My wellness journey began four years ago. As a background to this story, when I was six years old, I started getting constant abdominal pain and vomiting. These episodes would last between a day to a week and resulted in my being hospitalized hundreds of times until I was 16. Eventually, I stopped getting frequently ill in 2016. Doctors performed multiple tests. but could not find the source of my issue. However, one day, I tested positive for a gluten allergy. So I cut gluten, but it wasn’t enough. From there, I decided to remove foods in my diet that made me feel unwell after I ate them, like dairy. My entire life changed after that. I no longer felt nauseous in the morning, looked forward to eating a meal and finally had a healthy relationship with food. After two years of going gluten-free and dairy-free, I removed meat from my diet, becoming vegetarian and discovering a new type of cuisine. Today, I’m proudly Vegan! The end goal for me is to adopt a more mindful way of consuming and to practice a waste-free lifestyle. Additionally, I’ve just published my very first poetry book: Black Girl Shine. Join me on my journey!