You've probably heard of GMOs. You might even have an opinion on the subject of genetically modified food. But I think it's fair to say most of us are woefully under-informed when it comes to truly understanding and fully appreciating the vast extent to which this rapidly evolving science impacts all of us on a daily basis.54% of all Americans polled know little to nothing about GMOs despite the fact that 80% of all processed foods currently contain GMO.Those statistics shock me. Even worse? To date there exists no long-term studies on the impact of GMO on human and environmental health.I'm no expert on the issue. But I do know we need to talk more about GMO. Because they were so great on their first appearance on the podcast ( RRP 191 ), I invited Daryl Wein & Zoe Lister-Jones to return to the show to bring us up to speed on the latest scientific and political developments in this incredibly important and rapidly evolving world.In case you missed our first conversation, Daryl and Zoe are the filmmaking dynamic duo behind Consumed, a dramatic thriller in the vein of Erin Brockovich and Traffic set in the incendiary world of genetically engineered food. You may also know Zoe from her prime time CBS comedy sit com Life In Pieces or her appearance in Confirmation, the new HBO drama about the Anita Hill scandal.Daryl and Zoe are not scientists and they don't play ones on film or television. They are artists. That said, they are passionate and incredibly informed when it comes to the broader, long-term implications of toying with the genetic material that forms our biosphere.Few issues are as delicate, controversial or emotionally charged as GMO. It takes courage to tackle the subject on film. I applaud that.Today we pick up where RRP 191 left off and get granular, diving much deeper into what in my opinion qualifies as one of the most important subjects of our time. Specific topics explored include:* what are GMOs?* the conundrum of labeling* the need for long-term scientific study* factory farming awareness* the power of the people & affected change* widespread use of glyphosate in our food supply* industrialized agriculture & controlling the food source* consolidated capitalism* genetically engineered animalsAlso, Consumed was just released on demand. It's available in certain territories on iTunes, Amazon and Google Play, but the best place to find it, stream it, download it, watch it and learn more is consumedthemovie.com.The film is really well done — impactful, earnest, thoughtful and entertaining. But it’s not a documentary. It doesn’t presuppose to answer questions, only ask them.As for questions, I've got a few of my own. So let’s get to the asking.I sincerely hope you enjoy the exchange.Peace + Plants,Rich

This week we shift gears.I admit it. Having famous celebrity guests on the podcast is fun. If you had told me three years ago that people like Moby, Arianna Huffington and Russell Simmons would actually reach out to me to sit down for a long conversation, I would have said you were insane.More gratifying is introducing you to important people from my personal life. Anonymous and relatable everyday men and women who also happen to be extraordinary.I believe these people form the heart and soul of the RRP. It's what truly distinguishes this show from the others.Chris Davis is one of those guys.He isn’t famous. He hasn’t written a book. He’s just a guy. A husband, father and worker among workers doing his best to navigate this messy labyrinth we call life just like the rest of us.But dig deeper and you'll find an extraordinary man with an astonishing story.Because Chris Davis should be dead.From alcohol-fueled blackouts in Germany to crack-induced psychosis in Long Beach, Chris Davis was a lost cause drug addict / alcoholic on a crash course with jails, institutions and ultimately death. Miraculously, he recovered from what by all accounts was a hopeless and incomprehensible state of desperation and demoralization.His reward? A beautiful life. A family. The gift of helping countless achieve and maintain sobriety.Then liver cancer.The prognosis? 14 months. Get your affairs in order.But Chris had his own plan.This is a story about survival. It's about the insanity of addiction and the miraculous mysteries of sobriety. It's about human will, courage, faith and surrender.The story of Chris Davis is a hero's journey worthy of Joseph Campbell himself.It's a privilege to have this man in my life. It’s a privilege to call him friend. And it’s a privilege to share his story with you today.Peace + Plants,Rich

