No-Bullsh!t Vegan

Latest Episodes:

Turning 40 and launching a Patreon! Jun 02, 2026

Show notes

I'm announcing the brand-new Patreon for the No-Bullsh!t Vegan podcast and giving you a peek at what's inside. Check it out at patreon.com/noBSvegan!

If the podcast has helped you feel stronger, more informed, more connected, or more confident in your vegan life, this is one way to help keep it growing, while getting some fun (and possibly unhinged) bonus content and behind-the-scenes access along the way.

Thank you for being part of my little corner of the internet. Whether you support on Patreon, listen every week, or just send me memes occasionally, I appreciate you!

NBSV 223: Dr. Michael Klaper's mission to change medical education May 26, 2026

Show notes

After going vegan in 1981, Dr. Michael Klaper has spent decades helping patients use food to reverse chronic disease. He's now focused on a new mission: changing medical education from the inside out.

We talk about his transition to veganism in the early 1980s, the moment he realized food was at the root of many chronic diseases, and why most doctors still receive shockingly little nutrition education. Dr. Klaper also shares the work he's doing through Moving Medicine Forward to bring nutrition science into medical schools across North America.

We discuss:

why nutrition is still largely absent from medical training
how plant-based diets can help reverse chronic disease
the cultural and systemic barriers keeping people stuck
keto and carnivore diet trends
the economics of modern healthcare
why he believes medicine is slowly starting to change

Dr. Klaper also shares details about his new book, Moving Medicine Forward, and why he believes the next generation of doctors could transform healthcare as we know it.

NBSV 222: Paul Erlandson on ethical veganism and running an animal sanctuary May 12, 2026

Show notes

What does it mean to treat veganism not just as an identity, but as a practice? I'm joined by Paul Erlandson, co-founder of Rivendell Sanctuary, for a conversation about animal sanctuaries, ethical veganism, mindfulness, and the relationships we build with farmed animals when we actually get to know them as individuals.

Paul shares the story of how he and his wife started their sanctuary from scratch during the pandemic, why their first rescued pigs changed everything, and how his decades-long spiritual practice shaped his approach to veganism. We also get into some nuanced territory: rescue chickens and eggs, veganism as a "practice" versus an "identity," the discomfort of being the only vegan at the table, and why sanctuaries can be such powerful catalysts for change.

We discuss:

How and why Paul went from musician to sanctuary founder
Why veganism isn't a "lifestyle preference"
How sanctuaries help people connect the dots between dogs, cats, and farmed animals
Why delicious vegan food is part of activism

…and much more!

NBSV 221: It's never too late to get strong (even in your 70s), with Jane Thurnell-Read Apr 28, 2026

Show notes

Strength training in later life might be one of the most important things you can do for your health. Jane Thurnell-Read—vegan, author, activist, and 78-year-old strength athlete—joins me to share how she went from thinking she was "too old for the gym" to deadlifting 160 pounds and getting stronger every year. We get into what actually changes when you start lifting later in life, why it's never too late to build strength, and how that strength shows up in everyday life.

We also dig into the mindset side of aging: the myths that keep people stuck, and what most folks get wrong about "enjoying life".

Jane shares her journey from decades of vegetarianism to going vegan in her late 60s, how she approaches training now (including working around injuries), and what she'd say to any woman over 60 who thinks strength training isn't for her.

If "too late" has crossed your mind, this conversation is your wake-up call.

NBSV 220: Out of Sight: Inside animal agriculture, and Gail Eisnitz's survival story Apr 14, 2026

Show notes

Gail Eisnitz, chief investigator for the Humane Farming Association and author of Out of Sight, shares what it's really like to spend decades documenting animal cruelty inside slaughterhouses and factory farms, and why she chose to tell her story as a memoir.

We talk about how her work led her to become vegan, what she's witnessed behind the scenes in the meat industry, and the frustrating reality of trying to expose these issues through media and legal channels. Gail also opens up about living with undiagnosed OCD and a rare neurological condition for most of her life, and how those challenges shaped both her perspective and her work. This is a conversation about persistence, empathy, and the personal cost of doing difficult, necessary work. It's also a reminder that the systems we don't see often have the biggest impact, and why bringing them into view matters. Trigger warning: This episode contains descriptions of farm animal abuse.

NBSV 219: Cycling 30,000 km for the planet: plant-based athletes Leanna Carriere and Dr. Timm Döbert Mar 31, 2026

Show notes

Leanna Carriere and Dr. Timm Döbert are preparing to cycle 30,000 km from Alaska to Chile as part of their Wings of Survival project, following migratory birds and raising awareness about biodiversity and climate.

