The Rich Roll Podcast

If there’s one thing we learned in 2021, it’s that conversation matters. Allow me to indulge this truth by introducing Part Two of my annual yearbook—a means to reflect upon the twelve months past by revisiting some of the year’s most compelling podcast guests. It’s been an honor to share my conversations with so many extraordinary people over the course of 2021. Second listens brought new insights—and more reminders that these evergreen exchanges continue to both inspire and inform. For long-time listeners, approach this episode as a refresher to launch you into 2022 with renewed vigor. For those new to the podcast, my hope is this anthology will stir you to peruse the back catalog and explore episodes you may have missed. Guests featured in this first of two total anthology episodes (hyperlinked to their respective episodes) are listed here: The Rich Roll Podcast: Best Of 2021: Part Two Compiling this auditory yearbook is both a joy and a challenge. I have great fondness for all my guests. I take no comfort

As the Earth embarks upon another miraculous arc around the sun, let us prepare by taking space to pause, breathe, and reflect. A blank slate represents potential energy. Let us infuse the 2022 tabula rasa with the energy of hope and inspiration to catalyze your new year ambitions into reality. This process requires taking inventory of the twelve months past. Where you were this time last year. Celebrate your victories. Deconstruct your setbacks. Imagine yourself this time next year. Set your intention for that experience. Establish specific time-bound goals and the stepping stones to get there. Create accountability for those benchmarks. And vision the better self laying dormant within, yearning to be more fully expressed. But first, we pause. Because it is in quiet that we gain clarity—a crucial first step on the trudge towards self-actualization. It is in this spirit that we indulge a tradition here at the podcast—our annual ‘Best Of’ series—wherein we reflect upon the previous 12 months with a 2-part comp

Every week, I send a show out into the ether. But it’s you, the audience, who has taken what is nothing more than an inert digital file comprised of ones and zeroes—and turned it into so much more. When I think back on the history of the show to date, it’s crystal clear what is truly important. And most beautiful. Community. No matter what your goal or aspiration—irrespective of how solitary you believe its pursuit—you simply cannot truly score on your own. Everyone needs a team. Everyone needs a support network. Everyone needs help. And that is what this show has become: a place to connect over a myriad of ideas with one collective goal—be and do better. Together. That’s what this podcast does—it is here to serve and support you, the listener, in your journey of transformation. It is with this sensibility that I asked you to share such stories, and how this podcast and its myriad of guests have inspired you, and what you learned, practiced, and shared with others along the way. My team and I have taken these

At any moment, your could life could turn upside down. When tragedy strikes, what do you do? How you navigate events beyond your control reveals character. And character is something today’s guest possesses in abundance. Faced with a rare form of deadly cancer, Tommy Rivers Puzey—affectionately revered across the world as ‘Tommy Rivs’—refused pity. Instead, he doubled down on gratitude. He chose to learn from his suffering, expand his capacity to love, and more than anything, see the pain he endured as a teacher. A poet of endurance and philosopher of the human spirit, Tommy is a highly credentialed elite marathoner and ultrarunner with many victories and accolades to his name. He’s also an anthropologist, linguist, doctorate of physical therapy, and massage therapist who has worked with some of the best endurance athletes in the world. But more than anything, he’s a man who is universally beloved for his kindness, generosity, and soulful grace. In the summer of 2020, Tommy fell gravely ill with an extremely

Why is creativity vital? What is the nature of culture? And why is pursuing happiness futile? Today we tackle this terrain and so much more in today’s rendition of ‘Roll On,’ wherein myself and my undefeated podcast co-pilot Adam Skolnick ‘get back’ to our original old school format. Aside from serving as my magnanimous sidecar hype-beast, Adam Skolnick is an activist and veteran journalist best known as David Goggins’ Can’t Hurt Me, co-author. Adam writes about adventure sports, environmental issues, and civil rights for outlets such as The New York Times, Outside, ESPN, BBC, and Men’s Health. He is the author of One Breath and is currently using the ‘new dad’ excuse to avoid working on his novel. Today’s discussion includes the following topics: Remembering British photojournalist Tom Stoddart & Australian swimmer Jason Plummer; The ascent of Norwegian triathlon dominance; The Kyle Rittenhouse and Ahmaud Arbery verdicts; Oscar Pistorius’ prison transfer & restorative justice; Lawsuits involving Tyson F

