188: AJ Richards - Shake the Hand that Feeds You

Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CNS, is a certified doctor of natural medicine and clinical nutritionist who helps people heal and prevent illness by using food, lifestyle, and mindset medicine. He chats with Dr. Anthony Gustin about how the right mindset creates a more meaningful life.   Dr. Axe suffered a very traumatic injury that left him unable to walk. He spent the last year and a half recovering by using natural remedies and focusing on mindset, which he shares more about during the episode.   This experience solidified his beliefs about what’s important in life besides nutrition and physical health — faith, spirituality, and being a good human.   Tune in to hear them discuss: Why “mindset medicine” is the biggest aspect of better health we’re not talking about The benefits of finding your purpose and identity How Dr. Axe defied his doctor’s expectations with a healing mindset What religion and spirituality mean to them Lessons we can learn about being a good human from the Bible to The Lord of the Rings Our universal purpose to heal the Earth and its people Using your unique talents to heed your calling and help others Virtue ethics and what makes someone a good person The difference between an Accomplishing mindset vs. a Becoming mindset   Resources mentioned in this episode: Visit HVMN.com/AG to get 30% off your first subscription order of Ketone-IQTM Visit LineageProvisions.com and use code AG20 for 20% off your first order Dr. Josh Axe’s website: DrAxe.com Dr. Axe’s new book: Think This, Not That Dr. Axe’s Instagram: @DrJoshAxe Dr. Axe on Facebook

Jake Marquez and Maren Morgan are filmmakers, writers, and podcasters. They chat with Dr. Anthony Gustin about their crazy journey making their documentary and podcast: Death In the Garden.   For the last four years, Jake and Maren have been trying to untangle the complex, tangled web of how we address climate change, fix the food system, and, hopefully, save the world.   Their project discusses these and other problems in our society through the lenses of ecology, philosophy, myth, storytelling, and, ultimately, our fear of death.   Jake and Maren have experienced their fair share of anxiety, despair, and existential dread on their quest for ecological and cultural regeneration.   But as you’ll hear in the episode, they’ve learned how to find meaning and purpose. They also helped Jake’s mom start a grass-fed tallow balm company called The Beekeeper’s Granddaughter!   Tune into the episode as these three chat about: What inspired Jake and Maren to start the Death In The Garden project Why prioritizing “left-brain consciousness” is harming our society/planet What it looks like to live ethically in an unethical world The four reasons people go vegan (and why Jake stopped) The potential collapse and finding good in the next “Dark Ages” Finding meaning and purpose in life   The value of conscious, intentional consumption The most important things we can do to change the food system How being conscious about our mortality empowers us to embrace the natural cycles of life, death, and regeneration (and not make the same mistakes) Their hopes for this generation and what’s next for them   Resources mentioned in this episode: Visit HVMN.com/AG to get 30% off your first subscription order of Ketone-IQTM Visit LineageProvisions.com and use code AG20 for 20% off your first order Jake and Maren’s substack: DeathInTheGarden.substack.com @DeathInTheGarden on Instagram @Death_TheGarden on Twitter Jake’s Mom’s grass-fed tallow balm company: The Beekeeper’s Granddaughter Small is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered by E.F. Schumacher  A Guide for the Perplexed by E.F. Schumacher  The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World by Iain McGilchrist Dark Ages America: The Final Phase of Empire by Morris Berman Civilized to Death: The Price of Progress by Christopher Ryan

Dr. Paul Saladino, double board-certified MD, author, and host of the Paul Saladino MD podcast, chats with Dr. Anthony Gustin about the journey and launch of their new brand: Lineage Provisions.   Sparked by their desire to make foods they want to eat and feed their loved ones, they set out to create an animal-based food company with the highest standards for nutrient-density, taste, and transparency.    But as you’ll hear in this behind-the-scenes peek, the journey wasn’t easy. After two years and 50+ formulas, Dr. Saladino and Dr. Gustin are now proud to offer the best meat snack the world has ever seen.   Tune into this episode to hear: How the “Quest for Convenience” ruined our food supply and eating habits What some meat producers hide behind grass-fed labels Why the “naturally occurring” nitrates and nitrites in celery powder may not be any better for us The incredible health benefits of vitamin K2 and where to get it in your diet What inspired Dr. Saladino and Dr. Gustin’s collaboration How they vet farmers, suppliers, etc., to bring their products to market The proprietary air drying process they engineered to preserve nutrients  Why their small batch, 100% regeneratively raised, grass-fed and finished beef & organ meat sticks are unmatched by competitors  Their ideas for the next product launches (based on your feedback!) Q&A session, including why you won’t find Lineage Provisions in grocery stores yet, what the beef and organ sticks taste like, whether kids like them, and more!   Resources mentioned in this episode: Dr. Paul Saladino and Dr. Anthony Gustin’s company: Lineage Provisions Dr. Saladino’s podcast 

