183. What I Did to FINALLY Get Back on YouTube + Why YOU Should Start | Solo Episode

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Hey y’all! As you know, I’ve been focused a lot more on sharing with you what I’m learning as I’m learning it–whether that’s health, finance, or business focused. 

On this solo episode of the podcast, I wanted to talk about how I started and grew my YouTube channel to over 50,000 subscribers years ago and what I’m doing now to get back to creating videos consistently. 

Over the past several months, I’ve noticed that you all are asking more about how to start a YouTube channel than how to start a podcast. I get it, YouTube may come across more glamorous and exciting than a podcast AND as I’ve mentioned in previous episodes, YouTube is great for creating long-term evergreen content that people will see for YEARS to come (I’m still getting comments on videos I posted 5 years ago!).

As you know, I absolutely love doing my podcast and using it as a way to connect with you all and share other people’s stories, experiences, and vegan strategies. But YouTube is really a peak into my own life, what I’m cooking, and what tips and tricks I want to share with people.

So if you’re at all interested in what it takes to start and grow a YouTube channel, I hope you find this episode valuable and that it gives you a good idea of what my own journey has looked like. And if you’re not yet subscribed to my channel, don’t be shy– find my YouTube channel here and click “Subscribe” so you can follow along on this journey with me.

In this episode of the podcast, I’m sharing:

  • Why I started my Youtube channel

  • Getting over the fear of being on camera and putting yourself out there

  • What led to my YouTube burnout and why I called it quits for awhile

  • How much I got paid by Instagram for creating Instagram Reels and how this led me back to creating videos for YouTube

  • How we make excuses and hold ourselves back from starting something new

  • The importance of learning as you go and starting where you are now

  • Dealing with negative comments on social media

  • Batch recording videos and why consistency on YouTube is essential

  • How YouTube has become more like the Instagram algorithm

  • Why I’m sharing this journey with my community and what I hope to learn from it

Resources:

182. How Caring For Plants Sparked A Passion For Sustainability with Farmer Nick

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This week we’re back with a new guest interview all about plants and sustainability with Farmer Nick! 

Nick is a “plantrepreneur” who is passionate about all things green. As a full-time plant coach, urban gardener, and landscape designer, Nick’s mission is to give people the knowledge and confidence they need to create their own green spaces in the pursuit of environmental action and social justice. Nick has more than 100 clients in NYC + LA and has been featured in the NY Times, Vogue, Food Network, Business Insider, Goop and the Netflix original series "The Big Flower Fight”.

Nick has a unique story–his vegan lifestyle was inspired by something none of my other guests have shared: his love of house plants led him to ask himself “why aren’t I eating plants too?” In fact, Nick shares on this episode, “I’ve tried to become as close to 100% plant as possible in all things in life that I do.” 

As a multi-passionate sustainability enthusiast, Nick made it easy to dive into some incredible topics including activism, farming and human rights, and how to avoid going down a sustainability rabbit hole. I think it’s a great balance of Nick’s unique perspectives on the plant and vegan communities, mixed with practical tips for living a more healthy, inspired, plant-based lifestyle.

In this episode, we chat about:

  • How learning to cook as a child is a privilege that makes living vegan easier

  • Nick’s favorite childhood meals he immediately learned to veganize

  • Beginners steps for growing your own food at home (hint: grow things you want to actually eat)

  • Why you need to grow pollinator-free plants inside

  • The importance of farmers, human rights, and land rights in sustainable food systems

  • How human rights are underrepresented in the vegan community

  • How to take your first step toward a more sustainable lifestyle

  • Avoiding the sustainability rabbit hole by choosing what you can control

  • Nick’s favorite brands for sustainable personal care items

  • What is a plant coach and how Nick got started in this line of work

Connect with Nick:

Website

Instagram

Growing Green Newsletter

Resources Mentioned:

Athletic Greens

Cowspiracy documentary (on Netflix)

The Game Changers documentary (on Netflix)

Bite tablets

Toms of Maine Sustainability

Ethique

181. I Don't Know What the Hell I'm Doing (Solo Episode)

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This week’s solo episode is completely unedited, raw, and honestly vulnerable so if you tune in, thank you for being here and listening! 

Y’all know that I don’t ever want to be overly negative, and if I am feeling down, I always want to present it as a lesson learned or end it with a solution. This week, I wanted to just hit record and document how I’m feeling in life and business at this very moment. I’ll be upfront, I don’t bring a solid solution to this podcast, but it did feel good to process my thoughts out loud and in sharing, I hope maybe one of you in this community will feel seen and understood as well.

I’ve talked before about my past struggle with anxiety and depression and how they were once so crippling that it was impossible for me to show up consistently in my work. In fact, this year is one of the first times I’ve been really consistent in creating new content, showing up every week, and staying on track in my business. I even did my first live workshop last month which felt valuable and rewarding as hell! I hired a team (a podcast and YouTube editor and an assistant) for the first time and have been marking off goals left and right. I’m doing things now that I wrote about wanting to do back in 2017.

