New to the community. As was stated in the intro video, the hardest part about being vegan is living in a non vegan world. So here I am. I’m 42 living in Arizona. I run ultra marathons, I lift heavy, I bake and cook all my own vegan food and have for a long time. I work as a nurse, both in the hospital and as a hospice nurse part time. I also volunteer at an animal sanctuary here in Arizona and I involve myself in as much community activism as I can, whether that be protests or feeding the homeless healthy vegan meals. I’ve lived all over the US and in several other countries. I was a nomad living out of my car for many years. I’m a minimalist and environmentalist. I’ll be running across Iceland in August. I’ve never been to Iceland, but it looks like it’s a lot more vegan friendly than I originally thought. If anyone has been to Iceland and knows of great places to eat or a sanctuary to check out I’d love to hear it.

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! 💚🌎🌍🌏

Sometimes as a vegan this world feels really dark and really heavy and really lonely. And I'm not going to lie, I feel like I was working myself into an early grave because a part of me didn't want to be around all this suffering anymore. How can people I love, even my family, contribute to this pain and suffering? Seeing what we do to the animals and the people every single day, it's heavy. It's heavy on my heart. And I found through this Vegan Squad family that I think I can do this. I think I can be here. You guys have encouraged me. You've all coached me. It’s been a team effort. It took all of you, not any one of you. It took all of you to get me to this point where I can actually love myself and want to be here. So I want to give you guys a shout out and just say thank you all for making my life worth living. Thank you for making this the best thing I've ever been a part of in my life. And I would not want to do it without all of you. So thank you for encouraging me to love myself and try to make this world a better place while we're still here. I’m grateful for all of you. What’s one thing you are grateful for this week?

Successful marathon today!

Hey hey Fam!!❤️ I hope you’ve all been enjoying your week! Please check out the latest video in the Veganism Beyond Diet Module which focuses on Hunting, Trapping & Trophy Hunting. This topic particularly breaks my heart 💔. Let me know what you think once you watch it! Here’s the 🔗: https://www.skool.com/vegan-squad/classroom/c3a0e43b?md=20383412b1a04bd386fb906084d44183