Hungry2Live
Hungry2Live
Ep.10 H2L. Average dude to lifestyle changes with plants, consciousness and energy- Drew Kronlund
On today’s episode, Rachel talks with Drew Kronlund. Drew is the mastermind behind the brand, Plant Conscious Energy. A once skater boy, fast food consuming guy, Drew is now 100% plant based. He also oxidizes his own water (to be talked about on a future episode). His entire being revolves around connection to earth and the consciousness and awareness of all living and loving energies. Drew talks about healing and how the radical lifestyle change has changed him for the better.
No, I don't
Speaker 2:Care,
Speaker 1:But they say I came here to stay
Speaker 2:Through the days. The must wasn't easy. Again. He never gave up cuz I, God God had Through the darkness, through the tears, during the lights off, my fear never give a
Speaker 3:Welcome to another episode of hungry to live. My name is Rachel and today I am with drew. Conland drew is an inspiration to say the least, um, I've known this man since I was probably eight. And I have watched this metamorphosis that is literally the word I will use for the last already something years of<laugh> our relationship, friendship, whatever you wanna call it, this metamorphosis he has. And this story that he brings with him just comes from a place of love and connection without any further ado. Hi drew.
Speaker 4:Hi, Rachel. Thank you so much for that introduction. Um, we do go back such a long ways, so many memories. Um, yeah, it's just a, a pleasure and an honor to be here with you today and just get into some fun conversations.
Speaker 3:Yes. And it's been a while since we've had fun conversations, we used to take huge pieces of camping and paint them, um, watch Disney movies and talk about all the sociological issues that spawn in them. Like so many weird things that people are probably like, oh my gosh, who are these people? But we're children of the nineties and we are happy about it. Uh, so the reason why I asked you on hungry to live is because this show is about human connection and your entire story is about connecting to yourself and it took you a while to get there. And I remember watching you as a skater boy and playing basketball at the park and eating at Carl's junior and doing all the things that the kids do. And something kind of just changed. Like there was a dramatic shift, but the dramatic shift didn't happen. It happened quickly, but not overnight. And I want to talk about this idea that floats around called inflammation. Um, and I have this memory, um, I wanna say it was probably 10 years ago. You and I went to, I think it was Ralph's, it was the Ralph bonds. It doesn't matter. And we were going to pick up food and we were at the sandwich counter and you were get ordering sandwich and you got all this stuff on it and you're like, oh, do you want anything? And I was so in my head about my eating disorder that I was, I chose to not eat period. I was like, no, I'll be fine. I think I'm just gonna get some water<laugh> and then we just hung out for the rest of the day. And then fast forward, probably about 18 months. You started talking about all of these different connections in your body, starting with getting into the chakras and how that connected your entire being and how you felt different in different area of your body. And then within that timeframe plus a little bit longer, then you started talking about how you started to realize this difference in your body because of food and the food you were eating, which brought me back to that story of how it kind of all started again when we went to go get food. So I want you to tell your story of how you got to where you are based on not ever thinking about inflammation or the things you were putting into your body.
Speaker 4:Okay. We're, we're ready for a journey here, cuz it goes, it goes back a long ways. Um, so to start out my eating habits, uh, growing up and into my young adult years, uh, had no limits had no bounds, had no limits. Um, it kind of has been that way. Growing up there was there wasn't real rules in the house. Like, I mean, if there was a box Oreos, there wasn't a rule that you couldn't finish it either. It was, it just wasn't that rule in our house. Um, and, and I think I did fairly okay. Uh, you know, growing up as far as just, you know, sort of delving into that sort of realm and uh, you know, still, you know, making it to school and all these different things, but um, yeah, you mentioned Carl's junior. That was you. One of my, probably number one fast food places that I would