#98: "Girls Gone Veg" with Pro Soccer Stars, Toni Pressley and Ali Riley
Soccer Stars Toni Pressley (Right) and Ali Riley (Left) Launch Cooking Show, ”Girls Gone Veg,” the first show of its kind from NFL Legend Brandon Marshall’s I AM ATHLETE
The Esselstyn family loves watching athletes competing at the highest levels -- especially PLANTSTRONG athletes who are simply dominating in their sports right now. That’s why we’re thrilled to bring you today’s guests who are also competing at the top level of professional women’s soccer -Toni Pressley and Ali Riley - of the Orlando Pride!
Both are using their platforms to promote a PLANTSTRONG diet on and off the field and, in May, they launched their own cooking show called “Girls Gone Veg” on the IAMATHLETE YouTube Channel that was founded by NFL Legend, Brandon Marshall.
They’ve only been teammates for a short time, but these two soccer legends connected instantly over their mutual love of health, wellness, and, nutrition. The show features weekly cooking demos, interviews with celebrities, and plenty of healthy recipes that are fun, easy, and delicious.
Yes, they are inspiring millions of people of all ages, especially the younger generation, about dreaming big and pursuing their goals, BUT they are also teaching their fans how to live a WHOLE life of health and vitality with foods that will fuel them for peak performance at any age.
Episode Resources
“Girls Gone Veg” YouTube Channel
PLANTSTRONG Foods - order our new dessert-inspired granolas and popcorn
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Ali Riley (left) and Toni Pressley (Right) on “Girls Gone Veg”
ABOUT TONI PRESSLEY
Toni Deion Pressley is an American professional soccer player who currently plays for the Orlando Pride of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She previouslyplayed for the Western New York Flash and Washington Spirit of the NWSL and Ryazan VDV in the Russian Women's Football Championship league, the top division of women's soccer in Russia. Pressley played for various United States national youth teams and was a member of the United States women's national under-23 soccer team.
Toni’s exploration into becoming a vegan was triggered by her desire to better understand her body’s needs following the breast cancer surgery. Since becoming vegan, she has found that her body is in better shape and recovers faster after games than before. She largely credits her successful return to playing professionally to her vegan diet and is eager to share the wonders of a vegan diet with others.
ABOUT ALI RILEY
Ali Lowe Riley was born and raised in Los Angeles, but soccer has taken her all over the world. She currently captains the New Zealand National Team and has represented New Zealand at 4 FIFA World Cups and 3 Olympic Games. After winning two national championships at Stanford University, Ali was drafted in 2010 to play professionally in the U.S. and has since played overseas in Europe as well. She played for FC Rosengård in Sweden, Chelsea FC in England, and FC Bayern in Germany before returning stateside to play for the Orlando Pride. She's a five-time New Zealand Player of the Year and was twice nominated for the FIFPRO World XI. Ali is a certified Health Coach and has a passion for all things food.
In 2017, she launched a business called Love2Eat2Love, posting her healthy recipes on social media and sharing her nutrition expertise with schools and youth soccer clubs. She's a self-proclaimed "flexitarian" who was motivated to eat less meat after learning about how negatively it affects the planet. She soon realized that avoiding animal products also helped her body prepare for and recover after games. Ali is excited to share her best creations and show how easy it can be to "veganize" traditional recipes.
Full Transcript
Ali Riley:
How do you want to be remembered? What is your legacy going to be because there are so many trophies to be won? Every league, every game you play in, there's a winner and a loser, every year there's a winner of a league, every year there's a winner of a cup. But when you're done and the people around you, how you made them feel, and the person you are I think matters the most.
Rip Esselstyn:
Season Three of the PLANTSTRONG Podcast explores those Galileo moments where you seek to understand the real truth around your health and dare to see the world through a different lens. This season, we honor those courageous seekers who are paving the way for you and me. So grab your telescope, point it towards your future, and let's get plant-strong together.
Rip Esselstyn:
All right gang, is it just me or is everyone else out there just pumped up and over the moon excited about the Olympic games. They are kicking off this weekend and while they may look and feel a little different from years past, I know that you're going to agree that it is fantastic to see the best athletes in the world back out there doing what they love doing, competing on the global stage.
Rip Esselstyn:
I'm Rip Esselstyn, and I want to welcome you to another episode of the PLANTSTRONG Podcast. My family and I love watching athletes competing at the highest levels, especially plant-strong athletes who are simply dominating in their sports right now. Last weekend, Novak Djokovic won Wimbledon. It now means that he has won 20 Grand Slam titles. He's tied with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer at 20. He won Wimbledon and he only dropped two sets the whole tournament, one set in his first match and one set in his last match, and he attributes a large part of his success in tennis to a plant-based diet, giving him the focus and the stamina that's necessary in this very grueling sport.
Rip Esselstyn:
Also right now we have the NBA finals going on between the Suns and the Milwaukee Bucks and Chris Paul, who is leading the charge with the Phoenix Suns, is plant-based, and I got my fingers crossed that they're going to be able to pull it out. We'll soon see. All this to say that I am beyond thrilled to bring you today's guests, who are competing at the top level of professional women's soccer, Toni Pressley and Ali Riley of the Orlando Pride. They're both using their platforms to promote a plant-strong diet, both on and off the field, and earlier this year, they launched their own cooking show called Girls Gone Veg. It's on the I AM ATHLETE YouTube channel, and this conversation was really exciting for me. I learned how they got to know each other and how in a very short period of time they connected on their mutual love of whole plant-strong foods to create this show and bring the power of a plant-strong diet to a wider audience. I can tell you as a former professional athlete who has been waving this flag for years, it wells me up with great pride to watch this new generation of athletes use their platforms for so much good.
