Podcast appearances and mentions of diana edelman

Ready to embark on an extraordinary journey where compassion meets wanderlust? Tune in to Chats from the Blog Cabin Podcast as we explore Vegan Tourism with the founder of Vegans Baby, Diana Edelman. Vegan Tourism is a movement that's transforming the way we explore our world sustainably and ethically. Learn about hidden gems for vegan travelers, discover mouthwatering plant-based dishes around the globe, and gain insights from fellow adventurers who have embraced this conscious way of traveling. Grab your passport and hit play now! Helpful Links https://www.instagram.com/vegansbaby/ https://vegansbaby.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/chatsfromtheblogcabin/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/chatsfromtheblogcabin/support

@Vegansbaby aka Diana Edelman is the authority on all things plant based in Las Vegas and we talk about how she achieved  this through amazing vision and perseverance!

It's a huge anniversary for a Summerlin institution. Honey Salt at Boca Park is ten years old, and Al talks about the major milestone with owner Elizabeth Blau. And another F&L favorite, Vegans Baby webmaster Diana Edelman, was in town for a conversation - including details of her vegan safari! Also: Wolfgang Puck stops by, Echo & Rig staffs up its second Vegas Valley location, and Green Valley Ranch opens its fall patio pop-up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if you had one day to save your bar. Just you, a stack of bills, an empty bar and a cell phone. What are you going to do? How do you fill your bar with no budget, no energy, and no time. Diana Edelman from @vegansbaby breaks down her simple strategy to help get butts in seats. For other actionable strategies and practical restaurant marketing advice, head to RestaurantMarketingLeague.com for a community of people intent to eradicate empty bar seats. Follow like and subscribe! https://shor.by/littrell

In the pantry this week is Diana Edelman, founder of Vegans, Baby. Diana shares her “party of one” meal: mac 'n' cheese. Plus, Joey does some sexy ASMR! Below is the recipe featured in today's episode... Kiki Grilled Stone Fruit with a “Could I Come In” Drizzle Ingredients: nectarines, peaches, plums, vanilla bean ice cream, balsamic glaze, chopped pistachios, Smoked Maldon Salt or flaky sea salt, avocado oil. Directions: Cut your stone fruit into wedges. Lightly brush the grill pan or grill grates with avocado oil. Grill fruit on both sides until char marks are visible and the fruit has softened. Top vanilla bean ice cream with fruit, balsamic glaze, chopped pistachios, and flaky sea salt. This episode is sponsored by: Magic Spoon - Promo code: COULDI

Al and Rich hunker down in their respective broadcast bunkers, as both tested positive for Covid-19 last week. But, through the magic of Zoom, they talk about events they had to miss - as well as two events coming up and underway. Diana Edelman of 'Vegans Baby' checks in from New York to talk about the great vegan items that means restaurants are offering in the final days of Vegan Dining Month. And Jill Campbell of the Fancy Foods Show previews the industry event coming up in early February. And, as we post this episode, both Al and Rich are testing negative. So don't go running into the night of you encounter them! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a packed Episode Two, as Al, Jason and Rich record from a cabana at Kassi Beach Club at Virgin Hotel & Casino. They talk to the property's executive chef, David Werly, about his many years in Las Vegas - and why's he's traded the kitchen for the office. The guys also sample of Kassi's excellent appetizers. They also take a deep dive into the Vegas vegan scene with two serious experts: Diana Edelman, publisher of the website Vegans, Baby, and Chef Pete Ghione of Truth & Tonic. That's the 100% plant-based restaurant inside the Canyon Ranch Spa, which is inside the Venetian/Palazzo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jessica Schoech is the founder and CEO of Vegan Street Fair and Vegan Exchange, two wildly popular vegan events based out of North Hollywood, Calif.Throughout Vegan Street Fair's history, Jessica has strived to make veganism accessible to as many people as possible while encouraging veteran and new vendors to push the envelope of vegan cuisine & the vegan lifestyle. It is Jessica's goal to continue to push veganism to the mainstream while advocating on behalf of those who need it most.On today's episode Jessica and I talk about how she created Vegan Street Fair and its massive success over the years, plus her work to make vegan life more approachable and the the depth of veganism -- from animals to humans.Follow Vegan Street Fair on Instagram and Facebook. Learn more about Vegan Street Fair.Follow Vegan Exchange on Instagram and Facebook. Learn more about Vegan Exchange.Check out more episodes of The Good Fork: www.vegansbaby.com/the-good-forkSubscribe to Diana's YouTube channel to get the latest on vegan dining scene in Las Vegas.Follow Vegans, Baby on Facebook – www.facebook.com/vegansbabyFollow Vegans, Baby on Instagram – www.instagram.com/vegansbabyFollow Vegans, Baby on Pinterest – www.pinterest.com/vegansbabyFollow Vegans, Baby on Twitter – www.twitter.com/vegansbabyFollow host Diana Edelman on Instagram – www.instagram.com/diana_edelmanTo discover vegan dining around the world, head to Vegans, Baby – www.vegansbaby.comDownload or order The Las Vegas Vegan Dining Guide today and start eating at the best restaurants in town for vegan food! bit.ly/2020lvveganguideSupport the show (http://paypal.me/dianaedelman)Support the show (http://paypal.me/dianaedelman)

Chef Stacey Dougan joins host Diana Edelman on this episode of The Good Fork.With roots in Atlanta, Georgia, Chef Stacey Dougan has been featured internationally in media as an expert gourmet vegan and raw foods chef and nutritionist. Her passion for teaching stems from her own life-changing experience overcoming numerous health issues (eczema, candida, etc.) Since successfully curing herself, her goal has been to inspire others to embrace more plant-based foods in their diet without feeling deprived.She's the founder and co-owner of Simply Pure, a Las Vegas restaurant located in Downtown's Container Park. A few years ago, she was being evicted from her location ... then President Bill Clinton changed everything.On this episode we talk about how Clinton put her on the map, her work representing the Black community, raw veganism, her business and more.For additional information on Simply Pure, visit the Web site.Follow Simply Pure on Instagram.Follow Simply Pure on Facebook.Check out more episodes of The Good Fork: www.vegansbaby.com/the-good-forkSubscribe to Diana's YouTube channel to get the latest on vegan dining scene in Las Vegas.Follow Vegans, Baby on Facebook – www.facebook.com/vegansbabyFollow Vegans, Baby on Instagram – www.instagram.com/vegansbabyFollow Vegans, Baby on Pinterest – www.pinterest.com/vegansbabyFollow Vegans, Baby on Twitter – www.twitter.com/vegansbabyFollow host Diana Edelman on Instagram – www.instagram.com/diana_edelmanTo discover vegan dining around the world, head to Vegans, Baby – www.vegansbaby.comDownload or order The Las Vegas Vegan Dining Guide today and start eating at the best restaurants in town for vegan food! bit.ly/2020lvveganguideSupport the show (http://paypal.me/dianaedelman)Support the show (http://paypal.me/dianaedelman)

On today's episode, Cynthia Inguanzo, the assistant executive pastry chef at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino joins me.We got to know each other in 2019 and I selected her to create the pastry course for the Vegas Vegan Dinner I curated that fall at the world-renowned James Beard House. Before we worked together, she hadn't made vegan pastries.Things have certainly changed since then! Now, she is dipping her toes more into vegan baking and I'm so happy to have her on this episode.Before we begin, let me tell you a little about her.She was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela and earned her Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. Thankfully, she chose a different path and decided to become a chef. She moved to New York City to continue her education at the International Culinary Centre in 2005 and earned a Grand Diploma in Pastry Arts.She originally planned to return home, but ended up with an offer in 2006 to relocate to Las Vegas as a pastry helper at L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, a Michelin-starred restaurant by the world- renowned “Chef of the Century.”She's held several pastry chef positions within resort restaurants and in 2011, she became the assistant pastry chef of banquets for the destination. Five years later, she was promoted to her current role as assistant executive pastry chef at MGM Grand.Check out more episodes of The Good Fork: www.vegansbaby.com/the-good-forkFollow Vegans, Baby on Facebook – www.facebook.com/vegansbabyFollow Vegans, Baby on Instagram – www.instagram.com/vegansbabyFollow Vegans, Baby on Pinterest – www.pinterest.com/vegansbabyFollow Vegans, Baby on Twitter – www.twitter.com/vegansbabyFollow host Diana Edelman on Instagram – www.instagram.com/diana_edelmanTo discover vegan dining around the world, head to Vegans, Baby – www.vegansbaby.comDownload or order The Las Vegas Vegan Dining Guide today and start eating at the best restaurants in town for vegan food! bit.ly/2020lvveganguideSupport the show (http://paypal.me/dianaedelman)Support the show

On today's episode of The Good Fork podcast, I've got the talented Chef Suzannah Gerber. She grew up working in kitchens and around family members who are accomplished cooks and restaurateurs, so food was a major part of her culture. Before she got into the kitchen though, she took another path -- a path that her immediate family took -- to being doctors. And then she took another, running a successful international fashion company in NYC with locations around the world.But, during this time Suzannah was also seriously and chronically ill. No doctor could figure it out and after years of tests, medications and therapies, she found the answer: food.She went plant-based and within two weeks of changing her diet, she was asymptomatic and after four weeks, she was off her medications.It was then, in her 30s, she decided to become a professional chef, walking away from her fashion business that had caught the eyes fashion magazines like Vogue and celebrities including Beyonce, and went into the kitchen,Her culinary career has been impressive, to say the least. She has  developed food for major retailers like Roots and Whole Foods, worked with some of the largest consumer packaged goods companies developing flavor profiles and products. She served as the Executive Chef and Director for Pressed and Corporate Executive Chef of Prestige, and Pressed. Today, Chef runs her own food industry consulting company, Haven.She also works with the food and medical industries, bridging the gap of information, skill, and awareness for these foods, working on current medical studies observing the impact of food and diet on chronic illness and disease.During all of this, somehow Chef found time to write a book, Plant Based Gourmet, which is due out this year.Follow Suzannah Gerber on Instagram, FacebookCheck out more episodes of The Good Fork: www.vegansbaby.com/the-good-forkFollow Vegans, Baby on Facebook – www.facebook.com/vegansbabyFollow Vegans, Baby on Instagram – www.instagram.com/vegansbabyFollow Vegans, Baby on Pinterest – www.pinterest.com/vegansbabyFollow Vegans, Baby on Twitter – www.twitter.com/vegansbabyFollow host Diana Edelman on Instagram – www.instagram.com/diana_edelmanTo discover vegan dining around the world, head to Vegans, Baby – www.vegansbaby.comDownload or order The Las Vegas Vegan Dining Guide today and start eating at the best restaurants in town for vegan food! bit.ly/2020lvveganguideSupport the show (http://paypal.me/dianaedelman)

How long has it been since you got on an airplane? For me, it's been five months. And I miss traveling.So, with that in mind, on today's episode of The Good Fork podcast, we're going to my old home of Madrid. I've got Diana Esteban, founder of Madrid Vegan Tours joining me today. When I was in Madrid at the beginning of the year, we met and I went on her vegan food tour and it was incredible. When I moved from Madrid back to Vegas in late 2015, vegan dining was just beginning to take off. Now, the vegan food scene in Madrid is wild!We actually had two tours planned for 2020 together, which are on hold until 2021. If you'd like more info on the vegan tours I curate and host, head to veganworldtours.comIn the meantime, get ready to journey across the Atlantic and learn more about vegan dining in Spain and running vegan food tours with Diana and me.Diana is a Madrileño, born and raised in the Spanish capitol. A vegan for nearly a decade, she studied tourism and worked as a guide when she was younger. Influenced by her family and friends to "achieve and more stable job", she left the tourism industry to work for an engineering company.She realized it was a mistake and when she turned 40, she knew it was her last change to get back into what she really loved.Madrid Vegan Tours was born. Already a vegan and a traveler, she saw firsthand how difficult it could be to find vegan food while traveling. So, she decided to change that. Diana operates numerous tours through Madrid, all with a focus on vegan food and experiencing the vibrant city. From walking food tours to cooking classes, ethical shopping tours and even a veganized tour of the stunning Prado Museum, she makes it easy to travel as a vegan in Madrid.Follow Madrid Vegan Tours on FacebookFollow Madrid Vegan Tours on InstagramCheck out more episodes of The Good Fork: www.vegansbaby.com/the-good-forkFollow Vegans, Baby on Facebook – www.facebook.com/vegansbabyFollow Vegans, Baby on Instagram – www.instagram.com/vegansbabyFollow Vegans, Baby on Pinterest – www.pinterest.com/vegansbabyFollow Vegans, Baby on Twitter – www.twitter.com/vegansbabyFollow host Diana Edelman on Instagram – www.instagram.com/diana_edelmanTo discover vegan dining around the world, head to Vegans, Baby – www.vegansbaby.comDownload or order The Las Vegas Vegan Dining Guide today and start eating at the best restaurants in town for vegan food! bit.ly/2020lvveganguideSupport the show

Paul talks with the energetic and passionate Diana Edelman about veganism and creating running a business that serves vegans around the world.

Is wine vegan? 'On this episode, Frances Gonzales, founder of Vegan Wines, answers the question: is wine vegan? (Short answer: often it is not)We dive into wine-making, what makes many wines not vegan, learn about buzz words like "clean wine", where the best places in the world are for vegan wine and so much more.Frances is an experienced professional in the wine industry living in the Hudson Valley, hailing from New York City. As a wine expert and long-time vegan, she is the Founder and President of VEGAN WINES, a completely vegan wine club. (Save 15% on your order with code VEGANSBABY at checkout!!)She's also the founder of Despacito Distributors, a plant-based wine distribution company. Frances is also an active member of Women of the Vine & Spirits, an organization in which she coordinates events that foster a supportive environment for female entrepreneurs in the alcoholic beverage industry. She also has extensive experience in the vegan and plant-based market across the nation and internationally. In addition to researching and traveling to vineyards, she has sponsored conferences like the Plant Based World Expo and Miami Seed Food & Wine Week, as well as vegan dinners by the James Beard Foundation. Frances founded VegFest Puerto Rico, a festival that focuses on creating a community of people who appreciate vegan products, food, and beverages. Recently, she was a speaker on the plant-based panel at the 2019 American Culinary Federation National Convention.For more information on Vegan Wines, head to www.veganwines.comFollow Vegan Wines on Instagram: www.instagram.com/myveganwinesFollow Vegan Wines on Facebook: www.facebook.com/myveganwinesCheck out more episodes of The Good Fork: www.vegansbaby.com/the-good-forkFollow Vegans, Baby on Facebook – www.facebook.com/vegansbabyFollow Vegans, Baby on Instagram – www.instagram.com/vegansbabyFollow Vegans, Baby on Pinterest – www.pinterest.com/vegansbabyFollow Vegans, Baby on Twitter – www.twitter.com/vegansbabyFollow host Diana Edelman on Instagram – www.instagram.com/diana_edelmanTo discover vegan dining around the world, head to Vegans, Baby – www.vegansbaby.comDownload or order The Las Vegas Vegan Dining Guide today and start eating at the best restaurants in town for vegan food! bit.ly/2020lvveganguideSupport the show (http://paypal.me/dianaedelman)

On today's episode I'm chatting with Jennifer Stojkovic, the founder of Vegan Women Summit. Originally from Canada, she has been in the US for nearly a decade. Her career has been in tech and government relations where she's  worked closely with the world's biggest tech brands , along with getting involved in advocacy, lobbying, and PR. In the last two years she's brought that work into the food tech field and worked to brand and partner tech companies with emerging vegan brands. Today we're talking about all that, plus discussing women's empowerment and entrepreneurship. Since the pandemic, she's moved her speakers online and has been leading the way in important conversations regarding intersectionality and veganism and much more.Learn more about Vegan Women Summit here: veganwomensummit.com/ Follow Vegan Women Summit on Facebook: www.facebook.com/veganwomensummit/Follow Vegan Women Summit on Instagram: www.instagram.com/veganwomensummit/Check out more episodes of The Good Fork: www.vegansbaby.com/the-good-forkFollow Vegans, Baby on Facebook - www.facebook.com/vegansbabyFollow Vegans, Baby on Instagram - www.instagram.com/vegansbabyFollow Vegans, Baby on Pinterest - www.pinterest.com/vegansbabyFollow Vegans, Baby on Twitter - www.twitter.com/vegansbabyFollow host Diana Edelman on Instagram - www.instagram.com/diana_edelmanTo discover vegan dining around the world, head to Vegans, Baby - www.vegansbaby.comDownload or order The Las Vegas Vegan Dining Guide today and start eating at the best restaurants in town for vegan food! bit.ly/2020lvveganguideSupport the show

