Angela Crawford is the author of the newly published The Vegan Transformation. We recently asked her about her new book and what she hopes readers take away from it. Enjoy!
You underwent a vegan transformation years ago. Was there a defining moment in which you decided to go vegan?
My journey started first with becoming vegetarian, and then later, vegan. I became vegetarian after seeing a program on PBS about workers in a meat processing plant in December 2006. I was appalled at the treatment of these workers, who suffered terrible working conditions and frequent injuries. Many were immigrants, who struggled financially, and had few options for other employment. Their employer, a large agricultural corporation, discouraged them from reporting their injuries or taking time off for recovery, or they would risk losing their jobs and their livelihood.
This program got me thinking – for the first time – about how my food got to me, and the injustices of animal agriculture. And then I thought, “If I don’t like how the workers are treated, what about the animals?” The very next day after watching this program, I bought a plant-based cookbook, and tried my first recipe – an artichoke, red pepper, and spinach lasagna. It was delicious – and it opened up a whole new world for me. I expanded my food palette and found new freedom, joy, and creativity.
Cooking ceased to be something I dreaded, and instead became an enjoyable and meaning-filled adventure as I tried new vegetarian dishes each week. I went from being someone who barely cooked, to making vegan soups and other plant-based dishes to share with my partner and his family.
I went on to read every book I could find in my local library about vegan topics. I read about plant-based nutrition, to make sure I was covering all my nutritional bases. I learned the health benefits for preventing and even reversing many common chronic diseases. I read about animal agriculture, how farmed animals are raised, and the slaughter process. I also learned about the environmental impacts of industrialized animal agriculture. I found myself captivated, and horrified, by what I was learning.
I came to see that all animal-sourced foods involve pain and cruelty. I realized that the living conditions for dairy cows and egg-laying hens are as cruel (perhaps even more so) as those endured by animals raised for meat, and that at the end of their relatively short lives, they go through the same slaughter process. I started to limit dairy products and discovered that I was free of chronic seasonal allergies when I did so.
I made the decision to shift to a fully vegan lifestyle in early 2019. I read the book, The 30-Day Vegan Challenge by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau to increase my readiness for this transition. Gradually, I broke through deep layers of remaining emotional disconnection and social conditioning. At that point, there was no turning back.
Becoming vegan has led to unexpected transformations, including finding my voice, discovering greater purpose, experiencing peace and freedom, deeper spiritual alignment, and ultimately fulfilling my long-held dream of writing a book. My own transformation, as well as the transformations of other vegans I met across the globe, led me to conduct surveys and interviews with vegans, which became the foundation of The Vegan Transformation.
You note the sobering statistic that only about 3% of the world population is vegan. Why do you think this number is still so low?
This is a question I have wrestled with since becoming vegan. Once I made the shift, the reasons were so compelling, I didn’t understand at first why others couldn’t also see what I now saw. Over time, I’ve come to understand more fully the cognitive dissonance and disconnection around animal agriculture (and other industries) that is so prominent in our culture.
The book Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows by Melanie Joy, Ph.D. helped me to understand how we are conditioned to believe that eating animals is “natural, normal, and necessary.” These beliefs around eating animals are so engrained that we don’t even realize that they are a choice, we think it’s “just the way things are.”
In addition, our emotional ties to food, and its connection to love, comfort, tradition, and childhood memories, adds to the challenges in making the vegan transition. On top of this, we are social creatures, so when meat-eating is dominant in culture (and promoted by most of our authority figures), many find it difficult to go against the status quo and be “different.” In fact, research on why people resist going vegan or don’t stay vegan suggests that social challenges are a primary obstacle.
For those of us who have moved toward veganism, often something has led to a shift in our perspective (whether something we learned, a health issue, or a transformative experience). Perhaps as plant-based living becomes more common (and vegan options are readily available wherever we go), there will be a societal tipping point, where vegan choices become the default.
At the end of each chapter you provide the reader with Action Steps. What do you think are some of the most important steps in one’s vegan transformation?
In The Vegan Transformation, I share seven transformative pillars that were most common among those I surveyed and interviewed. Of these, the foundational transformation is the courage to fully align our actions with our values. And closely related, the next most foundational step is to expand our circle of compassion.
Most people value compassion and kindness toward others, including non-human animals – yet when we eat animal products, we are contributing to animal suffering and death. Often, we don’t take the time to examine what our values are – or determine if our behaviors and choices are congruent. In Chapter 2, I invite the reader to identify their core values – and to examine how their life choices align with these (or not.) And in Chapter 3, I address expanding our circle of compassion to include all sentient beings and offer some insights into how we can do this.
Wherever we are on our path, we all have room for growth in these areas – whether it is to include ourselves in our circle of compassion, and/or to recognize ways that we are compartmentalizing our compassion (and excluding some groups or species). The book also offers tools for the process of lifestyle change, and for overcoming emotional or social challenges we may experience on the vegan journey.
The other transformations that I share – meaning and purpose, authentic fulfillment, connection to like-hearted others, health empowerment, and a sense of interconnectedness – are beautiful gifts that have the potential to unfold once we embrace values alignment and compassion through a vegan lifestyle.
What do you hope readers take away from The Vegan Transformation?
What is unique about The Vegan Transformation is its focus on the psychological, emotional, and spiritual benefits of this lifestyle. For those who are veg-curious, I hope they will be inspired by the vast benefits of a vegan lifestyle. Many people fear that veganism would be depriving, but most vegans discover that it is abundant and fulfilling in unexpected ways. I would love for those who are curious about this lifestyle to gain empowerment and support to take steps forward on this path.
For vegans, I hope it will inspire the discovery of even greater meaning, purpose, fulfillment, and impact. I also hope it will create a sense of being supported by a community of others who are also on this journey. And ultimately, I hope that readers will feel empowered to make a positive difference for their own well-being, for animals, and for our world.
What vegan authors have most inspired you?
Early on my veg journey, John Robbins’ books, Diet for a New America and Food Revolution, were hugely impactful. As a psychologist who is interested in the social and psychological aspects of veganism, I have been inspired by Melanie Joy, Ph.D. (particularly, her books Beyond Beliefs and Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows); Clare Mann, author of Vystopia; Colleen Patrick-Goudreau (author of several great books, including The Joyful Vegan); and Victoria Moran (author of Main Street Vegan and The Good Karma Diet).
What’s your next writing project (if anything)?
Since The Vegan Transformation launched in April 2025, my immediate focus is on sharing its message through presentations, podcast interviews, and articles. I’m not sure yet what is next – but I really loved the research process, including my interviews, so it may be something that emerges organically from my conversations and discoveries along the way. My primary focus is the intersection of psychology and veganism, and thriving emotionally and socially on our veg journeys.
Any favorite vegan restaurants or brands you’d like to give a shout out to?
I love our local vegan restaurant, Parlor City Vegan, in Binghamton, NY. It’s a wonderful place that collaborates with local farms and animal sanctuaries. And when I go to New York City, there are so many favorite restaurants, including P.S. Kitchen, Planta Queen, Caravan of Dreams, Urban Vegan Kitchen, and Chloe’s.
The Vegan Transformation
