Babette: 0:00
This human journey. I don’t like to act like I’m this person that set aside, and I’ve been through this and I’ve been through that. We’ve all been through something. We’ve all had our own traumas, but the one thing that I have learned is that embracing love will heal everything. I’m telling you, and hanging out in the instead of worrying about tomorrow, stressing about yesterday sometimes, sweetheart, even stressing about five minutes ago, wrecks your moments. That’s the only time that’s guaranteed.

Ella: 0:43
Hey there and welcome to Rise and Thrive with me, Ella Majors. I created this high vibe podcast from a place of profound curiosity, fierce compassion and the deep desire to connect you with the wisdom of inspirational wellness, health, fitness and conscious leaders and change makers. Here’s to discovering our blind spots and embracing life as the adventure it is. The time is now. Let’s do this. Hey, hey everyone. Ella here with Quinn, hey babe.

Quinn: 1:19
Hey, how are you?

Ella: 1:21
Doing well, doing well. I don’t know about you, but I love getting those full body chills. You know when somebody like blows me away with their story and their message. You know those moments.

Quinn: 1:35
Oh sure.

Ella: 1:37
Yeah, this is one of those episodes that has many of those moments.

Quinn: 1:41
I mean, she’s a powerhouse.

Ella: 1:43
Yes, we’re talking about chef Babette, you guys. She is 73 years old, and talk about a wonder woman. She’s one. Um, she’s out there holding eight minute planks, running a thriving vegan restaurant and dropping some serious wisdom on healing love and living life to the fullest. So, in case you’re unfamiliar with Babette Davis, she is a globally recognized plant-based chef, fitness enthusiast and motivational speaker who calls Inglewood, california, home. She pioneered the first plant-based restaurant Stuff I Eat in her community in the early 2000s, where she still receives visitors from around the world.

Ella: 2:27
Once a hairstylist, babette became a self-taught chemist in the kitchen, perfecting eating healthy while keeping the flavor of her dishes the focal point. Her combination of thoughtful food preparation with an intense fitness regimen has made her one of the most sought-after experts in her field. Before we dive in, though, I want to do a quick check-in here with Quinn and give a few important announcements, being that this is our very final grand finale Rise and Thrive episode. And hey, if you want to forward through this intro and go right to the interview, it will not hurt my feelings. What about you, babe?

Quinn: 3:11
No, no, no, Speed away.

Ella: 3:14
I do have to say that you, quinn, have, in my eyes, really mastered the art of not being defensive. What’s that term for not being defensive Like? What’s the? What’s the term like? What’s that term for not being defensive? Is there a word for that?

Quinn: 3:30
That’s a good question. I don’t know, I mean.

Ella: 3:33
I know what I’m talking about, right.

Quinn: 3:34
Oh yeah, I mean, yeah, it’s, it’s, it’s an, it’s a new superpower of mine. I can see it happening too. It’s. It’s really quite amazing, cause it always wasn’t like that by any means, I don’t know. I think it’s a level of being present, it’s and it’s just like, and I think it’s just really feeling that emotion and breathing through it, because I can feel the defensiveness yeah, and it kind of kind of flare up a little bit.

Quinn: 3:57
You know, like I can feel it rising a bit, but then the same time I don’t let it. I don’t let it overtake me, so it’s like I aware of it, but then kind of just breathe into it and let it pass. See that emotion and let it pass, which is really amazing to see and to feel in real time.

Ella: 4:19
Yeah, you’ve got a great poker face too. Because I don’t see in those moments, I don’t see that process moments, I don’t see that you can’t see me thinking interesting no, I can’t say that process like, and a lot of people will get defensive and then take it back right and that’s hard to do sometimes when you just lash out and it’s that reaction that was very much a lot of my life, that that was always it.

Quinn: 4:46
I’ve got to win, kind of thing. And it’s really funny you say that because I’ve never talked about it to anybody. But it’s a new, like I said, superpower, because it’s such an easy thing to do To lash right back out trying to get the final word in. So yeah, that’s really interesting. You say that because that’s definitely a new ability for sure it, just it.

Ella: 5:07
it kind of puts you on the fast track to growth, to transformation to all that right. Like you stunt yourself, we stunt ourselves by getting the defensive.

Quinn: 5:19
It’s a reconditioning right and like I’m still feeling it, but in the moment I’m able to retract from it, not let it take over, and able to build on it and see through it and and also it’s it’s also the power of love too, like the person I’m talking to. Doing this shared union, that um is very comforting and I feel that energy too. So I mean, I think that’s also a dynamic as well. You’re in my life to help me grow and become the best person I am, and vice versa. Right, and I think everything’s a lesson and that’s just that’s. The lesson for me is like this is all beautifully scripted, if you will.

Ella: 5:54
Yeah, and what you’re talking about that process in your head that you go through that allows you to not just lash out, to accept kind of process that in a healthy way and take it and grow from it and learn from it.

Ella: 6:09
These are some of the things that I’m actually teaching as part of the Food Freedom coaching program that will be coming out in just a few months, and the great news is that, if you’re listening to this right now and you struggle with giving into cravings, or you’re an emotional eater or a yo-yo dieter, or you’re stuck in cycles of restricting and binging, I have just come out with an emergency cravings kit that I’m offering to you, our listeners, 100% free of charge.

