Camp4Real (EP 65: The Vegan Life Coach Podcast)

Just wait until you meet today’s guest on The Vegan Life Coach Podcast, Scott Williams, aka Dubs, who rocks the world with his groundbreaking work helping kids get fit and healthy through FUN exercise and nutrition education.

LISTEN/WATCH

Subscribe: Apple Podcast | Stitcher | Spotify |  YouTube

*Links mentioned in the episode are at the bottom of this page.


I met Scott weeks ago, and when I witnessed him going out of his way to help a bee who was trapped inside a window and then saw him form a bond with a friend’s kids within minutes, I knew I had to have him on the show.

Scott’s creativity and bold entrepreneurial spirit have led to the creation of Camp4Real, which is growing exponentially every year.

In this episode, we cover lots of ground with topics ranging from men and veganism to the most effective ways to teach kids about nutrition, to spirituality, vulnerability, and following your life’s passion.

You’re in for a treat!

More About Scott:

Scott Williams is the founder/owner of Camp4Real and taught elementary physical education at Meriwether Lewis School for 15 years and high school summer PE for six years. He was the 2013 Virginia Elementary PE Teacher of the Year, and the 2015-16 Virginia and SHAPE Southern District Dance Teacher of the Year. 

Scott was also honored as a National Healthy School Hero by Action for Healthy Kids in 2017 and was named to the 2019 class of Charlottesville’s Finest by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. He is also a presenter and keynote speaker at physical education conferences across the nation, the US Coordinator for Omnikin, and an OPEN National Trainer! 

Scott absolutely LOVES his career and also enjoys educating others on plant-based eating, increasing mental health awareness, Spartan Races, hiking, and anything that involves the beach!


MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

 

Camp4Real.com

Camp4Real on Facebook

Camp4Real on Instagram


CONNECT WITH US!

Take Our New Going Vegan Quiz HERE!  

Grab the valuable gift we have for you HERE.

Have a question you’d like us to answer, or feedback you’d like to give us (we love hearing from you!)? Leave us a voice (or written) message HERE.

Interested in receiving a free coaching session to air on an upcoming episode? Apply HERE.

Hogs & Kisses Farm Sanctuary Website

Acceptance vs Resistance (EP 64: The Vegan Life Coach Podcast)

In this insightful episode, we answer the questions many people have when we say, “Accepting your body as it is right now is a prerequisite for transforming it…”

LISTEN/WATCH

Subscribe: Apple Podcast | Stitcher | Spotify |  YouTube

*Links mentioned in the episode are at the bottom of this page.


“How can I accept something I want to change?”

“If I accept my body as it is, how will I ever lose weight?”

We’re talking about resistance vs acceptance, and how making this powerful shift is key for achieving all of your personal and professional goals and dreams.

Carl Yung said, “We must ACCEPT what we want to change.” We’re telling you why and showing you HOW in episode 64 of the Vegan Life Coach Podcast!

Show Notes:

