An Inspiring Story of Healing, Wellness, and Vegan Activism
On The Glen Merzer Show, Glen sits down with Gigi Jones—owner of Gigi's Vegan and Wellness Café—to share her incredible journey of healing herself from stage 3 colon cancer through plant-based living and self-discovery.
Diagnosed in 2015, Gigi faced a tough choice: immediate surgery or taking control of her own health. After a moment of reflection, she decided to strengthen her body first. “I had faith. I believed I could heal myself,” she says. Inspired by Dr. T. Colin Campbell’s China Study and her transformative experience at Hippocrates Health Institute, Gigi discovered the power of living foods. “I never knew about sprouts—broccoli, sunflower, pea sprouts—all of it changed my life.”
Gigi embraced a raw, plant-based diet, fasting on nutrient-rich juices for 21 days and undergoing high-dose intravenous vitamin C therapy. Combined with psychotherapy and infrared sauna sessions, Gigi’s holistic approach helped her not just survive—but thrive. Returning to Kansas City glowing with health, her grandson exclaimed, “Gigi, you’re green!”
Today, Gigi is on a mission to share her story and educate others. At Gigi's Vegan and Wellness Café, she brings the healing principles of Hippocrates to Kansas City, serving raw, plant-based meals like oil-free kale chips and lentil soup. Through the Kansas City Health Initiative, Gigi also brings vegan food to underserved communities, working to “break the generational curse” of unhealthy eating habits.
Gigi’s journey is a powerful reminder: “We heal our bodies one plant at a time.” Whether you’re plant-based or not, her story inspires hope, resilience, and the life-changing power of food as medicine.
Catch the full episode on The Glen Merzer Show to hear more about Gigi’s remarkable transformation and her vision for a healthier, more compassionate world.
Listen to our other podcasts:
DISCLAIMER: Please understand that the transcript below was provided by a transcription service. It is undoubtedly full of the errors that invariably take place in voice transcriptions. To understand the interview more completely and accurately, please watch it here: Gigi Jones Cured Herself of Cancer
Here's the transcript:
Glen Merzer: Welcome to the Glen Merzer show. You can find us across all your favorite podcast platforms. You can find us on YouTube. And please remember to subscribe. It doesn't cost you anything. We don't call you up. We don't email you. We don't ring your doorbell. Just subscribe. And you can find us at RealMenEatPlants.com. My guest today is Gigi Jones. Gigi. is the owner of Gigi's Vegan and Wellness Cafe. She healed herself from colon cancer. So we're going to hear that story. She's a food activist in Kansas City, and she's a founding member of the Kansas City Health Initiative that brings vegan food to low-income communities. Gigi, welcome to the show.
Gigi Jones: Well, thank you very much for having me. I'm excited to be here this
Glen Merzer: All right now we get a close-up of those earrings.
Gigi Jones: yeah So it says Gigi the vegan again.
Glen Merzer: Now, here's the question Here's the question for you Gigi did you go into a jewelry store and Find those and say those are perfect for me. It says Gigi the vegan or were they specially made
Gigi Jones: They were specially made for me by this beautiful young lady in Los Angeles, California that comes out to my vegan festival. have every year for the last seven years and she gave me a gift, gifted me with 10 different fairs. So I don't need to purchase earrings anymore. I just wear these every day, matter what I'm wearing, black tie events, these come on all different colors. Made of wood, 100 % sustainable.
Glen Merzer: they're wooden earrings.
Gigi Jones: Yes, they are. And she actually have great talent, as you can see. I have them made out of bamboo. I have some bamboo ones as well. Okay. Does a really, really great job. And I just love the fact that they're sustainable. And they come from right source.
Glen Merzer: Yeah. So is she a local Kansas City vegan earring maker?
Gigi Jones: No, she's actually in Los Angeles. OK. That's Los Angeles. And she is from Singapore, if I'm not mistaken. Yeah, she lives there. And every year, like I mentioned, I organize this huge veg festival right here in the Midwest. Who would believe that could be a veg festival in Kansas City? Kansas City is known for what? Big beef, right? Yeah. all of it right here, one of the largest veg festivals right here in the Midwest.
Glen Merzer: How many people show up?
Gigi Jones: We have about 5,000 people to show up from all around. They come from neighboring cities, from St. Louis, Oklahoma. We do have folks coming out of LA, Chicago. We have visitors from Washington, DC. So, you know, it's just it's growing and it's growing and growing. have activists there, animal activists, environmentalists. We even have our sanctuaries, animal sanctuaries come out and I helped to support them by all of the proceeds going to them as well.
Glen Merzer: that's very nice. Now, how long have you had the have you had Gigi's Vegan and Wellness Cafe?
Gigi Jones: Now we're embarking on five years.
Glen Merzer: Five years. Who would have thought? And is it all raw or is it some cooked food?
Gigi Jones: We have some cooked food, but the majority is raw. The cooked food that we offer here is mostly like soup. Everything else is low temperature and our dehydrators and, you know, everything is majority raw.
Glen Merzer: OK, now
Gigi Jones: living. I like saying living foods. Is that OK?
