A Kynd Life

Alex Sarandis grew up in a tightknit Greek family, in the western suburbs of Melbourne.

Alex ate a relatively omnivorous diet throughout her teenage years, however she remembers disliking the taste and texture of meat from a young age. In her mid twenties, Alex questioned why she was forcing herself to eat meat and from that point, she started removing animal products from her diet.  Shortly after, Alex and her brother Jonathan watched Gary Yourofsky videos and made the decision to go vegan.

Alex has worked in the hospitality industry since she was 16, working in cafes after school and during her university study. She studied a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Professional Writing and Literature and then conducted post graduate study in Early Childhood Teaching. After finishing her studies, Alex worked as a Kindergarten teacher for a few years.

Alex was not satisfied with her chosen career path and after quitting her job, she fell back into hospitality. Having realised she was truly happy in the industry, Alex proposed the idea of opening their own vegan cafe to her partner Matt and brother Jonathan. The idea for Sable was spoken into existence over the following months, sharing ideas, concepts and research.

Sable, a New York inspired vegan cafe opened in March 2020 and has gone from strength to strength, despite opening within a few weeks of a global pandemic. Sable is spreading it's wings, with a larger, second location opening in Thornbury in April 2022. Alex, Jonathan and Matt hope to be able to build the business enough to give back to animals and their vegan community.

In this episode, Alex shares advice for starting your very own vegan business, ignoring the negative self talk and pivoting during COVID19.

https://www.instagram.com/alexandrasarandis/
https://www.instagram.com/sable_org/
https://sable.org.au/

Yasmine is a vegan chiropractor, living in Adelaide with her partner and 5 fur babies.

From a young age, Yasmine remembers her family being treated by a chiropractor and being impressed by their ability to help everyone. She was adamant that she would study to be a Chiropractor when she grew up. After studying for 5 years in Melbourne and graduating as a Doctor (Chiropractic), Yasmine not only treats her clients ailments, but she also provides information about the benefits of a vegan/plant based lifestyle for their health and longevity.

Growing up, Yasmine recognised that loving animals means you don't eat them, however it wasn't until final year of university study, that she began cutting out animal products. Once Yasmine learnt more about the ethical issues associated with animal agriculture, she committed to going vegan and has been vegan now for over five years.

Yasmine openly shares her struggles with chronic health disease, having been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and Endometriosis last year. At times Yasmine feels as though she is at the mercy of her underlying health conditions, however she finds strength in educating herself and sharing knowledge with others.

Yasmine got involved in pageants, having competed in Miss World Australia, making it to the National Finals at age 19. More recently, Yasmine competed in Miss Earth Australia and used the opportunity to discuss veganism on stage.

In this episode, Yasmine provides advice for people interested in going vegan, her learnings about endometriosis and the development of a fitness and nutrition plan to help clients reduce inflammation and injury.

https://www.instagram.com/earthyyasmine/

In this episode, I speak to Michelle the Co-Founder of Happily Heifer After, a sanctuary on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland.

Michelle is Canadian and moved to Australia at age 19. She was a scuba diver instructor for seven years, having a passion for ocean life and the environment. Michelle then studied to be a vet nurse, but it wasn't long after working at a vet clinic, she realised it wasn't for her.

Michelle found her passion when she started Happily Heifer After sanctuary in 2019 and admits its been a wild ride ever since. She started building relationships with the local dairies and rescued 2-3 bobby calves at a time, rearing them for 12 weeks and then finding them loving homes.  The sanctuary quickly grew when they were featured on channel 9 and ABC news, as they were contacted by local dairy goat farms and egg producers.

The sanctuary has rescued over 500 animals to date and is home to 70 animal residents. Last year, they started an animal assisted therapy program by working with NDIS to support people with mental health conditions and physical and intellectual disabilities. Michelle and the team take great pride in sharing the stories of their animal residents with volunteers and visitors to the sanctuary, as a result some go vegan. 

In this episode, Michelle shares her strategies for compassion fatigue, advice for adopting farm animals and the average day in sanctuary life.

https://www.instagram.com/happilyheiferafter/
https://www.facebook.com/happilyheiferafter/
https://www.happilyheiferafter.org/

Alix grew up with a family connection to the animal agricultural industry.  At a young age, she witnessed the abuse of animals within these industries and knew it didn't sit well with her.

At age 16, Alix took an Animals Australia pledge and went vegetarian initially for 30 days, but then continued on. It wasn't until a few years later, that Alix went vegan after a friend suggested if she wanted to be vegan, she would go vegan.  Yes, it was that simple!

Alix became involved in activism shortly after going vegan, attending vigils and protests. Alix and her friend Sarah, founded Melbourne Fish Save and organised demonstrations for the Save movement.

