I was flying high for quite some time following the recording of my discussion with Dotsie, a human who I have SO much respect and admiration for. I’m confident you’ll agree when I say that her inner light shines bright, her energy is truly magnetic, her story is inspiring, and her message is empowering.

“I had this thing in the back of my head that said, if you do this, you will not be steered wrong. Something good is going to come from it.”

Carving our own paths in life is something that is a product of making the necessary changes, despite our internal battles or how inopportune the timing might feel. Many of us who have made a choice to live a vegan lifestyle felt the pull to make that decision in light of investigating how our food is actually made and the horror that happens behind the doors of slaughterhouses.

I had the fantastic experience of speaking with the ever-inspiring Dotsie Bausch. She shared her story with me and unraveled the layers of her life and the role that self-compassion played on her journey as a recovering anorexic, an athlete, and a vegan.

By facing her anorexia, Dotsie found a healthy outlet for her trauma in cycling, never dreaming that she would one day be competing in the Olympics. By pushing her limits and getting curious about how far she could go, she found herself steadily working her way to the pinnacle of athletic achievement.

A few months before she began to compete for her spot on the Olympic team, Dotsie stumbled upon the truth behind meat and animal products and was faced with the difficult decision of adopting a vegan lifestyle when she needed athletic-level protein and nutrition the most.

By following her gut feeling of knowing that she would not fail if she made the change, Dotsie found that after just over a month of a strictly vegan diet, her athletic performance and recovery peaked in a way she had not anticipated. After bringing home an Olympic medal from London, Dotsie leaned into sharing her lifestyle and the courage to change through her organization Switch for Good.

Listen in to hear more about the significant strides she has made in her life and the enormous strides she continues to make in the world by promoting holistic health and a vegan lifestyle.