On Addiction, Recovery & Achieving Happiness Through Service

Recent years have seen the ascendency of low-carb, high fat diets. Indeed, the ketogenic lifestyle has been heralded as a veritable health panacea. In parallel, we bear witness to mainstream acceptance of the plant-based approach to vitality, lifestyle disease prevention and reversal. The debate pitting these distinct approaches to nutrition is as emotional as it is divisive — an impassioned war for hearts and minds waged across the scientific literature, mainstream publications and the internet that can leave even the most intelligent and well-intentioned consumer utterly baffled. So who's right? To help divine the line between truth and fiction, Joel Kahn, MD joins the podcast for his third appearance. Dr. Kahn is an Interpreventional Cardiologist, Clinical Professor of Medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine, Founder of the Kahn Center for Cardiac Longevity in Michigan, and a Summa Cum Laude graduate of the University of Michigan’s prestigious Inteflex program (a 6-year undergraduate / graduate program that developed doctors fresh out of high school). He’s authored hundreds of articles on heart disease, is a frequent lecturer on heart disease and its prevention, has performed thousands of cardiac procedures, and is the owner of GreenSpace Café in Ferndale and Royal Oak Michigan. In addition, Dr. Kahn is the author of five books, including The Whole Heart Solution* and his newest offering, The Plant-Based Solution*. This a comprehensive and highly instructive conversation that endeavors to provide needed clarity when it comes to the aforementioned debate — a deep dive into the veracity of nutritional research findings to provide the information you need to promote maximum health, hinder lifestyle disease, and abet longevity. In addition, we explore emerging research on the benefits of intermittent fasting and why everyone should get a coronary calcium scan. Amazingly informative, this is straight talk from a trusted and experienced man I'm proud to call friend. As a final note, this podcast episode is also available in video format on YouTube. If you are enjoying the video version of the show, please subscribe to my channel at youtube.com/richroll to be alerted when new videos post. Finally, if you missed our previous conversations, check out episodes #44 & #128. For the visually inclined, you can watch watch (& subscribe!) to the podcast on YouTube here. I sincerely hope you find our conversation instructive — because health is wealth. Peace + Plants, Rich

22 Feb 20182h 23min

The theme of this podcast is conversations that matter with thought leaders making a difference. My conversation with today's guest perfectly embodies the best of this ethos. A man who has spent the last two decades fighting to create tangible benefits for communities and ecosystems alike, Jared Blumenfeld is a former U.C. Berkeley-trained international environmental lawyer with an impressive resume that includes stints at the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC) as well as the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) before running one of San Francisco’s first city Departments focused entirely on the environment, where he was instrumental in helping transform San Francisco into the “greenest city” in America. In 2009, President Obama appointed Jared to serve as Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator for the Pacific Southwest (Region 9), which includes California, Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada, the Pacific Islands, and 148 tribal nations. During his 7-year tenure at EPA, Jared diligently pursued environmental justice and enforcement, focusing on climate change, recycling, tribes, and drinking water. Along the way his team made massive strides in combating corporate polluters, protecting coastal waters, accelerating clean vehicle adoption and advancing tribal community environmental well being. Then, in 2016, he decided to walk away from his career to pursue a life-long dream of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail – an effort to embrace first hand the environment he has spent his life protecting. Jared has appeared frequently in The New York Times, BBC, Economist, San Francisco Chronicle, CNN, Los Angeles Times, NPR and recently launched his own podcast entitled, Podship Earth. As you might imagine,  this is a wide-ranging conversation about planetary preservation and ecological conservation. It's a gut check on the current status of global climate change — what is contributing to it, the challenges faced in combating it, and the responsibility we all share to steward our precious planet towards a greener future. It’s also a very frank redress of our current administration’s attempt to deny reality. Right now, we're facing an indisputably massive and ever growing threat to planetary health. Yet current EPA chief Scott Pruitt's reversal of long-standing environmental policy buttressed by his refusal to embrace scientifically irrefutable facts related to global climate change, poses a very real threat to the long-term well-being of this spaceship we all share called Earth. It's a conversation about what’s required, both on a policy and personal level, to correct past wrongs and steward a healthier, more sustainable path forward. And finally, it’s the story of one man’s remarkable life and his commitment to ensure a better future for us all (plus awesome stories about his four month quest to conquer the Pacific Crest Trail, and how it made him a better human). I really enjoyed this one. I hope you do too. For the visually inclined, you can watch the podcast on YouTube here. Peace + Plants, Rich