On today's episode of The Good Fork I'm chatting with plant-based protein expert Danny O'Malley. He's the founder and president of Before the Butcher, a leading provider of plant-based burgers and other meat alternatives. Maybe you've tried his meats on the new vegan menu at Evel Pie in Las Vegas.His company was among the first to bring meat look-alike and taste-alike products to the growing number of consumers concerned about the negative effects of meat production and consumption on animal welfare, climate change and human health. He is also an international speaker on plant-based proteins, one of the fastest-growing categories in the food space.We're talking about what it's like to run a plant-based meat business, how the recipes come together, and the quick success of Before the Butcher and its arrival to grocery stores and restaurants across the country. You can find their product at Evel Pie on their new vegan pizza menu.For more on Before the Butcher and where to find the product nears you, check out their website.Follow Before the Butcher on Instagram.Check out more episodes of The Good Fork.Follow Vegans, Baby on Facebook.Follow Vegans, Baby on Instagram.Follow Vegans, Baby on Pinterest.Follow Vegans, Baby on Twitter.Follow host Diana Edelman on Instagram.To discover vegan dining around the world, head to Vegans, Baby.Support the show (http://paypal.me/dianaedelman)

Diana Edelman of VegansBaby.com had a life-changing experience while traveling and volunteering at an elephant sanctuary several years ago. This adventure inspired her mission to make veganism more accessible - whether traveling or at home. In this episode, we discuss the vegan trend, the ins and outs of traveling as a vegan, and all the baby steps you can take to introduce more plant-based products into your diet. Because the vegan lifestyle is about more than what you eat. It improves your body's health, impacts the health of the planet, and provides kindness to animals. Find the episode's show notes on Her Packing List. Visit Diana's site:  Vegans, Baby

The founder and head creamstress of Paradise City Creamery in Las Vegas, Nevada, Valerie Stunning joins today's episode of The Good Fork.Valerie Stunning, always knew in addition to her fascination with crafting decadent plant-based ice cream, the real magic she'd bring to Vegas' scoop scene was raw inspiration born from a love & respect of her previous glittering neon worlds* where she celebrated indulgence on international stages for nearly a decade. Naked.Though for Valerie, celebrating indulgence is more than a euphemism or hashtag.It is a reckoning that the act of consciously indulging in what we find pleasurable can be transformative in spite of societal judgment.It is through her passion for creating bold flavor profiles and facilitating inclusive experiences, she aims for Paradise City Creamery to be the pleasure she wishes to see in the world. And, let me tell you, it is. If you're listening to this in the summer, she's just launched new, luscious flavors you can pick-up from 5 - 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays at Garagiste Wine Room in the Las Vegas Arts District.What I love most about Valerie is her openness and honesty and her standing up for sex workers and helping to normalize the conversation. We're talking about ice cream, stripping and her advocacy in this episode. Check out the full video of this episode.Follow Valerie on Instagram.Follow Paradise City Creamery on Instagram.Check out more episodes of The Good Fork.Follow Vegans, Baby on Facebook.Follow Vegans, Baby on Instagram.Follow Vegans, Baby on Pinterest.Follow Vegans, Baby on Twitter.Follow host Diana Edelman on Instagram. To discover vegan dining around the world, head to Vegans, Baby.Support the show (http://paypal.me/dianaedelman)

Chef Kaimana Chee joins The Good Fork host Diana Edelman of Vegans, Baby on this episode.He's the Chef Ambassador for JUST. I'm thinking you've heard of them? If not, they are a San Francisco-based company on a mission to build a better food system and the creators of my current favorite breakfast staple -- JUST Egg. In his role as chef ambassador, Chef Kaimana travels the world as a spokesperson for JUST educating consumers, food industry partners and students about delicious, healthy and sustainable food.You may have seen Chef on the Food Network.He's appeared on several popular cooking competition shows, including Master Chef with Gordon Ramsay, Guy's Grocery Games and Cutthroat Kitchen, which he won back in 2016.Chef Chee also has his own restaurant, Uncle's Hawaiian Grindz, in my home state of Maryland.We're talking about a lot in this episode -- from being on Food Network to all the dishes you can create with JUST Egg and so much more.Learn more about JUST.Follow JUST and Chef Chee on Instagram.Check out more episodes of The Good Fork.Subscribe to our You Tube channel.Follow Vegans, Baby on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.Follow host Diana Edelman on Instagram.Support the show (http://paypal.me/dianaedelman)

Al Mancini is a graduate of Seton Hall University and Brooklyn Law School, who began his career in journalism as a music reporter for ABC News Radio in 1996. He moved to Las Vegas to cover Southern Nevada for the network in 2001, and has covered the local dining scene for numerous publications since 2003.He's the creator of the book "Eating Las Vegas: The 50 Essential Restaurants," which he co-authored for its first three editions. Since 2016, he has been writing about food and beverage for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.In this episode, we talk about his career -- from law school to rock and roll to food critic to covering the dining scene at the Las Vegas Review-Journal.Plus, we chat about the restaurant world and the rise of Yelp, what it's like to write about food, all the food he's eaten and the plant-based dining scene in Las Vegas and how its grown over the years.Follow Al Mancini on Instagram.Check out his Las Vegas dining coverage at the Review-Journal.Check out more episodes of The Good Fork.Follow Vegans, Baby on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.Subscribe to the Vegans, Baby YouTube channel.Follow host Diana Edelman on Instagram.Support the show (http://paypal.me/dianaedelman)

Lee Asher isn't your average animal-lover. In 2018, he quit his career to follow his passion and take his rescued pups on the road. He's spent the past two years traveling the majority out of the time  in an RV and now a remodeled school bus, with a posse of dogs he's rescued from shelters with one mission: to get more people to adopt shelter animals. With a passionate fan base and partnerships with hundreds of shelters across the country, he's helped give shelter animals the spotlight and introduce them to their forever homes while on the road. Last year, he even caught the attention of talkshow host Ellen DeGenres and appeared on the show to share his message.On this episode of The Good Fork with host Diana Edelman, Lee talks about quitting his career to live in an RV with his pack of dogs and creating The Asher House, a foundation that promotes adoption and animal rescue.He also talks about his experience being catapulted into fame thanks to his series on The Dodo and appearing on Ellen; what it's like to open up his Skoolie and animals at adoption events across the country; tips on training pups and so much more.For more on Lee Asher, visit The Asher House, and follow him on Instagram and Facebook. To get behind-the-scenes and learn more about Lee and his life on the road with his nine rescue pups, check out his Patreon.For more episodes of The Good Fork, visit Vegans, Baby.Support the show (http://paypal.me/dianaedelman)

