Holistic health and wellness coach Manasa Rajan experienced the magic of going vegan in her mid-twenties. It immensely benefitted her and her family’s wellness, and over the years has shaped her purpose in life. Here’s one of my earliest memories of her, from about a decade ago.
We were sitting next to each other on the grass and enjoying platefuls of colourful vegan food at the Bengaluru Vegans monthly potluck. Manasa had recently moved to Bangalore and we’d met a couple of times by then. She turned to me and said, “It’s really nice how you make the effort to be welcoming and inclusive.”
I smiled, but my brows crinkled a little with confusion. It felt nice to receive the compliment, but I hadn’t done anything special, I’d just been friendly to a fellow vegan woman. I was genuinely happy to meet her and I’d made it a point introduce her to others, and let everyone know she was a high raw vegan with a background in nutrition.
“Isn’t that what everyone does, especially in a small community like ours?” I asked. “Well, she said, we should, but not everyone is so inclusive. Perhaps they’re afraid to welcome others into what they consider to be their spaces. But you’re not like that,” she smiled.
Being friendly is in my nature, but when Manasa pointed it out and thanked me for it, I realised how much of an impact being nice to someone, especially another woman in your field, could make. After that, I became even more intentional in creating a welcoming environment for everyone.
That’s the kind of person Manasa is. With her simple, kind words of appreciation, she had just encouraged and and strengthened one of my better traits.
Over the years we’ve collaborated in different ways. When we were food blogging, she contributed a guest post to my blog. While we ran our own food businesses (me my restaurant, and she her energy bars brand), we supported each other in whatever ways we could. Whenever someone was looking for a vegan nutritionist, I’d recommend her. And after she joined Eatfit and wanted to introduce vegan options into their menu, she sent her chefs to take a workshop from us.
Now after all these years of knowing her, and growing side by side as conscious vegan women entrepreneurs, it felt absolutely lovely to host her on my podcast!
In this the conversation:
We spoke about the impact of switching to a plant based life beyond just food. The way it uplifts our energy and emotions, how it influences our way of thinking and inspires us to help makes people’s lives better.
We also discussed the need to prioritise women’s health, creating positive changes in the food eco system so everyone can access healthy food, the beautiful way the vegan and health food movement has been growing in India the recent years, and so much more.
Listen to the episode in the embedded player below or on any podcast platform.
“The change that I saw within my own health and within my immediate family, with my daughter and parents, it really compelled me to share that message with more people. It was too drastic a change, too fabulous a change, you know, to not share it.“
Manasa Rajan – The Feel Good Factor Podcast with Susmitha Veganosaurus
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TuneInMore about Manasa Rajan
Manasa says, “my mission is to help people upgrade their food and take control of their health! And this means work within the food ecosystem to make clean, healthy alternatives easily accessible and the norm in the country!”
As mentioned in our discussion, she regularly conducts workshops to help people on their wellness journeys. Right now (March 2021) she’s teaching about Health Transformation Through Habit Changes.
Susmitha Veganosaurus
“I’m a Spiritual Vegan Multi-Passionate Entrepreneur. I read voraciously, find humour in most things, and believe kindness and authenticity can make this world a happier, loving place.
If my content resonates with you, join my free newsletter where I share Life and Business Tips, Vegan Hacks, Holistic Guidance, and more.
Vegan cuisine and holistic business building are my two biggest passions. If you’re looking for guidance with vegan cooking, or want to grow your conscious business with joy and fulfilment, explore ways we can work togetherhere.”