loader from loading.io

From Vegan Icon to Regenerative Rancher (and Why Soil Changes Everything) with Mollie Engelhart

Health Coach Radio

Release Date: 02/03/2026

Rebuilding Human-Centered Coaching: Simplicity, Connection, and the Future of Wellness  with Michelle Leotta show art Rebuilding Human-Centered Coaching: Simplicity, Connection, and the Future of Wellness with Michelle Leotta

Health Coach Radio

Episode Summary In this wide-ranging and deeply honest conversation, Erin Power welcomes back business and health coach Michelle Leotta to explore how the health coaching industry — and the health consumer — has fundamentally changed since their last conversation in August 2023. Michelle shares why the past year felt like a turning point for online businesses, what she observed in her client data, and how rising overwhelm, automation fatigue, and AI distrust are reshaping buying behavior. Michelle walks listeners through her decision to radically simplify her business model, shift away...

info_outline
Why the Future of Longevity Belongs to Health Coaches show art Why the Future of Longevity Belongs to Health Coaches

Health Coach Radio

Technology is advancing rapidly in the world of health and longevity — from wearables and peptides to GLP-1 medications and AI-driven diagnostics. But what if the most powerful intervention isn’t technology at all?   In this episode, Erin Power explores a surprising insight from tech entrepreneur and longevity experimenter Bryan Johnson. Despite spending millions of dollars on cutting-edge health interventions, Johnson publicly shared that the single most impactful factor in improving his health wasn’t a supplement, device, or medical procedure — it was behavior change....

info_outline
Invisible ADHD, Women, and Directive Coaching with Shanna Pearson show art Invisible ADHD, Women, and Directive Coaching with Shanna Pearson

Health Coach Radio

In this guest episode, Erin Power sits down with Shanna, founder of ADHD Coaching and author of Invisible ADHD, to unpack why ADHD in women is often missed, what it feels like to live undiagnosed, and what support can look like when coaching is built specifically for ADHD brains. They talk about the emotional side of ADHD, decision paralysis, misdiagnosis, and why Shanna’s coaching model is intentionally high-touch and directive: doing tasks together, practicing skills in real time, and using accountability to create momentum. Episode Overview 0:00 Erin welcomes Shanna (ADHD Coaching) 0:16...

info_outline
The Death of Wellness Optimism: Why Simplicity May Be the Future of Health show art The Death of Wellness Optimism: Why Simplicity May Be the Future of Health

Health Coach Radio

Is the era of endless biohacking, tracking, and hyper-optimization finally coming to an end? In this thought-provoking solo episode, Erin Power explores a cultural shift happening inside the wellness industry. For years, wellness culture promoted the belief that with enough gadgets, supplements, protocols, and data tracking we could essentially engineer our way to perfect health. But something is changing. Many people are now experiencing wellness overwhelm — fatigue from constant self-optimization, conflicting health advice, and the pressure to execute perfect routines. Erin breaks...

info_outline
Money, Mindset, and Making Data‑Driven Decisions with Lauren show art Money, Mindset, and Making Data‑Driven Decisions with Lauren

Health Coach Radio

In this episode of Health Coach Radio, Erin Power is joined by Lauren, founder of Active Core Consulting, for a candid conversation about money, numbers, and the emotional relationship many founders have with their finances. Lauren supports boutique fitness, wellness, and recovery studio owners in building profitable, sustainable businesses. Together, Erin and Lauren explore financial shame, money mindset, reading a P&L, and how founders can move from fear and avoidance into clarity, ease, and empowered decision-making. Episode Overview 0:00 Introduction to Lauren and her work 3:30 Shame,...

info_outline
Healthy Swaps, Grocery Store Content, and Building Trust Online with Hunter Stoler show art Healthy Swaps, Grocery Store Content, and Building Trust Online with Hunter Stoler

Health Coach Radio

In this episode of Health Coach Radio, Erin Power is joined by health coach and content creator Hunter (Health With Hunter) for a candid conversation about healthy swaps, weight loss, ingredient awareness, and building trust through social media. Hunter shares how he lost 50 pounds sustainably, built a following of over one million people across platforms, and now helps clients simplify healthy eating without restriction or fear. Episode Overview 0:00 Welcome and introduction to Hunter 2:15 Hunter’s health journey and coaching background 5:45 Growing a large social media following 8:10...

info_outline
Menopause, Stress, and Cutting Through the Noise with Bree Rudner show art Menopause, Stress, and Cutting Through the Noise with Bree Rudner

Health Coach Radio

Why does the menopause transition feel so overwhelming for modern women — and why are so many clients stuck in information overload? In this episode of Health Coach Radio, Erin Power sits down with Bree Rudner, a health coach specializing in women in their 40s and 50s and a coach on Dr. Mindy Pelz’s team. Bree shares her personal journey from an autoimmune diagnosis in her late 30s to building a coaching practice rooted in physical foundations, mental well-being, and simplicity. Together, Erin and Bree explore why confusion has become one of the biggest barriers to progress — and...

info_outline
The New Dietary Guidelines: What Changed, What Didn’t, and What Health Coaches Need to Know show art The New Dietary Guidelines: What Changed, What Didn’t, and What Health Coaches Need to Know

