What happens when a NASA scientist teams up with a plant-based dietitian? Today we find out, with the return of my friends Julieanna Hever (RRP #13) and Ray Cronise (RRP #212). Specializing in weight management, disease prevention & sports nutrition, Julieanna is one of the world's most respected plant-based registered dietitians. She is a sought-after lecturer, talk show host, TEDx speaker, VegNews Magazine nutrition columnist, and the author of numerous journal articles and books that include ...
Feb 05, 2018•2 hr 45 min•Ep. 345
Imagine yourself the only female athlete in a very dangerous sport completely dominated by men. You don’t just hold your own. And you don't just break the glass ceiling. Instead, you obliterate it. Kicking serious ass, you make an indelible mark on the sport you love. Along the way, you inspire millions of women and young girls to rethink the limits of their personal potential. This is the extraordinary story of race car driver Danica Patrick (@danicapatrick) — an athlete whose life-long love fo...
Jan 29, 2018•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 344
Today’s podcast features Julie and I speaking at NeueHouse Los Angeles as part of their new series entitled Creative Couples, which examines powerful collaborative partnerships and what make them tick. A primer on how to communicate effectively, collaborate successfully, and ultimately elevate your creative output, this episode — which also features audience Q&A and a special cameo appearance by podcast favorite Guru Singh and his amazing wife Guruperkarma Kaur — is appointment listening for any...
Jan 26, 2018•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 343
Unbeknownst to most, animal agriculture is the number one culprit when it comes to almost every single man-made environmental ill on the planet. Untenable amounts of land, water and feed are required to raise the number of animals necessary to meet demand. Creating more greenhouse gas emissions than the entire transportation sector combined, our voracious appetite for meat and dairy products has produced the largest mass species extinction since the disappearance of the dinosaurs. Meanwhile, the...
Jan 22, 2018•2 hr 12 min•Ep. 342
Shame can’t survive the light. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating. If you’ve been on this podcast adventure with me for a while, then you know well that addiction, alcoholism and recovery are recurring themes of the show — subjects very close to my heart as someone whose life has been spared by sobriety. These themes recur because millions of people from every cross section of life suffer in silence. Deeply ashamed and terrified to confront their truth, these lost souls dwell in the sha...
Jan 15, 2018•2 hr 18 min•Ep. 341
What is a runner? How do we define an athlete? What does it truly mean to be fit and healthy? Challenging stereotypes, today's guest demands that we broaden our limited definition of these terms. She may not be fast, but she runs. In fact she runs a lot, an impressive slew of ultramarathons to her name. She's also not skinny. In fact, she's big. 250 pounds big. But Mirna Valerio is without a doubt a runner. In fact, the force of nature affectionately known as The Mirnavator is one of the most in...
Jan 11, 2018•2 hr 50 min•Ep. 340
He dreamed of being a professional athlete. But Charlie Jabaley was always the fat kid, picked last for kickball. No matter what, he just couldn't stop gaining weight. Resigned to this fate, he abandoned his athletic dream early. Throwing himself into business instead, it wasn't long before CEO Charlie was born — an alter ego he created at age 13 that would soon become a self-fulfilling prophecy. By his mid-twenties, Charlie had overcome tremendous odds to achieve extraordinary success in the mu...
Jan 08, 2018•2 hr 7 min•Ep. 339
Welcome to the 5th annual Best of the RRP Anthology — our way of taking a moment to reflect on the year, express gratitude and give thanks for taking this journey with us. It's been an honor to share my conversations with so many extraordinary people over the course of 2017. Second listens brought new insights — and more reminders that that these evergreen exchanges continue to inspire and inform. For long-time listeners, this two-part episode is intended to launch you into 2018 with renewed vig...
Jan 01, 2018•2 hr 29 min•Ep. 338
This is the time of year to pause. It's the time of year for reflection. For gratitude. And for giving back. So let's do all those things. Welcome to the fifth annual Best of the RRP Anthology — our way of taking a moment to reflect on the year, express gratitude and give 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 2017, it's amazing how many incredibly dynamic conversations and pers...
Dec 25, 2017•2 hr 8 min•Ep. 337
Friend, mentor and original Plantstrong pioneer Rip Esselstyn and I go way back. Both swimmers, we crossed paths at many a meet — as young teens and later as collegiate rivals (Rip was always far more accomplished than I). During the early stages of my transition to a plant-based diet, I vividly recall perusing Facebook when I stumbled upon Rip, who just happened to be on the precipice of publishing his first book on the very subject I was attempting to master. From that moment forward, Rip beca...
