Imagine being the very best in your sport. Undefeated, the future is bright indeed. But deep down the zero sum game of competition just doesn't sit right. Because for you, sport isn't about winners and losers. It's about play. It's about freedom. It's about love.But mostly it's about artistic self-expression.This is the story of Lynsey Dyer.One of the best big mountain skiers on the planet, Lynsey is an extraordinary and most unexpected athletic talent who walked away from competition at the peak of her potential to courageously blaze her own path. A unique path that has helped refine what it means to pursue sport professionally. A path based not on podiums but on adventure. Seeking joy. Empowering others. And expressing one's unique voice.Over the course of a decade long career, Lynsey has won every big mountain competition that she entered. She has also won several freesking competitions and awards including the 2004 International Free Skiers Association North American tour champion. In 2010, Powder Magazine awarded her Best Female Performance for her role in Magic Moments. She has been awarded Female Skier of the year by Powder Magazine, was the first female to be on the cover of Freeskier Magazine and has starred in too many ski films to mention, including projects from legendary filmmaker Warren Miller.Lynsey has starred in or hosted television shows for NBC, ESPN, Bravo, The Ski Channel, Mountainfilm and Outside Television, has appeared on Good Morning America and even produced, directed and starred in her own film, the widely acclaimed Pretty Faces — an all female ski film featuring the best athletes from around the world that beautifully celebrates female empowerment and the transformative power of play. When she isn't crushing powder, Lynsey can be found running her non-profit SheJumps.org, which encourages girls and women to participate in the outdoors through mentorship, and her movie production and apparel company Unicorn Picnic.An unconventional badass, Lynsey is the personification of strength in femininity. A role model for young women across the world with an ethos I'd like my own daughters to emulate.This is a conversation about Lynsey's remarkable life. It's about female impact on a male dominated subculture. It's about courage in defying external expectations to follow your own unique path. It's about the joy and freedom that come from blazing a life of adventure.Simply put, it's a conversation about what it means to pursue sport as art.It was a pleasure connecting with Lynsey. I sincerely hope you enjoy the exchange.Peace + Plants,Rich

Excerpted from the first day of our recent Plantpower Ireland retreat, this special mid-week episode of the podcast is a dynamic Q&A session focused on the process of self-inquiry necessary to objectively asses your life — a condition precedent to birthing expression to an authentic, purpose-fueled path premised on the values you hold most dear.To place this conversation in proper context, the Q&A was preceded by a lengthy discussion (which I decided to not include so as not to overwhelm) on three fundamental questions specifically intended to help frame the assessment process:* Who am I?* If I had just 4 months to live, how would I spend that time?* What would I like to have contributed when life my life is complete?Journaling on the aforementioned is a powerful, highly recommended exercise for anyone seeking greater self-actualization. And this Q&A is an interactive discussion about the hows and whys that underpin these queries. Specific sub-topics include* the power of self-forgiveness* learning to love your faults* how to better align your actions with your values; and* the process of discovering and expressing your authentic voiceI sincerely hope you enjoy the exchange.Peace + Plants,Rich

From the outside looking in, he was living the dream.Killer SoHo loft. Private jets to exotic locales. Rolex, cover model girlfriend and cash. Plenty of cash.But ten years living decadently and extravagantly as a nightclub promoter in New York City took it's toll.By 28, Scott Harrison had become the worst person he knew.Utterly lost, mired in a crisis of conscience and desperate to rediscover his sense of purpose, Scott decided it was time for a drastic change. So he left NYC to spend a year volunteering as a photojournalist aboard a hospital ship off the coast of Liberia, West Africa.During this time, Harrison witnessed and photographed levels of poverty and illness he never knew existed. As one year turned into two, he came to understand that many of the infections and diseases their group treated were waterborne, and could have been prevented if people had access to clean drinking water.Scott couldn't understand why nobody seemed to be focusing on solving this important problem at scale. So he decided to tackle it himself.Upon returning to NYC in 2006, Scott turned his full attention to the global water crisis and the (then) 1.1 billion people living without access to clean water. The manifestation of that commitment is charity:water — a revolutionary for-purpose endeavor that to date has raised over $210 million to fund an astounding 20,000+ water projects that deliver clean water to more than 6.3 million people all across the world.Equally impressive is the extent to which Scott has quite literally reinvented and re-energized how we give and how we think about giving. He did it by creating an aspirational brand. He did it by restoring public trust in charity. And he did it by leveraging technology to deeply connect each and every giver with the gift's specific result and impact.Simply put, Scott Harrison is one of the most impressive people I have ever met. His inspiring story from lost to found is legend.I'm thrilled to share it with you today.My hope is that this conversation inspires action. Because each and every one of us holds the power to positively impact the life of another. And because life is more fulfilling, meaningful and rewarding when we are persistently engaged in the pursuit of service and giving.My call to action? The Spring — charity: water's monthly subscription service. I signed up. And you should too. 100% of all Spring donations go directly to the field to bring clean water to those in need, and Spring members will get updates of the impact their donations have.Let's all pitch in together. As a community. Because even a simple $30 gift can provide one person with clean water. And because it's just cool and awesome to do generously for others.For more information and to sign up, visit our special url cwtr.org/richrollspring or click the banner ad below.This is a special one for me. I hope it is for you too.Peace + Plants,Rich

