We talk quite often about food on this podcast — particularly the health, environmental and ethical implications our collective dietary choices and the global impact of the industrialized food industry on the same. But you might be less consciously aware of the massive extent to which the garment industry impacts a wide range of concerns from global climate change to animal welfare to ethics and beyond. Fashion is a world that desperately needs an environmentally consci tion. Joshua and his work...
Mar 16, 2015•2 hr 9 min•Ep. 135
From a young, troubled gang member facing an almost certain future of jails and institutions to becoming one of today's freshest voices in the conscious media movement, the life arc of Preston Smiles is something to behold. So it's a pleasure to welcome my friend back to the podcast. Inspirational speaker. Motivational messenger. Fount of creative positivity. All around solid, loving dude. If you are relatively new to the RRP, I strongly suggest rewinding the podcast back to my first sit down wi...
Mar 09, 2015•1 hr 57 min•Ep. 134
Futurist and science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke famously said, the only way to find the limits of the possible is by going beyond them to the impossible. An apropos theme for my conversation with Jennifer Steinman, a documentary filmmaker who spent well over a year following four seemingly normal, far from professional athletes as they prepare for and undertake one of the most grueling, backbreaking endurance challenges on the planet — a collection of ultra-distance adventure footraces teet...
Mar 06, 2015•1 hr 59 min•Ep. 133
Let's talk about food. Despite all the diet and nutrition content I consistently and freely generate, Julie and I are still inundated daily with inquiries like: So what exactly do you guys eat? How can I get my kids to make healthier choices? Is it possible to eat healthy on a budget? How can I overcome my cravings for unhealthy foods? And of course…Where do you get your protein? It's questions like these that led to an epiphany: I think it's time for the next book. A cookbook. However, there is...
Mar 02, 2015•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 132
In 2005, New York City firefighter, avid marathoner and ironman athlete Matt Long hopped onto his bike to do what he did every day — ride from his East side Manhattan apartment north to the Randall's Island fire academy where he helped train the city’s bravest. As he crossed 52nd Street, a 20-ton bus made a right turn from the middle lane. The bus didn't just hit him, it dragged his body completely underneath, where Matt was then quite literally impaled by his bike. After receiving 68 units of b...
Feb 21, 2015•1 hr 49 min•Ep. 131
Jason Hall is having a moment. The country is having a moment. Although hardly an overnight success story, it's fair to say American Sniper is this talented screenwriter's big break. A break so big he just might win his first Oscar a few days from today. But the celebratory mood is tempered by one inescapable fact: it is constructed from the tragic demise of a man named Chris Kyle. The soldier who not only serves as this contentious movie's protagonist, but was also a man Jason called friend. In...
Feb 16, 2015•1 hr 54 min•Ep. 130
Remember that big deal about how the bread at Subway contains chemicals found in yoga mats? Then there was the story about how fast food French fries contain a chemical used in Silly Putty. And the whole to-do about how there’s actually no pumpkin in the Starbucks pumpkin latte. The person behind these semi-salacious, headline grabbing campaigns is this week’s guest, Vani Hari – aka Food Babe – the outspoken and often divisive food activist behind the wildly popular FoodBabe.com blog. I met Vani...
Feb 09, 2015•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 129
America's #1 killer, heart disease currently kills 1 out of every 3 Americans; 70% of Americans are obese and getting fatter; and Studies forecast that by 2030, 50% of Americans will be diabetic or pre-diabetic. The great irony in all of this is that, as Dr. Kahn so astutely points out, 80-90% of all chronic health problems can be resolved via pretty simple diet and lifestyle alternations. The tricky part is translating these lifestyle alterations from theory to practice. I understand that it ca...
Feb 02, 2015•1 hr 46 min•Ep. 128
What can mined from the abyss that separates ordinary from extraordinary? Although he's never pedaled a single stage of the Tour de France as a professional cyclist, Mike Cotty has done things on the bike that would make even Jens Voigt (the consensus hard man of the pro peloton) cringe. Here's a taste. Last summer Mike rode his bike 1000 kilometers non-stop across 21 mountains in the Dolomites, Eastern Alps and Swiss Alps, from Conegliano, Italy, to Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France. That's over 21,0...
Jan 26, 2015•2 hr 24 min•Ep. 127
This week's episode is a bit of a departure. But like Frost's road less travelled, it's a direction well worth pursuing. My podcast was borne from a love of the art of the long form conversation. Authentic expression is a predominant theme of virtually every episode. And I sheepishly admit to a slight obsession with talented people at the nadir of their creativity, expressing their specific life purpose with unapologetic conviction. Sam Jones is the embodiment and ethos of all these ideals and m...
