Speaking with Jane Elizabeth; Best Selling Author, Personal Trainer, Coach, & Athlete

Today I am speaking with Jane Elizabeth. Jane is a best selling author, personal trainer, empowerment coach, motivational speaker, athlete, and animal lover who has been active in the animal rescue community for over a decade. She went vegan for the animals two and a half years ago and has been an active advocate for veganism ever since.

 

Key points addressed were  

• Jane’s book titled become a badass rebel runner 
• We also discussed Jane’s personal journey from being obese to health and a vegan lifestyle as a long-distance runner, mother of a toddler, and coach

 

This series features conversations I conducted with individuals who have dedicated their work and lives to Vegan research, businesses, art, and society. This podcast series is hosted by Patricia Kathleen and Wilde Agency Media.

 

TRANSCRIPTION

*Please note, this is an automated transcription please excuse any typos or errors

 

[00:00:00] In this episode, I speak with bestselling author, personal trainer, coach and Vegan athlete Jane Elizabeth. Key Points addressed where Jane's book titled Become a Bad Ass Rebel Runner. We also discussed Jane's personal journey from being obese to health and a Vegan lifestyle as a long distance runner, mother of a toddler and coach. Stay tuned for my inspirational talk with Jane Elizabeth. A quick technical note. We suffered some audio difficulties on our hosting end of Zoom. However, as the less than ideal audio is only suffered on the part of my questions and this portion of the podcast, DANZ is 25 percent of the interview. Our team made the decision to go up with this version rather than delay and rerecord. We appreciate your understanding and know that the interview with Jane will be worth putting up with a little static.

 

[00:00:56] My name is Patricia Kathleen, and this series features interviews and conversations I conduct with experts from food and fashion to tech and agriculture, from medicine and science to health and humanitarian arenas. The dialog captured here is part of our ongoing effort to host transparent and honest rhetoric. For those of you who, like myself, find great value in hearing the expertize and opinions of individuals who have dedicated their work and lives to their ideals. If you're enjoying these podcasts, be sure to check out our subsequent series that dove deep into specific areas such as founders and entrepreneurs. Fasting and roundtable topics. They can be found on our Web site. Patricia Kathleen, dot com, where you can also join our newsletter. You can also subscribe to all of our series on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Pod Bean and YouTube. Thanks for listening. Now let's start the conversation.

 

[00:01:52] Hi, everyone, and welcome back. I'm your host, Patricia. And today I am elated to be sitting down with Jane Elizabeth. Jane is a best author, personal trainer, coach and Vegan athlete. You can find out more about her work and get in contact with her on her Instagram handles. She has two. One is at bad ass dot rebel letters. And the next one is C Dot. Jane, Dot, do dot everything. Welcome, Jane.

 

[00:02:21] Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it.

 

[00:02:23] Absolutely. I'm excited to kind of comb through your book. I read that last night I was talking to you before we started recording. I really love it. I think you have some core tenants that equal to that. I don't hear a lot of women athletes were begins in general speak about. And I'm really excited to kind of enumerate those with you before I do that for anyone listening who has been following this podcast. I always offer our listeners and Volquez viewers a roadmap of where we're headed today. And we will be looking at Jane's academic background and early professional life. But and then we'll turn straight to unpacking her Vegan story if it hasn't been already enumerated within her background of academic and professional level. And then we'll turn towards unpacking her book, which I'm excited to talk about, is called Become a Badass Rebel Runner The Ultimate Guide to Being a Fit Mom Without the Diet Bullshit. And I'm excited to climb through a lot. As I said, those core components that I feel like really differentiate, Jane, from a lot of the leading athletes that I've spoken to. And then we'll turn towards the ethos and what she was hoping, the ethos of the book and what she was hoping her readership would kind of garner and gain from, as well as the audience that she had in mind when she was writing it. And we'll wrap everything up with that. Looking at the future and the goals that Jane may have within it's one, two years, this is a conversation that people has changed a great deal for those of us in the world as of late with the public pandemic upon us really quickly. As promised before I'd start peppering Jane with questions of bio. Jane Elizabeth is a bestselling author, personal trainer, empowerment coach, motivational speaker, athlete and animal lover who has been active in the animal rescue community for over a decade. She went vegan for the animals two and a half years ago and has become an active advocate for veganism ever since. Although she originally went vegan for the animals, Gene discovered the health benefits and the vast environmental benefits of building begin to be incredible. Using her own transformation story as a platform of hope, she inspires others to take care of the animals and the planet by taking care of themselves. Her Vegan fitness mobile app, Batak Rebel Runners, has empowered hundreds of people to get fit and healthy. Her book become a badass Bevell runner and the ultimate guide to being a fit mom. Without the Diet, Bullshit shares her personal journey and is available now on Amazon. She believes strongly in being a voice for the voiceless and standing up for what is right, even if it means standing alone. And so and I do also I neglected to mention I want you to kind of put across through your app. I have read the book. I have not gotten on the apps side. Have you kind of just pull that out? All of us. Before we get to all of that, I'm hoping that you can kind of draw us this platform of your early academic and professional background that led you to where you are now.