When did we decide it's “manly” to repress our emotions, oppress the weak and deny our shared humanity?Somewhere along the way the aspirational qualities of masculinity have been denuded by a cultural perversion of the gender norm.Because caring and compassion should not be gender specific.This week on the podcast I sit down with my friend Dominick Thompson to reclaim the best of what it means to be truly masculine. Because there is nothing more manly than demonstrating compassion over dominance. Protection over prey. Restraint over force. Understanding over judgment. And love over bigotry.A leading voice in the vegan & plant-based athlete communities, Domz is an athlete, activist, and the founder of NYC-based start up Crazies and Weirdos — hip, sustainable and eco-friendly clothing made from recycled and organic materials. He is also the founder of Iron Brukal, a sports and fitness brand dedicated to the working professional, with plans to open training facilities in 2019.Prior to becoming a social entrepreneur and activist, Dominick was a healthcare executive responsible for the business development and management of hospital systems and other providers across the eastern region of the United States. A working athlete, Dominick's intense training schedule includes cycling, swimming, running, calisthenics, boxing, cross-fit, cross-training, weight and power-lifting. He competes in 10-12 endurance races per year, including marathons, triathlons, and ultra-races.Dominick has been recognized for his activism across a variety of major news outlets, including NPR News, ABC News, Men’s Muscle and Fitness Magazine, Esquire, Thrive Magazine, Origin Magazine, PETA.com and more. Online, Dominick activates his 159,000+ Instagram followers with a pull-no-punches mix of brutal truth education with relatable, uplifting inspirationBehind the social media and accolades, there is far more to Dominick Thompson than meets the eye. A potent, at times harrowing tale, Domz's narrative is one of unfortunate circumstance. scarring incarceration and a most unlikely redemption.It's also a story never previously told.Until now.I appreciate Dom's trust and the opportunity to help share his life account. A powerful, must listen episode, this is a conversation about hope and belief. It's about a healthy conceptualization of masculinity and the responsibilities that role entails. It's about the resolve required to transcend the victimhood of circumstance. And it's about rebirth into a purposeful life of meaning and service.Survivor. Role model. Hero. Awesome human being. Good friend. Domz is the genuine article. And today he delivers the goods.I sincerely hope you enjoy this powerful, much-anticipated exchange.Peace + Plants,Rich

This mid-week episode of the podcast is a fun, dynamic Q&A session from our Plantpower Australia event in Melbourne, Australia, recorded March 2017.Big gratitude to everyone who helped produce and support our Australia events, including Mel Nahas, Andrew & Claire Davies of New Normal Project, Claire Jennifer and Gary Gorrow of Conscious Club, Mark Maloney and Luke Baylis of Sumo Salad, Lucy Stegley of Raw Events Australia, Andrew “SpudFit” Taylor, photographer / musician Maclay Heriot, Remedy Kombucha, Loving Earth, photographers Nathan Dunn, Noah Hannibal and Lauren Gray and of course the unnamed dozens who volunteered. These events would not have been possible without all of your hard work and supportIn further celebration of the 300 episode milestone, I am giving away 9 #BuildTheHouse t-shirts (I only have men's size large unfortunately). To be eligible to win, simply take a screen shot of your favorite RRP episode and share it on social media with a brief explanation of why you found that particular episode meaningful. Tag your post with #RRPFAVE and we will select the winners one week from today (July 26, 2017). Just a small way for me to say thank you — because without you, this beautiful thing would not exist.I sincerely hope you enjoy the exchange.Peace + Plants,Rich

