Today’s guest is none other than the inspiring Kate Galli, a powerhouse in the world of vegan health, fitness, and advocacy. Kate is a Vegan Health Coach, Author, and Host of the Healthification Podcast. Kate spent nearly two decades helping thousands of people transform not only their bodies but also their lives. Qualified as a Master Personal Trainer, Life Coach, NLP Practitioner, and holder of the eCornell Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate, Kate's journey into fitness began as a quest for self-confidence and physical transformation. Over the past nine years, her focus has evolved into vegan health coaching, where she believes that one of the most powerful ways to advocate for animals is to be strong, fit, and healthy.
In today’s episode, we dive into everything from vegan protein and fitness tips to the emotional challenges of peri menopausal rage and restrictive dieting. Kate shares her own journey of moving from a strict perspective on diet and lifestyle to one rooted in compassion—even for non-vegans. :)
This conversation with Kate is packed with insights and actionable advice for anyone looking to live a healthier, kinder, and more balanced life.
AP: Hi, Kate. Welcome to the podcast. It's such an honor to have you on.
KG: Anna, it is my pleasure to be here. Thank you.
AP: Can you share a bit of your background about how you got started with personal training?
KG: Absolutely. So traveling back, I guess I first became obsessed with the gym as a means by which to transform my body and also my confidence. So I got into the gym and specifically lifting weights just before I hit 20.
So almost three decades ago now. And it wouldn't be until I guess a further decade or so that I decided to turn that into my career. So I was in my late 20s and I was working in fundraising for not-for-profits, which is funny.
It's almost full circle that now I'm a vegan health coach and very focused on animal rights activism. However, I was pushing 30 and I was thinking, you know, wow, I'm almost too old to become a personal trainer, which is ridiculous. And also it was the thing that I never got sick of talking about, you know, whether it was with my friends or family or strangers.
People would tend to ask me about health and fitness and it was always fun to talk about. And also in hindsight, I guess being a personal trainer has it's been as good for me as it has been hopefully for my clients because it's the type of profession where it forces you to choose your mood.
You have to be, I believe you have to be that positive focused up person whenever you rock into the gym because that's your only that that is your client's only workout today. You might have many clients in a day, but you're probably training someone who maybe isn't at home in the gym, maybe doesn't love exercise and weights as much as I do.
And so you you really want to be that bright spark of happy in their day. And so, you know, that's why I became a personal trainer almost over 18 years ago now and I was vegetarian when I first became a trainer. And now I'm almost nine years vegan.
And so I very much see, you know, staying fit, strong, healthy, happy as a super important way to advocate for the animals. So that's a huge part of what I do now today.
AP: Oh, that's great. I love hearing from people who follow their passion.
KG: 100 percent. Absolutely. And do you know, like I'm grateful that I came to a career I love and I'm grateful that I can align it with my most important values and beliefs and identity beliefs.
But, you know, if I think back to Kate and probably her mid 20s, I was at that point in life where I wanted to be super passionate about something and I hadn't found that something yet. So I do empathize with anyone who's not there yet, you know, where you really want to be throwing your all into something you really care about. And it just hasn't hit you yet what that thing is.
AP: Yeah, I yeah, I think I was that kind of a person. It took me a long time to realize what I wanted to be when I grew up.
KG: Yeah.
AP: So can you share a little more about your your vegan story and how you decided to become vegan?
Why Kate Decided to go Vegan
KG: I absolutely can. You know, I was that little girl who loved animals and ate animals. The total disconnect that most of us have.
And it wasn't until I was 16 and a girl at school explained to me that, you know, for me to eat this individual, that individual needs to die. And I mean, I can't believe I needed it explained to me, right? It seems so blatantly obvious now.
However, I basically became vegetarian overnight and I didn't do it healthily from the get go. And I know we'll touch on restrictive eating and and such further in our conversation. However, when I became vegetarian, it was basically it was all about what I wasn't eating.