  • Defining Resistance: The refusal to accept or comply with something; the attempt to prevent something by action or argument
    • When we resist, we are firmly holding to what we want the truth to be. It is arguing with reality. When we spend our energy wishing something was different, we are wasting our time…wasting that energy.
      • Examples: 
        • Hitting the snooze button
        • Comparing yourself to others, wishing you had their legs,          personality, money, etc.
        • Getting angry about the traffic jam making you late for work
        • Worrying about things that are out of your control
        • Ignoring or distracting from negative emotions (eg a Netflix binge with a pint of coconut milk ice cream)
    • Resistance doesn’t change reality; It only makes it harder.
    • Humans are built for resistance. Our bodies and minds love homeostasis. So, overriding that can be difficult and is likely why we keep ourselves in that state, even though it causes us so much suffering. If I could choose a superpower, it would be Acceptance because it is simple but NOT easy.
  • Defining Acceptance:  Act of taking or receiving something offered; willingness to tolerate a difficult or unpleasant situation.
    • What acceptance is NOT:  
      • Giving Up
      • Condoning
      • Liking or Enjoying
    • What acceptance is:
      • Active: It is a practice. It is a choice to allow reality to flow.
      • Understanding that reality just is and that there is a way through it if you don’t like it.
      • An important part of mindfulness:  The mind is fully engaged in what is, what is happening, and what we are doing and moving through without judgment of ourselves or the situation.
    • Why is acceptance important in the change process?
      • Carl Jung: We must ACCEPT what we want to change.  
      • Accepting reality allows us to look at it honestly and make a plan based on reality and NOT on what we wish reality was.
      • Acceptance empowers us to make the next move.
    • How do we move from resistance to acceptance?
      • “Accept then act. Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you’ve chosen it. Always work with it, not against it.” –Eckhart Tolle
      • Ask yourself some questions:
        • What is the impact of resistance in this situation?
        • Am I engaging in the behaviour of resistance?  Arguing with reality: Wishing, worrying, comparing, refusing
        • Am I feeling the resistance through my emotions?  Anger, resentment, anxiety
        • What if I act as if I chose this situation?  How would that change things for me?
        • How would this change if I allowed reality to be exactly what it is in this moment?
      • Practical Strategies:
        • Take a pause when you find yourself engaged in resistance:  Compassion and Curiosity
        • Self-Empowerment Coaching system with a desired outcome of acceptance
        • Journaling
        • Mantra:  I accept reality as it is.  Resistance is futile.  I can only change what I accept.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Episode 7 (Self-Empowerment Coaching System)

Episode 59 (Client Panel)


CONNECT WITH US!

Take Our New Going Vegan Quiz HERE!  

Grab the valuable gift we have for you HERE.

Have a question you’d like us to answer, or feedback you’d like to give us (we love hearing from you!)? Leave us a voice (or written) message HERE.

Interested in receiving a free coaching session to air on an upcoming episode? Apply HERE.

Hogs & Kisses Farm Sanctuary Website

A Hog’s Tale (EP 63: The Vegan Life Coach Podcast)

The barn doors to Hogs & Kisses Farm Sanctuary (a 501c3 non-profit organization) have opened and WOW, what a journey it’s been for founder Anne Molina, James Aubrey (Board member), and me (also on the Board)!

LISTEN/WATCH

Subscribe: Apple Podcast | Stitcher | Spotify |  YouTube

*Links mentioned in the episode are at the bottom of this page.


In this fascinating and heartwarming episode, we tell you the story of how we transported 3 unexpectedly large farm pigs from New York to their forever home in Virginia. 

We share all the challenges we faced, that we can laugh about now that Dolly, Grace, and Imposter are roaming happily in the pasture at Hogs & Kisses.

Join us as we take you on the thrilling journey with us, and learn some fascinating pig facts along the way!


MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Please help by donating any amount on the Hogs & Kisses website


CONNECT WITH US!

Take Our New Going Vegan Quiz HERE!  

Grab the valuable gift we have for you HERE.

Have a question you’d like us to answer, or feedback you’d like to give us (we love hearing from you!)? Leave us a voice (or written) message HERE.

Interested in receiving a free coaching session to air on an upcoming episode? Apply HERE.

Hogs & Kisses Farm Sanctuary Website

Mic the Vegan (EP 62: The Vegan Life Coach Podcast)

With over 377,000 YouTube subscribers, Mic the Vegan is known for debunking the myths that perpetuate harmful dietary and lifestyle behaviors – all with a drop of humor that only he thinks is funny.

LISTEN/WATCH

Subscribe: Apple Podcast | Stitcher | Spotify |  YouTube

*Links mentioned in the episode are at the bottom of this page.


In case you’re curious… Mic is short for microphone and Mike/Michael, not Mick! And it’s true that his beard doesn’t match his hair naturally (he asks you to please not hate). 

Mic the Vegan is not a doctor, but he is currently studying Public Health at the Master’s level and is a pro at digging into the most unbiased research on plant-based nutrition and feeding it to us in bite-size chunks.

We had a blast chatting about everything from his most controversial videos, to how to discern which research to trust, to building tiny homes… With a lot of laughs along the way!

Enjoy!


MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Mic the Vegan YouTube Channel

Mic the Vegan Website

Mic’s Whole Food Vegan Cookbook

Support Mic HERE so he can keep making regular videos loaded with Science!


