PLANT the CHANGE: A vegan educator reimagines classrooms to raise conscious, compassionate, healthy kids

What if your child’s lunchbox could teach compassion, justice, health, and sustainability? Every school meal helps shape what children see as normal. This episode with Michele Fasnacht explores how parents, teachers, and school leaders can make plant-based food familiar, joyful, and inclusive—without relying on shame, restriction, or perfection. You’ll discover how to help children build healthier...

What if the life you're trying so hard to make look perfect is keeping you from becoming your authentic self? Many people struggle with hiding parts of themselves—whether it's addiction, identity, past mistakes, or beliefs that don't fit societal expectations. In this Part 2 episode, Jane Velez-Mitchell shares how embracing honesty transformed every area of her life and why authenticity is often t...

What if the food choices you make every day could help protect the planet, improve your health, and create a more just food system? In part two of Michele’s conversation with Ocean Robbins, they explore how plant-based living reaches far beyond personal wellness. This episode connects the dots between food, climate change, water use, deforestation, school nutrition, social justice, and long-term h...

What if one rescued pig could change the way millions of people see animals, compassion, and what it means to create a kinder world? In this episode of Plant the Change, Michele Fasnacht continues her discussion with Steve Jenkins, known for raising Esther the Wonder Pig, about the unexpected power of animal relationships, sanctuary work, and the ripple effect that happens when people are invited...

What would change if compassion stopped being treated like an “extra” in education—and became the very foundation for how we teach, parent, lead, and repair harm? In a world where many children are pressured to comply, stay quiet, or manage emotions they were never taught to understand, this episode Michele Fasnacht challenges parents and educators to rethink what real growth looks like. Instead o...

What if the solution to better health, stronger values, and a more compassionate future for our children started with what we put on their plates? In this Part 2 episode, Michele Fasnacht concludes her discussion with Dr. Michael Klaper. They explore how plant-based nutrition can impact personal health, global health, sustainability, and the way we educate the next generation. Together, they discu...

What happens when one activist’s fight for animals leads to arrests, bans from five countries, thousands of lectures, and a message that changes lives? In this powerful second part of Michele’s conversation with Gary Yourofsky, listeners are invited to look honestly at activism, animal rights, veganism, and the challenge of helping people change without demanding perfection on day one. Gary shares...

What if school was never actually built for kids—and the students we call “broken” are really just reacting to a system that was never designed for their humanity? In this episode of Plant the Change Straight Talk, Michele Fasnacht challenges the traditional education model and asks whether classrooms built around control, compliance, and standardization are helping children grow—or teaching them...

What does it take for one ordinary moment backstage at a circus to completely change the way someone sees animals, food, justice, and their own role in the world? In this powerful conversation on Plant the Change, Michele Fasnacht sits down with animal rights activist Gary Yourofsky to explore the awakening that turned him from a “normal kid” in Michigan into one of the most recognized voices in m...

What if the biggest key to lowering healthcare costs, preventing chronic disease, and improving your quality of life is already sitting on your plate? If you care about your family’s health, rising healthcare costs, or how to build habits that actually last, this episode connects the dots between food, lifestyle, workplace wellness, and long-term independence. Dr. Angela Reddy shares why preventio...

Parents, are you feeling the weight of raising kids in a world that seems more stressful, divided, and overwhelming than ever before? In this heartfelt episode of Plant the Change, Michele Fasnacht speaks directly to parents about the real challenges of parenting today - from social media pressure and emotional overload to family stress, disconnection, and the growing need for compassion at home....

What if the biggest threat to your child’s long-term health is already showing up by age 10? Parents want their kids to grow, learn, and thrive, but most children are being raised in a food environment that increases the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and early heart disease. In this episode, Dr. Michael Greger explains why plant-based nutrition is not just a lifestyle choi...

What if the real reason schools feel unsafe has less to do with security measures—and more to do with what students are carrying emotionally? In this episode, Michele Fasnacht challenges the idea that social-emotional learning is just an “extra” in education. Drawing from both personal experience and what students are facing today, she makes the case that emotional safety must become a daily part...

