You Won't Believe What These 2 Vegan Powerhouses Have Done!
"We want to bring the plant-based community together and give them tools to live more compassionately."
– App Co-Creator
What happens when two dynamic vegan women team up to revolutionize how we live plant-based? You get an empowering conversation about purpose, tech, and community — all wrapped in a cruelty-free mission. This episode reveals the creation of a unique platform designed to uplift, connect, and mobilize compassionate living.
"It's not just an app. It's a lifestyle shift powered by impact."
– Vegan Influencer & Entrepreneur
🎧 Podcast Highlights
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The vision behind a new vegan lifestyle app
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How tech can empower compassionate living
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Why they believe cruelty-free living is the future
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Women-led entrepreneurship in the vegan space
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Turning values into a digital platform for change
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The power of community: vegan voices uniting
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How users are discovering plant-based products
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Behind-the-scenes of building a mission-driven app
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A call to action for those ready to lead with purpose
🌱 Make Compassion the Default
Discover how living cruelty-free could be the most powerful lifestyle shift you ever make.
👩💼 Jane Velez-Mitchell is an award-winning journalist, TV producer and NY Times bestselling author who founded UnchainedTV, the world's premier plant-based streaming network. UnchainedTV offers 2,000 free documentaries, cooking shows, lifestyle and news programs. Download UnchainedTV free on mobile or TV streaming devices like Amazon Fire, Roku, and Apple TV. Watch online: https://watch.unchainedtv.com/browse
🎥 WATCH for FREE: https://unchained.tv
✅ LEARN MORE / https://unchainedtv.com
📘 Facebook / janevelezmitchell
📬 SubStack / https://unchainedtv.substack.com
📸 Instagram / unchained_tv
🐦 Twitter / jvm
Hashtags: #CrueltyFreeLiving #VeganTech #PlantBasedApp
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Wouldn't you like to be fierce and vegan?
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I certainly would, and there she is, nobody
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more fierce and vegan than this extraordinary actress,
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activist, and now entrepreneur.
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All I can say is, I'll have what
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she's having, right?
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I would like to be this ripped, and
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I think everybody would like to be ripped,
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really, when you get down to it.
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And what's so amazing is that now Nina
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Bergman, the actress, activist, biting her high heels
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and launching a brand new company, and her
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bestie, Rebecca Mink, has three different companies.
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So there's a lot going on right now.
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I want to start with Nina Bergman.
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Tell us what you're doing and why.
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Um, well, you know, I'm Nina Bergman, and
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I'm a vegan, and been most of my
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life, and I just wanted to do more.
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And by doing undercover work and showing what
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happened behind slaughterhouses, I didn't really get anywhere.
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I didn't get where I wanted to be.
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So I started thinking of other ways.
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And then people kept asking me, how do
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you stay so fit?
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How do you, you know, you look so
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healthy, your muscles, your skin, your energy, what
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do you do?
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So for a decade, I wrote it all
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down.
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And I started logging everything.
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And then I created a 12-step program
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for anyone.
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If you're vegan, you can become a healthy
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vegan.
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If you are living in the Midwest, and
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you don't even know what a vegan is,
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it's for you.
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It's a broad program for 12 weeks.
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And it's all about taking it from where
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you are and improving, you know, even if
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it's just Meatless Monday, and that's all you
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get out of my program, in my opinion,
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you're a winner.
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There's no judgment in my program.
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It's not overwhelming.
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It's very simple.
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So that's what it is.
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And I have an app that I created
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too, a GPT app that I fetched, so
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you can ask me questions.
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It's like having me in your back pocket,
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so you can ask me questions throughout the
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process.
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For recipes, workout programs, what's healthy, how to
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get more protein, anything that you want.
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If you're depressed, and you need to, you
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know, up your mood or whatever it is,
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you can ask the GPT chat called Nina,
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so you can have me in my back
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pocket.
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So yeah, I created it to give.
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I just want to help people.
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This is your website.
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It is absolutely fantastic.
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And what I love about it is that
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there's a program.
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So many people want to get in shape.
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I mean, look, I struggle with it all
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the time.
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I wear ankle, wrist, and a heavy jacket.
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I walk a mile and a half with
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my dogs every day, but you know, it's
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a struggle.
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It's a work in progress.
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It would be great to have the kind
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of support and guidance that you offer.
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So tell us about this masterclass and how
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it plays out for, what is this, 50,
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basically 60 bucks a month for a whole
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new body, mind, and spirit.
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That's a good deal.
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Yes, I mean, I made it so it's
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affordable for everyone, or you can purchase the
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whole program for $149, and then you have
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it for life.
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And it's just because I was not a
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healthy vegan.
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I thought I was healthy, but I retained
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water in my body.
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My hormones were all over the place.
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You know, I did a Ted talk about
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it, my story, actually.
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I just did a Ted talk called Vegan
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Machine that you can check out, and it's
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like the whole story about how I came
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about it.
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But I wasn't doing well, and I realized
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that I had candida in my body.
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I had heavy metals in my body.
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I had all this stuff.
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So even though I was vegan, I wasn't
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healthy, and I was sluggish and tired, depressed.
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And I talk about that in my program.
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I have a whole chapter dedicated to the
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stomach, because that's our second brain.
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Our gut is our second brain.
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So it's all about cleaning out your body,
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cleaning out your gut, and what to clean
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out your fridge, what to have in your
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fridge.