Today I talked with Diana Edelman. Diana is the founder of Vegans, Baby, a business she created to make vegan life easier and attainable and vegan dining more approachable. Not only does her site serve as the definitive guide to vegan-friendly dining in Las Vegas, she also has emerged as a plant-based leader and influential figure in the culinary scene.This series features conversations I conducted with individuals who have dedicated their work and lives to Vegan research, businesses, art, and society. This podcast series is hosted by Patricia Kathleen and Wilde Agency Media. facebook.com/vegansbabytwitter.com/vegansbabyinstagram.com/vegansbabyhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIFBlS5uxZQQ7TjAV-1TKlA TRANSCRIPTION[00:00:10] Hi, I'm Patricia. And this is investigating Vegan life with Patricia Kathleen. This series features interviews and conversations I conduct with experts from food and fashion to tech and agriculture, from medicine and science to health and humanitarian arenas. Our inquiry is an effort to examine the variety of industries and lifestyle tenants in the world of Vegan life. To that end, we will cover topics that have revealed themselves as Kofman and integral when exploring veganism. The dialog captured here is part of our ongoing effort to host transparent and honest rhetoric. For those of you who, like myself, find great value in hearing the expertize and opinions of individuals who have dedicated their work and lives to their ideals. You can find information about myself and my podcast at Patricia Kathleen dot com. Welcome to Investigating Vegan Life. Now let's start the conversation.  [00:01:13] Hi, everyone, welcome back. This is your host, Patricia. And today I am sitting down with Diana Edelman.  [00:01:19] She's the founder of Vegans Baby. You can find her online at w w w dot vegans baby dot com.  [00:01:26] Welcome, Diana. Thank you so much for having me. I am so happy to be on. I'm excited to talk to you as well. I have to say, I told you before we started. I love the name of your company. And Web site begins, baby. How do you. So how would you say that in your own personal voice?  [00:01:43] Vegans, baby.  [00:01:44] Yeah, I love it. It just said exactly how it came off in my voice, in my head when I read it, but.  [00:01:51] So we are everyone listening and watching. I'll give you a quick roadmap of today's podcasts and then I'll read a bio on Diana before we start peppering her with questions. We're first going to look at Diana's academic background as well as her early professional life. Kind of give you a platform of where she was before, who we are here. And then we'll look at unpacking begins, baby, namely the website, the services, all the different things attached to it, the videos, YouTube, everything like that. We'll get into the nuts and bolts of it when it was launched. Founders, any funding and all of those particulars. And then we'll get into the ethos and in some of the philosophy behind it before turning our attention towards goals that Diana has for herself as well as her company for the next three years. And we'll wrap everything up with advice that she has. For those of you who may be looking to get involved with what she's doing now or even emulate some of her success that she's had along the way. A quick bio on Diana. Diana Edelman is the founder of Vegan's Baby, a business she created to make Vegan life easier and attainable and Vegan dining more approachable. Not only does her site serve as the definitive guide to Vegan friendly dining in Las Vegas, she also has emerged as a plant based leader and influential figure in the culinary scene since founding Vegans Baby four years ago. She's created a successful Vegan dining month, which recently expanded to other cities in the US. Launched at a Las Vegas Vegan food tour that received recognition as one of the top nine Vegan tours in the world by Travel and Leisure and recently started another arm to her business, International Vegan Tours. The first of which was a sold out tour to Thailand in October.  [00:03:32] She's a partner with the James Beard Foundation and was the first to curate a chef driven Vegan dinner at the famous James Beard house, highlighting a city and its chefs and now curates dinners. They're regularly. Diana is also a partner with Life Is Beautiful. The major Music, Food and Art Festival in Las Vegas and curates their Vegan area.  [00:03:56] She also recently launched the Good Falke, a podcast that highlights leaders in the plant based movement from culinary lifestyle, travel and entrepreneurial worlds.  [00:04:06] So I'm so excited.  [00:04:08] And Diana, you've had such a prolific history and it's cool because a lot of people kind of get into their niche in the Vegan scene. And I love that, too. And they stay there. But it feels like you've really married a lot of areas to each other and we need this annexation. I think out in the Vegan world, you know, and people like you who are, you know, reaching out into other communities and even your scope on traveling all over the world and tying your Vegan voice into that.  [00:04:35] But before we get into some of those particular questions, which I have a million of you, I'm hoping you can set the stage for us, giving us a little bit of your academic background or early professional life that kind of brought you to where you are now.  [00:04:46] Sure. So I have a bachelors and I graduated many years ago with a degree in mass communications, public relations. So I took that and started a career in PR. And then when I turned 30, I decided I didn't want to do PR anymore. I wanted to travel and I wanted to write. So I started a travel blog and it became one of the top 100 travel blogs in the world for a minute. This was before. They are what they are now. This was a decade ago. And so I did the travel blog and then I. Since then. Or for a bit. I balance between freelance writing, NPR and now I run my own business that marries all of the things I love, which is writing, traveling a little bit of PR, but not really.  [00:05:33] And social media and making change and and you know, standing up for the animals in a in a in a non aggressive in your face way.  [00:05:43] Yeah. OK. And how did you. Can you tell us a little bit about your Vegan story? Were you born Vegan? Did you come home on your own?  [00:05:50] I did. So I, I never really liked meat, but I ate it actually when I did PR in Vegas. I was the director of PR for a Steak House. So I come a long way from there. I actually I stopped eating meat. I moved to Thailand in 2012 and took a job working with an elephant rescue organization and sanctuary. And I did their PR and I did their social media. And I was coming over the sanctuary like my first week of living in Thailand. And I saw a truck full of pigs with their little heads sticking out, being taken to slaughter. And I stopped eating meat then. And then three years later, after I lived in Thailand, I was planning to move back to Vegas.  [00:06:31] And a dear friend of mine and I were talking and she was just like, I don't get it, Diana. You know, you you done all this work and you don't eat meat. Why aren't you Vegan? And I was like, you know what? Why? Why am I not vegan? You're absolutely right. You know, like I always thought I could never give up eggs. I can never give up cheese and pizza. It was a food group. So when I moved back to Vegas is actually when I started vegans, baby it was really to go Vegan and show people that if I can do it, you can, too. And that vegan isnt just baked potatoes and salads.  [00:07:02] Right. And pasta. Oh yeah. Everyone talks about that. Yeah. Would you describe like, looking back now. Would you describe it as beginning with this compassion for animals that was like your nexus into becoming vegan and then.  [00:07:17] Yes, like it's turned towards food.  [00:07:20] Yeah. I mean the reason I do everything I do is for the animals. You know, I'm I'm an ethical began. So everything I do like it's my form of animal activism because I did the other form of it when I was doing rescue. And I saw it just it was it was very hard. It was very draining. It wasn't it wasn't a lifestyle I could keep up.  [00:07:39] And so this is my form of activism now and making change by through food.  [00:07:44] Absolutely. Yeah. And it's it's a powerful one. So how when was let's get into some of the nuts and bolts. When was Vegan baby launched with you?  [00:07:53] Were you a singular founder? Do you have co-founders and did you take any funding.  [00:07:57] OK. I launched vegans, baby if the website went live April 2016 and I had my official launch the middle of May 2016. It's just me. I have not received funding. I do have someone that helps me with that helps me with my website.  [00:08:20] But that's that's it.  [00:08:23] Yeah. So we'll I have people that want to fund, but I'm just I get nervous and I'm not.  [00:08:32] I'm not ready to do it yet.  [00:08:34] Sure, there's a lot of areas to consider when you're getting into bed, so to speak, with someone. Then what? What was the impetus for the launch? Did you have all of the information?  [00:08:44] Do you have an idea for what the website was going to offer initially, or was it just a place to kind of collect all of your efforts?  [00:08:52] So initially, when I first started vegan's, maybe it was basically. Before I went Vegan, when I was talking about going begin, I lived in Spain and this is where Bergonzi was kind of born and I was going through that, I couldn't go Vegan and then, OK, I will. And I pulled up my phone and Googled like Vegan options in Las Vegas. And I lived there before and there were like four restaurants and then a bunch of of like Indian and Thai places. And I knew because I go back there, I would visit every year it's my old home that there were so many more options than that. But there was no place to see those options. There was nothing that would tell me, oh, this is what you can get. This is the restaurant. And so I started Vegan maybe really for myself to go in and and just write down and share what Vegan options restaurants had and to show people that, you know, this restaurant and in this part of town doesn't market to Vegan menu. But these are these are the items that are already Vegan that you can get.  [00:09:54] Yes, that's how it started.  [00:09:55] I have and likewise, you know, I think I'm on record several times my research manager tells me saying, you know, why aren't there more indexes?  [00:10:04] Why aren't their sites telling vegan's where to go? You have, you know, a happy cow. There's a couple of places, but they're ill managed or they're still kind of, you know, getting their their bearings. No insult intended upon them. But, yeah, just felt as though are so many unlikely vegans coming to the world now. Yeah. Coming at it for all different. A myriad of reasons, particularly with the pandemic upon us, people reexamining health. And I just felt like the opportunity to have index is just there hadn't been these globetrotting warriors like yourself that were, you know, kind of telling everybody where to go. And likewise, I have started collecting over the past decade my own indexes, you know, creating my own things. And so I had wondered why someone hadn't put it together. And I was elated to have you come on and do it. So when you began with the launch of it, was it just an accumulation of restaurants and where to go in each city? And how did you decide which areas to highlight? Was it just the areas you'd been to first with your own research?  [00:11:01] So when I first launch begins, maybe it was Las Vegas specific and I built up I built up quite a few restaurants and dined there and wrote about them before we launched it because I didn't want to launch with nothing and I wanted to establish the brand. So I started building the brand back. So I launched the website, went live in April, and I started all of my social media and promotions and everything like four months earlier. So that way there was excitement. There was something building up to it. And then here you go. Here's this launch and here this guide. So that's how I started it. And then in terms of other cities, it kind of grew because because of my background, obviously, is travel and travel, blogging and writing. I still Vegas is my home base, but I love traveling. And so when I would go places I like, it's so funny the way my life is changed now that I'm Vegan, I literally travel for food like my whole trip is Vegan. And so I would go to places and just find their Vegan food and do guides based on that. And then it evolved to people in other cities saying, hey, can I contribute a guide to my city? So it became a group effort for all the different dining guides. But the Vegas section of my Web site is the most comprehensive because it's the places it's hundreds of restaurants, whereas other dining guides in other cities are smaller and just have like the top 10 or like, you know, five dishes to order or something like that.  [00:12:21] Absolutely. Have you. That's interesting. Have you ever endeavored on looking to do it per city and getting more cities as comprehensively done as Vegas?  [00:12:31] Oh, all the time.  [00:12:32] That's part of what the funding would have would be for, is to be able to expand some talk. So, yes, and I and I have I have a writer in Tucson now that is doing what I'm doing. And she contributes to my two sons section and. Yeah. But because I me and and it's all self-funded and especially right now, the generation of income is just kind of been put on pause.  [00:13:00] I can't hire people and I really want to be able if someone's gonna do the work I've done, I want to be able to compensate them for their time.  [00:13:07] Absolutely. Well, for anyone listening who's, you know, wanting to collaborate maybe for free at the moment, chomp on vegans, baby, and reach out. Right. And see where you get going.  [00:13:17] I love the fantastic I wondering with the so you've mentioned, you know, the website being launched and then the reason why it started for but for those listening who haven't hit the site yet. If you if you hit your site, can you explain what you're presented with some of the areas that specialty's that you have and some of the services you provide.  [00:13:38] So if you go to vegans baby dot com, you'll see the first part is. Well, right now it's all focused on the pandemic and its focused on Las Vegas, because that is my home city and that is where the majority of my audience is.  [00:13:51] I try to keep it as global as possible, though. So, like, the first the first thing you see is, is it safe to order food from restaurants? And that's research from the CDC and the FDA and things like that. And then there's a couple other stories you can slide through. And then below that, it's a couple of destinations that have guides. If you want Las Vegas, you click on Vegas and then you're presented with a whole other world of different like deals and dining and lifestyle and things like that. And then further down, you have news stories. So typically, because it is the bulk of the content is Vegas. It's Vegas, Vegan dining news and then its recipes from chefs for especially right now for the quarantine. So it's using pantry staples. And then it's going to be my podcast episodes. And then it's news popular articles that people are reading. So I try to keep the content as global as I can with with the focus. Obviously, there's always going to be a lot more Las Vegas than than anything else. But I really try to focus on Vegan. Food and Vegan dining news as it relates to a larger audience than just Las Vegas. And then the site also you have tours. You have my services I offer. You have deals. So some of the deals are nationals. Some of them are specific to Vegas.  [00:15:16] And then, yeah, I think that's it.  [00:15:20] That is a lot. And I wonder, do you ever run into contacts or resources that cross reference. Vegan nutrition with things that are incredibly pertinent right now with like immunization, health and things of that nature?  [00:15:33] Like, do you ever get into those aspects of those articles or do you leave that kind of aside, especially because immunization is such a very hot button topic? I stay away from it. Like, I, you know, I, I don't want to I don't want to get involved in that conversation, basically, like, I have my my I have my beliefs and I don't and I.  [00:15:56] People want to learn about that vegans, baby it wouldn't be the place where begins babies about food and travel.  [00:16:01] Right. And I have to say, I meant the immune system rather than immunizations, which are kind of their own two separate.  [00:16:07] I mean, I'm sorry. It was my misspeaking. The immune system and just the health and nutrition of the culture. I, I sometimes I do.  [00:16:18] Right now I'm focusing I've had two people contribute articles on wellness because I think that's important to maintain your health and wellness during, especially this time. I am not an expert, so I don't write on it, but I'm always open to people. If they want to contribute articles like that. I am happy to share like food to boost your immune system and things like that.  [00:16:36] One hundred percent is exciting. Do you have a ways for people to contact you on your Web site? There's a contact page. That's exciting. So the Vegan tours, can you kind of tie us into what? What does that mean on your Web site? How did you come at that topic?  [00:16:51] So Vegan tours just kind of randomly started one day through the years. I built relationships with restaurants all over the city. And my friend was like, well, you should start few tours. You know, that's not a bad idea. So I did. And it was a monthly tour that I offered downtown Las Vegas. It was five restaurants, 13 dishes.  [00:17:12] And it became a lot for me to handle with all of the other things I do. So now it's private. Two tours of downtown Las Vegas. I offer two different ones. There's one like that Fremont Street area, which is more typical of like downtown. And then there's an arts district, which is a very up and coming cool part of town with breweries and things like that. So I offer both of those. And the downtown tour that I offer was named one of the top nine tours speaking tours in the world by Travel and Leisure. And then from there, a friend of mine and I, we would go to Thailand at the same time. And she was like, we should start a tour. And so her and I partnered for this first tour we did in October, and it was a sold out Vegan tour of Thailand. And since then, I have well, I had four tours planned for this year, all of which have been postponed till 2021.  [00:18:01] But they're all underrated Vegan tours of cities and their Vegan features.  [00:18:06] So it's I'm assuming it's not based on having people come from here, but if you're going to be in Thailand during that time or.  [00:18:12] No, it's a good tour. It's a it's a Vegan tour. It's a tour anywhere from five to 10 days and get hotel food and the travel within. It's all part of it. So basically, it's a it's a culinary tour that also highlights, like, the normal things you would do in a city and some other cool things that I find really interesting as a as a traveler that I would want to go do that.  [00:18:37] So it's a massive undertaking. It's exciting. But it sounds me I mean, the only other undertaking I've heard other than major tour operations doing that are like yoga retreats. And even then, you know, half the day you're cut to do whatever.  [00:18:49] It takes a lot of work. It's a lot of work.  [00:18:52] But it's finally I was just in Madrid and Paris in January, February to go basically eat my way through the cities and figure out where I wanted to go, eat on this tour and meet with restaurant owners and then do a couple things just to kind of see what I wanted to put on the tour. So for me, like researching them, it is so incredibly fun. And then being able to show people, like all the amazing places and food and how how accessible Vegan food is around the world. If you just look, it's it's it's a it's a wonderful thing.  [00:19:24] Absolutely. And within that, I think there's a lot of education. You're Slainte kind of points out as well. And you and I know speaking just earlier, a few minutes ago, this concept of.  [00:19:37] Looking at the cuisine of the country, you know, and realizing what Vegan elements you can deduce things of that nature, I always find that when I travel internationally, I find because I cook so much at home because I don't have the confidence of Vegan food. I'll rent an air BMB and then I'll ask that, you know, my research techniques. What is the most common form of vegetable that they have and then create these meals that I would have created at home with like. So in Fiji, for instance, rather than potatoes, I'm using cassava, which is the potato sister and things of that nature. But you you kind of rediscover what they're doing. And then how can you implement that back in some of the recipes you have? And I imagine the same is true for restaurants when you have these conversations with chefs and restaurant owners. Do they become more aware of their own menu as you're having these talks with? Can we talk about the Vegan items that you have or what you have on your menu that you could be making? Vegan. Is it kind of a light bulb moment for them as well?  [00:20:35] I think I think so. Especially like in Las Vegas.  [00:20:37] I'll meet with with chefs and restaurants and say these are all the dishes you have that if you modify, you can make them Vegan. These are the ingredients you can swap out. So I think, yes, it probably is a light bulb moment. I mean, I assume that the majority of chefs that I that I know all understand plant based dining. But then it's taking it and saying, hey, look, you know, it's OK to be on begins.  [00:21:00] Maybe you have to have three Vegan options and they can't be dishes that are modified. They have to be specific options on the menu that are already there. So, like, I'll work with them to say, hey, look, you know, look, if you pull this salad, if you pull this dish, if you do this in this, you can have a Vegan section on your menu or you can put you know, you can have these options and I can write about you. And so the typically the motivation for that is you get to reach my audience that listens. And so if they create these Vegan dishes, people will come in and eat them and then they become a Vegan from the restaurant and they're supported. So I think I think, yeah, that that they do have that moment where they realize what they can be doing.  [00:21:37] Absolutely. I want to talk a little bit about the chef driven Vegan dinners at the James Beard house. So can you kind of enumerate one of what's going on or what was going on with that endeavor?  [00:21:50] So the James Beard Foundation reached out to me. They saw that I was doing a Vegan dining month and the director of house events reached out to me and said, we really like what you're doing. Would you be interested in putting together a dinner at the James Beard house and bringing in chefs from Las Vegas to cook clay based meal? And I said, oh, my God. I mean, with a James Beard house, you. And they say, come to the house like you go. I've been in the restaurant industry long enough to know, like, if you like, working with the James Beard house, like winning an Oscar or being nominated for an Oscar. Like, it's a huge thing. So I partner with them for the first one. And then I always at that point, I was talking to the director and I said, you know, there's just so many chefs I'd love to work with and I'd love to be able to do this. And you said, well, why don't we do another one? And then it grew into a let's do them twice a year. So the next one was supposed to be May 18th. Obviously, that's that's not happening. And but so it's an ongoing relationship I have with them where I get to pick chefs.  [00:22:46] And actually, none of the chefs I brought with me are Vegan chefs. They're all chefs that are just really, really incredibly talented that I want to see make plant based food and have plant based food at the restaurant. But I want to see them get really creative and really show off their skills and so that that is where they get to do that.  [00:23:04] Does it go both ways? Is there a reverse effect there? So you bring the chef and do you think that that impacts them being brought into this Jane Behar's environment to go back and create more plant based things for themselves?  [00:23:14] I hope so. I hope I. That's my goal. Yeah.  [00:23:20] That's exciting. I want to get into it, since you just dropped the word. I kind of wait for people to drop that bomb before a jump into it.  [00:23:27] But we had we were talking Vegan and then we switched over to this this plant based title. And this is one of the most heated debates in the community right now in nutrition, as well as just across Vegan and plant based empires. How do you. Let's start with asking you, how do you define plant based and how do you define Vegan and what is the difference between those two terms?  [00:23:50] Sure. Vegan I define as a lifestyle. OK, plant based I define as the food you consume.  [00:23:59] OK. And so any intersection between those two would be between the lifestyle and the consumable. OK. So would anything be able to be plant based and not be Vegan? Not in my world. No. OK. So there's been a lot of argument in the community that the advertising community, because plant based has been associated with health and nutrition and things like that, that they've started adapting that label and putting plant based things and then sliding some egg yolk in there.  [00:24:27] And so people are like, it says, plant based. And then you turn it over and it's not Vegan. So.  [00:24:31] Do you think that there will come a time when we need to be saying both plant based and Vegan or should plant based always denote that it is? There is no animal byproducts in it.  [00:24:40] I think plant based is plants and it should denote there's no animal byproducts in it. I don't think an egg comes to a plant. So I you know, I think it's very misleading if or if there's a box and I'm going to purchase something and it's as plant based. And then you look at the back and there's egg or there is whey or there's something in it that isn't plant based.  [00:24:59] Yeah. Yeah, it's interesting. That's it's kind of being attached. Boy, I suppose it will be left up to the regulators to see whether or not that's done. But I do think that it's an interesting concept and people interchange it a lot.  [00:25:12] You know, there's been a lot of argument that plant based is much more friendly on the years than Vegan Vegan hyped up to be a politicized movement, whereas plant basis based on nutrition. Yeah. And then there's also been people that feel like a Vegan actually is more safe. It's a safer label because it really is saying there's absolutely no animal byproducts. So I can see both points of view. But it'll be interesting to see how that plays out, particularly given that it's getting a lot more attention these days. Yeah. I want to turn our attention towards the goals that you have. And I know that this is as hard of a topic as veganism, if you will, but I know that with the pandemic and the uncertainty in the environment across our entire globe. However, I'm curious, a lot of vegans have had deeper conversations with themselves about their companies, given that the pandemic, you know, has a lot of return to everyone returning to the conversations about health and nutrition. And I'm wondering if that has affected your goals. I know that the current climate for things shutting down has changed people's goals. But can you speak to vegans baby's goals over the next one to three years? And if there has been any dialog that incorporated the covered nineteen pandemic?  [00:26:25] I sense a really good question. I've had to pivot a lot with the pandemic because obviously if I'm going out to eat, I'm writing about the restaurant that's not happening anymore. So I pivoted march toward like the the recipe side of things. And so the behind the scenes work of consulting and working on other projects. But in terms of the future, my my goals haven't changed. You know, I hope we get through this quickly.  [00:26:53] But aside from the restaurant consulting I'm still doing and I'm doing private coaching and other things like that.  [00:26:59] I mean, I've I've I've launched the podcast.  [00:27:03] I've been focusing more on video. But other than that, you know, I want to do my tours. I want to be able to expand cities. I want to consult more with restaurants. Now, none of those things have changed at all. The only thing I can think of that might have changed is just the way I do consulting, because obviously, if a restaurant isn't open for service, in its typical sense, we have to kind of pivot and look at other options like delivery and take out and how they can best market that to the Beacon community as well as just the normal community. Because as I mentioned, I worked in the restaurant industry for a long time. I started as a server. I was guest services. I done PR. So I understand the ins and outs of the restaurant industry and restaurants. So I'm really trying to do what I can there to help keep restaurants afloat.  [00:27:45] But other than that, you know, it's hopefully just business full steam ahead once we're able to kind of get get through this.  [00:27:52] Absolutely. Well, let's look at your podcast really briefly. Can you tell us when you launched it? How many episodes you have and who you've been kind of speaking with? Or are they just monologues from you?  [00:28:04] No, I don't think I'm that interesting to have every episode I have.  [00:28:09] So it actually there are a few up right now, but it will officially launch the next few days. But I'm building up obviously the backlog and I want people to go when they click on it to see that there's more than just one.  [00:28:21] And it's it's basically it's conversations with people in the chef travel lifestyle, entrepreneurial community with a print based twist. So my first interview is with Chef Jessica Perlstein, who was one of the chefs that came to New York with me for the James Beard dinner I did in November. And she was one of the first chefs on the Las Vegas Strip at a steakhouse to launch a Vegan menu. So we talk about that and we talk about her career cooking at the James Beard house. My second interview was with Chef Leslie D'Urso, who is a very well-known clamp, a chef, and she started as an actress and was Bill NYes, the lab girl, and now she consults with Four Seasons hotels to create plant based dishes for them. She does culinary retreats in other countries. I spoke with Rachel Geiger, who is the founder of Snow Monkey and one of Forbes 30 under 30. I've got a dear friend of mine, Lindsay McCormick, who's the founder of Buy Toothpaste Bits. It was just a shark tank, Lee Asher from the Asher House. So I'm kind of tapping into all the amazing people I know and being like, hi, we please be on my podcast. Yeah. Fortunately, they've all said yes. So I've got about eight or nine that I've recorded. And then I have, I think two more I'm doing next week on the list of about 20 other people I want to reach out to.  [00:29:40] Excellent. You're off to the races, though. Seasoned in no time. Is the name of the podcast. It's called The Good Fork. The Good Fork.  [00:29:48] I like that. Yeah. He'll play on like forks over knives and things like that. I like the visualization. People start making cutlery. It's. Very married to the world of food. I want to wrap everything up with that. Looking at advice that you always ask for advice on. People said I don't have any, you know, nine times out of ten than the ones who who have a ton. It's not really fun to listen to. So I'd rather say advice that you have before the younger you know, if you had looked at what you were doing prior. Right prior to launching Beans Baby and what peas three piece top three pieces of advice. They can be words of warning or words of encouragement or what to look at and focus on more than you would have given the younger you as you were starting.  [00:30:36] Oh, gosh, you know, it's tough because I kind of just wing things like I wake up one day and I'm like, I'm going to start a food tour. I'm going to write guidebook.  [00:30:44] I would say maybe have a better plan of action than what I've done because, I mean, I have no plan. I just think of something and decide I'm going to do it and then I do it, which I think depending on the way you work. It's great. Like, I just kind of always trust that I'm gonna land on my feet and it's gonna work out. However it's supposed to.  [00:31:03] I would say. Really think about the name your business, because I love Vegan, maybe, but I feel like it's very limiting.  [00:31:13] And so for vegans, baby, obviously it's coming from a Las Vegas baby reference. And now that I'm expanding and I think that maybe that wasn't the best path for a name, but I didn't think about it. I didn't think where I would be in three years. All I thought I thought small. And it was I'm going to write an online guide to Vegan dining in Las Vegas and never took the time to think, where could this go? So maybe take some time and write down your big dreams. See what it is that like, if you were if you had your perfect business, what would it be that you want and kind of work backwards from that to get them figure out how you're going to get there?  [00:31:52] Whereas I kind of was just. I never did. I never did. That's probably the biggest piece. And then I know that it's not easy.  [00:32:03] I started Vegans baby. And, you know, it's it's taken me four years to come to a place where I can bring in income from it.  [00:32:14] And now that income is.  [00:32:17] Stopped. So especially in today's world, if you are building a business. I would definitely consider things like what we're going through right now where we've never had to think of that before. But is your business able to function with a shutdown? And if it isn't, what can you do to make it function? What are what are your what are your backup plans if it doesn't work?  [00:32:42] I think those are the biggest things.  [00:32:43] Nice. So I have got a plan of action. Pay close attention to naming the business. And remember, Leslie, that it's not easy. Make sure that you have multiple areas that it communicates to and restrictions under can't the pandemic that we're having now.  [00:32:59] Those are all perfect pieces of advice. I'm wondering as we kind of wrap up for today as as Vegan and kind of living that lifestyle, do you have kind of a main area that it is affected most for you?  [00:33:14] Would you say that it's affected your career or your health or what part of being Vegan has been most poignant for you?  [00:33:25] All of it.  [00:33:26] I think, like I, I never expected to be where I am today. I never expected or thought that I would work with the James Beard Foundation. So being begin, obviously, I mean, I have turned it into a part of my business because I was always taught to find your niche. My mom always said, find your niche, find your passion. And I found both of them. And so now it's like I literally wake up every day and I'm making change and I'm doing good and I'm helping other people. And I'm also getting it to do this full time. So it really is it's impacted every aspect of my life. There's not a day that goes by where the word Vegan doesn't come out of my mouth or it's not in my thought like it is very much it is my entire life. So knowing Vegan literally changed my my entire course or path I was on.  [00:34:15] Absolutely. That's awesome. And I find that to be true with them for a lot of people that I'm interviewing for this. You know, it's it's different than even one's occupation.  [00:34:25] It kind of being Vegan tends to be an identity that's attached to people's core identities, which I guess is fantastic.  [00:34:33] Well, we're out of time today, Diana. But I want to say thank you so much for giving us your time. I know everybody is scrambling right now, and because of that, they are both at once available and busy.  [00:34:43] And so thank you for sticking a weird.  [00:34:46] You know, I'm working more than I've ever worked in my life and I'm not making any money from it. But cool, because I at least I'm, like, loving what I'm doing. But, you know, it's a weird it's a weird spot. But see, there's Phyto. Thank you for having me. I really appreciate it.  [00:35:01] Yeah, absolutely. And I love that phyto came in right now at the very least. He was already in conversation, them ending a conversation, taking them out. He's going to go, Mom. Absolutely.  [00:35:15] Well, for everyone listening, thank you for giving us your time. We've been talking with Diana Edelman. She's the founder of Vegans, baby you can find her online at vaegans baby dot com until we speak again next time.  [00:35:26] Remember to eat well, eat clean, stay safe. Always bet on yourself.

