Main Street Vegan

Why do people who care deeply about compassion sometimes struggle to extend that compassion to one another? In this thoughtful and timely conversation, I speak with psychologist, author and founder Dr. Melanie Joy about one of the most challenging issues facing advocacy movements today: infighting. Drawing on decades of research into psychology, communication, and social change, Melanie explores w...

What does it really mean to live a life of kindness? Not simply kindness to the people we know, but to animals, the planet, ourselves, and future generations? In this heartfelt conversation, Victoria Moran welcomes author, conservationist, and Kindness Is Everything podcast host Anitha Rao-Robinson. Together they explore the transformative power of what might be called "radical kindness"...

Can a person raised in ranching culture have a change of heart so profound that it transforms not only their life, but the lives of countless animals? In this inspiring and deeply personal conversation, Victoria Moran speaks with Renee King-Sonnen, founder of Rowdy Girl Sanctuary and author of the memoir Rowdy Girl: Confessions of a Vegan Cattle Rancher . Renee shares the remarkable story of how s...

Has modern wellness lost touch with one of its most important truths? In this thought-provoking conversation, Victoria Moran welcomes two respected voices in complementary and integrative health: Dr. Frank Sabatino and Jayney Goddard. Together, they explore a perspective that was once central to the natural-health movement and remains deeply relevant today: the body is fundamentally a self-healing...

The conversation explores the remarkable success of The Habit Healers, now one of the leading health publications on Substack, and Laurie's mission to make scientific research accessible, actionable, and life-changing. This episode is packed with evidence-based insights and encouragement for anyone seeking better health through informed choices and daily habits. ✨ In This Episode How Laurie...

Can a yoga practice help create a more compassionate world?  World Peace Yoga: Compassion, Practice, and Living Ahimsa with Anna Ferguson In this thoughtful and inspiring episode, Victoria Moran speaks with yoga teacher, author, and activist Anna Ferguson about the deep connection between yoga, veganism, and living a life rooted in ahimsa, nonviolence toward all beings. Anna shares her personal jo...

What if vibrant health and lasting joy could be cultivated through a few simple, daily practices? In this uplifting and energizing episode, I welcome longtime colleague and renowned wellness expert Susan Smith Jones, PhD, for a conversation filled with wisdom, warmth, and inspiration. Susan and I were born in the same year and met in the 1970s when we called the health side of vegan living "N...

Episode 555, air date May 21, 2026. Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or your favorite podcast app. Can improving your eyesight also deepen your insight into life?  In this expansive and heart-centered conversation, I speak with Dr. Elisa Haransky-Beck about the powerful connections between vision, consciousness, nature, and spiritual awakening. Elisa shares her decades-long journey a...

Can our daily food choices shape not only our health, but the future of humanity itself?  In this conversation, I speak with bestselling author, former Zen monk, and longtime vegan advocate Dr. Will Tuttle about the deep spiritual, cultural, and psychological implications of the way we eat. Drawing from decades of teaching and writing, Will explores the ideas behind The World Peace Diet, Food for...

Where did the foods we eat every day actually come from and what stories do they carry?  In this fascinating and far-reaching conversation, Victoria Moran speaks with prolific author Nathaniel Altman about the origins, evolution, and healing potential of plant foods across human history. Nathaniel and Victoria also reminisce about their early days at the Theosophical Society in America in the earl...

What would it take to truly transform the global food system?  In this compelling episode, Victoria Moran speaks with nonprofit leader and animal protection advocate Dan Shannon about the strategies, challenges, and breakthroughs shaping a more humane future. Dan shares insights from his decades of experience in advocacy, philanthropy, and corporate campaigns, explaining how sustained public press...

Can building muscle be an act of compassion? In this inspiring conversation, Victoria Moran speaks with natural bodybuilder and Organic Muscle co-founder James Benefico about the powerful intersection of veganism, fitness, and spirituality. James shares how his journey led him to see caring for the body not as vanity, but as devotion — a way of honoring life, embodying discipline, and living in al...

Dr. Michael Klaper shares what 50 years in medicine have taught him: most chronic disease is preventable—and often reversible—with diet. Now through his nonprofit, Moving Medicine Forward , he’s working to bring nutrition education into medical schools. A hopeful, eye-opening conversation on food, health, and the future of medicine.