What does it take to achieve the impossible? Don’t set limits. And never quit. Ever. The full embodiment of this ethos, today’s guest has never met an obstacle she couldn’t overcome, transcending every limit ever placed upon her. Her secret? Never give pain a voice. An extraordinary athlete and absolute force of nature, Leah Goldstein has lived one of the more interesting lives you will ever come across. After winning the Bantamweight World Kickboxing Championship at just 17 years old, Leah walked away from a bright future in competitive martial arts to join the Israeli Defense Force, becoming a Krav Maga specialist and the first female Elite Commando Instructor before a storied career as an undercover Special Forces intelligence officer. In yet another dramatic life pivot, Leah then embarked on a professional cycling career. A devastating crash ended her Olympic dreams, her pro career, and nearly her life. After being told she might not walk again and certainly would never race again, Leah remained undaunted

The core of every hero’s journey is a desire to step into the unknown, seek adventure, and above all, embrace metamorphosis. For Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Mike Posner, that meant trading the comforts of Hollywood for a Mount Everest base camp—and ditching the tour bus to instead walk across America. Let me explain. After skyrocketing to fame following the release of his debut song Cooler Than Me, Mike built a career writing infectious pop meditations (that have accrued billions of streams) for some of music’s biggest stars—people like Justin Beiber, Pharrell, Maroon 5, Tom Morello, Snoop Dogg, Nick Jonas, and Avicii. As follows, he also built a life on womanizing, partying, money, and fame. In our last exchange back in 2019, Mike and I discussed his moment of awakening—the events that led him to give away all his possessions, buy a van, and live more simply. But much has changed for Mike since we last sat down. Over the last two-plus years, he’s walked 2000+ miles across America and followed it up th

Across the world, untold millions fall prey to some form of addiction. If you or someone you know suffers in silence, there is hope. Today’s episode casts a light on this epidemic of darkness and paves a solution-based path towards hope. A recovering alcoholic myself, I’ve danced with that darkness. Tasted the desperation. And felt the loneliness. Time and again I failed at arresting a disease hell-bent on killing me. Until that is, I let go of everything I thought I knew about how to live, think and be—and let others help me. The solution required an education. Given the ubiquity of addiction, it’s an education I feel a responsibility to share. Towards that end, today’s episode—the third installment in our burgeoning, deep-dive Masterclass series—explores the nature of addiction, the misconceptions that perpetuate it, and the many solutions available for confronting and ultimately overcoming it. For those unaware of this new semi-regular format, today’s episode is a compilation of 10 incredible and unique pe

Conquering a historic feat of stratospheric proportions nobody thought possible, today’s guests will challenge every assumption you ever harbored about the outer limits of human capability. In 2010, Jason Lester and I were the first to complete EPIC5—5 consecutive iron-distance triathlons on 5 Hawaiian Islands in just over 6 days. I’m proud of that accomplishment. More proud that it has inspired others to rewrite their rulebook on personal possibility. But today’s guests James Lawerence—aka The Iron Cowboy—alongside his wife and co-captain Sunny Jo Lawrence, somehow makes my resume just sound…cute. In 2015, the father of five did something I was convinced was impossible when he completed 50 iron-distance triathlons in 50 states in 50 days—a stunning feat chronicled way back on episodes 149 & 166, in the documentary The Iron Cowboy: The Story of The 50.50.50, and in his book, Redefine Impossible. But as many of you already know, James recently topped that seemingly untoppable feat by completing truly one of th

Adventure begins when things start to go wrong. So stop looking for the shortcut. Embrace the difficult journey ahead. Few embody this ethos better than today’s guest Jason Caldwell. An extraordinary adventure athlete and beautiful beast of a human, Jason holds 11 world records set across 5 continents and 3 oceans, including a 320-mile unassisted traverse of the Namib desert (the longest desert trek across Namibia), captaining the fastest team to row across the Atlantic Ocean unsupported, and most recently, victory in the Great Pacific Race as captain of the fastest team to ever row from San Francisco to Hawaii, a feat Jason and his 3 teammates accomplished in just 30 days 7 hours, smashing the previous world record by an astonishing 9 days. In addition, Jason is the CEO of Latitude 35, an experiential leadership and high-performance team building consulting company. He’s a widely sought-after public speaker on the Fortune 500 circuit and has taught at some of the country’s leading business schools, including