Glen Merzer: You can say living foods.
Gigi Jones: Because I think that there's the stigma with raw food that people think, I'm just gonna munch on a carrot, or a celery or whatever, and that's all that I can eat. But living foods is, it's huge, meaning fruits, vegetables, avocados, those things are not cooked over a temperature of 100 is considered, 97 is raw. Yeah, living things.
Glen Merzer: OK. Did I do my temperature is ninety eight point six and I'm.
Gigi Jones: Yeah, so you are nice.
Glen Merzer: Yeah. So you healed yourself of colon cancer. How long ago was that and how do you do it?
Gigi Jones: well, I tell you this, Glen, this was in 2015.
Glen Merzer: not that long ago.
Gigi Jones: Not that long ago. everything that I'm doing now. was connected. I had no idea that I would be where I am doing what I'm doing now.
Glen Merzer: So what was your diet like before you got diagnosed?
Gigi Jones: I am a southern bail. my diet consisted of what my mother and my grandmother ate from fried chicken to, you know, pork chops, mashed potatoes and gravy. And every now and then I have salad or I would have You know, green beans and different things like that. But it was a standard diet.
Glen Merzer: it was a meat based diet,
Gigi Jones: meat based diet, foods,
Glen Merzer: fried foods,
Gigi Jones: very unhealthy standard Southern diet. Chips, you name it, I ate it because growing up, that's how we ate. And as I became an adult, I ate the same way it was comforting food. And when I had my children, generational passed down from generation to generation, which is the generational curse.
Glen Merzer: many children did you have?
Gigi Jones: I have four sons.
Glen Merzer: Four sons, wow. And so did they grow up eating that same kind of southern food?
Gigi Jones: They did. They did, considering that, you know, we're a tight-knit family. My mother was very involved in helping to raise my children and my husband at the time. my grandmother, know, we're from the South, we're from Arkansas, so everyone is still, you know, involved in that part of the process with your children. And how dare you tell your Southern parents that your kids are not gonna eat chicken or whatever it is that they, you know, fried food. No, that's a staple, a Sunday staple in the family, you know. Every Sunday you talk about a lot of fried foods. That's when we have almost like Thanksgiving, you know, after Sunday church. This is what we ate.
Glen Merzer: So were you getting some bad symptoms before you got your diagnosis?
Gigi Jones: You know, the symptoms was there. But to me, at that time, I was stressed. I had owned a boutique and there were a in this new area in Kansas City where a streetcar was coming through, you know? And the stress with that because no one could get through my door, crane set in front of my business for about three years. And that was a lot of stress for me. It just erupted my life. And I didn't know what I was going to do with, you know, business wise, because I was out of so much money, losing money every day, stress behind that. But at the same time, we know what happens. Stress cause you to eat, eat a certain way because you want food to make you feel good. So there I go again. The diet I had at that time was even worse than what I had prior to that.
Glen Merzer: So you had a different business then?
Gigi Jones: Yes, I did.
Glen Merzer: What kind of business did you have then?
Gigi Jones: I owned a boutique. I sold women's clothes you know, a fashion boutique.
Glen Merzer: so the business was suffering because of the street work.
Gigi Jones: Yeah, streetcar. have a we have a new district that that were, you know, in the process of redeveloping. And I was stuck in that mayhem of a streetcar coming through, you know, but now it's beautiful. Well, that's good. I suffer tremendously. And that just caused a lot of other things to happen in my life. And I really believe that it was a part of that ticking bomb in my body, which was colon cancer at the time. I think that that just made things even worse. I don't know how long I had it, but I had it long enough for it to have been the stage that it was in.
Glen Merzer: What stage was it in?
Gigi Jones: I was stage three hitting stage four. That's what they... Yeah.what I probably think.
Glen Merzer: What did the doctor tell you to do?
Gigi Jones: Well, there was a lot of extra tests that needed to be done. There were x-rays that needed to be done. But I think when I received the diagnosis, it was unreal to me because cancer didn't run in my family. Heart disease, diabetes, run in my family, obesity, all of these other things run in my family. but that didn't, you know? And for me, it was truly a awakening moment. Number one, I don't know why, Glen, but it was the stigma that was attached to colon cancer, you know? Poop wise, I have this, I know the thing with that. You know, I can laugh now, but I was like, how can I tell someone that I have colon cancer? You know, it was the… Darnest thing to me about, because I was so uneducated, I've really never even heard of that. You know, your breast cancer, all of that, but for me, it was this disconnect with that. And I knew the symptoms, you asked me about the symptoms because of the way that I ate, I was always constipated, I had a lot of bloating, I had a lot of digestive issues. but I never for some odd reason, know, isn't that amazing how there is a real disconnect that we associate with the way that we eat and the way we feel. It's the craziest thing. But to move on to what you asked me, there was a lot of difference, you know, for me, the surgery part, what I needed to do, what they wanted me to do. And how more than likely I would spend about a week or two in the hospital. I would have to have this bag, you know, and my lifestyle was truly going to change. the doctor was advising immediate surgery. Immediate surgery.
Glen Merzer: you do the immediate, did you listen to him? Did you do the surgery?
