Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Social Media:

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube 

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Social Media:

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube 

Atlantic Article: America is Done Pretending About Meat: Plant Based Eating Has Lost Its Appeal

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Social Media:

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube 

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Social Media:

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube 

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Social Media:

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube 

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Social Media:

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube 

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Social Media:

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube 

Support this podcast:

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Social Media:

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube 

Ahimsa Living Circle Registration

Support this podcast:

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Social Media:

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube 

Joining us today is Dr. Faraz Harsini, the founder and CEO of Allied Scholars for Animal Protection (ASAP). Faraz shares with Hope the importance of creating ongoing infrastructure on US college campuses that students can utilize for continued outreach. They discuss various vegan education tactics such as the use of graphic imagery and its effectiveness. Faraz also talks about encouraging changes to dining halls and how student activists should focus on increasing vegan options and not distractions like cage-free egg transitions.

Dr. Faraz Harsini Is a food systems and biomedical scientist. He holds a degree in Chemical Engineering with a focus on environmental research and nanobiotechnology, an MSc in cancer research, and a PhD in Cell Physiology and Molecular Biophysics.  As the founder and CEO of Allied Scholars for Animal Protection (ASAP), he is building permanent infrastructure in university to protect animals. Through ASAP, Faraz empowers students, promotes veganism, advances alternatives to animal testing in universities and medical schools, and helps dining halls transition to plant based food systems.  He also lectures at many universities educating students on the benefits of a vegan diet.

Resources:

Website: www.alliedscholars.org

Ahimsa Living Circle Registration

TRANSCRIPT OF EPISODE 125

Support this podcast:

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Social Media:

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube 

Hope is right at home this episode talking about one of her favorite subjects, humanewashing. Activist Lia Wilbourn joins Hope for a conversation about their mutual frustration with the humane hoax and the deceptive marketing and cover-up tactics employed by the animal farming industry. They explore the detrimental impact of continuing to use the term “factory farming” and argue that the animal advocacy movement should phase it out. Lia and Hope also discuss the cage-free egg industry transition, challenging the notion that this industry shift is a positive development for animals. They also address the criticism of using the word “vegan” and how some people are saying that we shouldn’t use the word as it has too many negative connotations. There are lots of strong opinions on advocacy in this one, we unpack it all for you!

Lia Wilbourn has been active in a wide range of animal rights activism, including street outreach, demonstrations, writing, social media, speeches and art as activism. She is currently the Farmed Animals Campaign Coordinator at In Defense of Animals, advocating via articles, petitions, videos, etc. and co-hosting a monthly online Vegan Mentor Support Group. She also works with Allied Scholars for Animal Protection, is a volunteer on the Humane Hoax Project team, and is certified in Plant-Based Nutrition through Cornell University.

Resources:

Lia’s Contact/Instagram: @liaforanimals

The Humane Hoax Project

Article: Fixating on Factory Farms…

Article: Stop (Saying) Factory Farming

The Ahimsa Living Circle monthly online gathering: info and registration

EPISODE 124: TRANSCRIPT

Support this podcast:

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Social Media:

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube 

Farmed animal sanctuaries are the heart of the animal advocacy movement. Our guest today is Zoe Novic, Executive Director of CAPE (Center for Animal Protection and Education), knows this well as she grew up on a sanctuary in the Santa Cruz hills. Zoe has a diverse background that includes two years in the Peace Corps in Indonesia, a Master’s in Public Health, and leadership roles at The Humane League, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and Greener by Default, Zoe has expertise in grassroots organizing, public health policy, and advocacy.

On the podcast, Zoe discusses the significance of the human-animal connection in comprehending and understanding nonhuman animals. She talks about how sanctuaries serve as acts of resistance, providing physical spaces where we can shape the world as we envision it. She and Hope also discuss how sanctuary and rescue efforts have been devalued in recent years, with current animal advocacy funding and philanthropy philosophies moving away from funding direct animal care and how that is impacting the movement. Zoe emphasizes the importance of emotion in advocacy, highlighting how it can often prompt action more effectively than logic or reason. She further explains how sanctuaries deeply evoke emotions. Additionally, Zoe shares her public health background, underscoring the intricate connections between this sector and animal agriculture.

Resources:

CAPE: Center for Animal Protection and Education

Sonoma County VegFest, September 27, 2025

Film: Called to Rescue

Support this podcast:

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Social Media:

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube 

Some advocates in environmental and animal activism argue that we should solely focus on changing the system through government and corporate campaigns, discouraging grassroots action and personal change. Our guest, Janet O’Shea (informally known as Jay), co-authored an article in Newsweek in response to an environmental author’s piece arguing that going vegan is ineffective. Jay systematically debunks the faulty argumentation and refutes its flawed analogies. She offers insightful perspectives on veganism as a boycott, a social justice issue, and the history of vegetarianism, highlighting its differences from the current context.

