The Rich Roll Podcast - Prophets Walk Among Us: Stories From Our Listeners

Episode Date: December 20, 2021

Every week, I send a show out into the ether. But it’s you, the audience, who has taken what is nothing more than an inert digital file comprised of ones and zeroes—and turned it into so much more. When I think back on the history of the show to date, it’s crystal clear what is truly important. And most beautiful. Community. No matter what your goal or aspiration—irrespective of how solitary you believe its pursuit—you simply cannot truly score on your own. Everyone needs a team. Everyone needs a support network. Everyone needs help. And that is what this show has become: a place to connect over a myriad of ideas with one collective goal—be and do better. Together. That’s what this podcast does—it is here to serve and support you, the listener, in your journey of transformation. It is with this sensibility that I asked you to share such stories, and how this podcast and its myriad of guests have inspired you, and what you learned, practiced, and shared with others along the way. My team and I have taken these powerful stories and compiled them into today’s very special episode, packed with empowering tales of perseverance through adversity, sobriety, new beginnings and new identities; successes, losses, tears, and triumphs; heartfelt stories of real-life epiphanies and transformations. To be clear, this episode is not a personal pat on the back. In no way do I take credit whatsoever for anybody’s journey. This is about celebrating our power to transform individually and as a collective. Any improvements you made to your life, well that’s on you entirely. Hats off and head bowed in reverence. I just love the stories. It helps me feel more connected to you. It helps dry the cement on this community bond I am trying to foster—a bond over just being better. Thank you for your courage; for taking the leap and walking this journey alongside me. Thank you for putting wind in my sails by tuning in week after week. And thank you for giving me hope in the good—the promise of a better more fulfilling, legacy-worthy purpose here on Earth in this short life. But most of all, thank you for letting me serve. Because it is in service that I find purpose, meaning, and a sense of deep satisfaction that positively infuses every aspect of my daily life experience. And finally, I want to thank each and every one of you who have taken the time to reach out and share with me your challenges, victories and struggles. I cannot overstate the extent to which your experiences humble me; hold me accountable for my own actions; inspire me to do and be better, and ennoble me to soldier on in the face of whatever obstacles I may face. To read more click here. You can also watch it all go down on YouTube. And as always, the podcast streams wild and free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. I sincerely hope you enjoy this special conversation. Peace + Plants, Rich

The Rich Roll Podcast. Toward the end of 2020, I caught an episode of The Daily Podcast and I was really struck by the inventiveness of this particular episode where they invited their listeners to look back on that crazy year and then share their personal experiences

by calling into the show. And I knew in that moment that I wanted to eventually do something similar. So recently we put the invite out to all of you guys, the listeners, asked all of you to share how this show may have impacted your life. And my team took all of that and ultimately crafted what I think is really an incredible episode and my gift to all of you. A common misconception is that this show is simply a

platform for the guests that I invite on the microphone or worse that it's about me. But when we dig deeper, the plain truth emerges. And that truth is that this show is, and has always been for and about you, the listener. Don't get me wrong. I love highlighting the unique individuals that I host here. And I'm as intrigued as anybody by their wisdom and their experience. And I get a lot out of those conversations, but those guests are in broad terms, a bridge to each of you, to the listeners of this podcast. So while I feel professionally inclined to serve my guests, I also feel personally inclined to serve you because simply put, without you, without our audience, these are conversations that don't travel, that don't have the same impact and don't move the needle

in lives beyond my own. So in a podcast that has traditionally focused on individual guests, the forth do. So this episode is really about your voice, your community, and these are your stories. And I can't wait to share them with all of you right now. Good morning. My name is Karen. Hi, Rich. Hi, Rich. My name is Evan. My name is Nathan Cadell. I just want to say hi and that I love you. You are my mentor for a damn podcast. Oh, sorry if I'm out of breath and out of my daily run. I'm out walking the dog right now and I decided to just kind of be off the cuff here. Woo! So much gratitude. Rich, I want to thank you and Julie for all that you all have done.

Today, I'm two and a half years sober. Your podcast put more plants in my diet, more steps in my day, more curiosity in my mind, more resiliency in my soul, and more empathy in my heart. Hi Rich, my name is Marie and I'm calling in from Cologne, Germany. I am 33 now. I fancy myself a jack-of-all-trades a la David Epstein. And I guess a bit of Bo Burnham too because I do a little bit of everything all of the time. I'm Tim, a 40-year-old high school teacher from Switzerland. I'm calling from Melbourne, Australia.

I'm from the UK. Calling from Edinburgh, Scotland. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Czech Republic. Aloha, RRP team. Mahalo for this opportunity to thank you in person for the beautiful gift you provide the world one of the greatly fulfilling aspects of the podcast and guests is that i am not alone namaste all the great insights that you and your guests are providing are influencing and enhancing my performance as a teacher parent and husband and let me enjoy my experience of life so much more.

I gave up drinking, so I'm nearly two years sober. I qualified as a personal trainer, and I also stopped working for a well-known sports brand, Global Sports Brand, and set up my own corporate wellness consultancy. I honestly don't know if the new business will work out. I'm two weeks in. I realise though that following my passion and purpose

is something that's worth trying and fighting for. And my mission is to impact the man lives by 2025. Why? Because I think everyone should have the opportunity to live a fulfilling life and I just wanted to say failure is not final. And we are indeed where we should be. I discovered the podcast in my late 20s. So Rich and team, you have seen me through many life changes, deserting an unfulfilling career in LA,

birthing two amazing little humans, starting my own translation business while living career in LA, birthing two amazing little humans, starting my own translation business while living abroad in Shanghai, China, living in Singapore for four years, and now back in Germany, which is my husband's home country. The podcast has helped play a huge part in keeping my sanity through all of these major shifts and upheavals with peace and intelligent conversation when I felt I had no friends or community around me. But throughout the years of growing up alongside the podcast helped me realize, hey, you can make friends and create community wherever you go. All of our paths are

continuously unfolding and it feels a little less lonely marching onward with this dynamic podcast as a soundtrack to this ever-evolving life. I feel an immense sense of community. I am constantly inspired to get out of my habit of isolation, which used to serve as my safety blanket, but through listening and then reflecting, I realized that old habits can and should be discarded when they no longer serve our greatest good. We as humans are meant to evolve. We aren't static beings. We're meant to change and experience discomfort and grow through what we go through. And we can't reach our full potential in isolation. Although I can't say that I've mastered the art of accepting change gracefully just yet. Evolution in this lifetime is messy, but I'm getting there.