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And it's all designed for people who have
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no money, and someone like me who can't
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cook.
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I can prepare food, but I can't cook,
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and I have no time to work out.
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So what do you do if you have
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no time and no money?
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So that's what the program is for.
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So there's no excuse.
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Well, let me say this, and I want
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to come back to you and get to
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Rebecca.
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But you are an actress.
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For those who've been living under a rock,
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you've been in some of these top films,
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Doom, Annihilation, Hell Hath No Fury, Chief of
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Station, The Car, Road to Revenge, Assassin X,
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Catacombs.
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And that obviously helped you when it was
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time to do a TEDx talk because you're
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used to public speaking.
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So let's listen to a little bit of
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your TEDx talk, and then we're going to
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come back to you and really hone in
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on why you did this TEDx talk, and
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why you've decided with this incredible acting career
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to also take on this whole new role
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as essentially a vegan health and fitness guru.
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All right.
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I'm Nina Bergman, and I'm vegan, and I'm
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here to debunk the myth that vegans are
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weak and to tell you that anyone who
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is listening right now can be vegan if
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they choose to.
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But before we get into this, can we
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just leave all preconceived notions at the door
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just for the duration of my speech?
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I promise I will refund all of your
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opinions and your judgments for free.
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All right.
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What if I told you that vegans stand
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for vital, enlightened, global advocates, nonviolent soldiers?
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Now, while that sinks in, let me tell
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you a little bit about myself.
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I was a ballerina at age four, and
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I trained harder than anyone else.
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And my dad told me...
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All right.
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What did your dad tell you?
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That meat equals power.
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My Russian dad growing up in Denmark.
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Yeah, because that's what he was taught.
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So that's what I believed in as a
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little girl.
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We would break the chicken bones and suck
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out the marrow to become strong.
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I didn't know that being strong meant eating
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what the strongest animals on the planet eat,
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which is greens, veggies.
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So I have to ask you, when did
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you split from your dad's philosophy and come
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into your own?
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And how did you discover that, like a
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lot of dads, he was wrong?
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Well, I talk about it to him in
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my TED Talk.
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He took me fishing and he asked me...
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We caught a fish and he asked me
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to kill the fish, to beat it to
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death.
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That's how we killed them.
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And it was completely unnatural to me.
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And all I could do was pick it
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up and put it back in the water.
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It's not natural to want to kill.
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It's something that we had taught.
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And I put that together at age six
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or seven.
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I was like, oh, wow, I don't want
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to kill animals.
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I want to save them.
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Well, let me say the proof is in
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the pudding.
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And darling, you look marvelous.
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That's all I can say.
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And like I said, I want what she's
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having.
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Now, let's move on to the extraordinary Rebecca
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Mink.
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Again, this was one of the toughest podcasts
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because I'm like, they're doing so much.
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What do I talk about now?
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So, Rebecca, you are a famed entrepreneur who
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really broke new ground when you debuted your
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vegan shoes.
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And let's revisit history to see what you're
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doing now to take those vegan shoes and
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combine it with another extraordinary new company.
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I'm Rebecca Mink and I am the founder
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and designer of Mink Shoes.
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Every pair of Mink Shoes has a personality
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of its own.
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And since 2004, they have adorned the feet
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of the most famous women in the world.
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So what does it mean to have a
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vegan shoe?
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It doesn't mean that they're just not made
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of leather.
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It means that every step in the process
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is completely cruelty free and it's completely free
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of any animal product.
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And it's all made from rubber plant materials.
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Non-animal glues actually outlast animal glues.
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They crack less, they work better with water.
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And it turns out we've created something very
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special.
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All Mink Shoes are named after animals.
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The reason that I name every shoe after
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an animal is because of my love for
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them.
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Rebecca fills a void for something that is
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very unique, very stylish, very pretty and very
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well made.
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One picks up the shoe doesn't even know
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that it's not leather.
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It's so spectacular.
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Rebecca Mink succeeded in creating the first collection
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of Mink Shoes, which premiered in 2004.
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A lot of people didn't understand the concept
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of vegan shoes or cruelty free shoes.
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Why would it matter if a shoe was
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made out of leather or not?
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But now the idea of a cruelty free
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shoe, a gorgeous shoe that is not made
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of animal byproducts is pretty mainstream and Rebecca
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was at the forefront of that.
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You were a pioneer, Rebecca.
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I remember meeting you when you first launched
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Mink Shoes and it was a sensation.
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Tell us, how's Mink Shoes doing?
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Incredible.
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It's been such a journey.
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I mean, I started my journey at four
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years old when I was at a birthday
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party and a little boy told me hot
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dogs were made from dogs.
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And then I just wanted to figure out
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what everything was that I was eating.
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And then I became a stylist to celebrities
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and then I started this Mink Shoes, which
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is the first luxury vegan shoes created 26
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years ago.
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A really long time ago when people did
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not know what I was doing.
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So now I've developed a new invention, which
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is Plyd, the plant leather company.
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And we are creating plant leather that's made
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from upcycled fruit and vegetable waste.
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It's regenerative, it's circular, and it's actually using
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the actual looking at the polymers in each
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fruit and vegetable way so we can use
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all plants and we can create a leather
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that is scalable in existing plastic leather factories.
