The Genuinely Interested Podcast

Damien is a very interesting individual with a very unique story. Firstly, he is not your typical vegan. Damien was an army man - having a military background, he served in Iraq and eventually decided to come to Africa - where he had his life epiphany. in 2009 Damien decided to liquidate all his financial assets and set forth on a mission of conservation, one which he has dedicated the last 11 years to. He founded the International Anti Poaching Foundation, an organization that focuses on conservation and anti-poaching efforts.  The IAPF is also the first-ever to start an all-female ranger unit called Akashinga. Akashinga's main effort is to attempt to de-escalate dangerous poaching situations (rather than using force) - and they have seen massive success in the last few years. With Jane Goodall on the advisory board, the IAPF, headed by Damien, has become a real force for good in the areas in which they operate. During our chat, we discuss Damien's journey from a mischievous lad in Australia, to serious army man, to eventually the role that he holds now - protecting wildlife and conserving the environment in southern Africa. In his sharing of his time in the army, having had a military background myself, I definitely felt a connection and an understanding of what he went through. I had such a great time talking to Damian, who is currently at the main IAPF headquarters in Zimbabwe. I'm really grateful to have this opportunity to connect with people from all over the world. My Take - People change. We are always evolving, and our past/life experiences do not always predicate where we will end up in the world - or the beliefs we will hold which will mold our lives. Having had the epiphany he did, Damien went with it, changed his life, and is now at the forefront of animals and habitat conservation. A truly inspiring story!  International Anti-Poaching Foundation - https://www.iapf.org/ Damien Manders' Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/damien_mander/ Comments, requests or questions, please reach out - my email is roybntz@gmail.com

At a young age, Hemant figured out that something just didn't feel right. He didn't believe what his parents, society, and his peers were telling him was an absolute truth -  so like any curious mind - he started digging, reading, and researching until he eventually found some answers. Today Hemant runs the popular website and Youtube channel - "The Friendly Atheist", where he imparts some of his thoughts, debunks myths held in religious circles, and questions religious norms. I had a late-night conversation with Hemant as we sat down to discuss religion, atheism, politics, and more. We discussed the morality and ethics of the bible and the stories it holds sacred. We discussed cults and cult-like behavior vs. religion - and many other interesting facets in today's political sphere.  It's important to have an open dialogue about subjects that people don't feel comfortable about, it is really the only way we can analyze the subject, and ourselves, in relation to it. My Take - Using attack words as a method, or forcibly attacking another side for their religious or political ideologies - is a sure-fire way to make people hold their convictions even stronger. What Hemant does masterfully in his videos - is create content that is informative and fun - and that anyone can watch. He leaves others the space to make up their own minds on how they feel. I believe his method of putting out content is a smarter path - if you want to change hearts and minds. I hope you enjoy this episode Hemant Mehta - https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/ Comments, requests or questions, please reach out - my email is roybntz@gmail.com

At the forefront of plant-based education and innovation stands Matthew Kenney. With dozens of plant-based restaurants worldwide, online education courses, four different products, ten books, and many future projects ahead (all centered around a plant-based lifestyle), it is safe to say Matthew is a world leader in this space. His restaurants are wildly successful and are visited by vegans and non-vegans alike. We discussed the life journey that took Matthew from hunting as a kid in Maine, to be mostly raw vegan at a later stage in his life. How he overcame adversity, only to become more focused and able to reinvent himself as a plant-based chef, educator, and innovator. Matthew is a true testament to the success of taking risks when passion and hard work are combined. Restaurants are always said to be a risky endeavor. However, branching out from the known into the unknown - creating high-end plant-based eateries at a time when there were very few - comes with its own set of challenges. Through it all, Matthew has continuously found success in this space, putting forth eateries that reflect his beliefs and heartfelt principles. I thoroughly enjoyed talking to and learning from Matthew in this episode. For every episode, I will start to include my biggest take away from the experiences and knowledge my guests share. My Take: I believe that by living your life with a focus on good/nutritious food, working out, reducing stress, and pursuing your passion - you will increase your odds of success (career, personal life, relationships, etc), longevity, and overall health. Enjoy the episode! Matthew Kenney - https://www.matthewkenneycuisine.com/ Matthews Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/matthewkenneycuisine/?hl=en Comments, requests or questions, please reach out - my email is roybntz@gmail.com

