My whole-food plant-based (WFPB) journey started around 2010 when my twenty-year-old son came home and said, “Mom, I’m going vegan.” And she said, “What the hell is that?”

We watched him eat this way for one to two years before he commented to us, “You guys need to take better care of yourselves.” He was right. So, our health journey began on January 1, 2012, when we switched to organic meats and cleaner products. Later that year, the night before Thanksgiving, my son showed me a documentary called Vegucated, and the next day, I went cold turkey, meaning I ate no turkey that holiday.

I stayed a pescatarian for about eighteen months, and in April 2014, I went vegan. My health was positively impacted, but I still had more work to do. I took baby steps toward a WFPB lifestyle and went all in around 2022. The China Study was one of my early reads, and I decided to take the CNS Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate Program approximately fifteen months ago. I completed the program and earned my certificate in January 2025.

All of this change happened after a career in the food business, starting with Burger King and transitioning to Taco Bell, Pizza Hut Express, KFC, and Subway. I was also a business partner and owner in a Dairy Queen franchise. I had the luxury of having free food whenever I wanted it during these tenures. You can see how I benefited from that lifestyle: my weight fluctuated around 300 pounds for a while, and I was on several medications. On top of that, I have a family history of diabetes and heart attacks. I’m pleased to say that since changing my lifestyle, I have lost seventy pounds and eliminated all medications.

At seventy-two years old, I have more energy than ever before!

I developed a passion for clean eating, meaning WFPB, and a compassion for animals. Having benefited myself from these positive health changes, I wanted other people to experience the same benefits. Especially watching our youth struggle with weight issues and chronic diseases, I wanted to be of service to others. I knew I had to get the word out about feeling healthy, whether as a teenager, a young adult, or a senior citizen.

I started looking at local libraries and community centers, which were advertising for people to present classes for adult programming. This subject is not the most popular because of the dominance of the standard American diet, and I never heard back from multiple venues that I applied to, even after additional follow-up. One of the people in charge of local programming at my township library even knows me from attending other programs, but to this day, seven months after submitting a proposal, I still can’t break into this library’s adult programming opportunities.

However, I finally got my first break at a neighboring town’s library, and I taught my first class on September 10, 2025. The director was pleasantly surprised when a room size of twenty participants developed a waitlist for registration. Only fifteen people showed up, but the director witnessed the attendees’ excitement at the end of class, and he immediately invited me back for another class in the spring of 2026. I also secured another opportunity at a second neighboring community library, where I will be presenting in May 2026.

Recently, a third library asked me to present later this fall, and I was also asked to present later this month to a spiritual/social group, as many of their members are dealing with health issues. I will continue to look for more presentation opportunities, revisiting earlier proposals and new locations now that I have that first library presentation under my belt, with that director of programming happy to give me a reference anytime I need it.

If you really have a passion for spreading the word, I suggest using one of the natural laws of the universe: the law of attraction. Use it to dream and create your reality using vision boards and positive thinking. Scour numerous adult programming systems at libraries, churches, community centers, YMCAs, etc. Persistence will eventually pay off, and then, of course, word of mouth from the people you engage with will start to blossom.