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So we are excited to be launching Plyd,
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the plant leather company in 2026 with my
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co-founder Ahmed Rahim and we are so
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thrilled to be moving into a direction of
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doing something so big.
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People don't realize how large the leather industry
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is.
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And then another thing people don't realize is
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how difficult it is to make something that
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is actually able to go through industrial production.
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So we are finishing our R&D, closing
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up some funding and getting some incredible investors
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on board if anyone's interested.
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And we are excited to move to the
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next level and revolutionize the leather industry, which
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is, you know, shoes have been incredible mission
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for me to really shift the paradigm of
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the way people think.
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So they don't think that gorgeous shoes have
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to be leather, but now Plyd, the plant
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leather company, is really moving the needle because
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we also will be putting this within automotive,
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we'll be putting this within all different fashion
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industries, leather goods, bags, belts, wallets, and also
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furniture, and the list goes on, sport.
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So we're excited to really regenerate what's happening
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in that leather industry.
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So lots, lots going on there in the
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tanneries and the carbon footprint of the emissions
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from the cows, and so much more that's
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unnecessary.
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I've always wondered why people haven't evolved beyond
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equating leather with luxury.
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It seems so 19th century to me.
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Now we know that fur is dead in
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the sense of being a fashion accessory.
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All the big labels have abandoned fur.
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Rodeo Drive, which used to be just a
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giant fur bazaar, has now pretty much almost
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eliminated fur with maybe one or two exceptions.
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But the big shift would be if we
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completely abandoned leather for what's called vegan leather.
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It is now popping up in cars and
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it is being equated with sort of a
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modern chic ethic.
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Can you tell us a little bit about
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that evolution, how you're interacting with designers and
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manufacturers and brands to convince them that the
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really hip, cool, new luxury is compassionate vegan
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leather?
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First, I have to say that the replacement
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for leather has been plastic.
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So that has been the biggest issue.
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And that was an issue for me, making
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a luxury shoe.
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I wanted the whole shoe to be sustainable.
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So really using plastic and all that's come
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out has a lot of plastic in it.
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So it might be not strong enough if
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it's not plastic without lining it with plastic
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to make shoes because there's a heavy amount
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of pressure and torque and heat that has
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to be able to sustain.
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So number one is that they've been plastic.
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So that's where Plaid is changing the game,
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making something that feels natural, feels like leather,
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doesn't feel like plastic, something scalable, something that
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uses all different plants.
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So never going to run out of our
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inputs for the production of it.
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So it's exciting to think about actually creating
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something that's adoptable by these brands.
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And I can tell you as a luxury
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brand creating mink shoes, I would look at
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what was out there and I shredded my
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00:14:37,760 --> 00:14:38,380
competition.
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So there really hasn't been anything that a
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00:14:41,740 --> 00:14:46,160
high-end brand would really design a collection
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around.
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And for example, I have an idea to
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create a collection that's a yellow crocodile with
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lemons from Sicily, for example, making a story,
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making something very unique, just like what they've
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been doing with leather for so many years.
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00:15:02,800 --> 00:15:05,820
They really want something more than just another
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plastic leather.
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Wow, this is extraordinary.
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00:15:10,480 --> 00:15:11,260
It's beautiful.
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So many colors.
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00:15:13,040 --> 00:15:16,540
And I think the idea that fruit can
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become leather is such a breakthrough concept.
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Are there any particular fruits?
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I mean, I would think that for example,
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like a cantaloupe would be a little tougher
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than a strawberry, but what do I know?
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00:15:30,600 --> 00:15:33,420
Well, it's interesting because we find a, when
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we look at the polymers, all of the
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different fruits have a skin.
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So it's almost like as if a human
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skin or a cow skin.
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So it protects, it's durable.
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And some of them are actually extremely waterproof.
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00:15:47,420 --> 00:15:49,860
Some are more durable and some, even if
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they don't have the durability coming through, they
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00:15:52,920 --> 00:15:56,360
add thickness or, so we've tested a multitude
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of different things.
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We've even tested bay leaves and roses and
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00:16:00,220 --> 00:16:01,180
left the smell in.
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00:16:01,180 --> 00:16:03,020
But of course, when we do cabbage, we
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take the smell out.
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So it's fun to think about leaving in
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00:16:07,300 --> 00:16:09,980
lavender or doing some fun things like that
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in the future, because the plants coming through
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00:16:12,760 --> 00:16:15,820
is a whole nother layer of what we're
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00:16:15,820 --> 00:16:18,020
doing that we're just starting to explore.
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00:16:18,200 --> 00:16:20,340
So it's, it's an exciting time.
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00:16:20,340 --> 00:16:22,700
And you know, the bottom line is we
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do not need animals to create products that
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are leather-like.
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We just needed somebody to work as hard
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as I am to get through the R
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00:16:32,440 --> 00:16:34,420
&D and get to the other side of
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this, where we're creating something very new and
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00:16:37,300 --> 00:16:38,480
it's never been done before.
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00:16:38,740 --> 00:16:40,820
And if you're just joining us, we are
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00:16:40,820 --> 00:16:45,260
talking to two incredible powerhouse women, actress, activist,
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00:16:45,340 --> 00:16:48,900
Nina Bergman, with her new Fierce and Vegan
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00:16:48,900 --> 00:16:55,840
cutting-edge GPT-enabled fitness program, and Rebecca
403
00:16:55,840 --> 00:16:59,640
Mink of Mink Shoes, now launching into vegan
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00:16:59,640 --> 00:17:01,780
leathers using fruit.
