I didn’t just randomly decide to hold this event at Beaming, byyy the way. There is a reason I chose this magnificent spot for my first ever book-related event, and I feel that it is a super duper fitting place for what I am doing and for the message behind Breaking Vegan. For me, breaking veganism wasn’t just about the words that meet the eye — moving away from veganism. Incorporating more foods into my diet and moving away from dietary labels was a personal awakening for me and a profound, introspective journey that brought me back to being kind to my body and letting food be my medicine. It was about learning to be good to myself by eating a healthy diet but not taking it too far.

As for where Beaming fits in, their mission is to take the concept of “food is thy medicine” and translate that into an experience for the customer. We all have a responsibility to take control of our health, and that starts with where we eat, drink and think. Beaming provides yummy, healthy, nutrient-dense options all while creating an experience for everyone who enters into one of their cafes. The colors are bright, the people are beaming (imagine that!), you can tailor your smoothie/juice to the way that YOU want it (low-glycemic options, superfood add-ins, etc.) and because it’s so healthy it draws an awesome crowd of active, like-minded individuals.

The owner and founder of Beaming, miss Lisa Odenweller, is also a fantastic person who I love collaborating with. She was inspired to create the cafe after a talk she went to given by the fabulous Kris Carr (who you KNOW I love). She felt empowered to take control of her life by taking control of her health, and she wanted to share that with as many people as possible.

Hmmm, sounds familiar, yes? I write this blog, and I wrote my book, because I felt empowered to take control of my life through being kind to my body, and I wanted to share that with all of YOU! Say hi to the gorgeous Lisa below! Beaming has a delish plant-based menu with an impressive lineup of superfoods and innovative  combinations that make the best smoothies and juices around. I am an addict… they literally see me in there every day. That’s why I am super excited to have a relationship with them and to be hosting an event there!

When you feel good on the inside, it radiates on the outside. And that does not mean that you have to sacrifice flavor! In my book I want to show you that you can be healthy, eat delicious food, pack your body full of nutrients, feel amazing and fuel yourself to stay active without being restrictive or obsessive. Beaming has a very similar message, soooo we want to show you how much fun and how awesome being healthy can be.

Plus, I love meeting and hanging out with all of you. The event is going to be a super fun time.

To RSVP, send an email to heather.martin@livebeaming.com. If you have any Q’s, ask her or myself! SO excited to see you there if you are coming. The event is free! 

And for those of you who are not L.A. local… I will share the smoothie recipe, photo & step-by-step instructions on the bloggy the day after the event! Yippee!P.S. Have you checked out the awesome GIVEAWAY I am hosting for everyone who preorders in the next week? Hint: it involves Justin’s Nut Butter, THREE NutriBullets, DRINKmaple yumminess, CaliScrubs body scrub, a free SUJA cleanse and WAY MORE.

To enter the giveaway, simply preorder the book here & send your purchase receipt to thebalancedblonde@gmail.com. There are 10 gift baskets, but everyone who preorders will get the free recipe ebook when it is ready! And first 500 get a signed book plate. YAY.

Hope to see you at Beaming this Thursday!!!

Seriously, you can ask my mom (hehe), because I keep forwarding some of the nicest emails to her since you all are so good to me you make me want to pinch myself to make sure all of this is real!!! Is it real? I still don’t fully believe it…

If you haven’t pre-ordered yet (which most people haven’t, since I posted about tit on Saturday and lots of people don’t check the Internet on Saturdays– unless you’re crazy like me – or AWESOME like a bunch of you!), you can do so here: Breaking Vegan Pre-Order!!!!

Also, within hours of my posting the book reached a #1 Best-Seller on Amazon in the “Vegan Diets” section, which I find ironic in so many ways — I mean, you all know why it made me giggle. But still PRETTY darn cool nonetheless!

With the book cover & pre-sales finally out there into the world, I feel like I can really get a move on with what I am MOST passionate about: sharing this story with all of you, in hopes that it helps you find BALANCE and happiness in your own life. Whether that be balance through healing an eating disorder, balance in quitting a job you don’t like in order to follow your heart and live fully, balance to stop being so extreme in a certain area of your life (exercise! food! relationships!) or just balance in general in this crazy big jumbled but wonderful thing we call life.

ALSO, while I really wish that the book was available now– it is still publishing on November 1st. It’s just the way the publishing world works — but really November is right around the corner! That’s why I have developed lots and lots of cool things to keep you satisfied in the meantime, like: the Breaking Vegan GIVEAWAY (nine different prize baskets!!! read the post below to find out more), the FREE recipe ebook everyone gets for pre-ordering the book, the weekly email list specifically for everyone who pre-orders, annndd 500 signed book plates for the first 500 people who pre-order. (Yes, there are still spots! So pre-order for a personalized signed book plate from me!)

I am also Skyping with the first 10 awesome people who pre-ordered the book and emailed me. I can’t wait to see your shining faces!

Other than all that, I want to keep you all very updated on this journey via VIDEO & the bloggy. Send in any questions you might have for me about the book, and I will answer them in a Q&A video either tomorrow or Wednesday, depending on how many q’s roll in! Write them in the comments below, on my Instagram or email me. I will be on the lookout.

Keep talking to me!!! I have spent the whole entire day responding to emails from people who have pre-ordered, and I don’t want to stop now! I can’t possibly think of a more fun or amazing way to spend my Monday.

Lastly: This Just In!!! We are adding a 10th giveaway to the giveaway basket for people who pre-order, which is a month’s supply of SUJA JUICE! Order away, my lovies!!! (For a recap of the rest of the giveaway prizes, see post below! I will also be highlighting each prize over the next 2 weeks so you can learn all about them!)