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# Plant Yourself

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://plantyourself.com/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [Ditch Fear: Rhys Paddick on PYP 633](https://plantyourself.com/ditch-fear-rhys-paddick-on-pyp-633/) - Authenticity isn't a destination — it's what's left when you ditch the fear.
- [When Leadership Advice Becomes Toxic: Keith Corbin on PYP 632](https://plantyourself.com/when-leadership-advice-becomes-toxic-keith-corbin-on-pyp-632/) - What’s wrong with the feel-good “leadership advice industrial complex,” and how does it keep us from building a better world?
- [Can a Better World Start with... Better Meetings? Dr Sheella Mierson and Henry Herschel on PYP 631](https://plantyourself.com/better-world-better-meetings-sheella-mierson-and-henry-herschel-on-pyp-631/) - What's stopping your organization from doing good isn't your people — it's the structure that silences them.
- [Can You Heal Trauma by Watching Puppies Play?: Thomas Zimmerman on PYP 630](https://plantyourself.com/can-you-heal-trauma-by-watching-puppies-play-thomas-zimmerman-on-pyp-630/) - What if you could heal trauma without reliving it — and totally enjoy the process?
- [Degrowth, Wellbeing, and Rethinking Capitalism: Omer Tayyab on PYP 629](https://plantyourself.com/degrowth-wellbeing-and-rethinking-capitalism-omer-tayyab-on-pyp-629/) - What if thriving—not growth—became the purpose of our economy? It's long past time to rethink prosperity.
- [Golden Balls, Human Behavior, and Cognitive Flexibility: Matthew Nagler on PYP 628](https://plantyourself.com/golden-balls-human-behavior-and-cognitive-flexibility-matthew-nagler-on-pyp-628/) - What can a game show teach us about human nature, and how to balance individual vs social needs and pressure?
- [Change is a Break with the Past: Peter Bregman on PYP 483](https://plantyourself.com/change-peter-bregman-pyp-483/) - Is it possible to change other people for the better? Or should we just mind our own business, and concentrate on ourselves?
- [Humans Make the Best Leaders: Dr Jennifer Nash on PYP 627](https://plantyourself.com/humans-make-the-best-leaders-dr-jennifer-nash-on-pyp-627/) - Are empathy and humanity compatible with great leadership, or do they just get in the way?
- [Visual Leadership and Storytelling for a Volatile World: Todd Cherches on PYP 626](https://plantyourself.com/visual-leadership-and-storytelling-for-a-volatile-world-todd-cherches-on-pyp-626/) - Want to become a more impactful leader and communicator? Discover how stories, metaphors, and even a bag of potato chips can transform the way you influence others.
- [The STRONG Formula for Thriving Through Change: Anna Glynn on PYP 625](https://plantyourself.com/the-strong-formula-for-thriving-through-change-anna-glynn-on-pyp-625/) - How to navigate a chaotic world that's only going to get crazier.
- [Revolution from Within: Beth Green on Ego, Activism, and Spiritual Awakening: PYP 624](https://plantyourself.com/revolution-from-within-beth-green-on-ego-activism-and-spiritual-awakening-pyp-624/) - What if inner healing and outer activism are the same path? What if personal and political transformation must go hand in hand?
- [Navigating Chaos with Compassion: Zach Stone on PYP 623](https://plantyourself.com/navigating-chaos-with-compassion-zach-stone-on-pyp-623/) - How empathy, behavioral science, and a martial artist’s poise can turn workplace chaos into collaborative gold.
- [The Perks of Being a Dumb-Ass: Garry Ridge on PYP 622](https://plantyourself.com/the-perks-of-being-a-dumb-ass-garry-ridge-on-pyp-622/) - What if the secret to great leadership is admitting you don’t have all the answers?
- [DEI is All About Empathy: Winitha Bonney on PYP 621](https://plantyourself.com/dei-is-all-about-empathy-winitha-bonney-on-pyp-621/) - How can we create organizations that value diversity without having winners and losers?
- [Humble Leadership is Not an Oxymoron: Stephen Baxter on PYP 620](https://plantyourself.com/humble-leadership-is-not-an-oxymoron-stephen-baxter-on-pyp-620/) - What if leadership wasn’t about charisma, control, or climbing to the top—but about listening, inviting, and quietly shaping the story?: Challenging the traditional model of leadership.
- [Ancient Wisdom for Modern Problems: Jess Stuart on PYP 619](https://plantyourself.com/jess-stuart-pyp-619/) - As AI does more, and people are pushed to achieve more, how can we remain human at work?
- [Principles for Aspiring Allies: Keith Edwards on PYP 618](https://plantyourself.com/keith-edwards-pyp-618/) - In a world gone mad, how can we work for diversity and equality for all? And do so joyfully and effectively?
- [Can You Hear the Earth Crying?: John Seed on PYP 617](https://plantyourself.com/john-seed-pyp-617/) - How can we reverse environmental destruction and stop "sawing off the branch we're sitting on"? Words of clarity and resolve (if not hope).
- [Non-Sleazy Selling That Works: Ian Ross on PYP 616](https://plantyourself.com/non-sleazy-selling-that-works-ian-ross-on-pyp-616/) - Can sales be both effective and ethical? What are the secrets of persuasion with integrity?
- [Why We "Lose It" Part 1: A Walk with Dr Howie Jacobson: PYP 615](https://plantyourself.com/dr-howie-jacobson-allostatic-load-pyp-615/) - Why do we "lose it"? Why do we behave in ways we regret? Suspect #1: Allostatic Load.
- [How Do You Walk Through Life?: Michael Gelb on PYP 614](https://plantyourself.com/michael-gelb-walking-well-614/) - Every step you take... can lead to more vitality, more comfort, and more inspiration for a kind, beautiful, and joyful life.
- [Healing Trauma with Compassion and Imagination: Yael Zivan on PYP 613](https://plantyourself.com/healing-trauma-with-compassion-and-imagination-yael-zivan-on-pyp-613/) - Are we stuck with managing our traumas and self-sabotaging behaviors, or can we erase them and transform ourselves?
- [Health Fundamentals for Humans: Lucas Rockwood on PYP 612](https://plantyourself.com/health-fundamentals-for-humans-lucas-rockwood-on-pyp-612/) - How can we live well in the second half of life? Here are the fundamentals.
- [The Actual Science of Change: Richard E Boyatzis on PYP 611](https://plantyourself.com/the-actual-science-of-change-richard-boyatzis-pyp-611/) - Why do most change efforts—individual, organizational, societal—stagnate and fail? And how can we do better?
- [We are the Great Turning: Jess Serrante on PYP 610](https://plantyourself.com/we-are-the-great-turning-jess-serrante-on-pyp-610/) - Do we pretend that everything's fine, or give in to despair? Or is there a secret, third option?
- [Brain Health is a Community Effort: Drs Ayesha and Dean Sherzai on PYP 609](https://plantyourself.com/brain-health-is-a-community-effort-drs-ayesha-and-dean-sherzai-on-pyp-609/) - How can we empower communities to take charge of their health and truly scale lifestyle medicine?
- [Mindfulness, Diversity in Healthcare, and Proceeding with Promise: Lewis Bertus on PYP 608](https://plantyourself.com/mindfulness-diversity-in-healthcare-and-proceeding-with-promise-lewis-bertus-on-pyp-608/) - What does faith look like when it seeks to empower people to heal?
- [Lindsay Nixon is The Happy Herbivore: PYP 001](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-001-lindsay-nixon-the-happy-herbivore/) - In this first Pant Yourself Podcast episode, Howard has a lovely chat with the Happy Herbivore, Lindsay Nixon, about her transition to a whole-foods plant based diet, her evolution from kitchen klutz to accomplished cookbook author, and the Happy part of being plant-pure and strong.
- [Fran Costigan's Vegan Chocolate: Unapologetically Luscious and Decadent Dairy-Free Desserts: PYP 002](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-002-fran-costigan-vegan-chocolate/) - Fran Costigan believes there's more to life than veggies. Like luscious chocolate cakes, for example. A world-renown pastry chef and educator, Fran has done wonders for the plant-based movement's PR and sex appeal.
- [PYP 003: Chef Del Sroufe: Better Than Vegan](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-003-chef-del-sroufe-better-than-vegan/) - 10 years ago, Del Sroufe ate his way to 475 pounds - on a vegan diet! Now, 200+ pounds thinner (and counting), Chef Del is the culinary genius behind the Forks Over Knives cookbook, as well as co-owner of the brilliant Wellness Forum.
- [PYP 004: Char Nolan: It's Never Too Late](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-004-char-nolan-its-never-too-late/) - Howard had a lovely chat with the kind and courageous Char Nolan, Connector at Real Food Works and powerful promoter of a plant-based diet in the Philadelphia area.
- [PYP 005: Randy Clemens: The Magic of Sriracha, and Learning to Love Our Veggies](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-005-randy-clemens-the-magic-of-sriracha-and-learning-to-love-our-veggies/) - Randy Clemens is the Sriracha-loving author of two Sriracha-based cookbooks. (In case you haven't tried it, Sriracha sauce is a fairly spicy, totally amazing Vietnamese hot sauce that has generated a cult following in the past few years.)
- [PYP 006: Hans Diehl: Healthy by Choice, Not by Chance](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-006-hans-diehl-healthy-by-choice-not-by-chance/) - Hans Diehl is founder of CHIP (The Complete Health Improvement Program), a 30-day health education program that has been changing lives for the better for decades.
- [PYP 007: Dr Wes Youngberg: Goodbye Diabetes](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-007-dr-wes-youngberg-goodbye-diabetes/) - Dr. Wes Youngberg, author of Goodbye Diabetes, was just a boy when his mother died of cancer. At the age of 13, he was already obsessed with discovering and mitigating his own risk factors of disease. After earning degrees in nutrition and lifestyle medicine, Wes spend 14 years on Guam, researching that island's diabetes epidemic and directing a wellness clinic dedicated to reversing diabetes among the island's population.
- [PYP 008: Char Nolan interviews Howard Jacobson](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-008-char-nolan-interviews-howard-jacobson/) - Char Nolan is a health coach, community connector at RealFoodWorks in Philadelphia, and graduate of the same Health Education program that bestowed a PhD upon me (the no-longer-existing school of HPERD at Temple University).
- [PYP 009: Emerson Wickwire: The Secret World of Sleep](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-009-emerson-wickwire-secret-world-of-sleep/) - Dr. Emerson Wickwire is Sleep Medicine Program Director at Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Associates in Columbia, Maryland, and Assistant Professor, part-time, at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He is board certified in behavioral sleep medicine and cognitive and behavioral psychology.
- [PYP 010: Ellen Jaffe Jones: Obliterating the Obstacles to Plant-based Eating](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-010-ellen-jaffe-jones-kitchen-divided/) - Ellen Jaffe Jones is an Emmy-winning investigative reporter, a crack financial analyst, a chef and cookbook author, and a multiple-event running champion. During this rollicking interview with Howard Jacobson, she explains how she went from being a part of "the world's most unhealthy family" to a healthy eater. (And how she escaped the "inevitable" health consequences that the rest of her family has suffered.)
- [PYP 011: Dreena Burton: Plant-based cookbook author, mother, and hummus lover](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-011-dreena-burton-plant-based-cookbook-author-mother-and-hummus-lover/) - Dreena Burton is the author of one of my favorite plant-based cookbooks: Eat, Drink & Be Vegan. In this far-ranging conversation, we speak about her transition to a plant-based diet, the health problems she recovered from, strategies for parenting plant-based kids who don't feel alienated or deprived, easy and delicious recipes, and her fondness for hummus.
- [PYP 012: David Robinson Simon: Meatonomics](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-012-david-robinson-simon-meatonomics/) - Dave Simon's Meatonomics is a fascinating and terrifying descent into economic, social, political, environmental, and ethical insanity.
- [PYP 013: Chef AJ: Unprocessed and Utterly Transformed](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-013-chef-aj-unprocessed-utterly-transformed/) - Chef AJ is well known in the plant-based world for her entertaining and bawdy cooking demos. She sings, does handstands, tells dirty jokes about kale and avocados (really), and wows audiences with her energy, fitness, and lean and radiant demeanor. It's hard to believe what AJ's overcome in order to get there.
- [PYP 014: Cathy Fisher on Straight Up Food](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-014-cathy-fisher-straight-up-food/) - Cathy Fisher's plant-based food blog, StraightUpFood.com, is a popular and delicious source of whole food, plant-based recipes.
- [PYP 015: Juan Carlos Asse: UnSuperSize Me and Escaping Our Various Prisons](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-015-juan-carlos-asse-unsupersize-me/) - Award-winning film-maker and fitness trainer Juan Carlos (Carly) Asse had everything going for him. High school valedictorian, good-looking, popular, and enjoying college in Florida on a tennis scholarship. It all came crashing down when a federal SWAT team smashed down his door and took him into custody for selling drugs.
- [PYP 016: Brian Wendel: Producer of Forks Over Knives](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-016-brian-wendel-producer-forks-over-knives/) - Today I had a lovely chat with the amazing Brian Wendel, creator of the #1 amazon bestselling documentary Forks Over Knives. We talked about Brian's introduction to plant-based living in 2001, and his determination to spread the word about the powerful effects of this way of living on our health.
- [PYP 017: Brendan Brazier: How Athletes (and the Rest of Us) Can Thrive on a Plant-Based Diet](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-017-brendan-brazier-athletes-thrive-plant-based-diet/) - Brendan Brazier is a professional Ironman triathlete, author, and formulator of Vega plant-based nutritional supplements.
- [PYP 018: Brenda Davis: Defeating Diabetes and Debunking Paleo](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-018-brenda-davis-defeating-diabetes-debunking-paleo/) - Brenda Davis is a plant-based Registered Dietitian, and co-author of eight books, including Defeating Diabetes and Becoming Vegan.
- [PYP 019: Ashley Flitter: The Unintentional Vegan](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-019-ashley-flitter-unintentional-vegan/) - When Ashley Flitter, the Unintentional Vegan, discovered that she was lactose intolerant, she began a transition that culminated in her adopting a 100% plant-based diet.
- [PYP 021: Dustin Rudolph, the Plant-Based Pharmacist, on Getting Healthy Without Pills](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-021-interview-with-the-plant-based-pharmacist-dustin-rudolph/) - When we get sick, most of us go to the doctor. And most of the time, the doctor prescribes a pill. Or two. Or a whole handful. The number of Americans on prescription meds is just staggering. Doctors know that patients expect to leave the office with a prescription. Pharma companies spend hundreds of thousands of marketing dollars per doctor per year to make sure that their patented blockbusters are the ones getting written down on the prescription pads. All this would be fine, I guess, if the pills actually made us better. And it would probably be close to fine if the pills didn’t actually make us worse.
- [PYP 022: Laura Bartels: Natural Building and a Mindful Life](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-022-laura-bartels-natural-building-and-a-mindful-life/) - Laura Bartels is the founder/owner of Greenweaver, Inc., a consulting and education company that promotes sustainable building and community development. In this interview, she discusses the connections between creating a nurturing external environment and cultivating a mindful interior environment.
- [PYP 023: Julie Morris on Superfood Smoothies](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-023-julie-morris-on-superfood-smoothies/) - Julie Morris is a cookbook author and recipe developer for "Superfoods" companies. I've always been suspicious of Superfoods, thinking that the term is more about marketing than fact. So I was looking forward to grilling Julie about Superfoods, and the role they can play in a whole food, plant-based diet.
- [PYP 024: Margarita Restrepo on the Achievable Way to Optimal Health](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-024-margarita-restrepo-achievable-way-to-optimal-health/) - Margarita Restrepro is the founder and editor-in-chief of Naked Food Magazine. In this conversation, Margarita shares her journey and motivation behind Naked Food Magazine. She believes that optimal health is accessible to just about everyone, and started the magazine to bring that message to the public.
- [PYP 025: Milton Mills on "Soul Food," Liberation, and the Myth of Predatory Eyes](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-025-milton-mills-on-soul-food-liberation-and-the-myth-of-predatory-eyes/) - Milton Mills, MD, is Associate Director of Preventive Medicine for the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), as well as a practicing internist at Fairfax Hospital in Virginia. He also provides medical care and counseling in several free clinics in Washington, DC. In this conversation, Dr Mills shared his provocative views - all of them supported by overwhelming evidence - on the ideal human diet.
- [PYP 026: Lucinda Duncalfe on Real Food](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-026-lucinda-duncalfe-on-real-food/) - After Lucinda Dulcalfe sold her latest tech startup, she began casting around for her next project. After watching Forks Over Knives and wondering a) if this could possibly be true, and b) if it was, why hadn't she ever heard about it, Lucinda transitioned to a whole-foods, plant-based diet and discovered the benefits for herself.
- [PYP 027: Tracy Ryan on Losing 200 Pounds and Gaining Her Life](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-027-tracy-ryan-on-losing-200-pounds-and-gaining-her-life/) - At age 29, Tracy Ryan weighed 350 pounds, and was comfortable in her role as the "funny fat girl." Then she embarked on an ambitious journey of self-discovery: to lose 200 pounds in one year. Her story is now public, thanks to the gripping award-winning documentary, UnSuperSizeMe, produced by her trainer, Carly Asse.
- [PYP 028: Jill Nussinow: The Veggie Queen Demystifies the Pressure Cooker](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-028-jill-nussinow-the-veggie-queen-demystifies-the-pressure-cooker/) - Jill Nussinow, aka The Veggie Queen, has been helping people eat healthy and delicious for over 20 years. As an "alternative" (or, as I prefer to think of her, "renegade") dietitian, a chef, and a cookbook author and cooking instructor, Jill has helped thousands of people transition to a plant-based diet.
- [PYP 029: Jessica Porter on the Diet that Cannot Be Named (on NBC prime time, anyway)](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-029-jessica-porter-on-the-diet-that-cannot-be-named-on-nbc-prime-time-anyway/) - Jessica Porter is co-author of The Kind Diet, with Alicia Silverstone, and the author of The Hip Chick's Guide to Macrobiotics, and the recently published The MILF Diet.
- [PYP 030: Sam Carpenter on Working the System to Upgrade Your Health](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-030-sam-carpenter-on-working-the-system-to-upgrade-your-health/) - Sam Carpenter is an entrepreneur and author of Work the System, a book about the easiest way to make meaningful and permanent improvements in your work, life, and health.
- [PYP 031: Sharon McRae on Healthy Eating Made Easy](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-031-sharon-mcrae-on-healthy-eating-made-easy/) - Sharon McRae runs Eat Well, Stay Well, a plant-based health coaching service. She's an expert at balancing a full life with feeding her family (busy husband and three kids) well, and knows how to help others transition to a healthy plant-based lifestyle.
- [PYP 032: Stephanie Dignan, the Boot Camp Girl](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-032-stephanie-dignan-the-boot-camp-girl/) - Stephanie Dignan was working as a financial advisor when she was asked to help people with a whole different set of goals: health and fitness. Fast-forward a bunch of years, and Stephanie's got a training company, TheBootCampGirl.com, with a great track record of success. One of the foundations of her success is dietary: Stephanie is 100% plant-based, and encourages and empowers her students to add more plants to their diets.
- [PYP 033: Ronda Collier on Heart Rate Variability and the hidden causes of weight gain and "falling off the wagon"](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-033-ronda-collier-on-heart-rate-variability-and-the-hidden-causes-of-weight-gain-and-falling-off-the-wagon/) - Ronda Collier is CEO and founder of Sweetwater Health, a technology company that sells a couple of neat little iPhone apps called SweetbeatLife and Sweetbeat. They measure heart rate variability (HRV), which turns out to be a very good proxy for the body's resilience and health.
- [PYP 034: Tamasin Noyes: Grills Gone Vegan](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-034-tamasin-noyes-grills-gone-vegan/) - Tami Noyes of VeganAppetite.com has tackled the biggest, baddest bastion of carnivory with her latest cookbook, Grills Gone Vegan.
- [PYP 035: Mary Wendt, MD: Get Waisted](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-035-mary-wendt-md-get-waisted/) - After Mary Wendt had been practicing medicine for several years, she discovered that despite exercising like crazy and eating "right" (lots of meat for protein and dairy for calcium), she was pre-diabetic and had dangerously high cholesterol. That shock led her on a search for a solution that didn't rely on pills and surgery.
- [PYP 036: Mimi Kirk, the "World's Sexiest Vegan Over 50"](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-036-mimi-kirk-the-worlds-sexiest-vegan-over-50/) - 75-year-old Mimi Kirk looks and acts like someone in her 40s, not a person shopping for an assisted living facility. In this freewheeling conversation, we talk about aging, travel, being a "foodie," going completely plant-based and mostly raw at the age of 69, and getting what we want out of life.
- [PYP 037: Ruth Heidrich: 78-Year-Old Breast Cancer Survivor, Triathlete, and Marathoner](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-037-ruth-heidrich-78-year-old-breast-cancer-survivor-triathlete-and-marathoner/) - Today I got to fulfill one of my dreams - I spent an hour on the phone with Dr. Ruth Heidrich, one of the fittest women in the world (of any age).
- [PYP 038: Ocean Robbins: Leverage, Kindness, and Justice](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-038-ocean-robbins-leverage-kindness-and-justice/) - Ocean Robbins co-founded YES! (Youth for Environmental Sanity) at the age of 16, and hasn't slowed down since. He's co-founder, with his dad John Robbins (author of Diet for a New America and many other awesome books), of the Food Revolution Network, which advocates and educates about food justice, safety, compassion, and sustainability.
- [PYP 039: Miyoko Schinner: Artisan Vegan Cheese That Will Completely Fool You](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-039-miyoko-schinner-artisan-vegan-cheese-that-will-completely-fool-you/) - Miyoko Schinner cooks gourmet plant-based food for omnivores, demonstrating that there's no need to "give anything up." She's a popular speaker, teacher, and cookbook author whose latest book is Artisan Vegan Cheese. As far as I'm concerned, Miyoko should receive the Nobel Prize for Innovative Deliciousness for her work. The air-dried gouda and brie (both cashew-based) are amazing.
- [PYP 040: Nava Atlas: Plant-based Cooking, Holidays, Greens, and Transitioning Your Pantry](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-040-nava-atlas-plant-based-cooking-holidays-greens-and-transitioning-your-pantry/) - I had a lovely chat with legendary cookbook author Nava Atlas, whose first vegetarian cookbook was published in 1984! (Had tofu even been invented then? ;)
- [PYP 041: Nick Freudenberg on 5 Lethal But Legal Industries](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-041-nick-freudenberg-on-5-lethal-but-legal-industries/) - Nicholas Freudenberg is Distinguished Professor, Public Health and Social/Personality Psychology at Hunter College campus of the City University of New York (CUNY). His recent book, Lethal but Legal: Corporations, Consumption and Protecting Public Health, is a shocking expose of the way five industries - pharmaceutical, tobacco, alcohol, food, and automotive - literally get away with murder.
- [PYP 042: Jon Hinds on Getting Fit Like a Gorilla](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-042-jon-hinds-on-getting-fit-like-a-gorilla/) - Jon Hinds is founder of the successful and rapidly growing Monkey Bar Gym chain of contrarian gyms. He believes in using the body the way nature intended:joyfully, freely, and naturally. Unlike typical gyms, there are no mirrors or machines. Classes are fun, hard, and motivating. Unlike Crossfit, exquisite care is taken to prevent and even reverse injuries. And unlike just about any gym anywhere, Monkey Bar Gym participants are encouraged to grow strong and lean and healthy on a plant-based diet.
- [PYP 043: Joseph Gonzalez on Diabetes Reversal, Common Supermarket Killers, and Peanut M&Ms](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-043-joe-gonzalez/) - Joseph Gonzales is Staff Dietitian for PCRM, the Physicians' Committee for Responsible Medicine.
- [PYP 044: Julieanna Hever on Raising Healthy Kids in a Junk-food World](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-044-julieanna-hever-on-raising-healthy-kids-in-a-junk-food-world/) - Julieanna Hever is the author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition. She hosts Veria Network's "What Would Julieanna Do?", is the nutrition columnist for VegNews.com, and is a frequent guest on The Doctor Oz Show.
- [PYP 045: Kathleen Hale on the Healthy Way to Rebel at Work](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-045-kathleen-hale-on-the-healthy-way-to-rebel-at-work/) - Kathleen Hale is CEO of RebelDesk, a company dedicated to eliminating one of the biggest contributors to early death and disability: sitting.
- [PYP 046: Kelly Coffin on Making Healthy Delicious](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-046-kelly-coffin-on-making-healthy-delicious/) - Kelly Coffin is founder and CEO of Wayfare Foods, a Montana company dedicated to making healthy and animal-free versions of many of our favorite foods, including ice cream, pudding, cheese, sour cream, and even bacon bits. To drive home the point (and to avoid legal hassles), all their products' names start with "We Can't Say It's..."
- [PYP 047: Lani Muelrath on Debunking the Fitness Myths](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-047-lani-muelrath-on-debunking-the-fitness-myths/) - Lani Muelrath is the author of Fit Quickies: 5-Minute Targeted Body-Shaping Workouts, which is a lot more comprehensive than it sounds. It covers exercise physiology, diet, health, mindset, and just about everything else relevant to a happy and healthy life.
- [PYP 048: Lara Heimann on Yoga as Preparation for Life](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-048-lara-heimann-on-yoga-as-preparation-for-life/) - Lara Heimann runs the Yogastream studio in Princeton, New Jersey. Originally trained as a physical therapist, Lara brings anatomical and functional sensibilities to her classes to enable her students to push their limits in a safe and powerful way. She's been completely plant-based for the past 12 years, and sees a strong mind-body connection between eating plants and moving the body joyfully.
- [PYP 049: Jeff Rogers on Vegan Ice Cream, Being a Naughty Vegan, and Discovering the Raw Lifestyle](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-049-jeff-rogers-on-vegan-ice-cream-being-a-naughty-vegan-and-discovering-the-raw-lifestyle/) - Jeff Rogers, The Naughty Vegan, may have saved my sanity back in the day when I had foresworn Ben and Jerries, but couldn't stomach the taste or texture or nasty ingredients of then-available non-dairy frozen desserts. His short book, Vice Cream, offered me (and tens of thousands of others) a simple and elegant way to make high-quality frozen desserts at home. Yeah, they were expensive (a key ingredient was raw cashews). And yeah I ended up buying a separate freezer so I could order the ingredients in bulk and save money. But they were amazing.
- [PYP 050: John Robbins: Rebel, Peacemaker, Pragmatist](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-050-john-robbins-rebel-peacemaker-pragmatist/) - John Robbins rose to prominence with the 1987 publication of his book Diet for a New America. The young heir to the Baskin-Robbins ice cream empire (and fortune) put out an eloquent and powerful call to action against the consumption of animal-based foods. As I indicate at the beginning of the interview, Diet for a New America changed my life for the better as much as any other book I've read. So I was thrilled to get the chance to speak with this man who has been a hero of mine for 23 years.
- [PYP 051: John Robbins: "Speak to the Queen and the Queen Will Reply"](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-051-john-robbins-speak-to-the-queen-and-the-queen-will-reply/) - Wow, a second interview with John Robbins! After the first one, John graciously contacted me because he felt he had more to say about advocacy and persuasion. I wasn't about to say no.
- [PYP 052: Michele Simon on the Unholy Influence of the Junk Food Industry](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-052-michele-simon-on-the-unholy-influence-of-the-junk-food-industry/) - In WHOLE, we wrote an entire chapter about the sleazy influence of the junk food industry on the powerful Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Michele Simon of Eat Drink Politics is a public health lawyer whose investigations and advocacy have shined a bright and uncomfortable light on these shenanigans. In January 2013 she published an in-depth expose, titled "And Now a Word From Our Sponsors."
- [PYP 053: Dan Hanley: The Gay Vegans](https://plantyourself.com/053-dan-hanley-gay-vegans/) - When Dan Hanley was in the navy, he first encountered cultures where meat wasn't the center of every meal. In this interview, done live at a Vegan conference in May 2013, he discusses his 17 year journey into ethical veganism and healthy plant-based eating.
- [PYP 055: John Pierre on Fueling Ourselves for Action and Compassion](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-055-john-pierre-on-fueling-ourselves-for-action-and-compassion/) - John Pierre is fitness trainer to the stars, including Ellen DeGeneres, Pamela Anderson, and Emily Deschanel. He's also a tireless advocate for the voiceless, powerless, and dispossessed: animals, the aged, and abused women.
- [PYP 056: Bianca and Michael Alexander on the Journey of Conscious Living](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-056-bianca-michael-alexander-on-the-journey-of-conscious-living/) - Bianca and Michael Alexander are buddies of mine and co-founders of ConsciousLivingTV.com. Bianca is an EMMY-award winning TV correspondent, as well as on-camera talent for hit shows on Lifetime, TV Guide, and TV One. She's a certified yoga instructor and energy healer. Michael is a serial entrepreneur, provocateur and innovator in the areas of sustainability, health and entrepreneurship. He cameos in Conscious Living TV videos as "Vegan Man," and is a budding organic gardener.
- [PYP 057: Emily Nolan on Radical Honesty, Radical Kindness, Radical Self-Acceptance, and Going "Topless"](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-057-emily-nolan-on-radical-honesty-radical-kindness-radical-self-acceptance-and-going-topless/) - Emily Nolan is one of my heroes. She's an internationally sought after model, a former Olympic trainee, a serial entrepreneur, and a tireless advocate for kindness, self-acceptance, and positive body image. As the founder of MyKindofLife.com, Emily writes and creates media that provides "inspiration for kind people." And as the founder of the non-profit "Topless," Emily empowers women and men to accept and love their own bodies in a public way, through yoga classes and other live events.
- [PYP 058: Janice Stanger on The Perfect Formula Diet and Trusting Our Own Bodies](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-058-janice-stanger-on-the-perfect-formula-diet-and-trusting-our-own-bodies/) - In college, Janice Stanger developed serious eating disorders to hide her binge eating from others. At 5'4", she ballooned somewhere past 165 pounds (she admits to having stopped weighing herself when the news got too grim). Even when she licked that disorder, she still tried pretty much every diet under the sun in an attempt to get thin. Nothing worked for long, leaving her with a closet full of "thin clothes," "fat clothes," and every size in between. Furthermore, she was plagued by a slew of health problems, including chronic respiratory infections, severe endometriosis, fatigue, intense headaches, and ongoing bouts of depression. At no point in her journey up to this point had she even considered that her food intake could be related to this issues. Then... something happened that slowly, inexorably, changed everything.
- [PYP 059: Dr Garth Davis on Weight Loss and True Health](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-059-dr-garth-davis-on-weight-loss-and-true-health/) - Dr Garth Davis is medical director of Surgical Weight Loss at Memorial Harmon Memorial City Hospital in Houston, Texas. After years of performing weight loss surgery, with himself overweight and faced with a medical recommendation to start taking cholesterol-lowering drugs, Garth woke up one day and asked the question, "Why are Americans so overweight and unhealthy?" Which led him to a second question: "Where in the world are people slim and healthy?" Which led him to a comprehensive study of nutrition, a complete overhaul of his personal lifestyle and diet, and a totally new way of working with his obese patients.
- [PYP 060: Sean Kane on Automobile Safety, Runaway Computer Code, and the Promise and Perils of Technology](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-060-sean-kane-on-automobile-safety-runaway-computer-code-and-the-promise-and-perils-of-technology/) - Sean Kane is president of Safety Research and Strategy, and founder of The Safety Institute. From his early days in the belly of the beast as a claims adjuster for the tire industry, to his work on the front lines with Ralph Nader's Institute for Auto Safety, to his own work making companies pay for their negligence, Sean has seen it all as an insider. He fights tirelessly (oh, did a bad pun just slip into this blog?) to hold manufacturers and marketers accountable for the damage their products cause. And lest you peg him an anti-technology crusader, he's also an organic gardner and supporter of the use of appropriate technology to solve societal and agricultural problems.
- [PYP 062: Elana Priesman on a Junk-Food Childhood, "Try Anything" Desperation, and "Plantsformation"](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-062-elana-priesman-on-a-junk-food-childhood-try-anything-desperation-and-plantsformation/) - Elana "Titanium" Priesman is an unlikely subject for a magazine devoted to fitness. Overweight as a child, obese as a young adult, uninterested in sports, picked last in gym class to the groans of her teammates, Elana achieved a stunning turnaround a couple of years ago. Culminating in her profile in the October 2014 Vegan Health and Fitness magazine, in an article titled "How I Lost 100 Pounds."
- [PYP 063: Matt Frazier on Running Long Distances, Plant-Based Nutrition, and Building a Movement without Trying to Convert Anybody](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-063-matt-frazier-on-running-long-distances-plant-based-nutrition-and-building-a-movement-without-trying-to-convert-anybody/) - OK, so I've been procrastinating writing this intro to the Matt Frazier interview for about a week, because I wanted to get the prose just right. Matt is the founder of No-Meat Athlete, originally a blog, then a book, and now a movement growing on its own steam.
- [PYP 064: Chef Alan Roettinger on Navigating Life Through Joy (and much more)](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-064-chef-alan-roettinger-on-navigating-life-through-joy-and-much-more/) - Alan Roettinger packs a ton of wisdom, compassion, and humor into a 102-minute interview - one of the longest and most inspiring I've had the privilege to conduct. Alan shifted his career as private chef to the rich and famous (he doesn't name names, except for Bill Clinton and Frank Sinatra) to a successful stint as the author of four vegan cookbooks. In this far-ranging conversation.
- [PYP 065: Alissa Bilfield and Adam Aronovitz on The Cookbook Project, Starting a Big-Hearted Non-Profit on a Tiny-Ass Budget, and the Problem as the Solution](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-065-the-cookbook-project/) - Alissa Bilfield and Adam Aronovitz are co-founders of The Cookbook Project, an amazingly inspiring, effective, and elegant not-for-profit dedicated to the fine mostly-lost art of home cooking. With projects in 35 US states and over 20 countries around the world, Alissa and Adam are empowering communities to reclaim their culinary roots and break free from the industrial food system that creates disease, dependence, and displacement.
- [PYP 066: Glenn Murphy on Systema, Subverting Fight or Flight, and Remaining Human No Matter What](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-066-glenn-murphy-systema/) - In addition to being a bestselling science author, musician, and tiger-handler (really!), Glenn Murphy is an instructor of one of the most powerful, esoteric, and valuable martial arts ever developed: Systema.
- [PYP 067: Kathleen Melanson on Eating Slow and Losing Weight](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-067-kathleen-melanson-on-eating-slow-and-losing-weight/) - Kathleen Melanson, Director of the University of Rhode Island’s Energy Metabolism Laboratory, is conducting a series of brilliant and simple experiments about the connection between how fast we eat and how many calories we consume.
- [PYP 068: Paul Scutt on Trusting Children and the Problem with Coercive Education](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-068-paul-scutt-on-trusting-children-and-the-problem-with-coercive-education/) - When you think of the school you went to, or the school your child goes to, do these words pop into mind? fun fascinating exciting nurturing empowering joyful community teamwork For most people, not so much. Even those of us who "won" at school, who got good grades and participated in the resume-stuffing clubs and activities, mostly preferred the time we spent outside of the classroom, doing things and exploring ideas we found interesting.
- [PYP 069: How to Keep Kids Healthy Even if They're in Daycare](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-069-how-to-keep-kids-healthy-even-if-theyre-in-daycare/) - Sparked by a situation in my own family, I devoted this episode to supporting parents who send their kids to daycare and still want to feed them well. I reached out to my network of "Here's how to do it" genius educators and collated the short interviews into this comprehensive and hopefully valuable resource.
- [PYP 070: Patrick Sherwin on Cooking with the Sun and Eradicating the Second Leading Cause of Death Worldwide](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-070-patrick-sherwin-on-cooking-with-the-sun/) - Patrick Sherwin was decommissioning a solar hot water system on someone's roof when he had a crazy idea. Picking up one of the vaccuum tubes used to insulate and heat the water, he thought, "I wonder if I could cook a bunch of hot dogs in this thing?" Ten years later, Patrick's startup, GoSunStove, is cranking out the world's most efficient solar cooker. Not only does the SunStove make tailgating cool as anything, it's also a potential lifesaver around the globe, where accidental smoke inhalation from indoor cooking with dirty fuels is the second leading cause of death worldwide.
- [PYP 071: John Bruna on the Myth of Happiness and the Little League Secret to a Good Life](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-071-john-bruna-on-the-myth-of-happiness-and-the-little-league-secret-to-a-good-life/) - When John Bruna was 10 years old, he was already stealing from liquor stores. Born into an environment of poverty, violence, and substance abuse, John began to turn his life around at the age of 22. Along the way to his current leadership of the Mindful Life Program and Way of Compassion Foundation, John served as a dishwasher, auto mechanic, school teacher, substance abuse counselor, corporate manager, graduate student, and spiritual practitioner.
- [PYP 072: Peter Bregman on the 4 Seconds that Can Change Your Life](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-072-peter-bregman-4-seconds-can-change-life/) - Peter Bregman consults with CEOs and their leadership teams to achieve high performance. He's been doing this work in a deep way since 1989, and I've been fortunate enough to observe and sometimes assist him as he's developed and delivered his methodology. Over the last five or six years, he's been spiraling in on a single profound concept utterly central to effective leadership: courage.
- [PYP 073: Debra Orenstein on Gratitude and Winning the Lottery of Life](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-073-debra-orenstein-gratitude-winning-lottery-life/) - Debra Orenstein is an author, lecturer, and actor. Her many accomplishments are catalogued on her bio page at Congregation Bnai Israel in Emerson, New Jersey, where she serves as pulpit rabbi. Plus, a wise and compassionate and hilarious human being.
- [PYP 074: Tom Campbell,  MD on Writing The China Study and Talking to Doctors About Nutrition](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-074-tom-campbell-md-writing-china-study-talking-doctors-nutrition/) - Thomas M. Campbell is a family practice doctor in Rochester, NY, an instructor of Clinical Family Medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, and executive director of the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutritional Studies. He's also co-author of what's probably the most influential book on science-based nutrition, The China Study. Despite being the child of T. Colin Campbell, Tom was never groomed for a leadership role in the nutritional or medical fields. He was pursuing an acting career in Chicago when his dad asked him to help translate decades of scientific communication into a book for the public.
- [PYP 075: Ann Crile Esselstyn and Jane Esselstyn on Healthy Cooking Made Really Easy](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-075-ann-jane-esselstyn-healthy-cooking-easy/) - Mother and daughter Ann Crile Esselstyn and Jane Esselstyn are co-authors of the brand spanking new Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook. The recipes are inspired by two things: the nutritional profile of heart-protective foods validated by their husband and father Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, and a knack for making healthy food prep as easy and familiar as the Standard Western Diet. When Dr. Esselstyn began his study of severely ill heart patients, he knew he'd have to start eating the same diet he was mandating for them. And since, in the words of Ann, "he didn't know how to make toast," he needed help. Enter Ann.
- [PYP 076: Katherine Nilbrink on Evolution, Diet, and the 24/7 "Open For Sex" Sign](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-076-katherine-nilbrink-on-evolution-diet/) - Katherine Nilbrink's resume is too long and varied to cover here. Highlights: avid athlete, advanced degrees in evolutionary biology, work as a fitness trainer and with Reebok, Culinary Therapist and Sustainable Living Consultant for a residential eating disorder treatment facility, Healthy Eating coordinator for Whole Foods Market, instructor at the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies, and really smart person.
- [PYP 077: Julie Piatt on Influencing Others, Coming Back to Ourselves, and "Meditating on One Foot in the Moonlight"](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-077-julie-piatt-influencing-others-coming-back-meditating-one-foot-moonlight/) - Julie Piatt is a musician, plant-based chef and healer, yogi, home-schooling mom, cookbook author, and contributor to MindBodyGreen.com. She's also the muse and support system that her husband Rich Roll leaned on to transform himself from sedentary, junk-food and late-night TV addicted couch potato to one of the world's fittest men in the span of just a couple of years. (Read his story in his bestselling book, Finding Ultra.) In some sense, Julie "lived the fantasy": influencing her spouse to change in a big way. Don't most of us have a fantasy like that? If not about our spouse, then about our kids, or co-workers, or boss, or politicians, or customer-service reps on the other end of the phone, or - probably most common - ourselves?
- [PYP 078: Alan Muskat on Wild Foraging as the Way Home](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-078-alan-muskat-wild-foraging-way-home/) - Alan Muskat has shown some pretty famous people how to feed themselves off the ground. As founder of the No Taste Like Home foraged food and event company, Alan has shared his "off the eaten track" (his pun, not mine) self-catering skills with such food luminaries as Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Foods, Andrew Weil, and The James Beard Celebrity Chef Tour. He's also been featured by The History Channel, PBS, Southern Living, and Travel and Leisure. He's also author of the book Wild Mushrooms: A Taste of Enchantment. Alan's got a unique outlook on food: we should abandon mass agriculture and return to the food we were meant to eat: the stuff that grows all around, totally without our help.
