Meet Trailblazer Allyson DeFoor

Today we’d like to introduce you to Allyson DeFoor.

Allyson, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I was 15 years old, I decided to go vegetarian. I had been playing with the idea for a few months and decided to do it as a New Year’s resolution. Well, low and behold, I suck with it for four years! At the four year mark, I decided to try completely plant-based eating. I slowly cut out cheese, butter, eggs and honey (I already had stopped drinking cow’s milk) and started to feel way more energized. See, when I was vegetarian, I ate tons of cheese. From cheese pizza to grilled cheese, it was a favorite food (and still is, but we’ll get to that later). I realized that whenever I ate cheese, I felt groggy, had cloudy thoughts, and just overall didn’t feel good. Once I sent completely plant-based, I then started learning more about the ethics of veganism, started a blog (allysveganvibes.com), and became an activist. I believe there are many different ways of sticking up for animals, including using social media to give examples of yummy vegan food, health facts, and just show that people are thriving while they’re vegan.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has definitely been a long and bumpy road. I started my Instagram, blog and YouTube channel about three years ago (when I went vegan), and I only figured out my specific niche and brand not even a year ago. Some advice for our young women who want to be an influencer or just use social media to their advantage would be to stick to it, always learn from others you admire, and stay true to yourself. Don’t try to be someone else because potential followers can see right through that. Be authentically you.

We’d love to hear more about Ally’s Vegan Vibes.
Ally’s Vegan Vibes is a website/blog to provide support, empowerment, self-care tips, and education to people who may or may not be vegan. I have recipes, product/restaurant reviews, interviews with celebrities, and articles on different topics. I am also a health coach, and I help people transition to a plant-based street and vegan lifestyle. Also, I specialize in helping people heal their intestinal lining. I won’t go into detail on that. On June 1st, Ally’s Vegan Vibes’ first monthly newsletter is coming out, which is ‘Your monthly dose of positivity.’ It is designed to give empowerment, education, self-care tips, and positive vibes to vegan foodies and activists. I am proud of this move I am making in my career because, as vegans, we get a lot of backlashes and hate from those who don’t see how we do. Sometimes, we feel like we are the only ones who care and can feel isolated. That is why I do what I do, and have created this newsletter and blog.

Do you recommend any apps, books or podcasts that have been helpful to you?
I’ll just list these in the different topics:

Favorite Books:
1. The Alchemist
2. The 4-Hour Workweek
3. The Secret

Favorite Apps:
1. Instagram (obviously!)
2. WordPress App (for bogging on the go!)
3. Daily Dozen (it helps me eat beauty and get all my nutrients in the day)

Favorite Podcasts:
1. Ear Biscuits
2. The H3 Podcast

Pricing:

• 30-Day Meal Plan is $30
• Support On Patreon for just $1
• Ad (for influencers, brands, etc.) on website or newsletter $5-$15

Contact Info:

• Website: www.allysveganvibes.com
• Email: allysveganvibes@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/allysveganvibes
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/allysveganvibes

Image Credit:
Brad Bethell

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.