As much as I’d rather not start this way, I must first ask for your understanding and forgiveness. I’m not going to do this perfectly. I will make mistakes. These are huge risks for a recovering perfectionist like me. I promise that I will do it completely from my heart though.

I was raised to believe that there is a hierarchy of people. That those who look different from me or have different beliefs and values were either better than me or worse than me. It wasn’t always...

Two of most common issues I help my coaching clients with are how to have good boundaries and how to say "no." These struggles are so pervasive that I want to share my tips with you too!

Saying “yes” is so ingrained in our culture that it’s easy to overwhelm our own schedules with other people’s priorities. Of course, there are plenty of good reasons that we say “yes.” We want people to like us, we want to be nice, we want others to be able to...

I've been on a quest for my favorite vegan yogurt ever since Wildwood stopped offering theirs. What I loved about it was that they used all organic ingredients (even the fruit) and had very little sugar. I love my yogurt tart!

Over the years, I've had varying results as I played with various bases like almond, coconut, and a blend of coconut and cashew using my Instant Pot. I stayed away from soy since I had a sensitivity to it. Thankfully, after avoiding soy for a few years,...

What about soy? Aren't you concerned about phytoestrogens in soy?

These are two of the many questions I often hear from people when they learn that I'm vegan. So allow me to put the soy fear to rest. The common fear is that soy has a negative effect on hormones.

Is soy a requirement for the vegan diet?
It's a myth that when we adopt a vegan lifestyle, we get a congratulatory kitchen stocked with soy products. There is no vegan membership requirement of a heavy dependence upon soy. Believe it...

Our culture has a distorted relationship with pain, death, and grief. We’re taught to fear it, push it away, and put it in a box “over there” for someone else to deal with.

Refusal to accept that life includes discomfort, death, and grief is one of the primary roots of ageism (wrinkles remind us that one day we’ll die), racism/otherism (someone who’s different might kill us), anti-veganism (vegans acknowledge that animals have to die for people to consume their...

One of my coaching clients recently asked about the common misconception that only vegans are susceptible to a deficiency in vitamins like B12 and D. Right after that session, no fewer than three friends asked me the same question! It must be in the air, so I'll share it with you too.

The truth is that with depleted soils and indoor lifestyles, pretty much everyone needs to supplement with these two essential vitamins.

Vitamin B12
According to Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina,...

With all the conflicting health advice out there, the one thing everyone agrees on is that we all need to eat more veggies. When I talk with clients, their main resistance is to all the prep time for slicing, shredding, dicing, and more.

So I give them my secret to our family's daily salads and today, I'm going to share our time-saving tips with you: it's my DIY Salad Bar.

Having all your veggies prepped and at the ready will make getting your greens super simple, fun, easy, and will save...

With garlicky herb notes and a beautiful green color, this dressing will encourage everyone to eat more veggies. Serve as a dip or dressing and watch the earth candy disappear!

Avocado Ranch Salad Dressing
By Allison Rivers Samson

Makes: 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups unflavored, unsweetened non-dairy milk
1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 large ripe avocado, pitted and flesh removed from skin
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2...

Sure, you can buy Annie’s Goddess Dressing in stores—but why not use more pure ingredients and save money by making it at home? A perfectly delectable mixture of creamy and tangy, this dressing can instantly elevate any salad to a heavenly state.

Sesame Goddess Dressing
By Allison Rivers Samson

Makes: 1 1/3 cups

Ingredients
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup raw tahini (sesame butter)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons sunflower or safflower oil
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1...

I still remember the last time I apologized for taking too long to return a friend's call, bemoaning my “ridiculously busy schedule” (formerly one of my favorite phrases). He stopped me and said rather matter-of-factly, “It’s not that you didn’t have the time. Calling me back just wasn’t a priority for you.” 

All at once, I felt guilty, ashamed, and relieved.

It was true. He wasn’t my priority. And it wasn’t personal.

We all know that...