It was about what I was cutting out. And also it was about doing it for the animals, not for my health at all. That wasn't a concern at all at that point in time.
And so fast forward, you know, I became a personal trainer, as I mentioned in my late 20s, and I was a vegetarian personal trainer with a very high focus on high protein, low carbohydrate, not my approach now. That was my approach for close to a decade until I watched the documentary Cowspiracy. And I learned that I'd been lied to, that we've all been lied to, that if I was vegetarian for the animals, actually, I needed to be vegan for the animals.
And so, you know, again, that was a change that I made pretty much overnight. I remember I had been eating, and this breaks my heart, I had been eating up to 21 organic free range egg whites a day for that high vegetarian protein. And, you know, I took those trays of eggs into work and gave them away to clients because, you know, I was done.
And I was fearful as well, because I'd bought into the propaganda that I helped perpetuate that we need some form of animal protein that to be as lean and have as much muscle as what I wanted and what I had, that, you know, we needed some sort of animal products to get there. And so I was fearful that the body that I'd sculpted over a couple of decades by that point in time, that maybe I'd lose some muscle and strength and maybe I'd gain some fat. And, you know, I decided it was about more than my vanity.
It was about aligning my daily actions with my values and beliefs. And if I looked, you know, a little bit less than what I wanted to look like, it was important enough to do it for the animals. And disclaimer, there were only benefits so far as my physique and strength and energy.
And most importantly, there were only benefits so far as my heart and the congruency that I now feel living vegan as opposed to living vegetarian.
How Veganism Affected Kate's Health and Fitness
AP: Oh, that's beautiful. So what were some of the other benefits that you experienced as you changed to vegan?
KG: So I'll start with what I didn't do right, I guess, initially, because I want to be completely transparent.
So I felt like I had a point to prove as the freaky vegetarian trainer in a gym, bro gym, right? Vegetarian was bad enough in a gym where a lot of the guys advocated for keto, which is such a hateful approach. Anyway, when I announced that I was going vegan, I remember one of the trainers saying to me, well, goodbye, lean muscle mass.
And thankfully he was wrong. However, I felt like I had a point to prove.
So not only did I want to hit all my macronutrients, all my carbs, proteins, that's in every single meal. And I basically wanted to hit all my micronutrients that might be of concern following a vegan lifestyle. I wanted to hit them all in every single meal.
So I was loading spirulina into everything. And I was just so strategic and diligent because I wanted to do it right. That actually my meals weren't nearly as delicious as they are today.
And they were somewhat restrictive, which again has been, you know, a reoccurring theme that eventually, thankfully, I've moved beyond. But so far as those benefits, I guess the strength and the leanness and the muscle that all stayed exactly where I was at. And and also I became vegan.
I was 39. So I was at that point where maybe many of your clients are where we're thinking, are we about to hit periods in the years coming potentially? Are we going to struggle with a little bit of weight gain potentially around our middle?
And I had just made this quite big change to the way that I ate. That embraced a whole lot more whole foods, a whole lot more whole plant foods that maybe I'd been fearful of many years ago when I thought carbs were bad. And I actually trimmed down a little, even though I didn't really need to.
So I mean, that was the main benefit. But as I said, even beyond that, just that that heaviness that you feel either at an unconscious level or maybe you're consciously aware of it. That, you know, you say you're doing something for the animals.
I said I was vegetarian for the animals. But even though I hadn't seen the videos that I would go on to show as an animal rights activist, even though I hadn't kind of turned away from them or seen them, I feel like I knew they existed at some point. I hadn't sought them out because I knew I would need to make a change.
And so when I did make that change, I just didn't have that heaviness hanging over me that I had had.
AP: Yeah, I think a lot of us have been trained in our childhoods to kind of turn a blind eye to what really happens to the animals.