Ella: 6:50
100% free of charge Because, if you know me and my story, I’ve been there and I’ve not only healed my own relationship with food, I’ve gone on to help hundreds of coaching clients and now I’m on my way to helping thousands with this free tool, which both helps you understand why you’re eating when you’re not really hungry and it gives you a super simple five-step process to and I’m going to quote my amazing copywriter here, who came up with this to say goodbye to fighting with willpower and hello to enjoying food again, but that really is what it will do. So head on over to startsexyfitvegancom to get this free download today, and when you do, you’ll also receive an invitation to join our upcoming Cravings Cure Challenge for free as well. These are truly game-changing opportunities here, and I think that will do it. I think we covered everything.

Quinn: 7:53
Sounds good to me. Let Chef Babette take it away. I’m excited for this one.

Ella: 7:59
Yeah, it’s so good you guys. All right, let’s do this. It’s so good you guys. All right, let’s do this. Jeff Babette, it’s so great to have you on the show. Thanks for being here. Thank you, we’re doing this thanks to Shabnam, who, yes, I met her for the first time in person last June at the Vegan Women’s Summit in New York. Oh, cool yeah, and it was like we hit it off and I hadn’t realized that you guys had only known each other for like maybe a little over a year, because when I see you guys doing things together, it’s like you’ve known each other your whole lives.

Babette: 8:38
Yes, she’s like a really good buddy of mine. She really she’s a sweetheart. So yeah, I love her.

Ella: 8:45
And speaking of well, she’s also your trainer. What is your plank? Hold record at this point.

Babette: 8:56
You know I can still do the eight minute plank. I do it. However, it’s like sometimes I’m on my forearms and sometimes I’m up on my arms and sometimes I’m doing the side plank, but all together I can hold it for eight minutes. So I told myself you better get that eight minute plank and make sure you get it down before somebody asks you to get down and do it and you can’t. So at least I can do eight minutes.

Ella: 9:16
That’s incredible, incredible. I want to get one thing off my chest before we really dive in.

Babette: 9:21
Okay, get it off girl.

Ella: 9:22
Well, no, and I kind of was jotting down while I was preparing for this and hear my thoughts. You know it is so remarkable that you’re 73, doing the intense workouts that you do, running your restaurant, traveling appearances, all these things. But what really blows my mind, honestly, about you is just how your beauty, it really radiates and it radiates from deep within your heart, your soul. It’s emotional because I hear it when you speak. You really embody this unconditional love and it’s really extraordinary, especially considering you know what you’ve been through in your life, the trauma that you’ve experienced in your lifetime. Can you talk just a little bit about? You know, I talk about how we need to heal ourselves in order to best help heal the world. Right, what do you attribute? Your ability to not only heal from those past traumas but to embody this love and be so generous and willing to share, generous and willing to share.

Babette: 10:21
Thanks for asking that question. It really is a great question, this human journey. I don’t like to act like I’m this person that set aside, and I’ve been through this and I’ve been through that. We’ve all been through something. We’ve all had our own traumas, but the one thing that I have learned is that embracing love will heal everything. I’m telling you, and hanging out in the now instead of worrying about tomorrow, stressing about yesterday sometimes, sweetheart, even stressing about five minutes ago, wrecks your moments. That’s the only time it’s guaranteed.

Babette: 11:02
Once I understood that I had the power to go where I wanted to go. I have that power. Then I understood even though you may be sad for this moment, you know how to reel it in. You know, because if I was holding on to everything that I’ve been through and angry with everybody look, girl, look, this is my fourth husband Three of the people I was with are dead. So I mean, you know, and a few of them were really horrible people but what if I was still angry and upset about that?

Babette: 11:35
It’s a journey, it’s an experience. The human experience is awesome because everything I go through, I learned from it and then I share even the horrible, despicable people that have been in my past. They act like spiritual guides to me now. Now they’ve shown me. They’ve shown me what to stay clear of, what to stay away from, you know. And so I just chalk it up, as I’m doing the same thing you’re doing, sweetheart, on a human journey, and I just allow the intelligence to shine through me. You know that song in church we used to sing this little lie to mine. I just feel like, why not be that vessel, why not allow that which created all of this to express through me?

Ella: 12:29
And so, yeah, I don’t know if I answered your question but, that’s where I am right now that is, at what point did that kind of become clear to you, the whole love embodying love thing?

Babette: 12:44
I know huh, you know, I started going to a spiritual center and I think I hooked up with Ron and so this was in the nineties. I met my husband in 1990. We got married in 92. So actually it was the late eighties and he was number four. The one I’m with now, yeah, he was number four and that was in 1990. We got married in 92. But I went to this spiritual center. It wasn’t like a Christian church, it was just a spiritual center and I learned so much there as they were speaking. You know, when you’re yelling at me and you’re telling me all that stuff that’s in the book, book and I never grabbed it. But as this person it was Reverend Dr OC Smith, as he began to speak to me, I totally got and he spoke to me and this guy like do you know Michael Beckler?

Ella: 13:40
Not personally, but yes, I absolutely yes.

Babette: 13:41
Agape Center.

Ella: 13:42
Not personally, but yes, I absolutely yes. Agape Center.

Babette: 13:44
Reverend Michael is amazing, but when I first walked into Agape Spiritual Center, Reverend Michael was saying words. I was like what does that word?

Babette: 13:54
mean who is it, reverend Dr OC? It didn’t matter if you had a third grade education like my mother, or if you had your master’s, you would understand what he was saying to you, and that is when I began to open up and connect myself with the whole. That was when I began to understand that I was created by the same intelligence that created all of this and I cannot separate myself from it, or I’m one with everything and man. As this guy spoke to me, I began to grow and grow, and it just started changing who I was, and I began to learn to forgive.

Ella: 14:42
I just jotted down the word forgiveness because I wanted to ask you.