- [PYP 080: Mike Crockett on Overcoming Addiction, Reconnecting with His True Nature, and Becoming an Unlikely Love Warrior](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-080-mike-crockett-overcoming-addiction-reconnecting-true-nature-becoming-unlikely-love-warrior/) - Mike Crockett, aka Big Bald Mike, has an amazing and inspiring story. A young, gentle giant whose soul hungered for music and peace. A childhood in Marlin, Texas, being fattened up like a calf for slaughter so he could dominate high school football games. A carnivorous hunger that had him eating 2600 pounds of meat in a single year - and had him topping out at 571 pounds. A long spiral into addiction, crime, violence, and self-loathing. A world in which numbing out the pain - physical and emotional - became a full-time job. A dark night of the soul that culminated in a attempted-suicide overdose that would have killed five ordinary men. And a path to redemption that includes professional wrestling, a caring lady, kale, and bunnies.
- [PYP 079: Plant-Based Katie on Healing Her Relationship with Food and Experiencing True Pleasure](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-079-plant-based-katie-healing-food-relationship/) - Katie Mae grew up eating chicken, beef, mashed potatoes - and overcooked frozen vegetables (when her parents forced her). In high school she exhibited disordered eating patterns, and thought of herself as an "ice cream addict." Fast forward to today, and Katie is an unabashed foodie and flavor ambassador for a cuisine that most people don't associate with hedonistic pleasure: whole food, plant-based, minus the sugar, oil, and salt.
- [PYP 081: Robert Cheeke on a Vegan Teen Rebellion and Refusing to be Average](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-081-robert-cheeke-vegan-teen-rebellion-refusing-average/) - Robert Cheeke was a scrawny, scrappy teenager who embraced veganism - and raised hell in the process. Born to a family deeply steeped in animal agriculture, he took a different path. And all his life, Robert has kept that rebellious spirit alive in the service of health, fitness, and compassion. His new book, Shred It!, is an encyclopedic reference for people who want to become fit and ripped - low body fat, fully developed muscles. Yeah, it's got workout routines, photos of exercises, eating plans, and recipes - but the book starts with an impassioned plea to the reader: Don't Be Average.
- [PYP 082: Susan Levin on the Truth about Diet and "a Bad Game of Telephone"](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-082-susan-levin-diet-truth/) - Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine Director of Nutrition Education Susan Levin grew up on a high-fat, highly-processed Alabama diet. After discovering for herself the benefits of a plant-based diet, she found herself stymied when trying to tell others about it. "What do you know about nutrition?" they'd sneer. Not to be silenced, Susan completed a career about-face and enrolled in the Nutritional Science and Clinical Counseling programs at Bastyr University (and transplanted herself from New York to Seattle). Now an expert in nutritional research as well as an engaging educator, Susan helps spread the good news about eating plants
- [Healing in the Midst of Uncertainty: Kerry Kay on PYP 083](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-083-kerry-kay-healing-midst-uncertainty/) - Kerry Kay is a tango dancer, energy healer, motorcycle rider, and dear friend. As you'll hear, she performed a Reiki healing on me many years ago, when I didn't believe in that sort of thing. I went on not believing, even as I experienced something pretty remarkable (if not downright miraculous). Over the years, my own attitudes have softened; the more I know about science, the more I realize science doesn't know. So if you're willing to "go there" with us, you're in for a fascinating glimpse into the heart and mind of a healer.
- [PYP 084: Julieanna Hever on the Vegiterranean Diet](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-084-julieanna-hever-vegiterranean-diet/) - Julieanna Hever, the Plant Based Dietitian, was torn. As an expert on nutrition, she knew that the healthiest diet for humans is plant-based whole foods.
- [PYP 085: Ann Bradney on Feeling the Bad Stuff and Becoming Radically Alive](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-085-ann-bradney-on-feeling-the-bad-stuff-and-becoming-radically-alive/) - Ann Bradney's life spun out of control from the age of 13, when she first discovered drugs and drinking. For the next 18 years, she lived in constant misery, self-medicating and functioning barely above life support. At 31, she had a fleeting yet powerful realization: she wanted to live.
- [PYP 086: Martin Gibala on Fitness in 3 Minutes a Week](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-086-martin-gibala-fitness-3-minutes-week/) - Today's podcast guest, Martin Gibala of McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, has been studying that question in his lab for a decade. And his answer is a great piece of news for folks like me who may have only 10-15 minutes in which to get in that daily workout.
- [PYP 087: Lani Muelrath on Exercise and Other Fuels for the Plant-Based Journey](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-087-lani-muelrath-exercise-fuels-plant-based-journey/) - Lani Muelrath is one of the world's most accomplished wellness and fitness coaches. She combines cutting edge scientific research on fitness, diet, and mindset with an encyclopedic knowledge of behavorial science with a lifetime of experience helping people achieve health and happiness.
- [PYP 088: Anjali Shah on Being - and Feeding - a Picky Eater](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-088-anjali-shah-feeding-picky-eater/) - In a recent email from Coach.me, a smartphone app devoted to positive habit formation, I was introduced to a healthy eating coach named Anjali Shah. Since a lot of the Coach.me community is in love with versions of paleo, I was happy to see a health coach dedicated to helping people transition to a truly healthy diet, with little or no animal products or heavily refined foods.
- [PYP 089: Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn on Ending the War Against Our Hearts](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-089-dr-caldwell-esselstyn-on-ending-the-war-against-our-hearts/) - I'm delighted to share my interview with one of the most important medical figures of the 20th and 21st centuries. I hope this recording will be around in a hundred years so my descendants can brag that great-great grandpa knew both T. Colin Campbell and today's guest, Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr, MD. I figure that will be like being buddies with Galileo and Copernicus when everyone thought they were nuts.
- [PYP 090: Heather Jo Flores on Turning Lawns into Gardens as a Radical Act](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-090-heather-jo-flores-on-turning-lawns-into-gardens-as-a-radical-act/) - Heather Jo Flores came of age in an "addicted, abusive, and estranged family" in the slums of Los Angeles in the 1980s. An unlikely leader of the modern environmental movement (a label that is far too small for Heather, as you'll see), she moved from radical activism to community building to connection making to her current project, replacing most of the world's suburban lawns with thriving gardens and food forests.
- [PYP 091: Heather Crosby on the Courage to Become Healthy](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-091-heather-crosby-on-the-courage-to-become-healthy/) - When Heather Crosby found herself in poor health and, according to her doctors, destined to be on meds for the rest of her life, she decided to take her health into her own hands.
- [PYP 092: Tracy Russell on Green Smoothies as the Easiest First Step on the Road to Health](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-092-tracy-russell-green-smoothies-road-to-health/) - On December 31, 2007, Tracy Russell went to bed in mediocre health, lacking energy to exercise, and 40 pounds overweight. The next morning, she made her first green smoothie, and hasn't looked back since.
- [PYP 093: Sharon Livingston on Conquering Emotional Eating](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-093-sharon-livingston-on-conquering-emotional-eating/) - When Sharon Livingston was a kid, her parents were kosher caterers and she had to watch them nourish the world while, often, ignoring her. She doubled her weight between ages 9 and 12, and had to deal with being "the fat girl" all through high school. These and other experiences and her long road of healing from them, along with her decades of study and practice of psychology, have made her a expert on emotional eating, or as she puts it, "when food becomes a four-letter word."
- [PYP 094: Karen Page on the Secret Reason to Go Plant-Based: Flavor](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-094-karen-page-on-the-secret-reason-to-go-plant-based-flavor/) - Karen Page is one of the most influential food writers of our time. The author, with her husband Andrew Dornenberg, of several impressive books about gourmet cooking, chefs, and fine restaurants.
- [PYP 096: Mimi Kirk on Juicing Your Way to Health](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-096-mimi-kirk-on-juicing-your-way-to-health/) - Mimi Kirk started experiencing health problems at age 69, and instead of selling her luggage and taking up sudoku, she took matters into her own hands. Mimi adopted a raw vegan diet and started juicing like crazy.
- [PYP 097: Susan Peirce Thompson on Bright Line Eating to Overcome Food Addiction](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-097-susan-peirce-thompson-on-bright-line-eating-to-overcome-food-addiction/) - Susan Peirce Thompson knows something about addiction. Starting at age 14, she lurched from addiction to addiction, finally getting clean and sober at age 20. Years later, in grad school, she had become obese, and found that she was powerless to control - or even understand - her cravings and binges. Unlike drugs, food was a must-have; she couldn’t simply abstain. When she discovered a method that had been refined, trial-and-error fashion, by food addicts in the 12-step community, she jumped on board and quickly went from size 16 to size 4. Susan is now a tenured psychology professor with a PhD in Brain and Cognitive Sciences, and teaches a college course on the psychology of eating.
- [PYP 098: Ben Chesler on Fixing an Imperfect Food System](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-098-ben-chesler-on-fixing-an-imperfect-food-system/) - Ben Chesler was finding - and fixing - broken food systems before he even got to college. As a freshman, Ben cofounded the Food Recovery Network, a non-profit that feeds the hungry with excess food from college dining halls. Now with chapters in over 100 colleges nationwide, it’s donated over 700,000 pounds of perfectly good food that would otherwise have gone to waste. Now Ben’s at it again. The Brown University senior has cofounded Imperfect, a company dedicated to fixing another broken part of our food system.
- [PYP 099: Julie Piatt on Alchemy and "Cutting the Zucchini with the Closest Knife"](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-099-julie-piatt-on-alchemy-and-cutting-the-zucchini-with-the-closest-knife/) - Julie Piatt returns to the Plant Yourself Podcast to celebrate the imminent release (like, tomorrow) of her and her husband Rich Roll's new book, The PlantPower Way. Julie and Rich are really good at sharing both the biggest, broadest vision of a meaningful life and the tiniest details of how to go about creating it at the same time.
- [What Lights You Up?: Mary Olson-Menzel on PYP 607](https://plantyourself.com/what-lights-you-up-mary-olson-menzel-on-pyp-607/) - What Lights You Up? And once you find it, how can you make a living while sharing your passion and purpose with the world?
- [Mom for Mayor: The Kind of Crazy That Can Change the World: Momma Kai on PYP 606](https://plantyourself.com/mom-for-mayor-the-kind-of-crazy-that-can-change-the-world-momma-kai-on-pyp-606/) - What if our elected officials saw themselves as matriarchs, working for the benefit of future generations?
- [PYP 100: Rich Roll on the Transformative Power of Mindful Authenticity](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-100-rich-roll-on-the-transformative-power-of-mindful-authenticity/) - Rich Roll, along with his wife Julie Piatt, has just released The PlantPower Way. Already #38 on the amazon bestseller list, the book is a wonderful introduction to a family-centered, plant-based lifestyle, and a font of recipes, advice, and philosophical guidance.
- [PYP 101: Amie Hamlin on Healthy School Food 2007](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-101-amie-hamlin-on-healthy-school-food-2007/) - Today's podcast is the first half of a double-header with Amie Hamlin, founder and executive director of the New York Coalition for Healthy School Food. Amie was a concerned parent who got involved at her own kids' school after seeing the crap they were being served in the cafeteria. What she discovered when she hit hurdle after hurdle led her to full-time, full-court activism on behalf of children's health.
- [PYP 102: Nelson Campbell on Bottom-Up Revolutions that Transcend Left and Right](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-102-nelson-campbell-bottom-up-revolutions/) - Nelson Campbell is the eldest son of Dr. T. Colin Campbell, co-author of The China Study, and author of Whole, and The Low Carb Fraud. (I helped with those last two.) For the past two years, Nelson has been quietly working on a remarkable project with the potential to change everything for the better.
- [PYP 103: Lee and Larry Newlin on Healthy Soil, Healthy Farms, Healthy Food, and Healthy People](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-103-lee-and-larry-newlin-on-healthy-soil-healthy-farms-healthy-food-and-healthy-people/) - Lee and Larry Newlin are the proprietors of Peaceful River Farm in southern Orange County, North Carolina. Larry runs the ecological farm, and Lee takes the produce and teaches people how to prepare healthy food and live a healthy lifestyle.
- [PYP 104: Robert Ostfeld on Healing Individuals and Communities from the Roots Up](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-104-robert-ostfeld-on-healing-individuals-and-communities-from-the-roots-up/) - Robert Ostfeld was collecting Ivy League degrees like some people collect state quarters. With a BA from Penn, an MD from Yale, and a Masters in Epidemiology from Harvard, Robert was well on the way to a prestigious and lucrative career at the pinnacle of conventional medicine. But he threw that plan away when he decided to become amazing.
- [PYP 105 Kerrie Saunders on Navigating Cravings and Overcoming Addictions](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-105-kerrie-saunders-cravings-addictions/) - Dr. Kerrie Saunders, MS, LLP, PhD, started life by almost dying of a food allergy, and that experience set her on the exploration of food, emotions, addictions, cravings, and healing that has become her passion and her career.
- [PYP 106: Corey Rennell on Food as the Foundation of a New Economy](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-106-corey-rennell-food-new-economy/) - Corey Rennell doesn't do things halfway. After discovering that what passes for convention wisdom on the topic of nutrition is a contradictory, confusing, reductionist mess, he stopped listening and started looking for himself.
- [PYP 107: Annie Oliverio on the Dance of Cravings, Denial, and Pleasure](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-107-annie-oliverio-cravings-denial-pleasure/) - Annie Oliverio's mind works differently from most people's. When she sat down to write a cookbook, she didn't come up with chapter headings like Breakfasts, Lunches, Snacks, Soups, Desserts, and so on.
- [PYP 108: Del Sroufe on the Joys of Planning Meals](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-108-del-sroufe-meal-planning/) - Chef Del Sroufe is a master of efficiency, which is a good thing. As co-owner and head chef at Wellness Forum Foods, Del feeds a crazy amount of people every week. If he didn't have his act together, his business would be a hot mess of chaos and waste.
- [PYP 109: Amie Hamlin on Feeding Kids Right in 2015](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-109-amie-hamlin-feeding-kids-2015/) - I recently republished an August 2007 interview with Amie Hamlin, Executive Director of The New York Coalition for Healthy School Food. In that conversation, we covered: what school cafeterias and lunchrooms really look like the insane scheduling of school lunch times what cafeteria acoustics have to do with feeding kids well why the government is poisoning our kids how surplus agricultural products like ground beef, cheese, and white potatoes get funneled into school cafeterias the economic pressures on school food service directors how to advocate and agitate for healthy food in schools the amazing public school food policy in Appleton, Wisconsin - and its surprising origins as an intervention for troubled teens what hope lies on the horizon
- [PYP 110: Dreena Burton on Feeding the Plant Powered Family](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-110-dreena-burton-plant-powered-family/) - Dreena Burton has taught an entire generation how to cook delicious, innovative, and down-home vegan meals. In her fifth cookbook, Plant Powered Families, she combines delicious, accessible, and kid-friendly to create one of the books you will never lend to anyone, ever.
- [PYP 112: Zoe Weil on Raising a Generation of Solutionaries](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-111-zoe-weil-solutionaries/) - One day, Zoe Weil came to the radical conclusion that the main goal of education is to produce kind people who contribute to the wellbeing of the world by tackling huge problems.
- [PYP 111: Micaela Karlsen on Popcorn, Gizmodo, and Nutritional Science](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-111-micaela-karlsen-on-popcorn-gizmodo-and-nutritional-science/) - Micaela Karlsen is a lot more optimistic about the future of nutritional science than I usually am. Maybe it's genetic, and she's just more upbeat in general. Or maybe - and I fervently hope this is the case - her decade of experience in the world of nutritional research, policy, and public discourse leads to her see a bright future for our increasing understanding of how to eat.
- [PYP 113: Sonia Faruqi on the Truth About Animal Agriculture](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-113-sonia-faruqi-on-the-truth-about-animal-agriculture/) - Sonia Faruqi had spent her entire life preparing for a career on Wall Street. She grew up fascinated by the acquisition and accumulation of nice possessions. She studied government and economics at Dartmouth College. And she landed a prize job out of college as a consultant at an investment bank. She was living her dream.
- [PYP 114: Miyoko Schinner on Homemade Liberation](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-114-miyoko-schinner-on-homemade-liberation/) - If there were a Nobel Prize for food, Miyoko Schinner would be rehearsing her Oslo speech right now. Committed to human health and happiness, environmental stewardship, and animal welfare, her activism tends toward the decidedly delicious. She's a return guest, having shared her cheesemaking secrets with the podcast a couple of years ago.
- [PYP 115: Don Matesz on the Absurdity of Paleo](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-115-don-matesz-on-the-absurdity-of-paleo/) - Don Matesz loves ideas and philosophy as much as he loves nutritional and health research. After spending many years eating a vegetarian diet, he was swayed by a storybook, NeanderThin by Ray Audette, masquerading as serious science.
- [PYP 116: David Katz on Eliminating 80% of Disease, and Polar Bears in the Sahara](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-116-david-katz-disease-elimination/) - David Katz, MD, is a crusader on the front lines of health sanity in an insane culture. Somehow, he's managed to command attention and respect from the mainstream media, as well as medical and governmental establishments, despite talking sense and not being on the take from industry.
- [PYP 117: Glenn Livingston on Never Bingeing Again](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-117-glenn-livingston-never-binge-again/) - Glenn Livingston is a clinical psychologist, marketing consultant to Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneur, author, and all-around good guy. Also, a dear friend, colleague, and mentor. For many of the years of his illustrious career, Glenn guarded a shameful secret: he couldn't stop thinking about food. And his thoughts would lead to actions: overeating almost without limit
- [PYP 118: Andy Bellatti on Professional Integrity in Nutrition](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-118-andy-bellatti-on-professional-integrity-in-nutrition/) - Andy Bellatti became a card-carrying member of the American Dietetic Association (now Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics - AND) as soon as he completed his training as a registered dietitian. It wasn't long before Andy realized something was very wrong.
- [PYP 119: Lani Muelrath on the Right Mindsets for the Plant-Based Journey](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-119-lani-muelrath-right-mindsets-plant-based-journey/) - Lani Muelrath is one of the world's most accomplished wellness and fitness coaches. She combines cutting edge scientific research on fitness, diet, and mindset with an encyclopedic knowledge of behavorial science with a lifetime of experience helping people achieve health and happiness. And now that she's making her third appearance on the Plant Yourself Podcast, I don't think I can call her a "guest" anymore. She's now a regular.
- [PYP 120: Hendrie Weisinger on Performing Under Pressure](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-120-hendrie-weisinger-on-performing-under-pressure/) - Hendrie "Hank" Weisinger, PhD is the co-author of a fabulously empowering book, Performing Under Pressure. He's a New York Times bestselling author, and a consultant to some of the biggest names in business, sports, government, and health care. He's worked with people under pressure like I couldn't even imagine.
- [PYP 121: Dr. Ron Weiss on the Healing Power of Farming](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-121-dr-ron-weiss-on-the-healing-power-of-farming/) - After 7 years in the emergency room and 15 years running a traditional medical clinic in suburban New Jersey, Dr. Ronald Weiss decided to radically change his practice. He moved to a centuries-old working farm in rural New Jersey and began treating his patients with fresh, organic, sustainably grown produce.
- [PYP 122: Howard Jacobson on Proteinaholic](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-122-howard-jacobson-proteinaholic/) - Today, something a little different. To mark the publication of Proteinaholic, which I worked on with Garth Davis, MD, I wanted to talk about, well, Proteinaholic. So since it's my show, I grabbed the microphone - and stared at my mixer for about 20 minutes. Then I asked my wife, Mia, to come into the studio and help me.
- [PYP 123: Dina Rose on Helping Parents End the Food Fights](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-123-dina-rose-end-food-fights/) - Dina Rose, PhD, grew up in a household rife with dysfunctional lessons, attitudes, and behaviors related to food and eating. Her mother struggled with food and obesity, and ultimately died of obesity-related illness when Dina was 5 months pregnant with her daughter. Dina did not want to repeat history, so she dove into the question of how to teach kids to eat healthy and develop a positive relationship with food. Her background in sociology allowed her to step back from the parenting fads of the moment, and look at the big picture issue of socialization: how we pass values and habits and mindsets to our children.
- [PYP 124: Samantha Carrie Johnson on Eating Real and Living Our Passion](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-124-samantha-carrie-johnson-on-eating-real-and-living-our-passion/) - Samantha Carrie Johnson, at age 30, has already accomplished several lifetimes worth of personal and social achievement. A chef, restauranteur, entrepreneur, actor, model, Miss Pennsylvania 2007, and MTV reality show star, Samantha devotes her energy and her time to raising consciousness, promoting plant-based health, and keeping her own life balanced.
- [PYP 125: (Bonus) Glenn Livingston and Howard Jacobson on Proteinaholic and Suspect Science](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-125-bonus-glenn-livingston-and-howard-jacobson-on-proteinaholic-and-suspect-science/) - So I helped Dr Garth Davis write Proteinaholic, which came out this month (and is getting lots of love at the bookstores and in amazon reviews, so thank you very much). (Note to reader: for maximum effect, this next paragraph should be read in one long breath.) And the book basically says (spoiler alert) that we're obsessed with protein, and we're eating way too much of it, and excluding many other important nutrients because we're so obsessed with protein (I'm looking at you, fiber), and we would be healthier and slimmer if we just calmed down a bit and ate a plant-based diet that limited our protein intake to levels appropriate for humans.
- [PYP 126: Jill McKeever on Cooking Speedy-Healthy-Delicious](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-126-jill-mckeever-on-cooking-speedy-healthy-delicious/) - Jill McKeever is not an introvert, I suspect. I began to form this suspicion when we started our video Skype conversation and I noticed she was wearing fuzzy bunny ears. Plus she hollers "Woot Woot" every time she speaks or hears the words "Instant Pot." Good thing Jill is preaching the message of healthy cooking and delicious eating!
- [PYP 129: Dr Rekha Chaudhary on Giving Hope to Cancer Patients](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-129-dr-rekha-chaudhary-on-giving-hope-to-cancer-patients/) - Dr Rekha Chaudhary is an oncologist and assistant professor of medicine at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Until a chance viewing of the documentary Forks Over Knives, Dr Chaudhary had never once encountered the concept that diet could affect cancer intiation, progression, or outcome. Unwilling to shove this new data under the rug, she invited T. Colin Campbell to conduct Grand Rounds at her university, and was amazed at the animal studies showing that environment (specifically, the amount of animal protein in the diet) could turn cancer cells on and off.
- [PYP 128: Queenie Moore on Being Black, Plant-Based, Fit, and Curvy](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-128-queenie-moore-on-being-black-plant-based-fit-and-curvy/) - I met Queenetta (Queenie) Moore at her booth at the Raleigh VegFest, where she was promoting a "21 Day to Plant-Based" Challenge: Soul Food edition. Her outreach to the Black community fascinated me as a marketer, and I wanted to explore the differences between her approach and what I'm used to in the suburban white world. When we got talking, however, it turned out that there were dozens of fascinating things about Queenie and her work and her take on life.
- [PYP 130: Dr Ted Crawford on Healing Himself and His Patients](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-130-dr-ted-crawford-on-healing-himself-and-his-patients/) - Ted "Dr Herbivore" Crawford grew up in Iowa, eating meat and dairy at every meal. Even as a Doctor of Osteopathy, he thought that healthy eating meant less red meat, and more chicken and fish. His own health was a mess: medicated for high cholesterol and hypertension (the latter at the highest allowable doses), suffering from Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, overweight and experiencing frequent migraines. His wife had survived breast cancer, and was dealing with osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.
- [PYP 131: Anthony Dissen, RD, on Empowering vs Preaching](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-131-anthony-dissen-rd-empowering-vs-preaching/) - Dietitian Anthony Dissen has the plant-based science down cold, like many of us. What sets him apart is his research in and experience with group programs to change behaviors in an engaging, positive, and sustainable fashion. We met through an email correspondence over Proteinaholic, and quickly discovered several common elements in our histories and interests. When he told me his story about running plant-based wellness programs for employees of a hospital, and showed me the results of the pilot run, I knew he'd be a great guest.
- [PYP 132: Jay Oliveira and Michelle Muench on Thriving Through Plants, Passion, and Consistency](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-132-jay-oliveira-and-michelle-muench-on-thriving-through-plants-passion-and-consistency/) - Jay Oliveira and Michelle Muench are pretty much poster children for an athletic, plant-based lifestyle. YouTube and Instagram stars, with tens of thousands of followers, Jay and Michelle share their philosophy, their fitness and food strategies, their often-salty opinions, and the ups and downs of their lives in a public and powerful way. Both began their journey by watching Forks Over Knives, and they haven't looked back. Jay practices Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitively, while Michelle engages in daily yoga as a practitioner and instructor.
- [PYP 133: Kathy Hester on Beans, Oats, Slow Cookers, and Just Having Fun](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-133-kathy-hester-on-beans-oats-slow-cookers-and-just-having-fun/) - Kathy Hester is the author of five vegan cookbooks (more if you count the Halloween ebook), including the new Easy Vegan Cookbook: Make Home Healthy Cooking Practically Effortless and OATrageous Oatmeals: Delicious & Surprising Plant-Based Dishes From This Humble, Heart-Healthy Grain. I discovered to my delight that she's also a neighbor, and now, after a lunch date, an interview, and a family dinner gathering to which she brought an amazing dessert, she's become a friend.
- [PYP 134: Glenn Murphy on the New Science of Stress](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-134-glenn-murphy-on-the-new-science-of-stress/) - Glenn Murphy is a science writer and educator, bestselling author, and longtime student of the Russian martial art known as Systema. He's also my teacher, my friend, and a hilarious guy with a kick-ass British accent. It turns out that a great deal of science of human stress and resilience was done in the former Soviet Union which was embargoed and unavailable to the West until recently. This neuroscience of performance was tested and validated in work with Olympic gold medalists and spec op forces - both of whom are under a great deal more stress than most of us will ever know. And these insights are baked into Systema, which teaches relaxation and selective use of tension in response to physical threats rather than rigid stances and hyper-aggressive techniques.
- [PYP 135: Susan Benigas on Growing a Generation of Plant-Based Doctors](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-135-susan-benigas-on-growing-a-generation-of-plant-based-doctors/) - Susan Benigas is executive director of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) and founder of the Plantrician Project. Through these and other efforts, Susan is in the forefront of the movement to educate doctors about the healing power of diet and lifestyle. Susan got into this world as a marketer (which parallels my own path). She discovered firsthand how important marketing chops are to getting the word out about health in her work on St. Louis' Hooked on Health initiative, and her corporate health promotion business, Amp it Up for Life. What I really admire about Susan is her energetic optimism. It's a quality I find in leaders who succeed in creating change against all odds. In our conversation, we discuss those odds, and the stakes, and why lifestyle medicine and the healing power of a whole food, plant-based diet will ultimately prevail.
- [PYP 136: Eileen Kopsaftis on How to Become Ageless](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-136-eileen-kopsaftis-become-ageless/) - Eileen Kopsaftis is an amazing physical therapist based near Albany, New York. She's unusual in many ways, including her use of nutrition to help her patients get out of pain and regain function, and her hands-on (literally) approach to resolving pain and mobility issues. Her passion is healthy aging. And until I looked up her bio in preparation for writing these show notes, I had no idea that she's 10 years older than me. So she definitely practices what she preaches - and it definitely works for her. I've met Eileen in person twice, at Wellness Forum Health conferences, and both times she's helped me with my own aches and pains. So I'm a believer in her approach on a cellular level, and not simply based on my reading of the research.
- [PYP 137: Paul Kerton on harmonizing strength and compassion](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-137-paul-kerton-on-harmonizing-strength-and-compassion/) - I goggled at my Facebook feed, early one December morning, when I read that Arnold Schwarzenegger, of all people, was advocating for a plant-based diet at the Paris climate talks. The "You hit like a vegetarian" actor, bodybuilder, and politician was the last person on earth I would have ever guessed to make such a statement. paul-kertonRight after that, I turned on BBC World Service radio and started making my oatmeal. The interview in progress was with a soft-spoken, articulate, and passionate vegan bodybuilder from Norwich, UK named Paul Kerton. Kerton was responding to the Schwarzenegger story, and sharing his own, and was reaching roughly 300 million people with this message of life and hope.
- [PYP 138: Kelly Turner on Radical Remission from Cancer](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-138-kelly-turner-on-radical-remission-from-cancer/) - Kelly Turner, PhD, is the author of Radical Remission: Surviving Cancer Against All Odds. If you have cancer, or know anyone who has cancer, or are a human being (Western men have a 1/2 chance and women a 1/3 chance of developing cancer in their lifetime), you need to read this book. It's not one of those "Think happy thoughts and cure everything books." Instead, it's a profoundly scientific look at a group of people who may hold the key to curing cancer - and who have been systematically ignored, marginalized, and dismissed as irrelevant by medical research for the past 150 years.
- [Becoming Beloved Ancestors with Carolyn Raffensperger: PYP 366](https://plantyourself.com/becoming-beloved-ancestors-with-carolyn-raffensperger-pyp-366/) - Carolyn Raffensperger has been advocating for the environment since 1982. She's currently executive director of the Science and Environmental Health Network, which is a key proponent of the Precautionary Principle when it comes to balancing economic and environmental impacts. Raffensperger sees the environmental movement's best strategy to reverse the destruction of our planet as one of civil rights litigation. Governments, at their core, are here to keep safe the commons upon which all life depends: clean air, clean water, clean soil. She argues that our current policies are violating the "Rights of the Unborn" to a clean and healthy environment.
- [Jason Cohen on Taking the Wheel of Your Own Life: PYP 167](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-167-jason-cohen/) - Jason Cohen tipped the scale at 297 pounds when a buddy of his moved and left him a bicycle. That, along with the death of a slightly older, leaner friend, carrot-and-sticked Jason to a weight loss journey that soon turned into much more.
- [Productivity, Purpose, and Peace of Mind: Tom Solid and Paco Cantero on PYP 605](https://plantyourself.com/productivity-purpose-and-peace-of-mind-tom-solid-and-paco-cantero-on-pyp-605/) - How can we consistently get done what matters most, with purpose and peace of mind?
- [Robert Whitaker on Institutional Psychiatric Corruption: PYP 139](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-139-robert-whitaker-on-institutional-psychiatric-corruption/) - Robert Whitaker has written some of the most dystopian, disturbing, and fascinating stories of evil unleashed that I've ever read. Unfortunately for us, he's not a fiction writer. Instead, he reports on the psychiatric industry. In his 2010 book, Anatomy of an Epidemic, which won the Investigative Reporters and Editors' 2010 book award, Whitaker showed how the story told by the American Psychiatric Association - that mental illnesses were caused by known chemical imbalances in the brain, and modern wonder drugs were safe and effective - was a deadly lie.
- [PYP 140: Chef AJ on the Ultimate Weight Loss Challenge](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-140-chef-aj-on-the-ultimate-weight-loss-challenge/) - Chef AJ is a funny, ferocious, blunt, and incredibly warm and supportive leader in the plant-based movement. It's always a treat to talk with her, and this podcast gives me a good excuse to do so at least a couple times a year. This interview was inspired by her talk at the Raleigh NC Vegfest in the fall, on weight loss. Her approach is as easy to understand as it is simple to implement. And it appeals to my wholistic brain, since it involves no counting, weighing, measuring, or proportioning. Just eat foods to the left of the red line, as much as you want, whenever you want, until comfortably full. To me, this ease about food is the ultimate benefit. Freedom from obsession, from the need to keep your food scale close, and from the inherent distrust most of us have developed about our bodies and our urges.
- [PYP 141: Antonia Demas on Overhauling Food Education](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-141-antonia-demas-on-overhauling-food-education/) - Antonia Demas, PhD, is founder and director of the Food Studies Institute, an organization that creates and promotes nutrition-based curricula for elementary schools. From the Food Studies Institute website: "Her curriculum, Food Is Elementary, has been used successfully in more than 3,000 schools in 33 states. She consults throughout the U.S. and abroad and trains and certifies teachers as food educators. Dr. Demas is a Visiting Scholar at Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health and at the University of Illinois Medical School." Dr Demas was an early student of T. Colin Campbell at Cornell, and upon discovering his research, immediately began working to translate it from the Ivory Tower into the Real World.
- [PYP 142: Alan Goldhamer on the Fastest Way to Improve Health](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-142-alan-goldhamer-fastest-way-improve-health/) - Alan Goldhamer, DC, is coauthor, with Doug Lisle, of The Pleasure Trap, and co-founder and director of one of the most important medical institutions in the world: The True North Health Center in Santa Rosa, California. Using lifestyle medicine and supervised water fasting, the staff at True North achieve medical miracles on a daily basis. Simply by letting the body heal faster than it can be made sick. The healing power of water fasting is so remarkable that reputable medical journals feared for their credibility when asked to publish Goldhamer's results. Only recently has the British Medical Journal published a case report of a woman whose follicular lymphoma disappeared after 21 days of water fasting and 9 months of clean eating.
- [PYP 143: Janice Stanger on Hormonal Disruption and Dietary Dangers](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-143-janice-stanger-on-hormonal-disruption-and-dietary-dangers/) - Janice Stanger, PhD, author of The Perfect Formula Diet, is a repeat podcast guest. This time, she's on because she gave a remarkable presentation on hormonal health and disease at the annual Wellness Forum Health conference. Near the beginning of her talk, she read a quote from a medical textbook with a single word omitted: "[Blank] is the most powerful anabolic hormone in the human body." - and asked us to fill in the blank. I stood confidently, raised my hand, and boomed out the answer, Human Growth Hormone.
- [PYP 144: Irving Kirsch on Harnessing the Placebo Effect and Discovering the Truth about Antidepressants](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-144-irving-kirsch-placebos-antidepressants/) - Irving Kirsch is a soft-spoken researcher who accidentally stumbled upon one of the biggest and most costly errors in modern medicine. His cautious yet relentless search for the truth has made him persona non grata to much of the psychiatric profession and pharmaceutical industry, and a hero to the rest of us. His findings, documented in his book The Emperor's New Drugs as well as in dozens of published papers and book chapters, has generated a lot of controversy, including a 5-page cover story in Newsweek and a segment on 60 Minutes. His conclusion: antidepressant drugs, including blockbusters like Prozac and Paxil, don't work. They're no better than placebo, meaning the only reason people feel and get better when they take those drugs is because they believe they will. When you look at the evidence collected and analyzed and curated by Kirsch, it's hard to disagree.
- [PYP 145: Dr Michael Greger on the True Calling of Medicine](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-145-dr-michael-greger-on-the-true-calling-of-medicine/) - Dr Michael Greger is the founder of NutritionFacts.org, the single most comprehensive nutrition resource on the internet aimed at the lay public. Featuring over a thousand videos in which Michael "scours the world of nutrition-related research, as published in scientific journals, so you don't have to," the site covers everything from heart disease to common colds and everything in between. Rather than just reporting the findings, Michael goes deep and broad, exploring both study quality and the question explored in a scientific/historical context. These videos should be the Khan Academy for medical education - we'd all be a lot better off.
- [PYP 146: Michael Greger, MD, on How Not To Die](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-146-dr-michael-greger-on-how-not-to-die/) - Michael Greger is the founder of NutritionFacts.org, an amazing website that produces daily what would take me six months to do: a short, entertaining video exploring some aspect of nutritional science and its application to everyday life. From humble beginnings, the website now educates millions of viewers about the relationship between diet/lifestyle and disease/health.
- [PYP 147: Vlad Chituc on How (Not) to Change Hearts and Minds](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-147-vlad-chituc-on-how-not-to-change-hearts-and-minds/) - Vlad Chituc is a behavioral economics researcher at Duke University. He works with Dan Ariely at the Center for Advanced Hindsight, and focuses on issues of ethics, morality, and decision-making. When we chatted briefly a few weeks ago about his veganism and his commitment to reduce animal suffering, I was struck by his contrarian views and the really cool research behind them.
- [PYP 148: Marc Schoen, PhD, on Surviving Our Survival Instinct and Defeating Bad Habits](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-148-marc-schoen-phd-on-surviving-our-survival-instinct-and-defeating-bad-habits/) - True confession: I usually multitask while I eat, despite telling other people not to. I read, I Facebook, I talk on the phone, I create presentations, and so on. I rationalize it very well: I'm busy, I can still chew slowly (note to self: "BS!"), and this is the last time. And luckily, I tell myself, it's no big deal. Marc Schoen, PhD, assistant clinical professor at UCLA's Geffen School of Medicine, disagrees. And after reading his absolutely amazingly important and helpful book, Your Survival Instinct is Killing You, he's convinced me.
- [PYP 149: Dr. Linda Carney on the Dangers of Excess Estrogen](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-149-dr-linda-carney-estrogen/) - Dr. Linda Carney got her first taste of medicine - an addictive one, as it turns out - when she managed to witness an autopsy at the age of 14. Her vegetarian-chef / Mr. Mom stepdad added the experience of delicious plant-based eating to her life, and when she heard Hans Diehl, PhD, describe the results of his CHIP program (see below for my interview with Hans), she combined the two and embraced plant-based medicine. As Medical Director of the original Engine 2 Immersion with employees of Whole Foods in Austin, TX, Dr. Carney witnessed daily what most doctors would consider medical miracles: 100 point drops in ch0lesterol in 5 days, type 1 diabetics reducing their insulin requirements by 20% a day, and more. I became acquainted with her work through her website DrCarney.com, which renders complex nutritional and health science in layperson's terms. I specifically wanted to speak with her about women's health issues.
- [PYP 150: Dustin Rudolph on Meds vs Diet for Hypertension and Diabetes](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-150-dustin-rudolph-on-meds-vs-diet-for-hypertension-and-diabetes/) - Dustin Rudolph, PharmD, is a repeat guest on the podcast. As one of the only pharmacists in the world who favors a plant-based treatment approach, he shared his "coming of age" story and his take on the world of doctors, drugs, and health care. Today he's back to talk about two specific conditions: high blood pressure (hypertension) and type 2 (insulin resistant) diabetes.
- [PYP 151: Steven Sashen on Running Barefoot and Feeling the World](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-151-steven-sashen-barefoot/) - Steven Sashen is co-founder of Xeroshoes.com, and a fierce critic of the athletic footwear industry. Steven and I met when we were in the digital marketing world, and stayed in touch as we both migrated into health and wellness. Steven has been my “almost barefoot shoe” supplier since 2011, when I read Born to Run and got my mind blown about the harm done by hyper-cushioned and hyper-supportive footwear. There are so many parallels between the misinformation promoted by Big Food and Big Pharma and Big Sneaker, I wanted to get Steven on the podcast to share his naturalistic approach to moving in a way that doesn’t lead to injury and limitation.
- [Nina Cooke on Being One Thought Away from Happiness: PYP 152](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-152-nina-cooke-one-thought-from-happiness/) - Nina Cooke is a performance coach who specializes in helping people find success, balance, and happiness in their lives by questioning their most subterranean beliefs and thought patterns. I met her through a mutual friend who shared with me how helpful Nina had been in showing him how to unlock his own potential.
- [Bob Cafaro on Beating MS: PYP 153](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-153-bob-cafaro-beating-ms/) - Bob Cafaro was enjoying a successful career as a professional cellist with the Philadelphia Orchestra when he was struck with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in December, 1998. After some serious denial and three increasingly nasty attacks, he was forced to confront the reality and severity of his diagnosis. With Bob's eyesight worsening to the point of blindness and his hands unable to control the cello, it was only natural for his doctor to write him a note for permanent disability. And slip him a script for an antidepressant to help him cope with the loss of his profession, his livelihood, his passion, and his independent existence
- [Matt Frazier and Sid Garza-Hillman on the Sane and Happy Path to Change: PYP 154](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-154-matt-frazier-sid-garza-hillman-sane-happy-path-change/) - Matt Frazier and Sid Garza-Hillman have teamed up to produce plant-base meal plans that are designed to get us to the point where we no longer need meal plans.
- [Jamie Gannon on Brain Cancer, Golden Tickets, and Silver Linings: PYP 155](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-155-jamie-gannon-brain-cancer-golden-tickets-silver-linings/) - When Jamie Gannon was 27, he was an aspiring actor living the dream in Hollywood. Reading for films, TV, and commercials. Working his day job. Working out to keep his leading man physique. Taking voice and acting classes. And living a healthy, active life. When it all fell apart, thanks to a golf-ball sized malignant tumor at the base of his brain. A tumor that, even after its removal and long courses of chemo and other intensive medical therapies, left Jamie with a 10-15% chance at survival.
