

30:11 Why you should never take anything personally

32:37 The Four Agreements, the Enneagram and our hidden fears

36:28 Passion vs anger: "What happened to you?"

38:24 Making a living without selling your soul

38:47 Turning down TV, courses and OnlyFans to stay aligned

42:20 The real price we pay for clinging on

43:33 The conversation that changed everything

49:22 Why purpose only exists in the present moment

51:31 The trap of the spiritual ego

55:09 Can a nurse or a bus driver really live this way?

56:05 Finding purpose in everyday interactions

57:55 The miserable ticket seller who could change lives

59:22 Why real change starts small (and starting from zero)

1:00:55 How trust compounds over time

1:02:23 True excitement vs the dopamine spike

1:04:06 Final reflections

Welcome to The John Vincent Podcast, where we explore ancient healing and modern medicine, and the best ways, both old and new, to help people enjoy naturally healthy lives. Hosted by John Vincent, co-founder of LEON, the podcast brings together the world's leading doctors, scientists, nutritionists, healers and practitioners of indigenous wisdom to explore health in body, mind, spirit and emotion, and to pin down what we can actually do to live and heal well.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, I am lucky to have spoken to two doctors and pioneers in preventative medicine.

Claire Merifield and Alasdair Scott were doctors in the NHS for years. But after being disillusioned by the medical system, they realised what their patients really needed was preventative, personalised healthcare. So they set up Selph, using their respective expertise to create a system with which they help people get to know their health profiles, risk factors, lifestyle and prevention opportunities through diagnostic testing and health coaching. 

Claire Merifield is a microbiome PhD, a London GP and a Breathworks Mindfulness instructor.

Alasdair Scott is a microbiome scientist, former cancer surgeon in the NHS and a researcher with Imperial College.

They cover:

• Why pivoting to prevention is urgent.
• Positive proactivity your future health - some of the diseases we think are ‘inevitable’ are actually preventable.
• Is the study of “medicine” the same thing as the study of “health”?
• Medicine 3.0: what it is, Lifespan vs health span and personalised medicine 
• How to create achievable goals, avoid unattainable trends, and create environments in which you can access the health you have a right to. 
• The current state of health advice: influencers and scaremongering
• Evidence-based vs evidence-informed approaches (there’s an important difference)
• Understanding testing and diagnostics
• What counts as ‘safe’ treatments
• The role of emotional and spiritual health, mindfulness, and the gut in physical wellbeing

I’m so grateful to Claire and Alasdair who made a brave leap to do the right thing for us, even if it takes a lot of hard work and re-wiring of how we, as a population, are taught to think about our health. 

Learn more about Selph here:

https://www.selph.co.uk

(The information provided in this podcast is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The views expressed by guests are their own. We strongly advise that you contact a registered and experienced healthcare professional if you have any health concerns.)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this third episode recorded at the Integrative and Personalised Medical Congress 2025, I spoke with Holistic Facialist, Elizabeth King.

Elizabeth is Weleda UK's Esthetician Education Lead and has specialised in the anthroposophic-based holistic approach to caring for the skin for over 24 years. An experienced trainer, Elizabeth has created Weleda’s Ofqual regulated, CFI Level 4 Certificate course for Holistic Estheticians, focused on the life of touch. Elizabeth ran a private skincare practice in London and was featured in Vogue as one of the top five facialists. She has looked after many high-profile clients and celebrities over the years and has a particular interest in rosacea, teenage acne, and irritated, hypersensitive skin conditions.

In today’s episode, Elizabeth explores:

- what are the rhythms in nature that affect our skin and beauty?

- How can you work with them to optimise your skincare and self care?

- What are the three body types that Elizabeth works with?

- Which body type are you?

- How will that inform what you put on your skin and how to apply it?

- How can your skincare help you find out more about your whole self?

- What is a skin barrier?

- What is a lymphatic pathway?

- What are the surprising effects of the value of touch?

- Why nature’s ingredients holds the wisdom our skin is asking for.

Elizabeth reminds us to listen to our bodies and planet in a world that makes it easy not to, by honouring nature and individuality in our skincare and self care.

Elizabeth’s credentials include:

3 year diploma in Health & Beauty Technology

Further qualifications: Reflexology, Aromatherapy and energy work

Principal of Dr. Hauschka UK training (1999-2011) 

Anthroposophic study through 4 year part-time Eurythmy intensive (2017-2021)

(The information provided in this podcast is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The views expressed by guests are their own. We strongly advise that you contact a registered and experienced healthcare professional if you have any health concerns.)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the final part of my episode with Dr Leo Pruimboom, a pioneer in cPNI. I was incredibly lucky to speak with him at the 2025 Integrative and Personalised Medicine Congress. Our conversation offered me a new understanding into how much health we can have access to if we know how to truly sense what our bodies are telling us, and how to manage the consequences of modern inventions. His personal story of transformation, and healing anecdotes from his clients will allow you to imagine a life full of possibility and ‘miracles’ that we are not typically taught to believe in.

