Returning for his fourth appearance on the podcast, Colin O'Brady is here to elaborate.Longtime listeners are well acquainted with Colin's story from burn victim to boundary eclipsing adventurer. Even if you're new to the podcast, chances are stumbled across his story by way of his appearances everywhere, from the Today show to the Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon.If you missed our previous conversations (RRP#207, RRP#235 and RRP#439), they're an excavation of Colin's origin story growing up on a commune. How he survived an almost lethal burn accident that left him unlikely to walk again. His phoenix-like transformation into a professional ITU triathlete and Olympic hopeful. And how he morphed into a mountaineer with the audacity to attempt such incomprehensible feats of adventure athleticism is well worth the time invested.Today we pick up where our ongoing series last left off.Note: we recorded this conversation many months ago on January 18. My initial plan was to share this episode on February 9. However, on February 2, National Geographic published an article entitled The Problem With Colin O’Brady - a 7,000 word take down that accuses Colin of embellishing his accomplishments.It’s an upsetting piece that left me confused. I’ve known Colin for many years. I’ve spent quite a bit of time with him and his wife Jenna. I consider him a good friend. And myself a decent judge of character. However, in light of this development, it also felt tone deaf to release the podcast as scheduled. So I put a pin it.Two weeks later, Colin published a thorough, 16-page point-by-point refutation of the National Geographic article.I thought it only fair to provide Colin an opportunity to comment on the allegations. So, on March 8 (still pre-pandemic), we sat down again for a subsequent conversation to discuss the controversy particulars.Today I share both conversations. First, the original interview we conducted in January. It's an exploration the hows and whys behind The Impossible Row. The intention behind his new book and the process of birthing it. And a deep dive into human potential and the infinite love that fuels his.Immediately following this initial exchange is an additional 30-minute discourse specific to the National Geographic scuffle appended to the audio version of the podcast and viewable as a stand-alone piece here & below.The visually inclined can watch it all go down on YouTube -- where we separated the main podcast conversation and Colin’s thoughts in response to the article into two distinct videos. And as always, the audio version streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.As Colin and I are both fond of repeating, we all sit atop mountains of untapped potential. May this conversation help you tap yours.Peace + Plants,Rich

Meet Chris Mosier — arguably the most prominent and accomplished transgender athlete working to progress cultural perceptions and activate legislative change.You may recognize Chris from the viral Nike commercial that aired during the 2016 Rio Olympics. In addition to being the first transgender athlete to be sponsored by Nike, Chris holds the distinction of being the first trans athlete ever to be featured in the ESPN Body Issue.Among his many accomplishments, Chris is a hall of fame triathlete, All-American duathlete, 2-time National Champion, and a 6-time member of Team USA. In 2015 he became the first known transgender man to represent the United States in international competition.As an activist, Chris has spent years at the forefront of the LGBTQ+ rights movement, paving a more inclusive path for future trans athletes. In 2015, he was the catalyst for changing the International Olympic Committee’s policy on transgender athletes to provide such individuals with the right to represent their country at the Olympic Games. And in 2016, Chris drove further policy change within the IOC, expanding the rights of transgender athletes to take part in the Olympic Games without the previously required necessity of gender reassignment surgery.Profiled everywhere from Rolling Stone to the New York Times, Chris is also the founder of Transathlete.com, a resource for students, athletes, coaches, and administrators to find information about trans inclusion in athletics at various levels of play. He has mentored transgender athletes around the globe, from high school and recreational to the professional levels, and helped teams, leagues, and professional sports leagues create gender-inclusive policies.Aside from his physical prowess, what impresses me most about Chris is his courage. He had the option to stay silent — to make the most of his passing privilege without enduring the scrutiny that accompanies a public coming out. But he did so to set precedent. To change public perception. And stand as a beacon of hope and possibility for those who will come after him.This is a conversation about Chris’s unique life. His transition. His trials. And his tribulations.It’s about the privileges of gender, race, and class.It’s about what it’s like having your very existence up for debate, and how our country is treating so many of her citizens as non-humans.For context, consider that 41% of trans youth attempt suicide. Horrific and unacceptable, it's a statistic that must change. Together we can do better. So it is with pride that I share Chris’ story, bravery, and vulnerability with you today.Note: This conversation was recorded pre-pandemic, thus there is no mention of the coronavirus. May this episode provide a significant and thoughtful reprieve from your 24/7 pandemic news feed.And for something new & different: Today's appetizer to the main course is Nadia Bolz-Weber -- my favorite heavily tattooed Lutheran pastor from RRP #428 -- who drops in to talk quarantine, 'grace for fuckups' and her fabulous new podcast, The Confessional.The visually inclined can watch it all go down on YouTube. And as always, the audio version streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.I sincerely hope you find this exchange as revealing and enlightening as I did.Peace + Plants,Rich

