PLANTSTRONG Podcast

Kori Clark looks back on her childhood and doesn’t remember a time when she didn’t feel shame around food. Like many who grew up in the 70s and 80s (and the introduction of fast food), Kori LOVED Kraft Mac-n-Cheese, Chef Boyardee, and any “food” that came out of a box. As she recalls in today’s episode, her food addiction and obsession go back as far as she can remember, to the point where she eve...

Beth Motley, MD grew up an athlete and always had an interest in nutrition. Once she went into medical school, however, she realized that good nutrition is about way more than just athletic performance. It’s about longevity, disease prevention, and disease reversal. It’s about human health. This inspired her to train under the greats like Dr. John McDougall, Dr. Ron Weiss, Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. Ca...

Eric Soelberg was a high school athlete-turned-young husband and father and, like many on the family, marriage, and career track, he lost sight of himself and his own health. Food became an escape and a way to numb, and in this episode, Soelberg vulnerably shares some of those moments when he realized he had fallen into unhealthy eating behaviors and addiction. Not only was he hiding food, but he...

We often talk about how living a Plantstrong life is an adventure if you let go of expectations, allow yourself to be more free, and learn to embrace imperfection! On this episode, Rip talks with Colleen Mariotti who, along with her family, have done this in spades when they sold most of their possessions over 10 years ago and started a nomadic life together. What did she find when she learned to...

Rip welcomes Dr. Niki Davis, a former rocket scientist-turned-lifestyle medicine physician. Dr. Davis discusses her transition from engineering to promoting a plant-based lifestyle at Love Life Telehealth . She reflects on the influence of a plant-based diet on her career shift, and the impact of whole-food, plant-based nutrition on patient care. The conversation explores "de-prescribing medicatio...

After college, Richard Hubbard felt hopeless. It was a stressful time looking for a steady job, he wasn’t moving as much as he did in college, and he loved candy and junk food - not a great combination for a web and graphic designer who would spend hours sitting at his desk during the day. Rich also avoided doctors because he didn’t need a doctor to tell him what he already knew. He was nearing 35...

This episode originally aired July 7, 2022. We reshare it today as a tribute to his work and legacy. Dr. John McDougall was drawn to medicine because of his own health “fate.” At 18, he suffered a massive stroke and was an anomaly to the doctors in Michigan who wanted to explore “why” and “how” this could happen to someone so young. This health scare inspired his own journey to become a doctor, wh...

In 1984, True North Health Center opened their doors in Santa Rosa, California offering an alternative way to heal from disease and lose weight. Since that time, Dr. Alan Goldhamer and his team have supervised over 25,000 water-only fasts – with results that are astounding - disease reversal, weight loss, and a return to metabolic health. The term “fasting” is all over the place, with intermittent...

For over 30 years, Robert Cheeke has made a profound impact on the vegan and plant-based lifestyle, both as a champion bodybuilder and a NY Times bestselling author of the book, The Plant-Based Athlete. His latest book, The Impactful Vegan: How You Can Save More Lives and Make the Biggest Difference for Animals and the Planet is a blueprint for how we can use our time, energy, skills, talents, and...

June is National Men’s Health Month and we’re honored to feature today's guest, Robert Klein, aka "Broccoli Rob." In June of 2017, he was unexpectedly diagnosed with testicular cancer, throwing his young family and career into a tailspin. Research led him to the The China Study and the undeniable benefits of a whole foods, plant-based diet, which he adopted virtually overnight. Today, he is an avi...

In 2009, John Mackey, the then-CEO of Whole Foods Market, gave Rip Esselstyn the shot of a lifetime to showcase Engine 2 products and tour around Whole Foods Market stores as a healthy eating ambassador extolling the virtues of a whole foods, plant-based diet. This opportunity and vision truly put PLANTSTRONG on the trajectory that exists today and has allowed Rip to live out his life’s purpose. T...

Are you ready to rediscover the kid in you and rekindle some of that lost joy? If so, you’ll love today’s fun interview with Manish Vora, Co-Founder of the extremely popular Museum of Ice Cream. Manish shares insights into the process of testing over 125 exhibits through pop-up locations in various cities before establishing the flagship museum in New York City. Despite facing challenges and setba...