Can kindness change more minds than confrontation when it comes to helping animals? Animal advocate ​Cheryl Moss , founder of Better Life for Animals , believes the most effective way to help animals is through patience, empathy, and respectful conversation. In this episode, she and Victoria explore why gentle outreach often works better than pressure, how people really change, and how compassiona...

Caregiving is often called a labor of love. But what happens when love collides with a broken system? In this powerful and deeply human conversation, Victoria speaks with Laura Mauldin, PhD , author of In Sickness and in Health: Love Stories from the Front Lines of America’s Caregiving Crisis . Together, they explore the intimate realities of disability, partnership, policy failure, ableism, and w...

What happens when Manhattan luxury real estate meets plant-based living and deep Christian faith? Victoria sits down with Darryl Williams — known as “The Vegan Broker” — a real estate professional with SERHANT., the firm featured on the Netflix series Owning Manhattan. Raised vegetarian in a Seventh-day Adventist home and now a committed health vegan, Darryl boldly brings his values into one of th...

This episode explores a surprising and thoughtful perspective on modern food systems. Victoria talks with scholars Jan Dutkiewicz and Gabriel N. Rosenberg, co-authors of Feed the People: Why Industrial Food Is Good and How to Make It Even Better , about how frozen vegetables, canned beans, plant milks, and other accessible foods can help make compassionate eating realistic and affordable for more...

Peacefood Cafe has been feeding compassionate New Yorkers since 2009. In this conversation, co-owner Eric Yu shares about being a spiritual guy in a business role, his decision not to serve alcohol in his restaurants, and what it takes to thrive in changing times. Website: https://www.peacefoodcafe.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peacefoodnyc/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peacefoodn...

Mark Peters captures the soul of the cow in his photographic book, Voices of the Herd, and today we talk about cows as individuals and seeing animals differently. And guess what? This guy is so classy, he wrote me a thank-you note on paper. Website: https://markpetersphotography.com/ Book: Voices of the Herd: Portraits of Rescued Cows and Their Sanctuary Stories Instagram: https://www.instagram.co...

Matthew C. Halteman, Ph. D, author of Hungry Beautiful Animals: The Joyful Case for Going Vegan , teaches philosophy at Calvin University in Michigan. He also once lived on the same block in Wheaton, Illinois, as host Victoria Moran. Book: Hungry Beautiful Animals: The Joyful Case for Going Vegan Website: https://www.hungrybeautifulanimals.com/ Facebook: Matthew C. Haltemen Instagram: @hungrybeaut...

  EatMoveRest.com and the EatMoveRest YouTube channel have planted Erin and Dusty Stancyk firmly into influencer territory with their busy, beautiful life, 3 young kids, and a delicious, plant-based road to health. We discuss attachment parenting, using the word "vegan" (or not), putting the fun back in healthy, and living colorfully. Book: The Happy, Healthy Plant-Based Cookbook Website...

Nutrition science took a massive hit with the January 7th release of the 2026 Dietary Guideline for Americans, recommending increased consumption of meat, eggs, and dairy (while, impossibly, keeping saturated fat low). Responding is Neal Barnard, MD, president of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which has petitioned the U.S. government to withdraw these recommendations.  Website: htt...

We welcome 2026 with the inimitable Michael Greger, MD, of nutritionfacts.org and author of the million-selling How Not to Die, sharing info from his latest book Lower LDL Cholesterol Naturally with Food .   Website :  https://nutritionfacts.org/  Lower LDL Cholesterol Naturally with Food How Not Die How Not to Diet How Not to Age Instagram :  https://www.instagram.com/nutrition_facts_org/ Faceboo...

NYC animal activist Donny Moss is out to set the record straight about animal abuse by congratulating the media when it's fair and coming down on biased, untrue reporting. We discuss his new venture, VegMediaWatch, as well as how to combat social media misinformation. Website: https://www.vegmediawatch.org Blinders , Donny's documentary on the New York City carriage horse industry: https...

Known for giving "the best speech you've ever heard" and for single-handedly making Israel the most vegan-dense country on earth, Gary Yourofsky is a legendary animal activist and orator. In this interview, first posting on Thanksgiving morning 2025, Yourofsky shares how we can all be effective in standing up for the rights of our fellow beings.  Website: http://www.adaptt.org Insta...