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Aligning Your Work With Your Vegan Values, by Marie Doré, VLCE

posted March 21, 2023

In 2019, I moved to Germany to give love a chance. I had nothing to lose, and a whole lot to gain.

Photo Credit: Marie Doré

All things considered, I was very lucky. My partner’s family welcomed me with open arms, the people were nice, and I found a job, in English, about a week after my arrival.

What happened next was a lucky(-ish) chain:

  • Then, I went Vegan.
  • Then, the pandemic hit.
  • Then, I couldn’t travel back to Canada to visit my family.
  • Then, I started coming back from work, every day, on the verge of tears.

Everything felt out of alignment. Especially work.

Since transitioning fully to a Vegan lifestyle, I was seeing things at work in a new light. Without even agreeing to it, I was promoting a non-Vegan lifestyle that I believed was unhealthy and unethical. Things had to change.

Four Tips to Align Work With Your Vegan Values

My story might resonate with you. If you are wondering how to align your work with your Vegan values, here are my top tips, as well as a few pathways to explore.

1. Discuss With Your Employer

Before doing anything else, brainstorm ways to incorporate more of your Vegan lifestyle at your current work. Sit down with your boss and explore together avenues of change. Depending on what you do, they might be very open to more sustainable and ethical ways of operating.

In my case, this wasn’t possible (and it wasn’t advisable for my mental health to keep working there).

2. Identify Your Skills

Photo credit: Marie Doré

When I first contemplated the idea to quit my job, I felt stuck. The challenge bigger because my German wasn’t good, mediocre at best. None of my certifications from Canada were recognized. Was this a dead end?

I knew I had to create a job for myself, in other words, become self-employed or start my own business. Then again, what would I do?

I started by asking myself those questions:

  • What am I naturally good at?
  • What do I like doing?
  • What are my transferable skills?

Ask yourself those questions. Write down everything that comes to mind, everything you love doing, and everything you are good at. You will see a pattern emerge. The things you are good at are your services.

3. Niche Down (Look for Vegan Opportunities)

Photo credit: Marie Doré

Looking at my skills, I realized I had already everything a person needs to be a great assistant. But again, I couldn’t be an assistant in Germany because of the language barrier. That didn’t stop me.

I started Your Vegan VA and promoted my services as a Virtual Assistant for Vegan Businesses, most specifically for coaches.

Let me be clear, you do not have to start a business to offer your services. Plenty of already established businesses NEED your skills and talents. Start looking into what Vegan company is hiring in your area. You’ll realize that there is a LOT of demand.

4. Vegan Everything

When we think Vegan Businesses, our mind often directs us to one of those three options:

  • Vegan Coach
  • Vegan Nutritionist
  • Vegan Food Startup
Photo credit: Marie Doré

Truth is, you can truly work in almost any field you’d like and make it Vegan.

Not convinced? Here’s a list of things I’ve SEEN people do in the Vegan world:

  • Vegan Kindergardner
  • Vegan Home Designer
  • Vegan Website Designer
  • Vegan Fashion Designer
  • Vegan Author/Writer/Journalist
  • Vegan Hairdresser
  • Vegan Esthetician
  • Vegan Musician
  • Vegan Film Maker

Don’t be scared. You WILL find a way to align your values with your work, and with all other aspects of your life.

My last piece of advice for you is to go for it and to find a support system that will be able to help and guide you along the way.

You got this.

 

Photo credit: Marie Doré

Marie Doré, VLCE, is a Vegan Virtual Assistant with a passion for travel. With a strong background in customer service and communication, Marie is always up for a challenge and loves finding creative solutions to complex problems. She is highly organized and detail-oriented and is committed to providing exceptional service to her clients. Marie believes anything is possible with the right attitude and always looks for ways to empower her clients to reach their highest potential.

Marie solo travelled the world in 2016-17, exploring New Zealand, Australia, Asia and Europe. After meeting her partner on this life-changing trip, she moved to Germany and experienced many shifts that led her to start her own virtual assistance business. Marie has been Vegan for the past 3 years and is living between Canada and Germany, creating a life of freedom for herself while helping the Vegan movement the best she can.

 

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