- [Howard Jacobson on Motivation and Transformation: PYP 156](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-156-howard-jacobson-motivation-transformation/) - Hey there, it's me, Howard. My mind has been buzzing lately, full of input from some of the guests I've interviewed over the past few months. It's like they've been talking with each other, in my mind, and I have these momentary revelations and confusions as I go on runs, sit down to write, and lay awake at night when I'm not tired enough to sleep
- [Keegan Kuhn on Not Hurting Anybody and Questioning Authority: PYP 157](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-157-keegan-kuhn-not-hurting-anybody-questioning-authority/) - Keegan Kuhn was raised with two rules: don’t hurt anybody, and question authority. Judging by what’s he’s become and what he’s accomplished, I think those two rules may comprise a necessary and sufficient philosophy of child-rearing. Keegan is an accomplished bio-intensive farm and garden developer, a social activist, and a documentary filmmaker whose latest project, What the Health?, promises to rip the cover off the pharmaceutical / medical / agricultural conspiracy to ruin our health.
- [Sandi Kronick on Facilitating a Sustainable Food System: PYP 158](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-158-sandi-kronick-facilitating-sustainable-food-system/) - Sandi Kronick is founder and CEO of Eastern Carolina Organics (ECO), an innovative food hub company that connects medium-scale organic farmers with local and far-flung markets. Located in Durham, NC, ECO is part of a new breed of mission-driven for-profit companies looking to help us eat better within a capitalist framework.
- [Glen Merzer on Writing, Standup, and the Politics of Healthcare: PYP 159](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-159-glen-merzer-writing-standup-politics-healthcare/) - Glen Merzer juggles multiple careers with a grace and impact that makes me a bit jealous. From standup comedy in 1980s San Francisco, to sitcom writing, to screenplays, to non-fiction collaborations with plant-based authors, to his very own novel (now I'm a lot jealous!), Glen is doing a lot of good in the world through his pen.
- [Doug Lisle on the Evolutionary Uses of Pain and Sacrifice: PYP 160](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-160-doug-lisle-evolutionary-uses-pain-sacrifice/) - Doug Lisle, PhD, is an evolutionary psychologist, Director of Research at True North Health Center, and co-author of one of the most important and - to me - challenging books on human happiness and health, The Pleasure Trap. The other author, Alan Goldhamer, was a recent guest on this podcast, and credited his desire to beat Doug at basketball as the motivating factor behind his own search for the truth about health.
- [Eric O'Grey on Being Rescued by an Obese, Middle-Aged Dog: PYP 161](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-161-eric-ogrey-rescued-obese-middle-aged-dog/) - Eric O’Grey co-stars in a 6-minute video that’s been viewed over 50 millions times. He’s been on NPR, Rachael Ray, Oprah.com, and Today.com. He runs multiple marathons a year, advocates for animal rescue and plant-based diets, and is in the process of inking a book deal. All because of a scruffy, obese, middle-aged rescue dog.
- [Dr Michael Edelstein on Overcoming Addiction and Procrastination: PYP 162](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-162-dr-michael-edelstein-overcoming-addiction-procrastination/) - Michael R Edelstein is a clinical psychologist with a practice in San Francisco, and globally via Skype. As a teenager, he was depressed and anxious, and a chronic procrastinator. After a long, unsuccessful stint of psychoanalysis, Michael discovered the pioneering work of Albert Ellis, the founder of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT).
- [Tim Kaufman on Doing a Little More Today Than You Did Yesterday: PYP 163](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-163-tim-kaufman-little-today-yesterday/) - When Tim Kaufman was in his late 30s, he weighed about 400 pounds, struggled with addictions to pain killers, and figured this was how his life was gonna be from now on. After all, he had been diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a genetic disease that messes with connective tissue and left his knees essentially useless.
- [Timaree Hagenburger on Making Food that Loves You Back: PYP 164](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-164-timaree-hagenburger-making-food-loves-back/) - Timaree Hagenburger is a full-time nutrition professor at Cosumnes River College, a professional speaker working in corporate wellness and is a Certified Exercise Physiologist. She discovered plant-based nutrition a few years ago, and hasn't looked back.
- [Ashley Rhinehart on Promoting a Plant-based World from Top Down and Bottom Up: PYP 165](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-165-ashley-rhinehart/) - Ashley Rhinehart is Food and Nutrition Manager at the Humane Society of the United States. A military brat by upbringing and a pediatric nurse by training, Ashley is uniquely positioned to advocate for plant-based nutrition in high places.
- [Olivia Kelly on Putting Chronic Disease Out of Business: PYP 166](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-166-olivia-kelly-putting-chronic-disease-business/) - Olivia Kelly is CEO of WellStart Health, a startup wellness company whose foundation is a plant-centered diet. Armed with a "why not me?" attitude, a background in fitness and health, and a dream, Olivia co-founded WellStart Health to change the game in corporate wellness and healthcare.
- [Dr Milton Mills on Our Marvelous Microbiome: PYP 168](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-168-dr-milton-mills-marvelous-microbiome/) - Dr Milton Mills combines an encyclopedic knowledge of human biology, anatomy, physiology, and pathology with a passion for health and justice for all creatures. Plus, he's a top-notch debater with a flair for analogy.
- [Jim Gray on Defeating Genetics Through Diet: PYP 169](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-169-jim-gray-defeating-genetics-diet/) - Jim Gray (middle of the photo) knew that he had been dealt a lousy health hand when he was diagnosed with high blood pressure at the tender age of 18. At that point, he was in good shape, a high school athlete, muscular and lean at six feet tall and weighing under 200 pounds.
- [Heather Goodwin on Harnessing the Butterfly Effect for Health: PYP 170](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-170-heather-goodwin-harnessing-butterfly-effect-health/) - Heather Goodwin is fond of saying that she was born at her ideal weight, and that was the last time she ever saw it. In her teens her weight was in the hundreds; in her twenties, the two-hundreds; in her thirties, the three-hundreds, and in her forties - well, you can see where this is going.
- [Pam Kropf on Becoming a Plant-Based Trail Momma: PYP 171](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-171-pam-kropf-becoming-plant-based-trail-momma/) - Pam Kropf is on an inspiring journey of wellness and self-actualization that lacks some of the drama our culture associates with growth and change.
- [Marta Zaraska on Why We're Meathooked and How to Unhook Ourselves: PYP 172](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-172-marta-zaraska-on-why-were-meathooked-and-how-to-unhook-ourselves/) - Marta Zaraska is the author of Meathooked: The History and Science of Our 2.5-Million-Years Obsession with Meat, which was just published this year (2016). Marta writes about science and health for some of the most influential and prestigious publications, including Scientific American, The Atlantic, and the Washington Post. And now that she's been published on the Plant Yourself Podcast, I suppose she's reached the height of achievement ;)
- [Navigating Life Through Feelings with Mark Leuchten: PYP 173](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-173-mark-leuchten-navigating-life-feelings/) - At various times in my life, I've felt like I was hitting my head against the universe. Struggling to figure out what to do next. Stuck in a house and neighborhood that wasn't right for us. Navigating a conflict between duty and pleasure. That sort of thing. And eventually, I would call my friend Mark Leuchten and ask him to help me "figure things out.
- [Nature's Brilliant Protocol and a Popcorn Fart in the Wind with Josh LaJaunie: PYP 174](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-174-josh-lajaunie/) - Josh LaJaunie is, by his own admission, a simple Bayou coonass who discovered plants and running, and transformed his life. His backstory is well documented in a couple of Rich Roll Podcasts, which you should drop everything and listen to if you don't know Josh yet (links below).
- [Dave Willits on Plant-Based Life After Death: PYP 175](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-175-dave-willits/) - On March 28, 2014, Dave Willits suffered a heart attack at work, and died at the hospital later that day. Several times, in fact. Luckily for him (and us), he was revived every time, and awoke from his surgery vowing never to take another day for granted. Dave had thought himself in good shape at the age of 53, so he quickly realized that all his assumptions about how to have a healthy heart were flawed.
- [The Power of One Plate at a Time with Ken Botts: PYP 176](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-176-ken-botts/) - Ken Botts has been in food service for over 35 years, since he discovered the financial rewards of frying chicken and slinging pizza as a teenager trying to pay for his own car insurance. At age 18, he discovered Diet for a Small Planet, by Francis Moore Lappé, and made the connection between the food we eat and the world we inhabit.
- [Telling the Plant-based Story to the World with Gene Stone: PYP 177](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-177-gene-stone/) - Gene Stone is the author of about 40 books (he wasn't quite sure of the exact count), and has become the pre-eminent co-author on books in the plant-based and vegan genres, including Michael Greger's runaway bestseller How Not to Die, Rip Esselstyn's The Engine 2 Diet and My Beef with Meat, and a bunch of others.
- [Becoming a Lean, Green Dad with Cory Warren: PYP 179](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-179-cory-warren/) - Cory Warren is a plant-based athlete from Orlando, Florida, and dad to three whole food, plant-based kids. After struggling through a medicine morass of misinformation and toxic treatment when his wife was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (UC), they took matters into their own hands and started looking for alternatives.
- [Peak Performance for the Rest of Us with Bradley Stulberg: PYP 180](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-180-bradley-stulberg/) - Bradley Stulberg writes about the connections between exercise and human physiology and psychology. He's interviewed many of the world's elite athletes, and has synthesized their insights into valuable lessons for the rest of us.
- [Detoxing from Dairy with Michelle Cehn and Allison Rivers Samson: PYP 181](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-181-michelle-cehn-and-allison-rivers-samson-on-detoxing-from-dairy/) - Michelle Cehn and Allison River Sampson have spent over a year creating a 12-day program designed to wean participants off dairy - permanently.
- [Becoming Pain-free Like an Animal with Tom Dalonzo-Baker: PYP 182](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-182-tom-dalonzo-baker/) - When my right knee started hurting so bad that I couldn't run, do yoga, squat, or ride a bike, I did all the things I knew how to do. I got massages. I iced. I rubbed hot and cold ointments into the skin. I visualized. I went to the chiropractor. I stretched. And nothing worked.
- [Being an "Ayurvegan" with Darshana Thacker: PYP 183](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-183-darshana-thacker-ayurvegan/) - Darshana Thacker is the culinary project manager for Forks Over Knives, as well as the chef responsible for 125 kid-friendly recipes in the brand new Forks Over Knives Family book. She has been a Forks Over Knives (FOK) insider since the very beginning (in addition to being a top-notch plant-based chef, she's also FOK producer Brian Wendel's girlfriend).
- [Adam and Shoshana Chaim on Eating Their Way Out of a Medical Nightmare: PYP 184](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-184-adam-shoshana-chaim-eating-way-medical-nightmare/) - Adam and Shoshana Chaim are the hosts of the most excellent Plant Trainers Podcast. Their journey of discovery and transformation is one that needs to be heard by everyone who may ever come into contact with the medical establishment. (And even more so by the members of that establishment.)
- [Finding (and Sharing) the Fountain of Youth with Doug Schmidt: PYP 185](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-185-doug-schmidt/) - Doug Schmidt is an enrichment teacher and health and wellness coordinator for his upstate New York school district. Now, health and wellness coordinators generally focus on stress reduction in the workplace, smoking cessation, and getting teachers to increase their physical activity by taking the stairs and parking farther away from the front entrance.
- [The Universal Language of Food with Katie Simmons: PYP 187](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-187-katie-simmons-universal-language-food/) - Katie Simmons was working as a traditionally trained chef and moonlighting as a fitness instructor when the dare happened. She was struggling - as she had been her whole life - with her weight and her health. She managed to achieve a tentative balance between compulsive overeating and compulsive overexercising, but still dealt with feeling lousy and often ashamed of herself. Then the dare - go vegan for one month - changed everything.
- [Dr Chad Teeters on Becoming an Infamous Cardiologist: PYP 188](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-188-dr-chad-teeters-becoming-infamous-cardiologist/) - Dr John “Chad” Teeters grew up eating a good old meat and potato diet in his home state of North Carolina. An active kid, he looked and felt healthy and fit; his diet started catching up with him only when combined with the rigors of college, medical school, and medical residency. For his entire adult life, Chad struggled with weight, gaining and losing pounds as his activity levels and self-control waxed and waned. After competing in a couple of triathlons in 2005, he let go of the struggle and gained roughly 10 pounds a year for the next 10 years.
- [The Simple Practices that Healed His Depression with Dave Wiskowski: PYP 189](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-189-dave-wiskowski/) - In 1987, fresh out of college, I took a job as a teaching intern at a fancy prep school in central New Jersey. One of the students who never made it across my radar was a quiet, blonde fifth grade boy named Dave Wiskowski. In his class photo, he’s not smiling, unlike many of his classmates. He told me that he was struggling with depression at that time, any for many years later. Like many people who find themselves overwhelmed by life and negative emotions, he became adept at self-medicating through food, alcohol, and self-pity.
- [Stumbling Toward a Healthy and Kind Diet with Clay Garrett: PYP 190](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-190-clay-garrett-stumbling-toward-healthy-kind-diet/) - Growing up in rural East Texas, Clay Garrett was raised to appreciate meat. His father, an agriculture instructor, literally taught an entire class on how to produce, process and cook meat. And the "meat and butter at every meal" cuisine was never linked, in anyone's mind, to the family history of high cholesterol and cancer, let alone to the digestive issues that ruled Clay's life.
- [Hal Hershfield on Befriending Our Future Selves: PYP 191](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-191-hal-hershfield-befriending-future-selves/) - Hal Herschfield is a UCLA psychology professor, and author of some really interesting studies on the connection between what we do now and how we think about the future. Specifically, he's shown through brain scans that the more we think of our future selves as a person different from ourselves (and most of us do), the less we're willing to sacrifice today to help that future self.
- [Healing from Whiteness with Tad Hargrave: PYP 192](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-192-tad-hargrave-healing-whiteness/) - Tad Hargrave is an environmental activist and marketing teacher whose heartfelt wisdom and elegant and ethical strategies inspired and guided much of my own thinking when I was in the online marketing field. We've stayed in touch over the years, and as Tad is a prolific writer, I spend a fair amount of time pondering his pensive and powerful essays on, basically, how to be a courteous and committed ally to those on the planet who are suffering.
- [Escaping the Dungeon of Obesity with Justin Lacy: PYP 193](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-193-justin-lacy-on-escaping-the-dungeon-of-obesity/) - Two years ago, Justin Lacy weighed 500 pounds, and could move about only on crutches — when he could move about at all. His tendonitis and lymphedema made standing painful and walking all but impossible. Following his mother’s stroke, the then-30-year-old Justin decided that he was going to make changes and get healthy, no matter what.
- ["I'm not speeding up; they're all slowing down" with Ellen Jaffe Jones: PYP 194](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-194-ellen-jaffe-jones/) - I ran into Ellen Jaffe Jones at the Raleigh NC Vegfest, where she was inspiring young and old to get off their butts and embrace a healthy, active, vegan lifestyle. We had met on Skype for a podcast interview more than three years ago, but this was the first time we had met in person. And since I've become a runner, I badly wanted a copy of her new book, Vegan Fitness For Mortals. As one of the most decorated track and field athletes in the country (and getting more and more competitive as her non-plant-based rivals slow down and quit as their bodies decline), she has a lot to teach me about running well and sustainably.
- [Pharmaceutical Brainwashing of America with Vanessa Sardi: PYP 196](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-196-vanessa-sardi-pharmaceutical-brainwashing-america/) - When Vanessa Sardi was a drug rep for one of the world's largest and most powerful pharmaceutical companies, she firmly believed that she was educating doctors to make better prescribing decisions and was helping patients live healthier, more comfortable lives.
- [Scott Carney on Extreme Cold and Facing the World as It Is: PYP 197](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-197-scott-carney-extreme-cold-facing-world/) - In the winter of 2013, Scott Carney traveled to Poland to debunk the prophet/madman Wim Hof, a charismatic Dutchman who claimed that his method of breathwork, cold exposure, and meditation could confer superpowers on its practitioners.
- [Ed and Amanda Smith on Leadership, Community, and Health: PYP 198](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-198-ed-amanda-smith-leadership-community-health/) - Ed and Amanda Smith are the co-founders of Healthfest, a three-day annual event in a small Texas town that's become an unlikely hub of plant-based nutrition in the United States. Marshall, Texas, population 27,000, is smack in the middle of the "stroke belt." Where beef is king, hunting is a rite of passage into manhood, and if it ain't deep-fried, it ain't food. And there, where Ed served as mayor, is where they decided to bring plant-based knowledge and practice.
- [Getting a Second Lease on Life - and Using It in a Big Way with Paul Chatlin: PYP 199](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-199-paul-chatlin/) - At age 55, Paul Chatlin was a few minutes away from surgery on a 100% blockage in his right coronary artery when his cardiologist asked him out of the blue, "Would you consider a nutritional change instead of bypass surgery?" Turns out the cardiologist's mentor was a dude named Caldwell Esselstyn, which is the only way this story makes any sense. Paul, tired of his severe angina, terrified of the life that followed bypass surgery that he witnessed in his father and three uncles, and in agony from the "elephant sitting on his chest," agreed. "I'll do anything."
- [Saving America by Reforming Health Insurance with Ken Beckman: PYP 200](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-200-ken-beckman-saving-america-reforming-health-insurance/) - Ken Beckman is an actuary in the health insurance field. (Now hang on, you non-math folks - this is going to be a lot more interesting (and accessible) than you might think. Give us a chance here... :) After getting turned on to the health benefits of a plant-based diet, Ken began seeing the health insurance industry in a radically new light. If the best possible outcome is a slow decline mediated by appropriate drugs and timely procedures, then we're probably doing OK.
- [Caring for Our Bodies as Temples of Spirit with Nalida Besson: PYP 201](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-201-nalida-besson-on-caring-for-our-bodies-as-temples-of-spirit/) - Nalida Lacet Besson wasn't so concerned about weighing 240 pounds or passing the occasional painful gallstone. What got her attention in the summer of 2013 was a physical malaise so complete and overwhelming, she believed she was dying. Everything hurt, including her skin. It was as if her body were saying, "I've had enough of this. Time to rest."
- [How to get your family to support your health transformation - without begging or getting angry](https://plantyourself.com/get-family-support-health-transformation-without-begging-getting-angry/) - When one person in a family takes that first scary, courageous step toward wellness, you would think that everyone else in the family would be supportive.
- [The Nuts and Bolts of a Good Night's Sleep with Emerson Wickwire: PYP 202](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-202-emerson-wickwire/) - Emerson Wickwire, PhD, returns to the Plant Yourself Podcast to share his message of a good night's sleep. In this show we focus on actionable advice: What to do when you have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, getting back to sleep, or waking up fully rested.
- [Overcoming Guilt and Shame with Michael Edelstein: PYP 203](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-203-michael-edelstein-overcoming-guilt-shame/) - Michael Edelstein, PhD, returns to the podcast to help me wrap my mind around two of my most faithful mind-companions, guilt and shame. Dr. Edelstein is a clinical psychologist, and author of the most excellent self-help book, Three Minute Therapy. He's also a student of the great Dr. Albert Ellis, founder of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), one of the foundational contributions to cognitive behavior therapy (CBT).
- [Brian Kateman on Reducing Animal Consumption by Building a Big Tent: PYP 204](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-204-brian-kateman-on-reducing-animal-consumption-by-building-a-big-tent/) - Brian Kateman is cofounder of the burgeoning Reducetarian movement, and one of the bright young stars in the fight to save humanity, animals, and planet earth from spiraling into an unredeemable mess. Brian reached out to me about a year ago, sharing a modest vision for an edited book designed not to turn ordinary people into vegetarians or vegans, but simply to encourage and empower them to eat less meat.
- [Educating a Generation of Healthy, Savvy Moms and Girlfriends with Lana Kontos: PYP 207](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-207-lana-kontos-educating-generation-healthy-savvy-moms-girlfriends/) - Lana Kontos is a naturopath and women's health advocate who somehow managed to transcend her training and embrace the true sources of health. While still in high school, she was told by her guidance counselor that she should become an MD. But the contradiction in her education - like the brilliant, morbidly obese dean of her state university with a PhD in nutrition who was always in pain, and whose dietary preferences consisted largely of steak and eggs - sent her into the business world.
- [Making Familiar Food Healthy with Kim Campbell: PYP 205](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-205-kim-campbell-making-familiar-food-healthy/) - Kim Campbell is the author of two really useful cookbooks: The PlantPure Nation Cookbook, and The PlantPure Kitchen. Her recipes are featured in the Jumpstarts chronicled in the documentary PlantPure Nation, directed by her husband, Nelson Campbell.
- [Chris Voss on Negotiating with Others and Ourselves: PYP 208](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-208-chris-voss-negotiating/) - Chris Voss learned negotiation in one of the most high-stakes professions possible: as a lead international hostage negotiator for the FBI. Having learned from the super-smart, super-rational Harvard negotiation experts, Chris quickly discovered that humans are not rational, and that principles and tactics that work with Rational Humans (a fictitious species) do not reliably work with Real Humans.
- [Overcoming Addiction with Adam and Lecia Sud: PYP 209](https://plantyourself.com/overcoming-addiction-adam-lecia-sud-pyp-209/) - Adam Sud is only 34 years old and he’s already battled against obesity, type II diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, drug addiction, fast food addiction, and severe depression. Once weighing over 300 pounds, he had lost all interest in life. Addicted to fast food and prescription drugs, Adam dug himself out with plant-based nutrition, after attending an Immersion with Rip Esselstyn. Having reversed all of his chronic health conditions and losing 160 pounds, Adam is now health coach for the Whole Foods Market Medical and Wellness Clinic in Austin, Texas.
- [Josh LaJaunie on Naturally Attainable Quantities: PYP 210](https://plantyourself.com/josh-lajaunie-naturally-attainable-quantities-pyp-210/) - On the road from Marshall, Texas to MSY airport in New Orleans, Josh LaJaunie and I tried out a concept that we've been playing with for about a year. Josh came up with it originally (not that no one's ever thought it before, but he was the first person who articulated it in a way that empowered me to make good decisions based on it). And the more I applied it, the more it started looking like the Unified Field Theory of How to Be an Authentic Human.
- [Putting Our Money Where Our Hearts Are with Lee Slonimsky: PYP 211](https://plantyourself.com/putting-money-hearts-lee-slonimsky-pyp-211/) - Lee Slonimsky is both a financial wizard and an accomplished poet. His abiding interests include social justice and animal welfare. Lee has managed to fit all these skills, interests, and passions into a singular and impactful life. He's the co-founder of Next Era Capital Partners LLC, the country's first hedge fund majority owned by Native Americans. He uses his investment chops to shift the capitalist game from amassing resources at any cost to using capital as a tool to reorient business toward more life-sustaining practices.
- [The Nature Fix with Florence Williams: PYP 212](https://plantyourself.com/nature-fix-florence-williams-pyp-212/) - Florence Williams is the author of a must-read book, The Nature Fix. Why must-read? Because contact with nature, it turns out, is one of the foundational elements of human health and well-being.
- [Avoiding Burnout and Achieving Peak Performance with Bradley Stulberg: PYP 213](https://plantyourself.com/avoiding-burnout-achieving-peak-performance-bradley-stulberg-pyp-213/) - Bradley Stulberg and Steve Magness know a lot about burnout. They were up-and-comers in their respective fields - consulting and running - and neither managed to live up to their early promise. Both "burned out," losing interest, passion, and the performance edge they had honed through years of hard work and deliberate practice. As they rebuilt their lives, they both gravitated to the field of high performance. Wondering what happened, perhaps, and seeking a way to turn things around for themselves and others.
- [Hacking the Instant Pot and Air Fryer with Kathy Hester: PYP 214](https://plantyourself.com/hacking-instant-pot-air-fryer-kathy-hester-pyp-214/) - My good friend and neighbor Kathy Hester is a combination cookbook factory and mad scientist. I like having her on the podcast partly because I get lonely and it's fun to have in-studio guests, and partly because she brings me vegan goodies to share with my family, and partly because she is always pushing the boundaries on how to make healthy plant-based meals easier and tastier and mainstreamier.
- [Achieving Behavior Change Through Pleasure and Positivity with Sid Garza-Hillman: PYP 215](https://plantyourself.com/achieving-behavior-change-pleasure-positivity-sid-garza-hillman-pyp-215/) - Sid Garza-Hillman is one of the world's great bald plant-based podcasters of Jewish origin. He's also a remarkably savvy and sane health coach, and a funny and frank philosopher of what constitutes a good life. We met in person in Marshall, TX, during Healthfest, and found ourselves agreeing on lots of things that almost nobody agrees with us on. So deciding we were kindred spirits, we planned a podcast conversation around the state of plant-based practice and advocacy in 2017.
- [The Biogas Revolution with Alon Civier: PYP 216](https://plantyourself.com/biogas-revolution-alon-civier-pyp-216/) - Alon Civier is the Customer Experience Manager at HomeBiogas.com, an Israeli startup whose mission is to bring clean and elegant biogas technology to the world.
- [Creating a Safe "Couple Bubble" with Susan Orenstein: PYP 217](https://plantyourself.com/creating-safe-couple-bubble-susan-orenstein-pyp-217/) - Susan Orenstein, PhD, is a couples therapist in Cary, North Carolina. She's also a long-time friend (I believe we met in 1986) and neighbor (since we moved to NC in 2005). I wanted to pick her brain about a challenge that many of my clients face - navigating their health journey in tandem with their significant other.
- [Kim Williams, MD on Building an Evidence-based and Inclusive Cardiology Profession: PYP 218](https://plantyourself.com/kim-williams-md-building-evidence-based-inclusive-cardiology-profession-pyp-218/) - Kim Williams, MD, is past president of the American College of Cardiology (ACC). Let's take a moment to appreciate how amazing that is. First of all, he grew up poor and black on the South Side of Chicago. One winter he ended up in the hospital with pneumonia; his family couldn't afford to buy him a coat. His step-dad died of an intercranial hemorrhage when Kim was five years old. Second, Dr Williams chose medical school over a promising career as a professional tennis player. Third, he's the first and thus far only president of the ACC to "come out" as a vegan. The current chairman of cardiology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago has been vegan himself since 2003, and now recommends a vegan diet to his patients as the first line of defense against heart disease.
- [Living Life on Purpose with Vic Strecher: PYP 219](https://plantyourself.com/living-life-purpose-vic-strecher-pyp-219/) - Vic Strecher was a stellar public health researcher and entrepreneur when his life lost all meaning. A professor at the University of Michigan, founder of the Center for Health Communication Research, and creator of an online health coaching company that was bought by Johnson & Johnson in 2008, Strecher was at the top of his game. And then in 2010 his life fell apart when his daughter Julia died at the age of 21.
- [How to Overcome Our Cravings with Judson Brewer: PYP 220](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-overcome-our-cravings-with-judson-brewer-pyp-220/) - Judson Brewer, author of The Craving Mind: From Cigarettes to Smartphones to Love - Why We Get Hooked, & How We Can Break Bad Habits - kept his meditation practice and medical career separate for a decade. Luckily for us, it eventually dawned on him to inform his research and clinical practice with the 2500-year-old insights of Buddhism.
- [Integrating Plant-based Nutrition into the Medical System with Michelle McMacken: PYP 221](https://plantyourself.com/integrating-plant-based-nutrition-medical-system-michelle-mcmacken-pyp-221/) - Michelle McMacken, MD, is a leader in the field of plant-based lifestyle medicine. She's an assistant professor at New York University's School of Medicine, and the director of a medical weight-loss clinic at Bellevue Medical Center. She's also responsible for teaching doctors-in-training at Bellevue, where she gets to introduce the next generation of medical professionals to the wonderful world of lifestyle medicine.
- [Healthy Plant-Based Pregnancy with Micaela Karlsen: PYP 308](https://plantyourself.com/healthy-plant-based-pregnancy-with-micaela-karlsen-pyp-308/) - When I polled my listeners about topics or guests they'd like to hear on upcoming episodes of Plant Yourself, I got a lot of requests for a show about plant-based pregnancy. I thought this might be a little too niche, until I reminded myself that every one of us is the result of a pregnancy, and that for the foreseeable future, all our descendants will continue to be born in this fashion. So no problem there... When I asked my Facebook Hive Mind who would be a great guest for this topic, Micaela Karlsen's name came up again and again. So here we are today :)
- [Overcoming Disordered Eating Through Self-Love and Education with Tara Kemp: PYP 222](https://plantyourself.com/overcoming-disordered-eating-self-love-education-tara-kemp-pyp-222/) - Tara Kemp is one of the happy luminaries of the plant-based movement. Spend an hour in her presence and you'll be charmed and delighted into eating better - no lectures or harangues required. When I first met Tara, I just assumed she was a natural-born positive person, never given to depression or anxiety or even garden-variety snarkiness. But as I discovered in our conversation, she has overcome a great deal to get to where she is now.
- [Doing Epic Sh-tuff and Having Fun with Aaron Stuber and Jackson Long: PYP 223](https://plantyourself.com/epic-sh-tuff-fun-aaron-stuber-jackson-long-pyp-223/) - Aaron Stuber and Jackson Long are the irreverent, hilarious, and extremely fit duo behind the Thought For Food Podcast and nascent publishing empire. Aaron is a cardiovascular nurse, and a long-time competitive climber. When he first started dating his vegetarian girlfriend, he initially dismissed that diet as "the dumbest thing I've ever heard of." Then he began to feel the effects of adding more plants to his diet, checked out the science, and was hooked.
- [Radically Self-Reliant Veganic Gardening with Will Bonsall: PYP 224](https://plantyourself.com/radically-self-reliant-veganic-gardening-will-bonsall-pyp-224/) - Will Bonsall is my new hero, and I say that without exaggeration. Check out the short video clip at the top of the Links section below to see half of the reason why. The other half of the reason take a bit longer to explain - hence this full-length podcast episode. Will is the visionary gardener whose half-century of experimentation and iconoclasm can help us save human civilization from collapse. His method, which he refers to as "gardening without borders," takes into account all the inputs and outputs of a garden or farm, in contrast to the usual methods of conventional, organic, and permaculture production.
- [Damien Mander on Becoming an Anti-Poaching Warrior and Rediscovering His Heart: PYP 225](https://plantyourself.com/damien-mander-becoming-anti-poaching-warrior-rediscovering-heart-pyp-225/) - Damien Mander's entire identity centered around war: as a 19-year-old who joined the Australian Royal Navy and trained as a clearance diver; as a spec-ops sniper; as a member of an elite Tactical Assault Group; and as a special operations soldier in Iraq for three years. After leaving Iraq in 2008 after 12 tours of duty, Damien was burned out, dispirited, and ill-equipped to manage in civilian society. Still addicted to adventure and thrill, he found his way to Southern Africa, where he started working with the rangers and organizations dedicated to protecting the big animals of Africa from poachers.
- [Bernie Roth on Designing the Lives We Want: PYP 226](https://plantyourself.com/bernie-roth-on-designing-the-lives-we-want-pyp-226/) - Bernie Roth is a co-founder and Academic Director of the incredibly influential d.school at Stanford University (officially known as the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design). He's also the author of a charming, unflinchingly honest, and hugely helpful book, The Achievement Habit: Stop Wishing, Start Doing, and Take Command of Your Life. Bernie's great contribution to the world, aside from his numerous inventions and innovations in machine design, robotics, and engineering, is the insight that successful, happy, healthy people generally don't achieve these nice things by accident.
- [Saying Goodbye to Lupus and Other Autoimmune Diseases with Brooke Goldner, MD: PYP 227](https://plantyourself.com/saying-goodbye-to-lupus-and-other-autoimmune-diseases-with-brooke-goldner-md-pyp-227/) - When Brooke Goldner, MD, was 16 years old, she was told by her doctors that she probably had about six months to live. Her lupus, a chronic autoimmune condition that commonly attacks joints and skin, had gone after her kidneys, and it didn't look like they (and she) could be saved. Thankfully, the weekly chemotherapy worked well enough to stomp on her immune system, and it gave her kidneys and the rest of her a break and allowed her to grow up and have a fairly normal life.
- [Tackling Our Healthcare Crisis by Growing Food with Thi Squire: PYP 228](https://plantyourself.com/tackling-our-healthcare-crisis-by-growing-food-with-thi-squire-pyp-228/) - Thi Squire is the garden manager for Homestead Hospital, located 30 miles south of Miami on Florida's east coast. Wait, what? Garden manager? At a hospital? Yup. Thi (pronounced "Tee"), a longtime urban gardener and sales rep in the burgeoning farm-to-table industry in South Florida, talked her way into a position growing food for the hospital cafeteria.
- [Replacing Fear with Love, Losing 200 Pounds, and Finding Purpose with Russ L'Hommedieu:  PYP 229](https://plantyourself.com/replacing-fear-love-losing-200-pounds-finding-purpose-russ-lhommedieu-pyp-229/) - When we make a big change in our lives, it's easy to forget who we were and how we thought before that change. Russ L'Hommedieu doesn't have that problem - he's got a public video record of his old ways of being and thinking: a 2 minute compilation video of his standup routine about the travails of obesity and dieting. After selling his physical therapy practice, Russ began going to comedy open mics, and achieved some success with his "fat guy bemoaning his attempts at weight loss" routine. He's funny, no question, but I can't help but be saddened at the self-defeating attitude of the man in the video. Then, 15 years ago, he became an accidental vegan and his weight loss accelerated and - for the first time ever - wasn't reversed.
- [The Mindful Vegan by Lani Muelrath: PYP 230](https://plantyourself.com/mindful-vegan-lani-muelrath-pyp-230/) - Lani Muelrath is a good friend of the podcast (on the show for the third time), and a prolific thinker, teacher, and writer. Lani's new book, The Mindful Vegan: A 30-Day Plan for Finding Health, Balance, Peace, and Happiness, covers the third of her three pillars of a healthy life: mastery over habits of thinking the first two being physical activity and a whole-food plant-based diet).
- [Having a New Heart and Filling It With Love with Ken Lander: PYP 233](https://plantyourself.com/having-a-new-heart-and-filling-it-with-love-with-ken-lander-pyp-233/) - When Ken Lander disembarked from a plane on December 16, 2016, he lost his breath, stumbled, and couldn't make to baggage claim. When the 430-pound Lander was examined in the emergency room, it was determined that it was a very sick heart that had nearly cost him his life that day. Further tests revealed a 90% blockage in the left descending artery, and severely compromised heart efficiency ("ejection fraction" in cardio lingo).
- [Rob Greenfield on Wearing Trash, Opting Out of Capitalism, and Waking Up to the Effects of Our Actions: PYP 234](https://plantyourself.com/rob-greenfield-on-wearing-trash-opting-out-of-capitalism-and-waking-up-to-the-effects-of-our-actions-pyp-234/) - Rob Greenfield has put the fun and friendly into environmental activism. Known for his eye-catching and media-worthy campaigns and adventures to wake people up to the destruction we're causing to our planet, Rob brings a positivity and sense of humor and humility to what is too often a dreary scold-fest. Rob was originally on track to live an opulent American dream, complete with nice stuff, fast car, big house, and enough money to do whatever he wanted. A life in which he never had to think about the downstream consequences of his actions, choices, and consumption.
- [Nathan Runkle on Showing Mercy to the Animals in Our Care: PYP 235](https://plantyourself.com/nathan-runkle-on-showing-mercy-to-the-animals-in-our-care-pyp-235/) - Nathan Runkle is the founder of Mercy For Animals, an organization that focuses on the prevention of cruelty to the billions of farm animals raised for food in the United States. Nathan's just written an amazing memoir, titled Mercy For Animals, with friend-of-the-podcast Gene Stone. The book is part coming of age story, part exposé of the animal agriculture industry, and part gripping tale of adventure and risk and strategy as a few passionate, committed young people go undercover to expose the abuses that are a regular and normal and accepted part of our meat-based food chain.
- [Navigating a Plant-Based Thanksgiving with Elspeth Feldman: PYP 236](https://plantyourself.com/navigating-plant-based-thanksgiving-elspeth-feldman-pyp-236/) - Elspeth Feldman is The Speedy Vegan. Combining a love of cooking with a stint in culinary school with a dedication to human health and love of all sentient beings, she teaches and coaches people on adopting a plant-based diet in a delicious and non-time-consuming fashion.
- [Rip Esselstyn on Growing a Movement and Being Open to Opportunity: PYP 237](https://plantyourself.com/rip-esselstyn-on-growing-a-movement-and-being-open-to-opportunity-pyp-237/) - Rip Esselstyn is founder of Engine 2, a food and education company dedicated to eliminating chronic disease through a whole food, plant-based diet. As Engine 2 continues to grow in influence and reach, Rip is stewarding the company to new opportunities. As a food brand associated with Whole Foods and an education provider to their employees, Engine 2 is poised to explode with Amazon's purchase of Whole Foods this past year.
- [Code Blue: Challenging Conventional Medical Education and Practice with Saray Stancic, MD: PYP 238](https://plantyourself.com/code-blue-challenging-conventional-medical-education-practice-saray-stancic-md-pyp-238/) - Dr Saray Stancic became an infectious disease specialist in response to the HIV and hepatitis C crisis of the 1980s and 90s. On October 11, 1995, the then-3rd year medical resident found a short nap window at 2am, and collapsed in fatigue in the on-call room of the hospital where she worked. When she was awakened for her next shift, Dr Stancic couldn't feel her legs. She was rushed to the ER, and an MRI revealed multiple sclerosis (MS) with multiple lesions in the brain and spinal cord. In addition to the neuropathy in her legs, it turned out that her kidneys were also failing. She was admitted to the hospital, given an IV steroid drip and a bunch of other medications. And just like that, a young, energetic, ambitious doctor was converted into a frightened, confused, dispirited patient.
- [Exploring the Pathless Land of Truth with Jeff Stanford: PYP 239](https://plantyourself.com/jeff-stanford-pyp-239/) - Jeff Stanford combines a scientist's mind with a vegan's heart and a mystic's soul. He's co-founder of the Stanford Inn by the Sea in Mendocino, California, an eco-resort complete with a fully vegan restaurant, The Ravens. Sid Garza-Hillman, who's the nutritionist at the Stanford Inn, suggested that Jeff would provide fascinating content for the podcast, and Jeff did not disappoint. Jeff's a longtime spiritual seeker, an old-school "back to the land" hippie, and a philosopher. And an advocate of a vegan diet, from all the usual perspectives as well as some that are uniquely his.
- [From the Sidelines to the Starting Line (and Finish Line!) with Anthony Masiello: PYP 240](https://plantyourself.com/sidelines-starting-line-anthony-masiello-pyp-240/) - Anthony Masiello grew up as the "fat kid," and owned the identity with resignation. Growing up in a town with three pizza restaurants within walking distance, it was easy to avoid the healthy food his mom stocked in their refrigerator and rely on the standard American junk diet. His weight continued to grow as his health and wellbeing began to decline. One day while away at college, a conversation with his mother got Anthony to try giving up meat and alcohol for a few months and "see what happens."
- [Raising Healthy Parents with Sid Garza-Hillman: PYP 241](https://plantyourself.com/raising-healthy-parents-sid-garza-hillman-pyp-241/) - Sid Garza-Hillman returns to the podcast to talk about his new book, Raising Healthy Parents. In typical Sid fashion, the book is funny, irreverent, wise, and insanely useful. Sid is the Nutritionist and Program Director at The Stanford Inn by the Sea in Mendocino, California, and host of the Approaching the Natural podcast. He's also a race director, YouTuber, and health coach.
- [The Mental Health / Lifestyle Link with Dr Elizabeth Winings: PYP 242](https://plantyourself.com/mental-health-lifestyle-link-dr-elizabeth-winings-pyp-242/) - Elizabeth Winings is Doctor of Nursing Practice at Nemours Children's specialty care and Wolfson Children's Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. She specializes in working with children and teens who are receiving mental health care in an acute in-patient setting. In her work with the children and their families, she emphasizes wholistic, therapeutic, and lifestyle approaches toward wellness.
- [Designing Your Life with Dave Evans and Bill Burnett: PYP 243](https://plantyourself.com/designing-life-dave-evans-bill-burnett-pyp-243/) - Dave Evans and Bill Burnett are co-authors of the New York Times bestselling Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life. You may not have heard of them, but their design work has almost certainly touched your life. You know Dave's work if you've ever used an Apple mouse or laser printer. And Bill's designs include the hinges on Apple's Powerbooks and the original Hasbro Star Wars figures. What do these guys have to teach us about being healthy and happy? As it turns out, plenty.