 

[00:05:07] Sure. Well, thanks so much for that question. It's really interesting because, you know, from an academic standpoint, actually started in music. That was my first love. That was my first year. I drove into that thinking, you know, this is what I'm going to do for the rest of my life. I went to a trade school that was focused on the performing arts. So it was called music tech. And then it changed to McNelly Smith. And unfortunately, it doesn't even exist anymore. Back in Minneapolis, Minnesota. So I did that. I had a rock band for about 13 years. And that was a lot of fun, a lot of fun times with that. And all that time, I had to work, too, because, you know, when you're in a rock band, that's not something typically that is going to pay the bills. So I was in sales and management, which actually led me down a different path professionally than I thought I was going to to go down. So I hadn't intended on getting into the realm of corporate America. But that's what happened. And so, you know, getting into management and seeing the result of really mentoring people and figuring out or helping them really figure out what they wanted to do with their professional careers became a passion of mine, too. And so actually, in my thirties, after getting into human resources or from sales management to human resource, it seemed like a natural progression from a professional standpoint. And what I was doing that I thought, well, this is probably what I'm going to do for the rest of my life. So I actually went back to school in my early thirties and I, I got my undergraduate degree and my graduate degrees, both with human resource management thinking, you know, if I can help people and mentor them. And actually help them figure out what it is they really want to do with their lives, help them feel fulfilled from a professional standpoint, that will help them then in their personal lives, too. So it is really, you know, trying to also help corporations find that that win win, that's good for the company, good for employees, good for management. And, you know, being in human resources, you see kind of the underbelly of organizations.

 

[00:07:19] You see people at their very worst. And, you know, people come to you with all their crap. I mean, people, you know, are hurting. They're frustrated. They're angry. You very rarely get to see people on their best days. So kind of being that voice of, you know, it's OK. You know, let's figure this out. There's a solution here.

 

[00:07:41] You know, tell me how you're feeling. Tell me what you're thinking. Tell me your perspective. And taking that in as not right or wrong, but your perspective is your perspective. And giving people that space to actually just be heard was something that became second nature. And I think that's actually helped me in where I am now. But what happened is I actually got pregnant on purpose. I was always wanted kids. And I got pregnant with my daughter. And at that time, I was in grad school and I was working full time in human resources. So it was a bit of a struggle, you know, like waddling around downtown Minneapolis, going to work and, you know, going to school and all these things. And, you know, when you're pregnant, you're exhausted all the time. And I had this funny thought in my head. I remember thinking they're doing my my papers for preschool and handing them in and being so exhausted and thinking, gosh, you know, when she's born, I'll probably have more energy. But anybody who's out there who is a parent knows that that is so not true. Less than I do. And she was worried because I didn't get any sleep, but I managed to push through. So I finished grad school when I was on maternity leave and I had my my newborn daughter who didn't want to be held by anybody else but me. And she is a breastfed babies. So, you know, I was her only source of nutrients. She wouldn't take a bottle like it was just me. But I finished grad school anyway, and I just said, this is something that I need to do. And part of it honestly was showing her that she's capable of doing this. You as a mom, I think a lot of people, a lot of women feel like they can't go to school, they can't work. There's so many things they can't do because their mom is doing all these other things is selfish. But I wanted to show her that it's not that you can live this full, fulfilling life in so many aspects and be an amazing mom. So that's really, you know, what kind of my background from an academic standpoint, once I finished grad school, that's actually kind of when my life completely changed because I realized everything I had been doing and all these goals I have from a professional standpoint, they were good.

 

[00:10:04] They were all really great goals, but they weren't really aligned with what I wanted to see from my life. And so I had this little, like mini celebration, took some pictures finishing grad school. Big deal, right. I was super, super excited to to be done, quite honestly. I mean, I was I love school, but at that point, I was so exhausted. I was really happy to be done with it. To be able to move out and have a little bit of time at least to do something other than writing papers. So I was looking at these pictures and I was holding my daughter. And, you know, looking back at these pictures, you know, when you're in that moment, you don't think about looking down at yourself. You don't think about looking at your at your body. I had been avoiding mirrors at that point for, well, quite a while, honestly. I already knew what I was going to see in the mirror, so I just didn't even want to go there. And when I looked at these pictures, it was right there staring me in the face like I didn't even recognize this woman holding my daughter.

 

[00:11:07] And the woman was me. And that was that moment I fired. Holy crap.

 

[00:11:12] How did I get to this point? You know, I was so busy doing all of these things for so many years. And I had let myself go. I wasn't focusing on my health. I wasn't focusing on anything other than the busyness that had come along with everything I was doing. And I had a lot of emotional trauma and suffered several losses.

 

[00:11:36] And there was a lot that was a lot that really played into that. And what I saw in those pictures was this person, this woman who was hurting so much, just completely helpless. And all of the emotional things I had gone through were manifesting in how big I was.

