Pivot! A Vegan Business Interview Series

Thaisa Fernandes is a program manager in tech, podcast host, and author who just launched her memoir cookbook, Vegan Anniversary in the Bay Area . As a Brazilian living in San Francisco, her perspective brings a unique twist to plant-based cuisine, culture, and community.  For years, Thaisa dreamed of creating a cookbook that celebrated her decade as a vegan while showcasing the diversity of Brazi...

Lindsay Perez is a Certified Nutrition Specialist, lifelong wellness enthusiast, and founder of NOSHY. For over 20 years, she has, as she puts it, “lived and breathed fitness, nutrition, and the belief that food should make you feel amazing.”  The story with NOSHY began a few years ago when Lindsay broke her elbow, and it completely changed her routine. She went from being constantly active – work...

Chef Rachel Adina Mullen, founder of Adina’s Delicacies, is an award-winning plant-based chef, culinary educator, and author of the best-selling Vegan Flavors of the World Volume 1, winner of the 2025 Zibby Award for Best Book for the Foodie.  She draws inspiration from her extensive travels, bringing vibrant flavors and cultural traditions to every dish. Her work has been featured on EatThisTV in...

Brett Christoffel is the Founder and CEO of All Y'alls Foods, a Texas-based company making plant-based jerky and bacon bits from whole non-GMO soybeans. After 40 years of eating meat, Brett made the connection that he loved all animals as much as his dog or cat, and stopped. As a proud Texan, he decided to change one of Texas's biggest contributions to the world: beef. Since launching It's Jerky Y...

Terri Chrisman is a nutritionist, podcaster, author, and founder of the Fabulous Health Show podcast and fabuloushealth.net . With a passion for empowering individuals to reclaim their health, she combines cutting-edge science with actionable strategies to prevent chronic disease and inspire lasting lifestyle transformation.  As a private nutritionist, Terri wanted to help people improve their hea...

Amy McKenna is a managing broker at Windermere Real Estate in Seattle, specializing in helping first-time buyers, Seattle newcomers, and co-buyers navigate residential real estate. She’s also the creator of CoHome, a community platform dedicated to educating people on owning property with others, whether that’s friends, family, or chosen community.  Amy’s journey into co-homeownership began with a...

Kristen Decker is the founder of DESERT BLOOM™, a cowgirl boot brand redefining Western fashion with plant-based materials and sustainable practices. What started as a family conversation at a reunion seven years ago became a mission: to create boots that honor cowgirl culture without requiring animal products. Growing up on a small farm, cowgirl boots were always part of Kristen's life—comfort, s...

Jane Harris is the CEO and founder of The Virgin Hair Fantasy, a luxury glueless wig brand created to empower women through beauty and confidence, especially those navigating hair loss, life transitions, or identity shifts.  What began with $500 and a dream has grown into a million-dollar business that serves women across the globe. Jane’s journey is rooted in resilience: from balancing motherhood...

In this episode, Stephanie speaks with M Sandip Kumar, an Indian entrepreneur who transformed his family’s traditional silk business into a cruelty-free vegan silk brand.   Guided by his Jain values of non-violence, Sandip closed all contracts with silk weavers in 2018 and launched a store offering plant-based and artificial silk alternatives, later expanding into natural dyes and sustainable tech...

In this episode, Stephanie interviews Dr. Angela Crawford, a vegan psychologist about the emotional and psychological side of adopting a vegan lifestyle.  Drawing from surveys and interviews detailed in her book The Vegan Transformation, Dr. Crawford shares key themes like values alignment, compassion, and empowerment, while highlighting that advocacy can take many forms depending on personality....

Desiree Dupuis is the visionary behind Voes & Co, a pioneering vegan lifestyle brand redefining the fashion industry. In this episode of Pivot! Desiree shares a journey fueled by her passion for ethical living and sustainable fashion that culminated in the creation of Voes & Co. We dive into the whole origin story –from Desiree's frustration with the lack of vegan footwear options to the r...

Aimee Kilmer, Founding Partner & Creative Director of Good Stuff Partners, has spent more than 20 years in the creative industry advocating for brands that prioritize the well-being of people, animals, and the planet. From designing for VegNews and V-Dog to working with Habitat for Humanity, Aimee’s passion for purpose-driven work has always been at the forefront of her career. In this episode...

