The War of Art: Steven Pressfield

Today I reconnect with my friends John Salley & John Lewis to discuss the black experience, race in America, food injustice, and where we go from here. A legit living legend, John Salley is the first basketball player in history to win four NBA championships with three different teams -- the Pistons, Bulls & Lakers -- in three different decades. A long-time vegan, Salley is also a passionate animal rights and healthy nutrition advocate (which we discussed in RRP 180). In addition, he’s an absolutely relentless entrepreneur, involved in a myriad of enterprises from vegan wine to cannabis. A prominent, ultra-positive voice in the vegan movement, John Lewis -- aka The Badass Vegan -- is a public speaker, personal trainer, and entrepreneur who can now add filmmaker to the resume. In partnership with mutual friend Keegan Kuhn (RRP 91, 176, 278, & 397), the co-director behind Cowspiracy, What The Health, and Running For Good, John is inching towards completion of They’re Trying To Kill Us -- a powerful upcoming documentary that examines the impact of food & health injustice on disenfranchised African American communities (a subject I first explored with John in RRP 260). Today we break bread. Black Lives Matter. Police misconduct. The pernicious nature of systemic racism. How religious institutions embed white supremacy. We also discuss the importance of black leadership and entrepreneurship. And we close with thoughts on food injustice -- how our broken food system negatively and disproportionately impacts communities of color. But most of all, this is a conversation about what is necessary to make things right. What black and brown communities need from white allies. And the ways in which we can grow, change, and do better -- together. Note: Check out the recently released and incredibly compelling trailer for They're Trying To Kill Us. Then visit the film's Indiegogo campaign to learn how you can support the film. Language Advisory: This one is packed with expletives, so pop on the earbuds if you got kiddos in the backseat. Finally, I suspect this will be an uncomfortable conversation for some; maybe for many. I invite you to listen or watch with an open mind and heart.  Notwithstanding, these guys are a total blast. I love them both. I'm grateful for their friendship -- and their honesty. The visually inclined can watch our conversation on YouTube. And as always, the audio version streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.   Strap in. Peace + Plants, Rich

29 Kesä 20201h 47min

Welcome to the second installment of our newly-minted 'ask me anything' themed series, 'Roll On:' -- a twist on my usual format in which I share my thoughts on select topics and answer audience questions. Serving up co-host duties is Adam Skolnick, an activist and veteran journalist perhaps best known as David Goggins' Can't Hurt Me co-author. Adam has written about adventure sports, environmental issues and civil rights for outlets such as The New York Times, Outside, ESPN, BBC, Men’s Health and many others; and he is the author of One Breath, which chronicles the life and death of Nick Mevoli, America's greatest freediver. Today's conversation begins with a few thoughts on the current protests and a review of recent podcast feedback. We also discuss the intersectionality of food insecurity and social justice. And we examine the importance of healing our food deserts -- a featured theme in next week's episode with filmmaker John Lewis and NBA legend John Salley. The podcast then pivots to answer five relatively philosophical questions submitted by audience members on our Facebook Group page: How do we move past the stories that hold us back? When do you remain open and when do you stand your ground? How do you deal with imposter syndrome? How do you deal with conflict? And How do you discern truth from fiction in the era of fake news? It's about reclaiming your truth. Breaking down negative feedback loops. And crafting a gentler, more objectively honest narrative about who you are and what you're capable of. The visually inclined can watch our conversation on YouTube. And as always, the audio version streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.  This series (and recent episodes) is an experiment in venturing out of my comfort zone. An effort to grow. And a commitment to evolve the show. I appreciate you taking the leap with me. I hope you find the content valuable -- and in service to forging a stronger RRP community. Peace + Plants, Rich

