Philosopher. Author. Futurist. Counter culture provocateur.Described as a mashup of James Merrill, H. P. Lovecraft, and Carlos Castaneda, I was first introduced to Daniel Pinchbeck through his rather fascinating metaphysical study of prophesy in 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl*– a book that explored humanity's precarious balance between greater self-potential and environmental disaster.Raised by Beat generation parents — his mother dated Jack Kerouac around the time On The Road exploded on the scene – Daniel’s roots in the New York counterculture movement run deep. Throughout the 1990s, Pinchbeck matured into a member of New York's literary select. He wrote for publications such as The New York Times Magazine, Esquire, Rolling Stone and Harper's Bazaar.But slowly something happened. As he approached his late twenties, he describes falling into a deep spiritual crisis fueled by a frustration with the inherent shortcomings of mainstream media and a friend's sudden passing due to a heroin overdose. Despair ultimately led him to an investigation of shamanism. Embracing metaphysical belief systems, his psyche and body began to open to the mystical. His first book, Breaking Open the Head*, chronicled these experiences and observations from a first hand perspective and was heralded as the most significant on psychedelic experimentation since the work of Terence McKenna.Today, everything Mayan, shamanistic and post-modern psychedelia seems to always point to this uniquely perspicacious, probing mind. And I think it's fair to say that Daniel is considered a leading pioneer of the post-modern psychedelic movement, advocating a measured, responsible exploration of shamanistic cultural rites and the substances they employ to expand consciousness.If Daniel is anything, he is a maverick, persistently challenging social, political, economic and cultural paradigms. A man searching for answers both personal and global, his insights are both provocative and fascinating, and more often than not imbued with hope for a better (if not idealized) future world.A confession: Daniel has a prodigious intellect. I admit to being a bit intimidated. Moreover, I have no experience with psychedelics, and as a sober person in recovery it is unlikely I ever will. So I was unsure as to whether interviewing him would be a good idea or even appropriate for this show. But the opportunity arose and I couldn't imagine passing it up.I’m glad I didn’t. Much like my recent conversation with Tom Hardin, this episode marks a departure into new terrain for me. On a personal level, I found Daniel to be engaging, introspective and not surprisingly possessed with the rare ability to muse on a vastly diverse array of challenging themes.This is a fascinating — albeit at times challenging — mind-bender deep dive into Daniel's paradigm breaking vision.Enjoy!Rich

It's time to explore what it takes to be competitive in one of the most popular professional sports in the United States — NASCAR.Meet Landon Cassill.Driver. Triathlete. Husband. Plant-based.Racing as far back as he can remember, at just 19 years of age Landon burst onto the national scene as the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year. In 2013, he broke the track record at the famous Gresham Motorsports Park track. Now 25, Landon pilots the #40 Chevrolet SS for the Hillman-Circle Sport LLC team and the #01 Flex Seal Chevrolet for JDMotorsports in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.Beyond Will Ferrell's turn in Talledega Nights, NASCAR (make that auto racing in general) is a world I know close to nothing about. So it was really fun to sit down with Charlotte-based Landon to explore his personal story; the very specific and peculiar culture of NASCAR; what it really takes to professionally toe the line at prestigious races like the Daytona 500; and how diet and triathlon have come to play a crucial role in Landon’s daily success equation.Extremely likable and humble beyond expectation, I think it's fair to say this Iowa-bred young man is a fine living example of solid midwestern values and what can transpire when lifelong passion meets true drive, keen focus and a Malcolm Gladwell-esque 10,000+ hours of very hard work, sweat and determination.This is a great conversation that explores:* the athleticism, skill, technology and funding required to excel as a professional driver;* myth & reality behind NASCAR stereotypes;* the nexus between mindfulness and driving;* how triathlon informs driving performance;* swim training with Olympians Ryan Lochte, Cullen Jones & Tyler Clary;* his decision to go plant-based;* plant-based fueling for athletic performance;* strategies for optimal nutrition when traveling; and* what he drives when not racing (the answer will surprise you)On May 24, Landon will be racing the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. After competing in NASCAR's longest and most challenging test of man and machine, Landon will pioneer an entirely new form of endurance multi-sport when he jumps out of his car post-race, laces up his running shoes and tacks on an additional 14 miles for the day with a run from Charlotte Motor Speedway to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The Cassil 614 will kick off Snap Fitness’s “Snap Serves” summer campaign, which honors those who have served in the military and encourages people around the country to start their fitness journey.Between now and Landon's big day, do me a solid and let's pump him up for this challenge by giving him a supportive shout out on Twitter at @landoncassill.I genuinely hope you enjoy this glimpse into the passionate life of Landon Cassill — my version of Talledega Nights.Peace + Plants,Rich