Meet Our Guest:Diana Edelman is the founder of Vegans, Baby, whose mission is to make vegan life easier, and vegan dining more approachable and attainable. She does this through Vegansbaby.com, which serves as the definitive guide to vegan dining in Las Vegas; a vegan guidebook to Las Vegas; organizing a vegan dining month in Las Vegas which has recently expanded to other cities; curated events and chef-driven dinners; hosting local and international tours taking people on culinary vacations (her Las Vegas tour was named as one of the top vegan tours in the world by Travel + Leisure); and a new podcast -- The Good Fork -- talking to leaders in the plant-based movement. Diana is a partner with the James Beard Foundation and Life is Beautiful, curating vegan dinners and activiations. She also provides consulting to restaurants who want to expand their plant-based offerings and audience, as well as private coaching to businesses.https://vegansbaby.com/ Subscribe to Pivot! A Vegan Business Interview Series on Soundwise

Establish your brand in the community while expanding your food blog! Diana gives us her best tips inside the episode: - Find a need that's not being met and fill that demand. - Show up, be accessible and consistent. - Remember: You are where you are because of the people who support you. - Establish relationships with restaurants in your area. This will provide a ton of opportunity! - Brainstorm what you do online and how you can take that into the real world. There is a lot of opportunity outside your blog, so keep your eyes open for ways to serve your community.

Lindsay McCormick started BITE Toothpaste Bits because she was tired of using the small toothpaste tubes when she was on the road for work. Now, BITE is a toothpaste phenomenon that has gone viral. The vegan entrepreneur started her business in her LA living room and now has scaled to meet the growing demand for vegan, cruelty-free, environmentally-friendly, zero-waste products. She and her co-founder, Asher Hunt, even appears on the hit show - Shark Tank - where they declined Mark Cuban's offer.Find out how McCormick grew her business and turned it into one of the hottest products on the market, her journey into zero-waste and her life before becoming a successful entrepreneur as a travel videographer and working on House Hunters.To order the bits for yourself, visit BITE. To learn more about Good Fork and past guests, and host Diana Edelman, head to Vegans, Baby. Support the show (http://paypal.me/dianaedelman)

Plant-based chef Leslie Durso joins Vegans, Baby's Diana Edelman to chat about her career in acting and working with Bill Nye, The Science Guy and then following her passion to become a plant-based chef. Today, she works with high-end hotels to create plant-based menus and meet the growing demand for whole plant cuisine and hosts retreats in Mexico and Italy. Get the scoop on how she got there, plus her adventures along the way.For show notes, check out The Good Fork.Support the show (http://paypal.me/dianaedelman)

Chef Jessica Perlstein joins The Good Fork, hosted by Diana Edelman of Vegans, Baby to share her culinary journey that started at age 15 and would eventually lead her to the world-famous James Beard House. We're talking her work getting more plant-based options on the Las Vegas Strip's mega resorts, the growing trend of plant-based dining and more.Chef Jessica shares how she was able to introduce vegan options at a popular steakhouse and the exciting challenge for creating vegan dishes; what is was like to cook a vegan meal at the prestigious James Beard House with four other well-known Las Vegas chefs, and her rise from teenager in the kitchen to working under Wolfgang Puck and more.To see Chef in action, head over to Vegans, Baby and watch her show viewers how to make crispy tofu and pasta using staple pantry ingredients ... with a restaurant flare, and vegan chocolate chip cookies. For more about the plant-based movement in Las Vegas and the world, check out Vegans, Baby.Find additional information about this Good Fork podcast with Jessica Perlstein here.Support the show (http://paypal.me/dianaedelman)

Lo & Lou are talking with “Vegans, Baby” in Vegas, baby. Diana Edelman is the driving force behind the city’s “Veganuary,” a month-long celebration of the plant-based lifestyle. Fresh off her groundbreaking Las Vegas chefs’ vegan dinner series, at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City, Diana shares her favorite plant-based entrees and snacks on and off The Strip. She tells us what it was like working for an elephant sanctuary in Thailand and how that led to her future food choices. Plus, she has super tips for people who want to try one vegan meal a day, one vegan day a week, or even go plant-based all the way. Find out more at https://2-sharp-chefs--a-microphone.pinecast.coThis podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Each year, about 32 million American women travel solo, according to the Travel Industry Association. For female solo-travelers, safety is always top of mind. Erika Weisbrod, director of security solutions for International SOS, is an expert in travel risk management. Weisbrod breaks down the factors women should consider when traveling, what are the necessary precautions they should take and how to approach different situations overseas. Diana Edelman, who spent many years as a travel blogger living in various countries, discusses the pros and cons of the ex-pat lifestyle compared to vacationing. Edelman explains her realization that she was "running away" via travel instead of traveling to explore, which can happen when we feel feel depressed or anxious or lonely or stuck.

In this episode I interview Diana Edelman, founder of Vegans, Baby, a resource website and guide to all things vegan in Las Vegas. After nearly a decade as a publicist, Diana wanted a change so in early 2010 she left her job and the US, to travel through Europe, documenting her experiences on a blog she launched, called d travels 'round, and worked for an elephant sanctuary in Chiang, Mai, Thailand. After four years living abroad and becoming more aware of animal rights and responsible travel, Diana returned to Las Vegas determined to live a cruelty-free life. With no up-to-date resource for vegans in the city, she created Vegans, Baby, a site dedicated to making life in Vegas more accessible for vegans. Diana creates and organizes major vegan events in the city including a vegan dining month – Veganuary Las Vegas – and offers vegan consulting services to restaurants who want to expand to the rapidly growing vegan market. She also penned the Las Vegas Vegan Food Guide, a comprehensive guide to vegan dining in the city covering 35 categories of food, and most recently, she launched Las Vegas's only Vegan Food Tour, which visits five restaurants and offers at least 12 different tastes of some of the most delicious vegan eats in Sin City. Diana is currently working on expanding the Vegans, Baby brand and plans to launch in additional markets early 2019. In this episode Diana talks about: • How she came up with the name of her brand • How she's consolidated her existing skills to create a new business and become an entrepreneur • The proactive steps she took before launching her brand – and why you shouldn't keep what you're doing a secret • How her additional revenue streams evolved organically as a result of her responding to customer demand • How a collaboration with a large vegan media outlet and local restaurants benefited everyone involved • And much more Visit the Vegans, Baby website Check out Diana's travel blog d travels 'round Brands mentioned in vegan business news roundup: Planta RESOURCES: My Online PR Course for Vegan Business Owners & Entrepreneurs: Vegans in the Limelight My book Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business Follow Vegan Business Media on: Facebook   Twitter  Instagram  Connect with me personally at: Facebook  Twitter  LinkedIn

Katrina Fox chats with Diana Edelman, founder of Vegans, Baby, a guide to all things vegan in Las Vegas.

In this episode I interview Diana Edelman, founder of Vegans, Baby, a resource website and guide to all things vegan in Las Vegas. After nearly a decade as a publicist,... Read More

I didn't start off being all thoughtful about travel and I also know I still have so much to learn - and that'll continue to need to learn - about many of the ways we can approach our travelling in a more thoughtful way. But in this special episode of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, Episode 110, I've put together a list of ten thoughts I've been thinking about thoughtful travel in the past little while. You'll have to listen to find out what these ten thoughts are but let me preface them by saying that some of them are deep and meaningful things I've thought about a lot; some are topics I have only scratched the surface on and know I need to learn a heap more about; and some are simple things that I ponder when I travel. Thanks to the members of the wonderful Thoughtful Travellers Facebook group, I also include a chat about some of the thoughts they've been having about travelling lately, too. I love hearing from the group members and also learning a lot from them.  Links: The Peace Tourism Credo - http://peacetourism.org/credo/  Episode 33 on Volunteer Tourism in which Diana Edelman talks about her experiences with Elephant Nature Park in Thailand - https://www.notaballerina.com/2016/11/volunteer-travel-to-help-you-and-the-world-episode-33-of-the-thoughtful-travel-podcast.html Join our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers Tweet me @amandakendle Hashtag #thoughtfultravelpod Show notes: http://notaballerina.com/110

Does your passion light a fire inside of you? Are you ready to lead a movement to spark others to make changes for the better? Then this episode is for you! Join Courtney Bentley as she speaks with Vegans Baby founder Diana Edelman about her passion for veganism and how she has created a movement in the city of Las Vegas. Diana has helped spearhead the vegan movement in Las Vegas by educating restaurant owners on the power of adding vegan cuisine to their menus, YES even steakhouses! Diana also shares her journey to creating this movement and the power of passion as well as some health benefits of eating less meat and a list of amazing restaurants that will inspire you to take a second look at your own favorites!  In This Episode You Will Learn: Why you need to be apart of your community and get connected with like-minded people How to do what lights your fire without worrying about naysayers  How to have a strong influence and do it through educating others How eating less meat could impact your health for the better Connect with Diana at Vegans Baby: https://www.vegansbaby.com/ Ready to experience a breakthrough in your business? Want to do it while blissfully sipping a margarita on a beach in Cabo San Lucas? Apply here: http://bit.ly/caboretreatfff Website : http://fitfiercefabulouspodcast.com || http://www.courtneyvioletbentley.com Hashtag: #FFFPodcast Social Media: @courtneybentley_ || @Fitfiercefabulouspodcast To Learn More About The Cabo Business Breakthrough Retreat: http://bit.ly/caboretreatfff Check out our facebook group for discussions after the episode: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fitfiercefabulouspodcast/?ref=bookmarks  

Today on Episode 5 of The Socialista Podcast, I have a wonderful conversation with Diana Edelman. Through talking about her childhood and family we discover that we both are from the East Coast! Diana walks me through her career in PR which eventually led her to move between cities, and finally discover her greatest passion... traveling and helping others. Her experience living in Thailand and writing about an elephant sanctuary led her to a vegan lifestyle. After moving back to Las Vegas, she found her calling, starting an extensive guide to vegan dining which is now Vegans, Baby. Follow Vegans, Baby at... www.vegansbaby.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vegansbaby Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vegansbaby/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/vegansbaby Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/vegansbaby/ Get your copy of the Las Vegas Vegan Guide 2018 and eat at some of the city's best spot for vegan food! http://amzn.to/2GyVenJ Featured band of the week... The Union Drifters! Facebook @ The Union Drifters Instagram @ The Union Drifters YouTube @ The Union Drifters Twitter @ UnionDrifters The Album is available on all digital platforms including Itunes, Applemusic, Spotify, Google play, Amazon, Napster and many more. Promoted event - The Union Drifters LIVE in Riverside CA. at the Inland Empire Brewing Company on Friday, February 16th, 2018, with special guest Eva and The Vagabond Tales. The show starts at 8. Address is, 1710 Palmyrita Ave #11, Riverside, CA 92507 Theme Music by Chop808 (IG:@chop808) Artwork by Abbie Paulhus (IG:@abbiepaulhus) Connect with me... IG: @socialistalv Facebook: Socialista Twitter: @socialista_llc Please leave any feedback and recommendations, like, share, and subscribe to stay updated! Email Socialista: socialista.llc@gmail.com Website: www.socialistallc.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/brianna-fox-priest1/message