Gigi Jones: I did not. You did not.
Glen Merzer: So you said, doctor, thank you anyway, but I'm not doing it.
Gigi Jones: That's not what happened. But what happened was after I had a call to self, Jesus God, and I sat there with myself and I prayed and I was saying to myself, what am I going to do? I had no one to take care of me. How poor boys are. No, they can't take care of their mom. just didn't want
Glen Merzer: How old were your sons at the time?
Gigi Jones: I mean, they were 15, 17, they were teenagers. They were just starting their life, chasing girls in college and all of that. But I just didn't wanna burden them with taking care of me. And I felt they really couldn't do that. Not wholeheartedly, like it needed to be done. So I don't know, I just had this thing when I went to... while I was in the office, I asked the doctor, said, so what can I do to straighten my body, to prepare my body for surgery? And when he said nothing, it was something within me that clicked and said, wait, there has to be something. I was a track star, you know, was
Glen Merzer: We’re you?
Gigi Jones: Yeah, so I know that what we do to prepare ourself before-You know, before tournaments and everything else, you have to prepare the body. Right.
Glen Merzer: What was your race?
Gigi Jones: I was a distance runner. I could for hours. Like, I could talk for hours.
Glen Merzer: How fast could you run the mile?
Gigi Jones: my gosh. Maybe about...Less than three minutes.
Glen Merzer: No, you didn't do a three minute.
Gigi Jones: No, didn't. I'm distant. I'm slow.
Glen Merzer: You were driving. I think you were driving.
Gigi Jones: I was driving. But I took my time. You know, I get there, but it takes, you know, I would run. But back to the question that you asked me, you know, just so that I can explain myself. That was just for me.unawakening moment within myself. I just felt my body being in a space of this isn't right. And because of that, I had no fear really after that, at that moment. I went back and I prayed and I said, know, God, I just know that there's a better way for me. What is the way? What do I need to do? Should I have surgery or not? And before I needed to, before I planned to do it, you know, I heard the message that if I choose this path that I would die. And for me, what that meant was strengthen your body, get yourself ready first. If it doesn't work, self-healing, then have surgery.
Glen Merzer: Okay. So, so basically the surgeon lost some credibility with you when he said there's nothing you can do to prepare yourself.
Gigi Jones: Absolutely.
Glen Merzer: And you meditated on it, and the voice told you, you're going to strengthen yourself, and then you'll see if you need the surgery.
Gigi Jones: Absolutely.
Glen Merzer: But how did you know how to strengthen yourself?
Gigi Jones: I didn't. It followed. just had that faith. I just had a little bit of faith, and I followed the message, even though my sons, my family, everyone. No, don't do that. Why are you trying to kill yourself? You know, you hear people that love you and they think that is the best for you. They think they know what's best for you when it's still up to you. Right. To be up to you.
Glen Merzer: So your family was weighing in saying you got to listen to the doctor.
Gigi Jones: Absolutely.
Glen Merzer: And you're resisting your family. And what do you do? Do you go to Dr. Google? And did you Google what you should do?
Gigi Jones: I went to Dr. YouTube.
Glen Merzer: Dr. YouTube. What kind of YouTube shows did you look at?
Gigi Jones: my God. It was a lot of craziness. You know, you know, within your common sense that this is not going to work, the pineapple diet or this diet to release your body of cancer. But what popped out was the China study. OK. China study that full documentary was on YouTube and they showed how you can turn disease on and off by the choices that you made.
Glen Merzer: Are you talking about forks over knives?
Gigi Jones: The China study first.
Glen Merzer: So there was a documentary called the China study. I wasn't aware of that.
Gigi Jones: Dr. Colin Campbell.
Glen Merzer: Right. Right. But I didn't know there was a documentary called the Chinese.
Gigi Jones: Yes. It's a true study.
Glen Merzer: yeah. It's his doctor Campbell's. Yes. Major work. Yeah, that's his major work.
Gigi Jones: And I watched that and. He showed how you can turn disease off and on by the choices that we made in our diet. And not only that, he did research on African women, zero breast cancer, zero cancer whatsoever, even China. But they noticed that when the rich in China ate fatty foods, then cancer came up. And so then he went to Hawaii and did the same thing and processed foods and all of that. And so through the China study, I had that awakening, but here's the thing. They didn't say how to do it, what to eat, what not to eat, how to, you know, how to, and that was, you know, it was a great documentary. was one that truly helped me awaken myself to understand that food could be medicine.
Glen Merzer: Right.
Gigi Jones: And right after China study, a Hippocrates Health Institute popped up and they talked about we help people help themselves.
Glen Merzer: So did you go down to Florida?
Gigi Jones: I did. I went down to Florida. I raised money and I went down to Florida. But when I went to Florida, I was not expecting living foods. I was not expecting to eat raw food, should I say. I wasn't expecting that. I thought I was going to be at like a hospital kind of setting and that I would have juice and different things like that, maybe some cooked food, all of, you know, but I did not expect my life to be transformed the way it
Glen Merzer: OK, so how did they transform you at the Hippocrates Institute in Florida? What did they feed you every day? And did they ask you to fast?
