More Plants: A Vegan Podcast by Brownble

Many years ago I was in a cycle of a certain kind of stress that was bubbling just beneath the surface, in a way that didn't scream urgency as you would perhaps feel during a big life transition, exam season or project deadline season, the illness of a family member, but rather, the kind of daily stress that keeps you on a hamster wheel, moving through your day scratching things off to-do lists, with your mind firmly on the next thing. I started having this very uncomfortable feeling that I was ending my day and when my head hit the pillow, even when I had gotten a lot of things done that day, I felt as though I had missed the whole day. I felt as though time was rushing past me and twirling me around as if caught in the force of white rapids. Had I even taken a conscious breath in the entire day? Had I really been present in my conversations? Had I even looked at my dogs as we were going on our long walk that I looked forward to so much? Had I even looked at the beauty of the woods we were walking in? As it tends to happen, when I looked at my food choices that day, I had similar questions. Why did I eat that food I really didn't feel like eating just because it was easiest? Did I even taste my food? How long did it take me to eat? How was it? What was my favorite part? The answers to all of these questions were either a mind left blank, or a big, no. As in no I hadn't been present in anything I had done that day, only in the race to get everything done. Something had to change, and I did a little Google search and found something that changed my life forever. A free, open sourced, no email required course on something called mindfulness, MBSR mindfulness to be specific. What happened during the next few weeks was so astounding, and it still keeps me company to this day, it has changed my relationship with food, and it has been, above all else, a time stretcher. In today's episode, I give you a beginners guide to MBSR mindfulness and how it connects to mindful eating and veganism. I'll provide you with resources, courses, apps, tools, videos and especially, a guide for getting started. For the videos and links mentioned in today's episode click here or visit brownble.com/blog

I’m so excited to introduce you to our very special guest for today’s episode, registered dietitian nutritionist Shannon Costello. Shannon is a professional at a very special intersection that includes pretty much all the things we talk about in this podcast. She is a plant based dietitian and passionate about vegan foods, she is also an anti diet dietitian, taking her clients along a new path to all encompassing well being and health through intuitive eating and each person’s specific circumstances, preferences and lifestyles. To top things off, she actually coaches her clients, in the kitchen, to find a way of shopping planning, prepping and cooking that helps make life easier, and helps people connect with their food and ingredients in a new way. Today we talk about the harm that can come with dieting, leaving the dieting mindset behind and reconnecting to yourself and your body. We also talk about what the experience is like when you walk into an anti-diet dietitian's office, dealing with dieting conversations with family members and friends, the differences between meal planning and meal prepping, as well as how to share meals with our partners or family who might eat in a different way, and so much more. Shannon also shares so much of her personal story with dieting and her journey to more balanced exercise habits with us, and if you’ve ever watched her very entertaining reels on instagram, I can tell you right now, she is just as fun, bubbly, genuine and honest as she comes across on social media.  Shannon Costello is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and plant-based culinary coach based in Maryland, USA. She inspires her clients to ditch the dieting mindset through kitchen therapy and intuitive eating while exploring new foods & flavors. You can connect with her, and book a consultation through her website and instagram where she is @chefshannonnutrition For all other links mentioned in today's episode, click here.

I’m very excited to introduce you to our special guest, registered dietitian, anti diet dietitian and certified intuitive eating counsellor, Charline Adriens. An expert on the intersection between eating a vegan diet and practicing intuitive eating, being plant based and also having an anti diet and non restrictive approach. I find it so helpful when professionals in the field of dietetics, health and mental health open up conversations about this very gentle approach that as you know has changed my life, and that is intuitive eating, leaving our dieting days behind, understanding why diets are bad for us and our health, and working on body neutrality, body acceptance and healing our relationship with food. I find it even more of a unique and special gift when people in these fields also dare to talk about how these approaches and making food choices due to ethics (for example being vegan or eating a vegetarian diet) can intersect. It is rare, and Charline is one of those people that just makes me feel understood, that allows space for nuance, both within veganism, and within practicing intuitive eating.  Today I ask her so many of the questions I had when I got started on my intuitive eating journey and this path towards body acceptance and making peace with food, some of the questions you have asked me, and some of the misconceptions there are about the intersection between vegan diets and intuitive eating. Charline shares some of her own personal journey with food, body image and becoming a dietitian as a second career, and we also dive into the topics of diet culture and its effects on our mental and physical health, into some of the intuitive principles, like rejecting the diet mentality, challenge the food police, honor your hunger and feel your fullness. She also shares her perspective on body image work and you’ll hear her say, the phrase you’ve heard hundreds of times in this podcast, food is never just about the food. She discusses the importance of doing body neutrality and body acceptance work, and how to navigate that question so many of us have "How do I love my body if it doesn't meet society's standards?", and "How to accept my body when so many messages tell me I shouldn't".  I find Charline incredibly helpful, compassionate and understanding of the journey each eater has to go through and I know you will get so many actionable tips from this episode. Charline Adriaens is a registered dietitian and proud certified intuitive eating counselor. As a vegan herself, she specializes in plant-based nutrition in her private practice. Nutrition is a second career for Charline who previously worked in the contemporary art world. While looking for a solution for her own difficult relationship with food, her interest in nutrition led her to becoming a dietitian and eventually to intuitive eating. She started her private practice in 2020 which is mainly virtual. In January 2021 she launched her very own podcast where she talks to her guests about how they eat plant-based and what intuitive eating means to them. As you’ll hear towards the end of the episode, Charline sees clients in her private practice which is mainly virtual so you can reach out to her for a consultation and learn more about her practice and resources, and enjoy her beautiful content on instagram @intuitief_plantaardig. For all the other links mentioned in today's episode, click here.