CONNECT WITH US!

Take Our New Going Vegan Quiz HERE!  

Grab the valuable gift we have for you HERE.

Have a question you’d like us to answer, or feedback you’d like to give us (we love hearing from you!)? Leave us a voice (or written) message HERE.

Interested in receiving a free coaching session to air on an upcoming episode? Apply HERE.

Hogs & Kisses Farm Sanctuary Website

Coachability: The Secret to Your Success (EP 61: The Vegan Life Coach Podcast)

Are you coachable?

LISTEN/WATCH

Subscribe: Apple Podcast | Stitcher | Spotify |  YouTube

*Links mentioned in the episode are at the bottom of this page.


In Episode 61 of The Vegan Life Coach Podcast, we dive into the topic of coachability… What it means, why it’s important, and how to embody it. 

Determining the coachability of potential 6-Week Intuitive Food & Fitness Coaching Program clients is a vital step in the application process. We ONLY work with people we’re confident are ready and able to be coached to their freedom. 

We work with a maximum of only 12 clients, so we encourage you to take bold action in the direction of a healthy vegan lifestyle, plant-strong body and mind, confidence, and a sense of freedom you never knew possible.


MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Episode 59: Way Beyond Weight Loss (with a 3-client panel)

Book a Discovery Session with Ella

VEGAN MADE EASY: The 5-Step Master Plan for Losing Weight with a Plant-Based “Live-et”

 


CONNECT WITH US!

Take Our New Going Vegan Quiz HERE!  

Grab the valuable gift we have for you HERE.

Have a question you’d like us to answer, or feedback you’d like to give us (we love hearing from you!)? Leave us a voice (or written) message HERE.

Interested in receiving a free coaching session to air on an upcoming episode? Apply HERE.

Hogs & Kisses Farm Sanctuary Website

Positive Thinking My A** (EP 56: The Vegan Life Coach Podcast)

The idea for the theme of this week’s episode came in the wake of Shye’s emergency spinal surgery.

LISTEN/WATCH

Subscribe: Apple Podcast | Stitcher | Spotify |  YouTube

*Links mentioned in the episode are at the bottom of this page.


It was one of the toughest, most emotionally exhausting weeks of my life, and I wasn’t sure I had the energy to record… Until the title, “Positive Thinking My A**” popped into my brain. And I knew Stephanie would have plenty of powerful insights on the topic of positive thinking culture she’d love to share.

We dive deep into the complexity of the term, “positive thinking,” and give strategies for not only making your own life-altering mindset shifts but also the best ways to help people you care about deal with sadness and grief.

Buckle up for this empowering episode of The Vegan Life Coach Podcast!

 


MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Inquire about the 6-Week Intuitive Food & Fitness Coaching Program [[email protected]]

Episode 24: Going Vegan: When Your Family Is Not on Board

 


CONNECT WITH US!

Take Our New Going Vegan Quiz HERE!  

Grab the valuable gift we have for you HERE.

Have a question you’d like us to answer, or feedback you’d like to give us (we love hearing from you!)? Leave us a voice (or written) message HERE.

Interested in receiving a free coaching session to air on an upcoming episode? Apply HERE.

Hogs & Kisses Farm Sanctuary Website

Intuitive Eating Model (EP 55: The Vegan Life Coach Podcast)

If you’re over dieting, and “INTUITIVE EATING” sounds appealing, yet daunting, you’re not alone!

LISTEN/WATCH

Subscribe: Apple Podcast | Stitcher | Spotify |  YouTube

*Links mentioned in the episode are at the bottom of this page.


In this episode of The Vegan Life Coach Podcast (following some fun storytelling involving skinny margaritas😉) we dive into our simple, 6-Step process for eating intuitively.

The “Intuitive Eating Model” has been a complete game-changer for our coaching clients. It allows you to feel confident about every food choice you make because you make those decisions CONSCIOUSLY (not based on your subconscious programming which runs on autopilot).

Steps for Making Conscious Food Choices

 Next time you have a craving, utilize the “Power Pause” (as taught in episode 7), approach yourself with curiosity and compassion, go through the following steps, and record your thoughts and experiences

Step #1: Ask yourself WHAT specific food are you craving right now? Describe in detail including the quantity.

