The Rich Roll Podcast

Welcome to Part II of our 7th annual Best of the RRP Anthology — our way of taking a moment to reflect on the past twelve months by revisiting the year's most compelling podcast guests. It's been an honor to engage with so many extraordinary people over the course of 2019. Reviewing the year in conversation brought powerful new insights -- a reminder that these evergreen exchanges continue to inspire and inform. For long-time listeners, my intention is to launch you into 2020 with renewed vigor. If you're new to the show, my hope is that this anthology will stir you to peruse the back catalog and check out episodes you may have missed. Links to the full episodes excerpted in this anthology are listed in the below show notes. Thank you for taking this journey with me. I appreciate you. I love you. You can also watch it all go down on YouTube.  Here's to an extraordinary 2020. Join me, and let's do this thing together. Peace + Plants, Rich

Welcome to the 7th annual Best of the RRP Anthology — our way of taking a moment to reflect on the year, express gratitude and give thanks for taking this journey with us. To be honest, I didn’t think we could top 2018 -- but we did. It’s been an incredible year. I'm deeply indebted to all my extraordinary guests. And unbelievably proud of the library we dedicated ourselves to creating over the last twelve months. To prepare for the year ahead, it’s critical to pause. To reflect back. Celebrate the victories. Take inventory of the missteps. And visualize the goals you wish to self-actualize in the months ahead. I believe in this process. And I feel strongly that 2020 holds the potential energy manifest your aspirations. It is in this spirit that we created a tradition of closing each year with a look in the rear view with a 2-episode compilation of clips excerpted from many of year's best guests. Consider these next two shows as a love letter. My way of saying thank you. I see you. I believe in you. And I bel

Growing up in the late 1970's there was no conversation around gender identity. You were either male or female. Period, end of discussion. Times have changed. The way we currently think about gender has evolved. Each day brings greater mainstream awareness to its non-binary nature -- and the innate fluidity of gender roles and identity. Take a moment to imagine the experience of being intersex -- a condition in which an individual is born with genetic variations on conventional sex characteristics. Now imagine trying to navigate the world from this non-binary biological disposition. This is the story of Kendra Little. Raised as a girl, at age 12 Kendra learned that she was born with something called androgen insensitivity syndrome, a variation of intersex that affects between 2 to 5 out of 100,000 people. The news prompted Kendra to isolate. Adopting a hormone protocol on the advice of her doctors, she remained a ‘girl’, proceeded to never discuss her condition with anybody and dove headlong into sports -- a

Today we’re going to talk about stress. In proper doses it’s actually beneficial, promoting resilience -- both physical and mental. This week’s guest has seen the perils of chronic stress first hand. A UK-based medical doctor, he found himself increasingly treating patients suffering from the downstream implications of living with this malevolence. It prompted him to ask, why is this happening? His name is Rangan Chatterjee, MD. He decided to find answers to this question -- and do something about it. If that name sounds familiar, perhaps it’s because you caught him on the BBC, starring in Doctor in the House. Perhaps you read his bestselling book, The Four Pillar Plan, released in the United States under the title How To Make Disease Disappear. Or maybe, just maybe, you caught RRP 376, our popular first conversation from July of 2018 that launched our friendship. For those unfamiliar, Dr. Chatterjee is a pioneer in the field of progressive, functional medicine. Widely regarded as one of the most influential

Welcome to the latest installment in my ongoing series of mind melds with my wife and in-house spiritual guru, the wise and ethereal Julie Piatt, aka SriMati. Longtime listeners are well acquainted with my better half. For those newer to the show, Julie is very good at many things. In addition to being an accomplished yogi, healer, musician, and mom to four children, she's also the bestselling author of three vegan cookbooks. She hosts the For The Life of Me podcast. She lords over Water Tiger, her online spiritual community. And she's the founder and 'Mother Arc' of SriMu, her recently launched plant-based cheese start-up. This conversation opens with an update on SriMu. How Julie manifested her vision to create the absolute best artisanal vegan cheese on the market. Start-up founder life behind-the scenes. The values she is building into her food and work culture. And the broader mission she holds for the future. We discuss the hows and whys behind my decision to take my first ever extended work sabbatical

