Episode 39: Best of 2017 & The Golden Rule

"3 Years ago, the word "vegan" was foreign, scary, crazy, unhealthy, hipster, and not even a thought to me... now I've come to realize it simply embodies a rule I was taught by my mother at a very young age, the Golden Rule."All the way back in March, I decided to start the Eat Green Make Green Podcast in hopes of educating people about the power of living a plant-based/vegan lifestyle with the intent of positively impacting peoples' lives through telling other relatable stories. I committed to doing one episode each week for the entire year. At the time, however, I only knew 3 other vegans: my mom (who I had only recently coerced into giving it a try) and my friends Pete and Carly. Those were my first 3 episodes, and I had no idea how I was going to find a new person each week to continue the show.Well, it turns out that the plant-based/vegan community is filled with absolute studs. People who went out of their way on a day's notice, people who opened their arms to me, their homes to me, their families to me, and shared my passion to help spread the word about the profound health and environmental impacts of our daily decisions. From Boston to LA to London to Singapore and many places in between, I have been absolutely humbled by the amount of love and support I've received.Although my journey started around health, 38 episodes and 39 guests later, veganism for me has taken on a much broader meaning. A meaning I've always agreed with, but had never truly connected the dots. A meaning that almost every person of every color of every religion has heard of... Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Whether you're Black, White, Brown, Yellow, or Orange, whether you're gay, straight, bi, trans, whether you're rich or poor, whether you walk on 2 legs or 4, whether you have skin or fur... we all feel pain and we all desire, in some capacity, to live.3 Years ago, the word "vegan" was foreign, scary, crazy, unhealthy, hipster, and not even a thought to me... now I've come to realize it simply embodies a rule I was taught by my mother at a very young age, the Golden Rule.As many of you know, I end each episode by asking the guest why he or she "eats green." On this week's episode, listen to the many reasons why all my amazing guests live the plant-based/vegan lifestyles.Thank you to everyone I've met or spoken with in 2017.  I am beyond excited to continue the podcast, meet more amazing people, and positively impact more lives in 2018.