September 10, 2024 • 52 mins
I thought, “Well, I could talk to you for four hours, Ella, about a carrot… every bit of nutrition, it's energetic quality, all of it. And then you leave me and you still don't know how to cook that carrot. I gave you nothing. But if I could do both, then I'm doing something.” - Christina Pirello
Get ready for a super fun and inspiring episode, because today we’re cooking up some serious compassion with the fabulous Christina Pirello! Christina is not only the Emmy award winning host of 'Christina Cooks' vegan activist, bestselling author, gym rat and food lover, environmental activist and educator about wellness.
Christina is not just any chef though — she’s a culinary wizard from Philly, and she’s a total firecracker both in and out of the kitchen!
We dive into her wild vegan culinary adventures across the globe and get all the juicy details about her plant-based cooking course. Spoiler alert: no butter, eggs, or white flour allowed! Christina shares some seriously inspiring stories, like one of her students who totally rocked the vegan cooking game while embracing Chinese medicine principles.
But that’s not all—meet a couple who are living proof that love and global sustainability go hand in hand. Their journey is a rollercoaster, from kicking cancer to the curb at a young age to getting real about climate change. And if you think recycling is boring, wait till you hear how the Italian system turned it into a lifestyle!
We also chat about handling those tricky convos about climate change with humor and empathy, plus why Qigong and meditation might just be your new best friends. And oh, the difference between American and Italian lifestyles? Let’s just say the Italians know how to live it up and keep it balanced.
We wrap up with a heartwarming reminder that life is short, so let’s spread positivity, support each other, and savor every moment. So, what are you waiting for? Hit play and let’s get cooking with compassion!
VIEW THE FULL SHOW NOTES AND GUEST BIO & LINKS HERE
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Christina (00:00):
It's interesting to watch Americans land in Italy
for the first time andeverything is like oh my God,
are they always this slow?
Oh, I'm sorry, are they slow?
It's called enjoyment, and forme, I can't wait to get off that
plane in Rome and linger overthis much espresso, because
that's what you do.
Their philosophy is thatcertainly we all have to work,
(00:21):
we have to work, we have to makemoney, keep a roof over our
heads, stay healthy, but life isto be enjoyed, not endured, and
so their image of us is that welive to work, they work enough
to live, and they would rathertake a walk at 5.30 before
dinner than put in another hourin the office.
Ella Magers (00:45):
Hey there and welcome to Rise and Thrive with
me, Ella Majors.
I created this high vibepodcast from a place of profound
curiosity, fierce compassionand the deep desire to connect
you with the wisdom ofinspirational wellness, health,
fitness and conscious leadersand change makers.
Here's to discovering our blindspots and embracing life as the
(01:07):
adventure it is.
The time is now.
Let's do this.
Hey, hey everyone, ella herewith my guest co-host, tay Quinn
.
Quinn (01:22):
Hey, hey.
Ella Magers (01:23):
What's up, babe?
Quinn (01:24):
How much?
How are you?
Ella Magers (01:25):
Doing pretty well.
Doing pretty well.
I'm excited about today'sepisode.
We've got Christina Perello andshe's just so fun.
She's one of those people thatkind of just lights up the room
that you're in I mean thevirtual room I guess that we're
in but she's an award-winninghost of Christina Cook's the TV
(01:46):
show.
She's a vegan activist,bestselling author, gym rat food
lover, environmental activistand educator about wellness.
So she's got a lot going on.
Quinn (01:57):
All the things, yeah.
Ella Magers (01:58):
And she's freaking fun Great and makes me laugh.
What else makes me laugh?
Well, I share about all ofthese things in my Soul Aligned
Sunday newsletter, you guys.
So if you're not signed up forthat, get signed up.
I share every Sunday mydiscoveries, the latest of
what's going on in my life andreally awesome new products that
(02:21):
are vegan and cruelty-free, ofcourse, like Truffalicious.
Quinn (02:26):
Truffalicious for the win .
Ella Magers (02:28):
For the win.
You guys, if you haven'tchecked out my Noochilicious
favorite nooch.
I mean, I've talked about thisbefore, but I felt like such a
bad vegan for so long because Ididn't like nutritional yeast.
I thought it just had thisweird aftertaste.
Do you know what I'm talkingabout?
Quinn (02:46):
Same.
Yeah, I mean I've had the samething going through my mind when
I turned vegan.
I tried as well as like, yeah,what is this?
I don't get it.
Okay, maybe I'm not supposed tobe doing this, because I want
that cheese taste.
Yeah, then you direct metowards NutriLicious.
And all is right in the worldnow.
Ella Magers (03:05):
It does feel like that.
Quinn (03:06):
Yes, it's just With a relief.
It would definitely be with arelief.
Ella Magers (03:10):
Right, and now I'm kind of.
You know there are healthyaddictions and I would have to
say that Nutri-licious is one ofthem.
And now they've come out withall these new flavors and, of
course, truffle is one of mymost favorite flavors of all
times and now they have atruffle Nutrilicious.
Quinn (03:28):
Yes, and I actually made some gnocchi last night with it,
made a cream sauce with thetrufflelicious and some plant
milk that I make and somemushrooms, and it was divine,
chalks off divine, super easy tomake and just incredibly
delicious.
And yeah, I'm in.
I mean I knew I was going to bein, but it was a very easy win.
Ella Magers (03:49):
Yeah, and the truffle-icious is cool too,
because it's not just thenutritional yeast, it's also
made with cashews.
So when you put it with like aplant milk it makes a cheese
sauce like really easily.
Quinn (04:02):
Instantly.
It couldn't be any easier andtasty.
Yeah, it was mind-blowing, andyeah, the gnocchi is going on
the menu.
Ella Magers (04:10):
So now a potato.
Was it a potato gnocchi?
Yeah, there are different kindsof gnocchis, isn't there?
Quinn (04:15):
certainly is.
But yeah, we rice the potatoes.
That's putting it through thisbig press.
It breaks it down.
Add some flour, a little justegg and roll it out and then a
quick little boil and add thatcream sauce and it was
incredible.
Ella Magers (04:30):
Amazing, then you know last episode.
So this is our second of threeencore episodes.
You guys, you've got one moreafter this.
This is an encore episodebecause we didn't know we would
be coming out with more Rise andThrive, but here we are.
Didn't know we would be comingout with more Rise and Thrive,
but here we are.
And a lot happened since thelast episode, the 50th episode,
which we thought was going to bethe last one, including me and
(04:53):
I mentioned this in the lastepisode or the last intro, about
my ACL totally tearing my ACLfully and having reconstruction
surgery on it.
I am now at week six, so Imentioned that last time.
But I have to just give alittle update of one thing that
you know we always look at thelessons learned from all these
(05:14):
things and you know, one of thereasons I'm so excited to be in
a relationship with you, quinn,is that we're just on such kind
of powerful paths of personalevolution, right, and I feel
like this ACL tear was a way toreally prove the progress I've
(05:34):
made in my life with myrelationship with food and my
body, because I know 15 yearsago this would have I don't want
to say like it's maybe a littletoo traumatic to say destroyed
me, but kind of.
It would have been really awhole different experience.
I would have immediately goneto a place of anxiety, probably
(05:56):
depression.
I would have thought about, oh,the weight I'm going to gain if
I'm not working out, because Ihad this relationship with
working out, even though I lovedit.
It was also a way to burn offcalories and kind of a
punishment for overeating.
And I was caught still inrestrict overeating cycles and
disordered eating and distortedbody image and all those things
and this type of injury.
And I know because I had one atthat time as well.
(06:18):
I had a stress fracture of thehead, of my femur, so basically
a pretty bad stress fracture atmy hip and it spiraled me
downward.
And I think you could attest tothis, quinn, that this
experience, I mean I've beenpretty damn positive, if I do
say so myself.
Quinn (06:35):
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Ella Magers (06:36):
Big step.
Quinn (06:37):
Yeah, that's great to see and watch and be a part of.
Ella Magers (06:40):
Thanks, yeah, you know all these people that we're
interviewing in Rise and Thriveand all the episodes of the
Vegan Life Coach podcast.
It's all about inspiration.
It's all about helping you allon your paths of personal
evolution.
It just brings me a lot of joyto be putting these episodes out
and to have a partner in mylife now you know that I didn't
(07:01):
start out with who's also on areally powerful path.
Quinn (07:04):
That's you now you know that I didn't start out with
who's also on a really powerfulpath.
That's you.
Yeah, the trajectory is a lotof fun to see, and just seeing
us both grow through it all.
It's why we're here, apparently, because there are no
coincidences.
Ella Magers (07:14):
And love wins.
So there we go.
I think we can dive into theepisode now.
What?
Quinn (07:18):
do you think?
Ella Magers (07:21):
All right, let's do it, how's?
Christina (07:25):
it going, christina.
It's going really well.
How are you Ella?
It's been a long time since wesaw each other, even like this.
Ella Magers (07:30):
Yeah, right, time flies, but that was a while ago.
Yeah, where are you?
I love the background of you.
Christina (07:36):
I am in my house in Philadelphia.
Normally I am in Rome at thispoint of December, but my term
at culinary school is in themiddle, so I don't want to go to
Rome for just 10 days, so we'regoing for the month of February
instead.
But I never say no to teachingthis course, because we're the
only culinary school in theentire country that requires a
(07:57):
vegan, plant-based culinarycourse before they can graduate
with their bachelor's, whichmakes us visionary at the best.
So I get these students, afterfour years of classic French
deer in headlights for the firsttwo weeks, like what do you
mean, chef?
No butter, no eggs.
What do you mean, chef?
No.
Can I use cream in this?
No, can I use white flour?
No White sugar?
(08:18):
No, I gave you all thealternatives.
By week four, they are doingthings that you can't imagine
and they're so creative and theyend the course by saying why
didn't anybody tell us aboutthis?
Wow.
Ella Magers (08:32):
That's incredible.
Christina (08:33):
I'm so excited because I get to influence these
chefs who one day, if I ever goout to eat, will serve me in a
restaurant more than a bakedpotato.
Ella Magers (08:42):
Right, no, that's so interesting.
Or pasta with broccoli, right.
Christina (08:47):
Or my favorite, grilled zucchini.
Ella Magers (08:51):
Yeah, yeah, I mean that must be so scary at first
for somebody and then it's justlike gives them permission to
start thinking for themselvesand being creative.
I mean that has to feel reallygood at the end it does.
Christina (09:08):
And I also come to them from the prejudice, if you
will, of Chinese medicine.
So every class is that there'smore to your food than your food
, and they walk around going whydoesn't anybody ever teach us
this stuff?
Now I know why I feel like thisand now I know why my stomach
always hurts, and so it's kindof an interesting forced
(09:30):
self-reflection on 20 somethingyear olds that they may not be
ready to do, and some studentsare extremely uncomfortable.
The entire term I've had onestudent tell me that he hated me
because he had to cook this way.
I was like, okay, I had onestudent in this group who is a
challenge to me.
Their final has to be communityservice, so they have to find a
charity, prepare a meal andserve it either to the clients
(09:51):
of the charity or the staff ofthe charity, whoever they prefer
.
So they've chosen somethingcalled Broad Street Ministries,
which feeds the homeless.
So they're going to do a mealand deliver it because it's not
far from the school.
So one of my students said thisis great, we can make like a
roast chicken and macaroni andcheese.
And one of the other, hercolleague, said I think we have
(10:12):
to do vegan food for this class.
And she said, yeah, but this isfor people outside of here who
would want to eat that.
And I said well, you not onlyjust failed today, but I'm going
to expect a really high barfrom you, and she does really
nice food too.
But her head trip is who reallywants to eat this if they don't
(10:32):
have to?
Ella Magers (10:34):
Interesting.
Christina (10:35):
Yeah, wow, she's slowly changing, but yeah, no,
it's a program.
We say we meet people on thebridge and help them cross.
Yeah, I'm yanking her across.
Ella Magers (10:48):
Yeah, so one of the recent episodes I recorded was
with Paul Rodney Turner Are youfamiliar with?
Yeah, I just got his book inthe mail Food Yoga.
I just have so much respect andI want to get on this episode
too because you have such abroad range of training and
background and I want to talkall about that.
But before we get there, I wantto talk all about that, but
before we get there, I want toknow.
You know you are a very busywoman and you have so much like
(11:11):
on your bio and all theaccomplishments you've had and
the projects and the TV show andall the accolades.
But behind all of that, who isChristina?
Who are you?
Christina (11:22):
I'm really quite simple.
What you see is what you get.
I mean, when people meet me,the first thing they say is oh,
you're just like her on TV andI'm like, I'm not an actress.
I am Irish and Italian Italianfirst, because that's where the
cooking came from and I comefrom a family of yellers and I'm
very noise sensitive.
