The sold-out live event, Vegan Women Summit 2022 took place in Los Angeles on April 8 with hundreds of women also attending virtually around the world. The Summit was an opportunity to bring together a strong group of women leaders including CEOs, doctors, scientists, celebrities, content creators, investors and activists for a full-day of inspiring conversation, networking and goal setting. An astounding 800 attendees joined live in Los Angeles, enjoying plant-based food, fashion, beauty products, and some of the best company!
The Vegan Women Summit® (VWS) is a global events and media organization created to empower women to build a kinder, more sustainable world. VWS hosts events with the goal to foster a community of strong, ambitious rising leaders working to bring compassion to their careers. VWS is supported by leading CEOs, founders, investors, athletes, and nonprofit leaders from around the world striving to make a positive difference in our shared planet.
VWS is tackling their mission to provide an inclusive environment for all and defines “women” and “female” as including all individuals who identify, have identified, or have been identified as women or female. Attendees of all backgrounds, including all genders, are always invited to participate in the VWS community. VWS 2022 certainly showed that we are all stronger when banded together.
Here are the key takeaways we captured from the Summit’s speakers:
THE CLIMATE GENERATION: HOW GEN Z WILL SAVE THE WORLD WITH MAGGIE BAIRD, GENESIS BUTLER, LANA WEIDGENANT, HOSTED BY ANGELA YVONNE:
“We are fortunate people… and in other places all over the world, there are communities that are already being destroyed. So when you ask ‘how does this situation make me feel?’ I’m terrified. I have children,” said Maggie Baird, the founder of Support + Feed, mother of Billie Eilish.
Maggie Baird, Founder of Support + Feed: Support and Feed takes action for a global shift to an equitable, plant-based food system to combat food insecurity and the climate crisis.
Genesis Butler, Founder of Youth Climate Save: Youth Climate Save is the first youth led climate movement that focuses on climate change and its connection to animal agriculture.
Lana Weidgenant, Campaigns and Policy Manager at ProVeg International & Vice-Chair from UN Food Systems Summit 2021: ProVeg International is a non-governmental organisation that works in the field of food system change on four continents with nine offices.
Angela Yvonne, Creator of Vegan Pop Eats: The Vegan Pop Eats purpose is about educating, showcasing the hottest vegan spaces, trends and allowing people to tell their journey to veganism.
BUILDING SOCIALLY IMPACTFUL BUSINESSES WITH BINDU GARAPATY, PSY.D., RACHEL OOI, RICHA GUPTA, KARUNA RAWAL, HOSTED BY JENNY STOJKOVIC
“It’s up to each and every one of you to bring this forward, this is how we bring diversity into this space.” Bindu Garapaty of Impossible Foods spoke to the VWS crowd of CEOs, hiring managers and thought leaders. Jenny Stojkovic then asked the panel, “what do you look for in a candidate?” “Reach out, network, connect… what really jazzes you and encourages you to grow?,” said Gupta. “A lot of companies are looking for passion,” said Rachel Ooi. “Passion is what we need to power the future of these startups,” said Jenny.
Leilani Gayles, Chief People Officer at Impossible Foods: As CPO of Impossible Foods, Leilani puts people at the center of everything they do, from employees to the markets they serve and to the communities they call home. She is focused on the mission to make the global food system truly sustainable.
Rachel Ooi, Sales Director at abillion: Rachel drives the monetization and business development strategy at abillion, a rapidly growing global internet platform for the sustainability movement, and social and peer review community with members active globally.
Karuna Rawal, Chief Marketing Officer at Nature’s Fynd: Karuna is an accomplished brand builder and Emmy award winner with 25 years of success transforming the world’s most iconic brands, and currently oversees marketing for Nature’s Fynd, a Chicago-based food tech company creating Fy – a versatile alternative protein to feed the world’s growing population while nurturing the planet.
Richa Gupta, CEO of Good Food for Good: Richa Gupta is on a mission to make it easy for people to eat well and do good. Born and raised in India, she’s the founder of Good Food For Good, an organic food company with a “Buy One Feed One” model that donates a meal to a person in need every time someone buys their products.
MODERN FEMINISM & CULTURE WITH JOANNE LEE MOLINARO & DANIELLE MACDONALD, HOSTED BY DOMINIQUE SIDE
“When I first went vegan and told my Italian mother, she almost felt a little judgment but it took some compassionate yet awkward conversation and now she is excited to try new vegan things,” said Danielle. Joanne addressed the sensitivity of having immigrant parents and turning down meat and cheese, staples that her parents considered luxuries when they experienced poverty.