Clinical Psychoneuroimmunology (CPNI) challenges the reductionist, symptom-focused model of modern medicine. Instead, CPNI is a science of wholeness: it studies how the neurological, endocrine, immune, and metabolic systems are interconnected and shaped by our emotions, history, and environment. CPNI puts the individual at the center of healthcare, seeking root causes, promoting healthy habits, and empowering patients to actively participate in their own wellbeing.

In this episode we cover:

How CPNI (clinical psychoneuroimmunology) reveals that everything is connected—mind, body, brain, immune system, and environment.

How we’ve been taught to see systems as separate and why that reductionism isn’t serving us.

The impact of emotions on physical health, inflammation, and immunity.

Do toxic emotions exist?

How to sense what out bodies need and why modern life makes this hard

Comfortable habits vs challenges that make us healthy.

Why variety, spontaneity, and movement breaks protect our health.

What our cravings mean, hunger and micronutrient sensing.

Why intermittent fasting, ketosis, and diets must be understood in context, not as dogma.

How our environment shapes our microbiome.

The role of energy, frequency, and electrical signaling in health.

The difference between appropriate and inappropriate emotions.

Why monotony is dangerous for our health and variety is medicine.

His seemingly miraculous healing stories, and how processing a childhood trauma cured his lifelong condition in hours.

The role of sensing, intuition, and embodied intelligence.

Why the blueprint of life isn’t in our genes—it’s in our behavior, context, and choices.

How our inventions (from chairs to supermarkets) carry unintended health consequences—and how to deal with them.

How we are more in charge of our health than we think.

Why the doctor’s role is shifting.

(The information provided in this podcast is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The views expressed by guests are their own. We strongly advise that you contact a registered and experienced healthcare professional if you have any health concerns. No part of this episode should be taken as a claim to prevent, treat, or cure cancer.)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is Part 3 of my episode with Dr Leo Pruimboom, a pioneer in cPNI. I was incredibly lucky to speak with him or our 2nd episode at the Integrative and Personalised Medicine Congress 2025 who kindly hosted us. Our conversation offered me a new understanding into how much health we can have access to if we know how to truly sense what our bodies are telling us, and how to manage the consequences of modern inventions. His personal story of transformation, and healing anecdotes from his clients will allow you to imagine a life full of possibility and ‘miracles’ that we are not typically taught to believe in.

Clinical Psychoneuroimmunology (CPNI) challenges the reductionist, symptom-focused model of modern medicine. Instead, CPNI is a science of wholeness: it studies how the neurological, endocrine, immune, and metabolic systems are interconnected and shaped by our emotions, history, and environment. CPNI puts the individual at the center of healthcare, seeking root causes, promoting healthy habits, and empowering patients to actively participate in their own wellbeing.

In this episode we cover:

How CPNI (clinical psychoneuroimmunology) reveals that everything is connected—mind, body, brain, immune system, and environment.

How we’ve been taught to see systems as separate and why that reductionism isn’t serving us.

The impact of emotions on physical health, inflammation, and immunity.

Do toxic emotions exist?

How to sense what out bodies need and why modern life makes this hard

Comfortable habits vs challenges that make us healthy.

Why variety, spontaneity, and movement breaks protect our health.

What our cravings mean, hunger and micronutrient sensing.

Why intermittent fasting, ketosis, and diets must be understood in context, not as dogma.

How our environment shapes our microbiome.

The role of energy, frequency, and electrical signaling in health.

The difference between appropriate and inappropriate emotions.

Why monotony is dangerous for our health and variety is medicine.

His seemingly miraculous healing stories, and how processing a childhood trauma cured his lifelong condition in hours.

The role of sensing, intuition, and embodied intelligence.

Why the blueprint of life isn’t in our genes—it’s in our behavior, context, and choices.

How our inventions (from chairs to supermarkets) carry unintended health consequences—and how to deal with them.

How we are more in charge of our health than we think.

Why the doctor’s role is shifting.