About five years ago, I went on a date with my now husband and within five minutes we actually began talking about how we loved the ritual podcast and about a month later i became plant-based and i haven't looked back um you know fast forward to today after completing a holistic nutrition program and attending Cornell's plant-based certificate program, I actually had the courage to open my own health coaching But after hearing so many stories of triumph and overcoming your fears on your podcast from your many, many guests, I knew I had to do this work despite my fears. Your podcast and the impact it has had on me personally extends outward to just so many people in my life that I love. And it's helping people live longer, healthier lives. And to me, that's the magic of your work and really it matters. It truly makes me a little bit emotional. So three and a half years ago, I was at a complete loss.

I was on a complete loss. I was on my way to a rehab unit, and I didn't know which way to turn. And I reached out to you, Rich, on Twitter. You may or may not remember, but you did reply to me. You replied to me instantly, and that was hugely, hugely inspiring. I was a fan. I had read your book at that stage. But boy, did that give me even more respect for yourself that you would actually take the time to reply to me.

And I'm so grateful for that. Now, two and a half years since I have had a drink, which I'm so happy about. I've been inspired by your podcast to start my own podcast, which I did 2018, 2019. And it was such a beautiful experience. really around decision-making and the realization that every single little choice in my life makes an impact, whether on my own life or on somebody else's life. So long story short, I've always struggled with my weight and I never thought that I would one day overcome that. I thought that it would probably remain something hard for me for the rest of my life. And last year, I decided to make a change. I was already vegan, but I started to cut down on processed food and stick to whole foods as much as I could, like fruits and veg and whole grains.

And it worked. And it was challenging at times because it requires patience to see results, but overall focusing on consistency just worked out. And because it had nothing to do with being hungry and everything to do with making better choices, it feels like it will be long-lasting and it's just getting easier and easier. So with this transformation, I lost 15 pounds in the last 10 months. I feel like your podcast has overall helped me understand how to invest in the best version of myself concretely. And although my transformation physically looks like weight loss, it's so much more profound than that. And now I'm ready to take on new things. To make a very long story somewhat shorter, I used to compete in men's physique, which is the

same sport that your former guest, Nima Delgado, used to compete in. And after competing in four competitions, my relationship with food was completely destroyed along with my body image. Mixed this in with what I believe is OCD, my mental state after all that was truly in shambles. I looked muscular and lean, but at what cost? I completely destroyed myself and nearly destroyed all the relationships in my life. I was trying to balance everything in my life around training, where at my worst, I would spend nearly six hours of my day at the gym between weight training and cardio sessions. I would train with high intensity to a point where I didn't consider my workout to be very good unless I pushed myself to the point of nearly blacking out while training. I also at this

time was binging out on food every weekend to a point where I would nearly vomit. One thing that I've learned and that I believe is that our pain, our hurt, and our experiences can be used to help others. And I actually called in to roll on a little over a year ago. Hey, Richard and Adam. My name is Evan. I'm 26 and I live in Fullerton, California. I asked you about eating disorders and body dysmorphia among males and your openness to address the question really inspired me to share my personal story

and even create my own podcast. That's a great question, Evan. I'm really grateful for this question because I do think there's plenty of conversations around eating disorders in females. And it's almost never discussed how that dysfunction impacts men, but I think it impacts tons and tons of dudes. As time progressed, I came to realize that what I was doing was not sustainable and I knew that something needed to give.

I remember writing a list of all the things that needed to change my life. However, I just couldn't break the cycle. Fortunately for me, my wife has family in Australia, and at that time we had a trip planned to go there for about two weeks. This trip to Australia was ultimately what broke the eating disorder cycle for me. I was completely out of my element in another country and had to surrender control. I knew that my wife's family would find it odd if I was bitching out on food or excessively exercising, so my routine was gone and I was unable to sustain that there. And when we returned to the States, it was like a fresh start. I was finally able to repair my relationship with

food and that anxiety and rigidity no longer had a hold on me. I slowly began repairing my relationship with food and recently within the last year I feel I've fully repaired it. Listening to you and Julie interact with one another reminded me so much of how my husband Eric and I interact. Eric died suddenly and unexpectedly in July 2020, and we were all in shock. We were deeply involved in restoration projects in our town and school system, with greenhouses, beekeeping, solar, and art installations, all as a way to reintroduce joy and thriving in our impoverished area in rural New Hampshire. Eric's death and the shock that ensued landed in my body,

making my legs stop working for a very long time and my mind so unclear. At a time when it was very difficult to talk, even articulate what I felt, it was miraculously easy to listen. I found you. I cannot think of even one of your podcasts where there wasn't something that was helpful in building my own endurance, physical, mental, spiritual. Widowhood is an instant reinvention of who you are. I'm grateful I had a strong sense of who I was beforehand. I know I'm changed forever, but I also know I can and will heal and thrive in other ways. I've needed pep talks along the way, so I thank you for the shared stories you generously provide on the podcast, the rest of us. I will carry on in the projects that Eric started, one of which was just completed, installing an asphalt pump

track and trails in the elementary school where he was the principal. I'm so pleased about that. And I will also continue with my own projects and passions, many music and writing related. And I have wind in my sails, often provided by the stories of fellow learners on your show. I thank you for that. Hello, Rich Roll Podcast. This is Tommy Runs. I think it's important to mention that I'm a young black guy from the Detroit area. Went sober, then went vegan, then started running.

