Our Hen House: Vegan & Animal Rights Movement | Stories from the Frontlines of Animal Liberation

Tamara Human is the definition of a fearless, compassionate leader and activist, and this week she joins the podcast from Kyiv, Ukraine. Tamara is the force behind Every Animal, a Ukraine-based NGO founded in 2019 committed to mobilizing the vegan movement among Ukrainians. In our conversation, the founder shares how Every Animal is supporting vegan soldiers on the frontlines of the…

The brilliant karol orzechowski joins the podcast this week, and we couldn’t be more thrilled! karol currently serves as the Content Director for Faunalytics, a nonprofit whose mission is to empower animal advocates with access to thorough, reliable data. While Faunalytics is best known for using research and statistics to strengthen pro-animal, anti-suffering activism, the organization is now also producing visual…

We’re honored to welcome Andrew Rowan, DPhil, to the podcast this week for a critical conversation about companion dogs and poverty. Dr. Rowan has a long tenure in the animal protection movement and is currently the President of WellBeing International, an NGO dedicated to achieving optimal wellbeing for animals, people, and the environment. He joins us today for a discussion about…

Christopher “Soul” Eubanks is an unstoppable force, and we’re thrilled to welcome him back to the podcast this week to discuss his new nonprofit, APEX Advocacy. The organization is committed to increasing the number of activists from the global majority. Christopher describes the three central missions driving APEX Advocacy: the Black Vegan Everything website highlighting Black-owned businesses, the Global Majority Caucus…

There are few issues more contentious amongst vegans than what to feed companion animals. So, this week, we are going there! Veterinarian, researcher, and animal welfare specialist Andrew Knight knows more about this topic than pretty much anyone, and we are thrilled that he is joining us for a discussion about his recent peer-reviewed study exploring the health impacts of vegan…

Documentary filmmaker Gloria Pancrazi and Michael Bronner of Dr. Bronner’s join us this week for a conversation about the recent film, Coextinction. We discuss the stars of the film: the Southern Resident Orcas of the Pacific Northwest who are currently facing extinction and the salmon, whose brutal exploitation is contributing to the to the starvation of the orca and other wildlife. …

Powerhouse environmentalist, wildlife conservationist, and animal advocate Jack Lekishon joins the podcast this week from Maasai Mara, Kenya. A native Maasai, Jack shares traditions from the people of The Mara and tells us about the land on which they live and the plethora of wild animals that also know the Maasai Mara as home. Jack also shares why the traditional Maasai…

Monica Engebretson is working to end cruel animal testing practices, and this week, she joins the podcast for an in-depth conversation about the state of medical and cosmetic animal testing. The North American Head of Public Affairs for Cruelty Free International, Monica breaks down how the global organization is working to bring an end to animal testing worldwide. Plus, she explains…

Jane Velez-Mitchell is a media powerhouse known for speaking up for animals, and today, we welcome her back to the podcast for a conversation about UnchainedTV, the free streaming platform committed to amplifying vegan, animal rights content. In our conversation, Jane explains how people can access this critical content worldwide, why she decided to make it available free of charge, and…

Visual artist and author Linnea Ryshke joins the podcast for a conversation about her recent book, Kindling, a collection of poems and mixed media artwork inspired by the artist’s difficult, but instructive, experience working as a laborer at an organic meat farm. During the conversation, Linnea outlines what she initially hoped to gain by working there and describes her day-to-day life…

The multi-talented Zach Sherwin joins the podcast this week for a can’t-miss conversation about using comedy, rap, and wordplay to make the world a better place for animals. Zach explains how he incorporates his vegan ethos into each of his artistic endeavors while taking care not to isolate his audience. Plus, he gives us a behind-the-scenes look into his epic duck…

Eva Haifa Giraud joins us on the podcast this week for a conversation about her recent book, Veganism: Politics, Practice, and Theory. In our discussion, we deep dive into the constraints of veganism within a capitalist system, what this means for activism, and whether capitalism itself is putting veganism at risk. Eva elaborates on veganism’s political, activist roots and how they…

