I’m jumping up and down over here, thrilled with excitement.  While I’m not finished my weight loss journey, early on I KNEW I wanted to use my own body and my own personal story to inspire others to make a change.  I have ZERO experience doing podcasts, but have spent lots of time taking any opportunity I get to speak whether that be giving a speech at a retirement party at work, speaking up in large team meetings, sharing a personal story at an all team meeting, talking to strangers and recording training videos.  All of these small things have added up and this practice with public speaking has paid off.

The Exam Room Live Podcast put on by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) is one of the TOP-rated nutrition podcasts and was number one during covid.  PCRM has close to 500K subscribers on YouTube and Chuck Carroll, the weight loss champion, is the host of a century.  He is a fellow food addict and has his own story of transformation that has and continues to inspire many.  Check it out here.

I’m not an expert; I don’t hold any degrees or special skills this world values so feel my own story is one of the best tools I have to advocate for animals.  A huge part of my WHY has been to be shining magnet for the vegan lifestyle in hopes that people will wake up and care about their own health and leave animals and animal by products off of their plates.

Chuck gives the absolute NICEST introduction that is only available in the audio only version wherever you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) so check that out.  The YouTube link is available here.

Behind The Scenes

Chuck made me feel SO WELCOMED and comfortable.  He said all the things I needed to hear to give me confidence and calm my nerves.  He was so kind as to allow me to watch him and Dr. Neal Barnard film two episodes (like what?!!  another hero of mine), you can watch them here and here.  I got to sit in their brand new studio and watch two of my heros film an episode.  I was so absorbed in the experience and in the present moment, that I forgot I was up next.  This was a good thing as I didn’t really have time to panic.  I sat there as a fan, enjoying the experience of a lifetime and felt like I was hanging out with colleagues, zero awkwardness at all.

After filming Dr. Barnard’s episodes, Chuck offered to take a picture of the three of us together.  I was able to chat with Dr. Barnard a bit.  The food addict in me was like, should I really leave added plant fat like nuts and seeds off my plate for now while I finish this journey?  His answer was yes. Of course it was!!  So my new mantra is just for now.  I’m not perfect, but am trying my best to just for now, watch those added plant fats.

Before we started filming, I was told we could re-record something if I wanted, so not worry about being perfect.  Phew.  This really helped me relax and we were able to film the episode in one shot.  No retakes and nothing was edited out, WOW! I felt like I was talking to a friend.

Chuck is an outstanding host and asks very thought provoking questions . He really took me back into the initial stages of my transformation and had me dig deep.  There are some things I could have answered better, and I’ll do a follow up post to cover that.

Basking in Joy

For now, I’m basking in joy.  I’m thankful to the small, but mighty, vegan community of support.  Currently the video has over 4K views.  I’m thankful to everyone who has watched, downloaded the episode, liked the episode on YouTube, commented (the comments are so overwhelmingly positive).  I feel all the love.

Authenticity

I did my best to dig deep into my own authenticity filming this episode, to be brutally honest and vulnerable and really truly share what it is like to be in the throes of addiction.  I even shared stories no one has heard before.  If I’ve decided to use my own body and story as activism, why not get comfortable with being as real as possible.

I used to think change for me was hopeless.  NOT consuming pizza didn’t feel like an option for me.  One of the top comments I hear from people is ‘I could never give up cheese.’ I hope that folks watching/listening to this episode can understand that if I can do it, they can too!

The dairy industry thrives on the exploitation of the female reproductive system.  The dairy cows have been selectively bred to hold up to 4 times more milk – OUCH.  The bull calves (males) are killed or turned into veal, calves are separated from mothers and live in a hutch – alone.  Mother cows bellow out for their young as any mother would. It’s’ heartbreaking.

Dairy cows are spent after about 4 years and are sent to slaughter and turned into ground beef.  There’s an acceptable amount of pus in each glass of milk (gross).  Mother cows often develop mastitis which is an udder infection common in dairy cows and if you’ve ever had a bladder infection, you know that is painful.  Both infections are caused by bacteria but occur in different parts of the body.

The dairy industry represents prolonged suffering and make no mistake, also represents death.  Remember, when we say, ‘I could never give up cheese,’ we must consider the cows.  Our taste pleasure is not worth their lifetime of suffering and death.  It’s not right. Know that veganism is not a diet, but is a social justice movement for those who cannot speak up for themselves.

I’m pleased to no longer take part in such a heartless and despicable system and zero part of me misses cheese. Join me. 🙂

Peace, love & plants,

Michelle 🙂

p.s. It really helps with engagement when we like, subscribe, post a review or a comment. Not only on my episode but on any content creators you like to support.  This is a great activism, as it helps ensure the video will be seen by more folks, especially those who need it.