Gigi Jones: They did. And so what I ate mostly was every sprout you can name. I never knew about sprouts. I never knew that there was a broccoli sprout, onion sprout, sunflower sprout, pea sprout. It goes on and on and on. And I had no idea about sprouting our own food even nuts and seeds and lagoons and all of it. I mean, it was just an amazing transformation for me. And I think, you know, when it comes to healing, it's truly up to us. It's truly up to us, the decision that we make if in fact that, and it's hard work. It's, you know, I would not tell anyone it's easy and especially when the food here in America is so addicting and what they put in our foods to make it addicting, but the transformation is up to you. I decided to do that. person that never had sprouts and tons of salad mix that I never even heard of, leafy greens from all over the world. And everything living foods, everything wrong.
Glen Merzer: Exactly.
Gigi Jones: All those sprouts are the proof that it's living foods, right? The broccoli sprouts, the alfalfa. That's why there are no pork sprouts.
Glen Merzer: That's why. Because pork, not a living food. It is not whatsoever. So how long did you stay in Florida and eat those living foods?
Gigi Jones: I stayed there my first time staying there was for four weeks.
Glen Merzer: Four weeks.
Gigi Jones: I stayed four weeks and I felt you know when I got when I returned back to Kansas City I felt that I was out of place. I was out of sort I could hear things that I couldn't hear before. I can smell. Smells that I never could before
Glen Merzer: all your senses have improved.
Gigi Jones: my gosh. not only my senses, the way that I looked at life, the way that I viewed the animals, the way that I viewed the world, consciousness, my love for myself, everything changed. It was like this, I was glowing. I get back, my grandson says, Gigi, you're green. He said, you're all green, what happened to you? And you know, he said, you know, kids are something else, aren't they? They're amazing. And I get back and he said, I'm green and they were so happy. They wanted to know everything I ate, what happened. And these little beings I call my grandchildren at the time, little beings, they were running around calling me Gigi the vegan. And that's where the name comes from.
Glen Merzer: Now, had you consciously become a vegan?
Gigi Jones: I had. I was no, I wasn't turning. I wasn't.
Glen Merzer: So when you when you were in Florida, was there a day? When you were in Florida that you said starting today, I'm a vegan or did it start even before you went to Florida?
Gigi Jones: It started when I went to Florida. never even heard about many years ago. I heard a young lady said vegan, but I didn't know what it was. Brian Clemens talked about he called it vegan. know, the vegans like this and all of that. So I didn't know. I had no idea. I had no idea. I just knew I was eating plant. But then when he started speaking and what it was and what it's all about and, you know, and, and, and the process of it, then I had this connection and it took me, I say the first week I stayed for four weeks. I felt when I came back to Kansas city, I set up my kitchen, I threw everything out of my homes. I sold all of my leather. I became more conscious about my environment, how I took care of myself, how I took care of my family, how I took care of friends, how I took care of my business. And with that, I decided to go back to a parking team to become a health educator. Right after, a month after, I went back and I stayed 10 weeks.
Glen Merzer: Wow.
Gigi Jones: I stayed 10 weeks. I just couldn't stop. I couldn't stop. I didn't want meat anymore. I had no real symptoms of wanting meat, cravings, nothing. And I believe, you know, one night I had this dream that I was eating this caucus that was, you know, you know how when we take, most folks take meat home and. You know, it looks great in the package, you know, see the bloody stuff and you just cook it and eat the puss and all of that stuff. I know that's gross right now. And so, but my awakening moment was, I was, I felt I was almost like an animal just tearing this animal parts up literally, you know, eating it this way. And my mind was like, so that's what I've been doing. This is what we do unconsciously. That's what we do. And I this vivid dream to show me what I was doing. And I sobbed and I said from that day forward, I would never harm another human being. Let's know, you know, they said, well, animals are not human beings, Gigi. Says who? Who says who? I mean, I would never harm another being. I would never do that. And so that's when my life truly changed. And I feel like I let a lot of things, you know, I just released, I released the colon cancer from the stress. I released the colon cancer from what I was doing to myself, my body, what I was doing to the animals, to the world, to the universe, to other people. And once I released that, and I know that the cancer was released from my body, 110%. Not only just because of the food that I was eating, but because of who I became.
Glen Merzer: Well, when you came back to Kansas City, I guess after that second trip to Florida for 10 weeks, was it? Did you then get a scan and discover that the colon cancer?
Gigi Jones: I did.
Glen Merzer: What did you discover?
Gigi Jones: So, of course, I needed to get this done, not only for myself, but for others as well. And then I felt, okay, I'm strong enough. But I knew within my mind saying, it's done, it's done, it's done. I go back. had the colonoscopy. They're waking me up with the colonoscopy. Gigi, we just want to know what's going on. And I'm coming, you know, I'm awakening at this moment. I said, I don't understand the doctor, you know, standing there. We see the die, but we don't see where. The tumor. I said, I don't understand what you're saying. I'm coming to and they're like, well, the diet is there where the cancer was, but where is what did you do?
Glen Merzer: And I think you had operated on yourself.
