brown vegan podcast

201. Happiness, Freedom & Mushrooms with Todd Anderson of Turnip Vegan

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If you don’t already know Todd Anderson (@turnipvegan), then you’ll definitely want to listen to this podcast episode which is full of vegan advice, interesting stories, and new perspectives. 

Todd L. Anderson AKA Turnip Vegan, lives in San Diego, CA and co-owns Spoiled Vegan Cafe. He has one son and two beautiful granddaughters and is a full-time content creator, recipe creator, and videographer. Todd is inspired by the next generation and the freedom to decide what we put in our bodies. 

Todd has lived so many lives in his one life. He’s not only a content creator and recipe developer, but also a former hip hop artist, a part-time van lifer, and more. We start off the conversation talking about the idea that sparked the beginning of the opening of Spoiled Vegans Cafe (temporarily closed but will be opening again in a new location!). Todd shares his perspective on the vegan food scene in San Diego, and how it’s been great to see more restaurants with cultural influences opening. We also talk about the future of Spoiled Vegans, the plan to open up in a neighborhood that needs more plant-based options, and the exciting collaboration that will happen between the cafe and The Hamlet, a black-owned coffee shop in the area.

As you know from listening to the Brown Vegan Podcast, every single guest on the show has a different journey into veganism and different perspectives that come with it. I loved hearing about Todd’s 2-day Vegas hangover that ended up leading him accidentally into veganism. Todd tells me about the little moments throughout his life that over time allowed him to unlearn what he had been taught all of his life and start to take control of his food choices. You may have heard previous guests on the show talk about the one fact or thought that got to them and made them go vegan. Todd shares what it was that he heard that made him think completely differently about what he eats and why. The main reason he ended up going vegan? He felt he had been lied to by the food industry about what healthy eating really meant.

Todd has so much to say about finding happiness, being close to nature, and learning to grow into a life you love, and you’ll probably find some sort of inspiration throughout listening to this episode. It really has something for everyone.

In this podcast episode we talk about:

  • The start of Spoiled Vegans Cafe in San Diego, CA and how it all began with a Walmart waffle maker

  • How being a dog owner changed Todd’s perspective of why we eat some animals but not others

  • The freedom that comes with taking control of our food choices and unlearning the lies we’re fed by big industry

  • “If you can change what you eat, you can change your whole life.”

  • Part-time van life, being close to nature, and finding true self care

  • Challenging the idea that yoga, meditation, and veganism are ‘not for black people’

  • The excitement of VidCon

  • Content creation as storytelling and learning to tell a story in 15 seconds

  • Why relationship building is key to future opportunities and collaborations

  • Todd’s take on mock meats vs whole foods and why everyone needs to find their own path as a vegan

Connect with Todd:

Instagram

TikTok

YouTube

Pinterest

Resources Mentioned:

Spoiled Vegans Cafe

The Hamlett

VidCon

Lions Mane E-Book

196. Breaking the Stigma of Antidepressants & Anti-Diet Culture as a Vegan Medical Student with Beats By Brooke

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I’m so excited to share this special episode with you all, because it covers so many important topics I’ve been really wanting to share for a LONG time.

Today I have Brooklyne Palmer of Beets By Brooke on the podcast for an important conversation about true health and wellness, nutrition, anti-diet culture, and mental health in the black community.

Brooklynne Palmer is a vegan medical student and social media content creator who uses her platform to explore the intersectionality of all things health and wellness while sharing insights into her life as a future plant based doctor.

In middle school, Brooklynne learned about vegetarianism and slowly began to leave meat off her plate after connecting her love of animals to what she was eating. When she hit high school and began to struggle with body image and restrictive eating, she found that becoming vegan helped her see food differently–seeing it as an act of compassion and more nourishing than she had ever thought of it before. It became a way to live in alignment with her morals, and opened her up to the realization that as a society we are taught so little about true nutrition and wellness. It was really going vegan and wanting to share life-saving nutritional information with others that led Brooklynne to becoming a medical student later on.

