Episode Details

From Texas cattle ranchers to vegan sanctuary founders, Renee King-Sonnen and Tommy Sonnen have turned around their lives and are helping others, both animal and human, to do the same. Now, the incredible story of how they have rescued and continue to care for 137 animals has caught the attention of filmmaker Jason Goldman, who embarked on capturing their daily lives at the sanctuary and has recently released Rowdy Girl, which premiered at Toronto’s prestigious Hot Docs film festival. The film tells the story of Renee and Tommy’s tireless dedication, their profound impact on the lives of the animals they have rescued, and their remarkable ability to reach others with their message of compassion and the rejection of violence.

Renee and Tommy join us on the podcast this week to share this remarkable journey. Renee tells us how forging a deep and meaningful relationship with a cow named Rowdy Girl set her on a transformative path and changed her life forever (and Tommy’s along with it). Renee and Tommy share what it’s like to run a sanctuary in cattle country and also tell us about their Rancher Advocacy Program, which supports farmers and ranchers looking to transition away from animal agriculture.

*We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read Mariann’s interview with Renee King-Sonnen and Tommy Sonnen*

Renee King-Sonnen, Rowdy Girl Sanctuary’s founder and executive director, along with her husband, co-founder Tommy Sonnen, were featured on the CBS Evening News in 2016, launching an international following and fan base. In 2016, Renee won the VegNews “Vegan Rookie of the Year” Award and can now be heard on podcasts, news stories, documentaries, and magazine interviews all over the world. Rowdy Girl is the first documented beef cattle ranch to transition to a vegan farm sanctuary and veganic farm and has been at the forefront of the farm transition conversation. Renee and Tommy are currently featured in the documentary Rowdy Girl, which had its world premiere in Toronto at Hot Docs, the largest documentary film festival in North America.

“The violence I experienced and the purity of the animals have come together to create my mission.” – Renee King-Sonnen

“When I started looking at statistics about what we’re doing to the earth, I realized that there’s more than one reason to stop eating meat.” – Tommy Sonnen

Highlights for Episode 700: 

• Rowdy Girl, the cow who ignited Renee’s vegan journey 
• Some of the stories of the 137 beautiful animals the sanctuary has rescued and how Renee and Tommy share their work with others 
• Why the couple decided to work with Jason Goldman on the Rowdy Girl