Welcome to an eye-opening episode guaranteed to challenge your thinking! We are covering a lot of ground regarding the food industry, the human’s place in nature, journalism, psychedelic drugs, and your morning cup of coffee. Join us for a wild ride to learn more.
BTW, if you'd like to join the workshop mentioned at the beginning of the episode, Moving Beyond Your Money Karma with Paula, go here to register.
Michael Pollan is the author of nine nonfiction books written largely about nature and plants. For 30 years, he’s written articles about places where the human and natural worlds intersect. In today’s conversation, Michael shares how he became a writer, how he became interested in the natural world, and his thoughts on activism and journalism. We also discuss the food movement in regard to where we’ve gotten and where we still need to go.
His latest book, This is Your Mind on Plants, is available wherever books are sold. The book looks at three plants that change our consciousness: mescaline, coffee, and opium. Michael tells of his experiences with all three of these plants, which is an extension of his last book, How to Change Your Mind. I highly recommend that you check out Michael’s books!
Show Highlights:
- Michael’s lifelong interest in plants and how they combined with his love for writing
- How Michael tangled with the deeper questions of finding his harmonious place in relationship with plants and nature
- How Michael’s battle with a persistent woodchuck gave him material for essays and articles that later became his first book, Second Nature
- How the questions of human engagement with nature still preoccupy Michael’s thoughts and his work
- How journalists get a sense of what the culture is talking about
- How Michael’s astrology chart shows him as a polite disruptor with creativity, discipline, and the ability to say things and see things
- How Michael wrote The Omnivore’s Dilemma and became the leader of the food movement as our culture exhibited generalized anxiety around food
- How Michael looks at the food-environment questions through the lens of ecology
- How Michael helped people realize there is another way to grow cattle by writing his NY Times cover story, “Power Steer”
- Why he likes to offer people solutions, hope, and power through understanding the food movement
- Michael’s view of the journalist’s role in changing society in presenting with fairness
- Michael’s take on the food movement, its positive outcomes, and its shortcomings
- What drove Michael to dig deeper from his book, How to Change Your Mind to write This is Your Mind on Plants
- Why coffee is the #1 plant to change consciousness and caffeine is the most widely-used drug around the world
- Why journalists need to have “skin in the game”
- How psychedelics can be a tool for a shortcut to understanding yourself, realizing your purpose, and resetting priorities
- A metaphorical look at the value of the psychedelic experiences when you’re older and more experienced in life
- The connection between psychedelics and meditation
- Hear Michael’s answers to rapid-fire questions about helpful advice, grounding habits, his favorite hot beverage, last meal on earth, morning routine, an inspiring person, what he’s reading right now, and what brings him joy.
Resources:
Connect with Michael: www.michaelpollan.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/michael.pollan/
Books mentioned:
Changes in the Land, by William Cronon
Food Politics, by Marion Nestle
Bewilderment, by Richard Powers
Beyond the Self: Conversations Between Buddhism and Neuroscience by Matthieu Ricard
Beautiful World, Where Are You, by Sally Rooney
Books by Eric Schlosser
Michael’s books mentioned (not a complete list):
Michael’s NY Times article on the cattle industry: “Power Steer”
Connect with me:
Weave Your Bliss Website
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