Jan 19, 2015•2 hr 5 min•Ep. 126
If we want to repair our broken health care system and move culture towards true, long-term sustainable wellness, then medicine must embrace a a new approach to healing. An approach that's so new, it's old. Less reductive, more holistic. Less diagnose & prescribe and more all-encompassing, functional and preventive. Let’s kick start that conversation. This week's guest is nutritionist, acupuncturist, herbalist, Reiki Master and expert Chinese Medicine practitioner Heather Lounsbury, author of Fi...
Jan 12, 2015•2 hr 18 min•Ep. 125
Welcome back to our second spin around the listener Q&A merry-go-round! Due to popular demand (and all the great questions flooding our inbox), we're happy to once again banter on the subjects, issues and topics you want addressed. In this episode Julie and I cover a ton of ground, name dropping resources like an over-caffeinated publicist. Here's a top down view on the landscape: * The importance of the morning ritual to optimize your day; * Inspirational and educational books, websites, podcas...
Jan 08, 2015•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 124
What if the path you think you're meant to be living isn't your path at all? I grappled with this mental and spiritual Rubik’s cube for decades. Only now — at 48 — do I feel like I have any insight whatsoever into this quandary. Not so with today’s guest. After a drunken car accident at age 19, Jake Ducey had an epiphany: maybe, just maybe, the traditional promise of the American Dream isn't my path to happiness and personal fulfillment. What did he do with this realization? He up and quit schoo...
Jan 05, 2015•2 hr•Ep. 123
Welcome to Part 2 of our second annual Best of the RRP Anthology series. If you haven't already, I suggest listening to The Best of 2014 Part 1 first. Once again, this is a compendium of some of my favorite conversations of 2014. Our way of saying thanks. Our way of giving back. Our way of trying to catapult you into the new year armed with the information and inspiration required to make it your best year yet. Once again, it's worth reflecting upon the incredible year that was 2014. My blessing...
Jan 01, 2015•1 hr 56 min•Ep. 122
This is the time of year for celebration. This is the time of year for giving back. This is the time of year for gratitude. This is the time of year for reflection. So let's do all those things. Welcome to the second annual Best of the RRP Anthology. This is our way of reflecting back. Our way of expressing gratitude. Our way of giving thanks for taking this journey with us. I pride myself on bringing a wide variety of personalities, opinions and attitudes to the show. When I look back over 2014...
Dec 29, 2014•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 121
At the highest echelons of sport, all the athletes are supremely talented. All have devoted their lives to being the best they can be. All train as hard as they possibly can. And all are optimizing their sleep, nutrition and recovery to glean every extra edge imaginable. So what distinguishes the gold medalist from the also ran? Is it luck? Talent? Support? Resources? Of course every result is significantly influenced by some combination of these important variables. But all things being equal, ...
Dec 22, 2014•2 hr 6 min•Ep. 120
And now for something completely different… In an effort to create a little more intimacy, a little more community, and a little more connection with you — the audience — I thought I would open the show up to your burning questions. Talk about what you want to talk about for a change. A few weeks back I put the word out for question submissions and you responded — our inbox was flooded with e-mails. So here we are. My first spin with a Q&A format. I picked a handful of queries I thought would ma...
Dec 18, 2014•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 119
IN-Q returns. It's time to question everything. It's time to get excited for now. If you've been on this journey with me for a while, no doubt RRP 81 seared Q into your permanent consciousness. If you’re new to the show, I strongly suggest you give that episode a listen first. Not only is it an epic conversation, it will give you some crucial context and foundation for today's mind meld. Nonetheless, here's a quick breakdown on the impressive IN-Q curriculum vitae: Rapper. Actor. Teacher. Songwr...
Dec 15, 2014•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 118
Welcome back for Part 2 of my conversation with Teen Whisperer Josh Shipp. You haven't listened to Part 1 yet? Go do that first, then come on back. It will save me some explaining. But as long as we're on the subject, let's recap the situation. Josh is a recognized teen behavior expert well known for helping adults understand teens and teens understand themselves. He’s worked with, appeared on and/or contributed to MTV, CNN, FOX, The New York Times, 20/20, Anderson Cooper Live, Oprah.com and Goo...
Dec 11, 2014•1 hr 57 min•Ep. 117
The road gets narrower. In sobriety, this phrase gets tossed around early and often. When I was new to recovery, I had no idea what these words meant. Now I catch myself reprising this mantra daily. Translation: left to my own devices, I will unconsciously and obsessively latch onto and lose myself in almost anything that promises to remove me from myself, take me out of the moment, numb my emotions, undermine my productivity and (preferably) isolate me from other humans — this is alcoholism. If...
