Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ashley Dawson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ashley , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Vegan What Vegan Who Mission:

Mission: SERVE nutritional and flavorful vegan meals; INSPIRE women to be purposeful on their health journey; and UPLIFT black communities.

The foundation of my mission is aligned with my life’s motto: Serve. Inspire. Uplift

Vegan What Vegan Who was birthed when I began my personal journey of being intentional with my health. I suffered for 8 years with fibroids, had multiple blood transfusions, and four surgeries. After my fourth surgery, I locked into researching the healing properties of food. I told myself, the fourth surgery would be the last. I made a commitment to God that when He healed me of fibroids, I would do my part with my health. Over the last few years, I’ve researched and adopted a vegan diet and wanted to share the knowledge I have with others, specifically women on their health and healing journeys.

Ashley , 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 was born and raised in Georgia and I’ve always had a passion for helping and serving others. I adopted a vegan lifestyle two years ago to take a more holistic healing route for fibroids. I’d researched the foods that were beneficial and those that were harmful. Through my ongoing research and life experience, Vegan What Vegan Who was birthed. I have a passion for cooking and love exploring and preparing vegan dishes. I am committed to holistic wellness and natural healing. I hope to inspire and bring awareness to as many people as I can about a holistic/natural healing approach to their health.

Vegan What Vegan Who is a platform to:
– Encourage intentionality in overall health
– Bring awareness about nutritional benefits of a vegan lifestyle
– Make nutritional vegan meals convenient and accessible

Our food will be known for using fresh and minimally processed ingredients, while still being flavorful. While we do have comfort food, our overall goal is healthier options and knowing what’s going in your body. We want everyone we serve to have a great meal on purpose. We also aspire to be a market leader in the vegan frozen food space. There are very few black-owned vegan companies, and even fewer, if any, black owned and women owned who do frozen vegan meals.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One lesson I had to unlearn and often need a refresher is…releasing perfectionism. Being excellent is one thing, but aiming for perfect is another. Moving into this entrepreneurial space has made me realize that. Although I have some background in business, I’m navigating through uncharted territory. I’ve never been a business owner and I’m learning new things everyday. I had to accept that I won’t be great right away and that’s okay. Giving myself grace has been the biggest lesson with releasing perfectionism. I’m learning to take a moment and celebrate what I am doing well and reflect on the challenges. The challenges are only lessons to be better.

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

I’ve had many pivots in my life and career. I was a career switcher from working in the nonprofit sector to working in education. I switched from that to going in the corporate world. My last pivot has been into this entrepreneurial space. I call them pivots because each of these times in my life I found myself at a reflective season. I always had a nudging to step out of the boat and I’ve always listened. As scary and uncertain as it is, I’m not afraid to step out there. But, just because you step out the boat doesn’t mean everything will go as you thought. Usually, it doesn’t at all LOL. That’s when you have to pivot with grace and know that life happens and pivots are necessary. Everything we experience in life is necessary for our journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.veganwhatveganwho.org
• Instagram: veganwhat_veganwho
• Other: You can also connect with me on IG at: Vegan1sta