Ep. 326: Lauren Bernick - Told She'd Have a Heart Attack Soon. She Wasn't Having It.

PLANTSTRONG Podcast

Rip Esselstyn

Health & Fitness, Alternative Health, Medicine, Nutrition

4.8 • 2.3K Ratings

🗓️ 6 November 2025

⏱️ 49 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this inspiring episode, Rip sits down with Lauren Bernick, host of the podcast, Age Like a Badass Mother and creator of WellElephant.com.

At age 46, Lauren was blindsided by a diagnosis of advanced heart disease, despite believing she was eating a “healthy” diet. Faced with the prospect of lifelong statins and the threat of a heart attack, she took matters into her own hands—turning to Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn’s Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease approach.

Now, more than a decade later, Lauren shares how she not only transformed her health but also found freedom, joy, and energy in a whole food, plant-based lifestyle. From ditching daily headaches and navigating family dynamics, to going out with friends and thriving through menopause, Lauren’s story is equal parts practical and uplifting.

Episode Webpage: https://www.plantstrongpodcast.com/blog/lauren-bernick

Watch the Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wpJkNgxGgok

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Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm Ray Besselston, and you're listening to the Plan Strong podcast.
0:04.8	At the relatively pediatric age of 46, Lauren Bernick was blindsided with a diagnosis of heart
0:14.7	disease and was told that a heart attack was inevitable.
0:20.0	Now, instead of accepting this fate, she transformed her life with a whole food, plant-based
0:26.3	lifestyle.
0:27.6	Right on Lauren.
0:29.9	More than a decade later, she is thriving, and you're going to hear about her story
0:34.3	right after these words from Plant Strong.
0:38.5	Hey, my cruciferous cousins, Rip here, and I want to personally invite you to join me
0:46.3	in the whole Plan Strong crew for an incredible lineup of events in 2026. So grab a pen,
0:54.0	grab some paper, and jot down some notes if any of these kind of
0:59.3	catch your fancy. So we're kicking things off in April with our Plans Strong retreat in Black
1:06.0	Mountain, North Carolina. It's a full immersion experience in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.
1:13.1	It is filled with education, movement, and delicious unlimited plant-based food, and you
1:19.9	will be there with about 80 plus other participants.
1:25.3	Then in June, we'll be launching something brand spanking new. This is our
1:30.0	Vital Signs, 2026, real food, real medicine, real change. This is a groundbreaking, food is
1:38.9	medicine conference hosted at Case Western Reserve University, right in my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. This is also
1:47.0	where my father, Dr. Caldwell B. Estill-Ellston Jr., better known as Essie, went to medical
1:52.9	school. But this event will be bringing together health care providers and the public to learn
1:58.8	the latest and greatest science behind how real food can heal.
2:03.6	And then this fall, the big one, this will be our 15th annual plant stock. It'll be returning
	...

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