Then, continuing the conversation about the importance of individual action, Jay talks about Gandhi and the Kahdi (homespun cotton) movement, comparing the British cotton boycott during the British occupation of India to the boycott of animal products today. Jay is incredibly knowledge and reveals some fascinating insights into this issue, please share this episode!  

Full Bio:

Janet (Jay) O’Shea is author of Risk, Failure, Play: What Dance Reveals about Martial Arts Training (2019) and At Home in the World: Bharata Natyam on the Global Stage (2007).  She is currently writing a book, entitled Bodies on the Line: Physicality, Sentiment, and Social Justice, which focuses on utility cycling advocacy, border solidary efforts, and farmed animal rescue. She has also written book chapters and articles on veganism, animal rights, and environmentalism. She is part of the teaching team for the freshman cluster course Food as a Lens for the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA, is on the advisory board of Climate Diet, and is a board member of New Roots Institute. She is a regular volunteer with animal rights, border solidarity, and food justice organizations. She is a Professor and Chair of the department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance at UCLA.

RESOUCES:

Jay’s Newsweek Article

Related Podcast: The Cage-Free Conundrum

TRANSCRIPT

Support this podcast:

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Social Media:

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube 

Patty Leon and Rich Winograd both grew up as animal lovers…or so they thought. It was during the pandemic that they came across documentaries, books, and articles that removed their blindfolds and led to the light switch moment to make a change for the better. Today they continue to learn and grow, sharing, their insight as animal rights, vegan and social justice activists. They actively volunteer for various organizations and have written a young adult novel titled “True Justice 4 All.” Rich and Patty share with Hope how they awakened to the hypocrisy of our relationship with animals and the detrimental impact of the food production system on animals, humans, and the planet as a whole.

Resources:

Book: True Justice 4 All

InstaGram: @truejustice4all

Sonoma County VegFest, September 27, 2025

Support this podcast:

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Social Media:

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube 

On this episode we are sharing the recording from the Humane Hoax Project Panel Discussion: Egg Prices Are Not the Only Crisis, The Current Political Situation and Animal Agriculture. The current political climate has left many feeling frustrated as we witness the dismantling of significant government oversight and structure. This is further compounded by the Avian Flu crisis and its impact on the food system. Hope Bohanec hosts a panel of experts who will examine the current situation and our advocacy strategies, navigate the political turmoil, and discuss the effects on farmed animals and the food industry.

Panelists

Vasile Stanescu, PhD, is an Associate Professor and Chair of Communication at Mercer University. He received his Ph.D. in the program of Modern Thought and Literature (MTL) at Stanford University. Stanescu’s research focuses on greenwashing by animal agribusiness, critiques of humane meat, in vitro meat, and consumerist options for social change. He is the author of numerous publications on the study of animals and the environment including publications in the Journal of American Culture, Rhetoric of Health & Medicine, the American Behavioral Scientist, Liberazioni – Rivista di critica antispecista [Liberations-Anti-Specieist Criticisms], and Animal Studies Journal. Stanescu is also the co-founder of the North American Association for Critical Animal Studies (NAACAS).

Kathryn Gillespie, PhD, is a writer and researcher dedicated to uncovering the harms done to animals in industrial and so-called “humane” systems of production. She is VP of Research and Strategy at Farm Forward and Associate Director for the Center for Food Systems Transformations at the University of San Diego. She is the author of The Cow with Ear Tag #1389 (University of Chicago Press, 2018), a book about the lives of cows in the U.S. dairy industry. Her forthcoming book, The Sound of Feathers: Attentive Living in a World Beyond Ourselves (Duke University Press, 2026), explores the everyday relationships of harm and care between humans and other animals in a range of contexts, from animals caught up in food production spaces, to those used in biomedical research, killed on roads, and eradicated as pests. 

John Sanbonmastsu, PhD, is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts and a charismatic, internationally recognized authority in animal ethics.  He is the author of The Postmodern Prince and editor of the book Critical Theory and Animal Liberation. His latest book, The Omnivore’s Deception, offers a bold new way of thinking about human purpose in the context of our troubled relations with animals and food. 