The media fervor currently swirling the pandemic is a fever of conflicting data and performative politics. Black and white, it's either sequester ad infinitum or back to work now — a conversation devoid of nuance.How to discern fact from fiction? Separate opinion from data? Politics from perspective?Like me, I suspect you're frustrated — yearning for evidence-based answers over conjecture; considered strategy over confusion; and objectivity over punditry.I can’t tell you when this alternate reality (which has morphed into a distorted normality) will cease. What I can offer is the experience and perception of one of the best and brightest in public health and preventive medicine.Meet David L. Katz, MD, MPH FACPM, FACP, FACLM.A pioneering voice in functional lifestyle medicine, David is a graduate of Dartmouth, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine & Yale School of Public Health. In addition, he is the founding director of Yale University’s Yale-Griffen Prevention Research Center, a past-president of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, and the founder & president of the True Health Initiative, a non-profit coalition of more than 500 world-renowned physicians, scientists, and nutrition experts (including myself, the least qualified member of this coalition) committed to establishing and communicating a growing scientific consensus on the optimal diet for human beings and the planet.The recipient of 3 honorary doctorates, David was also a James Beard Award nominee in 2019 for health journalism, has contributed countless articles to top medical journals along with op-eds in The New York Times and other magazines, and somehow found the time to write 17 books, including his latest, How To Eat, which he co-authored with the great Mark Bittman.Although David has been a prominent voice in nutrition science and lifestyle medicine for many years, the pandemic has suddenly foisted him into a very bright spotlight.Currently making the major media rounds, you might have caught one of his recent appearances on Real Time With Bill Maher, CNN or Fox News, where he's been advocating for a more data-driven, targeted public health response to coronavirus.It's a strategy he calls vertical interdiction. It's (strangely) controversial. And it's the focus of today’s conversation — a nuanced discourse on improving how we consider and navigate the landmines of this unique global predicament.I appreciate David's thoughtful perspective and his commitment to service (including treating COVID-19 patients on the outbreak frontlines in the Bronx). He’s eloquent and data-driven. Evidence-based and no-nonsense. And quite charming to boot.To anyone suffering from the virus or the effects of it, my heart goes out to you. This pandemic is hurting us all, some in more catastrophic ways than others. I hope Dr. Katz’s words bring you comfort — he gets as close as he can to providing us with the answers we are all so desperately seeking.The visually inclined can watch it go down on YouTube. And as always, the audio version streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.It’s an honor to share his perspective with all of you today. May you receive it with an open mind and heart.Peace + Plants,Rich

A true force of nature, today's guest needs little introduction. Meet Ingrid Newkirk.The original doyenne of animal activism, Ingrid is the legendary and infamous co-founder and president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, a non-profit she personally shepherded into the largest animal rights organization in the world, currently boasting more than 6.5 million members and supporters.Under Ingrid's stewardship, PETA quite literally put animal welfare on the map. Operating under the principle that animals are not ours to experiment on, eat, wear, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other way, PETA has a storied and often controversial history of exposing countless acts of gruesome and horrifying animal abuse, with it's media-savvy provocateur in chief grabbing headlines and creating significant awareness, policy changes and legal protections along the way.Named a top businessperson of the year by Forbes, Ingrid has been profiled in countless publications -- including twice by The New Yorker -- and has appeared in seemingly every prominent media outlet including the Today Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Larry King, Politically Incorrect, Crossfire, Nightline, and 60 Minutes.Irrespective of your opinions about PETA, Ingrid is someone who has dedicated every breath to what she believes in. Combating injustice. Taking action to change what many of us simply want to deny or avoid. Looking suffering straight in the eye. And doing something about it. That level of purpose -- the courage to speak truth to power, tenacity to weather persistent criticism and stay the course for change -- is rare. It's impressive and laudable.Behind it all, there is an undeniable sincerity to Ingrid. A fascinating, complex, and charismatic character, she’s also deeply sensitive. Quite self-aware. And surprisingly funny. Today Ingrid shares her story.Note: This conversation was recorded pre-pandemic on February 18, 2020. Therefore there is no coronavirus discussion. However, I think Ingrid's message is profoundly of the moment given the undeniable role animal agriculture plays in fomenting disease.The visually inclined can watch it all go down on YouTube. And as always, the audio version streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.In this moment of forced repose, my hope is that we reflect on humanity's misguided entitlement to dominion over all things. Our intelligence is not the gauge of the animal kingdom. And our relationship with the living beings with whom we share this imperiled planet is broken.Ingrid is here to recalibrate that relationship.Peace + Plants,Rich

