An Invitation to a Joyful Life
Happiness is one thing. Joy is quite another. Happiness depends upon circumstance. Joy is an orientation, a perspective, a lens through which we see the world.
To be joyful is to be wonder-filled: to notice what is in front of us and to meet it with delight. This is how I’ve always lived my life, and it is my invitation to you.
I’m not here to teach or prescribe. I’m here to share my way of seeing with a quiet hope that you see yourself somewhere in these reflections and discover (or re-discover) your own capacity for joy.
Here you’ll find reflections on the everyday: the books that shape us, the places that move us, the small rituals that make a meaningful life:
Books and reading
Film and art
Animals and nature
Health and wellness
Gardening and tending
Language and words
Food and drink
Travel and home
Love and loss
Life and death
…and so much more, because life.
About Me
For nearly 30 years, I’ve been writing and speaking about compassionate living — about plant-based eating, our relationship with animals, and how we move through the world with integrity.
Reading and writing being my first loves, I’m the author of eight books, including The Joy of Vegan Baking, The 30-Day Vegan Challenge, The Joyful Vegan, and most recently, A Year of Compassion: 52 Weeks of Living Zero-Waste, Plant-Based, and Cruelty-Free. Through those books, my podcast, and my work, I’ve offered tools and perspective for living in alignment with our values.
I host the Food for Thought podcast, now in its twentieth year (as of 2026), and though Animalogy was a limited-run podcast, its content lives on and still reaches listeners. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of contributing to NPR, and my work has been featured in outlets including The New York Times, The Atlantic, Food Network, PBS, HuffPost, U.S. News & World Report, Epicurious, and Oprah.com.
I host sustainable, animal-friendly trips around the world, bringing people together around food, travel, and shared experience; and when I’m not traveling, I live among the trees in Oakland, California with my husband David and our beloved cat, Michiko.
Why Subscribe?
As a subscriber, you’ll receive reflections on the everyday — on how we live, what shapes us, and how we cultivate joy and meaning in ordinary moments.
Free Subscription
✔ Regular essays and reflections
✔ Notes and shorter writings
✔ Weekly emails to begin your day with perspective and practical inspiration
Paid Subscription
If this space resonates with you and you’d like to help sustain it, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Paid subscribers receive:
✔ Weekly Live Q&A sessions (conversation, cooking demos, Ask Me Anything)
✔ Friday Musings — my personal recommendations: what I’m loving, eating, cooking, watching, reading, and listening to
✔ Exclusive in-depth essays and full access to the archive
✔ The ability to comment on all posts
✔ Behind-the-scenes reflections and early previews
Become a Steward
For those who wish to contribute at a higher level, the Inner Circle includes everything above, plus:
✔ A private one-on-one conversation with me (scheduled together)
✔ A thank-you acknowledgment on the podcast
✔ My deep gratitude for helping sustain this space
Thank you for joining me on this journey. Please don’t hesitate to reach out!
Joyfully yours,