 

[00:11:56] I mean, I went from having like five, 10 extra pounds to being obese. And that was the moment I thought, oh, my God, I need to do something about this. Because I was holding my daughter and I kept thinking, you know, all of these limiting beliefs and unhealthy behaviors. This is something that if I continue going the way I'm going, I'm going to pass it on to her just like they've been passed on to me. So I could do that or I could stop that cycle. I could be the last person in my family to live my life that way and give her a clean slate. And that meant that I had to completely change my life. But she's my daughter. She's totally worth it. And that's what I found my wife to completely change my life.

 

[00:12:47] Yeah. Your book, you can hear why and talk about your daughter being your why.

 

[00:12:51] And then. And it does a good job of kind of mixing and matching the time here of what you're talking about. I'm curious how the relationship and the conversation between exercise and the Vegan diet, you kind of climb through, you pass out when meat left your diet and then, you know, we have an identical experience nursing your daughter, you know, that immediately turning you off the milk. And then you also kind of unpack later on how the extraction of milk enables you to start your exercise. But I'm hoping you can kind of make sense of that being a Vegan athlete yourself and being this pro distance runner that you are. You a lot of people here are Vegan. And this is running is about the last thing that weightlifting did. They're like, no, Vegan don't do that. I love talking to people who do it that way. And I'm wondering if you can kind of form the relationship between becoming Vegan as well as your weight loss journey like they didn't come spontaneously or did they kind of did, because, you know, what I did is I was looking at my life and what needed to change.

 

[00:13:55] And, you know, eating meat never resonated well with me because I love animals. So I've been involved in animal rescue for a really long time.

 

[00:14:03] And I've rescue dogs. We fostered dogs. I mean, this is something I mean, I love cats, too, but I'm allergic, so I could never foster them. But they are really cute and they love me, especially, I think, because I'm allergic. They like to crawl up, man, get lost and hurt, which is fine. I just make sure I, you know, shower right after.

 

[00:14:20] But, you know, we had, you know, animals like cows and pigs and turkeys come into rescue as well. And these are animals that are typically killed for food. And their personalities were the same as my dogs. And I couldn't help but thinking, you know, why are we rescuing these animals? But, you know, killing these animals? I mean, obviously, the ones who came to rescue those were safe. But, you know, my my point is, you know, these farmed animals are the exact same as the ones are coming into rescue. So we're saving some and then paying to have some meat kill the other ones. And it just didn't sit right with me. It didn't resonate with my spirit. So I just thought, you know what, I have to change this because this isn't right. It's it's been bothering me for a long time. There's gotta be another way. And I mean, I was raised in a very I mean, almost a.. Vegan household, as I mean, most people were. And, you know, back in that day when I'm going to 80s, baby and, you know, meat was where you got your protein. And if you want to if you wanted to be strong, you eat eggs, which I never actually really liked eggs. But if you wanted strong bones, you know, you drink a lot of milk and. But, you know, cutting that meat out was like that first thing and it felt so right to do that. And then, you know, from there, that was the what I was planning to do would just, you know, for the well-being of the animals. It wasn't really about me. It was about them. And I just wanted to do something to reduce the suffering I was causing because, you know, I've got I feel like I have a lot karmically to make up for. I mean, so many years of harm that I caused. Not really even realizing it was harm, because we're not taught that it's harm. But it's like once you know better, it's your responsibility. It's my responsibility because I know better to do better with my actions and to show my daughter. What this means, you know, we're saying cruelty free. That doesn't just mean the products you buy from a cosmetic standpoint, it doesn't just mean what you're using in your household. A cruelty for your life also means not eating animals and causing the least amount of harm possible and not wearing animals, not exploiting animals. So, you know, so that was a big turning point for me. And what happened from there is right at that same time, you're right after I made that decision that I had to change my life. I decided to go Vegan and. But then there was this moment of, gosh, you know, I don't know, dairy. I gave up cheese like that was okay. There are a lot of substitutes out there. And, you know, that was fine. But that half and half was really difficult to to give up. So I had started trying to run. I mean, this was like me trotting along. This is jogging, really. I mean, this was like three days a week. This was not even a mile. I suffered from chronic asthma. And so, you know, I was trying, though I knew running would work. It's that one thing I knew would help me get fit. And, you know, people always think, well, what is it I can do? You know, and there are so many things that don't require equipment and running is one of them. Walking is not is another one. You know, they're really great ways to exercise that. You're, you know, how to do it. And so, you know, I was I felt really heavy. My knees were were hurting, but I knew I had to keep going. But I always need to my rescue inhaler before I would even start because my asthma was that bad, that I had to actually kind of give my lungs a little boost in order to open up enough for me to actually run that not even one mile that I was going to run that day. But once. Yeah. I was nursing my daughter, like you said. You know, a lot of moms, I think, have this this revelation when they are nursing moms. And if you are in tune at all to what animals go through and I was nursing her and I saw this this video at that time, I only had half and half left to give up. That was the only thing I thought. Well, it's it's one thing. It's only one thing. No big deal. Right. Because it's just one thing. But yeah, I saw this video. It popped up. And, you know, Facebook I really I'm not a fan typically of Facebook algorithm's. You know, they totally screw with businesses and like, you have to pay if you want anybody to see anything. So I I'm not a huge fan. But in that moment, I can tell you that Facebook knew exactly what I needed to see. So I'm so grateful for that one moment because that's what I needed to see to change that one thing. And it was this video of a mammoth cow who is chasing her baby who had been stolen away from her. And I'm nursing my daughter. And I just broke down. I started crying like, OK, I said, I don't care what I have to do to give up. This happened half. It's done. I poured it down the drain. I was. That was it. I didn't care if I had to try a thousand different Vegan Kramers, which I probably did, you know, that was it for me. And then so that that was about the animals too. But then within about a week my asthma just completely reversed. It went away. So, you know, yes, it was still a struggle to run because I had an extra 80 plus pounds on me, but I was that I could breathe when I was running. And that feeling of that, that almost liberation, being able to have my lungs be clear while I was running with something I had never experienced before. And I've been an athlete, you know, in grade school and high school, I played sports and I always had a stop kind of like mid game to take a puff of my rescue inhaler, you know, is made fun of as a kid for being an asthmatic, which is also really crappy for kids to do. But it's what happens sometimes with when you're in school. And but that feeling of just. Oh, my gosh. I can do this. I can actually run. So that allow me to run further. So I could go for a longer amount of time. And then it was four more, you know, four more days during that during the week. I could run. And it started being this this thing I could do. And as a weight dropped off and because I could actually breathe with clear lungs without asthma, I could just keep going. And I appreciate that so much because, you know, as an asthmatic, you know, I would always be limited by something I couldn't control. But now, because I was able to go fully Vegan because of that one video, I saw that give up that last bit of dairy. All of a sudden, boom, it was done. And I could actually feel myself becoming stronger as an athlete. And, you know, and it took a while for me to get to where I am now. I mean, that was that's practice. That's work that's actually putting in, you know, grinding, putting in that work every day. But it all was sparked by finally giving up dairy.

