The Program
As Featured In
Become a Certified Vegan Lifestyle Coach & Educator (VLCE)
How do you want to make a difference? Do you see yourself coaching individuals to Vegan success? Speaking and teaching for live and online audiences? Starting a Vegan business? Working with an established Vegan company or non-profit? Or expanding the effectiveness of your outreach and influence as we grow toward a Vegan world?
At Main Street Vegan Academy, we know that equipping you for the task ahead demands a personalized, professional, in-depth experience. Because this is what it takes, this is what we offer -- live via Zoom. Our commitment is to the provide excellence in plant-based training and Vegan education, and support our graduates’ progress going forward.
The Program
Autumn Intake
Start Date: September 9th 2023
Course Fee: $1295
Payment Plans Available
In addition to coaching and teaching, our graduates are running plant-based companies, Vegan shops, food trucks and restaurants, they are on staff at animal rights and health-promotion organizations, writing books, podcasting, and using their VLCE credential as part of a pre-existing profession in healthcare, nutrition, fitness, yoga, etc.
And there's more: the connections you make here are priceless. Our Vegan classes are kept small so that you can get to know your fellow students and our respected instructors. After your course, you will be connected via our private Facebook group not only with members of your class, but with other alumni who share interests, backgrounds, or locale with you. The networking opportunities are unparalleled.
Here's what Forbes.com has to say about us:
What You'll Learn
The core curriculum of the Main Street Vegan Academy program follows. In addition, there are mini-classes such as "How to Conduct a Supermarket Tour" and "Elements of Ayurveda"; panels in which prior MSVA grads share what they're doing with their certification; coaching practice time; lighthearted games of VegTrivia; and "decompression chats," small group sessions for sharing and appropriating everything that is being learned.
Vegan Principles
- History of the vegetarian and Vegan movements
- Overview of animal rights and animal law
- Fundamentals of plant-based nutrition
- Nutrition throughout the life cycle
- Diet in the prevention and reversal of disease
- Environmental implications of animal agriculture
- A Vegan perspective of racial disparties in the food system
- Animal use and abuse in fashion, and Vegan alternatives
Communication Principles
- The Art of the Food Demo
- Techniques of Vegan lifestyle coaching and counseling
- Working with mixed (Vegan/non-Vegan) and transitional families
- Presentation skills for Vegan educators and entrepreneurs
- Using online video to enhance your brand or your activism
Business Principles
- Building your brand, and marketing for success
- Finding your niche in today’s Vegan business scene
- Client attraction and business development
- Digital marketing for VLCEs
Meet Our Instructors
Joshua Katcher, BraveGentleman designer and author of the book Fashion Animals, teaches the dynamic and in-depth class about the use of animals for clothing throughout history, contemporary alternatives, and Vegan fashion.
MSVA Instructors
Your instructors include major voices in the Vegan/plant-based world. Among them are:
- Chef Fran Costigan, noted pastry chef, author, Vegan Chocolate
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Rev. Dr. Christopher Carter, professor, University of San Diego, author and speak on food justice
- Marty Davey, MS, RD, registered dietitian, University of South Carolina
- JL Fields, MVLCE, author of multiple cookbooks including The Vegan Air Fryer, plant-based culinary consultant
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Jennifer Gannett, JD, VLCE, longtime animal rights advocate and Vegan mom
- Joshua Katcher, fashion designer, BraveGentleman
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Joel Kahn, MD, "America's Holistic Heart Doc," practicing cardiologist in the Detroit area, professor, Wayne Stat University Medical School
- Milton Mills, MD, critical care physician, medical director U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- Victoria Moran, CHHC, RYT, author, podcaster, founder Main Street Vegan Academy
- Martin Rowe, founder emeritus Lantern Books, director, Culture and Animals Foundation, fellow, Brighter Green Environmental Action Tank
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Stephanie Redcross West, founder and president of Vegan Mainstream
- Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan, JD, cofounders of Our Hen House
- Vince Tucker, MVLCE, Lifestyle Medicine Coach
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Dianne Wenz, CHHC, VLCE, holistic health coach and Vegan lifestyle coach and educator, author Truly Healthy Vegan Cooking
- And for the very first time for our October 2022 class, the ever dynamic Chef AJ!
JL Fields, MVLCE, author of multiple cookbooks including The Vegan Air Fryer, plant-based culinary consultant
Milton Mills, MD, critical care physician, medical director U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Marty Davey, MS, RD, registered dietitian, researcher
Joshua Katcher, fashion designer, BraveGentleman
Chef Fran Costigan, noted pastry chef, author, Vegan Chocolate
Stephanie Redcross-West, Director, Vegan Mainstream, business mentor
What do I get for my $1295 tuition?