Dec 22, 2017•1 hr 43 min•Ep. 336
Reared on a farm in rural Ohio, Nathan Runkle's connection with farm animals runs deep. So deep, he always knew his life would center around the protection and care of these sentient beings. After a local farmed animal abuse case involving a piglet slammed headfirst into a concrete floor during an agriculture project at a nearby high school, Nathan founded Mercy For Animals to give “food” animals a much-needed advocate in his local community. He was just 15 years old. Today, Nathan is the very p...
Dec 18, 2017•1 hr 48 min•Ep. 335
If you think you know Tim Ferriss, think again – this is Tim like you’ve never seen or heard him before. A relentless experimenter and virtuoso of deconstruction, Tim has spent the better part of his adult life studying mastery and sharing what he has learned on his wildly popular blog and string of four consecutive #1 New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling books, which include The 4-Hour Workweek*,The 4-Hour Body*,The 4-Hour Chef*,Tools of Titans*, and his brand new offering, Tri...
Dec 11, 2017•2 hr 59 min•Ep. 334
Today’s podcast is the last in my series of open panel discussions lifted from our Plantpower Ireland retreat this past July. It's a powerful participatory discourse and Q&A hosted by myself, Julie and Colin Hudon, a physician of Traditional Chinese Medicine and founder of Living Tea which imports the finest living teas sourced from ancient tea trees across both China and Taiwan. Today we focus on relationships. Specifically, we explore: * how to see the divine in your partner * how to navigate ...
Dec 08, 2017•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 333
As we approach the year's end, I thought it appropriate to reconvene with the great and vast consciousness that helped us usher in 2017 – kundalini yoga & meditation master Guru Singh (@gurusinghyogi). Long-time listeners will well recall our initial conversation from January (RRP #267), one of my most popular and impactful episodes in the history of this podcast. For those new to the show, imagine a modern-day rock star Gandalf dropping mad guitar licks between pearls of timeless wisdom that be...
Dec 04, 2017•2 hr 10 min•Ep. 332
This special mid-week edition of the podcast features a Q&A event that Julie and I hosted along with our friends Stephen & David Flynn of The Happy Pear that took place before a live audience at the gorgeous Smock Alley Theatre this past summer in Dublin, Ireland. Long-time listeners will well remember David and Stephen from #RRP 233, one of my most popular episodes of 2016. For those newer to the show, David & Stephen Flynn are the joined-at-the-hip identical twin brothers behind The Happy Pear...
Nov 30, 2017•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 331
While other major diseases are in decline, deaths from Alzheimer's have increased dramatically in recent decades. In fact, Alzheimer's is currently the 6th (and due to massive under-reporting may be as high as the 3rd ) leading cause of death in the United States. Right now, over 47 million people worldwide currently live with Alzheimer's. By 2050, it's predicted this form of dementia will plague 135.5 million people across the globe. This disease has become so pervasive, chances are you have be...
Nov 27, 2017•2 hr 26 min•Ep. 330
Today, I am once again joined by Chris Hauth (@AIMPCoach) for another edition of Coach’s Corner focused on maintaining fitness with engaged enthusiasm as we navigate the winter months. For those new to the show, Chris is a sub-9 hour Ironman, former professional triathlete, two-time Olympian and one of the world’s most respected endurance coaches. In 2006, Chris won the Ironman Coeur D’Alene and went on to be the first American amateur & 4th overall American at the Ironman World Championships in...
Nov 24, 2017•54 min•Ep. 329
Last week I sat down with Lance Armstrong to explore his competitive drive for greatness, precipitous fall from grace, and path forward. Irrespective of your opinion on Lance or that conversation, his story leaves us all with an indelible question: Just how far will we go to be considered the best? Obsessed with this inquiry, Bryan Fogel decided to answer it for himself. Struck by the fact that Lance never once failed a single drug test, the avid cyclist, playwright, and filmmaker decided to mak...
Nov 20, 2017•2 hr 25 min•Ep. 328
Everyone has highs. Everyone has lows. But few people on Earth have experienced the unimaginable level of success enjoyed by this week’s guest. Fewer still have undergone a more precipitous fall from grace. What exactly is it like to go from global hero to pariah overnight? This is the story of Lance Armstrong. One of the most decorated, fiercely competitive and controversial figures of our age, today Lance joins the podcast to mine the depths of his infamous dismantling. We explore the demands ...
Nov 13, 2017•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 327
Devoted listeners are well-acquainted with my gravelly voiced, chronically self-deprecating, often tortured, but always charming brother-from-another-mother Mishka Shubaly – back on the podcast for a record-breaking 8th appearance. A writer oozing talent from his overactive sebaceous glands, Mishka pens true stories about drink, drugs, disasters, desire, deception, and their aftermath. He began drinking at 13 and college at 15. At 22, he received the Dean's Fellowship from the Master's Writing P...
