No-Bullsh!t Vegan

Latest Episodes:

NBSV 164: Vicky Bond, president of The Humane League, on the myth of "happy hens" in modern farming Dec 26, 2023

Show notes

We hear it all the time: "I eat eggs only from free-range chickens", or "It's OK, it's a cage-free chicken". Vicky Bond, President of The Humane League, is here to bust the myth of "happy hens" in modern farming. She also discusses the myth that the best way to improve the welfare of farmed animals is to convince everyone to stop using animal products altogether. (Technically it *is*, but it isn't realistic on a large scale at the moment.)

Vicky is president of The Humane League, a global animal protection nonprofit that exists to end the abuse of animals raised for food. She is also a veterinarian and an animal welfare scientist who has spent more than a decade advocating for animals. Before becoming President of The Humane League (THL), Vicky led The Humane League United Kingdom as Managing Director. Under Vicky's leadership, both THL and THL UK have directly made an impact on the world's largest food corporations (including PepsiCo, Kellogg's, Compass, and Sodexo). THL and THL UK also work on policy to push for laws to end factory farming practices, including state bans like Prop 12 that ends cages for calves, laying hens, and mother pigs while they're pregnant.

NBSV 163: Executive director of Vegan Outreach, Jack Norris, on the nonprofit's vegan campaigns Dec 12, 2023

Show notes

We often refer to them as 'legends', otherwise known as folks who have been vegan for more than twenty years. Case in point: Jack Norris.

Jack, who's been vegan since 1988, is the executive director of Vegan Outreach, an animal protection nonprofit promoting vegan eating through their 10 Weeks to Vegan program in over 50 countries.

Jack has been a registered dietitian since 2001 and maintains the website VeganHealth.org. In 2005, Jack was elected to the Animal Rights Hall of Fame. Jack co-authored the book Vegan For Life with Ginny Messina; the 2nd edition was published in 2020. Jack was a Division 3 All-American pole-vaulter in college, was on a national champion great grandmaster ultimate frisbee team, and is now an avid pickleball player.

NBSV 162: TV host, author, and chef Carolyn Scott on vegan travel (including to the North Pole!) Nov 28, 2023

Show notes

Carolyn Scott has travelled to the North Pole as a vegan, and hosts the only vegan TV show on a mainstream travel network. She's on the podcast to bust three myths for us: that being Latinx makes it hard to be vegan, that it's difficult to be vegan while travelling, and that healthy vegan food is boring and flavourless. Cookbook author, media spokesperson, holistic nutritionist, plant-based chef, and vegan for 25 years, Carolyn is an award-winning and respected figure in the world of healthy lifestyle, as well as special diet cooking and nutrition. With a highly acclaimed cookbook and travel show to her credit, Carolyn has traveled the world for her show, site, and brand as well as to offer her services as a health and nutrition expert, recipe developer, writer, speaker, consultant, and media spokesperson. She is frequently quoted in national media and regularly appears on television and radio programs sharing healthy recipes, travel tips and all things healthy, green and happy living.

NBSV 161: 111-time Ironman Todd Crandell of Racing For Recovery on addiction recovery and veganism Nov 14, 2023

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Ironman triathlete Todd Crandell speaks with me about his organization, his own addiction recovery, parallels between approaches to veganism and addiction recovery, and much more. Todd is a 111-time Ironman event finisher, 4-time author, vegan since 2016, documentary subject, dad, and founder of Racing for Recovery, which has been featured on CNN, ESPN, the New York Times, and Runner's World Magazine.

He's dedicated his personal and professional life to helping substance abusers re-channel their destructive behaviours into positive, life-affirming action. By sharing personal stories about the perils of substance abuse, best practices in prevention, and how to lead a holistic lifestyle, Todd offers a positive alternative to those struggling to overcome a life of addiction.

NBSV 160: Chef Karen McAthy discusses fear of and misinformation about "processed" and novel foods Oct 31, 2023

Show notes

Black-and-white thinking is rampant in the fitness and nutrition industries. Within the vegan community, it often centres around ethical vs. unethical, or healthy vs. unhealthy. This prevents more nuanced discussion. There seems to be growing pushback against some plant-based product innovations around being "too processed" or "too unhealthy", and there's a lot of fear-mongering around certain ingredients (including seed oils).

In this episode, I discuss the above sentiments [and much more] with Chef Karen McAthy, as we dive into some serious myth debunking and unpacking of where these thought processes came from.