Step #2: Ask yourself WHY do you want to eat right now? Does your craving seem PHYSIOLOGICAL (true hunger/your body’s need for nutrients)? Is it being caused by a craving due to food addictions? Or is the craving PSYCHOLOGICAL (trigger related to a mental/emotional state (“self-medicating”, avoiding or numbing feelings)?

Step #3: Pause to reflect about how you will FEEL AFTER you indulge? Take yourself through the imagined experience and notice how you’ll feel immediately after you finish eating, 5 minutes after that, a few hours later, and the following day. Consider the positive/negative consequences.

Step #4: Use the Self-Empowered Coaching Model to introduce new thoughts that are in line with your values. Walkthrough the steps of the Self-Empowerment Coaching System and describe.

Step#5: Try an ALTERNATIVE PLAN to address your true needs and take actions that are in line with your values. For a physiological craving, is there a healthier food substitute that will be more in line with your values? For a psychological craving, refer to what you discovered using the Self-Empowerment Coaching System and explore alternative actions that will serve you better (eg taking a walk, calling a friend, putting on a guided meditation, etc.)

Step #6: Whatever decision you make, decide it consciously and eat mindfully with pleasure!

 

 


MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Episode 7 (Self-Empowerment Coaching System)

Get Notified about New Episodes and Events (plus a gift)

Empowered Vegan Life Facebook Group

 


CONNECT WITH US!

Subscribe to Ella’s Soul-Aligned Sunday Newsletter HERE.

Take the NEW FREE Self-Assessment to explore your relationship with food, exercise, and your body, and receive valuable, personalized insights and resources from Ella herself!

Check out Ella’s website HERE and learn about current coaching opportunities HERE.

Aging (EP 54: The Vegan Life Coach Podcast)

Aging… A touchy topic that we unravel, layer by layer, in this important episode of The Vegan Life Coach Podcast.

LISTEN/WATCH

Subscribe: Apple Podcast | Stitcher | Spotify |  YouTube

*Links mentioned in the episode are at the bottom of this page.


We break it down into two categories… Physical and Emotional. 

We first talk about the physical effects of aging, and how you can use a healthy vegan lifestyle to slow the aging process. We then dive into the complexities involved with the emotional effects of aging, society’s role, and the tools that help people foster unconditional self-love, step into their power, and reinvent themselves at any age!

 


MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Seaspiracy

The Last Pig documentary

The Self-Empowerment Coaching System

 


CONNECT WITH US!

Take Our New Going Vegan Quiz HERE!  

Grab the valuable gift we have for you HERE.

Have a question you’d like us to answer, or feedback you’d like to give us (we love hearing from you!)? Leave us a voice (or written) message HERE.

Interested in receiving a free coaching session to air on an upcoming episode? Apply HERE.

Hogs & Kisses Farm Sanctuary Website

Dr. Elsa Spencer: A Fascinating Story of Passion & Resilience (EP 51: The Vegan Life Coach Podcast)

Throughout my conversation with Dr. Elsa Spencer, we bounced from how she became a vegan and her activism, to how she overcame childhood trauma and an eating disorder, to her favorite healthy brownie recipe.

LISTEN/WATCH

Subscribe: Apple Podcast | Stitcher | Spotify |  YouTube

*Links mentioned in the episode are at the bottom of this page.


It isn’t often that I get a chance to talk with someone who’s been vegan for longer than I have. Elsa’s expertise and authenticity is refreshing, and much of her story will resonate with our listeners (as it did for me) in powerful ways! Elsa reminds us of just how challenging life can be, and the beauty that can bloom from facing adversity.

Dr. Elsa Spencer, Nutritionist, Professor, Biologist (and So Much More!) 

Dr. Elsa Spencer earned her Ph.D. in nutrition in 2003. She trained as a researcher and teacher in various topics from cell biology to food chemistry and clinical trials throughout her education. Elsa understands what food can do at a molecular level, and she can break the information into bite-sized pieces. 

