Hi!

I will be interviewed by Saoirse Martinez on Vegan World Radio on Wednesday 7th March 10pm (central time, USA). They are doing a Vegan 101 show and want to talk about my second book Vegans Are Cool with me. If you can’t catch it live, there are other options for listening. Check here for the details.

I am getting lots of positive feedback from people who are making the switch to the vegan lifestyle after reading the book. My goal is to spread the vegan message via Vegans Are Cool to every corner of the world.

I am now offering the e-book version of Vegans Are Cool for free! Please feel free to download it from here.

Tell your friends! Please share on FB, Twitter, blogs etc. Thanks so much!

Lastly, a big hearty thanks to vegan model Amanda Rootsey for mentioning Forever 21 as her favourite book in this month’s issue of Nature and Health magazine.

Have a beautiful week!

All the best,

Kathy x

Hi there!

I am so excited to share my latest news: my second book Vegans Are Cool will be launching soon!

Vegans Are Cool is a collection of writings by members of the global vegan community. The aim of this collaborative project is to showcase the knowledge, creativity and heart of individuals from a diversity of races, cultures and backgrounds. All the contributors have one thing in common: they’re living the healthy, environmentally friendly vegan lifestyle.

There are contributions from Australia, Africa, Asia, America, Europe and New Zealand. Vegan professionals from all around the world including naturopaths, a nutritionist, scientists and veterinarians contributed, as well as vegan athletes, mothers, men, chefs and business owners. Vegan children and teenagers also wrote for the book as well as people that have been vegan their entire life. Issues such as where to get vegan sources of iron, protein and B12 are discussed as well as how to undergo a successful vegan pregnancy. Building muscle and strength via the vegan diet, how to raise your children vegan, and why the vegan diet is great for the environment are other issues discussed in Vegans Are Cool.

Vegans Are Cool is for people who are considering making the switch to the vegan lifestyle as well as for vegans who would like to fill in their knowledge gaps. It is also for people who are simply curious about what living the vegan way is all about and for those who have relatives and friends who are vegan and want to learn more.

The chapters

Chapter 1 – What does ‘being vegan’ actually mean?

Chapter 2 – Let’s chat about health: yes, the vegan diet is healthy!

Chapter 3 – Cruelty-free fashion – because animals don’t need to suffer for you to look chic

Chapter 4 – Raising children on a vegan diet: yes, it’s healthy! Vegan parents and kids have their say

Chapter 5 – Vegan teens: leading the charge towards a more compassionate planet

Chapter 6 –  Can athletes thrive on a vegan diet? Yes, they can!

Chapter 7 – A sustainable planet via the vegan diet: vegans are saving the planet!

Chapter 8 – The vegan diet is great for weight loss too!

Chapter 9 – Vegan compassion: being the voice for animals

Chapter 10 – Mouth-watering vegan recipes from around the globe

For more information about the book, please see www.vegansarecool.com

To celebrate the launch of Vegans Are Cool, we will be having a vegantastic party!

There will be a delicious collection of vegan yummies to sample – from cupcakes to savoury delights – you will be in vegan foodie heaven!

This is a no-alcohol, family friendly event. All ages are welcome to attend!

One of the aims of the event is to introduce non-vegans to the variety and tastiness of vegan cuisine. Please, please, please bring your non-vegan friends, family, colleagues, neighbours and significant others to enjoy the night with you and discover how cool the vegan lifestyle truly is.

The first 100 people to arrive receive a gift bag full of goodies that have been graciously provided by numerous vegan businesses.

There will also be lucky door prizes such as $100 worth of vegan cosmetics by Amina (amina.com.au). Little gifts will be on offer to take home to your canine friend courtesy of Vegepooch (www.vegepooch.com.au)and Vegan Pet (www.veganpet.com.au).

Vegans Are Cool was written by 63 vegans from around the world. Several of these beautiful people will be present at the party and available to sign copies of the book. Vegans Are Cool will be available to purchase on the night for $19.95.