For the vast majority of us, besting our 26.2 personal record by 3+ minutes would be considered fine. Something to be celebrated, but hardly a mind-bending breakthrough. At the highest level of distance running however, the distinction is vast. It's the canyon that separates a very good marathon runner from the greats. This is the story of Scott Fauble. Historically a very accomplished cross country & 10K runner (at the 2016 Olympic Trials he finished 4th in the 10,000 meters), Scott was unproven at the marathon. That is, until he ran 2:12 in Frankfurt in 2017 and matched that time the following year in New York. These performances certainly established Scott as a very good marathoner. But nobody, aside from Scott himself and perhaps his coach and close circle, was prepared for his stunning performance at the 2019 Boston Marathon. Not only did he surprise the world by leading the race for extended stretches, he accomplished what is almost unheard of at his level -- besting his marathon PR by almost 3 and a ha

Last week we explored the world of regenerative farming, soil health and biodiversity as critical levers to improve human health. Consolidate food security. Drawdown carbon. And backpedal climate change. Today we expound on that theme with entrepreneur, restauranteur and social activist Ryland Engelhart. Ryland is the ‘Mission Fulfillment Officer' and co-owner of Café Gratitude and Gracias Madre, a family owned group of legendary plant-based restaurants. The epicenter of California vegan cuisine & culture, it's a platform he uses to not only feed people amazing food but to cultivate community — and most importantly, inspire more gratitude into our lives and culture. In addition, Ryland is a speaker and passionate advocate for sacred commerce, community building and regenerative farming principles, which he supports as co-founder of Kiss The Ground, a non-profit that provides education regarding the connection between soil, human, and planetary health. Among its board of advisors are former podcast guests Paul

Biodiversity. Regenerative agriculture. Ecological sustainability. Carbon drawdown. Climate change reversal. These are popular themes that recur regularly on this show. But in practical terms, what do they actually mean? I wanted to better understand these subjects. Not from the perspective of an academic, scientific researcher or political pundit but rather from the direct experience of actual practitioners — people who live and practice it every single day — farmers. Nine years ago, personal chef Molly Chester and her filmmaker husband John Chester traded their life in urban Santa Monica for 200 acres of infertile land nestled in the foothills of Ventura County — an arid and desolate plot called Apricot Lane Farms. Hence began a journey to build a new life from scratch. The vision? An organic, biodiverse farm based upon regenerative principles, thriving in harmony with nature. It began with repairing the draught-laden, nutrient deplete soil, followed by planting 10,000 orchard trees. Rooting over 200 crops.

Making his 9th appearance on the podcast, today marks another mind-bending deep dive into the multiverse with Guru Singh, my treasured friend and favorite wizard of all things mystical. For those newer to the show, imagine a modern-day Gandalf who rocks like Hendrix while dropping pearls of wisdom that beautifully fuse Eastern mysticism with Western pragmatism. A celebrated third-generation Sikh yogi, master spiritual teacher, author, and family man, for the past 40 years Guru Singh has been studying and teaching Kundalini Yoga. He is the author of several books, a powerful lecturer, and behind-the-scenes guide to many a luminary, including Fortune 500 CEOs, athletes, and artists. Guru Singh is also a talented musician who rocked alongside Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead in the 1960s. When he isn’t recording tracks with people like Seal, he’s bringing down the house on the daily at Yoga West, his Los Angeles home base. The focus of today's discourse? Awareness. We talk about the importance of self care, c

Imagine running an ultramarathon. It’s a huge undertaking for anyone. And a bucket list dream for many. Now imagine running an ultramarathon every day. A minimum of 40 miles, 75 days in a row. Starting in Los Angeles. Finishing in New York. A 3,200 mile transcontinental run. This is the story of Robbie Balenger. Just 6 years ago, Robbie laced up his first pair of running shoes to alleviate the stress he was experiencing managing a restaurant. A small act, that first run set in motion a chain of events that led to a passion for running long distances, followed by a purpose-driven mission promote a message — the power of a plant-based diet to fuel athletic performance. Prevent and reverse certain lifestyle maladies. Ameliorate suffering. And redress climate change. What Robbie didn't expect? The many extraordinary ways running creates community. Unites people across the economic divide. And bridges the political differences that drive us apart. I was unfamiliar with Robbie until an e-mail hit my inbox courtesy