I'm always my whole life aschild, you know the yelling.
(11:43):
You would find me in the closetuntil everyone was done.
But I noticed in the kitchen noone yelled.
They sang, they drank coffee,and my grandmother was the
youngest of 17.
There were nine sisters and sobetween them and my mother and
my mother's sister, there wereat least 10 people in my kitchen
all the time cooking andsomehow had this symphonic
(12:03):
rhythm of moving around eachother.
There was no crashing into eachother.
No, how did you get in my way?
Get around.
It was amazing to watch and Ithought as a little little girl
this is where I want to be.
It's peaceful, it's great, thefood's amazing.
Everybody's so happy when theyeat.
This is it?
So my dad built me a stool andpainted little vegetables on it,
and I used to stand next to mymother and do things like roll
(12:27):
meatballs or stir the soup orwhatever minor task they could
give you that wouldn't hurt youor the food.
And then eventually your jobsbecame more and more complicated
.
And then, when I was 16, Istarted in kitchens the chef
that hired me because women werenot.
I've been a vegan for 40 yearsthis year actually 41 years next
(12:48):
April and a vegetarian beforethat.
So my family likes to say thatI never had the DNA to eat meat,
because I just always hated itand would wrap it in a napkin
and put it under my leg or giveit to the dog or something.
I just never really cared forit.
And then my dad was a butcherand when I was 14 and they were
still forcing me to eat meat, hehad the opportunity to work in
(13:09):
a slaughterhouse and make a tonof money.
And we had four kids in thefamily.
And my dad was six foot twoIrish muscle, the personality of
a golden retriever, like alwayshappy, always, always happy,
happy to see his family, hiskids, his friends.
Within an hour of leaving to goto that job, came back in tears,
his huge shoulders shaking atthe table, saying to my mother I
(13:30):
know we need the money, I can'tdo it.
I can't look in their eyes anddo it.
There's our living creaturesand for that, for six months
after that, we didn't eat meatin our house.
He would not bring it home.
And then my mother one day saidto him I'm either going to
write a cookbook 365 ways tocook broccoli or you're going to
bring home some meat.
And they kind of went back andI never did and they never tried
to make me go back.
(13:51):
But then I became a junk foodvegetarian.
You know, oreos are vegan andDiet Dr Pepper and that typical
teenage.
I'm not eating this.
I'm not eating all thevegetables we grow in our big
Italian garden, right,vegetables we grow in our big
Italian garden, right.
Left home at 18, totally donewith this whole chain to the
stove thing my mother did, asI'm off to become a chef, got my
first job in a kitchen when Iwas 16, washing vegetables, then
(14:14):
dicing onions, then shreddingcabbage, and then the chef
turned to me.
One day I'll never forget thisguy as long as I live, although
I can't remember his name saidaren't you the vegetarian?
Yeah, so your next job, if youreally want this job, you'll
clean the insides out ofroasting chickens All day.
That's all I did for threemonths.
I was a wreck.
And then at the end of that hesaid you must really want this
(14:37):
job, don't ever leave my side.
I'll teach you everything Iknow From him.
I ended up in pastry, which wasgreat because I loved baking.
It was like the job that wasmade for me Then, when I was 20,
then my mother passed away at49 from colon cancer because of
smoking and coffee and eatingjunk and along with the
vegetables from the garden, mymother lived on chocolate and
(14:59):
coffee and cigarettes mostly.
So she passed away and I movedto Philadelphia and thought that
I was in grief and it turnedout I was diagnosed, six months
after she died, with what wouldbe considered stage four
leukemia and it was sort of likelooking up at the heavens and
going, holy shit, are youkidding?
Like are you kidding.
(15:19):
So they gave me six to ninemonths and I met the man that I
married in that process whointroduced me to macrobiotics,
and I remember the first time wemet he said you really have to
change what you eat.
And I said well, I'm avegetarian, duh, I don't eat any
of that.
And then he went through thislaundry list.
Do you drink soda?
Yes.
Do you eat sugar?
(15:40):
Yes, do you?
The whole?
It's like, oh yeah, okay, Iguess I could do some changing.
So then from there I got intomacrobiotics and Chinese
medicine and discovered therewas more to food than food and
in 14 months my blood was cancerfree.
But there was still a bunch ofhealing that had to happen
physically and spiritually.
And you know, I remembermeeting the teacher who became
(16:01):
my teacher, michio Kushi, andhim saying you really will never
be fully better until you takeresponsibility for your illness.
And I remember thinking, ohyeah, like at 26, I woke up and
said, hey, man, let's get cancer, that'll make life fun.
But I always felt like you'reprobably too young to remember.
But there used to be a TV showwhere David Carradine played
(16:22):
some kind of Kung Fu guru, andhe had a guru who always told
him, as grasshopper, to goreflect.
And every time I was with myteacher I always felt like he
was telling me go reflect,grasshopper.
And so I did and studied withhim, studied Chinese medicine.
And then one day my husband saidwell, what do you want to do
now?
I'd like to go sit in oncologyoffices and tell them there's a
(16:44):
better way.
And he's like well, hon, wedon't have the bail money for
that, so find something else.
So I went back to my teacherand he said why don't you teach
cooking?
And I thought, oh, teachcooking, I mean, I guess.
But is that just because I'm awoman?
That's what we do, black.
But then, as I thought about it, I thought, well, I could talk
to you for four hours about acarrot, every bit of nutrition,
(17:08):
its energetic quality, all of it, and then you leave me and you
still don't know how to cookthat carrot.
I gave you nothing, but if Icould do both, then I'm doing
(17:28):
something.
And so I realized that at 14, Ibecame a vegetarian for animals,
and certainly that still isalways in your brain.
Then I moved to veganism forhuman health.
That has also changed for me,not that I don't care about
humans.
Sometimes I feel like, asvegans, we lack compassion for
the one animal that needs it themost, which is us.
But at the same time I thoughtit's bigger than us.
Now the planet's on fire.
It's way bigger than us.
Now it's about listen, you needto stop eating meat.
(17:50):
I don't care if you don't careif you get heart disease, but I
do care that my godchildren'schildren won't have a planet.
I do care about that.
So the vision has become verybig picture in my world.
And while we still have a lot offun, I was raised by a hippie
mother, so when you say who am I, I guess I've turned into her.
(18:14):
We drove 45 minutes to recyclenewspaper and any cans that we
used.
We had to turn the water offwhen we brushed our teeth.
We didn't waste, you know, anda lot of it was about money.
But my mother also was a bigfan of the Rodales and read
Prevention Magazine and allthese.
By the time I left home I wasexhausted about hearing about
the environment, and that was inthe 70s.
So that's how much nothing haschanged, because now I'm the mom
(18:36):
lecturing and saying turn offthe water while you brush your
teeth, doing the whole.
So I feel like cooking and somelevel of social activism and
justice is in my DNA.
That's who we were as a family.
We talked about it all the timeand not only talked, we did
stuff.
I could send you photos of meas a little girl with this wild
(18:57):
pink curly hair and sandwichboards on me Don't drop bombs on
me, don't pollute my water.
And my mom would say go getdressed.
We're going to a parade, okay,and she'd put this thing on me
and there'd be all these kidswalking around with these.
It's like, I mean, I guessthat's who I am.
I mean, I have pictures of thatand go to the opera and I don't
(19:18):
know.
Yeah, do you have pictures ofthat?
I'd have to find them, butsomewhere they do exist.
My brother might have them, butsomewhere they exist.
And it's like, really, and Iremember as a little little girl
that my brother got a cowboyoutfit and I got a cowgirl
outfit, of course, and they hadguns on the hip, and I remember
taking the gun and saying to mydad I don't want this part, and
(19:41):
I would walk around with theempty, which was quite yeah,
yeah, I don't know.
Ella Magers (19:47):
Wow, that's pretty incredible.
Christina (19:49):
Yeah, that's who we are.
I say we because it's like myhusband and I are like attached
it, we're one unit.
So it's the life we builttogether.
And people always say to me tothis day I mean, you love
marriage.
I'm like, no, I like marriageto him because we like each
other, we respect each other, wehave the same vision for the
world.
So our passions are not onlypersonal but they're global and
(20:10):
so together we can do what we dowithout I don't know, there's
not a lot of strife in my life.
I mean, there's a lot of bigpicture worry.
There's not a lot of groundlevel stress.
There's just not.
We both do our thing, we bothstay in our lanes and the
business and yeah.
Ella Magers (20:26):
How do you compare this big level stress that
you're talking about now, inthis big picture that you're
really focused on, with thestress of the cancer and facing
your own death?
How does that relate?
Christina (20:39):
You know, at 26, I mean, I was anyway at 26, I was
still quite high level of anidiot.
You know, it's like it's not,I'm not really going to die.
It's like being in a bad movie.
I was afraid of it.
But my fear was quickly takenaway because I didn't do
treatments, I didn't go to thehospital, I didn't lose my hair,
I didn't do chemotherapy, Iused food and I figured I'm
(20:59):
either here or I'm gone, youknow.
And I became very existentialabout it in a way.
I met my teacher really early.
My husband was always theresupporting me and the minute I
went into remission I thought,okay, there's something to this,
this whole acid and alkalinething.
And I remember the doctorsaying you're not going to stay
in, you're not going to stay inremission.
And I was like, okay, and thenI'd go out of remission for the
(21:21):
first nine months.
It was kind of this in and out.
And then finally, when I stayedin remission, they said, well,
you're having something that wecall spontaneous regression and
we don't know why it happens,but it's not going to stay, so
don't get too excited.
And even when they couldn'tfind leukemia in my blood
anymore, I remember them sayingyou know this probably won't
last.
And I remember thinkingshouldn't you guys be happier,
(21:45):
seriously?
So I had that outrage that youcan have in your twenties.
But there wasn't a whole lot ofI could die, cause I kind of
never believed I would and I hada lot of support around me and
friends and family and my futurehusband.
Now I could lose sleep Now if Iread news or I never watch news
, but if I read news beforegoing to sleep at night.
That's it, I'm done.
I pace all night because Ithink there's only so much one
person can do.
(22:06):
But if everybody did what theycould do, it would change.
If everybody voted, ifeverybody recycled, if everybody
stopped eating meat, and sothen I could lose sleep.
I mean, I'm older, so I kind ofwon't be here for the worst of
it, unless I live to be 150, butother people will.
(22:27):
And what I guess shocks anddisappoints me the most and does
make me lose sleep is not themanufacturers who pollute.
They're going to do that.
It's all about profit for them.
But what shocks and disappointsme is the fact that we can bury
our heads in the sandcollectively and think it's
going to be okay, we don't haveto do anything.
We don't have to changeanything, we don't have to do
anything.
It's going to be okay and Ithink, but it's not.
(22:48):
But it's impossible.
And I travel a lot, which I alsostress over, because we do all
these wonderful things to saveenergy and don't pollute.
And then I get on a plane andyou're like, darn, couldn't they
make these more sustainable?
But then you get to othercountries and I was just telling
(23:14):
a friend of this.
Yesterday I was in Pugliafilming and every apartment,
house and city has differentbins out One for plastic, one
for paper, one for organic food,one for mixed trash and one for
glass and metal.
And your house is numbered andso you put a different trash out
every day Monday is paper,tuesday is whatever, and then by
the end of the week all yourtrash is out and you start over.
If you mess up, you get a letterfrom the city.
If you mess up again, you get astrong letter.
(23:35):
Then you start being fineduntil you get it together and
start recycling.
This country of Italy alone haslowered their greenhouse gas
emissions by 60% over the lastfive years, but they still
suffer heat wave and drought andall sorts of effects of climate
change because India, china andyours truly collectively have
(23:56):
not.
So until we can kind of get ourheads around the fact that
every action we take, everypiece of plastic we throw in the
trash, every plastic waterbottle we think doesn't make a
difference, makes a differencesomewhere for somebody.
So that's what I lose sleepover.
I mean literally could losesleep over it.
Ella Magers (24:16):
And what I love I was watching some of the
episodes of your show is I lovehow you so are able to work in
this, messaging right into acooking show, and I mean you
talk about factory farming, youtalk about sustainability, you
are at the kitchen cooking,really entertaining the show.
How many seasons are you on now?
Christina (24:37):
Oh, our first show went on the air at the end of
1997.
So we're in.
I don't know.
I don't know how many.
We've produced over 300episodes.
Let's say that incredible.
Ella Magers (24:46):
Yeah and yeah.
So you know you so artfully dothat, you so artfully work that
in.
It's really remarkable.
Christina (24:55):
So everybody, well, from the day we started
developing the show literallyfrom the day we started.