Alix learnt about Farm Transparency Project (FTP) making Dominion and wanted to help. She took up volunteering with FTP and conducting investigation work in factory farms and slaughterhouses. After a few years, Alix was lucky enough to begin a paid activism career, when she became the FTP Campaign Director.

Last year, Alix co-founded Kindness Project which aims to dismantle the animal industrial complex by advocating for all those affected by it including humans, animals and the planet. Alix is the Campaign Director, with her first campaign Drop Croc sparking a worldwide movement of people protesting outside Hermes stores, speaking up about the exploitation of crocodiles for their luxury handbags.

Alix is running as an Animal Justice Party (AJP) candidate in the upcoming federal election for the seat of Isaacs. She is excited to represent the animals while supporting the growth of AJP. Alix will be campaigning for alternative food systems, addressing the climate crisis and banning live export.

In this episode, Alix shares lessons learnt in the development of animal rights campaigns, advice for activists and managing relationships with non vegan family members.

https://www.instagram.com/kindnessprojectorg/
https://www.facebook.com/kindnessprojectorg
https://www.kindnessproject.org.au/

Damien grew up on the east coast of Australia, spending most of his life between Melbourne and Sydney. Some would say he lived in the ocean, enjoying free diving and scuba diving. Damien had the opportunity of turning his passion into a career with the Australian Navy, when he became a Naval Clearance Diver. He later served with the Special Operations unit of the Australian Army, an elite brotherhood that thrived on having a mission and purpose.

After nine years in the military, Damien knew it was time to move on after experiencing burnout. He travelled along the coast of South America for 11 months feeling lost and hit rock bottom, which was a turning point.  Having heard about the conservation effort in Africa, Damien decided to go on a six month African adventure through the southern part of the continent.

Damien went to Africa looking for a fight, but he never expected to witness the struggles and challenges rangers faced on the ground. It made him reflect on the reasons for being in Africa and inspired him to do something different with his life.

Damien founded the International Anti Poaching Foundation in 2009. At the time, the conversation effort in Africa had become highly militarised, which Damien recognised was not a sustainable strategy within the local indigenous community.  Damien utilised one of his greatest strengths, his ability to evolve and created Akashinga, an all female, plant based, anti poaching unit.

Akashinga began with just 16 women protecting 90,000 acres of reserves in Zimbabwe. The program has been such a success for conservation and community development, that it has now been scaled to over 300 staff protecting 8 reserves and 1.3 million acres across three countries. National Geographic recently produced a short documentary called "Akashinga: The Brave Ones" which celebrates the impact the program is having for communities, wildlife and the environment. 

Damien not only raises awareness about his organisation and the plight of African wildlife, but also the link between veganism and conservation. He is a Director of Conservation Guardians and Speaker for National Geographic Live Bureau. 

In this episode, Damien also shares an insight into the dynamic role of rangers, his path to veganism and advice for people trying to make a difference for animals.

https://www.iapf.org/
https://www.instagram.com/int.anti.poaching.foundation/
https://www.facebook.com/iapf.org/

Akashinga: The Braves Ones (Documentary)
https://www.iapf.org/the-film

TEDx Talks
Modern Warrior - https://youtu.be/9FCsyK4aRXQ
From Sniper to Rhino Conservationist - https://youtu.be/PXBjQ7bc6PY

Sixty Minutes
Damien's War - https://youtu.be/e74kwO8HRRQ
The Brave Ones - https://youtu.be/xl7EXoU2xgo

Alex Buck is an ironman athlete, lead singer in a punk rock band, addiction recovery coach and a passionate animal rights activist.

Alex grew up in California, just outside of Los Angeles. Much of Alex's childhood was filled with auditions and photoshoots, kickstarted by his first acting job at 10 months old.

Music became a focal point during his late teenage years, exposing Alex to the straightedge and vegan lifestyle.  Alex developed negative lifestyle habits as a result of his involvement in music and by aged 20, Alex's drinking was out of control.

Everything started to change when Bodhi, Alex's dog, came into his life. Alex saw a movie called Okja and instantly related to the connection shown in the movie between the girl and pig. Alex decided to go vegetarian that night and worked his way towards veganism.

Following a three day bender on his 27th birthday, Alex realised he needed to change and embarked on a journey to sobriety. Alex focussed on a wholefood plant based diet and fitness regime to detox and refuel his body. He began to hold himself accountable and decided to consistently make choices based on kindness. Two years ago, Alex began mentoring at local addiction recovery facilities to help others fight their drug and alcohol dependencies.

Alex has fallen in love with endurance sports, having recently completed an ironman and Spartan event. He regularly attends vigils. protests, outreach events and disruptions and has a strong desire to not only live in alignment with his morals but also to serve.