19 Feb 20182h 11min

When someone fires off a long list of occupations in conversation, my instinct tells me that person probably isn’t great at any of them. James Altucher is not that guy. A hugely successful blogger, podcaster, public speaker, stand up comic, investor, entrepreneur and former VC & hedge fund manager with eighteen books to his name — including the Wall Street Journal bestseller Choose Yourself* (my personal favorite) — James is an abundantly talented polymath impacting millions of people across the world with his wry wit and often counter-intuitive ideas, all delivered with a perfect mix of intelligent insight, relatable self-deprecation and perfect comedic timing. Oh yeah, he’s also a nationally ranked chess master. Returning for his third appearance on the podcast, James is one of the smartest and most interesting intellects I know — a tremendously inspiring thinker with compelling, often controversial ideas on everything from college (don’t go), career (create your own), creativity (generate 10 new ideas every day) and finances (he’s made millions and lost millions several times over). What I find most captivating and irresistable about James is his courageous sincerity —  the willingness to write with such incredible honesty and vulnerability. It's not only laudable, it's the connective glue that keeps his 20 million readers hooked. In accordance with his mantra that you can't write until you do, James puts his theories into action. Case in point? To explore minimalism he gave away all of his possessions save 15 items stuffed in a modest-sized duffle bag, and couch-surfed AirBnB's for almost two years — an adventure that landed him on the front page of the Sunday New York Times Styles section. A ubiquitous presence on the internet, James and his writing have appeared in major media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The New York Observer, Techcrunch, The Financial Times, Yahoo Finance, CNBC and others. His blog, JamesAltucher.com, has attracted more than 20 million readers since its launch in 2010. The James Altucher Show debuted as the #1 podcast on all of iTunes in 2014 and regularly appears in the top 100 podcasts on iTunes. Equal parts peer, friend and mentor, James is someone I could literally talk to all day about any subject. So it's no surprise that this conversation is wide-ranging, traversing everything from what makes a great podcast to his thoughts on crypto currency. In between, we cover his exploits with minimalism, his opinions on education and his recent adventures immersed in the world of stand up comedy. I love James. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I enjoyed having it. Peace + Plants, Rich

12 Feb 20181h 47min

Joining the podcast for a second time is my friend Dan Harris, an ABC News correspondent who serves up co-anchor duties on both Nightline and the weekend edition of Good Morning America. In one of the greatest side hustles of all time, Dan has distinguished himself in recent years as a leading voice in the advocacy of meditation as a means to live both happier and more fulfilled. For those unfamiliar, Dan’s journey is compelling. An embedded war correspondent covering everything from mass shootings and natural disasters to conflicts in Myanmar, Afghanistan and the Middle East, including six visits to war-torn Iraq, Dan's mental well-being began to suffer, his stress escalating with each overseas deployment. Depression, anxiety and PTSD ensued, followed by self-medicating with drugs like cocaine and ecstasy. Ultimately, these factors conspired to take a serious toll on Dan’s mental and physical health, culminating in a meltdown of epic proportions in 2004 when he suffered an on-air panic attack while delivering the news that was witnessed by 5 million people. Although unsure as to the cause of his breakdown, it was a wake up call that led him to seek professional help. At the same time, in a bizarre stroke of synchronicity, Peter Jennings assigned Dan to begin covering stories on faith, religion and spirituality. Dan was less than enthusiastic about this, but ultimately it was this exploration that that eventually led Dan to understand that the source of his problems was the very thing he always thought was his greatest asset: the incessant, insatiable voice in his head. A thinking mind which had both propelled him through the ranks of a hyper-competitive business yet also led him to make the decisions that provoked his on-air freak-out. We all have that voice in our head. It’s what has us losing our temper unnecessarily, checking our email compulsively, eating when we’re not hungry, and fixating on the past and the future at the expense of the present. Most of us would assume we’re stuck with this voice – that there’s nothing we can do to rein it in – but Dan stumbled upon an effective way to do just that. It's a protocol he initially dismissed as useless, but which ultimately not only saved his life, but gave him a new one altogether: Meditation. After learning about research that suggests meditation can do everything from lower your blood pressure to essentially rewire your brain, Dan took a leap of faith. A deep dive into the underreported world of CEOs, scientists, and even prison guards and marines who are now using it for increased calm, focus, and happiness. Dan chronicles his experiences in his highly entertaining and illuminating memoir, 10% Happier* and provides a practical guide to the actual hows and whys of meditation in the recently released, 10% Happier: Meditation For Fidgety Skeptics*. In many ways, Dan is the perfect ambassador for meditation. The furthest thing from a monk or a guru, he’s a professional family man living in New York City — a highly relatable, very human being who, just like all of us, is trying to live just a little bit better. Enjoy! Rich

