Kathy Freston

Career

Kathy Freston is the New York Times bestselling author of The Lean: A Revolutionary (and Simple!) 30-Day Plan for Healthy, Lasting Weight Loss, Veganist: Lose Weight, Get Healthy, Change the World, The Quantum Wellness Cleanse: The 21 Day Essential Guide to Healing Your Body, Mind, and Spirit, and Quantum Wellness: A Practical and Spiritual Guide to Health and Happiness. Freston has appeared frequently on national television, including Ellen, The Dr.Oz Show, Charlie Rose, Good Morning America, The Talk, The Martha Stewart Show, Extra and Oprah.

Freston's book, The Lean: A Revolutionary (and Simple!) 30-Day Plan for Healthy, Lasting Weight Loss, was named one of VegNews' "Top 12 Vegan Books of 2012." The Editor of VegNews, said: "It’s difficult to believe that The Lean, the latest by media favorite Kathy Freston, has been around for only nine months. Freston’s kind, common sense guide is a 30-day program of changing both diet and lifestyle habits. Like its author, the plan is gentle, forgiving, and asks for progress, not perfection."

Freston took part in The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine's Vegetarian Caucus luncheon on Capitol Hill to raise awareness among congressional staff about the health and nutrition benefits of a plant-based lifestyle. Freston was part of the Caucus that helped to "provide oral testimony at the 2015 USDA Dietary Guidelines meetings on January 14. At this meeting, they each stood up and gave testimony on why animal products should be removed from USDA Dietary Guidelines, which was updated in 2015. At the Veggie Caucus, each of the speakers divulged their experiences with public health and discussed the role of the Dietary Guidelines in shaping federal nutrition recommendations and policies."

Freston was added to Vanity Fair's 2009 "International Best-Dressed List." In the article, "Freston notes Stella McCartney, another chic vegan, as her favorite shoe designer, and describes her personal style as "cruelty-free." Freston proves that there is nothing more stunning than the combination of smarts and style."

She has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and across Winfrey's network relating to a detox diet.

Freston was known for her loud support of California's Prop 2, a ballot measure that – among other things – required that by January 1, 2015, egg-laying hens raised in California be able to stand up, lie down, turn around, and fully extend their wings.

Freston is known for her "8 Pillars of Wellness" including Meditation, Visualization, Fun Activities, Conscious Eating, Exercise, Self-Work, Spiritual Practice, and Service. Freston went into detail on these Pillars on one of her appearances on "Super Soul Sunday" on the OWN Channel.

"When Ellen [Degeneres] started transitioning to a healthy, vegan diet, she found a lot of guidance from author Kathy Freston." Ellen called Kathy her "vegan health guru".

Her work has been featured in the magazines Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar, Self, W, and Fitness. She is also a regular contributor to the Huffington Post.

Evangelical Christians have been critical of Freston's teachings.

In January 2014, Freston launched a Change.org petition campaign urging McDonald's to debut a vegetarian "protein-centric" menu item.

Awards

Freston was awarded "Person of the Year" by VegNews Magazine in 2011. According to the Editor Picks, "This author and activist had quite a year. Her book’s a best-seller, her Twitter account and Huffington Post blog posts are active and educational, Vanity Fair writer John Helipern committed to going veg after just one lunch with her, and she appeared not only on The Oprah Winfrey Show, but helped a family adopt a vegan diet on Ellen, chatted veganism on The Martha Stewart Show with fellow activists Biz Stone and Gene Baur, and talked shop on Charlie Rose."

Freston was awarded with the "Healthy Living Advocate Award" by Farm Sanctuary at the 25th Anniversary Farm Sanctuary gala in 2011.

Early life

Freston grew up in the Atlanta area. She began modeling at age 16. She did not continue her education past the secondary level. Freston's career path began when she left an abusive relationship and began to meditate as part of her recovery process. She began by making her own meditation cassette tapes. She stated in an interview, "Then I started creating tapes for friends and realized, "Hey, this is very useful to people." She stated that people "came to her for counseling," and so she began her career.

Personal life

She is divorced from television executive Tom Freston.

Published works