And sober vegan runner isn't normally synonymous with the black community. So it was just so much different for me to be going down this road. And I was kind of like on my own with it. Veganism is just not a thing in the black community. So it was just so much different for me to be going down this road. And I was kind of like on my own with it. You know, the veganism is just not a thing in the black community for real. I mean, it's getting better now for sure. But at the time, like I didn't know anybody that was vegan that's black

or that was in my circle or even close to my circle. So I was just kind of on my own looking for material and information, found Finding Ultra. And it just spoke so much like to me. Um, I've been in AA and went through the program, love the program. Programs helped me so much in so many ways that, I mean, I just, I feel like I'm indebted to those people in those rooms and those tables. So hearing that Rich went through the same process in so many different ways from

a different side of the world to me. But then also felt like all the same feelings and all the same, like, just troubles, you know, it just made me feel at home reading the book. And then so I started watching the show. And it seems like every time that I try to make a new direction in my life, the podcast had a guest on it that was perfect for that moment, perfect for the past, the moments that just passed that I needed to get over, or someone that was inspiring me to move on to the next step and kind of reach forward. My journey went from desperate to thriving with running veganism. Now I have a running company. I have my own little personal brand on Instagram. Now I'm working with companies. I've been able to interview, I have a podcast,

I've been able to interview some of the people that have ended up on your show as well to help people just kind of navigate through these things and through these times. I super appreciate how much time you spent on talking about the Black community and the issues in 2020 that arose and came back to the forefront. So I appreciate you. Tommy runs. Thanks, Rich. Namaste. I've coached swimming for over 30 years, and although successful, I've never felt comfortable in the role. I dreamed of swimming for Stanford University

as a young girl, and unfortunately didn't have a happy ending. I remember the moment when I quit swimming, when my coach yelled at me, hey, do you know why your shoulders hurt? It's because you're too goddamn fat. To this day, I remember the shame of that moment, and I think I've spent a lifetime trying to bolster that young woman who never forgot the stinging betrayal from a man who was respected and trusted to build me up but not bring me down. I've spent the last 30 years trying to

decide what I would do with my life. I coached while I was considering this question. I realized at 50 that what I was doing with my life was coaching, but coaching never felt like the perfect fit that most people assume despite my success. Trying to excavate the why of that has given me clarity to a question that was much greater than lack of confidence and ability. Getting a child to swim a certain time, a certain place, or qualify for a meet seemed like striving for something that felt hollow to me. This result often inspired pressure from parents, stress for the kids, and decision-making on my part that didn't ring true.

Listening to conversations on your podcast has helped me focus on what I want in this coaching life, and it's to help an individual find things about themselves while following the black lines of the pool, find things about themselves while following the black lines of the pool to help my kids become the best versions of themselves an opportunity for a young person to find out that I'm strong I'm worthy I count I always felt like there had to be more it was my desire to make every single person on my pool deck feel seen and that they count finding out that perhaps I am doing what I was meant to do but I was missing the purpose, but now finding that purpose. Each day I tell my kids, here you are someone, and here you matter. Hi Rich, my name is Cameron Calm.

I was raised in the Mormon church. I married a woman, and I am gay. I had just kind of denied myself, my sexuality, and my truth my whole life. And I've really enjoyed the guests you brought on your show. It has helped me as I've learned to embrace my whole self, as I've learned to accept and be present as a man and just as a human being. And you've really motivated me to just make the best of this moment and the life that we have to live. have to live. I've lived most of my life with a debilitating disorder called CRPS or chronic regional pain syndrome. It's a degenerative nerve disorder in which I feel pain 24-7. There is absolutely no break in my pain and it worsens with any repetitive actions such as writing, typing, or physical activities like lifting weights or push-ups.

I struggled to even wake up most days, let alone go to school or have the mental energy to be present in social situations. I fought this illness for many years without any luck of turning my health around. At rock bottom, when I found veganism and you in 2014, I immediately switched to a whole food plant diet with no processed foods, and I started drinking more water. The biggest thing I took away from your podcast and the amazing people on it was that my pain is real, but that I could change my mindset. I started to pursue athletic discomfort, and that has allowed me to reconceptualize the RPS as soreness, the kind of discomfort that leads to growth.

My favorite saying is, I had to make you uncomfortable, otherwise you would never have moved. I now run 40 to 60 miles on weekends for fun. I box at an MMA gym. I enjoy the sport of swim, bike, run, perform in dance shows, play around with mastering gymnastics skills, keep spin and practice yoga daily, and I even tried fitness pole dancing and got pretty damn good. Pain is still so real, but that struggle is my engine for growth. Life is so, so beautiful, and you only have one.

But if you do it right, that's enough. Coming back for more, but first. everything good in my life to sobriety. And it all began with treatment and experience that I had that quite literally saved my life. And in the many years since, I've in turn helped many suffering addicts and their loved ones find treatment. And with that, I know all too well just how confusing and how overwhelming

and how challenging it can be to find the right place and the right level of care, especially because unfortunately, not all treatment resources adhere to ethical practices. It's a real problem. A problem I'm now happy and proud to share has been solved by the people at recovery.com who created an online support portal designed to guide, to support, and empower you to find the ideal level of care tailored to your personal needs. They've partnered with the best global behavioral health providers to cover the full spectrum of behavioral health disorders, including substance use disorders, depression, anxiety,

eating disorders, gambling addictions, and more. Navigating their site is simple. Search by insurance coverage, location, treatment type, you name it. Plus, you can read reviews from former patients to help you decide. Whether you're a busy exec, a parent of a struggling teen, or battling addiction yourself, I feel you. I empathize with you. I really do. And they have treatment options for you. empathize with you. I really do. And they have treatment options for you. Life in recovery is wonderful, and recovery.com is your partner in starting that journey. When you or a loved one need help, go to recovery.com and take the first step towards recovery. To find the best treatment option for you or a loved one, again, go to recovery.com. We're brought to you today by recovery.com. I've been in recovery for a long time. It's not hyperbolic to say that I owe everything good in my life to sobriety. And it all began with

treatment and experience that I had that quite literally saved my life. And in the many years since, I've in turn helped many suffering addicts and their loved ones find treatment. And with that, I know all too well just how confusing and how overwhelming and how challenging it can be to find the right place and the right level of care, especially because, unfortunately, not all treatment resources adhere to ethical practices. It's a real problem. A problem I'm now happy and proud to share has been solved by the people at recovery.com who created an online support portal designed to guide, to support, and empower you to find the ideal level of care tailored to your personal needs. They've partnered with the best global behavioral health providers

to cover the full spectrum of behavioral health disorders, including substance use disorders, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, gambling addictions, and more. Navigating their site is simple. Search by insurance coverage, location, treatment type, you name it. Plus, you can read reviews from former patients to help you decide. Whether you're a busy exec, a parent of a struggling teen, or battling addiction yourself, I feel you. I empathize with you. I really do. And they have treatment options for you.