- [Scott Stoll on Disrupting Healthcare with Plants: PYP 244](https://plantyourself.com/scott-stoll-pyp-244/) - Scott Stoll, MD, understands the power of Believing You Can. Which is a good thing, because he's made his life mission a task that would seem daunting to most: to transform the healthcare industry into one that actually practices health care rather than disease management and mitigation.
- [Healing America Together with Nelson Campbell: PYP 245](https://plantyourself.com/healing-america-together-nelson-campbell-pyp-245/) - Nelson Campbell is director of PlantPure Nation, and the son of renowned biochemical researcher and future Nobel Prize-winner T. Colin Campbell. Nelson has a staggeringly ambitious vision for our world: one in which we all work together in love, compassion, and respect to solve our collective problems.
- [Diet for a Living Planet with Michael Klaper, MD: PYP 246](https://plantyourself.com/diet-for-a-living-planet-with-michael-klaper-md-pyp-246/) - Michael Klaper, MD, is one of the world's most eloquent, convincing, passionate, and persistent advocates of a plant-based diet. He's studied the health effects, the environmental ramifications, and the psychological aspects of eating meat and junk food, and can put the most complex science in totally accessible terms. Here's how he explains the vast majority of chronic disease in the Western world: "We're putting diesel fuel in a gas engine."
- [Cultivating Simplicity and Progress with Ian Cramer: PYP 247](https://plantyourself.com/cultivating-simplicity-progress-ian-cramer-pyp-247/) - Plant-based cyclist Ian Cramer and I spent a lovely hour geeking out on our journeys, and podcasting, and our gratitude for the trailblazers who introduced us to the plant-based lifestyle. Ian is a certified athletic trainer at the University of Rochester, a competitive cyclist, a podcaster, and a freelance health and performance coach.
- [Becoming a Health Mechanic with Phil Green: PYP 248](https://plantyourself.com/becoming-health-mechanic-phil-green-pyp-248/) - Phil Green is a heavy equipment mechanic for the military. Which is to say, he can fix things that people rely on for their lives. And yet his own body was in a terrible state of disrepair. As a red, white, and blue son of Texas, Phil's diet was (in his own words) "fried everything." Except for the barbecued meat. A baseball player in his younger days, Phil abandoned any pretense of fitness or health when he gave up sports and started a busy career. Eating out all the time expanded his waistline and led to profoundly ill health.
- ["Carbs are Not the Enemy" with Type 1 Diabetic Josh Turner: PYP 249](https://plantyourself.com/carbs-not-enemy-type-1-diabetic-josh-turner-pyp-249/) - Josh Turner is one hell of a smart, compassionate, committed human being. A type 1 diabetic who was told that his quality of life, health, and longevity would be compromised by his condition, Josh has adopted a plant-based diet and taken up running. In the process, he's lost almost 100 pounds, gained his life back, and become an inspiration and lighthouse for other type 1 diabetics who are struggling to escape the grip of the wrong-headed medical model of disease management through low-carb, high-protein diets.
- [Tina Seelig on Designing Our Ideal Life Through Creativity: PYP 250](https://plantyourself.com/tina-seelig-on-designing-our-ideal-life-through-creativity-pyp-250/) - These days I'm really into creativity, and how we can foster it, and how it can help us lead happier and more fulfilled lives. Plus it's fun. So when I saw today's guest, Tina Seelig, give 90 seconds of truly excellent advice to Daniel Pink's audience in his PinkCast, I reached out to see if she would be willing to share her wisdom "long form" with the Plant Yourself crowd.
- [How to Live a Better Life Every Day with Bryan Falchuk: PYP 251](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-live-a-better-life-every-day-with-bryan-falchuk-pyp-251/) - From the moment his parents' marriage fell apart, Bryan Falchuk turned into the fat kid. In a world out of control, food was the one thing he could control, and the one thing that could soothe his deep hurts and anxieties. Every day Bryan woke up and was determined to lose weight, and twenty minutes later he'd be elbow-deep in the foods he'd sworn to give up, or at least moderate. He experienced himself as someone untrustworthy, someone who lacked agency, someone to whom life happened.
- [Giving Ourselves the Gift of Health with Kassi and Derick Harrington: PYP 252](https://plantyourself.com/giving-ourselves-the-gift-of-health-with-kassi-and-derick-harrington-pyp-252/) - Kassi and Derick Harrington grew up in Thibodaux, Louisiana, where they grew obese and ill and miserable on the Standard Cajun Diet. Derick's life revolved around food: hunting and fishing and then frying whatever he caught. Kassi was overweight her whole life, as was her entire family. Derick suffered from hypertension, high cholesterol, an auto-immune disease, and was on the fast track to type 2 diabetes. He had no energy, no passion for life outside of the gustatory, and in his own words, was "just existing."
- [The Neuroscience of Changing Other People's Minds with Tali Sharot: PYP 253](https://plantyourself.com/the-neuroscience-of-changing-other-peoples-minds-with-tali-sharot-pyp-253/) - Tali Sharot is an Associate Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London, and director of the Affective Brain Lab. Affective, as in emotions and motivation. Brain, as in processing and decisions. Drawing on recent groundbreaking work in behavioral economics and neuroscience, Sharot shows us how to navigate the intricacies and predictable biases of minds; our own and those of others.
- [Mastering the Meditation Habit with Emily Fletcher: PYP 254](https://plantyourself.com/mastering-meditation-habit-emily-fletcher-pyp-254/) - Emily Fletcher is one of the new faces of an ancient practice. Former Broadway star and founder of Ziva Meditation, she talks funny, dirty, relatable, and wise about one of the simplest, cheapest, and most profound of wellness practices: going within ourselves.
- [Transforming the System of Medical Care with David Donohue, MD: PYP 255](https://plantyourself.com/transforming-the-system-of-medical-care-with-david-donohue-md-pyp-255/) - David Donohue is a primary care physician in Wilmington, Delaware, and one of only 280 board-certified lifestyle medicine specialists in the United States. As David points out in our conversation, that's fewer than one for every million Americans. I wanted to talk with David about the successful and innovative Cure Diabetes program that he's run over the past year, but we quickly started egging each other on to describe our pet peeves about the current medical system.
- [Carl Safina on Sharing Emotions with Animals: PYP 256](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-256-carl-safina/) - Carl Safina is the author of, most recently, Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel. I consumed it on Audible a couple of years ago, and was utterly mesmerized and transformed by the listening. I think it was one of the sneaky factors that pushed me, somewhat against my better judgment, into the Animal Welfare camp of the plant-based movement. The book describes the author's encounters with three fascinating and endangered animal populations - the elephants of East Africa, the wolves of Yellowstone, and the Orcas of the Pacific Northwest - and the humans who have devoted their lives to studying, documenting, and understanding these magnificent creatures.
- [Fooling Meat Eaters with Plant-based Replacements with Rody Hawkins: PYP 257](https://plantyourself.com/fooling-meat-eaters-plant-based-replacements-rody-hawkins-pyp-257/) - I personally wouldn't have been able to predict that the guy behind Lunchables an Slim Jim jerky sticks would be the one who might save the planet. But Rody Hawkins, muscle physiologist, consultant to the meat industry for decades, nutrition wonk, and pioneer in shelf-stable food technology, has just launched a plant-based meat replacement company that's getting global attention for the quality and environmental benefits of its product. In case you missed it: Rody is no vegan. He supports animal agriculture. He thinks that animal protein is a healthy food for humans, much more so than carbs (yes, I will be sending him copies of Proteinaholic and Whole and The Low Carb Fraud, which he promised to read).
- [Cyrus Khambatta, PhD and Robby Barbaro on Thriving with Type 1 Diabetes: PYP 258](https://plantyourself.com/cyrus-khambatta-phd-and-robby-barbaro-on-thriving-with-type-1-diabetes-pyp-258/) - Cyrus Khambatta and Robby Barbaro are the co-creators of Mastering Diabetes, an online program and support network for people living with all forms of the disease: type 1, type 2, type 1.5, prediabetes, and gestational diabetes. And both have been living with type 1 diabetes, also known as insulin-dependent diabetes, for most of their lives. Type 1 can't be reversed or cured through diet and lifestyle, so they must take synthetic insulin in order to remain alive. According to mainstream diabetes protocols, Cyrus and Robby should limit their carbohydrate intake significantly, and get the majority of their calories from proteins and fats. Certainly the last thing they should do is live on a high-fruit raw diet. They not only live on such a diet; they thrive on it. And they've taught thousands of others with diabetes to combat the condition with a whole food, plant-based diet.
- [Darren Morton on Happiness, Meaning, Longevity, and Smiling Baseball Cards: PYP 259](https://plantyourself.com/darren-morton-on-happiness-meaning-longevity-and-smiling-baseball-cards-pyp-259/) - Darren Morton, PhD, is a Fellow of the Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine, which means that not only is he wicked-smart about how to live a long and healthy life, but also he shares his insights in a cool Australian accent. His latest book, Live More Happy, is a treasure trove of theory and practice of How to Live a Happy, Healthy Life.
- [Matthew Prescott on Solving Our Biggest Problems Through Plant-Forward Eating: PYP 260](https://plantyourself.com/matthew-prescott-on-solving-our-biggest-problems-through-plant-forward-eating-pyp-260/) - When Matthew Prescott was 12, his older sister came home from school one day and announced that she had decided to become a "vegetarian," whatever that was. In the grand tradition of little brothers everywhere, Matthew made sure to stick his forkful of beef under nose at the dinner table while making mooing sounds. But he also tried her bean burritos, veggie burgers, and other plant-based alternatives to meat, and found that they were actually pretty good. And when he looked at her reasons for ditching meat, he had to admit that they made a lot of sense.
- [Saving America's Healthcare System through WellStart Health: PYP 261](https://plantyourself.com/saving-americas-healthcare-system-through-wellstart-health-pyp-261/) - This episode is special to me, as I share the next phase of my journey and mission. I've just joined WellStart Health as a co-founder, along with CEO Olivia Kelly, Chief Medical Officer Bojana Jankovic Weatherly, and Chief Brand Ambassador Josh LaJaunie. Our mission is, in Olivia's words, to "put chronic disease out of business." We're doing this through a potent combo of evidence-based protocols (like, eat more whole plants and less garbage), behavioral science (my title is Chief Behavioral Science Officer), crackerjack technology, and a network of coaches like Josh who have street cred based on their own struggles and journeys.
- [Becoming a Brave Athlete with Simon Marshall and Lesley Paterson: PYP 262](https://plantyourself.com/becoming-a-brave-athlete-with-simon-marshall-and-lesley-paterson-pyp-262/) - Lesley Paterson, the "Scottish Rocket," is a three-time world champion in off-road triathlon, an Ironman triathlon champ, a professional mountain biker, an athletic coach, and a world-class slinger of profanity. Simon Marshall, her husband, is a sport and exercise psychologist at San Diego State, performance psychologist for BMC Racing, and a self-described "mid-pack endurance athlete." Together, Lesley and Simon comprise Braveheart Coaching, a service that gets athletes performing to their potential in spite of the "3-pound lump of crazy" that lives in their cranium.
- [Ending Self-Deception and Becoming Real with Bethany Stec Janicek: PYP 263](https://plantyourself.com/ending-self-deception-and-becoming-real-with-bethany-stec-janicek-pyp-263/) - Bethany Stec Janicek grew up on a Nebraska pig farm, on a diet of meat and dairy and cheese and butter. Always bigger than her peers, she began dieting in elementary school, and suffered the anguish that came with always failing, always giving up, and always feeling disappointed in herself. She was deeply disconnected from her true self, and masked her sense of inadequacy with a bubbly exterior and various coping mechanisms: food, cigarettes alcohol, clothing, and makeup. Everything in her life was literally or figuratively sugar-coated.
- [Restoring the American Dream by Reimagining Healthcare with Dave Chase: PYP 264](https://plantyourself.com/dave-chase-pyp-264/) - Dave Chase is one of those quiet innovators who moves mountains through vision, energy, and sheer persistence. With a healthy dose of trickster energy in the mix... Chase is the founder of Healthcare Rosetta, a non-profit dedicated to accelerating "adoption of simple, practical, non-partisan fixes to our healthcare system."
- [Dirty Little Secrets of the Health Benefits Industry: Pulling Back the Curtain with Eric Krieg: PYP 265](https://plantyourself.com/dirty-little-secrets-of-the-health-benefits-industry-pulling-back-the-curtain-with-eric-krieg-pyp-265/) - Eric Krieg spent decades in the belly of the beast; the benefits industry beast, that is. Until one day he asked a profoundly inconvenient question: "Am I doing the right thing?" By way of answer, he left his job as a traditional broker and went rogue, revealing the ethically questionable practices of the benefits industry to the world. And, putting his career where his mouth is, he formed the anti-brokerage: Risk International, a firm that advises companies on how to navigate the benefits industry, and make decisions in their own best interests. Rather than getting paid on commission, Risk International is fee-for-service; a rare case of financial transparency in the health benefits world.
- [From Butcher to Vegan Nutritionist with Fraser Bayley: PYP 266](https://plantyourself.com/fraser-bayley-pyp-266/) - Fraser Bayley's arc of transformation is long and inspiring. Growing up in Auckland, New Zealand, Fraser was a poor student who struggled in school despite putting in the effort. He felt stupid, like something was wrong with him. His social anxiety was so severe, he dropped out of college but managed to keep a crushing load of student debt. When an after school job at a local supermarket offered him a chance to learn about butchery, Fraser jumped on the opportunity to apprentice himself in the grueling trade. It didn't require smarts, or much reading, or sitting still. Butchery was (and still is) a male-dominated field, where toxic masculinity is both a prerequisite and outcome of the brutal, repetitive, soul-numbing work. Fraser suffered from bipolar episodes, which he self-medicated through alcohol, drugs, and the company of other alienated, emotionally scarred, alpha males.
- [The Counterintuitive Science of Wise Interventions with Gregory Walton, PhD: PYP 267](https://plantyourself.com/gregory-walton-pyp-267/) - Gregory Walton has done some of the most groundbreaking social science research of the past decade. His "Wise Interventions" model utilizes brief, targeted experiences to permanently alter a mindset and create a cascading series of life events.
- [Three Words That Can Double Your Influence with Gregg Sparkman: PYP 268](https://plantyourself.com/gregg-sparkmann-pyp-268/) - A thought experiment: you walk into a restaurant wanting to encourage the patrons waiting on line to order - total strangers - to choose a plant-based option for lunch? And you can tell them one fact. What would it be, and how would you say it? Take your time; I'll wait. [Jeopardy theme plays]
- [Valter Longo, PhD, on the Longevity Diet: PYP 269](https://plantyourself.com/valter-longo-pyp-269/) - Valter Longo, PhD, is my bet to be the first Nobel Prize winner on the Plant Yourself Podcast. He's a longevity researcher at the University of Southern California whose broad vision and ability to focus on the details of scientific enquiry over a 30-year career may provide the data we need to extend the human lifespan by decades.
- [Training for Life (Literally) with D Anthony Evans: PYP 270](https://plantyourself.com/training-for-life-literally-with-d-anthony-evans-pyp-270/) - D Anthony Evans found out at age six that he had a rare disorder (Neurofibromatosis) that caused painful tumors to emerge at random all over his body. And things just got worse from there. His doctors explained that this disease generally leads to a highly aggressive form of cancer, MPNST (Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors). So he spent his youth wondering when and where the cancer would strike.
- [An Olympic Quest Powered by Plants with Sarah Bofinger: PYP 271](https://plantyourself.com/sarah-bofinger-pyp-271/) - Sarah "Mergoddess" Bofinger swam before she walked - literally. Born with hip dysplasia (I thought the same thing: "Isn't that something Golden Retrievers get?"), she required six surgeries before she celebrated her fourth birthday. Sarah was put in the water for therapy and rehabilitation, and took to it like a, well, mergoddess to water. Swimming, as well as dancing and gymnastics, helped take her mind of the discomfort and pain of the constant hip problems.
- [Recovering from Rheumatoid Arthritis with Clint Paddison: PYP 272](https://plantyourself.com/recovering-rheumatoid-arthritis-with-clint-paddison-pyp-272/) - Clint Paddison was pursuing a career as a stand-up comedian in Australia when he was struck with a debilitating case of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A former athlete and science all-star, Clint found himself almost unable to work, to move, to enjoy life. He discouraged his girlfriend from marrying him because he didn't want to ruin her life.
- [Harnessing the Entrepreneurial Spirit for a Plant-Based World with Matt Tullman: PYP 273](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-273-matt-tullman/) - Matt Tullman wants 30% of the US population to go plant-based by the year 2030. And that's not an idle wish - Matt is doing something (a lot of things, actually) about it. Matt is a long-time policy wonk, entrepreneur, bio-hacker, and venture capital guy. And he brings all these talents and outlooks to bear on the central problems of our time in history - all of which, he points out, can be solved or significantly improved by the switch to a plant-based diet.
- [The Science of Longevity with Janice Stanger: PYP 274](https://plantyourself.com/the-science-of-longevity-with-janice-stanger-pyp-274/) - Janice Stanger, PhD, is author of The Perfect Formula Diet and a genius at getting other people to become nutritional geniuses. Her approach to any topic - diabetes, pregnancy, hormones, whatever - is to dig down into first principles and build from there. This way of thinking helps non-experts understand the issues without having to rely on experts or gurus to tell them what to think. Grok the first principles, and you can build your own understanding on any topic.
- [Lifestyle Medicine for the Win with Marcy Madrid: PYP 275](https://plantyourself.com/marcy-madrid-pyp-275/) - Marcy Madrid is Vice President of Planning and Marketing at Midland Memorial Hospital in Midland, Texas. (That's about halfway between Dallas and El Paso on I-20.) When Midland decided to embrace plant-based nutrition as a pillar of their disease-treatment protocol, Madrid was brought in to spread the message. Both internally, and to the larger community. What she didn't expect was to need that message herself, and soon.
- [Busting Plant-Based Myths with Martica Heaner: PYP 276](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-276-martica-heaner/) - Martica Heaner PhD, is a nutritionist and exercise physiologist and health writer. She is an adjunct associate nutrition professor at Hunter College in NYC and the author of 6 books including Cross-training for Dummies and Lean Mommy. She has been a group fitness instructor for over 30 years and starred in a fitness TV show while living in London in the 90s. She has been a vegan for 5 years (prior to that was vegetarian for 32) and teaches plant-based nutrition in a conventional nutrition 101 class.
- [The Ultimate in Gut Health with Will Bulsiewicz, MD: PYP 277](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-277-will-bulsiewicz/) - Will Bulciewicz, MD, trained to become a gastroenterologist as some of the top GI programs in the world: Georgetown, the University of North Carolina (go 'heels!), and Northwestern. He's board certified in both gastroenterology and internal medicine. Why am I trotting out Will's credentials to introduce this podcast? Because even with all that education, Will found himself unable to answer even his patients' most basic questions about what they could do about their own GI conditions.
- [Succeeding by Letting Go of the End Result with Amy Baglan: PYP 278](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-278/) - Amy Baglan is both a Type A Entrepreneur and a committed mindful meditator. The founder of MeetMindful, an app and movement that connects spiritually engaged people for both dating and friendship, Amy drives hard for achievement, and also consciously aims for that "being OK in the moment" vibe that doesn't depend on external success.
- [Nourishing Our Brains and Preventing Dementia with Ayesha Sherzai, MD: PYP 279](https://plantyourself.com/nourishing-our-brains-and-preventing-dementia-with-ayesha-sherzai-md-pyp-279/) - Ayesha Sherzai, MD, is one half of Team Sherzai, along with her husband, Dean (also MD). She's codirector of the Brain Health and Alzheimer's Prevention Program at Loma Linda University, where she leads the Lifestyle Program for the Prevention of Neurological Diseases. She's got three lifetime's worth of degrees (preventive medicine, neurology, advanced research methodology, lifestyle and vascular brain diseases) as well as certificates from two cooking schools.
- [Marching Lifestyle Medicine into the Belly of the Beast with Ted Barnett, MD: PYP 280](https://plantyourself.com/marching-lifestyle-medicine-into-the-belly-of-the-beast-with-ted-barnett-md-pyp-280/) - Ted Barnett, MD, is also known as "Dr Veggie." An interventional radiographer by day, Dr Veggie has been a plant-based advocate, educator, activist, and gadfly in Rochester, NY and nationally since the early 1990s. Ted got his first glimpse of the power of plants in 1991 when he stumbled upon Dean Ornish's book about reversing heart disease through an extremely low-fat diet. Already sold on the ethical and environmental benefits of eliminating animal consumption, he was doing his due diligence to make sure that a vegan diet wasn't going to compromise his health and that of his growing family. Hopefully, he thought, it won't be any worse than a regular diet. Ornish's work provided actual proof of the efficacy of a low-fat, mostly plant-based diet to reverse arterial damage, including before and after angiography. As a radiographer, Ted was impressed by the pictures. His family went vegan overnight.
- [Howard Jacobson on Staying True to My Mission: PYP 281](https://plantyourself.com/howard-jacobson-pyp-281/) - Yup, that's me, talking directly to you in this episode. I wanted to take a break from the guest-interview format because I have a lot on my mind. Yesterday was my 53 birthday, and would have been my dad's 100th (he and my mom planned well ;).
- [Sharing Music and Making This Place Our Home with Micah Hendler: PYP 283](https://plantyourself.com/micah-hendler-pyp-283/) - Micah Hendler is the founder and director of the YMCA Jerusalem Youth Chorus, and one of Forbes' magazine's "30 under 30" (global leaders and change-makers under the age of 30). He founded the chorus to promote connection and peace between the teen communities of East and West Jerusalem; that is, inaccurately but roughly speaking, Palestinians and Israelis. We met at a concert for peace in New York City in May, and Micah graciously agreed to be on the podcast. I wasn't sure exactly how I was going to "shoehorn" this theme into Plant Yourself, but the wiser part of me whispered, "Who gives a shit? Just have an inspiring and wonderful conversation!" So I did. And while it's not about antioxidants or inflammation or TMAO, I think you'll agree that the themes of music, peace, discovery, curiosity, and compassion are all related to human health and wellbeing. And that the plant-based community can look for models of engagement and progress outside of our own kraal.
- [Challenging the Immune System to Beat MS with Bob Cafaro: PYP 284](https://plantyourself.com/bob-cafaro-pyp-284/) - Bob Cafaro is a professional cellist, author, and ass-kicker of multiple sclerosis. If you missed our first conversation, check it out here. In his latest newsletter, he revealed two MS-busting tactics that he hadn't written about in his book, When the Music Stopped: My Battle and Victory Against MS. Partly as an excuse to have another conversation with Bob (he's such a kind and passionate and awesome guy!), and partly to explore these two tactics, I reached out and managed to grab 30 minutes of his time in between the five dozen other things he has going on.
- [How to Engineer an Epic Transformation with Adam Sud, Joseph Alexander, Ken Lander, and Josh LaJaunie: PYP 285](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-engineer-an-epic-transformation-with-adam-sud-joseph-alexander-ken-lander-and-josh-lajaunie-pyp-285/) - I had the great privilege of moderating a panel discussion at Engine 2's Plant-Stock event, held this year in Black Mountain, NC, over a weekend in August. The topic was, "Transformation and Recovery from Addiction."
- [Crazy Adventures and Looking at the World Differently with Jeff Seal: PYP 286](https://plantyourself.com/jeff-seal-pyp-286/) - Jeff Seal is a comedian, documentarian, adventurer, and undercover clown operating out of New York City. One of my son Elan's favorite YouTube artists, Jeff points out the hilarity, absurdity, and injustices of life through art and comedy. When Elan shared Jeff's work with me, I was particularly struck by his videos on dumpster diving and train-hopping. Both shared a common theme: finding freedom by questioning assumptions about what is and isn't "OK" to do in a consumer society where our supposed freedoms are undermined by unthinking obedience.
- [The Art of Fitness and Transformation with Gary Whitaker: PYP 287](https://plantyourself.com/the-art-of-fitness-and-transformation-with-gary-whitaker-pyp-287/) - Gary Whitaker is the founder and owner of Plant-based Fitness, a transformation gym located in Oakland, CA.
- [Brian Wansink on Tricking Ourselves into Eating Better: PYP 288](https://plantyourself.com/brian-wansink-pyp-288/) - Brian Wansink is hiding behind a tiny plate for a very good reason. He's the researcher behind some of the most surprising findings in recent behavioral science, the most famous of these involving the interaction between plates and bowls and eating behavior.
- [Healing through Hypnosis with Grace Smith: PYP 290](https://plantyourself.com/grace-smith-pyp-290/) - When Grace Smith resolved to quit smoking in 2011, she began with the most common approaches: nicotine gum, the patch, going cold turkey (is there a vegan equivalent to that phrase?). When a single hypnotherapy session led her to quit that same day, she turned from a skeptic into a avid promoter.
- [Neal Barnard, MD, on Not Eating, Testing, or Exploiting Animals in Pursuit of Health: PYP 291](https://plantyourself.com/neal-barnard-md-on-not-eating-testing-or-exploiting-animals-in-pursuit-of-health-pyp-291/) - Neal Barnard, MD, is the president and founder of the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) - an organization far too large and influential to still be called a "committee," but who among us hasn't outgrown our childhood name? - and the founder of the Barnard Medical Center in the DC area. He's also the author of a crazy number of books, including the recent The Cheese Trap - which you should give to all your vegetarian dairy-loving friends just to gross them out and blow their minds.
- [Harnessing Positive Emotions to Defeat Bad Habits with David DeSteno: PYP 292](https://plantyourself.com/david-desteno-pyp-292/) - Why do 92% of New Years' Resolutions fail, one year on? Why has the current cultural obsession with grit and willpower failed to move the needle on our behaviors? And why do long-time Buddhist monks demonstrate more self-control than the rest of us? Today's guest, David DeSteno, PhD, has been studying these and related issues for a long time. David is a psychology superstar, and I was amazed when he agreed to take time out of his busy schedule to chat. He's a professor of psychology at Northeastern University, where he directs the Social Emotions Group.
- [A Community Effort: PCRM Comes to the North Carolina Triangle: PYP 293](https://plantyourself.com/a-community-effort-pcrm-comes-to-the-north-carolina-triangle-pyp-293/) - This weekend, the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) is bringing its big guns to my neck of the woods, the Triangle region of North Carolina (Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill). Neal Barnard, Suzie Amis Cameron, Eric O'Grey, and others will be bringing their messages of hope and inspiration and information to my community. But PCRM also highlights local heroes - the folks who do good work in this community every day.
- [Community Innovation and Global Solutions: PYP 294](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-294/) - This past Saturday, I set up my portable recording studio in Cary, North Carolina, to live-podcast the PCRM Kickstart Your Health NC Triangle event. I chatted with Neal Barnard, MD (not pictured, because he moves too fast to photograph ;), Eric O'Grey (PCRM donor coordinator and elegant man-about-town in a fashionable sweater and gold tie), Whitney Sewell of Farmer Food Share (not pictured), Delphine Sellars of Urban Community AgroNomics (top center), attendee Carol Thibodaux of InfinitePossibilitiesTN.com (bottom center), food vendors Shane MacKinnon of SmallSeedbar.com (top right) and Yachdiyel Webb of SoulyVeganCafe.com (bottom left), and Suzy Amis Cameron of OMD for the Planet (bottom right, next to yours truly).
- [Launching Your Next Chapter with Sanyin Siang: PYP 295](https://plantyourself.com/launching-your-next-chapter-with-sanyin-siang-pyp-295/) - Sanyin Siang is a CEO Coach, Author, and the Executive Director of the Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership & Ethics (COLE) at Duke University. In other words, quite a big deal.
- [Feminism, Veganism, and Activism with Carol Adams: PYP 296](https://plantyourself.com/feminism-veganism-and-activism-with-carol-adams-pyp-296/) - Carol J. Adams is the author most recently of Burger and Protest Kitchen, and a self-described "feminist-vegan."
- ["People Are Ready to Heal" with Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams: PYP 297](https://plantyourself.com/eric-adams-pyp-297/) - Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2016. Unwilling to surrender his health destiny to the medical profession, Adams did some research, adopted a plant-based diet, lost 30 pounds, and reversed his condition. And he didn't stop there. Instead, he committed to making Brooklyn into Ground Zero for healthy living.
- [Thriving Despite Chronic Pain with Emily Skamla: PYP 298](https://plantyourself.com/emily-skamla-pyp-298/) - While leading the morning run groups at Engine 2's Plantstock this August, I met a young woman named Emily Skamla. She was fit and speedy - easily pounding out 6-minute miles, and smoking me during the hill repeats. I figured that the combination of youth, a Plant Strong diet, and a commitment to training were the whole story. Instructive, mildly inspiring, but certainly not Plant Yourself Podcast material. Boy was I wrong.
- [The Strategic Passion of a Bunch of "Lonely and Powerful Vegans" with Darina Bockman: PYP 299](https://plantyourself.com/darina-bockman-pyp-299/) - Darina Bockman is a business mover-and-shaker; a Senior Finance Director at CBRE, and a long-time vegan activist. She felt split; on the one hand, committed to helping her organization succeed and achieving personal career success, and on the other hand, representing her views on animal rights, human health, and environmental stewardship through plant-based advocacy. And it occurred to her that there might be others like her; leaders in corporate management who happened to be vegan (or, if you prefer, vegans who happen to be in corporate management).
- [Unleashing Nurses to Revolutionize Patient Care with Caroline Trapp, DNP: PYP 300](https://plantyourself.com/caroline-trapp-pyp-300/) - Caroline Trapp, DNP (that’s Doctor of Nursing Practice to you and me), is the director of diabetes education and care with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), as well as a nurse practitioner with Premier Internists in Southfield, Michigan.
- [Defeating Distraction and Living Powerfully with Chris Bailey: PYP 301](https://plantyourself.com/chris-bailey-pyp-301/) - When you're doing a video podcast with the guy who wrote the book on focus and mastering our attention, you don't take lots of notes. Instead, you look at your guest and stay present to the wisdom and insight he's dropping left and right. Which explains why I don't have a lot of show notes for today's guest, Chris Bailey. Chris and I got on Skype to discuss his latest book, Hyperfocus: How to be More Productive in a World of Distraction.
- ["Give us This Day Our Daily Plants" with Tina Ahern: PYP 302](https://plantyourself.com/give-us-this-day-our-daily-plants-with-tina-ahern-pyp-302/) - Tina Ahern is a long-time Plant Yourself Podcast listener and supporter. When she reached out to share her inspiring story, I knew I wanted to share it with you. Long story short, Tina and her husband Brian opened up a partially plant-based restaurant in Perry, Oklahoma, as part of their mission to serve their community through their Christian faith.
- [Howard Jacobson on Procrastination, Cocoons, and the Unfinished Office: PYP 303](https://plantyourself.com/howard-jacobson-pyp-303/) - Happy New Year! I come to you today from the cab of my truck, in my driveway, to talk about the fact that my new office isn’t ready to move in, and it’s January 1, and it’s kind of driving me crazy. I don't even have access to my studio, my computer, my completed interviews - nothing. Everything is in tight storage, because I thought the new office would be ready for me by New Year's Eve. I turn for solace and wisdom to the poet David Whyte. In today's episode, I read and discuss with you a short essay titled “Procrastination.”
- [Veggies, Opportunities, and the Gold Rule of Improv with Tess Masters: PYP 304](https://plantyourself.com/tess-masters-pyp-304/) - Tess Masters, aka The Blender Girl, is a powerful spokesperson for a healthy plant-based lifestyle, and a force of nature. Growing up in Australia on a "meat and three veg" diet, she was plagued at age 14 with extreme lethargy. A naturopath suggested that she eliminate gluten, meat, and dairy, and within 48 hours she felt dramatically better.
- ["If You Want Real Change, Make Real Change" with Joseph Alexander: PYP 305](https://plantyourself.com/joseph-alexander-pyp-305/) - Joseph Alexander is a nurse and park ranger in Minnesota. He's always been interested in health, and has always loved the outdoors. Knowing just those facts about Joseph, if you were to close your eyes and picture him in your imagination, you probably wouldn't see him as a 438-pound diabetic who had started - and given up on - just about every diet and weight loss strategy known to man.
- [Vanquishing Procrastination with Hillary Rettig: PYP 306](https://plantyourself.com/vanquishing-procrastination-with-hillary-rettig-pyp-306/) - Hillary Rettig is both an activist and a productivity expert, two vocations that don't seem to have much in common at first glance. But as soon as I started reading two of her books, The Lifelong Activist and The Prolific Writer, I got the connection. Unproductive would-be activists are disempowered activists. And in a world that systematically tries to disempower those who challenge its structures of power and privilege, the last thing we need is to get in our own way when we stand up to injustice.
- [Andrew Taylor on Taking Radical Steps to Breaking a Food Addiction: PYP 307](https://plantyourself.com/andrew-taylor-pyp-307/) - Andrew “Spudfit” Taylor was tired of being out of shape, obese, and sick. An olympic hopeful in his teens, he had let his fitness and health slip away as his commitment to kayaking waned but his addictions to food persisted. His depression, largely fueled by the thought that he was far away from the person he wanted to be, always kept him returning to the trough for another supersized hit of vegan junk food. His relevation - and the spark of his transformational year of eating nothing but potatoes - was that he was treating food like an alcoholic treats booze. And so he would have to quit food.
- [Charles Eisenstein on Climate Reductionism and True Planetary Healing: PYP 309](https://plantyourself.com/charles-eisenstein-on-climate-reductionism-and-true-planetary-healing-pyp-309/) - Charles Eisenstein has been challenging my thinking for about 15 years now, but never more so than with his latest book, Climate: A New Story. Basically, Eisenstein argues that focusing all our environmental activism on reducing greenhouse gas emissions to combat global warming is a bad idea. As a card-carrying member of the enlightened, scientifically-literate, progressive wing of the American populace, of course I know that human-created climate change is the single greatest threat to our civilization, and that the biggest thing we can do to combat it is to reduce our carbon footprint, individually and collectively.
- [The Six Words that Killed the American Health System with Josh Luke: PYP 310](https://plantyourself.com/the-six-words-that-killed-the-american-health-system-with-josh-luke-pyp-310/) - Dr Josh Luke was enjoying his career in sports marketing when his grandmother got sick. He watched in amazement and frustration at the way she was treated when she didn't have the money for the treatments prescribed. He saw the lack of communication and coordination among different nodes in the system. He saw the avoidable pain and suffering, and decided sports marketing wasn't important to him anymore.
- [Self-care for Busy Professionals with Diane Randall: PYP 311](https://plantyourself.com/self-care-for-busy-professionals-with-diane-randall-pyp-311/) - As a newly divorced mother of two small children and high-powered professional, Diane Randall had let her health take a back seat to all her responsibilities. Overweight, diagnosed with high blood pressure and high cholesterol, she was jolted into action by a doctor's warning that her current trajectory was going to take years off her life.
- [Relishing the Struggle with Sarah Bofinger: PYP 312](https://plantyourself.com/sarah-bofinger-pyp-312/) - Sarah Bofinger is an unlikely Olympic hopeful, a WellStart Health Coach, and a fountain of positivity. Today she returns to the podcast to update us on her Olympic dreams, and to share how becoming a WellStart Health coach has taken her training and life to a new level of awesome.
- [The Health Benefits of the "Poor Mans' Meat" with Jeff Chilton: PYP 313](https://plantyourself.com/jeff-chilton-pyp-313/) - Today's a huge departure for this podcast. For the first time, we explore the virtues of eating something other than plants.No, don't worry. I haven't gone paleo or keto or carnivore (although one of my prior guests has (SMH)). I'm not into fish oil or organic beef liver or hummingbird tongue.Today we explore an entire kingdom that can boost our immune function, mood, and possibly bring us sanity: fungi.
- [Finding Balance and Reimagining Cardiology with Monica Aggarwal, MD: PYP 314](https://plantyourself.com/monica-aggarwal-md-pyp-314/) - When I asked Dr Monica Aggarwal to join me on this podcast, I figured we'd talk about her plant-based advocacy at the University of Florida, where she is an assistant professor of medicine and Director of Integrative Cardiology and Prevention.We got there, eventually, but took a fascinating detour into the gender politics of medicine, and cardiology in particular.
- [Changing Habits and Lifestyle Through the Entrepreneurial Process with Danny Warshay: PYP 315](https://plantyourself.com/changing-habits-and-lifestyle-through-the-entrepreneurial-process-with-danny-warshay-pyp-315/) - Danny Warshay is the executive director of the Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship at Brown University, and a long-time friend. He dropped by to talk about how to apply his Entrepreneurial Process to lifestyle and habit change. Neither of us knew exactly what we would discover when we began speaking, although we both had hunches that there was direct applicability somehow, some way
- [Banishing Loneliness Through Mindful Acceptance with Emily Lindsay: PYP 316](https://plantyourself.com/banishing-loneliness-through-mindful-acceptance-with-emily-lindsay-pyp-316/) - Emily Lindsay, PhD, is lead author of an uber-important scientific paper on how to mitigate loneliness through mindfulness and acceptance training. Lindsay is a research scientist in the Psychology Department at University of Pittsburgh who studies how mind-body practices like mindfulness and meditation affect our physiology and ultimate health outcomes. It's an important field of study, because negative mental and emotional states can be terrible for our health.
- [Bringing Health to the People, One Step at a Time with David Sabgir, MD: PYP 317](https://plantyourself.com/bringing-health-to-the-people-one-step-at-a-time-with-david-sabgir-md-pyp-317/) - David Sabgir, MD, is a cardiologist practicing at the founder of Walk with a Doc, a movement within the field of lifestyle medicine whose mission is to empower doctors to share the health and happiness benefits of walking with their patients.From a single walk in Columbus, Ohio in April 2005, Walk with a Doc has grown to 500 chapters worldwide. In addition to the walk itself, the free events also include education on healthy habits and lifestyle.
- [Holding Ourselves to a Higher Standard with Marco Borges: PYP 318](https://plantyourself.com/holding-ourselves-to-a-higher-standard-with-marco-borges-pyp-318/) - Marco Borges, founder of 22 Days Nutrition, is a visionary social entrepreneur.From humble beginnings, Marco has partnered with Beyoncé and Jay-Z to bring plant-based health to as many people as possible, as affordably as possible.And he's one of those folks whose very presence and easy self-confidence compels others to take him seriously - in short, a powerful spokesperson and ally.
- [Covering the Ground with Josh LaJaunie: PYP 319](https://plantyourself.com/covering-the-ground-with-josh-lajaunie-pyp-319/) - My buddy Josh LaJaunie returns the to podcast for his fourth? fifth? appearance. We've been busy building WellStart Health, dealing with logistics and curriculum and business development and whatnot, so we were both hungry for a slow, meandering, purposeless, deep conversation. The kind friends have, with no agenda, except with thousands of people listening in.
- [How to Really Change Habits with Kevin Davis: PYP 320](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-really-change-habits-with-kevin-davis-pyp-320/) - Kevin Davis is a WellStart Health “Supercoach,” and co-leader of the WellStart Health Coach Training Academy.Today we talk about his story, from being the “fat kid” in high school, to getting into bodybuilding and embracing extreme keto, to a traumatic car crash that led to years of agoraphobia, to his plant-based journey and healing of anxiety.With that as background, we cover the WellStart Health Attainment Model, the pyramid infographic that serves as a roadmap of change.If you’re a coach, or are trying to change your own habits, this will be a valuable model to help you diagnose and overcome obstacles.
- [Improving Athletic Performance Through Plants with Shiann Darkangelo: PYP 321](https://plantyourself.com/improving-athletic-performance-through-plants-with-shiann-darkangelo-pyp-321/) - Shiann Darkangelo plays professional hockey for the Toronto Furies, in the Canadian Women's Ice Hockey League.If that isn't a place you'd expect to find a plant-based athlete, join the club!Shiann is not only one of the world's best hockey players, but she's a passionate plant-based coach and mentor.
- [The Martial Art of Tech-Proofing with Glenn Murphy: PYP 322](https://plantyourself.com/the-martial-art-of-tech-proofing-with-glenn-murphy-pyp-322/) - Our lives have changed dramatically since 2007, when the first iPhone was introduced.As today’s guest, Glenn Murphy, points out, if we handled any other object over 1000 times a day, we would be considered severely OCD, or addicted, or certainly life-impaired in some way.Yet that’s exactly how many times most of us reach for our smartphones in a typical day.And this behavior pattern is not just weird - it’s damaging to our productivity and mental health.
- [Dr Wayne Jonas on the Science of Healing: PYP 323](https://plantyourself.com/dr-wayne-jonas-on-the-science-of-healing-pyp-323/) - Dr Wayne Jonas is a pioneer in integrative, healing-based, patient-centered healthcare. He was director of the NIH Office of Alternative Medicine from 1995-1999, and led the World Health Organization's Collaborative Center for Traditional Medicine.In our conversation, we look at the triply oxymoronic "Health Care System" (produces about 20% of public health, doesn't provide much quality care, and is not an integrated system), and what it's missing and how to reimagine healthcare.
