Andrew Zimmern: Award-Winning Chef and Author (ep. 852)
Live Inspired Podcast with John O'Leary
John O'Leary
4.8 • 695 Ratings
🗓️ 5 February 2026
⏱️ 58 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Andrew Zimmern is an Emmy-winning, James Beard Award-winning chef, television host, author, and global food advocate. Recognized from the wildly popular show Bizarre Foods, Andrew explores culture through cuisine. And yet before the success, Andrew's life was marked by addiction, homelessness, and hard-won second chances that eventually led him towards his purpose.
Today, Andrew shares how curiosity saved his life, why asking for help became his turning point, and how food became the lens through which he learned to see people, cultures, and himself more clearly. He opens up about childhood trauma, addiction and recovery, forgiveness, and how choosing "and" instead of "but" can change the way we hold both pain and hope at the same time.
My friends, if you've ever felt stuck in your past, ashamed of your mistakes, or unsure how to begin again, this conversation is for you. You'll leave this episode reminded that you are not your worst chapter, that curiosity can reopen closed doors, and that second chances are not rare… they're available to anyone brave enough to ask for help and keep going.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You know that Keeley companies is all about fostering the world-class culture through their incredible cultural pillars. |
| 0:07.5 | Well, it was time to add a seventh cultural pillar, Kewley Green. |
| 0:12.5 | Guided by the mission to raise the sustainability standards by which they design, build, operate, and live. |
| 0:18.8 | Keeley Green is dedicated to using a holistic approach to leave a positive impact on our |
| 0:24.6 | environment, create a future that is sustainable for generations to come. |
| 0:29.4 | In the words of Rusty Keeley, we are just getting started. |
| 0:34.3 | You can learn more about that just getting started mentality and all the work they do |
| 0:38.7 | by visiting my friends at Keeley Companies online at keelie Companies.com. Welcome to the Live Inspired |
| 0:47.7 | Podcast with John O'Leary. John is the two-time national bestselling author of On Fire and In Aw. |
| 0:54.9 | He's a world-class inspirational speaker, the host of the Live Inspired podcast. |
| 1:00.0 | And he's the real-life inspiration behind the major motion picture, Soul on Fire. |
| 1:05.4 | Each week, John interviews extraordinary individuals about their life stories so you can more fully live your life story. |
| 1:13.1 | Here's your host, John O'Leary. |
| 1:15.7 | Well, hello, my friends, and welcome to the Live Inspired podcast with John O'Leary. |
| 1:20.6 | Andrew Zimmern is our guest today. |
| 1:22.0 | He is an Emmy-winning James Beard Award-winning chef. |
| 1:25.3 | He's a television host. |
| 1:26.3 | He's an author, and he's a global |
| 1:28.2 | food advocate. Recognized from the wildly popular show, I'm sure many of you have seen it called |
| 1:33.4 | Bizarre Foods, Andrew explores culture through cuisine. And yet, before the successes, |
| 1:40.8 | before climbing to the highest rung, Andrew's life was marked by addiction, by homelessness, |
| 1:47.4 | and by hard one-second chances that eventually led him toward his purpose. |
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