Now as a full time medical student, Brooklynne also juggles being a content creator under the name BeetsByBrooke on Instagram. She uses her platform to educate on plant-based nutrition, to share her experience as a vegan medical student and future doctor, and to shed light on the destructive nature of diet culture. Brooklynne hopes to create a more size inclusive space in medicine that focuses on preventative nutrition–a huge contrast to our country’s ‘treat the symptoms, not the cause’ perspective.


In this conversation, she dives deep into why diet culture is set up to fail people (did you know the biggest risk factor of weight gain is DIETING??) and how dieting puts blame on individuals instead of the systems that make true health and wellness feel impossible.

This episode is energetic, lively, and still full of life-changing information and perspectives for y’all. I’m most excited to share the conversation we have about anti-depressants and the stigma around them, while responsibly sharing both of our experiences on the benefits of taking medication for anxiety/depression.

In this podcast episode you’ll hear about:

  • Life as a plant based medical student

  • Food security, size inclusivity, anti-diet culture and intuitive eating

  • Breaking stereotypes of what a vegan looks like

  • Mental health in the black community and breaking the stigma of antidepressants

  • Weighing the benefits vs risks of antidepressant and sharing our own experiences with taking medication

  • Why we need to bring nutrition and preventive medicine into the medical system

Follow Brooklynne:

Beets By Brooke Instagram

Resources:

Brene Brown “The Man In The Arena Speech”

189. Beyonce, Being A Social Vegan & Creating Content with Jay McPherson

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Listen here…

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Today on the podcast, I have Jay McPherson: a vegan content creator and YouTuber who calls himself “your favorite friendly fashionable vegan.” We’re here for a high energy conversation about finding inspiration to go vegan, the need for more vegan breakfast spots, and how to be confidently vegan anywhere you go. 

I love this conversation with Jay because it hits on SO many important points of getting comfortable living a vegan lifestyle. If you love hearing the guest stories of what inspired them to go vegan, you’re gonna love Jay’s answer: “If Beyonce can go vegan, I can too!” And while it starts off with a laugh, we talk about how at the end of the day, when it comes to making healthy life changes, ‘inspiration is inspiration’ and everyone needs to find their own source.

So many people I talk to say that fear of missing out on social events, family gatherings, and food as culture is what holds them back from a vegan lifestyle, and Jay is such a great representative of what being a confident, fulfilled, social vegan can look like. He gives some amazing tips on how to eat out when there’s no vegan option, how to prepare for family holidays and parties with friends, and how having the right outlook on social gatherings is crucial to remaining happy as a vegan. 

We also dig into Jay’s work as a content creator, how his views on producing content have shifted, and what he focuses on in his work after the pandemic changed his plans. 

In this episode, you’ll hear us talk about:

  • What Beyonce going vegan did for the vegan community, and how Beyonce inspired Jay’s own vegan journey

  • People’s obsession with labeling themselves, why going vegan doesn’t have to be overnight, and how slowly transitioning to vegan can help people be successful

  • Using YouTube as a resource to learn how to cook anything vegan

  • Jay’s favorite meals and his current mushroom obsession

  • The importance of being open to non-vegan restaurants and focusing on food as an experience/opportunity

  • The Atlanta vegan scene and the perpetual challenge of finding amazing vegan breakfast

  • The shift to creating relatable content vs overproduced content

Follow Jay:

Instagram

Resources:

Chef Resha - carnaldish (not a vegan website)

Chelsea's Bakery and Vegetarian Restaurant

Epicurious YouTube - 4 Levels Playlist

Cafe Sunflower - Atlanta

Slutty Vegan - Atlanta

188. Paying Off Debt, Home Ownership & Money Talks While Dating with Grace Henderson

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Zencastr use discount code BROWNVEGAN to save 30% on your first 3 months

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Thank you so much for checking out the sponsor!

Today on the podcast, I’m back with a returning guest for our next episode of the Brown Vegan Podcast Money Series.