We talk about how they fuel extreme endurance—like cycling 150 km a day and eating up to 10,000 calories—entirely on a vegan diet. We also dig into the environmental side: land use, why animal agriculture doesn't scale, and what real change could look like over the next decade.

This conversation is part science, part storytelling, and part "wait…that's humanly possible?"

NBSV 218: Javant Benton on whole-food vegan eating, fibre, and long-term health Mar 17, 2026

Show notes

Javant joins me to talk about his journey to veganism, which began with a major health scare and evolved over many years into a fully vegan lifestyle. We discuss how he moved from trying different diets to embracing whole-food plant-based eating, and how that shift eventually expanded beyond health to include empathy for animals and compassion for people who aren't vegan.

Javant also shares details about his new cookbook, which focuses on familiar comfort foods made vegan, oil-free, gluten-free, and free of refined sugar. We get into his philosophy around helping people eat more plants without feeling deprived, his thoughts on fibre versus protein, and why gut health deserves way more attention than it gets. We also talk about the four pillars of health he teaches through his app: diet, exercise, sleep, and mindset.

NBSV 217: Vegan fitness myths busted — strength training, creatine, and cardio (Coaches' Corner with Karina and Zoe) Mar 03, 2026

Show notes

Coach Zoe and I are back for a Coaches' Corner episode, answering the questions we didn't get to during our recent live No-B.S. Reset panel event. We dig into some of the most common (and most frustrating) myths we see in the fitness and nutrition space, especially around strength training, supplements, and social-media "advice."

If you're new to lifting, feeling overwhelmed by conflicting information online, or just tired of wellness trends that sound slick but don't actually work, this one's for you.

In this episode, we cover:

- The biggest mistakes beginners make when starting strength training (and how to avoid them)

- Why going "too hard, too fast" backfires, and what sustainable progress actually looks like

- Compound lifts vs. isolation exercises: what matters most early on

- The rise of creatine gummies (and why "creatine for women" marketing is nonsense)

- Why "what I eat in a day" videos can be misleading, or downright harmful

- Steps vs. cardio vs. lifting: what really gives you the most bang for your buck

- The lingering myth that vegans can't be strong—and why leading by example matters more than arguing

- A teaser on upcoming deep dives into diet-culture obsessions like "snatched" bodies and HYROX hype

As always, we bring the conversation back to evidence-based coaching, long-term health, and building strength in ways that actually work in real life, without extremes, guilt, or BS.

NBSV 216: Vegan myth-busting power round (dietitian, doctor, agrologist, fitness coach) Feb 17, 2026

Show notes

What happens when a doctor, a registered dietitian, an agrologist, and a fitness coach sit down to answer real audience questions? Find out in this episode. In this follow-up to our live No-B.S. Reset panel event, we tackle the questions we didn't have time to answer on Zoom, covering everything from vegan nutrition myths to food system misconceptions.

You'll hear evidence-based, practical answers to questions like:

What really helps with high blood pressure and low blood pressure, without jumping straight to pills?

Should I be concerned about eating too much soy? (Spoiler: no.)

How can people with IBS or sensitive guts thrive on a plant-based diet?

Are protein bars and powders helping, or just crowding out better options?

Is livestock necessary for soil health or food security?

Joining me are:

Dr. Jade Dittaro: lifestyle MD, hospitalist, and environmentalist.

Vesanto Melina: registered dietitian and award-winning co-author of 15 books.

Cory Davis: agrologist interested in the socio-environmental impact of food, an animal rights advocate, and co-author of Plant-Powered Protein.

We connect personal health, planetary health, and food system reality, without pretending there's a single perfect answer for everyone.

NBSV 215: 2 million steps in 30 days, and the power of community health — with Kwame Terra Feb 03, 2026

Show notes

What if getting healthier didn't require more willpower, more tracking, or more "optimizing"… but less? Kwame Terra and I dig into what the world's longest-living communities actually do differently — and spoiler: it's not VO2 max tests, cold plunges, or biohacking spreadsheets. It's walking, connection, and movement that's baked into daily life.

Kwame shares how he's building community-based fitness experiences that feel social and automatic instead of like another chore on your to-do list, and why representation matters in wellness spaces. His new app is built specifically for Black communities, addressing the gaps in access, representation, and culturally relevant support that mainstream fitness platforms often miss.

We also talk about the story behind his wild goal of hitting two million steps in a month (and going after a Guinness World Record while he's at it).

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