One of the most acclaimed actors of his generation, today Edward Norton graces the podcast to discuss his fascinating life and perspective on filmmaking, culture, politics and the nature of power. Over the course of his extraordinary career, Edward has reaped 3 Academy Award nominations starring in some of the greatest films of our era — Primal Fear, American History X, Fight Club, Birdman, and 25th Hour among them. The occasion for this conversation is Motherless Brooklyn — a long-gestating passion project Edward wrote, directed, produced and headlines. A period crime noir that confronts the shadowy malevolence of power in 1950's New York City, Edward stars as a twitchy tourettic detective determined to find his boss' killer. Evocative of Chinatown, it’s a towering achievement and terrific watch I implore all of you to immediately see in the theatre. Unfamiliar to most are Edward’s many off-screen interests and achievements as an entrepreneur, investor, philanthropist and environmentalist. In 2010, he co-fou

Gracing us with his beautiful presence for a third appearance on the show, my guest today is none other than the legendary ultra-marathon man himself. For those who missed RRP 115 and/or RRP 259, Dean Karnazes is an internationally recognized endurance athlete, New York Times bestselling author, and philanthropist globally lauded for his preternatural ability to push his body and mind to limits inconceivable to mere mortals. Among his many palmerès, Dean has: * Run 135 miles across Death Valley in 120+ degree temperatures several times; * Run for 350 continuous miles, foregoing sleep for three nights; * Run a marathon to the South Pole in negative 40 degrees. * Run a 200-mile relay race solo, racing alongside teams of twelve — on ten different occasions; and * Run 50 marathons, in all 50 U.S. states, in 50 consecutive days, finishing with the New York City Marathon, which he ran in three hours flat In addition to his many feats of mind-bending athletic prowess, Dean's first book, Ultramarathon Man not only

It’s one thing to be an artist. But to become a successful creative — revered for your art — is quite another thing altogether. Even more rare are the few who deftly navigate the vicissitudes of an acclaimed artistic career (or any career for that matter), with a highly conscious, devotional approach. Musicians Rodrigo Sánchez and Gabriela Quintero – popularly known as the Mexican acoustic rock guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela — are not only incredible masters of their craft, they fully embody this ethos. It's a sensibility that has carried them from obscurity in Mexico. To busking on Grafton Street in Dublin. And ultimately to playing premier sold out venues all across the globe. Along the way, Rod & Gab have performed at the White House for the Obamas. They've collaborated on film scores with world renowned composers like Hans Zimmer. And lent their talents to television shows like Breaking Bad — all while staying true to themselves and their utterly unique Metallica meets Flamenco artistic sensibility. For t

One day not long ago, I awoke to a bright orange book ubiquitously displayed everywhere I looked. Provocatively titled The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, today's guest birthed a publishing sensation, custom tailored for click-bait embrace. The title also made the book easy to dismiss. In fact, freely admit to downright refusing to read it. But it just would not go away. Not only did it top the New York Times bestseller list, the book stayed there. 6 million plus copies later, it still rests at #4 — a full 149 weeks since its publication. So who is this Mark Manson guy? Realizing that my reflexive reaction was perhaps misplaced, I finally relented. And was pleasantly surprised by what I discovered. To be sure, the book is both contrarian and confrontational. Chock-a-block with f-bombs. But it's also surprisingly refreshing, upending the tired tropes of self-help with an intractable glee. Grappling with real issues, I relished Mark's unique voice — depth meets grit with an infectious philosophical sensibility

Today's guest is lauded for her grit. And a preternatural ability to suffer. Her name is Amelia Boone. And she is the most dominant & decorated female in the history of OCR (obstacle course racing). Over the course of her storied athletic career, Amelia has amassed over 50 podiums and 30 victories. She is a Spartan Race World Champion and 3-time World's Toughest Mudder Champion. The ultimate weekend warrior, she’s done all of this while balancing a full time career as a corporate attorney — first at the prestigious Skadden Arps law firm in Chicago and currently at Apple in Silicon Valley. Dubbed ‘The Queen of Pain', it’s a career that’s landed her magazine covers, major publication features, national television gigs, and a legion of adoring fans across the world. But it's also a career that came with pressures that drained the fun out of competition. And a mask that obscured a deeper dysfunction lurking beneath the surface. Amidst the celebration of Amelia as an unbreakable champion, prodded for her daily hab