This week we explore some very new terrain.Let's kick it off with the Greek myth of Icarus.As the story goes, Daedalus — a master craftsman best known for building King Minos' labyrinth to trap the Minotaur — plied his talent to construct a pair of wax and feather wings to help him and his son Icarus escape from Minos' vendetta (it's a long story) and Crete altogether.Being the good father he was, Daedalus pled with his son not to fly too close to the sun for fear that the heat would melt the wings. But as sons are wont to do, Icarus ignored his father’s advice.The rest is history. The heat indeed melted Icarus' wings, sending him into a deathly free fall collision with the sea which today bears his name, the Ikarian Sea near Ikaria — ironically one of the Blue Zones as described in my recent podcast conversation with Dan Buettner.As most know, this is an age-old remonstration about ambition. A tragic allegory about the perils of hubris, particularly when fueled by a sense of entitlement, and perhaps sprinkled with a light dusting of denial.These are all very human traits of course. And if today's guest is anything, he is quite human indeed.Tom Hardin was a highly motivated young guy with a big bright future and Wall Street aspirations. After graduating from the prestigious Wharton School of Business, he was on track to achieve his dream when he landed in the fast paced hedge fund world and quickly rose through the ranks.But it wasn’t long before Tom felt he was falling behind – lacking that mysterious competitive ‘edge’ so many others seemed to freely enjoy (without repercussion) to their reward in untold millions.What was that edge? If you ask Tom, he will tell you the not so secret to success within the insular hedge fund world meant having a network of inside sources willing to share reliable confidential information about companies they worked for or with.Everybody's doing it. Nobody's getting caught. I'm falling behind.Then one day Tom got a call from an investor colleague named Roomy Khan – a woman with some pretty juicy insider tips.The timing was right. Tom was primed. And that fateful moment arose. That moment when you make a decision to take a very small step over a very important line. A decision you simply cannot undo. Not now, not ever.For Tom, it started with taking a few small crumbs off the table. An imperceptible insider trade here, another one there. Until one day, the previously unthinkable became easy. Almost too easy.Capitalizing on a handful of secrets fed by Khan and others about companies like Google, 3Com and Hilton Hotels, Tom's flight towards the sun escalated to the tune of $1.7 million in gains for his fund and $46K in personal profits.Then in July 2008, while dropping of his dry cleaning one morning, Tom felt a tap on the shoulder. A tap that would alter the trajectory of his life forever.Like a scene out of a movie, Tom turned to face two FBI agents boxing him in with with a Hobson's choice – either get in the back of the black sedan for a trip downtown, or start providing actionable information on those higher up the food chain.Panicked and heart pounding, he immediately opted for the latter.Ultimately, Tom became one of the most prolific informants in securities fraud history. Soon infamous as the mysterious, unnamed Tipper X, Tom spent the next several years wiretapping and documenting the illegal misdeeds of friends and c...