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00:17:02,140 --> 00:17:05,980
Nina, you are in the Hollywood crowd because
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you're an actress, you go to these events,
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00:17:08,839 --> 00:17:10,020
the red carpet events.
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00:17:10,660 --> 00:17:14,180
Where is Hollywood when it comes to switching
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00:17:14,180 --> 00:17:15,660
to compassionate fashion?
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00:17:16,160 --> 00:17:18,280
I personally have attended protests.
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00:17:18,839 --> 00:17:22,980
There have been years where some so-called
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00:17:22,980 --> 00:17:25,599
star wears fur at a big event that's
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00:17:25,599 --> 00:17:28,460
televised, and we've protested that.
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00:17:28,940 --> 00:17:32,260
But it really seems that fur is an
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00:17:32,260 --> 00:17:34,720
embarrassment to be caught in at this point,
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culturally.
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00:17:36,260 --> 00:17:38,300
Where are we with leather?
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00:17:40,420 --> 00:17:42,740
We're not there yet with leather.
419
00:17:42,960 --> 00:17:45,140
The connection, I feel like, haven't been made.
420
00:17:45,260 --> 00:17:48,060
I too was with the early fur campaigns,
421
00:17:48,260 --> 00:17:51,240
Lash Ends for Animals, and every Friday when
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00:17:51,240 --> 00:17:51,920
they were doing them.
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00:17:52,220 --> 00:17:55,120
But leather is, we are not there yet.
424
00:17:55,320 --> 00:18:01,160
And I think my philosophy on it is,
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00:18:01,240 --> 00:18:04,820
someone like me that wants to wear something
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00:18:04,820 --> 00:18:11,320
cool, hip, edgy, funky, whatever, high-end, at
427
00:18:11,320 --> 00:18:13,480
these kind of events, it's hard to find.
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00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:16,860
Where now, it is so much easier, and
429
00:18:16,860 --> 00:18:20,420
that's why I'm so excited for Rebecca to
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00:18:20,420 --> 00:18:23,880
start creating again, because she was one of
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00:18:23,880 --> 00:18:27,020
the first vegan designers that I worked for
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00:18:27,020 --> 00:18:29,880
as a model, fully vegan designers that I
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00:18:29,880 --> 00:18:30,280
worked for.
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00:18:31,720 --> 00:18:33,380
That's how we met, I was a model
435
00:18:33,380 --> 00:18:34,700
for her shoes.
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00:18:35,860 --> 00:18:37,840
And I was just blown away by her
437
00:18:37,840 --> 00:18:41,480
style and the cool, edgy stuff that she
438
00:18:41,480 --> 00:18:42,020
was doing.
439
00:18:42,480 --> 00:18:45,340
And the quality, a lot of vegan quality
440
00:18:45,340 --> 00:18:46,680
doesn't last very long.
441
00:18:47,040 --> 00:18:49,780
You buy it and then it falls apart.
442
00:18:50,500 --> 00:18:53,300
But with someone like Rebecca, I just wanted
443
00:18:53,300 --> 00:18:54,320
to show you something.
444
00:18:55,540 --> 00:18:58,760
I have something right here, one of Rebecca's
445
00:18:58,760 --> 00:19:01,240
things that I got many years ago that
446
00:19:01,240 --> 00:19:01,780
I still have.
447
00:19:01,860 --> 00:19:02,900
There's Rebecca's shoes.
448
00:19:03,600 --> 00:19:05,360
I would wear those to the red carpet,
449
00:19:05,460 --> 00:19:06,480
I've worn them many times.
450
00:19:06,540 --> 00:19:08,420
But I wanted to show you, many, many
451
00:19:08,420 --> 00:19:09,900
years ago, I got this.
452
00:19:10,480 --> 00:19:12,360
This is a vegan wallet.
453
00:19:12,760 --> 00:19:13,480
Look, make.
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00:19:14,020 --> 00:19:16,420
I have had this thing for God knows
455
00:19:16,420 --> 00:19:17,020
how long.
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00:19:17,380 --> 00:19:21,060
It's cool, it's classy, it's edgy, it's high
457
00:19:21,060 --> 00:19:21,380
-end.
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00:19:21,380 --> 00:19:23,120
It's a little worn because I've had it
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00:19:23,120 --> 00:19:25,080
for, I don't even want to know how
460
00:19:25,080 --> 00:19:26,100
long I've had it for.
461
00:19:26,840 --> 00:19:30,080
I think that's the biggest problem is that
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00:19:30,080 --> 00:19:32,620
there hasn't been cool vegan options.
463
00:19:33,280 --> 00:19:34,380
But it's slowly happening.
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00:19:34,620 --> 00:19:38,000
They're saying that veganism is the fastest growing
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movement, and it's spreading.
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00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:43,420
And especially in Hollywood, working, they always have
467
00:19:43,420 --> 00:19:43,860
options.
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00:19:44,100 --> 00:19:45,860
And it's not that big of a deal
469
00:19:45,860 --> 00:19:47,300
anymore when I say, hey, I don't want
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00:19:47,300 --> 00:19:48,020
to wear leather coat.
471
00:19:48,100 --> 00:19:49,900
Hey, I definitely can't wear fur.