go and skateboard to with friends and we would get famous stars. Um, so yeah, there was no limits, no bounds. So, and candy. I was a huge sour candy, uh, kind of guy. I always had Skittles and sour patch, kids and sour straws and all these things they're always in my pocket. It was like, you know, on traveling road trips always had it. So, um, and I, you know, again kind of skitted my way through that, those years until, uh, I started experiencing what to me at the time was just pain in my, in my back, in my lower back. And that's all that I could describe it as. Um, because at that time I didn't know what inflammation really was. I'd never experienced it. Um, other than, you know, working out or skateboarding all day and feeling sore and having a normal inflammation response. But I started experiencing these pains in my lower lumbar. And at the time again, I thought it might have been a bad bed or poor posture. And I started to, uh, work on these things as far as getting a standing desk and I got a new bed and, uh, the pain wasn't severe, but it was enough to start to just be uncomfortable and want to, uh, eliminate the issue. But, uh, as I uh, was about to learn that this was gonna be a long journey of, uh, learning about my body, uh, just the human body fully diagnosing what it is. We know that I have chronic inflammation and it seems to be that there's some arthritis going on in there, but tests take months and months, uh, you know, testing gut microbiomes and bacteria for potential autoimmune. So I'm on the road to really nailing down what is happening. But, um, so the, the food journey had to change for me. And, uh, I, I took a, a leap of faith and began to change my eating habits for the first time really ever, uh, in around 2018. And I put myself on a, a plant-based diet. Um, at the time I set myself up for a 30 day regimen just to sort of switch up my program am didn't wanna set it too long. You know, I just am starting this whole thing. So it was plant based, no sugars, which was new for me. So no sugar, all natural, as far as just fruits, I wasn't drinking any alcohol and I cut out all meats, which also was very new for me. I, I ate meat my whole life and fish and all, you know, the whole spectrum. So, and when I began this regimen, um, within the first few days, I immediately felt, uh, much better. Um, and I was also incorporating fasting, intermittent fasting, again, things I'd never done before, but I, as at a, I reached a breaking point with the pain. It was, it was gradual. And I think 20 16, 20 17 by 2018 was when I, I was really getting uncomfortable. So I, uh, I really was trying to pull as many tools that I, as I could to try and fix this sort of issue. So fasting really light meals, um, eating fruits and vegetables I'd never eaten before, which was actually kind of fun in the very beginning, um, dragon fruits and a lot of things that I'd see in the grocery store, but I'd never,<laugh> thought I would buy because I, you know, I've got donuts and, uh, Twinki and all the really, really high sugar, uh, foods you can't compete with with, uh, with just fruits and vegetables when you're on that route, uh, which I now learned. So, you know, taste buds really shift in change from eating high sugars, um, high processed to going back to the roots, um, really like natural, raw, lots of salads. And it took a while for those bland. So, so to speak tastes of salads, to really open up and be very fruitful and blossom because it had to, you sort of kill the addictions that I had with all those other foods. Um, and your taste buds, they change, um, once, you know, like a lot of the heavy processed oils and all these things from fast food. And so I, yeah, my world opened up with, uh, this new diet and my pains began to subside, uh, significantly there wasn't a, uh, a full elimination of the pain. So it's something I still work with. And I still struggle with wanting to dip my toes back into old ponds. Um, those tastes, you know, they're, they're like the old, old friends they're hard, hard to say good buy to, but, um, as, you know, as I'm growing, uh, yeah, the urge, you know, starts to sort of subside a little more and just knowing what I'm doing is, uh, is for my own best interest. Um, so yeah, it's, it's again, still work in progress learning and, uh, and yeah, it's, it's really a blessing for me because it's taken me from such an uncomfortable, uh, position. And I was, yeah, just able to climb out of that darkness, um, through my own sort of trial and error, which, which felt very empowering, uh, to, to be honest.
