Vegan Living ~ Free Talks
Inspiring and educating about living vegan!
What are the Vegan Living Free Talks?
Vegan Living Talks inspire and educate about living vegan! Throughout the talks we discuss how switching to a plant based vegan diet and lifestyle can have positive impacts on health, the environment, animal welfare, sporting performance, your cooking and more.
Who delivers the talks?
Talks are given by long-term vegans and usually a plant-based doctor or nutritionist as well. Talks are aimed at new-by vegans and anyone thinking about becoming vegan or wanting to add vegan meals into their lives. We also welcome those who want to learn more about a vegan friend or family member.
Where are Vegan Living Talks held?
We have been running Vegan Living Talks around Auckland since 2018 in collaboration with Auckland Libraries. The meetings are preceded by a month-long display of vegan-themed books, magazines, flyers and posters. As a result thousands of books and magazines have been distributed, loaned and displayed across the year. In other centres we hold our talks in public meeting rooms as well as libraries.
What do the talks involve?
The talks are free and they run for around 90 minutes. No need to book. All are welcome.
They cover the many aspects of veganism and look at the why, how, what to eat and where to shop. There’s a Q and A session at the end as well as vegan food sampling
Can we deliver talks in your area?
Potentially! And we would love your help.
Request a talk at your library, club, or school etc in Auckland, Tauranga or Wellington. Ask the manager to get in touch with mark@vegansociety.org.nz
Can you help us give talks?
If you’re a keen speaker inspired to deliver talks in your area, or you’re an organiser keen to help establish or run talks, please get in touch with mark@vegansociety.org.nz
Meet our Living Talks Team
Auckland Presenter
Josh Howell is an ultra-athlete and passionate vegan since 2014. Walking the talk when it comes to healthy living. Right into fitness, have ticked off both a 100 mile ultramarathon and an Ironman as a plant based athlete. Qualified Health Coach helping to empower people to take control of their own health. Absolutely love the vegan lifestyle!
Auckland Presenter
Amanda Sorrenson is the National coordinator of the NZ Vegan Society, who became vegan in 2002. A vegetarian and animal advocate since childhood, Amanda believes becoming vegan is not only super easy and inspiring, it’s the best thing you can do for yourself, the planet and the animals, as well as your kitchen and your cooking repertoire!
Auckland Presenter
Dr Mark Craig is an Auckland-based GP leading a plant-based, vegan lifestyle and running his own clinic at True South Medical in Mt Albert. Mark advocates a whole food, plant based diet to treat or prevent most conditions. He is vice chairperson of Evidence Based Eating NZ, a plant based diet advocacy and education charitable trust, which puts on events and talks regularly.
As a plant-based athlete, he competes regularly in triathlon, biking and swimming events at a locally and internationally. He is also raising two plant based children.
Tauranga Presenter
Brad Dixon is a holistic physiotherapist, wellness coach, and content creator based at EVERFIT Physio & Coaching. His passion is helping people strive for their potential with promotion of enhancing daily habits. Brad’s interest in a whole food plant based lifestyle was triggered when his uncle was diagnosed with bowel cancer.
This started his transitioning in 2014 to move along the spectrum to a plant based lifestyle firstly for performance and health, then having his mind opened to the inefficiency of intensively raising animals for food.
Tauranga Presenter
Dr. Coral Dixon is a NZ trained doctor with over 20 years experience, and a keen interest in lifestyle and preventative health. Coral has a particular interest in promoting and highlighting the fundamental importance of environmental and planetary health for holistic and sustainable human wellness.
https://vegansociety.org.nz/vegan-doctors-health/
Wellington Presenter
Sarsha Sivanantham is a community-oriented Wellingtonian who is passionate about a range of environmental and social impact-focused areas. This includes advocating for veganism for the environment and health, as well as animal rights. Her goal is to ‘plant trees under whose shade she does not expect to sit’.
Wellington Presenter
Dr Luke Wilson is the director of Two Zesty Bananas and his whole foods plant-based journey began after reading the ground-breaking book ‘The China Study’ by T. Colin Campbell
Luke is a Board Director and NZ Ambassadoc for Australasian charity Doctors For Nutrition. He has experience helping hundreds of people transform their lives by adopting a whole foods plant-based lifestyle.
https://vegansociety.org.nz/vegan-doctors-health/
Nelson Presenter
Stephanie Wynn has been passionate about Wellness for over 4 decades now and has been an Integrative Wellness Therapist for 30 years.
She is a Certified Plant Based Nutrition Coach and long-time Vegan. She has seen incredible results working with people to transition to a plant-based diet including reverse disease and increasing vitality.
Marie has been living a vegan lifestyle passionately for over twenty years. She is familiar with vegan pregnancy and parenting and lives with a vibrant young child full of climbing, running, racing energy! Marie became vegetarian aged 14, and later vegan- primarily for reasons of animal welfare, and has become increasingly interested in the powerful positive changes veganism holds for human beings and for Earth.
Photos from Vegan Living Talks Events