Joanne Lee Molinaro, Bestselling Author of The Korean Vegan: With over 4 million fans spread across her social media platforms, New York Times best-selling author Joanne Molinaro, a.k.a The Korean Vegan, has appeared on The Food Network, CBS Saturday Morning, ABC’s Live with Kelly and Ryan, The Today Show, PBS, and The Rich Roll Podcast. 
Danielle Macdonald, Actor: Danielle Macdonald is an Australian actress, known for her lead roles as Patricia “Patti” Dombrowski in the drama film Patti Cake$, and Willowdean Dickson in Dumplin’.
Dominique Side, Founder of The Luxury Vegan: Dominique is a dynamic executive with a unique background spanning various industries, including music and the vegan industry.
THE FUTURE OF HEALTH & WELLNESS WITH DR. GEMMA NEWMAN, DR. MELISSA MONDALA, HOSTED BY DOTSIE BAUSCH
“Mental health is the first step in becoming healthier and happier,” said Dr. Melissa Mondala who addressed the current US statistics. “Over 50 million people have depression in this country. 1 in 3 adults have depression or anxiety.”
Dr. Melissa Mondala: Dr. Melissa Mondala is a holistic plant-based physician, nutritional & wellness expert, health coach, mental health advocate, and recipe inventor. Dr. Melissa Mondala is a triple specialist in family medicine, lifestyle medicine, and primary care psychiatry. She is one of the first and youngest nationally recognized lifestyle medicine fellows and is a strong community health advocate.
Charity Morgan: Chef Charity holds a culinary degree from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts and is passionate about health, nutrition, and offering a more panoramic view of what it means to live a plant-based lifestyle. Chef Charity Morgan provides vegan meal preparation to several NFL players, and celebrities across the board, known for catering a 100% plant-based menu for Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth’s intimate Nashville wedding. Chef Charity Morgan has been featured in several media outlets including ESPN, Sports USA Today, NFL Network, and The London Times. 
Dotsie Bausch: Dotsie is an American cyclist, Olympic silver medalist, advocate, speaker, and the executive director of the nonprofit, Switch4Good. Switch4Good is an athlete-driven nonprofit working toward a dairy-free future. The organization employs athlete stories with scientific research and outreach to help others “live better and do more” by avoiding dairy.
ASK A VEGAN INVESTOR WITH DR. MANON LITTEK, DANIELLA MONET, HOSTED BY MARISSA BRONFMAN
Daniella Monet, Kinder Beauty co-founder said “First and foremost, I invest in the people. I need to know they have a growth mindset, that I can lean on them when I need to and that they are transparent.”
To follow up on the point, Dr. Manon Littek elaborated, “We look most closely at the catch-rate in its totality, how large is this catch-rate and if there is another company already disrupting this catch-rate. If you have the potential to disrupt this category, something completely novel and own IP no one else has and have a strong following behind it, it will get interest. If it’s a food product, taste is important so it gains velocity in the market,” said Dr. Littek who is the founder partner of Green Generation Fund. The panel asserted that when it comes to investment it’s all about the people and the product.
Daniella Monet: Daniella Monet is an actress, philanthropist, and entrepreneur, who is best known for her role as Trina on Nickelodeon’s “Victorious,” opposite Ariana Grande. Vegan for 17 years, Monet has invested in three thriving companies: Kinder Beauty (co-founded alongside Harry Potter’s Evanna Lynch), Pig Out Chips (through Outstanding Foods), and Sugar Taco, a popular plant-based restaurant chain.
Manon Littek, PhD: Manon is the Founding Partner of Green Generation Fund and a Board Member of Upfield, the world’s largest plant-based company. Prior to this, Manon was CEO of Katjes Greenfood, Europe’s first impact investor in sustainable food brands.
Marissa Bronfman: Marissa is a serial entrepreneur, writer, speaker and women’s empowerment advocate who has built nonprofit initiatives and plant-based businesses across Canada and India. She is now Chief Brand Officer of Kizmet Impact Capital, a publicly-traded impact vehicle focused on climate and plant-based businesses. 
A HOLLYWOOD JOURNEY TO COMPASSION WITH EMILY DESCHANEL, HOSTED BY NIRVA PATEL
“No matter what you do, keep that passion. You can make a difference. Your moment will happen. You will get there, it will all come together”, stated “The Game Changers” Executive Producer Nirva Patel, who also currently sits on the board of Farm Sanctuary with Emily Deschanel.
Emily Deschanel, Actress: Emily is an actor and television producer who is best known for her role as Dr. Temperance Brennan in the FOX crime comedy-drama series, “Bones.” She is also an advocate for farm animals and went vegan after reading “Diet for a New America” in high school. Emily has been a member of Farm Sanctuary since 2006 and joined the Board of Directors in 2014, and her passion for animal rights has led her to produce and provide narration for animal welfare-related documentaries and to appear in PSAs encouraging veganism and compassion towards animals. A consistent voice for farm animals over the years, Emily has raised public awareness about the animal cruelty and environmental degradation perpetuated by factory farming, as well as the health benefits of adopting a vegan diet.