Rip Esselstyn:
These Girls Gone Veg are inspiring millions of people of all ages, especially I think the younger generation, about living and dreaming big and pursuing their goals, but they are also teaching their fans how to live a whole life of health and vitality with foods that will fuel them for peak performance at any age. Fueling for performance is something that I am intimately familiar with, whether I am recharging after my morning master swim here in Austin or if I'm gearing up for a big family hike through the Greenbelt or frankly if I've just got a huge day at the PLANTSTRONG world headquarters, oats are always a key ingredient in my morning bowl. If you haven't tried our new PLANTSTRONG granolas, you're missing out. We just launched these four guilt-free flavors in June and members of the community have been literally gobbling them up. They come in classic oatmeal raisin, all-American apple pie, tahini chocolate chip and crisp mixed berry crumble. Which incidentally is what I had this morning over my Rip's Big Bowl cereal. All are handmade in small batches, they're date-sweetened, no added sugar, oil free, and 100% whole grain. Simply toss a bag in your backpack and you'll be always prepared when hunger strikes. Simply head over to our website at plantstrongfoods.com and pick up a sampler pack of these four all new varieties while they're available. Can't wait to hear which one is your favorite.
Rip Esselstyn:
Now another announcement, if you haven't heard, our tenth anniversary Plant-Stock celebration is online and on sale. Grab a friend and join us virtually from September 8 to the 12 as we honor all the progress that's been made over the last decade with the science, with the food, and with the movement as a whole. It is nothing short of phenomenal what has happened. This will be the perfect way to invite that family member who desperately needs a green leafy intervention to come a drink from the fire hose and learn everything they can about the why and the how of PlantStrong living.
Rip Esselstyn:
And in honor of our 10th anniversary and as part of my mission to reach as many people as possible with the good news about plants, group tickets are just $10.00 a piece when you buy five. $10.00 gets you access to life-changing information to help start or strengthen your plant-strong journey. Our lineup this year includes the ultimate rock stars. Can you say T. Colin Campbell, Caldwell Esselstyn, Dr. Michael Greger, Dr. Michael Klaper, Kristi Funk, Will Bulsiewicz, the Sherzais, the list goes on and on and on. Don't miss out, visit plantstrong.com/plantstock to sign up today.
Rip Esselstyn:
Please welcome the stars of Girls Gone Veg and stars of the Orlando Pride, Ali Riley and Toni Pressley. So Toni and Ali, I want to welcome you guys to the PLANTSTRONG Podcast. Love having really powerful, athletic, beautiful women that are going plant-strong, that are doing the veg thing, and that are paving the way for ... And I'll just kind of keep this maybe to your audience but I know it goes way beyond women and girls but to me it's so important that the younger population can see you guys as role models that are eating this way and you guys are like thriving like never before.
Rip Esselstyn:
So what I'd love to do over the next 30 to 45 minutes is talk about your journeys, each one of you, Toni and Ali, how you guys came to become such great friends and the genesis of Girls Gone Veg. It's a really fun show that you guys have got going on, and then of course how going predominantly plant-based, because I know that Ali isn't 100%.
Ali Riley:
Yeah , maybe...
Rip Esselstyn:
Toni, you got to get on her. I don't know what's going on.
Ali Riley:
Yeah, maybe after this podcast.
Toni Pressley:
I try to send her videos and like -
Ali Riley:
Oh she sends me all the videos.
Toni Pressley:
Documentaries here and there. I'm trying.
Rip Esselstyn:
Oh yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Did you send her The Game Changers?
Ali Riley:
Oh, seen it, I loved it. That was a big step in my journey, so ... Definitely.
Rip Esselstyn:
Been there, done that.
Ali Riley:
Yeah.
Rip Esselstyn:
Good. Good. So you guys can decide who starts out but I'd love to hear first your journey towards Ali going predominantly vegetarian-veg and Toni going like all-in plant-based.
Toni Pressley:
Okay.
Ali Riley:
Yeah, so for me, I have enjoyed trying different diets just kind of to challenge myself and to see if there's anything that could unlock that little extra bit of potential in terms of my game. I was eating kind of a mix between vegetarianism, paleo when I came to Orlando last year. Just mostly enjoyed cooking. Enjoyed cooking, hosting, sharing food with friends and I was told upon arrival that I would connect immediately with this girl Toni, Toni Deion Pressley.
Rip Esselstyn:
How long ago was that?
Ali Riley:
This was last February.
Rip Esselstyn:
So not too long.
Ali Riley:
No, no. We have only known each other for about a year which is crazy.
Rip Esselstyn:
And just because, and I'll say this in the intro, but for people that have no idea what kind of athletics you guys participate in -
Ali Riley:
Oh right right right.
Rip Esselstyn:
When you say we met in Orlando, what professional sports team are you guys on, and yeah. Tell us that.
Ali Riley:
Okay. So we are professional soccer players who play for Orlando Pride and I have been playing in Sweden, in England, and in Germany and Toni's partner and I had played together in the U.S. and in Sweden, so when I signed from Bayern Munich to Orlando Pride, I knew there were some familiar faces, Alex Morgan, Ashlyn Harris, that I had played with before and Marta of course, the best player in the world. But no one was talking about them. Everyone was saying, "When you come to Orlando, you are going to connect with Toni because you have the same energy and she's an amazing, amazing cook."