By now, most of you have heard about the Impossible Burger. I imagine many of you have tried it. Arguably the ‘beefiest' plant-based patty, even the most attuned palate has trouble believing it isn't real meat. Now ubiquitous at fine dining establishments and fast food franchises alike, it's a global phenomenon. Today we explore the mission behind the burger with Impossible Foods founder & CEO Pat Brown, the man responsible for upending everything you thought you knew about plant-based meat, on a mission to forge a better environmental future for all. A world-renowned geneticist, Pat is a former Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and Professor of Biochemistry at Stanford University. He is also a founder of Lyrical Foods, maker of Kite Hill artisanal nut milk-based cheeses and a founder of the Public Library of Science (PLOS), a nonprofit publisher that pioneered the open-access business model. Pat was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2002, and is a member of the Institute of Medicine.

I'm ecstatic to share my first live podcast event, recorded at the Los Angeles Wilshire Ebell Theatre on September 27, 2019. For all of us, this podcast is an abstraction. The motivation behind the event was to create a tactile, analog experience for 1,100 people to gather around shared purpose and passion. An opportunity to cultivate community. Raise consciousness. Elevate intimacy. Deepen personal connectivity around our collective humanity — and the important ideas of our time. An unforgettable lifetime moment, the resulting impact exceeded my wildest expectations. I'm still basing in the glow. And deeply grateful for an experience that left me feeling more intimately connected with all of you — and optimistic about the future of our planet. The program opens with the poetic spoken word genius of my friend and two-time podcast guest IN-Q (check out RRP 81 & RRP 118). Named to Oprah Winfrey's SuperSoul 100 list of the world's most influential thought leaders, IN-Q is a National Poetry Slam Champion, multi-p

Conventional wisdom frames creativity as the purview of a certain select few — a rare gift that eludes us mere mortals. This is a lie. We are all born creative. More birthright than blessing, creativity is a practice. A habit not unlike any other skill or discipline. A muscle that can be built and flexed. This week's guest takes the notion one step further, asserting creativity as a biological necessity — a transformative force that resides within us all that when unleashed delivers vitality to everything we do. Chase Jarvis is many things. One of the most influential and award-winning photographers of the last decade, he is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades. Dubbed by Forbes as ‘the photographer everyone wants to work with', Chase has created hundreds of campaigns and commercials for the likes of Nike, Apple, Samsung, Google, and Red Bull. As a photojournalist, Chase contributed to the Pulitzer-Prize winning New York Times story Snow Fall and earned an Emmy nomination for Portrait of a City, his

Addiction is tenacious. We're all craven animals, vulnerable to habits that don't serve us. Whether it’s a constantly checking social media, binge eating, smoking, excessive drinking, most of us fall prey to compulsions we feel powerless to arrest. Why is this? And what can neuroscience teach us about the nature of cravings and how to overcome them? Dr. Jud Brewer has devoted his career to answering these questions. His discoveries just might change your life. A psychiatrist, neuroscientist, thought leader and scientific researcher in the field of habit change and the “science of self-mastery”, Dr. Brewer is the founder of MindSciences and Director of Research and Innovation at the Brown University Mindfulness Center. Formerly, he served as an associate professor in Medicine and Psychiatry at UMass Medical School, an adjunct faculty member at Yale University, and a research affiliate at MIT. Dr. Brewer has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. He has trained U.S.A. Olympic coaches. His

He's best known for popularizing Stoicism — an ancient philosophical yet highly practical operating system he pioneered to mainstream, modern adoption. In his latest turn, Ryan Holiday expands his lens East. In pursuit of shared wisdom across ancient Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, Hebrew, Greek, Christian and Epicurean traditions, he discovered one essential truth — that inner peace is essential to a life of purpose, meaning and fulfillment. Ryan calls it stillness — to be steady while the world spins around you. A crucial characteristic of all great leaders, thinkers, artists, athletes and visionaries, it's a practice to transcend the stress of everyday life. An antidote to the distractions of our fast-paced world. And the ultimate path to meaning, contentment, and excellence in a world that needs more of it than ever. For those unfamiliar, Ryan is an autodidact who dropped out of college at 19, maturing into one of the most important thinkers of his generation. Now 32, he is a media strategist, prolific writer an