PLANTSTRONG Podcast

Rip sits down with longtime friend, former triathlon coach and Primal Kitchen founder, Mark Sisson, for a wide-ranging conversation about biohacking, longevity, chronic cardio, walking and foot health.
Rip and Mark go back more than three decades — and although their nutritional philosophies couldn't be much more different, Rip has always admired Mark's entrepreneurial spirit, curiosity and willingness to take risks.
In this episode, Mark explains:
- Why he calls biohacking “the day trading of health”
- Why he believes the basics should come before gadgets and supplements
- His problem with chronic cardio
- Why he favors lots of easy movement plus occasional high-intensity work
- How his own endurance career changed his thinking about exercise
- Why he now walks at least 45 minutes most days
- Why mobility matters so much for longevity
- Why he believes foot health has been largely ignored
- How Peluva grew out of his own search for better footwear
- Why maintaining strength, balance and movement matters more and more as we age
- What decades of entrepreneurship have taught him about taking risks
Two old-school triathletes. Two very different approaches to food. And plenty of common ground around one big idea: Keep moving for life.
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Who are you—and why do you do what you do?
Most of us spend our lives answering questions about what we want to accomplish, what career we should pursue, and what steps we should take next. But Dr. Gary Sanchez believes we’re asking the right questions in the wrong order.
Gary is the founder of The WHY Institute and the creator of a system designed to help people discover their WHY, their HOW, and their WHAT—the personal operating system behind how they think, communicate, lead, make decisions, and find fulfillment.
Before becoming known as Dr. WHY, Gary spent decades as an accomplished dentist. He continually invested in education, technology, and training, yet struggled to explain what made his practice different from every other dental office. His search for an answer eventually led him to the concept of WHY—and to a new understanding of himself.
Gary discovered that his own WHY was to find a better way and share it. His HOW was to clarify, and his WHAT was to simplify.
That discovery transformed his dental practice, but it also revealed that dentistry was no longer the work he felt called to do. After a life-threatening internal bleed gave him a second chance at life, Gary finally walked away from his practice to pursue the work that gave him energy: helping other people discover who they are.
In this lively and deeply personal conversation, Rip and Gary explore the nine WHYs, the difference between the golden rule and the platinum rule, and why your family, career, or business may be important to you without necessarily being your underlying WHY.
Gary also walks Rip through his own results. Rip’s WHY is to contribute to a greater cause and make an impact. His HOW is to challenge the status quo and think differently. His WHAT is to create trust and become a source others can count on.
They also examine how purpose can support lasting health behavior. Instead of relying only on rules, discipline, or temporary motivation, Gary encourages us to understand why being healthy matters and what our health will allow us to contribute, experience, and accomplish.
His memorable conclusion: Willpower is temporary. WHY power is permanent.
You’ll also hear why successful entrepreneurs can feel lost after building businesses that no longer need them, how knowing a child’s personal operating system can transform family conversations, and why it is never too late to choose a path that better reflects who you are.
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Take the Free WHY Discovery Quiz
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COMPLEMENT: Use code PLANTSTRONG for 30% off at https://lovecomplement.com/pages/plantstrong-special-offer

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New York Times bestselling author, Carleigh Bodrug, is back with PlantYou: Quickies, her third cookbook, packed with more than 140 fast, approachable plant-based recipes designed for busy, real life.
The idea for Quickies came during an especially challenging season. After losing her mother, becoming pregnant, and welcoming her son Weston, Carleigh suddenly understood what it felt like to simply not have the energy to cook.
That led to one of the biggest themes of this conversation: Maybe people don't have a motivation problem when it comes to eating well. Maybe they have a time problem.
So Carleigh set out to make healthy eating easier and truly quicker - making sure a 20-minute meal really could be made in about 20 minutes.
Rip and Carleigh dig into smart kitchen shortcuts, frozen vegetables, pantry staples, crispy tofu, tahini, dump-and-bake dinners, speedy pastas, plant-powered desserts, and her clever “Got This, Make That” guide for using what you already have.
If you've ever wanted to eat healthier but thought, “I just don't have the time,” this one's for you.
You'll hear:
Why Quickies was born during one of Carleigh's hardest seasons
Why time — not motivation — may be the biggest barrier to eating well
Simple shortcuts that make plant-based cooking faster
Why frozen produce, canned beans, and pantry staples can save dinner
How Plant Points encourage greater plant diversity
Easy ways to make tofu crispy, shredded, or peeled
Dump-and-bake meals with just minutes of prep
Edamame pesto pasta, Bang Bang Broccoli, tahini dip, and more
Plant-powered chocolate mousse and secret-ingredient chickpea cookies
How “Got This, Make That” can help reduce food waste and grocery costs

