Johann Hari on finding focus in the modern world

The season two finale of Just Beings is here! In this episode, hosts Evanna and Melanie discuss their experiences working to transform the food system, reflect on what they’ve learned from this season’s extraordinary guests, and share what gives them hope for the future. They also chat about the projects they’re working on, the practices they use to help them slow down and be more present, and the issues infighting causes within social justice movements. Evanna even addresses how she feels about the controversies surrounding the Harry Potter franchise. Happy listening! In this episode, Melanie mentions the 45 Days to Awakening program; Sam Harris’ book and app; the Highly Sensitive Person website; and the Slovenian Vegan Society. Check out Melanie’s new book, How to End Injustice Everywhere, and learn more about her work.  Learn about Beyond Carnism, the nonprofit organization founded by Melanie, and its new website, infighting.org.   Follow Melanie on social media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/X Check out Evanna’s book, The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting, and learn more about her work. Follow Evanna on social media: Instagram | Facebook Follow Just Beings on social media: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter/X This season of Just Beings is brought to you by our friends at Vivo Life and LeafSide! Learn more about Vivo Life by visiting VivoLife.com. Learn more about LeafSide by visiting GoLeafSide.com. This episode was edited by Andrew Sims.

David Yeung—the visionary cofounder of Green Monday and OmniFoods—has been concerned about the impact of our global food system on the planet for decades. That’s why his mission to create delicious plant-based alternatives to popular Asian dishes both pushes culinary boundaries and involves a commitment to protecting the planet, animals, and society.  In this week’s episode, David joins Evanna and Melanie to share his wisdom on how small, achievable steps to go meat-free can lead to significant changes in our food system and on how we can unite as a global team to build a more sustainable and compassionate world through our food choices. David and our hosts also explore the psychology of dietary change, offering insights on why shaming and criticism aren’t the most effective ways to drive progress, and even touch on the power of meditation for personal transformation. David Yeung is the cofounder and CEO of Green Monday Group, a multifaceted social venture whose mission is to take on the world’s most pressing crises: climate change, food insecurity, and public health. This one-of-a-kind integrated platform empowers millions of people to work toward green awareness, action, and economy. David’s work earned him the award of Social Entrepreneur of the Year from the World Economic Forum and the Schwab Foundation, among other honors and recognitions. He has spoken at the World Economic Forum, the Milken Institute Summit, TEDx, and financial and academic institutions such as UBS and UCLA. David and Green Monday have received international media coverage from the BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, CNN, Nikkei Asian Review, and Reuters. David is a graduate of Columbia University, an Ashoka Fellow, and the author of a number of bestselling books on Zen wisdom and mindfulness. Watch David’s TEDx Talk. Check out Green Monday’s website and OmniFood’s website. Follow David on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter). Follow Green Monday on Instagram and Facebook. Follow OmniFoods on Instagram and TikTok. Check out Melanie’s new book, How to End Injustice Everywhere. Check out Evanna’s book, The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting. This season of Just Beings is brought to you by our friends at LeafSide and Vivo Life! Learn more about LeafSide by visiting GoLeafSide.com. Learn more about Vivo Life by visiting VivoLife.com. Stay up to date with Just Beings on social media by following @JustBeingsPod. This episode was edited by Andrew Sims.

Our global food system, which relies heavily on factory farming, is wreaking havoc on our soil and our environment. In this week’s episode, Philip Lymbery joins Evanna and Melanie to chat about his book "Sixty Harvests Left," in which he points out that if we don’t change our ways, factory farming will cause catastrophic climate change—and we could face a future without soil and, consequently, without food. In this enlightening conversation, Philip, Evanna, and Melanie discuss how we can change course, emphasizing the role of individual choices, collective action, and the enduring power of hope for a brighter future for animals, people, and our planet. Philip Lymbery is Global Chief Executive of the international farmed animal welfare organisation Compassion in World Farming. He is Visiting Professor at the University of Winchester in the UK; a Leadership Fellow of St George’s House, Windsor Castle; Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics; and President of Eurogroup for Animals, a Brussels-based umbrella body of 80 leading animal welfare societies in Europe. He was appointed a UN ambassadorial “Champion” for the 2021 Food Systems Summit in New York. Lymbery is an animal advocate, naturalist, photographer, and author. He regularly writes and speaks internationally on animal ethics and the global effects of factory farming, including its impact on animal welfare, wildlife, soil and natural resources, biodiversity, and climate change. His most recent books include "Farmageddon: The True Cost of Cheap Meat." "Dead Zone: Where the Wild Things Were," and "Sixty Harvests Left: How to Reach a Nature-Friendly Future." Visit Philip’s website and check out his latest book, "Sixty Harvests Left: How to Reach a Nature-Friendly Future". Follow Philip on Instagram, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). Check out Melanie’s new book, "How to End Injustice Everywhere". Check out Evanna’s book, "The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting". This season of Just Beings is brought to you by our friends at Vivo Life and LeafSide! Learn more about Vivo Life by visiting VivoLife.com. Learn more about LeafSide by visiting GoLeafSide.com. Stay up to date with Just Beings on social media by following @JustBeingsPod. This episode was edited by Andrew Sims.