472
00:19:49,900 --> 00:19:54,380
So it's changing rapidly in Hollywood, from my
473
00:19:54,380 --> 00:19:54,820
experience.
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00:19:55,120 --> 00:19:58,160
And here is the Meek Shoe homepage.
475
00:19:58,920 --> 00:20:01,520
Look at these incredible collections.
476
00:20:01,820 --> 00:20:02,960
Oh my gosh.
477
00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:06,440
I more lean away from high heels to
478
00:20:06,440 --> 00:20:09,020
maybe the boots on the left or the
479
00:20:09,020 --> 00:20:10,100
loafers in the middle.
480
00:20:10,260 --> 00:20:11,380
They look fabulous.
481
00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:14,440
But if you're into high heels, boy, do
482
00:20:14,440 --> 00:20:15,480
they have them.
483
00:20:16,160 --> 00:20:20,320
And these are worn by some of the
484
00:20:20,320 --> 00:20:21,900
most famous women in Hollywood.
485
00:20:22,300 --> 00:20:24,980
I mean, this is gourmet.
486
00:20:25,560 --> 00:20:31,880
And now Rebecca is also launching Ply'd.
487
00:20:31,940 --> 00:20:33,020
Is that how you pronounce it?
488
00:20:33,300 --> 00:20:34,800
Ply'd, the plant leather company.
489
00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:38,060
Ply'd, Ply'd, the vegan leather, the plant leather.
490
00:20:38,360 --> 00:20:42,160
So are your shoes going to have Ply'd
491
00:20:42,160 --> 00:20:43,120
leather in them?
492
00:20:43,640 --> 00:20:46,420
Yeah, Ply'd is going to be the leather
493
00:20:46,420 --> 00:20:48,180
of choice for Mink, of course.
494
00:20:48,580 --> 00:20:50,920
But we are also talking to high-end
495
00:20:50,920 --> 00:20:51,460
brands.
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00:20:51,620 --> 00:20:53,460
And we're in discussions with Honda.
497
00:20:53,840 --> 00:20:56,560
We're talking with brands such as Dolce Gabbana,
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00:20:56,840 --> 00:20:58,300
Versace, Bottega Veneta.
499
00:20:59,020 --> 00:21:01,200
So I would just like to add on
500
00:21:01,200 --> 00:21:04,920
to your question to Nina that I know
501
00:21:04,920 --> 00:21:07,060
that they say a certain amount of brands
502
00:21:07,060 --> 00:21:09,680
are looking for vegan alternatives, and I would
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00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:10,840
say all of them are.
504
00:21:11,240 --> 00:21:15,780
So I part-own a shoe factory in
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00:21:15,780 --> 00:21:16,200
Italy.
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00:21:16,860 --> 00:21:19,180
And in this shoe factory, we make Christian
507
00:21:19,180 --> 00:21:22,540
Louboutin, Chanel, Jimmy Choo, Dolce Gabbana, and they've
508
00:21:22,540 --> 00:21:24,120
always been looking for an alternative.
509
00:21:24,360 --> 00:21:26,020
And now I can offer them this.
510
00:21:26,180 --> 00:21:28,480
So it's an exciting new world.
511
00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:30,280
So gorgeous.
512
00:21:30,860 --> 00:21:38,960
I absolutely love it.
513
00:21:38,960 --> 00:21:42,320
So incredible to have her a part of
514
00:21:42,320 --> 00:21:44,640
different photos we've done with the shoes because
515
00:21:44,640 --> 00:21:48,000
she doesn't just bring the beauty and the
516
00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:52,100
energy and the passion, but she's a true
517
00:21:52,100 --> 00:21:52,460
vegan.
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00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:56,420
And it's so exciting to have someone that
519
00:21:56,420 --> 00:21:58,380
really is who they say they are.
520
00:21:58,780 --> 00:22:01,580
I first met Nina at the National Animal
521
00:22:01,580 --> 00:22:05,580
Rights Day event where she spoke and spoke
522
00:22:05,580 --> 00:22:06,380
so beautifully.
523
00:22:06,900 --> 00:22:08,740
And you know what I said to myself?
524
00:22:08,880 --> 00:22:11,920
I said, I wish more Hollywood stars would
525
00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:14,560
have the guts to take a stand on
526
00:22:14,560 --> 00:22:15,300
this issue.
527
00:22:15,500 --> 00:22:19,260
Somebody is commenting right now, we need to
528
00:22:19,260 --> 00:22:22,980
make Hollywood less afraid of the beef lobby.
529
00:22:23,540 --> 00:22:27,040
Yes, there are so many people who really,
530
00:22:27,180 --> 00:22:29,420
their voice is very powerful, but they're not
531
00:22:29,420 --> 00:22:31,520
using it to speak up, for example, for
532
00:22:31,520 --> 00:22:32,060
animals.
533
00:22:32,780 --> 00:22:36,160
What would you say about that, Nina?
534
00:22:38,840 --> 00:22:42,920
Well, I think, number one, I believe we
535
00:22:42,920 --> 00:22:44,840
have to pay rent while we're here on
536
00:22:44,840 --> 00:22:45,400
earth, right?
537
00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:46,680
We all have to do something.
538
00:22:47,180 --> 00:22:49,220
And I feel like when someone is suffering,
539
00:22:49,940 --> 00:22:54,180
and you're witnessing someone in pain, being tortured,
540
00:22:54,300 --> 00:22:55,580
and you know, it's going on.