Resources:

Related Podcasts:

The Cage-Free Conundrum with Hope Bohanec

Greenwashing and Animal Agriculture with Vasile Stanescu

The Omnivore’s Deception with John Sanbonmatsu

Books:

On Effective Altruism: The Good it Promises the Harm It Does

The Omnivore’s Deception by John Sanbonmatsu

Cow with Ear Tag #1389 by Kathryn Gillespie

Article: Trump’s tax bill is a win for Big Ag

Number of Veg/Vegans: http://www.criticalanimal.com/2019/07/guest-post-response-to-claim-that-only.html

Support this podcast:

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Social Media:

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube 

On this episode, we switch things up and our host, Hope Bohanec, is interviewed by Michele Granberg of Animal Activism Collective, AAC. Today we are sharing with you a recording of Hope being interviewed by Michele for the Animal Liberation Hour Podcast where they talk about Hope’s activist origin story, why she started her nonprofit Compassionate Living, and her thoughts on exposing humanewashing and speciesism. Hope also gets into the spiritual aspect of veganism and nonviolence revealing parallels to Dharma traditions and she talks about Ahimsa, a Sanskrit term meaning non-harming.

Resources:

Animal Activism Collective

The Animal Liberation Hour Podcast 

Humane Hoax Project Online Panel Discussion, July 19, More info and registration here.

Hope’s books:

The Ultimate Betrayal: Is There Happy Meat?

The Humane Hoax: Essays Exposing the Myth of Happy Meat, Humane Dairy, and Ethical Eggs

Support this podcast:

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Social Media:

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube 

On today’s pod Hope talks with author John Sanbonmatsu about his new book The Omnivore’s Deception: What We Get Wrong about Meat, Animals, and Ourselves. This engaging book covers a variety of philosophical aspects of meat-eating culture, offers insight into our fraught relationship with farmed animal and explores the importance of incorporating love into our ethics. John and Hope discuss humanewashing and the deception around the reality of animal farming, the cognitive dissonance of loving and eating animals, and how eating meat is an aspect  of the US culture wars. They also debate a pessimistic vs. optimistic view of the trajectory of the last few decades of vegan and animal activism.

John Sanbonmatsu is a Professor of Philosophy at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, where he teaches ethics and politics, among other topics.   He is the author of The Postmodern Prince and editor of the book Critical Theory and Animal Liberation. His new book, The Omnivore’s Deception:  What We Get Wrong about Meat, Animals, and Ourselves (New York University Press) challenges the myth of “enlightened” omnivorism and the idea that we can have our meat and our conscience too.  

MUSICAL BONUS:

At the conclusion of the episode, we share with you a new song by vegan musician Brent Ratkovich titled “Trying.” This beautiful song is a heartfelt love letter to farmed animals that conveys a profound vegan message.

Resources:

Book: The Omnivore’s Deception

Humane Hoax Panel Discussion: July 19, information and registration here: https://www.humanehoax.org/upcoming-event

Brent Ratkovich: preview and purchase music: brentratkovich.bandcamp.com

Support this podcast:

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Social Media:

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube 

In this episode, we explore the psychological aspects of living vegan on our social, emotional, and even spiritual psychology. Angela Crawford, the author of “The Vegan Transformation: A Journey to Heal Yourself and the World,” shares her research having interviewed hundreds of vegans to uncover common themes related to the benefits and challenges of living vegan. She talks about value alignment, the different stages of readiness for people to hear the vegan message, and the importance of including ourselves in our circle of compassion.

Angela Crawford, Ph.D. is a psychologist, vegan educator, and author of The Vegan Transformation: A Journey to Heal Yourself and the World (Lantern, 2025). She holds a doctorate in clinical psychology and previously worked as a psychotherapist for 25 years, empowering clients toward greater holistic well-being. She is certified as a Master Vegan Lifestyle Coach and Educator (MSVA), licensed PCRM Food for Life instructor, and Transformational Coach.

Resources:

Angela’s Website

Buy the Book from Lantern

Social media links:  @angelacrawfordphd on Facebook and Instagram and LinkedIn

Support this podcast:

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Social Media:

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube 

Fires, hurricanes, floods—animals are also victims of recent unprecedented natural disasters. Diana Hulet, an environmental writer and animal photojournalist, shares her experience documenting the destruction of the recent LA fires and its impact on animals. She witnessed distressed wildlife, people risking their lives to protect animals, and participated in animal rescues. Diana and Hope discuss the climate crisis and how all these recent “un-natural” disasters are fueled by human actions. Diana also shares her personal contemplative practice, which helps her navigate the difficult subject matter she encounters in her work.