I remember my husband sittingin production meetings with our
very first producers now weself-produce and saying to them
we are not a cooking show.
Food is the vehicle for themessage to get out there that
there's a better way to look atfood, a better relationship to
(25:15):
have with food, the planet,whatever Like.
The message has never, everchanged.
You could go back to a showfrom 1998, which will have me
hair looking like I'm going tothe prom and I never knew you
could say I don't really likethis.
I always thought I could getfired.
I forgot it was my show andmore Asian oriented food to now
(25:37):
more Mediterranean and morecasual cooking.
So it's more accessible.
The message never changed and Itry not to, although I have
emails that I do.
Do this.
Try not to be too luxury, youknow, finger in the face,
because then they just grab theremote and they're out.
Quinn (25:54):
Right.
Christina (25:55):
And sometimes they're out because they know it's the
truth, right?
So I do try to couch it in alittle bit of humor or within a
recipe, because food is sexy andso you know you can kind of
suck people in.
But I mean, my husband justtold me today that he said
there's an email you have toaddress from the website which I
(26:16):
do as often as I can and thisone's nasty that animal
agriculture does not pollute.
And where's my proof?
So it's like, well, here's allthe links, here's's all the
links, here you go.
But you know when they're meanabout it, well, it certainly
hurts your feelings, certainlyhurts your feelings.
It's also because they know.
They know.
So you always have to like, asI feel I'm being gutted by
(26:37):
somebody being mean, I also haveto always try to remember ah,
this really isn't about me atall.
Absolutely like I postedsomething about climate change.
I was in Italy and it was theyellow fog that was here from
the wildfires in Canada, and Isaid I feel so bad for my home
city and somebody wrote onInstagram you should get cancer
(26:57):
and die.
Climate change is not real.
And I was like okay, well,there you go, just pull that
lever when you vote, we know whoyou are, you know, so it's kind
of like, but you go, wow,really Wow.
Reactions are so strong and soextreme that I'm also careful,
because you know we live in acrazy time.
Ella Magers (27:17):
Sure yeah, and being careful with your energy
too, and who you spend too muchenergy responding to.
I find that people that arethat angry, I mean they have a
commitment to keeping a wall up,oh yeah.
And so, no matter what theresponse is, as logical and kind
as it might be, they're readyto reject it immediately.
Christina (27:38):
I mean one of my culinary students.
Just the other day I wastelling a friend yesterday.
I asked them because they werea little blasé in the beginning.
I'm like, wow, this is going tobe like pulling teeth, this
group.
So I said to them what are youpassionate about?
And one of them said I'mpassionate about being angry.
To which I said, wow, I hopeyou don't own a gun.
I was just at 22.
You're this angry, you know?
And interestingly, if myteacher were still alive he
(28:00):
would say because no one'seating vegetables.
There's no moisture to put outyour internal fire, nothing's
softening you, because everyoneyou meet almost is right at the
boiling point Every second ofevery day.
It must be exhausting who weare as a culture.
Ella Magers (28:16):
At this point in your life, what?
What's the first thing youthink about when you wake up in
the morning?
What gets you out of bed?
Christina (28:23):
my work and my husband makes the best breakfast
.
Oh yeah, Tell us.
So we get up early in themorning, we work for a while and
then we eat breakfast sort oflater in the day, Cause I'm not
an early eater.
In the morning I get up.
First thing I want to do isQigong.
What sets the tone for my dayis waking up in the morning and
meditating for 10 minutes andthen 10 minutes at night,
(28:43):
because I really can't go longerthan that.
I don't have the bandwidth.
I never did.
I was never a good meditator.
But Qigong is moving so it'skind of like I'm good with it.
So that's kind of really whatwakes me up in the morning.
Ella Magers (28:58):
Do you do the seated meditation or the Qigong
as meditation, qigong asmeditation, okay.
Christina (29:04):
But also, you know the way we live our life gets us
out of bed in the morning.
We always wake up.
I mean, he's the first face Iwant to see in.
The last face I want to see atnight, but somehow within the
first 10 minutes of being awakewe're laughing about something,
and it's always something stupid.
I don't know what, but I wouldnever even begin to tell you
because I'd say and you'd go wow, they're morons.
(29:25):
But we have a great deal of joyin our house and in our life.
So that's kind of what reallystarts the day.
And then he makes a verytraditional savory breakfast.
Robert's been practicingmacrobiotics since 1968.
So for him, like this is hislife, this is how he does it.
Even when he worked outside ofour business, he made breakfast.
He'd get up an hour earlier todo it.
Ella Magers (29:50):
Can you?
Christina (29:50):
explain macrobiotics real quick.
So macrobiotics is whole,seasonal foods, plant-based,
cooked in accordance to yourhealth, lifestyle and condition.
Now, within macrobiotics and Iget a lot of stuff from vegans
about this macrobiotics is notnecessarily vegan.
I choose it to be.
I would say 90% of macrobioticpeople do choose it to be
(30:14):
plant-based.
But there is a small segment ofmacrobiotic teaching that says
there are some people who losetheir strength, lose their
vitality, lose their ability toget their muscle back and
temporarily use animal food withgratitude to restore them.
In macrobiotics, human healthcomes above everything else.
(30:36):
Not with disregard, not listen.
I feel weak today.
I think I need a burger.
It's not that, it's medicinalIf that's a really strong word
therapeutic maybe.
I never needed it, never feltlike I did.
It was recommended for me veryoften when I was sick you should
be eating fish, you should buya roast beef, put it in the oven
and when the blood comes out,drink that blood.
(30:56):
And I'd be like listen, I'm nota vampire, I'm not doing that.
And I managed.
I still struggle with anemia.
I mean, you can see how I'mpale.
I still struggle with anemia.
I don't care, I manage.
My body has adapted.
I'll be 68 next week I'm good,you're 68?
.
Next week, 67.
Still Hold on.
Ella Magers (31:16):
Oh, sorry, sorry, sorry, wow.
You kept saying your age andthen you've been vegan for 40
years, but wow.
Christina (31:24):
I know the math didn't work.
You're like, wait, what?
Yeah?
So that's what macrobiotics is.
Macrobiotics is eating inaccordance to your health and
condition, but the primary goalof macrobiotics is to become an
organism that lives in harmonywith nature.
Because in Chinese medicine youprobably know this there are
two conditions ease and dis-ease, which has become disease.
(31:45):
In Chinese medicine, if you'resick, you've just become too
uncomfortable in yourenvironment and your environment
is trying to get rid of you.
In Chinese medicine, the mostcommon colors of illness are
blue and green, the twopredominant colors of nature.
So when you become ill withdegenerative disease, mother
nature is just basically tryingto turn you back into compost,
(32:05):
because she's kind of done withus and the fact that we don't
listen.
And I was one of them at 26, Ineeded a safe dropped on my head
.
I thought I wasmisenvironmental because I
carried a canvas bag to thestore.
I still bought things inplastic containers.
I still bought mascara inplastic, in a paper thing that
got taught.
It's like we still were sounconscious.
(32:26):
I mean I was, but the safe onthe head was like no, okay, okay
, now I need to wake up or I'mgoing to be out of here.
So macrobiotics is more thanjust what we don't do.
It's more about what we do.
It's more about being proactiveabout your health, and my
teacher used to always say thatwhen your internal environment
became clean or balanced, youhad no choice but to be more
(32:50):
conscious in the world, to becompassionate, to be kind, to
not take life because youcouldn't bear it.
And he's right.
The more years that I practicedmacrobiotics, even as a vegan,
the more intolerant I am ofinjustice, of the voiceless not
having a shot, the injustice ofpeople who are making decisions
(33:12):
for people who were not evenelected to their office but
appointed by some autocrat inthe making, and it's sort of
like it becomes less tolerablefor you.
So for me, macrobiotics andveganism kind of go hand in hand
.
But for me I learned aboutnutrition through macrobiotics
and Chinese medicine more than Idid when I was a vegan, and
(33:33):
I've kind of blended the twowith Mediterranean cooking and
my Italian relatives wisdom intothis weird minestrone.
Ella Magers (33:43):
That has become my work, right?
Don't you use the term macro,macroterranean, macroterranean?
Yes, I love that.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, my husbandcame up with that.
That's good, that's good.
Okay, back to breakfast.
Christina (33:55):
Oh.
So for him, he makes miso soupevery morning.
As a woman and many women findthis I find that miso soup in
the morning makes me hungry allday, so I have miso soup later
in the day.
But then he makes a soft wholegrain porridge, millet, brown
rice, farro, quinoa, whateverstrikes his fancy, a mix, and
(34:16):
then we have a protein which iseither red lentils or split fava
beans or tofu or tempeh, and avegetable stew of whatever's in
season.
It could be summer vegetablesin the summer, or now it's like
it's cold here, so it's wintersquash, rutabaga, you know,
together and always, alwayssteamed or boiled greens,
because that's what gives youvitality and good skin and every
(34:37):
nutrient we could ever need.
So our breakfasts are enormousand then lunch is on me, lunch
is usually right now I havesplit fava beans cooking that
I'll serve with sauteed greensand a big chunk of bread.
And dinner we eat late becausewe both come from European
families, so dinner's like eight30.
So it's a bowl of soup, a chunkof bread, bowl of soup and a
salad kind of thing, and then wewatch a foreign film and that's
(35:00):
our day.
Like that's when we leave ourhouse at five 30 every day for
the gym, and then that's it.
We're done, we don't go back towork, we don't answer the phone
anymore.
And then it becomes whatItalian or French thing will we
watch?
To turn off the TV and besmarter when it's over?
Ella Magers (35:17):
Okay.
Christina (35:18):
So that's my life, in a nutshell, unless I'm working,
and then it's craziness.
Ella Magers (35:23):
Okay, all right.
And what kind of bread are youeating?
Christina (35:27):
Sourdough from a local bakery, or that we make
Sourdough whole grain from alocal bakery.
A bitey bread.
Ella Magers (35:33):
How do you help people overcome this carb phobia
?
Christina (35:37):
that is so rampant.
Well, I go to a one-off gym thatwe used to call a duh gym.
It's keto.
Everywhere it's paleo.
There were four guys who usedto be members that would order a
whole cow and split it so thatthey would have enough meat for
a month.
They ate 60 eggs a week, and sothere's places where I just
(35:57):
don't you know, I just don't,and I'm also after so many years
of doing what I do.
I say nothing unless you ask me.
You don't want to eat carbs,don't eat carbs.
But if you ask me, then I'llgive you all the science that
you need to help you understandthat white flour and brown rice
are not the same carbohydrate.
And the same thing will go withgluten.
The same thing goes withprotein.
(36:18):
Somebody just asked me at anevent last Friday, something
I've heard God, I wish, I reallywish I had a nickel every time
I've heard it that where do Iget my protein?
So I just take off my chef coat, show them my biceps and say,
really, so that some myths willnever leave us.
And the problem is and thereason we have these myths in my
(36:38):
opinion, this is just the way Isee it is that we are
constantly looking for the oneingredient that is the cause of
everything that's wrong with usobesity, diabetes, stroke, heart
disease, all of it.
We can never, as a culture,look at our diet as a big
picture and say it's all of it.
It's not the white bread youwould eat today when you were
(36:59):
out with a friend, it's not themilk in your coffee, it's all of
it.
It's all of it, and that's toobig for people.
So I'm very much of the approachthat, because I get the email
all the time, can I make yourBrussels sprout dish to go with
my chicken breast?
Well, I wouldn't.
But if it gets you eating avegetable, I'm in.
(37:20):
That gets me in a lot oftrouble with vegans because I'll
take whatever I can get fromyou.
The longer I do this, the moremy philosophy has become.
If I could just convincemothers that choosy mothers
would not choose Jif, I coulddie happy.
Their tagline since I was a kidchoosy mothers choose Jif.
Have you read the label?
So my bar gets a little bitlower every time.
Ella Magers (37:44):
It was meeting people where they are right.
I mean you try to meet peoplewhere they are, but I mean you
try to meet people where theyare.
Christina (37:48):
But then the food industry which are not farmers
and ranchers, but the foodindustry comes up with something
new every year to sell us moreand make us more afraid of
something else.
So somebody said to me theother day what about all this
stuff?
You hear now about lectins andlentils and I'm like, really,
really, you'd never read anarticle about what's really in a
(38:09):
McDonald's milkshake.
But we're going to worry aboutthe lectins and lentils that are
neutralized when you cook them.
Unless you're eating rawlentils, you're probably okay,
right?
Or the oxalates.
Or the oxalates, yes, theseminute little ingredients, but
they've done it for decades.
When I was a teenager, one ofthe things we drank was a soda
called Fresca.