Whether you are looking for a romantic partner or an authentic friendship, you’ll love this chat with relationship coach and matchmaking expert, Michelle Jacoby. Today, she’s here to teach us how to go ALL IN on finding and navigating new relationships. And, don’t worry if you’ve been married for a long time. This also can apply to new friendships (and, trust me, you’ll get some good tips on how t...

Imagine a life where you are trapped…imprisoned…in a cycle of addiction to alcohol, fentanyl, and food. Now imagine escaping that prison for a life that is far better than you can ever imagine. This is the story of today’s guest, Tim Kaufman. At just 38 years old, Kaufman’s doctor essentially left him for dead. His weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides were through the roof, and h...

You may know Samantha Harris from her eight seasons co-hosting Dancing with the Stars, or her years of reporting for Entertainment Tonight and other media outlets. You may also know her as an author and breast cancer survivor and advocate. In fact, this year she honors her 10-year breast “cancer-versary” by launching her new podcast, “Your Healthiest Healthy.” (Her book title of the same name) Tod...

Our brain plays a role in everything that we do from our moods, behaviors, and personalities, to how we process and respond to the world around us. Naturally we want to know as much about it as possible. Thank goodness for the Team Sherzai - Drs. Dean and Ayesha - Neurologists, researchers, and public health advocates. Together, they are a forcefield in the study of the brain with the unique abili...

Dr. Peter Johnston , a lifestyle medicine practitioner advocating for plant-based diets and environmental activism, shares his journey from his New Zealand roots as a sheep shearer to his personal and professional mission of shedding light on the impact of food systems on climate, health, and animal welfare. Here’s the sobering truth: We can't feed the whole world today on a Western style diet. Th...

Do you believe in Magic? Well, you most certainly will after today’s episode with Desiree Nielsen, celebrating the upcoming release of her new book, Plant Magic , coming out April 23, 2024. This book busts the myth that a whole food plant-based diet is expensive, time consuming, restrictive, or boring. In fact, Desiree shares over 100 deeply flavourful and wildly delicious recipes for everyone who...

Dr. Joel Fuhrman , a pioneer in plant-based nutrition, discusses the power of nutrition in preventing diseases and promoting overall health. Since his first book in 1996, Dr. Joel Fuhrman has been teaching people how to Eat to Live with his Nutritarian approach to eating. Today, Rip and Dr. Fuhrman focus their conversation around his most recent book, 2020’s Eat for Life and the importance of micr...

Dr. Michelle Loy is a nationally recognized physician with board certifications in Integrative Medicine, Lifestyle Medicine, Medical Acupuncture, and Pediatrics. In her practice, Dr. Loy focuses on the whole person and uses evidence-based therapies from both modern medicine and time-tested traditional modalities including plant-forward culinary nutrition, yoga, acupuncture, pet therapy, and mind-b...

We all know that eating more plants is incredibly powerful not only our health, but the planet. A shocking 30 to 40 percent of the entire United States' food supply ends up in landfills, much of which stems from household waste. As you may have guessed, food waste is not a great thing for our environmental impact and, obviously, our wallets. That’s why we’re excited to share that one of the most a...

Sustainable weight loss is hard, which is why PLANTSTRONG is dedicated to helping others achieve optimal health and weight loss with the power of a whole foods, plant-based diet. We’re grateful to Dr. Neal Barnard and other pioneers for providing the research and evidence-based studies that validate our “food as medicine” approach to health. Today, we celebrate the release of Dr. Neal Barnard’s la...

Inflammation is certainly a buzz word these days, isn’t it? Every time you turn around, you’re reading about something that’s causing inflammation in your body. It’s a minefield of misinformation and here to help clear up some of that confusion is educator and author, Linda Tyler , who recently released the book, The Plant-Based Anti-Inflammatory Cookbook. Because inflammation is an emerging area...

Dr. Rak Jotwani - aka Dr. RAK - is a lifestyle medicine physician who has the all-too familiar story…working long stressful hours in the hospital, eating the standard American diet, and managing crippling depression. It got to the point where he couldn’t be present for his own wife and kids because he just felt so tired and overwhelmed. Dr. Rak shares his experiences with burnout in the medical fi...

We know there's a connection between our mind, mood, and food, and our PLANTSTRONG retreats provide the perfect intersection of all three. Understanding and unpacking the power of this interlude is Dr. Elizabeth Winings' specialty. Dr. Winings is a board certified Family Mental Health Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner and a Diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. She specializes in t...