Babette: 14:46
Isn’t forgiveness. Like the most my husband and I. There have been times when we’ve been together since 1990, 2024, he’s 75 and I’m 73. And we have this business together and he’s sometimes can be Mr Grump Grump and I can remember he and I going at it. And if you ask me tomorrow, what were you guys yelling about? Nine times out of 10, I can’t even tell you. Such a waste. So when I talk about I’m not running a hundred, okay, but to be able to remind myself, even if I have to say I am very sorry to you for my behavior, and he’ll say I want him to say me too. But he’ll say, okay, but he forgives easily, he forgives, he lets it go really, really quickly, and so I’ve learned to do that. It’s just easier, Life is just easier if you’re just not holding on to all the crap you know.

Ella: 15:51
Oh yeah, you know there’s this little things day to day. There’s also the big things and you’re talking about staying in the present and do you think there’s value in kind of revisiting past wrongs and doing active work, like being proactive, about doing the work to forgive people in the past that maybe you’re holding on to? Is that work you did very intentionally, Honey?

Babette: 16:18
I do not. I have forgiven everybody in my past, everybody. I don’t look at anybody with any kind of anger or anything like that. As a matter of fact, I’m so glad you brought this up Somebody that I work with yesterday. You know how you can be so confused by a person’s meaning during a text message, and on yesterday I went to grunt grunt message. And on yesterday I went to grunt grunt anyway, and so I did not want to hear or to read the person’s response, because I already knew where it was going to go and I just didn’t want to. I didn’t want to read it, I didn’t want to see it, I didn’t want to feel any kind of way about it, and when I saw that person today I hadn’t read that response. But when I opened my iPad today, I saw the response. It was there and so, rather than reading it, I erased it. You understand, because we were fine today. Yesterday was yesterday.

Babette: 17:22
I did not need to revisit that, because I might have read that message and in an effort to feed my ego, I may have said something to her and drummed it all up again unnecessarily. I’m at home now. She’s at work, I’m at home, we’re good to go. We didn’t talk about it. It’s over, it’s done, and so I’ve learned to do that. I’ve learned to do that Because do you ever get that feeling? If you’re in something that’s not loving, it kind of makes you feel a little nauseous, like I don’t like that, I don’t like going there, I don’t like going there. You know it’s just much easier to let it go and move on. You know it’s just so much easier.

Ella: 18:06
I wish everybody understood that. And it really is. Forgiveness is one of those things. It’s for us too, that’s an act of self-love To forgive ourselves, yes, absolutely yes. And to forgive others is an act of self-love. Exactly Because it’s hurting us. Exactly yes, it doesn’t make it easy. It Because it’s hurting us, exactly yes, it doesn’t make it easy, it doesn’t make it easy.

Babette: 18:26
You got it. You got it 100%. That was why I didn’t read that message. I was like that’s over. We were at work today. I needed her to do something. She did it. We didn’t bring it up, it was done, it was a wrap. Why do I need to read this now and revisit that?

Ella: 18:43
Speaking of not going back, for those of you who don’t know and maybe most people know by now kind of your journey. I mean you’ve had so many chapters in your life. I mean good, good, gracious, how many career paths you’ve taken. I mean airlines, hairstylist, singer in Tokyo, floral arrangements, balloon designer, actor. I mean I feel like I could choose so many things Is that cool or what it’s so cool.

Babette: 19:08
I’ve done so many. It’s pretty funny sometimes when I think about it, and the way that I wound up with this career was meeting my husband and he’s sharing the first vegan meal with me, and we hook up and then we decide I think people would really like this Reverend Michael, let us come over on his parking lot. We were feeding people every Sunday. And here we are, and so I knew. When I went to Japan though, when I was meditating and you know Japan just because everybody else was practicing, writing songs and rehearsing, and I was working out, going shopping for food and meditating, was working out going shopping for food and meditating, and I knew when I got back to the States singing was not going to be it.

Babette: 19:53
I knew that. I said I’m going to start a catering company and that’s what I did.

Ella: 19:58
That’s incredible. I went through a whole burnout last year and went to Peru and did ayahuasca, came back and I started listening to the Ram Dass here and Now podcast and one of the things that he said that his guru would always tell him. When he said how do I do it, how do I get enlightened, he would say feed people. That response was right and that’s what you’re doing, like. If you said this is my purpose, my calling, and not just to feed people.

Babette: 20:26
But because, oh because the universe has allowed me to be so healthy for all of these years. I was such a sick person when I was younger. Tell us about that. Them up, I’d catch. Oh man, I’ve had impetigo so many times. I’ve had it in my hair, where my mom had to cut all my hair off as a little girl because I’ve got this pussy impetigo in my hair Just a hot mess.

Babette: 20:57
When I was little and scared about a lot of things too. You know, because of the things that I had gone through with adults, you leave your kid with some adults you should not be leaving your kid with. You got to know who you’re entrusting your child with and scared to tell you know things happen to me. I wouldn’t tell my mommy.

Babette: 21:16
I can remember one time my godparent that I lived with I was like in third grade and she brought spelling words home for me. She did janitorial work at Venice High School, so she brought these words home to me. I’m in third grade and if I didn’t get every word correct when she asked me to spell them, she would punish me. Back in the 50s, ladies did not wear pants to school, so the best way that she could humiliate me. I missed two words I’ll never forget C-O-A-R-S-E and C-O-U-R-S-E, course and course. And she made me wear pants to school. That was the most humiliating thing that I can remember walking to school and I can remember the kids. I had rolled them up and put my coat on so I could wear my coat all day, and I can remember girls going don’t laugh at her.

Babette: 22:11
Maybe all her dresses were dirty and they were. You know, I’m going through that. And then the next day at school the teacher makes an announcement in the front of the class Ladies, remember, you cannot wear pants. And when I get home that day after school my godmother’s leaning on the counter. I’ll never forget this Eating, I think, a piece of bread and I know she’s laughing at me and go how was it wearing your pants to school? And so going through things like that as a child, you know what I told my mother. I said godmother made me wear pants to school the other day, but we were making Adobe bricks so we needed to wear pants. I gave her, I covered for her, I covered for her. So I know, and so you can see what my spirit was I never wanted to start the trouble. I didn’t want to be the one to start the trouble. So I don’t know going through all of that stuff. And then we get into relationships and know somebody a hot second and be like, okay, I want to get married.

Ella: 23:20
Just like that.

Babette: 23:25
And I wind up with 40s guys, you know. And then going through the drug thing and the crack was like because that was the only thing that I’d ever done, and that thing is like you’re hooked as soon as you do it, like if you do it right and you get that feeling, it’s almost like whoa, can I do this for the rest of the week? And that was a very debilitating, weird time in my life. That time was really really strange.

Ella: 23:56
How many years was that period?

Babette: 23:58
No baby. You know that only lasted me seven months. Wow, I was in Colorado when it started and wound up moving back to Los Angeles. And I can remember the very last time I did that I was sitting at my mother’s house in my old bedroom, but there was no furniture in that room and I was sitting on the floor. I had been smoking this crack in the room by myself for hours and I was out. I was out of it and I picked up a piggy bank and I heard this voice say to me so that’s what you do now. You go through piggy banks, girl, I put that thing down. I have not done that since.

Babette: 24:45
I wouldn’t have gotten myself a job with me in reservations. Hey, I cleaned it up and I can remember getting a paycheck and I was driving on 110 freeway and I can remember saying man, I can really get high right now. And the other voice said and mess everything up. And so I never revisited and I did meditate on it being completely no one ever entering my space that does stuff like that and I cleaned it up and that’s been wow years. So you know those are blessings to go through those and it didn’t last long. You know what I mean. It was only seven months total and I got off that stuff and I’m so grateful I did. But the experience was the experience when you’re crawling around on the floor looking for a crack or when you pick up a paint bubble. I have picked paint off the wall because while I’m in that it’s looking like crack. Anyway, I am so grateful that that.

Babette: 25:54
And then as I began to learn and the first thing Ron did was he gave me some books Fit for Life and the Mucusless Diet and I read those books and that right there began to change, change my mind. And I tell people now the best thing you can do for yourself is educate yourself. Girl, I did a post the other day. I didn’t know we were so weak when it comes to understanding what our food is for. I had no clue that we don’t make the connection that the apple is life. They don’t make that connection.

Babette: 26:32
Do you know how many people say when you cut that, when you put that apple off the tree, it’s dead and I’m like but you can take a carrot and cut the bottom of the carrot I mean the top of the carrot put it in water and it will begin to grow. You’ve got seeds in that apple that if you plant those seeds they’re going to sprout. I’m like don’t you understand the life in food is the nutrients that the food provides? Humans and animals need food and water to survive. No, do you know how many people argue that point with me? It’s dead when you pick it. I don’t know why vegetarians think that they don’t eat dead food. I was like okay, whoa.

Ella: 27:13
Well, and I think this goes to also this idea that, okay, there’s talking about nutrition and like vitamins, minerals, all that, but there’s also this relationship that we have with food, with our bodies. Yeah, that’s true With the universe, right? And you talk about this and you talk about also, like when it comes to your body. I know you’ve said I don’t know if you still don’t get on the scale, you’re not worried about like that number right?

Babette: 27:37
I don’t have one.

Ella: 27:38
I love that. Can you share about why that’s the case, because I think that’s so helpful.

Babette: 28:10
I think it it is, and I don’t look at anybody else and try to do me like anybody else. I stay in my lane and I learned a valuable lesson two days before my birthday in December treadmill like you used to when you spin. I’m about to be 73. I had not been on the treadmill in forever. I go get on the treadmill and before, when I used to spin years ago, I pump it, do an eight minute mile. No biggie Girl. I pumped it up to seven and sprinted. Then I saw my trainer. So I get off the treadmill, go in the training room. I’m doing my own workout. He’s thinking what are you doing? And I’m just doing everything.

Babette: 28:37
I get to work, bend down to get a spider web under the sink and my knee goes crack, snapple, oh shit. I have been dealing with my knee since my birthday and I don’t have a primary care physician. I don’t hang out in doctors all the time. So you know I’m on a water fast right now. So it’s about to get rid of some of the inflammation and just let me see if this thing will heal on its own before I go to some doctor that wants to put a knife on me. But staying in your lane is so important, I didn’t have to go get on the treadmill. And if I was going to get on the treadmill I could have walked, I could have done a fast paced walk. But to get on there and be so nuts to turn it up to seven and sprint.

Ella: 29:24
What were you telling yourself? What were you telling yourself in your brain?

Babette: 29:27
I can do this, but sometimes you can’t. And so, when it comes to my health and home, I got rid of the scale, because I found myself always referring to the scale. Let me just go to the scale, see how much I weigh. And so now I pay attention to me. I can always tell you how much I weigh, almost exact. I don’t need the scale and I don’t know if it’s at 73 or I’ve just grown to the point where I eat more for nutrients than I do for anything else. My husband’s the same.