And suddenly there was anarticle and it was considered
(38:32):
healthy because it was no sugarand right, so everybody was
drinking Fresca.
Then there was an article thatthe cyclamates and Fresca would
kill you.
So now no one's drinking it.
All our mothers took our sodaaway and at the same time then
you read an article by theRodales who say by the way,
you'd have to drink two cases ofFresca each and every day in
order for the cyclamates to doto you what they're saying.
(38:53):
So nothing's changed.
They're always looking for someway.
I guess people are easilymanipulated if you can make them
scared and if you can make them.
Ella Magers (39:02):
It's fear, all fear , based Absolutely.
Christina (39:05):
So there's nothing wrong with carbohydrates.
Certainly more refined onesaffect you differently than
non-refined ones.
So that's the discussion I haveconstantly in my life.
I mean, my oldest and dearestfriend hasn't had a carbohydrate
in 12 years.
She's completely dysfunctionalaround food, but she eats things
that I go, wow, okay, yeah, Ifight every day of my life with
(39:26):
every person that I knew Can'tdo it.
I don't have the personalityfor it, not the energy.
I have the energy.
I just don't want to live likethat.
Ella Magers (39:35):
Yeah, one of the other things I really enjoy
about this season in the show isthe cultural aspects that you
bring in and what we can learnfrom the Italian culture, the
less stress.
I love how you talk about thetype A personality.
I bet Can type A.
I mean it's the best, yeah,it's the best.
Christina (39:53):
Can you tell about that?
Yeah Well, we have a travelcompany on the side of
everything else we do, becauseit's really fun and it's
interesting to watch Americansland in Italy for the first time
and everything is like, oh myGod, are they always this slow?
(40:14):
Oh, I'm sorry, are they slow?
It's called enjoyment and likefor me, I can't wait to get off
that plane in Rome and lingerover this much espresso, because
that's what you do.
Their philosophy is thatcertainly we all have to work,
we have to work, we have to makemoney, keep a roof over our
heads, stay healthy, but life isto be enjoyed, not endured, and
so their image of us is that welive to work.
They work enough to live, andthey would rather take a walk at
5.30 before dinner than put inanother hour in the office.
(40:38):
And do they get stuff done?
They do.
I mean, I watch my crews herein this country and if I say, oh
, you know, it would be cool, mycrews here in this country, and
if I say, oh, you know it wouldbe cool, could we like that and
move over there and do thestand up there?
It takes three hours.
They have to think about it.
Maybe we should.
And I'm like, oh, not threehours, that's a little
(40:59):
exaggeration.
But you're like, wow, really,my Italian crew.
We arrived at a vineyard to filmand it was supposed to rain.
It hadn't yet.
So the vineyard, on their own,said let's move inside to this
beautiful little building wehave that way, if it rains, it
won't matter.
I was cooking with the chef andI said, yeah, but it's a white
wall that we're up against.
We could be anywhere.
So they said well, what if weturn the table, you can see the
(41:22):
vineyard behind us.
My director of photography fromItaly said no, let's go outside
In 15 minutes.
They had that covered, uscovered with plastic in case it
rained.
The lighting changed, the thingset up and we started filming
in 15 minutes.
So I never want to hear Italiansare inefficient, don't do their
job.
They're amazing For me twothings they have life and
(41:45):
perspective, and as Americans,we have a very naive belief that
we can control the chaos aroundus.
They know they can, so theyeither embrace it or move around
it.
So when I say, type meh, theywork very hard to get it done,
but at the end of the day, ifthey didn't get to everything on
their list.
Their life doesn't end.
They're gonna go to dinner anddo it again tomorrow.
(42:06):
We don't sleep, we'll stay uptill four o'clock in the morning
to get that thing done.
So for me I feel much morebalanced and natural there, the
way I move through life, the wayI cook, than I do here.
And I'm a born and raisedAmerican.
I'm not European.
I was raised by Europeanparents, but I'm not European.
It just feels.
(42:30):
Sometimes I feel like my countryare like a bunch of drunks on a
bus with no brakes and we'restill singing party songs as it
heads toward a cliff.
And I don't mean to be like adowner, I just think we need to
wake up.
We just need to be awake.
If we just were awake we couldsolve everything, everything.
We're just waiting for somebodyelse to do it, and I'm not sure
why.
Just do it.
Get up in your life, in your dayand do it.
(42:51):
Do something that makes adifference.
I don't care if it's take yourneighbor grocery shopping or
smile at a stranger.
Do something to the tiniestthing changes somebody's day and
that person will changesomebody else's day and somebody
else's day and before you knowit, you have a changed community
.
Because if we think that theway we consume, the way our
(43:13):
country behaves, will changefrom the top down, it's never
been that way.
We're a country built from thebottom up, we're a country built
on revolution.
So what happened to that spiritof I can do this, we can be
better, we can make this better?
Now we're just too busy, caughtin our own tribes, in our own
corners, in our own bubbles, inour own anger.
(43:35):
I don't know, and I don't knowhow to put this genie back in
the bottle.
I'm not that good.
I don't know how to change it,except one person at a time.
Start with yourself.
Ella Magers (43:44):
Right, yeah, and I think everything you're saying
makes so much sense and I thinkpart of the messaging that I try
to use is you know, people doneed a reason, sometimes a
selfish reason, absolutely.
But it feels so good to do goodTo me, it feels really good to
live purposefully andmeaningfully, and Dalai Lama
(44:07):
famously said if you can't docharity for charity, do charity
to fill your karma bank becauseyou'll feel so good doing it.
Christina (44:15):
You won't care how full your karma bank is.
And so I use that a lot withpeople.
Well, you know who cares.
I don't have time to volunteer.
Actually you do, and it feelsso good that.
And to look in the mirror andthink I didn't do any harm today
, I didn't hurt an animal, Ididn't say anything mean, you
know, I didn't do anything, thatI mean I'm maybe somewhere
(44:35):
unconsciously but to consciouslycause harm, you think, well,
okay, all right, I'm okay, I'llwake up tomorrow and I'll do it
again.
I don't have anything to beashamed of today.
Tomorrow, who knows, but todayI don't have anything to be
ashamed of.
So often when I get like anangry email from somebody, I
think so often when I get likean angry email from somebody, I
(45:04):
think, first of all, that took alot of time.
They had to write it, spell,check it and decide I'm sending
it.
So you're really angry at I'mpretty benign on TV, you know, I
cook, I make jokes'll turnpeople off, so I kind of save
that for live events and watchpeople walk out.
But it's okay, it's okay, it'sokay.
Sometimes, I think, if theywalk out, they heard you and
they just aren't ready to hearit yet, but they really heard
you and it gets stored in theirRolodex for later.
(45:24):
But I just feel like ifsomething this benign as food,
as cooking vegetables, can makeyou angry, we have a lot of work
to do.
We as in you, me, thiscommunity we have a lot of work
to do because in the past wewere not the most welcoming, we
were not the most compassionate.
We did create an image thatmakes people go, oh, oh, hold on
(45:49):
until they see that there's asoftness and a compassion that
is real and a kindness.
So I don't mind doing that work, I don't.
I don't mind going out thereand surprising people with
kindness and compassion at all.
I'd rather do that thansurprise them with oh, she's
really awful, she seems nice onTV, but wow.
Ella Magers (46:09):
So I keep some of that stuff for you but wow, so I
keep some of that stuff for you.
I'll take it.
I'll take it.
Do you create your own titles?
Christina (46:20):
to the show titles.
Ella Magers (46:21):
Cause they're really good.
I love it.
I do in my twisted brain, yes,yeah, no.
They're great titles and Iwould just a few of them once,
cause there ain't no planet,because I love that.
Christina (46:32):
But the truth is, I actually stole part of that.
There's a vegan restaurant inRome called Buddy and they all
wear t-shirts that say becausethere is no planet B, and I was
like and I said to them could Iuse that?
Quinn (46:45):
And they're like yeah, we didn't Sure Go ahead, I see,
that all the time.
Christina (46:49):
But they wear these t-shirts and the first time I
saw it I thought that's great,that's the greatest thing.
But most of them, yeah, comeout of my brain.
Ella Magers (46:59):
So amazing.
You've got the show.
Are there any other projects,anything else you want to share
with the audience?
We have a new book.
It's on the website, called VegEdibles.
Oh, you've got nine.
How many?
10 books, nine books, 10 books,13, 13 books 13.
Christina (47:13):
It's called Veg Edibles, which we just thought
was funny and I like that.
And we're actually we're indevelopment of always for a new
series, but we're in developmentfor a docu-series that we're
hoping to have meetings on whenwe go to Italy in February.
It's about the history of foodand it's the past of food, the
(47:33):
present of food.
But then the future of food iswhat path will we choose and the
results of those, whatever pathwe choose.
So we're pretty excited aboutthat.
It's really early, it probablywouldn't hit till 2025, but
we're working with theagriculture departments of Italy
, in Parma and in Tuscany and inRome, to kind of bring experts
(47:57):
together to talk about the pastand to talk about the present
and to talk about, you know, thedifferences in different
countries of what they're doingwith sustainability and organic
and how in other countries and Irealize other countries are
small, you know, all of Europeis kind of like the US, except
the different states arecountries and they all have
different cultures andphilosophies, but they all have
(48:17):
this seemingly deep, ancientcommitment to the quality of the
soil, the quality of the food,and certainly junk food has
crept in.
I was watching a video the otherday.
I was crying with laughter.
It was an Italian, american andan Italian going into the first
Starbucks that opened in Romeand they were talking and he was
saying to his Italian friend Icannot wait for you to try this.
(48:38):
There's so much variety, youcan have all these different
kinds of coffee drinks and theItalian's like, okay, but you
know, the best coffee shop inRome is right there and there's
no line because they were inthis big long line.
And he said I know, but you gotto try this.
So they go in and the Italianstanding there and his friend
goes what's up?
And he said what do you notsmell in here?
He goes what?
And he said this is a coffeeshop, right?
He said yeah, and he goes Idon't smell coffee.
(49:00):
So they end up having a niceexperience but then he takes
them to across the street to thecoffee shop.
So their commitment to thelittle things like why am I in a
coffee shop and I don't smellcoffee?
Or why would I buy this when Icould buy something fresh it's
still there.
It's deep seated in theirtradition and one of the biggest
fears that I have is that itcan be lost as younger
(49:22):
generations who love American,everything want to be like us
and that worries me.
Nutritionally, spiritually,that's fine.
Quinn (49:31):
Why do they want to be like us?
Christina (49:34):
Because they have this vision of us that when they
talk about it, I think whereexactly are we talking about?
Like what, right, right, butyou know.
And also they feel like we areable to produce and sell
tremendous amounts of food.
And they aren't, but they don'tfactory farm.
Well, they do on a very smalllevel, but they can't export
(49:59):
some things to us because wecan't export things to them
because they don't accept GMOs.
And this is really interestingdynamic of why can't we be more
in sync.
And it's because we don't wantthe same things.
So we want volume at any costand they want quality at any
cost.
So it's still so.
It's kind of an interestingdynamic.
So we do trips and I love mytime there and it's interesting
watching American tourists relaxas the days go on, you know,
(50:22):
and kind of fall into thelifestyle.
So that's always very fun forus.
Ella Magers (50:26):
Yeah, I bet Amazing .
And where can people find youconnect, you watch your show.
Christina (50:30):
Everything's Christina Cooks the show, the
website, instagram, facebook.
Yeah, everything's Christina.
Ella Magers (50:36):
Cooks.
We'll put the links in the shownotes.
Of course, Christina, you rock.
Thank you so much.
I'm so happy to talk to you,Ella.
Yes, it's been so much fun.
Christina (50:44):
I hope we do it again one day.
And I just want to say beforewe close that I have watched you
for a while and I'm not I'mgoing to try to not I'm so proud
of you and the work you do.
Keep it up, because you'reyoung and you're gorgeous, and
if somebody doesn't look at youand go, yeah, I want some of
that, you're crazy.
So keep doing it.
You have a huge fan here.
(51:05):
Oh, I don't know why.
Anyway, sorry, thank you.
Thank you so much.
That's so unexpected.
Ella Magers (51:09):
I appreciate that so much.
That's so unexpected.
I appreciate that so much.
You're a doll.
Keep doing it.
I needed to hear that right now.
Christina (51:23):
Yeah, we all do, and you need somebody to tell you,
and don't ever waste theopportunity to tell someone ever
.
Life is short, crazy short, sogo get them.
Kid.
Thanks, christina, look at himkid.
Thanks.
Ella Magers (51:33):
Christina, Thanks for listening to this week's
episode of Rise and Thrive withme, Ella Majors, I truly hope
you found it inspiring and, ifyou did, please help me spread
the word by leaving a rating andreview on your favorite podcast
player and by sharing the showwith your friends.