- [A Systems Approach to Fighting Chronic Disease with Olivia Kelly: PYP 324](https://plantyourself.com/a-systems-approach-to-fighting-chronic-disease-with-olivia-kelly-pyp-324/) - Olivia Kelly is CEO and co-founder of WellStart Health, the fabulously amazing startup that I also co-founded. So everything I'm going to say about her is totally unbiased. Olivia and I have been jetsetting this spring, attending healthcare-related conferences in exotic locations like Washington, DC, and Raleigh, NC. And because we're trying to take a "systems approach" to solving our chronic-disease fueled healthcare crisis, the conferences we attend are quite diverse in goal, scope, and attendees. In fact, I'm almost positive that Olivia and I are the only elements in the intersection set of the World Health Care Congress (WHCC) and the Plant-Based Prevention of Disease Conference (P-POD).
- [Honoring Tradition While Charting a New Course with Ramona and Dustin Lajaunie: PYP 325](https://plantyourself.com/honoring-tradition-while-charting-a-new-course-with-ramona-and-dustin-lajaunie-pyp-325/) - Ramona and Dustin LaJaunie are part of a family that has lost over a thousand pounds through plants and running. The mother and brother, respectively, of Josh LaJaunie, Mona and Dustin are now the cooks in the family. And one of their biggest challenges was abandoning all the classic southern recipes that they loved and took pride in making and sharing - gumbos, jambalayas, turnip stew, cabbage rolls, and all the delicious desserts - in favor of low-fat, plant-based fare. They decided that there had to be a way to have the best of both worlds - their cherished traditions, and their health.
- [Rediscovering Radical Wholeness with Philip Shepherd: PYP 326](https://plantyourself.com/rediscovering-radical-wholeness-with-philip-shepherd-pyp-326/) - Philip Shepherd is the author of Radical Wholeness: The Embodied Presence and the Ordinary Grace of Being. I was introduced to Philip's work by my friend and teacher Mark Leuchten. About 12 pages into Radical Wholeness, I felt my entire worldview shift. Some of the cultural blinders that had blocked my understanding of wholeness were revealed, and I began to understand where I was in conflict with myself, and why, and what I could start to do to harmonize myself. I needed to know more.
- [Fixing Health Insurance with Emma Passé: PYP 327](https://plantyourself.com/fixing-health-insurance-with-emma-passe-pyp-327/) - Emma Passé is Chief Operating Officer at E-Powered Benefits, one of the renegade benefits brokers challenging a bloated and broken healthcare system. I first met Emma a year ago at a healthcare conference, where she brought down the house with a spirited, entertaining, and incisive look at how health plans negotiate prices with providers. You might not think that the topic of "reference-based pricing" would be all that interesting to the non-wonks in the room, but Emma has a way of making it relevant and fun. And, when you discover how you've been overpaying for healthcare all these years, you might become outraged as well. When I found out that Emma was going to be in Charlotte, NC for the day, I drove for a couple of hours with my portable podcasting studio and met her for an interview.
- [We are Nature with Josh LaJaunie: PYP 328](https://plantyourself.com/we-are-nature-with-josh-lajaunie-pyp-328/) - Josh LaJaunie returns to the podcast for a fifth (?) time, for a conversation about our relationship with nature. We talk about the beauty and grandeur of nature, and the ways human beings benefit and grow from being exposed to that loveliness. And also about nature’s dangerous and scary and yucky and itchy and hot and humid and freezing and soaking and uncomfortable aspects - and how we need those experiences in equal measure with the pleasurable ones. Our sport, ultrarunning, is an invitation to both faces of nature. To the beauty and grandeur, and to the hassle and discomfort. To the nurturing and the threatening. We also explore the lessons nature holds for us; in trees and eddies, in cycles of live and death, growth and service.
- [Overcoming Depression with Linda Carney, MD: PYP 329](https://plantyourself.com/overcoming-depression-with-linda-carney-md-pyp-329/) - Linda Carney, MD, returns to the podcast to talk about a wholistic approach to treating depression. It turns out that while adverse childhood events, genetics, and traumatic life circumstances all contribute to the onset and severity of depression, we do have choices and tools and strategies to prevent and recover from this debilitating mental condition. We can change our thoughts patterns, for example. And - and this is even easier and more straightforward - we can improve our diets.
- [Tackling Food and Economic Insecurity Through Urban Agriculture with Jesse Herrera: PYP 330](https://plantyourself.com/tackling-food-and-economic-insecurity-through-urban-agriculture-with-jesse-herrera-pyp-330/) - Jesse Herrera is founder and chief visionary of Urban Theory, which I'd categorize as a "think tank" and an "act tank" for social and economic and environmental justice. Jesse is a former gang member, as well as a recovering architect. An urban planner. A visionary realist. We met at the World Healthcare Congress this past May, and immediately bonded by nerding out over sustainable small-plot agricultural tools and strategies, such as 2-wheel Italian tractors and compost tea. And discovered that our missions aligned. I work with individuals and organizations, while Jesse targets cities and communities. His passionate vision and clear-headed appraisal of obstacles and opportunities makes for an inspiring conversation.
- [Mastering the Air Fryer with Kathy Hester: PYP 331](https://plantyourself.com/mastering-the-air-fryer-with-kathy-hester-pyp-331/) - Kathy Hester is a cookbook author, gear and gadget junkie, and vegan wizard. She's also a neighbor of mine, and a hilarious and warm and wonderful human being. This is her third appearance on the podcast - and frankly, I got tired of talking about food and not getting to eat it! So for this episode, I invited Kathy into my kitchen, to teach us all how to use the air fryer to get low-fat plant-based deliciousness into our lives.
- [Eat Your Way Healthy with Lauren Plunkett: PYP 332](https://plantyourself.com/eat-your-way-healthy-with-lauren-plunkett-pyp-332/) - Lauren Plunkett is a registered dietitian living with type 1 diabetes. She's also the newest addition to the WellStart care team - and we couldn't be more pleased or delighted! Lauren is a dynamo of positive energy, and a shining example of the power of lifestyle to enhance quality of life. Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 11, Lauren struggled for years to feel good and have the energy to do what she wanted to do. She went on a mission to learn everything she could about nutrition and health. Once she discovered plant-based nutrition, she knew she had found the key to thriving with diabetes: reducing insulin resistance.
- [Pleasure Activism with adrienne maree brown: PYP 333](https://plantyourself.com/adrienne-maree-brown-pyp-333/) - adrienne maree brown is author of Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds and Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good, and the co-editor of Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction from Social Justice Movements. She is a writer, social justice facilitator, pleasure activist, healer and doula living in Detroit. brown has been facilitating professionally for over fifteen years, and has worked with hundreds of organizations at all levels of scale including informal collectives, foundations, national networks and more. She is the cohost of the How to Survive the End of the World podcast.
- [Reconnecting with the Healing Power of Plants with Joe Cross: PYP 334](https://plantyourself.com/joe-cross-pyp-334/) - Joe Cross was, in the words of his first film, "Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead" when he embarked on a 60-day experiment to escape the pain and discomfort of a lifestyle-induced auto-immune disease. His transformation story, chronicled in that 2010 documentary, has inspired millions of people to start juicing, and to add more plants to their diets. In our conversation, we catch up on the decade since he became a famous wellness advocate. How has he weathered that kind of public scrutiny?
- [The heART of Medicine with Jody Esselstyn, RN: PYP 335](https://plantyourself.com/the-heart-of-medicine-with-jody-esselstyn-rn-pyp-335/) - Jody Esselstyn is a registered nurse, and docent at the Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia. An unusual combo, perhaps, but Jody combines her two interests - medicine and art - in some innovative and lifesaving ways. She leads programs that help medicine students make better diagnoses, display more empathy at the bedside, and collaborate more generously with their medical peers through visits to art museums.
- [Battling Bullshit with Garth Davis, MD: PYP 336](https://plantyourself.com/battling-bullshit-with-garth-davis-md-pyp-336/) - Yeah, them's fighting words in the title of today's episode. And Garth David, MD, my lead author of Proteinaholic and co-conspirator in a mission to tell the world that chronic disease and obesity are preventable and reversible, is a fighter.
- ["It Turns Out Willpower Doesn't Exist" with Jud Brewer, MD PhD: PYP 337](https://plantyourself.com/it-turns-out-willpower-doesnt-exist-with-jud-brewer-pyp-337/) - Jud Brewer is Director of Research and Innovation at the Mindfulness Center at Brown University, and a second-time guest on Plant Yourself. I wanted to catch up with Jud to find out how his academic research and public writing had migrated into the world. What is the state of mindfulness-based health improvement? Does he have data on how his approach compares to current best practices, like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for smoking and other addictions.
- [Learning from Sacred Plants with Amber Antonelli and Anthony Esposito: PYP 338](https://plantyourself.com/learning-from-sacred-plants-with-amber-antonelli-and-anthony-esposito-pyp-338/) - Amber Antonelli and Anthony Esposito run the Awaken Your Soul iboga retreat center in Costa Rica. Iboga is the name of a plant native to Gabon and neighboring West African countries that acts as a psychedelic, or as Amber and Anthony put it, a "teacher plant."
- [Bouncing Back from Heart Disease with Ray Martin: PYP 339](https://plantyourself.com/ray-martin-pyp-339/) - Ray Martin, aka "Old Man Skin and Bones," is on a mission to save others from what he went through: heart disease, expensive and unnecessary and potentially harmful medical care, and a bad case of the "If only I'd knowns."
- [Stephen Porges, PhD, on Safety as the Most Important Thing: PYP 340](https://plantyourself.com/stephen-porges-pyp-340/) - For my money, Stephen Porges' Polyvagal Theory has done more to improve our ability to heal and grow and thrive as a civilization than any other scientific breakthrough of the past 50 years. Its advances over prior understandings of the human nervous system, psychology, and experiences of states like well-being, happiness, and love - are profound. Paradigm-shifting. And, unlike a lot of theory, incredible practical and applicable to our everyday lives.
- [Normalizing Plant-Based Eating with Gwyn Whittaker: PYP 341](https://plantyourself.com/normalizing-plant-based-eating-with-gwyn-whittaker-pyp-341/) - Gwyn Whittaker is a change-maker, and for the past several years she's deployed her considerable "get-it-done" skills to the plant-based movement. Whittaker is CEO of Greenfare Cafe in Herndon, Virginia, which is the only 100% whole-food, plant-based (WFPB), organic restaurant either of us has ever heard of. (If you know of one, please let me know in the comments section so I can give it a shout-out!)
- [We are Our Own Healers with Benjamin Alter, ND: PYP 342](https://plantyourself.com/we-are-our-own-healers-with-benjamin-alter-nd-pyp-342/) - Benjamin Alter, ND, treats his patients as if they actually have the power to heal themselves. This power introduces a wonderful and frustrating messiness into the scientific pursuit of truth. It's hard to control for. It's hard to randomize for. And it's hard to replicate. In fact, science has dealt with this messiness by, at best, pretending it doesn't exist, and at worst, actively denigrating people's subjective experiences of illness and healing. In our conversation, Ben and I talk about his definition of health, and how it connects to freedom.
- [Documenting the Possibilities of Health with Carly Asse: PYP 343](https://plantyourself.com/documenting-the-possibilities-of-health-with-carly-asse-pyp-343/) - Carly Asse is a fitness trainer and documentarian. His first film, Unsupersize Me, has been seen over 3 million times, and has inspired and guided countless people to embark on their own journeys of healthy weight loss.
- [How to Have a Good (and Healthy) Day with Caroline Webb: PYP 344](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-have-a-good-and-healthy-day-with-caroline-webb-pyp-344/) - Caroline Webb is the author of the wonderfully entertaining and useful How to Have a Good Day, which is basically a cookbook of how to be an effective human in the world. She is an executive coach, economist, and speaker, and the book comes out of her extensive knowledge of behavioral science and its application in the real world. How to Have a Good Day has influenced my own health coaching so much, I wanted to talk with Caroline specifically about applying her tools and "recipes" to the challenges around improving diet and lifestyle.
- [The Magic of Walking to the Mailbox with Elizabeth Bell: PYP 345](https://plantyourself.com/the-magic-of-walking-to-the-mailbox-with-elizabeth-bell-pyp-345/) - This week's episode is an accident. I interviewed Elizabeth Bell in order to record a testimonial for WellStart Health, and ended up having a conversation so compelling and instructive and inspiring that I decided - with Elizabeth's blessing - to share the whole thing.
- [Mindful and Pain-free Walking and Running with Danny and Katherine Dreyer: PYP 346](https://plantyourself.com/danny-katherine-dreyer-pyp-346/) - Danny and Katherine Dreyer are the co-authors of three of the most valuable books ever on human bipedal locomotion: Chi Running, Chi Walking, and Chi Marathon. The promise of their methodology is that you can walk or run a lot farther and faster, without pain or injury.
- [Healing Asthma with a Plant-Based Diet with Margot Freitag: PYP 347](https://plantyourself.com/healing-asthma-with-a-plant-based-diet-with-margot-freitag-pyp-347/) - Margot Freitag is a coach who helps people transition to a plant-based diet successfully and sustainably. Growing up in Northwest Ontario (cue "Helpless" by Neil Young), she suffered from asthma, and made constant trips to the ER throughout her childhood. As a teen, she became a yoyo dieter, trying every variation she stumbled across in an attempt to lose weight: the apple-only diet, the "don't eat for a week" diet, low carb, etc. One plan she tried allowed her to eat cheese but not carrots, because sugar. (Sigh...) As luck would have it, her nutrition instructor in massage school was none other than superstar dietitian Brenda Davis (who kindly appeared on this podcast's 18th episode to talk about defeating diabetes and debunking paleo). From Brenda, Margot learned that dairy was not her friend.
- [PlantPure Cooking with Kim Campbell: PYP 348](https://plantyourself.com/kim-campbell-pyp-348/) - Kim Campbell is the culinary force behind PlantPure Nation and PlantPure Foods. She kindly agreed to visit the Plant Yourself test kitchen (which is just the kitchen in my home, cleaned up sufficiently for video) and make some delicious food for me, my wife, and my sister who was visiting from NYC.
- [Thriving on Plants, Kindness, and Connection with Karen Smith, RD: PYP 349](https://plantyourself.com/thriving-on-plants-kindness-and-connection-with-karen-smith-rd-pyp-349/) - Karen Smith is a plant-based registered dietitian, runner (sub-3 hours in the Boston Marathon, baby!), and all around good person.
- [Getting Healthy and Giving Back with Brittany Sade: PYP 350](https://plantyourself.com/getting-healthy-and-giving-back-with-brittany-sade-pyp-350/) - Brittany Sade is a vegan entrepreneur and health coach. Her company, Prosperiteez Clothing, devotes part of its profits to combatting food insecurity in impoverished communities. Brittany wasn't always a paragon of healthy living. Thanks to meat three times a day, along with a serious cheese addiction, she suffered from skin problems, arterial blockages, and overweight. It took the suffering and death of close family members to wake her to the realization that life didn't have to be an inexorable descent into disability and disease and painful premature death.
- [Can My Relationships Survive My Veganism? with Melanie Joy, PhD: PYP 351](https://plantyourself.com/can-my-relationships-survive-my-veganism-with-melanie-joy-phd-pyp-351/) - How can we advocate for human health, environmental sanity, and ethical treatment of animals without wrecking our relationships with family members, friends, partners, and coworkers? Melanie Joy joins the podcast to talk about her book Beyond Beliefs - essentially a merging of the political and relational.
- [Healing the Warrior Spirit with Ron Tibbs: PYP 352](https://plantyourself.com/healing-the-warrior-spirit-with-ron-tibbs-pyp-352/) - Ron Tibbs is a wellness coach, plant-based advocate, and all-around great guy. He's part of the core team at WellStart Health, where he coaches, guides, and cheerleads clients to make significant positive changes in their lives. Ron is perfectly situated to do this, because he's created his own massive changes in the face of very strong opposing forces.
- [The Science of Breaking Bad Habits with Wendy Wood, PhD: PYP 353](https://plantyourself.com/the-science-of-breaking-bad-habits-with-wendy-wood-phd-pyp-353/) - Wendy Wood, PhD, knows more about the science of habit formation - and habit breaking - than just about anyone. Instead of applying conscious willpower to powerfully persistent patterns (yea, alliteration) of behavior, Wood's research demonstrates the effectiveness of changing environmental cues to trigger new and different responses.
- [Orienting Ourselves to Natural Time with Brian Tourville: PYP 354](https://plantyourself.com/orienting-ourselves-to-natural-time-with-brian-tourville-pyp-354/) - Is time linear, or cyclical? According to analog watches, time goes around in circles. According to calendars and planners and most of Western culture, time moves ever forward. And few of us take seriously the cycles of nature when we contemplate time and how we move through it.
- [Combating BS with James "Lightning" Wilks: PYP 355](https://plantyourself.com/combating-bs-with-james-lightning-wilks-pyp-355/) - James Wilks is a producer, as well as narrator and chief instigator of The Game Changers, already the bestselling documentary of all time on iTunes. We talk about the 7-year odyssey of making the film, its effect on popular culture and our food choices, and his appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast earlier this month. We talk about the long process of making the film, and the warrior spirit needed to defend it from disingenuous and misinformed attacks.
- [Giving Farm Animals a Refuge with Lenore Braford: PYP 356](https://plantyourself.com/giving-farm-animals-a-refuge-with-lenore-braford-pyp-356/) - Lenore Braford talks about the hows and whys of rescuing abused and neglected farm animals. Given that billions of farm animals live and die in misery, is there a point in saving just a few? Listen as Lenore tells touching stories of rescue and resilience, and shows how these special animals act as ambassadors who can change hearts and minds about animal agriculture.
- [Healing Racism in the Vegan / Plant-based Community with Milton Mills, MD: PYP 357](https://plantyourself.com/healing-racism-in-the-vegan-plant-based-community-with-milton-mills-md-pyp-357/) - In June, 2019, Dr Milton Mills gave testimony before the USDA Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee about their persistent recommendation to include dairy in our diets. Dr Mills short presentation was not what I was expecting to hear. Instead of just repeating the overwhelming body of evidence showing that cow's milk is not a healthy or suitable food for humans, he put the debate in the context of racism.
- [Reversing the "Diseasification of America" with Jim Loomis, MD: PYP 358](https://plantyourself.com/reversing-the-diseasification-of-america-with-jim-loomis-md-pyp-358/) - Jim Loomis, MD is Medical Director of the Barnard Medical Center, and one of the stars of the blockbuster documentary The Game Changers. Dr Loomis' journey to plant-based practice for himself and his patients began with a viewing of Forks Over Knives, at a time when his own health was starting to fail. Once he discovered and benefited personally from Lifestyle Medicine, he began to see that the paradigm of human health he had been taught was seriously flawed. He summed it up this way: "If I'm not sick, then I must be well."
- [Democratizing Water with Rich Razgaitis: PYP 359](https://plantyourself.com/democratizing-water-with-rich-razgaitis-pyp-359/) - Rich "Raz" Razgaitis is on a mission to get water out of plastic, and plastic out of water. As co-founder and CEO of FloWater, which aims to reduce and ultimately end our dependence on single-use plastic water bottles, Raz has become an impassioned advocate for public health and environmental sanity. His message: bottled water is the new cigarette. As in, it's killing us.
- [Changing Hearts and Minds Through Laughter with Myq Kaplan: PYP 360](https://plantyourself.com/myq-kaplan-360/) - Myq Kaplan is a stand-up comedian who also happens to be vegan (or is it the other way around?) He's performed on the Tonight Show, Conan, the Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Seth Meyers, the Late Late Show with James Corden, in his own half-hour Comedy Central Presents special, and in his own one-hour special on Netflix and Amazon, Small, Dork, and Handsome.
- [This is What Getting Older is Like: Matt Buckner on PYP 361](https://plantyourself.com/this-is-what-getting-older-is-like-matt-buckner-on-pyp-361/) - Matt Buckner's low point came one day about 9 years ago, when he was 41.
- [How Not to Diet with Michael Greger, MD: PYP 362](https://plantyourself.com/how-not-to-diet-with-michael-greger-md-pyp-362/) - Michael Greger's latest book, How Not to Diet, is just stunning. It's a love song to science: its potential, its process, even its limitations. There has never been a more comprehensive, accessible, and evidence-based look at our current knowledge of how to get to and achieve a healthy weight.
- [Should You Sanitize Your Environment?: PYP 363](https://plantyourself.com/should-you-sanitize-your-environment/) - The public health crisis was going to be unprecedented, and catastrophic. As the Americans clumsily extricated themselves from the Vietnam War in the early 1970s, tens of thousands of US troops would be returning home. And by some estimates, 90% of them had become addicted to heroin during their tour of duty.
- [The Joy of Movement with Kelly McGonigal: PYP 364](https://plantyourself.com/the-joy-of-movement-with-kelly-mcgonigal-pyp-364/) - Kelly McGonigal is one of my favorite science/personal-development/psychology teachers and writers. And in a testament to her versatility and breadth of interests, her print books are in three different sections of my library: habits and behavioral science (The Willpower Instinct); stress (The Upside of Stress); and exercise/movement (The Joy of Movement, her latest work.) Her audio course, The Science of Self-Compassion, is both a scientific tour de force and a big-hearted hug from a caring friend. She manages a rare writerly and scholarly trick: to adhere to the evidence while letting her own humanity flow through every page. Which is just to say, I had to deal with major Fanboy vibes when I connected with her via Skype.
- [Lessons from Platform Nine and Three Quarters: PYP 365](https://plantyourself.com/platform-nine-and-three-quarters-pyp-365/) - When we adopt a new habit, we often experience a honeymoon period. Partly it's our enthusiasm and motivation at the first flush of hope and desire, and partly we've chosen this time to start because it's particularly convenient or easy. But the universe will test our resolve not too long after that. It can feel like slamming into a brick wall at the end of a runway. What we do next determines our fate.
- [The "Love at First Sight" Trap: PYP 367](https://plantyourself.com/love-at-first-site/) - If you think that you need to love - or even like - healthy food and exercise in order to do it, then you're stuck. I hear this all the time: "I tried kale, but I didn't like it." And this: "I started jogging, but just didn't get into it." And this: "I downloaded a meditation app, but I didn't enjoy it." When we give up on things because they don't trigger LAFS, we are by definition eliminating the possibility of adding the healthiest things to our lives. That's because the healthy stuff, in our consumer culture, is surrounded by foods and activities designed to be addictive. Today's Friday Fertilizer from Plant Yourself explores the Love at First Sight Trap, and shows you a way out.
- [Solving the Passion Paradox with Brad Stulberg: PYP 368](https://plantyourself.com/solving-the-passion-paradox-with-brad-stulberg-pyp-368/) - Brad Stulberg returns to the podcast to discuss his latest book, The Passion Paradox, co-written with Steve Magness. On the one hand, we're supposed to "follow our passion." On the other hand, we're supposed to lead a "balanced life." Well, guess what? You can have a passionate life, or a balanced life. So which do you choose?
- [Feed the Crying Baby at 3am: PYP 369](https://plantyourself.com/feed-the-crying-baby-at-3am-pyp-369/) - After the third consecutive night of no sleep, I was starting to lose it. Our newborn daughter, who had looked so sweet and angelic in the moments right after her birth (9 on the APGAR - you go, girl!) had morphed into a demonic nighttime presence.
- [Becoming a Joyful Vegan with Colleen Patrick Goudreau: PYP 370](https://plantyourself.com/becoming-a-joyful-vegan-with-colleen-patrick-goudreau-pyp-370/) - Colleen Patrick Goudreau is author, most recently, of The Joyful Vegan. It's a book about joy, yes, but joy as a strategic imperative in a world that is relentless in trying to undermine our resolve about living compassionate and brave lives. While steadfastness and willpower and outrage can provide bursts of energy for our journey, Goudreau asserts, it's joy that gives us the long-burning, clean fuel that allows us to come from love and compassion and understanding in all our interactions.
- [Lost in the Land of the Liars: PYP 371](https://plantyourself.com/liars/) - There's a logic puzzle, well-known to those of us who never dated in high school, about an island that's inhabited by two tribes - the Liars and the Truthtellers. It's impossible to tell them apart by looks. You're on this island, at a fork in the road, lost and confused, and you want to know which road takes you to the village. Especially because the other road leads to a dangerous dragon. You meet a native of the island, and get to ask one question. What question can you ask to find your way to the village?
- [Healthy Penis, Healthy Life with Aaron Spitz, MD: PYP 372](https://plantyourself.com/healthy-penis-healthy-life-with-aaron-spitz-md-pyp-372/) - Aaron Spitz, MD, is the director of male reproductive and sexual medicine at Orange County Urology Associates. He's served as president of the California Urological Association, was the lead urology delegate to the American Medical Association, and has been an assistant clinical professor at UC Irvine's Department of Urology for the past decade and a half. Impressive, no doubt. But cinematically compelling? You might not think...
- [Van der Waals Forces to the Rescue: PYP 373](https://plantyourself.com/van-der-waals-forces/) - When I was in 11th grade, I came in 3rd in the New Jersey Science League Chemistry II competition. Which was odd. I wasn't one of the best chemistry students in the state, by far. I wasn't even close to being the best chemistry student in my high school. Hell, I wasn't close to be the best chemistry student in my chemistry class.
- [A Behind-the-Curtain Health Coaching Demonstration with Ian Lawton and Howard Jacobson: PYP 374](https://plantyourself.com/behind-the-curtain-health-coaching-demonstration-with-ian-lawton-and-howard-jacobson-pyp-374/) - In this episode, I share a personal coaching session that I conducted with Ian Lawton, host of the Workshed Podcast. Ian has lost around 150 pounds and turned himself into marathoner (3 marathons in December, 2019). And he's training for his first ultra marathon in April 2020. The problem is, he's been sneaking in the vegan junk food, and his weight has plateaued and started creeping back up. As a former fat guy, he's terrified of slipping back to where he was.
- [How to Accelerate Your Progress by Stepping on DGAS: PYP 375](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-375-dgas/) - Today is January 2, 2020. If you're a resolutions kind of person, today is the second day to do the thing you've decided to do. Are you still motivated? I certainly hope so! What about tomorrow? Will you be motivated then as well? Fingers crossed... And the day after tomorrow? And the day after that?
- [The Dangers of Toxic Spirituality with Justin Luria: PYP 376](https://plantyourself.com/the-dangers-of-toxic-spirituality-with-justin-luria-pyp-376/) - Justin Luria now lives what he calls a "muggle" life, managing on online bookshop. Before that, he trained as an energy healing and shamanic practitioner, and immersed himself in many of the spiritual practices of the "New Age," and learned from many contemporary spiritual teachers: Byron Katie, Eckhart Tolle, and others. He also actively pursued the goals of the self-help movement as modeled and taught by folks like Tony Robbins and others. And somewhere along the way, he realized that the bulk of self-help and spirituality was little more than our grasping consumer society wrapped in finer threads. Rather than being a cure or counterweight to modern life, mainstream spiritual and self-help culture intensifies our feelings of inadequacy and need, and often takes advantage of the vulnerable state in what that inadequacy leaves us.
- [Don and the Perfect Game: PYP 377](https://plantyourself.com/don-and-the-perfect-game-pyp-377/) - Don Larson died this month, at the age of 90. He played baseball professionally from 1953 to 1967, and had a less than stellar career. As a pitcher, his lifetime record was 81 wins and 91 losses. He played five of those years with the powerhouse New York Yankees during their dynastic heyday in the 1950s; his record for lesser teams was a dismal 36 wins and 67 losses. And yet he's one of my favorite players of all time.
- [Plant-Based Cardiology in Practice with Shane Williams, MD: PYP 378](https://plantyourself.com/plant-based-cardiology-in-practice-with-shane-williams-md-pyp-378/) - Shane Williams, MD, has been practicing plant-based (or as I would say, evidence-based) cardiology in Canada for nine years now. With hundreds of patients and lots of experience with what works and what doesn't in terms of advocacy, education, and support, Dr Williams is a valuable resource for plant-based physicians everywhere. He began his cardiology practice in 2006, and stumbled across The China Study in early 2011, and immediately shifted his own diet to put it to the test. A bunch of pounds and a 20% cholesterol drop in just a few weeks, later, Dr Williams was a convert, and began talking to his patients about diet and lifestyle.
- [Straight Talk on Covid-19 with Michael Rothberg, MD: PYP 379](https://plantyourself.com/straight-talk-on-covid-19-with-michael-rothberg-md-pyp-379/) - Michael B. Rothberg, M.D., M.P.H. is the Vice Chair for Research in the Medicine Institute of the Cleveland Clinic and Director of the Center for Value-Based Care Research. He joined me on Skype to talk about the current state of knowledge about Covid-19, and what we can and should do as individuals and a society to save as many lives as possible.
- [You and What Army?: PYP 380](https://plantyourself.com/you-and-what-army-pyp-380/) - Now is not the time to indulge in crappy food choices, even though we may be stressed and cooped up and grieving. We have an army inside us - our immune system - that does its best to keep us safe. Now's the time to feed it well. We have an opportunity to find new sources of dopamine, of joy, of connection.
- [Cultivating Emotional Herd Immunity: PYP 381](https://plantyourself.com/cultivating-emotional-herd-immunity-pyp-381/) - Those of us who have survived difficult times - physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual - have a gift for the rest of society: the knowledge that we can handle what seems unmanageable, and grow from what seems diabolical. Let's share those gifts now, to counter all the fear and panic and despair out there.
- [The Illusion and Reality of Control: PYP 382](https://plantyourself.com/the-illusion-and-reality-of-control-pyp-382/) - In a world in which we have virtually no control, how do we assert control in a useful way?
- [What is Essential: PYP 383](https://plantyourself.com/what-is-essential-pyp-383/) - In these strange times, we have an opportunity to remember what is essential, and what is fluff. Who are we really, and how can we carry that realization forward once we attain a new equilibrium?
- [Gratitude: PYP 384](https://plantyourself.com/gratitude-pyp-384/) - It's easy for me (and I guess, a lot of us) to focus on the negative these days. I'm reminding myself daily to look for things to be grateful for - and finding them!
- [Stress and Resilience in the Time of Pandemic with Glenn Murphy: PYP 385](https://plantyourself.com/stress-and-resilience-in-the-time-of-pandemic-with-glenn-murphy-pyp-385/) - Glenn Murphy returns to the podcast in the nick of time, to help understand, manage, and overcome stress reactions and symptoms in this time of fear, lockdown, and uncertainty. He shares an evolutionary perspective on why this pandemic produces stress responses unlike other typical stressors, and offers exercises, solutions, and mindsets to help us get through and build our resilience along the way.
- [The Gift of Boredom: PYP 386](https://plantyourself.com/the-gift-of-boredom-pyp-386/) - Many of us are bored right now, in lockdown or sheltering in place. We can paper over our boredom with mindless consumption, or we can use it to begin a process of profound healing.
- [The Silver Lining of Constraints: PYP 387](https://plantyourself.com/constraints-pyp-387/) - I'm very very constrained these days. And those same constraints also are providing opportunities for me to shake up my routines, innovate, and come out of this with a better, more integrated life. How can you benefit from the constraints that are currently imposed on you?
- [Decisions, Decisions: PYP 388](https://plantyourself.com/decisions-decisions-pyp-388/) - In these challenging times, we may think we have a lot of decisions to make. And we can agonize over those decisions and feel tremendous regret if they don't work out the way we hoped they would. But it's almost impossible to make rational decisions when the future is so unpredictable. Past experience doesn't provide a road map anymore.
- [Sifting Through Conspiracies: PYP 389](https://plantyourself.com/sifting-through-conspiracies-pyp-389/) - In a world full of conspiracy theories, how can we know what to believe? We can't. But we can choose to adopt worldviews based on whether they empower us to help ourselves, others, and the world.
- [Training Montage: PYP 390](https://plantyourself.com/training-montage-pyp-390/) - People are comparing their experience of lockdown as an endless repetition of Goundhog Day, the 1993 Bill Murray movie about a man trapped in the same day over and over again. What I recall about that movie was, once Bill Murray's character makes peace with his situation, he uses it to better himself. Piano. Ice sculpture. French. And lots of other skills and interests
- [Weaving a Web of Generosity: PYP 391](https://plantyourself.com/weaving-a-web-of-generosity-pyp-391/) - In tough times, you might expect people to hunker down and hoard what's theirs. We see some of that these days, for sure. But we also see incredible displays of generosity. I personally am benefiting from the generosity of my listeners as I broadcast from lockdown in South Africa. Today I talk about how generosity benefits us as givers and receivers.
- [Corks in the Stream: PYP 392](https://plantyourself.com/corks-in-the-stream-pyp-392/) - We may be going home tomorrow. There are dozens of unknowns, and we have little to no control over any of them. I'll stay in touch as I can!
- [Homecoming: PYP 393](https://plantyourself.com/homecoming-pyp-393/) - How we got home from South Africa. Returning tomorrow with a clear and rested head, for all new daily episodes.
- [Self-Care: PYP 394](https://plantyourself.com/self-care-pyp-394/) - Some of us have had more time for self-care over the past few weeks than we even know what to do with. And we're loving it. How can we take advantage of this time to make ourselves, our families, our communities, and our societies healthier and more compassionate?
- [Investing for an Uncertain Future: PYP 395](https://plantyourself.com/investing-for-an-uncertain-future-pyp-395/) - Those of us in one kind or another of "limbo" - life, career, relationship - are all facing the same question: what do we do with our time and energy right now to support our future? When the future is so uncertain, our old "default" answers can feel insufficient. Today I talk about my own "investment philosophy" with regard to time and energy.
- [Gardening with Nature: PYP 396](https://plantyourself.com/gardening-with-nature-pyp-396/) - Today I talk about one element of my gardening practice and philosophy: working with, rather than against nature. This includes growing perennials, mulching with wood chips, and refraining from unnecessary tilling.
- [The Power of Diversity: PYP 397](https://plantyourself.com/the-power-of-diversity-pyp-397/) - One of the factors that weakens any system - a garden, a community, a nation - is lack of diversity. Monocultures provide economies of scale, but also opportunities for scaled disaster. A messy, diverse ecosystem is far healthier and more resilient. Today I talk about how we support diversity in our garden, and why the messiness and inefficiency is more than compensated for in terms of yield and risk management.
- [Liberating Humans and Animals with Michael Schwarz: PYP 398](https://plantyourself.com/liberating-humans-and-animals-with-michael-schwarz-pyp-398/) - Michael Schwarz is the founder of Treeline Cheese, a plant-based cheese company dedicated to ending the suffering caused by the animal-based dairy industry. He's also the child of one of the great heroes of the South African anti-apartheid struggle, Harry Schwarz. In our conversation, we try to connect the dots between political activism and vegan cheesemaking, between standing up for human rights and creating a company to reduce demand for the products of animal abuse.
- [Exploring Digital Spirituality with Gregory Grieve: PYP 399](https://plantyourself.com/exploring-digital-spirituality-with-gregory-grieve-pyp-399/) - Meditation apps have become a huge market. Headspace, Calm, 10% Happier, Insight Timer, and others promise stress relief, better health, and even spiritual contentment to users. Gregory Price Grieve, professor of religion at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, studies the nexus of spirituality and digital media. He recently published an article with Beverly Maguire, professor of East Asian religions at UNC Wilmington, titled, "Meditation apps might calm you – but miss the point of Buddhist mindfulness." In the article, the authors argue that the for-profit app industry has packaged Buddhist technology in a way that totally flips the underlying goal of Buddhism on its head.
- [The Power of Incantations: PYP 400](https://plantyourself.com/the-power-of-incantations-pyp-400/) - In the Jewish tradition, we say "Blessed is the righteous judge" upon hearing of a death. That's pretty much the opposite of how we may feel at that moment. We'd rather lash out at the unfairness of it, rather than praising the deity that ordained the death. So that incantation gives us the space to choose a response, rather than be jerked around by our default reactions.
- [Gardening Our Way Through Calamity with Will Bonsall: PYP 401](https://plantyourself.com/gardening-our-way-through-calamity-with-will-bonsall-pyp-401/) - Will Bonsall is a self-described "back-to-the-land hippie homesteader," and author of two extremely important and prescient books: Will Bonsall's Essential Guide to Radical Self-Reliant Gardening, and Through the Eyes of a Stranger, an adventure novel that explores what a sustainable society might look like following what he calls "the calamitous times" of the 21st century. I took the gardening book off the shelf as soon as my family and I returned from South Africa, as we were several weeks behind in setting up the garden for this year, and I foresaw a need to grow "calorie crops" like wheat, buckwheat, corn, and sunflowers in addition to the usual tomatoes, basil, okra, pepper, onions, eggplant, and summer squash. The introduction of the book caught me off-guard, as it was speaking specifically about the societal collapse that is occurring in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Not specifically as in "coronavirus from Wuhan in March 2020," but in terms of the cascade of breakdowns that will threaten our food and energy supply, and leave people to fight over scarce resources.
- [How to Eat Less During a Pandemic: PYP 402](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-eat-less-during-a-pandemic-pyp-402/) - Lots of us are moving less during this stay-at-home time. But we're often eating just as much, or more, or more frequently, or worse. It's easy to say, "Just eat less," but it's not that easy to do. In this short episode, I share three strategies for reducing caloric intake without feeling deprived.
- [Changing Your Thinking Isn't Enough: PYP 403](https://plantyourself.com/changing-your-thinking-isnt-enough-pyp-403/) - Say you want to stop eating junk food, or drinking soda, or watching porn, or whatever. Maybe you've read a motivating article or seen a video, or gotten a scary medical result, or just got fed up at your current reality. So you set an intention, and then… you end up doing the same thing again. And again.
- [When There's Nothing More to be Done: PYP 404](https://plantyourself.com/when-theres-nothing-more-to-be-done-pyp-404/) - Sometimes I hear from clients that they've done all they can, and they can't move the needle. They're stuck. They've hit a plateau. And there's simply nothing more to be done. What do we do then?
- [The Magic of Fiber with Will Bulsiewicz: PYP 405](https://plantyourself.com/the-magic-of-fiber-with-will-bulsiewicz-pyp-405/) - What's the most important dietary rule? Is raw better than cooked food? Why shouldn't I always avoid foods that give me an upset stomach? This conversation with Dr Will Bulsiewicz, author of the just-published Fiber Fueled, will make you rethink everything you know about the link between diet and health.
- [Why I won't "wish you luck": PYP 406](https://plantyourself.com/why-i-dont-wish-you-luck-pyp-406/) - Often a coaching client will end a session by saying, "Wish me luck" after setting a goal and making a plan to achieve it. In health coaching, this phrase is a huge red flag that the client is going to fail.
- [Do You Want to Play a Game?: PYP 407](https://plantyourself.com/do-you-want-to-play-a-game-pyp-407/) - One of the hot trends in behavior modification is gamification - that is, turning our goals and activities into behavioral chunks in order to win points and, sometimes, prizes. Gamification has its place, but there are a couple of pitfalls to watch out for. How best to gamify, and when not to - these are the subjects of today's podcast.
- [How to Succeed at (Small, Heart-Centered) Business with Mark Silver: PYP 408](https://plantyourself.com/mark-silver-408/) - Mark Silver helps solo entrepreneurs and micro-businesses thrive through heartfelt business practices. The tagline for his company, Heart of Business, is "Every act of business can be an act of love." I wanted to pick Mark's brain on behalf of the many listeners who are in some kind of career limbo in the age of pandemic - unemployed, underemployed, unsure about the future, sick of being a cog in the capitalist system, tired of relying on yucky tactics to make payroll - and want a way forward that meets their needs and is in service of a More Beautiful World.
- [Staying off the Trauma Train with Shay Seaborne: PYP 409](https://plantyourself.com/staying-off-the-trauma-train-with-shay-seaborne-pyp-409/) - Shay Seaborne is a trauma survivor, educator, and activist dedicated to demystifying trauma and helping people heal from - and with - Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD). In our far-ranging conversation, we covered the origins of trauma, the mistaken societal beliefs that reinforce trauma and get in the way of healing, and ways of empowering trauma survivors to reconnect with their bodies.
- [Tidings of Comfort or Joy: PYP 410](https://plantyourself.com/tidings-pyp-410/) - One day my grandfather punched someone in the face over some disagreement. The recipient of the blow, wounded more in pride than body, wobbled to a seat on the curb and began yelling, "Iodine! Police! Iodine! Police!"
