My Vegan Story

While my blogs usually focus on searching for plant-based food options, my true passion lies with animals. I was born and raised vegetarian, but I’ve been vegan for about 13 years now. For many years, I believed I was doing everything in my power for animals while still consuming, their products, but I really had no idea. When I discovered the harsh reality behind the dairy and egg industries, I made an overnight shift to veganism. My life has never been better.

I volunteered and worked with a local nonprofit animal sanctuary for over 8 years, doing transports, running their social media pages, fundraising, planning events, and loving on the residents. I resigned from my position in January 2024, and I now volunteer with Red Oak Animal Rescue in New Richmond, Ohio. I feel at home here. No matter where I go I realized there will always be animals that will need help and it's important for us to each use our individual talents to do so.

Many years ago, I accepted that my life would likely be dedicated to animal stewardship, and I haven't looked back. Giving a voice to the voiceless has become my biggest passion and purpose. I’ll always speak up for the animals. As humans, it’s our responsibility to care for them and be their voice.

To this day, my mom still talks about my early activism. As a preschool student, we visited a petting zoo with several small baby black cows, specifically baby Angus cows. After we returned to preschool, they served us hamburgers. Already a vegetarian, I refused to eat them and told the other kids that the burgers came from the little black cows we had just been petting. It made them cry and refuse to eat as well, so the teachers called my parents to come pick me up.

I started my vegan journey doing street activism, usually consisting of protests against circuses, rodeos, and similar events. Eventually, I moved on to working with animal sanctuaries. Today, I prefer to do my activism through photography and fundraising for sanctuaries.

I'm also a (hopefully) budding animal photographer. My goal is to capture the personalities of sanctuary residents so that viewers can see them in a different light. I love spending time with animals and trying to capture their unique personalities through my camera. By showcasing images of animals living happy, free lives, I hope to encourage people to see these animals as individuals rather than as food products like burgers or hot dogs. These animals are just like our dogs and cats; they have emotions, individual personalities, and they all deserve to live their lives free.

I also enjoy food photography and work for a local vegan business Seitan's Realm. I initially got into photography to capture vegan food and show how diverse it actually is.

I'm also an ambassador with an incredible company called abillion. I was lucky to attend the Vegan Women's Summit with them in LA and love reviewing vegan products and restaurant dishes on their app. In exchange for reviews you earn money to donate to sanctuaries. I've raised over $4k. Find me on the app: LIZMASELLI and if you sign up please use that code!

Looking towards the future, I would like to get more involved in activism in different ways. I'd love to start attending summits, connecting with animal advocates and sharing my story with others in the hope that something I can offer might resonate with someone else. There are many different paths to veganism, and everyone has their own unique life experiences. We can each do our part to inspire and showcase the positive aspects of living a life that's in alignment with our values.

One of my early activism photos that made me want to use photography to speak for those who can't: