With today being Valentine’s Day, I wanted to take the opportunity to talk about a topic I’m very passionate about: leadership and love. I think that love is one of the most powerful yet undervalued virtues a leader can practice. It’s time to let love out of the...
There’s nothing like a warm, delicious bowl of soup on a chilly day...or on any day for that matter! For someone on a plant-based journey, soup is an amazing, healthy meal that is simple to prepare. Soup has an endless variety of flavors, textures, and nutritional...
31 years ago today marks a very important moment for both me and Whole Foods - it was the day of our Initial Public Offering! Back in 1992, we had 12 stores and desperately wanted to grow, but cash constraints continued to be a problem. We needed a solution. The...
When starting a vegan diet, knowing what to buy from the grocery store can be challenging. I follow a whole-food, plant-based vegan diet and have eliminated both refined sugars and oils, so I stick to simple, whole foods that allow me to make healthy, simple, and...
As a long-time vegan, I do not eat any dairy products. If you also choose to remove animal products from your diet, you’ll want a non-dairy alternative to use in instances when you would typically consume cow’s milk. Luckily, there are so many delicious, non-dairy...
January marks National Mentorship Month which is a great opportunity for me to talk about my dad, Bill Mackey. He was an original investor in Whole Foods Market, a long-time board member, and my greatest mentor. There is no doubt in my mind that Whole Foods would have...
I am a great believer in the underdog. I think this stems from when I was a little kid. I was always a bit young for my grade and was physically smaller than the majority of my classmates. Being a little different isn’t always the easiest - I was the “smart kid”...
A whole-food, plant-based diet prioritizes eating whole unprocessed foods with 90-100 percent of your daily calories coming from plant foods. I have been vegan and 100 percent plant-based since 2003 for both ethical and health and vitality reasons and have experienced...
Gratitude is one of the single most important keys to happiness in life. Oftentimes, it is assumed that gratitude needs an object; for example, expressing gratitude for a meal or a specific person. However, an object is not necessary to express gratitude - we can feel...
I made my retirement announcement internally a year before I left Whole Foods Market. In addition to transitioning responsibilities to the next CEO, Jason Buechel, I wanted time to focus my energy on doing things that would be most meaningful to Whole Foods. I spent...
A good dressing, sauce, or marinade can make anything delicious! This holds especially true when eating a whole-food, plant-based diet. Adding a tasty dressing or sauce elevates flavor and can turn your dish from average to amazing. Unfortunately, conventional...
I recently finished reading The Three Languages of Politics: Talking Across the Political Divides by Arnold Kling. This is a short book at only 155 pages, but very much worth reading. Kling’s analysis shows that the three primary political philosophies in...