9 Feb 20181h 57min

What happens when a NASA scientist teams up with a plant-based dietitian? Today we find out, with the return of my friends Julieanna Hever (RRP #13) and Ray Cronise (RRP #212). Specializing in weight management, disease prevention & sports nutrition, Julieanna is one of the world's most respected plant-based registered dietitians. She is a sought-after lecturer, talk show host, TEDx speaker, VegNews Magazine nutrition columnist, and the author of numerous journal articles and books that include The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Plant-Based Nutrition* and The Vegiterranean Diet*. In addition, Julieanna has contributed recipes to both New York Times bestselling Forks Over Knives books and appeared on a myriad of television programs including Dr. Oz, Steve Harvey and E! News. Ray is a scientist-innovator focused on disrupting diet and nutrition advice. A former NASA scientist that spent 15 years with NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center working on Physical and Analytical Chemistry and Biophysics as Assistant Mission Scientist on four Spacelab missions, he matriculated to found Zero-G with X-Prize founder Peter Diamandis before pulling meticulous focus on nutrition to solve his decades-long battle with weight and lifestyle infirmities. A Matthew Kenney Culinary graduate, Ray teamed up with leading academic researchers at institutions such as Harvard and the National Institutes of Health to publish work at the intersection of healthspan and plant-based diets. He delivered an amazing talk at TEDMED 2010 and has been featured on ABC Nightline and profiled everywhere, including WIRED Magazine, The Atlantic, The Daily Beast, Men’s Journal, The Guardian, The 4-Hour Body and magician Penn Jillette’s book Presto!* as the mastermind behind Penn's dramatic plant-based diet 100-pound weight loss. These two recently combined their wonder twin powers to collaborate on a number of projects that include personalized nutrition consulting and the co-authoring of both medical journal articles as well as their recently released book, Plant-Based Nutrition (Idiot’s Guide Series)*. Today Julieanna and Ray join me for a mind-blowing geek dive into everything you ever wanted to know (and then some) about plant-based nutrition, weight loss, chronic lifestyle illness and more. Break out that pen and paper, because you're going to want to take notes. Enjoy the exchange! Peace + Plants, Rich

5 Feb 20182h 39min

Imagine yourself the only female athlete in a very dangerous sport completely dominated by men. You don’t just hold your own. And you don't just break the glass ceiling. Instead, you obliterate it. Kicking serious ass, you make an indelible mark on the sport you love. Along the way, you inspire millions of women and young girls to rethink the limits of their personal potential. This is the extraordinary story of race car driver Danica Patrick (@danicapatrick) — an athlete whose life-long love for speed turned her into one of the most successful, revered, and recognizable professional sports figures on the planet. Although her accomplishments are far too numerous to list, among Danica’s many notable glass ceiling explosions include: * first woman to lead the Indy 500; * highest Indy 500 female finish ever (4th); * first woman to win an IndyCar circuit race; and * first woman to win pole position at Daytona 500 Off the track, Danica is a media magnet. She has served up hosting duties on Spike TV, been featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and appeared in a litany of commercials, music videos, and television shows. In 2006, she published Danica: Crossing the Line*, an autobiography she followed up with the recent release of her brand new mind, body, spirit primer: Pretty Intense*. This is a conversation about Danica's extraordinary career. It's about the lessons she's learned along the way about life, performance and wellness. It’s about a piece of unfinished business she calls the Danica Double – her plan to race both the Daytona 500 and the Indy 500 this year — and it’s a glimpse into the new chapter that lays beyond racing. But most of all, this is a conversation about personal empowerment. It’s about the mindset and practices that made Danica a champion, which can be leveraged to unlock the best version of yourself. In other words, take personal responsibility for your path. Stop wasting time. And start kicking ass. Danica is one of the sweetest badasses I know. I totally enjoyed our exchange. I hope you do too. For the visually inclined, you can watch the podcast on YouTube here. Peace + Plants, Rich

