Ethics, Compassion, and Personal Transformation

What if veganism is not as complicated as people think?

This week Joanne Kong, co-author of Vegan Made Easy: A Practical Guide to Plant-Based Living, visits to discuss what makes veganism more approachable and practical,

Joanne explains why she and her co-author, Dr. Camila Perussello, wanted to create a book that readers could flip through easily for answers, encouragement, and clear next steps.

They talk about the difference between plant-based and vegan, why that language matters, and why Joanne sees going vegan not as adding more complication, but as a return to basics. Joanne also shares why, for her, going vegan became more than a health choice — it became an emotional and even spiritual opening toward greater kindness and connection.

Michele and Joanne explore perfectionism, food labels, non-vegan partners and family members, cultural conditioning around food, and the importance of being a positive role model rather than leading with blame or shame. Joanne also discusses her TEDx talk, her music-based advocacy work through Vegan Virtuosi, and why art and music can sometimes reach people more deeply than facts alone.In this episode:

• Why Joanne says going vegan can be a return to basics

• Why plant-based can sound more approachable than vegan

• Why veganism, for Joanne, became more than a health choice

• How to avoid letting perfectionism get in the way of good-faith effort

• Why reading labels matters, even on products marketed as plant-based

• How to navigate non-vegan partners, relatives, and visitors with more flexibility

• Why Joanne believes vegans should be happy, positive, well-adjusted people who also just happen to be vegan

• How Joanne uses music and art in her advocacy

• What Dr. Camila Perussello brought to the book

• Why Lantern Publishing & Media is such an important home for books like this

Mentioned in this episode:

• Vegan Made Easy: A Practical Guide to Plant-Based Living — Joanne Kong and Dr. Camila Perussello

• Vegan Voices — Joanne Kong

• Food for Thought — Dr. Camila Perussello

• TEDx talk: The Power of Plant-Based Eating

• Vegan Virtuosi

• Strands of Compassion

• Vegans Make a Difference

• Lantern Publishing & Media

• Animal Factories — Jim Mason and Peter Singer

• James Aspey’s phrase: “Don’t blame or shame. Explain.”

• Vystopia — Clare Mann

• Vegan Action

Connect with Joanne at vegansmakeadifference.comPublisher:

This book is published by Lantern Publishing & Media, a mission-driven publisher focused on veganism, animal rights, social justice, humane education, and related work.

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