If I had to guess the average lifespan of a podcast (no luck finding it on Google, I tried), I’d say it’s almost certainly less than ten episodes. Matt would probably say less than two.
So it brings me enormous joy to announce that No Meat Athlete Radio just hit its 200th episode. Two hundred. There are now more episodes of NMA Radio than there are episodes of Seinfeld. And there are a lot of episodes of Seinfeld…
What started as an experiment back in October 2011 has grown and developed, and over the years became one of the primary forms of content on No Meat Athlete. It’s a means for us to share our ideas and the knowledge of others, connect directly with you the listener, and have a dang good time doing it.
As a thank you for sticking and growing with us (through good mics and bad), Matt and I sat down to discuss possible ways to celebrate.
We came up with:
- An epic block party, complete with bouncy-house, balloon animals, and face-paint,
- Commemorative tattoos, and
- A guide to help new listeners navigate the library of episodes.
It was a tough decision, but after concluding no one would show up to our party and tattoos of the running carrot wearing “200” NYE-style glasses were too predictable, we landed on the guide.
So here you have it: The complete guide to the first 200 episodes of No Meat Athlete Radio.
No Meat Athlete Radio, The Highlight Reel
If you’re new to No Meat Athlete or NMA Radio—and the stats tell us that many people are—200 episodes sounds like a daunting number. With years of in-depth interviews, intriguing topic discussions, and laugh-out-loud jokes (mostly at the expense of Matt. Sorry buddy…), where do you start?
The first episode, of course!
Just kidding, you can skip that one.
But according to that episode, this podcast was started as a way to share interviews and highlight voices from members of the plant-based community. While it’s much more than that now, I’d say that theme is still the best place to start.
Our Favorite Interviews
We can read books and talk about someone’s philosophies all we want, but there’s no way better way to learn from someone else than to hear from them directly. That’s why we focus so much on interviewing guests. Here are a few of our most memorable:
1. The Embrace Imperfection Interview with Robert Cheeke
Over the years Robert has become the most interviewed guest on No Meat Athlete Radio, but there’s one conversation in particular that stands out—an honest 2016 conversation where Robert shared his imperfections and how they’ve shaped who he is and what motivates him to improve.
Listen to the Episode
Episode 163: Robert Cheeke on Staying Motivated, Changing Course, and Embracing Imperfection
2. The Most Fun Interview We’ve Had with Sid Garza-Hillman
Sid Garza-Hillman is an ultrarunner, nutritionist, podcaster, YouTuber, author, and small-step advocate, and it was a 2015 interview covering almost every one of those topics that stands out as one of the most interesting (and entertaining) interviews we ever had.
Listen to the Episodes
Episode 107: Sid Garza-Hillman on Meal Planning, Ultrarunning, and Why We Shouldn’t Take Showers
3. The Vegan Lifestyle Interview with Rich Roll
If you’re a vegan athlete, it’s a safe bet you follow Rich Roll. Rich is the bestselling author of Finding Ultra and The PlantPower Way, one of Men’s Fitness’ 25 Fittest Men, and one of the biggest names in our community. He also happens to be one of the first guests we ever had on No Meat Athlete Radio back in 2013.
But today it’s the second interview with Rich that I’d like to share: A two-part conversation on living a vegan lifestyle, raising vegan children, and being your best self.
Listen to the Episodes
Episode 69: Rich Roll On The Plantpower Way – Part 1
Episode 70: Rich Roll On The Plantpower Way – Part 2
4. The Starch Interview with Dr. McDougall
Starch. Not kale or fruits… the humble starch. That’s what Dr. John McDougall, a giant in the plant-based nutrition community, says is key to a healthy diet.
In this interview—a controversial one and the most downloaded NMA Radio interview ever, I might add—Dr. McDougall shares his views on nutrition and what makes for a truly healthy diet.
Listen to the Episode
Episode 165: Dr. McDougall and the Healthiest Diet on the Planet
5. The Family Member Interview Collection
When you record two hundred episodes, it’s only a matter of time before you drag your family in front of the microphone. Matt and I have interviewed his wife Erin, father Tim, and two children, Holden and Ellarie. And they happen to be some of my favorite interviews we’ve published.
Listen to the Episodes
Episode 44: Hanging Out with Matt’s Wife, Erin Frazier
Episode 166: Matt’s Dad on Going Plant-Based at age 63 Has Drastically Improved His Health
Episode 196: Raising Vegan Children (Featuring Matt’s Kids)
The Best Running Episodes
As you might expect from No Meat Athlete, running and training have been a main theme of the podcast since week one. While looking through the archive or running related episodes, these stood out as the best place to get started.
1. The Summer Running Camp Series
The summer of 2016 brought us the Rio Olympics, Pokemon Go, and (my personal favorite) the NMA Radio Summer Running Camp… complete with camp songs and all.
We used the five-part camp series to go in-depth on the fundamentals of running as a crash course for new runners and review for those with more experience.
Listen to the Episodes
Episode 150: Summer Running Camp, Part 1: Building Consistency
Episode 153: Summer Running Camp, Part 2: Running Form
Episode 157: Summer Running Camp, Part 3: How to Prevent Running Injuries
Episode 158: Summer Running Camp, Part 4: Advanced Marathon Training and Racing with Coach Jason Fitzgerald
Episode 161: Summer Running Camp, Part 5: Race Day Walkthrough
2. The Great Running Motivation Episode
With the fundamentals down, maintaining your motivation comes next. Every runner has his or her own unique reasons for lacing up, but it’s the techniques covered in this episode that have worked best for us over the years.