Babette: 30:04
We’re not bulky eatersers like the soul food platter that I sell. It’s stuff I eat. Neither one of us can eat it. It’s too much, it’s almost gluttonous. Now I can make a handful of nuts a meal. You know my juice, that’s a meal. A salad, that’s a meal. Give me some quinoa with some beets and broccoli meal. Give me some quinoa with some beets and broccoli, and that’s a meal. And then I’m very careful about eating too much cooked food, because I know that we’ll eat three meals a day and not have one live thing on our plate. Well, dead thing, according to all the people, to all the people.

Babette: 30:54
I just pay attention to me and how I feel and that sort of thing. And I always want to know how am I feeling? I get a lot of rest, I mean, even though I wake up automatically 1.30, 1.45, two o’clock in the morning bathroom run, it’s time to get up. So I get up, I make sure I get my workout on, I do all the cooking and stuff I eat and prepping and stuff I eat, and then I have the rest of the day to myself to take care of things like this and you know what I’m saying. But around six, five, 36 o’clock, when it begins to get dark, my dear is ready to go to sleep.

Ella: 31:32
I love that. I thought I went to bed and I do go. I mean I go to bed at like eight thirty nine o’clock, baby, that’s early.

Babette: 31:38
You’re supposed to. That’s a good time to go to work, sweetheart.

Ella: 31:41
Thank you.

Babette: 31:42
Thank you. I mean it is because the human body years ago, I believe thousands of years ago, we went to bed according to when the sun was up and down. Right, some people can’t sleep. You sleep good. Look, I sleep, so good I sleep. It’s been kind of jacked with this fast because I’m peeing all night. I feel like I should have bought a box of Depends.

Ella: 32:05
And maybe I should have come with them.

Babette: 32:06
But it’s just water right now, right, it’s just water Wow, it’s water, and I’ll do that till the 14th and then I’ll go on a detox. Right, I saw that 30 days.

Ella: 32:15
You guys are doing amazing, yeah, Amazing. Well, you’re full energy at the moment. It seems like I mean wow.

Babette: 32:23
No, I’m really good, I’m so grateful too. Thanks, I’m really good, I’m so grateful too. Thanks for asking me this, because and that’s one of the reasons I try to share so much is because I have girlfriends that I went to school with and grew up with. I know what they’re going through and you know that sort of thing, because we took different paths.

Ella: 32:41
We made different decisions. Well, it does seem like you have, like the pre meeting Ron era and then you’ve got the post-Meeting Ron era and I want to take it back to that first parking lot food cart right that you had. Can you share a little bit about like how that came to be, because that was like the start right, I mean.

Babette: 33:01
Well, actually I started over at Remember I talked to you about Reverend Dr OC Smith. He was the first he allowed me to come to his spot. This was before my husband got involved. This was right after I came from Japan, okay, and he allowed me to feed people after services on Sunday.

Ella: 33:19
Okay so.

Babette: 33:20
I had about 30 customers, that kind of you know. Yeah, it’s good, it tastes really good Because there was another woman there, of course, selling all the chicken, everything that people eat after church. And then my husband said, would you like for me to get involved with this? And I said sure, why not? And we wound up over at Agape and he decided to build this food cart. It was 15 foot food cart on one side of the cart. It was 15 foot food cart On one side of the cart.

Babette: 33:58
We had refrigeration. We had a place where we make our smoothies. We had an area that kept things icy cold. On the other side we had a griddle and we started developing block-long lines on the parking lot. It was incredible and all we were serving the main thing we were serving was people love the wild rice tacos, and then we started making this enchilada pie and sandwiches and people just fell in love with it and we had smoothies available for them every Sunday. So we were the vegan spot to go to on the parking lot and that lasted. We were there for six years, wow.

Ella: 34:40
Was he vegan? Michael Beckwith back then? Oh yeah, I don’t know how long he’s been vegan. He’s been vegan for a while.

Babette: 34:45
Okay, yeah, that was one of the reasons he allowed us to come in. Yeah, because he was. It was fun. It was really really fun.

Ella: 34:54
All right, and then how did that kind of Transfer?

Babette: 34:58
into the restaurant. Into the restaurant yeah, I worked for the airline, so Ron and I loved Jamaica back in the day.

Babette: 35:04
So, every time we had a few days off, you know, we’d take us a trip to Jamaica. So we were walking down Market Street yeah, we were on Market Street just before we were getting ready to leave to go to Jamaica and the doors to our restaurant was open and we went inside and it just so happened that there was a built-in like steam table. We didn’t keep it, but it was the same color as our business cards and for me, oh, that was an oh my, no, this place is great. So we asked the guy man, why don’t you let us we had no money, girl why don’t you let us rent this place? He was like no, I’m going to turn this into a Nike kids store. He had a Nike store right next door and he said I think I want this to be, I don’t want it to be a restaurant. It was a restaurant and when we got back from our trip he had called us about five, six times and said come back over and talk to me. And that man let us get in there with first last month rent and a little security deposit. And he says yours, do whatever you think you need to do with it.

Babette: 36:05
It took us four years to open the doors because Ron wanted to make sure that all the appliances were paid for and we had to kind of gut it a little bit and fix it up. And girl, that was in 2004. We opened the doors in 2008. And here it is 2024. Incredible, covid, the whole nine, nine yards, and we were not restaurant. But you know, ron is really frugal when it comes to money. I mean, ron was the kind of brother that if he went to the store and the tomatoes were too much, we ain’t getting tomatoes today.