25 Kesä 20201h 37min

Against the backdrop of a global pandemic has emerged the most powerful civil rights movement of our lifetime -- an irrefutably historic moment that will indelibly shape the economic, political, and social fabric of our country for decades to come. To help us untangle the rhetoric behind our country's supercharged division, today Knox Robinson joins the podcast. Returning for his second appearance on the show (RRP #394 rests among my all time favorite episodes), Knox is a writer, athlete, national caliber runner, eponymous curator of running culture, and an astute student of black history, art, literature, music and poetry. Formally commencing under the tutelage Poet Laureate Maya Angelou at Wake Forest University, Knox's education has continued throughout the many chapters of his life. As a spoken word artist and music manager. As editor-in-chief of Fader magazine. And more recently as co-founder and captain of Black Roses NYC -- a diverse collective of running enthusiasts who routinely gather to hammer out intervals across Brooklyn & downtown Manhattan. Put plainly, urban culture is Knox's lifeblood. One of the most interesting and multi-faceted humans I have ever met, today Knox shares an important perspective on America's crossroads.  This is an investigation into the culture shifts caused by the pandemic and protests alike.  It's a conversation about the intersection of sport, politics and civil rights. Black American representation in athletics. And where we go from here. It's also about virtue signaling. Performative allyship. And why reading White Fragility simply isn’t enough.  But more than anything, this is a conversation about the power and poetics of running. Running as metaphor. Running as an act of rebellion — and the disturbing symbolism behind Ahmaud Arbery’s murder.  I left this exchange better for having had it.  The visually inclined can watch our conversation on YouTube. And as always, the audio version streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. This is a special conversation. I'm better for having had it. I hope you will be similarly impacted. Peace + Plants, Rich

22 Kesä 20202h 13min

Mass demonstrations continue to spread across the nation — and now, the world — for the 20th day and counting. For many, this has been a wake-up call. An uncomfortable reckoning with the vast extent to which misuse of power, police abuse, and racism (both overt and covert) are baked into the very fabric of our nation. But for black people, African Americans and people of color, that pain, violence, and fear is an everyday reality. On a personal note, I’m determined to better understanding this unfortunate dynamic. The history that led to it. The systemic nature of it. The institutions that perpetuate it. And the solutions required for its long-overdue undoing. Part of that commitment is sharing an increased diversity voices. Towards that end, today I reconnect with my friend Byron Davis, alongside Pastor Phil Allen, Jr. An O.G. podcast guest dating back to early 2013 (RRP #14), Byron is a former USA Swimming National Team member, American Record holder, UCLA All-American, and Ironman who holds the distinction of falling just three-tenths of a second shy of becoming the first African-American to make the USA Olympic Men's Swimming Team. Phil is a pastor, teacher, poet, and the filmmaker behind Open Wounds, a powerful documentary that delves into the reality of intergenerational trauma through the story of his grandfather’s murder and the police’s subsequent refusal to investigate it (now available on Vimeo on demand). Today Byron and Phil share their perspective on the protests. The BLM movement as a whole. And its potential to catalyze significant structural change.  Bluntly put, this is an important conversation about what it means to be black in America.  It’s about the economic history of slavery in the United States. It’s about the extent to which racism is perpetuated systemically — by way of policy, law, economics, politics & generations of socialization. It’s about the ways in which white supremacy is embedded into the bedrock of our institutions — from religious and political to educational and judicial. And it’s about confronting the pernicious manner in which racism lives, breathes, and persists — often completely unconsciously — within ourselves. This country has arrived at a critical crossroads. A choice to implode or heal. The higher path demands responsibility. The awakening requires we examine history from a different perspective. It demands we define our personal and national values. And it dictates that we align those values with action. To dismantle what is broken. To rebuild our institutions. To reframe our relationships -- and ourselves. I’m grateful to Byron & Phil for their openness, patience & vulnerability. For sharing their perspective on race, personal encounters with racism, and stories of pain. The visually inclined can watch our conversation on YouTube. And as always, the audio version streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. I truly believe that conversations like this are crucial if we want to finally transcend our past, learn, grow, and lead by example. To echo Cornel West, what we don’t need are lukewarm folk. We don’t need 'summer soldiers’.  What we need are all season love warriors. It is this spirit that I offer today's conversation. May you receive it with an open heart. Peace + Plants, Rich

