June 14, 2012, Vol. 10, Issue 11

Dear Friends,

I eat a lot of vegetables — I happen to like them a lot — but (full disclosure) I am not a vegetarian. I acknowledge and appreciate, however,  all of the attention vegetarianism is getting, and I want to add to it by featuring our speaker Victoria Moran, and her newest book, Main Street Vegan, in this issue. Victoria is a prolific author with eleven books (by major publishers) to her name.  Interestingly, I can recall when she was a bit in the closet about her vegan preferences — never mind that as a result of her choices, she lost 60 pounds and has kept it off for 20 years.

I’m excited that her new baby, Main Street Vegan, is getting attention — most recently an exciting endorsement on both Ellen DeGeneres’ main blog and her vegan blog.  Hot! Hot! Hot!

And what’s important for you, as a meeting planner, to know is that Victoria is not only a great writer, but a powerful and very entertaining speaker.  She has style, and a sense of humor and theater that she brings to her passion for her topics, as well as sensitivity to the needs of both audience members and clients. She’s real and people get that.

Victoria Moran:

Taking Vegan Main Street

Vegan diets have been inching their way into the headlines for quite some time now, due to celebrity endorsements, heightened awareness of health issues and benefits, as well as concerns about factory farming and the ecology of our planet. The health arguments are very convincing — it’s good for your heart, your skin, your mind, not to mention your waistline.

While she has her own deep convictions, Victoria is not an all or nothing kind of gal when it comes to moving people in the meatless-direction. In fact that’s what Main Street Vegan is all about — taking practical baby steps toward a vegan diet. She’s sensitive to the issues around being vegan on a budget and the practical aspects of everyday life as a vegan – social and family implications as well as convenience (or inconvenience as the case may be).

“I wrote Main Street Vegan to provide information and support to anyone, anywhere who wants to move veganward,” Victoria says.  In case you’re not already familiar with Victoria, she’s an Oprah-featured author of eleven books, a certified holistic health counselor (HHC, AADP), and a vegan of nearly three decades.  Sweetening the pot, her daughter Adair Moran, a lifelong vegan who’s grown up to be an actor, playwright, wildlife rehabilitator, and stunt performer, is co-author of this book. (I haven’t heard yet if she’ll be adding speaker to her repertoire).

“It’s the ‘hows’ of going vegan that can seem so daunting,” Victoria says,  “particularly for regular people who have considered or even started the process, but who have to contend with real world budgets, schedules and families.”  She knows all about this; when she decided to become vegan almost thirty years ago, she was a new parent in the suburban Midwest, with nary a Whole Foods in sight.  In fact, she grew up in Kansas City, known at that time as the country’s second largest stockyards.  In her story, she shares the surprising reason she made the transition despite numerous setbacks—and why others can too, no matter how small the budget, or the town. In short, she says, that while it is a major change, becoming a vegan isn’t nearly as hard as it seems.

Main Street Vegan’s 40 short chapters each close with a delicious, simple vegan recipe either from Victoria and Adair or donated from plant-based chefs and authors, including Joy Pierson of New York City’s legendary Candle Café; Kris Carr, the Crazy, Sexy Cancer documentarian; and Alexandra Jamieson, CHHC, AADP who cooked Morgan Spurlock back to health in the Academy Award-nominated film Super Size Me! – budget-friendly dishes like Cheapish Chili, comfort foods like Uptown Pizza, and holiday classics like Pumpkin Pie — the perfect antidote to that oh-so-common question: but what do you eat??

With a commitment to compassion and honesty (it’s not the end of the world if you slip up!) and the trademark warmth and humor that have made Victoria Moran a bestselling author, renowned public speaker and popular health coach, she and her daughter make veganism very accessible — main street, if you will.

Victoria’s books always have a wonderful conversational style and that’s exactly what you get with her as a speaker.  It’s as if she’s your guide and friend, sitting across the table. Your audience will be all ears. Whether it’s veganism or one of her other lifestyle topics, she’s a fabulous inspirational speaker who can draw people in, and I highly recommend her. To learn more about booking her for your event, or just to find out more about this remarkable, inspiring woman, visit her profile on our website or give me a call at 503-699-5031.

Dietary Doings

My most recent dietary foray is going gluten-free, as a courtesy to my thyroid gland. It’s been four months now and I don’t know all of the ramifications yet, but I have noticed that my mid-day slumps of energy (falling asleep on the keyboard or preferring a nap to working) have disappeared. The toughest substitute for me was finding good bread, and luckily, living in Portland, I’ve discovered a gluten free bakery that supplies fresh-baked bread to a local grocery store. Then, last weekend, at the Farmer’s Market in Lake Oswego, I got a scrumptious loaf that had a very cool name, which I’d share with you, but it’s all gone, including the wrapper — next time!

And, until next time, take care of yourself,  for your well being and those you love.

Yours truly,

Barbara
For Your Well Being is published bi-weekly. We bring you insider speaker reports, exclusive stories about special events around the country, meeting planner tips, and fun stuff from the worlds of health and well being. Be well and be in the know!

The Speak Well Being Group is a specialized speakers bureau, focusing on speakers for hospital-sponsored community events, healthcare organizations, conferences and women’s groups. Our speakers are hand-selected. They are not only experts in their fields, they know how to connect with women and give them life-changing information served on a silver platter of joy, camaraderie, with a side of sauce (spicy, of course).

Finding the perfect keynote speaker for your special event or conference is my personal passion, not just once, but year after year. It brings me endless joy to know that your audience was delighted and moved by the speaker we selected together. I’m committed to making the process easy, pleasant and fun.