Lots more than you pay for! This has been our commitment since the very first MSVA cohort since the launch of the Academy in 2012, and we pride ourselves in living up to this pledge in every class session and ongoing post-grad support. Among the benefits you'll receive by taking the MSVA course are the following:
1. The highly respected Vegan Lifestyle Coach and Educator (VLCE) certification
2. A solid background in Vegan Principles, Communication Principles, and Business Principles equipping you to confidently share this way of life with others
3. A life-changing live experience in which you'll be interacting with the legendary Victoria Moran and instructors who are major movers and shakers in the Vegan and plant-based worlds
4. The welcome association of other Vegans in your class, many of whom will become lifelong friends
5. The opportunity to share, during the course itself and in post-grad reunion sessions, what's going on with you with fellow Vegans who understand your commitment, your passion, and the struggles of being Vegan in a still omnivore-centric word
6. Unparalleled networking opportunities through regular Zoom reunions (and some in person, too), access to the private Alumni of MSVA Facebook group, and the MSVA Graduate Directory through which you can contact peers in your area and around the world
7. The opportunity to be published online through the Main Street Vegan blog
8. Follow-up support, if you want it, for as long as you want it
In this boutique program, you are not just a number or an email address: you become a member of a dynamic coterie of elite experts on the Vegan lifestyle in all its aspects. Founder and director Victoria Moran frequently writes job and grad school recommendations for MSVA grads, provides blurbs for graduates' books, and advice on their projects. Other faculty members and fellow graduates are also there for networking and support. As an MSVA alum you'll be part of an encouraging family invested in your success and the cause we share.
Some of Our Graduates
Our VLCE Community is currently comprised of nearly 600 certified coaches from 32 countries on 6 continents.
Some Ways Our Grads are Veganizing the World
Authors
- Camille DeAngelis, Bones and All; A Bright Clean Mind
- Christine Melanie Benson, Marrying Myself
- Carol Cymerint, The Answer Is Vegan
- Diane Waltner, Evolving Into Wholeness
- Dianne Wenz, Truly Healthy Vegan Cookbook
- Jackie Demeri-Costello, Animooves
- Jay Reace, Legacy
- Karen Asp, Anti-Aging Hacks
- Kimberly Wilson, Year of Tranquility; Hip Tranquil Chick
- Sayward Rebhal, Vegan Pregnancy Survival Guide
- Vicki Brett-Gach, The Plant-Based for Life Cookbook
- Sande Nosonowitz, VLCE, Oblivious: A Vegan Memoir
Influencers
- Berto Calkins - @whatsgoodberto
- Chef Rain Truth - @theculturedvegan
- Cortney Ostrosky - @cortney108
- Donta Harris - @the.southern.vegan
- Holly Skodis, @yogaisvegan
- Julia Murray - @hookedonplants
- Kevin Jenkins - @theveganbourne
- Tanya O'Callaghan - @tanyaocallaghan_official
- Vegan Evan - @veganevan & Shannon Blair - @veganevansmom
Entrepreneurs
- BōnMot (ice cream), Mexico City
- Bright Zine (magazine, retail), London
- Bryt Life Foods (yogurt, cheese), Kingston, NY
- The Fanciful Fox (body care), Brooklyn
- Gina's Vegan a Go Go (food truck), Columbia, MO
- Green Street Food Truck (and cafe), Levittown, NY
- Kat Mendenhall (cowboy boots), Dallas
- L'Artisane Bakery (French pastries), Miami Beach
- Mo's Vegan Kitchen (cafe), Jacksonville, FL
- Rancho Vegano (b&b), Tucson
- Riverdel Cheese (fromagerie), Manhattan
- Uprooted Eats (bakeshop), Brooklyn
- The Vegan Center (Event Space), Tonawanda, NY
- V Marks the Shop (bodega), Philadelphia
- Vegan Villakulla (cooking retreats), Belize
- Wild Heart Bistro, Baltimore
Practicing Coaches
- Vicki Brett-Gach: Ann Arbor Vegan Kitchen
- Diana Goldman : Beantown Kitchen
- Nancy Poznak : BotaniCuisine
- Carol Ray: Coach Carol Ray
- Colleen Gray-Hewitt: Community Vegan
- Debra Shapiro : A New View of Food
- Shelly Hughes : Plant Based Foody
- Chris Kalinich : Plant 2 Platter
- Nancy Travis : Sukhi Kitchen
- Teresa Ford : Take Root Coaching
- Cindy Thompson : Trimazing
- Heather Dahman : The Veg Academy
- Kristi Blazek : VegFulLife
In The Non-Profit Sector
- Michelle Benedict, Mercy for Animals
- Rachel Borkowski, Animal Sanctuary Trips 4 Students
- Rachel Craig, Pasado's Safe Haven
- Dennis Cymbalski, Arizona Vegan Education Group
- Rev. Dr. Russell Elleven, Unitarian Universalist Animal Ministry
- Elissa Free, Veg Society of DC
- Allison Hess, Pets Alive Indiana
- Tracy Hubble, Coalition for Healthy School Food
- Tracey Hulick, The Humane League
- Nivi Jaswal, Jiviniti Research/Virsa Foundation
- Anthony Martinez, Casa Vegana de la Comunidad
-
Phoenix Rising, Mercy for Animals
- Sara Therese McGoun, Vegan Outreach
- Rev. William Melton, The Compassion Consortium
- Deanna Meyler, Peace Advocacy Network
- Lianna Levine Reisner, Plant-Powered Metro New York
- Rose Ricafort, CHEF: Community Harvest Educational Foundation
- Sally Childs Sanders, Peta
- Leigh Scott, Healthier, Greener, Kinder
Testimonials
Upcoming Intake
Autumn 2023
September 9-10. October 14-15. November 4-5. December 2.