 

[00:21:27] And also what's interesting about that is I had gone to begin for the animals. So that wasn't negotiable. I mean, I'm never going back to any animal products. But when my asthma went away, I was like, there's got to be more to this. This is researching veganism for my health benefit standpoint. And so. Yeah. And then I started getting more into, like, whole food plant based because it's so incredibly healthy for your body. And I mean that just everything kind of took off from there because I found just this wealth of information about how, you know, going vegan and particularly eating mostly wholefood plant based is so incredibly impactful for people from a health standpoint. And I just remember thinking, where the hell has this information been my entire life? It's like this is where where were they hiding this? I mean, you know, you've got people who are dying of diseases that are, you know, by and large preventable by getting rid of cruelty, by getting rid of animal products. So that was something that was shocking to me. Absolutely shocking. So now I really even though I went Vegan for the animals, I like to use my platform to tell people about the health benefits as well, because, quite frankly, a lot of people are drawn in for that reason and then makes a connection to the animals down the road, which is fine.

 

[00:22:52] Absolutely. What a curious case. When you said you're asthmatic, you know, in the book and I agree and I thought, oh, this is kind of clean.

 

[00:22:57] Right. Or one of the most common things I've heard when it comes to disease of any sort with them. People who turned to a vegan lifestyle, either by knowing or being suggested that we interview will help or by accident is that things clear up allergies, as mothers can do immediately. They don't just go a little bit away. They completely eliminate chronic migraines, all sorts of things that, you know, these things that really impact all of your life. And I was curious when that happened with you and because you are kind of a community based spirit, you kind of hear it throughout different threads of your book. Did you ever have a coach or a mentor throughout your 18 months? Because in your book, you kind of lay out and talk about a solid 18 months from what you remember being your heaviest to your true fitness and and wondering, did you ever have a mentor or anyone that you leaned on or Vegan group that you identified with? Or was it all just you?

 

[00:23:53] Yeah, that's a really great question. It was all just me. So I actually, you know, what's interesting is that kind of leads to why I do what I do. So, yeah, I took, what, 18 months? I was over 80 pounds and went from not being able to run a mile. So now I run between like seven and 20 plus miles a day just because I love to. And now that I can do it, I appreciate having that ability, which is so different from a lot of people who do it because, you know, maybe they feel like they have to or it's a punishment or whatever. Look at, you know, as far as exercise is concerned. But for me, it's this thing that I couldn't do before. And so now I'm so grateful just to be able to physically do it. So it's like every time I run, it's this time to distress and unwind and gain clarity and work through anything I'm going through. But during that 18 months, it was pretty lonely because, you know, in the Vegan community at that time in Minneapolis, there aren't a whole lot of vegans. And I did that finding a couple different Vegan groups, but they weren't really into fitness. It was something where if you even talked about the health benefits, they're like, well, you're not really Vegan if you are doing it for health reasons. I'm like, no, I did it for the animals. But I'm also very interested in the health and fitness. But you're kind of shame, you know, by the people who are, you know, ethical vegans, which I am. But I'm so shamed by people who think, oh, no, it's selfish to do it for health reasons. Well, OK, but. That's also a part of being Vegan is that it is a healthy, all of a healthier alternative, even if people are junk food Meagan's, it's still healthier than being a junk food omnivore. So, I mean, this is something that know people shouldn't be ashamed to talk about.