Addiction doesn't discriminate. It doesn't care how smart you are or how much money you have. Left unchecked, it will destroy your career, decimate your relationships, asphyxiate your aspirations and ultimately bankrupt your soul until you are but a shell of a human being — totally lost, devoid of hope and utterly alone.I've been there. Tommy Rosen has been there too.By the grace of a power greater than ourselves, both Tommy and I found a way out. A solution for sobriety that slowly pieced us back together, made us whole and gave our lives purpose.That solution is the focus of today's conversation.With over twenty-four years of continuous sobriety, Tommy is an addiction recovery expert who has spent the last two decades immersed in yoga, recovery and wellness.He is the author of Recovery 2.0: Move Beyond Addiction and Upgrade Your Life*, and the founder and host of the Recovery 2.0: Beyond Addiction Online Conference. In addition, he holds certifications in both Kundalini and Hatha Yoga and leads Recovery 2.0 retreats and workshops internationally and presents regularly at yoga conferences and festivals.This is a conversation about Tommy's remarkable path to recovery.It's an intense and at times profound discourse on the ravages of addiction and alcoholism.And it's a master class on the healing journey to becoming whole through the lens of Tommy's expertise, which is utilizing yoga and meditation to empower people to free themselves from the prison of addiction and ultimately build purposeful, fulfilling lives.If you are suffering from some form of addiction, this episode is a must listen. Even if you're not an addict, I encourage you to embrace this conversation as a means to better understand the affliction, as chances are you probably know someone in need of help,I sincerely hope you enjoy this powerful exchange.Peace + Plants,Rich

If you want provoke change — real change – it's imperative to take a stand outside the echo chamber of the converted.That's the ethos of professional race car driver and environmental activist Leilani Münter.Named one of the top ten female race car drivers in the world by Sports Illustrated, Leilani races in NASCAR's ARCA Series and is the fourth woman in history to race in the Indy Pro Series (the development league of IndyCar). She has logged impressive performances at both Daytona and Talladega and set the record for the highest finish for a female driver in the history of the Texas Motor Speedway when she finished fourth in 2006.But what’s most intriguing about Leilani — beyond the inherent intrigue of being one of the only female drivers in her sport — is her singular commitment to leveraging her profile to educate, inspire and raise awareness around environmental issues.Winning isn't everything. Change is the goal.Putting her money where her mouth is, Leilani has foregone traditional sponsorship opportunities to race cars draped in oversized logos promoting the documentaries The Cove and Blackfish. At Daytona in February 2017, she raced a car displaying Vegan Powered bills across the hood and sides. And since 2007, she adopts one acre of rainforest for every race she runs.Leilani has presented before the UN in Geneva in 2015 and has appeared on Capitol Hill to speak on behalf of clean energy legislation. In addition, she was one of the first activists to arrive at the 2010 Gulf oil disaster and traveled to Taiji, Japan three times to document the dolphin slaughter depicted in the Academy Award winning documentary The Cove. She sits on board of the Oceanic Preservation Society and on the advisory board of The Solutions Project, a nonprofit dedicated to accelerating the transition to 100 percent renewable energy.Leilani appears in the 2015 documentary Racing Extinction and her accomplishments have been profiled in USA Today, Italian Vogue, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Reader's Digest, Esquire, and Newsweek. Discovery’s Planet Green named Münter the No. 1 eco-athlete in the world, she is a recipient of ELLE Magazine's 2012 Genius
Award, and Glamour Magazine named her an “Eco Hero.”This conversation explores Leilani's upbringing, what motivated her to become a race car driver, and what its like to be one of the only females in her male dominated sport.It's a discussion about the intersection of activism and sport — how Leilani infuses performance with her strident commitment to principles.But mostly this is a conversation about the why behind Leilani's drive. A strong, powerful female role model committed to positively impacting culture, shifting consumer habits and catalyzing beneficial environmental policy change, I aspire to her level of dedication to a better world.As Leilani is fond of saying, never underestimate a vegan hippie chick with a race car.After this conversation, you won't either.I love this exchange and sincerely hope you do too.Peace + Plants,Rich