FAQ
Being a dietary vegan over 18 who satisfactorily completes the application, reads or listens to the 6 required books (list sent upon acceptance), and listens to 21 hours of the Main Street Vegan podcast qualifies you for the course.
There are terrific classes out there and MSVA celebrates all our colleagues in their important work. Among MSVA's shining features are:
(1) We cover every aspect of Vegan living, equipping you with well-rounded expertise
(2) Your instructors are top luminaries in the Vegan and plant-based arena, and you will have one-on-one access to founder and director Victoria Moran throughout your course.
(4) We inspire you to actively use your VLCE to change this world for the better
(5) You're free to disseminate these ideas in your own way
(6) If you wish to stay connected through the Main Street Vegan private Academy Facebook group, private mailings, graduate projects and other events, we're here for you for the duration
(7) Although we offer an in-depth master class for graduates every two years, no continuing education is required to keep your VLCE certification in good standing
Yes, you can select the payment plan on the registration form.
When you graduate from the MSVA program, a 7-day Zoom intensive, you will be certified as a Vegan Lifestyle Coach & Educator, VLCE. Every few years we offer a Masters level course for those alumni who wish to obtain further instruction, thus MVLCE -- Master Vegan Lifestyle Coach & Educator. The Masters programs a in-depth and exciting, but never required. Your VLCE certification is evergreen as long as you remain Vegan.
6. Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business, by Katrina Fox - an introduction to business with Vegans in mind, covering concept, formation, mindset, money, branding, marketing, and making it in business while staying true to your values
It will not. We train Vegans to help others thrive with Veganism. Our program does not qualify any graduate who is not already a licensed healthcare professional to work with sick people or to diagnose or treat any illness.
We avoid anything graphic or troubling to the fullest extent possible. While those images can move non-Vegans in this direction, you're already Vegan and shouldn't have to look at anything awful. In the class about fashion, there are some disturbing images, but the instructor, Vogue-featured Vegan designer Joshua Katcher, has taught for us from the beginning and always warns people if something graphic is coming so anyone who wishes can shut off their video momentarily.
All lectures are recorded and made available to students within a couple of days of that weekend's programming. You can make up any missed classes with recordings. In addition, once you graduate, you have the right to ask to audit any class that you missed in person during the next live Zoom course.
Do you have a question for us?
Main Street Vegan Academy: the first plant-based course to receive BeVeg certification
Important notes:
- This course is designed to help you guide others to thrive with a Vegan lifestyle. While you will receive at least 6 hours of health and nutrition training, you will not be a nutritionist. Being a certified Vegan Lifestyle Coach & Educator does NOT qualify you to provide medical advice or treat any illness. Any person looking to undergo a major change in diet should consult a licensed healthcare professional.
- This is also not a culinary program: your expertise upon completion of this plant-based course will be to teach, guide, and counsel individuals and groups about Vegan eating and living, as well as align the entrepreneurial gifts and talents you may bring to the table with your desire for extended Vegan outreach.
- While we give you a jam-packed educational experience and the support of our active alumni group afterwards, we make no guarantees about what any graduate will or will not accomplish upon completion of our program. Many of our graduates have successful practices and/or Vegan businesses — and we can put you in touch with some of these if you’d like. We cannot, however, promise this outcome for everyone, nor do we promise that any graduate will necessarily earn income as a result of taking this course.
- This is a Vegan certification program in which individuals who are already Vegan learn to teach and counsel others. It is not a how-to-go-Vegan course. If you’re looking for this kind of help, check out the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart, free and online, from Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. We recommend that you read Victoria Moran's classic book, Main Street Vegan: Everything You Need to Know to Eat Healthfully and Live Compassionately in the Real World.