No-Bullsh!t Vegan

Gym culture likes to pretend it's apolitical: just protein, PRs, and personal responsibility. My guest this week isn't buying it. andrea bennett is a senior editor at The Tyee and the author of several books, including Hearty: On Cooking, Eating, and Growing Food for Pleasure and Subsistence, which won a Taste Canada Gold Award. andrea also happens to be my open water swim buddy of several years,...

Co-founder of Clean Food Dirty Girl and certified life coach, Molly Patrick, joins me to talk about why knowing *what* to eat is only half the battle. We dig into the mindset work behind lasting behaviour change, why abundance — not restriction — is the real engine of sustainable eating, and how dismantling shame-based diet culture is just as important as knowing what to put on your plate. Molly a...

I'm turning 40 in a few days, so (obviously) I'm hosting an online taco party Hope to see you there!   Cook along with me, or just watch and hang out. We'll do a book giveaway, Q&A, and share vegan intel with likeminded folks. Join me on Wednesday, June 17 at 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern. It's free, it's going to be a super-fun community event, and I'd love to celebrate with you.   Grab your spot at...

Five years after her first appearance on the show, Nana-Serwa Mancell returns to share her journey from running a vegan African food business in Dubai to building a sustainability-focused retreat and community space in Ghana. We discuss West African vegan food traditions, overlooked plant protein sources, ethical tourism, sustainable fashion, environmental challenges in Ghana, and why she believes...

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...

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 educ...

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 scra...

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...

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...

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...

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 detail...

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 inform...

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...

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 fitn...

5-time Juno Award winner and founding member of Blue Rodeo Bob Wiseman joins me for a wide-ranging, thoughtful conversation about music, aging, and what it actually looks like to live vegan for decades—long before it was mainstream or convenient. Bob and I talk about his early days with macrobiotics and touring as a long-term vegan, why grocery stores matter more than restaurants on the road, and...

Mike Howard is back on the podcast! We start with a proper catch-up: his retreats, my TEDx prep, and the reality of juggling health goals alongside real life. From there, we dive into what's been taking over the wellness section of the internet lately: longevity, biohacking, and the obsession with tracking everything. We talk about why the basics are still the basics (sleep, strength training, pro...

Vystopia is the profound anguish many ethical vegans experience when living in a non-vegan world. Clare Mann explains why this response is normal rather than pathological, how the burden of knowing affects mental health, and why vegans are often misunderstood by families, professionals, and society at large. We explore compassion fatigue, burnout, and practical ways to stay grounded, resilient, an...

At 72, Pat Farrell is turning heads in the powerlifting world. Pat is a Dominican sister, a longtime advocate for social justice, and a dedicated vegan who has recently taken the strength community by storm. She joins me to share her journey into competitive powerlifting, her rapid progress in training, and what it feels like to become known as the vegan powerlifting nun in mainstream news. Pat is...

In this episode, I'm joined by strength coach Matt Taylor to talk about what it really takes to get stronger when life is busy. We dig into the concept of bare-ass minimums: the essential actions that keep you progressing even during chaotic weeks—and how to build a training routine that fits into real life. Matt shares how he coaches lifters to make meaningful gains in under five hours a week, wh...

Biologist and bestselling author Dr. Jonathan Balcombe joins me to discuss fish sentience, the surprising intelligence of fishes, and what science reveals about how they think and feel. Jonathan holds a PhD in ethology, the study of animal behaviour, and has dedicated his career to understanding and communicating the inner lives of animals. He's the author of five popular science books and has pub...

Veganism isn't about saying no; it's about saying yes. Philosophy professor and author Matthew C. Halteman joins me to make the joyful case for going vegan. It's an invitation to live in alignment with your values — and eat ridiculously good food while you're at it. We dig into why most people already want a more vegan world (even if they don't call themselves vegan yet), how to move from guilt an...

Vegan triathlete and coach Saskia Bjornson joins me to talk about endurance on plants, building confidence in open water, and why her sold-out beginner triathlon is changing the game. We dive into the power of food as a gateway to change, how to tackle fear and anxiety in sport, and what it means to make endurance events inclusive, low-waste, and fully vegan. Whether you're curious about your firs...

Coach and clinical nutritionist Christopher Barker (author of Mansplaining the Menopause) is here for a no-B.S. tour through female health, strength, and longevity. We tackle the most persistent menopause myths (including HRT fears), what habits *actually* affect body composition, RED-S and under-fuelling, sane protein targets on a plant-based diet, and performance vs aesthetics. We also chat GLP-...

What really matters for getting stronger on a vegan diet? Spoiler: it's not spending hours on cardio or obsessing over tiny details. In this episode, I break down the 4-part health and body composition hierarchy we use with our coaching clients. It's a simple pyramid that shows where to focus your energy for the biggest results. You'll learn why nutrition is the foundation of strength, how to use...

From rowing as part of the first all-Black women's 8 at the world's largest regatta, to helping steer over $8 million in grants that fuel plant-based change, Candace brings the same grit from the boat to her work in philanthropy. We dive into her journey to veganism while training as an athlete, the lessons she's carried from sports into leadership, and how Thrive Philanthropy is funding a just, g...