KG: Absolutely, for sure. And maybe it's survival, you know, so far as our interactions with our loved ones, which is the toughest part of being vegan, the only tough part of being vegan. You know, maybe we turn a blind eye so that we don't need to make the change that is inevitably going to cause some level of conflict in some level of, you know, difficult, awkward, frustrating conversations with people that we really love.
Conflict with Loved Ones around Veganism
AP: Yeah, so can we talk a little bit about some of the conflict that you've had with your loved ones around veganism?
KG: Yeah, of course we can. Absolutely. So, you know, I guess as a means of survival, early days when I first became vegan, I got right into the animal rights activism, you know, as I said, I was angry that I'd been lied to.
And like many delusionally optimistic new vegans, I thought I just need to share the truth and other people will change their actions like I have. And sadly, Anna, as you know, that's not the way it works. We're all different.
We all have our own unique map of the world, to use an NLP term, you know, our own unique values and beliefs and priorities and goals. And people weren't changing their minds when I shared the information that shocked me and that was really tough. And especially when it's the, you know, when it's the stranger on the street that you're having a conversation with, that's one thing.
But when it's your dearest family members and closest friends, it's not just the cruelty that they're still choosing to inflict on animals unnecessarily. You also feel like they don't understand you, that they just they haven't taken the time or you take it as a personal insult. And I guess really to coach myself veganism is not the least fit about me.
You know, I would I would love if if the thing that I spend most of my time doing being a vegan health coach, if there was no need for that because the world was vegan. That would be absolutely my dream. Amazing.
But to get back to the personal relationships, you know, it's it's an ongoing battle and struggle. And I need to coach myself daily on, hey, what's the most effective, you know, leading with those brutal truth bombs and facts, even though that is might be true and factual. It's not effective.
And I would often leave these conversations just feeling sad and like, well, that didn't go well. And that wasn't good for our long term relationship. And and so now I do my very best to focus on what what I have in common with the people I love.
And you can hunt down these things, even if you disagree on the biggest things like I often do with my father. If we disagree on veganism and politics and climate change and so many huge issues, I hunt down those things that we do agree on and I focus on those.
Yeah, it's survival.
Kate's Experience with Peri Menopausal Rage
AP: We've spoken a bit about peri menopausal rage when I was on your podcast. Can you tell the listeners what your experience was with peri-rage?
KG: Absolutely. So it kind of snuck up on me. You know, I was naturally, as a teenager, I was really moody and and I shared, you know, as I became a personal trainer, it's been great for me and that I led with choosing my mood.
In fact, it's almost my brand to be super focused and super positive. And then I became vegan for that animals and and I kind of had that anger and sadness and frustration that again, I had to work through. And, you know, there's a long story there.
But I mean, the work that I did to stop being an angry vegan, I mean, that is huge. That's been years in the process. And that was, you know, starting several years ago.
And then literally just this very year. And again, I'm about to turn 48. So when I was 47 or so, this completely irrational rage started to sneak up on me that absolutely no reason at all.
And, you know, I've come to learn. I think before it hits, I didn't know there was such a thing as peri-rage. And then I heard that term and I was like, my goodness, that is exactly what it is.
It isn't just frustration or anger. It is absolute want to shake someone rage. And, you know, I'm not an expert.
I don't have the solutions. However, I have found that and as you suggest, you know, it takes some planning in the same way that effective nutrition takes some planning. There are, I guess, some common daily and weekly habits and frameworks that we can put in place to, I guess, set ourselves up to be able to better handle the rage when it hits.
So stuff like the quality of your nutrition and sleep and exercise, which to be fair, I'm pretty good with, but also stuff like the boundaries that you set and the difficult situations that perhaps you choose not to put yourself in. And also, I think potentially most of all is the compassion and kindness that you show to yourself. And perhaps you go that little bit easier on yourself than what I'm used to.