Ali Riley:
I mean yeah. I had an Instagram account called love2eat2love posting all different types of recipes, lots of just healthy food, but no particular diet. They're like, "Wait till you try Toni's vegan food," and I had heard that she had also convinced Marta, my good friend who I know as this meat-lover, she would roast a whole chicken for me, doing all these cheesy, heavy dishes, amazing traditional Brazilian dishes and I had heard that Toni had turned her vegan. So I was so excited to meet this Toni and we honestly just -
Rip Esselstyn:
Let me stop for a sec. So Marta, who you said is ... She's one of the best female soccer players.
Ali Riley:
Yeah, six-time FIFA best player in the world.
Rip Esselstyn:
And what team is she on?
Ali Riley:
She's also on Orlando and plays for Brazil.
Rip Esselstyn:
Okay, okay.
Ali Riley:
Yes, but had been playing in Sweden and we also played together back in 2010 and 2011 in the former professional league here in the U.S. and then the league folded, we both went over to Sweden, ended up on the same team there as well. Then she ditched me for warmer weather and met Toni here in Orlando and I was still playing at Chelsea and Bayern Munich and then followed her to Orlando and met Toni.
Rip Esselstyn:
So you guys ... So Marta is now plant-based as well?
Ali Riley:
100%.
Rip Esselstyn:
Wow. Wow. Yeah.
Ali Riley:
Yeah. The best play in the world and Alex Morgan is also predominantly vegan and another one of the greatest players right now and making a huge impact. So we have a good gang going on Orlando Pride.
Rip Esselstyn:
Love it. I'm sorry, so interrupted when you were just talking about connecting with Toni.
Ali Riley:
Right, okay. So I met Toni and we hit it off and we're training but also talking about have you tried this and let me bring you this and so we're kind of bringing each other different little treats we are making at home and it was fun for me to try her food that was ... I would never have known was vegan. These cakes and cookies and pasta as and incredible bolognese, these dishes, and then I was trying to get creative and wanted to impress my new friend of course and tweak some of my recipes to be vegan and it opened my eyes a lot to how actually easy it could be and then COVID hit, so we couldn't cook together, we couldn't spend time together. So Toni would drive over to the apartment where I lived and leave like tinfoil packages of treats she was making and I would bring things over to her and like drop them off. So we started this connection, we'd send selfies of us trying each other's food and we made this TikTok video of us making a cake together. So we just started having all these ideas and then when we finally could connect and start training together again, when the protocols changed and we were getting tested, we just ... We were comparing notes and Toni was like ... "Ali, let's do a cookbook. Let's do a cookbook. We have all these recipes."
Ali Riley:
She's an amazing photographer as well and then I'll let Toni explain how that kind of continued on to become a show but yeah. So Toni just really inspired me to take it a step further, to basically 80%, 90% vegan, or at least vegetarian and I love it and her food is amazing and she assures me that mine is too. But we've had so much fun cooking together, creating videos and content and just encouraging our teammates to try it and just ... I think it's cool because we have that mix of Toni who went cold turkey, it's funny that it's called cold turkey when you don't eat turkey but ...
Rip Esselstyn:
We've changed that. From now on you need to use the term cold kale.
Toni Pressley:
Cold kale.
Ali Riley:
She went cold kale. She went cold kale, and she's that person for me who gives me tips and advice and I know she'll tell her story about who that person was for her but it's never too late, and it's fun, and I think it's cool that we have this relationship where I'm in that position and encouraging my friends and family. If you can do it once a week, if you could do it twice a week, and my partner Lucas in Sweden, he's a meat lover and he's slowly getting these ideas and trying things and not being afraid and Toni's been a huge part of that. So she's been my inspiration and seeing how strong she is and how ... I mean her skin is going, she has all the energy, and it's been rubbing off on me. So that's kind of how I've ended up here and I think Toni has a really cool story on how it's changed her and then how it became Girls Gone Veg.
Rip Esselstyn:
Yeah. I can't wait to hear. Tell me.
Toni Pressley:
All right, so wonderfully done Ali, like I love you so much. So I became a vegan in 2016 and the new term we're going to use, went cold kale. So I went cold kale. I had been mainly cooking for myself vegetarian meals at the time and I was just so curious about the vegan diet. I saw there are a few restaurants in Orlando that were exclusively vegan and I was like, "Well, it doesn't seem that much different than being a vegetarian, so I'm going to do it." So I gave myself like a little challenge and went cold kale in my off-season and our nutritionist for the Orlando Pride was extremely helpful just in making me mindful of certain supplements I might need to be taking, my B12, my iron, things like that. I think just my love of food and cooking is what really helped me to go cold kale. I love to -
Rip Esselstyn:
Third time using that...I love it.
Toni Pressley:
Put it on a sticker. I love experimenting in the kitchen, I love figuring out like, "Okay, like I can't use this milk. What milk can I use? I can't use cheese, what can I use to kind of replicate this creamy factor in a pasta?" Yeah, it was just exciting and then I think ... As I dove deeper into this diet and was training and I was noticing all the beneficial effects my body was having, the beneficial effects in terms of my performance, I was like, "Whoa, this is like ... There's like really something to this." I was sleeping better, I dropped some weight, I leaned out, I was less sore between sessions, and I was like, "This is like ..." Not only is it fun, I feel like truly like I'm helping my performance, I'm helping my body, I'm helping the planet, I'm helping animals. There's really no going back for me. So yeah, that happened in 2016 and then -
Rip Esselstyn:
Can I ask you this? So that happened in 2016 but there was something that led to you looking for this in 2016. Because usually people don't just wake up and go, "Oh, I think this might be an interesting path."
