The Proof with Simon Hill

In Episode #21, I spoke with animal activist James Aspey on the horrors of factory farming and why he gave up meat. An Australian animal activist and vegan, James incredibly took a year-long vow of silence to raise awareness of the animal cruelty that takes place within our food system. He has since become one of the world’s best-known animal activists, having given over 500 free speeches across t...

In Episode #20, Australian celebrity TV host (and vegan) Osher Günsberg (who formerly went by Andy G or Andrew G) shares his story and, in particular, his battle with mental illness and addiction. With his gift of the gab and contagious smile, it would seem Osher was always destined to entertain, but just how did a kid with anxiety end up hosting live TV in front of millions of viewers? What toll...

In Episode #19, I talked with Frank Cusimano (@dr.cusimano) about using science to make informed food choices. With a host of scientific degrees under his belt, a PhD in nutrition, a medical degree underway, and an absolute passion for reading scientific literature, Frank Cusimano is perfectly suited to navigate us through some commonly asked questions about healthy eating. Interestingly, Frank do...

In Episode #18, I sat down with Zanna Van Dijk (@zannavandijk) to talk about leading a conscious life to leave the world in a better place than we found it. Zanna is an extraordinary example of a modern-day plant-based woman who is leading by example to make the world and herself happier and healthier. As you’ll find out, Zanna leads a very busy life and does an amazing job of inspiring people thr...

In Episode #17, I chatted to the gut health MD Dr William Bulsiewicz about how to cultivate a healthy gut microbiome and what this actually means. Dr B, as he prefers to be called, has a fun and agenda-free way of bringing the latest in gut health science to his clinical practice, website, and social media (@theguthealthmd) for us all to benefit from. Dr B’s résumé speaks for itself: he’s a qualif...

In Episode #16, I spoke to Fiona Oakes about her path to becoming a marathon runner with three world records despite losing her kneecap (patella) to an illness when she was 17. For me, the really fascinating thing about Fiona’s story is that, despite growing up in a nonvegetarian family, she chose to eat a vegetarian diet at 3 years old and a completely plant-based diet by age 6 due to her love fo...

In Episode #15 of The Proof podcast, I spoke with vegan Derek Sarno about his journey to choosing a life of compassion. Derek Sarno is one of the world’s best-known vegan chefs. One half of the Wicked Healthy team, Derek heads up plant-based product innovation for British grocery giant Tesco. While visiting London, I caught up with Derek and saw firsthand how much love and energy he puts into the...

In Episode #14, I talked with Matt Cama, an animal activist and weight loss coach from Australia, to ask him to shed some light on what’s happening in factory farms. The cool thing about Matt is that he’s not your typical old-school animal activist – he doesn’t approach things with anger or aggression. His motto is ‘compassion above all else’, and he uses this approach to effectively communicate h...

In Episode #13 of The Proof podcast, Max La Manna shares his story of how to live a no-waste life. Max is the perfect example of a typical American kid who grew up in the 80s and 90s thinking that an Italian American diet, full of meat and cheese, was normal and healthy. Despite having always been slightly more environmentally conscious than his peers, which he credits to the way he was raised, th...

In Episode #12 I sat down with Ben Handsaker (better known as Abstacker), an Australian champion fitness model, cover model, international motivational speaker, and top performing coach. At the 2014 Musclemania Australian championship, Ben won first place in men’s physique and first place overall. He has since landed four covers in large global fitness magazines and has appeared in fifty fitness m...

In Episode #11, I connected with Sam Webb to find out about his experiences with mental health. We talked about Sam’s personal mental health battles and how he dealt with the suicide of his best mate. He shared the inspiration behind Livin, the non-profit mental health organisation that Sam co-founded, and some tips for handling your own mental health issues or helping a friend with mental health...

In Episode #10, I was joined by Ellie Bullen, one of the best-known health and wellness influencers online. Listen to the episode to find out about her upbringing, including her relationship with her twin sister Lauren (gypsea_lust) and her time in the army. Learn about why Ellie moved to a plant-based diet, her top tips for transitioning to a plant-based diet, and how she grew her online social c...

In Episode #9 of The Proof podcast, I talked to Dr Padma Garvey about her story and how she uses plant-based nutrition in her medical practice. We covered Padma and her family’s personal transition to a plant-based lifestyle, as well as diving into how she uses plant-based nutrition clinically and explains it to her patients.  Some specific topics that we touch on are how the number of menstruatio...

In Episode #8, I spoke to Jermaine Jones, professional soccer player and plant-based. He grew up in Germany, where he began his professional soccer career. He then represented Germany before moving to Los Angeles and playing for the USA. Jermaine now resides in Malibu, California, and his wife and five children all live a plant-based lifestyle. In this episode, Jermaine shares his story from his y...

In Episode #7, I spoke to Maya French, the co-founder of start-up company ‘Koia’. Koia produces plant-based beverages sold across the USA in thousands of stores, including Whole Foods. In this podcast, Maya shares how the Koia brand has developed since its inception, gives insight into how to raise funds for start-ups in this space, and provides an overview of her company structure. She also gives...

In Episode #6, I spoke with Australian rules football champion Jobe Watson. Jobe captained Essendon Football Club for six years and won the Australian Football League (AFL) Best Captain award in 2012. Jobe’s career certainly had its highs and lows, and the most notable of those lows was no doubt the doping scandal he found himself in the middle of in 2016. In this podcast, Jobe opens up about his...

In Episode #5 of The Proof podcast, I spoke with Peter Cervoni: a veteran of the food service industry with well over thirty years of proven, professional culinary experience in plant-based, health-supportive cuisine. Peter graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1993 and worked at some of New York City’s finest restaurants, including The River Café and La Côte Basque. Since switching...

In Episode #4, I’m joined by Mike Rashid King. He’s a professional American boxer, body builder, and successful businessman. From an early age, Mike was surrounded by drugs and violence in Brooklyn NYC, where he grew up. He went through what can only be described as a crazy and unimaginable roller coaster ride to get to where he is today. A story of someone who shows true grit to overcome adversit...

In Episode #3, I’m joined by Nimai Delgado, a professional men’s physique bodybuilder and vegan athlete from the USA. Raised in Mississippi as a vegetarian from birth, Nimai made the move to a 100% vegan diet in 2015. That’s right, he has never eaten meat in his life. It wasn’t until Nimai won his first bodybuilding competition that he no longer suppressed his identity, began to understand who he...

In Episode #2, I’m joined by Dr Michelle McMacken, one of the world’s leading doctors implementing plant-based nutrition into her clinical practice. If you are interested in improving your health through better food choices and protecting yourself against chronic disease, this is a must listen. Dr McMacken is truly a wealth of knowledge. Enjoy, friends.  Simon Want to support the show? The best wa...

In Episode #1, I sat down with Jake Mckeon, the founder of coconutbowls.com. Jake's story is one of both perseverance and dedication and offers insight into how you can use failed start-ups to build something truly great. From working a 9–5 office job and following a string of 'failed' or 'semi-failed' start-ups, Jake has gone on to create an astronomical business that has reclaimed and sold hundr...