Soul food has its roots in the culinary traditions of Black Americans and African diaspora communities in the southern United States, and it plays a crucial role in preserving Black history. But given the impact of racism and colonialism in the US food system on Black people, what should soul food look like today? In this week’s episode, Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter joins Melanie and Evanna to talk about his book The Spirit of Soul Food: Race, Faith, & Food Justice, which unpacks the connections between food injustice and racial injustice. They discuss how decolonizing soul food offers a way to reclaim culinary history and human dignity for Black communities; the importance of advocating for a more equitable food system and future while upholding the values of compassion, love, justice, and solidarity for the marginalized; and what a movement toward Black food sovereignty might look like. Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter’s research, teaching, and activist interests are in Black, womanist, and environmental ethics, with a particular focus on race, food, and nonhuman animals. His publications include The Spirit of Soul Food: Race, Faith, & Food Justice; “Blood in the Soil: The Racial, Racist, and Religious Dimensions of Environmentalism,” in The Bloomsbury Handbook of Religion and Nature; and the coedited volume The Future of Meat without Animals. In them, he explores the intersectional oppressions experienced by BIPOC, nonhuman nature, and animals. He’s an Associate Professor of Theology at the University of San Diego and Lead Pastor of The Loft at Westwood United Methodist Church. He’s also on the board of directors of Farm Forward, an anti-factory farming nonprofit. Evanna mentions The Food Empowerment Project’s Chocolate List. Christopher mentions the book Afroism by Aph and Syl Ko. Visit Christopher’s website and check out his book "The Spirit of Soul Food: Race, Faith, & Food Justice". Follow Christopher on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). Check out Melanie’s new book, "How to End Injustice Everywhere". Check out Evanna’s book, "The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting". This season of Just Beings is brought to you by our friends at LeafSide and Vivo Life! Learn more about LeafSide by visiting GoLeafSide.com. Learn more about Vivo Life by visiting VivoLife.com. Stay up to date with Just Beings on social media by following @JustBeingsPod. This episode was edited by Andrew Sims.

In this episode of Just Beings, actor, entrepreneur, and influencer Daniella Monet joins Melanie to discuss her journey to plant-based eating—which began when she was just five years old—and her advocacy for healthy food systems and peaceful living. This uplifting conversation delves into the importance of balance and self-care, particularly for people who champion social justice causes; how being authentic can be an effective form of activism; and why we need to give ourselves grace for doing the best we can in our advocacy efforts. Daniella Monet is a mom of two, an actor, an entrepreneur, an influencer, an investor, and a podcaster. A longtime vegan, Daniella uses her platform to advocate for a holistic plant-based lifestyle. In 2018, she and Evanna cofounded Kinder Beauty Box to curate and deliver cruelty-free beauty products. And most recently, she launched Daniella’s Digest, an app that helps individuals and families thrive by following a vegan lifestyle. Daniella is also an investor in several plant-based businesses, such as Sugar Taco, which provides plant-based meals to children in need, and Outstanding Foods. Melanie mentions The Highly Sensitive Person quiz. Learn more about carnism.  Daniella’s membership app is Daniella’s Digest. Download Daniella’s e-book, “10 Habits For Health, Wealth & Happiness”. Follow Daniella on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Check out Melanie’s new book, "How to End Injustice Everywhere". Check out Evanna’s book, "The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting". This season of Just Beings is brought to you by our friends at Vivo Life and Leafside! Learn more about Vivo Life by visiting VivoLife.com. Learn more about LeafSide by visiting GoLeafSide.com. Stay up to date with Just Beings on social media by following @JustBeingsPod. This episode was edited by Andrew Sims.