- [The Practice of Compassionate Self-Care During Times of Crisis: Bojana Jankovic Weatherly, MD on PYP 411](https://plantyourself.com/the-practice-of-compassionate-self-care-during-times-of-crisis-with-bojana-jankovic-weatherly-md-pyp-411/) - Dr Bojana Jankovic Weatherly is one of my favorite physicians, double board certified in internal and integrative medicine. She has also trained in functional medicine, nutrition and mindfulness. Dr Jankovic Weatherly is a real stickler for evidence of efficacy, whatever modality she's exploring or recommending. Which makes her a very reliable podcast guest, especially when talking about topics not fully embraced by mainstream medical practice. And, she's a mom struggling to homeschool two children in a New York apartment while working full time from home.
- [How Pollution Affects Chronic Disease: Richard Kwok on PYP 412](https://plantyourself.com/how-pollution-affects-chronic-disease-with-richard-kwok-pyp-412/) - Richard Kwok is an environmental researcher who studies the effects of environmental pollution on human health. He's also my neighbor, and we met while cleaning up litter and quickly discovered a lot of interests in common. While the environment doesn't often change our genetics, it can have huge impact on our epigenetics, or how those genes get expressed in our bodies.
- [The Key to Human Resilience with Scott Carney: PYP 413](https://plantyourself.com/the-key-to-human-resilience-with-scott-carney-pyp-413/) - Most of my work as a health coach involves helping people respond differently to stimuli. That is, develop the ability to make different choices when confronted with tempting foods, tempting environments, tempting people, and tempting sensations, emotions, and thoughts. Think about it - NOT having that ability basically means you're a robot, a machine. If you can't control your responses, you have no freedom.
- [The Role of Science in Public Discourse and Racial Justice: Dean and Ayesha Sherzai, MDs: PYP 414](https://plantyourself.com/the-role-of-science-in-public-discourse-and-racial-justice-dean-and-ayesha-sherzai-mds-pyp-414/) - Team Sherzai, aka Dean and Ayesha, join me on the podcast to talk about the role of science and scientists in dealing with all the false statements propagated on social media (as well as, occasionally, traditional media). What the Sherzais value highly about science is the holy grail of falsifiability; the challenge that every theory and finding implicitly makes to other scientists: prove me wrong! They also appreciate the inherent humility that is baked into true science, as well as the imperfect nature of knowledge at any given time.
- [Going from Racist to Anti-racist with Dustin and Josh LaJaunie: PYP 415](https://plantyourself.com/going-from-racist-to-anti-racist-with-dustin-and-josh-lajaunie-pyp-415/) - Dustin and Josh LaJaunie have amazing transformation stories. They went from obese to fit. From junk food addicts to plant-based eaters. From hunters to vegans. From sedentary to active. And, as you'll see and hear, from racist to antiracist.
- [Empathy is Stronger than Fear: Glenn Murphy on PYP 416](https://plantyourself.com/empathy-is-stronger-than-fear-with-glenn-murphy-pyp-416/) - Glenn Murphy returns to Plant Yourself to talk about how we can self-regulate our emotions and actions during a time of great societal upheaval and division. We talk about our own impulses to "fight" with others, and where there's a messy intertwining of good intentions and unresolved psychological issues. We discuss the physiology of the stress response, particularly as it relates to the shame and guilt that accompanies some of our attempts to right wrongs and redress injustices.
- [Empowering Black Health with Lisa A Smith: PYP 417](https://plantyourself.com/empowering-black-health-with-lisa-a-smith-pyp-417/) - Lisa A Smith is a serial entrepreneur who's made it her life's work to empower the Black community with information, skills, and philosophies that support health, peace of mind, and mutual support. Ms Smith is the founder of the Black Health Academy, creator of the Pharm to Table course, and executive director of the 7000+ member Plant Based Nutrition Support Group operating in Detroit (see below for an interview with the founder, Paul Chatlin).
- [Broccoli alone won't get you to 100: Marta Zaraska on PYP 418](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-418-marta-zaraska/) - For the last 7 years, I've worked to improve human health and wellbeing by focusing on better nutrition, vigorous physical activity, sleep hygiene, and stress management. Turns out I may have been missing the most important determinants of health - the social ones. Marta Zaraska has written a book that is fun, fascinating, scientifically sound, and socially revolutionary. In Growing Young, she argues that eating well and exercising are all well and good, but spending time with friends, cultivating a positive attitude, and helping others are far more powerful (and enjoyable!) determinants of health.
- [Healing from Racism with Bianca and Michael Alexander: PYP 419](https://plantyourself.com/healing-from-racism-with-bianca-and-michael-alexander-pyp-419/) - I reached out to Bianca and Michael because I was turning into an asshole. Specifically, I was full of rage and outrage and judgment at all the racists out there. And the fact that I was right, and on the side of right, and standing shoulder to shoulder with people of color, and fighting against systemic oppression that has been going on far too long - just made me more of an asshole, to be honest.
- [Preparing for a Healthy Pregnancy: Jeanne Schumacher and Debra Shapiro, MD on PYP 420](https://plantyourself.com/preparing-for-a-healthy-pregnancy-with-jeanne-schumacher-and-debra-shapiro-md-pyp-420/) - The COVID-19 pandemic is not a great time to be pregnant, according to my guests, Jeanne Schumacher and Debra Shapiro of The Pregnancy Advantage. It is, on the other hand, a terrific time to prepare to get pregnant. How does a woman do that, other than paint the nursery, give up booze, and buy a copy of What to Expect When You're Expecting? By getting healthier, detoxifying her body and environment, and taking other personal actions that contribute to a healthier world for the next generation.
- [Are Your Mutual Funds Building the World You Want?: Marco Vangelisti on PYP 421](https://plantyourself.com/marco-vangelisti-pyp-421/) - If you're fortunate enough to have savings, you've probably thought about how to invest them responsibly. The standard answer is to stick your money into no-load mutual funds that track the market and leave it there for as long as possible. Low risk because of the diversification. Low fee because there's no genius managing your money, just an algorithm. And high return because over the long term, it's almost impossible to beat the market. What could possibly be wrong with that?
- [The Stunning New Science of Breathing: <br>Dr Ryan Robinson on PYP 422](https://plantyourself.com/breathing-ryan-robinson-pyp-422/) - Ryan Robinson, DDS, is a unicorn in the medical world: a dentist who helps people open up their airways and learn how to breathe properly. Breathe properly? What are you talking about?, I hear you say. If I'm alive, then I must be breathing properly, right? Not exactly.
- [What We Know About COVID-19: The Science: Michael Rothberg, MD on PYP 423](https://plantyourself.com/covid-19-michael-rothberg-md-pyp-423/) - Michael Rothberg, MD, returns to Plant Yourself to share the latest actual scientific understanding of COVID-19. We spoke first in mid-March, when we didn't know much. Fast forward five months, and we now know a lot, but in the US at least, we're ignoring most of the science and suffering for it. I've been as confused as anyone else, daunted by epidemiological models I can't evaluate for accuracy, overwhelmed by social media fights about masks and free speech and hydroxychloroquine and vaccines and government overreach that have riven the plant-based community, and befuddled by competing claims of conferred immunity and how long it might last. So I got Michael on the Zoom and peppered him with my questions.
- [Unraveling the Mysteries of Behavior: Mark Faries, PhD, on Plant Yourself 424](https://plantyourself.com/mark-faries-pyp-424/) - A key role of medical professionals whose job it is to help their patients and clients change, is to frame messages to maximize the odds of desired behaviors. Unfortunately, most medical professionals have been trained to communicate in ways that actually reduce patient self-efficacy by challenging their autonomy and undermining confidence in their competence. On today's podcast you'll discover how to talk so patients will not only listen, but adopt positive new behaviors and maintain them in the face of ongoing temptation.
- [Steven C Hayes on PYP 425: How to Liberate Our Minds](https://plantyourself.com/steven-c-hayes-on-pyp-425-how-to-liberate-our-minds/) - Steven C Hayes is the originator of ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or Acceptance and Commitment Training, take your pick), one of the most important psychological approaches of the past 100 years. Why the high praise? For several reasons: ACT is evidence-based ACT is learnable ACT is actionable ACT can be practiced and shared by pretty much any human in any role, unlike most therapies that require degrees and certifications. ACT is built from the ground up from fundamental theories of human cognition and behavior ACT seeks to create mental health, rather than simply address mental illness In our conversation, we tackled the question that has vexed so many philosophers: Why is it so damn hard to be a human?
- [Creating a Platform for Black Plant-Based Health Experts: Judy Brangman, MD, on PYP 426](https://plantyourself.com/creating-a-platform-for-black-plant-based-health-experts-judy-brangman-md-on-pyp-426/) - Judy Brangman, MD, aka The Plant-Based MD, visits the podcast to talk about her labor of love, the Reclaim Your Health Summit. The summit is the first one featuring exclusively people of color in the plant-based healthcare space. Eighteen doctors, a dietitian, and a fitness expert all share their wisdom and action plans with Dr Brangman, and with everyone who signs up for this free event.
- [Tiny Leaps Make Big Changes: Gregg Clunis on PYP 427](https://plantyourself.com/tiny-leaps-make-big-changes-gregg-clunis-on-pyp-427/) - Gregg Clunis learned most of what he knows about persistence, strategy, personal development, and success from watching his immigrant parents struggle to achieve their dreams. Originally from Jamaica, Gregg and his family followed his father, who had been a professor and police officer in their native country, and worked as a migrant farm laborer in their new home. Gregg was attracted to the self-help world, and quickly discovered that the tactics and messages were often at odds with his perspective, and that of his generation in general.
- [The Younger Skin Diet: Rajani Katta, MD, on PYP 428](https://plantyourself.com/younger-skin-diet-rajani-katta-pyp-428/) - I think that having healthy, attractive skin is probably a lot more motivating to most people than a healthy heart, or liver, or pancreas. I mean, those organs are great and all, and important, but they're so, well, hidden. Out of sight and out of mind, at least until they malfunction. Skin, on the other hand - it's staring us in the face all day long. Hell, it is our face. And when our skin feels dry and paper, or sags, or gets spots and wrinkles, we don't like that one bit. So the good news and the bad news is - our lifestyles can significantly affect the health of our skin. Diet, coping with stress, sleep quality - all these can fast forward aging, or slow it down, depending on our choices.
- [Outlasting Broken and Unjust Systems: Meryl Fury on Plant Yourself 429](https://plantyourself.com/meryl-fury-pyp-429/) - Meryl Fury is a registered nurse and CEO of the Plant-based Nutrition Movement. And she's a fierce advocate for justice and sanity in a world lacking both. Emblematic of her approach to life is the story of how she went vegetarian at the age of 15, to help her family make ends meet during the economic troubles of the mid-1970s. When her mother admonished her to continue eating meat to stay healthy, Fury refused, and even spat out the meat sauce coating her spaghetti. Just as she outlasted her mother's insistence 35 years ago, Fury is still striving to outlast the broken food and healthcare systems that disproportionately harm people of color.
- [Democracy Means a Healthy and Safe Environment for All: Jovita Lee on PYP 430](https://plantyourself.com/jovita-lee-pyp-430/) - Today's guest, Jovita Lee, is co-founder and vice president of Democracy Green, a North Carolina-based non-profit dedicated to environmental justice. The environmental movement has a long and shameful history of privileging certain parts of the environment over others. Specifically, it's focused on preserving spaces enjoyed by the rich, and where the rich live. The result is a nation in which environmental racism condemns poor people and people of color - regardless of income and economic status - to lives cut short by chronic conditions caused and worsened by pollutants and climate instability.
- [We Move, Therefore We Think: Barbara Tversky on PYP 431](https://plantyourself.com/barbara-tversky-pyp-431/) - Barbara Tversky argues that our thinking, and consciousness itself, arises from the experiences of our physical bodies in space. Rather than being an afterthought, or just the province of athletes and dancers, spatial thinking is the foundation of all thought.
- [How Our Communities Can Get Healthy at Last: Eric Adams on PYP 432](https://plantyourself.com/how-our-communities-can-get-healthy-at-last-eric-adams-on-pyp-432/) - Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams returns to the podcast to talk about his new book, Healthy at Last. Part family memoir, part political mission statement, part science review, part self-help book, and part cookbook, this is a celebration of the possibilities of health for the American people in general, and the Black community in particular. We talk about the title - from Etta James, and not Martin Luther King, Jr's "I have a dream" speech, as I first assumed - and the fact that, in Adams' words, "slavery never ended," and remains entrenched in the slave foods that are still harming Black people to this day.
- [Cancer is a Disease of Identity: Rethinking Evolutionary Biology with Perry Marshall: PYP 433](https://plantyourself.com/cancer-is-a-disease-of-identity-rethinking-evolutionary-biology-with-perry-marshall-pyp-433/) - Perry Marshall is one of the organizers of Cancer & Evolution Symposium, and a "pantomath" of the highest order. An engineer, marketer, writer, and science enthusiast, he has devoted much of the past 10 years to cracking the evolutionary code. Marshall argues that natural selection is not the only, or even the main factor, in evolution. Instead, the organism itself exerts its will, and is an agent in its own evolution to further its own goals.
- [Embracing Discomfort When You're Already in Over Your Head: Glenn Murphy on PYP 434](https://plantyourself.com/embracing-discomfort-when-youre-already-in-over-your-head-glenn-murphy-on-pyp-434/) - Glenn Murphy returns to talk about the importance of embracing physical discomfort, even when we're already stressed out mentally and emotionally. He offers some tips about how to do so without burning out, and shares a 10-minute guided visualization exercise to help us get back in touch with our bodies and spirits.
- [Supporting Spirituality Through Technology: Danielle Roberts on PYP 435](https://plantyourself.com/danielle-roberts-pyp-435/) - Danielle Roberts is a visual artist, technologist, and meditator. She's the creator of MeditationLab, whose mission is to support spirituality through technology, and AwarenessLab, which develops tools for awareness from a technological, artistic, and experiential perspective.
- [Civilization as a Self-Terminating Algorithm: Tyson Yunkaporta on PYP 436](https://plantyourself.com/civilization-as-a-self-terminating-algorithm-tyson-yunkaporta-on-pyp-436/) - Tyson Yunkaporta is an Australian Aboriginal artist, philosopher, and researcher who lectures on Indigenous Knowledge at Deakin University in Melbourne. He's also the author of Sand Talk, a book that has influenced my thinking more profoundly than any other. Basically, Yunkaporta turns the lens of anthropology around and puts Western civilization under the microscope, showing us how insane and unsustainable the entire project is.
- [Owning Our Health with Glen Merzer and Chef AJ: PYP 437](https://plantyourself.com/owning-our-health-with-glen-merzer-and-chef-aj-pyp-437/) - Glen Merzer has possibly created a new genre, the comedic plant-based memoir. Join me, Glen, and recipe contributor Chef AJ to talk about their new book, Own Your Health.
- [Healing Cultural Trauma: Tada Hozumi on PYP 438](https://plantyourself.com/healing-cultural-trauma-with-tada-hozumi-pyp-438/) - Tada Hozumi is a somatics practitioner, and one of the leaders of a movement known as cultural somatics. In this challenging conversation, we discuss how our cultures can traumatize us and predispose us to oppress other cultures. And how we can "digest" our past - collective and individual as a way of healing.
- [The Queen's Gambit, The Hero's Journey, Veganism, and Exercise: Tyson Yunkaporta on PYP 439](https://plantyourself.com/the-queens-gambit-the-heros-journey-veganism-and-exercise-tyson-yunkaporta-on-pyp-439/) - Author, academic, and artist Tyson Yunkaporta offers an Indigenous perspective on some of the core beliefs that have guided my life. Some, like veganism, survive in a different form. Others, like the Hero's Journey, lie in tatters. And some, like exercise, get transformed and deepened.
- [Mind Hacks for Getting Through a Pandemic: Josh LaJaunie on PYP 440](https://plantyourself.com/mind-hacks-for-getting-through-a-pandemic-josh-lajaunie-on-pyp-440/) - Josh LaJaunie returns to talk about his strategies for staying sane, strong, and fit during the pandemic.
- [How to Become Intuitive: Christin Bummer on PYP 441](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-become-intuitive-christin-bummer-on-pyp-441/) - Christin Bummer used to lavish care on dogs via her Canine Kingdom business. Now she coaches humans to give similar consideration to themselves. In our conversation, we explore the fruitful and scary landscape of operating intuitively rather than adhering to preordained rules.
- [Plant Care is Self-Care: Yuvika Iyer on PYP 442](https://plantyourself.com/plant-care-is-self-care-yuvika-iyer-on-pyp-442/) - What are the best house plants for healthy indoor air? Which ones are easiest for beginners? What are the benefits to indoor plants? And how can we become more connected, calmer, and happier people through our co-nurturing relationships with these plants?
- [Discover YOUR Optimal Diet and Lifestyle Through Data: <br>Dr Casey Means on PYP 443](https://plantyourself.com/discover-your-optimal-diet-and-lifestyle-through-data-dr-casey-means-on-pyp-443/) - Tired of the nutrition debates? Confused about what YOU should be eating? Dr Casey Means of Levels Health shares the power of closed-loop data to change our lives - and health destinies - for the better.
- [Liberation Through Improvisation and Imperfection: Stephen Nachmanovitch on PYP 444](https://plantyourself.com/liberation-through-improvisation-and-imperfection-stephen-nachmanovitch-on-pyp-444/) - Can we use the principles and practices of improvisation to make healthy choices? In this episode, improvisation teacher Stephen Nachmanovitch shares what a 639-year-long musical performance can teach us about being present while thinking of the future, and how steering a car can guide us to self-correct our mistakes in real time.
- [After the First Marriage: Learning and Growing in Relationship: Dr Susan Orenstein on PYP 445](https://plantyourself.com/susan-orenstein-pyp-445/) - What can we learned from "failed" relationships that can help us succeed next time? Couples therapist Susan Orenstein talks about her work helping people move on and grow after a first marriage.
- [Should Vegans Own Guns?: Rabbi Hillel Norry on Plant Yourself 446](https://plantyourself.com/vegan-gun-ownership-rabbi-hillel-norry-pyp-446/) - Given the shocking violence we've seen this week, with more predicted around the country, I found myself in a very strange place: feeling like my home and family are under potential threat. I reached out to vegan rabbi firearms instructor Hillel Norry for guidance.
- [Transforming Transportation for a Greener and More Just World: Pam Frank on PYP 447](https://plantyourself.com/transforming-transportation-for-a-greener-and-more-just-world-pam-frank-on-pyp-447/) - A conversation with policy wonk, energy geek, community organizer, and visionary strategist Pam Frank on the transformative potential of a clean and efficient transportation system.
- [Get Fit Quick: Ed Coyle on PYP 448](https://plantyourself.com/get-fit-quick-ed-coyle-on-pyp-448/) - What's the most efficient way to exercise for fitness and health? And what's the most effective? Turns out there's a single answer to both questions: 4-second all-out intervals.
- [The Science and Practice of Forgiveness: Nathaniel Wade, PhD, on PYP 449](https://plantyourself.com/the-science-and-practice-of-forgiveness-nathaniel-wade-phd-on-pyp-449/) - Forgiveness sounds nice, and often feels like the hardest thing in the world. How can we learn to forgive others and ourselves without excusing terrible behavior?
- [Getting Fit in the "Church Basement" of a Facebook Group: Dan Carraciolo on PYP 450](https://plantyourself.com/getting-fit-in-the-church-basement-of-a-facebook-group-dan-carraciolo-on-pyp-450/) - Dan Carraciolo has engineered a remarkable self-transformation from unhappy, overweight diabetic to ebullient athlete. On today's show, we talk about how he achieved it - and the obstacles he's had to overcome.
- [Rediscovering Movement That Brings You Joy: Rafe Kelley on PYP 451](https://plantyourself.com/rediscovering-movement-that-brings-you-joy-rafe-kelley-on-pyp-451/) - Why are humans so unhappy and unhealthy? Why are we destroying the earth? Today's guest says it's because we've forgotten how to move like humans.
- [Sparking an Anti-Litter Revolution Through Data: Jeff Kirschner on PYP 452](https://plantyourself.com/sparking-an-anti-litter-revolution-through-data-jeff-kirschner-on-pyp-452/) - Litterati is an app and a movement to solve our planet's litter problem through individual empowerment and data-driven policy.
- [How to Change Other People Without Being an A-hole: Glenn Murphy and Howie Jacobson on PYP 453](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-change-other-people-without-being-an-a-hole-glenn-murphy-and-howie-jacobson-on-pyp-453/) - Do ever have the urge to tell other people what they're doing wrong? How can you help other people change without coming across as an a-hole?
- [Can You Change Other People? Howard on Chef AJ Live: PYP 454](https://plantyourself.com/can-you-change-other-people-howard-on-chef-aj-live-pyp-454/) - It's so painful to see your loved ones suffer unnecessarily. Can you change the people around you, when they're eating poorly and not taking care of their health?
- [How to Connect with Your Soul and Find Your True Purpose: Bill Plotkin on PYP 455](https://plantyourself.com/bill-plotkin-soul-initiation-pyp-455/) - Why are we destroying the planet and making each other miserable? Are we defective? Or have we lost the map to authentic human development?
- [From Diversity to Belonging: How to Create Workplaces that Work for Everyone: Jennifer McCollum of Linkage, Inc. on PYP 456](https://plantyourself.com/from-diversity-to-belonging-how-to-create-workplaces-that-work-for-everyone-jennifer-mccollum-of-linkage-inc-on-pyp-456/) - Women and people of color are systematically underrepresented in business. That's a problem for woman and people of color. But, it turns out, it's a problem for businesses as well. In today's episode, we'll learn what works, and what doesn't, in the effort to create an inclusive workplace.
- [Meat Analogues, High-tech Protein, and Balancing Life, Work, and Art: Nava Atlas on PYP 457](https://plantyourself.com/meat-analogues-high-tech-protein-and-balancing-life-work-and-art-nava-atlas-on-pyp-457/) - Nava Atlas and I chew the plant-based fat (and protein) about her new book, Plant Powered Protein. Discover how to cook delicious, healthy meals that include vegan meat analogues.
- [How to Be a Contented Vegan: Peggy Brusseau on PYP 458](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-be-a-contented-vegan-peggy-brusseau-on-pyp-458/) - Peggy Brusseau has cast a spell of peacefulness, calmness, joy, connection, and well, contentedness in her cookbook The Contented Vegan.
- [Addicted to Spontaneous Decision-Making: Glenn Livingston, PhD on PYP 459](https://plantyourself.com/addicted-to-spontaneous-decision-making-glenn-livingston-phd-on-pyp-459/) - Glenn Livingston talks about the evolution of Never Binge Again, his system to help people conquer emotional eating and gain control over their relationship with food.
- [Helping Stressed-Out Kids Cope with Life: Shoshana Chaim on PYP 460](https://plantyourself.com/helping-stressed-out-kids-cope-with-life-shoshana-chaim-on-pyp-460/) - How can we help children deal with stress? Today's guest, Shoshana Chaim, shares the strategies from her new book, "I Am a Peaceful Goldfish."
- [How to Reverse Global Warming: Marco Vangelisti on PYP 461](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-reverse-global-warming-marco-vangelisti-on-pyp-461/) - According to many climate scientists, it's already too late, and there's nothing we can do to avert global catastrophe. Today's guest has a different view. Marco Vangelisti explains how to reverse global warming through our financial decisions.
- [Cooking and Eating for a Connected World: Lois Ellen Frank on PYP 462](https://plantyourself.com/cooking-and-eating-for-a-connected-world-lois-ellen-frank-on-pyp-462/) - What can the world learn about food from the Native American tradition? How can those of us who no longer live on our ancestral land-base reclaim our cuisine, culture, and connection to the whole?
- [Getting Fluent in Digital Body Language: Erica Dhawan on PYP 463](https://plantyourself.com/getting-fluent-in-digital-body-language-erica-dhawan-on-pyp-463/) - It took a week for them to reply to your email. Your colleague has their camera turned off during a Zoom call. What does it all mean?
- [How is Your Story Showing Up in Your Life?: Michele Olender on PYP 464](https://plantyourself.com/how-is-your-story-showing-up-in-your-life-michele-olender-on-pyp-464/) - Michele Olender is a health and life coach and founder of Vedge Your Best. She talks about her journey, her coaching, and how all of us can adopt new habits to be happier and healthier.
- [Mastering the Chatter in Our Heads: Glenn Murphy on PYP 465](https://plantyourself.com/mastering-the-chatter-in-our-heads-glenn-murphy-on-pyp-465/) - My favorite mind-body science stress performance guy, Glenn Murphy of Stressproof.net, and I kicked around the concept of mental chatter and how we can perform at our best when the voice in our head is getting in the way.
- [Healing Ourselves to Heal the Climate: Jack Adam Weber on PYP 466](https://plantyourself.com/healing-ourselves-to-heal-the-climate-jack-adam-weber-on-pyp-466/) - Can we fix our broken climate with technological and policy solutions alone? Or do we need to heal deep personal and cultural wounds as well?
- [A World in Which We All Belong: Teju Ravilochan on PYP 467](https://plantyourself.com/a-world-in-which-we-all-belong-teju-ravilochan-on-pyp-467/) - Teju Ravilochan is an entrepreneur who sees problems and envisions grand communal solutions. From the Unreasonable Institute (now Uncharted.org), which he founded, to GatherFor.org, a community based mutual aid accelerator borne from the pandemic), he brings people together to solve problems and explore possibilities.
- [What are You Really Hungry For?: Tara Kemp on PYP 468](https://plantyourself.com/what-are-you-really-hungry-for-tara-kemp-on-pyp-468/) - What's the root cause of eating disorders? What's behind our current obesity crisis? Are we hungry for food? For nutrients? Or for joy and connection?
- [Cool Beans and Indoor Agriculture: Tyler Mayoras on PYP 469](https://plantyourself.com/cool-beans-and-indoor-agriculture-tyler-mayoras-on-pyp-469/) - How can we make whole food, plant-based options more convenient for consumers and more sustainable for the planet? Today's guest, Cool Beans CEO Tyler Mayoras, shares how he's investing and leading for a healthier planet.
- [Free Yourself From Conflict: Jen Goldman-Wetzler on PYP 470](https://plantyourself.com/free-yourself-from-conflict-jen-goldman-wetzler-on-pyp-470/) - Have you ever found yourself in a "conflict loop," where every conversation just makes it worse? What if you had the ability to break free and find the best possible outcome? Today's guest, Jen Goldman-Wetzler, PhD, shows you how.
- [Exercise Doesn't Burn More Calories and You Should Do It Anyway: Herman Pontzer on PYP 471](https://plantyourself.com/exercise-doesnt-burn-more-calories-and-you-should-do-it-anyway-herman-pontzer-on-pyp-471/) - The formula to lose weight is obvious: eat less, move more. Unfortunately, it's wrong. And it's not because "calories don't matter." Discover the new science of metabolism with Herman Pontzer, PhD.
- [Learning to Listen: A Guide to Ethical Mindfulness: Lani Muelrath on PYP 472](https://plantyourself.com/learning-to-listen-a-guide-to-ethical-mindfulness-lani-muelrath-on-pyp-472/) - My dear friend Lani returns to the podcast to talk about her latest book, Mindfulness, published under the Conscious Care Guides imprint. We had our usual freewheeling conversation, with some tears and lots of laughter.
- [Calories, Love, and Growth: Josh LaJaunie on PYP 473](https://plantyourself.com/calories-love-and-growth-josh-lajaunie-on-pyp-473/) - Josh LaJaunie and I talk about new science of metabolism, how Josh lost 230 pounds and kept it off, and how to pursue an authentic human existence.
- [The World Needs You to Love Your Work: Alaina Love on PYP 474](https://plantyourself.com/the-world-needs-you-to-love-your-work-alaina-love-on-pyp-474/) - Alaina Love wants you to find your passion - and then express it through your most important work. But what is passion? How do we identify ours? And how can we create workplaces that validate and support them?
- [The Plant-Based Athlete: Matt Frazier, Robert Cheeke, and Josh LaJaunie on PYP 475](https://plantyourself.com/the-plant-based-athlete-matt-frazier-robert-cheeke-and-josh-lajaunie-on-pyp-475/) - Will a plant-based diet help you become a better athlete? Is it as simple as just eating plants, or is there more to doing it right?
- [The Making of "Meat Me Halfway": Brian Kateman on PYP 476](https://plantyourself.com/the-making-of-meat-me-halfway-brian-kateman-on-pyp-476/) - Is veganism the only way to stop climate change, reduce animal suffering, and improve human health? Or can we get there through just eating less meat?
- [How to Change (Science-based Edition): Katy Milkman on PYP 477](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-change-katy-milkman/) - How can you change your habits with ease and confidence, and without shame and struggle? Behavioral scientist Katy Milkman has answers.
- [Why You Should Care About Sharks: James Sulikowski on PYP 478](https://plantyourself.com/why-you-should-care-about-sharks-james-sulikowski-on-pyp-478/) - Are sharks vicious, erratic human-eating predators? Are they keystone species crucial for the health of marine ecosystems? Or are they just the subject of annoyingly catchy children's songs?
- [Plant Teachers: Ayahuasca, Tobacco, and the Pursuit of Knowledge: Jeremy Narby on PYP 479](https://plantyourself.com/plant-teachers-ayahuasca-tobacco-and-the-pursuit-of-knowledge-jeremy-narby-on-pyp-479/) - Can science learn anything from Indigenous knowledge about local plants, and animals? Can science acknowledge that debt and offer reciprocity?
- [The Business of Compassion: Miyoko Schinner on PYP 481](https://plantyourself.com/the-business-of-compassion-miyoko-schinner-on-pyp-481/) - Miyoko Schinner is founder and CEO of Miyoko's, one of the most successful plant-based dairy alternative ventures of the past decade. We talk about her journey - ups and downs - and lessons learned.
- [Hurricane Ida - appeal for immediate funds by Josh LaJaunie: PYP 480](https://plantyourself.com/hurricane-ida-appeal-for-immediate-funds-by-josh-lajaunie-pyp-480/) - Sick to Fit coauthor Josh LaJaunie and his family are trying to help their friends, neighbors, and community - many of whom have lost everything, and have no access to food and water, fuel, electricity, or transportation.
- [How to Tell Truth from BS: Glenn Murphy on PYP 482](https://plantyourself.com/glenn-murphy-truth-pyp-482/) - How do you know if something is true, or exaggerated, or more nuanced, or fake news? How can you get better at telling truth from fiction in a world of snake oil and misguided believers?
- [Bringing Lifestyle Medicine to Black Women: Aajay Shah and Meryl Fury on PYP 484](https://plantyourself.com/bringing-lifestyle-medicine-to-black-women-aajay-shah-and-meryl-fury-on-pyp-484/) - Black women in America suffer more from obesity and chronic disease than any other demographic. In this conversation, we talk about why, and what to do about it.
- [Upcycling Food to Stop Climate Change: Caroline Cotto on PYP 485](https://plantyourself.com/upcycling-food-to-stop-climate-change-caroline-cotto-on-pyp-485/) - What is upcycled food? What is it good for? Why should you care?
- [Building Multi-Faith Community Through Music: James Pollard Jr. and Harold Messinger on PYP 486](https://plantyourself.com/building-multi-faith-community-through-music-james-pollard-jr-and-harold-messinger-on-pyp-486/) - Can music bridge the gaps that divide communities? Can we sing and play together and rediscover our common humanity and deep caring for one another? Cantor Harold Messinger and James Pollard Jr. have been conducting a music "Faith Gumbo" in Philadelphia for the past 13 years. I hope their bright spirits and loving hearts will inspire you.
- [Healthy Enough and Vegan Enough: Dreena Burton on PYP 487](https://plantyourself.com/healthy-enough-and-vegan-enough-dreena-burton-on-pyp-487/) - Dreena Burton has been churning out amazing vegan cookbooks for 20 years. In this conversation, we explore her career, and what the journey's been like.
- [The Journey of Conscious Living: Bianca and Michael Alexander on Plant Yourself 489](https://plantyourself.com/the-journey-of-conscious-living-bianca-and-michael-alexander-on-plant-yourself-489/) - Can the mass media market handle veganism and conscious living? Bianca and Michael Alexander take their show to the big time.
- [Batteries Made From Plants?: Virginia Klausmeier on PYP 490](https://plantyourself.com/batteries-plants-virginia-klausmeier-on-pyp/) - Can plant-based batteries combat planetary overheating and help save the world? Today's guest is betting yes.
- [How to Talk So People Will Excel: Tom Reid on PYP 491](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-talk-so-people-will-excel-tom-reid-on-pyp-491/) - Tom Reid and I talk about how to communicate effectively when you need people to act in particular ways, in both personal and professional settings.
- [Navigating Life with Evidence, Reason, and Compassion: Jamie Woodhouse on PYP 492](https://plantyourself.com/navigating-life-with-evidence-reason-and-compassion-jamie-woodhouse-on-pyp-492/) - What would it look like to extend compassion to all sentient beings? And can we get there through reason, rather than because a deity or prophet told us so?
- [Your Brain is not a Computer or a Muscle: Annie Murphy Paul on PYP 493](https://plantyourself.com/your-brain-is-not-a-computer-or-a-muscle-annie-murphy-paul-on-pyp-493/) - "Where does the mind stop and the rest of the world begin?" asked two philosophers in 1998. Today's guest follows the science to give us an unexpected answer.
- [The Only Sustainable Form of Wealth: Tyson Yunkaporta on PYP 494](https://plantyourself.com/the-only-sustainable-form-of-wealth-tyson-yunkaporta-on-pyp-494/) - How shall we live, on a boiling planet and enmeshed in a civilization that knows only how to use up and destroy all it encounters? Can we find meaning and healing in the shelter of each other, to bring to birth a new world from the ashes of the old?
- [Wearing (and Being) Nature: Jeff Scult on PYP 495](https://plantyourself.com/wearing-and-being-nature-jeff-scult-on-pyp-495/) - Fast fashion is a disaster. For the planet, for the oppressed workers, and for the souls of those who are constantly exhorted to throw out their clothes and buy new ones. Today's guest offers an antidote.
- [How to Make Your Next Decision: Nika Kabiri on PYP 496](https://plantyourself.com/decision-nika-kabiri-pyp-496/) - How happy are you with the outcomes of the decisions you've made? Would you like to get better at decision-making? Today's guest shows you how.
- [How to Not Suck on Zoom: Alfred Poor on PYP 497](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-not-suck-on-zoom-alfred-poor-on-pyp-497/) - One reason for Zoom fatigue is the poor quality of other people's audio and video. Today's episode shows you how to become a Zoom pro - to influence others more powerfully and to connect more deeply.
- [The Feeling of Being Alive: Robbie Bent on PYP 498](https://plantyourself.com/the-feeling-of-being-alive-robbie-bent-on-pyp-498/) - With effects as profound as meditation and safer than psychedelics, breathwork, cold exposure, and heat exposure can democratize access to heightened and expansive states of consciousness, and better psychological and physical health.
- [Psychedelics as Medicine: Lynn Marie Morski on PYP 499](https://plantyourself.com/psychedelics-as-medicine-lynn-marie-morski-on-pyp-499/) - Many plants and synthetic substances that can profoundly improve our mental and physical health are currently illegal. Lynn Marie Morski is working to change that, by educating healthcare professionals and connecting activists with communities in need of healing.
- [How to Make Someone's Day: Howard Prager on PYP 500](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-make-someones-day-howard-prager-on-pyp-500/) - How would you like to have a superpower that can positively change the lives of the people around you? It turns out the ability to make someone's day is almost always available to us. We just need to remember, practice, and cultivate our identity as helpers and delighters.
- [Protecting Ourselves from GMOs: Jeffrey Smith on PYP 501](https://plantyourself.com/protecting-ourselves-from-gmos-jeffrey-smith-on-pyp-501/) - Are GMO crops and microbes safe and effective ways of improving agriculture and feeding our crowded planet, or ticking time bombs that threaten our health and the future of life on earth?
- [On Mother Teresa, Burnout, and Belonging: Saskia Kremer on PYP 502](https://plantyourself.com/on-mother-teresa-burnout-and-belonging-saskia-kremer-on-pyp-502/) - Saskia Kremer burned out after spending 13 years tending the sick, dying, and impoverished as a member of Mother Teresa's order. How did she reinvent herself, and what can she teach us about a meaningful and heartfelt life?
- [Negotiating for a Better World: Greg Williams on PYP 503](https://plantyourself.com/negotiating-for-a-better-world-greg-williams-on-pyp-503/) - Can you be an effective negotiator if you're kind and mild-mannered? Or do you have to bully others to get what you want?
- [You Can Call It the Master Bedroom, Just Let Me Get a Loan as Easily as a White Person: Keith Knight on PYP 504](https://plantyourself.com/keith-knight-woke-pyp-504/) - Keith Knight is the creator of the comedy/drama series "Woke," on Hulu, and a creative, hilarious, and kind soul dedicated to making the world a better place. Listen in as my daughter Yael Zivan and I get to know Keith better and hear about his artistic vision and activism.
- [Can We Awaken Through Crisis? Steve Taylor on PYP 505](https://plantyourself.com/can-we-awaken-through-crisis-steve-taylor-on-pyp-505/) - Can trauma and tragedy open us up to spiritual awakening? How can we prepare ourselves for the inevitable slings and arrows of life in a way that opens us to compassion and love?
- [Philosophical Ramblings: Glenn Murphy on PYP 506](https://plantyourself.com/philosophical-ramblings-glenn-murphy-on-pyp-506/) - Glenn Murphy returns to the podcast to discuss philosophy, practicality, hypotheticals, counterfactuals, and how to live a good life while embedded in uncertainty and ambiguity.
- [Six Truths and No Lie: Sid Garza-Hillman on PYP 507](https://plantyourself.com/six-truths-and-no-lie-sid-garza-hillman-on-pyp-507/) - Set an example. Don't be a snowflake (or a bully). Don't get sucked into social media. Simple advice for challenging times.
- [When You Know Better, You Can Choose to Do Better: Sagar Doshi & Zak Hourmouzis on Plant Yourself 508](https://plantyourself.com/sagar-doshi-zak-hourmouzis-pyp-508/) - Sagar Doshi and Zak Hourmouzis are both a pair of docs and a paradox: Emergency Medicine physicians who run a Lifestyle Medicine clinic.
- [Can Business Heal the World? Michael J Gelb on PYP 509](https://plantyourself.com/can-business-heal-the-world-michael-j-gelb-on-pyp-509/) - How can humanity dig itself out of the giant mess we're in? Do businesses have to balance ethics and financial success? And how can each of us begin to use our unique qualities and abilities in service?
- [Good Posture, Healthy Back: Leon Turetsky on PYP 510](https://plantyourself.com/good-posture-healthy-back-leon-turetsky-on-pyp-510/) - Smartphones and computers have wrecked our posture. Today's guest explains the importance of good posture, and shows us how to get it back.
- [Loving and Grieving the Bayou: Josh LaJaunie on Navigating Climate Change on PYP 511](https://plantyourself.com/loving-and-grieving-the-bayou-josh-lajaunie-on-navigating-climate-change-on-pyp-511/) - Josh LaJaunie talks about his disappearing bayou and the personal heartbreak of climate change.
- [Don't Over-optimize Your Life: Glenn Murphy on PYP 512](https://plantyourself.com/dont-over-optimize-your-life-glenn-murphy-on-pyp-512/) - Self-improvement is fine and good, but there's a danger in over-optimizing our minutes and missing our lives.
- [The Pissed-Off Entrepreneur: How to Turn Problems into Opportunities: Danny Warshay on PYP 513](https://plantyourself.com/danny-warshay-see-solve-scale-pyp-513/) - Are you pissed off? Are there problems in the world you'd like to see fixed? Danny Warshay would like to teach you how to turn unsolved problems into opportunities to make a difference.
- [The Art of Insubordination: Todd Kashdan on PYP 514](https://plantyourself.com/todd-kashdan-pyp-514/) - Are you right in a world where almost everyone else is wrong? If so, do you know how to speak, strategize, and organize to change people's minds? Todd Kashdan has studied what makes some people incredibly effective at significant social change.
- [How to Make a Documentary Film: Charlie Morris on PYP 515](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-515-charlie-morris/) - Charlie Morris is a self-taught documentarian who highlights environmental issues to help sway public opinion and affect policy. We talk about how he goes about his work.
- [Can Marriage be More Than a Lifetime of Compromises? Ana Gabriel Mann & John David Mann on PYP 516](https://plantyourself.com/can-marriage-be-more-than-a-lifetime-of-compromises-ana-gabriel-mann-john-david-mann-on-pyp-516/) - What's the purpose of marriage? Is it to get happiness for yourself? Give happiness to your partner? Or something bigger and grander that encompasses yet transcends both?
