PLANTSTRONG Podcast cover art

PLANTSTRONG Podcast

PLANTSTRONG Podcast

By: Rip Esselstyn
Listen for free

Season's Savings | $0.99/mo for 3 months

Auto-renews at $8.99/mo. after 3 months - terms apply.
The PLANT STRONG Podcast is for people who want real answers about food, health, and longevity—without the noise, fear, or extremes. Maybe you’ve been diagnosed with a chronic condition and want a path forward that actually supports healing. Maybe you’re an athlete looking to fuel performance and recovery. Maybe you’re a parent trying to escape the ultra-processed food aisle and feed your family real, nourishing meals. Or maybe you’re simply tired of being confused about what “healthy” actually means. The challenge? Eating more real food can feel overwhelming. You’ve heard warnings about protein, cost, or restriction. You’ve been told it’s complicated, boring, or socially isolating. This podcast exists to change that. Each week, host Rip Esselstyn sits down with leading doctors, researchers, athletes, authors, and everyday people who are proving—through lived experience and science—that eating more whole plants and moving your body consistently can deliver powerful, lasting results. We’re not interested in perfection or dogma. We’re here to be extremely practical, extremely evidence-based, and extremely encouraging. Rip’s work began more than two decades ago, when he helped transform the health of his fellow firefighters using simple, whole foods—guided by the groundbreaking research of his father, Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr. That experience launched a lifelong mission to help people reclaim their health through real food and active living, and ultimately led to the creation of PLANT STRONG. Today, the podcast is an extension of that mission: cutting through misinformation, challenging cultural norms, and showing what’s possible when you fuel your body with food that actually supports it. You’ll hear conversations about: Preventing and reversing chronic disease Strength, endurance, and recovery Gut health, inflammation, and longevity Behavior change that actually sticks How to build habits you can sustain in real life This podcast isn’t about being perfect. It’s about eating real food, building real habits, and getting real results. You won’t be weak when you eat strong food. Welcome to PLANT STRONG.2024 Alternative & Complementary Medicine Hygiene & Healthy Living Physical Illness & Disease
Episodes
  • Ep. 375 Vince Rountree - A 108-point cholesterol drop in 6 weeks?

    Ep. 375 Vince Rountree - A 108-point cholesterol drop in 6 weeks?
    Oct 15 2026
    In 2011, a routine physical revealed a total cholesterol of 240 and LDL of 170 for Vince Rountree. Told there wasn’t much he could do beyond medication, Vince (a chemical engineer) wasn't buying it and kept searching—and eventually found the work of Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr.So he went all-in.For six weeks, Vince ate a 100% whole-food, plant-based diet with no exceptions. When he retested, his total cholesterol had dropped to 132 and his LDL to 78.That experiment changed the course of his life.Today, Vince is a health coach and founder of The Food Fixer Path, helping others explore what whole-food, plant-based nutrition can do for their health. He and Rip dig into type 2 diabetes, heart disease, ApoB, behavior change, social pressure, and why community and a strong WHY can make all the difference.They also talk about Vince’s latest experiment: getting stronger after 60.Since beginning serious strength training, Vince says he has added roughly 20 pounds of body weight and increased his bench press from around 175–185 pounds to 315—all without protein powders, shakes, peptides, or tracking macros.His approach is refreshingly simple: eat whole plant foods, train consistently, and keep showing up.You'll hear:Vince’s six-week cholesterol experimentDiscovering Dr. B. Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr.Type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, and the carb debateHeart health, cholesterol, and ApoBWhy Vince created his five-day health challengeThe importance of community and behavior changeFinding a WHY strong enough to keep you goingBuilding muscle after 60Getting stronger without protein powder or macro countingWhy consistency matters more than complexityEpisode WebpageWatch the Episode on YouTubeLinks to connect with Vince:https://thefoodfixerpath.com/https://www.instagram.com/thefoodfixers/https://www.facebook.com/thefoodfixershttps://www.linkedin.com/in/vincerountree/https://www.theredlinechallenge.com/goLearn More About our 2026 Live PLANTSTRONG Events: https://plantstrongevents.com/ Let Us Help Your PLANTSTRONG JourneyLearn More About Our Corporate Wellness Program: https://liveplantstrong.com/corporate-wellness/ COMPLEMENT: Use code PLANTSTRONG for 30% off at https://lovecomplement.com/pages/plantstrong-special-offer Follow PLANTSTRONG and Rip Esselstynhttps://plantstrong.com/ https://www.facebook.com/GoPlantstrong https://www.instagram.com/goplantstrong/https://www.instagram.com/ripesselstyn/ Follow the PLANTSTRONG Podcast and Give the Show a 5-star RatingApple PodcastsSpotify
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 7 mins
  • Ep. 374: Mark Sisson - Stop Chasing the Health Hacks. Want to Live Longer? Start with Your Feet.

    Ep. 374: Mark Sisson - Stop Chasing the Health Hacks. Want to Live Longer? Start with Your Feet.
    Oct 8 2026

    Rip sits down with longtime friend, former triathlon coach and Primal Kitchen founder, Mark Sisson, for a wide-ranging conversation about biohacking, longevity, chronic cardio, walking and foot health.