Jill is the founder and CEO of the incredible non-profit organization Animals Asia. She heads Animals Asia's team of over 300 enthusiastic staff. Jill founded Animals Asia in 1998. This was five years after an encounter with a caged bear, on a farm in southern China, changed her life forever. Ever since, there has been no going back. Animals Asia is one of the only non-profits that is close to reaching the goal they set out to achieve -  to end bear bile farms. This is an admirable achievement -  only through intervention, education, and perseverance can one achieve the results Jill has. To date Animals Asia has saved over 600 bears, giving them a second chance at life and a life worth living. Jill has the only bear sanctuary in China, which in itself is an achievement, and has worked closely with the government of China to help these bears. She says we should not completely disregard & dismiss traditional Chinese medicine (which is where the bile is primarily used) -  but that the medicinal benefits these medicines do have can be easily replaced by ingredients from plants, eliminating the need to harm these animals. Over the years she has seen a shift in attitude towards animals in China & the rest of Asia, When she started there were no animal nonprofits, now there are over 200. This is certainly a move in a positive direction. I had a great time talking to Jill, and I urge you to listen to her talk about a plan 30 years in the making. Success in all forms does not occur overnight, it takes time & perseverance to achieve one's goals, Jill is an excellent example of this exact thing Enjoy The Podcast! Animals Asia - https://www.animalsasia.org/ Any comments, requests or questions, please reach out - my email is roybntz@gmail.com

Asher Yaron is a self-proclaimed "Coffee F.R.E.A.K".  He has been involved and exposed to each and every stage of the coffee-making process, or to say, “from the cherry to the cup”. His true passion is to share his coffee knowledge and experience with as many people as possible through his online “Coffee University”.  He truly believes that the powerful effects of Arabica coffee (only drink Arabica people!) can change people’s lives for the better. I found out about Asher and his work through his very entertaining and eye-opening Ted Talk from 2012. On the podcast, Asher talks about how the majority of coffee most of us regularly purchase and consume is actually dead. He deep dives into a better and healthier way to consume our coffee - through the power of the raw coffee bean and consuming freshly roasted coffee very shortly after roasting. Coffee is ubiquitous, we consume it daily - some of us can't start our days without having at least one cup of this magical liquid. According to Asher, most of us don't really know what a fresh cup of coffee tastes like and what the true potential and benefits of coffee can be - that we have yet to unfold and experience. Asher took me to Coffee University in this episode, painting a very clear picture of how he sees the upcoming "4th wave" of coffee coming to fruition. Enjoy the episode! To get Asher's E-book for free, just put your name & email in the link below. https://coffeetruther.com/4thwaveaudio/ Asher's website - https://coffeetruther.com/ - Asher's Ted Talk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaQNy0Ef4YY Any comments, requests or questions, please reach out - my email is roybntz@gmail.com

"Felix" is a former Mossad agent who was one of the agents in charge of smuggling Ethiopian Jews through Sudan into Israel in the 1980s. This operation was recently made into a movie that Netflix bought the rights for. However "Felix", says there are many discrepancies between the movie and what actually happen. From 1979 - 1990, Israel ran many smuggling operations. Their goal was to bring Ethiopian Jews from Ethiopia to Israel, during a time when the Ethiopian president had declared Israel an enemy state - and vowed not to let any Jews leave Ethiopia. Against all odds, Israeli intelligence managed to bring over thousands of refugees, using a luxury resort hotel as a cover for why they were there. The creativity, boldness, and honest desire to help people is what made this operation so legendary and captived the minds of people many decades after. I spoke to "Felix" about the mission, what it's like staying in character for extended periods of time, and the logistics of the operation. He also tells some fascinating, and hilarious, stories of things that occurred during their time there. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did. Any comments, requests or questions, please reach out - my email is roybntz@gmail.com

