172. Debt Update, Antidepressants, YouTube & Building A Team
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In this episode, I share a quick update on how life has been, what I’m looking forward to, what I’m doing to invest in my business and (my well being) my anxiety about returning to YouTube.
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170. What Vitamins Do Vegan Kids Need & A Plant Positive Lifestyle for Families with Dr. Shayna Smith
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Maxine's Heavenly - https://brnvgn.me/maxines use discount code BROWNVEGAN to save 25%
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Dr. Shayna Smith is a board-certified Lifestyle Medicine physician and pediatrician promoting a ‘plant positive’ diet and a healthy lifestyle.
A family history of illness is what first motivated Dr. Smith to learn more about medicine and the role of lifestyle on our health. While she always considered herself healthy and active, it wasn’t until she experienced her own health scare that she became interested in a plant based diet. She shares with me on the podcast how she was introduced to the idea of veganism when a friend who flew in for her surgery took her to a plant-based restaurant and mentioned The China Study.
If you don’t know, The China Study is considered the most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted which explored the impact of diet on long term health. It basically concluded that the more animal products humans consumed, the higher the risk of chronic disease.
Dr. Smith shares how she was intrigued by the idea that eating vegan could reverse diseases and began researching on her own, then taking part in a 10 day plant-based challenge with her son that led her to realize she could do this full time.
We talk about what that transition looked like for her and her family, and how she learned that eating vegan isn’t about restricting foods but eating more new foods. She also talks about how her son (who was in 4th grade) felt about going vegan and what she makes for school lunches for a vegan child.
Of course, being a vegan doctor in the medical field comes with amazing expertise and interesting experiences, and Dr. Smith shares a lot about her life and career with me on this episode. While she once worked nonstop in the emergency department of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Dr. Smith opened up her own pediatric private practice a few years ago to focus more on the health and wellness of her patients.
We dive into so many valuable topics that you won’t want to miss. This episode includes:
How dealing with a health scare led to a vegan diet
Raising vegan children including tips on what to cook for them (keep it simple), and what supplements vegan (and non-vegan!) children need
How the medical field traditionally focuses on reactive vs proactive medicine and how a plant based diet can prevent and reverse chronic disease
Stress and the importance of self care as a physician and mother
Rest and movement as a form of self care
The lack of nutrition education in the medical field
Dr. Smith’s ‘plant positive’ approach and her goal of getting people to eat more plants
The importance of trying new foods and challenging your ideas of what you don’t like to eat
How modern food is designed to overwhelm your taste buds and your brain
The rise of preventable diseases in children and what we can do about it
Contact Dr Smith:
Flourish Peds in GA
Resources Mentioned:
169. Why Every Vegan Content Creator Needs A Blog with Shauna Renee
Shout out to this week's sponsor:
Maxine's Heavenly - https://brnvgn.me/maxines use discount code BROWNVEGAN to save 25%
Clicking the link above is an easy and free way to support the podcast.
Thank you so much for checking out the sponsor!
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This week, I have a very special podcast guest returning for the FOURTH time!
A fan favorite: Shauna Renee, my influencer manager.
Shauna Renee is the CEO of VOI Agency and Effortless Launch. She helps influencers secure paid brand partnerships. She's also passionate about helping influencers and content creators make money on their own terms with automated online offers.
For those of you that don’t know, Shauna and I have been working together for about three years now, and I lovingly refer to her as my own Suge Knight (lol) because she is TOUGH, keeps me and the brands I partner with accountable, and gets me that bag $$$! She is a wealth of knowledge on all things influencer business, and on this episode of the podcast we are diving into some serious business strategy.
We’ll talk about how we met and started working together 3 years ago, and share how our partnership began before tackling our main topic: why content creators need a blog and website.
These days, influencers and content creators are under constant pressure to keep churning out content on social media platforms like Instagram and Tik Tok. And while those platforms are great for lead generation and building community, the lifespan of the content there is SO short compared to longer form content like blogs. So many people are left to wonder how to not burn out while marketing on social media.
Shauna shares with me why having a website and a blog is key to extending the lifespan of your content and growing your audience. You’ll also get to hear her suggestions for the first steps you should take to get started creating a blog (even if it feels overwhelming).
This episode is all about working smarter not harder.
We chat about:
How we met and started working together
What an influencer manager does
Brand partnerships, negotiating rates and contracts and how to handle late payments from brands
Why having a website is a must for influencers
Instagram and Tik Tok burnout, and now allowing these platforms to rob you of your energy
Creating long form content on a blog or Youtube to expand the lifetime of your content
Keyword research for your niche and creating your content around those keywords
How to optimize for Instagram bio with SEO keywords
Repurposing content so you are aren’t reinventing the wheel every time
Shauna also discusses her work as an influencer consultant and how she works to help influencers create their own digital offer, build a content strategy around that offer, and create a lead magnet to start growing their email list. She’s running an amazing offer right now which is a 60-minute strategy call with her to help you develop your own offer for just $99, which is a steal! You can find a link to book a call with her below.
PS: Shauna and I are considering making this an ongoing series focused on our businesses, strategies, and entrepreneurship. If you’re interested, drop a comment below or on Instagram and let us know!