Life in recovery is wonderful, and recovery.com is your partner in starting that journey. When you or a loved one need help, go to recovery.com and take the first step towards recovery. To find the best treatment option for you or a loved one, again, go to recovery.com. Okay, back to the show. About two years ago, I was sent to the hospital because I was having pretty severe chest pains. My dad passed away from a heart attack when I was really young, so that was my doctor's primary concern. I was also in a really difficult season of life. A lot of tough things were happening and I had fallen into some pretty unhealthy eating and drinking patterns to try to cope with some of these difficulties.

I have a son. He was one at the time. And I laid in the hospital bed that night and thought about what it was like growing up without my dad. And in my mind, I kept seeing my son's childhood, him growing up, and I wasn't there. And it was right around this time and this kind of season in life that I was introduced actually to Rich, the Rich Roll podcast and the memoir Finding Ultra. It was extremely transformative to me. It was kind of like getting to see the story that I want to have or the place that I want to be in three years or five years or 10 years. So the doctors told me that one of the things I could do for my chest pains was to reduce animal products. And hearing your story inspired me to go vegan

a few months after I was released. I also knew I needed to get back in shape to get healthy again. So I started training for an ultra marathon and I finished my first ultra just over a year after my hospital stay. And all this, your podcast has really taught me just kind of power of the mind. For so long, I didn't really think I had abilities to make changes in my life.

It felt like I just viewed myself as the product of what happened around me and to me. And I remember listening to Courtney DeWalter and talk about her mindset shifts that happened during ultra marathons. And recently Mel Robbins was on talking about confidence being a habit that we kind of cultivate and so many more and i think this is part of why i started training for ultras and have continued to do them you know a couple years on now is just it gave me space to show how strong my mind really is and i've been able to see that to transition into other parts of my life and i I think coming out of the hospital, I knew this. Like I knew that was true, but I don't really think I believed it

or at least I didn't live like I believed it was true. And just hearing so many of your guests talk about how important the mind is really made this reality come alive for me. And I've been able to put a lot of their wisdom in some of these areas into practice. When I was 28, I felt like I had failed in life. I was overweight, working a job that was never meant for me, and going to college trying to prepare for another

career that was not meant for me, and dealing with mental illness. So I talked to an expert in the career field that I was trying to switch to, and I thought that this was the only chance that I had to be successful. Then it imploded, and I hit the point where I couldn't take it anymore. And my suffering became a catalyst for change. I had heard this idea of fake it until you make it. And another way you could put this is mood follows action. I knew in order to change my current habits, I should emulate the habits of a person I wanted to be. And I thought one of those habits would be listening

to the Ritual podcast. Fast forward three years and I have gone vegan. I have lost 35 pounds and I am training for my first half marathon. The most surprising thing is that I have become a harbinger of positive change for my small family. You say we are conduits. Well, that's been true for me. My mom has been diabetic since I was a teenager and has been managing it with a low-carb diet. Well, I went vegan and one thing led to another and now after a year of eating an almost vegan diet, her A1c is down so much that they are talking about taking her off of metformin. And if you know anybody with type 2 diabetes, you know that's a big deal. No one ever went off medication once they went on it. So this is really incredible.

And I am so grateful. I have been telling people, if your heart is true, the universe will conspire to support you. And it really has for me. And I'm still in the process of transforming. Four years ago, I thought I was going to be a rock star. But I was a bartender who drank with a death wish every single day. I had two DUIs and I was about to lose my marriage. And my health was really, really bad.

So bad that I ended up in the hospital with acute pancreatitis for 10 days. Immediately after getting out of the hospital, I quit drinking. And then very soon after that, I tried veganism to heal my insides from the pancreatitis. And I tried to absorb all things vegan. And I ended up listening to one of your podcasts. I found it so relatable. You and I couldn't have more different backgrounds. But so many of the things you said about sobriety and veganism and health and family just really rang true to me.

And I couldn't stop thinking about it. And your book made me sign up for my first marathon, which I ran in four hours and 15 minutes. And every single one since then has been just a little bit better. That was four years ago. I'm four years sober now, four years vegan. And I never thought my life would look like this. And the gratitude is just unbelievable. Life as I knew it shattered when my health

collapsed just before my 21st birthday. I went from being an accomplished honor student and collegiate varsity athlete to a bed-bound college dropout. Treatment after treatment failed. For the next several years, my physical health continued to dissolve under the weight of unbearable chronic pain, and my mental health soon followed suit. During an extensive inpatient hospital stay, I stumbled upon a podcast hosted by a guy who really liked plants. What I thought was a podcast that would teach me about veganism was a podcast that would end up fundamentally changing the lens through which I view life. On the most difficult days, I would cling to stories like those of Taria Pitt, whose life shattered in an instant and who overcame the seemingly impossible challenge of rebuilding

her life. I recall the episode with Matthew Long, who after nearly dying, experienced an awakening and found his purpose of helping others. These interviews, among many others, taught me that I am not special in the best way. I am not the only one to have my life entirely dismantled. Our journeys may not parallel each other in the type of terrain that we had to cross, but they certainly reflected each other in the sense of what you can do when you feel like you have nothing left. This podcast taught me that within uncertainty lies potential, and it helped me cultivate my belief in a better tomorrow. As I did this, my physical recovery gained momentum. I eventually returned to college, graduated with highest honors, and secured a full-time job. I even went back to playing

competitive sports. I did all of this motivated and inspired by the Ritual podcast the entire way. I have stepped into my purpose of enacting change in the healthcare system, dismantling the stigma that surrounds chronic illness and female pain, and advancing pain research. The compelling conversations of the Ritual podcast truly ushered me into an era of self-evolution where I thought all hope was lost. As Mary Kane so eloquently stated, I don't want to rewrite my story. I want to make something good going forward.