Speaker 3:Yeah. And there's a, a huge connection between food and how you feel. And as you said, there was this darkness, which I'm sure at some point or another, there was like anxiety and depression that kind of built upon these bad eating habits. And then when you started to actually, as you said, go back to the basics and eat those real things that connect yourself to, to the earth. Then you started to feel a different connection to the outside worlds, which is also part of something that has kind of come about since you began this journey of, um, eating plant based. You also have plant consci energy and this whole idea of consciousness and energy and energy working together. So how can you, um, explain how this platform that you have built? Cause you literally, and like the last three to four years have went from zero to like 300,000 followers. Like it's incredible having me like watching your journey on social media has been so great as a bystander as, and knowing you for so long. So congratulations on that.<laugh> but, but was that journey like, because I know just in general, you pivoted from a regular, you were working in the motion picture industry and doing that kind of thing, doing something that you loved and you thought you were passionate about not knowing that this whole other passion was about to just grow out of nowhere.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it was. Um, yeah, thank you for, for all that. It was very, uh, it was very, so are real that, that was for sure. So when I started the, the page and the social media plant conscious energy, the, that creation was all stemming from the shift that I was, I was, uh, undergoing with my diet change and fasting and these plants, all these new things. So I created this outlet for me to, um, stay sort of on top of what I was doing, keep myself in check. Um, and yeah, again, an outlet to pour out the creativity of this new sort of adventure that I was going on. And when I first began to post on plant conscious energy, it was, it was very, um, just, it was my sort of story, but then it was also everything that I was resonating with in this new world. I found myself in also. So it was, uh, a vegan world, a plant-based world, uh, you know, game changers, documentaries, uh, forks, over knives. I was immersed in, um, healing through plants and holistic means natural, natural remedies removing a lot of the toxics sort of products, um, cleaning products. So, yeah, it was more than just what I was eating was really trying to clean in my entire environment down to, uh, yeah, the soap that I used to, to wash my body. So all of these things, and it seemed that I think just the place that I was in, I, I felt like I was in a very playful creative space and, uh, um, just being very authentic. Um, and for whatever reason, my, my experience I was sharing was just received. It was received by, by a lot of people and, and very quickly, uh, this, this community began to grow, uh, outside of anything that I had, uh, ever, uh, pictured or imagined or tried to create. There was no, there was no, um, building this page into a, you know, thousands of thousands of followers. That was not the idea when I first created it. I thought it would just be another PA that I, and, you know, again, it would be sort of a, a memory of this shift when I did it and, and what was going on during those times, but it was very fun and exciting that it was received. And, uh, there were people that I followed in these communities for plus years that I began speaking with and, you know, building a rapport with. Um, so it was exciting in the sense that now I'm kind of in the community. I had sort of been watching from, uh, from the outside for years and years, and a lot of other accounts who had created a name for themselves and had been in the game a long time. And, uh, yeah, just coming into that community, being welcomed by it. And I remember, uh, yeah, on a daily, I mean, the page was just, you know, at one point was growing very fast and my mom would, she would, she would call me and I would be somewhere at work or, and she would can't believe you just, you're up another, like 2000 from yesterday. She's like, who are these people? Where are they coming from? And, uh, yeah, again, it was, it was very surreal. It was, um, you know, I could equate it to like almost winning the lottery. It was something that was just unexpected uncalled for sort of, um, but yeah, it was real received. Um, and I'm so grateful and thankful for yeah. Everyone who has connected with that page and has taken something, um, that has helped them in some kind of way. That is one of the big parts about the page is to, to bring awareness and yeah. To just try and bring something positive for somebody somewhere that may need it. And, uh, yeah, the page, um, has, you know, evolved since 2018, it's, it's grown, um, connections of different people, uh, bringing experiences like this, you know, coming on to your, your podcast and just being able to connect with like minds people I've known for a long time. People I've, I've never met still to this day. Um, so yeah, it's, uh, it's, it's a wild ride and it's still evolving and changing. Um, and so you had mentioned, you know, I worked in for film for 12 years and when I created this page, I was still working freelance, uh, as, um, an art swing. I was doing art department, different facets and hats of the art department as a lead, as a set dresser. And we worked feature films. We were doing web so it's commercials television. So it was, it was a really broad spectrum, but as the page, uh, began to grow it, it brought new opportunities. And, um, I slowly detached from a world that for me, uh, I, I stopped really resonating with the film world a few years before. Um, I, I started to step out of it. I was working on projects that inevitably I would end up on a bud commercial or things and burger king, a lot of things that I wasn't aligned with anymore that were fun in the beginning. But, um, now it was, it was an awareness of what I'm contributing to in this world. Um, and, and the moment there was a slight choice to step away. It was when I, I began working towards that. Um, and it wasn't a, a fast transition. Um, I'd say it just recently made a full shift and I still will accept certain jobs again, that I maybe am more aligned with. Um, and which is really nice, cuz I can still, I still have so many people I've, you know, I've still connected with in, in the wor in the film world and in the end of the film, I was doing woodworking and I was in a, a wood shop and we were doing builds. So I was off of the, the cameras and the lights and the sets, which was a, a nice shift. Um, so yeah, it was, uh, it was an again a really interesting, surreal experience to slowly be creating something for myself, which, um, yeah, it wasn't really in my, in my ideas for myself prior, it wasn't something that I, I had thought to do intentionally, but as it sort of happened organically, I, uh, I started to play with it and, um, and created it to be what it is.