 

[00:25:36] But I didn't have this integrated with draconian measures. Let's be clear. Yes. You know, enforced compassion and things like the large part of the Vegan theory is based on with like a weikel.

 

[00:25:49] That doesn't make any sense. The love one another for the motives. Things like that seems a bit oxymoronic.

 

[00:25:56] It does. It does. And that was I kind of pulled back, honestly, from the Vegan community for a while just because I knew I was doing it for the right reason. And honestly, there's no wrong reason to go Vegan. The animals don't care why you go Vegan they just want you to stop eating them. So it's like I don't care whether people do it from a health standpoint, for the environment, for the animals, just, you know, the animal just wants you to stop eating them, exploiting them and wearing them. Right? Yeah. So. So I celebrate anybody along their journey and whatever people's dreams look like. But as far as having a mentor, I couldn't really find anybody who spoke to me whose story resonated with me because you as a mom, she's my number one priority. There are a lot of Vegan fitness trainers that are more into, you know, like body building. But that's not what I wanted. I wanted to run. I wanted to be an endurance athlete and I wanted to get fit and healthy and have like long lean muscle, but not build bulkier muscle. I mean, it's a beautiful esthetic and I have a lot of friends who do it. And I'm not saying it's wrong. It's amazing. It's just not my thing. So I can find anybody that was really, you know, speaking my language in a fitness center from a fitness standpoint. So I really figured it out on my own. And I'm assuming so that's kind of one of the reasons, too, why. You know, once I went through this journey, I thought, oh, my God, there are probably a lot of other people who feel exactly like I felt they're doing this brand new thing that's breaking tradition from everything they've known. And they're probably feeling really isolated and lonely and unsupported by people who should who should show support. But I mean, in a sense, then my I have a lot of friends in the Vegan community who are super supportive. I have a huge support group now from, you know, friends and followers and things like that. But, you know, a lot of that has just stemmed from, honestly, my place of saying, you know what? I'm going to do my thing. I'm going to be authentic to who I am. And if people are attracted to that, great. If they're not, that's fine, too, because I am not going to be for everybody. And that's OK. Yeah, I know what that taught me when I got a sense of that.

 

[00:28:19] We were talking off the record. And I think you do address a couple of values that you hear from Vegan offers and prep because they don't cross wires as much as you do on how you get into your personal, your health. All of it plays, you know, you as a package with this book. But I was telling you in Chapter seven and eight, when I was kind of climbing through those, you have a lot of conversation about show in the early part of this book. You talk about the the onus of responsibility to your daughter. And then you kind of you kind of explain that further. In Chapter seven, you talk about relationships and how we adopt these from, you know, people before us and how we look at those things. And then we hand them off subconsciously to the next generation. This unhealthy relationship with food being candy, particularly as you know, as women. And then also you talk about the social influences over diet and mind bodies. You get into limiting beliefs and mental handicaps, reverting self sabotage and things like that that also, I think, play into like, you know, illustrating quietly in this kind of subconscious way to the next generation. You can kind of understand how you came to that and how you came to talking about it, because it is one of the first big injuries. People always say it's Vegan. I really reexamine I have a very different relationship with them, but they can't stop there. They never kind of go into and that's that's a very blanket statement that if you haven't lived it, you may not even know what that means. And you have to do a good job of unpacking that sentiment. This idea of my, you know, food being the enemy, self sabotage and how it was handed quietly to you, you were getting ready to quietly handed on to your daughter before you became aware of it. How did you come to know those things and how did you come to write about them as being part of your Vegan story?

 