15 Kesä 20202h 8min

It feels wrong to talk about anything other than this current historic moment. So let's address it, head on. The first in what I anticipate will be an ongoing series of ask-me-anything themed episodes we're calling 'Roll On:', I'm joined today by Adam Skolnick to discuss all things Black Lives Matter. Best known as the co-author of David Goggins' juggernaut memoir, Can't Hurt Me, Adam is an activist and veteran adventure journalist who has traveled the world writing for The New York Times, Playboy, Outside, ESPN, BBC, Men’s Health, and many other prominent publications. You may recall his outstanding reporting on Colin O'Brady's historic solo Antarctica traverse in 2018 for The New York Times. And long-time listeners will fondly remember his 2016 appearance on the podcast (RRP #218), in which we discussed One Breath — his poetic biography of Nicholas Mevoli, America’s greatest freediver. Shifting roles from host to guest, today I share a perspective on race in America. Civil rights and social unrest. White privilege. And how I'm actively seeking to better myself — and this podcast as a whole. The RRP is not a news program. And it's not a political talk show. But it is a show about what is important. It's about having conversations that matter. And right now, no conversation matters more than redressing racial injustice. This is an exchange about our collective responsibility to act. To speak up for what is right. And to finally dismantle the systemic ills that have contributed to unspeakable harms that can no longer go unchecked. It's also a discussion about the history and mission of this podcast. My vision for the future. And goals set to broaden the inclusivity of my advocacy. But more than anything, this is a dissection of the untold history of racism in America. And the unprecedented opportunity this unique moment presents to evolve and heal. As individuals. As a nation. And as a global community. Note: This is the simply the first of many conversations to come on the theme of race. Over the upcoming weeks I will be sharing impactful conversations with a variety of people of color, including Byron Davis, Phil Allen, Jr., Knox Robinson, John Lewis (aka 'Badass Vegan'), John Salley, Shaka Senghor, Neil Phillips and many others. In the interim, I encourage you to explore the many copious resources listed in the show notes below. Read. Listen. Challenge yourself. Get active. Donate if you're able. The visually inclined can watch our conversation on YouTube. And as always, the audio version streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. To coin Cornel West's phrase, what we need right now is 'all season love warriors.' It is in that spirit that I offer this exchange -- with gratitude and respect for all my brothers and sisters. Peace + Plants, Rich

11 Kesä 20201h 32min

A recurring theme of this show is deconstructing peak performance. Over the years, I've shared the success equations of. Olympic champions, entrepreneurs, actors, artists and spiritual masters -- all roadmaps to better guide our collective trajectories. But failure is the crucible for wisdom. And the litmus test of character. What happens when you give every ounce of yourself to a creation, only to see it crumble?  Destruction can be our greatest teacher. How we move forward tells us who we are. After an epic public defeat, Doug Evans was confronted with this challenge. Not only did he survive, he emerged better for it. A serial health food entrepreneur, you may recall Doug as the Silicon Valley, juice-slinging mogul behind Juicero -- -- the infamous and futuristic wifi-connected, cold-press juicer start-up that raised $120 million from technology’s most high-powered VC’s before famously imploding in 2017.  What you may not know is that Doug has always been a natural food industry pioneer. He co-founded O.G. New York City juice bar chain Organic Avenue, one of the first exclusively plant-based retail chains in the country. Now writing his next chapter, Doug recently released The Sprout Book, a primer on the power of sprouts as an ultra-food for health, weight loss, and optimum nutrition. Four years from our first conversation (RRP 221), today Doug returns to the podcast to share the valuable lessons learned from his Juicero experience -- and his new focus on getting people excited about the planet's most nutritious foods. Admittedly somewhat asynchronous with the current news cycle, this is nonetheless a conversation about a root cause of socio-economic disparity -- and how to redress systemic food insecurity across impoverished food deserts nationwide. It's about the importance of taking your health and nutrition to the next level -- critical in the age of coronavirus. It's a show-and-tell on the unheralded, superfood benefits of sprouts. The ease and affordability of growing your own at home. And the power of this practice to economically revolutionize your relationship with nutrition. In addition, we of course discuss all things Juicero. What happened. What can be gleaned from its demise. And the lessons Doug learned to better inform the decisions faced by every entrepreneur and business owner. Note: My first in-person interview since the start of the pandemic, this conversation (recorded on June 1 after conducting on site antibody tests) preceded my ability to timely schedule African American community leaders to directly converse on the historic events of the current moment. That said, I can assure you that I will be conducting several conversations with such leaders over the coming weeks. The visually inclined can watch our conversation on YouTube. And as always, the audio version streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. If your familiarity with Doug is limited to hyperbolic Juicero headlines, I ask that you set aside whatever pre-conceived notions you may harbor -- and prepare to be delighted.  A dear friend for many years, Doug is a beautiful man. A wonderful character unlike any human I have ever met. And a true example of selfless service to others. May you be equal parts entertained and enlightened by our exchange. Peace + Plants, Rich