Speaker 3:It's so funny that you say that because you used the words organically and opportunity. And I remember growing up, you loved to write and fast forward to now you have published a book and it's a cookbook and it's a cookbook to go with all of these vegan, um, dishes and recipes. And like, it just cracks me up how life happens, how it's supposed to happen. And we don't really know why. And when we are aligned, as you said, those things just kind of start to happen naturally. And with your alignment of this vision, you have also done some retreats. And, um, as I said, you have the cookbook and your page just in general, you are one of those people on social media that interacts and engages with everyone who comments on the page. And I wish I could say I do the same. I don't, and<laugh>, I can learn a thing or two from you. Um, not just about how to cook a certain meal, but you have done some amazing things. Where do you see yourself, or where do you see this page in the future?
Speaker 4:That's a really good question. I feel like it's something that's been maybe hard for me to visualize and maybe that's why it's, it keeps sort of flowing in an organic fashion, but I do see, um, more of what I'm already doing and I see more of a, a setting to help other people. Um, and I know I'm, I'm helping in, in the sense of information I'm sharing, but I wanna, I want to go further and potentially create, um, just a, a coaching or I really can't see it just yet, but yeah, I, I see a lot more collaborations with a lot more like-minded people and pages, um, more in person retreats, again, with more like-minded people, these settings is already sort of being set up. Um, it's just, yeah. Things that I see that are coming that are gonna expand and yeah, it is, it is a big, it is a big question, mark, for me still some of these things, which kind of is exciting, cuz if I were to have, you know, given the age of vision on day one, it, it, it would've so superseded it. Um, then that's super, and that's what seems exciting cuz I feel like what's coming is so far beyond what I can, I can even imagine. Um, so yeah, most of it is excitement and I think, uh, yeah, my creations are evolved thing. I feel like I have a lot of ideas for, for plant conscious energy and I, I sometimes need to pull back a little bit because I, I try and, you know, create too much. And then, uh, yeah, I get lost in the sauce so to speak. So yeah, I'm trying to narrow things down to, to a real specific passion cuz I have so many passions that fall into this, this sort of creation, this plant conscious energy. So yeah, I think that one is a, a T B D and it's we'll, we'll all see what, uh, what's coming for that.
Speaker 3:Well, everyone can find you on social at plant conscious energy and you can find me on social at hungry to live. You can also find my website and subscribe to my blog and my podcast at hungry. The number two live.com. My last question I have for you drew, as you know, this podcast is called hungry to live. What keeps you hungry to live
Speaker 4:So many? So many things. Family is a big one for me. That one, uh, yeah, keeps me going my, my journey, uh, with what I find myself in, um, every day is a day to feel better for me. So that is something I'm hungry for is to have a higher quality of life, um, each day to improve on myself from the day prior. And the, uh, the unknown is, is, is really, um, a dry I, for me, the mystery to know, um, what is gonna happen tomorrow, cuz we don't know. So I, yeah, I, I just strive to, to make it another day to see the mystery of tomorrow
Speaker 3:That elusiveness, I think keeps a lot of people going or the opposite will shut them down, but I'm glad it keeps you going because you've done some great things. Yeah. Um, at the end of every episode, I say a poem that I've written for my guest. So here it goes, plant conscious energy. Wasn't living in harmony until the vibration outweighed temptation. And he brought it back to basics because it was slapping him in his face. Every second of every day, his body was trying to a heal from all the toxic nourishment that wasn't even real. The processed food unbalanced mood and chronic inflammation left his body with many implications. He turned to whole natural living like the gatherers from the beginning who lived off the land by the sun and also the moon. Now drew has let his mind appetite and spirit bloom. Thank you drew for being on hungry to live.
Speaker 4:Wow. Thank you so much. I love that poem. Can you send that to me? That was really awesome.
Speaker 3:Definitely.
Speaker 4:That was really great
Speaker 5:Right place in the wrong, down on my luck there. How to switch it up, make it okay. So, so I gave up on the rare race learned from a BA mayor days still got town never too late. No, I don't care
Speaker 1:What they say.
Speaker 5:I came
Speaker 1:Here to stay
Speaker 5:Through the days
Speaker 2:Of wasn't easy. Again, he never gave a OSA Through the darkness, through the tears, turn the lights off face. My never gave a,
Speaker 1:I.