- [Food, School, and Politics: Maria Solanki on PYP 517](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-517-maria-solanki/) - Maria Solanki is running for school board in Pinellas County, Florida, with a mission to improve the health and performance of students through better nutrition.
- [From Investment Banking to Vegan Chocolate: Rym Selmi on PYP 518](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-518-rym-selmi/) - Rym Selmi is the founder of Miiro, a company that makes vegan and healthy chocolates and baking ingredients.
- [The Biology of Resilience: Taylor Sittler, MD, on PYP 519](https://plantyourself.com/the-biology-of-resilience-taylor-sittler-md-on-pyp-519/) - What's the connection between psychological and biological resilience? What tools do we have to increase our resilience, so we can bounce back faster and stronger to challenges, whether physical or emotional?
- [Citizen Science and the Wisdom of Pain: Will Bulsiewicz, MD, on PYP 520](https://plantyourself.com/will-bulsiewicz-md-pyp-520/) - If you feel bad after eating a particular food, you should stop eating it, right? Not so fast; today's guest explains FODMAPS, histamines, and what the largest microbiome study ever is teaching us about healing our guts.
- [How to Unlearn Bad Habits: Ana Gabriel Mann on PYP 521](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-unlearn-bad-habits-ana-gabriel-mann-on-pyp-521/) - Our bad habits can have deep roots, and superficial solutions only cause more distress. How can we pull out dysfunctional behaviors at the roots?
- [Playing the Long Game: Dorie Clark on PYP 522](https://plantyourself.com/playing-the-long-game-dorie-clark-on-pyp-522/) - "It's really hard to be the best, but it's surprisingly easy to be ONE of the best." Dorie Clark helps us balance commitment and ambition in pursuit of a good life.
- [Meat without Animals: Paul Shapiro on PYP 523](https://plantyourself.com/meat-without-animals-paul-shapiro-on-pyp-523/) - Humans will not stop eating and mistreating animals until animal-free meat is as delicious, convenient, and inexpensive as animal products. Today's guest explains how that's going to happen.
- [Saying Yes to the Impulse of Freedom: David Berceli, PhD on PYP 524](https://plantyourself.com/david-berceli-phd-on-pyp-524/) - David Berceli turned a couple of overwhelming constraints into a revolutionary way to help people heal from trauma.
- [Relentless Solution Focus: Dr Ellen Reed on PYP 525](https://plantyourself.com/relentless-solution-focus-dr-ellen-reed-on-pyp-526/) - Our brains are brilliant at finding problems, and are great at keeping us alive by avoiding them. But this doesn't work when our problems are in our heads. What does? Find out in this conversation.
- [How to Increase your Power and Value in a Negotiation: Greg Williams on PYP 526](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-increase-your-power-and-value-in-a-negotiation-greg-williams-on-pyp-526/) - How can you get what you want out of life if you're too scared to ask for it? A negotiation expert shows to be tough and kind at the same time.
- [How to Fix Your Pain for Good: Rick Olderman on PYP 527](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-fix-your-pain-for-good-rick-olderman-on-pyp-527/) - Is it possible to make subtle changes to posture and movement, and completely eliminate long-standing chronic pain?
- [How COVID Has Changed: Michael Rothberg, MD, on PYP 528](https://plantyourself.com/how-covid-has-changed-michael-rothberg-md-on-pyp-528/) - COVID-19 is a very different disease that it was in early 2020. How should our behaviors and policies shift to reflect the new reality?
- [Die Young - As Late as Possible: Bob and Fran German on PYP 529](https://plantyourself.com/die-young-as-late-as-possible-bob-and-fran-german-on-pyp-529/) - "The worst years of our lives turned out to be the best ones." - Wisdom from healthy and happy octogenarians.
- [Navigating an Addictive World: Anna Lembke, MD on PYP 530](https://plantyourself.com/anna-lembke-on-pyp-530/) - We are biologically hardwired to seek pleasure and avoid pain. But easy access to intense pleasure turns out to lead to intense suffering long-term. What are we do to?
- [The Oldest Cure in the World: Steve Hendricks on PYP 531](https://plantyourself.com/fasting-steve-hendricks-pyp-531/) - Is fasting a cure-all, a desperate orthorexic cry for help, or a complex and powerful phenomenon that can be a valuable addition to the modern medical toolkit?
- [Is It OK to be Ordinary?: Dr Ronald Siegel on PYP 532](https://plantyourself.com/is-it-ok-to-be-ordinary-dr-ronald-siegel-on-pyp-532/) - Our society tells us to excel; to be special; to reach for the stars. But what's the cost of setting the bar so high? Does it make us happy, or allow us to connect with the people around us? Can we be OK with being ordinary?
- [Live Fierce, Stay Bold, Eat Delicious: Ann and Jane Esselstyn on PYP 533](https://plantyourself.com/live-fierce-stay-bold-eat-delicious-ann-and-jane-esselstyn-on-pyp-533/) - The fiercest, boldest, and most hilarious mother-daughter team in the plant-based world educate and entertain as they talk about their latest cookbook.
- [The Benefits of Qi Gong: Michael Gelb on PYP 534](https://plantyourself.com/the-benefits-of-qi-gong-michael-gelb-on-pyp-534/) - What's a simple, elegant, free, convenient, and scientifically validated practice that combines the benefits of exercise, meditation, and relaxation?
- [Nature and the Nervous System: Howie Jacobson on PYP 535](https://plantyourself.com/nature-and-the-nervous-system-howie-jacobson-on-pyp-535/) - Take a walk in the woods with Howie and catch up on what he's been reading and thinking about.
- [The Seismic Shift in Leadership: Michelle Johnston, PhD, on PYP 536](https://plantyourself.com/michelle-johnston-pyp-536/) - The old "command-and-control" leadership style is proving less and less effective in the era of pandemic, Millennials, and growing appreciation of the value of inclusivity and safety in the workplace. Michelle Johnston tells us what has replaced it, and how you can master the new skills and mindsets.
- [The Virtues of Settling: Howie Jacobson on PYP 537](https://plantyourself.com/the-virtues-of-settling-howie-jacobson-on-pyp-537/) - Let's walk in the woods and talk about acorns, sustainable agriculture, cameras, frustration, and the pros and cons of settling.
- [Having - and Being - a Friend at Work: Morag Barrett on PYP 538](https://plantyourself.com/having-and-being-a-friend-at-work-morag-barrett-on-pyp-538/) - Do you feel supported and cared for at work? Are you a friend to others? The answers could determine your happiness, and the ultimate fate of your organization.
- [Midterms and Energizing Outcomes: Howie Jacobson on PYP 539](https://plantyourself.com/midterms-and-energizing-outcomes-howie-jacobson-on-pyp-539/) - My walking thoughts on today's midterms, individual and social change, and healing our collective trauma while fighting against fascism.
- [Design the Long Life You Love: Ayse Birsel on PYP 540](https://plantyourself.com/design-the-long-life-you-love-ayse-birsel-on-pyp-540/) - What makes for a meaningful and joyful long life? Is it just random, or can you proactively design it?
- [The Inner Work of Age: Dr Connie Zweig on PYP 541](https://plantyourself.com/the-inner-work-of-age-dr-connie-zweig-on-pyp-541/) - Aging can be a hard ride, as we let go of everything that made us who we are. Or it can be an opportunity for spiritual growth as we drop roles in exchange for connection to our souls.
- [The Sounds of Life: Karen Bakker, PhD on PYP 542](https://plantyourself.com/the-sounds-of-life-karen-bakker-phd-on-pyp-542/) - Humans aren't the only beings that talk to each other. Whales, elephants, bees, corals, unhatched turtles, and even plants and fungi use sound waves to connect and coordinate. Can we begin to understand them, and talk back?
- [How Palm Oil, Colonialism, and Greed Have Endangered the World: Jocelyn Zuckerman on PYP 543](https://plantyourself.com/how-palm-oil-colonialism-and-greed-have-endangered-the-world-jocelyn-zuckerman-on-pyp-543/) - In terms of human suffering and environmental destruction, there's little that can compare to the global trade in palm oil. Today's guest takes us on a hard yet vital journey of discovery and understanding.
- [Own Your Nervous System: Sukie Baxter on PYP 544](https://plantyourself.com/own-your-nervous-system-sukie-baxter-on-pyp-544/) - What are the root causes of physical tension and chronic emotional distress? How can we truly heal our bodies and minds? Today's guest points to the nervous system as the node of highest leverage.
- [How to Engage in "Healthy Conflict": Mark Goulston, MD, on PYP 545](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-engage-in-healthy-conflict-mark-goulston-md-on-pyp-545/) - Mark Goulston, MD, shares how to engage in healthy conflict, control your anger in tough situations, and defuse tension with "surgical empathy" and "radical patience."
- [Preventing Prostate Cancer: Benny Gavi, MD, and Maya Eylon on PYP 546](https://plantyourself.com/preventing-prostate-cancer-pyp-546/) - Is prostate cancer preventable? What does the latest science say about dietary and lifestyle choices that can actually change the outcome?
- [How to Live Based on Values, Not Impulses: Russ Harris on PYP 547](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-live-based-on-values-not-impulses-russ-harris-on-pyp-547/) - Russ Harris, author of the bestselling The Happiness Trap, shares techniques and practices for unhooking from the mind's dictates to live a joyful, authentic, and purpose-driven life.
- [Are We Having Fun Yet?: Mike Rucker on PYP 548](https://plantyourself.com/are-we-having-fun-yet-mike-rucker-on-pyp-548/) - We can get so caught up in duty and obligation and self-improvement that we neglect one of the key elements of a good life: plain old fun.
- [How to Market Your Vegan Business the Right Way: Sandra Nomoto on PYP 549](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-market-a-vegan-business-the-right-way-sandra-nomoto-on-pyp-549/) - How can vegans market their businesses to take advantage of affinities in the vegan community, without alienating everyone else? And should they even try?
- [Becoming a Brave Athlete - and Screen Writer! - with Simon Marshall and Lesley Paterson: PYP 550](https://plantyourself.com/becoming-a-brave-athlete-and-screen-writer-with-simon-marshall-and-lesley-paterson-pyp-550/) - Five years after Lesley and Simon appeared on this podcast to talk about how to set and achieve athletic goals, Lesley just won a BAFTA for screenwriting. So let's listen again to this 2018 conversation for clues about how to live a brave life.
- [Great Food, Not Education, Will Change Habits: Danny O'Malley on PYP 551](https://plantyourself.com/great-food-not-education-will-change-habits-danny-omalley-on-pyp-551/) - Danny O'Malley wants you to eat plant-based protein because it's inexpensive, convenient, and tasty.
- [The Badass Vegan: John Lewis on PYP 552](https://plantyourself.com/the-badass-vegan-john-lewis-on-pyp-552/) - John Lewis takes on the system in his blistering documentary, They're Trying to Kill Us. In his book and social media, he instructs, inspires, and delights.
- [The Art and Neuroscience of Transformational Change: Dr Tori Olds on PYP 553](https://plantyourself.com/tori-olds-pyp-553/) - For most of the 20th century, neuroscientists believed that old emotional memories could only be managed, not removed. Until the discovery of Memory Reconsolidation...
- [Rising Together in the Workplace: Sally Helgesen on PYP 554](https://plantyourself.com/rising-together-in-the-workplace-sally-helgesen-on-pyp-554/) - How can we create workplace cultures that include all of us, when there's still so much sexism, racism, and systematic fuckery in organizations?
- [Practical Ethics for Our Time: Peter Singer on PYP 555](https://plantyourself.com/singer-pyp-555/) - Peter Singer pretty much launched the animal rights and animal welfare movements in 1975 with the publication of Animal Liberation. Forty-eight years later, he's got a revised edition coming out: Animal Liberation Now.
- [Building a Shame-Free Zone in a Sexually Messed Up World: Veronica Monet on PYP 556](https://plantyourself.com/building-a-shame-free-zone-in-a-sexually-messed-up-world-veronica-monet-on-pyp-556/) - Veronica Monet grew up in a repressive and abusive cult, developed and recovered from severe addiction, toiled in the corporate world, and worked as a high-end escort for 15 years. She now helps people overcome trauma and heal from shame and advocates for sexual liberation and the rights of sex workers.
- [Venerating the Earth Through Wild Yoga: Rebecca Wildbear on PYP 557](https://plantyourself.com/venerating-the-earth-through-wild-yoga-rebecca-wildbear-on-pyp-557/) - Rebecca Wildbear is an outdoor guide, yoga teacher, and author of Wild Yoga: A Practice of Initiation, Veneration & Advocacy for the Earth. She invites us to view yoga as both a personal practice and a form of environmental and social advocacy.
- [Fasting vs Long COVID: Roger Talbott on PYP 558](https://plantyourself.com/fasting-vs-long-covid-roger-talbott-on-pyp-558/) - What's it like to suffer from Long COVID in one's 70s? And can water fasting bring about healing?
- [The Wise Women of Psychedelia: Rachel Harris, PhD, on PYP 559](https://plantyourself.com/the-wise-women-of-psychedelia-rachel-harris-phd-on-pyp-559/) - There have been women practicing psychedelic healing in anonymity for decades. What can they teach our modern culture about developing safe, effective, and respectful relationships with these powerful substances?
- [Cultivating Grace Under Pressure: John Baldoni on PYP 560](https://plantyourself.com/cultivating-grace-under-pressure-john-baldoni-on-pyp-560/) - What is grace, and how can we use it to navigate challenging times with compassion and resilience? And why is it a prerequisite of modern leadership?
- [My New Life in Spain: Howie Jacobson on PYP 561](https://plantyourself.com/new-life-spain-pyp-561/) - I've been in Spain for 9 weeks now, and some listeners have requested a "stream of consciousness" episode from my new locale. Today we go on a walking tour of my new town, Sitges, as I discuss what my life has been like and what I'm thinking about over these past 2 months.
- [Helping the Unhoused - and Homeless - Move From Poverty to Prosperity: Momma Kai Sanders on PYP 562](https://plantyourself.com/helping-the-unhoused-and-homeless-move-from-poverty-to-prosperity-momma-kai-sanders-on-pyp-562/) - How can we end homelessness? Unhoused activist and visionary Momma Kai shares her experiences and solutions.
- [Fitness as a Deeply Embodied Practice: Philip Shepherd on PYP 563](https://plantyourself.com/fitness-as-a-deeply-embodied-practice-philip-shepherd-on-pyp-563/) - Can we find belonging, peace, and deep healing in the gym, of all places? Embodiment guide Philip Shepherd shows us how.
- [Deepening Compassion and Connection with Ourselves: Veronica Monet on PYP 564](https://plantyourself.com/deepening-compassion-and-connection-with-ourselves-veronica-monet-on-pyp-564/) - In order to heal our minds and spirits, we must contact - and welcome home - all the exiled parts of ourselves. Veronica Monet shares how IFS can help.
- [Kindness as a Strategy for Revolutionary Change: Teju Ravilochan on PYP 565](https://plantyourself.com/kindness-revolutionary-change-teju-ravilochan-pyp-565/) - Is there real, revolutionary power in kindness and compassion in a "might-makes-right" world? Here's a story that will blow your mind.
- [True Privilege is Growing Up in a Low-Trauma Environment: Momma Kai Sanders on PYP 566](https://plantyourself.com/true-privilege-low-trauma-environment-momma-kai-sanders-pyp-566/) - Momma Kai returns to the podcast to share her vision for a world without poverty or homelessness.
- [My Coaching Evolution: Glenn Livingston interviews Howie Jacobson: PYP 567](https://plantyourself.com/my-coaching-evolution-glenn-livingston-interviews-howie-jacobson-pyp-567/) - My coaching has changed a lot over the past 20 years. Here's how I now help clients achieve lasting, effortless, transformational change.
- [Is Your Garden Fertilizer an Animal Graveyard? Erin Riley on PYP 568](https://plantyourself.com/is-your-garden-fertilizer-an-animal-graveyard-erin-riley-on-pyp-568/) - Erin Riley shares why we need to avoid commercial fertilizer - even most "organic" brands - if we aim to nurture an earth- and people- and animal-friendly home garden.
- [Does Business Have to Be Icky? Mark Silver on PYP 569](https://plantyourself.com/does-business-have-to-be-icky-mark-silver-on-pyp-569/) - Do you have to become a ruthless predator in order to make money as a business owner? Or can running a small business be an act of healing and love?
- [Overcoming OCD and Anxiety: Robert James on PYP 570](https://plantyourself.com/overcoming-ocd-and-anxiety-robert-james-on-pyp-570/) - What is obsessive-compulsive disorder? What are the symptoms, and what's the lived experience? And how can we overcome it and live a full and satisfying life?
- [Removing Trauma Response with Yes/And Healing: Alun Parry and Yael Zivan on PYP 572](https://plantyourself.com/removing-trauma-response-with-yes-and-healing-alun-parry-and-yael-zivan-on-pyp-572/) - Neuroscience has recently cracked the code on how the brain updates and heals from trauma, but few therapists or coaches know about the breakthrough. Today's guest is working to change that.
- [A Journey of Healing and Service: Tracy Garrigan on PYP 573](https://plantyourself.com/a-journey-of-healing-and-service-tracy-garrigan-on-pyp-573/) - A roller coaster ride of medical catastrophe and healing, miracles and despair, led Tracy Garrigan to become a holistic health coach. She's now training coaches to bring hope to those who have been suffering.
- [Can Economic Theory Help You Have a Good Life? Matthew Nagler on PYP 574](https://plantyourself.com/matthew-nagler-pyp-574/) - Understanding fundamental concepts in economics turns out to be darn useful in crafting a fulfilling life. Today's guest explains why and how.
- [The Sneak Attack that Makes Cravings Irresistible - and How to Resist Anyway: Glenn Livingston, PhD on PYP 576](https://plantyourself.com/the-sneak-attack-that-makes-cravings-irresistible-and-how-to-resist-anyway-glenn-livingston-phd-on-pyp-576/) - Why do cravings return with a vengeance just when we think we've got them beat? And can the answer help us defeat our cravings for good?
- [How to Make Healthy Vegan Bread: Ed and Natasha Tatton on PYP 577](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-make-healthy-vegan-bread-ed-and-natasha-tatton-on-pyp-577/) - In a Wonderbread world, what would happen if we returned to the old ways? Today's guests share the joys and meaning of slow, mindful, healthy sourdough baking.
- [Diversity & Inclusion: Wokeness Run Amok or Simply Good Business?: Sally Helgesen on PYP 578](https://plantyourself.com/diversity-inclusion-wokeness-run-amok-or-simply-good-business-sally-helgesen-on-pyp-578/) - Are initiatives to diversify the workplace helping or hurting organizations? Does diversity help or undermine excellence?
- [The Joy of Cooking as an Earth Citizen: Lois Ellen Frank, PhD on PYP 579](https://plantyourself.com/the-joy-of-cooking-as-an-earth-citizen-lois-ellen-frank-phd-on-pyp-579/) - Until we fix our broken food system and broken web of human relationships, no one can be truly healthy. Today's guest shares an ancient and extremely timely perspective on how we can get there. Plus recipes!
- [How to Prepare for a Journey of Transformation: Jacquelyn Lane and Scott Osman on PYP 580](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-prepare-for-a-journey-of-transformation-jacquelyn-lane-and-scott-osman-on-pyp-580/) - Coaching can be a transformative experience in people's lives. Here's how to get the most out of your coach.
- [An Autobiography of Trauma and Healing: Peter Levine, PhD, on PYP 581](https://plantyourself.com/an-autobiography-of-trauma-and-healing-peter-levine-phd-on-pyp-581/) - Peter Levine, creator of Somatic Experiencing, talks about his own life journey of severe trauma, healing, and discovery. His conclusion: "Given the right tools, trauma won't rule."
- [Fake It 'Til You Make It?: How Action Can Trigger Transformation: Matt Nagler on PYP 582](https://plantyourself.com/fake-it-til-you-make-it-how-action-can-trigger-transformation-matt-nagler-on-pyp-582/) - To change our behaviors, we can try to change our thinking. But today's guest shares a faster, more reliable way to become a different, better version of ourselves.
- [Uprooting Resistance to Change: A Memory Reconsolidation Demo with Glenn Livingston, PhD: PYP 583](https://plantyourself.com/uprooting-resistance-to-change-a-memory-reconsolidation-demo-with-glenn-livingston-phd-pyp-583/) - Do we have to fight against our bad habits forever? Or is it possible to uproot resistance to change in a few short minutes?
- [What's the Deal with Workplace Burnout?: Mark Butler on PYP 584](https://plantyourself.com/whats-the-deal-with-workplace-burnout-mark-butler-on-pyp-584/) - There's an epidemic of burnout in the modern workplace. What's causing it? And how can we prevent and treat it?
- [Transform Problems into Opportunities with This Magic Question: Dr Howie Jacobson on PYP 585](https://plantyourself.com/transform-problems-into-opportunities-with-this-magic-question-dr-howie-jacobson-on-pyp-585/) - What's the problem with being a "problem-solver?" How can we create the future we want for ourselves, and help others do the same? On today's Walk and Talk, let's explore the Magic Question.
- [Four Decades of Mission-Driven Leadership: Nava Atlas on PYP 586](https://plantyourself.com/four-decades-of-mission-driven-leadership-nava-atlas-on-pyp-586/) - Nava Atlas has been writing and publishing vegetarian cookbooks and advocating for a more plant-based lifestyle for 40 years. And she's not slowing down any time soon!
- [The Art of Asking Breakthrough Questions: Paul McGregor on PYP 587](https://plantyourself.com/the-art-of-asking-breakthrough-questions-paul-mcgregor-on-pyp-587/) - Questions are far more powerful than answers. Today's guest explains how and why, and shares mind-bending examples.
- [The Physics of Transformational Change: Bruce Ecker on PYP 588](https://plantyourself.com/the-physics-of-transformational-change-bruce-ecker-on-pyp-588/) - Discover the science-based "magic" that fuels rapid, effortless, and permanent positive change: memory reconsolidation.
- [To Be Happy, Ignore the Economists: Matthew Nagler, PhD, on PYP 589](https://plantyourself.com/to-be-happy-ignore-the-economists-matthew-nagler-phd-on-pyp-589/) - Modern economics assumes that humans spend all our energy "maximizing satisfaction." Don't buy it.
- [Being Real and Standing Out: David Fish on PYP 590](https://plantyourself.com/being-real-and-standing-out-david-fish-on-pyp-590/) - The world needs us to show up and stand out. So how do we get over ourselves and shine our lights?
- [The Keys to Olympic-Level Performance: Dr Kirsten Peterson on PYP 591](https://plantyourself.com/the-keys-to-olympic-level-performance-dr-kirsten-peterson-on-pyp-591/) - What can the rest of us learn from Olympic athletes about doing our best under pressure?
- [How to Become a Better Listener: Elise Kushner on PYP 592](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-become-a-better-listener-elise-kushner-on-pyp-592/) - How to become the kind of listener who can bring out the magic in the people around you.
- [Finding Happiness and Being Your Best: Christopher Miller on PYP 593](https://plantyourself.com/finding-happiness-and-being-your-best-christopher-miller-on-pyp-593/) - Is it possible to become happy and fulfilled after tragic loss?
- [The Language of Good: jan Usawi on PYP 594](https://plantyourself.com/the-language-of-good-jan-usawi-on-pyp-594/) - Could you make yourself understood if your language had only 125 words?
- [Doing Hard Things with Clarity and Energy: Divya Ramachandran on PYP 595](https://plantyourself.com/doing-hard-things-with-clarity-and-energy-divya-ramachandran-on-pyp-595/) - When the pace is fast, the resources are limited, and the expectations are high, how do you find both success and peace?
- [No Problem Too Big, Part 1: Start with Value: Dr Richard Hodge on PYP 596](https://plantyourself.com/no-problem-too-big-part-1-start-with-value-dr-richard-hodge-on-pyp-596/) - We can do more than we think in the time we have on this earth. Here's how.
- [No Problem Too Big, Part 2: Touchstones: Dr Richard Hodge on PYP 597](https://plantyourself.com/no-problem-too-big-dr-richard-hodge-on-pyp-597/) - To guide us in a complex world, we need touchstones of value. Indigenous knowledge systems can show us how.
- [No Problem Too Big, Part 3: The 4-Quadrant Model: Dr Richard Hodge on PYP 598](https://plantyourself.com/no-problem-too-big-part-3-the-4-quadrant-model-dr-richard-hodge-on-pyp-598/) - The nitty-gritty playbook for contributing to big change in the world.
- [Are You a Joy to Work With?: Simi Rayat on PYP 599](https://plantyourself.com/joy-simi-rayat-pyp-599/) - How to be super-productive - while being a joy to work with. A fun conversation with biz psychologist Simi Rayat, author of the upcoming "Productivity Joy."
- [No Problem Too Big, Part 4: Systems Thinking: Dr Richard Hodge on PYP 600](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-600-richard-hodge/) - Reductionist thinking got us into this mess. We need systems thinking to get us out.
- [The 3 Keys to Behavior Change at Scale: Huw Thomas on PYP 601](https://plantyourself.com/huw-thomas-pyp-601/) - Is it possible to transform a culture? What are the keys to bringing about behavior change at scale?
- [Gulp: Thinking Big and Acting Bold: Sarah Davis on PYP 602](https://plantyourself.com/gulp-thinking-big-and-acting-bold-sarah-davis-on-pyp-602/) - What's your relationship with risk? Does it rule and constrain you, or do you dance with it? Today's guest shares how to think big and act bold — as safely as possible.
- [Meditation in Three Minutes a Day?: Richard Dixey on PYP 604](https://plantyourself.com/meditation-in-three-minutes-a-day-richard-dixey-on-pyp-604/) - Can meditating just 3 minutes a day give you real and lasting insight into your true nature?
- [Remember That You're Gonna Die: Jodi Wellman on PYP 603](https://plantyourself.com/remember-that-youre-gonna-die-jodi-wellman-on-pyp-603/) - Can making friends with your impending death help you live a richer and fuller life?
- [Listener Reflections on the "Settled" Podcast](https://plantyourself.com/listener-reflections-on-the-settled-podcast/) - Listener, friend, and colleague Marian Blum shares her reflections after listening to podcast episode "The Virtues of Settling":
- [How to Stop Rebelling Against Your Own Best Interests](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-stop-rebelling-against-your-own-best-interests/) - Rebelling against unjust and unhealthy systems is great. But what about when we rebel against our own best interests?
- [How to Keep Going When You Feel Like Giving Up](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-keep-going-when-you-feel-like-giving-up/) - A new member of Sick to Fit asked, "How do you address a lack of self esteem, or how do you keep going when regret, guilt, frustration, etc., make you question if the effort is worth it?" In this video, I talk about how to keep going when your thoughts and feelings are all undermining your resolve.
- [How to Break a Bad Habit Using a Juggler's Secret](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-break-a-bad-habit-using-a-jugglers-secret/) - In this video, I demonstrate the Juggler's Secret to Breaking Bad Habits.
- [How to Get Better at Life Every Single Day](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-get-better-at-life-every-single-day/) - Do you ever wonder why you're constantly being asked to identify squares with traffic lights, bicycles, crosswalks, buses, and motorcycles when you try to log into certain websites? The answer holds an important clue about how you can improve your own "healthy life algorithm."
- [How to Put Slip-ups in Their Place So You Can Keep Moving Forward](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-put-slip-ups-in-their-place-so-you-can-keep-moving-forward/) - When you slip up and don't follow your food or movement rules, it's easy to conclude that you just don't have the discipline or motivation to succeed. In this video, I try to convince you that not only is that total BS, but you're actually committing a serious federal crime if you act on that belief by giving up.
- [A Super-easy, Filling, Healthy and Delicious Breakfast](https://plantyourself.com/a-super-easy-filling-healthy-and-delicious-breakfast/) - Demo: Preparing a filling, nutrient-rich, and yummy breakfast bowl couldn't get any quicker or easier.
- [How to Stick to Your Diet <br>When All Hell Breaks Lose](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-stick-to-your-diet-when-all-hell-breaks-lose/) - Knobology is the ability to turn the knobs of your own behavior in real time, in response to changing life circumstances. It's the opposite of rigid adherence to a prescribed plan with no freedom to deviate.
- [A Counterintuitive Mind Hack for When You Feel Like Giving Up](https://plantyourself.com/a-counterintuitive-mind-hack-for-when-you-feel-like-giving-up/) - When your mind tells you that you'll never change, and that you're destined to keep struggling forever with diet, or exercise, or any other bad habit, it's easy to convince yourself to give up. But there's a simple "mind hack" that you can employ, to change your inner dialog, that can give you the tools you need to keep making progress.
- [How to Survive Thanksgiving 2020](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-survive-thanksgiving-2020/) - Thanksgiving is a time for family, tradition, and gratitude. So what do we do when we can't be near our families? When we can't participate in our traditions? When we feel anything *but* grateful?
- [How to Change Your Health Habits: <br>Mind Hacks to Get Out of Victim Mode](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-change-your-health-habits-mind-hacks-to-get-out-of-victim-mode/) - When we're stuck in habit patterns that don't serve our best interests, part of the reason is our minds go into "victim mode." That is, we tell ourselves a story that takes away our power to change. In this video, I'll share three signs that you're operating out of victim mode, and give you three "mind hacks" to restore your power.
- [Six True Lies About Your Food Struggles](https://plantyourself.com/six-true-lies-about-your-food-struggles/) - Do you binge because you're eating for emotional reasons, or because your body isn't designed to say no to hyper-palatable food? To change how you eat, should you love yourself, or be tough on yourself? And it is better to learn to eat intuitively, or to create hard and fast rules?
- [PYP 020: Dr. Ana Negron: The Living Experience of Healthy Eating](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-020-dr-ana-negron-the-living-experience-of-healthy-eating/) - Dr. Ana Negron is a family physician in the Philadelphia area who treats her patients with healthy food, empowerment, community, and love.
- [The Healing Power of EFT with Robyn Chuter: PYP 186](https://plantyourself.com/pyp-186-robyn-chuter-healing-power-eft/) - Robyn Chuter is a plant-based "recovering naturopath" and wellness researcher from New South Wales, Australia. She's particularly interested in how groups of people support each other's health journeys, and is currently running an ethnographic study on a whole food, plant-based Facebook support group to identify effective strategies and barriers to behavior change.
- [Is "Cheat" Really the Word You Want to Use?](https://plantyourself.com/is-cheat-really-the-word-you-want-to-use/) - When clients talk about "cheat days" and "cheat meals," they're fooling themselves in two very significant ways. In this video, I talk about what "cheating" is and isn't, and offer a different lens through which to think about goals and deviation from them.
- [Is "Cheat" Really the Word You Want to Use?](https://plantyourself.com/cheat-word/) - When clients talk about "cheat days" and "cheat meals," they're fooling themselves in two very significant ways. In this video, I talk about what "cheating" is and isn't, and offer a different lens through which to think about goals and deviation from them.
- [The Plant Yourself "Game Changers" Compendium](https://plantyourself.com/the-plant-yourself-game-changers-compendium/) - The Game Changers is a game changer for the public discussion of plant-based diets for health. To celebrate its release, here's a handy reference guide to all the Plant Yourself episodes with folks featured in or connected to the documentary.
- [Flutter Kick to Nowhere](https://plantyourself.com/flutter/) - My wife and I joined a gym last month, and since we paid in advance, and since I get 5 points every time I check in, I've been going a lot to get my money's worth.
- [How to lose friends and NOT influence people](https://plantyourself.com/influence/) - When I read The China Study in December 2004, I immediately launched a whole food plant-based Mission the Save the World. I started with my own family. Instead of organic chocolate-flavored yogurt and homemade mac and cheese, I imagined them consuming the lethal poisons found only in the corpses of pro-democracy Russian journalists.
- [Prudence, Paranoia, and Preparation: How to deal with habits that aren't second nature yet](https://plantyourself.com/prudence/) - When you're growing a new habit that isn't second nature, you'll face situations that tempt you to regress to your old default behavior. Some people deal with this through naive invocations of willpower: "I'll just be strong and say no." Others get paranoid, and start seeing danger and threat in every situation. Obviously, neither of these is the answer. Today's video shares the best solution that I've found.
- [How to Scare Yourself into Better Health](https://plantyourself.com/fear/) - This week I got the shit scared out of me, and it was the best thing ever. Because I used two strategies to transform the fear while riding its energy.
- [Is now the best or worst time to become a health coach?](https://plantyourself.com/is-now-the-best-or-worst-time-to-become-a-health-coach/) - I've been engaged in a grand debate with myself about that question for several weeks now. This article shares four reasons to become a health coach during the pandemic, and three reasons not to.
- [Laser coaching: new pricing structure and other changes](https://plantyourself.com/laser-changes/) - Would you like my personal support on your journey to health, but haven't been able to afford 1-on-1 coaching? In response to the challenges of COVID-19 (and thanks to a wonderful conversation with Mark Silver of Heart of Business), I've changed my pricing model to "Pay from the Heart." Plus I've added group calls for my private coaching clients (a first). Check out this video for details.
- [I Guess You Had to Be There](https://plantyourself.com/get-it/) - Are you sitting down? Because I have a shocker for you: sometimes, according to my wife, I can be exasperating. The main thing is, I get on these health bandwagons, impulsively turn our world upside down, and then totally forget about it.
- [Don and the Perfect Game](https://plantyourself.com/don-and-the-perfect-game/) - Don Larson died this month, at the age of 90. He played baseball professionally from 1953 to 1967, and had a less than stellar career. As a pitcher, his lifetime record was 81 wins and 91 losses. He played five of those years with the powerhouse New York Yankees during their dynastic heyday in the 1950s; his record for lesser teams was a dismal 36 wins and 67 losses. And yet he's one of my favorite players of all time.
- [How to Accelerate Your Progress: Step on DGAS](https://plantyourself.com/dgas/) - Today is January 2, 2020. If you're a resolutions kind of person, today is the second day to do the thing you've decided to do. Are you still motivated? I certainly hope so! What about tomorrow? Will you be motivated then as well? Fingers crossed... And the day after tomorrow? And the day after that?
- [Van der Waals Forces to the Rescue](https://plantyourself.com/van-der-waals-forces-to-the-rescue/) - When I was in 11th grade, I came in 3rd in the New Jersey Science League Chemistry II competition. Which was odd. I wasn't one of the best chemistry students in the state, by far. I wasn't even close to being the best chemistry student in my high school. Hell, I wasn't close to be the best chemistry student in my chemistry class.
- [Tidings of Comfort or Joy](https://plantyourself.com/tidings-of-comfort-or-joy/) - One day my grandfather punched someone in the face over some disagreement. The recipient of the blow, wounded more in pride than body, wobbled to a seat on the curb and began yelling, "Iodine! Police! Iodine! Police!"
- [Lessons from a Bucket of Rice](https://plantyourself.com/lessons-from-a-bucket-of-rice/) - Mergoddess Sarah Bofinger and I talk about how the next thing is always available to us. Whether it's a bucket of rice, or a half squat, or waking up from a bad dream, everything within our experience is an opportunity to rewrite our story.
- [Balancing Future Goals with Present Attention](https://plantyourself.com/balancing-future-goals-with-present-attention/) - Today Mergoddess Sarah Bofinger and I talk about balancing big future goals - which can be motivating as hell, but also scary and possibly intimidating and overwhelming - with the simple, repetitive daily actions that may eventually get us there.
- [Your Role Models Are Not Superheroes](https://plantyourself.com/superheroes/) - When we look to public figures as role models for the changes we aspire to make, we're in danger of assigning them "Superhero" status.
- [New Year's Resolutions, Pursuit Angles, and the Forward Edge of Your Capacity](https://plantyourself.com/edge/) - Josh and I uncoddle our Sick to Fit readers, listeners, and FB group members in today's New Years video.
- [Do I have to be happy-happy to change?](https://plantyourself.com/happy-happy/) - Joy. Misery. Bad choices. Change. Surrender. Korean War defectors. Something for everyone in this end-of-year convo with Mergoddess Sarah Bofinger.
- [When Your Only Tool is a Sledgehammer](https://plantyourself.com/when-your-only-tool-is-a-sledgehammer/) - For some reason, the most popular TV channel at my gym is HGTV. Maybe I'm still 8 years old inside, but I can't think of anything more boring than watching other people fix up their houses. Give me cartoons. Give me golf. Give me bowling, for godsakes, but please don't let me pound out mile after mile while watching young couples practically orgasm over their new open floor plan. What is it with the open floor plan anyway?
- [360 Degrees of Pain](https://plantyourself.com/360-degrees-of-pain/) - I can teach you how to ride a unicycle. I tell you this not to brag, but to - aw, hell, who am I kidding? I tell you this to brag.
- [Shave Your Balloon: How to Not Fear the Holidays](https://plantyourself.com/balloon/) - The holidays are coming up, and for many of us who have “evolved” in direct directions from our families of origin, it’s a difficult and sometimes painful time. It’s natural to fear them, at least the “let’s get together and eat and impose our political views on each other” part.
- [Grease Them Strings](https://plantyourself.com/grease-them-strings/) - "Let Buddy play his violin with you in the talent show," Ella told her teenage sons, Larry and Travis. The year was 1941. Larry and Travis weren't happy. Both accomplished musicians, they were counting on winning at least a few bucks, which was nothing to sneeze at in depression-era Lubbock, Texas.
- [Who Won the Debate Last Night?](https://plantyourself.com/debate/) - No, not that debate. I'm talking about the one between You and You. There's the forward-looking, rational, health-conscious You, that knows late-night snacking and staying up watching TV or surfing online is not a good idea. And then there's the impulsive, bored, hangry, tired, instant-gratification-seeking You that just wants to feel better right now, even if the cost is feeling shitty tomorrow and compromising your health long-term.
- [At Least I Don't Lick Cats - Deep Thoughts on Addiction and Healing](https://plantyourself.com/strange-addictions/) - So somehow my son and I ended up in front of his laptop with Hulu open. I don't recall what he wanted to show me, but it ended up not being very interesting. So, cultural rubber-necker that I am, I was drawn to a thumbnail of a show I had never heard of: My Strange Addiction. Apparently it ran for six seasons on TLC, starting in 2010. Apparently I had missed this cultural phenomenon entirely
- [From The China Study To A Plant Powered Mindset](https://plantyourself.com/from-the-china-study-to-a-plant-powered-mindset/) - Last week, Ben Alter of Alter.Health and I swapped podcasts. I interviewed him for Plant Yourself, and he returned the favor the next day for his show. And because he's far more efficient and together than I am, his show published first. Enjoy!
- [What if Peanut Butter Cups Had Never Been Invented?](https://plantyourself.com/what-if-peanut-butter-cups-had-never-been-invented/) - When I was a kid, there was this incredibly annoying TV commercial for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
- [WellStart Health Coach Training Starts May 6, 2019](https://plantyourself.com/wellstart-health-coach-training-starts-may-6-2019/) - https://youtu.be/eGY7mZOXIeg Schedule your enrollment interview at WellStartCoach.com
- [Great article on winning the war against food](https://plantyourself.com/great-article-on-winning-the-war-against-food/) - My buddy and teacher Glenn Livingston, PhD is author of Never Binge Again, whose methodology I use to help people break long-standing self-destructive food habits.
- [How to Create Environmental Cues to Change Eating Habits](https://plantyourself.com/how-to-create-environmental-cues-to-change-eating-habits/) - This video answers a question posed by a podcast listener: How can we set up cues in our environments that can reliably remind us to eat healthy?
- [Binges, Self-Deception, and the Chevelle Car Window](https://plantyourself.com/binges-self-deception-and-the-chevelle-car-window/) - I’ve been thinking a lot about my junk food habit. I liken it to the passenger window on the old Chevy Chevelle. One day I open that window and the damn thing won’t close. I try and try, but you end up having to dismantle the entire door panel to get the window back on the track. It’s a pain in the ass. And I am very aware of this window not working - for a few weeks.
- [Guest Post: Sue's Holiday Buffet Thought Process](https://plantyourself.com/guest-post-sues-holiday-buffet-thought-process/) - Sue Boyles is an alumna of the Big Change Program, and a plant-powered dynamo in her own right. Her before-and-after-and-after photos (below) capture not just the weight loss part of her journey, but the real, meaningful changes have all occurred in Sue's Inner Game. Here's a post she shared with her Big Change cohort this morning. It was so smart and empowering and inspiring, I got permission from Sue to share it with you.