    Rip and Mark go back more than three decades — and although their nutritional philosophies couldn't be much more different, Rip has always admired Mark's entrepreneurial spirit, curiosity and willingness to take risks.

    In this episode, Mark explains:

    - Why he calls biohacking “the day trading of health”

    - Why he believes the basics should come before gadgets and supplements

    - His problem with chronic cardio

    - Why he favors lots of easy movement plus occasional high-intensity work

    - How his own endurance career changed his thinking about exercise

    - Why he now walks at least 45 minutes most days

    - Why mobility matters so much for longevity

    - Why he believes foot health has been largely ignored

    - How Peluva grew out of his own search for better footwear

    - Why maintaining strength, balance and movement matters more and more as we age

    - What decades of entrepreneurship have taught him about taking risks

    Two old-school triathletes. Two very different approaches to food. And plenty of common ground around one big idea: Keep moving for life.

    Learn More About our 2026 Live PLANTSTRONG Events: https://plantstrongevents.com/

    Let Us Help Your PLANTSTRONG Journey

    Learn More About Our Corporate Wellness Program: https://liveplantstrong.com/corporate-wellness/

    COMPLEMENT: Use code PLANTSTRONG for 30% off at https://lovecomplement.com/pages/plantstrong-special-offer


    Follow PLANTSTRONG and Rip Esselstyn

    https://plantstrong.com/

    https://www.facebook.com/GoPlantstrong

    https://www.instagram.com/goplantstrong/

    https://www.instagram.com/ripesselstyn/


    Follow the PLANTSTRONG Podcast and Give the Show a 5-star Rating

    Apple Podcasts

    Spotify

    Episode Webpage

    Watch on YouTube
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 17 mins
  • Ep. 373: Dr. Gary Sanchez - Willpower is Temporary. Your "Why" Power is Permanent.

    Ep. 373: Dr. Gary Sanchez - Willpower is Temporary. Your "Why" Power is Permanent.
    Oct 1 2026

    Who are you—and why do you do what you do?

    Most of us spend our lives answering questions about what we want to accomplish, what career we should pursue, and what steps we should take next. But Dr. Gary Sanchez believes we’re asking the right questions in the wrong order.

    Gary is the founder of The WHY Institute and the creator of a system designed to help people discover their WHY, their HOW, and their WHAT—the personal operating system behind how they think, communicate, lead, make decisions, and find fulfillment.

    Before becoming known as Dr. WHY, Gary spent decades as an accomplished dentist. He continually invested in education, technology, and training, yet struggled to explain what made his practice different from every other dental office. His search for an answer eventually led him to the concept of WHY—and to a new understanding of himself.

    Gary discovered that his own WHY was to find a better way and share it. His HOW was to clarify, and his WHAT was to simplify.

    That discovery transformed his dental practice, but it also revealed that dentistry was no longer the work he felt called to do. After a life-threatening internal bleed gave him a second chance at life, Gary finally walked away from his practice to pursue the work that gave him energy: helping other people discover who they are.

    In this lively and deeply personal conversation, Rip and Gary explore the nine WHYs, the difference between the golden rule and the platinum rule, and why your family, career, or business may be important to you without necessarily being your underlying WHY.

    Gary also walks Rip through his own results. Rip’s WHY is to contribute to a greater cause and make an impact. His HOW is to challenge the status quo and think differently. His WHAT is to create trust and become a source others can count on.

    They also examine how purpose can support lasting health behavior. Instead of relying only on rules, discipline, or temporary motivation, Gary encourages us to understand why being healthy matters and what our health will allow us to contribute, experience, and accomplish.

    His memorable conclusion: Willpower is temporary. WHY power is permanent.

    You’ll also hear why successful entrepreneurs can feel lost after building businesses that no longer need them, how knowing a child’s personal operating system can transform family conversations, and why it is never too late to choose a path that better reflects who you are.

    Episode Webpage

    Watch the Episode on YouTube

    Take the Free WHY Discovery Quiz

    Learn More About our 2026 Live PLANTSTRONG Events: https://plantstrongevents.com/

    Let Us Help Your PLANTSTRONG Journey

    Learn More About Our Corporate Wellness Program: https://liveplantstrong.com/corporate-wellness/

    COMPLEMENT: Use code PLANTSTRONG for 30% off at https://lovecomplement.com/pages/plantstrong-special-offer


    Follow PLANTSTRONG and Rip Esselstyn

    https://plantstrong.com/

    https://www.facebook.com/GoPlantstrong

    https://www.instagram.com/goplantstrong/

    https://www.instagram.com/ripesselstyn/


    Follow the PLANTSTRONG Podcast and Give the Show a 5-star Rating

    Apple Podcasts

    Spotify
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 17 mins
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
All stars
Most relevant
What an amazing story and what an amazing man to do everything you have done. I wish more people were able to see that animals they are exploiting are no different than their pet dogs or other pets. Thankyou so much for protecting the wildlife from humans.

Damien you rock!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.