As you probably know by now, mylife's purpose is to use my
(51:55):
voice to make this world a moreconscious and compassionate
place, and your reviews andshares make a huge impact.
And last, I'm getting a ton ofinsanely positive feedback about
my short and sweet monthlynewsletter called the Way short
for the Way Out Is Through.
I give my top five latestbadass discoveries, insights and
(52:16):
explorations, like veganproducts and recipes.
I'm obsessed with books andshows I'm loving and workouts
that have me fired up.
Head on over to my website,ellamajorscom, to sign up and
check out all the other awesomeresources I have for you and
projects I'm involved with,including Hogs and Kisses Farm
(52:37):
Sanctuary, where our mission isto create the best life for farm
animals while inspiringcompassion for all living beings
.
Thanks a lot, and I'll see youon the next one.
It's interesting to watch Americans land in Italy
for the first time andeverything is like oh my God,
are they always this slow?
Oh, I'm sorry, are they slow?
It's called enjoyment, and forme, I can't wait to get off that
plane in Rome and linger overthis much espresso, because
that's what you do.
Their philosophy is thatcertainly we all have to work,
(00:21):
we have to work, we have to makemoney, keep a roof over our
heads, stay healthy, but life isto be enjoyed, not endured, and
so their image of us is that welive to work, they work enough
to live, and they would rathertake a walk at 5.30 before
dinner than put in another hourin the office.
Ella Magers (00:45):
Hey there and welcome to Rise and Thrive with
me, Ella Majors.
I created this high vibepodcast from a place of profound
curiosity, fierce compassionand the deep desire to connect
you with the wisdom ofinspirational wellness, health,
fitness and conscious leadersand change makers.
Here's to discovering our blindspots and embracing life as the
(01:07):
adventure it is.
The time is now.
Let's do this.
Hey, hey everyone, ella herewith my guest co-host, tay Quinn
.
Quinn (01:22):
Hey, hey.
Ella Magers (01:23):
What's up, babe?
Quinn (01:24):
How much?
How are you?
Ella Magers (01:25):
Doing pretty well.
Doing pretty well.
I'm excited about today'sepisode.
We've got Christina Perello andshe's just so fun.
She's one of those people thatkind of just lights up the room
that you're in I mean thevirtual room I guess that we're
in but she's an award-winninghost of Christina Cook's the TV
(01:46):
show.
She's a vegan activist,bestselling author, gym rat food
lover, environmental activistand educator about wellness.
So she's got a lot going on.
Quinn (01:57):
All the things, yeah.
Ella Magers (01:58):
And she's freaking fun Great and makes me laugh.
What else makes me laugh?
Well, I share about all ofthese things in my Soul Aligned
Sunday newsletter, you guys.
So if you're not signed up forthat, get signed up.
I share every Sunday mydiscoveries, the latest of
what's going on in my life andreally awesome new products that
(02:21):
are vegan and cruelty-free, ofcourse, like Truffalicious.
Quinn (02:26):
Truffalicious for the win .
Ella Magers (02:28):
For the win.
You guys, if you haven'tchecked out my Noochilicious
favorite nooch.
I mean, I've talked about thisbefore, but I felt like such a
bad vegan for so long because Ididn't like nutritional yeast.
I thought it just had thisweird aftertaste.
Do you know what I'm talkingabout?
Quinn (02:46):
Same.
Yeah, I mean I've had the samething going through my mind when
I turned vegan.
I tried as well as like, yeah,what is this?
I don't get it.
Okay, maybe I'm not supposed tobe doing this, because I want
that cheese taste.
Yeah, then you direct metowards NutriLicious.
And all is right in the worldnow.
Ella Magers (03:05):
It does feel like that.
Quinn (03:06):
Yes, it's just With a relief.
It would definitely be with arelief.
Ella Magers (03:10):
Right, and now I'm kind of.
You know there are healthyaddictions and I would have to
say that Nutri-licious is one ofthem.
And now they've come out withall these new flavors and, of
course, truffle is one of mymost favorite flavors of all
times and now they have atruffle Nutrilicious.
Quinn (03:28):
Yes, and I actually made some gnocchi last night with it,
made a cream sauce with thetrufflelicious and some plant
milk that I make and somemushrooms, and it was divine,
chalks off divine, super easy tomake and just incredibly
delicious.
And yeah, I'm in.
I mean I knew I was going to bein, but it was a very easy win.
Ella Magers (03:49):
Yeah, and the truffle-icious is cool too,
because it's not just thenutritional yeast, it's also
made with cashews.
So when you put it with like aplant milk it makes a cheese
sauce like really easily.
Quinn (04:02):
Instantly.
It couldn't be any easier andtasty.
Yeah, it was mind-blowing, andyeah, the gnocchi is going on
the menu.
Ella Magers (04:10):
So now a potato.
Was it a potato gnocchi?
Yeah, there are different kindsof gnocchis, isn't there?
Quinn (04:15):
certainly is.
But yeah, we rice the potatoes.
That's putting it through thisbig press.
It breaks it down.
Add some flour, a little justegg and roll it out and then a
quick little boil and add thatcream sauce and it was
incredible.
Ella Magers (04:30):
Amazing, then you know last episode.
So this is our second of threeencore episodes.
You guys, you've got one moreafter this.
This is an encore episodebecause we didn't know we would
be coming out with more Rise andThrive, but here we are.
Didn't know we would be comingout with more Rise and Thrive,
but here we are.
And a lot happened since thelast episode, the 50th episode,
which we thought was going to bethe last one, including me and
(04:53):
I mentioned this in the lastepisode or the last intro, about
my ACL totally tearing my ACLfully and having reconstruction
surgery on it.
I am now at week six, so Imentioned that last time.
But I have to just give alittle update of one thing that
you know we always look at thelessons learned from all these
(05:14):
things and you know, one of thereasons I'm so excited to be in
a relationship with you, quinn,is that we're just on such kind
of powerful paths of personalevolution, right, and I feel
like this ACL tear was a way toreally prove the progress I've
(05:34):
made in my life with myrelationship with food and my
body, because I know 15 yearsago this would have I don't want
to say like it's maybe a littletoo traumatic to say destroyed
me, but kind of.
It would have been really awhole different experience.
I would have immediately goneto a place of anxiety, probably
(05:56):
depression.
I would have thought about, oh,the weight I'm going to gain if
I'm not working out, because Ihad this relationship with
working out, even though I lovedit.
It was also a way to burn offcalories and kind of a
punishment for overeating.
And I was caught still inrestrict overeating cycles and
disordered eating and distortedbody image and all those things
and this type of injury.
And I know because I had one atthat time as well.
(06:18):
I had a stress fracture of thehead, of my femur, so basically
a pretty bad stress fracture atmy hip and it spiraled me
downward.
And I think you could attest tothis, quinn, that this
experience, I mean I've beenpretty damn positive, if I do
say so myself.
Quinn (06:35):
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Ella Magers (06:36):
Big step.
Quinn (06:37):
Yeah, that's great to see and watch and be a part of.
Ella Magers (06:40):
Thanks, yeah, you know all these people that we're
interviewing in Rise and Thriveand all the episodes of the
Vegan Life Coach podcast.
It's all about inspiration.
It's all about helping you allon your paths of personal
evolution.
It just brings me a lot of joyto be putting these episodes out
and to have a partner in mylife now you know that I didn't
(07:01):
start out with who's also on areally powerful path.
Quinn (07:04):
That's you now you know that I didn't start out with
who's also on a really powerfulpath.
That's you.
Yeah, the trajectory is a lotof fun to see, and just seeing
us both grow through it all.
It's why we're here, apparently, because there are no
coincidences.
Ella Magers (07:14):
And love wins.
So there we go.
I think we can dive into theepisode now.
What?
Quinn (07:18):
do you think?
Ella Magers (07:21):
All right, let's do it, how's?
Christina (07:25):
it going, christina.
It's going really well.
How are you Ella?
It's been a long time since wesaw each other, even like this.
Ella Magers (07:30):
Yeah, right, time flies, but that was a while ago.
Yeah, where are you?
I love the background of you.
Christina (07:36):
I am in my house in Philadelphia.
Normally I am in Rome at thispoint of December, but my term
at culinary school is in themiddle, so I don't want to go to
Rome for just 10 days, so we'regoing for the month of February
instead.
But I never say no to teachingthis course, because we're the
only culinary school in theentire country that requires a
(07:57):
vegan, plant-based culinarycourse before they can graduate
with their bachelor's, whichmakes us visionary at the best.
So I get these students, afterfour years of classic French
deer in headlights for the firsttwo weeks, like what do you
mean, chef?
No butter, no eggs.
What do you mean, chef?
No.
Can I use cream in this?
No, can I use white flour?
No White sugar?
(08:18):
No, I gave you all thealternatives.
By week four, they are doingthings that you can't imagine
and they're so creative and theyend the course by saying why
didn't anybody tell us aboutthis?
Wow.
Ella Magers (08:32):
That's incredible.
Christina (08:33):
I'm so excited because I get to influence these
chefs who one day, if I ever goout to eat, will serve me in a
restaurant more than a bakedpotato.
Ella Magers (08:42):
Right, no, that's so interesting.
Or pasta with broccoli, right.
Christina (08:47):
Or my favorite, grilled zucchini.
Ella Magers (08:51):
Yeah, yeah, I mean that must be so scary at first
for somebody and then it's justlike gives them permission to
start thinking for themselvesand being creative.
I mean that has to feel reallygood at the end it does.
Christina (09:08):
And I also come to them from the prejudice, if you
will, of Chinese medicine.
So every class is that there'smore to your food than your food
, and they walk around going whydoesn't anybody ever teach us
this stuff?
Now I know why I feel like thisand now I know why my stomach
always hurts, and so it's kindof an interesting forced
(09:30):
self-reflection on 20 somethingyear olds that they may not be
ready to do, and some studentsare extremely uncomfortable.
The entire term I've had onestudent tell me that he hated me
because he had to cook this way.
I was like, okay, I had onestudent in this group who is a
challenge to me.
Their final has to be communityservice, so they have to find a
charity, prepare a meal andserve it either to the clients
(09:51):
of the charity or the staff ofthe charity, whoever they prefer
.
So they've chosen somethingcalled Broad Street Ministries,
which feeds the homeless.
So they're going to do a mealand deliver it because it's not
far from the school.
So one of my students said thisis great, we can make like a
roast chicken and macaroni andcheese.
And one of the other, hercolleague, said I think we have
(10:12):
to do vegan food for this class.
And she said, yeah, but this isfor people outside of here who
would want to eat that.
And I said well, you not onlyjust failed today, but I'm going
to expect a really high barfrom you, and she does really
nice food too.
But her head trip is who reallywants to eat this if they don't
(10:32):
have to?
Ella Magers (10:34):
Interesting.
Christina (10:35):
Yeah, wow, she's slowly changing, but yeah, no,
it's a program.
We say we meet people on thebridge and help them cross.
Yeah, I'm yanking her across.
Ella Magers (10:48):
Yeah, so one of the recent episodes I recorded was
with Paul Rodney Turner Are youfamiliar with?
Yeah, I just got his book inthe mail Food Yoga.
I just have so much respect andI want to get on this episode
too because you have such abroad range of training and
background and I want to talkall about that.
But before we get there, I wantto talk all about that, but
before we get there, I want toknow.
You know you are a very busywoman and you have so much like
(11:11):
on your bio and all theaccomplishments you've had and
the projects and the TV show andall the accolades.
But behind all of that, who isChristina?
Who are you?
Christina (11:22):
I'm really quite simple.
What you see is what you get.
I mean, when people meet me,the first thing they say is oh,
you're just like her on TV andI'm like, I'm not an actress.
I am Irish and Italian Italianfirst, because that's where the
cooking came from and I comefrom a family of yellers and I'm
very noise sensitive.
I'm always my whole life aschild, you know the yelling.
(11:43):
You would find me in the closetuntil everyone was done.
But I noticed in the kitchen noone yelled.
They sang, they drank coffee,and my grandmother was the
youngest of 17.
There were nine sisters and sobetween them and my mother and
my mother's sister, there wereat least 10 people in my kitchen
all the time cooking andsomehow had this symphonic
(12:03):
rhythm of moving around eachother.
There was no crashing into eachother.
No, how did you get in my way?
Get around.
It was amazing to watch and Ithought as a little little girl
this is where I want to be.
It's peaceful, it's great, thefood's amazing.
Everybody's so happy when theyeat.
This is it?
So my dad built me a stool andpainted little vegetables on it,
and I used to stand next to mymother and do things like roll
(12:27):
meatballs or stir the soup orwhatever minor task they could
give you that wouldn't hurt youor the food.