Toni Pressley:
I think initially I was just really curious. I saw the word vegan and I was like, "Well, you're already cooking like vegetarian. Why don't you just try it?" So I think honestly curiosity was just my main factor and then obviously when I saw what it was doing for my performance, I was like ... "Wow, this is really awesome." Then over time just learning about the effects on the environment and animal welfare I was like, "All right. This is really your lifestyle now."
Rip Esselstyn:
Yeah. Yeah. So you mentioned Toni your nutritionist was supportive of this. When I talk to a lot of people, usually doctors, nutritionists are not supportive of this because they don't have all the knowledge. Your nutritionist though was.
Toni Pressley:
Yeah, she was extremely supportive and helpful and we get blood work done all the time, all of us and she's always like, "You know you need to up your iron, you need to make sure you're diligent in your supplements," and extremely grateful for her help and that she was so open to this and kind of guided me along the way and yeah. It's been really awesome to have her in my corner.
Rip Esselstyn:
Fantastic. And what, Ali and Toni, what do your family and friends think of your transition? Are they supportive or are they giving you a lot of crap?
Toni Pressley:
I would say they're really supportive. I try to get my family to eat a bit more on the vegan side at least when I know I can cook for them they'll eat it for sure and I always try to make them foods that they're familiar with. So I'll make my grandparents like a lentil sloppy joe or something that it can kind of connect with so it's not so daunting or scary for them and I think they like it. I think my grandma is trying to be a bit healthier and I'm like, "Okay, well why don't you use this kind of butter or try this milk?" So I'm trying to like sneak little items in there and then my grandpa won't know, so I'm just like, "Just put it in his food. He'll never know. Don't tell him."
Rip Esselstyn:
Yeah. How about Ali?
Ali Riley:
Yeah. I think my partner definitely is the most reluctant. My parents, they love barbecuing but the thing is when you describe the dish or say what something is called, like if you'd be like, "Oh, a lentil bolognese," or whatever, they don't necessarily respond, but when they see the photos that Toni takes and they see us doing the videos, see one, how easy it is, two, how appetizing and delicious it looks and how familiar it looks. Then they're like, "Oh. Okay." Then once they try it ... Seriously it seems like you just have to get people to try it and they like it. So it's like I feel like that's the biggest obstacle because Lucas, we have this great place, Winter Park Biscuit Company, and I took him there. He's chowing down on this like chicken sandwich and having the fries with the cheese and the bacon crumbles and then I have this photo and I'm like, "Yeah, this is vegan." He's like ... He couldn't believe it and he loved it and Toni preparing corn and we've done enchiladas, we've done risotto, we've done so many ...
Ali Riley:
And then the desserts too and it's like that's kind of an easy transition piece too where it's like you're going to love this cake, it tastes exactly the same. Well why not make it without eggs, without any dairy, and we also like to sneak some tofu, veggies in wherever we can so you're getting even more nutrients. So I think yeah, seeing the content, seeing the photos has helped a lot and then once anyone just takes a bite, they're totally convinced.
Rip Esselstyn:
Yeah. And were you so inspired and you had such a love for all this, did you get a degree in nutrition? Is that correct?
Ali Riley:
So I have a certification from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. So that was again, I was in Sweden and I really wanted to learn about nutrition and see maybe if I could also help other people, what I could do with my time and my energy and I learned a lot, especially about nutrients and also about speaking with other people about their health journeys and their wellness journeys. So that was my first kind of introduction into not just eating but like talking about what I eat and maybe helping people if they want to change something or they don't have energy or just something like, "Oh, try drinking water when you wake up or some lemon juice." That was really cool and I met so many incredible people in that course over ... It's all online, but one of my classmates was in Mexico and wanted to lower the obesity in children and there was a cancer patient and just ... It really opened my eyes to how much health and wellness ...
Ali Riley:
I always thought so much more about lifting weights and trying to run more and those kinds of things and haven't thought as much about nutrition and recovery. Even something like sleeping, how all of that can actually impact me and I think it was then I started eating more vegetables, more fruit, less sugar, more carbs because I had always heard the, "Oh, you don't want to eat a lot of carbs. It makes you fat," and finally learned something about it and got so much more energy and that's something that has been the biggest change. I don't think maybe decreasing meat I've noticed so much a difference but increasing carbs and increasing eating the rainbow and more vegetables.
Rip Esselstyn:
No. So just to clarify for the audience who's listening right now, when we're talking carbs, carbs are not a bad thing as long as they're unprocessed carbohydrates. As opposed to the processed carbs that 90% of Americans consume that have the water taken out, have most of the nutritional integrity removed. Explain either Toni or Ali what are we talking about here when we say like unprocessed carbohydrates?
Ali Riley:
Sweet potatoes are like my number one. I love sweet potatoes. I love quinoa. Toni, you have some cool grains.
Toni Pressley:
Yeah. I like farro. I love my gluten-free oats. I love sweet potatoes as well. Yeah.
Ali Riley:
And fruits, we love all the fruits.
Rip Esselstyn:
I heard Toni say her lentil sloppy joes. We love lentils.
Ali Riley:
Yes, yes, yeah.
Toni Pressley:
Yeah.
Rip Esselstyn:
Love legumes. A little bit of ... Yeah. All fantastic. So you guys have done a lot of international travel over the years. How difficult is it to eat this way when you're on the road and how do you do it?