Christopher Sebastian has a lot to say about what animals need from us and how we could all do better in working to change the world, and we are pretty sure you will want to listen. One of the most thoughtful contemporary commentators on how our relationship with animals has gone so far astray, he joins the podcast this week for…

Author, science communicator, and climate interpreter A.E. Copenhaver joins the podcast this week for a conversation about her recent debut novel, My Days of Dark Green Euphoria. A.E.’s book follows the flawed, eco-anxious Cara as she crosses paths with Millie, her boyfriend’s mom who represents everything Cara is against. In our conversation, A.E. tells us why she decided to make Cara…

David Casselman is paving the way for a new era of media, and he joins us on the podcast this week for an in depth conversation about Ecoflix, the world’s first not-for-profit media group committed to helping animals and the planet. The philanthropist explains how the platform aims to provide its viewers with inspiring, educational content relating to animals that, in…

The inimitable Dash Meizler joins the podcast this week from Kampala, Uganda, for a truly inspiring conversation about leveraging our activism to better advocate for animal rights and marginalized communities. Founder of the Podrska Foundation, Dash outlines how the organization is fighting for farmed animals while empowering women, providing schools with vegan meals, fighting poverty through home-based vegetable gardens, and more.…

The remarkable Gwendolyn Church joins the podcast this week for an awe-inspiring conversation about Friends of Philip Fish Sanctuary, the aquatic animal sanctuary she founded, based in Reno, NV. Gwendolyn tells the tale of Philip, the betta fish that changed the trajectory of her life and inspired the sanctuary. This passionate animal activist also discusses the misconceptions around fish sentience and…

Mamta Jain Valderrama joins the podcast for an insightful discussion about Jainism and the many ways in which its beliefs intersect with veganism. Jainism is one of the oldest religions in existence, having taken form in ancient India some time between the 7th and 5th centuries BCE. In our conversation, Mamta explains the philosophy of ahimsa, or non-violence, that practitioners of…

The remarkable Danielle Hanosh joins us on the podcast for a conversation about a revolutionary new program that you will definitely want to hear about. LEAP—short for Leaders for Ethics, Animals, and the Planet—offers high school students humane education, hands-on experience caring for rescued farmed animals, volunteer experience at animal sanctuaries, and scholarship opportunities. Teaching compassion instead of slaughter, LEAP, teaches…

Dr. Christopher Carter joins us on the podcast this week to discuss his new book The Spirit of Soul Food: Race, Faith, and Food Justice. This groundbreaking work covers everything from the history of soul food to choosing how to eat in a way that helps us “live into our fullest sense of self.” Dr. Carter shares why he centers the…

She’s an activist, artist, librarian, professor, and more. The multi-hyphenate Stacy Russo joins us on the podcast for a deep dive into Love Activism. Created by Stacy in 2013, Love Activism is a daily, holistic, and radical activism rooted in kindness. In our conversation, Stacy outlines the eight elements of this activist approach and describes how they can empower us every…

The trailblazing Gemunu De Silva, a United Kingdom-based undercover investigator of animal exploitation, joins us this week on Our Hen House. Gem, one of the first and longest-serving investigators of the worldwide hidden mistreatment of animals, tell us about his path into the world of animal activism and the animal rights movement. It was his very first factory farm investigation in…

LoriKim Alexander can do it all—from her core organizing role with Black VegFest to her work in the fields of anthropology and biology. She joins us on Our Hen House to discuss how The Cypher, the organization she founded, places emphasis on veganism’s true, anti-oppressive meaning. LoriKim shares how The Cypher started off as an educational, political book club on Facebook…

Hope Ferdowsian, President and CEO of Phoenix Zones Initiative (PZI)—a non-profit organization committed to advancing the interconnected rights, health, and wellbeing of people and animals—joins us on the podcast to discuss how the organization is striving to realize optimal health outcomes for humans and non-human animals alike. More specifically, Hope shares how, by expanding upon the One Health approach, PZI is…

Faithful listeners will know this to be true: we can’t get enough of Grass Fed, Rochester’s premier vegan butcher shop and deli. Thus, this week, we couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Rob Nipe and Nora Rubel, founders of Grass Fed, to the podcast. The husband-and-wife team joins us to dish why they view Grass Fed as training wheels for veganism, and…