Diana Hulet is a Pacific Northwest and Colorado-based environmental writer, animal photojournalist, and yoga teacher with over three decades of experience in yoga philosophy and contemplative traditions. After establishing her own Yoga studio and leading trainings and retreats internationally, Diana pivoted her attention and received a Bachelor of Science degree at Oregon State University in 2017, focusing on environmental ethics, ecology, and climate change. Diana’s growing concern for the well-being of animals prompted her to pick up a camera and begin documenting the details of their lives. Her ongoing project, What if We Saw Them,  encourages reflection on our relationship with animals in various contexts, advocating for compassion as a catalyst for systemic change. She is a contributor to two animal photojournalist nonprofits We Animals and Sanctuary Doc, where she also serves as the Board Vice President. 

Resources:

Diana Hulet Website

Sanctuary Doc

What If We Saw Them Project

Support this podcast:

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Social Media:

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube 

Erin Wing is currently serving as the Deputy Director of Investigations for Animal Outlook and previously worked as an undercover investigator. Erin completed four investigations in the dairy, chicken and aquaculture industries, including the first-ever undercover expose of salmon aquaculture in the U.S. Her work has been featured in The Washington Post, The Guardian and The New York Times. Erin’s investigations and her advocacy work shed light on the interconnection of human and animal exploitation that occurs on farms in the animal agriculture system. Erin shares personal accounts from her compelling investigations to illustrate the dangers speciesism poses to all sentient beings on the planet. She also shares what it’s like to live on a farmed animal sanctuary and the stark contrast of the animals’ experience from industry to freedom. Erin said, “When it comes to learning how to process trauma, my greatest teachers have been animals.” 

Resources:

Animal Outlook

Animal Partisan

Eugene VeganFest

Erin’s first episode on Hope for the Animals

Support this podcast:

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Social Media:

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube 

Today’s show is a replay of an earlier episode with lauren Ornelas, founder of Food Empowerment Project. Food Empowerment Project is a vegan food justice nonprofit that promotes veganism, works to bring attention to the rights of farm workers, highlights the lack of access to healthy foods in Black and Brown communities, and raise awareness about the worst forms of slavery, including child labor, in the chocolate industry. lauren has been deeply involved in animal rights activism since 1987 and was the director of VivaUSA before founding Food Empowerment Project.

lauren and Hope talk about the connections between food, veganism, and human rights with issues like child and slave labor chocolate production, food deserts and access to produce and healthy food, and Food Empowerment Project’s Fight for the Oceans campaign highlighting the struggles of the ocean and her sea creatures. Lauren will be speaking at Compassionate Living’s upcoming Eugene VeganFest on May 4, 2025.

Resources:

Food Empowerment Project

Lauren’s TEDx Talk: The Power of our Food Choices

About child labor and slavery in chocolate production and the FEP’s recommended chocolate list

Eugene VeganFest, 5/4/25

Support this podcast:

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Social Media:

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube 

We are honored to have a legend on the podcast today, Seth Tibbott founded Turtle Island Foods in 1980, now the “Tofurky Company.” For 15 years Seth pursued his dream as a pioneer of the early plant-based foods movement. In 1995, Seth introduced the first nationally marketed vegan holiday roast named “Tofurky” which soon became the most well-known meat alternative brand in the US. Tofurky is now a household word (even spell check knew what I was trying to type!) It has been mentioned on numerous TV shows, including The X-Files, The Tonight Show, and even as the answer to a $400 question on Jeopardy. Seth has chronicled his “40-year overnight success story” in a new book, In Search of the Wild Tofurky.

On this episode, Seth talks about the history of plant based foods in the US (going back farther then you think!) as well as the history of the iconic Tofurky. He then takes us into the future as well with innovations in mock meats with advances like alt protein fermentation and 3D printed steak!

Resources:

Book: In Search of the Wild Tofurky by Seth Tibbott

Eugene VeganFest

Support this podcast:

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Social Media:

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube 

On today’s show,  author and host Hope Bohanec is flying solo and offering a new analysis of the Humane Hoax. She will break down some new humane meat marketing jargon, unpack and categorize the harms of the humane hoax, and talk about language, labeling, speciesism, and more.

Resources:

BOOK:
The Humane Hoax: Essays Exposing the Myth of Happy Meat, Humane Dairy, and Ethical Eggs by Hope Bohanec

The Humane Hoax Project

Support this podcast:

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Social Media:

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube 

Compassionate Living

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Thank you for your support!

Compassionate Living

Hope for the Animals Podcast

When Kimbery Carroll was first becoming an animal activist, she asked herself “Who is caring for the caretakers?” She has since dedicated herself to helping build resilient, mentally and emotionally healthy advocates.