Previous episodes with Shauna: 93, 102, 113
Connect with Shauna:
Sign up for a 60-min call with Shauna
Effortless Launch - done-for-you service for automating online offers)
Resources mentioned:
Previous Episodes with Shauna:
93. How Blaq.Vegan Grew Her Instagram From 0 to 16K in 10 Months
102. Do What Works Best for YOU | A conversation with Blaq Vegan (Part 2)
113. Imposter Syndrome, Working with Brands & Finding Your Purpose with @shaunarenee.co
ahrefs.com - Keyword Research
keywordseverywhere.com - keyword research
Squarespace - website hosting I use
Wordpress.org - to build website
168. Vegan Tips for Newbies & Veganizing Cultural Meals with Aida
Shout out to this week's sponsor:
Maxine's Heavenly - https://brnvgn.me/maxines use discount code BROWNVEGAN to save 25%
Clicking the link above is an easy and free way to support the podcast.
Thank you so much for checking out the sponsor!
Listen here…
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If you’re a new vegan or someone interested in becoming vegan, this episode will be so valuable to you!
Today I have Aida Habte on the podcast.
Aida’s family is from Eritrea and her cultural upbringing as a first generation Eritrean-American helped shape her food choices later down the road. Growing up, she understood from an early age where meat comes from since her family and community would buy fresh meat from local farmers and would often see the animals being slaughtered.
While it was a normal experience for her culture and community, Aida does share with me on this episode that seeing the realities of animals being killed from a young age definitely played a role in her initially going pescatarian.
As so many of my guests share, watching documentaries about our food systems, health impacts of animal products, and the realities of animal agriculture played a huge role in helping Aida decide to go vegan.
She thought, “If I care enough about these issues to stop eating meat, I should probably go all the way and go vegan.”
Aida talks about this transition and how she made the final decision to go vegan in 2020.
Like I mentioned, this podcast will be so relatable for new vegans since Aida has only been vegan for two years herself. As a newer vegan, she brings a great perspective about transitioning to veganism, and shares some amazing tips that you all will definitely benefit from.
She is also a vegan mom and we have a powerful conversation about letting go of having complete control over your children’s food choices, educating and empowering them to make their own decisions, and how we all need to release judgment around vegan parenting.
In this episode we chat about:
Aida’s personal journey going from being a pescatarian to a vegan, and what inspired her to go vegan
Veganizing cultural dishes
Being a vegan mom, raising vegan children, and the complexity of transitioning a family to veganism
Nutrition myths about meat and dairy that we all were raised to believe
Strategies for staying full and feeling satisfied as a vegan
Why raw vegans need to eat larger portions
Tips for new vegans to help them transition easily, make delicious & simple meals, and feel satisfied when eating plant-based
Why you need to find what works for YOU as a new vegan
Connect with Aida:
167. Being Vegan in the South and Why A Peace of Soul Has THEE Best Chicken Sandwich with Folami Geter
Shout out to this week's sponsor:
Maxine's Heavenly - https://brnvgn.me/maxines use discount code BROWNVEGAN to save 25%
Clicking the link above is an easy and free way to support the podcast.
Thank you so much for checking out the sponsor!
Listen here…
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I’ve been looking forward to this week’s episode for a long time! In this episode, I chat with Folami Geter, the chef and owner of A Peace of Soul Vegan Kitchen in Columbia, South Carolina.
Folami Geter is the self-taught chef and owner of A Peace of Soul Vegan Kitchen in Columbia, South Carolina. She was raised vegetarian and spent ten years working in her family's restaurant business before branching out on her own in 2014. She has an award-winning gift for transforming southern comfort food favorites like fried chicken and macaroni and cheese into healthier, but still delicious fully plant-based cuisine. Food Network, Thrillist, The Local Palate, and more have recognized A Peace of Soul as one of the nation's foremost vegan restaurants and food trucks. When she's not in her food truck or brick and mortar restaurant, Folami is a true foodie who enjoys traveling and eating her way across the globe.
I knew I wanted to have Folami on the podcast as soon as I first stepped into A Peace of Soul while on a trip to South Carolina. I ordered the fried chicken sandwich and, I’m not trying to be dramatic, but it changed my life!
When I say you have to get to Columbia, SC just to try her food, I mean it.
Unlike most vegans and vegetarians, Folami was actually raised vegetarian and has never eaten meat before. Her parents decided to go vegetarian for health reasons right before she was born. In the episode, we talk about what growing up vegetarian was like (there was no Miyoko’s cheese or Beyond Sausage in the ‘90s, ya’ll!) and how Folami transitioned from vegetarian to vegan when cheese was always a big part of her diet. We also touch on being vegan in the South and accepting that it can be harder to find vegan food options.
Of course, Folami’s amazing food and menu at A Peace of Soul Vegan Kitchen is why I wanted her on the podcast in the first place, so you already know we are diving into the food (again…that vegan chicken sandwich), the menu, and the behind the scenes of opening a vegan restaurant. The restaurant and menu was made with vegan-curious or newly transitioned vegans in mind, so you know that food is out of this world good!
Folami also shares her experience with non-vegan customers that are skeptical of eating vegan food and how she kindly talks them through the menu and turns them into regular customers.
In this episode we cover:
Growing up vegetarian + being the only vegetarian in school
What inspired transitioning from vegetarian to fully vegan
How giving up cheese can be the hardest for new vegans and prevent vegetarians from going vegan
Being vegan in the South and finding vegan food in grocery stores
Folami’s parents’ restaurants and entrepreneurship and how that influenced her own career
How renovating the restaurant taking 2 years turned into a huge business opportunity
Purchasing a food truck and how food trucks increase brand awareness for restaurants
A Peace of Soul’s rotating menu and the why behind it
Work life balance as a entrepreneur and the constant attempt to get more of it
Visit A Peace of Soul Vegan Kitchen:
Resources mentioned:
HappyCow app
Soul Vegetarian in Atlanta, GA