I've got nothing but love for stories of personal metamorphosis, perhaps the most predominant theme of this show.We call it the hero’s journey.Archetypal and totemic, it’s a most powerful narrative that unites, connecting with something indelible and universal within us all.Over the years, I’ve hosted many flavors of physical triumph. From Olympic medalists to arctic explorers, I celebrate the arc of the athletic warrior.But life’s greatest passage isn’t physical. It’s not free-soloing El Capitan, crossing Antarctica, or running ultramarathons in Patagonia.Our most challenging voyage is learning how to love ourselves.No one embodies this genus of the hero’s journey better than Kamal Ravikant.To be clear, Kamal has more than earned his spot as a respected adventurer living beyond convention. From modest beginnings, he’s trekked to one of the highest base camps in the Himalayas, earned his US Army Infantry patch, walked 550 miles across Spain, and meditated with Tibetan monks in the Dalai Lama’s monastery.Professionally, he’s done it all too, founding a company with the guy who wrote the first browser. From launching startups to managing venture capital funds, Kamal has spent the better part of his career working alongside some of the smartest investors and engineers in Silicon Valley, writing books in his free time.But Kamal's most transformative experience has been the simple act of learning how to love himself.Why is it so hard for us?I first heard about Kamal by way of his frequent appearances on our mutual and beloved friend James Altucher’s podcast.Compelled by his honesty and vulnerability, I felt myself holding space with someone who embodied an important wisdom. A wisdom I lacked. Reflexively, I picked up Kamal's latest book, Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends on It.Spiritual and emotional growth is my jam and yer I never thought much about self-love. So I freely admit I met Kamal's book with a healthy dose of initial skepticism.However, the read ignited a realization that I continue to harbor unhealed wounds. Simple, straightforward and profound, I discovered practices not just helpful, but truly transformative. I wanted to know more.Today we unpack Kamal's heroic journey of the heart.It’s a conversation about his trials and his triumphs. His divine moment. The path of self-discovery that followed. And what he learned surviving a recent near death experience.It’s about how he learned to love himself. The simple routine he deploys to maintain it. And why this practice is essential to living an examined, self-actualized life of presence, purpose and contentment.For the stoics and skeptics, I implore you to set aside whatever resistance you may be feeling right now. And give this one a shot with an open mind and heart.Note: This conversation was recorded pre-pandemic (February 12, 2020), thus there is no coronavirus reference. Nonetheless, Kamal's wisdom is timeless. Moreover, the practices we discuss are powerful tools of self-discovery than can prove transformative as we navigate this challenging time.The visually inclined can watch it all go down on YouTube. And as always, the audio version streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Kamal’s vulnerability is refreshing. I love this conversation and the friendship it has birthed. I hope it serves you as it did me.Peace + Plants,Rich

Chris Hauth and Mishka discuss staying fit during quarantine, the challenges of canceled events, and strategies for maintaining enthusiasm for fitness. They reflect on personal growth, the effects of sequestration, and the importance of human contact. They also share their experiences with quitting drinking and optimizing sleep. Additionally, they talk about adapting to challenges, embracing the current situation, and the benefits of stretch cord exercises for swimmers and non-swimmers.