I'm used to being a bit of a machine and pushing through and being very goal and vision focused. And I found a couple of times this year when the rage hits the only solution, it's not to call a friend or drink a glass of water or go for a walk. The only solution is just to lock myself in a room away from everyone, except for maybe my sweet cat and just have some time out, like potentially we did as toddlers.
The time out is something that is really effective for me right now.
How Kate Learned to Lead with Love
AP: Oh, that's amazing. Now, how did you learn that love is easier than hate?
KG: All right, so this is the big tough one for me, and it probably started, well, let's go way back to when I first became vegan and I was that angry vegan and I hung out with all the animal rights activists who, they're my heart. I respect them so much. I loved spending time with them. However, the more time you spend with someone who is completely on the same wavelength as you so far as veganism, the harder it can be to spend time with the non vegans in your life.
And so if we travel back maybe about six or seven years ago, my dear mum rang me near the end of one year because I would always go home for Christmas, right? We'd always have a big family Christmas.
Well, we've got a small family, but we'd have a big deal so far as the love and celebration and all the deliciousness my mum leads with delicious food. And she rang me and she said, Katie, I don't know what to do about Christmas time because you're a vegan animal rights activist and your father's pretty anti vegan. And I don't know what to do about the food unless you mastermind a vegan feast and sell the family on it.
And I was all for that. I had the like six new courses planned within 24 hours and I flew to Nusa where the family is and we had the amazing Christmas day and it was a total success. And mum was so grateful for all the work that I'd put in to that day and it just, it couldn't have gone better.
And the morning that I was going to fly home to Sydney, mum said to me, will you watch What the Health with me? And now, Anna, I'd been emotionally blackmailing my parents to watch what the health the years at that point in time. I'd said, all I want for my 40th birthday, no, no presents, just watch What The Health and again, disclaimer, emotional blackmail doesn't work.
She hadn't watched it. We watched it that morning and mum, as someone who is super compassionate, had been a nurse for 30 years. She totally connected with our broken sick care system and our reactive, not preventative approach to health.
She totally connected with the fact that the communities surrounding factory farms, how impacted they are. She didn't connect with the animals yet. However, she said, I'm going to try this plant-based thing for a couple of weeks.
And again, fast forward. Mum tried that plant-based thing, eventually vegan for years. And although she was always my number one person in the world, that brought us so much closer because I had so much respect for the fact that she had made this huge lifestyle change while living with a total anti vegan that did not make it easier on her at all.
And so that was amazing for our relationship until literally three years ago, I got the phone call from my father that I always thought I'd get from my mother. I always thought my mum would call me and say, Katie, it's your father, because dad isn't healthy with the way that he thinks or eats or many things. And mum was the most vibrant, loving, warm, generous person that I'd ever met.
And that was a phone call from my father to say that my mother had died suddenly completely out of the blue, not lifestyle related. And as anyone who is listening and has lost the most important person in their life will know just the overwhelming shock and sadness. It meant that I legitimately had no more energy or emotion left for all that anger and hatred that I had been feeling to the non vegans in my life.
Everything was just consumed by my sadness for losing mum. And also, I had the realization that that was my mum dying. I had no regrets.
She knew how much I loved and respected her and vice versa. If that had been my father, I would have had regrets because my anger towards him and his non vegan lifestyle was impacting our relationship. And so that was that was, I guess, the huge, most horrific moment in my life ever that led to me really consciously focusing on leading with love rather than leading with hate and anger.
AP: Wow. Thank you so much for sharing that story.
I like to kind of have a similar view in my communications with people I love that, you know, this could be the last time that I speak to them and that I don't want to have any regrets in anything I've said -- or anything I've not said.
KG: One hundred percent. You know, it's easier said than done. And especially if you're coming at it from a health point of view, I know and many people listening will relate.
I know the quality of the life my father would lead if he made some big adjustments to his nutrition. I know how beneficial that could be to him. However, that is his choice and he is choosing every single day not to make it.
And I have decided that being that judgey, angry little vegan is only going to wreck our relationship and and that's not the approach to take.