Dadding. Surfing with Zuckerberg. Celebrating Ten Thousand’s glorious new FAR line with Robbie Balenger. And of course, the Adam-Brogan faceoff we’ve all been waiting for. Welcome to another hotly anticipated edition of ‘Roll On,’ wherein myself and my undefeated podcast co-pilot Adam Skolnick (and our intruding guest Brogan Graham) hone on matters of contemporaneous import, and more than anything, get a bit silly. Aside from serving as my magnanimous sidecar hype-beast, Adam Skolnick is an activist and veteran journalist best known as David Goggins’ Can’t Hurt Me, co-author. Adam writes about adventure sports, environmental issues, and civil rights for outlets such as The New York Times, Outside, ESPN, BBC, and Men’s Health. He is the author of One Breath and is currently using the ‘new dad’ excuse to avoid working on his novel. This episode unfurls in a fashion unique. We start off with the half-cocked banter you’ve come to know and love. Adam and Brogan hash out their drama. We discuss the nuances of being

Like many, I despair of our country’s division, which is rapidly expanding in lockstep with our inability to productively communicate alongside growing distrust in institutions and the media. Also like many, I want solutions. Much of this rests with us. But we also need leadership. Across the political landscape, most elected officials understand this problem and its gravity. However, very few proffer solutions beyond the beaten path. Even fewer demonstrate a good-faith willingness to tackle the dilemma with solution-based action. Today’s guest Andrew Yang is an exception to this pattern. For those unfamiliar, Andrew is an entrepreneur turned politician best known for his 2020 presidential run and subsequent New York City mayoral bid. He’s the man who pioneered a national conversation on the power of universal basic income (UBI) to address maladies produced by widening wealth disparity. And he’s a leader I find genuine in his commitment to the greater potential of our democratic experiment, bringing forth ori

What happens when you’re massively rich, famous, and rewarded for living a life of over-indulgence? If you’re lucky, you awake one day to realize that a life of sex, drugs, rock & roll—a life you were convinced would make you happy—only leaves you empty. You then embark on a Victor Frankl-esque search for meaning that ultimately leads to spiritual awakening and a path towards purpose, self-actualization, and service. This is a story that recurs on this show in many forms. Today’s version of that story comes in the shape of Adrian Grenier. You know Adrian as an actor—he’s appeared in many films and television projects—but of course, most well known for his portrayal of Vinnie Chase in the HBO hit show Entourage, a dizzying and meta experience for Adrian that in so many ways came to parallel his own life. But Adrian has evolved past this archetype of adolescent id, trading Hollywood for a ranch outside Austin, Texas. He’s matured into a regenerative farmer, environmentalist, and founder of the Lonely Whale Foun

Beyond politics and religion, few topics are more hotly debated than nutrition. But when we consider the totality of health—not just human health, but planetary, ecosystem, soil, and animal well-being—the science is irrefutable: a diet that is as plant-exclusive as possible is best. Nonetheless, misinformation fueled by emotions and ideological tribalism persists. Confusion propagates. Thus the average well-intentioned person remains stuck in unhealthy lifestyle habits that tragically lead to avoidable ailments and disease. Meanwhile, the planet suffers. To help us parse facts from fiction and guide us towards an evidence-based, rational model for nutritional health and well-being, today we convene with my friend Simon Hill. The host of the fantastic Plant Proof Podcast and blog of the same name, Simon plies his master’s degree in nutrition to objectively decipher scientific literature to deliver clear and actionable tools to help people make diet and lifestyle choices that actually promote optimal health and

It’s time to once again transcend the mortal coil to reconnect with matters ethereal and divine, truths both big and small. Our prophetess for this spiritual trip is healer, mother, and creator Julie Piatt. Longtime listeners are well acquainted with the one who goes by SriMati—my in-house guru and better half. A human who is very good at many things, Julie is an accomplished yogi, musician, chef, and mom to our four children. She’s also the bestselling author of three vegan cookbooks. She hosts the For The Life of Me podcast. She lords over Water Tiger, her online spiritual community. And she’s the CEO and ‘Mother Arc’ of SriMu, the best plant-based cheese in the known universe. Over the years, Julie has been a recurring source of spiritual wisdom on the podcast, dropping many a pearl on everything from parenting and creativity, to navigating conflict, managing relationships, dealing with financial hardship, and many other subjects. Today’s microphone communion with Julie is many things. It’s an unearthing o