And then eventually your jobsbecame more and more complicated
.
And then, when I was 16, Istarted in kitchens the chef
that hired me because women werenot.
I've been a vegan for 40 yearsthis year actually 41 years next
(12:48):
April and a vegetarian beforethat.
So my family likes to say thatI never had the DNA to eat meat,
because I just always hated itand would wrap it in a napkin
and put it under my leg or giveit to the dog or something.
I just never really cared forit.
And then my dad was a butcherand when I was 14 and they were
still forcing me to eat meat, hehad the opportunity to work in
(13:09):
a slaughterhouse and make a tonof money.
And we had four kids in thefamily.
And my dad was six foot twoIrish muscle, the personality of
a golden retriever, like alwayshappy, always, always happy,
happy to see his family, hiskids, his friends.
Within an hour of leaving to goto that job, came back in tears,
his huge shoulders shaking atthe table, saying to my mother I
(13:30):
know we need the money, I can'tdo it.
I can't look in their eyes anddo it.
There's our living creaturesand for that, for six months
after that, we didn't eat meatin our house.
He would not bring it home.
And then my mother one day saidto him I'm either going to
write a cookbook 365 ways tocook broccoli or you're going to
bring home some meat.
And they kind of went back andI never did and they never tried
to make me go back.
(13:51):
But then I became a junk foodvegetarian.
You know, oreos are vegan andDiet Dr Pepper and that typical
teenage.
I'm not eating this.
I'm not eating all thevegetables we grow in our big
Italian garden, right,vegetables we grow in our big
Italian garden, right.
Left home at 18, totally donewith this whole chain to the
stove thing my mother did, asI'm off to become a chef, got my
first job in a kitchen when Iwas 16, washing vegetables, then
(14:14):
dicing onions, then shreddingcabbage, and then the chef
turned to me.
One day I'll never forget thisguy as long as I live, although
I can't remember his name saidaren't you the vegetarian?
Yeah, so your next job, if youreally want this job, you'll
clean the insides out ofroasting chickens All day.
That's all I did for threemonths.
I was a wreck.
And then at the end of that hesaid you must really want this
(14:37):
job, don't ever leave my side.
I'll teach you everything Iknow From him.
I ended up in pastry, which wasgreat because I loved baking.
It was like the job that wasmade for me Then, when I was 20,
then my mother passed away at49 from colon cancer because of
smoking and coffee and eatingjunk and along with the
vegetables from the garden, mymother lived on chocolate and
(14:59):
coffee and cigarettes mostly.
So she passed away and I movedto Philadelphia and thought that
I was in grief and it turnedout I was diagnosed, six months
after she died, with what wouldbe considered stage four
leukemia and it was sort of likelooking up at the heavens and
going, holy shit, are youkidding?
Like are you kidding.
(15:19):
So they gave me six to ninemonths and I met the man that I
married in that process whointroduced me to macrobiotics,
and I remember the first time wemet he said you really have to
change what you eat.
And I said well, I'm avegetarian, duh, I don't eat any
of that.
And then he went through thislaundry list.
Do you drink soda?
Yes.
Do you eat sugar?
(15:40):
Yes, do you?
The whole?
It's like, oh yeah, okay, Iguess I could do some changing.
So then from there I got intomacrobiotics and Chinese
medicine and discovered therewas more to food than food and
in 14 months my blood was cancerfree.
But there was still a bunch ofhealing that had to happen
physically and spiritually.
And you know, I remembermeeting the teacher who became
(16:01):
my teacher, michio Kushi, andhim saying you really will never
be fully better until you takeresponsibility for your illness.
And I remember thinking, ohyeah, like at 26, I woke up and
said, hey, man, let's get cancer, that'll make life fun.
But I always felt like you'reprobably too young to remember.
But there used to be a TV showwhere David Carradine played
(16:22):
some kind of Kung Fu guru, andhe had a guru who always told
him, as grasshopper, to goreflect.
And every time I was with myteacher I always felt like he
was telling me go reflect,grasshopper.
And so I did and studied withhim, studied Chinese medicine.
And then one day my husband saidwell, what do you want to do
now?
I'd like to go sit in oncologyoffices and tell them there's a
(16:44):
better way.
And he's like well, hon, wedon't have the bail money for
that, so find something else.
So I went back to my teacherand he said why don't you teach
cooking?
And I thought, oh, teachcooking, I mean, I guess.
But is that just because I'm awoman?
That's what we do, black.
But then, as I thought about it, I thought, well, I could talk
to you for four hours about acarrot, every bit of nutrition,
(17:08):
its energetic quality, all of it, and then you leave me and you
still don't know how to cookthat carrot.
I gave you nothing, but if Icould do both, then I'm doing
(17:28):
something.
And so I realized that at 14, Ibecame a vegetarian for animals,
and certainly that still isalways in your brain.
Then I moved to veganism forhuman health.
That has also changed for me,not that I don't care about
humans.
Sometimes I feel like, asvegans, we lack compassion for
the one animal that needs it themost, which is us.
But at the same time I thoughtit's bigger than us.
Now the planet's on fire.
It's way bigger than us.
Now it's about listen, you needto stop eating meat.
(17:50):
I don't care if you don't careif you get heart disease, but I
do care that my godchildren'schildren won't have a planet.
I do care about that.
So the vision has become verybig picture in my world.
And while we still have a lot offun, I was raised by a hippie
mother, so when you say who am I, I guess I've turned into her.
(18:14):
We drove 45 minutes to recyclenewspaper and any cans that we
used.
We had to turn the water offwhen we brushed our teeth.
We didn't waste, you know, anda lot of it was about money.
But my mother also was a bigfan of the Rodales and read
Prevention Magazine and allthese.
By the time I left home I wasexhausted about hearing about
the environment, and that was inthe 70s.
So that's how much nothing haschanged, because now I'm the mom
(18:36):
lecturing and saying turn offthe water while you brush your
teeth, doing the whole.
So I feel like cooking and somelevel of social activism and
justice is in my DNA.
That's who we were as a family.
We talked about it all the timeand not only talked, we did
stuff.
I could send you photos of meas a little girl with this wild
(18:57):
pink curly hair and sandwichboards on me Don't drop bombs on
me, don't pollute my water.
And my mom would say go getdressed.
We're going to a parade, okay,and she'd put this thing on me
and there'd be all these kidswalking around with these.
It's like, I mean, I guessthat's who I am.
I mean, I have pictures of thatand go to the opera and I don't
(19:18):
know.
Yeah, do you have pictures ofthat?
I'd have to find them, butsomewhere they do exist.
My brother might have them, butsomewhere they exist.
And it's like, really, and Iremember as a little little girl
that my brother got a cowboyoutfit and I got a cowgirl
outfit, of course, and they hadguns on the hip, and I remember
taking the gun and saying to mydad I don't want this part, and
(19:41):
I would walk around with theempty, which was quite yeah,
yeah, I don't know.
Ella Magers (19:47):
Wow, that's pretty incredible.
Christina (19:49):
Yeah, that's who we are.
I say we because it's like myhusband and I are like attached
it, we're one unit.
So it's the life we builttogether.
And people always say to me tothis day I mean, you love
marriage.
I'm like, no, I like marriageto him because we like each
other, we respect each other, wehave the same vision for the
world.
So our passions are not onlypersonal but they're global and
(20:10):
so together we can do what we dowithout I don't know, there's
not a lot of strife in my life.
I mean, there's a lot of bigpicture worry.
There's not a lot of groundlevel stress.
There's just not.
We both do our thing, we bothstay in our lanes and the
business and yeah.
Ella Magers (20:26):
How do you compare this big level stress that
you're talking about now, inthis big picture that you're
really focused on, with thestress of the cancer and facing
your own death?
How does that relate?
Christina (20:39):
You know, at 26, I mean, I was anyway at 26, I was
still quite high level of anidiot.
You know, it's like it's not,I'm not really going to die.
It's like being in a bad movie.
I was afraid of it.
But my fear was quickly takenaway because I didn't do
treatments, I didn't go to thehospital, I didn't lose my hair,
I didn't do chemotherapy, Iused food and I figured I'm
(20:59):
either here or I'm gone, youknow.
And I became very existentialabout it in a way.
I met my teacher really early.
My husband was always theresupporting me and the minute I
went into remission I thought,okay, there's something to this,
this whole acid and alkalinething.
And I remember the doctorsaying you're not going to stay
in, you're not going to stay inremission.
And I was like, okay, and thenI'd go out of remission for the
(21:21):
first nine months.
It was kind of this in and out.
And then finally, when I stayedin remission, they said, well,
you're having something that wecall spontaneous regression and
we don't know why it happens,but it's not going to stay, so
don't get too excited.
And even when they couldn'tfind leukemia in my blood
anymore, I remember them sayingyou know this probably won't
last.
And I remember thinkingshouldn't you guys be happier,
(21:45):
seriously?
So I had that outrage that youcan have in your twenties.
But there wasn't a whole lot ofI could die, cause I kind of
never believed I would and I hada lot of support around me and
friends and family and my futurehusband.
Now I could lose sleep Now if Iread news or I never watch news
, but if I read news beforegoing to sleep at night.
That's it, I'm done.
I pace all night because Ithink there's only so much one
person can do.
(22:06):
But if everybody did what theycould do, it would change.
If everybody voted, ifeverybody recycled, if everybody
stopped eating meat, and sothen I could lose sleep.
I mean, I'm older, so I kind ofwon't be here for the worst of
it, unless I live to be 150, butother people will.
(22:27):
And what I guess shocks anddisappoints me the most and does
make me lose sleep is not themanufacturers who pollute.
They're going to do that.
It's all about profit for them.
But what shocks and disappointsme is the fact that we can bury
our heads in the sandcollectively and think it's
going to be okay, we don't haveto do anything.
We don't have to changeanything, we don't have to do
anything.
It's going to be okay and Ithink, but it's not.
(22:48):
But it's impossible.
And I travel a lot, which I alsostress over, because we do all
these wonderful things to saveenergy and don't pollute.
And then I get on a plane andyou're like, darn, couldn't they
make these more sustainable?
But then you get to othercountries and I was just telling
(23:14):
a friend of this.
Yesterday I was in Pugliafilming and every apartment,
house and city has differentbins out One for plastic, one
for paper, one for organic food,one for mixed trash and one for
glass and metal.
And your house is numbered andso you put a different trash out
every day Monday is paper,tuesday is whatever, and then by
the end of the week all yourtrash is out and you start over.
If you mess up, you get a letterfrom the city.
If you mess up again, you get astrong letter.
(23:35):
Then you start being fineduntil you get it together and
start recycling.
This country of Italy alone haslowered their greenhouse gas
emissions by 60% over the lastfive years, but they still
suffer heat wave and drought andall sorts of effects of climate
change because India, china andyours truly collectively have
(23:56):
not.
So until we can kind of get ourheads around the fact that
every action we take, everypiece of plastic we throw in the
trash, every plastic waterbottle we think doesn't make a
difference, makes a differencesomewhere for somebody.
So that's what I lose sleepover.
I mean literally could losesleep over it.
Ella Magers (24:16):
And what I love I was watching some of the
episodes of your show is I lovehow you so are able to work in
this, messaging right into acooking show, and I mean you
talk about factory farming, youtalk about sustainability, you
are at the kitchen cooking,really entertaining the show.
How many seasons are you on now?
Christina (24:37):
Oh, our first show went on the air at the end of
1997.
So we're in.
I don't know.
I don't know how many.
We've produced over 300episodes.
Let's say that incredible.
Ella Magers (24:46):
Yeah and yeah.
So you know you so artfully dothat, you so artfully work that
in.
It's really remarkable.
Christina (24:55):
So everybody, well, from the day we started
developing the show literallyfrom the day we started.
I remember my husband sittingin production meetings with our
very first producers now weself-produce and saying to them
we are not a cooking show.
Food is the vehicle for themessage to get out there that
there's a better way to look atfood, a better relationship to
(25:15):
have with food, the planet,whatever Like.
The message has never, everchanged.
You could go back to a showfrom 1998, which will have me
hair looking like I'm going tothe prom and I never knew you
could say I don't really likethis.
I always thought I could getfired.
I forgot it was my show andmore Asian oriented food to now
(25:37):
more Mediterranean and morecasual cooking.
So it's more accessible.
The message never changed and Itry not to, although I have
emails that I do.
Do this.
Try not to be too luxury, youknow, finger in the face,
because then they just grab theremote and they're out.
Quinn (25:54):
Right.
Christina (25:55):
And sometimes they're out because they know it's the
truth, right?