I am 34 years old. I am a husband and father of three from Indianapolis, Indiana. I have always felt that my life is very typical and cookie cutter. I felt that I was the epitome of average. A 5'9", middle class, white male living in the same town I was raised in with little hope of experiencing anything exciting or making an impact. In 2015, I had a great job, loving family, but the daily repetition of life left much to be desired and caused me to go into a depressive state.

Feeling guilty for not feeling satisfied, I began searching. I stumbled across several life-changing podcasts that I couldn't stop consuming on my commute to work. They changed the core of my being, caused me to realize that I couldn't stop consuming on my commute to work. They changed the core of my being, caused me to realize that I am a unique human worthy of love and exploring and experiencing life. My low empathy levels were rocked during some of the podcasts, causing my heart to break and me to be ugly crying in my car on my commute to and from work. This was weird for me because I had only found empathy for my wife and

kids prior to listening. My heart rarely broke for those less fortunate. Realizing that I wasn't alone in this journey of the human experience was so humbling and anxiety reducing. Hearing it from a guy who had real life struggles that we all have, it made the podcast genuine. The guests were real people with real stories that exposed me to a broader life outside of my small Midwestern bubble. We began to take ownership of our life. I quit my job and pursued a job where I knew I was making a difference for humanity. We began to invest in rental properties and pride ourselves on developing lasting relationships with our tenants, helping them on their journey of life. It's my wish that we can

all be part of this journey in some form or fashion to be loved and to give that love to others. My story began about 10 years ago when I lost all three of my sisters within two years of each other. They were all very unexpected deaths, but they were all health related. It was shocking because we enjoyed a lot of healthy longevity in our family. Our grandparents and parents lived into their late 80s and 90s. My mom passed away at 95. Around that time, I started to just ache from head to toe. And I know a lot of it was grief, but a lot of it, I believe, was being brought on by something else. So finally, I went to a doctor and was diagnosed with spondyloarthritis. I've never been one to immediately jump to medicine. I always look for a natural way to solve my problems first. So that's

what started my deep dive, thinking that even though we had all lived healthy lives, we thought something was clearly not right. So I started with the documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, and I did numerous 10-day cycles of a juice fast and started to feel a lot better. And about three years ago, I got introduced to podcasts and actually, Rich, your podcast was one of the first ones. And through your podcast, I have read so many books and I'm very healthy. I feel great. And when I retired, my daughter and I decided we would open a healthy, fast, convenient restaurant. We wanted something that had the convenience with a kid's play area and a drive-thru, but that would supply the community with healthy, nourishing food.

We were able to find an old building and in February 2020, we opened. We were open for a month and had fantastic response from the community because in our town of Hagerstown, Maryland, a restaurant, Free Range Cafe, is the only healthy option. 30 days later, the pandemic hit. Our restaurant did survive the pandemic, and we are still open today. We were able to pivot very quickly to online ordering and delivering food to the cars, and we've been very successful. So I guess I'm really happy. I'm happy the way things have worked out, but we just are still in a place where we

haven't figured out how to make our restaurant profitable and to grow it because we would like to grow it to multiple locations and franchise it and hope that someday healthy, convenient, fam-friendly food can be in every community where now food swamps are the norm. I was stuck in life. I was in a loop. I kept repeating the same patterns and I couldn't get out of it. I come across the ritual podcast. I'm watching it all day, every day, because I quit my job. And the biggest thing that I learned is the power is within. Mindset is everything. And no, we can't just snap out of a mindset, but it's training yourself. Seeing all these people who took themselves from the bottom to the top, the thought was, well, why can't I do that? I'm often questioning myself in the meaning of my life and wonder if I'm missing the boat. Am I contributing enough to this world

or could I give more? Am I growing where I've been planted and is this enough? Sometimes I dream of being seen and recognized and contribute with who I am to help and serve to a larger platform. And then I appreciate what I have and feel a deep gratitude for my life as it is. I keep showing up in my life connecting with compassion and humility. On a daily basis, I tend towards being a better version of myself. Having you as guides by my side, instilling strength, courage, and hope in the possible. My story starts on June 11, 2016. On that day in the morning, my husband of 25 years who I loved told me he was cheating on me. Later that same day in the afternoon, five of my

grandchildren and my son-in-law fell over the Letchworth State Park Falls in New York. My son-in-law fell over the Letcher State Park Falls in New York. Everyone made it out except Dylan, who was nine, and Preston, who was six. And that all happened in one day. I basically lost everything in my life. I lost my house, my husband, my grandchildren, relationships over that situation, which is a very sad story. But yeah, when I share it with people, I share it because I try to give people who are going through a hard time hope because I worked very hard and decided early on that I was not going to let this ruin the rest of my life.

And your podcast has helped me tremendously. has helped me tremendously. Even though people face trials in life, it doesn't mean life is over. It means we have to fight in order to have our right to be happy in this life. My transformational story is my last bad day. I got hit head-on by a Ford Explorer who crossed the center line of the road

going 40 miles an hour. And I broke a whole bunch of everything. Doctors don't know how I survived, let alone back riding. This year, I had my left knee totally replaced. And next year, I'm going to ride my bike across the country to celebrate 21 years since my last bad day. So with gratitude, kindness, love,

three things I think the world needs more right now, because I'm only here today because of those in my Peloton, as I like to say. And so through your podcast, it's been one part inspiration, another part motivation, and also some discovery. What's comforting about the podcast and all your guests coming at it from different angles is just all the fortitude, all the strength, all the grit that's within us when we shift the conversation that we have with ourselves

and surround ourselves with people who bring out the best in us. We can do almost anything. In fact, I would say we can do anything. I call my last bad day my last bad day because if I have my wife and my daughters and people who bring out the best in me, I can't call a whole day a bad one. Yeah, I've had some tough moments.

We all have, especially going through this grand kerfuffle that we're living in. But through gratitude, through a lot of different things that you talk about, I know that I have building blocks to create a better tomorrow. And your podcast helps me keep rolling, helps me keep pedaling. Hello, Rich. This is Kathy just outside of Ottawa, Canada. Your podcast has changed my life. This is Kathy just outside of Ottawa, Canada.