8 Kesä 20202h 28min

The dystopia is here. Chaos, confusion, fear and anger. Horrific racism. Generations of pain fueling rioting and violence. Death and illness. Faltering systems and leadership failures. Market crashes and jobs lost. Communities are divided. Home lives are disrupted. Meanwhile, cities all across America are literally on fire. How we can right the ship? Deal with these cataclysmic shifts? And move forward productively? We can crash and burn. Or we can adapt -- a remaking of society that begins with personal reinvention. James Altucher is a virtuoso of this process. A prodigious intellect and abundantly talented polymath, James is a comic, chess master, entrepreneur, investor and prolific writer with over twenty books to his name, including the Wall Street Journal bestseller Choose Yourself. He's also a fellow podcaster and an unconventional thinker with an idiosyncratic lens on pretty much everything from creativity to finances. James and his writing have appeared in major media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The New York Observer, Techcrunch, and The Financial Times. His blog, JamesAltucher.com, has attracted more than 20 million readers since its launch in 2010. And The James Altucher Show ⁠regularly appears in the top 100 podcasts on iTunes. On the subject of self-experimentation, James' latest unconventional move was releasing his latest self-published book, Think Like a Billionaire, on Scribd. Most compelling is James' relentless devotion to constant reinvention. Making his fourth appearance on the podcast, today we explore the importance of this trait ⁠and the habits that enable you to adapt and thrive in rapidly changing times ⁠— more critical now than ever. Recorded pre-pandemic in mid-February, this conversation is the last in my stash of episodes banked before quarantine. Nonetheless, I suspect you will find our discourse highly applicable to our current moment -- packed with tactics and strategies you can deploy to better acclimate to the rapidly changing circumstances that face us all. It's about how to make better decisions. And ultimately, how to create opportunity out of calamity. The visually inclined can watch it all go down on YouTube. And as always, the audio version streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. James is one of my most favorite people. He’s a natural and gifted conversationalist, his ideas are easily deciphered, and packed with the perfect amount of humor and data-backed insight. To some degree, we are all being called to reinvent ourselves right now. May this conversation help serve that process. Peace + Plants, Rich

1 Kesä 20202h 3min

When it comes to reliable nutrition information, the internet is a warn-torn, metastasizing mushroom cloud of toxic half-truths and misinformation. How do we sort through the tribal wars? How do we separate fact from fiction? Let's start with seeking out the experts. And the best, most objective science available. This is the life’s work of today’s guest and my friend, Dr. Michael Greger. Long time listeners are well acquainted with Dr. Greger, one of my very first guests back in 2012 (RRP #007). But it's been almost five years since his second appearance in 2015 (RRP #199). So let's put matters to rights. A graduate of Cornell and Tufts University School of Medicine as well as a founding member and Fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Dr. Greger is a nutrition science wizard who with a library of scientific journal publications to his name. He has testified before Congress; lectured at countless symposiums and institutions; and was an expert witness in the infamous Oprah Winfrey meat defamation lawsuit. Appearing everywhere from the Dr. Oz show to The Colbert Report, his books: How Not to Die, the How Not To Die Cookbook, and How Not To Diet — the focus of today's conversation — all became instant New York Times Best Sellers. When Dr. Greger isn’t speaking, crafting high-level policy initiatives or penning bestsellers, he scours thousands of medical journals in search of the world’s best, most objective nutrition research to bring you free videos and articles every single day at NutritionFacts.org — the world’s most authoritative, non-profit, science-based public service destination for all things nutrition, health and disease prevention. Finally, it’s worth noting that 100% of all fees and proceeds he receives from speaking and book sales are donated to charity — his effort to avoid all conflicts of interest. Today’s conversation pivots on the optimal criteria to enable weight loss — and the actionable steps required to create and sustain healthy lifestyle practices. In addition, we explore how commercial influence corrodes nutrition science. How to parse the incredibly conflicting information we are spoon-fed daily by the media and celebrities alike. And finally, it’s about separating evidence-based science from confirmation bias. Note: This conversation was recorded in February, so it's coronavirus free zone. For Dr. G’s take on our current state of affairs, check out his new audiobook released this week, How To Survive A Pandemic — a breakdown on the origins of zoonotic disease, how to protect ourselves, and what we must rectify to reduce the likelihood of future catastrophes. Dr. Greger is truly one of the most delightful, relentless, passionate, and service-minded humans I have ever met. It's an honor to share this conversation. My hope is that it catalyzes a new perspective on nutrition for yourself and your loved ones. Peace + Plants, Rich

28 Touko 20201h 47min