That being said, I’m experiencing a complete WTF moment where I feel like I have NO idea what the hell I’m doing. Being an online entrepreneur and influencer comes with its perks (I talk about this in this episode) but it also comes with some serious pits full of self doubt and confusion. 

In this episode, I’m getting vulnerable with how I’m feeling in this current moment and talking about:

  • How fluctuations in income make working online feel uncertain

  • My frustration with my current financial situation

  • My previous struggles with mental health and how I’m struggling right now

  • Feeling a lack of purpose and confusion about what I’m ‘supposed’ to be doing

  • Being consistent in my business and still experiencing the lows

  • How even the people who seem to have it all together really don’t

As always, thank you for tuning in and sharing these moments with me. I know better times are ahead but I feel like it’s important to not just share a highlight reel of business and to be transparent with what I’m going through.

Resources mentioned:

Vegan 101 workshop

180. Is Tiny Living Worth The Hype? with Destiny of Lez Go Tiny

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Years ago when I was looking into sustainable and economical living, I got sucked down the YouTube rabbit hole of tiny houses. I wasn’t the only one. In 2014, Google searches for ‘tiny house’ and ‘tiny home’ started quickly increasing and reached the biggest peak so far in June 2020 during the pandemic.

I became obsessed with watching tiny home tours and tiny home build videos on Youtube and figuring out all the best arrangements, trying to understand how people could fit their entire lives and all their belongings into such small houses. 

Now there are full blown TV shows about tiny homes and thousands of people online sharing their experiences with tiny living. Because of my own personal interest AND because I know so many vegans are interested in tiny homes and sustainable, alternative living, I wanted to bring Destiny of Lez Go Tiny onto the podcast to talk about ALL things tiny living.

Destiny and Brianna bought their tiny house on wheels in January 2022 and officially moved into it in April 2022. They are currently living in Portland, Oregon and plan to move their home again within the next 3 years. 

As a young, Black, queer couple, finding an affordable and safe space to live was a top priority and going tiny was an important investment for them. They enjoy traveling and going tiny allows them to explore different cities while not having to worry about finding a place to live. 

Lez Go Tiny was created to share their experience within the tiny movement and they plan on making resources for other BIPOC looking to go tiny. 

 In this episode we are talking about:

  • Choosing a tiny home over van life

  • Destiny & Brianna’s experience planning for a tiny house build

  • The process of finding the right tiny home builder and what the process was like

  • Financing options and unexpected costs associated with tiny living

  • Different state laws that affect where you can live in a tiny home

  • How tiny living can be more economical than purchasing a full sized home

  • Whether tiny living is worth the hype and the pros and cons of tiny houses

  • The most stressful part of the tiny home process in Destiny’s opinion

  • Vegan cooking in a tiny house kitchen and how it changed Destiny’s cooking process

Connect with Destiny:

Lez Go Tiny Instagram

Eat Yo Destiny website

Cooking Instagram

Resources:

Previous episode with Destiny - 121. Community Building and How to be Vegan in A Food Desert with Eat Yo Destiny

RVIA Certification

Tiny House Expedition house tour

179. How to Eat Vegan At Cookouts, Restaurants & Social Events This Summer

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Are you nervous about going to social events as a vegan?

If I'm being honest, I'd say that being a social vegan can be one of the most awkward parts of beginning a vegan lifestyle.

At social events you might find yourself worrying about:

  • not having any food to eat and being hungry

  • dealing with questions about why you aren't eating certain things

  • feeling rude turning down food you're offered

  • having to explain your food choices to people who may not understand

  • having no idea what to bring to cookouts, potlucks, and parties

Even going to a simple dinner with friends can feel intimidating if there aren't any clearly marked vegan options at the restaurant.

​In this episode of the podcast, I'm sharing some tips and tricks on how to handle these situations without having to turn down any social events this summer.

Believe me, vegans don't wanna be missing out on summer fun just as much as anyone.

In this episode I’m talking about:

  • How to be vegan at summer cookouts and delicious vegan meals to bring

  • Ordering vegan at non-vegan restaurants and why looking at menus ahead of time helps

  • How to answer questions about why you’re vegan (or avoid them!)

  • Why being prepared is always your best option

  • Focusing on social connections over focusing on the food and why I say “it’s only one meal”

Resources mentioned:

Barnivore

Have you secured your spot to my 7 Steps To Go Vegan Workshop?

This 2 hour workshop + Q&A is for you if you:

  • Want to go vegan or already have but aren't sure how to actually get started on the right foot

  • Know the benefits of eating plant-based but have no idea how to make this lifestyle simple, easy, and long-lasting

  • Feel like no one in your family understands veganism and you need structure and support to get started

  • Are scared to call yourself 'a vegan' because you might need to take it one step at a time and don't want to 'mess up'.

This will be a virtual opportunity to work with me and get 2 hours of support from a year vegan who started out JUST like you: scared to fail, overwhelmed by making a huge lifestyle change, and needing a solid PLAN.

Can't make it that day? You'll still get the full recording, the meal plan, and all resources emailed to you after it's over.