(The information provided in this podcast is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The views expressed by guests are their own. We strongly advise that you contact a registered and experienced healthcare professional if you have any health concerns. No part of this episode should be taken as a claim to prevent, treat, or cure cancer.)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is Part 2 of my episode with Dr Leo Pruimboom, a pioneer in cPNI. I was incredibly lucky to speak with him or our 2nd episode at the Integrative and Personalised Medicine Congress 2025 who kindly hosted us. Our conversation offered me a new understanding into how much health we can have access to if we know how to truly sense what our bodies are telling us, and how to manage the consequences of modern inventions. His personal story of transformation, and healing anecdotes from his clients will allow you to imagine a life full of possibility and ‘miracles’ that we are not typically taught to believe in.

Clinical Psychoneuroimmunology (CPNI) challenges the reductionist, symptom-focused model of modern medicine. Instead, CPNI is a science of wholeness: it studies how the neurological, endocrine, immune, and metabolic systems are interconnected and shaped by our emotions, history, and environment. CPNI puts the individual at the center of healthcare, seeking root causes, promoting healthy habits, and empowering patients to actively participate in their own wellbeing.

In this episode we cover:

How CPNI (clinical psychoneuroimmunology) reveals that everything is connected—mind, body, brain, immune system, and environment.

How we’ve been taught to see systems as separate and why that reductionism isn’t serving us.

The impact of emotions on physical health, inflammation, and immunity.

Do toxic emotions exist?

How to sense what out bodies need and why modern life makes this hard

Comfortable habits vs challenges that make us healthy.

Why variety, spontaneity, and movement breaks protect our health.

What our cravings mean, hunger and micronutrient sensing.

Why intermittent fasting, ketosis, and diets must be understood in context, not as dogma.

How our environment shapes our microbiome.

The role of energy, frequency, and electrical signaling in health.

The difference between appropriate and inappropriate emotions.

Why monotony is dangerous for our health and variety is medicine.

His seemingly miraculous healing stories, and how processing a childhood trauma cured his lifelong condition in hours.

The role of sensing, intuition, and embodied intelligence.

Why the blueprint of life isn’t in our genes—it’s in our behavior, context, and choices.

How our inventions (from chairs to supermarkets) carry unintended health consequences—and how to deal with them.

How we are more in charge of our health than we think.

Why the doctor’s role is shifting.

(The information provided in this podcast is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The views expressed by guests are their own. We strongly advise that you contact a registered and experienced healthcare professional if you have any health concerns. No part of this episode should be taken as a claim to prevent, treat, or cure cancer.)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s episode is with Dr Leo Pruimboom, a pioneer in cPNI. I was incredibly lucky to speak with him or our 2nd episode at the Integrative and Personalised Medicine Congress 2025 who kindly hosted us. Our conversation offered me a new understanding into how much health we can have access to if we know how to truly sense what our bodies are telling us, and how to manage the consequences of modern inventions. His personal story of transformation, and healing anecdotes from his clients will allow you to imagine a life full of possibility and ‘miracles’ that we are not typically taught to believe in.

Clinical Psychoneuroimmunology (CPNI) challenges the reductionist, symptom-focused model of modern medicine. Instead, CPNI is a science of wholeness: it studies how the neurological, endocrine, immune, and metabolic systems are interconnected and shaped by our emotions, history, and environment. CPNI puts the individual at the center of healthcare, seeking root causes, promoting healthy habits, and empowering patients to actively participate in their own wellbeing.

In this episode we cover:

How CPNI (clinical psychoneuroimmunology) reveals that everything is connected—mind, body, brain, immune system, and environment.

How we’ve been taught to see systems as separate and why that reductionism isn’t serving us.

The impact of emotions on physical health, inflammation, and immunity.

Do toxic emotions exist?

How to sense what out bodies need and why modern life makes this hard

Comfortable habits vs challenges that make us healthy.

Why variety, spontaneity, and movement breaks protect our health.

What our cravings mean, hunger and micronutrient sensing.

Why intermittent fasting, ketosis, and diets must be understood in context, not as dogma.

How our environment shapes our microbiome.

The role of energy, frequency, and electrical signaling in health.

The difference between appropriate and inappropriate emotions.

Why monotony is dangerous for our health and variety is medicine.

His seemingly miraculous healing stories, and how processing a childhood trauma cured his lifelong condition in hours.

The role of sensing, intuition, and embodied intelligence.

Why the blueprint of life isn’t in our genes—it’s in our behavior, context, and choices.

How our inventions (from chairs to supermarkets) carry unintended health consequences—and how to deal with them.

How we are more in charge of our health than we think.

Why the doctor’s role is shifting.

(The information provided in this podcast is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The views expressed by guests are their own. We strongly advise that you contact a registered and experienced healthcare professional if you have any health concerns. No part of this episode should be taken as a claim to prevent, treat, or cure cancer.)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.