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Evanna Lynch has described her new podcast as a discussion of “the balance between mental wellness and social change.”
The actor is best known for playing Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter films. She is hosting Just Beings alongside author and social psychologist Dr. Melanie Joy.
With each guest, they discuss how to “shift our thinking.” They look at how to create a more compassionate world for people, animals, and the planet, while also improving our personal lives and relationships in the process.
Speaking to Plant Based News (PBN), Lynch said: “For so many years I always saw my activism and my mental health as two very separate worlds I had to manage discreetly.”
“I was either going deeply inwards working on myself or I was avidly campaigning for animal rights and vegan causes, and I felt constantly guilty when I was spending too much time on one of those things at the expense of the other.”
She started to notice that her environment often reflected a poor mental state. She added: “That got me to thinking about how to be an effective advocate for the issues I care about. I need to embrace my mental health practices as a core part of those efforts.”
Evanna Lynch and Dr. Melanie Joy’s animal advocacy
Lynch went vegan in 2013 after reading “Eating Animals” by Jonathan Safron Foer. She said the book caused her to “think deeply about humankind’s broken relationship with animals and my own part in upholding the status quo of humans as superior beings.”
Dr. Joy is known for coining the term “carnism” in her book “Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows.”
Carnism is defined as a prevailing ideology that supports the use and consumption of animal products. Joy stopped eating meat in 1989 after a contaminated hamburger landed her in hospital.
She told PBN: “When I started learning about my new diet, I was shocked to discover the extent of harm to animals caused by animal agriculture. I realized I could never knowingly participate in such an atrocity against animals again.”
How to listen to the ‘Just Beings’ podcast
Just Beings is released weekly on Tuesdays. Lynch and Dr. Joy have so far chatted to model Lily Cole and psychologist Dr. Michael Gervais.
Future guests include Joanne Molinaro of The Korean Vegan and Dave and Steve Flynn of The Happy Pear. Lynch’s Harry Potter co-star Bonnie Wright is also set to appear.
Listen to the podcast here.