In today’s episode of the podcast I have such a special guest joining me to talk about finding a style of movement that is all about the joy. If you've ever said the words "I hate working out", "I hate going to the gym", "I hate exercise", "I hate cardio", "I hate working out at home", this episode is for you. Today’s episode is less interview style, and more so a conversation between friends, where we both talk about the movement loves of our lives, how to enjoy exercise, how to practice intuitive movement without focusing on weight or numbers, and how to find an exercise you enjoy.  You’ll hear some stories of mine you’ve never heard on the podcast before, and Sam will inspire you with a quite unusual coming of age when it comes to movement, and she shares how finding an activity that involves some kind of mental puzzle, can add extra benefits to the experience. We talk about a process oriented mindset vs a goal oriented one, the place community has in what type of exercise we choose and how you can start finding that form of movement that will make you hop or even better, skip to it. I also had a BIG surprise for Sam, one she wasn’t expecting, and which I reveal in the first few minutes of the show. We also discuss incorporating movement for your mental health, finding enjoyable workouts that can help you stay active without it being about discomfort or shoulds, and finding your very own brand of joyful exercise. Sam Anthony is a travel writer and editor. She's also been an archaeologist, full time house sitter, travel blogger, and podcaster! Originally from New York, she lived in Spain for 3 years and was nomadic for another 3 years before finding a home base in Buffalo, New York. While she’s always loved being active, it was during the pandemic that she began to really connect with movement as a way to stay balanced and support positive mental and emotional health. Connect with Sam on Instagram: @theroadgoesforeveron For all the links mentioned in today's episode, click here or visit brownble.com/blog

Today we have a very special guest on the show, a dear friend and writer, blogger and a passionate vegan, Caitlin Galer-Unti to talk about transitions. Transitioning to veganism, transitions in work and life and how we can keep ourselves in mind when making big changes. We talk about doing things at our own pace and finding the resources that will help us navigate big changes in our lives. We discuss how the pandemic caused so many ripples in our lives, and why as content creators, even as people, our interests change and pivot, how it is in fact a common reaction to difficult times to follow them up with a big burst of daring and change. We also talk about how the vegan movement has changed through the years, we discuss ex-vegans, as well as expanding compassion to other areas of our lives, and more. You can connect with Caitlin through her website, follow her on instagram @theveganword and on Facebook. For all the links mentioned in today's episode, click here or visit brownble.com/blog

Today we are joined by none other than "The Intuitive Vegan", Gabi Maddocks on the show. Gabi started her instagram account when she became vegan four years ago to keep a record of her own recipes. Over the next year her followers grew and grew - maybe because of her accessible cooking style and her method of quickly snapping the results without any staging. Gabi joins us today to talk about her own journey into veganism, her journey and philosophy of eating, thinking and cooking intuitively, she shares some of her experiences with her diagnosis of Crohn’s disease and managing it through a vegan diet (understanding that medication is also a part of the journey), and she discusses how her veganism has evolved through time. She’s also great at talking about imperfection within veganism, practicing intuitive eating as a vegan, navigating having a mixed eating household with kids, and what I loved the most about our conversation, how thinking for yourself within a movement that often wants to speak for you, can heal your relationship with food, connect you with others, and make you even more compassionate and inspirational. If you've ever asked yourself "can you be a vegan intuitive eater?", today's episode will shed some light as to how to navigate being an intuitive eating vegan when your motivation for being vegan is based on animal welfare and being an ethical vegan. You can find Gabi on instagram through the handle @the.intuitive.vegan and through her website, as well as her company The Playing Space @theplayingspace on instagram, and through their website. For all other links mentioned in today's episode, click here or visit brownble.com/blog

