Posts tagged advocacy
Conversations at the Table with Non-Vegans, Getting Ready for the Holidays

Carlos and I have been vegan for a few years now, and sometimes that means I forget what it was like in the very early stages of making this change. By now, all our friends and family know we're vegan, they know why we've made the change, they've even got familiar with vegan foods and they make delicious meals and treats for us! It's very rare that we need to explain the way we eat to people these days. On our latest trip to London though (which you can hear all about in our two most recent podcast episodes here: part 1 and part 2), we were surrounded by dozens of non-vegan doctors at the two incredible dinners we were invited to, and I remembered what it was like to have all eyes on the two different plates of food at the table, mine and Carlos's. Yup we were the only two vegans in the room! It was a great reminder that we just had to talk about this topic together in the blog and podcast before the holidays, and it was a great way to flex that "we're the same but we're also different" muscle. In today's post and podcast episode, I'm going to tell you about what usually happens in these vegan/non-vegan conversations, and tips on how to be yourself and inspire without preaching or relying on any specific outcome, and especially, how to have fun and enjoy your meals when all eyes are on you as you answer some difficult or personal questions. If you're an introvert like I am, you know what I'm talking about and how strange it feels to be under the spotlight.

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Perfectionism, Veganism and Ex-Vegans

Let me start this off by saying that when it comes to perfectionism, I've got about 2 or 3 masters degrees. By perfectionism of course I mean the pursuit of perfectionism, since this is a horizon-like line that continues to move further away the closer we think we're getting to it. It's an illusion, but for a perfectionist, it just means we need to work a little bit harder if we want to get there. In spite of my advanced career in the pursuit of perfectionism, several things have happened throughout my life, especially in recent years, that have thankfully put me in a state of recovery. By recovery I mean that if there were 12 step program meetings I would surely need to attend for life just to keep it that way. It's work in progress. Not only am I a perfectionist in recovery, but I'm one of those lucky ones that also happens to be an overachiever, and trust me, that is not a good combination.

Here's a look at what my thought process would be in my pre-recovery days:

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