Every single day you make about 35,000 decisions.Our lives truly are the sum of our decisions compounded. What we do and what we decide quite literally defines who we are.In this destabilizing moment of fear and uncertainty -- when lives quite literally hang in the balance -- the nature and quality of our decision making is paramount. It is thus incumbent upon us all, now more than ever, to optimize our decision making skills.So how precisely do we do this?It’s a question that became an obsession for Shane Parrish, a former computer scientist and spy who began to ply his curiosity and copious analytical aptitude to create a canonical roadmap to drive better judgment, better decisions, and ultimately better life outcomes for himself and others.According to Shane, the key is expanding our mental models, the frameworks we craft and rely upon to simplify complexity and understand the world. Prioritizing objective reasoning, mental models help to better frame the decision-making process, putting us in a better position to create relevancy and succeed in life.One of the biggest influencers across Wall Street, Silicon Valley and professional sports, Shane is a former cybersecurity expert for Canada’s version of the NSA and the founder of Farnam Street — a curated collection of research and musings to sharpen your mind, help you make smarter decisions, and ultimately live better.Featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and The Economist, Shane also hosts The Knowledge Project podcast (always high in my personal rotation), pens the Brain Food weekly newsletter and is the author of The Great Mental Models Vol. 1: General Thinking Concepts and The Great Mental Models, Volume 2: Physics, Chemistry and Biology — the first two releases in a series of books designed to improve your decision making, productivity, and how clearly you see the world.We begin today's exchange with Shane’s prior career at Canada’s top intelligence agency. His take on cybersecurity in a post 9-11 world. And the lessons he learned from his time as a spy.It's a conversation about the importance of reading and deep learning— training yourself to remember everything you read and how to apply it to your life.And it’s about developing your mind and thought processes to create a competitive advantage.But more than anything, this is a conversation about distilling wisdom into teachable formulae for living a better, more fulfilling, more wholesome life.Because how we decide is how we live.The visually inclined can watch it all go down on YouTube. And as always, the audio version streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Note: this conversation was recorded on February 11, 2020 -- weeks prior to the alternate reality we find ourselves in today. Therefore, there is no talk about the pandemic. Nonetheless, Shane's wisdom and experience is both timeless and timely. I suspect you will find this exchange instructive and helpful in navigating the perils of our current situation.If you are interested in Shane's pandemic related thoughts, he recently penned an excellent piece on Farnam Street entitled What You Truly Value.I’m grateful for this exchange and am better for it. My hope is that you find Shane as dynamic and helpful as I did.Peace + Plants,Rich

Completing a marathon is a noble accomplishment.How about completing a marathon on every continent? A feat of a lifetime.Now imagine completing a marathon in every single country in the world. Impossible?Meet Nick Butter — an enterprising young Brit who recently reframed human potential, becoming the first person in history to crush 196 marathons in all 196 countries.A world-record setting feat noteworthy for daunting financial and logistical challenges that often dwarfed those athletic, it took Nick and his team two years to plan and 674 days to complete — an astounding accomplishment that entailed running 3 marathons, in 3 new countries a week, every week, for 96 weeks, blowing through 10 passports and 455 flights along the way.More Jason Bourne than Forrest Gump, Nick ran through 15 war zones and endured several Argo-esque border crossings. He was mugged twice and repeatedly attacked by dogs, even going so far as to run 335 laps around a car park on the Marshall Islands to avoid that country’s overrun population of rabid canines. He had his luggage stolen. He ran in extreme cold and unbearable heat, oftentimes starting marathons at two or three in the morning to avoid 140-degree weather. He repeatedly succumbed to food poisoning and kidney infections. This list goes on.But ultimately, Nick prevailed -- and learned a few things about life along the way.What drives a man to attempt such a feat? In Nick’s case, it wasn’t fame. It wasn't notoriety. It was something far greater.In 2016, while enduring Marathon des Sables deep in the Moroccan desert, Nick struck up a friendship with fellow ultrarunner Kevin Webber — a man given just two years to live, courtesy of incurable advanced prostate cancer.Kevin’s courageous life embrace inspired Nick to rethink his career path in finance. Empowered him to tackle an impossible goal. And motivated him to raise funds and awareness for prostate cancer solutions along the way.This is a conversation about the physical, mental, and emotional strength it took to conquer a challenge of breathtaking magnitude.It’s about the obstacles faced and overcome. The lessons learned. And the importance of giving back.It’s about audacious dreams. Unbridled adventure. And the courage required to jump into the unknown without a safety net.But more than anything, this is a conversation about this fleeting, shared experience we call life — and what we can all learn from Nick's example about ourselves and our place in the world.The visually inclined can watch it all go down on YouTube. And as always, the audio version streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Note: This podcast was recorded pre-pandemic (on January 28, 2020).Reminder: I recently created a Facebook Group for fans of the show to to congregate. Click here to join.I think you're going to fall in love with Nick. I sure did.Peace + Plants,Rich