Toni Pressley:
I would say now it's not so difficult. I think in the beginning in my vegan journey I would when traveling always make sure to come prepared. Because I didn't really know what airports would have in terms of options for me. So I would always come prepared with snacks and like maybe bring a salad with me and things like that and bars and I think as my time here in Orlando has just gone on, our team administrator is so good about ... When we go to certain hotels or we're on the road, she's so good about making sure that we are taken care of, that we have the vegan options that we need, that we have, our protein and such. I think it helps too that now we have a lot more people who are eating this way and even people who aren't necessarily vegan, they will still take some of those options which is really cool to see. But I think yeah, it's gotten easier I think. I always still try to be prepared because you never know what can happen. Delays in the airport, things like that, and I just don't want to be left hungry.
Rip Esselstyn:
Yeah. Cool. Now a hungry stomach makes kind of ... Cowards of us all, so I don't like being in that position. Although I have and it's like, "Okay, I'm just going to do a little fast here. A little ..."
Toni Pressley:
Just drink some water.
Rip Esselstyn:
Yeah, on this airplane ride. You guys ... So what are your strengths as soccer players? Are you guys defenders, offenders, middle-women, what are you?
Ali Riley:
We're defenders. I'm a fullback so I'm a runner and Toni is our beast in the middle and wins all the headers, does all the tackling and yeah. Is like our solid, definitely center back ... Well she was a forward as well. I can't forget that. She was a Mac Hermann, that's the highest accolade you can win in college soccer. She was on the watch list for Mac Hermann as a forward. But I just run up and down. I just run.
Toni Pressley:
I just try to stop goals from being scored.
Ali Riley:
Toni has the power. She can probably kick the ball like the length of the soccer field, so yeah.
Rip Esselstyn:
That's spectacular. I used to play soccer in high school and I never liked heading the ball because it always hurt my head afterwards. I would get like a headache. You must have a really hard head, Toni.
Toni Pressley:
Maybe. Maybe. Just stubborn, just keep doing it over and over again.
Rip Esselstyn:
Yeah. Yeah. And which ... Is one of you lefty and left-footed?
Ali Riley:
That's Toni.
Toni Pressley:
I'm naturally left-footed but Ali has a really good left foot as well.
Ali Riley:
I injured my right ankle really badly. Like I couldn't use it but I couldn't stop playing, long story. So I just had that taped up so I just like only kicked with my left and eventually after a couple years, my left foot became decent.
Rip Esselstyn:
Well, it's nice when you can become ambidextrous with the right and the left foot.
Ali Riley:
It is. It is. It's helpful because I came here as a left back and then the last three games I've been playing right back, so you want to play so you're like, "Put me wherever you need me."
Rip Esselstyn:
You guys have been playing ... I mean I heard you say earlier I think Ali, that you were playing ... You guys have been playing since what, 2010?
Ali Riley:
Yeah. Well I'm a little bit older than Toni but yeah, we both ... So I played, I graduated from Stanford, got drafted into the league here and played for two years and then the year that Toni was drafted to come into the league, the league folded. So she went off to Russia, I went off to Sweden. Toni's also played in Australia. So we've really been all over the place but then Toni was here for when Orlando formed the team. So she's one of the originals and definitely a fan favorite here, so I'm new because I came last year as I mentioned when we met but we couldn't play the season because of COVID. So this is my ... I've only played I think now five, six games for Orlando.
Rip Esselstyn:
Wow. What's the vibe like? You like Orlando?
Ali Riley:
I love it. I mean the team is great. We obviously ... To have that balance of the soccer and the training and the meetings and gym and the hard work but to have this creativity and this side now as business partners with our show, to be able to have that balance has been so good for me and we're undefeated on the season, so it's been a great start and I mean ... Not just how the games are going and the results but also what we're doing as a team and that's part of our show as well. Obviously we talk about food but being strong female role models, talking about gender equality, talking about pay equity, talking about social justice and that's something important to our team as well and I think we are using our platforms as much as we can and learning from each other and doing research, raising money, doing whatever we can for some very important causes and that's been probably my favorite thing so far about being on this team. I feel very inspired and motivated and really happy to use my platform not just to inspire young girls to pick up a soccer ball and play sports, that's also important to me in terms of body image and health but also what's going on in this country, what's been going on for hundreds of years.
Ali Riley:
I think it's important for us as athletes too to use our platforms to talk about things that aren't just sports. We do that on Girls Gone Veg as well but it's been mentally and emotionally challenging but really rewarding being on this team and in this community.
Rip Esselstyn:
Yeah. Bravo. How many teams are there in the National Women's Soccer League? Do you guys have any idea?
Toni Pressley:
We have 10, yeah?
Ali Riley:
Yeah.
Rip Esselstyn:
10?
Toni Pressley:
Yeah, we have 10.
Rip Esselstyn:
Got it. Got it. So you mentioned, and now we've got to dive into it. You mentioned Girls Gone Veg, this show that you guys started. If I'm not mistaken, it just launched like May 7, right?
Ali Riley:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Rip Esselstyn:
Right? So tell me a little bit about the show, what platform you're on and who are some of the guests that you're having on?
Ali Riley:
Yeah, take it away, Toni.
Toni Pressley:
All right. So Girls Gone Veg, it's Ali and I cooking together with a guest on the show and we kind of ... We like to describe it as not your average cooking show where of course we're there to describe and to show this amazing recipe but we also have a guest on in which we can dive into them a little bit. Get to know them, what's important to them, and have the most fun that we can. We want this to be light and fun to watch and we want to showcase some really good recipes. We are on the I AM ATHLETE YouTube platform. So Brandon Marshall previously reached out to me maybe thinking that we could have been business partners, we could work together in some aspect in terms of his brand of House of Athlete and then I mentioned to him that Ali and I were in the midst of making a cookbook and he was so interested in that and he was like, "Well, have you guys ever thought about doing a show?" I was like, "No, but that sounds really fun and really awesome and maybe that can help get this cookbook out there sooner." So I was like, "Yep. We're on board." I took the idea to Ali and she was like, "Yeah, let's do this 100%, it sounds amazing."