In today's podcast episode for The Brownble Podcast, I am interviewing Sanja Zugic, a passionate entrepreneur and environmental activist who I greatly admire. Sanja is the founder of Eco Serein. She started the brand in 2019 and not only sells eco friendly products but also organizes clean ups in the USA and Serbia. So far they have organized multiple events, cleaning up more than 10,000 pounds of trash. They’ve had around 100 volunteers joining them, uniting different nationalities and groups. In today’s conversation we talk about our disconnection to the trash we discard and her journey to becoming an incredible environmental ambassador. She gives me a lesson or two about how to recycle correctly, and gives us so many ways to reduce plastic use in the bathroom and our beauty products and cosmetics, kitchen and when shopping, and she brings inspiring stories from gathering people together to do the hands on work of cleaning the natural spaces we share with animals and communities that are being greatly harmed by our use of plastics. Join us in this episode full of zero waste tips, and to hear her story about becoming vegan, and how her activism and veganism has changed and transformed through the years.  Make sure to follow Eco Serein on Instagram and to check out their product line at Eco Serein. For all the other links and recommendations mentioned in the episode, click here.

In today's episode we have one of my favorite people on this planet as a special guest. My best friend, clinical psychologist Verena Kacinskis is with us to talk about the wounds behind perfectionism, psychological defence mechanisms and what they are, whether perfectionism works as a distraction or a way to control. Verena shares how perfectionism begins to appear in her life and how to catch herself before it takes root (list makers, you're going to LOVE this story), as well as how to come down from a spiral of perfectionism when we're in it. We talk about whether there is ever a prize at the end of the tunnel with perfectionism, and we get to peel the layers of the onion, talking about the deep wound that is at the center of most human suffering. Verena Kacinskis is a clinical psychologist and researcher. For the past 13 years, she has been integrating the concepts and techniques from Psychology and a healthcare system called BodyTalk, seeking to deepen and expand therapeutic results for her patients. Currently, she has been splitting her time between seeing patients and developing content to both educate and encourage self-observation, always with the premise of sharing resources that people can use in their own internal organization processes. For all the links to Verena's work and the resources mentioned in today's podcast, click here or visit brownble.com/blog

It's the final post and episode for 2021, and what a year it has been! In today's episode, and in the spirit of New Year's resolutions and making plans for the coming year, I thought we'd talk about another way to approach the end of a cycle, and talk about the incredible power of letting go and releasing what no longer serves us. I share what my past New Year's resolutions have been in previous years, what happened during a very tumultuous time at the end of last year and how that affected my usual practice, and I share a special ritual and step by step process with you on how to let go of whatever is weighing on us, whatever is causing shame, whatever isn't allowing us to move forward. I also share some of the harder and more personal challenges this year had in store for me and much more. For all the links mentioned in today's episode, click here, or visit brownble.com/blog

Today's episode of The Brownble Podcast is not your typical Christmas episode. We've been in the midst of a couple of really hard years and a not so typical episode was more than called for. In today's episode I'll be sharing some personal stories from the Holiday Seasons of my life, the happy, the sad, the fun, the joyful, and all the missing and longing that comes with them. I'll share why this year Christmas has felt particularly alive for me, and it's not for the reasons you might think. If you're someone who loves the season, but has a hard time with it too, today's episode is for you. We'll follow it up next week with a very special episode all about New Year's resolutions and the power of letting go of what no longer serves us. Until then, Merry Christmas! For all the links and resources mentioned in today's episode, click here or visit brownble.com

We're back with season 9 of The Brownble Podcast! In today's episode we'll be giving you some pre-holiday season support for those hard conversations that often happen when we're gathered with friends and family. We'll talk about setting boundaries with loved ones, especially when it comes to conversations about our way of eating, our being ethical vegans, our intuitive eating journey, our weight or body size, and even the stage of life we are in and the choices we've made in our personal lives. I'll give you some practical examples of how to kindly ask for a little space, or certain topics to be off the table. For all the links mentioned in today's episode click here or visit brownble.com

We're so happy to present our new and FREE online course Tofu Mastery! In today's quick episode I tell you all about the course and how you can start enjoying it today at no extra cost to you. This is our way of saying a huge THANK YOU! For all your support, all the times you've clicked on a video, all the times you've listened to an episode or purchased any of our courses. In this course we'll go over all the basics of tofu making, from the different types of tofu and which techniques to use for each one, how to press tofu, freezing tofu for a change in texture, the one technique so many recipes skip when it comes to making tofu delicious, as well as great recipes so you can finally learn how to make tofu taste good! Are you ready to take a look at everything that's included in the course? You can watch our trailer, check out all the features and course curriculum and enroll for free here, or by visiting Brownble.com