He's set his head on fire, backflipped off buildings, snorted wasabi and leaped off a bridge from a moving car. He even stuck a fish hook through his cheek and put fireworks where they should never go. Don't get me started on what he's done with a stapler.Ever since he snatched a video camera from his father's closet at age 15, Steve-O has lived for attention. And the Jackass star learned early and often that public adulation escalated in lock step with the outrageousness of his behavior.The equation was simple: the further he pushed the envelope, the more America's favorite prankster felt loved and alive.Insanity ensues.Still, it wasn't enough. It would never be enough. An insatiable hunger for wholeness that could never be sated. A spiritual hole he almost died trying to fill — first through external validation, then through substances. As insanely dangerous as his stunts had become, it was drugs and alcohol that ultimately brought Steve to his knees. To the brink of death. To the psych ward. To sobriety.It was March of 2008. A moment that broke him. A moment that saved him.Let's back up.Steve-O knows how to play the idiot.But Stephen Glover is no moron.Growing up in five countries fluently speaking three languages, Steve has maintained household name status for almost two decades in an industry famous for it's flash in the pans and also rans. He's starred in a variety of television shows and movies, including (of course) three global blockbuster installments of Jackass. Sober since 2008, he wrote the New York Times bestselling memoir Professional Idiot*, then reinvented himself as a successful stand-up comedian. On the heels of his recently released Showtime special Guilty As Charged, Steve has taken his unique blend of comedy, stunts, stories and performance art on the road, selling out venues across across the globe.I've known Steve for over seven years. When the camera is off, he's far more grounded than you might imagine. Surprisingly self-aware, present, generous and contemplative are just a few descriptors that spring to mind.That's the Steve I'm interested in.So this week we go beyond Steve-O to meet Stephen Glover — the human being behind the clown, comedian, stunt man and provocateur.The best part? We're joined by Steve's dad. Not only was this Ted Glover's first podcast, I believe it's the first time Steve and Ted have ever been interviewed together (at least on audio).The result is glorious.This is a conversation about health, environmentalism and ethics. It's about the damage inflicted by addiction on loved ones. It's about recovery, forgiveness and spiritual evolution. It's about what used to drive Steve and what drives him now.But most of all it's about the love between a father and son.This one's special. Yeah Dude!Peace + Plants,Rich

Most know Moby as the eclectic and introspective DJ / musician behind Play — an album that sold over 12 million copies and elevated dance electronica from the clubs of lower Manhattan into a full-blown mainstream phenomenon.Far more interesting is the story of Moby himself.Reared in suburban poverty by a single mom, Moby was an awkward, alienated kid who turned early and often to music for comfort. Classical guitar and music theory morphed into high school punk efforts like the Vatican Commandoes and post college dropout stints DJ'ing at local Connecticut nightclubs. But traction eluded him.So in 1989, this poor, white, skinny, Christian, vegan teetotaler pilgrimaged south to lower Manhattan, thrusting his frail, wide-eyed self into the beautiful, hedonistic, harrowing life of art, music & impoverished squalor that defined the drug-fueled dance music scene of downtown New York City in the 1990's.Cribbing from the flap copy of Porcelain*, Moby's arresting, magnificent new memoir hitting bookstores next week, “[h]e would learn what it was to be spat on, to live on almost nothing. But it was perhaps the last good time for an artist to live on nothing in New York City: the age of AIDS and crack but also of a defiantly festive cultural underworld. Not without drama, he found his way. But success was not uncomplicated; it led to wretched, if in hindsight sometimes hilarious, excess and proved all too fleeting. And so by the end of the decade, Moby contemplated an end in his career and elsewhere in his life, and put that emotion into what he assumed would be his swan song, his good-bye to all that, the album that would in fact be the beginning of an astonishing new phase: the multimillion-selling Play.”Not only was Play a multi-platinum smash success, it would soon become the soundtrack to our lives — a record that would shift culture and cement Moby as one of the most interesting and iconic musicians of our time.Wealth and fame arrived. Obsession followed. And Moby embraced it all. Mansions, lofts and country manors. Debauchery, blowouts and binges. Whatever, whenever. Anytime, all the time. It was always too much. It was never enough.And this is where things get really interesting.The story of Moby is one of fidelity to authenticity. It’s about a life defined by survival, perseverance and self-belief. It's about losing one’s self to surrender to the higher self within. It's about discovering what is most important in life. And the beautiful trudge towards clarity, purpose, satisfaction and service.Today we explore the remarkable life of a most extraordinary artist — a man as introspective as he is self-deprecating; and as serious as he is deadpan droll.I absolutely love this exchange. So press Play and enjoy.Peace + Plants,Rich