AP: Yeah, it's tough when someone you love is making choices that you don't agree with.
KG: A hundred percent.
AP: But I also find that cooking delicious vegan food is a wonderful form of activism as well.
KG: And it absolutely is. And that is what my mom did. You know, she led with deliciousness and it gives me, I guess, some tiny relief.
Like my kind of goal in the world now is to be more like her to lead with love, compassion, deliciousness. And generally those delicious vegan meals are a way to plant those little those little delicious seeds with people and pave the way. My dad is probably the least receptive to those meals of anyone I've ever met.
However, I guess you don't give up, right?
AP: Yeah, that's right. I want to turn now to fitness.
KG: Yes.
Benefits of Building Muscle for Women
AP: A lot of women are afraid of muscle or putting on muscle or building muscle, getting bulky. What would you say to those women?
KG: I would say let's banish that limiting belief right now because that, you know, if you have seen the individual who has more muscle than you would personally like, I absolutely one hundred percent guarantee. She has worked so hard for so long with both the heavy weight she lifts in the gym and her on point nutrition. It is legitimately years of work to achieve that body.
So don't be fearful of too much muscle. It is incredibly hard to get. And yet that lean toned look that that so many women do appreciate, you know, that is something that you can strive for.
And the benefits to that so far is your strength, your posture, just your day to day, you know, getting through tasks and absolutely one of the huge benefits that most women will probably appreciate is muscle is metabolism. You know, it burns that 24 seven sitting there just looking sexy. I'm biased, but it absolutely is metabolism.
And that is why, you know, if you looked at a couple, say way back in their 30s or so, and they both joined the gym at the same time and there's a guy and there's a girl. They're together. They eat the same.
They move the same. That guy is generally 99% of the time going to lose weight a whole lot faster than the woman. And that's super frustrating to be on the other side of. I know the reason he loses weight so much faster when they're doing the same amount of exercise and making the same adjustment to their nutrition is that naturally men have a higher percentage of muscle and muscle is metabolism.
And so that is, you know, a huge benefit to having a decent amount of muscle on your body.
AP: Yeah, I totally agree. And it's not that easy to get "bulky", as some people would say. It's actually really difficult.
And also, I think another benefit would be if you want to stay independent in your later years.
KG: Oh, 100% that you want to maintain your strength. Yeah, just that day-to-day strength, mobility, balance, all of this, super vital. And that bulky word that you said, you know, that absolutely I used to fall for that myth as well. But in hindsight, whenever I thought I looked too bulky, it was because I had a layer of fat over my muscle that I wasn't comfortable with as well.
It was never the lean muscle. It was always the fact that, you know, again, it took me years to get my nutrition on point. It was likely the fact that I basically existed on processed, refined carbs.
And again, I love whole food carbs, but I just ate so many fake foods, especially as a vegetarian for so many years that, you know, there was just some fat that didn't need to be there.
Kate's Journey with Restrictive Dieting
AP: You mentioned getting your nutrition on point. Can you share kind of the story around that when it came to a restrictive dieting and how that affected you and sort of how you turned it all around?
KG: Absolutely. So I think at the beginning of our conversation, I said I joined the gym to transform both my body and my confidence. And that's true.
And that was all positive eventually. However, prior to that, you know, when I was 16 years old as a debilitatingly shy teenager, I developed an eating disorder again as a means of control. And this was sadly it was around the time that I became vegetarian.
It had nothing to do with the vegetarian diet in the same way that I don't think vegan diets are restrictive at all. You're just eliminating something that shouldn't be a food in the first place and individual. But I didn't do vegetarian.
I had pimples at the time. And I started by eliminating chocolate, which became eliminating all fats because I thought that gave me pimples.
And then when the pimples didn't go, I thought, well, at least I'll get my body how I want it to look. And I just started eliminating way too much and started exercising way too much. And that probably lasted around 12 months or so before there were probably many moments.