Kimberly is a coach for changemakers, campaigns strategist with Animal Justice, director of Animal Justice Academy, and a director with the Toronto Vegetarian Food Bank. With over 14 years as a coach and almost 20 years as an activist, Kimberly works with mission-driven leaders, social entrepreneurs, and other activists on high-performance habits and strategies to make them unstoppable. She’s helped empower thousands of activists and counseled those in high-stress positions like undercover investigators. She’s also passionate about environmental activism, democratic reform, and amplifying Indigenous and Black voices.

Resources: 

Vegan Studies Initiative at Arihanta Institute: https://www.arihantainstitute.org/vegan

Monthly Speaker Series: New Ethical Issues in Contemporary Veganism with Dr. Cheryl Abbate, July 15: Register for free

4-week Course- Debunking the Myth of Sustainable and Humane Animal Agriculture with Dr. Vasile Stanescu: Enroll with COUPON CODE for 25% off tuition fee: DEBUNK25!

Kimberly Carroll

WEBSITES
Coach for Changemakers: www.kimberlycarroll.com

Sign-up for Animal Justice Academy (FREE): www.animaljusticeacademy.com
Animal Justice: www.animaljustice.ca
Toronto Vegetarian Food Bank: www.vegfoodbank.com

SOCIALS
Facebook: facebook.com/KimberlyCarrollPage
Instagram: @coachkimberlycarroll
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@kimberlycarrolltv

SIGN-UP (free) FOR THE CHANGEMAKER SESSIONS: https://kimberlycarroll.com/changemakersessions
– every second Wednesday at 7pm ET

Kimberly’s FREE VIDEO MINI-COURSE – Power Tools for Changemakers: https://kimberlycarroll.com/power-tools-changemakers

KIMBERLY’S FREE MEDITATIONS:
www.kimberlycarroll.com/meditations

Thank you for your support!

Compassionate Living

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Happy Pride! Joining us on this special Pride episode is Honey LaBronx, The Vegan Drag Queen. Honey stared in her own YouTube vegan cooking series and traveled the world with her one-woman drag show, raising funds for local LGBTQ and animal organizations along the way. She is committed to bringing discussions about animal rights, racism, and social justice to new audiences. In 2011, she was one of eight activists arrested for blocking New York City traffic while demonstrating for marriage equality alongside her drag mother, Bob The Drag Queen (winner of Season 8 of RuPaul’s Drag Race). Out of drag, Ben Strothmann is an actor, singer, playwright, and theatrical photographer, originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Hope and Honey cover an assortment of fascinating topics– how her sobriety journey led her to veganism, why she chose her drag name, how fat is beautiful, and embracing radical compassion. Honey also talks about the challenges within the gay and drag community with emboldened conservatives supporting legislation, violence, and oppression against the LGBT community. Hope and Honey laugh, lament, theorize, and bring a little joy to us all.

Resources:

@HoneyLaBronx

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HoneyLaBronx

Video: Rachel Wiley, The Fat Joke

Thank you for your support!

Compassionate Living

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Today on the podcast we have Joanne Kong and Chirstoph Wagner, and they are the Vegan Virtuosiz. Joanne and Christoph weave together live music, reflections, and the arts in inspiring events that illuminate how embracing the connections we have to the natural world and all beings can bring about transformative spiritual growth, positive change, and planetary healing. They will be featured in the upcoming documentary, Taking Note, about vegan musicians and the history of animal rights as seen through music.

Pianist Joanne Kong’s performances have been praised for “great finesse and flexibility” (The Washington Post), and “superb artistry” (San Antonio Express-News) in works “sensitively played” (New York Times).  She is currently director of chamber music ensembles at the University of Richmond. Dr. Kong speaks around the world as an animal, environmental and vegan advocate. Her TEDx talk, The Power of Plant-Based Eating, has over 1 million views, she is editor of Vegan Voices: Essays by Inspiring Changemakers, and appears in the major documentary, Eating Our Way to Extinction.

Christoph Wagner, a native of Germany, is a sought-after cellist who has played on four continents. Mr. Wagner holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Rice University, and his current research focuses on the role of nutrition in musical peak performance. He is a Certified Nutrition Coach and Certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine, and holds a Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from Cornell University through the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies. Currently Dr. Wagner is Assistant Professor of Cello at the University of New Mexico.