Karen, a life-long resident of BC's west coast, is an innovator in dairy-free, vegan, plant-based cultured cheese, and plant-based cuisine. Co-founder of former cpg brand Blue Heron and parent company Lumi Foods, Karen's focus on innovation in plant-based food is linked to understanding the complex systems of food from growing to finished goods. Currently, Karen is developing starter and adjunct cultures for commercial use in the cultured vegan cheese and dairy-alternative sector.

NBSV 159: Next Level Burger CEO Matt de Gruyter on founding America's first plant-based burger joint Oct 17, 2023

Show notes

When we discuss the realms of veganism and plant-based eating, we can all come to the table around a common thread: food. Food builds relationships, connection, and community.

Case in point: Matt de Gruyter. Matt is the co-founder and CEO of Next Level Burger, America's first 100 percent plant-based burger joint that serves up vegan burgers for a better world in 10 locations coast to coast. Since its start in 2014, Next Level Burger has become a plant-based phenomenon.

Matt and his wife and co-founder, Cierra de Gruyter, lead the large-scale national expansion of the brand, adding more cities and more stores every year without losing sight of their passion for serving healthy, sustainably sourced food that drives their commitment to nourishing the people and nurturing the planet.

We discuss his business journey, surprising trends in the sector, and what a [near shocking] 52.8% represents.

NBSV 158: Nancy Wehnert on how her approach to leadership coaching connects with veganism Oct 03, 2023

Show notes

As an ethical stance, we're familiar with veganism, its tenets, and how it translates to our daily lives. Outside of that, you'd be surprised to learn about the many points with which veganism intersects, and today we're exploring one: the relationship between veganism, and leadership.

Leadership coach Nancy Wehnert is on the show to discuss her approach to leadership, and how that connects to veganism. Nancy is a leadership coach who works with leaders and their teams. After running her own company for 15 years and seeing her team members struggling with how to perform at their best, she became passionate about leadership and building cohesive, high-performing teams.

We speak about her method in doing that, and how the glories of plant-based life supported the process [and beyond].

NBSV 157: Ex sheep farmer, now vegan JH Burnett shares his powerful story Sep 12, 2023

Show notes

Sheep farmer-turned-vegan JH Burnett speaks with me about his experiences in animal agriculture, his vegan transition, and more. This is one of the most raw conversations that's been aired on the podcast thus far, so I'm really grateful to JH for sharing his story. JH is a former sheep farmer and breeder in the dairy industry who, after the atrocities he witnessed in these industries, turned vegan and an animal rights activist. He openly shares his gruelling story and absolute low point, and how he gave life a second chance, dedicating himself to the animal liberation movement. He's written a memoir, Ex-Farmer Goes Vegan, offers vegan-inspired coaching programs, and, along with his wife Elle, co-creates a variety of vegan children's books. Trigger warnings: animal abuse and suicide.

NBSV 156: Drs. Alona Pulde and Matt Lederman on their 9 pillars of health, and their new book Aug 29, 2023

Show notes

Why are doctors talking about connection? What is connection medicine and is connection just a "nice-to-have" or does it really impact your physical health and disease outcomes?

My guests today, Drs. Alona Pulde and Matthew Lederman, combined conventional Western medicine, Chinese medicine, Lifestyle medicine, Nonviolent Communication, Polyvagal Theory, and Trauma-Informed, Somatic Principles & Pain Reprocessing to create their groundbreaking health paradigm.

They have been successful corporate leaders, starred in the documentary Forks over Knives, lectured for eCornell, served as adjunct medical school professors and corporate medical advisors, and are New York Times bestselling authors.

NBSV 155: Cynthia Owen on making veganism mainstream, business grants, and her coaching practice Aug 15, 2023

Show notes

Where are the places where veganism, plant-based living, and business practices intersect? We have found some, and we're here to share the intel!

Cynthia Owen joins me on the show to talk about making veganism more mainstream, leveraging grants to help businesses move forward with plant-based offerings, and her coaching work, including being part of a cultural/global movement for women.

Cynthia is a seasoned Mentor and Coach in the realm of personal growth and skill development, having supported over a hundred Fempreneurs to take their businesses to the next level. With advanced degrees in science and economics, Cynthia brings more than 25 years of professional experience in market analysis, program design and delivery to the table.

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