Listen to the Episode
Episode 106: The Best Resources for Running Motivation and Training
3. The Make Running Easy Again Episode
Running is hard. It’s fun, motivating, and important… but also hard. In one of our most popular episodes to date, Matt and I share some of our simple tricks for making both the routine and the act of running just a little bit easier.
Listen to the Episode
Episode 78: Our Favorite Running Hacks
4. The ‘It’s Okay if You Don’t Want to Run’ Episode
Speaking of running being hard…
Sometimes you just don’t want to do it. And you know what? We think that’s just fine. So fine, in fact, that we recorded an entire episode on why you shouldn’t let a running slump get you down.
Listen to the Episode
Episode 102: The Guilt-Free Running Slump
5. The ‘Here’s How to Start’ Episode
Brand new to running and don’t know how to get in those first workouts? This episode was designed for you, and covers everything you need to know from your first weeks of training to the gear you need (and don’t need).
Listen to the Episode
Episode 195: How to Go From Zero to 5K
The Best Nutrition Episodes
Nutrition is the underlying theme in everything we do at No Meat Athlete, including the podcast.
1. The Everything You Should Know About Vegan Supplements Episode
Supplements have to be one of the most talked about topics for vegan athletes, but what we assume to be important isn’t always the case.
In a recent episode we explore which (if any) supplements you really need on a healthy plant-based diet.
Listen to the Episode
Episode 179: What Supplements Do You Need?
2. The Great Protein (Myth) Episode with Dr. Garth Davis
Protein. Every non-vegan’s favorite word. But what’s the deal?
Dr. Garth Davis, author of Proteinaholic: How Our Obsession with Meat Is Killing Us and What We Can Do About It is the person to ask. So we did.
Listen to the Episode
Episode 116: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Protein, with Garth Davis, M.D.
3. The Paleo vs. Vegan Episode
Some called it must-listen podcasting. Some called it the battle of the century.
We called it the great Paleo vs Vegan Debate, and it surprised many listeners.
Listen to the Episode
Episode 55: The Paleo vs Vegan Debate
4. The Let’s Get Practical Episode with Dr. Pamela Fergusson
One of the biggest critiques about the plant-based diet is that it isn’t practical.
“How do you possibly have time to cook food like that?”
So we asked Dr. Pamela Fergusson, a mother of four, world traveler, and vegan nutritionist what she thinks, and her approach is remarkably simple (and yes, practical).
Listen to the Episode
Episode 162: Dr. Pamela Fergusson on Practical Vegan Nutrition, Speedwalking Ultramarathons, and Living Intentionally
5. The Staple Foods Episode
It’s easy to get excited about a unique ingredient or recipe, but it’s the staple foods we keep in our pantries that keep us going day after day. Here’s a look inside.
Listen to the Episode
Episode 98: Staple Foods in the Vegan Athlete’s Pantry
The Best Habit and Mindset Episodes
Habit change and mindset are core ingredients to making your nutrition and fitness goals work. We don’t shy away from the topics on NMA Radio.
1. The Nerdiest Episode (Not Really, but kind of) with Steve Kamb
Steve Kamb of the website Nerd Fitness has been inspiring self-proclaimed nerds from around the world to lose weight, get fit, and “level up” for years. What can you learn from action heroes and gaming references?
Listen to the Episode
Episode 123: Nerd Fitness’ Steve Kamb on How to Level Up Your Life
2. The Best Books Ever Episode
A lighthearted episode on the most impactful books we’ve ever read.
Listen to the Episode
Episode 184: 27 Books that will Change Your Life
3. The Obligatory Zen Habits Episode with Leo Babauta
If you’ve listened to any of the early episodes, you probably heard the running joke that we couldn’t make it through a conversation without mentioning Leo Babauta or Zen Habits. His habit and simplicity work has had that much of an impact on Matt and No Meat Athlete.
Well, it took a little while, but we finally had him on the show.
Listen to the Episode
Episode 43: Leo Babauta on Habits, Simplicity, Running & Diet
4. The Pick Yourself Episode with Alex and Jeanette Ruiz
Alex and Jeanette Ruiz wanted a thriving vegan community in their home town of Miami. Instead of just talking about it, they took action, leading the No Meat Athlete Miami Running Group and starting their own podcast to highlight vegan activities in the city.
They’re a perfect example of what you can achieve by picking yourself.
Listen to the Episode
Episode 80: How to Pick Yourself and Start Making Change in the World
5. The Start Something Big Episode
But how do you get started after “picking yourself?” Matt and I share our experience starting blogs and podcasts that went on to create engaged communities.
Listen to the Episode
Episode 111: How to Start Your Movement
Ready to Join in on the Fun?
Two hundred episodes in and we’re just getting started. Help us keep the momentum going.
Subscribe in iTunes here or Stitcher here, and look for new episodes dropping Thursday mornings.
Thanks for coming along for the ride.
Bonus: 5 More Episodes Not to Miss
Want even more? Here are five additional episodes we can’t help but share.
1. The Vegan Pro Soccer Player Episode
Episode 121: Vegan Pro Soccer Player Baggio Husidic
2. The Comedian Ultrarunner Episode
Episode 59: Vegan Running Meets Funny — Comedian Jeffrey Binney and His Quest to Beat Obesity and Run the Leadville 100
3. The Vegans are Weird Episode
Episode 52: 21 Weird Things We Do Now That We’re Vegan
4. The Ideal Way to Eat Episode
Episode 20: Weight Loss and Ideal Eating Habits with Ray Cronise
5. The Blue Zones Episode
Episode 64: Live to be 100 – Lessons from the Blue Zones