Resources:

Joanne Kong: www.JoanneKongMusic.com

Vegan Virtuosiz Tour Information:

Vancouver, Washington, May 17, 2024

Salem, Oregon, May 19, 2024

(Book) Vegan Voices: Essays By Inspiring Changemakers by Joanne Kong, PhD

Please support this podcast:

Compassionate Living

Hope for the Animals Podcast

In this presentation, Hope will explore the recent trajectory of the animal advocacy movement toward encouraging industries to transition to cage-free systems and other animal welfare campaigns. Cage-free eggs are now 40% of the US egg market and both the industry and animal advocates are promoting this as a major victory…but is this something to celebrate? Hope talks about social justice strategy, Effective Altruism, incremental change, and propose that our movement’s focus is out of balance. She cautions that we are relying too heavily on impractical strategies and fragile legislation that may not lead us to farmed animal freedom.

Resources:

(Book) The Good it Promises, the Harm It Does: Critical Essays on Effective Altruism

(Podcast) Episode 76– Measuring Our Movement with Krista Hiddema, podcast focused on Effective Altruism

(Podcast) Reason for Vegan Series #3- Cage-Free and Free-Range Explained with Hope Bohanec

(Article) Which Eggs Are Ethical to Eat? By Hope Bohanec

Bite Size Vegan, Emily Moran-Barwick

How We Will Win Animal Freedom, Laila Kassam, Animal Think Tank

Please support this podcast:

Compassionate Living

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Happy Earth Day! This is an important time of year where we focus our attention on the perils facing the planet and get inspired to help her. So today our guest is Dr. Richard Twine, author of, The Climate Crisis and Other Animals (Sydney University Press, 2024). He is a professor in Sociology and Co-Director of the Centre for Human- Animal Studies (CfHAS) at Edge Hill University, UK. He also co-editor of The Rise of Critical Animal Studies – From the Margins to the Centre (Routledge, 2014) and author of Animals as Biotechnology – Ethics, Sustainability and Critical Animal Studies (Routledge, 2010).  Richard has also published articles on ecofeminism, vegan transition, the food system, and the animal-industrial complex.

Richard tells us about Critical Animal Studies and how it is inspiring many areas of academic study to consider human-animal relations. We then discuss Richard’s new book and how climate disruption is affecting wild animals, marine animals, birds and even insects and microorganisms. He talks about the impact on farmed animals who now face events like frequent flooding, fires, and heatwaves due to a changing climate. We also get into the weeds of the confusing, controversial, and politicized animal agriculture emissions numbers and why there is a wide range of percentages from different sources and how to decipher what is most accurate.We also cover climate justice, food justice, the importance of a social science viewpoint of the climate crisis and much more.

Resources:

Richard’s website:  http://www.richardtwine.com

Humane Hoax Chicken Webinar details and free registration 

Support this Podcast:

Compassionate Living

 Hope for the Animals Podcast

National Animal Rights Day is a unique event coming up on June 2, 2024 and today we have the creator of this day of action, Aylam Orian. Aylam is a Hollywood actor, filmmaker and animal rights activist. With his non-profit “Our Planet. Theirs Too.” he has established The National Animal Rights Day (N.A.R.D.) – a day of moving events dedicated to animals and their rights, which are held simultaneously in major cities every June. NARD events are now held in 50 countries around the world. He is also the creator of The Declaration of Animal Rights – a vegan, animal liberation document that details the rights all animals have as living beings on planet Earth – which has been translated to 23 languages. As an actor, he has appeared in numerous known films and TV shows (30 Rock, Code Black, NCIS: LA, The Informer, Strargate Origins), and he wll be seen next in the new TV show about The Holocaust, “We Were the Lucky Ones.”

Aylam tells the story of how he started The National Animal Rights Day in 2011 and how the day of action has grown every year and spread across the globe. He also tells us about the inspiration behind the creation of The Declaration of Animal Rights, how it reflects the UN declaration of human rights, and how it’s a roadmap for a future of compassionate human-animal relations. Hope and Aylam also get into a discussion on best strategies for animal advocates and how the trajectory of the movement, in our opinion, is out of balance. Aylam also gives us some insight into just how vegan-friendly Hollywood really is and some hopeful signs of veganism on a soap! Join us for this inspiring discussion.

Resources:

National Animal Rights Day (NARD) June 2, 2024

Humane Hoax Chicken Webinar

Hope speaking in Portland, OR. on April 21

Support us:

Compassionate Living

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Today on the podcast we are joined by Faik Bourik, founder of Vegius, a provider of vegan services to support farmed animal sanctuaries worldwide.  Faik is a mathematics, physics, and astronomy college instructor who combines his academic background with his roles as a professional writer and entrepreneur. Passionate about animal rights and gender equality, he founded Vegius to provide much needed financial support to farmed animal sanctuaries. 