So I do try to couch it in alittle bit of humor or within a
recipe, because food is sexy andso you know you can kind of
suck people in.
But I mean, my husband justtold me today that he said
there's an email you have toaddress from the website which I
(26:16):
do as often as I can and thisone's nasty that animal
agriculture does not pollute.
And where's my proof?
So it's like, well, here's allthe links, here's's all the
links, here you go.
But you know when they're meanabout it, well, it certainly
hurts your feelings, certainlyhurts your feelings.
It's also because they know.
They know.
So you always have to like, asI feel I'm being gutted by
(26:37):
somebody being mean, I also haveto always try to remember ah,
this really isn't about me atall.
Absolutely like I postedsomething about climate change.
I was in Italy and it was theyellow fog that was here from
the wildfires in Canada, and Isaid I feel so bad for my home
city and somebody wrote onInstagram you should get cancer
(26:57):
and die.
Climate change is not real.
And I was like okay, well,there you go, just pull that
lever when you vote, we know whoyou are, you know, so it's kind
of like, but you go, wow,really Wow.
Reactions are so strong and soextreme that I'm also careful,
because you know we live in acrazy time.
Ella Magers (27:17):
Sure yeah, and being careful with your energy
too, and who you spend too muchenergy responding to.
I find that people that arethat angry, I mean they have a
commitment to keeping a wall up,oh yeah.
And so, no matter what theresponse is, as logical and kind
as it might be, they're readyto reject it immediately.
Christina (27:38):
I mean one of my culinary students.
Just the other day I wastelling a friend yesterday.
I asked them because they werea little blasé in the beginning.
I'm like, wow, this is going tobe like pulling teeth, this
group.
So I said to them what are youpassionate about?
And one of them said I'mpassionate about being angry.
To which I said, wow, I hopeyou don't own a gun.
I was just at 22.
You're this angry, you know?
And interestingly, if myteacher were still alive he
(28:00):
would say because no one'seating vegetables.
There's no moisture to put outyour internal fire, nothing's
softening you, because everyoneyou meet almost is right at the
boiling point Every second ofevery day.
It must be exhausting who weare as a culture.
Ella Magers (28:16):
At this point in your life, what?
What's the first thing youthink about when you wake up in
the morning?
What gets you out of bed?
Christina (28:23):
my work and my husband makes the best breakfast
.
Oh yeah, Tell us.
So we get up early in themorning, we work for a while and
then we eat breakfast sort oflater in the day, Cause I'm not
an early eater.
In the morning I get up.
First thing I want to do isQigong.
What sets the tone for my dayis waking up in the morning and
meditating for 10 minutes andthen 10 minutes at night,
(28:43):
because I really can't go longerthan that.
I don't have the bandwidth.
I never did.
I was never a good meditator.
But Qigong is moving so it'skind of like I'm good with it.
So that's kind of really whatwakes me up in the morning.
Ella Magers (28:58):
Do you do the seated meditation or the Qigong
as meditation, qigong asmeditation, okay.
Christina (29:04):
But also, you know the way we live our life gets us
out of bed in the morning.
We always wake up.
I mean, he's the first face Iwant to see in.
The last face I want to see atnight, but somehow within the
first 10 minutes of being awakewe're laughing about something,
and it's always something stupid.
I don't know what, but I wouldnever even begin to tell you
because I'd say and you'd go wow, they're morons.
(29:25):
But we have a great deal of joyin our house and in our life.
So that's kind of what reallystarts the day.
And then he makes a verytraditional savory breakfast.
Robert's been practicingmacrobiotics since 1968.
So for him, like this is hislife, this is how he does it.
Even when he worked outside ofour business, he made breakfast.
He'd get up an hour earlier todo it.
Ella Magers (29:50):
Can you?
Christina (29:50):
explain macrobiotics real quick.
So macrobiotics is whole,seasonal foods, plant-based,
cooked in accordance to yourhealth, lifestyle and condition.
Now, within macrobiotics and Iget a lot of stuff from vegans
about this macrobiotics is notnecessarily vegan.
I choose it to be.
I would say 90% of macrobioticpeople do choose it to be
(30:14):
plant-based.
But there is a small segment ofmacrobiotic teaching that says
there are some people who losetheir strength, lose their
vitality, lose their ability toget their muscle back and
temporarily use animal food withgratitude to restore them.
In macrobiotics, human healthcomes above everything else.
(30:36):
Not with disregard, not listen.
I feel weak today.
I think I need a burger.
It's not that, it's medicinalIf that's a really strong word
therapeutic maybe.
I never needed it, never feltlike I did.
It was recommended for me veryoften when I was sick you should
be eating fish, you should buya roast beef, put it in the oven
and when the blood comes out,drink that blood.
(30:56):
And I'd be like listen, I'm nota vampire, I'm not doing that.
And I managed.
I still struggle with anemia.
I mean, you can see how I'mpale.
I still struggle with anemia.
I don't care, I manage.
My body has adapted.
I'll be 68 next week I'm good,you're 68?
.
Next week, 67.
Still Hold on.
Ella Magers (31:16):
Oh, sorry, sorry, sorry, wow.
You kept saying your age andthen you've been vegan for 40
years, but wow.
Christina (31:24):
I know the math didn't work.
You're like, wait, what?
Yeah?
So that's what macrobiotics is.
Macrobiotics is eating inaccordance to your health and
condition, but the primary goalof macrobiotics is to become an
organism that lives in harmonywith nature.
Because in Chinese medicine youprobably know this there are
two conditions ease and dis-ease, which has become disease.
(31:45):
In Chinese medicine, if you'resick, you've just become too
uncomfortable in yourenvironment and your environment
is trying to get rid of you.
In Chinese medicine, the mostcommon colors of illness are
blue and green, the twopredominant colors of nature.
So when you become ill withdegenerative disease, mother
nature is just basically tryingto turn you back into compost,
(32:05):
because she's kind of done withus and the fact that we don't
listen.
And I was one of them at 26, Ineeded a safe dropped on my head
.
I thought I wasmisenvironmental because I
carried a canvas bag to thestore.
I still bought things inplastic containers.
I still bought mascara inplastic, in a paper thing that
got taught.
It's like we still were sounconscious.
(32:26):
I mean I was, but the safe onthe head was like no, okay, okay
, now I need to wake up or I'mgoing to be out of here.
So macrobiotics is more thanjust what we don't do.
It's more about what we do.
It's more about being proactiveabout your health, and my
teacher used to always say thatwhen your internal environment
became clean or balanced, youhad no choice but to be more
(32:50):
conscious in the world, to becompassionate, to be kind, to
not take life because youcouldn't bear it.
And he's right.
The more years that I practicedmacrobiotics, even as a vegan,
the more intolerant I am ofinjustice, of the voiceless not
having a shot, the injustice ofpeople who are making decisions
(33:12):
for people who were not evenelected to their office but
appointed by some autocrat inthe making, and it's sort of
like it becomes less tolerablefor you.
So for me, macrobiotics andveganism kind of go hand in hand
.
But for me I learned aboutnutrition through macrobiotics
and Chinese medicine more than Idid when I was a vegan, and
(33:33):
I've kind of blended the twowith Mediterranean cooking and
my Italian relatives wisdom intothis weird minestrone.
Ella Magers (33:43):
That has become my work, right?
Don't you use the term macro,macroterranean, macroterranean?
Yes, I love that.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, my husbandcame up with that.
That's good, that's good.
Okay, back to breakfast.
Christina (33:55):
Oh.
So for him, he makes miso soupevery morning.
As a woman and many women findthis I find that miso soup in
the morning makes me hungry allday, so I have miso soup later
in the day.
But then he makes a soft wholegrain porridge, millet, brown
rice, farro, quinoa, whateverstrikes his fancy, a mix, and
(34:16):
then we have a protein which iseither red lentils or split fava
beans or tofu or tempeh, and avegetable stew of whatever's in
season.
It could be summer vegetablesin the summer, or now it's like
it's cold here, so it's wintersquash, rutabaga, you know,
together and always, alwayssteamed or boiled greens,
because that's what gives youvitality and good skin and every
(34:37):
nutrient we could ever need.
So our breakfasts are enormousand then lunch is on me, lunch
is usually right now I havesplit fava beans cooking that
I'll serve with sauteed greensand a big chunk of bread.
And dinner we eat late becausewe both come from European
families, so dinner's like eight30.
So it's a bowl of soup, a chunkof bread, bowl of soup and a
salad kind of thing, and then wewatch a foreign film and that's
(35:00):
our day.
Like that's when we leave ourhouse at five 30 every day for
the gym, and then that's it.
We're done, we don't go back towork, we don't answer the phone
anymore.
And then it becomes whatItalian or French thing will we
watch?
To turn off the TV and besmarter when it's over?
Ella Magers (35:17):
Okay.
Christina (35:18):
So that's my life, in a nutshell, unless I'm working,
and then it's craziness.
Ella Magers (35:23):
Okay, all right.
And what kind of bread are youeating?
Christina (35:27):
Sourdough from a local bakery, or that we make
Sourdough whole grain from alocal bakery.
A bitey bread.
Ella Magers (35:33):
How do you help people overcome this carb phobia
?
Christina (35:37):
that is so rampant.
Well, I go to a one-off gym thatwe used to call a duh gym.
It's keto.
Everywhere it's paleo.
There were four guys who usedto be members that would order a
whole cow and split it so thatthey would have enough meat for
a month.
They ate 60 eggs a week, and sothere's places where I just
(35:57):
don't you know, I just don't,and I'm also after so many years
of doing what I do.
I say nothing unless you ask me.
You don't want to eat carbs,don't eat carbs.
But if you ask me, then I'llgive you all the science that
you need to help you understandthat white flour and brown rice
are not the same carbohydrate.
And the same thing will go withgluten.
The same thing goes withprotein.
(36:18):
Somebody just asked me at anevent last Friday, something
I've heard God, I wish, I reallywish I had a nickel every time
I've heard it that where do Iget my protein?
So I just take off my chef coat, show them my biceps and say,
really, so that some myths willnever leave us.
And the problem is and thereason we have these myths in my
(36:38):
opinion, this is just the way Isee it is that we are
constantly looking for the oneingredient that is the cause of
everything that's wrong with usobesity, diabetes, stroke, heart
disease, all of it.
We can never, as a culture,look at our diet as a big
picture and say it's all of it.
It's not the white bread youwould eat today when you were
(36:59):
out with a friend, it's not themilk in your coffee, it's all of
it.
It's all of it, and that's toobig for people.
So I'm very much of the approachthat, because I get the email
all the time, can I make yourBrussels sprout dish to go with
my chicken breast?
Well, I wouldn't.
But if it gets you eating avegetable, I'm in.
(37:20):
That gets me in a lot oftrouble with vegans because I'll
take whatever I can get fromyou.
The longer I do this, the moremy philosophy has become.
If I could just convincemothers that choosy mothers
would not choose Jif, I coulddie happy.
Their tagline since I was a kidchoosy mothers choose Jif.
Have you read the label?
So my bar gets a little bitlower every time.
Ella Magers (37:44):
It was meeting people where they are right.
I mean you try to meet peoplewhere they are, but I mean you
try to meet people where theyare.
Christina (37:48):
But then the food industry which are not farmers
and ranchers, but the foodindustry comes up with something
new every year to sell us moreand make us more afraid of
something else.
So somebody said to me theother day what about all this
stuff?
You hear now about lectins andlentils and I'm like, really,
really, you'd never read anarticle about what's really in a
(38:09):
McDonald's milkshake.
But we're going to worry aboutthe lectins and lentils that are
neutralized when you cook them.
Unless you're eating rawlentils, you're probably okay,
right?
Or the oxalates.
Or the oxalates, yes, theseminute little ingredients, but
they've done it for decades.
When I was a teenager, one ofthe things we drank was a soda
called Fresca.
And suddenly there was anarticle and it was considered
(38:32):
healthy because it was no sugarand right, so everybody was
drinking Fresca.
Then there was an article thatthe cyclamates and Fresca would
kill you.
So now no one's drinking it.
All our mothers took our sodaaway and at the same time then
you read an article by theRodales who say by the way,
you'd have to drink two cases ofFresca each and every day in
order for the cyclamates to doto you what they're saying.
(38:53):
So nothing's changed.
They're always looking for someway.
I guess people are easilymanipulated if you can make them
scared and if you can make them.
Ella Magers (39:02):
It's fear, all fear , based Absolutely.
Christina (39:05):
So there's nothing wrong with carbohydrates.
Certainly more refined onesaffect you differently than
non-refined ones.
So that's the discussion I haveconstantly in my life.
I mean, my oldest and dearestfriend hasn't had a carbohydrate
in 12 years.