But I remember seeing a photo of myself and I looked horrific and deathly in a way that I obviously didn't notice when I was looking in the mirror. And I remember it was around Christmas time and I thought, what perfect timing. There's so much delicious food and I'm just going to eat all of it.
Well, the vegetarian that is until I'm back at a healthy weight. And, you know, I was probably relatively healthy for the next decade or so. And then again, I became a personal trainer in my late 20s and I bought into all those myths that I perpetuated as well, that it's all about the protein, super high protein and all carbs are bad.
I remember I would order Thai food with a colleague and we would ask for double the broccoli and no carrots because carrots were too carby. Like ridiculous, right? Absolutely ridiculous.
And I spent a good many years seeing potatoes as treats and not eating bananas. And I guess it came to be that when I became vegan, I was so locked and loaded on making this lifestyle change for the animals. And I was so intent on doing it right as a means by which to advocate effectively for the animals.
But I sought out the mentors online that, you know, looked and functioned and lived the way that I wanted to. And luckily enough, they all share what they eat online and that's a good thing. And I saw that so many of them, they weren't afraid of all the starchy veg and they indulged in the fruit and they ate all the soy products.
And so eventually I started reintroducing all these foods that I'd kind of had eliminated as someone who was very high protein, very low carbohydrate. And I started embracing all these new foods that many of us discover when we become plant-based or vegan, like the lentils that I legitimately now eat several serves of every single day. And prior to that, I thought they were boring or too high carbohydrate.
And now I just think they're fabulous. And so 100% living a vegan lifestyle is definitely the least restrictive, most abundant, most diverse and colorful and certainly delicious of any approach to eating that I've ever had.
Kate's Favorite Lentil Recipe
AP: Do you have any tips to share on how to make lentils more exciting?
KG: Gosh, do you know, like maybe water, my taste buds have gotten used to them, right? Because early days, I was a huge fan of meal prep. I thought you had to spend hours on the weekend cooking all of these full meals so that you would feel in control of your busy week.
And I literally did that for many years. And I just, I'd make these vegan, these lentil curries, which were delicious. And again, they didn't take that long and they're definitely cost effective and freeze well and all of that.
However, now I think I'm a lot more lazy. And I just buy like the dried lentils and the red lentils, gosh, they cook so quickly. And after a good rinsing and draining, I just cook them in a pan with, you know, a cup of lentils to a couple of cups of water and whatever flavorings.
It'll be veggie stock, bit of sriracha, maybe a bit of garlic or harissa powder. And my new trick, Anna, is like, I kind of batch cook. So I don't meal prep the whole meal.
I batch cook a few items that I'm going to use in different ways during the week, dependent on time and what needs to be used up and what I feel like. So I always have some of those lentils in the fridge -- those red lentils, which is super quick. Now when they're already cooked, I actually now put them in the air fryer, just as they are like little patties or something, just dump them on in and they go all crispy and awesome.
So that is my new favorite way to eat lentils.
AP: That sounds delicious. Yeah. I love lentils too. I'll have to try that.
KG: Definitely try that.
Should Vegan Woman Consume Protein Powder?
AP: What are your thoughts on protein powder?
KG: I have it. My thoughts are you absolutely don't need to have it. I just find it super convenient.
Perhaps I buy into the old protein myth just a little bit. I mean, I do want to be transparent in that I think that I think we do people a disservice when we only say that vegans don't need to worry about protein. Everyone else needs to worry about fiber.
Yes, everyone else needs to worry about fiber. However, you know, I advocate to between one and 1.8 grams of protein per kilo of body mass. And to make it even simpler, I look to have 15 to 20 grams of protein per meal and per snack.
You know, protein is satisfying, as you've mentioned, it's delicious. And protein powder specifically, it's just really convenient. If you lift weights four days a week, like I do, if you believe in getting that protein in, in a shorter window after your weights training session, which I still believe even though I don't actually think it's true, it just feels good.