Throughout her career, Elsa has performed nutritional research, written papers on nutrition, gotten these papers published in medical journals, coached individuals in plant-based nutrition, and teaches at her local community college. She continues her passion for nutrition by coordinating food for a local plant-based children’s camp during the summer months.

One item that is critical to Elsa is making sure she gives back to the vegan community. She owes (and discusses in our podcast) her copious physical and mental energy to living her last 28 years as a vegan. She volunteers for the Vegetarian Resource Group, is a former intern for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and is a regular contributor at Anonymous for the Voiceless Actions. 

When she’s not running around spreading the word about good nutrition, she can be found bicycling to work, challenging herself with yoga, and running (or walking) around Charlottesville, VA. 

The Discussion of Veganism

Elsa’s vegan story started about 28 years ago. During her freshman year of college, Elsa began toying around with the idea that she wanted to become vegan. While already a vegetarian, she and her high school friends decided that they wanted to do something about the environment and know more about animal cruelty. They believed they would be able to slow carbon emissions by omitting meat products from their daily diet. She realized that carbon emissions were still being released not only from cows killed for meat but also from dairy cows. It was the light bulb moment that turned her vegan.

As with every first-year student (Elsa kindly points out), the first year of college can be quite jarring. She had moved out of her home at 17, started going to college, lost her first serious boyfriend, and met her father for the first time. 

On top of those life-changing events, Elsa started to remember events from her childhood. Her eighteen-year-old brain decided that she was finally ready to old enough to remember the incidences of sexual abuse that had occurred when she was a child.

Feeling out of control, Elsa turned to food as something she had the power to control, which led to anorexia.

As she began to come to terms with everything, Elsa sought out a therapist who helped her through her eating disorder. The therapist also helped her realize she might have underlying OCD. 

Even now, at 46, Elsa still sees a therapist to help her work through her thoughts and emotions. While her eating disorder is well under control, she admits to it taking over a decade to get it truly sorted out. 

Life after College but Still a Full-Time Vegan

Elsa described how excited her in-laws were when they came to her with a quiche they made, incorrectly thinking it was vegan-friendly. She was touched that they tried, and when she asked what was in the meal, they responded, “no cheese, broccoli, and eggs . . . “ They had removed the dairy component but forgot about (or were unaware) that the eggs were not vegan. 

While she never compromised her veganism, even to appease her in-laws, Elsa saw that others around her did. She felt driven to spread awareness to everyone who wanted it, and this is where her spunk for activism stems from. 

She wants to make sure that everyone who wants information about veganism and plant-exclusive nutrition can find it easily. 

Three-Question Speed-Round (in Elsa’s words)

If you were a non-human animal, what kind of animal would you be? 

I go back and forth between a dolphin and a bird, but right now, I’m a bird. I love flying dreams. I’ve had very lucid dreams since I was about 12 years old. I could always just tell myself I’m going to fly, and I’d be flying, and then, of course, I’d wake up and realize that I couldn’t fly and I was so disappointed. 

But, it would be a bird, like a big soaring bird—like an eagle or a falcon or a hawk.

If you could choose a time or place that you could be reincarnated, what year and location would you choose? 

I have to say that I don’t know if I would ever go back in time. I was born still-born. My heart stopped when I was inside of my mother, and I was born blue and unmovable. While the doctors and nurses did give me CPR and extra oxygen, they told my mom that I would never walk, talk, and probably be quadriplegic because of the experience. 

I didn’t end up talking until I was three. However, I saved up all my words and built sentences, and I’ve barely stopped using them since. 

I’m very grateful for the life that I do have. Living in the century I do live in, in the Western world as a woman. I don’t know that I would have internalized all the classically-American values, but I would possibly choose France or Denmark (a properly socialist country). 

What is your favorite Dark Leafy Green? Your favorite nut? Bean? Sweet treats you can make or buy . . . 

Kale, pistachios, chickpeas, brownies (black bean, no salt, oil, or sugar, but used with date paste). You could do so many great things with them; you can add stuff (like nuts or dried fruits, or add peanut butter to the top).


MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Elsa’s LinkedIn

 


CONNECT WITH US!

Take Our New Going Vegan Quiz HERE!  