- [Looking for a Registered Dietitian for a Plant-Forward Reboot Study](https://plantyourself.com/dietitian/) - Big News! Josh LaJaunie and I are partnering with WellStart Health and Louisiana State University to deliver a digital chronic disease reversal program to people with type 2 diabetes in and around Shreveport, Louisiana. And we're doing it as a randomized, controlled clinical trial, hopefully to demonstrate the power of a plant-centric diet to halt and reverse the disease and help people get off their meds and feel great.
- [The Matador, the Car Wash, and the Ten Commandments of Holiday Eating](https://plantyourself.com/matador-car-wash-ten-commandments/) - When I am eight years old, my dad gets us a new car. Because he is an organizer with the United Auto Workers, a foreign car is out of the question - even as the 1973 OPEC crisis sent most Americans scurrying for fuel-efficient Datsuns and Toyotas. Also not on the acceptable list is his dream car, a sunflower yellow Corvette C3 Stingray convertible: Bad form to show up at a picket line in a set of wheels that expensive and flashy. So, practical man that he is, my dad settles on a lemon-yellow 1974 AMC Matador with a black vinyl roof.
- [Do I Hate Myself? Reflections on Hedonism](https://plantyourself.com/hedonism/) - How can we enjoy life if we constantly deprive ourselves of the good things?
- [Five Plant Yourself Podcast Stalwarts on Good Morning America: 7-minute Video](https://plantyourself.com/five-plant-podcast-stalwarts-good-morning-america-7-minute-video/) - Hey, check out Josh LaJaunie, Tim Kaufman, Marcus Cook, Jason Cohen, Justin Lacy, and (hopefully future guest) Josh Turner on Good Morning America today!
- [Instant Pot Tutorials](https://plantyourself.com/instantpot/) - This video series is for people who've bought the Instant Pot, and haven't taken it out of the box yet.
- ["Have a Good Swim" - Life Lessons from Sue Boyles](https://plantyourself.com/good-swim-life-lessons-sue-boyles/) - Sue Boyles is an alum of the Big Change Program. This morning she wrote a post about her experience being totally unmotivated to get in her morning exercise. It's so good, with so much power and truth and "no-bullshit," that I had to share it here. Enjoy!
- [Thanksgiving and the Calculus of Integrity](https://plantyourself.com/thanksgiving-calculus-integrity/) - The movie Airplane features a running joke in which air traffic controller Steve McCroskey (played by Lloyd Bridges) announces after each new catastrophe, “I guess I picked the wrong week to quit smoking… drinking… amphetamines… sniffing glue.” I woke up yesterday morning, watched a terrifying video of a white supremacist gathering in Washington, DC, and thought, “I guess I picked the wrong week to feel gratitude.” And some of my clients and students will look at all the turkeys, gravies, pies, turduckens, piecakens, and other festive dishes and tell themselves, “I’ll indulge just a little today, and tighten back up tomorrow. After all, progress, not perfection.” To all three examples, I say bullshit.
- [Guest Post: PSA Screening Still a Bad Idea](https://plantyourself.com/psa-screening-still-bad-idea/) - One of the unsung heroes of modern medicine is Richard J. Ablin, professor in the Pathology Department of the University of Arizona. The discoverer of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), Dr. Ablin has spent decades warning doctors and the public that the PSA test is not only useless for population screening for prostate cancer, but is incredibly harmful. For every man whose life is saved via early detection of a deadly tumor, dozens are maimed by treatments for tumors that were never going to hurt them.
- [Don't Curse Yourself Out: Three Ways to Get Unstuck and Dump Your Dysfunctional Habits](https://plantyourself.com/dont-curse-three-ways-get-unstuck-dump-dysfunctional-habits/) - One of the ways we keep ourselves stuck in damaging behavior patterns is by using language that predicts future failure. Some examples: "I always blow my diet on vacation." "I'm not a morning person." "I hate exercise." "Evening is my horrible time." "I avoid conflict, so I end up eating what everyone else is eating even
- [Help the Plant Yourself Podcast Reach the Deaf](https://plantyourself.com/help-plant-podcast-reach-deaf/) - A Plant Yourself reader wrote me: "Where can we obtain transcripts? I am deaf." I smacked my head for not having thought of this earlier. But at least I'm woke to the issue now. To offer transcripts, I will need to pay a dollar per minute of audio. The average interview lasts 55-70 minutes, not
- [When Change Feels Inauthentic](https://plantyourself.com/change-feels-inauthentic/) - Someone who's taking the Big Change Program Test Drive commented that she dislikes having to use rules, lists, and checkboxes to manage her eating. It feels unnatural and inauthentic to her. Why can't healthy eating be natural and effortless, the way it seems to be for all the other animals? Why is it necessary to impose rigid structures on our dietary behaviors?
- [Bob Cafaro on the Psychology of Beating an Incurable Illness](https://plantyourself.com/bob-cafaro-psychology-beating-incurable-illness/) - Plant Yourself Podcast guest Bob Cafaro (PYP 153) has just come out with his TEDx talk, "The Psychology of Beating an Incurable Illness." Enjoy and be inspired: https://youtu.be/ZqoRGr3icTo
- [In Praise of Extremism and Collective Evolution](https://plantyourself.com/extreme/) - The longer I think about it, the more I'm convinced that health and fulfillment are found in the extremes, not in moderation.
- [The Old Fart Booth Effect: A Weird Mind Hack that Makes Exercise Easier](https://plantyourself.com/old-fart-booth-effect-weird-mind-hack-makes-exercise-easier/) - Look in the mirror. Say your name. You’ve just activated a section of your brain devoted to YOU. Now think of some random celebrity. Say their name. You’ve just activated a totally different section of your brain, this one dedicated to OTHERS. Now - and here’s where this gets freaky - think of yourself in 20 years. Which part of your brain just got turned on? The YOU circuit, or the OTHER circuit? If you’re like most people - pretty much everyone, in fact - you think about your future self as if she or he is a total stranger.
- [Abandon Hope, All Who Desire Big Change](https://plantyourself.com/hope/) - The great 13th-century Italian writer Dante Alighieri fell in love at the age of nine with a girl in a crimson dress. Beatrice Portinaro was just eight when Dante first laid eyes upon her at a gathering in her father's palazzo. He wrote, "From that time forward love fully ruled my soul."
- [Make 2046 Your Best Year Ever](https://plantyourself.com/best-year-ever/) - In 1514, Nicolaus Copernicus shared a 40-page manuscript with a few friends. In it, he described his radical theory that the earth orbited the sun, rather than the other way around. Copernicus knew that this hypothesis was dangerous, as it challenged the universal assumption that the earth was the center of the universe. Still, he
- [Q&A: How to Start Running](https://plantyourself.com/qa-start-running/) - Someone I met at a plant-based conference emailed me the other day, looking for advice on getting started with running. I hope my responses will be useful to you, dear reader. The questions are indented, and my replies are not.
- [TribeWell TV: Paying Attention to Attention](https://plantyourself.com/tribewell-tv-paying-attention-attention/) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P93yXyKeHdw
- [Obesity, Disease, and Fat Shaming: a Conversation on the Curiously Veg Podcast](https://plantyourself.com/obesity-disease-fat-shaming-conversation-curiously-veg-podcast/) - Josh LaJaunie and I had a spirited conversation with Hope Hughes and David Powell, hosts of the Curiously Veg Podcast, about a recent BBC documentary which featured the autopsy of an obese woman. Hope and David were taken aback by critics who accused the film of fat shaming. They reached to to me, and I
- [A Powerful Way to Transform Your Thinking, Your Diet, and Your Plant-Based Advocacy](https://plantyourself.com/powerful-way-transform-thinking-diet-plant-based-advocacy/) - My talk for the Detroit-based Plant Based Nutrition Support Group is now available on Vimeo for your viewing pleasure. My segment starts at about 28 and a half minutes into the video. Enjoy!
- [TribeWell TV: Drafting in the Wake of Inspiring Stories](https://plantyourself.com/tribewell-tv-drafting-wake-inspiring-stories/) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuLn_Dhrpz4
- [So What?](https://plantyourself.com/so-what/) - My good friend and business partner Josh LaJaunie placed third in his first 100-mile race last Saturday. My first reaction upon hearing the news: “So what?” No, I haven’t turned all jealous and snarky. I wasn’t asking Josh, or the Universe. I was asking myself.
- [Do. Be. Do.](https://plantyourself.com/do-be-do/) - Part 1: DO When we want to change our destiny, we start by changing our behavior. Hence DO. I've literally wasted years of my life planning, pondering, weighing my options, thinking, considering, evaluating, and anticipating instead of doing. There's nothing wrong with thinking, of course. Nothing wrong with planning, with anticipating mishaps and preparing for them.
- [Can Guilt Be Good?](https://plantyourself.com/can-guilt-good/) - During a run around the reservoir in Central Park this morning, I talked shop with one of my favorite doctors, Mary Wendt. Mary is the founder of Get Waisted, and deploys an awful lot of science and psychology in her quest to help people achieve a healthy weight. At one point, she brought up the
- [A meditation on fear](https://plantyourself.com/a-meditation-on-fear/) - Half a mile into my 8-mile run, the dawn fog reveals a row of glistening teeth ahead. As I slow, the teeth resolve into a snarl of incisors at the tip of an enraged, feral beast the size of a roided out badger. As I freeze and contemplate my getaway, another runner breezes past us. The
- [Trailer for PYP 153: Bob Cafaro on overcoming MS](https://plantyourself.com/trailer-pyp-153-bob-cafaro-overcoming-ms/) - https://youtu.be/JuWN1iSvA6I I just recorded a wonderfully inspiring interview with professional cellist Bob Cafaro, who beat MS using, among other things, a plant-based diet. But there's so much more to his story than broccoli and rice! We talked about Nolan Ryan, Bobby Fisher, Lance Armstrong, the US Army Survival Manual, Nando Parrado, finding free parking in
- [Breast Cancer on the Rise in African-American Women](https://plantyourself.com/breast-cancer-on-the-rise-in-african-american-women/) - It's a sad irony that the one area where African-Americans have, after many decades of inequality, finally achieved parity with whites is in rates of breast cancer among women. According to a recent report by the American Cancer Society, rates of breast cancer in African-American women rose almost half a percent every year from 2008 to 2012.
- [Triangle Be Well TV: 2015-12-14](https://plantyourself.com/tbw-tv-2015-12-14/) - Today I talked about the fundamental (and generally disregarded) principle of the Hippocratic Oath, "First, do no harm." Plus, some thoughts on death, and how coming to terms with death as a reality that will visit each of us can help us live better, healthier, and in some cases longer lives. Plus, one of medicine's dirty
- [Triangle Be Well TV: Informed Consent](https://plantyourself.com/triangle-be-well-tv-informed-consent/) - On today's show, the very first (!), I talk about the fundamental concept of Informed Consent, and how it's almost never offered to patients in the healthcare system. And why. And how we can get the information we need to make informed decisions about options for treatment and our health destinies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dipf_caGeDU Right-click to download
- ["Where Do You Get Your Protein?"](https://plantyourself.com/where-do-you-get-your-protein/) - That question has become a joke in the plant-based community. Comic YouTube songs, Instagram memes of gorillas and weightlifters, and scathing cartoons showing the question asked by obese people stuffing their faces with McDonalds. When you’re initiated into the plant-based world, part of your catechism is a bunch of snappy replies: “Spinach has more protein
- [Feeling and Numbness](https://plantyourself.com/feeling-and-numbness/) - Money coach Dave Ramsey talks about the importance of “feeling money” as it passes through our hands. It’s easy to spend foolishly when we’re just waving credit cards through machines or authorizing direct withdrawals from digital accounts. It’s much harder to make bad money decisions when we have to remove hard currency from our wallets
- [Should I Replace Sugar with Stevia in My Tea?](https://plantyourself.com/should-i-replace-sugar-with-stevia-in-my-tea/) - A friend asks: About 2 years ago, I gave up my heavy diet pepsi habit. I've moved off of most processed foods, so nowadays, the majority of my non-fruit sugar intake comes from baked goods, and the sugar I put into my cups 'o tea. So, I recently read about Stevia, plant-extract based sweetener, that,
- [Monstrous Marketing: Debunking the Bulletproof Diet](https://plantyourself.com/monstrous-marketing-debunking-the-bulletproof-diet/) - As if paleo weren’t ridiculous and harmful enough, the latest fad diet book takes the trend to an extreme that includes lacing one’s morning coffee with butter and coconut oil. The Bulletproof Diet recommends 50-60% of calories from fat (or as the author Dave Asprey puts it, “healthy fats”), 20% from protein, and the rest
- [Monstrous Marketing: Unbrainwashing Gatorade Athletes](https://plantyourself.com/marketing-monday-unbrainwashing-gatorade-athletes/) - Welcome to a new Plant Yourself feature: Monstrous Marketing. Marketing is a huge part of the reason most people are overweight and sick. So marketing has to become a huge part of the solution. In Monstrous Marketing, I'll be sharing examples of misleading and manipulative marketing around diet and lifestyle, and suggest ways to neutralize
- [Date Bars from the PlantPure Nation Cookbook](https://plantyourself.com/date-bars-from-the-plantpure-nation-cookbook/) - I like to bring whole food, plant-based refreshments when I give local talks. I typically just lay them out and don't highlight the fact that they don't have added sugar, or eggs, or dairy, or bacon, or whatever else the young people are putting into their treats these days. At the end of the talk,
- [Video: Bacon, the Fountain of Youth?](https://plantyourself.com/video-bacon-the-fountain-of-youth/) - Is bacon actually good for us? A recent study, much touted on bacon lovers' Facebook feeds and promoted by a variety of blogs and news websites, suggests that bacon can actually help us live longer. In this video, I follow the trail of the story, starting with Facebook and ending up at the original study (sources
- [China Study co-author T. Colin Campbell on writing WHOLE](https://plantyourself.com/china-study-co-author-t-colin-campbell-on-writing-whole/) - http://youtu.be/ygnnu68R6iU In 2004, T. Colin Campbell rocked the worlds of nutrition and science with his outspoken and powerful book, The China Study. Nine years later, Dr. Campbell is back, and feistier than ever, taking on the medical, research, government, media, non-profit, food, and supplement industries. Nutrition, he asserts, is the "master key" that controls our
- [Heart Health Can Be Simple](https://plantyourself.com/heart-health-simple/) - A new study shows that good heart health is really quite simple. Just five things can make the difference between a long and healthy life and one compromised and cut short by heart disease (our number one killer - sorry, Ebola!) Here they are, in order of importance: Eat a healthy diet (the more whole plants,
- [Low Carb or Low Fat? Another Bad Study Muddies the Water](https://plantyourself.com/low-carb-or-low-fat-another-bad-study-muddies-the-water/) - http://youtu.be/_g9fkp0OikQ
- [The Saturated Fat Meta-Analysis: Butter is Not Back!](https://plantyourself.com/the-saturated-fat-meta-analysis-butter-is-not-back/) - http://youtu.be/h9FY9g0dm9s
- [The Mediterranean Diet Study: Bad Science, Worse Journalism](https://plantyourself.com/the-mediterranean-diet-study-bad-science-worse-journalism/) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cktwDEXJjvs Have you heard the news? An April 2013 study "proves" that the Mediterranean Diet saves lives, reducing cardiovascular events by 30%. Except the study said no such thing. And the "low fat" diet used as a comparison was anything but. Caveat comestor! (Let the eater beware!)
- [Food Demo: Quick and Easy Kale Avocado Salad](https://plantyourself.com/food-demo-quick-and-easy-kale-avocado-salad/) - http://youtu.be/8duMKgxyWus Howard and Yael (but mostly Yael) demonstrate how to make a really quick and easy and deliciously health kale avocado salad.
- [Food Demo: How to Grow a Health Food Store on Your Kitchen Counter in 24 Hours](https://plantyourself.com/food-demo-how-to-grow-a-health-food-store-on-your-kitchen-counter-in-24-hours/) - http://youtu.be/kUoFEoLds0g
- [Food Demo: Creamy Curried Almond Dressing (or Dip)](https://plantyourself.com/creamy-curried-almond-dressing-or-dip/) - http://youtu.be/BCcyKaiaErY This recipe comes with permission from Dreena Burton's lovely cookbook, . From Dreena: "This dressing will definitely cling to your greens, and can easily be used as a dip as well. It is one of my favorites, with a very subtle curry flavor in a creamy, slightly sweet base." When I asked Dreena for
- [Food Demo: Sprouted Quinoa Salad](https://plantyourself.com/food-demo-sprouted-quinoa-salad/) - http://youtu.be/_00u8s5JB5M This salad, adapted from a recipe in by South African raw food evangelists Peter and Beryn Daniel, is the perfect dish for hot weather pot lucks and lazy late dinners with family and friends. The Rawlicious recipe calls for 1/8 cup olive oil; I substitute an avocado to take advantage of the healthy fat

## Pages

- [Home](https://plantyourself.com/) - The Plant Yourself Podcast Home About Me Podcast Say Thanks Contact Home About Me Podcast Say Thanks Contact The Podcast The Plant Yourself Podcast: interviews with fascinating practitioners, researchers, and DOers – published every Tuesday. Articles Thought-provoking, irreverent, funny, and empowering essays and rants on how to get – and stay – healthy. Read ’em
- [Contact](https://plantyourself.com/contact/) - Like most everyone, I can get overwhelmed by email if I don't take active steps to restrict it. Please use this form to get in touch:
- [The Plant Yourself Podcast Complete Archives](https://plantyourself.com/pyp/) - Ditch Fear: Rhys Paddick on PYP 633When Leadership Advice Becomes Toxic: Keith Corbin on PYP 632Can a Better World Start with… Better Meetings? Dr Sheella Mierson and Henry Herschel on PYP 631Can You Heal Trauma by Watching Puppies Play?: Thomas Zimmerman on PYP 630Degrowth, Wellbeing, and Rethinking Capitalism: Omer Tayyab on PYP 629Golden Balls, Human
- [Coaching](https://plantyourself.com/coaching/) - Are you struggling to overcome self-sabotaging thoughts and habits? Have you tried any of the following and still aren't getting the results you want? Focusing on your BIG WHY Putting your intentions down in your calendar Publicly announcing your commitment to change Joining a group Practicing stress management and mindfulness Finding a buddy to hold
- [About Me](https://plantyourself.com/about-me/) - Hi, I'm Howie Jacobson, host of the Plant Yourself Podcast. In my day job, I help leaders increase their impact, vitality, and joy for the benefit of their organizations and the world. I also help clients implement lifestyle changes that support vibrant health and fitness. But 15 years ago I was overweight, unhealthy, stressed out, and
- [Book an interview for the Plant Yourself Podcast](https://plantyourself.com/interview/) - Hi Future Guest! Thanks for agreeing to be on Plant Yourself! I record interviews on Riverside.fm. Here's the link to self-schedule: Schedule Your Plant Yourself Interview Please connect via a Chrome browser, and make sure you'll be in a quiet space where you won't be disturbed, and you have a good microphone and headset. (On
- [pre](https://plantyourself.com/pre/)
- [Plant Yourself Podcast Guest Page](https://plantyourself.com/guest/) - Thanks for being a guest on the podcast! A little bit about Plant Yourself: The Plant Yourself Podcast features weekly interviews with fascinating researchers and DOers in the fields of health, wellbeing, environmental healing, planetary justice, and personal and cultural metamorphosis. Where to find the Plant Yourself Podcast: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher
- [The Root Cause of All Eating Struggles](https://plantyourself.com/root-cause/) - https://youtu.be/eihRGRk0sxI Find out more about laser coaching and schedule an enrollment interview here. Enhanced Transcript You might be watching this video because of an email that teased you about what's the real root cause of our inability to stick to a healthy whole food plant-based diet? I gave you a whole list of things from
- [stressproof](https://plantyourself.com/stressproof/)
- [unstress](https://plantyourself.com/unstress/)
- [About](https://plantyourself.com/about-howard/) - Hi, I’m Howard Jacobson, host of the Plant Yourself Podcast. In my day job, I empower people to take control over their own health destinies. As a trainer, educator, and coach, I help our clients implement lifestyle changes that support vibrant health and fitness. But 15 years ago I was overweight, unhealthy, stressed out, and constantly
- [Support the Podcast with a Gift](https://plantyourself.com/gift/) - The Plant Yourself Podcast is provided as a gift: freely available to all, with no paywall. If you find the podcast valuable, you can make a gift in return, to help support me, my family, and my mission in the world. Donate via PayPal Thanks so much for your support! Warmly and gratefully,Howard
- [jul](https://plantyourself.com/jul/)
- [Home](https://plantyourself.com/home/)
- [Flight or Invisibility or ... ?](https://plantyourself.com/superpower/) - If you could choose any superpower, what would it be? One of the classics: flight, or invisibility? Something inspired by one of the X-Men, or a DC comics character? Many years ago I found myself in the presence of a human being with a superpower, and I'll never forget the experience. David the Superhero His
- [WellStart Health Coach Training](https://plantyourself.com/wellstart-health-coach-training/) - https://youtu.be/eGY7mZOXIeg Ask any questions in the comments section below, or hit me up at howard AT wellstarthealth DOT com
- [PR Firms](https://plantyourself.com/pr-pitches/) - I'm open to pitches, and I expect you to do the work of connecting your pitch to my goals, audience, and philosophy. The minimum required for that is to listen to at least three episodes: Me and my philosophy An episode in the "Healing Foods" category An episode in the "Habit Science" category I'm a
- [demo](https://plantyourself.com/demo/)
- [Informes de hábitos saludables: Traducciones al español](https://plantyourself.com/healthy-habit-reports-spanish-translations/) - Huge thanks to Cecilia Regueiro for generously volunteering her time to make these reports available in Spanish! ¡Muchísimas gracias a Cecilia Regueiro por haber ofrecido generosa y voluntariamente su tiempo para hacer posible que estos informes estén disponibles en español! (Thank you Howard! For allowing me to be a little part of this great cause!
- [How to Review the Plant Yourself Podcast on iTunes](https://plantyourself.com/review/) - Watch the 1-minute video below, then click here to leave a review. Thanks! https://youtu.be/2oBM8ATqGjc
- [habit download](https://plantyourself.com/habit-download/) - Congrats! You've made it all the way to the download page! Right-click here to download the Habit Power Report. Any questions, just email me: **@***********lf.com. Be well! Howard
- [Free Report: How to create new habits  that you can effortlessly maintain  for the rest of your life](https://plantyourself.com/habit/) - Why is it so hard for us to develop new habits? Even simple ones, like flossing our teeth, can elude us for years. Fortunately, behavioral science comes to the rescue. Turns out that good intentions and willpower are not sufficient to change ingrained behaviors. What is? I'm glad you asked :) I've written a short
- [Free Report: Why Cheat Days are a Terrible Idea, and What To Do Instead](https://plantyourself.com/cheatday/) - We love our Cheat Days, don't we? After a week or a month of being "good," we can indulge ourselves and still maintain our weight goals. What's not to love? In this Cheat Day Blues report, you'll discover: why we think Cheat Days will save us from deprivation and failure why Cheat Days are a
- [Download the Cheat Day Blues Report](https://plantyourself.com/cheatday-download/) - Congrats! You've made it all the way to the download page! Right-click here to download the Cheat day Blues Report. Any questions, just email me: **@***********lf.com. Be well! Howard
- [breakthrough](https://plantyourself.com/breakthrough/)
- [gma](https://plantyourself.com/gma/)
- [Healthy Habit Huddle Excerpt: Simplicity](https://plantyourself.com/healthy-habit-huddle-excerpt-simplicity/) - Here's the first 10 minutes of the Healthy Habit Huddle on the importance of Simplicity. I talk about why our minds love complexity, and how our Inner Pigs and Sloths use it to keep us stuck and frustrated. http://traffic.libsyn.com/plantyourself/hhh-2017-09-1-simplicity-except.mp3 If you'd like to listen to the full Huddle, and have access to dozens of archived and
- [Free webinar: The 7 High Hurdles to Weight Loss and Health: How We Sabotage Ourselves and How We can Stop](https://plantyourself.com/hurdles/) - In a hurry? Skip the details and just register for the webinar. Choose your date: 8:30pm EDT Tuesday, Sep 19: Click here to register 8pm EDT Wednesday, Sep 20: Click here to register Have you spent years meaning to get fit and healthy, but there always seems to be something standing in the way? Have you tried
- [Stop Self-Sabotage: How to Avoid the 3 Top Pitfalls that Kill Momentum](https://plantyourself.com/sabotage/) - Get the full Stop Self-Sabotage System for just $19 - act now We've all been through the "honeymoon phase" when adopting a new habit or behavior. We buy the treadmill and work out religiously for the first two weeks. We throw out all the cheese and avoid dairy for the entire month of June.
- [Stop Self-Sabotage Forever and Get the Life You Want - Now](https://plantyourself.com/stop-self-sabotage-system/) - We've all been through the "honeymoon phase" when adopting a new habit or behavior. We buy the treadmill and work out religiously for the first two weeks. We throw out all the cheese and avoid dairy for the entire month of June. We download the meditation app and sit steadfastly every morning for 10 days.
- [Download the Stopping Self-Sabotage Report](https://plantyourself.com/sabotage-download/) - Congrats! You've made it all the way to the download page! Right-click here to download the Stopping Self-Sabotage Report. Any questions, just email me: **@***********lf.com. Ready to take the next step? Get the full Stop Self-Sabotage System, including 3 audio sessions, comprehensive mind map, interactive exercises, and more. Find out more here. Be well! Howard
- [<center>Stop Self-Sabotage System - Resources<br>(Bookmark this page)</center>](https://plantyourself.com/ssss-resources/) - Support **@***********lf.com Documents Stop Self-Sabotage Report (PDF) Stop Self-Sabotage System Mind Map (PDF) Audio Files Session 1: Insistence on Perfection (mp3) Session 2: Misinterpreting Failures (mp3) Session 3: Misinterpreting Successes (mp3) The entire audio course as an iTunes audio book (m4b) Recommended Reading Organize Tomorrow Today - Jason Belk and Tom Bartow Decisive - Chip Heath
- [Download the Boomeritis Report](https://plantyourself.com/boomeritis/) - In 2006, I was outraged by a New York Times article that basically frightened people to ease off their exercise regimens as they approached retirement age. I wrote a report called "Boomeritis BS" that explained the difference between Baby Boomers whose joints were giving out under the strains of running and lifting weights and the
- [Download the Boomeritis BS Report](https://plantyourself.com/boomeritis-download/) - Right-click this link to download: Boomeritis BS Report Enjoy!
- [Recipe Not Required: A Template-Based Cheat Sheet for Healthy Eating](https://plantyourself.com/cheat/) - Are you tired of having to open a cookbook every time you're looking for a plant-powered meal idea? I surveyed a whole bunch of plant-powered pros, and asked them to share the go-to meal templates that they use all the time. From salads and soups and sandwiches to mains and desserts, I got a cornucopia of
- [Download "No Recipe Required" here](https://plantyourself.com/cheat-download/) - Congratulations! You're about to discover a bunch of plant-powered meal templates that will have you cooking and eating like a pro, without having to rely on recipes. Just add your favorite herbs and spices to the meal templates that strike your fancy, and you'll be good to go. Download the report by clicking the link or
- [Download "Food Label Literacy" Here](https://plantyourself.com/label-download/) - Congratulations! You're about to discover how to cut through all the BS and read food labels like a pro! Click on this link or the report cover below to download the report to your hard drive.
- [Food Label Literacy: How to protect yourself from sneaky marketing and junk-filled products](https://plantyourself.com/label/) - Do you try really hard to eat well, but discover after the fact that some supposedly "healthy" food is actually full of junk? It's got tons of sugar hiding under another name The front of the package has all these wonderful marketing messages that turn out to be bullshit It's got more salt than a
- [Download "Beat the Bully" Here](https://plantyourself.com/bully-download/) - Congratulations! You're about to put that inner bully in its place once and for all! Click this link or on the report cover to download and save to your hard drive.
- ["Beat the Bully": How to overcome the  “You’ll always be this way” voice](https://plantyourself.com/bully/) - We often want to change our habits and behaviors so we can get different results. We want to eat differently to lose weight and get healthy. We want to exercise daily and exert appropriately to get fit and feel good in our bodies. We want to start a meditation practice to feel powerful and peaceful
- ["Sometimes Say Never": How to defeat binge eating and be at peace with food](https://plantyourself.com/never/) - Do you find yourself eating in ways you know you shouldn't? Eating foods you want to avoid Buying foods that you've decided to stop eating Eating too much or too often Eating while doing other things And so on... If you know not to behave that way, and are motivated to behave differently, then what
- [Don't miss out on a free month in the Healthy Habit Huddles](https://plantyourself.com/huddle/)
- [Power Strategy #2: Practice Making Mistakes](https://plantyourself.com/slippery-slope/practice-mistakes/) - When you first saw that strategy, did you get excited? Did you think I was going to tell you to buy an industrial-sized bag of peanut M&Ms from Costco and eat until you develop an aversion to sugar? Sorry, not how this works. Instead, we practice making mistakes in our minds. We scan the past
- [Power Strategy #3: Rewire Your Tongue](https://plantyourself.com/slippery-slope/rewire-tongue/) - I hope you’re going through the exercises in the Slippery Slope report and starting to feel more confident and empowered. Today’s lesson focuses on the third Power Strategy contained in the report, and in many ways it’s the most powerful of all: your use of language. As I say in the report, “Our words are
- [Make a Rule](https://plantyourself.com/slippery-slope/rule/) - An example of an effective rule This morning I was coaching a client who was struggling with overeating in the evening. And overeating on some "iffy" foods: crackers and peanut butter, pretzels, etc. Stuff her spouse still ate, so it was still in the house, tempting her. After going back and forth on what was
- [How to Avoid Bingeing and Backsliding: The Slippery Slope Report](https://plantyourself.com/slippery-slope/) - Have you watched Forks Over Knives and read the science books and downloaded the recipe apps - but you're still eating meat or cheese or processed food and you can't seem to quit? And so you think, "What the f--- is wrong with me?" After all, you don't doubt the integrity of the people - T. Colin
- [Video: The Ugly Truth Behind Fashion Magazines](https://plantyourself.com/fashion/) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akDIcnVpsN0
- [<center><font size="5">Knowledge, Know-How, and Support on Your Journey to Wellness</font></center>](https://plantyourself.com/wellness/) - Do any of these statements resonate with you? "I'm spending a lot of time and money on office visits, tests, and treatments, and I'm not getting any better." "I want to be treated like a person, not just a diagnosis or an insurance policy number." "Based on my family health history, I'm worried about my future.
- [bigchange](https://plantyourself.com/bigchange/)
- [epic](https://plantyourself.com/epic/)
- [The Oatmeal Project: Minimum Effort, Maximum Results](https://plantyourself.com/oatmeal/) - Changing the way you eat can be overwhelming. It's like organizing a very messy house. You look around and have no idea where to start. The closet that you're afraid of opening because all the boxes will fall out? The drawer with scissors, string, push pins, expired credit cards, and unpaid bills? The garage? Faced with this
- [itunes](https://plantyourself.com/itunes/)
- [Thank you for your patronage!](https://plantyourself.com/patronage-thanks/) - Thanks so much for your support of the Plant Yourself Podcast! I'll be in touch about your reward, but for now, please know that my grateful heart is overflowing! Howard
- [pretty link test](https://plantyourself.com/pretty-link-test/) - The China Study is a great book.
- [Your subscription is confirmed](https://plantyourself.com/subscribe-thanks/) - Thanks for joining the rest of us Seedlings at Plant Yourself! You can get started by checking out the Plant Yourself Podcast, featuring interviews with some of the most inspiring, interesting, and helpful folks I know. You can also check out my video series. And you can add Plant Yourself updates to your Facebook feed
- [stitcher](https://plantyourself.com/stitcher/)
- [tv](https://plantyourself.com/tv/)
- [Plant Yourself Introductory Dinners](https://plantyourself.com/dinners/) - If you live in the Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill Triangle region of North Carolina, you should come to a Triangle Be Well Intro Dinner. Enjoy a delicious gourmet meal and participate in an interactive discussion about diet, lifestyle and healthcare. You'll become informed about the latest and best scientific information about diet and
- [Events](https://plantyourself.com/events/) - Cooking Class / Dinner: A Week of Salads to Go The "Mason Jar" method of batching salads has revolutionized my life. We'll work together, collegially and assembly-line fashion, to create a week's worth of salads-to-go for each participant. We'll make 3 different dressings and combine them with about a dozen other ingredients. Limited ingredients, infinite
- [Download <b>Sometimes Say Never</b> here](https://plantyourself.com/never-download/) - Congratulations! You're on the road to peace, freedom, and self-control around your eating habits and choices. Click this link or on the report cover to download and save to your hard drive. Any difficulties, don’t worry. It’s my fault, not yours. Just email me at hj AT plantyourself DOT com and I will weigh anchor and
- [neverproject](https://plantyourself.com/neverproject/)
- [Download the Oatmeal Project here](https://plantyourself.com/oatmeal-project-download/) - Congratulations! Starting your day off right just got a lot easier: The Oatmeal Project PDF Right-click to download and save to your hard drive. Any difficulties, don't worry. It's my fault, not yours. Just email me at hj AT plantyourself DOT com and I will weigh anchor and sail to your rescue!
- [Data Sources for Intro Dinner and Wellness Webinar Presentations](https://plantyourself.com/data-sources-for-intro-dinner-and-wellness-webinar-presentations/) - Abelow, B. J., Holford, T. R., & Insogna, K. L. (1992). Cross-cultural association between dietary animal protein and hip fracture: a hypothesis. Calcif Tissue Int, 50(1), 14-18. Ablin, R., & Piano, R. (2014). The Great Prostate Hoax: Palgrave MacMillan. Allers, K. S. (2013). Does the A.A.P. Logo Belong on Formula Gift Bags? New York Times.
- [oatmealproject](https://plantyourself.com/oatmealproject/)
- [survey](https://plantyourself.com/survey/)
- [show](https://plantyourself.com/show/)
- [Old homepage](https://plantyourself.com/old-home-page/) - Do you want to make the world a better place, but sometimes feel like giving up because the problems are so big? Do you long to become self-reliant and not have to depend on the industrial food, medicine, and energy systems? Are you ready to step away from the cultural conditioning that tries to turn
- [Products](https://plantyourself.com/products/) - PlantYourself.com currently offers the following menu of products and services: Plant Yourself / Wellness Forum Membership Wellness 101 – this program teaches the science of diet and health, and the skills needed to adopt a program of dietary excellence and optimal habits. A curriculum book and DVD set is included; in some areas, live instruction is
- [Webinar Confirmation](https://plantyourself.com/webinar-confirmation/) - Well done! You've just registered for an upcoming Wellness Webinar. You'll receive an invitation as soon as the next one is scheduled. (If you live in the Triangle region of North Carolina, check out the Dinners page for info on upcoming free dinner events.) Check your inbox for a confirmation email. You may have to click a
- [Terms of Use](https://plantyourself.com/terms/) - We have taken every effort to design our Web site to be useful, informative, helpful, honest and fun. Hopefully we’ve accomplished that — and would ask that you let us know if you’d like to see improvements or changes that would make it even easier for you to find the information you need and want.
- [Privacy Policy](https://plantyourself.com/privacy-policy/) - Last Updated: May 20, 2015 PlantYourself.com strives to offer its visitors the many advantages of Internet technology and to provide an interactive and personalized experience. We may use Personally Identifiable Information (your name, e-mail address, street address, telephone number) subject to the terms of this privacy policy. We will never sell, barter, or rent your email
- [Get with the Podcast](https://plantyourself.com/podcast-details/) - The Plant Yourself! Podcast provides inspiration, guidance, and support for folks trying to live in harmony with the natural world. It features weekly interviews with some of the most inspiring, brilliant, and kind people on the planet. I totally do it to have a reason to call them up and get to know them on
- [Thanks for your donation to the Plant Yourself Podcast!](https://plantyourself.com/donation-thanks/) - Your generosity allows me to host the podcast and spend the time booking guests, preparing, doing post-production, and sharing the interviews. Many many thanks! Howard
- [What's your Question for the Plant Yourself Podcast?](https://plantyourself.com/ask/) - The Plant Yourself Podcast features occasional Q&A episodes in which I take questions from listeners. Please remember that I'm not a doctor. I'm a health educator, performance coach, and marketing guy. I'm the fellow you ask about strategy and implementation, about communication and negotiation. Don't ask me about supplements, drug protocols, or surgical options. You
- [Shop](https://plantyourself.com/shop/)
- [Cart](https://plantyourself.com/cart/) - [woocommerce_cart]
- [Checkout](https://plantyourself.com/checkout/) - [woocommerce_checkout]
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- [Consulting](https://plantyourself.com/consulting/) - Need help getting the word out? Looking to increase sales, leads, and traffic? I've been a "gun for hire" digital marketer for 15 years. You can check out my other business site at askHowie.com. I'm pretty well-known in the industry - I've written 3 editions of Google AdWords For Dummies, and I was recently named
- [Holistic Holiday at Sea Presentations 2014](https://plantyourself.com/cruise/) - Here are PDFs of two of my presentations on the 2014 Holistic Holiday at Sea. Enjoy! The Fit Family: Strategies for Transition without Tyranny or Revolt - with Yael Zivan Shift Easy: The Psychology of Joyful and Sustainable Diet Improvement Want to stay in touch? Subscribe to the Plant Yourself newsletter below and I'll keep
- [You're almost there - one more step](https://plantyourself.com/one-more-step/) - Check your inbox in 30 seconds for an email with the subject line: RESPONSE REQUIRED: Please confirm that you want to hear from Plant Yourself Just click the long, funny-looking link in that email (see below) and you'll be totally on board. You only have to do this once, and it will take approximately 2.3

## My Templates

- [Default Kit](https://plantyourself.com/?elementor_library=default-kit) - Dr Howie Jacobson This podcast is a labor of love and a way to give back to the world that has given me so much. That’s why there aren’t any sponsors (except me :). My day job is helping leaders and their teams master their mindsets to remove all obstacles to heart-centered high performance. Here

## Categories

- [Uncategorized](https://plantyourself.com/category/uncategorized/)
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- [Covid-19](https://plantyourself.com/category/covid-19/)
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- [Breathing](https://plantyourself.com/category/breathing/)
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- [Transportation](https://plantyourself.com/category/transportation/)
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- [Public Policy](https://plantyourself.com/category/public-policy/)
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- [Nature](https://plantyourself.com/category/nature-2/)
- [Sexism](https://plantyourself.com/category/sexism/)
- [Social Justice](https://plantyourself.com/category/social-justice/)
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- [Psychedelics](https://plantyourself.com/category/psychedelics/)
- [Lifestyle Medicine](https://plantyourself.com/category/lifestyle-medicine/)
- [Donations](https://plantyourself.com/category/donations/)
- [Climate Crisis](https://plantyourself.com/category/climate-crisis/)
- [Philosophy](https://plantyourself.com/category/philosophy/)
- [Decision Science](https://plantyourself.com/category/decision-science/)
- [Heat exposure](https://plantyourself.com/category/heat-exposure/)
- [Posture](https://plantyourself.com/category/posture/)
- [Productivity](https://plantyourself.com/category/productivity/)
- [Walks in the Woods](https://plantyourself.com/category/walks-in-the-woods/)
- [Design](https://plantyourself.com/category/design/)
- [Bodywork](https://plantyourself.com/category/bodywork/)
- [Embodiment](https://plantyourself.com/category/embodiment/)
- [OCD](https://plantyourself.com/category/ocd/)
- [Memory Reconsolidation](https://plantyourself.com/category/memory-reconsolidation/)
- [Economics](https://plantyourself.com/category/economics/)
- [Business](https://plantyourself.com/category/business/)
- [Walk and Talk](https://plantyourself.com/category/walk-and-talk/)
- [Systems Thinking](https://plantyourself.com/category/systems-thinking/)
- [Death](https://plantyourself.com/category/death/)
- [Artificial Intelligence](https://plantyourself.com/category/artificial-intelligence/)

## Tags

- [plant-based](https://plantyourself.com/tag/plant-based/)
- [diet](https://plantyourself.com/tag/diet/)
- [weight loss](https://plantyourself.com/tag/weight-loss/)
- [healing](https://plantyourself.com/tag/healing/)
- [diabetes](https://plantyourself.com/tag/diabetes/)
- [guam](https://plantyourself.com/tag/guam/)
- [plant-based diet](https://plantyourself.com/tag/plant-based-diet/)
- [dessert](https://plantyourself.com/tag/dessert/)
- [breakfast](https://plantyourself.com/tag/breakfast/)
- [recipe](https://plantyourself.com/tag/recipe/)
- [cooking demo](https://plantyourself.com/tag/cooking-demo/)
- [oatmeal](https://plantyourself.com/tag/oatmeal/)