To find out more about the book, please visit www.vegansarecool.com.

Please feel free to forward this invitation to your friends.

Where: Redfern Community Centre – 29 Hugo St Redfern NSW 2016 (Sydney, Australia). Redfern Community Centre is a 2 minute walk from Redfern train station. Free on-street parking is available near the venue.

When: Friday 9th December 2011, 6pm – 9pm

Please RSVP by emailing vegansarecool@gmail.com so we can ensure there is plenty of food for everyone.

The event is also on Facebook – you can RSVP there and check out who else is attending.

You don’t need to get there exactly at 6pm, it is a casual party, so please feel free to drop by at any time between 6pm and 9pm.

If you are a vegan business and would like to have a presence at the party (by contributing to the gift bags, contributing food samples or a lucky door prize) please contact me via vegansarecool@gmail.com.

Look forward to seeing you there!

All the very best,

Kathy Divine x

Below is all the info. courtesy of the founders of this cool vegan concept:

Sign Up NOW to the Vegan Easy Challenge!

November 1-30, 2011

The 30 Day Vegan Easy Challenge hosted by Animal LiberationVictoria this November is a great way to help people move towards compassionate, healthy and eco-friendly living.

There are fantastic prizes to be won by participants including $500 worth of vegan gifts and vouchers for the First Prize. As well as fun and informative activities for participants to enjoy including cooking demonstrations, a vegan shopping bus tour in Melbourne, a film night and even a vegan market day at the Port Phillip Eco Centre in St. Kilda, Victoria.

All participants Australia-wide will receive a Welcome pack with plenty of helpful information and will also have the opportunity to take advantage of the great discounts many of our sponsors are offering for the month of November.

Like the last Challenge in March, the Vegan Easy Challenge Facebook page is an excellent way to interact with the Vegan Easy team as well as other participants, and at the same time discover new original recipes, ask questions and receive great tips on everything vegan.

ALV is also thrilled to release two new videos promoting the 30 Day Vegan Easy Challenge: one features November’s VEC ambassador Chris DeRose and the other ALV’s Vice president Noah Hannibal.

If you’re thinking of eating vegan now’s the time to sign up and tell your friends too! Sign up today at VeganEasy.org and begin changing your life for the better.

Check out my top 5 tips for July:

1. What goes in, effects the skin…plus more! Yep, that’s right – a healthy diet is essential for great looking, youthful skin. Get on board with what countless celebrities have already figured out: the vegan diet makes the skin glow, also keeps the weight off and protects against lifestyle disease such as type-2 diabetes and heart disease.
2. Meditate….because stress will age you like crazy! Even 15 minutes a day of relaxation will clear the mind and empower you to face the day’s challenges with ease.
3. Use natural skin care products. Read the labels! Preservatives and chemicals are two things you need to stay away from if you want a beautiful complexion. Choose organic ingredients in your skin care products wherever possible.
4. Laugh!! Get in touch with your youthful spirit. People that act younger than their age, look younger that their age. This is a key secret that will take years off your look!
5. Re-assess your wardrobe. Get rid of anything that makes you look like you are wearing your mother’s/grandmother’s stuff. Update your look: even just a few new accessories like a new belt or earrings can make a huge difference.For more details and to find out more about living a youthful and happy life, see my book Forever 21: The Empowering Guide To Reclaiming Your Youth, Beauty, Health, Happiness and Spirituality.During June and July, 50% of the profits from the sales of the book will go to Animals Australia to assist with their ban live exports campaign.

Have a great day full of fun, happiness and the joy that makes life worth living!

Kathy. x

Inspired by the great work of Animals Australia, particularly with their very successful recent campaign to ban live exports, I am excited to announce the “Forever 21 buying day to support Animals Australia”. Witnessing the great response by the Australian people to the footage Animals Australia took showing the cruelty of the live export business, I got excited by the possibility that the great compassion that is within all of us is being awakened in many Australian people.