Babette: 36:43
They cost too much that was kind of the way he rolled, but. But, yeah, girl, we made it through. But we had something to bring to the community and we were blessed with a spot in the community. And so I mean because whenever we went out to eat, we had to drive across town because I lived in South Central, which it really was just maybe a mile from the restaurant, but it wasn’t Englewood, I actually lived in South Central and I thought I’m sure there are so many vegans in this community that would love to have a spot, and especially a spot because we’re cooking. Come on now it was a black and brown community then and we’re making tacos, burritos, quesadillas, soul food platter. I even make my own burger. You know what I’m saying? We call it the nut burger. And so we felt like we were doing what we needed to do. It was an important move, it was a gift to the community.

Ella: 37:43
Yeah, Was it received right away? Did you have to kind of yeah, Girl? I used to have to beat people up to come in.

Babette: 37:51
I can remember people coming in like ain’t no chicken, ain’t no fish. What kind of place is this? And they would walk out, run behind hey, come back here and get a free taco. After I fed that taco to them and you know what I would do. I would take. I would take the rice out of the pan, put it back on the griddle, throw some onion and stuff on there, make that taco like the best taco they ever had and they were like this is delicious and sit down and buy a whole meal.

Ella: 38:21
How did Ron feel about you giving away all those tacos?

Babette: 38:23
I gave away a whole bunch of tacos.

Babette: 38:27
You know what else Ron and I used to do was so crazy? We always wanted people to eat. We gave a salad away. We have lost a lot of money giving salad to it, but we would give a salad with every meal because I believe in eating something live. And we would go around, both of us. We were like the grump, grump couple. How come everything is you’re eating everything, you’re not eating that salad. Get her to go back, take that salad home and eat that salad. People would be like these people are nuts, but I wanted them. The importance of at least having one, something that you ingest, that you haven’t cooked the life out of, you know, yeah, yeah.

Ella: 39:04
Yeah, and was there a point that you started to connect also with the animal aspect of being vegan? Like you know more than plant based, but yeah, that girl.

Babette: 39:15
Once I began to really connect with the whole, I’m just like I’m going with everything. If I hurt that animal, I hurt me, period. Because it was not about the animal. It was about that rash that would break out in my face every month. It was about my back with all the acne on it because I was addicted to sugar. It was about me, period. I couldn’t digest my food, I couldn’t poop, I had issues. And then once I understood the oneness you have to understand your connection with the whole. This is just an experience, y’all. And once I began I understood life is what it’s about all life. I have an issue. I have an issue killing spiders in the restaurant. You want to put them in a nap and and don’t. Can you go out there, please now cockroaches are different so they’re just everybody’s got their.

Babette: 40:17
I can’t even kill a cockroach, but you just have a rough time with a cockroach too.

Ella: 40:23
I do those flying ones, man, we get some big flying approaches in florida. Oh my god, I will be like with a little oh yeah, like hiding behind and leap out and try to.

Babette: 40:36
Oh, it is something else you know the big ones are not as annoying as the little ones yeah just have too many babies and they just multiply. I mean, they’re just like you know. You know, if you see one or two in the kitchen you’d be like oh god I’m glad I don’t have a restaurant to worry about, I don’t have a restaurant, stuff we really have to keep up with, but yeah, yeah well, let’s, I want to touch, touch, change gears a little bit to that whole aging thing, can you?

Ella: 41:06
you’re obviously, you know, an incredibly positive and embracing self-love and all of that, you know. Yeah, what advice do you have? Or how would you speak to people? Because I work with a lot of women that have body image issues and there are certain things that we have control over. We have control over what we put in our bodies and how we treat our bodies, and there are other things that just come along with aging. How do you see aging? What’s kind of the lens through which you see and experience aging?

Babette: 41:41
You know I appreciate and look forward to quality, a good quality of life while I’m on this journey. Longevity is cool, I mean, you know people can live to 150 if they want. But more important to me, what’s more important to me, is if I get in the bathtub at 90, can I get out? Do I have to wear the necklace and call the fire department just in case I fall? Can I get up? Quality of life is so very important to me and so I’m I, I, I did one thing that I now I you know how sometimes on this journey you look, you have a few regrets.

Babette: 42:33
I, when I was working with Southwest Airlines as a flight attendant, I had a girlfriend that decided she wanted to get a tummy tuck and get implants. Well, I went with her to the consultation and I thought, well, maybe I’ll get some implants. I had a runner’s chest flat, I didn’t even need to wear a bra and I decided to get implants. I wish I had nine. I wish I had not, because I was in my fifties. Then they’re supposed to be changed out every 10 years. I am not trying to have boobs up here at 90 years old. That’s just a weird look to me.

Ella: 43:08
I don’t know Not the look you’re going for.

Babette: 43:12
I got you. I wish I had given that a little bit more thought before I decided to do this. Because I didn’t need them, I did not have a problem, but I did it anyway. But as it pertains to the changes, I don’t look like I looked when I was 50. I live on a beautiful planet and there’s gravity and, depending on how we’ve taken care of ourselves, the melanin, our genes so many different things will say what this in particular is going to look like. But I’m not doing nothing to my face. I feel like in this journey I’ve had the opportunity to have so many different faces and I’ll continue that way. So I have these now. I didn’t have them before. I didn’t have the little squinty lines, but that means I laugh a lot. Okay, I’m good with that. That’s beautiful In terms of my body.