Gigi Jones: No, I think they did. So they thought maybe I don't know what they knew. I didn't have any surgery, but they knew from the scans from they had charts with them, couldn't figure it out. This was in 2015. You know, they couldn't figure out what happened. And so I decided to go have a second opinion because I wanted this to be like a moment of saying, okay, let's just do this again, only so that I can hear the next doctor say the same.
Glen Merzer: And that was- do another colonoscopy or just-
Gigi Jones: I did. The dye is still in the body. The dye didn't leave me. cancer was was still there, but the cancer was. Cancer was not.
Glen Merzer: And so did you go back to your original surgeon who wanted to operate?
Gigi Jones: You know what they wanted to do? The surgeon says. I called them, I sent my chart over. This is this, but this is what he suggested that I do every month. I should have a colonoscopy every month,
Glen Merzer: every month?
Gigi Jones: because. It could come back. We don't know what happened every month. We just want to monitor you.
Glen Merzer: Why not every week?
Gigi Jones: Right. The second doctor says, no, that's ridiculous. The colon is so thin that they could actually puncture it. you can't help, that's a surgery. You cannot help that every month. Why would they even recommend that? And then it was like an aha moment because they know what they want to do. You know, at the end of the day, they didn't make any money. So they have to figure out a way too.
Glen Merzer: Well, I think they were also just shocked and didn't understand what happened.
Gigi Jones: Very shocked, very shocked. And I wasn't, because I felt so darn good. I felt so strong. My body was back in a state that has never been, know, for such a long time since my teenage years. You know, my dad just assisted working perfectly. I felt great. I felt amazing. I still do. I can outrun my grandchildren. You know, I feel really, I feel fantastic.
Glen Merzer: Are you still running that three minute mile?
Gigi Jones: No, I'm not. Not lately, not lately, not lately.
Glen Merzer: So how long had you fasted when you were in Florida?
Gigi Jones: wow. I fasted for the first 21 days. You did a 21 day fast.
Glen Merzer: Did a 21 day fast. Was that a water fast or a juice fast?
Gigi Jones: Juice fast.
Glen Merzer: And was it mainly vegetable juices?
Gigi Jones: They are signature juice, which is, you know, the cucumber celery and loads of sprouts. They juice all of those and high doses of vitamin C.
Glen Merzer: So how many juices are taken in per day?
Gigi Jones: Roughly about six juices a day. That's including clean water. That's including some herbs as well as our teas and different things that we would drink there. And I believe as well, you know, we need high doses of vitamin C to help shrink tumors. And so cancer treatments especially, and I was able to receive those treatments. Not only did I receive those treatments, but cycle therapy, it's a main component to our wellness because the mental wellness, I had to not only believe that I could do this, that I can heal myself. But not only that, I had to release myself of childhood trauma, some of the trauma that caused this in the first place. And I truly believe a lot of our, you know, when the body is in a diseased state, a lot of it, because we're off balance with what we're causing to our body, because we have not let go of certain anger in our lives or disappointment or whatever happened with us, with our parents or.
Glen Merzer: divorces and loved ones passing, whatever it may be, but we need help and support with releasing that. When we release that, we release other things in our bodies, especially disease.
Gigi Jones: did you do some counseling when I did they have on the staff?
Glen Merzer: Yes,
Gigi Jones: psychological counselors.
Glen Merzer: Exactly. And I had counseling the first time I went twice a week.
Gigi Jones: twice a week and from the counseling, it's not your typical counseling that you would, someone would go and talk to someone. This is pretty aggressive. And they, of course you're speaking to someone, but at the same time you're doing some true healing. And they kind of take you back to, they can figure out when your true, I should say, know, trauma started in your life. you know, stress or whatever it may have caused it, they can actually self hypnotize you to take you back to that time for you to release. It takes a little bit of adjusting, but it, I tell you it works. That's, but now I see the difference between, they say there is a difference between counseling and psychotherapy. Okay. You think, Glen.
Glen Merzer: Now, you said that vitamin C was an important part of the program. What was the source of vitamin C?
Gigi Jones: So, vitamin C has been known, high doses of vitamin C can help shrink cancer tumors. But certain people sometimes think, I can take this over the counter and so on and so forth. typically you can't, you have to get it intravenously. And that was a part of my regimen as well.
Glen Merzer: Well, you had intravenous vitamin C doses.
Gigi Jones: was walking around wobbly like a zombie.
Glen Merzer: So it wasn't apples in the no fruit whatsoever.
Gigi Jones: None whatsoever. I could not partake in fruit. I had a strict regimen. And that also included, you know, working out. It also included the infrared sauna. You know, I was spin. roughly about 15 minutes in the morning, 15 minutes in the evening, roughly almost an hour, I say per day in the sauna. Because we know infrared sauna heats our body for temperature up and it actually can reduce chronic disease and toxins from our body. And then the saltwater pool and then the cold plunge. So there was a lot of these modalities that was included with my you know, self-healing, not just food, there's other, you know, other ways of healing the body.
Glen Merzer: Now, was the reason that fruit was excluded because they were trying to keep you more alkaline?