Dec 08, 2014•1 hr 53 min•Ep. 116
Lots of excitement and anticipation about today’s guest. One of the most lauded, celebrated and accomplished athletes on the planet, let me introduce you to the guy who can seemingly run forever: Dean Karnazes. We're talking about a guy TIME magazine named one of the “Top 100 Most Influential People in the World.” Men's Fitness magazine hailed him as one of the fittest men on the planet. An internationally recognized endurance athlete, NY Times bestselling author, in demand public speaker, and s...
Dec 01, 2014•2 hr 19 min•Ep. 115
Prepare thyself, because ready or not, the holiday season is indeed upon us. For most, this is that special time of year when — whether by conscious choice or simply due to external circumstance — we find ourselves overeating, overspending and simply overindulging in anything and everything, all in the name of celebratory merriment. When we're not charging it on the card or spread paper thin desperately trying to fulfill all the heightened expectations this time of year presents, we find ourselv...
Nov 24, 2014•1 hr 53 min•Ep. 114
I’m obsessed with the idea that we can all do and be better. That's what this show is about — a loud and clear call to action. A graceful nudge to help anyone and everyone not just understand, but actually believe that we are all capable of so much more than we often allow ourselves to accept. Enter David Clark. It’s fun to interview the celebrated. But quite honestly there is just something far more personally gratifying about sharing the story of an anonymous, everyman hero. What truly moves a...
Nov 17, 2014•2 hr 38 min•Ep. 113
You could say this show has been on a bit of a plant-based tear lately, and this week it continues with with my friend Bryant Terry – eco-chef, cookbook author, educator and most interesting to me, a renown social justice activist focused on promoting and healthy, just, affordable and sustainable food systems for all people – particularly the underprivileged living in underserved urban communities. His goal? To foster awareness, promote change and create opportunities for people living in urban ...
Nov 10, 2014•2 hr 4 min•Ep. 112
Confession time. I’m the first to admit that my initial reasons for adopting a plant-based lifestyle were selfish. I was overweight. I felt lousy. I looked lousy. I had a health scare. Basically, I just wanted to look and feel better. I wanted to enjoy my kids at their energy level. I wasn’t ready to succumb to middle age defeat. So I took the leap. A leap without much expectation I might add. Then the miracle. I dropped 50 pounds. My vitality returned. That long-gone youthful glow restored. I d...
Nov 03, 2014•2 hr 17 min•Ep. 111
This show is about chasing dreams. Making stuff happen. Helping others. And sharing the journey. We can all use a little education. Some solid information. And a dose of experience-based inspiration to guide our own path towards self-betterment. My goal is to help you see and understand that we are generally our own self-limiter. That we are all capable of being better and doing more, irrespective of circumstances. That we all have a more authentic self lying dormant within yearning to be more s...
Oct 27, 2014•2 hr 21 min•Ep. 110
I say it all the time. Change is not an overnight miracle, people. I know there's nothing like the neatly packaged narrative of the overnight success story, but honestly that’s just well, not that honest. The truth is that long-lasting, sustainable personal growth is never instantaneous. It’s messy. Non-linear. Two steps backwards for every step in the right direction. It’s forged out of self-experimentation, research, discomfort, failure, courage, and all too often a lot of stumbling around in ...
Oct 20, 2014•1 hr 53 min•Ep. 109
Life throws all of us obstacles. Everyone meets barriers. Nobody is immune from setbacks. It’s how we confront and navigate past the curve balls life throws that moulds character and ultimately defines who we really are. Do you crumble or rise to the challenge? Do you shrink down and become the victim? Or do you stand tall and walk through adversity like a warrior? And what do you do if everything just goes to shit? You are hard pressed to find a man who has met so much adversity with such a gro...
Oct 13, 2014•2 hr 30 min•Ep. 108
If you are a consistent listener to this show, then you know very well that my goal is to elucidate the experience, insights and knowledge of my guests as a tool to aid you on your progress towards greater self-actualization. Food is a super important aspect of this process. I believe it’s the best place to begin the process of transforming your life. But it’s also easy to get overly caught up in the dogmatic aspects of diet and nutrition. Unnecessarily boxed in by labels. Overly focused on deta...
Oct 06, 2014•2 hr 19 min•Ep. 107
The subject of “Millennials” generally conjures up adjectives like lazy or entitled. No work ethic. Spoiled brats, the lot of them. TIME Magazine went so far as to call millennials the “Me Me Me Generation”. This has not been my experience with the teens and twenty-somethings among us. In fact, I can honestly say that I find myself relating to many millennials better than I relate to my own generation. Maybe that just makes me juvenile. But that's a perspective lazier that the millennial stereot...
Sep 29, 2014•2 hr 26 min•Ep. 106
