Twenty years ago I was a hope to die alcoholic — lost and alone.Despite achieving sobriety, ten years ago I remained lost — overweight, depressed and utterly rudderless.Five years ago this week, I published a book about how I found my way out. A spiritual journey that entailed extreme faith and relentless persistence called Finding Ultra. Today I celebrate the journey of my rebirth — and pause to honor this five year landmark — by taking a look back.Because the growth I have been blessed to experience isn't mine to covet. It's a choice available to all.So today, Julie asks the questions. And I answer them.I sincerely hope you enjoy the exchange.Peace + Plants,Rich

Despite our cultural obsession with weight loss, we've never been fatter.Right now, one out of every three U.S. adults are obese. Another third are overweight. Even worse? 18% of our children are morbidly obese with rates continuing to soar. In lockstep with our obesity epidemic is a shocking escalation of chronic lifestyle illness, including high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, liver disease, and stroke. One out of every three Americans will die of heart disease. Close to 30% of the adult population is diabetic or pre-diabetic. The problem is so bad, 75% of all U.S. healthcare costs are attributable to these conditions — illnesses that quite ironically are avoidable and often reversible through some fairly simple diet and lifestyle changes.So why can't we lose the weight and keep it off?This is the question JD Roth has devoted his life to answering.The man behind a television empire built on the shoulders of a prime-time juggernaut called The Biggest Loser — which aired for an astonishing 17 seasons — JD is the award-winning producer and reality-TV pioneer behind some of the most successful and prolific television programs of our era. More than a decade ago, JD first introduced viewers to the weight-loss TV arena with The Biggest Loser on NBC – now a worldwide, half-billion-dollar brand – and expanded upon it with Extreme Weight Loss on ABC, which ran for five seasons and airs as Obese in more than 130 countries.JD is also author of Big Fat Truth*, and a brand-new television series of the same name (premiering June 11 at 8pm ET/PT on Z Living), which challenges and guides groups of participants unhappy with their weight and health (including some former Biggest Loser contestants who regained their weight), providing them the tools to uncover and tackle the real issues behind the weight while encouraging them to adopt a whole food, plant-based diet over a three month period of mental, emotional and practical mentorship by JD and a panel of experts that include none other than podcast favorite Michael Greger, MD (and a brief appearance by yours truly).Never before has a show advanced plant-based eating as a central conceit. A first in the history of television, I cannot overstate how excited this is for the movement and the world.Today I sit down with the blockbuster producer to unpack it all — including the whirl of controversy that surrounds the successful shows he created.This is a conversation about the cultural phenomenon of weight loss television that JD originated, framed and fashioned. It's about the overlooked mental and emotional barriers that prevent too many from achieving and maintaining optimal weight and health. And it's a conversation about his passion for the plant-based lifestyle, as well as the hows and whys behind his book and new television show that advance this lifestyle as the model way to not only lose weight, but keep it off for good.Irrespective of your opinion on JD's former shows, I can honestly say that JD is truly passionate about helping people — I've seen it first hand, up close and personal. So I urge you to set aside any pre-conceived notions you may have and enjoy!Rich

Close your eyes and imagine yourself running a trail ultramarathon in the beautiful Australian outback. You're enjoying the experience when suddenly you find yourself trapped in a gorge, surrounded by a raging brushfire.The flames quickly close in until you're surrounded on all sides.No escape.This is how it ends, you think.Then darkness.Against all odds, death is averted. Instead, you lie comatose. Months pass in dormancy. Finally your eyes open, awakening to discover you're miraculously alive, yet somehow less than whole. A glance at your left hand reveals several fingers missing. On the right? No thumb. And the reason you can't move? 65% of your body is covered in life threatening burns. Overwhelmed, you allow your eyes once again close, welcoming the comfort of darkness.200 operations follow. Over the next two years, you will die three times during surgery.Miraculously, you somehow survive. Not as a victim, but as a hero.This is the powerful story of Turia Pitt – humanitarian, athlete, and beacon of inspiration and female empowerment to millions across the world.One of Australia’s most admired and widely recognized people, Turia has been profiled everywhere from 60 Minutes to Women's Weekly. She has scaled the Great Wall of China, competed in the Ironman World Championships and walked the Kokoda Track. A sought-after public speaker, Turia has mentored thousands through her online programs, raised funds and awareness for a variety of philanthropic concerns and authored two books — the recently released Unmasked* (available in the US in audiobook format* only) and Everything To Live For*.This is a conversation about turning tragedy into opportunity. Adversity into advocacy. And experience into service. It's a conversation about the importance of putting others before yourself and serving those less fortunate.But most of all, this is a powerful conversation about facing life head on — about taking risks, facing your fears and believing in yourself.It was an honor to spend a couple hours with Turia and her fiancé Michael during my recent visit to Sydney. My hope is that our exchange will leave you feeling inspired, empowered and grateful.Or as Turia says, no whinging!Peace + Plants,Rich

7.5 billion people currently share this spinning blue planet we call Earth. By 2050, that number will escalate to 9.7 billion. By 2100? 11 billion.How can we possibly feed 11 billion people sustainably?To answer that question we must turn our gaze to the industrialization of animal agriculture. On the surface, what we commonly call factory farming appears incredibly efficient, creating massive economies of scale. But peer just below the surface and you'll discover a vast operation of mass suffering that is irreparably polluting the environment, eviscerating our dwindling natural resources and destroying human health to boot.Beyond wasteful. Utterly unsustainable. Indefensibly cruel.Ladies and gentlemen, our food system is in dire need of innovation.So let's talk about it. This week I sit down with Bruce Friedrich, a man who has devoted his life to reforming animal agriculture and innovating the future of food and food systems.Bruce is the executive director of The Good Food Institute and founding partner of New Crop Capital, organizations focused on replacing animal products with plant and culture-based alternatives. He graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown Law and Phi Beta Kappa from Grinnell College, holds additional degrees from Johns Hopkins University and the London School of Economics and was inducted into the United States Animal Rights Hall of Fame in 2004.A popular speaker on college campuses — including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, and MIT — Bruce has appeared on NBC's Today Show, CNN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, and Court TV.As compelling as it gets, this is an extraordinary conversation about animal agriculture, planetary health and human well being. It's about the politics of agriculture and the subsidies, corporations, representatives and lobbyists that support it.But mostly, this is an optimistic forecast of food system innovation — how technology, urgency and popular demand are rapidly converging to create healthy, sustainable and compassionate solutions to help solve our current food, health and environmental crises.Incredibly intelligent, considerate and measured, it was an honor to sit down with Bruce. May our exchange leave you inspired to invest more deeply in where your food comes from and how it impacts the precious world we share.Peace + Plants,Rich

Ever wonder what it would be like to get paid to travel the world, jetting from one exotic port of call to the next in search of adventure?Now imagine sharing these experiences with millions of people all over the world on the daily.Few could pull this off. But if you feel the allure, then you're in for a treat with this week's guest — because Louis Cole is the master.With almost 2 million subscribers on his Fun For Louis YouTube channel (plus 1.5 million on Instagram), this British-born dreadlocked globetrotter was one of the first (if not the very first) daily travel vloggers to break out — an internet personality so sensational, YouTube crown prince Casey Neistat (RRP 73, 144 & 174) dubbed Louis the godfather of daily vlogging.Louis has crossed India on a rickshaw and skydived high above Dubai. He has skateboarded along Sydney Harbor and sailed a hot air balloon in Kenya. From kayaking in New Zealand to salsa dancing in Cuba, it's just another day of fun for Louis — a guy committed to sucking the marrow out of life.But the true allure of Louis isn't travel. And it isn't vlogging.No, Louis' greatest talent is his ability to inspire wonder. Imbued with a rare enthusiasm for embracing all that life delivers, he has an infectious touch when it comes to encouraging his followers to pursue big dreams while he enjoys his own.After a brief training progress report with my coach Chris Hauth, this week I sit down with Louis to find out exactly how he created such an extraordinary life.This is a conversation about cultivating imagination, then translating that imagination into reality. It's about the mindset, tools and practices required to craft the trajectory of your wildest dreams. And to embrace the life you deserve.An old soul with a big heart, Louis is a truly beautiful guy. I sincerely hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I enjoyed having it.Peace + Plants,Rich

Leo Babauta, advocate of minimalism and mindfulness, shares insights on ending human struggle through simplicity and mindfulness. Topics include self-mastery, saying no, embracing discomfort, breaking self-destructive behavior, and transforming through lifestyle changes. The conversation also touches on authenticity in content creation, Zen philosophy, influential spiritual figures, unschooling, veganism, and the Sea Change course and retreat.

From fire walks to ice baths and juice cleanses to intermittent fasting, silent retreats, talk therapy and everything in between, the world of personal development is limitless. And that's not counting all the podcasts, audiobooks, online courses, weekend seminars, weeklong symposiums, webinar tutorials and mastermind intensives that can occupy a well-intentioned seeker dawn to dusk for the next 10,000 years.Beyond the overwhelm, the self-help universe is fraught with snake oil slinging charlatans obfuscating truth from fiction — and all too often salvation from predation.Efforts to divine truth from bullshit render imperfect results. Anxiety ensues. To cope, we double down on improving upon our self-improvement until we wake up one day and realize what began as a laudable quest for growth has suddenly become an obsessive malignancy — a sort of spiritual eating disorder gnawing away on our very soul.Danielle LaPorte has been there. And she's got a message for you:You're the answer to your question.Named to Oprah’s inaugural SuperSoul 100, Entrepreneur magazine calls Danielle equal parts poet and entrepreneurial badass. I call her a powerful force of nature — a teacher, a leader and a mom who also happens to be a lauded public speaker, multiple bestselling author and doyenne of blogging for millions at DanielleLaPorte.com, which Forbes calls the best place online for kickass spirituality.Honest, accessible and authentic to the core, Danielle's books include The Fire Starter Sessions: A Soulful + Practical Guide to Creating Success on Your Own Terms* and The Desire Map: A Guide to Creating Goals with Soul*. Her newest book, which hits shelves everywhere May 16 and is available for pre-order now, is entitled White Hot Truth: Clarity for Keeping It Real on Your Spiritual Path from One Seeker to Another*. A high recommend, it's a fun and accessible rollercoaster ride through the machinations of personal growth, the pitfalls of spiritual glamour and the self-criticism that too often accompanies self-help to deliver a powerful edict: you are your own guru.A beacon of compassion, Danielle is an extraordinary human. A woman devoted to helping people transcend their limitations, access their potential, and truly self-actualize. It was an honor to finally sit down with her and talk it all out.This is a fun, deep and deeply fun dive into Danielle’s divine path. It's an exploration of self-help adventures gone wrong and the breakthroughs that make it all worth it. It's about what happens when spirituality becomes a to do list. And why sometimes we have to fall for lies in order to discover our truth.Ultimately, it's not how you seek spiritual growth, it's why you seek it. Answer this, and you are on the path to becoming your own guru.Enjoy!Rich

We all want what's best for our kids.So we roll up our sleeves and insert ourselves in their education, pitching in on homework and managing school projects. We stimulate them with an endless revolving door of activities. We do what we can to foster good grades, college application-worthy experiences and self-esteem. Along the way, we celebrate victories as if they were our own. And swoop in to protect when things go south.The instinct is laudable: set up our children for success, by any means necessary.But what if we have it all wrong? What if all this hyper-competitive, overly-protective micro-management is doing more harm than good?As a parent of young girls, I desperately want to do everything I can to serve their long-term interests. To learn more, I sat down with educator, writer and speaker Jessica Lahey (@jesslahey). A graduate of the University of Massachusetts with a J.D. concentrating on juvenile and education law from the University of North Carolina School of Law, Jessica is an an English and writing teacher, correspondent for the Atlantic, commentator for Vermont Public Radio, and writes the “Parent-Teacher Conference” column for the New York Times.She is also the author of the New York Times bestselling book, The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed* (highly recommend for parents) and if that's not enough, she also explores writing and creativity on #AmWriting, a podcast she co-hosts with KJ Dell'Antonia, a columnist and contributing editor for the New York Times' Well Family.Specific topics discussed include:* the critical difference between grades and learning* differentiating between confidence vs. competence* the perils of “fixed mindsets”* the nature of what motivates true learning* the negative implications of over-parenting, rescuing, enmeshment & hovering; and* effective strategies to cultivate your child's long-term interests* ultimately its about how to best parent your child to maximize their learning and set them up for long term success.If you are a parent, this episode is a must listen. If you don't have kids, you will nonetheless find Jessica's powerful insights on the psychology of motivation and the mechanisms that promote learning absolutely invaluable and applicable to each and every one of us.I sincerely hope you enjoy the exchange.Peace + Plants,Rich

It’s no secret that aspects of our current education system are at best antiquated, at worst broken. Whether it's quality education in the developing world, properly training people to meet our rapidly changing workforce needs or the crippling student loan debt that onerously burdens millions of young people, we're long overdue for some systemic upgrades.This week's guest has devoted his life to tackling these problems.A young man with a bright future, Adam Braun graduated from Brown and threw himself headfirst into a burgeoning career in finance when an extended backpacking trip across the developing world forever changed his perspective. Inspired by a sense of purpose and a call to service, in 2008 Adam walked away from Wall Street to launch Pencils of Promise – a for purpose philanthropic endeavor with the mission of building schools in countries across the world. A massive success, Pencils of Promise is responsible for over 400 new schools to date, distinguishing itself as one of a handful of charitable organizations that has fundamentally changed how we think about and practice philanthropy and giving.Named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 List, Business Insider's 40 Under 40 List, and Wired's Smart List of 50 People Changing the World, Adam chronicles his remarkable journey in The Promise of a Pencil*, a powerful story of awakening and action that demonstrates how one person can make a huge difference in a short period of time. Debuting at #2 on the New York Times Bestseller list and going on to becoming a #1 national bestseller, it's a favored read among business leaders and can even be found on many a college syllabus.Today finds Adam embarking a new chapter, taking on higher education with an ambitious new start up called MissionU – a for-profit for purpose, venture-backed organization that presents a compelling alternative to traditional college by sending students into the workforce debt-free.This is a great conversation about Adam’s journey to entrepreneurial success. It's about the current state of education, the business of education, and the innovative path forward. It’s a conversation about self-awareness, integrity and lightning moments. But mostly, this is a conversation about the transformative power of leading a meaningful life of service fueled by purpose.I applaud Adam's commitment to dream big and solve huge problems. A special human, I promise you will be captivated by the extraordinary story behind it all.I sincerely hope you enjoy the exchange.Peace + Plants,Rich

This mid-week episode of the podcast is a fun, dynamic Q&A session from our recent Plantpower Way event at Paddington Town Hall in Sydney, Australia.Some of the topics covered include:* raising vegan kids* incorporating podcast guest wisdom into your life* becoming your own self-sustaining ecosystem* carving a career out of your passion* pushing through when discipline wavers* the benefits of mutual partner support* effective advocacy methodsI hope you enjoy the offering. #StayJedi!Peace + Plants,Rich