Your podcast has changed my life. I started listening to you on recommendation from a friend in May 2019 when I was on a sobriety journey. For the past 10 years, I've been living a mother's hell. My husband and I had adopted two boys ages 3 and 18 months in 1995. Everything was good in the early years, and I truly believe that nurture outstripped nature. I was naive. The early trauma came to a head in their teenage years where everything went off the rails, getting kicked out of school, drugs, crime, disappearing, incarceration, violence, you name it.

As I leave you this message, my youngest son is a meth addict and is living on the street. I became a daily drinker, drowning myself in a bottle of wine or more a day. I was still functioning, though, holding down a big job, but I was dying inside. The only thing that was keeping me going was my horses. I don't think people knew the extent of my drinking problem or the pain I was in. The phone would ring, I would jump.

I had so much anxiety. It came to a head in 2018 when I had to sit through a trial where my youngest son had been accused of horrific crimes, including sexual assault. It was traumatic. I couldn't manage it anymore. I needed help. I sought counseling, and then I found your podcast. Your own personal journey and the journey and insights of your guests expanded me. It was like all the dominoes were falling in the right direction, and I figured out I could not stop their suffering. It started with your first podcast, which validated my decision to get sober. Once sober, I had clarity of mind and everything else seemed to fall into place.

I started journaling, took up yoga, meditation, and started to focus on being mentally healthy, and I let go. COVID hit. I quit my corporate job and continued on a journey of healing and letting the universe tell me what to do. Through your podcast, I expanded to a place where I found my purpose. I was now on our farm full-time. I could spend a lot more time focusing on my horses and their amazing gifts. I then reconnected with a friend that was working with children at risk using equine therapy. My purpose hit me.

I was meant to do therapeutic work with horses as facilitators, using my own experience with my children, addiction, and trauma. I've started my formal training. I know this is my path. I will be launching an equine-assisted therapeutic business in 2022. Horses are amazing facilitators and mirrors of our souls. Who would have thought at 60 years old that I would be doing this? My story is I have neurological Lyme disease. I became completely bedridden for two years,

but I gained a lot of wisdom, insight, and gifts from this illness. It forced me to no longer run from my problems. I was a raging alcoholic from 14 to 26 because my mom was schizophrenic. And I did some deep self-cultivation. I laid in bed for two years. I read books and I listened to podcasts. This is where I got turned on to a rich role. I really liked the one of Edward Garcia, I believe, the chef who lost his arm and the man who got bit by a shark. The main thing I learned from this is that our adversity, our suffering is actually an opportunity to rise to the occasion and become the best version of ourselves. Around the time your podcast started, I found myself diagnosed with an autoimmune that had no cure and no treatment. And I had been vegan a year and a

half, worked out six days a week, just incredibly healthy, turned 40. And I ended up in a wheelchair and I was in that wheelchair for five years, went through a stem cell clinical trial and got better. And all of this has been since 2012. So the stories, the conversations, it's all just been a guidepost for me to listen to and be encouraged as I've taught myself to walk again, use my hands and get out of the chair and regain life, so to speak. And the lessons that I've learned in being present, getting through the difficulties and being told no by world-renowned hospitals that I'd never get better and there wasn't any hope. It's just been really encouraging to hear the stories of, even though I'm not an athlete, some of these athletes that have, you know, really been told no as well. So I thank you for putting

all the goodness out in the world and hopefully my little story will help you keep going because it does matter. I've been living in the north of Spain. I had one of the worst years of my life. It was rainy, dark. I had no money, no friends. I was hung up on an X, toxic mold exposure in my apartment, a full-body rash, but I made it through. I was going to fly home for the summer, was stopped in Barcelona to visit some friends. And there, my hero of over 10 years,

Anthony Bourdain, killed himself. And I was shattered. And I flew home and spent all my money on a ticket to get back to Michigan, needed to borrow money for rent. And on my third day in Michigan, there were flash floods in my town. And one of the only victims was my 12-year-old cousin. And it was the hardest funeral ever. And a few days later, we had a family get-together and I broke my phone and it was the last straw. So for like 36 hours, I had suicidal ideation. But I needed to go to work on Monday morning and I was teaching kids and they helped break those negative thought loops. And then on my bike ride home, I listened to a ritual podcast with Julie, where Rich and Julie were talking about their most difficult time and getting cars repossessed and all that. And Julie used this line, this is my divine moment. And it hit me in that time.

I needed to hear it. And I started to repeat it, and it felt better. You know, this is my divine moment. It's not happening to me. It's happening for me. And yeah, the podcast helped me gain a lot of trust. My youngest brother, Justin, died of a heroin overdose on Wednesday, overdose on Wednesday, December 5th of 2018. Driving to Rockford, Illinois with our dad to identify Justin at the hospital the following day was a painful experience. So many miles, so much painful silence.

experience. So many miles, so much painful silence. Seeing my baby brother in the ER, intubated and gone, was one of, if not the, most traumatic experiences of my life. He was so handsome, his hair so freaking amazing. He used to rub it in my face all the time, his beautiful thick wavy hair, as I complained about my thinning with age. All I could do, standing next to his lifeless body, was run my hands through his hair and kiss his cold forehead. I was genuinely heartbroken, and at that moment, all I could do was drop to the floor and sob. I just sobbed uncontrollably. I literally couldn't believe I was looking at my baby brother dead.

