Hi! I’m the little sister, I’ve been vegan for 14 years and I was vegetarian two years before I transitioned into all out vegan. My older sister, Sayra, was the one who inspired me to go vegetarian when she started her own vegetarian journey back in 2008. She brought home a PETA  information pamphlet that opened my eyes to the reality of factory farming and animal cruelty. I could no longer live ignorant of this deeply heart breaking insight. I decided to give up meat, and slowly as I did more research and learned how to cook (somewhat) for myself, I mustered the courage to go vegan.

As a teen, I was self conscious of my body, and I felt like I would probably be better off and more confident going vegan. Naturally, I started shedding weight and after many years, I am still consistent with the same weight after dropping some pounds. I was also dealing with a lot of stress during my transition into going vegan. I was a people pleaser, an overachiever and I was dealing with suicidal thoughts. This was not an easy period for me at all, going vegan was the best choice I took during this time, and it opened up many opportunities to take care of my body and mental health in a holistic approach versus a clinical or pharmaceutical way.

As time went on, I kept learning new ways to take care of my body, different vegan recipes, and how to be vegan with all the products I use on my body. I still find myself learning new things, and I don’t think I ever will stop learning. Adopting a vegan lifestyle has been the most rewarding and educational experience of my life. Being vegan has led me to become a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC).

I want to be able to guide others to reach their health goals in a holistic and nonconventional way. Many times we resort to dieting and finding shortcuts to get the easy way out, but this doesn’t work. I myself have been there trying to take the shortcuts and I wasn’t able to reach long-term sustainable goals this way.

I’m still learning new techniques that work for me, and what works for me may not work for you. Everyone has different needs, and we are all bio-individuals. If you’re interested in a holistic approach to health like I am, check out our recipes and blog posts for more info.

XOXO Janelee