Pamela Thompson of HealthCare Resources in Puerto Vallarta Explains the Importance of Medical Travel Insurance when traveling in Mexico, Medical Tourism and Medical Procedures that Tourists Seek in Puerto Vallarta. Listen to the Podcast! Subscribe on iTunes & Leave a Good Review   Hello fellow travelers, welcome this episode of the Puerto Vallarta Travel show. I am your host Barry Kessler and I am just so happy to be to introducing you to my favorite vacation destination, and maybe even yours, Puerto Vallarta Mexico. That music you were just listing to is performed by Alberto Perez, the owner of the La Palapa Group of Restaurants. Those are La Palapa, The El Dorado [caption id="attachment_195" align="alignright" width="300"] La Palapa, Puerto Vallarta Mexico[/caption] Restaurant, and now, at night for dinner The El Dorado transforms into The Vista Grill. That’s the Vista Grill that used to be up on the hill. Well now it has a new vista and that is right on the beach where you get the same Vista Grill Menu, and the fantastic Vista Grill service and what’s best, is it’s right there on the beach with a dramatic view of the Los Muertos Pier. You’ll recognize the pier with its stunning sail like structure, all lit up at night with beautiful colors. You can enjoy dinner under the stars, with your toes in the sand right at the water’s edge. ! It’s so romantic, it’s so Puerto Vallarta my friends! Today we have a very special guest but first, what’s happening in Puerto Vallarta this week, the 12th of June, 2017. We had our first sprinkling of the summer the other day, but it was just a tease. This week will be the week the rains return to Vallarta. I’ll be waiting to see if we get rain on my birthday, June 15th  which according to our buddy JR is the beginning of the rainy season. Stay tuned for that report next week. Marigalante Getting a Facelift, New Shows [caption id="attachment_751" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Marigalante Pirate Ship, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico[/caption] I was reading an article in the Banderas News and it explains the absence of the Marigalene Pirate Ship this last trip down. The boat has been in dry-dock up in Mazatlán, getting her biannual maintenance done. Now I didn’t know this, but the Marigalante is actually a replica of the Santa Maria, one of the three ships Columbus sailed across the Atlantic, and the Marigalante is the Spanish galleon that you may have seen out in the bay. She can be seen sailing out each morning, heading south to the cool beaches beyond Los Arcos, in fact I believe it goes to the beach cove off of the resort Majauetes, that Diana Edelman was talking about in episode 15, the show about vegan dining in Puerto Vallarta.  Then every night you will see the Marigalante in the bay just off  the Malecon, firing off fireworks at around between 9 and 9:30 each evening. [caption id="attachment_791" align="alignright" width="195"] Marigalante Puerto Vallarta[/caption]     [caption id="attachment_752" align="alignright" width="171"] Marigalante Pirate Ship, Drydock Mazatlan[/caption] But don’t  worry, After an absence of almost two months, the Marigalante, will soon return to the waters of Banderas Bay. She'll set sail again on Monday, June 19, 2017 - and she'll do it with a fresh look and all new shows. The last time the Marigalante was out of water was in 2015 when the last set of maintenance was carried out. One of the main tasks that is performed each time the ship is sent for maintenance is to make sure the galleon is completely watertight . This time, the 100% wood galleon had no leaks in its hull but, as the more than 30 species of tropical woods she's made from are constantly either submerged or weathered, it was time to give her some TLC. The scheduled maintenance cost around 10 million pesos (more than $500,000 USD) and involved 60 tons wood, stainless steel rods, over 850 liters of paint and 350 liters of varnish. Additional works included the installation of a new engine; servicing the generator, transmission and propeller; and replacing the bow and stern decks. The team of experts also reinforced the boat's keel and rudder and did some general renovating and redecorating. The Marigalente weighs about 700 tons, has three wooden masts with triangular sails and four decks with a total capacity of 240 passengers. [caption id="attachment_745" align="alignright" width="300"] Marigalante Pirate Ship, Drydock Mazatlan[/caption] I have had several people tell me that although the Pirate ship cruise is a little touristy and somewhat hokey, all of them say that the food was good and the alcohol flowed freely. Sounds good to me. Also, it seems to me that the tour gives you a great opportunity to see the Malecon at night from a whole different perspective. From the ocean looking in. So interesting. Look,  I didn’t want this to turn into a commercial for the Marigalante, but I guess it kinda was. If you have taken the cruise, either during the day or night, send me an email and let me know what you thought of the cruise. How you bought the tickets and how much you paid. Did you think it was worth the money? Let me know. Anyway, I have links and pictures of the Marigalante in drydock in Mazatlan. Check them out at www.puertovallartatravelshow.com episode 23. [caption id="attachment_788" align="alignnone" width="667"] Marigalante Puerto Vallarta[/caption] The Marigalante Website Click Here Travel Insurance in Mexico Okay, how many of you vacationers who travel to Mexico buy travel insurance before you leave for your trip? You don’t? How about this warning from the U.S. [caption id="attachment_749" align="alignright" width="300"] Pamela Thompson, HealthCare Resources, Puerto Vallarta[/caption] State Department… US Citizens should be aware of their rights under Mexican Law. Most Mexican healthcare facilities require payment “up front” prior to performing a procedure. Most hospitals in Mexico do not accept U.S. domestic health insurance or Medicare/Medicaid and will only accept payment via cash, credit, debit card or bank transfer. How about this headline? "Medical bills leave Lafayette woman stranded in Mexico." Or this one...?  "Man trapped in Mexican Hospital with allergic reaction to a jellyfish sting and a $50,000 bill". There are numerous articles you can find with a simple google search that tell us something that many of us never think about when we go to Mexico on vacation. What happens if something happens to us when we are in paradise? In fact, we talked about the subject of hospitals and doctors in Puerto Vallarta with Brad and Tami back on episode 18 I think. They had several incidents where they needed medical attention and they luckily had travel insurance that covered their medical bills. That brings us to our very special guest, Pamela Thompson of HealthCare Resources in Puerto Vallarta. I was introduced to Pamela by several of my friends here [caption id="attachment_734" align="alignright" width="216"] HealthCare Resources, Puerto Vallarta[/caption] who insisted she is the go to person when it comes to healthcare in Puerto Vallarta. She does so much here. You will see that she is involved in so many facets of the medical world, although her main thrust is Medical Tourism, and I was surprised at the types of medical procedures that she arranges for her clients in paradise. Kinda cool really. But this is going to be a very informative conversation and I would like to wrap it up at the end, with a quick review and good, reviewable show notes too. As usual. So let’s go to San Javier Hospital in Puerto Vallarta and join up with Pamela Thompson. Listen to the Podcast That was a lot of great information. The main takeaways... There is no such thing as free medical care here. Doesn’t matter how poor you are. The public system is the IMSS system and the regional hospital, that's the IMSS and Seguro Popular. Seguro Popular was created for the poorest of the [caption id="attachment_797" align="alignright" width="225"] Pamela Thompson[/caption] poor The regional hospital is a sad place. Medicare supplement or HMO doesn’t pay directly outside of the United States. And the air evacuation is very, very expensive and it must be paid upfront, before that plane leave take off down the runway. So it's important to have air evacuation policy or have your insurance include an air evac policy. Just have a good traveler’s insurance. Best Quote "  One of the things that I said in an article I wrote recently is, it's not always the case, but I say, I have seen in the past, especially this past year, a policy sometimes is just as good as the agent you buy it from. Some agents, and I use the term loosely, are don't really know the policy. You know, go to a website that have many of the insurance policies. Pretty much anybody can become an agent. They just make a commission on it. Some of them don't really even understand the policy. You want an agent that's going to be there to help you and that really understands the policy in case you have a claim or you have an emergency. That's really important." Make sure you are with an agent that understands the policy and that goes for an international policy or a Mexican private policy. The doctors Pam works with, total 26 of all specialties. I hope you got as much out of this conversation as I did. Pam Thompson, you are a very special person indeed and the people of Puerto Vallarta are so lucky to have you working for them. If you want to put pamela to work for you, her contact info is available right here in my show notes at www.puertovallartatravelshow.com episode 23. Contact Pamela Thompson www.healthcareresourcespv.com pamela@healthcareresourcespv.com   Well we are through for today. I hope you enjoyed our talk with Pamela Thompson of HealthCare Resources Puerto Vallarta .  Next week stay tuned for more on the ground reports from Puerto Vallarta Mexico and other surprises and Puerto Vallarta Travel tips and ideas.  Until then, remember, this is an interactive show where I depend on your questions and suggestions about all things Puerto Vallarta. If you think of something I should be talking about, please reach out to me by clicking on the Contact us tab and sending us your message. And remember, if you are considering booking any type of tour while you are in Puerto Vallarta, you must go to Vallartainfo.com, JR’s website and reserve your tour through him, right from his website. Remember the value for value proposition. His experience and on the ground knowledge of everything Puerto Vallarta in exchange for your making a purchase of a tour that you would do anyway, you’re just doing it through him as a way of saying thank you. It costs no more than if you were to use someone else so do it. Really. And when you do take one of these tours, email me about your experiences. Maybe you can come onboard and share with others what you liked or didn’t like about the tour. Again contact me by clicking on the Contact us tab and sending off a message. And once again, if you like this podcast, please take the time and subscribe and give me a good review on iTunes if you would. That way we can get the word out to more and more people about the magic of this place. So, thanks to Pamela  Thompson, check out the links to her website and blog at my website www.puertovallartatravelshow.com episode 23. I have pictures of most of her doctors and links to their information too.  I also have a transcription of the conversation with Pamela in the shownotes as well so feel free to read, listen and share with all of your friends and fellow travelers. Remember to include a good travel insurance policy with your next trip to Mexico. Don't leave home without it! And hey, thanks to all of you for listening all the way through this episode of the Puerto Vallarta Travel Show. This is Barry Kessler signing off with a wish for you all to slow down, be kind and live the Vallarta lifestyle. Nos Vemos amigos! [caption id="attachment_719" align="alignright" width="300"] Dr. Daniel Velasco – Surgical Oncologist[/caption] [caption id="attachment_720" align="alignright" width="220"] Dr. Javier Diaz-Nuñez - Ear Nose and Throat Sp[/caption] [caption id="attachment_722" align="alignright" width="300"] Dr. Manuel Hernandez - Orthopedic[/caption] [caption id="attachment_723" align="alignright" width="300"] Dr. Octavio Lomeli - Dentist[/caption] [caption id="attachment_717" align="alignright" width="300"] Dra. Alma Vargas - Dermatologist[/caption] [caption id="attachment_728" align="alignright" width="231"] Mari Torres – Complementary Medicine[/caption] [caption id="attachment_726" align="alignright" width="275"] Dr. Miguel Saldaña - Plastic Surgery[/caption]                                                                 [caption id="attachment_784" align="alignleft" width="119"] Paul Cankar – Physical Therapist[/caption] [caption id="attachment_779" align="alignleft" width="251"] Dra. Leticia Arechiga - Pediatrician[/caption] [caption id="attachment_778" align="alignnone" width="300"] Dra. Leslie Swindle - Cardiologist[/caption] [caption id="attachment_780" align="aligncenter" width="111"] Dra. Maria Jose Cuevas - Oncologist[/caption] [caption id="attachment_782" align="alignright" width="221"] Dra. Patricia Garcia -Dermatologist[/caption] [caption id="attachment_781" align="alignnone" width="276"] Dra. Nashielli – Plastic Surgeon[/caption] [caption id="attachment_777" align="alignnone" width="300"] Dra. Laura Garcia – OB-GYN[/caption] [caption id="attachment_783" align="aligncenter" width="174"] Nathalie Batilliot – Licensed Dietician-Diabetic Educator[/caption] [caption id="attachment_765" align="aligncenter" width="290"] Dr. Cesar Gutierrez - Internist[/caption] [caption id="attachment_775" align="alignnone" width="243"] Dra. Cinthia Becerra - Specialist in BioIdentical Hormones[/caption] [caption id="attachment_764" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Dr. Carlos Olivares - Gastroenterologist[/caption] [caption id="attachment_774" align="alignnone" width="300"] Dra. Adi Dominguez – Psychiatrist[/caption] [caption id="attachment_763" align="aligncenter" width="292"] Dr. Carlos Garcia – Urologist[/caption] [caption id="attachment_762" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Dr. Armando Joya Gastroenterologist Gastric Surgeon Bariatric Surgeon[/caption] [caption id="attachment_773" align="alignnone" width="244"] Dr. Roberto Gutierrez – Endocrinologist[/caption] [caption id="attachment_760" align="aligncenter" width="185"] Dr. Antonio Matilla Torres[/caption] [caption id="attachment_772" align="alignnone" width="226"] Dr. Ricardo Rivera – Plastic Surgeon[/caption] [caption id="attachment_759" align="aligncenter" width="159"] Dr. Alberto Marron - Orthopedic[/caption] [caption id="attachment_771" align="alignnone" width="300"] Dr. Omar Morales – GP, Transfusional Medicine and Tic-Born Disease Specialist[/caption] [caption id="attachment_758" align="aligncenter" width="208"] Dr. Adolfo Curiel - Cardiologist[/caption] [caption id="attachment_770" align="alignnone" width="186"] Dr. Luis Robles - Neurosurgeon[/caption] [caption id="attachment_769" align="alignnone" width="294"] Dr. Luis Arias – General Practitioner[/caption] [caption id="attachment_768" align="alignnone" width="272"] Dr. Jose Rivas - Radiologist[/caption] [caption id="attachment_767" align="alignnone" width="269"] Dr. Hector Escoto Vascular Specialist[/caption] [caption id="attachment_766" align="alignnone" width="300"] Dr. Felipe Martinez – Anesthesiologist Pain Control Specialist[/caption] [caption id="attachment_776" align="alignnone" width="300"] Dra. Fabiola Gallegos - Physical Therapy[/caption]   Transcript of the Conversation between Barry Kessler and Pamela Thompson Barry Kessler:            Alright, I am in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, ladies and gentlemen. And I have the honor of being here with Pamela Thompson of HealthCare Resources in Puerto Vallarta. Thank you so much for coming on the program Pamela. Pam Thompson:          Thank you for having me. Barry Kessler:            Now it seems like you are the go to person whenever, you know, when it happens to pertain to health issues. You seem to be the go to expert, according to all the local community anyway. And so first of all tell us about yourself and what was the path that led you to Puerto Vallarta. Pam Thompson:          I used to come here for vacation. Did that for many, many years. Fell in love with the place like everybody plus the right time to move here, so I did. Almost 28 years ago moved here full time. Worked in tourism for a while. Wanted to get back into healthcare. After doing a few other things in tourism went to work with air evacuation and long story but eventually worked my way into opening in health care resources. Barry Kessler:            Okay so health care resources, you are located where? Pam Thompson:          All over the place. Barry Kessler:            Everywhere? Pam Thompson:          My main office is at Hospital San Javier but I also work with a couple other hospitals. I work with 26 physicians and a couple of diagnostic companies. We are an independent company. Barry Kessler:            Excellent. Okay. Well sure seems like you found your niche here. Pam Thompson:          Oh I think so. Barry Kessler:            Yeah. Well this is a retirement town I would think on top of it being a big tourist destination. Lot of expats are moving here and living here. There is a lot ageing expats here. So what kind of medical plans do these expats get down in Mexico? Pam Thompson:          First I think you would be really surprised that it's not just not the retired and ageing. The past couple of years we have way more people who are, that are much younger than what used to be. Have way more request now for gynecologist and that's not just for menopause, it's for pregnant women. A lot more request for pediatricians. People are moving here that have small children. So it's a wide range of people moving here because now people can work from home, online. Barry Kessler:            Yeah. Pam Thompson:          They can work, you know, be located anywhere in the world. So we have a wide, it's not just, you know, over 65 type age group anymore Barry Kessler:            Yes. Pam Thompson:          It's a lot of baby boomers and what are they called, millennials now that are moving here Barry Kessler:            Yeah I noticed that. Alright. Well that is interesting and actually some of the restaurant owners that I spoke with are very young. Pam Thompson:          Yeah. Barry Kessler:            They have got young families. They have chosen to come here, start a business. Pam Thompson:          Right. Exactly. Barry Kessler:            Live here, raise their families here. So yeah, you are right. Alright. So what kind of medical insurance do these people get? Pam Thompson:          It varies. There are international policies. These are policies for people that live or work outside of their home country, either full or part time. Sometimes they get a traveler’s insurance. You can purchase a traveler’s insurance for a couple of days up to a year. Sometimes people purchase a Mexican private policy. You have to have permanent residency to purchase of Mexican private policy. Barry Kessler:            Okay. So- Pam Thompson:          It's little bit - the older you get, a little bit more difficult to purchase a policy. I think may be you are going to ask me later but Medicare doesn’t cover anything outside of the United States. Sometimes people, they have Medicare and a supplement, then they recommend that you have a good air evacuation policy so that if you have a critical medical situation, you have an air evac policy that could take you back to the United States. Barry Kessler:            Yeah that's smart. So you would say supplement what you have in the States if you are receiving Medicare Medicaid then basically have yourself something that you can use local for the small stuff.  Pam Thompson:          The most important thing is to have a plan. Do your homework. See what works here. I am sorry. See what’s covered here. See what’s accepted here. Make a plan before you come down or as soon as you get here. Barry Kessler:            Okay. good. Alright. And so how would you go back doing that? I mean, you just go online, you pick up the phone and?  Pam Thompson:          Well, we have a lot of people email me ahead of time or may be when they come down and they are looking either for a place to rent or they are looking a property to buy. Lot of times real estate agencies will or their real estate agents will give their clients my number and we are more than happy to sit down, have a chat, go over general health care information. It's not just about health insurance, it's about making sure, maybe you have medications that you have to take. We want to make sure they are available here. You want to check and see how much they cost. Maybe you have  cardiac issues. You want to make sure that, you know, you connect with the cardiologist here. There is lot of different issues you want to make sure and do your homework, have everything in place once you get here. Barry Kessler:            Okay. Pam Thompson:          Rather than wait until you are in the middle of an emergency. Barry Kessler:            Yeah that's for sure. Well I have your contact information Pam Thompson:          Sure. Barry Kessler:            On the blog post for this particular episode of the Puerto Vallarta travel show. You will be able to find it there and great. Okay so what would you say is the most common issue that you deal with as far as the ageing population here?  Pam Thompson:          Oh my goodness! There are urgent issues and there, the most … Barry Kessler:            Or maybe there isn't. Maybe it's just a, it just runs the gamut. Pam Thompson:          It runs the gamut. Barry Kessler:            Yeah. Okay. Pam Thompson:          Everything from, “I have an ear ache” to “My husband just died.” Barry Kessler:            Oh. Pam Thompson:          I mean that it's a wide variety. Barry Kessler:            Yeah, yeah. Pam Thompson:          It's a wide variety. Barry Kessler:            Well there is a ... Pam Thompson:          I never have a boring day. Barry Kessler:            I bet you don't. Well here in Puerto Vallarta would you say that like trip falls and stuff like that, broken ankles, broken wrists and stuff like that are pretty common. Pam Thompson:          Well you keep saying the ageing population... Barry Kessler:            I mean, I mean real. Pam Thompson:          I guess I am in that ageing population. Barry Kessler:            Me too. Pam Thompson:          Yeah we have a lot of, you know, falls, hip replacements, those kind of things. Yeah, orthopedic things. You know the cobblestones are streets are kind of hard to maneuver sometimes. Barry Kessler:            Yeah I know that. Pam Thompson:          So lot of orthopedic issues. I think, I think so. Barry Kessler:            Okay. Pam Thompson:          No, no there really isn't any one specific. Barry Kessler:            So it's like normal. It's like at home. right? Pam Thompson:          Yeah it's just like in the United States and Canada. Barry Kessler:            Yeah okay. Well speaking of that let’s talk about Mexican citizens. What kind of medical insurance do or what do they have? What do they use for medical issue? Pam Thompson:          There is no such thing as free medical care here. Doesn’t matter how poor you are. There is a vast difference between the public system and the private system. And that's important for the people that are going to be moving here to understand. The public system is the system that all the private hospitals … I mean I am sorry, the private system is what the private hospitals fall under where you and most of the doctors that I work with. The public system is the IMSS system and the regional hospital, that's the IMSS and Seguro Popular. Seguro Popular was created for the poorest of the poor by one of the ex-presidents of Mexico, I don't know how many years ago. But they are in it it's because there is no such as free medical care in Mexico. Many times people, non-Mexicans, have this idea that they are going to come down here and have free medical care or they are going to participate in the IMSS or the Seguro Popular system. They can, but they need to go take a look at the system. It's a vast difference than the private system. The regional hospital is … it's a sad place. I would suggest that they would go and take a look, ask any Mexican what they think about it. We collect donations for their - you need to take your own soap, you need to take your own shampoo. The staff there is wonderful. They work very, very, very hard with minimal resources. Maybe in other places in Mexico it's different. I have heard but it's over crowded, minimal resources. It's not a pleasant place and again the staff works extremely hard with minimal resources. It's not, I would never consider IMSS or Seguro Popular an insurance. But in some cases that's what people have to have. If one goes to a private hospital and there can't pay the bill then we have to send them on to the state hospital.  Barry Kessler:            Well, yes. Pam Thompson:          And -  Barry Kessler:            And that's like going off to Siberia. Pam Thompson:          Well no not really. Not really because they are Barry Kessler:            Okay. Pam Thompson:          Going to get the best care that they can give them out there. Barry Kessler:            Okay. Pam Thompson:          But it's going to be very different than the private system. They have volunteers that will go out and visit them and take soap and food and things like that. I just encourage people to the things that you know, the perfect system to go out and look at it first. Barry Kessler:            Right. Yeah and sounds little scary. Pam Thompson:          It is but and it's a sad situation and mostly for you know, it's for Mexicans and I often times feel bad when I have to send a non-Mexican out there because in reality I feel those beds are for deserving Mexicans. Barry Kessler:            Yeah. Pam Thompson:          But that's personal feeling.  Barry Kessler:            Well I understand. I agree with you. Alright, so people come here for you know, they don't come here expecting to get sick or anything like that. So people do come down here for medical tourism. You get involved in the medical tourism field? Pam Thompson:          I have many, we have many people that come down specifically to have medical services. It used to be years ago that people just came for plastic surgery or bariatric surgery. Barry Kessler:            Yeah. Pam Thompson:          Now they come for everything from hip replacement to cataract surgery, knee replacements. And I kind of look at medical tourism as little bit different. In the high season when I have, for example, this last high season I probably scheduled more MRIs than I ever have and that was because I would get emails and emails and phone calls, “Pam, somebody on the beach gave me your phone number. I am from Canada. I have been waiting for months for an MRI …” Barry Kessler:            Ah!! Pam Thompson:          “How soon can I get one here?” Well I can get you scheduled tomorrow. Okay, so then we set it up. To me that's kind of medical tourism as well.  Barry Kessler:            Yeah. Pam Thompson:          Or the same with a colonoscopy or an endoscopy, you know regular type procedures. So to me diagnostic services are sort of a medical tourism as well. Barry Kessler:            Yeah, although I would … you would never think that. You go, “Oh yeah I am coming here for you know a lift or this or that.” you never think, “Hey I will stop in for an endoscopy” Pam Thompson:          Right. Barry Kessler:            Or whatever. You are right. Pam Thompson:          Or we have people that come in the high season that plan ahead and they go ahead and get all their yearly studies done while they are here. The mammogram, you know their check ups, their physicals, you know, everything, the dermatology checks while they are here. So to me that's medical tourism as well. But as well we also have the plastic surgery and the big surgeries. Barry Kessler:            Yeah and do you get involved in that? Pam Thompson:          Oh yes. Quite often, there is many, you know just google medical tourism and you are going to come up with tons of companies. The difference, I think is that with a med … and most of medical tourism companies are not going to like that I say this but they are the middle man. And of course they are going to take a big chunk.  Barry Kessler:            Yeah. Pam Thompson:          And they also don't let you speak directly with the destination or the doctor. Where with me, I am in touch with the doctor, I am in the destination, there is not a big commission involved because I work in a different way with my doctors and hospitals. So, so yeah I am kind of all about cutting out that middle man.  Barry Kessler:            Good. Pam Thompson:          So yeah, we have, we do quite a few.  Barry Kessler:            Alright. How do you figure out, like price schedules and stuff like that? Do people …? Obviously they ask before they get it done. Pam Thompson:          Oh they write to me and tell me what they want done and it depends on the procedure. Barry Kessler:            Right. Pam Thompson:          Some of them I already have, I know. Barry Kessler:            Because you do them a lot. Pam Thompson:          Because I know what the doctor is going to charge. Barry Kessler:            Yeah. Pam Thompson:          We have a lot of package prices with you know, if somebody needs to come to have a hernia, I already know what that doctor’s package is with the hospital. If somebody is going to just you know, it just depends on what the procedure is. If it's a little bit different or if there is a complication, then I just check with the doctor and then I can send it back, send back the price to the patient. Barry Kessler:            Cool, wow! Alright. Well, what would you say is the most common procedure that's done here? Pam Thompson:          I think the most common request that I get is still for plastic surgery. Barry Kessler:            Okay. Pam Thompson:          That's the most common request. The most common procedure … well … it's still plastic surgery, bariatric surgery, lot more hip and knee replacements. Barry Kessler:            Really? Wow!  Pam Thompson:          I work with a urologist who does a lot of high foo prostate cancer surgery. Bariatric surgery. Well it just kind of varies. Barry Kessler:            Yeah, it sounds like it. Okay, well tell us about the quality of care. I mean, where are the hospitals that you deal with. We are sitting in one right now, San Javier, right? Pam Thompson:          Marina. Barry Kessler:            Right by the Marina. Are they here in Puerto Vallarta, in Guadalajara, where are they? Pam Thompson:          Well I .. for the hospitals that I work with, I actually go inside, I mean I go inside. I see the English speaking in-patients, whose right now it's a little bit less because we are more in a low season. San Javier Marina, across the street from where the cruise ships stop. Also Vallarta Medical Center on the south side of plaza Caracol.  I don't go all the time but also hospital might assist on the south side. Hospital San Javier Riviera in Nuevo Vallarta. We have other good private hospitals in the area. I don't work with them mainly because I don't have time. But they are all the Puerto Vallarta area. Of course there is many, many hospitals in Guadalajara to pick I mean but I am the most familiar with this area. Barry Kessler:            Sure. Pam Thompson:          The doctors I work with, 26 of all specialties. I am really picky about the doctors that I work with. We have every specialty available right now. And now we even have dermatologist, geriatric. I work with a diagnostic center, MRI. I mean it's really hard to kind of say what I do.  Barry Kessler:            Yeah. well sounds you do everything. Pam Thompson:          We do monthly screening clinics of all kinds, weekly speakers programs. Every year we do a huge, it's like a medical expo. Last year we had up to 4000 people attend. Barry Kessler:            Wow! Really? Puerto Vallarta? Really? Pam Thompson:          It's called medical matters. It's at the hotel Marriot. Three large rooms with speakers programs running continually. I spend a lot of time at the funeral home this year. Barry Kessler:            Wow! Pam Thompson:          And do assist, you know the family or the surviving spouse when somebody passes away. And I don't know. Barry Kessler:            Yeah, yeah. Pam Thompson:          It's just everyday it's different. Barry Kessler:            Yeah. So yeah the repatriation thing. So you help along with that too. I guess the whole life cycle happens here. Pam Thompson:          Yes. Barry Kessler:            In Puerto Vallarta. It isn't that different from any other place in the whole wide world, even though Pam Thompson:          Exactly. Barry Kessler:            We are in paradise. Pam Thompson:          Right. Barry Kessler:            Yeah. So besides the expats that live here for years at a time, of course we also have our fair share of snowbirds Pam Thompson:          Right. Barry Kessler:            Here in Puerto Vallarta. They come in from Canada, they come in from the upper reaches of the United States. So what kind of coverage can they get when, you know, their long time rent is not necessarily …? Pam Thompson:          For full time? Full time residence? Barry Kessler:            Well they are not going to be full time. They are going to be like six months out of the year. So … Pam Thompson:          Then they should … okay. Barry Kessler:            Do they need to do what you are talking about before? Pam Thompson:          Then they need a good traveler’s insurance. Barry Kessler:            Okay. Pam Thompson:          And a traveler’s insurance really needs to be purchased prior to departing their home country. Barry Kessler:            Okay. Pam Thompson:          So for example, ones that are going to be coming for next winter can start looking at options during the summer. And I always say this is I think Canadians must learn in school that they need to have a traveler’s insurance Barry Kessler:            Really? Pam Thompson:          because it's pretty rare that a Canadian arrives without traveler’s insurance. Barry Kessler:            Ha! Pam Thompson:          It's very rare. Canadians are well prepared and they come with a good traveler’s insurance. People from United States, not so much. Barry Kessler:            Not so much. Pam Thompson:          And it's usually they are the ones that end up with a critical situation and then they are surprised that they are, you know, their Medicare supplement or HMO doesn’t pay directly outside of the United States. So in the summer months or prior to their vacation, whether they are coming for a month, two weeks or six months, they need to start looking at options. There is a lot of very good traveler’s insurance out there. A good traveler’s insurance will include an air evacuation policy in it and as I said Canadians are well aware of traveller’s insurance and their traveller’s insurance almost always includes an air evacuation policy. Barry Kessler:            Okay. Is it expensive? You know? Have you ever -? Pam Thompson:          Traveler’s insurance? Barry Kessler:            Yeah. Have you looked at it? Pam Thompson:          No, they are all very different prices. Barry Kessler:            Okay. Pam Thompson:          But I mean it's not cheap. Barry Kessler:            Right. Pam Thompson:          But I always, you know, tell people cheap isn't always better. Barry Kessler:            Right. Pam Thompson:          You want one that, you know, if you pay, you know, 10 or 15 bucks for traveler’s insurance obviously they are not going to do too much for you. Barry Kessler:            That might not save your life. Pam Thompson:          That's right. Barry Kessler:            Right. So you might as well, if you are thinking about like living you might consider just getting the right kind. Pam Thompson:          One other thing I always stress to people that it's really probably one of the most important things to know is that insurance here is only accepted for inpatient services. You always, always have to pay out of pocket for consults, emergency room visits, medications, yeah, yeah, x-rays, lab, any of those things. You can turn it in for re-imbursement. That's not a problem. We will help you do that. But it's only accepted as form of payment for inpatient services normally with a minimum 24 hours stay. That's really important. Barry Kessler:            That is important. Pam Thompson:          You can't just go to the doctor and have a consult and flip out your insurance card. The receptionist will look at you kind of funny and say, “I want money.” Barry Kessler:            Yeah. Alright, so are, you know, credit cards accepted here? Pam Thompson:          Yes. Barry Kessler:            Alright. Pam Thompson:          Yes, of course. Barry Kessler:            Alright, right on. well bring your medical insurance and bring your credit card. Pam Thompson:          And your credit card. Barry Kessler:            Okay bring them both. Pam Thompson:          Right.  Barry Kessler:            So you do get involved with the like medical emergency repatriations as well? I imagine. Pam Thompson:          Sure. Barry Kessler:            Okay. Pam Thompson:          You know we don't do as many air evacuations as we used to because we have, we can take care of the patient here. Barry Kessler:            Yeah you must be … Pam Thompson:          But we do, we have done a few flights this season. There is different reasons why people would be air evacuated back to Canada or the United States. If it's a, going to be a long time recovery like may be a stroke patient and … here we don't have a … we have hospital or home. We don't have a like a long term rehab. Barry Kessler:            There is no rehab centers. Pam Thompson:          Right. So it's going to be really expensive to stay in a, you know hospital. Barry Kessler:            Yeah. Pam Thompson:          So you know they are going to … it's better to go home. Barry Kessler:            Alright. Pam Thompson:          And a lot of times the family wants the patient home. So then we do a, do an air evacuation. Barry Kessler:            Okay. Pam Thompson:          And the air evacuation is very, very expensive and it must be paid upfront, before that plane leave take off down the runway. So it's important to have air evacuation policy or have your insurance include an air evac policy. Barry Kessler:            Good. Alright. I think it's a great idea. We talked a little bit about having to be a citizen to get medical benefits. So if somebody was coming down here to live full time you would suggest, you know, getting a residency all straightened away so you can eventually get medical insurance in Mexico? Pam Thompson:          Not necessarily. Barry Kessler:            Okay. Pam Thompson:          Only if you want to have, I mean it's up to the person if they want to be a resident. Barry Kessler:            Okay. Pam Thompson:          A permanent resident, that's a personal decision. For medical benefits, in order to apply for Seguro Popular which would cover you only at the state hospital which isn't all that ... Barry Kessler:            Which is the horror show that Pamela was just telling us. Pam Thompson:          No, it's not necessarily a horror show.  Barry Kessler:            Oh alright. Okay, not a horror show. Pam Thompson:          But it's just not … it's very different than the private ...  Barry Kessler:            Yeah. Pam Thompson:          System. But sometimes that's all anybody can afford. Barry Kessler:            Sure. Pam Thompson:          Then you have to have your residency. But also there is some very good Mexican private policies.  Barry Kessler:            Okay … Pam Thompson:          But you have to ... Barry Kessler:            That's what you are getting at. Pam Thompson:          Yeah. that's not a horror show and there are some good policies but you have to have your permanent residency. Barry Kessler:            Okay. So you do need to get that permanent residency. Pam Thompson:          For that, yeah. Barry Kessler:            For that. Pam Thompson:          Sure. Barry Kessler:            Otherwise you are just doing it with what you were talking before. You are supplementing and you are … Pam Thompson:          And there is also, you know, the other option which is part of the public system but you still have to apply. Some people think they automatically can get it as the IMSS system. IMSS is a government program for people that are employed. Mexican workers by law, their employers pay for them to participate in the system. Barry Kessler:            Interesting. Pam Thompson:          Non-Mexicans can apply but there is a long list of pre-existing conditions. So if one has certain pre-existing conditions they wont qualify for it. Barry Kessler:            You better be healthy. Pam Thompson:          Yeah and they’ve added a lot of pre-existing conditions. So, but that, it's kind of confusing but that's also part of the public system. Barry Kessler:            Okay. Alright. What is …? I think we already talked about the most common issue that you work with day to day, which is everything. You don't really have anything special here. What type of coverage would you get if you are coming to Puerto Vallarta? We have talked … Pam Thompson:          As a visitor? Barry Kessler:            As a visitor. What would you do? Pam Thompson:          Well I would just,I would make sure and have a good traveller- Barry Kessler:            Just get that travelers insurance? Pam Thompson:          Yeah. Barry Kessler:            And it doesn’t really matter if you come in for a week or …? Pam Thompson:          No. Barry Kessler:            Or a month or …? Pam Thompson:          Just have a good traveller’s insurance. Barry Kessler:         Just do it for a week even. Pam Thompson:          Right.  Barry Kessler:            Right? Because There are issues. There are people … Pam Thompson:          Of course. Barry Kessler:            That get in trouble. You know they, they don't have to be long term travelers to have a medical issue. Pam Thompson:          Exactly. Barry Kessler:            Alright. What’s the biggest mistake you can make when you are buying, let’s say, medical insurance in Mexico? Is there something that you would kind of tell people to stay away from or don't do that or …? Pam Thompson:          Well you don't necessarily, you don't know it's … it's kind of hard to say buying medical insurance in Mexico. I will say buying medical insurance period because you are not always going to buy your medical insurance in Mexico. One of the things that I said in an article I wrote recently is, it's not always the case, but I say, I have seen in the past, especially this past year, a policy sometimes is just as good as the agent you buy it from. Some agents, and I use the term loosely, are don't really know the policy. You know, go to a website that have many of the insurance policies. Pretty much anybody can become an agent. They just make a commission on it. Some of them don't really even understand the policy. You want an agent that's going to be there to help you and that really understands the policy in case you have a claim or you have an emergency. That's really important. Barry Kessler:            Yeah. Pam Thompson:          I mean a lot of … many of them you can just go online and purchase. And that probably okay for a short term traveller’s insurance. But if you are purchasing a, you know, a year around policy, you know, regular policy, you are here full time. Make sure you are with an agent that understands the policy and that goes for an international policy or a Mexican private policy. And there are some very good agents in the area. And there is also some people that are just kind of in it to get the commision, they don't really understand the policy. that's an important ... Barry Kessler:            Yeah. Pam Thompson:          Important point.  Barry Kessler:            Excellent. That's good to know. Is there …? Pam Thompson:          And I don't sell insurance by the way. Barry Kessler:            Okay. Pam Thompson:          That's really important that people know. Barry Kessler:            Well you know everybody has got to Google search. Do it yourselves, everybody. And you should always, you know, follow up with these Google searches with, you know, just find out what their record is. Okay, if it's an insurance company that's got a bad record, believe me there will be a trail of people saying, “Hey stay away from these people.” so do your homework, double check before you buy the policy and like Pamela said get yourselves somebody who is experienced, not a fly by night. Pam Thompson:          I do have a list of reps that I can recommend and that I work with. I can tell you which hospitals work with which insurance companies and I can answer any questions but I don't sell any insurance. Barry Kessler:            Okay, good. Alright well I will have links for you to get hold of Pam and ask her those questions if and when you need it and believe me if you are going to be coming down here, you will have some questions for Pamela. Have we forgotten anything? Is there something that we haven’t touched base on yet about medical here in Puerto Vallarta? Pam Thompson:          Oh probably but I can't remember. I mean anyone is welcome to send me an email. I prefer an email over a phone call. It's really kind of hard to describe what I do. I work closely with both the Canadian and US consulate. The most important thing is do your homework, have an emergency plan, we do a lot of conferences. I do a conference in the fall called ‘End of Life Decisions and Banderas Bay’. That's a real uplifting topic. Barry Kessler:            Oh yeah. I just said, Yeah baby, it's a good one. Pam Thompson:          You know, what to … how to die here but those are the important topic. Barry Kessler:            Yes, yeah well. Pam Thompson:          We do a lot of fun, you know, kind of topics too. I am always looking for a few volunteers, work with the kids with cancer. That's why when you saw at my office it looked like Sounds club. Barry Kessler:            Yeah it did. Pam Thompson:          I am real proud of my doctors. I have worked with them for many years. I think they are really professional. I think they are really good people. I don't know. I think we have covered everything. They are welcome to get on my newsletter list. We send a monthly newsletter of all of our clinics and our speakers programs. Well that's about it. Barry Kessler:            Okay. We will have all of the great links so that you can get in touch with Pamela. Send her an email. Don't pick up the phone and call her. She gets busy … Pam Thompson:          You can call if it's an emergency but ... Barry Kessler:            Yeah. Pam Thompson:          Prefer an email. Barry Kessler:            She is a busy, busy lady you guys. So keep that in mind but also remember that she is here to help. You know, I have spoken with a lot of people in town and a lot of important people in town and more than once I have heard them say, “Pam Thompson saved my life.” Pam Thompson:          Aww!  Barry Kessler:            And you know I think that that says a lot. Pam Thompson:          Thank you. Barry Kessler:            About you and about how people feel about you. Pam Thompson:          Thank you. Barry Kessler:            And I just thank you so much for coming on the program and sharing all this great information with my listeners and once again I will have all that information that you can get a hold of Pam on my website. Thanks again.