Nov 09, 2017•2 hr 4 min•Ep. 326
Heart health is serious business. Serious as a heart attack, as the saying goes, given that currently 1 out of every 3 people in America die from cardiovascular disease (CVD) – our #1 killer. According to the American College of Cardiology, CVD currently accounts for approximately 800,000 deaths in US. Among Americans, an average of one person dies from CVD every 40 seconds. Right now more than 90 million Americans carry a diagnosis of CVD. And over 45% of non-Hispanic blacks in the United State...
Nov 06, 2017•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 325
The word authenticity has been so co-opted and commodified, it's now almost impossible to use it without sounding hacky. But the sentiment behind the word remains beautiful. To me it means living honestly and with integrity. It means the courage and self-confidence to be open and vulnerable. It's what it means to live, breathe and move in alignment with your truest, highest self. I do my best to live authentically. I strive to inject this sensibility into the content I create. And it’s a consist...
Oct 30, 2017•1 hr 54 min•Ep. 324
We all want to be happy. But what exactly is happiness? Can it be cultivated? And if so, how? Somewhere along the way, you've likely heard of something called the Blue Zones — a term coined by this week's guest in reference to five hidden slivers of the world that boast the highest per capita populations of centenarians – people who thrive to 100 and beyond. Unlikely locales where people not live inordinately long, Places where people forgot to die. Interestingly, in addition to outliving their ...
Oct 23, 2017•1 hr 49 min•Ep. 323
Welcome to another Ask Me Anything in-between-isode edition of the podcast with yours truly. Recorded live during our Plantpower Ireland retreat this past July, this is a dynamic discussion that covers a wide-range of topics. Subjects covered include: * how my approach to training, racing and nutrition has evolved over the years; * my approach to racing Ötillö (this was recorded prior to that event); * good pain v. bad pain – i.e., distinguishing laziness from the need to rest; * my role models ...
Oct 20, 2017•2 hr 18 min•Ep. 322
When it comes to food, we've been led to believe that healthy and delicious are mutually exclusive. When it comes to eating plant-based, forget about it. Most people can't imagine their palate can possibly be sated without animal products. I've worked hard to bust this myth. But I'm no chef. Good thing today's guest is. But Rocco DiSpirito is no ordinary chef. A James Beard award-winning culinary wizard, this guy is a straight up food genius. Named Food & Wine magazineʼs Best New Chef, People ma...
Oct 16, 2017•1 hr 46 min•Ep. 321
We tend to think of mushrooms as a pizza topping. Something we toss in a salad. Or a psychedelic to alter consciousness. But that's pretty much where the inquiry ends. However, mushrooms are so much more. In fact, they comprise an entire kingdom. Invisibly surrounding us, they underpin the very foundation of our ecology, impacting us in ways far beyond our appreciation. It may surprise you to learn that mushrooms account for an astonishing 25% of the Earth's total biomass. 92% of all plants are ...
Oct 09, 2017•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 320
Man is a microcosm of the macrocosm. The nature that exists outside of us also lives within us. Separation is an illusion. Indeed, we are all intrinsically connected — to each other and the world that surrounds us. Embracing this fundamental truth lies at the core of ultimate well-being. Because true health doesn't stop at the kale salad — it requires fidelity to our natural rhythms and a comprehensive, holistic devotion to bettering and balancing not just our physical bodies, but our mental, em...
Oct 05, 2017•2 hr 4 min•Ep. 319
Maybe you love your job. Perhaps you don't. Either way, there's wisdom in cultivating a side hustle — not a second job, but a self-styled income-generating project you cultivate in your free time. Why do I need this? Ask Choose Yourself! author (and podcast guest) James Altucher and he'll wax rhapsodic about the precarious nature of conventional career paths and the misplaced trust we invest in their long-term security. Invest in ownership. For some, the thought of quitting their day job to purs...
Oct 02, 2017•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 318
Today I sit down with New York Times bestselling author Gretchen Rubin to find out what happened when she asked a large number of people one singular question: how do you respond to expectations? The answers led Gretchen to an epiphany — that four distinct human tendencies intrinsically underlie how each and every one of us approach our interior and exterior lives. Understanding your tendency changes how you perceive yourself and others. It informs better communication. It provides the structure...
Sep 25, 2017•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 317
An open panel discussion on non-traditional healing modalities and how we conceptualize balance in the construct of our lives, this episode is lifted from a session that Julie Piatt and I conducted during our Plantpower Ireland retreat this past July. It features our long-time friend Colin Hudon, a physician of Traditional Chinese Medicine who is also the founder of Living Tea, which imports the finest living teas sourced from ancient tea trees across both China and Taiwan. Topics discussed incl...
Sep 22, 2017•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 316