541
00:22:55,720 --> 00:22:58,140
I mean, it's, it's a sin not to
542
00:22:58,140 --> 00:22:58,640
speak up.
543
00:22:59,320 --> 00:23:01,380
You know, and for someone who has, I
544
00:23:01,380 --> 00:23:03,400
mean, I have been to the dairy farms,
545
00:23:03,480 --> 00:23:05,240
I have been to the slaughterhouses, I have
546
00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:07,880
watched what happens behind closed doors.
547
00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:10,300
So every night, you know, I have a
548
00:23:10,300 --> 00:23:12,800
hard time sleeping because of the screams and
549
00:23:12,800 --> 00:23:13,320
the smells.
550
00:23:13,320 --> 00:23:15,360
And, you know, I don't have a choice.
551
00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:18,020
But I think even for other people, even
552
00:23:18,020 --> 00:23:20,340
just I keep saying just start with meatless
553
00:23:20,340 --> 00:23:23,240
Monday, just start slow, just baby steps, just
554
00:23:23,240 --> 00:23:25,200
start if you have an option of vegan
555
00:23:25,200 --> 00:23:28,260
options, you know, buying leather and buying non
556
00:23:28,260 --> 00:23:30,880
leather, just, you know, go that extra mile,
557
00:23:31,080 --> 00:23:34,180
you know, just take that little extra step
558
00:23:34,180 --> 00:23:36,060
to try to make a difference.
559
00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:37,180
I mean, it's not that hard.
560
00:23:37,360 --> 00:23:39,960
I think food and fashion and a vegan
561
00:23:39,960 --> 00:23:41,480
lifestyle is just habit.
562
00:23:41,840 --> 00:23:43,680
Like for me, it's easy because I'm so
563
00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:44,380
used to it.
564
00:23:44,500 --> 00:23:46,400
And I have put all of that in
565
00:23:46,400 --> 00:23:48,760
my program to to try to just make
566
00:23:48,760 --> 00:23:51,040
it as easy as possible for people because
567
00:23:51,040 --> 00:23:52,320
it's not that hard.
568
00:23:52,700 --> 00:23:55,200
Once you build in those habits, it's just
569
00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:56,580
we're not used to it.
570
00:23:57,020 --> 00:23:59,280
And, and I, you know, and the stigma,
571
00:23:59,440 --> 00:24:01,740
I have a whole thing about stigma, the
572
00:24:01,740 --> 00:24:04,180
last chapter in my program about how dealing
573
00:24:04,180 --> 00:24:07,300
with being the crazy one, the weird one,
574
00:24:07,500 --> 00:24:10,260
the, you know, the one where when I
575
00:24:10,260 --> 00:24:11,960
sit quietly in the corner and eat my
576
00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:15,520
veg veggies, and I just get reprimanded for
577
00:24:15,520 --> 00:24:18,200
being better than anyone else.
578
00:24:18,300 --> 00:24:19,620
And all I'm doing is just sitting there
579
00:24:19,620 --> 00:24:23,320
and my greens, you know, we, people get
580
00:24:23,320 --> 00:24:25,760
triggered by us because we speak the truth,
581
00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:27,040
and we holding up a mirror.
582
00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:29,900
So I feel that there is a community
583
00:24:29,900 --> 00:24:32,960
and it's important that we stick to our
584
00:24:32,960 --> 00:24:35,360
community, just to have one friend that is
585
00:24:35,360 --> 00:24:37,060
also vegan or someone who is on the
586
00:24:37,060 --> 00:24:37,760
same path.
587
00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:40,880
So we don't get led astray because we
588
00:24:40,880 --> 00:24:42,580
have to, I think it's our duty.
589
00:24:42,820 --> 00:24:44,720
I think we don't have a choice.
590
00:24:45,160 --> 00:24:45,920
We have to.
591
00:24:46,600 --> 00:24:48,320
I couldn't agree with you more.
592
00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:53,700
And, you know, conformity is never really admirable.
593
00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:57,740
In retrospect, it only made me feel safe
594
00:24:57,740 --> 00:24:58,880
while you're doing it.
595
00:24:58,900 --> 00:25:00,840
But then when you look back, you go,
596
00:25:01,540 --> 00:25:04,480
history will show, look at the things that
597
00:25:04,480 --> 00:25:05,360
used to be normal.
598
00:25:05,360 --> 00:25:08,640
And we look back, whether it's about race,
599
00:25:08,700 --> 00:25:12,180
about gender, about any number of things, we
600
00:25:12,180 --> 00:25:14,120
look back in horror, horror.
601
00:25:14,760 --> 00:25:16,900
But at the time, the people who were
602
00:25:16,900 --> 00:25:19,640
horrified at that time were often castigated.
603
00:25:20,180 --> 00:25:23,000
So I think it's a badge of honor
604
00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:23,760
personally.
605
00:25:24,140 --> 00:25:26,460
And I think you're absolutely right.
606
00:25:26,660 --> 00:25:27,660
Vegan isn't a diet.
607
00:25:27,800 --> 00:25:28,600
It's a lifestyle.
608
00:25:28,880 --> 00:25:29,960
It's a philosophy.