29 Jan 20181h 27min

Today’s podcast features Julie and I speaking at NeueHouse Los Angeles as part of their new series entitled Creative Couples, which examines powerful collaborative partnerships and what make them tick. A primer on how to communicate effectively, collaborate successfully, and ultimately elevate your creative output, this episode — which also features audience Q&A and a special cameo appearance by podcast favorite Guru Singh and his amazing wife Guruperkarma Kaur — is appointment listening for anyone looking to take their relationships and productivity to the next level. An exquisitely appointed work and event space occupying the landmarked 1938 CBS Radio Building on Sunset Boulevard, it was a true honor to present before NeueHouse's dynamic and eclectic community of creators, entrepreneurs, and cultural innovators. Major thanks to Meredith Rodgers, Brian Wanee, Alexandra Van Iden and everyone at NeueHouse for hosting an amazing evening. Plus mad appreciation for allowing me to share the event audio with all of you on this platform. Can I come back and do it again please? NOTE: I'm interested in creating more live podcast events (featuring various guests) in both LA and other U.S. cities. I would like to gauge interest before wading too deep into this exploration, so please let me know (via e-mail or @richroll) if you enjoyed this episode (or the live event episodes from Australia and Dublin) and/or whether you would be interested in actually attending a live event in your locale. I sincerely hope you enjoy the exchange. Peace + Plants, Rich

26 Jan 20181h 18min

Unbeknownst to most, animal agriculture is the number one culprit when it comes to almost every single man-made environmental ill on the planet. Untenable amounts of land, water and feed are required to raise the number of animals necessary to meet demand. Creating more greenhouse gas emissions than the entire transportation sector combined, our voracious appetite for meat and dairy products has produced the largest mass species extinction since the disappearance of the dinosaurs. Meanwhile, the primary driver of ocean acidification, water table pollution, rainforest devastation and a litany of other environmental abominations can be tracked to one primary source: our broken system of food production. Without a doubt, it's a system that's destroying human health, irreparably damaging the planet we call home and creating unspeakable suffering in the process. If we want to survive as a species, we need a new way forward. In my opinion, adopting a plant-based is the single most powerful and impactful thing you can possibly do as a conscious, compassionate consumer. It is the medicine that will prevent and reverse chronic lifestyle disease, preserve our planet's precious resources for future generations, and put an end to mass animal cruelty. Vegan has indeed gone mainstream. That's awesome. But let's not be naïve. The rate at which people are adopting a plant-based lifestyle can't begin to match population growth and its concomitant demand for cheeseburgers and milk shakes. 7.5 billion people currently share this spinning blue planet we call Earth. By 2050, that number will escalate to 9.7 billion. By 2100? 11 billion. How can we possibly feed 11 billion people sustainably? Ask my good friend Paul Shapiro, and he will give you a two-word answer: Clean meat. When Paul — a long-time vegan and mainstream voice for agricultural sustainability — took his first bite of “lab-harvested” meat in 2014, more humans had gone into space than had eaten real meat grown outside an animal. But according to Paul, the clean meat revolution is upon us — and it holds the potential to save the world. Just as we need clean energy to compete with fossil fuels, clean meat is poised to become a competitor of factory farms. Clean meat isn’t an alternative to meat; it’s real, actual meat grown (or more accurately, brewed) from animal cells, as well as other clean animal products that ditch animal cells altogether and are simply built from the molecule up. Today we talk about it. In addition to being among the worldʼs first clean meat consumers, Paul served as the vice president of policy engagement for the Humane Society of the United States, the worldʼs largest animal protection organization. Paul is also the founder of Compassion Over Killing, a TEDx speaker, and an inductee into the Animal Rights Hall of Fame. Enjoy! Rich

22 Jan 20182h 5min