Forever 21 is all about reaching our full potential on all levels and being true to ourselves. We all know deep down that cruelty towards animals is wrong. Forever 21 encourages people to return to their compassionate nature by adopting the vegan diet. This Australian book contains interviews by vegan experts in the fields of health, wellness and fitness which aim to inspire and encourage people to adopt the life-saving vegan diet.

The goal of writing the book was to inspire people to lead happy and healthy lives. True happiness comes when we are living fully authentic lives with peace in our hearts and minds. When there is no more cruelty towards animals, a peaceful world for all is within reach.

The time is ripe for Australians and indeed all world citizens to adopt compassionate and fulfilling choices, respectful of ourselves, our environment and all life on Earth, which is the way of life embodied by the vegan lifestyle. Go vegan – you are going to love the feeling!

To support Animals Australia in their life-saving work, 50% of the profits of all copies of Forever 21 sold during June and July will be given to Animals Australia. The official buying day will be 24 June 2011.

Forever 21 is available from fishpond.com.au, bookdepository.co.uk and amazon.com and most other online bookstores. Fishpond and Book Depository are currently offering free shipping. Below are the direct links:

Fishpond:

http://www.fishpond.com.au/Books/Forever-21-Empowering-Guide-to-Reclaiming-Your-Youth-Beauty-Health-Happiness-and-Spirituality-Kathy-Divine/9781921787294

Book Depository:

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/9781921787294/Forever-21—The-Empowering-Guide-to-Reclaiming-Your-Youth-Beauty-Health-Happiness-and-Spirituality

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Forever-Empowering-Reclaiming-Happiness-Spirituality/dp/1921787295/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1307667930&sr=1-1

For more information about Forever 21 see www.kathydivine.com

Wishing you the very best in health and happiness today and forever after,

Your fellow Aussie,

Kathy Divine. x

Not very long ago I was very sick with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia (CFS/Fibro). Today I was thinking back to the time when I was completely bed bound without any hope or clue as to how I was going to get well again. This illness is a complete mystery to the medical profession. Although oodles of research is going into finding the “cure” and trying to find the causes of this enigmatic illness, for the most part, they really don’t have a clue what is going on.

During my time of intense illness which lasted around 3 years (although I have suffered with it for over 10 years to varying degrees), I vowed that if I ever found anything remotely helpful for my condition, I would share it with the world so that other people did not have to suffer as I did.

Luckily for me, I did find solutions and am overjoyed to be well on the way to a full recovery. Whilst thinking today about how great I feel now and how far I have come, I remembered my promise about sharing what I learnt about the solutions to this illness.

What I am about to write is purely my own experience with these illnesses and is in no way a professional opinion. I am not a doctor, naturopath or any other health professional. I am just a person who went through an absolutely horrible time with an illness that some doctors don’t even believe is real.

At the peak of my misery, I was experiencing about 20 symptoms of ill health. At one stage, I wrote them all down and started the process of going to doctors to see if they could help. They couldn’t. I got tested for everything imaginable, from multiple sclerosis to lupus, in an attempt to find the root cause of my problems. Nothing came up so I was swiftly referred to a psychologist. I was quickly learning that if the doctors couldn’t find anything on their tests, it was assumed that the patient had psychological problems.

This could turn into a very long story of battling with ignorant doctors and the vast misunderstanding of people who do not have CFS/Fibro. But my purpose is to focus on what helped me climb out of the dark hole that is CFS/Fibro and regain my hope and health.

In summary, what helped me was meeting Robyn Chuter, a naturopath who had experience with CFS/Fibro and instantly recognised what was going on in my body and more significantly she knew how to fix it. She said there were two things that manifested symptoms of so-called CFS/Fibro – leaky gut syndrome (LGS) and heavy metal toxicity. She recognised that my symptoms looked like a case of LGS so immediately gave me nutritional supplements to address this issue, in addition to putting me on a healthy gluten-free vegan diet plan.

