Hope for the Animals

Hope Bohanec

Longtime animal advocate, Hope Bohanec, covers a variety of farmed animal issues including the ethical, environmental, spiritual, heartbreaking and heartwarming aspects of living vegan. Hope has engaging conversations with inspiring guests focusing on critical reasons for living a vegan lifestyle and covering current topics such as the humane hoax, environmental impact, speciesism, and effective outreach advocating for chickens, turkeys, cows, pigs, goats and other farmed animals. Hope is a 35-year vegan, animal rights activist, and author. This podcast is a project of Compassionate Living. 

  1. Vegan Made Easy with Joanne Kong

    2 ABR

    Vegan Made Easy with Joanne Kong

    Joanne Kong joins us on the Hope for the Animals Podcast to talk about her new book Vegan Made Easy: A Practical Guide to Plant-Based Living. This episode  explores the how-to of living vegan.  Joanne talks about why she felt it was important to start the book with the vegan connection to social justice. She and Hope also talk about the difference between vegan and plantbased, sticky situations that vegans encounter and how to deal with them, how to avoid animal products beyond food, and some responses to frequently asked carnist questions. Dr. Joanne Kong’s new book Vegan Made Easy: A Practical Guide to Plant-Based Living provides practical tips and know-how for those on their plant-based journey. It covers a wide range of topics including ways to make the transition, stocking your vegan kitchen, meal-planning, shopping, understanding food labels, plus advice on navigating social challenges, travel, and eating out. Beyond diet, other lifestyle aspects of vegan living are explored as well.  Vegan advocate Dr. Joanne Kong has spoken throughout the United States, including talks at numerous vegfests, conferences, high schools, and universities. Her highly-praised TEDx talk, The Power of Plant-Based Eating, at over 1 million views on YouTube, is placed on numerous websites internationally. Dr. Kong is the editor of Vegan Voices: Essays by Inspiring Changemakers, released in 2021 by Lantern Publishing & Media. She also appears in the major documentary, Eating Our Way to Extinction. As a critically-acclaimed concert pianist, Joanne incorporates the arts into her animal advocacy with benefit concerts for animal sanctuaries, as well as unique Strands of Compassion events presented by VEGAN VIRTUOSI, a duo with cellist Dr. Christoph Wagner. Her new book, Vegan Made Easy: A Practical Guide to Plant-Based Living, is out now.    Resources:  Joanne’s website: www.vegansmakeadifference.com Joanne’s Book: Vegan Made Easy: A Practical Guide to Plant-Based Living Eugene VeganFest, May 3, 2026 Support this podcast: Hope for the Animals Podcast Compassionate Living Social Media: Facebook Instagram YouTube

    1 h 5 min
  2. Men and Meat: Culture, Identity, and Politics with Jan Liband

    12 MAR

    Men and Meat: Culture, Identity, and Politics with Jan Liband

    On this episode we are tackling the cultural and political shift back to meat, saturated fat, high-protein diets and the connection to hyper-masculinity. The US is seeing a resurgence of meat-eating as a symbol of masculinity, masculinism, meat connected to identity politics and the “culture wars”. Our guest, Jan Liband, will explore the social factors driving this backlash and explore how social media, economic uncertainly, and fear are motivating this trend.  Jan and Hope talk about how toxic masculinity, a toxic subsidized meat economy, and a response to progressive advancements are components propelling the meat-heavy movement. They also talk about the pervasive myths around meat, protein, and muscle building, and how these affect men in particular. There are strong phycological factors at play that are embedded in our culture and are resurfacing in our current political climate.  Jan Liband is a fact-based environmentalist, public speaker, and former Silicon Valley veteran who has been vegan since the 1980s. He has an academic background in psychology plus decades in marketing and has studied our shifting attitudes towards food and the growing environmental and health impacts of our global food system for decades. Jan volunteers for several vegan and environmental organizations and serves as Chief Researcher and Speaker for Plant-Based Advocates, a Bay Area based non-profit and is a board member of Compassionate Living. In addition to advocacy, Jan is an accomplished athlete, martial artist, and professional musician who holds a degree in Psychology from U.C. Santa Cruz. Resources:  FILM: The Game Changers BOOK: The Sexual Politics of Meat Atlantic Article: America is Done Pretending About Meat: Plant Based Eating Has Lost Its Appeal Support this podcast: Hope for the Animals Podcast Compassionate Living Social Media: Facebook Instagram YouTube