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With the Money Series, I’ll be bringing in guest experts to focus on all things finances because, as you’ve heard me say, you can’t have wellness without financial wellness.

My friend Grace is on the podcast with me today.

If you missed episode 89, we spoke about fitness, food, being vegan in the military and more, so make sure you check that out to get the background on Grace.

That being said, today we’re talking about DEBT. 

A few years back, Grace and I were hiking together and she shared with me that she had recently paid off all of her credit card debt. As someone on my own financial wellness journey, I was so interested to hear what strategies she used and how long it took her. We ended up talking about it for so long, that when I started the Money Series, I knew I had to ask Grace to come back on the podcast to share her own story. 

This episode is full of such valuable insight from Grace about debt, building your credit, and home ownership. But what I love about this episode is that it’s so relatable. Grace’s debt didn’t come from a lack of income; her debt grew over time due to predatory credit card companies, lack of education around credit payments, and subtle overspending.

This is the story for so many of us, and there is typically so much shame around these topics. But with the right knowledge and support (accountability is a huge part of Grace’s journey), there’s no need for shame or guilt, it’s all about finding the right plan. 

I’m so excited to share this episode with you all so please let me know your takeaways.

You’ll hear us discuss:

  • Grace’s childhood beliefs about money

  • Why overspending can lead to debt even if you’re making good money

  • Dave Ramsey’s approach to paying off debt and whether or not we think it’s culturally competent

  • How Grace improved her credit score and got out of debt

  • The importance of having good credit as a Black person in America

  • Predatory credit card practices and how they target college students

  • Buying a home and why having no debt makes underwriting easy

  • How to use accountability groups to help pay off your debt and create financial stability

  • Finding what works for YOU when it comes to paying off debt

  • How Grace plans to handle money in relationships

Follow Grace:

Instagram

Resources mentioned:

Previous podcast episode with Grace

Dave Ramsey

Listen to a preview of this episode here…

186. Behind The Scenes of Running a Top-Rated Wellness Podcast with Balanced Black Girl

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Clicking the link above is an easy and free way to support the podcast.

Thank you so much for checking out the sponsor!

Listen here…

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If you’re a wellness podcast junkie in this community, you’re likely already tuned in to the Balanced Black Girl Podcast–a wellness podcast that centers black women. I’ve followed along with Les, the creator of Balanced Black Girl, for years and am so excited to bring you this episode. We’re diving into all the behind the scenes of what it takes to run a top rated podcast while working full time AND what it truly means to find balance (it might not be what you think).

Les is the founder and host of Balanced Black Girl, an online wellness community and podcast focused on health, wellness, and self-care from the perspectives of Black women. She started her first blog The Balanced Berry in 2014 to share her love of fitness and nutrition with others. After years of feeling dissatisfied with the lack of diversity in wellness content shared on large platforms, she pivoted to create Balanced Black Girl in 2018. Balanced Black Girl provides content and experiences empowering millennial Black women to live their healthiest lives. 

While this conversation is mostly focused on the business side of Balanced Black Girl, we of course also cover some great wellness topics and strategies that might inspire YOU to create more sacred spaces in your own life. And what I really love about this conversation is that even if you aren’t a content creator, podcast host, or online personality, the lessons that Les speaks on are universal. As Les shares in this conversation, “Wellness is a constant dance.”

In this episode we talk about:

  • Lessons learned from living life in a global pandemic

  • The predominance of white, male thought leaders in the wellness space and the need for more podcast geared toward black women

  • The misconceptions of balance and wellness

  • How wellness practices should naturally shift over time and the importance of checking in with yourself regularly

  • The behind the scenes of balancing a full time job while running a top rated podcast

  • Making money as a content creator and the misconceptions around income

  • Business tools and automation strategies to help keep business owners sane and organized

  • Protecting your time, the sacredness of weekends, and habit tracking to keep you aligned

Connect with Les:

Instagram for Les 

Podcast Instagram 

Facebook 

Twitter 

Website 

Apple Podcasts  

Resources Mentioned:

Notion

Open mindfulness app