From May 23, 2014, to May 28, 2014, I was fortunate enough to attend Victoria Moran’s Main Street Vegan Academy. This intensive 5 day course trains students to become certified Vegan Lifestyle Coaches and Educators (VLCE). Victoria gathered some of the best vegan educators to help conduct the course. Our instructors, in addition to Victoria, included Dr. Robert Ostfeld, Jennifer Gannett, Sharon Nazarian, Joshua Katcher, Marty Davey, JL Fields, Chef Fran Costigan, Jasmin Singer, Mariann Sullivan, Robert Notter, Michael Parrish DuDell and Robert Cohen. Each person who spoke to us was truly a master of his or her subject. We were instruced on everything from animal rights to performing cooking demonstrations to setting up our own coaching businesses. It is truly a fast paced, information packed course.
Top Left: JL Fields, me, Victoria Moran Bottom Left: Victoria Moran and me Bottom Right: Fran Costigan and me
As stated on the MSVA website, the topics covered during the session were:
• History and philosophy of veganism
• Basics of plant-based nutrition
• Plant-based nutrition for pregnant women, children, athletes, elders
• The role of a whole-foods plant-based in cardiac disease prevention and reversal
• Vegan desserts and sweets
• Understanding emotional eating and food addiction
• Plant-based diet for heart disease prevention and reversal
• Ayurvedic principles, raw food, juicing and detox programs
• Working with mixed and transitional families
• Vegan fashion and beauty
• Fundamentals of animal rights
• The environmental ramifications of animal agriculture
• Social networking for Vegan Lifestyle Coaches and Educators
• Coaching techniques
• Public speaking and media training
• Presenting a food demo
• Customizing your practice, branding, and marketing for success
Me and Fran Costigan
For me, one of the highlights of the course was being taught by people I know and admire. After having reviewed Fran Costigan’s book Vegan Chocolate for Our Hen House, it was great to see her and get to talk with her in person. I even shared with her my story about the chocpocolypse. I was inspired by JL’s talk on using our VLCE credential. She showed us what is possible with this certification – corporate consulting, speaking engagements, writing books. The world is at our feet. Joshua’s talk on cruelty fashion was eye-opening. Seeing people I know in a professional setting, doing what they do best was amazing. I loved watching my classmates get as enamoured of these people as I am.
Me and Emma
In addition to a diverse faculty, Victoria also brought together an incredible group of 13 students from all over the world, each in a different place in his or her journey to veganism. We had Emma from Australia, Sean from Germany, and people from all over the US. Some of us had been vegan for over a decade, while some were new to veganism. However, despite our diffent backgrounds, educations, religions, etc., we were all united for a common purpose, to learn how to teach others about veganism. By the end of the 5 days, we 13 strangers had become a close group of friends, all there to support one another. We became another link in the magical and wonderful vegan movement.
Before this course, I thought I knew a lot about veganism, and I did. However, I left with so much more knowledge than I came in with. From the history of veganism to seeing what the furture holds was exciting and energizing. It is impossible to sum up this experience in a few paragraphs. So, while I know that I am leaving out a lot of what happened, this course is something that must be experienced personally.
I want to end with a personal note to Victoria. Victoria, thank you so much for creating such a wonderful experience. I am truly honored to be a member of the MVSA family.
MSVA Class of May 2014