When the question turns to living your truth, this first line from Timothy Shieff's self-authored bio says it all:I'm a Human practicing Being.Widely considered one of the world’s best Freerunners (more commonly referred to as parkour), Timothy — aka Livewire — specializes in a death and gravity defying skill set that leaves mere mortals agape. Scaling buildings and leaping off rooftops with effortless grace, Tim is a perfect physical manifestation of focus, coordination, strength, agility and fearlessness.Indeed, this proper and polite young English lad can do things you can’t. And yet his expression is fueled not by competitive drive, but by something deeper. Tim's particular brand of parkour is subversive. Reframing the inanimate building, rooftop, curb or railing, Tim inverts the human relationship between human and object. Truly a social and political performance artist, Tim leaves me inspired to live more harmoniously with our ever-changing environment.Despite captaining Team Europe to a world championship on American Ninja Warrior (and setting records along the way), Tim's athleticism runs a distant second to his passion for advocacy. A powerful young voice in the vegan movement, Tim wakes up every morning enthusiastic to not only expand his own horizons, but inspire others to do the same.But more than any of this, it's Tim's spirit that moves me, and why I'm so proud to introduce his return to the RRP. In case you missed it, be sure to check out my first conversation with Tim — RRP #86.Intelligent and articulate beyond his years, my hope is that this conversation leaves you with a new mindfulness and perspective on your path and priorities; pondering the impact of our consumer choices on the planet; and questioning culturally entrenched assumptions about the relationship between nutrition and extraordinary athletic performance.I genuinely hope you enjoy the conversation.Peace + Plants,Rich

Casey Neistat, a renowned filmmaker and YouTube pioneer, shares his unconventional journey from traditional filmmaking to embracing the DIY culture online. He emphasizes the importance of navigating life’s challenges as essential for growth and resilience. Casey discusses how personal struggles have shaped his creative path and the value of authentic storytelling. He humorously contrasts enriching travel experiences in luxury airlines with frustrating customer service, while promoting a mindset of passion over complacency in career choices.

I have some serious sustainability concerns about doing two podcasts a week. It's just an absurd amount of work. But I'm keeping my promise. Plus, I'm having fun. So here we go with another round of Ask Me Anything — a twist on my typical long-form interview format where we speak to the issues you want addressed.This is my way of deepening my connection with the global community of people who enjoy the show. And community is the very thing that carries the potential energy to truly shift cultural paradigms across the globe, one listener at a time.Today marks one week until our new book The Plantpower Way* hits stores all across North America. It's been quite a mind blowing journey to arrive at this quite privileged place, so Julie and I check in on where things currently stand in our Herculean attempt to launch a plant-based lifestyle primer into the mainstream.Long story short? Everything is going great. To be totally transparent, today we eclipsed 4,000 books pre-sold and over 1.5 million in social reach on our Thunderclap campaign. Unbelievable!This is because of you. The support you have given us is beyond what we could have ever imagined, so please know that our appreciation runs deep. Very deep.And yet much work remains to be done. If we want to hit the NY Times Bestseller List and catapult the book — and the plant-based movement — into the cultural zeitgeist, we need to sell at least 7,000 books before May 1.We simply cannot do this alone. So far the TODAY Show hasn't called. We're getting no love from Dr. Oz, Good Morning America, John Stewart or any other major national news outlet. So when I say we are relying on you — the community — to step up and help get the word out and make this happen, I f*$ing mean it.If you are a fan of the podcast and all the content I work tirelessly to provide free each week, this is your moment of reckoning. The fact that our amazing pre-order gift bundles expire on April 28 should be enough self-serving motivation to act. But if not, consider this: despite your assumed personal proclivity for all things wellness, right now millions of people across the world are sick; stuck in a downward spiral of negative eating and lifestyle habits that promote disease and are unnecessarily killing us. 70% of Americans are obese or overweight. 1 out of every 3 Americans will die of heart disease. By 2030, 50% of us will be diabetic or pre-diabetic. Meanwhile America is exporting this lifestyle overseas with reckless abandon. And yet 80-90% of chronic lifestyle illness is preventible or reversible via simple diet and lifestyle changes.The Plantpower Way is the solution to this insanity.This not hyperbole. If my story means anything, it's that sustainable health and well being is accessible and available to us all, irrespective of age or circumstance. And I promise that this book will get you there — the most powerful, life altering gift you can give to yourself; to your loved ones; to your children; to our animal friends; and to the planet.

