Hi! I am NASM certified: personal trainer, nutritional coach and wellness coach. I have four degrees in all different majors. I love learning new things. I have been vegan since the early 1990's. I am excited to be a part of this group. I got banned from Facebook for sharing too many posts - I guess they thought I was a share robot. I am on Instagram @1_HappyVegan - I don't post, but I do share.

Hello there! As you can probably tell my name is Kevin. I was invited today because of a Reddit post on VeganChill that John followed up with me on. I 40 living in Austin for 15 years who came from Kansas working in Radio as a broadcast DJ to working as a Strip Club DJ for way too long, working with bands in Austin before transitioning into being head chef of a vegan restaurant. My history includes a lot of nightlife and the accompanying abuses that come with that life even after altering my diet almost 10 years ago. The switch to focusing in on my health came when I got Covid just before the vaccines were available when not only did I get the virus but contracted a heart condition out of it: afib. Since then I’ve learned a lot about what my potential afib triggers are and have since cut all vices out of my life: alcohol, caffeine, weed (legit miss smoking even though it is terrible for you). Now my days are just water and doing better at not just being vegan but going for whole food ingredients, not the ultra processed (I’m grateful it’s out there as an option for new people transitioning, as it helped me, but it’s still processed in the long run). One of my joys as a chef is engaging my creative thinking when making. In traditional diets you want enchiladas just season your animal proteins, wrap, sauce and bake— but what if you had to make all the elements, proteins, sauces, cheeses instead? As a musician that type of thinking helps me keep my creativity focused. I’ve always have been overweight and have been working on that with even more focus now since the owner of my restaurant is a body builder as well. Lately we have been each other’s accountabil-a-buddy’s (to borrow a phrase from South Park) where we regularly check in on each other’s weekly progress and share tips (I just learned about Monkee-grips last week and picked up a pair for my dumbbells). Where I would like to see progress with myself is actually cutting my body fat significantly and not become super ripped or anything but rather HEALTHY at a proper weight, blood pressure, and everything. Right now my daily routine (5 days consecutive) is 20-30 minutes on my rowing machine (it’s a cheaper ‘Sunny’ that doesn’t have the water thing but there is a resistance part on the bottom), and walking between 1 and half or 3 mile’s depending on if it’s a workday or not. I have a small dumbbell collection of 5, 15, 25, and 45lbs and I also have the DDPYoga DVD program that I would really love to get back into. My work hours are a lot of time on my feet with the last three days of my work week being 9, 11, and 9 hours standing (work week being Wednesday through Sunday). I workout before going into work and would like to get to a point where I do a light yoga workout after work with focus on loosening up my body after the stress.

I was a medic in the army doing what I could to help others, and in my time in the service I learned some ugly truths. As my contract came to an end, I continued goin’ down the rabbit hole, and as a result, I went vegan. It’s been over 8 years and I’ve never felt better, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. While I no longer wear the uniform, I continue my service to both my country, and humanity, as an ambassador of peace, creating pockets of harmony wherever and whenever I can. I own an art studio hosting community events in El Paso, Texas, and would love to host any vegan squad members that find themselves in the southwest. I’m grateful to have found a community of likeminded individuals, it gives me strength and hope, knowing there are more of us out there, fighting the good fight. Let’s create a paradise for the generations to come! 💚🌎🌍🌏

I am super impressed with how versatile beans and nuts are. The past year I've really expanded on my homemade veggie burger game. I started out making an oat and lentil mix, and appreciate that. I've tried that system with new combos that are wonderful too. Split peas, or chickpeas, with walnuts, or pecans are great, and i find them to be interchangeable. Adding things chickpea flour, and vital wheat gluten, and a range of seasonings. Sweet potatos are so creamy, and beets give the red look. WOW. I love being willing to try new things. I impress myself far more than disappoint. I try pan frying, or baking. Cooking is a craft and I have the mentality that few things are unsalvageable. I hope you find new plants, and products you haven't tried before and incorporate them into your routine 🪄🍀❤️‍🔥🕺🏼

It's been a minute since I have posted on the community, but I just wanted to share what I have been up to for those from here who do not follow me on instagram, if you do not you should. 😉 I have been travelling in and around Ireland for about 2.5 weeks for the second time, just got back to Canada last Saturday. First time eating my way around there as a vegan (four years vegan myself). Did some more sightseeing at the expense of 30K steps a day, did some street activism/outreach with my friends in Belfast, ate at a lot of vegan foodie places, and lost more weight, kept my routine in check while on the go. We are officially under 200 lbs/90kg. (Restarted my fitness journey at the end of 2024/beginning of 2025 at 250 lbs). I will be back to Europe again for Vegan Camp Out in England this summer so I will be eating and thriving again over there. I hope to share all that with you all whether it be here or through social media. Also plan on discovering more of the vegan goodness that exists in my own backyard in Newfoundland as well, and sharing it with you too. But I just wanted to write something as I feel like I have been so hyper focused on my life changing, mindset shifts (in many good ways) that I feel like I needed to express my gratitude to my biggest support in my life, the Squad Fam. From John reaching out to me last fall to encourage me to check out and join this awesome community of likeminded people, to Alex, Alexis, Ali, Jessica, Miranda, Melissa, and the whole team so many to name, you guys definitely are the reason that we are working towards thriving and living our best vegan lives. Thank you guys for being the light in this world, that is really needed. Let's continue to make this a vegan AF world and liberate all the animals, and be healthy and strong confident leaders this world really needs. I love seeing this grow and all the seeds that are sowed in the name of kindness and compassion to the animals we share this world with and one another. 💚🇨🇦 ☮️