S3, Ep11: Kicking off Veganuary with Toni Vernelli

Evanna Lynch December 30, 2020

This season of The ChickPeeps is brought to you by our friends at Vivo Life! Use our code 'chickpeeps10' to get 10% off your order at vivolife.com.

Happy New Year, and Happy Veganuary! Yes, it's the most vegantastic time of year when veganism gets a signal boost and companies wise up to the power of plant-based eating! To celebrate the beginning of this most wonderful month, Evy and Robbie are chatting to Toni Vernelli, Head of Communications at Veganuary. A vegan of 30 years, Toni’s welcoming and supportive style of activism exemplifies Veganuary’s message and she is a reminder why Veganuary is the best thing to hit the vegan movement since oreos!

While you’re listening, please take a moment to check out the link to our sponsor. Not only are Vivo Life a great, vegan company, but their support also allows us to continue to produce The ChickPeeps for you! We love them and their products and we think you will too.

Also in this episode…

Toni tells us about how many sign-ups Veganuary are expecting this year and why that is just the tip of the iceberg!
Of course we talk about all things Veganuary and Evy shares which recipe she contributed to the free Veganuary Cookbook!
Toni shares the #1 reason people ‘fail’ at Veganuary and how to avoid the most common pitfalls.
Toni talks about her early experiences within the animal rights movement, working with PETA and Ingrid Newkirk.
Toni has great advice for new (and existing) vegans regarding self-care and why it’s important not to hold oneself to unrealistic standards.
We learn about Toni’s ‘vegan origin story’ and discover that she grew up in a very non-vegan household.
Evy and Toni discuss the challenges of trying to share veganism with family members.
We discuss why a sustainable diet for the future must be a plant based one.
Do you have to be an animal rights activist to be a vegan? Toni answers this and several listener questions.

Links:

Veganuary on Twitter and Instagram

Toni Vernelli on Twitter

Study suggests organic meat production just as bad for climate as conventional methods

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S3, Ep10: #AskChickPeeps Christmas Edition

Evanna Lynch December 23, 2020

This season of The ChickPeeps is brought to you by our friends at Vivo Life! Use our code 'chickpeeps10' to get 10% off your order at vivolife.com.

Happy holidays! In this episode, our annual Christmas meet-up, The ChickPeeps are here to add some moral support and laughter to your holiday season. The holidays can be challenging for vegans so in this episode the hosts tackle some holiday-related listener questions and play an exuberant round of ‘Vegan Troll in the Dungeon’.

Also in this episode…

The team share their go-to Christmas dinner favourites.
Momo and Robbie have a debate about the popular Scandinavian cartoon The Moomins: Adorable or Creepy AF?
Our foursome talk tactics for how to treat non-vegan gifts over the holidays without offending the gift-giver.
The hosts each choose a Harry Potter character to invite to the Yule Ball.
Drew, asks the gang’s advice on how to navigate his veganism in the school where he teaches. It prompts some thought-provoking discussion.
Sophia, one of our youngest listeners, asks a question about how to be an activist when adults and friends don’t respect your cause.
Evanna issues a formal apology for abusing her first troll in last month’s Ask the ChickPeeps episode - does Farmer Giles accept?
Evanna also attempts an Australian accent to confront Robbie with a real-life ChickPeeps-hater Troll - do not miss!

Links:

Recipes mentioned in the episode; Deliciously Ella's Chocolate Orange Truffles, Wicked Healthy Herb Crusted Butternut Squash, Happy Pear Wellington

Watch Dominion movie (trigger warning; this is not for the faint of heart and probably not a good way to introduce non-vegans to the horrors of animal agriculture, but it is a powerful, accurate and unflinching look at the way our society exploits animals)

PETA’s Humane Education Division TeachKind

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S3, Ep9: Lifestyle Medicine with Dr.Gemma Newman

Evanna Lynch December 16, 2020

This season of The ChickPeeps is brought to you by our friends at Vivo Life! Use our code 'chickpeeps10' to get 10% off your order at vivolife.com.

In this episode Evy and Robbie have an uplifting conversation with Dr. Gemma Newman about health, wellness and her new book The Plant Power Doctor. An expert in holistic health & lifestyle medicine and an advisory board member of Plant Based Health Professionals UK, Dr. Newman talks about her transition to veganism, changing attitudes towards plant based eating and the incredible array of health benefits available from eating a whole foods, plant based diet. Also in this episode…

Dr. Newman shares why many vegans are more well versed on the health benefits of plant based eating than their doctors!
She explains how she feels her ethics, work, mind and body have been brought into alignment through veganism.
Dr. Newman shares how the combination of her husband’s marathon running & her son’s compassion for chickens led her to explore her preconceived ideas about veganism and, ultimately, to changing her diet and her medical specialisation.
Dr. Newman speaks about the dangers of getting nutritional advice from YouTubers, with a really interesting insight about why they may change their diet more frequently than the rest of us...
She explains her motivation to write The Plant Powe Doctor and who she would most like to read the book!
Dr Newman shares if she’s ever had a patient for whom a plant based diet hasn’t worked.

