We were lucky to catch up with Areina Adeyemi recently and have shared our conversation below.

Areina , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

During the pandemic I decided to leave everything behind and begin my life as an expat. It was a big risk and yes it seemed scary at first but I proceeded despite my fears and that was the best decision I ever made. Living abroad has allowed my brand to grow and I was able to discover more about myself that I wouldn’t have discovered had I stayed in my comfort zone.

I moved to Africa, not knowing only but one person and never had even visited, I was in a foreign land that quickly I adapted to and made it my home!

Areina , 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?

Created in mid January 2018, The Vegan Foode (@theveganfoode on IG) was birthed during the middle of the night after a really good home cooked meal. I decided on a lifestyle of veganism after a work trip in Los Angeles, CA and decided the best way to become a full-fledged vegan was to create meals from scratch. Being a woman that loves to cook I wanted to take on vegan cooking aggressively. While converting dishes that were once nonvegan to fully vegan, friends encouraged me to share her recipes on social media, along with the information on various herbs and lifestyle changes that I spent years researching . With the goal of helping others migrate to a vegan lifestyle while offering vital health and wellness information, daily I will vegan food reviews, lifestyle hack tips and expat lifestyle tips.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Once I moved to Dubai, I saw my brand grow tremendously and many people told me I was an inspiration to them.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I built my audience by being consistent, everyday I wake up with one goal in mind and thats to create engaging content that will give people insight on how to live a vegan life abroad.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @TheVeganFoode
• Facebook: @TheVeganFoode
• Twitter: @TheVeganFoode
• Youtube: @TheVeganFoode

Image Credits
@TheVeganFoode (Sheggs Crownfits)