Nirva Patel, Policy Fellow at Harvard Law: Nirva is the Global Policy Fellow in the Brooks McCormick Jr. Animal Law & Policy Program at Harvard Law School and a passionate advocate for animal welfare. She is also a registered patent attorney, biomedical engineer, Chair of the Board of Directors at Farm Sanctuary, and executive producer for several plant-based films, including “The Game Changers,” “The End of Medicine,” and “Meat Me Halfway.” For close to a decade, Nirva worked in animal advocacy in Mumbai, India. In the U.S., she has individually sparked many advocacy campaigns, including successfully pushing to ban the sale of fur in Weston, Massachusetts, and demanding Jain temples across the U.S. in 2018 remove ghee and dairy from their offerings.
Nirva holds a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University, a J.D. from The New England School of Law, and an M.S. in Animals and Public Policy from Tufts University. Her passion for animals was predicated by the Jain philosophy of ahimsa (non-violence), which advocates a vegan lifestyle. She lives in Boston with her husband, four children, and two rescued rabbits.
THE PLANT-BASED REVOLUTION: THE NEW CLASS WITH DEBORAH TORRES, TAMEARRA DYSON, DANITA CLAYTOR, MARGARET COONS, HOSTED BY: MIYOKO SCHINNER
“You have to go in the direction of your fears,” shares Tamearra Dyson, the founder of Souley Vegan who “beat” Bobby Flay, when talking about how she faced the pressure of being on the first vegan episode of Food Network’s “Beat Bobby Flay.”
Deborah Torres, CEO of Atlas Monroe: Deborah founded Atlas Monroe, a vegan protein company based in San Diego, California. Atlas Monroe is an award-winning vegan chicken manufacturer, well known for turning down a $1 million dollar investment on Shark Tank, and building a Black woman-owned manufacturing facility with no venture capital.
Tamearra Dyson, CEO of Souley Vegan: Tamearra founded Souley Vegan, a restaurant and ghost kitchen chain focused on Louisiana-style plant-based cuisine with locations in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Oakland. Tamearra made recent news after beating celebrity chef, Bobby Flay, on his recent reality tv show.
Danita Claytor, Co-founder of Everything Legendary: Danita co-founded Everything Legendary, a Black-founded gourmet plant-based protein line focused on healthy ingredients. Everything Legendary recently secured US$6m in Series A financing led by early-stage investor CircleUp Growth Partners and US food major General Mills.
Margaret Coons, CEO of Nuts for Cheese: Margaret founded Nuts For Cheese, a company specializing in artisan, vegan, and organic cashew-based cheeses. Nuts for Cheese is an LGBT+ Certified Enterprise, Woman Owned Certified Business Enterprise, and Vegan Manufacturing Company with 30+ team members and products available nationally across Canada and the United States.
Miyoko Schinner, CEO of Miyoko’s: Miyoko Schinner is an American chef, cookbook author, animal sanctuary founder and owner of dairy-free cheese brand Miyoko’s Creamery. She is a leading advocate for the right of vegan food products to use traditional meat and dairy terms on their labels.
KEYNOTE INTERVIEW WITH ALICIA SILVERSTONE, HOSTED BY JENNIFER STOJKOVIC
“Don’t get me wrong I love when people tell me they know me from Clueless… but when someone tells me how they read “The Kind Mama” and they find that it helped them, it really fills me,” said the best-selling author Alicia Silverstone. The long-time advocate for cruelty-free living first went vegetarian at the age of 8 and later adopted a fully vegan lifestyle in 1998.
“The question we need to ask ourselves is ‘How do we help people without judging them, and also letting them know, there isn’t enough time? We have to change now!,’” said Alicia. Indeed, the time is now.
Alicia Silverstone, Actress & Activist: Alicia Silverstone is best known for her generation-defining role in the film Clueless. Her performances have garnered Emmy and Golden Globe nominations as well as a National Board of Review award. A dynamic and well-connected fixture in the acting, political, and scientific communities, Silverstone is also an author and a dedicated activist in the health and wellness space. She has been a vegan and animal rights advocate for over two decades, and is the recipient of Mercy for Animals Hope Award and PETA’s 35th Anniversary Huminatarian Award. Silverstone’s website, THEKINDLIFE.com, is the platform for health and eco-living.
See our Social Media Coverage, which includes interview with Alicia, Miyoko, Marissa, and more, on our Instagram here!