One of the deepest integrative thinkers active today, today's guest is a voice both crucial and integral to this conversation.Meet Charles Eisenstein.A speaker, writer, and social philosopher focusing on themes of human cultural evolution, economics and consciousness, Charles is the author of several books, including Climate - A New Story, Sacred Economics, The More Beautiful World our Hearts Know is Possible, and The Ascent of Humanity.A graduate of Yale University, where he acquired degrees in both mathematics and philosophy, Charles is a counter-culture intellectual and proponent of alternative political and economic narratives that combine ecology, biology, philosophy & spirituality to challenge our current system. You can find his essays, videos, courses and podcasts at charleseisenstein.org. Recognizing the delicacy of this moment, I’ve been very careful about who I invite on the show to discuss it.The pandemic has cast a cosmic panic I am not interested in amplifying. Nor do I feel it appropriate to deliver an empty dose of conjectural optimism.I don’t hold myself out as knowing what exactly is happening. I don’t think any of us do.I can’t give you a prediction or a prescription.What I can offer is perception. Some perspective. And a broader aperture to reckon with the many ramifications of this most unusual global event.Last week I devoured a recent essay by Charles entitled The Coronation. I found it to be one of the most insightful and well-considered long reads on how to think expansively about our current moment. It’s a piece that has stayed with me -- and the motivation behind today's exchange.In the vein of my exchanges with Dr. Zach Bush, this is a thoughtful and at times metaphysical conversation about completely redefining our definition of normal.It's about the potential energy of this shared experience to unite humanity around reinventing society wholesale. It’s about asking questions. It’s about challenging the dominant narrative. Taking a hard look at our institutional failures. And the systems that perpetuate them. But more than anything, this a conversation about standing in our fear. As we delicately wade through the muddy waters of media calamity, conspiracy theories, and fake news, it's about learning how to listen. How to feel. And how to excite the senses around the quiet call that change is actualizing. Without minimizing the severity of what is and what is to come, this truly is our opportunity to cast a new world.May Charles Eisenstein be our gentle steward.Audio Note: This podcast was recorded remotely. Therefore, please excuse the audio quality, a somewhat eroded version of what you’ve come to expect.Facebook Group: I have been remiss in not previously announcing that I recently created a Facebook Group for fans of the show to to congregate. Click here to join.I'm honored to host today's discourse. May it leave you better than you were before.Peace + Plants,Rich

Today Leah Garcés joins the podcast with a public service announcement: everything you think you know about chicken is wrong.The new president of the international non-profit Mercy for Animals, Leah Garcés has spent her life on the frontlines of the animal welfare movement exposing what actually transpires inside industrial chicken farms. Devoted to improving conditions for factory-farmed animals, she has made significant progress not through a traditional strategy of antagonism, but instead by pursuit of cooperation, working alongside some of the largest food and agriculture companies in the world -- including Perdue, Popeye’s, Panera & Chipotle -- to produce positive change.In her new book, Leah chronicles her experience teaming up with whistleblowers in the megafarm industry. Part memoir, part investigative thriller, Grilled: Turning Adversaries into Allies to Change the Chicken Industry is a great read that not only elucidates the ills of our broken food system, but also casts an optimistic lens on a better future for food, animals, and humans.Most impressive is Leah's profound empathy. Not just for the animals, but for the people most animal rights folks consider the enemy: the factory-farmers; the slaughterhouse workers; and the corporate executives that control animal intensive farming.Rather than fight against these people, Leah adopted a different approach, working with them instead.It's a tactic that might strike the hardened animal rights activist as anathema. Controversial and perhaps even unacceptable. But the cornerstone of the vegan movement is compassion. And lasting change can only come from directing that emotion not just to the animals, but to all — including the people behind the animals.Today we unpack all of it.It's a conversation about the insidious reality of industrial chicken farming. An exploration of the modern-day farmer's plight as an indentured servant. And the industrial complex that entrenches our broken and undeniable cruel system of food production.But ultimately, this is a conversation about empathy. It’s about practicing what you preach. And the strategies required to create sustainable change to forge a better world for all.The visually inclined can watch it all go down on YouTube. And as always, the audio version streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Note: For those who shut down at the mere mention of animal rights, I ask only that you set aside your preconceived judgments. Because this conversation isn’t just about the suffering of animals. It’s about the suffering of people. And it’s about a system that is hoodwinking us all, including the chicken farmer with his boots in the ground.Final Note: this conversation was recorded pre-pandemic on January 31, 2020. Our world has since changed. But given what we are learning about the relationship between large-scale intensive animal farming and the propagation of disease, Leah's message, experience and wisdom is more relevant now than everI am grateful for Leah's advocacy and passion. May you find this conversation as impactful as I did.Peace + Plants,Rich