She's completely dysfunctionalaround food, but she eats things
that I go, wow, okay, yeah, Ifight every day of my life with
(39:26):
every person that I knew Can'tdo it.
I don't have the personalityfor it, not the energy.
I have the energy.
I just don't want to live likethat.
Ella Magers (39:35):
Yeah, one of the other things I really enjoy
about this season in the show isthe cultural aspects that you
bring in and what we can learnfrom the Italian culture, the
less stress.
I love how you talk about thetype A personality.
I bet Can type A.
I mean it's the best, yeah,it's the best.
Christina (39:53):
Can you tell about that?
Yeah Well, we have a travelcompany on the side of
everything else we do, becauseit's really fun and it's
interesting to watch Americansland in Italy for the first time
and everything is like, oh myGod, are they always this slow?
(40:14):
Oh, I'm sorry, are they slow?
It's called enjoyment and likefor me, I can't wait to get off
that plane in Rome and lingerover this much espresso, because
that's what you do.
Their philosophy is thatcertainly we all have to work,
we have to work, we have to makemoney, keep a roof over our
heads, stay healthy, but life isto be enjoyed, not endured, and
so their image of us is that welive to work.
They work enough to live, andthey would rather take a walk at
5.30 before dinner than put inanother hour in the office.
(40:38):
And do they get stuff done?
They do.
I mean, I watch my crews herein this country and if I say, oh
, you know, it would be cool, mycrews here in this country, and
if I say, oh, you know it wouldbe cool, could we like that and
move over there and do thestand up there?
It takes three hours.
They have to think about it.
Maybe we should.
And I'm like, oh, not threehours, that's a little
(40:59):
exaggeration.
But you're like, wow, really,my Italian crew.
We arrived at a vineyard to filmand it was supposed to rain.
It hadn't yet.
So the vineyard, on their own,said let's move inside to this
beautiful little building wehave that way, if it rains, it
won't matter.
I was cooking with the chef andI said, yeah, but it's a white
wall that we're up against.
We could be anywhere.
So they said well, what if weturn the table, you can see the
(41:22):
vineyard behind us.
My director of photography fromItaly said no, let's go outside
In 15 minutes.
They had that covered, uscovered with plastic in case it
rained.
The lighting changed, the thingset up and we started filming
in 15 minutes.
So I never want to hear Italiansare inefficient, don't do their
job.
They're amazing For me twothings they have life and
(41:45):
perspective, and as Americans,we have a very naive belief that
we can control the chaos aroundus.
They know they can, so theyeither embrace it or move around
it.
So when I say, type meh, theywork very hard to get it done,
but at the end of the day, ifthey didn't get to everything on
their list.
Their life doesn't end.
They're gonna go to dinner anddo it again tomorrow.
(42:06):
We don't sleep, we'll stay uptill four o'clock in the morning
to get that thing done.
So for me I feel much morebalanced and natural there, the
way I move through life, the wayI cook, than I do here.
And I'm a born and raisedAmerican.
I'm not European.
I was raised by Europeanparents, but I'm not European.
It just feels.
(42:30):
Sometimes I feel like my countryare like a bunch of drunks on a
bus with no brakes and we'restill singing party songs as it
heads toward a cliff.
And I don't mean to be like adowner, I just think we need to
wake up.
We just need to be awake.
If we just were awake we couldsolve everything, everything.
We're just waiting for somebodyelse to do it, and I'm not sure
why.
Just do it.
Get up in your life, in your dayand do it.
(42:51):
Do something that makes adifference.
I don't care if it's take yourneighbor grocery shopping or
smile at a stranger.
Do something to the tiniestthing changes somebody's day and
that person will changesomebody else's day and somebody
else's day and before you knowit, you have a changed community
.
Because if we think that theway we consume, the way our
(43:13):
country behaves, will changefrom the top down, it's never
been that way.
We're a country built from thebottom up, we're a country built
on revolution.
So what happened to that spiritof I can do this, we can be
better, we can make this better?
Now we're just too busy, caughtin our own tribes, in our own
corners, in our own bubbles, inour own anger.
(43:35):
I don't know, and I don't knowhow to put this genie back in
the bottle.
I'm not that good.
I don't know how to change it,except one person at a time.
Start with yourself.
Ella Magers (43:44):
Right, yeah, and I think everything you're saying
makes so much sense and I thinkpart of the messaging that I try
to use is you know, people doneed a reason, sometimes a
selfish reason, absolutely.
But it feels so good to do goodTo me, it feels really good to
live purposefully andmeaningfully, and Dalai Lama
(44:07):
famously said if you can't docharity for charity, do charity
to fill your karma bank becauseyou'll feel so good doing it.
Christina (44:15):
You won't care how full your karma bank is.
And so I use that a lot withpeople.
Well, you know who cares.
I don't have time to volunteer.
Actually you do, and it feelsso good that.
And to look in the mirror andthink I didn't do any harm today
, I didn't hurt an animal, Ididn't say anything mean, you
know, I didn't do anything, thatI mean I'm maybe somewhere
(44:35):
unconsciously but to consciouslycause harm, you think, well,
okay, all right, I'm okay, I'llwake up tomorrow and I'll do it
again.
I don't have anything to beashamed of today.
Tomorrow, who knows, but todayI don't have anything to be
ashamed of.
So often when I get like anangry email from somebody, I
think so often when I get likean angry email from somebody, I
(45:04):
think, first of all, that took alot of time.
They had to write it, spell,check it and decide I'm sending
it.
So you're really angry at I'mpretty benign on TV, you know, I
cook, I make jokes'll turnpeople off, so I kind of save
that for live events and watchpeople walk out.
But it's okay, it's okay, it'sokay.
Sometimes, I think, if theywalk out, they heard you and
they just aren't ready to hearit yet, but they really heard
you and it gets stored in theirRolodex for later.
(45:24):
But I just feel like ifsomething this benign as food,
as cooking vegetables, can makeyou angry, we have a lot of work
to do.
We as in you, me, thiscommunity we have a lot of work
to do because in the past wewere not the most welcoming, we
were not the most compassionate.
We did create an image thatmakes people go, oh, oh, hold on
(45:49):
until they see that there's asoftness and a compassion that
is real and a kindness.
So I don't mind doing that work, I don't.
I don't mind going out thereand surprising people with
kindness and compassion at all.
I'd rather do that thansurprise them with oh, she's
really awful, she seems nice onTV, but wow.
Ella Magers (46:09):
So I keep some of that stuff for you but wow, so I
keep some of that stuff for you.
I'll take it.
I'll take it.
Do you create your own titles?
Christina (46:20):
to the show titles.
Ella Magers (46:21):
Cause they're really good.
I love it.
I do in my twisted brain, yes,yeah, no.
They're great titles and Iwould just a few of them once,
cause there ain't no planet,because I love that.
Christina (46:32):
But the truth is, I actually stole part of that.
There's a vegan restaurant inRome called Buddy and they all
wear t-shirts that say becausethere is no planet B, and I was
like and I said to them could Iuse that?
Quinn (46:45):
And they're like yeah, we didn't Sure Go ahead, I see,
that all the time.
Christina (46:49):
But they wear these t-shirts and the first time I
saw it I thought that's great,that's the greatest thing.
But most of them, yeah, comeout of my brain.
Ella Magers (46:59):
So amazing.
You've got the show.
Are there any other projects,anything else you want to share
with the audience?
We have a new book.
It's on the website, called VegEdibles.
Oh, you've got nine.
How many?
10 books, nine books, 10 books,13, 13 books 13.
Christina (47:13):
It's called Veg Edibles, which we just thought
was funny and I like that.
And we're actually we're indevelopment of always for a new
series, but we're in developmentfor a docu-series that we're
hoping to have meetings on whenwe go to Italy in February.
It's about the history of foodand it's the past of food, the
(47:33):
present of food.
But then the future of food iswhat path will we choose and the
results of those, whatever pathwe choose.
So we're pretty excited aboutthat.
It's really early, it probablywouldn't hit till 2025, but
we're working with theagriculture departments of Italy
, in Parma and in Tuscany and inRome, to kind of bring experts
(47:57):
together to talk about the pastand to talk about the present
and to talk about, you know, thedifferences in different
countries of what they're doingwith sustainability and organic
and how in other countries and Irealize other countries are
small, you know, all of Europeis kind of like the US, except
the different states arecountries and they all have
different cultures andphilosophies, but they all have
(48:17):
this seemingly deep, ancientcommitment to the quality of the
soil, the quality of the food,and certainly junk food has
crept in.
I was watching a video the otherday.
I was crying with laughter.
It was an Italian, american andan Italian going into the first
Starbucks that opened in Romeand they were talking and he was
saying to his Italian friend Icannot wait for you to try this.
(48:38):
There's so much variety, youcan have all these different
kinds of coffee drinks and theItalian's like, okay, but you
know, the best coffee shop inRome is right there and there's
no line because they were inthis big long line.
And he said I know, but you gotto try this.
So they go in and the Italianstanding there and his friend
goes what's up?
And he said what do you notsmell in here?
He goes what?
And he said this is a coffeeshop, right?
He said yeah, and he goes Idon't smell coffee.
(49:00):
So they end up having a niceexperience but then he takes
them to across the street to thecoffee shop.
So their commitment to thelittle things like why am I in a
coffee shop and I don't smellcoffee?
Or why would I buy this when Icould buy something fresh it's
still there.
It's deep seated in theirtradition and one of the biggest
fears that I have is that itcan be lost as younger
(49:22):
generations who love American,everything want to be like us
and that worries me.
Nutritionally, spiritually,that's fine.
Quinn (49:31):
Why do they want to be like us?
Christina (49:34):
Because they have this vision of us that when they
talk about it, I think whereexactly are we talking about?
Like what, right, right, butyou know.
And also they feel like we areable to produce and sell
tremendous amounts of food.
And they aren't, but they don'tfactory farm.
Well, they do on a very smalllevel, but they can't export
(49:59):
some things to us because wecan't export things to them
because they don't accept GMOs.
And this is really interestingdynamic of why can't we be more
in sync.
And it's because we don't wantthe same things.
So we want volume at any costand they want quality at any
cost.
So it's still so.
It's kind of an interestingdynamic.
So we do trips and I love mytime there and it's interesting
watching American tourists relaxas the days go on, you know,
(50:22):
and kind of fall into thelifestyle.
So that's always very fun forus.
Ella Magers (50:26):
Yeah, I bet Amazing .
And where can people find youconnect, you watch your show.
Christina (50:30):
Everything's Christina Cooks the show, the
website, instagram, facebook.
Yeah, everything's Christina.
Ella Magers (50:36):
Cooks.
We'll put the links in the shownotes.
Of course, Christina, you rock.
Thank you so much.
I'm so happy to talk to you,Ella.
Yes, it's been so much fun.
Christina (50:44):
I hope we do it again one day.
And I just want to say beforewe close that I have watched you
for a while and I'm not I'mgoing to try to not I'm so proud
of you and the work you do.
Keep it up, because you'reyoung and you're gorgeous, and
if somebody doesn't look at youand go, yeah, I want some of
that, you're crazy.
So keep doing it.
You have a huge fan here.
(51:05):
Oh, I don't know why.
Anyway, sorry, thank you.
Thank you so much.
That's so unexpected.
Ella Magers (51:09):
I appreciate that so much.
That's so unexpected.
I appreciate that so much.
You're a doll.
Keep doing it.
I needed to hear that right now.
Christina (51:23):
Yeah, we all do, and you need somebody to tell you,
and don't ever waste theopportunity to tell someone ever
.
Life is short, crazy short, sogo get them.
Kid.
Thanks, christina, look at himkid.
Thanks.
Ella Magers (51:33):
Christina, Thanks for listening to this week's
episode of Rise and Thrive withme, Ella Majors, I truly hope
you found it inspiring and, ifyou did, please help me spread
the word by leaving a rating andreview on your favorite podcast
player and by sharing the showwith your friends.
As you probably know by now, mylife's purpose is to use my
(51:55):
voice to make this world a moreconscious and compassionate
place, and your reviews andshares make a huge impact.
And last, I'm getting a ton ofinsanely positive feedback about
my short and sweet monthlynewsletter called the Way short
for the Way Out Is Through.
I give my top five latestbadass discoveries, insights and
(52:16):
explorations, like veganproducts and recipes.
I'm obsessed with books andshows I'm loving and workouts
that have me fired up.
Head on over to my website,ellamajorscom, to sign up and
check out all the other awesomeresources I have for you and
projects I'm involved with,including Hogs and Kisses Farm
(52:37):
Sanctuary, where our mission isto create the best life for farm
animals while inspiringcompassion for all living beings
.
Thanks a lot, and I'll see youon the next one.
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