Have you ever looked at the “Climate Friendly!” label on a packaged item and wondered whether the product is truly environmentally friendly? If so, you’re not alone. In today’s world, where protecting the environment is paramount, it’s important to know how to differentiate genuine sustainability efforts from greenwashing. Greenwashing is a form of marketing in which an organization falsely claims that its products or policies are environmentally friendly. In this week’s episode, Evanna and Melanie are joined by passionate social justice advocate and Greenpeace economic expert Ursula Bittner. They discuss the dangers of greenwashing, Greenpeace’s campaigns and lobbying efforts to change our food system, and the role of direct action in bringing about positive change. Tune in to learn the steps we can all take to become more effective advocates for social justice and protectors of our planet. Ursula Bittner is an economic expert at Greenpeace Central and Eastern Europe. She works on democracy, compliance, civil society, greenwashing, trade, supply chains, agriculture, and biodiversity. She holds a degree in international development from the University of Vienna, an MBA from California Lutheran University, and a degree from the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna. 10 years ago, she worked for a soya-food company. She then cofounded an association for a sustainable European protein supply, where she worked for eight years as the general secretary. During that period, she also managed the Austrian Soy Association. She has made research trips to India, Brazil, Argentina, Taiwan, Japan, China, and several countries in eastern Europe to explore issues related to soy, milk, and agriculture in general. In 2021, she founded the Initiative Saubere Hände—Stoppt Korruption to fight against corruption in Austria. Ursula advocates for a liberal democracy, a strong civil society, sustainable agriculture, and the protection of our planet. She became vegetarian when she was 11 years old and vegan about 15 years ago. Explore Greenpeace’s website to learn more about its work and how to volunteer.  Visit Saubere Hände’s website to learn more about its work addressing corruption in Austria. Follow Ursula on X (formerly Twitter). Check out Melanie’s new book, "How to End Injustice Everywhere". Check out Evanna’s book, "The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting". This season of Just Beings is brought to you by our friends at Leafside and Vivo Life! Learn more about LeafSide by visiting GoLeafSide.com. Learn more about Vivo Life by visiting VivoLife.com. Stay up to date with Just Beings on social media by following @JustBeingsPod. This episode was edited by Andrew Sims.

Author and host of Netflix’s "Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones," Dan Buettner, joins Evanna and Melanie on this week’s episode to discuss the secrets of the world’s longest-living populations and the remarkable places known as blue zones, where people live vibrant, healthy lives well into their 90s and 100s. He also shares his mission to transform American cities into healthier, happier communities. Dan also provides practical advice on how you can incorporate blue zone principles into your own life, from making healthier and more mindful food choices to nurturing meaningful relationships and finding purpose in your daily routines. Dan Buettner is an explorer, National Geographic Fellow, award-winning journalist and producer, and "New York Times" bestselling author. He discovered the five places in the world—blue zones—where people live the longest, healthiest lives. His articles about these places in "The New York Times Magazine" and "National Geographic Magazine" are among both publications’ most popular offerings. Dan now works in partnership with municipal governments, large employers, and health insurance companies to implement Blue Zones Projects in communities, workplaces, and universities. Blue Zones Projects are well-being initiatives that apply lessons from the blue zones to entire communities by focusing on changes to the local environment, public policy, and social networks. The program has dramatically improved the health of more than five million Americans to date. In his new book "The Blue Zones Secrets for Living Longer," Dan returns to Sardinia, Italy; Ikaria, Greece; Okinawa, Japan; Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula; and Loma Linda, California, to check in on the super-agers living in the blue zones. He also explores the combination of purpose, faith, community, down-time, natural movement, and plant-based eating that has powered as many as 10 additional years of healthy living in these regions. And he reveals an all-new blue zone—the first man-made blue zone to be explored. Dan also holds three Guinness World Records in distance cycling. Explore Dan’s website to learn more about him and his work. Visit the Blue Zones website to learn more about blue zones and Blue Zones Projects, as well as the “Power 9.” Dan’s documentary series, “Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones,” is available to watch on Netflix. Blue Zones Kitchen ready-to-heat meals will be available in Whole Foods across the US in November 2023. Follow Dan on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter). Check out Melanie’s new book, "How to End Injustice Everywhere". Check out Evanna’s book, "The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting". This season of Just Beings is brought to you by our friends at Vivo Life and Leafside! Learn more about Vivo Life by visiting VivoLife.com. Learn more about LeafSide by visiting GoLeafSide.com. Stay up to date with Just Beings on social media by following @JustBeingsPod. This episode was edited by Andrew Sims.

