Vanessa's original post said she
Wanted to be a better advocate for veganism: so I trained 1.5 years and won the UPENN body building competition.
When asked why, she wrote
For the animals, for health, for the environment.
Never thought I would have the amazing privilege to be educated at an Ivy League school like University of Pennsylvania, but being there I had to use the opportunity to showcase the possibilities of a plant based diet: and how you can thrive with this lifestyle!
My peers will go on to be doctors, lawyers, politicians, ceos, and I wanted them to see me on stage winning this as a vegan.
My classmates come to the show with signs that said #plantprotein because that is what I always hashtag on my Venn Hering Instagram
I also wrote my masters thesis on plant based diets and the link between toxic masculinity and meat consumption. It was selected by a panel of academics as the best in the class!
Progress is happening and I wanted to be a part of the movement :)
So I asked her about these things, the back story, the results, the hopes, and the dreams.
Her food pictures in Instagram are incredible, by the way, different but similar to my famous no-packaging vegetable stews, so I loved them.
The before and after picture she posted came up in conversation, so I put it here.
Also watch her videos.
","author_name":"Joshua Spodek: Author, Speaker, Professor"}