609
00:25:30,460 --> 00:25:33,760
And that's what we really try to show
610
00:25:33,760 --> 00:25:35,260
people on Unchained TV.
611
00:25:35,260 --> 00:25:36,840
Now, guess what?
612
00:25:37,460 --> 00:25:39,900
If you're into luxury, if you're into fashion
613
00:25:39,900 --> 00:25:43,460
and compassion, there is an incredible tour that
614
00:25:43,460 --> 00:25:45,600
you can take with the one and only
615
00:25:45,600 --> 00:25:46,400
Rebecca Mink.
616
00:25:46,960 --> 00:25:48,380
Tell us all about it.
617
00:25:48,460 --> 00:25:50,140
And while you do, I'm going to put
618
00:25:50,140 --> 00:25:50,880
up the link.
619
00:25:51,060 --> 00:25:54,060
If people are interested in this tour, and
620
00:25:54,060 --> 00:25:56,940
it is so fabulous, that's where you go.
621
00:25:57,780 --> 00:25:59,200
Well, it's exciting.
622
00:26:00,140 --> 00:26:03,200
I've been going to Italy for 26 years.
623
00:26:03,240 --> 00:26:05,600
And I've been vegan since I was four.
624
00:26:05,740 --> 00:26:08,140
So you can imagine, all of those years,
625
00:26:08,280 --> 00:26:11,440
I've been vegan, roaming around Italy, trying to
626
00:26:11,440 --> 00:26:13,200
figure out what the best things to do
627
00:26:13,200 --> 00:26:14,480
and see and eat are.
628
00:26:14,960 --> 00:26:18,480
So I have taken two different tours with
629
00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:22,100
incredible women to Italy before, and I'm doing
630
00:26:22,100 --> 00:26:22,560
it again.
631
00:26:22,560 --> 00:26:25,120
I've got two this year coming up.
632
00:26:25,320 --> 00:26:28,980
And the link is in Instagram as well,
633
00:26:29,020 --> 00:26:29,700
if you need it.
634
00:26:29,740 --> 00:26:33,060
But it's so exciting because I take you
635
00:26:33,060 --> 00:26:36,860
to the restaurants that are not necessarily all
636
00:26:36,860 --> 00:26:40,340
vegan, ones that have been cooking vegan local
637
00:26:40,340 --> 00:26:42,940
dishes for me for 20 years.
638
00:26:43,360 --> 00:26:46,500
So some unique and very special places, some
639
00:26:46,500 --> 00:26:47,380
hidden gems.
640
00:26:48,080 --> 00:26:50,540
I also have a cooking class where you're
641
00:26:50,540 --> 00:26:52,180
able to make vegan pasta.
642
00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:54,600
And then we have chefs cook it for
643
00:26:54,600 --> 00:26:54,920
us.
644
00:26:54,940 --> 00:26:57,100
And we get to sit in Tuscan hills
645
00:26:57,100 --> 00:26:58,300
and eat it.
646
00:26:58,480 --> 00:27:01,940
And I also take everyone to my shoe
647
00:27:01,940 --> 00:27:06,000
factory, which is incredible to see shoes made
648
00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:07,720
from start to finish.
649
00:27:07,940 --> 00:27:10,180
And we'll teach you how to make shoes
650
00:27:10,180 --> 00:27:12,360
and show you a lot more about the
651
00:27:12,360 --> 00:27:12,620
leather.
652
00:27:12,840 --> 00:27:15,380
But shoes are made in about 30 different
653
00:27:15,380 --> 00:27:17,440
factories, and they're put together in one.
654
00:27:17,540 --> 00:27:19,620
And I part own a mounting factory where
655
00:27:19,620 --> 00:27:21,520
the magic happens, where the whole shoe comes
656
00:27:21,520 --> 00:27:21,960
together.
657
00:27:22,360 --> 00:27:23,960
And I've taken some women in there that
658
00:27:23,960 --> 00:27:27,360
started crying when they see all these designer
659
00:27:27,360 --> 00:27:28,360
shoes being made.
660
00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:30,680
But I make all of my brands and
661
00:27:30,680 --> 00:27:31,600
white labels vegan.
662
00:27:31,760 --> 00:27:33,660
And I hope to turn the entire factory
663
00:27:33,660 --> 00:27:36,000
vegan soon with plied plant leather.
664
00:27:36,120 --> 00:27:38,600
But it's exciting to see where I can
665
00:27:38,600 --> 00:27:40,800
take you that you wouldn't go on a
666
00:27:40,800 --> 00:27:42,660
normal tour on your own.
667
00:27:42,880 --> 00:27:44,980
And you're in a safe zone with an
668
00:27:44,980 --> 00:27:48,180
incredible driver and tour guide that's been doing
669
00:27:48,180 --> 00:27:50,540
for over 30 years by our side.
670
00:27:50,680 --> 00:27:52,840
So it's an experience of a lifetime.
671
00:27:53,140 --> 00:27:54,980
And every single woman that's gone on it,
672
00:27:55,040 --> 00:27:56,500
they've become friends for life.
673
00:27:57,140 --> 00:27:59,700
And it really is a life changing.
674
00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:02,440
So vegan food and the incredible women in
675
00:28:02,440 --> 00:28:02,760
Italy.
676
00:28:03,020 --> 00:28:05,580
I mean, who could ask for more?
677
00:28:05,740 --> 00:28:07,300
How many people per tour?
