We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Christine Mania a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Christine, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Last year I wrote a book about being vegan. It’s titled Vegan Minded: Becoming a Steward for Animals, People, and the Planet. I had always wanted to write a book and while in grad school during the pandemic, I committed to the project as my capstone. It took three years to write and self-publish. Looking back, it was a cathartic experience to write about my history in a meaningful and organized way. I cover a lot of ground in the book. I wrote 20 personal essays about going and staying vegan, relationships, yoga, pets, climate change, and more. I have been vegan since 2005 but my journey started in 1985 when my family received a PETA newsletter in the mail. Every word of the book came from heart and I believe the feedback I have received reflects that.

Christine, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have been vegan since 2005. Being vegan is the only way I want to live. It aligns perfectly with my passion for yoga and practicing ahimsa (non-harming). Even though most people are not vegan and probably never will be, I wouldn’t change a thing even though it makes me standout when having meals with most people. It took many years to get comfortable with this. I teach yoga and do some health coaching. While everyone needs to have agency over their life and how they eat, I love to encourage people to move in the direction of veganism, even if it’s just adding more vegetables to your diet or choosing to eat a vegan meal a couple of times a week. I have studied behavior change, and the process of change is rarely straight forward or fast. It took me almost 20 years to decide live a vegan lifestyle but I am very committed to it. My only regret is that I didn’t change sooner. Isn’t that usually the case? Once we decide something and start doing it, we wonder why it took us so long!

In health coaching, I help people move forward and achieve their health goals. I love working with motivated people looking to improve their health because being healthy allows us to live full lives.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My creative journey is driven by my desire to live in harmony with animals, people, and the planet. I want to flourish and I cannot do that if those around me are not flourishing. I love to take on projects that allow me to explore my creativity. While I don’t know if I will write another book, I do have more creative projects down the road and all of them are centered around creativity, healthy living, and the planet.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

In 2022, I was laid off from a job I loved. It was totally unexpected, but it allowed me to take a year to finish writing Vegan Minded and graduate with a masters in humane education. Because of this I was able to self-publish the book and get it out in the world sooner than I would have if I still had that job.

Contact Info:

• Website: christinecookmania.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vegangirlnextdoor/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vegangirlnextdoor
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinecookmania/