“I dove in and have never looked back.” My Journey To Veganism.

Posted by Anya Sleezer << back to blog

Last Updated on January 31, 2023

If you had told me 5 years ago that I would be vegan, I wouldn’t have believed you. Life is funny like that. But after all the things I’ve been through when it comes to health, diet and exercise, once I committed to becoming a vegan I dove in and have never looked back.

While actually becoming a vegan happened basically overnight, my process of getting there wasn’t. As with most major life decisions, my journey to veganism was a long, drawn-out process that was confusing and sometimes frustrating, but ultimately makes perfect sense in hindsight. Like they say: Trust the journey.

Ten years ago I was overweight and deeply unhappy about it. I wanted more from myself and my life, so I lost 100 lbs. by eating clean and exercising regularly. In fact, I even became a fitness instructor and taught classes for ten years. My fitness journey taught me that food isn’t “just” food…it’s medicine. Especially for those facing health concerns.

While I was open to the idea of becoming vegan for a number of years, I became a student in 2019 after watching Game Changers and Forks Over Knives, and studying the work of Engine 2 founder Rip Esseltyn. My husband and I decided to try veganism for a month in January 2020. I wasn’t sure what we expected. I only know that once we tried veganism we were hooked.

The physical (and spiritual) benefits.

Since becoming vegan, we both feel better, have more energy, sleep better, and our bloodwork and cholesterol have majorly improved. Personally, I lost 20 lbs. without even trying, which was a nice side benefit. And as active adults, we can both feel significant differences in our athletic performance.

We skipped Vegetarianism, and went straight to Vegan SOS (Salt-free, oil-free and sugar-free). Sure, we cheat *occasionally* (I can’t resist the occasional dairy-free peanut butter cup…afterall, I’m only human). But we draw a hard line with animal products that we do not cross, not even on occasion. Like many vegans, we started for one reason (health), but became passionate about the other benefits (animal welfare and environmental stewardship). I’ve started to clean up other aspects of our lives too, like our cleaning products, as well as my hair and makeup products. We don’t miss meat or animal-based products at all. To be honest, we’ve been surprised by how much we don’t miss them!

Yes, I wish being vegan was a little easier sometimes. It can be challenging sometimes to just go to a restaurant or purchase products that use only clean, non-animal-based ingredients. Animal-based products seem to be everywhere, even in unexpected places. For instance, I just found out that many hair brushes use boar’s hair! However, I’m willing to deal with a little inconvenience, especially since I believe more vegan products will become available once more people discover how life-changing it can be.

But the benefits of veganism aren’t just physical. Spiritually, I feel more connected to something bigger than myself, and have more respect for all living things and the environment. However, I don’t want it to become my religion, or for others to feel judged for their choices. I’m not the “vegan extremist” you’ve heard about. Rather, I’m someone who has had her physical and spiritual life transformed by veganism, and wants to share my story with others. I believe part of being vegan is becoming more aware, more accepting, and more loving towards all animals — and that includes humans.

If you’re thinking about going vegan, give it a try. Go for 30 days and see how you feel. If you’re like us, after a few weeks you’ll never look back. You’d play a small part in making a big difference. If we all went vegan, the world’s food-related emissions would drop by 70% by 2050 according to a recent report on food and climate in the journal Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The study’s authors from Oxford University put the economic value of these emissions savings at around £440 billion, or $599,624,960,000! That’s a pretty powerful stat, and reason to get off the fence if you’re thinking about trying veganism.

Why Levo has “gone vegan.”

Levo has “gone vegan” for a very simple reason: I believe in it and want to work with companies that do too. Vegan brands and brands expanding into the vegan space want the same thing — a marketing partner who thinks like them, believes what they believe, and understands what they’re trying to accomplish. Put simply, they want a partner who “gets” them.

Vegan marketing is unique because it’s cause-based. You’re marketing to people with a specific, even deep-seated belief that is very personal (something I can relate to). However, it’s different from other cause-based marketing because it can span so many industries, products and services, like automotive, apparel/fashion, beauty, food/beverage, pet products, and so much more.

Given how complicated vegan marketing can be, I see a lot of the same mistakes:

Oftentimes vegan brands come across as very harsh, judgemental, and combative, an “us versus them” approach that eliminates everyone else. Some brands can get away with this, but in general this defeats the idea behind veganism of being more considerate to animals and people. Besides, it’s hard to increase sales with a “my way or the highway” approach. Making enemies certainly won’t attract people who are on the fence.

As Tom Bazeley, co-founder and managing director at Gaggle, puts it. ”Veganism can feel like a bit of a closed cult, which puts a lot of people off. It’s often presented to people as a binary decision – you’re either with vegans, or against them. It’s daft, and a great shame, because a plant-based diet has got so much going for it: the health, welfare and environmental benefits are evident.”

On the flipside, I also see vegan brands assume everyone is vegan for the same reason. However, each person is at a different point in their own vegan journey. For example, if they became vegan for health reasons, they may still use leather. But if the lead is nurtured and educated, they may start to want to use other non-animal based products. That’s what happened to my husband and me.

But the biggest mistake I see (and the one that can literally destroy your brand) is talking the talk, but not actually walking the walk. Vegan consumers believe in their cause, do their research, and are more educated about the brands they buy than the average consumer. They won’t just buy from you because the packaging looks cool or the tagline is clever. Your brand has to check all of their “cause checkboxes,” whether that’s your ingredients, production process, or even what your company is doing to the rainforest. Trust me — they will check. Be honest and transparent, principled, and make sure to make your information easy to find.

Veganism is a passion of mine, and I believe the best work springs from passion. You do better work when you’re excited to get up for it every day. Even more importantly, you do better work when you truly, deeply believe in what your clients are trying to do. At Levo, we can make a difference for your vegan brand, and want to help you spread the word, get your product out there, show compassion to animals (and people), and serve the environment.

Schedule your free consult with us and level up your vegan marketing with Levo!

Be conscious about vegan conscientious consumers

Now more than ever, customers care less about your brand value — and more about your brand’s values. We call these people conscientious consumers, and engaging them isn’t easy or intuitive. Let Levo show you how! Visit our page: An Introduction To Vegan Conscientious Consumerism and download our free guide.

Anya Sleezer

Anya Sleezer is the owner of Levo, a full–service marketing agency, focused on helping companies from all industries who are concerned with their marketing results, traffic, branding, advertising, or websites.

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