I was first introduced to meditation and mindfulness principles 17 years ago during my 100-day voluntary incarceration in what is more amiably referred to as rehab.Initially, I balked at the concept. How can stillness possibly improve my life?Intellectually, I attributed every decent personal achievement not to innate talent, let alone some intangible force of the Universe. Instead I credited my prodigious work ethic — a huge capacity to grind harder and longer than my peers. Get up early. Stay late. Put in the extra mile. Repeat. Never stop.Do more.At best, stillness meant stasis. Mostly I wrote it off as regressive — wasted time lost. The purview of flaky, new-age hippies who couldn't begin to fathom my logic-based intellect, understand my terminally unique life problems, nor comprehend how I successfully navigated the world.Always good for a solid re-sizing, my rehab counselor — let's call him Hugh because that's his name — reminded me of one simple, powerful fact:My best thinking landed me in a mental institution.That blast of truth and humility fell on my head like a ton of bricks. In recovery, they call it self-will run riot. And that was me, in a nutshell — a desperate hope to die alcoholic. A broken young man who had squandered promise and destroyed his life, literally tightrope walking the divide that separates life and death.Hardly a vision for you, It was time to try something different.Surrender.At the time, I perceived this concept as synonymous with defeat. Anathema to my core idea of who I was. But Hugh was right. I was out of options, with only one saving grace — willingness. So I (quite reluctantly) released my resistance. I let go of logic. I opened myself to possibilities beyond the rational, to something perhaps entirely unknowable. And in so doing, my life didn't just change, it transformed wholesale — dramatically and irrevocably improving every aspect of my mental, emotional, physical and spiritual well being.I wish I could tell you that from that day forward I devoted myself to a daily meditation practice.That didn't happen.Newly sober, life quickly got better. Priorities rearranged, and that willingness to surrender — the one character trait that had saved me — started to wane until the very thing that had been so indisputably beneficial to my overall sense of self had been relegated to back seat status — a convenient tool relied upon only when life got complicated, but hardly a consistent mainstay. Despite great appreciation for the benefits of meditation, consistency and momentum eluded me. For many years, I would practice only in spurts as a last ditch salve to alleviate some form of emotional pain.Then about six months ago, I discovered Headspace– a mobile app and digital platform (boasting over 1 million users) pre-packaged with an endless rotation of very accessible, secular guided meditation programs all pleasantly voiced by the company's founder and today's guest, Andy Puddicombe.

It's been a while, but Julie and I are finally back with another installment of Ask Me Anything — a twist on my typical format where we answer questions submitted by you, the listener. I absolutely love this format, primarily because it connects me more deeply and authentically with the global community of people who enjoy the show. Because community is truly what it's all about.This is an exciting time for us. We have been working super hard getting everything ready for the impending release of The Plantpower Way, so we thought it would be fun to share a little behind the scenes on why we wrote the book; the collaborative and often intense two-year process undertaken to create it; the insane amount of effort and diligence required to launch a book into the mainstream; and our ultimate aspirations for the work.Then the conversation turns to listener submitted inquiries. A conversation that explores:parenting tips for temperamental teenagers;the nutritional needs of athletic plant-based kids;the journey towards service & mentorship;tips for starting a podcast based on Rich's experience;gender challenges faced in the wellness lifestyle;pursuing a plant-based lifestyle on a budget;the impact of increasing nutrient density on appetite & cravings; and culminates withIn the Sun- an original song by SriMati (aka Julie)It was really fun to once again sit down with Julie — my wife and co-collaborator — to engage with the audience first hand, hashing out free-form the subjects you care about most. Thank you everyone who submitted the 100's of questions we reviewed. If we didn't get to yours (obviously chances are we didn't), nonetheless please keep them coming. I plan on doing many more supplemental Q&A focused editions of the show (both with Julie and surprise guest hosts), so don't be shy. Fire your queries off to info@richroll.com and we'll do our best to answer!I sincerely hope you enjoy the offering.Peace + Plants,Rich