Within a few days I started to feel better! It was unbelievable! I still cry now when I think about the dramatic turn around. Why don’t doctors know about this? It was baffling to me that in an era of such high technological advances and knowledge, the medical profession refuse to pay attention to the work that naturopaths are doing to help people with CFS/Fibro.

I continued with the LGS protocol for 6 months and eliminated all the fibromyalgia pain and many other neurological symptoms I was experiencing such as severe dizziness. Basically, all the symptoms on the big list I had compiled had disappeared except for fatigue and noise and light sensitivity. I had gotten rid of 17 symptoms by following Robyn’s advice!

At this point, I still wanted to continue improving and so embarked on my own research to see what else I could do to eliminate the remaining symptoms. I remember Robyn saying that the other reason CFS/Fibro symptoms manifest is heavy metal toxicity. I wanted to address this as well, to see if it helped me. I started taking Zeolites that my friend Mark Berriman suggested. As editor of the Natural Health and Vegetarian Life magazine for many years, he had a wealth of health knowledge. He also gave me the Live Smart 360 spray to try. Since taking these two things in combination, my fatigue is lifting. My energy is coming back! Zeolites have many different uses and functions, one being heavy metal detoxification. I have no way of scientifically proving that it is working except my experience of increased energy and vitality.

I also want to add that to eliminate the pain associated with CFS/Fibro I feel it was important for me to avoid all acid-forming food. I believe it is essential for people with pain associated with these conditions (and indeed no doubt many others) to eliminate meat and dairy from the diet as the absolute minimum effort in addressing the pain. In addition I would suggest avoiding the so-called “night-shade” vegetables such as potatoes and eggplant. Green smoothies should be a daily ritual and are great for assimilating a large amount of alkaline-forming food. Working on emotional issues is also important as negative emotions create acid in the body, it is important to create a positive environment for your body to heal itself. So in summary, in addition to very specific nutritional supplements to address LGS and heavy metal toxicity, a healthy vegan diet, positive thinking and addressing emotional issues is key to eliminating the pain of CFS/Fibro, in my experience.

We need to keep in mind also that at this stage in the research for CFS/Fibro it is not a disease as such but a set of symptoms that have been grouped together based on observing patients with similar symptoms and therefore grouping them together and calling them CFS/Fibro. This is significant because it suggests that the root cause of one person’s CFS/Fibro may not be the same as another. There may be variants in the cause and therefore in order for a fibro/CFS patient to get well, they need to investigate all possible causes to see if they can eliminate their symptoms. Dr Byron Hyde, a CFS researcher subscribes to this theory and has written a book called “Missed Diagnoses”. He believes and has illustrated that the cause of all CFS cases can be found if thorough testing is done on the patient.

I also want to mention that I recently found out that I have endometriosis. I didn’t have the classic symptoms of pain that women often have. However after undergoing a recent surgery to remove a sizeable endometrioma (a benign cyst caused by endometriosis), my digestion has greatly improved. Poor digestion was one of my 20 symptoms as well as an inability to tolerate wheat. I can now eat wheat and anything I like, without any adverse digestive consequences. My doctor said that digestive problems are often caused by endometriosis. There does seem to be some kind of connection between endometriosis and chronic fatigue syndrome/fibromyalgia, although the “whys and hows” of it have not been discovered yet.

Please share this with anyone you know that is experiencing symptoms of CFS/Fibro. This illness is not as mysterious as it seems. There are solutions. For anyone reading this who is battling CFS/Fibro, please have hope and feel free to contact me if you would like any further information or just to chat with someone who understands.

Wishing you health and happiness today and forever after,

Kathy xx

About 85 guests enjoyed listening to the informative speakers, enjoyed great food and had lots of fun!