Who am I to disagree with a guy who has sold 500 million books?That is not hyperbole.Not only has Jack Canfield — the personal growth & self-improvement author behind The Success Principles* and the wildly popular Chicken Soup For The Soul* series — actually sold that many copies of his many books, a full 47 of them have graced the New York Times bestseller list. In fact, Jack holds a Guinness World Record for having 7 books on the NYT list at the same time.I don't know how that's even possible. I do know he's recently pulled focus on alcoholism, tackling addiction in his most recent offering, The 30-Day Sobriety Solution: How to Cut Back or Quit Drinking in the Privacy of Your Own Home*.I almost backed out of doing this interview. You may think I'm a New Age California hippie, but I'm actually a relatively skeptical guy. I'm not easily romanced by the latest in self-help. I can be stubborn and my perspective on long-held beliefs can be difficult to shake.I'm also someone with extremely strong, experience-based opinions about sobriety — not only what's required to achieve it, but more importantly what's essential to properly maintain it.To be frank, part of me feels it's somewhat ostentatious for Jack — not himself a recovering alcoholic — to publish a book that purports to resolve alcoholism by virtue of a 30-day program. In my experience, sobriety just doesn't work that way. Moreover, I'm far from convinced that you can successfully combat addiction from the privacy of your own home. Let me rephrase — I couldn't do that. Thus my conscience struggles to ratify or validate an author who supports such a methodology.I’m a 12-step guy through and through – I can say without reservation or exaggeration that it saved my life. My participation and service in recovery is and remains my #1 priority. But as they say in the rooms, contempt prior to investigation keeps a man in everlasting ignorance. So in good faith, I read Jack's new book with an open mind. I can't say I agree with everything it proposes. But I can say it does contain more than a few valuable insights — more than enough to merit a spirited exchange with it's acclaimed author.Moreover, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to tackle this conversation. It's not everyday you get invited up to Santa Barbara to visit the home of a man revered for a life devoted to serving the personal growth of others.So needless to say, here we are. I haven’t listened to any other interviews with Jack, but I think its fair to say – and by Jack’s own admission — this conversation is not your normal fare.I'm not saying it was contentious (it wasn't at all). Jack was a great sport and I think my dubiousness made for a fun and engaging meeting of the minds.Enjoy!Rich

Arianna Huffington is more productive than you are.In addition to co-founding The Huffington Post in 2005 (which famously sold to AOL in 2011 for $315 million), she has dominated television news for decades as a globally recognized political pundit; authored 15 books; built multiple profitable businesses; pioneered online journalism; and even ran for Governor of California as an independent in 2003.Under Arianna's stewardship, in 2012 HuffPo won a Pulitzer Prize for national reporting, representing a seismic shift in journalism from traditional print prominence to online, cementing digital media's permanence, force, and legitimacy. Not enough? Arianna has been named to the Time 100 list of most influential people and the Forbes Most Powerful Women list.So what's her secret?The answer might surprise you:a great night of sleep.A devoted mom of two college-aged girls, Arianna learned the value of sleep the hard way. A burnout episode several years ago left her chronically exhausted, priming an exploration to redefine what it means to live well — beyond business and financial success. Her NY Times bestselling smash hit Thrive* established her authority on well-being and today she is pioneering a movement — make that a revolution — that debunks the false bravado and cultural, mythical pride associated with burning the midnight oil to instead champion sleep as the key to unlock maximum potential. The tip of Arianna's latest campaign of insurrection is her new book, The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life One Night At A Time*.A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to sit down with Arianna at the LA Book Fair to learn more. Arriving replete with full entourage in tow, I admit to being a little intimidated. But with grace and presence, she quickly put me at ease.In a perfect world, I would have loved the time and bandwidth to delve deeply into Arianna's upbringing, her political evolution from conservative to liberal, her authorship and her spiritual perspective on the important matters of life. However, I only had a tight hour, so this exchange is focused predominantly on sleep and provides a nice complement to my recent podcast, How To Sleep Smarter With Shawn Stevenson.Specific topics include:* the cultural devaluation of sleep in the Industrial Revolution* Arianna’s ‘wake-up' call after collapse from exhaustion* the cutting-edge science behind sleep* Arianna's “Third Metric”* sleep as athletic recovery enhancement* the foundation of sleep deprivation in colleges* persistent use of sleep aids & links to Alzheimer’s* simple transition to sleep & removal of stimuli* the power of taking naps* workaholic ethos & the cost of burnout* finding optimum balance to improve relationships* segmented sleep & other sleep conventionsArianna was absolutely delightful. I sincerely hope you enjoy the exchange.Peace + Plants,Rich

Back by popular demand, John Joseph — legendary New York hardcore punk icon and Cro-Mags’ frontman — returns for a 4th appearance on the RRP to do what he does best: incite, provoke, educate and entertain.If you're a longtime listener of the show, Johnny Bloodclot needs no introduction — he's my most popular guest to date.For the uninitiated, John is a true American original. The very definition of hardcore. A survivor. A spiritual warrior spouting straight talk directly from the streets of the Lower East Side with one singular, driving purpose:getting people to wake the f&*k up.Conceived and raised in abuse, deprived of opportunity and left to his own devices, John turned to violence and drugs to make his way in the world. It's a path that predictably led to violence, crime, addiction and incarceration. His teen years spent as a drug mule, he graduated from foster care to unimaginably horrific stints in juvenile detention. Then things went downhill. To avoid long-term incarceration, he enlisted in the Navy, only to go AWOL after a fight.Fleeing the law and rudderless, John found redemption in the hardcore punk rock scene flourishing on Manhattan's Lower East Side in the early 1980's. Taken in by the Bad Brains' frontman H.R. — a devotee of Rastafari — John began to explore not just his musicianship, but his spirituality as well. It's a journey that birthed the Cro-Mags– one of the era's most iconic and influential hardcore punk bands — and later led to life in a Hare Krishna monastery, where he found his spiritual salvation and developed a life-long love of meditation, yoga, the vegan lifestyle, racing Ironman triathlons, and most importantly, his profound devotion to service.This guys walks his talk.I urge the newcomer to check out John's first appearance on the show. One of the most powerful podcasts I have ever published, RRP 41 is a beautiful documentation of an incredible life. When you're done with that, dial up RRP 66 & RRP 95. Then turn your attention to Meat Is For Pussies*. I'm proud of the foreword I wrote for John's book and it's a fun, easy read — especially for the skeptical male who continues to harbor the misinformed idea that giving up animal products equates to an abandonment of masculine identity.Today's conversation picks up where we last left off. Specific topics include:* recapping John's background* his transition to a vegan lifestyle* his punk rock detox* the evolution of a storyteller* the explosion of art & culture in 1970's NYC* the ironman bug* helping at-risk kids through education & mentorship* the power of PMA (positive mental attitude)* the Big Pharma domino effect* combating vegan elitismEnjoy!Rich

The facts of our experiences are different. But so many of the emotions we experience along our journeys are remarkably similar.Meet Jasmin Singer.As a kid, Jasmin was an outcast. Fat and persistently bullied, she was hopelessly drawn to foods that only fueled the depression and confused disposition incited by her chaotic upbringing.Encouraged by her gorgeous mother to trade in her Oreos for pre-packaged Weight Watchers brownies resulted in an endless rotation of Nutri-System appointments and Jenny Craig weigh-ins that ultimately did little to rectify her love of cheddar, resolve her body image issues or soothe the pain of childhood trauma.The grub always won. Because food offered Jasmin something she found nowhere else. She basked in the safe reassurance of mealtimes, in the calm friendship she shared with snacks. She lived for the sweet tingling of a vanilla shake as it slid down her throat, filling up her stomach and, more importantly, her heart.This is a long way of saying that Jasmin was, in fact, addicted to food – physically and emotionally. And no wonder. The foods she regularly ate growing up – Cheez-Its, Lunchables, Twinkies, Big Macs – were literally designed to activate the pleasure centers in her brain, making her want more and more and more.A growing awareness of the horrors of industrialized animal agriculture led to Jasmin's emerging sense of just how profoundly her culinary proclivities had betrayed her. So at 19, she became a vegetarian. Later, she went entirely vegan, stepping into a lifelong passion for animal rights advocacy. Nonetheless, the skinny vegan trope eluded her. Instead, she continued to gain weight due to her continuing love affair with greasy rich foods.Just because it's vegan doesn't mean it's healthy.In the firm grips of her hopeless addiction, Jamin became resigned to the deep sense of shame that accompanied her every minute of every day, further isolating her in a bottomless pit of desperation and loneliness that drove an isolating wedge between her and the world.From the extra pounds and unrelenting bullies that left her eating lunch alone in a bathroom stall at school to the low self-esteem that rendered her physically and emotionally vulnerable to abuse, her struggle with weight came to define every aspect of her life.And then one day, she decided to make a change…By committing to monthly juice fasts and a plant-based diet comprised of whole, unprocessed foods, Jasmin lost almost a hundred pounds, gained an understanding of her destructive relationship with food, and finally realized what it means to be truly full.Today, Jasmin is the co-founder and executive director of Our Hen House, a nonprofit multimedia hub working to change the world for animals. She also serves up co-host duties on the popular Our Hen House Podcast, produces an online magazine and video content and travels extensively to publicly speak on the subjects of veganism and social justice.As laid bare in her brave and intensely vivid coming-of-age memoir, Always Too Much And Never Enough*, it's a story you might be surprised to learn really isn't about weight loss.

When I was a kid, I loved The Jetsons. I was convinced that by 2000 life would be all jetpacks, flying cars, sky trams and robot housekeepers.My timeline was overly optimistic, but we're nonetheless surrounded by evidence of this inevitability. From the advent of virtual reality to self-driving cars, drone delivery and beyond, even Elon Musk's idea of colonizing Mars now seems plausible.This week ushered in the future of kitchen appliances. Meet Juicero– a complete re-imagination of cold press juice for the home and office that even George Jetson would envy. I know it sounds weird. It's hard to explain. So I'm not going to try. Watch this cool video instead:Juicero is the brainchild of my friend Doug Evans. An idea so big it captured the hearts and minds of Silicon Valley, attracting $120 million in financing from technology's most high-powered VC's, including Kleiner Perkins and Google Ventures.I started hearing rumors about Doug and Juicero about a year ago. Then last month, Doug invited me to visit his 100,000 square foot Los Angeles distribution center. I was excited to finally see what all the fuss was about. But in all honesty, I was skeptical.$120 million for a new-fangled juice machine?I don't get it.He gave me a tour. I met the team and tested the goods. Not only was it the best juice I had ever tasted, I realized there is much more going on at Juicero than meets the eye.A marvel of advanced technology, the future-forward wifi-enabled Juicero exerts 8,000 pounds of pressure to cold-press the freshest juice possible from QR-coded organic produce packs (soon to be 100% compostable) that contain detailed information on nutrition, the farm of origin and the date of harvest (never to exceed 5 days).None of the nutrient degrading pasteurization mandatory in all store bought juice. No more old or non-organic produce typical of most juice bars. And of course, zero home cleanup.The space-age functionality and highly complex machinery are housed in cutting edge design courtesy of legendary product designer Yves Béhar that expertly merges aesthetics with simplicity and user friendliness. Comparisons to Apple are inevitable. And rumor has it even Jony Ive had a behind-the-scenes hand in guiding Juicero's product design.But the gadget is just part of the story.Perhaps more fascinating is the personal journey of Juicero's steward, a most unlikely entrepreneur. A graffiti artist reared on the streets of New York City, Doug Evans traded the classroom for tagging subway trains and hanging out in clubs with the likes of Basquait, Warhol and Haring before finding his calling as a graphic artist under the mentorship of the great Paul Rand.A confluence of tragic events around Doug's 30th birthday would permanently alter the trajectory of his life and career. In 1994, his mother died of cancer. Shortly thereafter, his father died of heart disease. Meanwhile, Doug's brother developed type 2 diabetes, atrial fibrillation, hypertension, and had the first of two strokes.Terrified by the prospect that he was genetically pre-disposed to early mortality, Doug turned to the raw vegan lifestyle, igniting a passion for the connection between lifestyle and health that boils down to one simple, yet powerful edict:

He's written twelve cookbooks. He's opened dozens of restaurants. And he's teaching a new generation of culinary talent across the globe. But Matthew Kenney isn't just another celebrity chef. Matthew Kenney is crafting the future of food.Beyond the kitchen, Matthew is a public speaker, educator, and entrepreneur specializing in plant-based food. He has authored 12 cookbooks and is the founder of Matthew Kenney Cuisine, an integrated lifestyle company as well as the Matthew Kenney Culinary Academy, a series of state-of-the-art education centers offering vegan culinary courses both online and in person that emphasize the use of whole, organic, unprocessed, plant-based foods to achieve healthy, aesthetically refined and flavorful cuisine.Over the years, Matthew has launched a panoply of eating establishments ranging from the hautest of haute cuisine to take-out casual — everything from Santa Monica's M.A.K.E. and New York's Pure Food & Wine (both now closed), to Plant Food & Wine in both Venice and Miami,Make Out in Culver City, California and the recently opened and utterly amazing 00 + Co. plant-based pizzeria in New York City's East Village. When in Belfast, Maine visit The Gothic.Plant Café is coming to Bahrain this fall and Matthew has something brewing for summer in Montecito, California.It's one thing to cook great food. It's another thing to cook great plant-based food. But it's astonishing to please the masses with incredibly delicious and nutritious plant-based meals without cooking anything at all. However, what most impresses me most about Matthew is not his culinary talent. It's his commitment to changing the cultural conversation around food. And in turn, change the world.Today I sit down with Matthew in the wine room behind Plant Food & Wine Venice to get to the bottom of everything except the wine (don't worry I didn't drink any). Specific topics explored include:* misconceptions of the raw food lifestyle* the benefits of the raw food lifestyle* Matthew's journey to embracing the raw food lifestyle* what Matthew learned working in NYC's best kitchens* the challenge of preparing raw cuisine for modern clientele* the practicality of eating raw; and * how to increase plant-based awareness through better educationBut at its core, this is a conversation about the future of food — and the incredible influence a high profile chef has on forging public opinion and taste when it comes to cuisine, culture and health.I sincerely hope you enjoy the exchange.Peace + Plants,Rich