In this last episode of our mini mid-summer season of the podcast before we kick off season 9, we're talking all about making seitan from scratch at home. I'll be talking about the origins of this incredible high protein staple, the two methods of making homemade seitan, how to flavor and season it, the basic techniques for cooking it including braising, simmering, steaming and cooking it in a water bath. I'll also be discussing whether seitan should be kneaded, how to transform it into delicious vegan dishes, as well as the best methods for cooking a seitan roast, seitan sausages, vegan deli meats, steaks and more. It's a jam packed episode, full of information on how to cook this delicious vegan meat alternative. For all the links mentioned in today's episode, click here or visit our blog at Brownble.com

In today’s mini Q & A episode I answer two listener questions about getting started on their vegan journey. We’ll talk about what the start of this path can look like and why it’s important to find the right pace for this transition. I share some of the must read books and blogs on nutrition basics so you can make this transition easily and safely. I also discuss that very basic question “what should I eat as a vegan?” and so much more. For all the links mentioned in today's episode click here or visit brownble.com.

In today's episode I answer a listener question from one of our Sams, about the benefits of starting a journaling practice. I’ll be highlighting what journaling is, what the benefits of journaling are, the different types of journaling and how often you can do this practice, as well as my personal history with journaling, from my pre-teen years up to now, and what this practice has changed in my own life and in my relationship with food and body image. For all the links mentioned in today's episode, click here or visit brownble.com

We just got back from our summer trip to the mountains, where we spent our days looking out into the lush green countryside, reading under chestnut trees, playing a too long game of Monopoly during a rainy day, making salads with the veggies we picked straight from the earth and saying good morning to a flock of sheep that lived right on the property with us. It got me thinking about our connection to the land, growing food, and it brought so many childhood memories of growing up harvesting what we grew in Venezuela. I share these stories with you today, give you an update on the daily shopping method I’ve been using for the past few months and more. For all the photos and links mentioned in today's episode, click here or visit Brownble.com

I know this episode should have probably been called Early Fall Summer Bookworm because we’ve just turned a corner from summer, but it’s tradition! As is the case every summer, I’m sharing some of the books I’ve read from January to August in 2021 that I’ve loved, from non-fiction to memoir to novels, with a brief spoiler free description of each so you can decide if some of these might be right for you! Not every book will be for everyone, which is why I share why I loved them, in the hopes that you find your perfect book match for the coming months! For all the books and links mentioned in today's episode, click here or visit Brownble.com

In today’s episode I’ll be talking about body image and external comments. It’s been a common thread since slowly rejoining activities and loved ones after this long period of self-isolation, and I thought I’d remind you how it’s normal to have struggles and get our feelings hurt when we receive comments about our bodies. We also discuss why we should start gearing conversations away from bodies altogether, and why sometimes even comments that come from a good place or are even phrased as compliments can be harmful for people who have struggled with food and/or body image issues. I’ll also share some inspiring videos on positive body image and the effects of the inner banter we have with ourselves, and I give you my favorite comments to say or give to others, that don’t focus on bodies or appearance. For all the links mentioned in today's episode, click here or visit Brownble.com

Just before we say goodbye to summer, there’s always the time and good weather for a bit of last minute grilling. In today’s episode of the podcast I give you some great ideas for having a yummy vegan barbecue, where vegetables shine and are the focal point. These vegetable dishes are so perfect on the grill, and they go great with any other goodies like vegan sausages or burgers that might be tradition, or on their own by pairing a few of them together. They will also impress any guests, introducing them to this concept vegans know well: vegetables can be the main event, once you get to know them. I also give you a killer infused oil preparation that makes any dish pop with flavor, and also works when roasting veggies or other vegan goodies in the oven. For all the links mentioned in today's episode, click here or visit Brownble.com

We’re back with another podcast episode as part of our mini mid summer season before we kick off season 9 of The Brownble Podcast! With routines and normal activities starting up again for many of us, in person work and in person school coming up soon, many of us are starting to feel those familiar pangs of overwhelm. If you’re starting to have a bit of anxiety on Sunday nights because you suddenly remember the endless list of tasks that awaits the next day, today’s episode will give you my favorite 3 tools to start the week with less stress, and ease into the week. For all the links mentioned in today's episode, click here, or visit brownble.com