Chapter 45: Rich Roll on wrestling with recovery and running to redemption

LISTEN NOW ON APPLE, GOOGLE or SPOTIFY

Happy Wolf Moon, everybody!

Today we are headed West, perched atop the hills of Calabasas, California, overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

I’d love for you to be my guest for an incredible conversation with the one and only Rich Roll.

Well, Rich was introduced to me by Jonathan Fields, our guest in Chapter 24 and host of the Goodlife Project. Jonathan told me Rich was one of his favorite people and he soon became one of my favorite people. I love his mind, his words, his outlook, and his incredible podcast … and was thrilled to have a chance to ask him which 3 books most shaped his life.

I flew to California to interview Rich Roll for Chapter 45 of 3 Books. — I flew to California to interview Rich Roll for Chapter 45 of *3 Books.*

Rich went to Stanford and Cornell and was a national athlete at Stanford in swimming, but his career was cut short by a decade-long struggle with drugs and alcohol, eventually landing him in jail and rehab. On the eve of his 40th birthday, as he walked up the stairs he was left totally winded… and decided it was time to make a change.

Screen Shot 2020-01-08 at 12.58.39 PM.png

The next day Rich overhauled his life. He switched to a 100% vegan, plant-based diet, grabbed his running shoes, jumped back into the pool, and two years later, fueled only by plants and after losing 50 pounds, he became the first vegan to ever compete in the 320-mile ultra-marathon and finished as the 3rd fastest American in the race.

Are you kidding me??

He then went on to complete five Ironman Triathlons on five islands of Hawaii in one week!

In 2012, he wrote his inspirational memoir FINDING ULTRA: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World’s Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself, which became a bestseller upon its release and is still ranking highly to this day. It’s a fantastic book and memoir. I’ve read it. I loved it and can’t recommend it enough.

In 2013, he launched the Rich Roll Podcast. An incredible podcast, often ranking in the top 50 on iTunes, he does a deep exploration and mindmeld with people such as Russell Brand, Kevin Smith, Lance Armstrong, and Edward Norton. He calls it a two-hour experience, where he covers huge themes around fitness, creativity, and the human condition.

I was very lucky to link my mind with Rich in Chapter 45 of 3 Books.

Let’s go!

Listen to Chapter 45 of 3 Books:

Click here to Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Overcast, Spotify, or Google Play.