JR Tells us about Raicilla, Moonshine Made in the Jungles of Puerto Vallarta. Then I have a Conversation with Edwin of Una Familia Restaurant in Puerto Vallarta. Subscribe to The Puerto Vallarta Travel Show on iTunes Listen to the Podcast       [caption id="attachment_918" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Edwin Garcia of Una Familia Restaurants in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico[/caption] Hello fellow travelers, welcome this episode of the Puerto Vallarta Travel show. I am your host Barry Kessler and I am just so happy to be to introducing you to my favorite vacation destination, and maybe even yours, Puerto Vallarta Mexico. That music you were just listing to is performed by Alberto Perez, the owner of the La Palapa group of restaurants,  La Palapa and the Vista Grill and The El [caption id="attachment_195" align="alignright" width="300"] La Palapa, Puerto Vallarta Mexico[/caption] Dorado Restaurant are on the Southside of town, right down on the beach in Puerto Vallarta. And for those who are looking for a little romance under the stars, El Dorado has this Romantic Dining experience package. You can call ahead and ask for the Romantic Dining Experience, and  Imagine following a candle lit walkway to a private table at the ocean’s edge and you are surrounded by tiki torches. Yes, it’s the flame of love ladies and gentlemen. You’re seated at a candlelit table on the beach with your toes in the sand and dining on a 5-course gourmet meal created especially for you, and served with personalized attention to you and to your every wish. Yeah, you can have that…if you come to the El Dorado. But first, you have to head for Puerto Vallarta Mexico. So we have lots to talk about on this episode but first, what’s happening this week in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico this May 7th, 2017. The Vallarta Azteca International Folklore Festival We are in the second week of the Vallarta Azteca International Folklore Festival where some 700 dancers from around Mexico, Colombia, Chili and Peru come to participate in this event that is running from April 27-May 7th. They have concerts each night at the new outdoor main stage next to the Sheraton Hotel, commonly known as the volleyball courts or the athletic field there behind the Sheraton. Very exciting, very colorful. The best dancers in Mexico and Latin America. So yes, lots of great things happening here in Puerto Vallarta. Puerto Vallarta Restaurant Week, 2017 [caption id="attachment_518" align="alignright" width="228"] Restaurant Week in Puerto Vallarta 2017[/caption] Preparations are being made for Restaurant week beginning on the 15th of May and lasting till the end of the month. Restaurant week is a wonderful time to enjoy some of the more pricey restaurants, for reasonable prices. For example on May 15th we will be at Barcelona Tapas and here is what their menu looks like for that evening… APPETIZERS & SALADS Soup of the Day – Ask your waiter. House Salad – Ensalada de la casa. Surprise! – Combo plate of mini tapas (changes daily). MAIN COURSES Angus Beef Brochette. Paella with Seafood. Vegetarian Plate – Grilled mixed vegetables with vegetarian rice. DESSERTS Homemade Ice Cream. Orange Flan. Créme Brûlée. All that for about $20 US. Not bad! I’ll let you know how it goes. Puerto Vallarta as Safest City in Mexico! I was reading in the Puerto Vallarta Daily News, that a New National Public Security Survey puts Puerto Vallarta as safest city in Mexico! The National Public Urban Security Survey tracks the public perception of safety in Mexico every quarter, in March 2017 residents felt safest in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. That’s pretty cool. But hey, I’ve always felt safe in Puerto Vallarta. I have more in my stack of stuff but let’s get on with the show. I wanted to get JR on to clear up and talk about some of the places and topics that we have covered over the last few episodes of the show. For example, In the last few shows, while talking with Steven Tenney and and then last week again with Brad and Tami, we talked about the Crocodile preserve at Boca de Tomates. I talk with JR about that for a little clarification. Then a couple of weeks ago, Eduardo Solarzano talked about the minimum wage with me, and JR wanted to talk about that with all of us. Then finally Brad and Tami and Eduardo also talked about the Italian Restaurant in San Sebastian, so I want to go over the details of that place with JR, and two weeks ago Diana Edelman was talking about Raicilla, commonly referred to as Jalisco Moonshine and I wanted JR to tell us about Raicilla too. Then finally, we are also going to talk about our upcoming Puerto Vallarta Travel Show open microphone meet up in Puerto Vallarta so Let’s join JR in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and see what’s happening. Listen to the Podcast!   So we hopefully see you at Pour Favor Saloon and Cookhouse Tuesday the 9th of May. This next interview is special for me. I love this restaurant and it’s called Una Familia. [caption id="attachment_513" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Una Familia on Libertad[/caption] Debra and I were walking along the Malecon and decided to stop into an OXXO and pick up a few things over on Libertad and we were approached by a man with menus in his hand, not an unusual sight in Vallarta, especially along the Malecon you are often approached by someone trying you entice you to try this restaurant or that restaurant. Not unusual at all, but he pointed to a little restaurant up the street and said that we should try this place and we wouldn’t be disappointed. Well, we were hungry so we looked inside and it looked pleasant enough. So we sat down and were served right away. There was a couple sitting near us who were enjoying the biggest seafood platter I had ever seen. There was another couple, one was eating this shrimp dish that really looked yummy, the other was enjoying a salad, guacamole and chips.  We were started off with chips and guacamole. It was very good. I ordered the arrachera which is a hangar steak or a flank steak.  It came with beans and rice. The wife had a salad. Everything was delicious! [caption id="attachment_514" align="alignleft" width="300"] Una Familia on The Malecon[/caption] The special dish they make here is called Cardinal Shrimp. The make a great aguachilli with wonderful flavors that will knock your socks off. The menu is really big. I’ve been there for breakfast, lunch and dinner and always have had a great experience and wonderful, flavorful food at an extremely reasonable price. The waiter comes around and tops off your margarita with extra tequila, just in case. Remarkable! But the real reason I love this place is the family that runs it and the concept behind it. Edwin has a big heart and you will hear that in his voice when I interview him in a minute. He believes in giving second chances to his employees. He hires seniors, single moms, people he calls his trouble makers. He loves what he does and I do too. So lets get to the conversation.   You have to get out and try this place. You know, I was talking one afternoon with Edwin’s son David, He told me about when they were living in the Bay area in Northern California. They were caught in the housing meltdown of 2007 and lost their home and moved back to Puerto Vallarta to start over. [caption id="attachment_515" align="alignleft" width="300"] Edwin Garcia, Owner of Una Familia Restaurant in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico[/caption] And Edwin told me, that when he was living in the states, waiting tables and working in restaurants for other people, he was impressed with how the employees were treated by management. He told me that when he returned to Vallarta to work tables, employees were not treated with the same respect, so he went out, and created his business with that in mind. Respect, second chances, cooking and living with heart and soul! That’s why I just love this place. As I said, you need to give them a try. And don’t be in a hurry, Be ready to sit, eat, drink and savor the Vallarta experience. Now they have several locations as I have said but the one with the view, on the Malecon is a great spot to eat, drink and watch the sights and hear the sounds of the Malecon and the gorgeous Bahia de Banderas. All right, that should do it for this weeks’ show. Next week stay tuned for more on the ground reports from Puerto Vallarta. Until then, remember, this is an interactive show where I depend on your questions [caption id="attachment_914" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] Edwin Garcia of Una Familia Restaurants in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico[/caption] and suggestions about all things Puerto Vallarta. If you think of something I should be talking about, please reach out to me by clicking on the Contact us tab and sending us your message. And remember, if you are considering booking any type of tour while you are in Puerto Vallarta, you must go to Vallartainfo.com, JR’s website and reserve your [caption id="attachment_917" align="alignright" width="300"] Una Familia Restaurant on the Malecon in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico[/caption] tour through him, right from his website. Remember the value for value proposition. His experience and on the ground knowledge of everything Puerto Vallarta in exchange for your making a purchase of a tour that you would do anyway, you’re just doing it through him as a way of saying thank you. It costs no more than if you were to use someone else so do it. Really. And when you do take one of these tours, email me about your experiences. Maybe you can come onboard and share with others what you liked or didn’t like about the tour. Again contact me by clicking on the Contact us tab and sending off a message. And once again, if you like this podcast, please take the time and subscribe and give me a good review on iTunes if you would. That way we can get the word out to more and more people about the magic of this place. [caption id="attachment_916" align="alignleft" width="300"] Una Familia Restaurant on the Malecon in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico[/caption] [caption id="attachment_915" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Una Familia Restaurants on Libertad in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico[/caption] So, thanks to Edwin Garcia of Una Familia Restaurants in Puerto Vallarta, Thank you JR for talking about Crocodiles and Raicilla and Italian food in the mountains above Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in San Sabastian. You can check out the photos in my show notes where you will find links to everything we talked about in this show. You will find all of the notes and links at www.puertovallartatravelshow.com.  So thanks to all of you for listening all the way through this episode of the Puerto Vallarta Travel Show. This is Barry Kessler signing off with a wish for you all to slow down, be kind and live the Vallarta lifestyle. Nos Vemos amigos!

