# #092 Sarma Melngailis: Bad Vegan, Memoir as Recovery, and Reclaiming Your Story

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/smart-friends-2136135/092-sarma-melngailis-bad-vegan-memoir-as-recovery-and-reclaiming-your-story
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/smart-friends-2136135/092-sarma-melngailis-bad-vegan-memoir-as-recovery-and-reclaiming-your-story.md
Podcast: [Smart Friends](https://stenobird.com/podcast/smart-friends-2136135)
Published: 2025-08-05T15:35:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.ejorgenson.com/podcast
Audio file: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/SOMC6155876130.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/smart-friends-2136135/episodes/092-sarma-melngailis-bad-vegan-memoir-as-recovery-and-reclaiming-your-story
Duration seconds: 4043

## Resource

Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:37) - The Netflix documentary: Misrepresentation and struggles (00:03:19) - Writing the memoir (00:08:47) - The challenges of independent publishing (00:12:40) - The creative process and future plans (00:35:23) - Impact of the book on readers (00:36:04) - Scripted series and unused content (00:36:36) - New docuseries and correcting the narrative (00:37:04) - Psychological analysis in documentaries (00:40:13) - Challenges and rewards of writing (00:41:36) - Unexpected positive outcomes (00:45:38) - Vulnerability of publishing a memoir (00:49:44) - Future aspirations and business rebuilding (00:53:54) - Experience with Scribe Publishing (01:02:59) - Advice for aspiring authors Links: People: Andrew Huberman — https://hubermanlab.com/about David Goggins — https://davidgoggins.com Eric Jorgenson — https://www.ericjorgenson.com Mary Karr — https://english.utexas.edu/people/mary-karr Paul Millerd — https://www.pathlesspath.com Sarma Melngailis — https://thegirlandtheduck.com Tim Ferriss — https://tim.blog Podcasts: Huberman Lab — https://hubermanlab.com The Tim Ferriss Show — https://tim.blog/podcast Companies: Scribe — https://scribemedia.com Websites / Tools / Platforms: Scrivener — https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener/overview The Girl and the Duck (Sarma’s memoir site) — https://thegirlandtheduck.com To support the costs of producing this podcast: >> Buy a copy of the Navalmanack: www.navalmanack.com/ >> Buy a copy of The Anthology of Balaji: https://balajianthology.com/ >> Sign up for my online course and community about building your Personal Leverage: https://www.ejorgenson.com/leverage >> Invest in early-stage companies alongside Eric and his partners at Rolling Fun: https://angel.co/v/back/rolling-fun >> Join the free weekly…

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