This cultural moment bears witness to a growing distrust of institutions unprecedented in our lifetime. With it comes an unraveling of healthy communication. Tearing others down has taken priority over rising ourselves up. And binary thinking, divisiveness, and fear-based behavior have supplanted sense-making, appreciation for nuance, and mutual respect. For Ryan Holiday, the antidote is the pursuit of virtue—specifically, the virtue upon which all other virtues sit, courage: the ability to rise above fear and to do what’s right. Returning for his 4th appearance on the podcast, Ryan is one of the world’s bestselling living philosophers globally lauded for adapting Stoicism to the mainstream. His books—including The Obstacle Is The Way, Ego Is the Enemy, The Daily Stoic, and Stillness Is the Key—have sold over 4 million copies and spent over 300 weeks on the bestseller lists. Ryan’s expertise in mining the modern-day practicalities of ancient philosophy to live more optimally is coveted by some of the world’s

I love my parents. I grew up with a world-class education. And yet, nobody actually ever taught me how to be an adult. As a result, I made a ton of avoidable mistakes. I suffered far more than necessary. And I fumbled in the dark for years until eventually, I figured a few things out. Unfortunately, my experience is all too common. Today’s guest—a woman who spent years mentoring and advising some of the brightest young people in the entire world—would agree, so she decided to do something about it. Julie Lythcott-Haims is the former dean of freshmen and undergraduate advising at Stanford University, where she earned her B.A. (as my classmate) before obtaining a law degree from Harvard and a master’s in fine arts and writing from California College of the Arts. Today Julie is an author and authority on what we now call—in Millenial parlance—adulting. Her TED Talk 'How to raise successful kids without over-parenting' has over 5 million views, and her books include the New York Times bestseller, How To Raise An

Last week we dipped our toes into sacred waters both spiritual and metaphysical. This week we are diving off the deep end. In other words, welcome to another incarnation of Guru Multiverse, the latest in my ongoing series of communions with Guru Singh, my treasured friend and favorite sparring partner when it comes to matters heart and soul. Aside from being a modern-day Gandalf, Guru Singh is a master of the Kundalini arts, a celebrated spiritual teacher, a third-generation Sikh yogi, an author, accomplished musician, father, grandfather, and an overall gift to humanity who has been teaching and studying Kundalini yoga for the past 40-plus years who now holds virtual court at kundaliniuniversity.com. The Guru joins me in the studio to offer a dissertation on divining and discerning the delicate and detailed differences that differentiate: instinct, impulse, intuition, and intelligence—the four “I’s” if you will. This is a conversation about perspective, accountability, the willingness to solicit and receive

Today we’re going take some of life’s biggest questions, toss them into a Vitamix, press hyperblend, and whip up a Metaphysical Milkshake. My sous chefs for this cosmic concoction are Rainn Wilson & Reza Aslan. Do I really need to introduce these two? Star of screens big and small, Rainn is best known for his role as Dwight Schrute on The Office. An OG in the online high-vibe content space, Rainn is also the founder of SoulPancake, a digital platform for people from all walks of life to discuss and question what it means to be human—a place to wrestle with the spiritual, philosophical, and creative journey that is life. Reza is a scholar of religions, a professor of creative writing, a television host, an Emmy-nominated producer, and the author of many bestselling books on religion, faith & spirituality. These two have teamed up on a fantastic new podcast worthy of your attention called (you guessed it) Metaphysical Milkshake. In a mild departure from my typical interview format, the idea for this episode was

A central theme of my podcast is the power of a plant-based diet to enhance the quality of life for both the individual and the whole. Over time, the show has grown to embrace a wider variety of themes—art, entertainment, cuisine, entrepreneurship, spirituality, sports, social justice, creativity, equality, and more—each guest sharing his/her respective expertise and experience. Some conversations traverse more than one field. Only a select few impart powerful, impactful lessons across several. Joanne Molinaro is one such human—a  cultural phenomenon who goes by the moniker, The Korean Vegan. Born in Chicago to immigrant parents from what is today North Korea, Joanne is a (soon to be) New York Times bestselling cookbook author, food blogger, marathon runner, social activist and corporate law firm partner (although she just resigned last week) with millions of fans across a variety of social media platforms—including over 2.5 million on TikTok—obsessed with her wisdom-laced and thought-provoking food content,