vKind — Vegan & Vibrant :: Mental Health Collective

Hi there, wonderful friends of vKind—

At the bottom of this page, you’ll find info on how to get your $25 coupon code for this course. I’m so excited to connect with you!

in peace,

Val

There are tons of resources out there for learning how to cook amazing vegan food and get your nutritional needs met on a vegan diet.

But what about the emotional & social challenges of shifting to a vegan lifestyle in a way that feels sustainable?

When I went made the decision to go vegan after watching documentaries like Food, Inc., Cowspiracy, and Earthlings, it was a no-brainer. I knew that this was the only lifestyle that aligned with my values, and that the dissonance of living outside those values was no longer acceptable to me.

Thanks to some awesome vegan cookbooks, blogs, and other info online, I didn’t have much trouble figuring out what to eat. But I had no idea what I was in for with the internal side of the transition…

On one hand, I felt SO GOOD, since my choices were no longer misaligned with my values and beliefs. On the other hand, I was overwhelmed with questions like these:

How will I handle it if my partner doesn’t make the same choice I do?
What will I say to my family at the holidays, knowing I’ll likely be mocked for being such a bleeding-heart hippie?
If my friends frequently do meat-heavy cookouts, how will I deal with the sadness and pain I feel being around that?
How do I grapple with the guilt of knowing how long I contributed to the suffering of animals— and the sadness of knowing how many animals are out there, this very moment, suffering?
How can I contribute to animal advocacy if I’m not sure how my skills apply or where to start?
What if it feels too hard and inconvenient and I slide back into my old ways?
How can I effectively talk about veganism in a way that intrigues other people instead of repelling them?

from-surviving-to-thriving-as-a-vegan-valerie-martin

You don’t have to figure this out alone.

Sure, you could scour the internet, blogs, books, and YouTube videos to get some of this information. Or you could let me do the sifting for you, and benefit from my 10 years of experience as a psychotherapist and 4 years as an ethical vegan.

I’ve known folks who’ve been vegan for 20 years, and others who’ve struggled stay consistent in their commitment to abstaining from animal products. Most of the times, the difference is this:

People who stay committed to their values have guidance and support for when things get challenging.

In this course, you’ll learn important foundational skills and strategies including:

EMOTIONAL AGILITY 101: How to process and cope with the intense emotions of the transition
RELATIONAL SKILLS 101: How to navigate some of the most common relational challenges during this time so you don’t feel totally isolated
COMMITTED ACTION 101: How to stay aligned with your values even when shit gets hard or making the vegan choice is very inconvenient

And most importantly, the course is delivered in mini-muffin-sized chunks so it doesn’t just sit around on your computer collecting digital cobwebs. You’ll get an email with a short video lesson and journaling prompt every day for 21 days, and access to one live group Q&A session with me (that will also be recorded). You can also connect with me further in my Vegan & Vibrant community.

Been vegan for a while?

Maybe this course is something you would have seriously benefited from years ago when you went vegan. If that's the case, I encourage you to consider a newbie vegan or veg-curious person in your life for whom this might make an excellent gift!