In this episode, Alex shares the importance of seeking adventure by saying yes to opportunities as they present themselves, practicing gratitude and consistently showing up for yourself even during the difficult times.

https://www.instagram.com/alexanderbvck/

Tui is a CrossFit athlete, online fitness coach and vegan of six years. She never felt at home in Finland and dreamt of living in a tropical paradise, so five years ago she moved to Bali.

During her university study, Tui found herself scrolling through Facebook and came across a video of slaughterhouse footage.  She was shocked and knew she needed to learn more, so she began watching documentaries. Tui knew that her actions were not aligning with her values and she no longer wanted to support the animal agricultural system, so she went vegan.

Tui was heavily involved in fitness and was worried about her losing her 'gains' after going vegan. It didn't take long for Tui to notice positive changes in her performance, energy levels and physique. Tui competed in her first CrossFit competition almost three years ago.

Tui used to hide her vegan lifestyle, but has more recently recognised the importance of raising awareness about animal abuse. Tui sponsors two pigs at Sehati Animal Sanctuary and has been involved in local campaigns to fundraise for the sanctuary. She recently launched her very own merchandise range, with 25% of the profits supporting animal charities.

In the episode, Tui shares the importance of finding solutions and balance in the vegan lifestyle, as well as her hopes of opening Bali's first animal sanctuary in the future.

https://www.instagram.com/thevegancrossfitgirl/
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheVeganCrossfitGirl
https://www.thevegancrossfitgirl.com/

Izzy is the Founder of Animals First on the Second, as well as a personal trainer, nutritional coach and animal activist.

Izzy's vegan journey began almost eight years ago when he was bed ridden following a range of injuries and minor surgeries, leaving him with a physical disability. Izzy wanted to rehabilitate himself and find a way out of his poor health, so he started conducting his own research. He came across a range of documentaries and ended up spending a whole weekend watching documentaries such as Vegucated, What The Health and Earthlings. Izzy watched Gary Yourofsky's speech three times and went vegan overnight.

Izzy wanted to help people improve their health through adopting the vegan lifestyle, so he gained qualifications in personal training and nutrition. Izzy was the Nutrition Counsellor at a vegan medical clinic in Brooklyn and has since opened his own small private training studio and online coaching business.

Not long after going vegan, Izzy and 2 others founded Vegans of New York with the aim of uniting the vegan and activist community in their local area. Izzy then went on to create Animals First on the Second (AFOTS), a global campaign where activists fast on the second of every month to raise awareness about how animals are treated in the agricultural industry.

In this episode, Izzy's shares his hopes for the future of AFOTS, his passion for vegan education, as well as creating and producing rap music with an animal rights message.

https://www.instagram.com/fastagainstslaughter/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/138314033456715/
https://www.fastagainstslaughter.org/
https://www.instagram.com/izzyjacobus/
https://youtu.be/eYxOtBa5rHc

Ayanthi De Silva is a psychologist and animal rights activist based in New South Wales.

Ayanthi believes there were many seeds planted over the years that eventually resulted in her going vegan. She remembers doing a school assignment in year nine about animal cruelty and going vegetarian after viewing a report on Australian cattle being exported to Egypt.

During her psychology degree, Ayanthi wrote an essay on animal liberation and then started attending Animal Liberation NSW meetings. In 2018, Ayanthi attended a Dominion screening in Sydney and committed to a 30 day vegan mentor program. Ayanthi committed to being an animal rights activist very quickly after going vegan, as she recognised the importance of doing more than just eating vegan food.

Ayanthi has been involved in all forms of activism over the last three years including protests, street outreach, stickering, chalking and social media content creation. She recently delivered a webinar for Young Animal Justice Party NSW on mental health for activists.

In this episode, Ayanthi shares how she steps outside her comfort zone when conducting street outreach, the importance of mental health awareness for activists and vystopia.

https://www.instagram.com/ayanthiii/

Jess Bailey is the founder of the Vegan Grocery Store (previously known as the Cruelty Free Shop).  Jess created the business over 20 years ago, not long after going vegan, because she realised she couldn't find the types of foods she wanted to eat.

The store started as more of a hobby, with Jess storing products in a cupboard at home. After seven years, the business had taken over her house, so she opened her first shop in Glebe (Sydney). The business has a strong focus on educating people about veganism, creating a community and helping animal charities.

Jess has a strong connection to Animal Liberation NSW, having gone vegan after reading flyers handed out by the group at a festival. Jess has volunteered for the group for nearly 30 years, having organised protests and liberation events. Jess also organised the "Cruelty Free Festival" in Sydney over a 15 year period and many Vegan Day Out events over the years.

In this episode, Jess reflects on the growth of veganism over the last 20 years and provides advice to anyone wanting to start a vegan business.

https://www.instagram.com/vegangrocerystoreau/
https://www.instagram.com/crueltyfreejess/
https://www.instagram.com/coralescristina/
http://www.vegangrocerystore.com.au