There are hundreds of ways to introduce Victoria, and I’m about to share so many of the incredible things she’s done, but to me, she was the very first author that made me see that there was a connection between my relationship with food, my values, spirituality, ethics, that every step I took had meaning, that even my messy past with food and emotional eating could find healing, and that most of the work with my issues had to start internally, not externally. She got me started on a path that has taken me to so many places since then, all on this quest to find peace with food, while still being in connection with the meaning behind my choices and my love for animals. In today’s episode we talk about her 38 years of being vegan, what she’s seen, how she’s stayed the course, how she found veganism back when there weren’t hundreds of books and podcasts and documentaries about it. We talk about having missteps on our journeys to veganism, how imperfection is a part of the process and what we can compassionately tell ourselves to celebrate even the smallest victories. We talk about some of the reasons many people stop being vegan, and one essential piece of the puzzle that can help keep us on course. We talk about the importance of taking things a day at a time, as well as the deeper, spiritual meaning behind our food choices. I ask Victoria a question I’ve been wanting to ask her for years about religion and spirituality. We discuss her passion for and practice of yoga, and why it’s so important, when practicing a philosophy that stems from another culture, to honour and incorporate its many teachings, and what is TRULY going to stay with us throughout our lives (spoiler alert, it ain’t that headstand!). Victoria talks about all the exciting projects she’s got coming up including the incredible documentary she helped produce “A Prayer for Compassion”, her incredible Mainstreet Vegan Academy where they prepare and certify vegan lifestyle coaches and educators, her upcoming and newly revamped podcast The Victoria Moran Podcast and much more. Listed by VegNews among the “Top 10 Living Vegetarian Authors,” Victoria Moran has written thirteen books including Main Street Vegan and Creating a Charmed Life, and was featured twice on Oprah. She is the founder and director of Main Street Vegan Academy, training and certifying Vegan Lifestyle Coaches and Educators since 2012; and she was lead producer of the 2019 documentary, A Prayer for Compassion, about food choices and spirituality. Victoria is one of the cofounders of the Compassion Consortium, an Interfaith, inter-species spiritual center for people who care about animals. After 475 episodes of the Main Street Vegan Podcast, she is about to launch the Victoria Moran Podcast, an exploration of vitality, spirituality, and compassion. Make sure to follow her work through her website, on instagram where she is @Victoriamoranauthor, as well as on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Our sponsor for today's show: Etsy shop Green and Experience: Natural and Reusable Vegan and Cruelty Free Hemp Dryer Balls - get 10% off your purchase by using promo code: BROWNBLE10 For all the other links mentioned in today's episode, click here.