2024 Guest Speakers

 

VICTORIA MORAN

Best Selling Author, Animal Advocate, Founder of Main Street Vegan Academy

Victoria Moran has been vegan for 40 years and is the author of twelve books including the iconic Main Street Vegan and the international bestseller, Creating a Charmed LifeShe hosts the Main Street Vegan Podcast and the Main Street Vegan Salon, streaming on UnchainedTV. Victoria is also the founder and director of Main Street Vegan Academy, training vegan lifestyle coaches and educators since 2012. She appeared twice on Oprah, was voted Peta's Sexiest Vegan Over 50 in 2016, and long ago before either was even vegetarian, Paul McCartney bought Victoria a drink. 


ROBERT CHEEKE

Bestselling Author “The Plant-Based Athlete”, Champion Body Builder

Robert Cheeke has been the face of vegan bodybuilding for the past two decades. He has spent his career working tirelessly to prove that you can build muscle and have a world-class physique eating a plant-based diet. He is the author of the books Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness, Shred It!, Plant-Based Muscle, the New York Times bestseller, The Plant-Based Athlete, and his latest, The Impactful Vegan, to be released on June 25, 2024. He is often referred to as the “Godfather of Vegan Bodybuilding,” growing the industry from infancy in 2002, to where it is today. 

As a natural bodybuilding champion, Robert is considered one of VegNews magazine's Most Influential Vegan Athletes. He tours around the world sharing his story of transformation from a skinny farm kid to champion vegan bodybuilder. Robert is the founder of Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness and maintains the website VeganBodybuilding.com. He is a regular contributor to Forks Over Knives, The Center for Nutrition Studies, Vegan Strong, The Vegan Gym, and No Meat Athlete, is a former multi-sport athlete, and has followed a plant-based diet for more than 28 years. Robert lives in Colorado with his wife and two rescued Chihuahuas.


Stuart Waldner

Author of Escape The Meatrix: Eat Plants, Feel Great, and Save the Planet!

Speaking at XXX

Kentucky native Stuart Waldner, acclaimed author of the award-winning book Escape the Meatrix, didn’t set out to be an activist. Growing up, he embraced the standard American diet until 1985, when he made a transformative shift to a 100% plant-based lifestyle.

For years, Stuart quietly pursued his path while respecting others' choices. However, as he delved deeper into the statistical correlations between our dietary habits and global crises, he felt compelled to awaken people to the urgent need for change—for our health and the planet's well-being.

Drawing inspiration from the iconic Matrix movie, Stuart invites everyone to choose the "red pill" and uncover the truth about our world. Since the release of his groundbreaking book in October 2022, he has been a sought-after guest on numerous podcasts and a featured speaker at prominent conferences and festivals.

DR. RUBY LATHON

Holistic Nutritionist

Dr. Ruby Lathon is an engineer who turned holistic nutritionist after healing herself of thyroid cancer by drastically changing her lifestyle through a plant-based diet. She was featured in the hit documentary, What the Health and the newly released documentary, They’re Trying to Kill Us. Dr. Lathon now teaches others how to re-engineer their health and live disease free.

Dr. Lathon is an inspirational and sought-after speaker on motivation and natural healing. She teaches other about the benefits and power of plant-based nutrition through health conferences, workshops, vegan cooking classes, consultations and coaching programs. Dr. Lathon served as Nutrition Policy Manager at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, where she developed and led a national grassroots campaign to advocate legislation for more healthful, plant-based meal options in the National School Lunch Program. She is the host of "The Veggie Chest," plant-based cooking show aired on Washington’s DCTV.


ELLEN JAFFE JONES

Nationally Ranked Sprinter, Author

Ellen Jaffe Jones is a nationally ranked sprinter and has placed in 263 5K or longer races for her age group since 2006. She is the author of 6 vegan health and fitness books including Eat Vegan on $4 a Day. Because of her being the only female in the 70 to 74-year-old age group at the 2022 US National Senior Games to compete in all 7 track events (and placed in 3 of them), the largest online platform of free classes for adults 55+, Get Set Up, chose Ellen as their first sponsored athlete. She is a certified personal trainer, certified running coach and also teaches aerobics classes at LA Fitness in southwest Florida. A former 2-time Emmy-winning TV investigative and consumer reporter from Miami and St. Louis, Ellen speaks all over the US and online about the topics of her books and active aging. Ellen was part of the original Food For Life program, but her book tour took her on the road until recent online platforms made teaching cooking classes easier as a licensed instructor. She loves inspiring others. One of her students lost 120 pounds and recovered from a life threatening disease.