Vegan influencer Genesis Butler volunteers at an animal sanctuary in Chatsworth, California. | Molly Haas at Kindred Spirits Care Farm
Social media is a mecca for all things vegan. A quick Instagram search of the hashtag “vegan” will have you scrolling through a seemingly never-ending stream of news and tasty recipes.
From meat-free food bloggers to animal rights activists, if you’re vegan, it’s highly likely you’re already following some of the most popular plant-based influencers.
But if you’re looking for more vegan inspiration on your feed—here are ten influencers you need to follow now.
Get ready to be inspired.
Instagram: @radhidevlukia
Location: Los Angeles/London
Content Focus: Plant-based food
Having amassed more than 840,000 Instagram followers, Radhi Devlukia is a prominent source for plant-based food inspiration. Born a vegetarian, Devlukia went vegan for the animals about ten years ago. “I just don’t feel another living creature should have to suffer for my want to indulge. There are so many things Nature provides us to nourish our bodies perfectly,” she tells LIVEKINDLY. “I truly believe we take in and digest the suffering that animal went through.”
Devlukia studied nutrition and dietetics in college and enjoys sharing her love of food and Ayurvedic nutrition with her followers in the form of tasty vegan recipes.
She says: “I once heard that knowledge is useless if it is not shared. And I really think anything we have that we are able to give or share with others that could help them, is part of our service for being here in this world!”
Instagram: @genesisbutler
Location: Long Beach, California
Content Focus: Animal and environmental activism
At the age of ten, animal rights advocate Genesis Butler became one of the youngest people to give a TEDx Talk with her speech on how veganism can heal the planet.
Vegetarian since the age of three, Butler, now 13, went vegan at the age of six after learning that milk comes from mother cows. “Once I found out the milk from mother cows was given to humans instead of their babies, I told my mom I didn’t want to consume dairy products,” she tells LIVEKINDLY. “I stopped eating animals a couple of years before that when I found out the meat I was eating came from animals. I went vegan for ethical reasons because I don’t believe animals should be harmed for our food.”
Butler has been given numerous awards for her animal advocacy. These include the Animal Hero Kids’ Sir Paul McCartney Young Veg Advocate award, PETA’s Youth Activist of the Year, and the Lisa Shapiro Youth Activist award. She has also founded her own nonprofit, Genesis for the Animals. It works to raise money for animal sanctuaries around the world.
The sky is the limit for Butler. Currently a high school freshman, she plans to go to college to become a veterinarian so she can provide care to the animals in her sanctuary. “My long term goal is to get as many people to go vegan as possible. Not only do the animals need us to go vegan but Mother Earth also needs as many people to go vegan as possible because animal agriculture is destroying our planet at a rapid rate,” she says.
Instagram: @joey_carbstrong
Location: England
Content Focus: Vegan advocacy
With nearly 150,000 Instagram followers and more than 110,000 YouTube subscribers, Joey Carbstrong is a strong voice in the vegan world. He partakes in street outreach, vegan campaigns, and hosts debates with non-vegans about animal cruelty.
A former gang member, Carbstrong decided to turn his life around in 2013 after spending six months in prison. He became sober and went vegan, and in 2015, he uploaded his very first video to YouTube in the hopes of inspiring others to be more compassionate.
According to the influencer, his life in violent gangs helped him connect to the plight of animals. “I know what it’s like to be both the victim of violence and the perpetrator. I’ve suffered trauma from being on both sides of the fence,” he tells LIVEKINDLY. “Although I can’t truly understand what it’s like to be a pig suffering in a factory farm, I have definitely led a life that can help me to empathise with them.”
“I want to change people’s mentality towards animals,” he adds. “I want people to recognise animals as conscious individuals that matter morally, and not just objects to be exploited for needless products.”
Instagram: @vegan_as_fvck
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Content Focus: Vegan activism
Donny Oberoi is vegan AF. The activist and influencer ditched animal products three years ago for his health and has since become a pillar in the animal rights community. “Going vegan started off as a health journey,” he tells LIVEKINDLY. “I learned more about the effects of animal agriculture on the animals, our planet, our health, our healthcare system, and on the world.”
The Montreal-based entrepreneur built his own brand and social justice movement—dubbed “Vegan As Fvck.” The purpose-driven social enterprise “strives to shine a brighter light on the connection that we are one species living, breathing, and residing on this earth.”
As part of the brand, Oberoi recently launched an apparel line. It carries everything from hoodies and sweatshirts to hats and even bandanas for dogs—all for a good cause. Ten percent of all monthly sales go towards various human and animal rights organizations.
On a mission to eat *all* the vegan food, he also shares tasty “vegan first bites” on the Gram in hopes of enticing others to try eating plant-based.
“My goal is to become known worldwide as an organization that promotes anti-oppression, anti-exploitation, inclusiveness, love, compassion, good health, and sustainability,” he says. “I want to make this world a better place for all living beings. My mission is to help save people, save the animals, and help save the planet and humanity.”
Instagram: @princessoftheunicorns
Location: Los Angeles
Content Focus: Vegan fitness
Vegan for nearly ten years, Izzi von Kohler—AKA princess of the unicorns—is a plant-based fitness guru. The personal trainer regularly shares healthy vegan dishes and workouts on her Instagram.
