We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lisa Manchee. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lisa below.
Lisa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the best advice you ever gave to a client? How did they benefit / what was the result? (Please note this response is for education/entertainment purposes only and shouldn’t be construed as advice for the reader)
I interact with a variety of individuals that have such different backgrounds and interests in vegan living. No two people are on the same path with their interest and knowledge of a vegan lifestyle. I enjoy providing resources, education, and support from everyone that comes to plantbasedgrocery.com or reaches out personally. As a 9 year vegan and current student of personal training, I offer a lot of advice in a wide range of topics from health, wellness, fitness, environment, sustainability and more, all from a plant based perspective. I feel it’s so important to be empathic to everyone who has an interest in why a vegan lifestyle might be beneficial. Our choices are all deeply rooted in our own personal experiences, relationships, and environment. That doesn’t always equate into understanding and accepting certain facts about our current culture and the choices we have regarding animal consumption. Considering all of that, I find I give one piece of similar advice to many who are new or experienced with veganism.
A particular coaching client and regular shopper at Plant Based Grocery had an eye opening moment in a conversation we had. She continually wanted to learn and bring more plant based options in her household, but often became flustered at her choices in her diet. She felt like she didn’t have time to dedicate to finding plant based alternatives and introducing those to her kitchen and family. She insisted that she knew the information was out there and this was something she absolute was crucial to improving her health and was serious about making positive changes.
What I told her next, made her give much pause. And her eyes got about twice as wide!
I asked her to take what she just told me and replace a few words. Instead of saying “I don’t have time to dedicate finding plant based alternatives”, change it to “It isn’t a priority for me to find plant based alternatives”.
Changing our perspective to match our reality and also face what we truly find important can be an eye opening experience. The resources for plant based living are vast (especially compared to when I began learning 9 years ago!) and available if you take a moment to pause and consider what it is you’re looking for. Are you looking to improve your health? Reduce your environmental impact? Become more aware of animal welfare?
My client absolutely had improving her health as a top priority. This was especially important for her based on her prior health history, her doctor’s recommendations, and her desire to decrease her risks for further cardiovascular disease.
After having this conversation with her, she was able to shift her mindset when planning her week. She’s begun adding in a calendar appointment with herself each week for meal planning and learning. She even incorporated some family dinner conversations around what she’s learned about a vegan lifestyle which has led to her kids bringing some curiosity and additional knowledge! She is still learning and slowly taking the positive steps she had always wanted to towards a vegan lifestyle. And now she is doing it at her pace without anxiety or frustration!
I personally know that change is so difficult, but taking the time to understand some one else’s motivations and desires can go a long way to helping them see a path to success.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I can assert that I most likely came to where I am now because I love food. True story. About 9 or so years ago I realized just how much I loved junk food in particular because I was becoming increasingly lethargic and just unhappy. I had two small children and as a stay at home mom, I did a lot of tv watching. During a Netflix binge, I came across a documentary that detailed just exactly where our food comes from….and by the end I was beside myself. It. was then that I knew I needed to make some changes for myself and for my family. I started learning more about food, nutrition, the sources of our food, and begrudgingly started getting in some physical activity. Fast forward a few years and my entire family is vegan and I workout every day (on purpose!). And I still love food! Food is awesome and in my quest for education around nutrition, I was and still am always on the hunt for new snacks, new recipes, interesting ingredients, and really anything plant based. It’s been absolutely incredible to watch the market grow for vegan options. And it’s also incredible that my knowledge and diet has expanded to an enormous variety of whole foods – more than I ever had on the Standard American Diet.
A few years ago I had a friend who knew my love of finding all the newest vegan snacks offered me the opportunity to assume ownership of her Plant Based Grocery business. At the time Plant Based Grocery was a small operation that participated in local markets with a few select all vegan snack and treat items. I couldn’t say no to cultivating my own space for sharing my vegan food finds! Since then, I have created plantbasedgrocery.com where I offer more vegan pantry staples and also share other local recommendations for vegan restaurants, other vegan businesses, events, discounts, and general lifestyle tips for vegans or those aspiring vegans. It’s an amazing platform to help create community, support other small vegan businesses, offer my personal experience, and give guidance to anyone who needs support.
I truly hope to keep expanding all the information I offer and welcome questions, suggestions, or anything to promote the benefits of a vegan lifestyle.
In addition to my personal growth into a vegan lifestyle, I have also kept myself in the gym and learning more about the benefits of physical activity. I offer online coaching support with an emphasis on vegan nutrition based on my own experience. I have changed my entire body composition and now am stronger, leaner, and feel amazing! In an effort to further my education, I am currently working towards getting my Certification in Personal Training through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. I will be expanding my coaching when my training is complete by the end of this summer. My goal is be an example of the possibilities of fitness with plant based nutrition and support/guide those with similar goals.
Our health and wellness is the base for enjoying this life we have! Taking care of ourselves with a vegan lifestyle can be exciting, delicious, and fun. I truly am so grateful to have a wide variety of experiences and resources to share with as many people as possible!
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I think everyone can relate to the resilience that COVID made us recognize in ourselves! After 7 months with a physical location for Plant Based Grocery, the space I was sharing was no longer a viable business option. I shifted to online only with delivery options. As the months went on and more customers cut back to spending on only essentials, shipping became challenging, and gas prices soaring, the fun treats I offered were no longer being purchased at the same rate. My business was dwindling and still today I feel those effects. Plant Based Grocery, while still offering some fabulous goodies, does not have the same variety it used to stock. Even through having to reduce my inventory options, I am still here and more dedicated than ever to offering the resources for vegan living. My mission and passion from day one as the owner of Plant Based Grocery has been to make it easier to lead a vegan lifestyle! I continue that today with vegan food you can still purchase on my website, but also through restaurant recommendations, beauty and clothing options, discounts on new vegan food finds, vegan event information, education on the benefits of veganism, and more! I will continue to be an advocate for a vegan lifestyle regardless of the success of plantbasedgrocery.com. I also continue find such joy in discovering new vegan snacks and sharing how the food industry grows to accept a plant based diet in the main stream!
Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?
If I could go back, I would definitely start my education in health and wellness. Maybe a touch of marketing too! The topics around fitness and nutrition as they relate to a plant based lifestyle is fascinating to me. As I have also watched the marketplace change over the last decade, I can see how much marketing has played into that narrative as well. My formal education was in accounting, so my personality definitely leans toward the interest in details! I can’t say for certain if that would have landed me in owning my own online grocery business, but I feel strongly that I would have the same desire to share what I know and support others in their interests as well.
There is so much to learn and more to be studying regarding our health and wellness. Our minds and bodies are so complex and the history of why we’ve chosen to do certain things is incredibly interesting. We have yet to have many long term studies on individuals raised vegan or whole foods from birth. What is truly causing the rate of cancers and disease? Doctors used to advocate for smoking and today sitting is considered to be the “new smoking”. What is to come next?
There are so many questions and I would love to have all the time and resources to explore!
Contact Info:
- Website: plantbasedgrocery.com
- Instagram: @plantbasedgrocery, @happyinyourhealth
- Facebook: @plantbasedgrocery, @happyinyourhealth
- Other: [email protected] [email protected]