Four and a half years ago, I hit record and spoke my first words on this podcast from a cavernous warehouse on Kauai's North Shore. An experiment without much forethought, it was at best a simple creative outlet. Without attachment or any expectations whatsoever, I wasn't sure there would even be an episode 2.Today I celebrate 300 episodes. About 500 hours spent going deep with the most compelling minds I could find. It's a catalog I am extremely proud of. A catalog I wish I had access to guide my younger years. A catalog I hope has brought you guidance, perspective, inspiration and education to inform your journey we call life.Today I celebrate by taking a moment to reflect back on the journey with my audio producer Jason Camiolo.Then we launch into a Q&A that was recorded before a small live audience on July 14, 2017 at Sacred Space in Miami at Julie's This Cheese Is Nuts! book launch event.In recognition of the 300 episode milestone and to honor you, the listener, I am giving away 10 signed copies of Finding Ultra as well as a handful of #BuildTheHouse t-shirts. To be eligible to win, simply take a screen shot of your favorite RRP episode and share it on social media with a brief explanation of why you found that particular episode meaningful. Tag your post with #RRP300 and we will select the winners one week from today (July 14, 2017). Just a small way for me to say thank you — because without you, this beautiful thing would not exist.I sincerely hope you enjoy the exchange.Peace + Plants,Rich

Imagine yourself growing up around the wrong people. Because it's easy, you fall into the wrong crowd. Blink, and you’re in. Deep. A victim of impossible circumstances, it’s not long before you're in the wrong place at the wrong time. In the reflexive moment — impulsively and without thought – you do the wrong thing. A thing so terrible, it forever alters the trajectory of your life. A thing so unimaginably horrible, you dedicate the rest of your life in service to atonement.This is the story of Shaka Senghor. At the age of 19, Shaka shot and killed a man. Convicted of second-degree murder, Shaka would spend the next 19 years in different prisons, seven of which were spent in solitary confinement.While inside, Shaka made a decision. A decision to fully own his circumstances. A decision to transcend victimhood, understand his past, free his mind and expand his thinking. When he wasn't voraciously reading, he wrote. And it was through this relentless commitment to knowledge, self-understanding and compassion that he ultimately pulled himself out of the anger that led to his incarceration and prevented him from reaching his full potential.Released in 2010, Shaka did not return to a life of violence. Instead, he committed himself to one singular idea: that our worst deeds don’t define who we are, nor do they prohibit our contribution to a better world. Fidelity to this ideal transformed Shaka's utterly broken life into one of meaning, purpose and advocacy. Now a leading voice in prison reform, he is a powerful public speaker, a Senior Fellow with the Dream Corps, a 2014 TED Prize finalist, a former MIT Media Lab Director’s Fellow, a former University of Michigan lecturer, a current Fellow in the inaugural class of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Community Leadership Network and the founder of The Atonement Project. In addition, he recently launched Mind Blown Media, a new media company that aims to create high-impact content focused on the criminal justice system and mass incarceration.Shaka’s memoir, Writing My Wrongs: Life, Death and Redemption in an American Prison* debuted on The New York Times Best Seller List as well as The Washington Post Best Seller List. He has been interviewed by Oprah and his TED Talk, which received a standing ovation, has been viewed more than 1.4 million times and was featured by TED as one of the most powerful TED Talks of 2014. Shaka has appeared on CNN, CBS This Morning, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Good Day New York, and he has been a guest on numerous radio programs, including NPR’s All Things Considered. And if all that isn't impressive enough, Shaka is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2016 EBONY Power100, the 2016 Ford Man of Courage, the 2016 NAACP Great Expectations Award, the 2015 Manchester University Innovator of the Year, and the 2012 Black Male Engagement Leadership Award.I’m honored to share Shaka’s powerful story with you today.Enjoy!Rich

Meditation master Sharon Salzberg redefines love as an ability to create connections. She discusses cultivating real love, navigating divisive situations with compassion, and the transformative power of self-compassion. The podcast delves into her personal journey, the foundation of Insight Meditation Society, embracing imperfection, setting boundaries, and starting a meditation practice.