4. John Mackey, Whole Foods CEO, on Food Co-ops, Meditation, and How to Turn Setbacks Into Success

John Mackey is the co-founder and CEO of Whole Foods Market, a company that has shaped the American diet for the past three decades. After joining a vegetarian co-op as a teenager, Mackey discovered a philosophy that would drive him to create one of the nation’s biggest and most beloved supermarkets. Whole Foods has changed the way the world thinks about food and what we expect from a grocery store, thanks to their decision to exclusively sell foods without artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, sweeteners, or hydrogenated fats and their commitment to creating a truly unimagined shopping experience.

John is not just your average, brilliantly successful entrepreneur. Embracing the vegan lifestyle for nearly 15 years, he is vocal in his belief that a plant-based diet can not only save the planet but also everyone living on it. John goes to great lengths to ensure that his company is run as consciously as possible—such as by sending his sickest employees (those struggling with obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and more) through the Whole Foods Total Health Immersion—a $4,000-per-week, medically supervised program designed to reset their diets and kick-start their health journey.

In this episode, we’ll learn more about how the small, organic grocery store running out of a Victorian house (that John also happened to live in) morphed into the international success that is Whole Foods. Mackey will dive into his meditation practices, his go-to matras, his positive associations with stress, and what gets him excited to jump out of bed every morning. If you’re ready for a jolt of motivation, listen on. John’s new book The Whole Foods Diet: The Lifesaving Plan for Health and Longevity comes out this month. 

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