Faik talks about how he fell for the humane hoax and bought humanely labeled products when he was first thinking about farmed animal issues. He shares how little meat he ate growing up in Algeria and how the traditional diets of so many around the world are predominately plant-based. He talks about the importance of farmed animal sanctuaries to open people’s hearts and to make emotional connections to animals. We also discuss karma theory and how this is an important concept to bring to western culture, which brought us to some interesting history lessons from Faik.

Resources:

Vegius

Support this podcast:

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Connecting veganism to other justice causes is critical to our success and our guest today recognized this at a very young age. Zane McNeill (they/him) is a scholar-activist, chair of the National Lawyers Guild’s Animal Liberation Committee, and was the co-manager of the collective Right for Animal Rights Activists. They have worked closely with the Institute of Critical Animal Studies (ICAS) and have published chapters in ICAS collections, including Vegans on Speciesism and Ableism: Ecoability Voices for Disability and Animal Justice and Expanding the Critical Animal Studies Imagination: Essays on Solidarity and Total Liberation. They have also edited Queer and Trans Voices: Achieving Liberation Through Consistent Anti-Oppression, Vegan Entanglements: Dismantling Racial and Carceral Capitalism, and Building Multispecies Resistance Against Exploitation: Stories from the Frontlines of Labor and Animal Rights (forthcoming, Peter Lang Publishing).

Zane will help us to unpack new terms like “consistent anti-oppression” and “total liberation” as well as “carceral veganism” where animal activists align with agencies to criminalize and deport people in marginalized communities of color when we should be targeting the system of oppression itself. They discuss the parallels of body autonomy issues for humans and non-humans. Zane addresses everything from micro aggressions experienced by animal activists within the movement to larger, structural issues of oppression. Join us for this important discussion.

Resources: 

Zane’s Book Vegan Entanglements

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Compassionate Living’s YouTube Page

Do you want to know the truth about grass-fed beef? Regenerative grazing? Free-range eggs? This episode is jam packed with the jaw-dropping reality of greenwashing. Vasile Stanescu is an Associate Professor and Chair of Communication at Mercer University. He received his Ph.D. in the program of Modern Thought and Literature (MTL) at Stanford University. Vasile’s research focuses on greenwashing in animal agribusiness, critiques of humane meat, in vitro meat, and consumerist options for social change. He is the author of numerous publications on the study of animals and the environment including in the Journal of American Culture, Rhetoric of Health & Medicine, the American Behavioral Scientist, and Animal Studies Journal. Vasile is also the co-founder of the North American Association for Critical Animal Studies (NAACAS).

Vas talks about what is really behind regenerative grazing and the false messaging around supposedly “new” methods of animal farming. We also talk about the detriment of chicken farming, how beef is so often cited as the worst culprit for the environment, and the myth that if you just switch to chicken, it’s so much better. Vas dives deep into how interconnected all animal farming industries are and how the supposed “green” meat movement is just another marketing tool for industrial agribusiness. He also shares how he feels that it is critical to eliminate the stigma on veganism and have Vegan Pride.

Resources:

Humane Hoax Online Conference details and free registration

Learn more and support this podcast:

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Studies cited in this episode:

Joseph Poore, University of Oxford

Tara Garnett, Food Climate Research Network at Oxford University

News media that is sympathetic to animals is critical in creating a compassionate world. A 2023 von Liebig Award Winner, Nina Jackel is a journalist and activist known for effecting change for animals around the world through her non-profit media organization that she founded called Lady Freethinker. Nina leads numerous divisions at the organization that expose cruel and illegal activities through undercover operations and galvanizing ordinary citizens to make a difference.

Hope and Nina discuss the importance of news media for animals and Nina offers advice about what makes good media that has the potential to reach wider audiences. She also talks about Lady Freethinker’s important campaign targeting social media posts that abuse animals, such as fake “rescue” videos where abusers put animals in distressful situations just for clicks. They also discuss how to reach people who care about animals, but haven’t made the connection to compassion for farmed animals and veganism.

Resources:

Lady Freethinker:

Website

FaceBook

Instagram

Twitter

William von Liebig Foundation Award Winner

Humane Hoax Online Conference details and free registration

Learn More and Support this Podcast:

Compassionate Living

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Please donate to Compassionate Living to support the continuation of this podcast. Thank you! 