Grab the valuable gift we have for you HERE.

Have a question you’d like us to answer, or feedback you’d like to give us (we love hearing from you!)? Leave us a voice (or written) message HERE.

Interested in receiving a free coaching session to air on an upcoming episode? Apply HERE.

Hogs & Kisses Farm Sanctuary Website

Our Single Most Life-Transforming Tool: A Client Favorite! (EP 50: The Vegan Life Coach Podcast)

After having some fun with topics like being an introvert during the Pandemic and getting high off of Wim Hof’s breathing techniques, we dive into a discussion on Our Single Most Life-Transforming Tool (a client favorite).

LISTEN/WATCH

Subscribe: Apple Podcast | Stitcher | Spotify |  YouTube

*Links mentioned in the episode are at the bottom of this page.


The “Power Pause” is a game-changer (just ask any of our coaching clients)!

In fact, one of our clients, Dawn, was so inspired she wrote an entire blog post on this tool for the Sexy Fit Vegan blog. 

The Power Pause is meant to allow you to explore your thoughts and emotions before you take action. It allows you to respond, with intention, rather than react and immediately fall into old unhealthy patterns (aka programs).  

With this tool, you have the power to become the designer of your destiny.

The Power Pause is the key step in our Self-Empowerment Coaching System, which you can learn about in Episode 7, and hear specific examples of by listening to this episode.

We often talk about being the observer, but we don’t realize how challenging it truly is… at first. Using the power pause is how we grasp the opportunity to become the observer of our thoughts and emotions. From there, we have the power to choose new thoughts that will serve us better. We then are able to CHOOSE our actions and can choose HEALTHY behaviors, like eating a nutrient-packed meal, rather than going for the junk out of habit. 

We had a client recently asked, “Am I denying myself of what I am truly feeling.”

Taking a power pause doesn’t automatically mean you’ll be seeing rainbows and unicorns. This technique is more of an opportunity to give yourself the chance to feel your feelings and then choose what you’re going to do about it. 

What we call “the human experience” includes both positive and negative emotions. When something sad happens, feeling sad is what needs to happen (NOT feeling sad is a symptom of a sociopath after all)!

Susan David puts it so eloquently in her extraordinary TED talk. She says, “Negative emotions are our contract with life. We cannot be fully human and experience negative emotions.” 

When Shye jumped off the bed last month, l felt guilty. If I had put her steps in the right place, maybe she wouldn’t have jumped. However, instead of getting lost in guilt and spiraling downward as I used to do, a took the Power Pause, and observed the guilty feelings, and the thoughts causing them. I chose new thoughts. “It’s not my fault. Accidents happen. It is what it is.”

I let myself be sad and scared that it was happening. I even gave myself a couple days to not be on my game (have a bit of a pity party), and after that, I figured it out. 

I didn’t overeat, under-eat, over-exercise, under-exercise; I just let myself sit in those emotions and was able to make healthy choices out of love for Shye and myself. 

Society tends to shame people, especially in this “positive” culture. It’s easy to get embarrassed when things are going wrong, which spirals into shame and then turns into dysfunctional patterns, even major emotional disorders including major depression, eating disorders, and destructive anger issues. 

So, your homework is to start practicing the Power Pause in your life every day. It takes practice, and you may not remember to take the pause in the moment. 

When you DO remember, you can use it to run back through the past situation. 

Think to yourself, how could the power pause have helped me at that moment? And then replay that information to you, approaching yourself with curiosity and compassion.  

With consistent practice, over time, the Power Pause will become part of your new “operating system” and will be the key to helping you build an empowered mindset and healthy habits for the rest of your life!


MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Episode 7 (Self-Empowerment Coaching System)

From Bitch to BFF: The Power of the Pause in Everyday Life


CONNECT WITH US!

Take Our New Going Vegan Quiz HERE!  

Grab the valuable gift we have for you HERE.

Have a question you’d like us to answer, or feedback you’d like to give us (we love hearing from you!)? Leave us a voice (or written) message HERE.

Interested in receiving a free coaching session to air on an upcoming episode? Apply HERE.

Hogs & Kisses Farm Sanctuary Website