 When I first came to Puerto Vallarta 30 some odd years ago, my dad told me, never eat the vegetables, don’t eat any salads, you will get sick. Well, you didn’t have to tell me that more than once. I hated the thought of getting the Montezuma’s revenge almost as much as eating vegetables so no biggie right? But, You can only imagine the difficulties non meat eaters would have in a place where, cleaning and washing vegetables could actually make it dangerous to consume vegetables..... Listen to the Podcast Subscribe to The Puerto Vallarta Travel Show. Listen!     Hello fellow travelers and welcome to The Puerto Vallarta Travel Show. I am your host Barry Kessler and I am so happy to be introducing you to my favorite place on the planet, I sure would like to make it your favorite vacation destination and that is Puerto Vallarta Mexico! Each and every episode I look forward to doing this podcast just so I can listen to Alberto Perez sing The Somba de Puerto Vallarta. Really!  Alberto is the owner of the La Palapa Group of Restaurants in Puerto Vallarta Mexico. You will find La Palapa and the El Dorado Restaurants on the Southside of the Rio Cuale, right on the beach just south of the famous Los Muertos Pier. The one that looks like a sail? Yeah that’s the one. Get on down to La Palapa and Enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner, toes in the sand right at the water’s edge. It’s so Puerto Vallarta mis amigos. Really. The people of Puerto Vallarta Await you. Venga  mis amigos, Venga, Come my friends! Come! Today I have a really great guest to share with you but first, let’s look at what’s happening in Puerto Vallarta this week, The 23rd of April, 2017. Well, the town is emptying out a little. The two week long celebration of Semana Santa and Pasqua have come to a close, and the crowds are subsiding a tad, but things are getting geared up for the May events. Restaurant week is coming up May 15th through the 2 with plenty of restaurants participation in the weeks events. Mexican Customs to phase out “red light – green light” inspections A couple of days ago I got an article from my Friend Mike in Puerto Vallarta from the Yucatan Times where, I know some of you are going to be disappointed when this finally happens here in Puerto Vallarta but the article reads. ….. The traffic light lottery utilized by Mexican Customs will soon be a quirk of the past, reports mexiconewsdaily.com.  Changes intended to improve service to travelers include elimination of the traffic signals that randomly select people for a baggage search at Customs entry points. At present, travelers must press a button when passing through Customs, and those who get a green light are free to go. The unlucky minority who get a red have their bags searched. The changes will be implemented at Mexico City airport’s Terminal 2 as a pilot project and will include the elimination of Customs declarations forms that are completed by travelers coming from abroad. At airports, baggage will be inspected by x-ray scanners while in transit between planes and baggage carousels in coordination with the Federal Police. Following the pilot, the new system will be introduced gradually at Terminal 1 in Mexico City and at the international airports in Cancún, Los Cabos, Guadalajara and Monterrey, through which 85% of international travelers arrive in Mexico. Plans call for all international airports in Mexico, including Merida, to phase out the red light – green light system over time.  Authorities say the new procedures, which are standard practice internationally, will make it simpler and safer for those travelers, for whom control and inspection measures will be imperceptible.  Source: mexiconewsdaily.com Guadalajara to Puerto Vallarta Highway Also, the Guadalajara to Puerto Vallarta Highway I was talking about last week, the one I thought would be done for Easter? Well, not sure what I was smoking last week, but that stretch of highway is at least another 6 months form completion so, what I said last week….never mind! I will bring you more updates as we approach December, the anticipated finish date but until then…Manana.K? Malibu to Puerto Vallarta Real Estate I am happy to announce that I have a new page on my website at www.puertovallartatravelshow.com You can find the tab at the top of the web page the tab is [caption id="attachment_442" align="alignright" width="300"] Malibu to Puerto Vallarta Real Estate[/caption] called Malibu to PV Real Estate, and when you wander over there, you will find a Realtor.com link to Properties in Jalisco and Nayarit, you can customize your search for anywhere in the Puerto Vallarta Area, It’s a pretty cool website. On the same page you will find a link to my newest website Malibu to PV Real Estate where you can peruse the most beautiful oceanfront property north of the border in my neck of the woods. These are the home I sell, in Malibu, California. These are properties that are owned and being sold by movie stars, Hollywood Producers, famous folks. You need to see these properties. And then lastly, I have a link that will hook you up to the Puerto Valarta Regional MLS search. This is a really cool tool as well so check it out and use it. And remember if you are interested in buying beach property north or south of the border, get in touch with me and I will hook you up with an agent in Mexico, or if it’s Malibu Beachfront property you are looking for, call me and I will get you inside for a tour. Remember me if you are looking to get your Toes permanently in the sand, north or south of the border. In Malibu or Puerto Vallarta, Check out Malibu to Puerto Vallarta Real Estate, that’s www.Malibutopvrealestate.com. Check it out! Find it on my website at the pvtravelshow.com. Listener Meetup in May Okay also I’ll be in town May 7 through the 16th and I already have a couple of you listeners who are interested in doing a meetup in Vallarta while I’m there. I think we can have a lot of fun with this, I will bring my microphones and recording equipment and you can tell our listeners what you are up to in paradise. I know we [caption id="attachment_192" align="alignright" width="300"] La Palapa, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico[/caption] have lots of local listeners to the show and if you  are a local, and you are listening and have a service or a suggestion for my listeners that you would like to share, by all means reach out like some others have already done and send me an email. Just go to the contact us tab at the top of the page and send me an email. Let’s see if we can put something together. Get JR involved, maybe a little drinking, a little eating, who knows. Lots of laughs, who knows? And speaking about reaching out, two weeks from now I’m going to have a couple from Wisconsin, Brad and Tami, who reached out to me and told me that they would like to share their Puerto Vallarta experiences with you listeners and me. They have some great ideas and fantastic stories. You will be hearing from them in two weeks. Then next week, with restaurant week coming on, I will have an interview with the owner of Una Familia restaurant in Puerto Vallarta, Edwin and he was kind enough to allow me to interview him at his newest restaurant, Una Familia on the Malecon,  in Puerto Vallarta.  That will be next week so stay tuned for that. All right, let’s get on with the show. Vegan and Vegetarian Dining in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico When I first came to Puerto Vallarta 30 some odd years ago, my dad told me, never eat the vegetables, don’t eat any salads, you will get sick. Well, you didn’t have to tell me that more than once. I hated the thought of getting the Montezuma’s revenge almost as much as eating vegetables so no biggie right? But, You can only imagine the difficulties non meat eaters would have in a place where, cleaning and washing vegetables could actually make it dangerous to consume vegetables. [caption id="attachment_422" align="alignleft" width="1000"] Gabys Restaurant Puerto Vallarta, Mexico[/caption] Now if you have listened to this show, you know that the water in Puerto Vallarta is drinkable from the faucet. From the Ameca River in the north, just north of the Airport to Conchas Chinas to the south, just beyond the downtown and Southside areas of Puerto Vallarta, you can get potable water. You can, and many do just drink the water right out of the sink. Really. Now do I?  No.  I always drink bottled water when I’m in Puerto Vallarta. I just don’t want to take that chance, but many do. If you accidentally swallow shower water you probably won’t get sick, if you brush your teeth in it accidentally, you probably won’t get sick and when the restaurants wash their vegetables in it, well yow won’t get sick either right? That is why with over 700 restaurants throughout the bay, you can order, get, and eat your vegetables too. Very different than in the rest of Mexico. With all this veggie love going on here, the list of restaurants that cater to the non-meat eating crowd  is growing, as are the number of those folks who have made this lifestyle choice. Both young and old, many have chosen to cut meat and animal products from their diets. Don’s get me wrong folks, I am not there yet. I haven’t quite evolved so to speak.  I love to eat and I eat everything, but I am so glad for my non meat eating brethren [caption id="attachment_424" align="alignright" width="300"] River Cafe Puerto Vallarta, Mexico[/caption] who can now enjoy eating in Mexico. It brings me great pleasure to introduce you to my next guest Diana Edelman. She is a travel writer, a proud vegan, and were are so lucky to have her on the show with us to tell us about what she found in Puerto Vallarta for those among us who follow your hearts through the vegan lifestyle. Listen to the Podcast [caption id="attachment_415" align="alignright" width="1000"] River Cafe Photo by Eduardo Solorzano[/caption] Let’s join Diana in Las Vegas, Nevada and hear about her Puerto Vallarta experiences. Links to Diana Edelman's Blog and Website http://www.vegansbaby.com/vegan-dining-puerto-vallarta/ Diana's Hotel Reviews: http://www.dtravelsround.com/reviews/ Choices for Vegan and Vegetarian Dining in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Planeta Vegetariano Playa Detox   Hotel Zone Restaurant Vegetariano Mary River Cafe' Gaby's Restaurante La Palapa A Page in The Sun Salud Super Food Hotels Luna Liquida Rivera Del Rio Garlands del Rio Hotel and Resort Reviews Majahuitas Resort Thank you Diana. That is great information for all of you foodies out there. So next time you are looking to share paradise with a friend. Don’t worry, Go ahead, invite your vegan and vegetarian friends on down to Puerto Vallarta next time you come down.  Easy Peasy. You can get all of Diana’s contact information in the show notes for this show,  episode 15 at www.pvtravelshow.com . I have the links to her website and her blogpost about vegan dining in Puerto Vallarta. The pictures are fantastic and you will enjoy her writing.  But hey…I like the pictures! What can I say?  I’m just a guy folks. So, that was good even for you meat eaters out there wasn’t it? Wasn’t all preachy and judgmental like you thought it might be right? Thought it would devolve into a shouting match between animal rights activist and meat eating Neanderthal but no, it was pretty darn pleasant. Nice. Well we are through for today. I hope you enjoyed our talk with Diana Edelman about vegan dining in Puerto Vallarta.  Next week stay tuned for more on the ground reports from Puerto Vallarta Mexico and other surprises and Puerto Vallarta Travel tips and ideas.  Until then, remember, this is an interactive show where I depend on your questions and suggestions about all things Puerto Vallarta. If you think of something I should be talking about, please reach out to me by clicking on the Contact us tab and sending us your message. And remember, if you are considering booking any type of tour while you are in Puerto Vallarta, you must go to Vallartainfo.com, JR’s website and reserve your tour through him, right from his website. Remember the value for value proposition. His experience and on the ground knowledge of everything Puerto Vallarta in exchange for your making a purchase of a tour that you would do anyway, you’re just doing it through him as a way of saying thank you. It costs no more than if you were to use someone else so do it. Really. And when you do take one of these tours, email me about your experiences. Maybe you can come onboard and share with others what you liked or didn’t like about the tour. Again contact me by clicking on the Contact us tab and sending off a message. And once again, if you like this podcast, please take the time and subscribe and give me a good review on iTunes if you would. That way we can get the word out to more and more people about the magic of this place. So, thanks to Diana Edelman from Vegansbaby.com check out the links to her website and blog at my website www.puertovallartatravelshow.com episode 15. And thanks to all of you for listening all the way through this episode of the Puerto Vallarta Travel Show. This is Barry Kessler signing off with a wish for you all to slow down, be kind and live the Vallarta lifestyle. Nos Vemos amigos!