Toni Pressley:
He's been extremely instrumental and super vital in the success of Girls Gone Veg and the production crew that he's put together to come up here and film us and everyone has been super nice and super helpful and making us feel very comfortable on camera. I'm naturally an introvert so I'm just like, "Ugh." Like I kind of freeze up on the camera but Ali is so good and so personable and so outgoing so she makes me feel so comfortable and we've released four episodes so far. We have four more that are going to come out and we have Brandon on there, we have his chef, we have some of our teammates, we have a professional golfer. So we have a lot of fun doing it. It's like just two best friends coming together and cooking and getting to know someone else and yeah, it's been awesome.
Rip Esselstyn:
Well Toni, let me tell you. The more you do it, the easier it's going to get, and the better you guys are going to get, and I want you to know, you guys are already doing a phenomenal job. I watched a couple of the episodes. I watched the one where Toni I think you made Ali your soccer scramble?
Toni Pressley:
Ooh.
Ali Riley:
Oh yeah. Mm-hmm (affirmative). The soccer scramble's so good.
Rip Esselstyn:
Which looked absolutely delicious -mmm-mmm-mmm. It's interesting for me to learn Toni that your feet sweat a lot.
Toni Pressley:
Oh my gosh. Yes. So I'm always wearing socks. She really called me out, didn't she?
Rip Esselstyn:
She did. I was like, "Wait. She's wearing the Crocs." She's like, "No, my feet sweat too much." I'm like, "Well why not wear your socks and then put them in the Crocs?"
Toni Pressley:
Oh yeah.
Rip Esselstyn:
There you go.
Ali Riley:
She would've been taller so I used my Crocs as a bit of a -
Rip Esselstyn:
Right. Right.
Toni Pressley:
A platform.
Rip Esselstyn:
And so you had Marta on there, I think I saw Marta in one of the episodes.
Ali Riley:
Yeah. Marta said we have a legend on the Canadian national team coming up soon. Everyone has so many cool stories and things to talk about and I think it gives Toni and me a chance too to let the viewers get to know us a little bit and I think that's why we wanted to have this show, to kind of ... Yeah, build our brand and show what we're all about so that when we do launch this cookbook too, people will know what they're getting and hopefully will just buy a million copies.
Rip Esselstyn:
Yeah. So the cookbook is still a thing that you guys have going?
Ali Riley:
Yeah, yes it's in the works.
Rip Esselstyn:
Good, so you're doing the cookbook and you're doing the show and you're doing the soccer.
Ali Riley:
Yeah. That's what's paying the bills.
Rip Esselstyn:
Yeah. You guys are pretty maxed out right now.
Ali Riley:
Yeah. Busy.
Rip Esselstyn:
It's a good thing. It's a really good thing. So if you guys don't mind me asking, how old are you guys? Because you look really spectacular.
Ali Riley:
Wow.
Ali Riley:
Thank you. I'm 33.
Toni Pressley:
And I'm 31.
Rip Esselstyn:
Okay, you're 31. How old did you say you were Ali?
Ali Riley:
33.
Rip Esselstyn:
Okay, so you said you were the older one by two years which doesn't sound like much at all but tell me this. What is the lifespan of a professional female soccer player typically? How much longer do you guys want to go?
Toni Pressley:
As long as my body will allow. We have ... I feel like what's the oldest , Ali, in our league? Like late thirties, I would say?
Ali Riley:
Yeah. One of our teammates is 38.
Rip Esselstyn:
Yeah.
Toni Pressley:
So we've got some time.
Ali Riley:
Yeah, there's a Brazilian player who is 40 and she is at PSG, killing it. Still playing for the national team, so I think it's pretty individual but I would say now you're seeing more players play through their thirties. I think now with the salaries being a little bit higher because that's obviously a big issue is being able to sustain this lifestyle if you want to have a family. There was nothing in place in terms of maternity leave or support for mothers previously so that's something that different leagues are working on, that FIFA has now put a policy in place. So there are a lot of factors for female athletes and I think with soccer now in terms of ... Obviously we're speaking about nutrition and how our bodies can handle the constant, the running, the tackles, the jumping, the 90 minute games back to back. We had three games last week, so that's where kind of that individual obviously injuries, ACLs are very common in women, ACL injuries, so it depends. But I would say it's really cool, this generation, our generation, we're hanging on and I think too ...
Ali Riley:
Yeah, and women are having children later and later or not having children, so I think the opportunities are more now than ever before and it's something that we are fighting for constantly to make sure that the next generation has it even better and hopefully can have even longer and better careers in terms of being paid and the conditions and the resources. So yeah. Toni and I are going to hold on as long as possible because I mean we love it and we have this amazing life and I think we're lucky that we've been able to have these long careers and be active players right now when women's soccer is like ... At the highest level that it's ever been, the 2019 World Cup showed records in terms of viewership and fans and engagement and even the Challenge Cup last year, the NWSL, first time having the season, it was the first sport, professional sport back after COVID and blew like all of these previous viewership records out of the water. So I think the interest is there and we're of course fighting for more media, more attention, more coverage. But I love it and want to certainly keep doing it as long as possible.
Rip Esselstyn:
Yeah. Yeah. Well you guys are doing the right thing and as you know I mean if you can optimize your nutrition which you guys are doing, it will help extend the longevity of your career. I could see you guys going until your early forties if you wanted.
Toni Pressley:
Wow.
