Samantha Carrie Johnson, at age 30, has already accomplished several lifetimes worth of personal and social achievement. A chef, restauranteur, entrepreneur, actor, model, Miss Pennsylvania 2007, and MTV reality show star, Samantha devotes her energy and her time to raising consciousness, promoting plant-based health, and keeping her own life balanced.
In our conversation, Samantha and I covered:
- her adolescent health scare, and what it taught her
- the opportunities and pitfalls of being "visually accessible"
- navigating a meat-loving culture at her agricultural high school
- how Samantha became a beauty queen and kept her balance
- what the Miss USA pageant showed her about the power of authenticity
- why so many healthy restaurants fail
- how saying no to an offer from MTV led to even greater things (from MTV!)
- her work as a personal chef, food justice advocate, and organic farmer
- spreading the plant-based message in the NFL (they aren't called the GREEN Bay Packers for nothing :)
- the imperative to grow great things from tiny seeds in a culture in which everything - including ourselves - is for sale
- the challenge of financial responsibility for pro-social entrepreneurs
- and much more...