Vegan lifestyle articles that discuss ways of living in peace with humans, animals, and the environment.
When you attend the Main Street Vegan Academy, ou will make new friends, have marvelous vegan adventures, and learn more about the topic of veganism than you ever hoped or thought possible.
Robyn’s Graduation photo with fellow Alumni – November 2018
I’m back home in California after nine days in New York City at the Main
Street Vegan Academy. I’m still recovering from the fatigue, but it was so
worth it.
What is the Main Street Vegan Academy and what is the training for? Well,
I’m glad you asked! From the MSVA webpage:
“A Main Street Vegan® Lifestyle Coach and Educator (VLCE) is a practicing vegan who is certified to coach, counsel and educate individuals and groups on this health-promoting and compassionate way of eating and being in the world. As a Main Street Vegan-certified VLCE, you’ll be qualified to help individuals and groups go vegan, stay vegan, feel terrific, and be part of the wonderful ripple effect that’s saving the lives of people and animals, and helping heal the planet.”
Victoria Moran runs the Academy—and if you aren’t familiar with her,
please check out her books and podcast; she is an utter delight—and it’s
been turning out Vegan Lifestyle Coach & Educators (VLCEs) since 2012 (so,
yes, I am now a certified VLCE). The class is six days long and its go-go-go
all the way until the end. I booked an extra day in NYC after the class so I
could see the sights, but honestly—I stayed in bed all day until I got
hungry enough to drag myself out to dinner (the simply divine Seasoned
Vegan, just down from my hotel).
During my time at the MSVA, I had roughly sixteen lectures by various
luminaries in the vegan world on many different topics including vegan
principles, history, nutrition, fashion, communication, coaching, business,
and more. Every MSVA session is a little different depending on speaker
availability, but in my session we got to hear from Mariann Sullivan of Our
Hen House , Joshua Katcher of Brave Gentleman, Michael Suchman and Ethan
Ciment i.e. The VeganMos, Suzy Welch of CNBC, Chef Fran Costigan, author JL
Fields, and more, including Victoria herself.
Vegan macaroons from Confectionary (vegan chocolate and sweet shop)
We ate out most days at amazing vegan restaurants (or restaurants with a
large vegan selection) like MANA and Caravan of Dreams. We even had a field
trip day where we traveled to many vegan eateries and stores across the
city, like The Fanciful Fox and MooShoes.
Our group was made up of fifteen kindred souls, mainly from the U.S., but I
know there are often many who attend from other countries. Even though some
days I was achingly tired (damn fatigue), I seldom thought about it because
I always had someone to chat or laugh with. There were a few days where I
knew if had been home in California, I would have stayed in bed, but no way
in hell was I going to miss a minute of a lecture or time with my new
friends. So maybe that’s why it’s taken me so long to recover—or to write
this entry. My head has been full and my heart so very happy since my
return.
The vibe at the Academy was that of community, love and support. It was
almost like finding a new home—a home in the heart where kindness and
encouragement dwelled, and hope reigned supreme — little cornball, I know;
but it’s how I feel, corny or not. But my time in NYC was that
inspirational, that powerful — so dynamic and lively in fact that once I
returned home, I felt almost sad eating my morning meal in relative quiet—as
opposed to the cheery hubbub of mornings at the Academy.
If you have any interest in a forging a career as a vegan coach—or just
finding your own path in the world of veganism (you don’t have to want to be
vegan coach to attend, just a dietary vegan with a sincere interest in
learning more about the lifestyle, history, principles, and ethics of
veganism), please don’t hesitate to learn more about the MSVA program. There
are five sessions a year, and honestly, I wish I could go again! You will
make new friends, have marvelous vegan adventures, and learn more about the
topic of veganism than you ever hoped or thought possible.
Robyn Leigh worked in a macrobiotic kitchen for several years in Palo Alto,
California, before moving into the wine and beer department at the Berkeley
Natural Grocer Company in El Cerrito. She loved the job, but was forced to
leave in 2016 due to cancer. She now blogs about vegan food in the San
Francisco Bay Area, and continues to study macrobiotics, as well as Japanese
cuisine and culture.
She lives in Berkeley with her husband and four dogs, and attended the MSVA
in November 2018.
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