Joining us on the Our Hen House podcast this week are Joan E. Schaffner, JD and Rajesh K. Reddy, JD, PhD. Joan and Raj are founding members of Lawyers for the Convention on Animal Protection, an international team of law practitioners and academics committed to advocating for a global animal protection agreement. They join the podcast to share details about the…

According to powerhouse activist and community organizer Eloísa Trinidad, an anti-colonial framework is fundamental to how she approaches activism. Eloísa, who serves as Executive Director of both the Vegan Activist Alliance and the food justice organization Chilis on Wheels New York, is a total liberation activist. She is unapologetically adamant that species does not define personhood and emphasizes the importance of…

Rachel Dreskin, CEO of the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA), joins the podcast this week to discuss why it is so vital for vegan foods to have a trade association. Rachel tells us how the organization, which advocates at both the federal and state levels, is working to even the playing field to help plant-based brands compete against animal-based products and…

CreatureKind’s Aline Silva joins the podcast this week for a discussion about food, animals and Christianity. Reverend Silva, who serves as CreatureKind’s Co-Director, gives us an overview of the religious nonprofit, which encourages Christians to recognize faith-based reasons for caring about the well-being of all living creatures and helps them implement plant-based practices within their church communities. Founded on the belief…

Vegan Outreach India’s Richa Mehta joins us this week to talk about the spread of veganism in India. As Director of Programs, Richa tells us how Vegan Outreach is focusing on college students and explains in detail what they are doing to educate those students about the atrocities of the dairy and meat industries while advocating for veganism, as not only…

On this week’s podcast, we are joined by Jeff Sebo, who is the director of New York University’s Animal Studies M.A. Program, to discuss his brand new book, Saving Animals, Saving Ourselves: Why Animals Matter for Pandemics, Climate Change, and Other Catastrophes. Jeff apparently can see into the future, since he began writing this incredibly prescient book in 2017—three years before…

PJ Nyman joins the podcast this week to discuss how understanding animal exploitation on a global landscape creates bridges to other movements which, in turn, help us address the exploitation of animals in a more multifaceted way. PJ, a contributing author featured in Antiracism in Animal Advocacy: Igniting Cultural Transformation, shares what prompted them to investigate the overlap between the history…

Author and award-winning journalist Rachel Krantz has written a truly extraordinary book, Open: An Uncensored Memoir of Love, Liberation, and Non-Monogamy. This week, she and Jasmin sit down to discuss this raw, vulnerable, and truly inspirational account of Rachel’s journey into the sometimes complicated world of polyamory and how that journey of self-discovery has interwoven with her veganism and animal rights…

Matt Johnson of Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) is an investigator, a press coordinator, and an animal rights activist extraordinaire. About to go to trial in Iowa on felony charges, including under Iowa’s infamous Ag Gag statute, for rescuing a piglet, now named Gilly, from certain death, he shares with us the harrowing story of entering factory farms under conditions of ventilation shutdown…

We’re so honored to welcome Anita Krajnc and Nicola Harris to help us start off 2022 with dynamic and effective activism for animals and the planet! Anita is the co-founder of Animal Save Movement and Nicola serves as the nonprofit’s Director of Communications. They talk about their decision to establish climate- and health-focused chapters of Animal Save Movement, in addition to…

Father Massimo da Qumran of the Sacred Order of the Hesychasts of San Giovanni Climaco, a spiritual community with residences near Milan and Florence, joins the podcast for this Christmas episode. He shares with us how he practices Christianity, how that practice relates to animals and veganism, and why religion often neglects the relationship between God and animals and their purpose…

The trailblazing Monica Chen, Executive Director of Factory Farming Awareness Coalition (FFAC), joins the podcast this week for an inside look into how the nonprofit is working to change the world for animals through education and mentorship. FFAC has recently shifted its educational programming to focus on high school and college students, and is seeing outstanding results. Also, despite the challenges…

