How do social inequalities and environmental problems converge? How can we find opportunities for solidarity with food and farm workers as part of ethical veganism? What role have industry and governments played in expanding ag-gag legislation? Why should vegans strength train? I discuss these topics and more with my guest, Dr. Anelyse Weiler.   Anelyse is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Victoria. Her research explores workers' rights and environmental health,...

Jeremy LaLonde is an award-winning filmmaker who lost half his body weight by going plant-based and decided to use his story and insights to help others by creating the website and YouTube channel PB with J (Plant-Based with Jeremy). With his own recipes, reviews of vegan cookbooks, as well as fun and informative videos and interviews, Jeremy and his family look to make being healthy not feel like homework. After sharing a quick personal update, Coach K speaks with Jeremy about his...

Do we need to worry about “complete” proteins? Why might some people be underestimating their protein needs? How did nutrition challenges during pregnancy lead Monica to start a company? What happens when Coach K asks tough questions about moving from vegetarian to vegan? Get these questions (and more) answered in this episode.  Dr. Monica Bhatia is the co-founder and co-CEO of EQUII. She’s a biotech manufacturing, ingredient, and fermentation expert with an impressive background in building...

Join me for a perhaps-surprisingly-no-B.S. discussion about purpose, goal-setting, and moving forward in our lives. What does “purpose” mean in the first place? How can we cultivate it? Hear the story of how Dr. Zeledón almost died at the age of 2, what happened when her father bought a lottery ticket, and how this experience affected her later in life.   Dr. Esther Zeledón specializes in turning dreams into reality. With a remarkable background as a former international diplomat,...

Radhi Devlukia is a plant-based cook, recipe developer, mission-driven entrepreneur, and co-founder of Juni Tea. Her debut cookbook “JoyFull" comes out in February 2024. We discuss mindful cooking and eating practices, and what “intuitive eating” means. Born and raised in the UK, the rich traditions of her Indian culture played a significant role in shaping Radhi’s path towards wellness from an early age, leading her to develop a deep appreciation for the mind-body connection and igniting...

Time for an Ask Me Anything episode! Topics range from creating healthy habits and staying motivated, to strength training strategies and asserting oneself at the gym, to my morning routine and how I got into playing didgeridoo. I (Karina Inkster, a.k.a. Coach K) am your humble podcast host, author of five books, and 21-year vegan. I'm the founder of K.I. Health & Fitness, where I and my team lead award-winning coaching programs that help vegans worldwide get super strong and build...

When I heard that a new vegan athlete (and a film and TV actor, at that!) moved to my small town, I knew I had to have her on the show. And I haven't even run into her at the grocery store yet! Paloma Kwiatkowski is a professional actor with over a decade of experience in the film and TV industry, an avid trail-runner turned personal trainer, and a vegan with an unwavering passion for cooking and baking. Listen in as Paloma shares her vegan story and discusses beginning a career in the...

My guest today is a pioneer in the plant-based sector with over 30 years of experience. In 1994, Rey founded the Alternative Baking Company, one of the first vegan cookie brands on the market, which generated $1 million in sales in 1995. In 1997, he founded Sun Flour Baking Co. to create new flavours, tastes, textures, and nutrition products with a longer shelf life and higher profit margins. Sun Flour Baking produces raw and baked gluten-free cookies free of animal products. It also...

We hear it all the time: "I eat eggs only from free-range chickens", or "It's OK, it's a cage-free chicken". Vicky Bond, President of The Humane League, is here to bust the myth of "happy hens" in modern farming. She also discusses the myth that the best way to improve the welfare of farmed animals is to convince everyone to stop using animal products altogether. (Technically it *is*, but it isn’t realistic on a large scale at the moment.) Vicky is president of The Humane League, a global...

We often refer to them as 'legends', otherwise known as folks who have been vegan for more than twenty years. Case in point: Jack Norris. Jack, who’s been vegan since 1988, is the executive director of Vegan Outreach, an animal protection nonprofit promoting vegan eating through their 10 Weeks to Vegan program in over 50 countries.  Jack has been a registered dietitian since 2001 and maintains the website VeganHealth.org. In 2005, Jack was elected to the Animal Rights Hall of Fame. Jack...

Carolyn Scott has travelled to the North Pole as a vegan, and hosts the only vegan TV show on a mainstream travel network. She's on the podcast to bust three myths for us: that being Latinx makes it hard to be vegan, that it’s difficult to be vegan while travelling, and that healthy vegan food is boring and flavourless.   Cookbook author, media spokesperson, holistic nutritionist, plant-based chef, and vegan for 25 years, Carolyn is an award-winning and respected figure in the world...

Ironman triathlete Todd Crandell speaks with me about his organization, his own addiction recovery, parallels between approaches to veganism and addiction recovery, and much more. Todd is a 111-time Ironman event finisher, 4-time author, vegan since 2016, documentary subject, dad, and founder of Racing for Recovery, which has been featured on CNN, ESPN, the New York Times, and Runner’s World Magazine. He’s dedicated his personal and professional life to helping substance abusers re-channel...