John Lewis, known online as The Badass Vegan, is on a mission to show that making simple dietary and lifestyle changes can be the key to overcoming health challenges. In the season 2 premiere of Just Beings, John tells Evanna and Melanie about his remarkable life story: born to a drug-addicted mother, he was adopted and grew up amid the violence of Ferguson, Missouri, before becoming a prominent advocate for health and wellness and a staunch promoter of compassion. John also discusses his eye-opening documentary, They're Trying to Kill Us. The documentary—which was developed with the help of executive producers Billie Eilish and Chris Paul—explores the roots of health disparities in the United States. It attributes these disparities to centuries of systemic racism and inequality, and it sheds light on how this inequality has created a stark divide between those with ample access to nutritious food and those whose access to such food has been unjustly denied. John grew up eating the Standard American Diet (which consists mostly of processed food with lots of added sugar, salt, and fat), weighed 315 lbs at the age of 13, and was plagued with IBS in grad school. On the advice of a doctor, he experimented with eliminating meat from his diet—and he hasn’t looked back since. After becoming fully plant-based in his twenties, John created Badass Vegan, a health and nutrition company that strives to educate people about plant-based nutrition. John is also the brains behind VeganSmart, a plant-based protein shake company with a foundation that seeks to prevent obesity through education, physical activity, and plant-based nutrition. Check out John’s website to learn more about his book, Badass Vegan: Fuel Your Body, Ph*ck the System, and Live Your Life Right, and his merchandise. John’s documentary, They’re Trying to Kill Us, will be out later this year. Follow John on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X (formerly Twitter). John refers to A Billion, a social platform for vegan food reviews and recommendations. Check out Melanie’s new book, "How to End Injustice Everywhere," out September 12. Check out Evanna’s book, "The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting". This season of Just Beings is brought to you by our friends at Leafside and Vivo Life! Learn more about LeafSide by visiting GoLeafSide.com. Learn more about Vivo Life by visiting VivoLife.com. Stay up to date with Just Beings on social media by following @JustBeingsPod. This episode was edited by Andrew Sims.

Bonnie Wright’s strong connection to the ocean developed in childhood, when she spent her weekends on the beach on the south coast of England. As an artist, she drew inspiration from the sea—and over time, as she witnessed the beach become ever more littered with trash and erosion and climate change  threaten the coastline, she was inspired into activism, too. On the final episode of season 1, she chats with Evanna about her book, Go Gently: Actionable Steps to Nurture Yourself and the Planet, in which she shares approachable tips on how to live more sustainably to empower readers to reduce their environmental impact. For Bonnie, going gently means combining action with care. She reveals how she softened her approach to climate advocacy while writing the book as she came to deeply understand the nuances and complexities of the issue and saw the benefits of giving people space to make their advocacy personal and sustainable. And for Harry Potter fans, Bonnie delves into her love and admiration for Ginny Weasley, the character she played in the movie franchise; how the role shaped who she is today; and why she believes the Weasley family are eco-conscious! Best known for her work as an actress playing Ginny Weasley in all eight of the Harry Potter films, Bonnie Wright has since stepped behind the camera, directing shorts, commercials, and music videos, including projects that have premiered at the Cannes and Tribeca film festivals. Her passion for storytelling has also led her to record several audiobooks.  Bonnie is a passionate advocate for ocean health and its link to our own health. Her book Go Gently was published earlier this year and explores practical and tangible ways we can take action for our environment and community. She also launched a YouTube channel examining the same themes as the book in a more intimate and diaristic form.  Bonnie is committed to using her platform to further her own education around climate and humanitarian issues and to communicate her findings in an engaging way to her followers. She is an ambassador with Greenpeace, Kiss the Ground, and the Rainforest Alliance. Check out Bonnie’s book Go Gently and her accompanying YouTube channel. Follow Bonnie on Instagram and Twitter. Check out Evanna’s book, The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting. Follow Just Beings on social media: Instagram  Facebook Twitter This episode was edited by Andrew Sims. Photo of Bonnie Wright © Lorenzo Agius

In her new book A More Just Future, award-winning psychologist Dolly Chugh recounts how she went from seeing the Little House on the Prairie books as enchanting tales of American family life to recognizing the series’ “whitewashing” of US history—and confronting the psychological discomfort that this recognition entailed. On this week’s episode, Dolly joins Melanie to talk about the book, which is a guide to unlearning the one-sided history most people in the United States have been taught; broadening our perspectives; and navigating a way forward that amplifies underrepresented voices and works to undo the damage wrought on the marginalized. They discuss why it’s so important that we learn a fuller and more truthful version of our history; how to grapple with the shame, guilt, disbelief, and resistance many of us feel when we recognize and address the injustices in our flawed systems; and how to work toward a more just future without shame or judgment. Dolly Chugh is a Harvard-educated social psychologist at the NYU Stern School of Business. An expert researcher in the psychology of good people, in 2018, she delivered the popular TED talk “How to let go of being a ‘good’ person—and become a better person,” which was one of the 25 Most Popular TED Talks of 2018 and currently has almost 5 million views. Dolly’s book A More Just Future is available to preorder now and will be published on October 18. Her first book is The Person You Mean to Be: How Good People Fight Bias. To learn more about her, subscribe to her newsletter, Dear Good People, and visit DollyChugh.com. Melanie and Dolly refer to the television series This Is Us, and Dolly mentions Angela Duckworth’s book, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. Follow Just Beings on social media: Instagram  Facebook Twitter This episode was edited by Andrew Sims. Photo of Dolly Chugh © Jeannie Ashton