Links:

Dr. Newman’s website and instagram

Pre-order The Plant Power Doctor: A simple prescription for a healthier you

Plant Based Health Professionals UK

British Society of Lifestyle Medicine

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

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S3, Ep8: Vegan Pet Food & Lab Grown Meat with Ryan Bethencourt

Evanna Lynch December 9, 2020

This season of The ChickPeeps is brought to you by our friends at Vivo Life! Use our code 'chickpeeps10' to get 10% off your order at vivolife.com.

In this episode Evy and Tylor interview scientist, bio-tech entrepreneur and CEO of Wild Earth, Ryan Bethencourt. Ryan’s company, Wild Earth, produces sustainable, healthy, plant-based companion animal food and reached an international audience following a successful pitch featured on the television show Shark Tank.

Also in this episode…

Ryan talks about the initial challenge of reconciling his ideological veganism with his career in biotech.
Tylor is pleased when Ryan shares which Hogwarts house he’d be in.
Ryan divulges which billionaire he’s helped convert to a more plant based lifestyle.
He talks about the resistance of his Cuban family when he initially went vegan and explains why he believes it was hard for them to accept.
The importance of technological breakthroughs that will expedite the transition to vegan products, and return wild animals to wild habitats.
Tylor asks Ryan about his experience on Shark Tank and they discuss educating that audience on the efficacy of plant based dog food.
Ryan breaks the misconception that the meat in commercial pet foods is a byproduct of the meat people eat, and explains where it really comes from...
Lab grown meat for cats is coming, and much sooner than you think! Ryan shares about the advancement in biotech innovation that will bring cruelty free meat to the mainstream pet food market.
Ryan explains why he’s completely happy to be caught eating his own dog food, and challenges other CEOS of dog food companies to do the same!

Links:

Ryan’s linkedin, twitter and instagram

Wild Earth Website

Drug used to euthanize animals found in dog food

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S3, Ep7: Animal Advocacy Through Beauty with Justine Jenkins

Evanna Lynch December 2, 2020

This season of The ChickPeeps is brought to you by our friends at Vivo Life! Use our code 'chickpeeps10' to get 10% off your order at vivolife.com.

In this episode Evy and Momo chat with renowned celebrity make-up artist, Justine Jenkins about cruelty free cosmetics, taking an active stand against animal testing as a consumer, and her work as an ambassador for Human Society International.

Also in this episode…

Justine explains why she believes that cats are here to heal us!
Justine shares her top favourite vegan make-up brands and an old school beauty hack that she always uses.
She explains how her experience as a cruelty free make-up artist set her on her vegan journey.
The secrecy and misleading language of the mainstream beauty market that conceals the truth of animal testing.
Justine emphasises consumer-power and how changing even one product to a vegan version makes a difference.
Where to start with vegan and cruelty-free make-up and how to start embracing your individual beauty.
The cruelty free certifications that Justine trusts and how to find out if a brand is truly cruelty-free.
Justine weighs in whether or not consumers should support non-vegan brands that bring out a vegan cosmetics line.
Justine talks about her experience as a certified CBD expert and shares a fascinating fact about Queen Victoria and medicinal marijuna.

Links:

Justine’s Instagram

Jusitine’s favourite vegan beauty brand UpCircle Cosmetics

Logical Harmony - Justine’s favourite resource to research vegan and cruelty-free makeup.

Cruelty Free International website

XCellR8, an animal-free testing lab, Dr. Carol Treasure

Humane Society International website

Kinder Beauty Box, #1 vegan, cruelty-free & clean beauty box

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S3, Ep6: Diversity, Equity & Inclusivity in Veganism with Aryenish Birdie

Evanna Lynch November 25, 2020

This season of The ChickPeeps is brought to you by our friends at Vivo Life! Use our code 'chickpeeps10' to get 10% off your order at vivolife.com.

In this episode Evy and Tylor talk to Aryenish Birdie, founder of Encompass, about her work to make the animal protection movement more racially diverse, equitable, and inclusive, and what each of us can do to reach and help more people with our activism.

In this episode…

Aryenish describes how she inherited her respect for animals from her parents, who bonded as teenagers while protecting stray dogs on the streets of Karachi, Pakistan.
She remembers her first experience as an activist, campaigning with the help of her mother, against a draconian frog dissection project that was mandated by her school.
Aryenish shares what she learned from her years at The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and what prompted her to found Encompass.
Aryenish tells us about the issues caused by the lack of representation within veganism and the challenges present when promoting diversity within our movement.
We talk about how animal rights is an ally-led movement and the need for diversity as our movement is only as strong as the voices of which it is composed.
Aryenish shares tips on how each of us can promote inclusivity in our activism and create a better world for human and non-human animals.

Links:

Visit their website at Encompass Movement

Follow their latest work on the Encompass Movement Instagram Facebook and Twitter

The Sentient Media #EncompassEssays can be read here

People of the global majority can join our Caucus here

Follow Aryenish on Instagram or her self-care ‘puttering’ Instagram account

Resources Aryenish mentioned:

No One’s Paying Me To Cry: Burnout And Animal Advocacy

Food Empowerment Project on Instagram

Black Vegans Rock on Instagram

Chistopher Sebastian on Instagram

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