barefoot vegan sept_oct issue.pdf

so much more meaning now and I take pride in the
meals I prepare. I never felt this way as a meat
eater…not even as a vegetarian for that matter.
Today my parents help run the Albany Vegan
Network and host an annual Vegan Expo (now in its
seventh year!) in upstate New York. It all started
with my brother, was followed by my parents’
amazing support, and then happily grew into an
education, a group of friends, and a lifestyle that I
wouldn’t trade for anything.
I know before you started up as an
entrepreneur that you were working for
a company that seemed aligned with
your vegan values. What was it about
going it alone that held so much
appeal?
What was so appealing about it was setting my own
schedule, keeping my own hours, being able to work
from anywhere that had internet, being able to
continue living nomadically and traveling while still
earning an income to pay bills, not having a set
schedule or a cubicle, having more flexibility in my
days and travel times, and most of all the drive to be
creative and innovative—as in, if I slow down at all
or stop being creative I could lose clients and
money. While that can be scary (and is) at times, it
also feeds my desire to remain active, in more ways
than one.
What were the biggest fears that you had
to overcome before setting off on your
adventure?
Some fears I had that bordered on keeping me from
fully jumping in included committing to quitting a
secure job and the whole living out of a vehicle thing
(which I'd never done before). There were moments I
was afraid the Kickstarter campaign I created wouldn't
reach its goal. I was afraid that the near stranger I
invited to come with me would turn out to be a not-sogreat
match for me (that one came true). I was afraid of
what it meant to venture so far outside my comfort
zone that I might not have been able to find my way
back—and what that could have meant in terms of
“throwing it all away,” all I had worked to achieve up
until that point. There were a lot of fears, truly. But at
the end of the day it came down to one question: Was I
willing to live a life full of “what ifs” or one full of “oh
wells.” (That’s a variation of a quote from Pat Flynn).
What would you say was the most
important lesson you learned from the
entire experience?
That most people truly are good people.
If you could pick one favourite moment
during your journey, what would it be and
why?
Wow that's a really tough question. There were so many
incredible, life changing moments. I'd say one of the
standouts was meeting James the teddy bear (chapter 23
in the book). It's a bit of a long story but one that truly
made me come to terms with how valuable our time
here on Earth is, and to not waste a single moment of it.
Kristin’s trusty van for
the journey...Gerty
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