Babette: 44:09
There are areas in my body that I would like. That was why I had gone on the six month go hard in the gym, because I wanted my legs to look a little bit different. But that’s just all a choice of mine. I’m not sizing myself up with anybody. No, how do I feel? Am I well? Am I taking 15, 16 different meds? Can I go in the gym and work out and then go to work and work and then do whatever else I need to do. Can I run a hill? Those things are important to me. Aesthetics, as long as you can love you and you’re feeling good. I don’t know. I just can’t get all beat up on how I’m going to look when I get to be 80. I cannot do it. I will not do it Now.

Babette: 44:57
I’ve always worn makeup. I like makeup. I wore makeup in high school. I can remember people saying you look like a clown. I can remember learning to put makeup on and people teasing me why you got what you look at and I just always really liked it. So I wear makeup. But now if I start wearing makeup and it doesn’t compliment me, I will just continue wearing it. It just depends on what I see for me.

Babette: 45:26
But I’m not beating myself up. I’m not trying to look like you. You know I want to be me. I want to keep it, stay in my own skin and do me so I’m not tripping. I don’t think people should fat shame. We are where we are because we’re on our own journey and we all have to experience what it is we have to experience. I talk to my daughter all the time. I love my daughter so much. Love, love, love my daughter so much. But food has always been a thing with her. So she wound up with some diabetes that she’s dealing with and she goes back and forth. Sometimes she’s just this staunch vegan, whoa yeah. And then other times she doesn’t talk to me about what she’s eating Because she’s a railroader now, so she’s probably eating with those railroad guys.

Babette: 46:13
And then what it does is she starts feeling weird, she doesn’t feel good anymore, and that’s how mom knows. But guess whose journey it is? All I can do is say, teresa, you have to be consistent, got to be consistent with your diet. I can’t do anything else about that. Her human journey is her journey, it’s not mine. She knows what mom does and all I can do is be an example. Baby, I’m loving my life. I’m loving just how I look. I’m good to life. I’m loving just how I look. I’m good to go. I can’t believe how happy I am with myself.

Ella: 46:47
I love it. I love one of the things that I hear you say a lot is how you take responsibility for yourself and your feelings, and that must be so important, especially now, with all I mean, you get a lot of people saying a lot of shit.

Babette: 47:02
Oh right.

Ella: 47:02
And is there anything that comes to mind, like anything recent that was just, it’s gotta be hard. Even if you are taking responsibility for yourself and your feelings, it has to be hard sometimes.

Babette: 47:12
I’m gonna tell you one thing that really hurt me. It was Jillian Berry interviewed me and she took a clip. This part was out of context. They didn’t listen to the whole interview. But I can’t jump on top of a cow and tear it apart with my teeth and, la-da-da-da-da, it’s not my diet.

Babette: 47:33
I thought people were gonna show up my house like they showed up Nancy Pelosi’s house. They were horrible. They were so mean to me. They took me back to prehistoric times. They said you’re stupid, you’re a clown. And then the last thing that just said okay, this is really horrible.

Babette: 47:55
Somebody said shut up, little nigga, and I was like. Somebody said shut up, little nigga, and I was like what is wrong with humans? Why are we acting like this? And if we’re so cruel to us, animals do not have a chance. We’ve learned to be so nasty to each other total strangers. We’ve learned to be so cruel, so cruel other total strangers. We’ve learned to be so cruel, so cruel. And that right there.

Babette: 48:25
I think that was the one time that I got really, really hurt, especially doing what it is that I do. I enjoy sharing because I know that I inspire a lot of people, but as I inspire, I’m inspired. I’m inspired, so we do it for each other. But to be so angry because I decided that I don’t care to eat decomposing animal flesh and because I share that in an interview, I’m a clown and an idiot. And the Bible says you can eat meat. The Bible also says you shouldn’t eat meat in Genesis. So I mean you know the Bible says a lot of things. It’s also says you shouldn’t eat meat in Genesis. So I mean you know the Bible says a lot of things. It’s a book of allegories, it’s like. Anyway, I think that was the one thing that hurt me more than anything, because I’m in a position right now where I have the people in my world so I’m not getting beat up and hammered like I used to. I mean I had one man knock me out, cold cocked bam out, so I don’t have that kind of stuff going on in my world anymore. I got past all that and so it’s just little things that can, because I usually give a lot of love when I’m out. You know what I mean and I know that let me tell you and I’m not doing this, but I’m just sharing how my heart is.

Babette: 49:42
I was coming from Home Depot yesterday. I’m driving out. There’s a woman there with a stroller, two little kids, and she’s got a sign. Okay, you know she needs some help. And I get my car and purse out. I had gotten rid of all my ones. I usually keep a stack of ones, so if I see somebody need a few dollars, girl, I had gotten rid of all my money. I drove around and went to the 7-Eleven and I got $40 out $20 for me and $20 for her. She was shocked. But I cannot give unless I receive.

Babette: 50:20
I’m not afraid to give, I’m not afraid to share. It always comes back. Do you know, one time there’s a little lady. I always give her something. I stopped at the light at a busy intersection. She was across the street and I got out of my car and ran and gave her the little $6 to go buy a cup of coffee and got back in my car. Do you know, when I got home, my girlfriend called and said mom wants to know your zelle. I said for what? She wants to send you some money, just like that. So we don’t need to be afraid to share with one another. What you put out is what you get back. Put out love, you get love back, and so that’s how simple it is.

Ella: 51:00
You know.

Babette: 51:01
That’s what I believe in.

Ella: 51:02
I believe that too, absolutely, isn’t it so true? And it’s a choice of what we believe. Right? It’s so beautiful to believe and live from that space.

Babette: 51:12
It is, it feels damn good, right, yes, I know.