Learn More About our 2026 Live PLANTSTRONG Events: https://plantstrongevents.com/
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Learn More About Our Corporate Wellness Program: https://liveplantstrong.com/corporate-wellness/
COMPLEMENT: Use code PLANTSTRONG for 30% off at https://lovecomplement.com/pages/plantstrong-special-offer

Follow PLANTSTRONG and Rip Esselstyn
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Getting older may be inevitable. Getting weak, frail, and sedentary? Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina say absolutely not.
In their new book, Plant Powered Seniors, these longtime plant-based nutrition experts explore how to stay strong, healthy, and independent as we age — and they’re living proof. At 84, Vesanto still takes fitness and yoga classes regularly, while Brenda, 67, runs trails, does push-ups, and climbs on the monkey bars with her grandkids.
In this conversation, Rip, Brenda, and Vesanto dig into what changes nutritionally after 50, including:
protein needs
sarcopenia and bone health
calcium, vitamin D, B12, and omega-3s
why progressive resistance training is so important for preserving strength

They also talk about appetite changes, how loneliness, affects eating, building community, purpose, and why healthy aging is about much more than just nutrients alone.
And their message is clear: it is never too late to improve your health.
Start where you are. Eat more plants. Lift something. Stay connected. Keep moving...and always keep it Plant Strong.
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Learn More About our 2026 Live PLANTSTRONG Events: https://plantstrongevents.com/
Let Us Help Your PLANTSTRONG Journey
Learn More About Our Corporate Wellness Program: https://liveplantstrong.com/corporate-wellness/
COMPLEMENT: Use code PLANTSTRONG for 30% off at https://lovecomplement.com/pages/plantstrong-special-offer

Follow PLANTSTRONG and Rip Esselstyn
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Dr. Neal Barnard is back on the PLANTSTRONG Podcast — and this time, he and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine are taking the federal government to court.
At the center of the fight? The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Neal says the government tossed aside the work of a transparent scientific advisory committee and instead moved forward with recommendations shaped by a nine-member panel that operated largely out of public view — with members he says had significant ties to the livestock, dairy, and low-carb industries.
And that matters. A lot.
These guidelines don’t just sit on a government website collecting dust. They help shape nutrition policy and what gets served in schools, hospitals, correction institutions, military facilities, and other federal food programs.
Neal is especially fired up about the push for more protein, more animal foods, full-fat dairy, and even beef tallow. His point? Most Americans — including kids — are already getting plenty of protein, and piling on more animal protein can also mean piling on more saturated fat and cholesterol.
But here’s the key: PCRM isn’t asking a judge to decide what the perfect diet should be.
They’re asking whether the government followed the law.
Rip and Dr. Barnard dig into:
• Why PCRM says the new Dietary Guidelines were created through a flawed process
• The industry ties Neal says existed among members of the advisory panel
• Why this lawsuit is about transparency and process — not asking a judge to settle nutrition science
• Why school meals are one of Neal’s biggest concerns
• Whole milk, animal protein, saturated fat, and the comeback of beef tallow
• Why lumping all “processed foods” into one big bucket misses the mark
• PCRM’s history of challenging the government over dietary guidelines
• Why Neal believes this case is strong
• His surprising roots in the cattle industry
• Why compassion still sits at the heart of his work
• A major diabetes study PCRM is conducting with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota
• And a new breast cancer awareness campaign featuring Venus Williams and Dr. Kristi Funk
This is bigger than politics and bigger than one set of guidelines.
It’s about who gets to shape the food messages Americans hear, what ends up on millions of plates, and whether science, transparency, and public health are actually leading the way.
Watch on YouTube
Episode Webpage
Learn More About our 2026 Live PLANTSTRONG Events: https://plantstrongevents.com/
Let Us Help Your PLANTSTRONG Journey
Learn More About Our Corporate Wellness Program: https://liveplantstrong.com/corporate-wellness/
COMPLEMENT: Use code PLANTSTRONG for 30% off at https://lovecomplement.com/pages/plantstrong-special-offer

Follow PLANTSTRONG and Rip Esselstyn
https://plantstrong.com/
https://www.facebook.com/GoPlantstrong
https://www.instagram.com/goplantstrong/
https://www.instagram.com/ripesselstyn/

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