You don't ever wipe a memory like that out of your mind. And for the next 12 months, it would literally haunt me every day. At the end of 2019, I was drinking alcohol in an abusive way, numbing the pain from drowning in grief over losing Justin and our mom just two years prior. In fact, I suffered many losses in the years leading up to Justin's death, two miscarriages, a marriage, and a uterus, to be exact. I knew the way I was handling what life was throwing at me wasn't sustainable, but more importantly, I didn't want it to be. And I knew only big changes would create significant results. So I created this challenge in my mind that I would run one 5K every month

for a year until I could do that without stopping to walk. I also committed to something bigger. My annual dry January would be a dry 2020 instead. Yes, I was giving up alcohol for an entire year. I was committed to changing my life story and set out to transform myself from the inside out. I was determined and felt unstoppable. Over the past two years, I have found a lot of purpose in my pain and it has changed my life. Listening to your podcast and the wide variety of characters and life stories you've unveiled has truly helped me get here. From November 2019 to the end of 2020, through a global pandemic no less, I managed to run 19 races. Most of those were live, if you can believe that, and the last three were back-to-back

half marathons, the last of which I ran straight through without stopping to walk even once. which I ran straight through without stopping to walk even once. Living a great story while I'm here on earth is my goal every day. I want to be the person who looks in the mirror every day and feels pride. I am that person today, and I'll do my best to be that person tomorrow too. I hope you do too. So, there you have it. That was the beginning of the story of the rest of my life. The follow-up is that I did introduce alcohol back into my life this year after my usual dry January.

But this time, it was different. Unlike past years where I just go back to drinking and I don't think about it, this time I've done it with a keen awareness. Because after being sober all of 2020, I had something tangible to compare my life to. And what I've concluded, beyond a shadow of a doubt, is that my life is just exponentially better without alcohol playing any kind of role. I am definitely not a have a glass of wine with dinner and don't drink for two weeks kind of gal. I'm just not. So for me, labeling myself has become irrelevant. not. So for me, labeling myself has become irrelevant. What is relevant is that drinking is like hitting the mute button on my life and being sober is like turning the volume up to 10.

And I am definitely a turn up the volume type of person. So after a year long soul searching mission, I've committed once again to sobriety. But this time, my goal is a lifestyle choice, not just a year-long challenge. December 5th will no longer just be the day Justin died. December 5th will also be the day I chose to live. To make a long story short, I was born and raised in Eastwood, North Carolina. My whole family were farmers. They sold out to factory farming. I moved to Eastwood, North Carolina. My whole family were farmers. They sold out to factory farming. I moved to Asheville, North Carolina.

I started getting in trouble when I was 15 years old, ending out of prison from 15 to age 30. Now, currently I own Ultra Pipe and Plum, and we have Ultra Coffee Bar here in Asheville, North Carolina. Complimentary to you and named after Finding Ultra. Started doing physical endurance events about three years ago. Always worked out my whole life. So started doing physical endurance events, go ruck events, so forth and so forth, and really dived into your podcast out,

doing some rucks. Started running. I'm actually running now and heard this on you and Miss Julie's podcast and wanted to call in. Started my first Orchard race last year. Ran 76 miles in combat boots. I had no idea what I was doing. This year I've ran 200 milers, 80 milers, 72 milers, and 350 milers and have 100 milers come up on December 4th. Kind of started running, listening to your podcast and having a look back. Been really successful in my businesses.

Sobriety's been great. Asheville's been great. Every day's a blessing to be alive, man. And so grateful for you guys and you all inspire me to get out, put my shoes on every day and get out and run. Since I started listening to you, I learned I can do hard things. I can get up at 4 a.m. I can exercise in a snowstorm.

Last summer, I climbed my first 14,000 peak. And I am no Robbie Ballinger, but for someone to start climbing at my age, I'm 66. I mean, it was daunting, but I made it. And that taught me I could do other hard things. And for the first time in my life, I really understood how challenging my body and the structures that go along with that has given me the confidence to challenge every other part of my life and not wait to be in the mood to do things. And I use that mindset now with everything I do. I just act first and the feeling usually comes along later.

I can't finish without saying my favorite guest, which was Steven Pressfield. I love him. I listened to The War of the Arts, and I can honestly say that your conversation with him and his book has helped me finish writing my third book. We feel inspired, challenged by your podcast and keep the fire lit inside of us, you know, trying to be the best humans, have the best impact on this planet while we're here, you know, leaves no stones unturned for looking at self-reflection for how we can be better in all aspects of our life. And it's been a real game changer. You know, we don't get a lot of exposure and kind of are isolated at times in our communities and our circles due to

the current nature of the pandemic and just in our thinking, not everyone thinks like us. And so having a community that we can turn to and listen and get these ideas from these great thought leaders has just been amazing for us. So, you know, we really appreciate it and wanted to thank you guys. And yeah, please keep it up and we'll continue to try and do our part and share the information and be great stewards of this beautiful planet.

And that's it. Thank you so much. Bye. I want to say hello to Rich and Adam and Julie. I feel like I need to address all three of you. I have wanted to call in to roll on actually so many times, but I've never really had a question. I just wanted the opportunity to say how life-altering this podcast has been for me. My name is Kim Johnson.

I'm 47 years old. I'm a musician and music teacher, and my story starts with my dad. We spent hours together on long training runs. That was my special connection to him. He trained me for my first of many half marathons during my 20s and 30s, and he ran all of them alongside me, and he was well into his 50s, and he was always kicking my ass. The year he turned 59, he had a really weird fall during a race, which had us super concerned that something wasn't right. And at the young age of 60, we discovered that he had Parkinson's disease. The disease quickly took a toll on his

ability to train long distances. And I was also getting busier with a young family and that special connection naturally began to fall away. He fought hard for the next seven years, and then on the night of June 22nd in 2015, he fell actually right near his bed in the middle of the night, which immediately left him paralyzed from the neck down. The only prognosis doctors could give was to be in a bed in full-time care facility with a feeding tube, a breathing tube, with a trach, and the whole deal. What was so interesting about this whole situation is that he was a pastor, and he had visited people in the hospital all the time over so many years and had literally seen everything. Because of this, he had a very

specific medical directive drawn up that said if all these things that were about to happen were going to happen, he didn't want to be kept alive. And he said take the feeding tube out, take the ventilator out, and let him pass on his own, or as Julie would say, make his transition. He passed seven hours later at 3 a.m. on the 4th of July, a day that marks freedom, ironically. It is still the most spiritual, beautiful, a day that marks freedom, ironically,

is still the most spiritual, beautiful, and holy moment I have ever experienced. But I returned home the day after my 41st birthday, and while standing on the blacktop of the school I was currently teaching music and my two children were attending, I had my first panic attack during the flag salute. This began my journey of learning how to cope with anxiety and depression, along with radical amounts of transformation that were going to take place over the next five years. And your podcast popped up in things you might like. Even after searching, I still can't remember which conversation I listened to first. But I just remember thinking, who is this guy who is so openly vulnerable? I hadn't heard anyone talk like this in this space.