[00:30:12] That's a really good question. And, you know, it was just this idea of realizing, you know, how I grew up. It wasn't. My parents said that the best they could with the information they had at that time, but I saw the women, particularly in my family, dieting all the time. So there was always this focus on getting skinny. It wasn't about getting fit. And the focus was there were, you know, the weight loss plan that only work right. If you stick with them and the weight loss companies are banking on you failing and coming back and then failing and coming back. And that's how they're making money. They don't really make any money off of you if you succeed. So then you've got like diet pills. You've got your shakes. You've got like the gadgets, the late night as seen on TV. You've got these really, really fit people advertising these things they probably don't use. And, you know, so all of those things, there's this mindset of food is it is the enemy. It is something that you use to reward yourself on a good day. But then on a crappy day, you dove in and you indulge and you binge and you're like, it's OK because it's a bad day. And looking at even how you create a plate of food, it was like, meat is your main course. And then everything else around it is kind of like secondary and vegetables are gross. But you have to eat them if you want dessert. I mean, that's like the mindset. I mean. And I think most people remember their parents saying if you want dessert, you gotta eat your vegetables. So it was this punishment like, OK, the punishment is that you the you know, you have to eat your vegetables. But if you can make it through that, you can have dessert. It's this terrible way of thinking about food and super unhealthy to you. Make it about, you know, if this than this in a negative way. So, you know, once I went Vegan, I it's almost like you're a rebel anyway because you're completely going against the grain with everything you've been taught about food. And so what happened is I was looking at, you know, these all of these unhealthy, you know, behaviors that were handed down to me with exercise and food. And, you know, that idea of bingeing or of limiting calories so much that you're basically starving yourself. And it's really funny. I will tell you something that there is there is a shock. Golden Girls, I mean, everybody knows the show, right? There is one particular episode. And I think there's mostly be in their 50s or something in that show. And these ladies, it was just having me on late at night and I was it was before I went Vegan. But my daughter was OK. She was always I got like two hours and she was always awake and so having me on. And I remember in this one episode, these women who are middle aged women, they had an event coming up in like a week or two weeks or something like that. So they all went on a diet to get thin before this event. And I remember this this moment thinking to myself. I do not want to be middle age and still be frickin dieting like this. This whole mindset, though, has been handed down and it's through my family, too, that it's you know, you have to starve yourself if you want to get fat. And it's about getting fat. It's not about getting fit when you exercise. Gosh, you know, if you can do the most punishing thing to your body for, like, a short amount of time, then you should see results. But if you don't see results, then you're not doing the right thing. It's not about consistency. It's about, you know, that quick fix. And if it doesn't work right now, then it's then it's the fault of the system, the product, whatever it might be, to the program. And there is a lack of personal accountability. And so looking at food and the way I want my daughter to look at food, that was huge for me. What do I want her mindset to be for food? I don't want it to be about restriction. I want it to be about abundance. So when we're when I'm looking at food, I'm looking at all of the findings that is there from a nutritional standpoint and how beautiful it is to be able to choose from all these things. You've got vegetables, fruits and grains. I mean, I haven't even tried everything that's available to me because there are so many things I'm not even aware of at this point, even though I've eaten a lot of them. I've tried so many things. But there's always something new to try. And so with her, I want her to look at food as something exciting, not something that she has to constantly restrict. And so, you know, looking at it from a healthy standpoint and saying, yeah, OK, there are these potato chips here and I'm MacIntyre's, you can't have them, because when I grew up, it was you can't have any junk food, which then made me kind of veer off. It didn't make me. I chose to veer off in that direction of, you know, fast food and junk food and all that. Yeah. But with her, it's like, OK, this is an option if you want to have that. I also have this green apple and you know, I'm going to have this you can choose. And nine times out of ten, she wants the apple because I'm not making it a negative thing like these are these chips are so bad for you. It's you know, it's your choice. How do you feel when you eat the apple versus how you eat those or how you feel when you eat those chips and having them available so she can make those good choices and healthy choices in an environment where I'm there to support her and encourage her. Then as she gets older and she's only four years old right now, but as she gets older, she's gonna be making decisions that impact her health and her life in so many ways. And so, you know, teaching her to choose something that makes her feel good. Choosing something that is cruelty free, that, you know, is Vegan and helping you kind of see that difference between a dead animal and something that is going to actually bring you so much life and so much nourishment and fueling your body. That way, when you feel good, you want to keep feeling good. Right. Is that that's been missing, I think, from the whole narrative about food and fitness for so long. But it takes a lot of effort because, you know, all of these beliefs and there's a lot of societal pressure, their social conditioning that teaches us what fitness looks like, what health looks like, what good food looks like.

 

[00:36:57] And it's this it's all shit like you could. It's horrible bullshit.

 

[00:37:01] I think in your book, there's a really good job that might kind of just setting that stage and letting your readers kind of run with it. You know, the concept that would exist in a vacuum, which would then become healthy and thin and break one day. It's a it's an incredible medicine. It's a drug. It's your grandmother's love. It's so many things as human beings to just think that you just switch it, you know, or not analyze the level I think is is one of the greatest fault for being fat is definitely pushed on me, you know, as a father, as a concept, like you said, that helps infomercial, didn't Summerside after I did so many of ridiculous things out there, then I said, why worry? She's going to look back on that, if you really like. I think that really looking at it because your book is the great job of your journey, talking about things, talking about how you implement things, but then also talking about, you know, ends with this like emotional, sociological look at having to impact the brain eventually. And I think that if that happens, whether you want it to or not, you know, if you're eating healthy and you're exercising and you're returning to a state of health, even if you thought you were insulin, you will naturally have another conversation with yourself, not unlike Kobe. You know, I think a lot there was a large part of the population that would say they were pretty fair on who they were, what they were doing, what job they rented, and that they liked it. And everyone I talked to had completed the evaluation with themselves of their new internal. Dialog about reevaluating what quality of life means to them, what family actually means, how much they should be spending time with their family and things like that. Something stripped of freedoms taken away or implemented again. We analyze and I think your book does a really good job of setting the reader up for that until I really. I was delighted to find that can attend it thinking, you know, about handing it off to the next generation. It doesn't matter if you have children or have or want them. You should care about how you depart this earth. And I think most people do and be slightly better at speaking. But I believe that better is thoughtful and that begins with how we analyze and look at food in the animals, the industries, the system. It's not just the animals. Veganism is tied up into a lot of this endeavor. It ties into everything from sustainability, responsibility, the earth to the farmers. The economy is a lie. You know, anytime you start to pay for things like milk and eggs, like our country does, to subsidize it, to make sure that we stay dependent on it, it cripples an economy that could exist in its place. So there's just so many aspects, and I love that your how your book kind of came at it from that emotional and mental one as an athlete. Let me ask you realistically, we had some people write in. We would take questions from our audience and they know we're getting Vegan athletes on the slopes of Quick Fire question. Rounds of people write and off at the same time. I get to ask a couple right now, as a Vegan athlete, do you feel like your endurance has ever suffered, particularly as a distance runner or benefited from it's benefited.