Could a plant-based or holistic approach help your pet live a healthier life? Pet parents are asking bigger questions than ever about cancer, nutrition, toxins, and ethical animal care. In this episode, Dr. Armaiti May shares how holistic veterinary medicine and plant-based feeding can fit into a more compassionate, health-focused approach for dogs and cats. • Learn why pet food choices may play a...

What if your favorite comfort foods could reduce inflammation—and still taste like home? If you’re curious about plant-based eating but feel overwhelmed, judged, or unsure where to start, this episode breaks it down through Nikki Becker’s real-life journey—turning health challenges into a thriving vegan, ocean-friendly, farm-to-table restaurant and a growing product line. In this episode, you’ll l...

What if the way we "teach" is actually training kids to comply—not to think? In this STRAIGHT TALK episode, we expose how outdated school norms—from silent lunches to rigid grading—are failing to prepare kids for a rapidly changing world. If you're an educator, parent, or changemaker wondering why students are disengaged, this episode is your wake-up call. - Learn which "normal" school practices a...

What if the key to reversing heart disease isn’t another surgery—but what’s on your plate? Heart disease remains the world’s leading cause of death, often treated with medications, surgeries, and stents. But for many patients, there's a radically different approach—one that doesn't start in the operating room but in the kitchen. If you're overwhelmed by chronic conditions like high blood pressure,...

What if the calf you bottle-fed started to feel like your child—and made you question everything you thought you knew about ranching? In this raw and riveting conversation, former cattle rancher’s wife turned animal sanctuary founder Renee King-Sonnen shares the story of how one baby cow—Rowdy Girl—shifted her entire worldview. Whether you're a rancher, vegetarian, or simply someone curious about...

What if the food you’re feeding your kids is quietly setting them up for disease—and no one’s talking about it? After putting her autoimmune symptoms into remission by changing her diet, Michele made a bold decision that reshaped her school’s approach to nutrition. This episode explores the powerful connection between food, health, and the systems that feed our children. Learn the shocking link be...

Ever seen a stray cat and thought,  "Someone should do something?"  What if that someone is you? In this episode, we follow Dani Giroux, founder of  Runaways Animal Rescue , who went from feeding one stray cat to launching a full-scale animal rescue—without funding, experience, or a facility. Her story sheds light on what TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) really means, why it matters, and ho...

What if everything you thought you knew about protein, nutrition, and disease was wrong—and the truth could save your life? In this eye-opening episode of Plant the Change, best-selling author and pioneering nutrition researcher Dr. T. Colin Campbell breaks down the misconceptions around protein, the misuse of the term “plant-based,” and the life-altering power of whole food plant-based diets. If...

What if the way we’re trying to stop bullying is actually making it worse? If you've ever felt helpless watching a child be bullied—or been the one bullied yourself—this episode offers a powerful reframe. Instead of quick fixes or shame-based discipline, we explore how Compassionate Humane Education (CHE) is creating real change by helping every student feel seen, heard, and safe. ·&nbsp...

Is it really possible to be healthy, strong, and well-nourished on a vegan diet—and what does true activism for animals look like in real life? Shannon Blair has some powerful answers. In a world flooded with misinformation and cultural conditioning, this episode dives into two powerful journeys of awareness with longtime animal activist Shannon Blair: one about food, and the other about purpose....

What if your mayor swapped lamb and meatballs for marathons and tofu — and never looked back? In this candid and inspiring conversation, Tarpon Springs Florida Mayor John Koulianos shares how watching a single documentary and listening to his 9-year-old daughter completely changed the trajectory of his health — and maybe even saved his life. If you've ever struggled with family health history, tri...

Everyone says learning should be serious. We disagree. When we let kids play games in class, something incredible happened—focus improved, confidence soared, and even the quietest students found their voice. The games weren’t a break from learning; they  were  part of the learning. In this  Straight Talk: Plant the Change  episode, Michele Fasnacht shares real stories of how pu...