Tal is a travel vlogger with a very entertaining and successful Youtube channel. He has been traveling the world for the last 6 years, amassing a large following along the way. Initially, Tal was just documenting his travels as a way to share his experiences with friends and family. With time, however, he has evolved from just documenting his travels to an actual content & film creator, with almost 20 million views on his channel. He has used creativity, & perseverance to grow his Youtube channel into what it is now. This success allows him to travel, create awesome and valuable content for his viewers and make a living off it, for a young person who wants to see the world this is absolutely amazing. Tal took the less road traveled, instead of going to college and getting a 9-5 job, he decided to essentially study the world. By traveling and immersing himself in different cultures, meeting different people, and always learning and growing through travel. You can say Tal is a student of the world. It was an absolute pleasure talking to Tal, we discussed how he got started, how he deals with hateful comments, what he has learned from traveling the world, what were some of his favorite and least favorite places and most importantly what is Clatt? Enjoy the show guys. Tal's Youtube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/user/moviemusicman1996/featured Comments, requests or questions please reach out, my email - roybntz@gmail.com

Paul Hilton is a conservation photojournalist. He has worked with Greenpeace, Animals Asia, Rainforest Action Network, Wildaid, Racing Extinction, and many more non-profit organizations. Paul has documented elephants in Kenya, orangutans in Indonesia, bear bile farms in China, sharks in our oceans, and most recently koala's in Australia - along with many more animals in many places. Being a photojournalist who sheds light on the massive ecological collapse happening all around us - to both our natural world and the animals that inhabit it - is no easy task.  Armed with a camera, Paul uses his powerful images and thought-provoking language to show the world the injustices taking place against those that can't speak for themselves - the animals. We spoke about how Paul got his start as a photographer, and with time, how he made the switch into conservation photojournalism. We discussed the risks he faces, shooting in illegal underworlds, where anything can happen - and how he personally deals with the horrific things he has witnessed over the decades. Change doesn't happen overnight, but Paul's persistence to document the plight of animals is what reaches hearts and minds, and creates change - through educational content, conservation efforts, and enforced regulations. Our daily choices do matter, and affect the environment and the world around us. Instead of relying on our governments to take action to help our planet and the animals, we can try in our own ways to help conservation and animal relief efforts - the first step being our day to day choices as consumers. Listen to the podcast for more information on how we can affect change. It was a pleasure to have Paul on the podcast, enjoy the show! Paul Hilton - http://www.paulhiltonphotography.com/ Paul Hilton Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/paulhiltonphoto/ Comments, requests or questions please reach out, my email - roybntz@gmail.com

Captain Paul Watson is a Candian/American marine wildlife conservation and environmental activist, who founded the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an anti-poaching and direct action group focused on marine conversation and activism. Paul co-founded Greenpeace, which he left in 1977. That same year, he formed the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Paul is an icon in the animal activism and conservation community. His work puts him in physical danger - as he acts as a buffer between killer ship vessels and innocent whales / marine wildlife. All of this, while changing and educating hearts and minds through several documentaries. With his catchphrase "If the oceans die we die", he has a no-nonsense approach and a deep belief in his quest to save ocean wildlife, the oceans, and subsequently, humans. Sea Shepherd is an international, non-profit marine conservation organization that engages in direct action campaigns to defend wildlife and conserve and protect the world’s oceans from illegal exploitation and environmental destruction. They are one of the most well-known activism movements with 22 chapters in the US and many more globally. On the podcast, Paul explains how he formed Sea Shepherd, what he is most proud of as far as goals achieved, some crazy stories from sea, and what keeps him motivated to do what he has been diligently doing for 5 decades. It was a great honor to speak to Paul - a man who has inspired me, personally, over the years. Sea Shepherd - https://seashepherd.org/ Captain Paul Watson Twitter - https://twitter.com/CaptPaulWatson Captain Paul Watson Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/captainpaulwatson/ Comments, requests or questions please reach out, my email - roybntz@gmail.com

Adam is an actor, both in film and theatre, and recently starred in the HBO hit series - Our Boys.  Originally from Israel, Adam decided to come to the US right after being discharged from the army to join the Broadway show The Bands Visit - which was based on a famous movie his father starred in back in 2007.  Adam's love for the arts is infectious. It’s always a pleasure to be around people who are authentically passionate and enthusiastic. I believe those energies are the engine that propels most of us to a higher existence, to move us forward in the direction of our dreams with a clear goal.  In this week's episode, Adam and I discussed his childhood, growing up with a famous father, the political nature of the show Our Boys, the difference between film and theater, and much more.  If you are a fan of the show Our Boys, you should listen to the podcast as Adam gives insights into specific scenes!!  As always, enjoy the podcast! Adam's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/adammgabay/?hl=en Comments, requests or questions please reach out, my email - roybntz@gmail.com