She decided to ditch meat and dairy as a personal challenge. “I was very excited to start creating new recipes that were animal-free and was confident I would feel so much healthier going vegan,” she tells LIVEKINDLY.
After spending years working in retail management and going through a difficult breakup, she decided to make a major lifestyle change. “I took a look at myself in the mirror and said ‘I want to feel strong, I want to feel more confident, and I want to wake up every day feeling motivated,'” she explains. “The next day I joined a gym, hired a trainer. A year later I quit my retail job and trained to become a trainer.”
Next year, she will be working on a recipe ebook and offering coaching classes in-person and online. “I want to create my own community that uplifts each other,” she says.
Instagram: @whatsgoodberto
Location: New York City
Content Focus: Vegan food
Vegan for six years, YouTube creator Berto Calkins is a personal trainer and is on his way to becoming a certified yoga instructor. He regularly shares delicious vegan eats on social media and is a mental health advocate.
Through his content, Calkins says he hopes to teach marginalized communities about the benefits of consuming a plant-based diet. “I’m mostly trying to reach more people that come from lower-income communities like myself with my vegan content,” he tells LIVEKINDLY.
He adds: “My long-term goal for my platform is to continue to connect with more people that could benefit from the content that I share especially those that have a similar background to me.”
Instagram: @chez.jorge
Location: Taipei, Taiwan/Berkeley, California
Content Focus: Plant-based food (Asian cuisine)
This culinary master veganizes delicious Asian dishes like watermelon tuna sushi, tofu pad Thai, and veggie pan-fried buns. Yum!
Plant-based for nearly three months, George recently made the switch to veganism. “As I explored plant-based cooking, I realized that vegan food is not limited to bland vegetables/salads/smoothie bowls as I previously believed,” he tells LIVEKINDLY. “I suppose my main motivation for converting to a plant-based lifestyle is because it’s simply much healthier and more sustainable.”
Instagram: @byanygreens
Location: Washington, DC
Content Focus: Vegan nutrition
Writer, speaker, and public health nutritionist extraordinaire Tracye McQuirter, MPH, has been vegan for more than three decades.
“I went vegan after hearing a lecture by Civil Rights Movement icon Dick Gregory during my sophomore year at Amherst College in 1986, in which he talked about the cultural, political, economic, and social context around the plate of black America, and why we should become vegetarians,” she explains to LIVEKINDLY.
The award-winning public health nutritionist recently launched the 10,000 Black Vegan Women movement to mark the tenth anniversary of her first book, “By Any Greens Necessary.” It’s the first vegan diet book for Black women.
The campaign launched at the start of October. It includes an online 21-day program of cooking videos, meal plans, vegan recipes, nutrition tips, and more. It’s helping 12,000 women and counting go vegan. “I want to change the health paradigm of Black women so that we can take back control of our health and live healthier, happier, freer lives,” she says.
Instagram: @seb.alex
Location: Lebanon
Content Focus: Animal rights activism
Born and raised in Lebanon, Seb Alex is on a mission to teach the world about veganism. In 2013, after leaving a promising corporate job, he went vegan and became an animal advocate.
“The main motivation that made me change my habits was understanding how we view other animals as unworthy of having basic rights and as a result, use excuses to exploit and hurt them for nothing but profit, convenience, and pleasure,” he tells LIVEKINDLY.
Being exposed to injustices and discrimination throughout his life has made him a better advocate for all beings. “I have taken a vow to speak up and defend in any way I can, anyone who is being discriminated against,” he explains.
Instagram: @amysoranno
Location: Kelowna, BC, Canada
Content Focus: Animal advocacy
Amy Soranno went vegan nearly six years ago after developing a complex chronic health issue. Now, she is an animal rights activist and investigator. “My only regret is that I didn’t go vegan (and become an activist) sooner,” she tells LIVEKINDLY.
Through her platform, Soranno tries to help people form a connection with non-human animals. She also encourages vegans and plant-based eaters to get more active. “I help them to recognize the significance of activism and encourage them to get involved. I also engage with other activists, both online and through workshops, addressing the importance of direct action, civil disobedience, and continuously reassessing the effectiveness of our work,” she explains.
One of Soranno’s most successful undercover investigations occurred at Excelsior Hog Farm in Abbotsford, BC. A video investigation of this farm was released by PETA in 2019. Soon after that, it became a major news story. It exposed both legal and illegal animal cruelty within the Canadian pig farming industry. Soranno later led Canada’s first “Meat The Victims” action at the farm.
As a result of this investigation, Soranno and three other activists (Nick Schafer, Roy Sasano, and Geoff Regier) were charged with a combined 21 indictable offenses for exposing animal cruelty. “This further proves the intense lack of transparency and accountability within animal agriculture. However, we hope that the exposure of this farm has encouraged people to go vegan. We also hope our legal case prompts much-needed legal change for animals,” she says.
“My goal is to end the injustice that exists in the exploitation of animals. I feel it is my life’s purpose to do whatever is necessary to make the biggest impact I can, and I have always felt a burning passion to help non-human animals,” she adds.
This post was last modified on December 15, 2020 6:02 am