The Proof with Simon Hill

In Episode #75, I sat down with Dr Caldwell Esselsytn Jr, or Essy, to chat about his journey in medicine and the specific findings from his clinical trials on preventing cardiovascular disease. It was a great pleasure to join Essy at his home in Cleveland with his wife Ann – they welcomed me with open arms and a delicious lunch. I am very grateful that I was able to spend this time with them and e...

In Episode #74, I sat down with Robby and Cyrus from Mastering Diabetes to chat about diabetes (type 1, 1a, pre-, and type 2) and the role that nutrition plays in insulin resistance. We go through the body of scientific literature and explain what causes insulin resistance and how to actually reverse it. We talked about the difference between low-carb, ketogenic-type diets and high-carb, low-fat d...

In Episode #73, I sat down with Brian Turner (aka Brock Lee) to talk about his experience with acne. We delve into the reasons why he is grateful to acne, how his acne improved with dietary changes, bullying, body building, eating a pound of tofu a day for a month, and so much more. I’ve got to say, I have a real soft spot for Brian, and there’s a fair chance that after this episode you will too....

In Episode #72, I sat down with plant-based yogi Sjana Earp to chat about yoga, healing, transformation, and living with purpose. This is a different exchange to the more scientific episodes on this show, yet equally as informative and thought provoking in its own unique way.   Sjana shares her struggles with mental health – bullying, anxiety, and depression – and her strategies for overcoming neg...

In Episode #71, I sat down with one of the pioneers of lifestyle medicine, Dr Dean Ornish. Dr Ornish is best known for the randomised controlled trial ‘the Lifestyle Heart Trial’, where he was able to demonstrate that cardiovascular disease could not only be halted in its tracks but, in many cases, actually be reversed. In this exchange, we talked about why we see such a high rate of chronic disea...

In Episode #70, I sat down with gastroenterologist Dr Will Bulsiewicz to talk about those who’ve quit their plant-based lifestyles and the gut-health issues they have described. This episode was inspired by a number of plant-based influencers who bailed on plant-based eating recently and reintroduced animal products back into their diet. I listened to all of their stories and noted many similar pa...

In Episode #69, I sat down with Red Bull athlete Patrick Seabase, who cycles over mountain passes involving gruelling climbs and steep descents on a bike that has one gear and no brakes, often reaching speeds close to 100 km/hr (62 mph). Yes – mind blowing! This is the first time Patrick has told his story on a podcast, so I was very honoured to have him on the show and am incredibly grateful to h...

In Episode #68, I sat down with gastroenterologist Dr Sarina Pasricha to break down irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), an incredibly common condition that approximately 10–20% of adults suffer from.   Specifically, we cover the different types of IBS, how they present clinically, and how they’re diagnosed. Dr Pasricha also discusses the difference between healing and managing symptoms and shares her...

In Episode #66, I sat down with Adam Sud, a tremendously brave young man who turned his life around from the lowest of lows by discovering his ‘true why’ and mastering the practice of self-love. From disordered eating and being overweight to rehabilitation, recovery, and self-love, he’s been on a remarkable journey.   Adam’s story is tremendously powerful, and one that I feel incredibly privileged...

In Episode #65, I sat down with Drs Ayesha and Dean Sherzai, or Team Sherzai, who are neurologists from California. They are experts in the prevention of neurological degenerative disorders and authors of the well-known book The Alzheimer’s Solution.   In this conversation, we discussed why talking about lifestyle and degenerative neurological conditions is so important, what the science tells us...

In Episode #64, I sat down with Kieran De Visser, founder of the not-for-profit organisation Endurothon Oz, which aims to stop plastic pollution at its source. Kieran will be cycling, kayaking, and running 25,000 km across Australia to raise awareness for this campaign and raise $1 million to clean our oceans. What a goal that is!   What I find really interesting about Kieran’s story is not only h...

In Episode #63, I sat down with Australian athlete, media personality, podcaster, and health advocate Katie Williams to chat about social media and controlling our environment to stay present, live in reality, and essentially optimise our life for happiness.   As well as discussing Katie’s own experiences with social media and how she creates boundaries and healthy habits, we also discuss big topi...

