Vida Vegan Con III Recap

When I come back from conferences like Vida Vegan Con it’s not always easy to put into words what I experienced. This is the 3rd time I’ve been to VVC, first time presenting, and it’s bittersweet in numerous ways. First, it’s the last one. The three amazing women that organize the conference have full-time jobs and it’s not sustainable for them to continue it. So maybe someone else will come along and carry the torch.

There’s a special energy to this conference because you meet people for the first time that you’ve known online for years. Those outside of blogging and social media would think it’s weird how connected we feel to each other, but it is the age of the Internet ya know. The con also gives me a chance to connect with people I met at the first conference that have now become close friends. Basically, it’s a vegan love fest. I got teary on numerous occasions. And boy did we eat some amazing food!!

This was my first time as a presenter and I chose a subject that is outside my comfort zone. Usually I do cooking classes or talks about nutrition, cooking, meal planning and fitness. This time I talked about different forms of activism and how we can find unity in all of them. This podcast took my class a bit further if you want to take a listen. My intention with the discussion was for attendees to walk away with a bit more understanding and compassion toward others that may promote veganism in different ways. Really it’s a subject we could talk about for hours! I loved what everyone had to say!

My second presentation was actually a panel (with the badass Matt Ruscigno and Lacy Davis) about fitness and health so I felt comfortable there. I got to talk about my fitness journey as a whole for the first time, how awesome it is to lift weights, and how I’ve fallen in love with yoga all over again. Of course I touched on the fact that 1200 calories isn’t a magical number and we shouldn’t be afraid of eating! You can catch a little snippet of this panel in Jason Wrobel’s recap video.

I attended so many great classes, but Miyoko’s talk was the most inspirational as someone trying to get a vegan magazine off the ground. The other reason why the con was bittersweet is I actually left feeling like I needed to pull back and FOCUS. Rather than getting out there and doing MORE like many of the attendees felt, I feel like I need to do LESS. If I’m going to take Definition Magazine to print I’ve got a lot of work to do. A business plan needs to be created and I have to find ways to raise the funds. It’s a very daunting process that I have no experience with it.

It scares the shit out of me, but I believe in this magazine with all my heart.

In order to focus more on giving this magazine life I need to pull back, from this blog, from social media, from life. Creating the online magazine already takes so much time, unpaid, so I will probably need to get a “job”. I don’t know what the future holds but I know that I must tone down the outside noise and follow my dream.

If you haven’t already checked out the magazine all last year’s issues are free to download on Gumroad. Issues in 2015 are $4 and with over 80 pages of full color content in each issue it’s well worth the price!

We feature women of all shapes and sizes, we do not Photoshop or airbrush our models, we don’t use sensational headlines or write stories that make women feel like they aren’t enough, and of course there are no dead carcasses to look at. This is the first fitness and health magazine of its kind. Women deserve to have a magazine that lifts them up, empowers them on their own journeys, and is full of content they can actually use!

I’m not just saying how awesome it is because it’s my baby. It really is awesome.

I greatly appreciate your support and thank you for sharing the magazine with your friends. If you have any tips or experience with magazines please connect with me! I won’t be posting any more workout videos on the blog. I’m not sure anyone even watches the videos. If you want to stay connected I post on Instagram and Facebook the most. And I’m trying to build up the content over at the Definition blog (let me know what you want to see over there)!

As always, I’m grateful to be a part of your life and I hope you have a blissful day!