Robyn Chuter, an experienced vegan naturopath with a passion for empowering others to achieve total health, spoke about the benefits of a healthy vegan diet. She was followed by the beautiful Fawn Porter who spoke about her personal training work and her healthy vegan lifestyle. Then we heard from Dr Aryan Tavakkoli via video message about the benefits of a vegan diet for the environment. Our MC for the night was the lovely and multi-talented Elizabeth Usher.

Then it was my turn. I spoke a little bit about the book and then went through a long thank you list, expressing my gratitude to all who were involved in the book’s production and to all who helped on the launch night.

Here is an excerpt of my speech:

“Forever 21 is about empowering people to question the status quo, think for themselves and be confident to be who they are, whatever that may be. We are all unique and have something special to offer this world. The book is about rediscovering self-love and embracing each precious moment we have on this beautiful planet to achieve amazing things.

It is our birthright to be happy, healthy and beautiful. I wrote Forever 21 to inspire people to reclaim their power and also to share the good news that the vegan lifestyle is the healthiest, most sustainable diet for all. It carries the lightest eco footprint.

Ultimately, I wrote Forever 21 to save animals from slaughter by humans, to save humans from themselves and to help save the planet. We are all we’ve got. We can be happy as one global family if we take the courage to do what we all know deep in our hearts is the right thing to do.

Forever 21 includes interviews I conducted with leading experts in the fields of health, wellbeing and fitness. I was really pleased to be able to present interviews with people I consider to be really amazing individuals, who are focused on helping others achieve their best in all aspects of life. Some interviewees include Victoria Moran best-selling author and Dr Andrew Knight a vegan veterinarian and extreme athlete. I have certainly learnt a lot from listening to them.

In summary, for anyone seeking to achieve their full potential on all levels, this book is a great starting point.

I will read one of my favourite parts from the book now. From pg 84. This is part of the interview I did with Dr Aryan Tavakkoli who we saw in the video earlier. She is a respiratory physician who lives in New Zealand. I asked her the following question: ‘As a medical doctor, would you recommend a vegan diet to your patients?’

This is what she said: ‘Most of my patients are overweight and have numerous problems including heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. All of these can be easily improved if not resolved completely through simple lifestyle measures: healthy diet, exercise, and cessation of harmful activities such as smoking. Many medical studies published in peer-reviewed medical journals have confirmed the multiple benefits of following a plant-based diet. These include improvement and reversal of coronary artery disease, improvement or normalisation of high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, improved diabetes control and a reduced risk of cancer. There are doctors who are currently successfully using a plant-based diet in the treatment of patients with conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. I often recommend a plant-based diet to my patients and also give them some easy recipes to try such as delicious green smoothies for breakfast, which are full of anti-oxidants. If all my patients took my advice and changed to a vegan diet, I would be a very happy redundant doctor!’”

After my speech, we presented some of our lovely guests with lucky door prizes, courtesy of Viva La Vegan!, Bounty Burgers, Vegans Are Cool and Loving Hut. Two guests also won a copy of Forever 21.

Then came the best part: the food! It was a vegan feast! Socially Vegan Cakes and Au Lac Australia catered for the event and certainly won a lot of fans during that night! All guests were also given a skin care sample pack courtesy of Arbonne.

Since the launch party, I have had some lovely feedback from those who attended. Here is a sample:

“Your book launch was the most fun book launch EVER. What a great night, Kathy! I’m sure you are very happy with the outcome and very proud of your wonderful book. I read a great deal of FOREVER 21 last night, and I am most impressed with what you have done, how you have spoken so earnestly from the heart, and the subjects you’ve included. There was one section, in particular, that really spoke to me. Thank you for such a beautiful night, the speeches, the food, the friendship. It was heartwarming! xxoo’s”. Andra.

“Hi Kathy, just to say your Forever 21 book launch was fantastic! – a very inspiring evening with great speakers and food, not to mention the lovely energy of the attendees – well done and can’t wait to read your book now.” Loren Lembke. Founder of Bounty Burgers.