There's nothing more convenient than protein powder. And it's also that little sweet kind of fix, which is really I think about the only sweet thing I have in my day besides fruit. So I'm a fan.
However, you certainly don't need to have it.
Common Mistakes Women Make Around Diet
AP: And what are some mistakes you see women making around diet? Like, do you find most of your clients are getting enough protein or they're not, not quite getting enough?
KG: More women, I would suggest, have a strong focus on, on eating less and they, they congratulate themselves if they skip a meal or if they have a really light meal. And, and that is absolutely the opposite of what I advocate. I always recommend eat better, not less.
And to be fair, I always have, it's just my mindset has changed around what better is right now. Better to me is all about the huge, diverse, abundant meals. And I focus a lot more on micronutrients than macronutrients.
I think of what I'm giving my body rather than what I'm restricting my body. And, and that's absolutely what I advocate for my clients as well. So I think certainly women, many women can shift their mindset to "what am I adding to my meal" rather than "what can I get away with" or "what's the least I can possibly eat" or "what's the lowest calories" again.
Now I think micronutrients and value and not calories. And, and definitely a focus of, Hey, where's my plant protein coming from in every single meal, you know, that's to your advantage. Maybe think of a few of your favorite plant proteins and, and just start building a meal around each of those.
And, you know, to make it fun, I actually came up with, if you'd like me to share, if I remember it off the top of my head, I have the five S's, the simple plant-based protein, just the, the women who want to find it, you know, easy and fun to add a little bit more protein to their every single meal.
The Five S's of Plant Based Protein
AP: Yeah, I'd love to hear that.
KG: All right. We'll see how I go with them from the top of my head. However, the first S is the star. So that's the star of the meal where protein is the star of the meal. Like where plant protein is the star, like it used to be when we ate meat, right? What's the dinner mum, chicken? That's what it used to be. The star might be tofu, you know, it might be a tofu scramble or the star might be the lentils in your curry.
The next S is the scatter. So that's the meal that is absolutely delicious. However, maybe it's a little bit lacking. And so that's where you're just scattering something over the top. So it might be your, your crispy chickpeas, or I make lentils crispy now as well. I'm a fan of crispy. Or you might be scattering over some hemp or pumpkin seeds just to finish off that meal with a bit more protein.
The third S is for stir through. So again, this might be the breakfast oats that need some plant protein stirred through, or maybe some chia seeds, hemp seeds, whatever it may be.
The fourth S is for sides. So often again, if I've got that delicious meal and maybe, maybe we're entertaining at Christmas time and you know, I've made all the delicious vegan salads and everyone else is having that flesh, which is really disappointing. And the salads aren't as high in protein as I would love. I might have a big side of edamame that's just on the side to up the protein ante.
The fifth S is the sauce. And this is a new learning of mine. Sauces don't just have to be all high fat and processed, right? There are some really crafty, delicious ways to get plant protein into your sauces. And a couple of my faves are like a tofu ricotta. Why did it take me so long to discover tofu ricotta?
That stuff is amazing. Or maybe like an edamame guac. Guac's amazing. And you can just blend some edamame into your guacamole and it's still amazing with some additional plant protein.
AP: Oh, that's wonderful. Thanks for sharing the five S's. That's so great.
KG: Of course. My pleasure.
What Self-Care Means to Kate
AP: I also just wanted to touch on self-care. Can you share what self-care means to you?
KG: Yeah, again, it's probably one of those things that I learned the hard way because I've been a personal trainer for so long. Again, nutrition, sleep and exercise have been fairly on point for a lot of time. However, I've neglected some of those other self-care principles.
And I mean, I have an eight-step acronym, but that is probably a lot to go into. So for now, self-care to me is about the things that I do to allow myself to turn up as my best self. And best self used to be about just being super focused and efficient and getting a lot done in the day.