Keegan Kuhn and John Lewis, the remarkable filmmakers behind the new documentary, They’re Trying to Kill Us, join the podcast this week for a critical conversation about the deadly effects of the meat-centric standard American diet, how it impacts Black communities with particular harshness, and how hip-hop artists are a crucial part of the movement to save Black lives through diet…

We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome Tracye McQuirter, MPH, back to the podcast this week to discuss her remarkable program: 10 Million Black Vegan Women. Initially launched last year as 10,000 Black Vegan Women, Tracye is back after she realized she had been thinking too small about how many people this accessible, online program could reach. So, after exceeding expectations by helping…

Wow! We are truly over the moon to be joined this week by the incredibly talented actress and activist, Evanna Lynch, who you undoubtedly recognize from her role as Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter films. Yup, you read that right! A passionate vegan animal rights advocate, Evanna joins Jasmin for a thought-provoking conversation that ranges from advocacy approaches, to overcoming…

Welcome to this very special holiday episode in which we present Sanctuary: A Radio Play, an annual Thanksgiving tradition at Our Hen House! This special performance marks the world premiere of John Yunker’s Sanctuary at New York City’s Symphony Space during the Culture & Animals Foundation’s Compassion Arts Festival. We were thrilled to have been a part of this witty, engaging,…

The remarkable Katja M. Guenther, PhD joins the podcast this week for an eye-opening interview about companion animal shelters and their practices, and the intersections of poverty, race, stigma, and animals. This is an interview you won’t want to miss. Dr. Guenther, a sociologist and author of The Lives and Deaths of Shelter Animals, describes her three years of ethnographic research…

This week, Our Hen House is excited to welcome two amazing guests to the show, each an inspirational example of what is happening at the grassroots of the vegan movement! Our first guest, animal rights activist (and flock member!) Sue Fischer joins us to discuss the damage cattle ranchers and dairy farmers are inflicting on the land and wildlife of California’s…

The extraordinary Crystal Heath, DVM, joins the podcast this week for a desperately needed conversation about the veterinary profession and the alarming attitude of so many of its members toward animal rights. Dr. Heath, who is a vegan animal rights activist herself, shares shocking truths about the influence the animal agriculture industry holds over veterinary schools across the country. In fact,…

Our Hen House welcomes Richie Bowie, Senior Editor of VegNews Magazine, for an engaging, critical conversation about what vegan media is and what it needs to be in order to change the world. Richie joins Jasmin to discuss how the misperception that veganism is a white movement has withstood the test of time despite the higher percentage of Black Americans identifying…

Our Hen House is honored to bring you the final episode of the four-part audio series of the groundbreaking book, Antiracism in Animal Advocacy: Igniting Cultural Transformation. Our Hen House’s very own Jasmin Singer is the editor of this recently released anthology published by Lantern Books and Media, in collaboration with Encompass, Sentient Media, and, of course, Our Hen House. The…

Our Hen House is excited to welcome plant-based food advocate and political candidate Pearl Brunt to the podcast this week. Pearl is running for a seat on the Town Council in Pittsford, NY. She joins Mariann to discuss how her political aspirations intersect with her love of promoting healthy, ethical food choices and introducing people to plant-based foods. A firm believer…

Welcome to the third episode of the four-part audio series of the groundbreaking book, Antiracism in Animal Advocacy: Igniting Cultural Transformation. Our Hen House’s very own Jasmin Singer is the editor of this recently released anthology published by Lantern Books and Media, in collaboration with Encompass, Sentient Media, and, of course, Our Hen House. The book is a collection of essays written…

The incredibly talented Isa Leshko joins the podcast this week for an inside look into her one-of-a-kind photography book, Allowed to Grow Old: Portraits of Elderly Rescued Farm Animals. Isa’s black-and-white portraits of aging animals, members of species whose other members, numbering in the billions, are typically killed in their infancy, would make anyone think twice about what, or who, is…

Our Hen House is proud to offer you the second episode of the four-part audio series of the groundbreaking book, Antiracism in Animal Advocacy: Igniting Cultural Transformation. Our very own Jasmin Singer is the editor of this new anthology published by Lantern Books and Media, in collaboration with Encompass, Sentient Media, and, of course, Our Hen House. The book is a…