Rip Esselstyn has quite the story to tell! After retiring as an elite professional athlete and later hanging up the boots as a firefighter, he devoted his life to inspiring and improving the health of so many people through the plant-based Engine 2 Diet. It’s a program born out of his desire to help a fellow firefighter in desperate need of change.   On this episode of The Exam Room Podcast™, "The Weight Loss Champion" Chuck Carroll is joined by Rip who shares how his drive to help just one person is now changing the lives of countless others.     If the name Esselstyn seems familiar, you might be thinking of his father, and famed surgeon, Caldwell Esselstyn whose work has been a major influence in the plant-based community.   With a lineage like that, you might think that Rip has been plant-strong from day one, but that’s not the case. Even as a scholarship athlete in college Rip was chowing down on hamburgers, steaks and BLTs. He tells Chuck that he only opted to ditch meat and dairy after graduating from school. And the rest, as they say, is history.   Join them as they recount this incredible moving journey.   Rip is also adding another piece to his resume as a podcaster! He recently launched the Plant-Strong Podcast where teams with a renowned team of plant-based doctors, including Dr. Neal Barnard and Dr. Jim Loomis, as well as other experts to save the life of New York City firefighter Joe Inga. The show chronicles Joe’s journey as he wrestles with his own mortality and tries to break a lifetime of unhealthy habits.   Follow   Twitter: @ChuckCarrollWLC / @RipEsselstyn / @PCRM   IG: @ChuckCarrollWLC / @RipEsselstyn / @PhysiciansCommittee   Share the Show   Please pass along what you’ve learned on the show by sharing it with a friend and by subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or many other podcast providers. Also, please leave 5-star rating.