157: How a Whole-Food Plant-Based Diet Helped Reverse Heart Disease and Embrace Aging Like a Badass With Lauren Bernick

What happens when you stop accepting “this is just aging” and decide to do something about it?

In this episode, Lauren Bernick shares her real, no-fluff journey from a high cholesterol diagnosis and clogged arteries to reversing heart disease markers, reclaiming her energy, and stepping into midlife feeling stronger, lighter, and more alive than ever.

This isn’t about perfection, it’s about what happens when you treat your body like it matters.

We talk food, freedom, friendship, and what it takes to change your health story at any age.

We dive into:

• Lauren’s wake-up call: high cholesterol and “gunked up” arteries
• How a whole-food plant-based diet changed her heart health markers
• What improved in her arteries (and what surprised her doctor)
• Navigating restaurants, social life, and staying plant-based in real life
• B12 and supplementation
• Self-kindness over self-criticism
• Building community and why it matters for longevity

Helpful links:

• Age Like a Badass Mother website
• Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn
• The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook
• Check out Clean Food Dirty Girl Meal Plan Club for heart-healthy plant-powered recipes

About

Lauren Bernick – Host, Age Like a Badass Mother Podcast
Lauren Bernick is a dynamic health advocate, speaker, and educator who transformed her life after a 2015 diagnosis of coronary artery disease. Through a whole-food, plant-based diet, she reversed the disease, lost weight, and regained energy. She now hosts the popular podcast Age Like a Badass Mother, where she explores fresh perspectives on aging with humor and heart. Lauren holds a BA in Communication from the University of Houston, a Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from eCornell’s T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies, and spent 25 years as Director of Advertising for a pharmaceutical journal. Her background in stand-up comedy helps her connect with audiences in a way that’s honest, funny, and deeply human.

Lauren Bernick transformed her life after a 2015 diagnosis of coronary artery disease. Through a whole-food, plant-based diet, she reversed the disease, lost weight, and regained energy. She now hosts the popular podcast Age Like a Badass Mother, helping people make the rest of their lives, the best of their lives.

About Clean Food Dirty Girl

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