Learn More and Support this Podcast:

Compassionate Living

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Did you know that your veggies, fruit, beans, nuts, and seeds were probably grown with the blood, ground up bones and/or manure of farmed animals? Or the ground up bodies of fish? This episode we are talking about Veganic farming, growing food without animal products and inputs, with Meg Kelly. In 2008 Meg co-founded the Veganic Agriculture Network to promote fully plant-based food systems that are not fertilized with the byproducts of farmed animals. She now teaches the Learn Veganic online gardening course to empower people around the world to grow their own fruits and veggies at home using sustainable vegan techniques. On this episode, she shares how to get started gardening veganically, how to create compost, how to consciously and compassionately co-exist with wildlife while gardening, and more. Meg has been gardening veganically for 15 years and explains the myriad of good reasons for the world to go vegan AND veganic!

Resources:

Veganic Summit (November 10 – 12^th 2023): https://veganicsummit.com/

Veganic Agriculture Network: https://goveganic.net/ 

Learn Veganic Gardening Course: https://learnveganic.com/ 

Free Guide to Veganic Gardening: https://learnveganic.com/materials/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LearnVeganic/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/learnveganic/ 

Food Empowerment Project’s Chocolate List

Learn More and Support this Podcast:

Compassionate Living

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Steven Rouk is the founder of Connect For Animals, a platform for people who want to help end animal farming. He has been in the animal advocacy movement for the last decade working on data analysis, strategy, community building, and grassroots activism. Steven and Hope discuss the importance of building vegan community to help people feel supported and connected in veganism and animal advocacy. They explore the psychological and social reasons for recidivism and the fascinating concepts of social network theory and how we spread information through our social networks.

Resources:

• Website: http://connectforanimals.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/connectforanimals
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/connectforanimals
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/connectforanimals/

Book Recommendation:

Change: How to Make Big Things Happen by Damon Centola

Learn More and Support this Podcast:

Compassionate Living

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Are you curious how to feed your companion animals vegan? Have you been considering switching your dog or cat to a vegan diet? Maybe you already do feed your companion plant based but want to be sure it’s the most nutritious vegan diet? Our guest today, Jan Allegretti, has answers.

Jan Allegretti, D.Vet.Hom, has been a consultant and educator in holistic health care for nonhuman animals since 1988, specializing in nutrition, homeopathy, and lifestyle assessment. She is the author of The Holistic Animal Health Series, which includes the bestselling The Complete Holistic Dog Book: Home Health Care for Our Canine Companions, and The Fresh & Flexible Meal Plan: The Easiest, Most Nutritious Way to Feed Your Dog and Cat. She works with home caregivers, shelter and rescue organizations, and veterinary professionals on nutrition for our companions. Jan talks about the detrimental impact commercial dog and cat foods have on our planet and on farmed animals, and how feeding our companion animals a vegan diet can benefit not only our global ecological crisis, but support our dog’s and cat’s health so they can thrive.

Resources:

Sonoma County VegFest, September 23, 2023

Jan’s Website

The Holistic Animal Health Series Books By Jan Allegretti:

The Complete Holistic Dog Book: Home Health Care for Our Canine Companions

The Fresh & Flexible Meal Plan: The Easiest, Most Nutritious Way to Feed Your Dog and Cat

Listen to the Silence: Lessons from Trees and Other Masters 

Vegan Supplements for Dogs and Cats:

Compassion Circle

Learn More and Support this Podcast:

Compassionate Living

Hope for the Animals Podcast

We open today’s episode with Hope sharing some thoughts on the destructive EATS Act making its way through US legislation and then we have JH Burnett joining us from South Africa. JH spent years farming in both the sheep industry on his family’s sheep farm in South Africa as well as in the dairy industry. The experience sent JH into a deep depression and he left farming to dedicate himself to animal liberation and recently released a vegan memoir and offering services as a life coach. Join us for this incredible story of transformation.

Resources:

Veganism Has Won

Learn More and Support this Podcast:

Compassionate Living

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Ruchika Chitrabhanu was born and raised in a Jain family and pursued her Master’s in Philosophy in Jainism. Inspired by Gurudev Chitrabhanu and Smt. Pramoda Chitrabhanu, Ruchika has been a vegan for over seventeen years, and she raises awareness about animal compassion and the benefits of following a vegan lifestyle through events and festivals in India. She is a co-founder of Ahimsafest, India’s largest vegan festival, she also co-founded The Earthen One, an events platform to help people transition to a vegan lifestyle, and she is a board member of Jain Vegan Initiative. Ruchika will be a keynote presenter at our upcoming Ahimsa Vegan Conference.

Resources:

Ahimsa Vegan Conference- August 26 & 27. 2023

Gurudev Chitrabhanu and Smt. Pramoda Chitrabhanu

AhimsaFest in India

Learn More and Support this Podcast:

Compassionate Living

Hope for the Animals Podcast