Cole Mannix, President and Founder of Old Salt Co-op, chats with Dr. Anthony Gustin about creating a vertically integrated pasture-to-plate ecosystem.   Cole’s meat company brings together ranchers to support land stewardship, fix the local food system in Montana, and make regenerative more sustainable.    They’ve integrated everything from processing, sourcing, distribution, and marketing to running their own farm-to-table restaurants.   Though his family’s been ranching in Montana’s Blackfoot Valley since the 1880s, Cole holds degrees in biology, philosophy, and theology and worked in wildlife and natural resource conservation.    His unique perspective makes for an interesting conversation. Tune in to hear Cole and Dr. Gustin discuss: What inspired Cole to tackle this challenge How the co-op works and whether it can be replicated International food policies that harm US farmers and ranchers Why it’s impossible to industrialize sustainable food production The “impact” of cattle emissions on climate change How solely plant-based farming devastates ecosystems  Why international meat costs less than domestic Creating the seed oil-free Old Salt Outpost, a burger joint sending out tallow-cooked french fries The Old Salt Festival, Outside magazine’s #2 ranked climate-forward festival   Resources mentioned in this episode: Cole Mannix’s company: Old Salt Co-op  Outside magazine’s article: “9 Best Climate Forward Festivals in 2024“ Wendell Berry’s book: The Unsettling of America: Culture & Agriculture E. F. Schumacher’s book: Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered Visit HVMN.com/AG to get 30% off your first subscription order of Ketone-IQTM

Lily Nichols is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator, researcher, and author. She discusses how to combine ancestral knowledge and evidence-based prenatal nutrition to support healthy pregnancies with Dr. Anthony Gustin.   Lily’s first bestselling book, Real Food for Gestational Diabetes, dives into why a nutrient-dense, lower-carb approach works for women worried about or managing gestational diabetes.   Her second book, Real Food for Pregnancy, is the most comprehensive text on prenatal nutrition to date — with nearly 1,000 citations that challenge conventional prenatal nutrition guidelines and confirm what our ancestors have known for generations.   Tune into the episode to hear Lily and Dr. Gustin chat about: What inspired Lily to take this path (in a roundabout way) What’s wrong with the current prenatal/postnatal nutrition guidelines Foods women should be adding/avoiding during pregnancy How hormone changes may influence pregnancy cravings (and aversions) The “interpregnancy interval” and how long to wait between kids The best prenatal supplements to help cover nutrient gaps Raw eggs, seafood, saunas, cold plunges, and more!   Resources mentioned in this episode: Lily Nichols’ website: LilyNicholsRDN.com Lily’s books: Real Food for Pregnancy: The Science and Wisdom of Optimal Prenatal Nutrition and Real Food for Gestational Diabetes: An Effective Alternative to the Conventional Nutrition Approach Lily’s Instagram: @LilyNicholsRDN FullWell Prenatal Multivitamins and Seeking Health Prenatal Vitamins (for men and women) Visit HVMN.com/AG to get 30% off your first subscription order of Ketone-IQ™

Dan Miller is the founder and CEO of Steward, a crowdfunding platform for investing in regenerative agriculture projects. He discusses how it all works with Dr. Anthony Gustin.   After Dan pioneered crowdfunding for real estate investing with his company Fundrise, he decided to move into something he was more passionate about: fixing the food system.    Steward empowers everyday investors to vote with their dollar and support regenerative farms beyond simply buying their goods.    Since launching in 2020, they’ve crowdsourced and provided over $30 million in short-term loans to fund more than 90 regenerative projects across the US.   Tune into the episode to hear Dan and Dr. Gustin chat about: How Dan used what he learned scaling Fundrise to launch and grow Steward Why financing is the biggest challenge for regenerative to become the norm and what’s wrong with the current system The surprising new generation entering the regenerative agriculture space  How Steward vets and supports borrowers to drive returns for investors Success stories and community impacts What happens if there’s a default, the average portfolio yield, the minimum investors need to start, and more!   Resources mentioned in this episode: Dan Miller’s company, Steward The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture by Wendell Berry Visit HVMN.com/AG to get 30% off your first subscription order of Ketone-IQ™ 