In this episode, we sit down with the co-founder of MARPHYL Marine Phytoplankton to explore the journey of this pioneering vegan business. Harvesting wild and multi-species marine phytoplankton, MARPHYL offers a range of organic products designed to enhance soil health and promote sustainable agriculture. Founded in 2017, MARPHYL has quickly established itself as a leader in the vegan and sustaina...

In this episode of Pivot! we sit down with Kim Giovacco, the visionary behind Veg Jaunts and Journeys, to uncover the remarkable story of her company's rapid expansion. Despite the setbacks of the pandemic, Kim's resilience and strategic vision helped take Veg Jaunts and Journeys to new heights. We dive into Kim's journey from the corporate world to entrepreneurship, and how her background in the...

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Olivier Mankondo, the visionary behind Mankondo Global Ltd. Discover how Olivier lost 77 pounds in just 9 months, reversed high blood pressure, and embarked on a mission to share the life-changing benefits of a plant-based diet. Dive into his captivating story, unveiling the secrets to achieving vibrant health and vitality. https://oliviermankondo.com In...

Episode Summary: In this episode of Pivot ! we delve into Carolyn Scott's multifaceted career as The Healthy Voyager. From her pioneering vegan travel show to her latest cookbook, Carolyn has been at the forefront of the global vegan movement. Discover how she's transforming mainstream dining, consulting with major hotel chains, and inspiring millions to embrace a plant-based lifestyle. https://ww...

Full Description: Prepare to be inspired by the incredible journey of Nancy Leeds Gribble, the driving force behind NourishLiftGrow. Her story embodies the power of resilience and transformation. Nancy's life took an unexpected turn when she faced the profound loss of her husband to terminal cancer, leaving her a widowed single parent while navigating a turbulent real estate market. Later, she exp...

Full Description: Mind Blown founders, mother-and-daughter team Shelly Van Cleve and daughter Monica Talbert, originally found success making gourmet seafood delicacies along the Chesapeake Bay. They started with a crab shack, Capt. Jack’s, which was wildly popular, leading them to create The Van Cleve Seafood Co. The two began to see deep-seated issues with the global fishing industry right outsi...

Full Description: Get ready to dive into the inspiring story of Kate Galli, the unstoppable force behind a mission to create a healthier, happier, and more compassionate vegan world. Kate's journey began in the fitness world, where she sought to transform not only her body but also her confidence. Over the years, she has helped thousands of individuals sculpt their bodies and lives in a way they l...

In this episode, we sit down with Rey Ortega, a true pioneer in the vegan food industry. Rey's health struggles led him on a path of discovery, from battling chronic illness to becoming a successful vegan entrepreneur. Rey's journey began with health issues that left him feeling unwell and desperate for answers. After identifying an egg allergy, he transitioned to a vegetarian diet, which signific...

Karen Ranzi is a pioneer in the vegan and raw food movement, vegan since 1989 and raw vegan since 1994, guiding thousands of individuals and families to excellent health and wellbeing through a vegan and raw food lifestyle. In 2020, when the COVID pandemic rocked the world, Karen Ramzi had a thriving live raw vegan coaching and classes business called Feel Fabulous With Food that she had built ove...

Get ready to be inspired by the remarkable journey of Crystal Bonnet, the mastermind behind Crystal Dawn Culinary. As a raw food chef, instructor, and cookbook author, Crystal embraces her culinary artistry as a potent form of activism, changing skeptics' minds about vegan food. Join us as we explore her captivating foray into entrepreneurship and how she leverages her passion for plant-based cuis...

Get ready to be inspired by Benjamin Hagerty, co-founder of It’s Bree and Ben, as he takes us on a journey through his experiences as a vegan traveler and researcher. Benjamin and his wife, Brianne Nemiroff, embarked on a remarkable two-year-long trip across Canada and the U.S., uncovering and showcasing vegan businesses in their travel guides. Driven by the desire to highlight the stories of vega...

 Jay Barrett is a globally experienced human resources professional and an empathetic and passionate advocate of veganism. With a commitment to fostering a more compassionate and sustainable world, he strives to reduce society's reliance on animals for food, materials, testing, and entertainment. After dedicating 12 years to the fashion industry, Jay embarked on a new path as a consultant, merging...

Maria Cebrian is a three-time entrepreneur and with 14 years of experience in the digital and wellness industries. After selling her second company, she set out to build the most sustainable supplements on earth after learning about the impact of this industry on animals and the environment. Every year, the US supplement industry kills 24 billion animals and creates 1.8 billion plastic pill bottle...