Ella: 51:18
And the other thing I want to kind of start to wrap up here is I mean, you bring so much positivity into this world and this is it’s a tough world and people seem to have so much permission these days to be ugly, to be ugly. How do you wake up every morning and say, despite all of that, we want the world to be going in that direction. And yet to me, tell me what you think it feels kind of like, kind of half of the world is really elevating, yes, and the other half is like almost is moving in the opposite. And I’m like this game right of the world that we live in that we have to have equal and opposite. So it’s something I don’t know. What do you see?

Babette: 51:59
I’m with you. I feel the same exact way. That’s exactly the way that I feel. Half of us are operating at a very high frequency and others of us are like gutted out. It’s just amazing to me and we’ll fight you. I mean really and truly. Somebody told me yesterday you don’t have to respond to these people, but if I’m in a teaching moment and you’re saying something, you’re fighting me over something and you sound ignorant. You don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m going to have a conversation with you to try to help you get past it. And when people go quiet or erase their comment, they got it.

Ella: 52:47
They got it Okay. And I heard you say your new year’s resolution was I’m going to do a better job, and I’m like how are you? You’re doing a pretty damn good job, but you said I’m going to do a better job at sharing information in 2024, plus continuing to practice self-love and self-care. Yes, where?

Babette: 53:03
did that come from? We have this right here. We have this and I understand that I am a best, I’m being used and so I need. How do people always say it? This is the cool thing. They say stay on your purpose so. I’m. I’m on my purpose.

Babette: 53:21
And I like it Like you meet strangers, all your stuff. I don’t meet strangers, I don’t meet strangers. It’s like I know everybody. I can give you a hug and just like I’ve been knowing you forever because I understand the connection, been knowing you forever because I understand the connection, I don’t look at complexion. It’s unimportant to me. It’s like aren’t you glad the universe created more than just roses, red? Aren’t you happy? There are so many different flowers out there for us to love and enjoy, and the same thing with. Can you imagine an elephant with tusks being pissed off at the elephant without tusks? That’s how nuts we are. When we get all wrapped up over complexion, we’re all the same. Peel the skin back.

Ella: 54:10
Yeah. One last point Somebody said to me the other day I was kind of trying to decide whether to go to this. I’m very introverted, so going to a party is like painful, okay yeah, and I’m trying to decide. And the other person said to me he goes. Well, you know, your energy is sacred, so protect it. And I heard that. And talking about living in our purpose, I’m like, well, if I go to this party and I represent, I got vegan written all over me and I represent what it means to be vegan to be loving to connect with people.

Ella: 54:44
Like that’s living my purpose. So maybe it is a little painful and it’s not an easy decision. That’s not an easy decision. It’s not like, oh, protect, because if I’m too protective then you miss out on the connection those connections are everything Right.

Babette: 54:58
They are.

Ella: 54:59
But knowing that, then I got to recharge, I got to recharge, I got to recharge alone.

Babette: 55:04
How do you see that? I see it the same way. We’re on the same page with that. Seriously, yeah.

Ella: 55:11
I wouldn’t have guessed, you’re an introvert. I mean everybody says like I can’t believe you’re an introvert, I’m an introvert.

Babette: 55:16
I love hanging with me.

Ella: 55:19
Yes, I love it.

Babette: 55:20
Like Ron and I, we came to a really cool decision. He’s into his music. He built himself a studio. He’s up half the night. I live in my apartment and Ron lives in his apartment and I enjoy me so much. I didn’t realize how much. I just really I make myself laugh If I’m watching TV. I’m cracking up, I’m telling jokes about people, characters on TV, I’m just loving the time with myself. I think that’s very important and I don’t mind being introverted.

Ella: 55:55
That’s who I am.

Babette: 55:56
I never did go to parties. I never did go to clubs. I wasn’t that girl. I never did go to parties. I never did go to clubs. I wasn’t that girl, you know. So I’m with you, baby, and you’re just as cute as you can be.

Ella: 56:10
Thank you, this has been so fun, so fun. I’m so grateful. I know you are one busy woman, okay but I’m shut down Now.

Babette: 56:17
I’m home.

Ella: 56:20
I got the rest of the day all right, but you’re introverts, so you know hey, you gotta go do your thing do your thing now thank you so much for being here, for sharing anything else you’d like to share that we didn’t cover hey, y’all, practice self-love and self-care.

Babette: 56:33
put you first, make sure you’re first, and that’s not selfish. That is not selfish. That is not selfish. Gotta, put your oxygen mask on first. Amen, amen, appreciate you.

Ella: 56:50
Bye, baby. Thanks for listening to this week’s episode of Rise and Thrive with me, ella Majors. I truly hope you found it inspiring and, if you did, please help me spread the word by leaving a rating and review on your favorite podcast player and by sharing the show with your friends. As you probably know by now, my life’s purpose is to use my voice to make this world a more conscious and compassionate place, and your reviews and shares make a huge impact. And last, I’m getting a ton of insanely positive feedback about my short and sweet monthly newsletter called the Way short for the Way Out Is Through.

Ella: 57:27
I give my top five latest badass discoveries, insights and explorations, like vegan products and recipes. I’m obsessed with books and shows I’m loving and workouts that have me fired up. Head on over to my website, ellam shows I’m loving and workouts that have me fired up. Head on over to my website, ellamajorscom, to sign up and check out all the other awesome resources I have for you and projects I’m involved with, including Hogs and Kisses Farm Sanctuary, where our mission is to create the best life for farm animals while inspiring compassion for all living beings. Thanks a lot and I’ll see you on the next one.