Andy Schoonover is the Founder and CEO of CrowdHealth, a platform that crowdfunds healthcare costs for its members so they can ditch their health insurance plans.    He chats with Dr. Anthony Gustin about why this model solves the biggest problems in our broken medical-industrial complex and brings a community-first approach back to healthcare.   Tune in to the episode to hear them discuss: What inspired Andy to start CrowdHealth What’s wrong with the health insurance industry How people rack up million-dollar hospital bills What makes paying doctors in cash at the point of care different How crowdfunded healthcare works How CrowdHealth members dramatically reduce their healthcare expenses What incentivizes members to contribute to others and take better care of their health The demographics of their members and the most common crowdfunding requests How many claims have been denied vs. fully funded   Resources mentioned in this episode: Andy Schoonover’s company, CrowdHealth CrowdHealth on Twitter and Instagram Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Peter Attia, MD Visit HVMN.com/AG to get 30% off your first subscription order of Ketone-IQ™ 

Ever wonder what gives you vitality?    Case Bradford, Primal Health Coach, chats with Dr. Anthony Gustin about the best habits to elevate your body-mind health and fitness (and which devitalizing habits you should avoid).   Case is an enthusiastic advocate for authentic vitality. He and Dr. Gustin dive into how to make intuitive calls in your health rather than unquestioningly trusting the science behind your everyday motions.   Tune in to the episode to hear their thoughts on: How to define vitality What prevents people from reaching their peak vitality Best habits to practice when you’re feeling physically, mentally, and emotionally drained How to explore your own authentic, holistic vitality The top microtoxins that devitalize us The new rules of essential modern hygiene for better health The benefits of local, biodynamic foods Thoughts about fasting from a ritualistic, meditative perspective The “pure alchemy” of making amazingly nutrient-dense ice cream   Resources mentioned in this episode: Case Bradford’s website  Case’s Peak Earth podcast Case’s Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube channel The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk M.D. Visit HVMN.com/AG to get 30% off your first subscription order of Ketone-IQ™ 

Brett Ender and Harry Gray are hosts of The Meat Mafia Podcast and co-founders of Noble Origins, a nose-to-tail nourishment company.    They chat with Dr. Anthony Gustin about entrepreneurship, spirituality, fixing a broken food system, leading a purpose-driven life, and more.   Tune in to the episode to hear them discuss: The entrepreneurial lessons Dr. Gustin has learned  The dark side of selling a business Finding personal fulfillment vs. chasing monetary success Which supplements inspired Brett and Harry’s line of products Why investing in local communities may be more beneficial than solving problems at scale How regenerative agriculture may be the easiest way to get people back to human wholeness What they each hope to contribute to fix the broken food system The power of supportive local communities  What traditional religion gets wrong and how spirituality manifests in their daily lives   Resources mentioned in this episode: Brett Ender and Harry Gray’s The Meat Mafia Podcast (Apple/Spotify/YouTube) Brett and Harry’s company, Noble Origins

Julie Friend is a regenerative farmer and founder of Wildom Farm. She chats with Dr. Anthony Gustin about how she holistically and humanely raises multi-species in a forest and pasture-based system.    Tune in to the episode to hear them discuss: What inspired Julie to leave Chicago (and a job in fashion) to become a farmer What it was like adjusting from urban to rural life Why buying from local farmers eliminates food confusion   How to build an intentional brand around a farm and diversify  The perks of opening a farm store The differences between forest and pasture-raised pork How species-appropriate diets and native foraging affect pigs Achieving nose-to-tail utilization with small processors  The wave of women in the regenerative agriculture space   Resources mentioned in this episode: Julie Friend’s Wildom Farm Wildom Farm’s Instagram