Vegan Stories from our Lantern Team
The environment, animal industries, and health reasons are among many seeds that a vegan lifestyle can bloom from. Hear from our staff about how they each joined the movement.
I always told people that I became vegetarian at 13 and it happened overnight. After chatting with our authors for the podcast, I realized I was in the process of becoming vegetarian for almost two years (if not more) before that! The cows and turkeys I chatted with at my school’s farm, how I decided as a child that I wouldn’t eat animals on Wednesdays, the way I refused to eat fish and other sea animals after watching The Little Mermaid. All of those little seeds one day bloomed into a vegetarian life. I keep watering this garden and adding new seeds, with research, LPM books, and by talking to activists. Now, a vegan life is starting to bloom too!—Luiza Guimarães, Social Media & Marketing
I transitioned to veganism during the course of about a year, slowly cutting out animal products, first at home, and then from all aspects of my life. But even with that long period of transformation, there were many seeds that led up to this new stage of my life. I knew a number of vegans, including my brother, who never pushed or rushed me, but got me comfortable with navigating shopping and cooking vegan food. And I also visited an animal sanctuary before even considering I’d ever be vegan, because I could hang out with my friends and meet animals. I’m very grateful for all the non-judgmental exposure that I had early on.—Emily Lavieri-Scull, Director of Publishing
I became vegan approximately fourteen years ago when volunteering at a farmed animal sanctuary in upstate New York. I met my partner, Rebecca Moore, who was working there and had been a vegan for some time. She was supportive and caring as I made the transition to veganism. This, and watching Peaceable Kingdom and reviewing a number of Lantern books she had, made me realize that most everything I had been taught and thought to be true was in fact a ruse. I began to meet like-minded vegans some of which became dear friends and made a decision to dedicate my life to veganism, animal rights, humane education, and social justice for all beings. I am very grateful to have the privilege of co-founding both the Institute for Animal Happiness and Lantern Publishing & Media, and collaborating with so many inspiring and talented educators, thought leaders, activists, care providers and colleagues all striving to make positive change and reduce animal suffering in our world.—Brian Normoyle, President & Publisher
I like to say I found myself when I found veganism. It wasn’t long after learning about the food industry in science class at age 14 that I began to grow into morals I had, but couldn’t quite name before. While I wasn’t raised in an environment that encouraged going against the grain, making small steps over the next four years helped build confidence in my ability to forge a path of my own. Attending a semester abroad in Ireland lead me to seeing what animal rights activism could look like when finding a like-minded community. It finally clicked that I was meant to follow in their footsteps. My journey has been full of excitement from learning to love cooking plant-based meals in a dorm room, finding my people in fellow animal lovers, and now raising a little vegan human. I hope to continue to grow in my activism pursuits as I learn from my inspiring colleagues. It is a constant joy to have found veganism and a sense of purpose that comes with seeking a more just world for nonhumans and humans alike.—Megan Jones, Publishing Associate