For anyone who missed the party, there will be a launch in Melbourne and Brisbane sometime soon. For other locations, please email me if you are interested in having an event in your city.

Forever 21 is available to buy from many locations. Please see www.kathydivine.com/forever-21 for stockists.

Wishing you the very best in health and happiness now and always,

Kathy. xx

p.s More pics from the night coming soon! Stay tuned!

p.p.s Very special thanks to my Make-Up and Hair Artist Biljana “Billie” Josevska and Zara Pamboukhtchian for these photos.

Please join us to listen to guest speakers talk about the benefits of the vegan diet, including naturopath Robyn Chuter, who also contributed to a chapter of Forever 21.

Here are the details:

When: Saturday, March 19th 2011

Time: 6pm-8pm

Address: Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts. Mitchell Theatre.

Level 1, 280 Pitt St Sydney NSW 2000

Personalised, signed copies of the book with be available for $19.95 on the night.

Join us for an informative and fun night. Vegan snacks will be served after the presentations.

Please RSVP as seats are limited. Email info@kathydivine.com to let us know you are coming. Please invite your friends and family to attend too.

Hope to see you there!

I asked her what inspired her to create this very powerful and moving video. This is what she said:

“I had travelled to Auckland to speak at the World Vegetarian Day Festival and I was wondering how to present my talk to create the greatest impact. Should I focus on health? Or climate change? Or animal cruelty? That got me thinking about all the obvious reasons for going vegan, and I wondered why it was so difficult to convince people sometimes. The facts are so clear.

Then it struck me. If the truth is known, none of the above issues really need to enter the equation. It all comes down to one, simple, fact. Thou shalt not kill. That’s all. Even if people don’t care about their health, or about what we are doing to our planet, this one plain truth is all that really matters.

So then I wondered how this message could be brought to people in a powerful way. That night, during my usual meditation, Sixth Commandment was born. I was frequently in tears as I was writing the words, and later constructing the video. This is the simple and powerful truth that we all need to understand.

I am hoping that vegans will share the video with their non-veg friends and families.

My sincere prayer is that this song will help to open people’s eyes and hearts, so we no longer contribute to the violence that is an inherent part of the animal industry, and so that we no longer support the ultimate cruelty that can be committed – the taking of life.”

Here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyUYkZoPH6M

There is some footage in the video that shows the truth about animal cruelty. It is a much watch for anyone that wants to see first-hand how their food gets to the supermarket.

Wishing everyone, including our beautiful animal co-inhabitants a lovely Christmas and a peaceful, happy and joyous new year.

Peace!

Kathy x

I really love sheep. Their personalities are so gentle, loving and kind. Spending time with sheep is so nice. When I feel their loving energy transfer to me it makes me wish that I could stay with them forever.

There is no difference between dogs, cats and sheep for me. They are equally as beautiful and all deserve to live happy and peaceful lives. That is why I choose to be vegan because being vegan means no animal products are used or consumed. It means all animals have their freedom and are not used in any way as products for human consumption.

Whilst spending time around animals such as the gentle sheep, we can start to make the connection between animals and our food choices. By realising that sheep have feelings just like we do, the next obvious step is to stop their inhumane slaughter and consumption and switch to the compassionate vegan diet. If everyone spent some time around animals and saw first-hand how lovely they are, I doubt anyone could go and then buy their slaughtered flesh and happily eat it. I can’t see how this is possible.

The pieces of meat that people buy in supermarkets were once a living, breathing animal. They had a family, they had a life on this planet. Animals are far more intelligent than most of us give them credit for. Just because they do not speak our language, doesn’t mean they do not understand things and have emotions. Anyone who has seen an animal cry knows what I am talking about.

This Christmas, when you go shopping, please make the noble and loving choice and buy cruelty-free products.

Wishing all beings a happy and peaceful Christmas!