 

[00:40:08] So I have more energy and stamina now than I've ever had in my life. So one great example is the first two races I did this year.

 

[00:40:17] They're the only two races I have been able to do this year off of my whole list. I did a half marathon in January and a marathon in March and before both, I have maybe an hour of sleep just because, you know, you've got this nervous energy. I had my oatmeal. What's fruit and cinnamon like I always have in the morning and some water and coffee and went out both times and ran without stopping. Both races finish strong. And that is something I never could have done without going Vegan. So it's. Well, because what you do with asthma, too, there's no way to pluck it that mile anyway. But but now definitely my stamina, my endurance has increased. And I've learned also how to fuel my body, you know, so that what I'm eating is actually energizing me for my for each one. So that's something that I've learned to do as well.

 

[00:41:10] And we had a lot of people write and ask if you've ever had a conversation with your doctor and M.D. of you and any doctor about being Vegan and what he was.

 

[00:41:20] Yes, actually, last year I broke my foot. I was walking down the stair, holding my walking down the stairs, holding my daughter.

 

[00:41:27] And my dogs kind of swirled around my feet and I fell, managed to, like, fall backwards. And so my daughter wasn't injured Jews in my arms because she was my. But one thing I could think about in that moment. So I ended up breaking my left foot and I had like had my way into the doctor and they noticed the significant weight change from where I was before. And it was like over 80 pounds, like eighty five pounds or something like that. And they just kind of looked at me and I said, I'm a I'm a long distance runner and I'm Vegan. And they're like, oh. And they said, you know, you haven't been in for an asthma check recently. And I said, Oh, I know. You know what, I I'm I can tell you it's cured because you have to be very, very careful using that term. I said, but I haven't had any flare ups since I went Vegan. And I run every single day and the doctor looked at me. They did an asthma attack and they took it off my chart. So by an actual doctor, it was taken off of my chart. And I say that because a lot of people had that question. Did an actual doctor as a fair like a doctor? I mean, I don't even know why he will say that. But yes, an actual doctor at a clinic took asthma off my chart.

 

[00:42:41] So that was critical, like what we're experiencing. I don't know why we need it validated by him. Like it's always easing for me. Would you feel like what did the doctor say? I don't know if you're feeling pretty good. I hope they agreed. And then we also have one of the last questions that kind of breakthrough through is people asked if the baby's parents have received budget from other parents or if you at your daughter's pretty young. But if you convey that information and if we have any of our people interested, are they judgmental? How is that kind of weighing on the.

 

[00:43:14] I've had both I mean, I've had a lot of people, Judge Mantle, from you know, from my growing up like, you know, friends and family. And, you know, I can't believe you would deprive your daughter of meat and dairy.

 

[00:43:27] And I'm like, well, I can't believe you feed your child death and illness. So, you know, I'd rather feed my child the food that is going to give her life, make her feel good. I don't actually see it that way because I'm much more compassionate when I'm speaking to people.

 

[00:43:45] But I have had a lot of judgment. And, you know, I always try to remember that I wasn't always Vegan. So, you know, when people ask me questions or they come at me with an aggressive manner, I just say, you know what?

 

[00:44:01] I was in your shoes before. I understand that. It's really scary to think that there's this possibility that the way we've always done things isn't the correct way to do things. It isn't the healthiest way, the kindest way and the most compassionate way. And that's really scary. Do you have questions for me or what questions can I answer for you about the way I'm living my life? Because that sometimes will open the door, even though they came at me in an aggressive manner sometimes. Yeah, that'll be any on some people, though, don't want to have any conversations. And people have been ridiculously judgmental. And if they don't want to actually have a conversation and they're just going to come at me with no judgment about my parenting style or about me or whatever it is, those are people I don't need in my circle. And I will I've learned to set boundaries so that the truly toxic people will not ever infiltrate this. You know, Joy, I have this healthy lifestyle. I've learned how to eliminate those people from my life. So, yeah, and guess what? Those people the door's open. If they actually want to have a conversation, that's totally fine. That's cool. I'm here. But if they're going to continue to be toxic and documental, then I don't have time for it. And with other people, you know, with Vegan parents or people who are really curious about having Vegan children, when you're doing the right thing for your child's health and wellbeing, that should matter to you so much more than anybody else's opinion. You know, if there's something that comes up, let's say you do go to the doctor and maybe your child is deficient in something that can happen, whether you have, you know, meat and dairy in your diet or whether you are Vegan. I mean, there are times when as kids, like my daughter is four, they're really picky eaters. So, you know, there are gonna be times when maybe you do have to adjust things a little bit or like add a multivitamin or something like that. So that might be something that, you know, you want to talk to a plant based nutritionist about.