Gigi Jones: Absolutely. They truly believe that cancer feeds off sugar. And, you know, we are in America, so everything is sweet, and packed with sugar, even our fruit. So I couldn't partake in any in any fruit whatsoever, even blueberries or strawberries or anything like that, which is low sugar, you know, count. But because I was self I was healing, I couldn't partake into anything like that. And that's the thing when you're healing, there are certain things that you shouldn't eat, you have to stay away from.
Glen Merzer: Okay.
Gigi Jones: And that was a part of my regimen as well.
Glen Merzer: Now that you're healed, do you eat fruit?
Gigi Jones: I eat blueberries and strawberries. Berries mainly. No, I don't eat any apples or anything like that. I just don't go outside of that. I don't know. It's just that my palate has adapted to that. I still don't eat sugar. don't know. I'm very limited because we know sugar than most of our food anyway. But I can. Yeah, I just can't do anything sweet anymore. No salt, just like here at the cafe, I kind of mimic this space like a mini Hippocrates because we have sprouts here, sunflower, pea sprouts, broccoli sprouts, cold pressed juice, mostly green juices. We have, you know, living foods. We try not to, the only thing that's truly cooked is the soup. We are in Kansas City in the Midwest. It gets cold here. So people like, Gigi, we need something warm. So we do make soup here as well.
Glen Merzer: So what kind of soup do you serve?
Gigi Jones: Lentil soup, legume. Yes, quite delicious.
Glen Merzer: Now on your website, it mentions that you have an infrared sauna there too?
Gigi Jones: Yes, we do.
Glen Merzer: I'm trying to picture this. People come in to the cafe for the lentil soup, and then they take their clothes off and go in the sauna. Well, how does this work?
Gigi Jones: Well, you normally have to schedule an appointment, but yes, you can have a juice here or you can have the lentil soup, but the sauna is scheduled time and then you go in. Yeah, you can spend 30 to 45 minutes in our infrared sauna and we want the
Glen Merzer: sauna is right there in the cafe.
Gigi Jones: No, it's not in the cafe. It's in a different space. it's a different space.
Glen Merzer: How far from the cafe? so maybe about
Gigi Jones: so maybe about a couple of doors down because our house is set up like, it's like a house. So I always say welcome home, you know, that's the thing. It's a little blue house right here in Kansas City Westport. And, you know, it just feels like home, but then there's, you know, bedroom areas back in your house, you know, this is what it looks like. And then we have a sauna in one area. And then we used to offer infusion therapy here. We had an MD that was on staff. He just moved to Oklahoma. So we're looking to replace that so that we can offer the other modalities as well here too.
Glen Merzer: you're basically bringing Hippocrates to Kansas City.
Gigi Jones: Absolutely. Absolutely. I'm super excited about that.
Glen Merzer: And are you in touch with your friends at Hippocrates?
Gigi Jones: I am. Brian spoke at my badge fest two years back and I usually take a trip every February to Hippocrates and shake things up because it's Black History Month. And I go just teasing them about what they need to do about Black History Month because this black girl is back at Hippocrates doing Black History Month. Because you know, at end of the day, I believe that's when we truly and And my focus being in the African-American community as well, know, majority, because we know we're looking at diabetes, we're looking at heart disease, and especially with our children, obesity, heart disease. We have to, I have to do the work that I do because I have to change our mindsets on the way that we eat. we still eat the same way because it's been passed down a generation, a generation. And I believe that it's my job and people like me to break the generational curse. And that's what I'm doing.
Glen Merzer: And so when you when you come back glowing and your grandchildren say you're green. What do your sons say? Do your sons say maybe we should start going vegan?
Gigi Jones: Absolutely. I have the four. I have two that went vegan.
Glen Merzer: Pretty good.
Gigi Jones: know the other two, you know, they're married. They have their own household. They, you know, and I had to for me. It was such a struggle for me to not understand why they weren't choosing that lifestyle.
Glen Merzer: What did they say?
Gigi Jones: I can't eat like that. My wife did not want to eat like that. Mom, I'm trying and you know, and this is that they're trying but they can't. They have and I say, well, you live in for yourself at the end of the day. It's all about loving yourself and loving the environment. I said, but you have to do better for yourself because I can see their health, what they look like, you know, even though they are handsome men but you're overweight. You know what I mean? I can see the bellies, both of them. Once a chef, I'm teasing him all the time. He says, mom, I made all these changes. I'm eating more veggies. I'm eating this. Some days I don't even eat meat at all. And so I'm grateful for them where they are, but I know that they can do better. And I had to release them because I was holding on to that getting ready like, wait a minute, Gigi, you can't get sick again carrying these bags because your children are not making the decision that you've made or sacrifice that you made for your life for their children. Step back. Keep being an example. And that's all I can do.
Glen Merzer: The two who are vegan, tell us about them.
Gigi Jones: Well, one, I named black Jesus.
Glen Merzer: His name is black Jesus.