678
00:28:07,740 --> 00:28:09,880
Well, I keep it really, really small.
679
00:28:10,220 --> 00:28:12,320
I would go to the maximum of 16.
680
00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:13,800
But we're looking at 12.
681
00:28:14,080 --> 00:28:16,360
And even the first tour to even do
682
00:28:16,360 --> 00:28:19,960
a very small curated tour of even lower
683
00:28:19,960 --> 00:28:21,060
number than that.
684
00:28:21,060 --> 00:28:24,360
So it's just about really showing something in
685
00:28:24,360 --> 00:28:25,360
a way that we need.
686
00:28:25,740 --> 00:28:28,680
It's curated by design to be small so
687
00:28:28,680 --> 00:28:30,980
that we can take you to these unique
688
00:28:30,980 --> 00:28:35,440
locations and places that no one can access.
689
00:28:35,620 --> 00:28:37,980
It sounds absolutely fabulous.
690
00:28:38,180 --> 00:28:39,500
I want to thank both of you.
691
00:28:39,600 --> 00:28:41,020
You are my heroes.
692
00:28:41,780 --> 00:28:45,900
My gosh, just a recap and review.
693
00:28:46,360 --> 00:28:48,920
So many things happening.
694
00:28:49,580 --> 00:28:52,000
We've got obviously mink shoes.
695
00:28:52,340 --> 00:28:57,860
We've got the vegan leather, plied, plied leather.
696
00:28:58,040 --> 00:28:59,520
And there she is with what are the,
697
00:28:59,660 --> 00:29:01,320
what is all that behind you?
698
00:29:01,400 --> 00:29:02,280
I have to ask you.
699
00:29:02,500 --> 00:29:06,560
That's, you know, I've, you know, I know
700
00:29:06,560 --> 00:29:09,260
Jane Goodall has a saying that girls just
701
00:29:09,260 --> 00:29:10,640
want to do science.
702
00:29:10,760 --> 00:29:11,960
And I'm one of those.
703
00:29:11,960 --> 00:29:14,680
I dove in to the university.
704
00:29:14,880 --> 00:29:16,040
I'm a product based CEO.
705
00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:17,440
So I love to get my hands on
706
00:29:17,440 --> 00:29:18,880
the product and really be a part of
707
00:29:18,880 --> 00:29:19,100
that.
708
00:29:20,160 --> 00:29:21,440
I'm a lab rat.
709
00:29:23,060 --> 00:29:26,320
Well, hopefully there'll be no actual lab rats
710
00:29:26,320 --> 00:29:27,560
very soon.
711
00:29:28,100 --> 00:29:31,780
And then we have the Fierce and Vegan
712
00:29:31,780 --> 00:29:36,740
launch that we're so excited to be a
713
00:29:36,740 --> 00:29:40,700
part of today by letting everybody know, and
714
00:29:40,700 --> 00:29:45,080
this is really transformational, but it's modern using
715
00:29:45,080 --> 00:29:46,580
chat GPT.
716
00:29:48,020 --> 00:29:54,640
This founder, Nina Bergman, actress, activist, athlete, can
717
00:29:54,640 --> 00:29:57,760
guide you if you want to change.
718
00:29:57,860 --> 00:29:59,440
You don't have to bite a high heel
719
00:29:59,440 --> 00:30:02,160
shoe, but you can have a lot of
720
00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:04,220
fun with Fierce and Vegan.
721
00:30:04,360 --> 00:30:05,740
I want to thank both of you.
722
00:30:05,940 --> 00:30:07,840
You are extraordinary.
723
00:30:08,380 --> 00:30:14,000
Everybody check out these companies, check out the
724
00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:14,380
tour.
725
00:30:14,740 --> 00:30:17,040
This is so much fun.
726
00:30:17,360 --> 00:30:19,960
And we're going to have them back as
727
00:30:19,960 --> 00:30:22,540
they take over the world.
728
00:30:22,700 --> 00:30:23,320
Thank you.
729
00:30:23,480 --> 00:30:25,820
See you next time on Truth Files on
730
00:30:25,820 --> 00:30:26,660
Unchained TV.
731
00:30:28,120 --> 00:30:30,180
So it's a vegan Netflix.
732
00:30:30,460 --> 00:30:30,680
Okay.
733
00:30:30,760 --> 00:30:32,340
That's the craziest thing I've ever heard.
734
00:30:32,360 --> 00:30:33,620
I love Unchained TV.
735
00:30:33,840 --> 00:30:34,440
Unchained.
736
00:30:34,720 --> 00:30:35,600
Unchained TV.
737
00:30:35,760 --> 00:30:36,560
Your life will change.
738
00:30:36,700 --> 00:30:37,740
It's just that easy.
739
00:30:38,120 --> 00:30:40,580
Unchained TV has all sorts of content for
740
00:30:40,580 --> 00:30:41,040
everybody.
741
00:30:41,460 --> 00:30:43,480
Unchained TV changed my life.
742
00:30:43,840 --> 00:30:46,620
Unchained TV is crushing it.
743
00:30:46,740 --> 00:30:48,280
I love Unchained TV.
744
00:30:48,580 --> 00:30:50,300
Unchained TV is my go-to.
745
00:30:50,640 --> 00:30:52,400
Unchained TV, who knew?
746
00:30:53,040 --> 00:30:54,300
Unchained, baby.