Rip Esselstyn:
Yeah. Just to kind of let you guys know, so before I was a firefighter, I was a professional triathlete. So I ran, swam and biked and went gallivanting all over the globe doing that. I did that for a good 10 years full-time until I was about 30, almost 34 and then I transitioned to becoming a firefighter. After this career as being an athlete, as you guys know, a desk job is like, "Oh no. I can't." That sounds like a slow painful death. So I became a firefighter but while I was a firefighter, for almost eight, nine more years, I also was still competing as a world class triathlete and it was a beautiful thing. So almost until I was 43, 44.
Toni Pressley:
Wow, amazing.
Rip Esselstyn:
Yeah, yeah, so ...
Ali Riley:
10 more years, Toni.
Rip Esselstyn:
Whew! What I like is that you can then for the most part get out when you think it's time, right?
Toni Pressley:
Yeah. Absolutely.
Ali Riley:
I think that's the dream for an athlete to have the decision be your own.
Rip Esselstyn:
Exactly. Exactly. So I want to know, before I let you guys go kick some balls, what did you have for breakfast this morning and if you've had it, lunch already?
Toni Pressley:
Okay. Well for me, my first thing I had this morning was a matcha latte with some almond milk, matcha powder and blended it up and then I had oatmeal with some cinnamon and peanut butter. Lots of water of course. You need to be hydrated for training. And then for our post-training meal I had like a tofu spinach burrito. Some sweet potato, and then I had my vegan protein shake.
Rip Esselstyn:
Gotcha. Gotcha.
Ali Riley:
I had overnight oats. So I always do ... I do oats, I do ripple milk, I throw frozen raspberries in there so by the time in the morning in the fridge they're all like ... Yeah, blended in there, and with some cinnamon, and a little bit of agave and then I had the same lunch as Toni since it was after training.
Rip Esselstyn:
So is that something that other ... So let me ask you this. When I refer to the other women on your team, should I say women or girls? Because if you guys are like Girls Gone Veg, do you have a preference?
Ali Riley:
Or players.
Rip Esselstyn:
Or players.
Ali Riley:
Other players on the team. Yeah.
Rip Esselstyn:
So the other players on the team. Was that an option for them as well?
Ali Riley:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Rip Esselstyn:
Oh good, good.
Ali Riley:
Yeah.
Rip Esselstyn:
So how many players are on the team?
Ali Riley:
We're about 24.
Rip Esselstyn:
24? So what would you say, of the 24, how many got that burrito? The veg burrito?
Toni Pressley:
Probably ... I would say probably around five or so.
Ali Riley:
Yeah. There was also vegan French toast as an option, so they might have gone for that.
Rip Esselstyn:
So was there a vegan French toast and then a non-vegan French toast?
Ali Riley:
Non-vegan pancakes.
Rip Esselstyn:
Non-vegan pancakes. They probably had eggs and something.
Ali Riley:
Yeah, I think so. Yeah.
Rip Esselstyn:
Yeah. Yeah. Who inspires you guys?
Toni Pressley:
Good question. Who inspires me? I think my family inspires me. My friends inspire me. My partner inspires me. We have ... I think Ali and I are really lucky to be surrounded by pretty terrific women who are so involved in so many amazing causes and are fighting for so much and it's so wonderful to see and it's so inspirational and I think even having Marta as my fiancee, just the things that she's accomplished and where she comes from, from nothing. I don't know if you know anything about her story but she comes from nothing in this small place in Brazil and she left home at age 14 because she knew she needed to get out to create a better life for herself and her family and she knew that soccer was the only way that she could do that. I think being surrounded by these wonderful women, I'm like, "Wow. There's no excuse to not show up and to try to be my best every day, to give my best in multiple ways, in sport, outside of sport." So I feel very lucky to be surrounded by so many wonderful people.
Rip Esselstyn:
Wow. Before I kick it to you Ali, let me ask you this Toni. So you said Marta is one of the best in the world. Why? Why is she one of the best in the world? What makes her good? So good?
Toni Pressley:
I think her determination on the field, her willingness to never give up. She's also very exciting to watch. Very skillful.
Ali Riley:
Yeah, she can do things that no other players -
Toni Pressley:
Nobody can
Toni Pressley:
Can do with the ball.
Toni Pressley:
I know. It's wild. It's like magic at her feet. She can beat like ... I remember this one goal I think two years ago, she got the ball from like half field and dribbled it past like four players and scored and I was like, "Only you can do that." She just is magic and a really hard worker and I think she comes from a hard place and I think that's so ... I think I can see that in when she plays."
Rip Esselstyn:
Have you been to where she grew up?
Toni Pressley:
I have. Yeah. It's like ... Kind of like in the middle of nowhere in Brazil and not a lot of money in the town. I think when she started playing soccer she was playing soccer barefoot in like the dirt and comes from a really poor place and she's made it.
Rip Esselstyn:
Wow. Sounds like the female equivalent of Pele.
Toni Pressley:
Yeah. Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Ali Riley:
Yeah, they call her that.
Toni Pressley:
They call her The Queen, so ...
Rip Esselstyn:
Wow. How old is Marta?
Toni Pressley:
Marta is 30 ... How old is she, Ali? Sorry. Is she 33, 34?
Rip Esselstyn:
She's 34.
Toni Pressley:
34.
Rip Esselstyn:
Listen Toni. If you keep her plant-strong she's got another good six, seven years.
Toni Pressley:
Yeah. She certainly does.
Rip Esselstyn:
What inspires Ali? Or who?