    1 h 7 min
  3. REPLAY: The Humane Hoax in Media with Lisa Barca, PhD

    25 FEB

    REPLAY: The Humane Hoax in Media with Lisa Barca, PhD

    Hope is hosting Compassionate Living’s Humane Hoax Online Conference on March 17, 2026 and to entice you to register, we are replaying a fantastic conversation from Episode 81 on humanewashing in journalism. Lisa Barca is one of the 18 contributing authors to Hope’s anthology The Humane Hoax: Essays Exposing the Myth of Happy Meat, Humane Dairy and Ethical Eggs and they had an insightful conversation that we wanted to share again. The theme of this year's Humane Hoax Online Conference is language and narrative, so this conversation reflects our focus for the conference and we hope that you will register! The link is below.  Lisa has fascinating insights into the portrayal of farmers, farmed animals, and our relationship to animals in her chapter and discusses them with Hope in this conversation. She explains the “absent referent,” or the erasing or hiding of animal’s identities and how it relates to the humane hoax. She also talks about how the new “humane” do-it-yourself slaughter normalizes violence toward animals and she offers advice to journalists, and to us all, on language that helps the animals to be seen and heard in media stories about them. Lisa Barca is a lecturer in the Honors College at Arizona State University, where she teaches humanities, writing courses, and seminars on the ethics of humans’ relationships with other animals. Her current research centers on critical animal studies, media ethics, rhetoric and ideology, and the intersections of feminism and animal rights. She holds a Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literatures and is a contributing author to the volume Meatsplaining: The Meat Industry and the Rhetoric of Denial and also to The Humane Hoax: Essays Exposing the Myth of Happy Meat, Humane Dairy, and Ethical Eggs. Resources: Humane Hoax Online Conference Information Conference Registration Order Hope Bohanec’s Book: The Humane Hoax: Essays Exposing the Myth of Happy Meat, Humane Dairy, and Ethical Eggs

    43 min
  4. Digitizing the Vegan Message for Millions with Johnny Oberg

    6 FEB

    Digitizing the Vegan Message for Millions with Johnny Oberg

    Social media is ubiquitous. Love it or hate it, social media's influence shapes our lives and steers our culture. Johnny Oberg uses this power for the good of animals. Johnny has a social media superpower with 300,000 followers and millions of eyes on his persuasive posts. He and Hope discuss the potency of social media to transform our world to one that cares about animal freedom. They talk about how to deal with “trolls” in your comments as well as AI generated content and how it might affect the believability of animal abuse content.  Johnny Oberg is an animal advocate dedicated to making the world a kinder place for animals by utilizing the power of social media. A vegan since 2009 he became an independent advocate in 2018 funded through individual donations, focusing on amplifying pro-animal content in the digital space. Previously, he served as Director of New Media for The Humane League and as Director of Communications for Vegan Outreach. In his decade of experience in social media advocacy, he has accumulated 300,000 followers his posts have been viewed 500 million times, and he has heard from thousands of people who've been influenced by his work.  Resources: Official website: JohnOberg.org Donations: Donorbox.org/JohnOberg Instagram: Instagram.com/JohnOberg Twitter: Twitter.com/JohnOberg Facebook: Facebook.com/JohnObergOfficial Threads: Threads.net/@JohnOberg Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/johnoberg.bsky.social YouTube: YouTube.com/user/JohnOberg LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/JohnSOberg/   Article: Stop Saying Factory Farming Support this podcast: Hope for the Animals Podcast Compassionate Living Social Media: Facebook Instagram YouTube

    50 min
  5. The Return of Beef, Offensive Offsets, and Resistance with Hope Bohanec

    19 ENE

    The Return of Beef, Offensive Offsets, and Resistance with Hope Bohanec

    In this solo episode of Hope for the Animals, host Hope Bohanec breaks down major recent developments shaking the vegan and animal advocacy world. From the return of beef and dairy to the top of U.S. dietary guidelines, to government-backed support for the beef industry, to controversial new campaign encouraging people to donate money instead of going vegan — Hope examines how political power, industry influence, and shifting advocacy strategies impact animals, public health, and social change. Hope calls for renewed moral clarity, reminding listeners that behind every policy and marketing campaign are living, feeling beings. With honesty, urgency, and compassion, she explores why ethics must stay at the center of veganism, why individual choices still matter, and why speaking up is more important than ever — especially when it feels like we're moving backward. With heartfelt conviction, this episode challenges complacency, defends individual action, and encourages advocates to stay vocal, critical, and empowered in the long game for animal freedom. Support this podcast: Hope for the Animals Podcast Compassionate Living Social Media: Facebook Instagram YouTube