Black-and-white thinking is rampant in the fitness and nutrition industries. Within the vegan community, it often centres around ethical vs. unethical, or healthy vs. unhealthy. This prevents more nuanced discussion. There seems to be growing pushback against some plant-based product innovations around being “too processed” or “too unhealthy”, and there’s a lot of fear-mongering around certain ingredients (including seed oils).  In this episode, I discuss the above sentiments [and much more]...

When we discuss the realms of veganism and plant-based eating, we can all come to the table around a common thread: food. Food builds relationships, connection, and community.  Case in point: Matt de Gruyter. Matt is the co-founder and CEO of Next Level Burger, America’s first 100 percent plant-based burger joint that serves up vegan burgers for a better world in 10 locations coast to coast. Since its start in 2014, Next Level Burger has become a plant-based phenomenon.  Matt and his wife...

As an ethical stance, we’re familiar with veganism, its tenets, and how it translates to our daily lives. Outside of that, you’d be surprised to learn about the many points with which veganism intersects, and today we’re exploring one: the relationship between veganism, and leadership. Leadership coach Nancy Wehnert is on the show to discuss her approach to leadership, and how that connects to veganism. Nancy is a leadership coach who works with leaders and their teams. After running her own...

Sheep farmer-turned-vegan JH Burnett speaks with me about his experiences in animal agriculture, his vegan transition, and more. This is one of the most raw conversations that’s been aired on the podcast thus far, so I’m really grateful to JH for sharing his story.   JH is a former sheep farmer and breeder in the dairy industry who, after the atrocities he witnessed in these industries, turned vegan and an animal rights activist. He openly shares his gruelling story and absolute low...

Why are doctors talking about connection? What is connection medicine and is connection just a "nice-to-have" or does it really impact your physical health and disease outcomes? My guests today, Drs. Alona Pulde and Matthew Lederman, combined conventional Western medicine, Chinese medicine, Lifestyle medicine, Nonviolent Communication, Polyvagal Theory, and Trauma-Informed, Somatic Principles & Pain Reprocessing to create their groundbreaking health paradigm.  They have been successful...

Where are the places where veganism, plant-based living, and business practices intersect? We have found some, and we’re here to share the intel! Cynthia Owen joins me on the show to talk about making veganism more mainstream, leveraging grants to help businesses move forward with plant-based offerings, and her coaching work, including being part of a cultural/global movement for women. Cynthia is a seasoned Mentor and Coach in the realm of personal growth and skill development, having...

Should kids be eating a plant-based diet? Will kids who are vegan be inherently more prone to vitamin deficiencies? We’re jumping into these questions and more on today’s podcast episode.  Dr. Leigh Ettinger has been a medical doctor since 1998 but did not learn about the plant-based diet until 2014. He made changes in his own eating and quickly saw the benefits. He’s earned a certificate in plant-based nutrition from eCornell and is now board certified in obesity medicine. He enjoys...

In this ititeration of the 'Ask Us Anything' series, our listeners make the call on what we're speaking about, and what we dive into! We answer questions that have been received from listeners [via email, Facebook, and Instagram], on everything from strength training and recovery, to veganism and tattoos, to intermittent fasting...and a heck of a lot more.  We packed as many answers to listener questions as we could into this episode, and promise to return with another episode to cover the...

Jen Sinkler has a few different titles: writer, editor, trainer, and art maker [to name a few.] In recent years, her focus as a fitness trainer has pivoted. She trains clients out of a local gym and hosts a community workout group, but her focus has expanded to a bigger-picture approach: learning about the links between the environment and personal health. We discuss a few things that aren’t working in the fitness industry, ableism in the sector, and Jen's process of learning about community...

In this episode I share with you a few thoughts on my birthday, and a presentation I gave recently at a health expo, about veganism and strength training. This is a great place to start if you’re new to either veganism or strength training (or both). And if you’re *not* new to these worlds, it’ll be a good refresher to make sure you’ve nailed the fundamentals. Learn why I no longer set annual goals on my birthday (and which two books had the biggest impact on me in this area), and how I...

Professor Laura Fox is the Douglas M. Costle Chair in Environmental Law and Director of the Farmed Animal Advocacy Clinic at Vermont Law & Graduate School. In 2018, California voters approved Proposition 12, which prohibits the sale of pork, eggs, and veal from animals that were raised in extreme confinement and unsanitary conditions, regardless of where they were raised (in California or elsewhere). Groups with farming interests challenged this law. Recently, the Supreme Court rejected...

Vangile Makwakwa is an author, podcast host, founder of wealthy-money.com, and of course: vegan! Vangile shares her vegan story, how veganism factors into the retreats she leads, and how it supported her through releasing trauma. Speaking to the impact that different forms of systemic oppression have on personal finances and wealth, Vangile discusses her finance journey from a deeply personal perspective, and outlines how that has informed her career.