Ali Riley:
Yeah, it's the same. When I was growing up I had my role models in sports. Like Mia Hamm, Kobe Bryant, and then now I feel the same as Toni. I'm inspired by other women in sport, women in politics. Someone like Naomi Osaka, what she's doing, how she uses her platform and her voice and her money I think is incredible. So I think yeah, it's an interesting transition. Maybe it ages us a little bit but I think you go from having those players or athletes that you want to be like because of how they perform, but now I'm so inspired and motivated by players or public figures who are using their platforms to change the world, and I think that's something that I aspire to do in however many years I have left and then also I want build my platform and my brand and our brand within the cooking world, within the sport world, wellness, whatever it is so that we have a platform so however many years as relevant as we can be so we can continue to fight for equal rights and a better world and kindness to all humans and equality and love.
Ali Riley:
So I think that's the transition that I think you're seeing a lot right now and definitely has affected Toni and myself and hopefully continues to spread through different public figures and anyone coming up and especially men too and anyone who has privilege to be able to use their platforms to help those who don't have a voice.
Rip Esselstyn:
You guys. You guys. You guys are awesome. Well I'm going to put you on the spot one more time before I let you go dribble, okay? And that is do you guys have a favorite quote that you like ... Think about or kind of drives you day to day? I've got one and I'll share it with you guys.
Ali Riley:
Yeah, tell us yours.
Rip Esselstyn:
So mine that seems to work for me in my life, it's ... And also with what I'm trying to do now with getting people to transition to being plant-strong. It's a quote by Winston Churchill, he's got a lot of great quotes. But this one is, and I've heard one of you say it never, it's five nevers and then give up. So it's, "Never, never, never, never, never give up." That's mine.
Toni Pressley:
Love that. Well I do have a quote tattooed on me by Eleanor Roosevelt. "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." I think it's just so powerful and it reminds me that anything is possible if I am willing to work for it, if I am willing to put myself out there and believe in what I'm doing. So yeah.
Rip Esselstyn:
Yeah. Absolutely. And be courageous and be kind of fearless and put it out there.
Toni Pressley:
Mm-hmm (affirmative). Absolutely.
Rip Esselstyn:
Ali?
Ali Riley:
Gosh, I always hear and see quotes that are so good. Of course I can't remember any of them but I think I like the quote, I'm not going to be able to say it word for word, but like, "People won't remember what you did but they'll remember the way you made them feel." I think that might be Maya Angelou? So yeah. I think that's cool to think about in sport too because of course we're striving for ... To perform and to be the best and to win trophies. I mean that's the nature of sport. You do play to win. No matter what anyone tells you. And it is important for the community, it's important for the club, it's important for your wallet. But I think at this stage now, what we've just been talking about, what can you now do when you have made it to a place where you can influence other people. How do you want to be remembered? What is your legacy going to be? Because there are so many trophies to be won. Every league, every game you play in, there's a winner and a loser. Every year there's a winner of a league. Every year there's a winner of a cup. But when you're done and the people around you, how you made them feel and the person you are I think matters the most.
Rip Esselstyn:
Yeah. Yeah. So Toni Pressley and Ali Riley, Girls Gone Veg, we're going to tune in on the I AM ATHLETE platform on YouTube.
Ali Riley:
Every Friday.
Rip Esselstyn:
Where can people learn and find more about you guys?
Toni Pressley:
So on Instagram we are ... We are, pause, we are GirlsGoneVeg. And then yes, we come out on the I AM ATHLETE platform every Friday at noon on YouTube. We'll have a website up soon where you can find all of our recipes, more information about us and some cool merch we're going to have and just upcoming news that we're really excited about. And yeah. Just check us out.
Rip Esselstyn:
Oh yeah. Absolutely. You guys, this has been terrific. Love what you're doing. Keep the faith.
Ali Riley:
Thank you.
Rip Esselstyn:
If you guys could sign off with me, just follow me, peace.
Toni Pressley:
Peace.
Rip Esselstyn:
Turn around, engine two.
Toni Pressley:
Engine two.
Rip Esselstyn:
Keep it plant strong.
Toni Pressley:
Keep it plant-strong.
Rip Esselstyn:
Yeah. Yeah.
Toni Pressley:
Love that.
Rip Esselstyn:
Thank you Toni and Ali. I'm pretty confident that you're going to have many great years ahead of you as professional athletes but I have a sneaking suspicion that your legacies will be filled with the positive impact you've made on your fans as both all-star athletes and plant-strong advocates. To watch Girls Gone Veg episodes, go to the I AM ATHLETE YouTube channel that we're going to link in the episode page at plantstrongpodcast.com. We'll also link to the Orlando Pride website so that you can follow along with these powerhouses for the rest of the soccer season. Thanks so much for listening, and we'll see you next week with more education, motivation, and inspiration.
Rip Esselstyn:
Thank you for listening to the PLANTSTRONG Podcast. You can support the show by taking a quick minute to follow us wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts, leaving us a positive review and sharing the show with your network is another great way to help us reach as many people as possible with the exciting news about plants. Thank you in advance for your support. It means everything. Have you had your own Galileo moment that you'd like to share? What happened when you stepped into the arena and shed the beliefs that you thought to be true? I'd love to hear about it. Visit plantstrongpodcast.com to submit your story, and to learn more about today's guests and sponsors. The PLANTSTRONG Podcast team includes Carrie Barrett, Laurie Kortowich, Ami Mackey, Patrick Gavin, and Wade Clark. This season is dedicated to all of those courageous truth seekers who weren't afraid to look through the lens with clear vision and hold firm to a higher truth. Most notably, my parents, Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr. And Ann Crile Esselstyn. Thanks for listening.
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