Today the wise & ethereal Julie Piatt -- my wife and partner for the last 20+ years -- returns for her umpteenth appearance on the podcast.

But this time we try something different.

As longtime listeners know well, Julie is a being of many talents. Although widely lauded for her series of bestselling plant-based cookbooks, the one who goes by SriMati is also an artist, musician, yogi, healer, mother of four and serial entrepreneur.

In addition, Julie hosts the For The Life of Me podcast. She reigns over Water Tiger, her online spiritual community. And she’s the ‘Mother Arc’ (her term for founder & CEO) of SriMu, her plant-based cheese brainchild start-up.

Over the years, Julie been a recurring source of spiritual wisdom on the podcast, dropping many a pearl on everything from parenting and creativity to navigating conflict, managing relationships, dealing with financial hardship, and countless other subjects.

Today's episode, however, is something new -- an exploration of Julie as entrepreneur.

Channeling my inner Guy Raz, I give Julie the ‘How I Built This’ treatment — tracing her background growing up in Alaska through her career in fashion. Building a garment line. The pain of shuttering it. The pivot into home construction and interior design. And how all of these experiences inform the business and culture of SriMu, her most successful start-up to date.

You can call me biased. I am. But that doesn’t change the fact that she is poised for world domination with what truly is the best, next evolution of cheese.

The visually inclined can watch our exchange on YouTube. And as always, the podcast streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Aside from the business bent, this conversation is centered on the power of meeting others — and yourself — in love.

As humans, we self-identify with the stories we tell ourselves. We cling to illusions of safety and security. But this moment is challenging the firmness of the ground upon which we stand. Julie reminds us of the impermanence of everything.

Embracing this vital truth will bring you greater peace. It will broaden your empathy for others. And help you identify the answers you seek.

Hint: they have been inside you all along.

Peace + Plants,

Rich