In Episode #62, I sat down with exercise physiologist, and lover of all things health and wellness, Drew Harrisberg. We discussed Drew’s journey with type 1 diabetes and how various dietary frameworks – paleo, keto, and low-fat, plant-based diets – have affected his blood sugar, insulin requirements, and overall well-being.   Among many other things, we discussed why sugar shouldn’t be blamed for...

In Episode #61, I sat down with founder of the Paddison Program, Clint Paddison, to chat about his journey with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and how he was able to completely reverse his symptoms and regain full mobility in his joints.   In this episode, we cover acne, antibiotics, and Clint’s development of RA; what RA is, including the definition of auto-immune diseases; typical drugs and prognosis...

In Episode #60, I sat down with fellow Australian and ocean lover Ziggy Alberts (@ziggyalberts). At just 24 years of age, Ziggy has quickly forged his way to recognition as one of Australia’s leading young artists in the music industry. The coolest thing? Ziggy’s voice is just as powerful, if not more so, off the stage, where he shares his love and passion for protecting the environment and being...

In Episode #59, I sat down with Dr Renae Thomas, MD, a physician working in Loma Linda, California, one of the ‘Blue Zone’ areas that display incredible longevity and high quality of life. This is a really important podcast; sometimes in nutritional science, we can become too reductionist and zoom in on potential mechanisms without appreciating the complexities of human beings. Observational data...

In Episode #58, I sat down with one of the pioneers of lifestyle medicine, Dr Neal Barnard, to break down the process by which people become insulin resistant and how we can eat to avoid or even reverse type 2 diabetes. Neal covers his clinical experience with type 2 diabetes, the clinical trials on type 2 diabetes and nutrition he has run and published, how Atkins/ketogenic/low-carb diets can aff...

In Episode #57, I sat down with Carly Taylor and James Aspey to talk about animal activism and the importance of being patient, kind, and understanding when communicating the plant-based message. For those of you who may be more interested in the health aspects of a plant-based lifestyle, or perhaps see people following a plant-based lifestyle as extreme, I urge you to listen to this conversation...

In Episode #56, I sat down with gastroenterologist Dr Alan Desmond to talk about restoring and maintaining good digestive health with healthy eating habits. With digestive health issues such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), coeliac disease, and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) on the rise globally, understanding how to take control of your own gut he...

In Episode #55, I sat down with superstar Adidas trainer Tanya Poppett to talk about her journey into the world of health and fitness. In particular, we discussed her relationship with food and exercise in her teenage years, when she felt a lot of pressure about her appearance. She shared how her challenges with body image as a teenager spurred her on to become the woman she is today.   Listen to...

In Episode #54, I sat down with Erin Ireland to talk about why she personally transitioned to a plant-based lifestyle and how this affected her business. This was a fascinating discussion about why Erin eventually changed the foods on her plate, how it’s been for her talking to friends and family about the benefits of plant-based foods, and how her personal lifestyle changes have influenced those...

In Episode #53, I sat down with Torre Washington to talk about his journey, how he got into bodybuilding, and what it’s like being a plant-based bodybuilder. We intended to record this episode in the USA; however, our worlds collided a little earlier than planned, so we recorded it in Byron Bay. As well as discussing some of the places we ate during our time in Byron Bay, we dove into Torre’s chil...

In Episode #52, I sat down with Joe Holder, founder of the Ocho System. He is an absolute wealth of knowledge when it comes to exercise optimisation and ‘levelling up’ to adopt a mindset that enables you to achieve the performance and physique goals you desire. Strap yourself in…this one is damn interesting!   In our conversation, we spoke about his passion for sport and how getting injured change...

In Episode #51, I had the absolute privilege of sitting down with European pop sensation Ben Cristovao or ‘Benny Cristo’ as he goes by. Ben is a man with an extreme amount of raw talent, a strong work ethic, and steel-like determination to fulfil his potential. But despite his impressive résumé of achievements, the lasting impression on me from this conversation was Ben’s thought processes and ove...

In Episode #50, I sat down with good friend Will Dalton to chat about aspects of my own life, including what inspired me to transition to a plant-based lifestyle and ultimately start The Proof. For those of you who have followed The Proof’s journey so far, you may know that I don’t actually like to share a lot about myself. But given its growth, I appreciate that many of you will want to get to kn...