 

[00:46:01] It's okay. It's OK to not have it all figured out. But just knowing that you're doing what's right for your child and for you and for the animals in the environment that matters more than anybody else's opinion anyway.

 

[00:46:15] Absolutely. And, you know, it's a personal testimony. I don't know a lot of Vegan, if they're quite young that haven't had an incredible health turnaround. You know, when I became vegan, I was incredibly healthy and I just went to see if I shouldn't sleep. When I started being able to it was, you know, just being a little teachers of good day, regardless of how healthy. I just don't know anyone who became healthy way on like this whole basis, you know, that doesn't have some kind of wonderful story that they should want for their children. And think, before I let you go, I want you to unpack your the bad ass rebel runners. He helps a little bit about what it is.

 

[00:46:55] Yes. So, you know, along the fitness journey on my fitness journey, like we're talking about before, I didn't have a lot of support. So what I wanted to do actually went back to school and became a certified personal trainer and life coach. And so that's something I do. And I felt like, you know, even though I just finished grad school before I started, my journey is like, you know what, though? This is what I'm supposed to do. And so I finally found my purpose and I created this app because this is what worked for me, kind of struggling through all these roadblocks and finding my way, finding my journey and creating a healthy lifestyle, going from just eating anything that was Vegan like Vegan izing anything and everything, using meat substitutes and two substitutes and then eventually going wholefood plant based. And don't get me wrong, like I still will treat myself and indulge in something really deliciously, you know, Vegan that's super indulgent sometimes. So I want to make sure I say that because there is such thing as going too far one way. And I do balance. I do believe in having balance. Gotta have Vegan Lozano's every now and again. Right. Reagen Kates or something.

 

[00:48:02] But so I created this app so that people would have something like one thing they could look at. That would teach them what they need to do on a daily basis as daily work. It has Vegan meal plans, but they don't look like other meal plans because you do have things like pizza and lasagna. And then you do have other things are hopeful, plant based. So people choose their breakfast, their lunch and their dinner and then they portion it out for the week because this is about portion control instead of counting calories, because for a lot of people who are raised like I was, calorie counting is extremely triggering and can go so wrong because people are freaking out. If they have like, oh my gosh, I had an extra 100 calories that I wasn't supposed to have or, you know, they get to the end of the day and they're starving. So you should never feel like you are so restricted that you're light headed or, you know, you're having trouble focusing. I mean, these are things people do in order to lose weight. And I want people to know that there is a healthy way to do things. It's not about being so restricted. It's about balance, portion control, making sure you're satisfied with what you're eating.

 

[00:49:18] So that as all of those things included in it and it is a running app, but for people who don't want to run, it's OK. You can walk. And it's something. It's what worked for me. So there's the beginners intermediate and advanced levels for people who do want to progress and maybe become a distance runner. So it is pretty specific. That's why. Bad usera wheel runners. For anybody who is veg curious or Vegan and they want to get themselves in shape. They want to get healthy their support. Right. In that app. So I come on in beginning the week at the end of the week to tell them what to expect of beginning and then to congratulate people at the end of the week, get moved into the next week. And it's just it's something I wish I would have had. And that's one thing I really tried to do. Now, with anything I'm doing on social media or anywhere else in my life is I really try to be that person. I wish I would have had on my journey. So other people are just going Vegan whether they're just starting their fitness, Sturdee, whatever kind of progress they're making. I like to encourage them and support them and celebrate them and just be there because I think we don't need anymore people really saying, like, this is exactly what you need to do. And if you don't do it my way, it's not good enough. Instead, we need people who are uplifting and encouraging and supportive. And so that's what I try to be. That's what I try to do for people.

 

[00:50:44] Yeah, it's great. And I can answer to when I asked you earlier, if you had a mentor, someone who became the mentor you needed, would you kind of fill up that if you haven't found it become? Absolutely. Well, thank you so much, Jane. We're out of time today, but I really appreciate your candor and your story and all the personal information you put out there for everyone to learn from and glean all of your wisdom. And I really appreciate your time.

 

[00:51:11] Thank you so much. Thanks for having me. Patricia, have a great rest of the day. Absolutely. For everyone here today, we have been speaking with Jane Elizabeth. She's a best selling author, a personal trainer, coach and athlete.

 

[00:51:21] You can find out more on her two Instagram handles, one, his bad ass rebel dot oners, and the other is C Dot, Jane Dot, do Dutch everything. Her book is called Become a Badass Rebel Runner. Her app, the mobile app, is called Bad Ass Rebel Runners.

 

[00:51:38] And until we speak again next time. Thank you so much for giving us your time. And remember to stay, shake, eat well and always bet on yourself. Slainte.