Gigi Jones: His name is black Jesus. He would just shake his head like, I can't believe she's saying this. She says this all the time. I call him that because his gift is in carpentry, but he says certified electrician. I wasn't looking for the space. This space found me. that is Gigi's vegan and wellness cafe. when I, when the space found me, It wasn't the roof was the ceiling was kind of caving in. was all office spaces. It didn't look anything like it looks now. And I called the only person that I knew that could turn this into my vision, open space, all of these little pockets, the wellness area, supplement wall. We needed to build these things. called him here and that's what he did. If you could see this.
Glen Merzer: your son did it.
Gigi Jones: Black Jesus did. Yes, he did. His is Darien. Because he's a carpenter. That's his gift, know, He's a carpenter by hand, by trade.
Glen Merzer: OK.
Gigi Jones: Yeah, certified electrician. I'm so proud of him. And he has a family with three children. And he's vegan, of course, but his wife isn't. He did it either way. She eats his food, he says, so he's going to continue his lifestyle. And he loves what he loves it. Great. First born.
Glen Merzer: And he's slender, right?
Gigi Jones: Yes. Yes, he is. My first born, Charles, he works with me here. He's my manager. He's been vegan since day one when I stepped back came back to Kansas City from the Hippocrates and looked at me and said, okay, I'm in. Good for him. Yeah. So he's been vegan ever since. And this year at Midwest Soul Veg Fest, I have both of my sons on the panel about men don't eat meat. So I had this panel and I wish I would have, Glen, I wish I would have known about you, what you do. You could have, this would have been a great interview for you. to help all these men on this one panel that don't eat meat. just think of it.
Glen Merzer: Yeah. Well, next time that happens, give me some advance warning.
Gigi Jones: I will. I will. I will. This year, we've been asked to move into Kansas City, Kansas territory for an educational veg fest, as well as Little Rock, Arkansas. So we're excited.
Glen Merzer: OK.
Gigi Jones: Yeah, we're excited. So like I mentioned,
Glen Merzer: Again, my oldest son Charles. I did mention about him going vegan early.
Gigi Jones: Yeah So does he basically eat the same kind of diet you eat? Yeah, he does Charles come away to say hi.
Glen Merzer: Welcome to the show Charles
Gigi Jones: Here he is my first born Charles
Glen Merzer: So so Charles you became a vegan as soon as you saw your mom coming back from Florida,
Charles Jones: Yes like a no brainer.
Gigi Jones: Sorry, I my little doggy here. She's barking to get his attention. Sometimes I think she loves him more than she loves me.
Glen Merzer: Well, you know. Yeah, so there's Charles, when you changed and you became a vegan, how big a switch was that for you? Was that difficult?
Charles Jones: How big of a switch was it?
Glen Merzer: Yeah. Had you been eating a lot of meat before and you changed your life dramatically or what?
Charles Jones: Yeah, it was difficult, meaning like I had to get myself off of things that I thought was my favorite dish. Right. Or just being here. So, and since you just can't stop it right away, I just did one thing at a time, went to all my favorite places, went over and a bread study. ate everything in the house and then just like, okay, mom, done. Yeah.
Glen Merzer: But if you were to eat the animal foods now that you used to eat, you think they would taste good now?
Charles Jones: No, I don't even look at them the same now. When I was on the countdown, I would go to places that have that would have had, they would try to cater to vegans and I would see the double this and all of the stuff I would pick. And after when I got cleaned up, just looked like, it was just, it looked like roadkill to me now. It just, it didn't look the same to me anymore. And I was just like, dang, I was, I used to be like, get, this ad on there. It's just, yeah, it's not the same.
Glen Merzer: So yeah. Now that is a cute animal you're holding there. Yeah.
Gigi Jones: Yes, she was gifted because the couple could no longer take care of her. She gifted her to me during that time that I was going through my process with the cancer. And she was a great, a great, a great.
Glen Merzer: She was a cancer companion dog.
Gigi Jones: Yeah, she is. Her name is Lala.
Glen Merzer: OK, well, hey, Lala. Nice to see you.
Yeah. You didn't know, Glen, that you were going to have the whole family on.
Glen Merzer: everybody's.
Charles Jones: Yeah. All right. All right.
Glen Merzer: Nice to nice to see you, Charles.
Charles Jones: You too.
Gigi Jones: I asked, would you assume I was saying to me and has this other how many other networks do you have, Glen, that you mentioned earlier?
Glen Merzer: Well, the show is going to be on different. all the audio podcast platforms like Apple Podcasts and so forth. Yeah. And it's on YouTube. Yeah.
Gigi Jones: Do you have like this? Men and don't eat meat.
Glen Merzer: well, real men don't eat meat is a is a website where the where you can access the podcast to. Real man eat now. Now it's called real man eat plants dot com. Yes.
Gigi Jones: That's what I thought. I got a little confused myself. OK, many plants. OK, I'm going to send that out to OK. Yeah. To all the real men.
Glen Merzer: Now, tell me about the Kansas City Health Initiative that brings vegan food to low income communities.
