Welcome back to another episode of the Plant Based News podcast! This week I am delighted to welcome to the podcast animal advocate and founder of Barn Sanctuary Dan McKernan. Dan’s journey of animal advocacy goes back a few years to when he decided to leave a successful, high-paying job in the tech industry in Austin, Texas. He decided to return to his home in rural Michigan and was intent on transforming his family’s 140-year-old farm into a safe haven for farmed animals. This is how in 2016 Barn Sanctuary was formed. Barn Sanctuary in Chelsea, Michigan is dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating abused and neglected farmed animals in need. It is currently home to over 100 rescued farmed animals, which reside within the 70-acre property. Barn Sanctuary exemplifies Dan’s mission to change the way the world views farmed animals and help lead society towards a more compassionate and plant-based lifestyle. The PBN Podcast is hosted and produced by Robbie Lockie, Edited by Phil Marriott. Learn more about Dan and Barn Sanctuary here -https://www.barnsanctuary.org/ 00:00:00 An Introduction to Dan McKernan 00:04:10 Discovering the vegan and plant-based lifestyle 00:06:48 Detaching from the misconceptions that being vegan is not masculine 00:14:45 The transition from being tech nerd to founder of Barn Sanctuary 00:19:35 What happens on the animal sanctuary 00:27:10 Stories of visitors at the sanctuary 00:31:00 Dealing with the loss of animals cared for at the sanctuary 00:38:21 Dreaming of the perfect future for animals 00:42:00 Mercy For Animals: Transfarmation 00:43:00 Saved By The Barn TV Show 00:51:35 This Farm is a Family - a book for children 00:58:40 Stranded on a desert island