Newsflash: heart disease is still America’s #1 killer.Despite groundswell interest in all things wellness, the incidence of atherosclerotic disease is at an all-time high. One out of every two people in the United States will suffer some form of cardiac ailment. And one out of every three people will actually die of heart disease. Meanwhile, we are exporting the standard American diet overseas like it's the next blockbuster installment of The Avengers. The result? The developing world is now facing rates of lifestyle-related illness unprecedented in the history of humankind.This is a disaster.The great irony of course is that 80-90% of chronic illnesses like atherosclerosis, type-2 diabetes and obesity are preventible and oftentimes even reversible via simple diet and lifestyle alterations.I can preach all day, but to truly capture the attention of the mainstream, catalyze seismic cultural change and put an end to avoidable disease, we desperately need more highly qualified medical professionals who understand the complicated mechanisms that lead to these diseases and are compelled to implement the preventive measures required to combat and avoid them.This is where cardiologist Robert Ostfeld, MD comes in.A summa cum laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with a medical degree from Yale and a Masters in Epidemiology from Harvard, Dr. Ostfeld did his internship and residency at prestigious Massachusetts General Hospital and his cardiology fellowship and research fellowship in Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital – both teaching hospitals of Harvard Medical School.An insanely smart dude with mad skills and a bulletproof resume, Robert had his pick of the litter when it came to choosing where to hang his professional hat. Most would have chosen the highest paying, most coveted cardiology department in the country. But this guy had different plans. Instead, Robert headed north of Manhattan to The Bronx to work with underprivileged populations at Montefiore Hospital, while also serving as Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.That right there says a lot about what kind of guy Robert is. But there's more to the story.Despite training with the best at Yale and Harvard, Robert was nonetheless left with little understanding when it came to nutrition. For years thereafter, he applied evidence-based medicine, recommended a “healthier” lifestyle (which typically included a Mediterranean-style diet), and watched somewhat helplessly as his patients’ diseases all too often progressed. Frustrated and dissatisfied with his patients' consistent inability to achieve true health, he started to search for alternative means of combating chronic disease.This search led him to The China Study* by T. Colin Campbell; 

Somewhere along the way, you've likely heard of something called the Blue Zones — a term coined in reference to five hidden slivers of the world that boast the highest per capita populations of centenarians – people who thrive to 100 and beyond. Unlikely locales were people not only live inordinately long, but also seem resoundingly happier than their fellow western world equals.Places where people forgot to die.This is the work of my friend Dan Buettner.A renaissance man in the truest sense, Dan transcends categorization. Global adventurer. Three-time Guinness Book world record holding endurance cyclist. National Geographic Fellow. Multiple New York Times bestselling author. A wellness and longevity superhero, Dan has keynoted speeches for Bill Clinton’s Health Matters Initiative, Google Zeitgeist, and TEDMED. He's appeared on Oprah twice and his TED Talk “How to live to be 100+” has been viewed over 2 million times.Without mincing words, Dan is my hero. A man who exudes life. A man with huge vision. And a man whose life work has positively, permanently and quite unequivocally improved the well being of millions.You might have caught Dan on The TODAY Show (which is featuring segments on Dan and his work throughout the week), read about him in last Sunday's PARADE magazine, seen him on NBC News or caught him on CNN's The Wonder List a few weeks ago. The common theme of these stories? Grappling with the lifestyle tenets that govern Blue Zone cultures as a means to help the rest of us live longer and better.According to Dan, Blue Zone cultures extending wellness into Ponce De Leon territory all live in accordance with 9 identifiable, convergent lifestyle principles (listed in the show notes below). Principles that are replicable on both the individual and civic level, as demonstrated by Dan's Blue Zones Project– a community well-being improvement initiative that has wholly transformed 20 cities and municipalities to date by implementing permanent changes to environment, policy, and social networks that make healthy choices easier.The Blue Zones Solution*, Dan's new book out this week, is a highly detailed primer that extrapolates from these principles powerful eating and lifestyle tools to transform your health.Enjoy!Rich