Health Coach Radio

The 2026 Dietary Guidelines for Americans have sparked intense debate across the health and wellness world. In this solo episode, Erin Power breaks through the noise to offer a grounded, professional, and unbiased perspective on what these updated guidelines actually mean for health coaches and their clients. Rather than celebrating or criticizing the guidelines, Erin walks listeners through what has genuinely shifted, what remains the same, and why this moment matters more philosophically than practically. She explains why population level nutrition guidance rarely changes individual...

info_outline
Understanding Symptomatology: A Practical Tool for Health Coaches show art Understanding Symptomatology: A Practical Tool for Health Coaches

Health Coach Radio

In this solo, unscripted episode of Health Coach Radio, Erin Power dives into a deceptively simple — yet incredibly powerful — concept for health coaches: symptomatology. While the word itself may sound clinical or dry, Erin reframes symptomatology as a practical, ethical, and client-centered tool that fits squarely within a health coach’s scope of practice. This episode explores how health coaches can work skillfully with client-reported symptoms without diagnosing, treating, or crossing professional boundaries. Erin explains how symptom self-assessments can support awareness, pattern...

info_outline
From Vegan Icon to Regenerative Rancher (and Why Soil Changes Everything) with Mollie Engelhart show art From Vegan Icon to Regenerative Rancher (and Why Soil Changes Everything) with Mollie Engelhart

Health Coach Radio

This is not a diet debate. In this episode of Health Coach Radio, Erin Power sits down with Mollie Engelhart, a former vegan icon and celebrated Los Angeles restaurateur whose identity and livelihood were built on plant-based ideology.   Today, Mollie is a regenerative farmer and cattle rancher in Texas. That transition cost her millions of dollars, professional relationships, and public approval — and she would still do it again. This conversation explores what happens when evidence and lived experience challenge deeply held beliefs, especially when those beliefs are tied to morality,...

info_outline
 
More Episodes
This is not a diet debate. In this episode of Health Coach Radio, Erin Power sits down with Mollie Engelhart, a former vegan icon and celebrated Los Angeles restaurateur whose identity and livelihood were built on plant-based ideology.
 
Today, Mollie is a regenerative farmer and cattle rancher in Texas. That transition cost her millions of dollars, professional relationships, and public approval — and she would still do it again. This conversation explores what happens when evidence and lived experience challenge deeply held beliefs, especially when those beliefs are tied to morality, identity, and income.
 
What This Conversation Covers
 
Changing your mind publicly
Mollie shares the hardest version of change: shifting beliefs when you are financially dependent on being right. Her move away from veganism began with curiosity about soil health and regenerative agriculture and led to a deeper understanding of food systems and responsibility.
 
The myth of “harmless” food
Plant-based food is often framed as bloodless or impact-free. Mollie explains why all agriculture involves death and disruption, whether through fertilizers, tilling, harvesting, or monocropping. The difference is whether that impact supports regeneration or industrial extraction.
 
Vegan ethics vs. ecological reality
Mollie honors the ethical motivations behind veganism while explaining why simplified moral frameworks break down when viewed at the ecosystem level, particularly when influenced by industrial interests.
 
From rescue to stewardship
Humans are meant to be active stewards (Keystone species), not isolated observers, of nature. We must stop treating the symptoms of a broken system and re-engage with the natural order.
 
Why soil changes everything
Mollie’s central message is clear: the soil is not depleted, it is biologically dead. She explains why microbes are essential for nutrient availability, how modern food contributes to metabolic dysfunction, and why human health is inseparable from soil health.
 
The small farm diet
Rather than rigid food labels, Mollie advocates for a small farm diet: local, seasonal, human-scaled, and intentionally inconvenient. Convenience, she argues, has quietly replaced resilience.

 

Episode Timestamps
0:00 From vegan restaurateur to Texas cattle rancher
1:16 Changing your mind when your identity depends on it
2:13 Why all food systems involve death
7:07 Discovering regenerative agriculture and soil health
14:21 Why veganism once made sense
20:03 The duck story and the shift to stewardship
27:10 Vegan mindset vs rancher mindset
34:19 Soil as the foundation of health
45:31 Hydroponics and the illusion of nutrition
50:21 The Small Farm Diet
52:02 Feeding communities, not the planet
59:13 Final message on responsibility and belonging

 

Where to Find Mollie
Book: Debunked by Nature (foreword by Joel Salatin)
Instagram: @talktomollie
Ranch & Products: sovereigntyranch.com
Restaurant: The Barn Restaurant (@eatatthebarn)

 

Ready to Turn Your Passion for Health Into Lasting Impact?
 
Health Coach Radio is your backstage pass into the world of health and wellness coaching, hosted by Primal Health Coach Institute Coaching Director Erin Power and powered by the legacy of founder Mark Sisson. Each episode brings real stories, expert strategies, and practical insights to help you grow as a coach and make a meaningful impact.
 
Curious about what’s possible for your own coaching journey?
 
Visit primalhealthcoach.com to learn how Primal Health Coach Institute can help you transform lives — including your own — through the power of coaching and ancestral health.