    24 min
  6. Building a Mass Movement for Animal Freedom with Laila Kassam

    7 ENE

    Building a Mass Movement for Animal Freedom with Laila Kassam

    Grassroots activism is at the heart of justice movements, but animal advocacy has undergone significant changes in recent years. The grassroots has dried up and resources and energy has shifted. Laila Kassam has dedicated the past decade to researching social justice movements and analyzing their effectiveness. She will share her insights and practical strategies for implementing a healthy movement ecosystem in our latest episode. Laila is a Founder and Director of Project Phoenix, cultivating a national network of organizations and individuals working toward shared goals for animal freedom. Laila is a Co-Founder and former Director of Animal Think Tank where she served for six years. She is co-editor of the book ‘Rethinking Food and Agriculture: New Ways Forward’ which envisions a truly just and sustainable food system. She is on the Advisory Board of Animal Advocacy Careers and The Empathy Project and a mentor for Kickstarting for Good. Laila has been involved in social change for most of her career having previously worked in international development for 15 years. She has a PhD in Development Economics (SOAS) and an MSc in Development Management (LSE). Resources: Project Phoenix Website: https://www.project-phoenix.org.uk/Substack Post: Have we lost our nerve as a movement?: https://projectphoenixuk.substack.com/p/have-we-lost-our-nerve-as-a-movementAnimal Freedom Network: https://www.animalfreedom.org.uk/Substack post on the first phase of the RSPCA campaign last year: https://projectphoenixuk.substack.com/p/for-charlie-a-unified-campaign-toSupport this podcast: Hope for the Animals Podcast Compassionate Living Social Media: Facebook Instagram YouTube

    1 h 6 min
  7. From Teddy Bears to Talking Fish: Children’s Media and Animal Personhood with Cogen and Hope Bohanec

    02/12/2025

    From Teddy Bears to Talking Fish: Children’s Media and Animal Personhood with Cogen and Hope Bohanec

    Hope’s husband, Cogen, returns to the show for a unique discussion on the portrayal of animal personhood in media. They delve into the evolution of children’s entertainment and examine the representation of animals as individual, intelligent persons. Cogen and Hope explore how the depiction of animal personhood in these films has shaped our perception of animals. From Mickey Mouse to Charlotte’s Web and the Muppets, they examine how we have come to empathize with animals and recognize their emotional nature and how far we still have to go. Films discussed: Early Mickey Mouse Cartoons Bambi Dumbo The Fox and the Hound Beauty and the Beast Princess and the Frog 101 Dalmatians The Secret of NIHM Charlotte’s Web Babe Finding Nemo Finding Dory Moana Luca Brother Bear Kung Fu Panda The Lion King The Muppets

    1 h 6 min
  8. Compassion for All Beings with Forrest Tierce

    15/11/2025

    Compassion for All Beings with Forrest Tierce

    On this episode we explore Buddhism with Forrest Tierce, U.S. Project Director for Dharma Voices for Animals (DVA). DVA works to raise awareness on the connection between the ecological crisis caused by animal agriculture and Buddhist ethics—helping individuals and communities align their food choices with sustainability and compassion for all beings.  Forrest has been a dedicated vegan for 18 years and draws from two decades of Buddhist practice across multiple traditions, with a deep commitment to the heart of the Buddha’s teachings—especially the Five Precepts—as guiding principles for compassionate and ethical living. Forrest’s story of transformation is inspiring. He grew up in Texas, his father worked in poultry industry, and in this youth, he hunted and fished animals. Forrest shares how he transformed to a life of nonviolence through Buddhism and vegan living. He talks about how practitioners of the teachings of the Buddha strive to reduce the amount of suffering in the world, but how that can too often leave out animals exploited for food.  His new campaign with DVA is called the Sustainable Sanga Collative That supports Buddhist sangas and retreat centers in serving plant based foods. Forrest also tells us about when he was a park ranger and how he would incorporate vegan ethics into his presentations for park visitors.  Resources: Dharma Voices for Animals Sustainable Sanga Collative Ahimsa Living Circle Support this podcast: Hope for the Animals Podcast Compassionate Living Social Media: Facebook Instagram YouTube

    52 min
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Longtime animal advocate, Hope Bohanec, covers a variety of farmed animal issues including the ethical, environmental, spiritual, heartbreaking and heartwarming aspects of living vegan. Hope has engaging conversations with inspiring guests focusing on critical reasons for living a vegan lifestyle and covering current topics such as the humane hoax, environmental impact, speciesism, and effective outreach advocating for chickens, turkeys, cows, pigs, goats and other farmed animals. Hope is a 35-year vegan, animal rights activist, and author. This podcast is a project of Compassionate Living. 

Información

  • Creador
    Hope Bohanec
  • Años de actividad
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodios
    143
  • Clasificación
    Apto
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Hope for the Animals
  • Mostrar sitio web
    Hope for the Animals

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