And I just slowly began to drink up these conversations. I'd been a singer my whole life. It was always part of my livelihood. I had transitioned from public education to teaching music in the private sector. And although it helped a little, I was incredibly unfulfilled and couldn't figure out why and so frustrated as to what to do about it. I really believed that I wasn't any good at it when actually I hadn't tried hard enough for long enough. Now we were in a lockdown and I might as well give it all the attention while I can. And around this time, you and Adam had started roll on. I kept hearing the message said in different ways by different guests on repeat

about a practice a little bit every day over six months, a year, two years can make such a big difference. The conversations Rich would have with Julie, I mean, if two people could be any more different and stay together, I sure as hell could make my marriage not only work, but evolve and become more healthy. She was helping me come to grips with patterns that were no longer serving me anymore. And I'll never forget the episode where she shared about Trevor and Trevor's dad passing. And the first time I'd ever heard death reframed to making the transition was so beautiful. Caroline Burkle helping me realize that the trauma I've experienced is real and it needs to be attended to. Alexi helping me think about our brain is also something that can have injuries that need time and treatment to heal, just like a physical injury.

Steven Pressfield, I had read already do the work three times and already was so amped when I found out that Rich was going to talk to him. His reminder that resistance is a real force and that, wow, I just have to keep giving it the middle finger every day. Every single roll on since the day it began, listening to Adam talk openly about the struggle that it is to show up for himself, working on his novel, the conversations with Dr. Ayeshi and Dean Sherzai, someone who could give firsthand information about some of the good things that really went on in Afghanistan. So such a beautiful, rich, truthful conversation. My insides began to open up and songs began to take shape. It became the way I processed my dad's exit from this earth so suddenly and whatever was happening to me and around me and in the world.

I began feeling brave enough to put myself out to whatever local venues would let me come play, pushing myself to increase my meager skills as a guitar player. And pretty soon, my perspective began to change, my countenance began to change. And just like my workouts had always been my lifeline to sanity, songwriting became a necessary part to my existence. Rich's conversations were in the background of all of this. Every time I woke up wanting to give up, I'd pick up a podcast and get back to it. You know, no man is an island. And the impact that you have had

is not just on the people sending in these messages. It's not just on the people who in messages. It's not just on the people who listen to your podcast. It is exponential. You have impacted not just me, but my family numbers who have gone plant-based. Every single one of my clients, my patients that I work with, and that is true for every person that listens to your podcast. So thank you for that. The ones and zeros nourish my soul and reverberate through my life. Tina, my fiance, and I want to thank you, Julie, and the entire RRP community for what you create. The journey is only beginning, and we are filled with gratitude while pursuing what is in our hearts.

Oh my gosh, there's so many ways. I can't even tell you how much you guys have begun to feel like true friends. Friends that I'm not actually able to call you up and talk to you about my things and get your opinions about my things. But I've really come to look forward to this show every week. and talk to you about my things and get your opinions about my things. I've really come to look forward to the show every week. I actually can't remember which one of your podcast guests said this, but he used the acronym ROI as ripples of impact rather than return on investment.

I think when I started out coaching, I was way more concerned with the return on investment. What can I get out of this versus what impact can I make on others? And I think about that a lot and try to make sure that I never lose that perspective in why I coach. Really, at the end of the day, I think your story is what's most impact. It's beautiful. And I just love how you've taken all your pain and transformed it into beauty. So just keep doing what you're doing. And we just love what you're doing. And I'm just so grateful that I found you. Keep up the good work. Keep doing what you're doing. Much love and gratitude to you. Thanks so much, you guys. Enjoy the day. Truly. Thank you so much. Thank you for having the courage

to strive for healthy change in our confusing and beautiful world. Peace. Guants. Namaste. I hope all of you enjoyed that, found it meaningful and receive it in the spirit in which we offer it, which is really a spirit of gratitude. And I have to say it was very emotional for me listening to all of you. And I want to end this by sincerely thanking you, especially all of you who submitted voicemails. And of course, to every single one of you who is listening to this episode, the gratitude and the pride that I feel after hearing all of these stories

is really just beyond anything that I could adequately articulate. This podcast is a labor of love for me and has always been my gift to you. But today, all of you gave me a gift and that's a gift I will not soon forget. So thank you. Thank you for your courage, for taking the leap,

for calling in and being vulnerable and for walking this journey alongside me. Thank you for putting wind in my sails and for giving me hope in the good. But most of all, thank you for letting me serve because it is in service that I find purpose, that I find meaning and a sense of deep satisfaction that positively infuses every aspect

of my daily life experience. I can't overstate the extent to which your experiences humble me and hold me accountable for my own actions, inspire me to do and be better, and ennoble me to soldier on in the face of whatever obstacles I may face. In closing, I want to be very clear that I'm not looking to take credit whatsoever for anybody's journey. So any improvements that you made in your life to your life is on you entirely. Hats off and head bowed in reverence. And I just love hearing the stories. It helps me feel more connected to you. It helps dry the cement on this community bond that I'm trying to foster. A bond over just being better

because giving back is what it means to be part of a community. So I sincerely hope you enjoyed this episode as much as I did. If you're inclined to support the podcast, the easiest and most impactful thing you can do is to simply subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, and on YouTube. I would also appreciate it if you would consider sharing

this special episode with your friends or on social media. And for podcast updates, special offers on books, the meal planner, and other subjects, you can subscribe to our newsletter, which you can find on the footer of any page at richroll.com. Finally, I really want to thank my team for crafting this episode. They did all the work here, and it was a tremendous amount of work, but it paid off. They did such an extraordinary job. The episode was produced and engineered by Jason Camiolo and Dan Drake, and the video edition of the show was created, again, by Dan Drake and Blake Curtis. Graphic elements were courtesy of Daniel Solis

and our theme music as always was created by Tyler Pyatt, Trapper Pyatt and Harry Mathis. Thanks for listening. See you back here soon. Peace. Plants. Namaste. Thank you.