NBSV 214: Life is an improvisation: Bob Wiseman on music, mortality, and veganism
Release Date: 01/20/2026
NBSV 218: Javant Benton on whole-food vegan eating, fibre, and long-term health
No-Bullsh!t Vegan
Javant joins me to talk about his journey to veganism, which began with a major health scare and evolved over many years into a fully vegan lifestyle. We discuss how he moved from trying different diets to embracing whole-food plant-based eating, and how that shift eventually expanded beyond health to include empathy for animals and compassion for people who aren’t vegan. Javant also shares details about his new cookbook, which focuses on familiar comfort foods made vegan, oil-free, gluten-free, and free of refined sugar. We get into his philosophy around helping people eat more plants...
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NBSV 217: Vegan fitness myths busted — strength training, creatine, and cardio (Coaches’ Corner with Karina and Zoe)
No-Bullsh!t Vegan
Coach Zoe and I are back for a Coaches’ Corner episode, answering the questions we didn’t get to during our recent live No-B.S. Reset panel event. We dig into some of the most common (and most frustrating) myths we see in the fitness and nutrition space, especially around strength training, supplements, and social-media “advice.” If you’re new to lifting, feeling overwhelmed by conflicting information online, or just tired of wellness trends that sound slick but don’t actually work, this one’s for you. In this episode, we cover: - The biggest mistakes beginners make when...
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NBSV 216: Vegan myth-busting power round (dietitian, doctor, agrologist, fitness coach)
No-Bullsh!t Vegan
What happens when a doctor, a registered dietitian, an agrologist, and a fitness coach sit down to answer real audience questions? Find out in this episode. In this follow-up to our live No-B.S. Reset panel event, we tackle the questions we didn’t have time to answer on Zoom, covering everything from vegan nutrition myths to food system misconceptions. You’ll hear evidence-based, practical answers to questions like: What really helps with high blood pressure and low blood pressure, without jumping straight to pills? Should I be concerned about eating too much soy? (Spoiler: no.) How can...
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NBSV 215: 2 million steps in 30 days, and the power of community health — with Kwame Terra
No-Bullsh!t Vegan
What if getting healthier didn’t require more willpower, more tracking, or more “optimizing”… but less? Kwame Terra and I dig into what the world’s longest-living communities actually do differently — and spoiler: it’s not VO2 max tests, cold plunges, or biohacking spreadsheets. It’s walking, connection, and movement that’s baked into daily life. Kwame shares how he’s building community-based fitness experiences that feel social and automatic instead of like another chore on your to-do list, and why representation matters in wellness spaces. His new app is built...
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NBSV 214: Life is an improvisation: Bob Wiseman on music, mortality, and veganism
No-Bullsh!t Vegan
5-time Juno Award winner and founding member of Blue Rodeo Bob Wiseman joins me for a wide-ranging, thoughtful conversation about music, aging, and what it actually looks like to live vegan for decades—long before it was mainstream or convenient. Bob and I talk about his early days with macrobiotics and touring as a long-term vegan, why grocery stores matter more than restaurants on the road, and how the West Coast quietly led the way on plant-based food culture. We dig into improvisation—not just as a musical practice, but as a way of understanding life itself—and why the idea that...
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NBSV 213: Longevity, wearables, and identity-based habits with Coach Mike Howard
No-Bullsh!t Vegan
Mike Howard is back on the podcast! We start with a proper catch-up: his retreats, my TEDx prep, and the reality of juggling health goals alongside real life. From there, we dive into what’s been taking over the wellness section of the internet lately: longevity, biohacking, and the obsession with tracking everything. We talk about why the basics are still the basics (sleep, strength training, protein, veggies, daily movement), and why chasing the “perfect” plan can make consistency harder, not easier. We also get into identity-based habits, expectation management, and simple environment...
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NBSV 212: Vystopia: the anguish of being vegan in a non-vegan world, with psychologist and author Clare Mann
No-Bullsh!t Vegan
Vystopia is the profound anguish many ethical vegans experience when living in a non-vegan world. Clare Mann explains why this response is normal rather than pathological, how the burden of knowing affects mental health, and why vegans are often misunderstood by families, professionals, and society at large. We explore compassion fatigue, burnout, and practical ways to stay grounded, resilient, and effective as a vegan advocate, including how to communicate without arguments or self-sacrifice. This conversation offers validation and practical insight for anyone navigating ethical veganism in a...
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NBSV 211: Strength at 72 — Vegan powerlifting nun Pat Farrell and Coach Katya Gorbacheva
No-Bullsh!t Vegan
At 72, Pat Farrell is turning heads in the powerlifting world. Pat is a Dominican sister, a longtime advocate for social justice, and a dedicated vegan who has recently taken the strength community by storm. She joins me to share her journey into competitive powerlifting, her rapid progress in training, and what it feels like to become known as the vegan powerlifting nun in mainstream news. Pat is joined by her coach, Katya Gorbacheva, who is the third strongest vegan woman on the planet. Katya gives us an inside look at how she programs Pat’s training, how they are working toward a full...
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NBSV 210: Minimal time, maximum strength — Coach Matt Taylor on training that fits your life
No-Bullsh!t Vegan
In this episode, I’m joined by strength coach Matt Taylor to talk about what it really takes to get stronger when life is busy. We dig into the concept of bare-ass minimums: the essential actions that keep you progressing even during chaotic weeks—and how to build a training routine that fits into real life. Matt shares how he coaches lifters to make meaningful gains in under five hours a week, why anchoring habits matters more than willpower, and how to set goals that won’t burn you out. We also dive into his own journey: from world records to an autoimmune diagnosis, and back to...
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NBSV 209: What a fish knows (and feels) — animal sentience and vegan ethics with Jonathan Balcombe
No-Bullsh!t Vegan
Biologist and bestselling author Dr. Jonathan Balcombe joins me to discuss fish sentience, the surprising intelligence of fishes, and what science reveals about how they think and feel. Jonathan holds a PhD in ethology, the study of animal behaviour, and has dedicated his career to understanding and communicating the inner lives of animals. He’s the author of five popular science books and has published over 60 scientific papers and book chapters on animal behaviour and animal protection. In this conversation, we dive into fascinating research showing that fishes can experience stress...
info_outline5-time Juno Award winner and founding member of Blue Rodeo Bob Wiseman joins me for a wide-ranging, thoughtful conversation about music, aging, and what it actually looks like to live vegan for decades—long before it was mainstream or convenient.
Bob and I talk about his early days with macrobiotics and touring as a long-term vegan, why grocery stores matter more than restaurants on the road, and how the West Coast quietly led the way on plant-based food culture. We dig into improvisation—not just as a musical practice, but as a way of understanding life itself—and why the idea that music isn’t improvised is philosophically questionable at best.
We also get into aging and mortality: how perspective shifts in your 40s, 50s, and 60s; what it means to start losing people you love; and why long-term health habits matter, even though nothing is guaranteed. Along the way, Bob shares stories about teaching beginners, learning accordion on a whim, raising a vegetarian kid in a mixed-diet household, and why trying to force change on other people rarely works.
This episode is funny, reflective, a little wackadoodle, and full of big ideas about creativity, compassion, and playing the long game—on stage and in life.