And that is really super important to me still. However, this year, much more so my attitude and self-care, it has been more about enjoying the journey. I know that sounds cliche, but you know, when mum died, I learned how short life is.
Her mum lived to 95. I thought I'd get another 25 years with my mum and she just made 70. And that is ridiculous.
And so life is so uncertain. My constant learning this year is on prioritizing every single day, like joy in every single day and whatever that is to you. You know, to me, it's a morning routine that is a means of setting myself up for the best possible day and has components to it that I absolutely love.
And I don't race or skip like cuddles with my sweet rescue cat, Loki, like take my time with that. Take my time with savoring the delicious coffee that I make every single day while gazing up at the stars because I do get up when it's still dark. Um, making the time for time in nature, you know, that is something so incredibly calming to me, especially as I get older.
I used to say, I become a moody little grumpy bum when I don't get a walk along the beaches once a week stuff that it's once a day that I need a walk along the river now. And ideally twice a day, if I want to avoid that moody grumpy Kate, right? So that's the way that self care looks for me these days.
And, you know, it's still an ongoing process. I still slip back into my all about the efficiency and the focus and the goals mode. And I just have to remind myself, you know, to be effective and happy.
I think, again, that's a really beneficial way to advocate for the animals. You don't just need to look the part. You actually need to be that warm, happy person as well to sell the lifestyle effectively.
And, and self care is a key component of that.
AP: So good. So good. Thank you for sharing that.
The Plant Positive Journal
AP: You have a Plant Positive Journal. Can you share a bit about what that is and what prompted you to create it?
KG: I can indeed. It is a venture of the heart, you know, many years ago. My dear mum gifted me a gratitude diary at Christmas time.
And I'm the type of person that likes to plan my day to come the night before and write my little list by order of priority and tick all the boxes. And I used this beautiful printed journal. I scribbled all over it all day, every day.
And it had these writings on the moon and the stars and such that every single month that I never read, I just used it because it was a beautiful tool. And then a couple of years then I thought, Hey, how about if this thing was this beautiful time management tool? And also, if you are open to it, and I hope you are, it helps you adopt a healthy plant-based lifestyle as well.
And so that's how the Plant Positive Journal came to be. You know, again, it's a time management tool, and that's how I use it. However, also, it covers the mindset components, all the mindset shifts that I've learned with myself and with my clients.
And to be clear, this is the part of personal training that I am most passionate about, about creating the most effective mindset that lets you prioritize your health and lets you, you know, lets you live a life where prioritizing the most effective eating and exercising actions is simple, sustainable, and fun. So the journals got recipes, it's got beautiful artwork, it's got all these monthly focuses and weekly wins where you're actually taking action. And of course, it's dedicated to my dear mum, the second one just came out, I do one every two years.
And it's dedicated to my dear mum because she taught me to lead with love, compassion, and deliciousness. And that's what the Plant Positive Journal does.
AP: And where can listeners find out more about the Plant Positive Journal?
KG: Thank you for asking. You will find out all about it by my main website, which is StrongBodyGreenPlanet.com. I'm @Strong Body Green Planet across the socials.
And I post about it all the time because it's got beautiful artwork and recipes. So it's very visually appealing. And it's a beautiful beast, it weighs nearly a kilo.
So I do post it all around the world. However, also, there's an editable PDF version as well to avoid pesky postage.
AP: Awesome. Well, Kate, thank you so much for being here and sharing your story. I really enjoyed our conversation.
And thank you so much.
KG: My huge pleasure, Anna. It's been fun. And I appreciate everything that you do.
And I appreciate your thoughtful questions as well. So thank you.
Kate's website: http://strongbodygreenplanet.com/
Follow Kate on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strongbodygreenplanet/
Follow Kate on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StrongBodyGreenPlanet
Listen to Kate's Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-healthification-podcast/id856696884
If you enjoyed this episode, check out my episode on Mood and Emotions.
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