Travelling to countries with different customs and cultures from your own can induce varying kinds of culture shock, and Episode 41 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast looks at a few examples of culture shock across Asia and the Middle East.  Amanda begins by speaking to Matt Treglia about some of his very first travel experiences abroad, and especially the terror that came with trying to cross a busy road in Thailand, and his new-found love of the fact that most places outside of his home country of the United States don’t expect you to tip people! Following Matt, Amanda talks to Diana Edelman more about the cultural differences in Thailand and the various customs Diana had to get used to when she moved to Thailand. There is a lot to learn, and the Thai people don’t want you to lose face by telling you about the mistakes you make, so it’s a tricky road to navigate. Emma Mann then talks to Amanda about the unease she felt travelling as a young woman in the Middle East, when it was made clear to her that she shouldn’t speak or be involved in any decision making - something that was very different to the way she had been brought up in Australia. Links: Matt’s site Words with Winos Words with Winos podcast  My post on things I didn’t expect in Bangkok Diana Edelman at D Travels Round Diana’s new site, Vegans Baby Emma Mann at The Vagabond Feminist  Emma’s Flying Foodie blog  Japan Times article on “hesokuri”  Join our Facebook group Tweet me @amandakendle Hashtag #thoughtfultravelpod Follow me on Facebook     Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/41

You might just be able to get the best of both worlds by travelling around the world and helping people by volunteering. It’s not always that simple, but in Episode 33 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast Amanda talks with three guests who have volunteered across several continents with a huge variety of organisations. First up, she chats with Serena Star-Leonard who started off a project to create videos of great projects in a school in the slums in northern Colombia - in a place where most taxi drivers refused to take them. Working with animals instead of kids, Amanda then talks to Diana Edelman who spent several years helping out at Elephant Nature Park in Thailand, a place that now gratefully accepts volunteers for short or long stints and does amazing work helping elephants. Finally, Amanda moves to agriculture with Audrey Wanders and her discussion of WWOOFing around the world and her experience of volunteering on organic farms, and wanting to do more. Links: Thoughtful Travellers Facebook Group Serena Star-Leonard’s Retire in 12 Months project Travel Kids Club D Travels Round Elephant Nature Park Diana’s post - The Truth About Riding Elephants in Thailand Surin Elephant Round up post from Bounding Over Our Steps  Audrey Wanders WWOOF main website Join our Facebook group Tweet me @amandakendle Hashtag #thoughtfultravelpod Chat on Facebook

Recently Amanda has started asking her guests about their craziest travel moments, but really, what she's looking for is those particularly memorable experiences that stick with you forever - the kind of stories you tell over and over. The three guests in this episode all have fascinating stories to tell of memorable things which happened to them in various spots across the world. First up is Jeff Ryan, author of the new book Appalachian Odyssey: A 28 Year Hike on America’s Trail. Jeff had a particularly interesting mishap on the trail involving a porcupine. Amanda then speaks with Diana Edelman of D Travels Round about one of those slightly-scary-at-the time, but ultimately life-affirming moments while travelling where you actually end up in completely the wrong place - in this case somewhere in Croatia ... Finally, Tom Parson of The Lego Backpacker reminisces about his experiences on the grand railways of Russia. Tom took the Trans-Mongolian route while Amanda has taken the Trans-Siberian, but they both got to meet some fascinating Russians. Links: Jeff Ryan’s author website -  http://www.jeffryanauthor.com/ Jeff’s book, Appalachian Odyssey -  http://amzn.to/2bB9o8u Diana Edelman at D Travels Round - http://dtravelsround.com Diana’s new site, Vegans Baby - http://vegansbaby.com Tom Parson of The Lego Backpacker on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thelegobackpacker/ Lego Backpacker website coming soon - https://thelegobackpacker.com Tweet @amandakendle Hashtag #thoughtfultravelpod Chat on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/NotABallerina Show notes at https://notaballerina.com/22  

Welcome to Episode 3 of the Where Else to Go podcast. In this episode, I tackle a difficult subject, animal tourism, with my friend, Diana Edelman. I first met Diana a couple of years ago at a trade show, and since then have watched her become a responsible elephant tourism expert. Where else does Diana recommend? Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand, one of the true elephant sanctuaries in the world. If you like adventure, feel a commitment to making the world a better place, love animals, or want to explore more of the countryside of Thailand, Elephant Nature Park may be the perfect spot for your next vacation.

There’s more than one benefit to having a second passport. Canadian expat Yvonne Ivanescu has used her Polish heritage to enjoy an extended stay in Belgium where she has been completing a Phd – for a very affordable price! Her tourism course has cost her a total of 800 euros having completed her original degree in Canada and adding on a masters thanks to some hands on experience in Chile. Yvonne has benefitted from the opportunities of being an international student but her passion for travel has seen her visit much of South America. In our interview we discuss responsible tourism, living in Chile and travel safety which is an area dear to her heart.If you're interested in studying affordably overseas then you'll want to listen to this interview. You can follow Yvonne’s travel journeys at her blog   http://undertheyewtree.com What I learned from Yvonne’s interview: Educational options in Europe can be cheaper than North America, Australia and other countries. Yvonne took advantage of her dual citizenship (she has a Polish passport as well) to access her education in Belgium. It also sounds like Scandinavia might offer some interesting student opportunities if you’re willing to do the research. Yvonne has written a lot about safety and as a young single woman traveling in South America she has had her fair share io issues regarding this. Her suggestions are to be vigilant, make sure you have proper travel safety bags, do your homework and don’t just rely on locals as to which areas are safe, and beware in bars and getting in taxis on your own. Responsible tourism. We first heard about this when talking with Diana Edelman. There is a big movement amongst travelers towards ensuring that the countries they visit benefit from their travels. Responsible tourism isn’t just about environment it is about economics and making sure that the local culture derives the financial benefits from the tourists they receive.

Traveling can be a fantastic experience at the best of times but it’s even better when you can combine it with something you are passionate about. Diana Edelman took to the road in 2010 after realizing that her “dream” career in public relations wasn’t making her happy. She’d developed a passion for elephants ever since first encountering them and badgered her way into a volunteer position taking care of the magnificent creatures in Chiang Mai, Thailand. After 2 ½ wonderful years there Diana decided to move on to her new home base of Madrid – a city she had fallen in love with on an earlier trip. We caught up with her and her two traveling cats where she shares her experiences of living in Chiang Mai, the opportunities ahead for her in Madrid and we discussed her passion for responsible tourism You can follow her at www.dtravelsround.com and find out more about responsible tourism through the website www.responsibletraveltourism.com   What I learned from Diana’s interview: Chiang Mai is an inspiring location but be wary of the burn season from February until April. The jungle surrounds are burned off filling the town with smoke and haze. It’s a good time to head to the southern beaches if you don’t want to be breathing in the air! Responsible tourism is a fast growing area which focuses on doing the right thing in the places which you visit – not only from an environmental perspective but also from an economic one. Spain have recently introduced an entrepreneur visa, no doubt prompted by the economic turmoil going on in the country. If you can present a solid business plan to the appropriate entity they will assess whether or not your business idea is sustainable and will help the local economy. If you pass then you could have a chance to stay longer term. It’s a good idea to have a back-up plan. Diana is learning to teach English. Even though it’s not her primary objective it will give her another means of income if her writing should slow down at all Although not comparable to the costs of Chiang Mai (she was able to live for around $US700 per month while there) Madrid can still offer an affordable lifestyle. She is paying around $US750 per month for a 48sqm apartment but she is centrally located which reduces transport costs. All up Madrid is costing her around $US1300 per month to live If you’re going to write be genuine. Diana has developed a very successful blog because she writes well but she emphasizes the need to be genuine if you want your blog to rise above the many that are currently appearing online. Writing for Google ranking is not the most effective way to build a long term following.

Diana Edelman is a freelance writer, travel blogger, and volunteer with the Save Elephant Foundation. Our chat covers the full range from animal rescues to prostitutes! Recorded 5 October 2014 from Chiang Mai, Thailand and New York City, New York, USA For more content related to this episode, check out: wtepodcast.com/2014/10/13/sexpats-expats-and-elephants