Gigi Jones: Well, that started doing COVID at that time, because we knew that the children were out of school, the kids were out of school, they didn't have access to food and especially in the urban core community where you look at where majority of the food deserts are. so we wanted to create an organization where we can go into these areas and feed kids, not only kids, but family plant-based nutrition. And just so that, you know, to get them to understand that it doesn't have to be, you know, you hear these things, I can't eat that, it's nasty, or it doesn't taste the same or however, but just to give them that opportunity to try something new that now, I mean, we're serving roughly about every week, about a hundred meals per week out in the community. you know, on and some days is even more than that and especially during Thanksgiving. But our initiative, not only within the, you know, within those communities, but also within schools, because a lot of kids that are going to school don't have and in the system, still charges for breakfast and lunch. And we're excited that we are a resource that we can go into the schools now and serve kids. you know, meals. But we do that also through education. We have an education model that is in place within the Kansas City School District.
Glen Merzer: Now, is the vegan movement growing in the African-American community in the Midwest?
Gigi Jones: I believe that it has taken off. So it's huge. It's getting bigger because when I started at that time, when I came back, no one I would have workshops and people would come. and I would educate them about this lifestyle. And they would say, well, Gigi, I can't stop eating fish or I can't give up chicken or I can't give up cheese or whatever it may be. But then, you know, it started, it started to move because I believe from creating Midwest Soul VegFest, the language was different. You know, we have to use a little different language. We have to make it fun. and we have to make it creative. And now because of that movement, it is a huge, it's a big community now. huge community. Yeah, I've never seen, I mean, if you come, sometimes, some days, I mean, at VegFest, just chuckle because it is the funniest thing, not only, you know, it's a huge celebration, but to see all of us in the Midwest cow town. at an event and it's all plans. But we're eating it. You know what mean? And we're just having fun. It's just magnificent. It's the best thing ever.
Glen Merzer: also see that on your website you have some foods that you sell like packaged foods, kale, kind of thing?
Gigi Jones: We make our own kale chips. I've been making those since I got my returning from Florida. I've been making those for a very long time. these are no oil kale chips.
Glen Merzer: No oil kale chips,
Gigi Jones: organic kale, you know, organic kale from local farmers. And when we can't get it locally, we do have a garden in the back where we grow the majority of our food here.
Glen Merzer: Wow, I didn't know that.
Gigi Jones: So, yeah, we are, yeah, now we're looking at property to buy so that we can create a larger farm and be able to help. communities serve more communities, you know with free food and that's our Overall goal.
Glen Merzer: So you've got a lot of big plans, huh?
Gigi Jones: I have a lot of stuff I do I really do and tell us about some of the other plans
Glen Merzer: Are there going to be more Gigi wellness cafes?
Gigi Jones: my gosh, we've just been asked we have a huge meeting with a representative in our Des Moines that would be here in December 2nd They want us to open a new space there and then wants us to be in Florida. But I also I'm working on a wellness center here. I'm looking at this hundred and eight year old home. I mean, that has been kept well, eight bedrooms, and I want to create the space when people are traveling to Kansas City and they want to stay in a space where they can have cold press shoes. or, you know, plant-based nutrition with infrared sun, saltwater pool, you can do that. You know, or you can come for a mini retreat, stay a week, stay a weekend, it's totally up to you. And that's now, you know, I want to start a fundraiser and hopefully this happens. So that's my prayer.
Glen Merzer: Wow. All right. Well, if any entrepreneurs are listening out there, you could contact Gigi. At Gigi's Vegan and Wellness Cafe, right?
Gigi Jones: Yes, that's right.
Glen Merzer: And invest in a vegan retreat and wellness spa in Kansas City.
Gigi Jones: Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely. They can actually reach us, like you mentioned, also on all of our social media platforms. We're on Facebook. Instagram, LinkedIn, Gigi the Vegan, or Gigi's Vegan and Wellness Cafe. You can reach us. Can I give out the phone number as well if they want to call the cafe?
Glen Merzer: I guess so. Go ahead.
Gigi Jones: If you're of those people that still love using the phone and making phone calls.
Glen Merzer: But maybe you'd be better off just giving an email address.
Gigi Jones: Yeah.So email address is gigithevegan.com and that's gigithevegan.com. It'll come directly to me or info at ggvegancafe.com.
Glen Merzer: That's right. the website is? gigivegancafe.com.
Gigi Jones: gigivegancafe.com.
Glen Merzer: or anyone who's within driving distance of Kansas City. Get over there. Have the lentil soup. Take off your clothes and get in the sauna. You know, do things appropriate.
Gigi Jones: Absolutely. Right here in Kansas City, Missouri, 1103 West Fourth Road.
Glen Merzer: OK, well, I will stop by the next time I'm in Kansas City.
Gigi Jones: Please do. Please do. We would love to see you. We treat you like royalty.
Glen Merzer: Well, thank you very much. Gigi, it's been a pleasure meeting you. It's a spectacular story you have. It's an inspiring story. And, you know, it just shows that the route to healing is through through plants.
Gigi Jones: Absolutely. It truly is.
Glen Merzer: All right.
Gigi Jones: My little slogan is, you know, of course we know lead food be their medicine, but killing our body one plant at a time. And that's what it truly does.
Glen Merzer:That's absolutely true. All right. We'll see you soon, Gigi.
Gigi Jones: Thank you.
Comments