Seven

No, not the 1995 brilliant thriller starring Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt, but the number of years old we are this week! (Though Brad looks like he has run the vegan gauntlet with us by the state of him in this picture.)

Ever since I read about the creative agency in NYC who shut down after 7 years to take a break to refresh their minds, I’ve been inspired to reach this point! And I can see why it’s necessary - looking back over the last 7 years of Citizen Kind, I can see how my thinking became entrenched at times, pitted down familiar tracks and close-minded to alternative views. But I can also see how that was necessary at that moment to both justify my choices but also to keep the boat afloat.

I wrote a reflection post and it is too long and MUCH too revealing to share here so I will just share the first and the final few paragraphs with you.

I’ll save the really juicy details for my memoirs!:

This week marks 7 years since I birthed Citizen Kind and started to use my skills to benefit the companies that I feel most align with my values in a bid to help progress towards a world that is more equitable, more gentle and kinder. We were the world’s 1st vegan recruitment company and I was proud to be living my values with such intention.

The fantastic Ben McCabe and I created a visual identity that I felt reflected our values of Justice, Accountability, Communication, Persistence, Integrity and Empathy and would set us up for success. He and I even created the font together for our logo and it has endured the test of time with only a website refresh needed between now and then. If you ever need a visual identity, Ben is your man! I’m sure that we have him to thank for giving confidence to those I met who didn’t know about us who upon receiving our card, would almost always turn it over remarking, “Citizen Kind - I love it!”.

It started well, with a few assignments for key strategic hires in businesses close to my heart - a plant-based food delivery ecommerce platform; a few vegan food brands - including Oatly and THIS; a new vegan charity; even a Tuscan vineyard committed to producing vegan wine without chemicals. That was an unforgettable client visit! We were off to a flying start!

I met many of the vegan influencers that year, who went on to shape how veganism became mainstream and was happy to offer help to those needing commercial advice to get them to the point where they could hire me to help them build their teams.

And then despite such a great start, just 18 months in, the pandemic hit.

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Final paragraphs of REFLECTIONS:

I have focused on the consultancy side of things and landed a client whose breakthrough technology is set to change how ingredients are optimised forever.

Their revolutionary new engineering tech platform will create millions in new revenue for the large MNCs that it is designed for, and unlock new compounds, new drugs and new, pure nature-based solutions for the food, pharma and pet industry.

Finally, I feel like I am working with a company that not only recognises the value I bring to the table, but gives me a seat, with a product that doesn’t face the same vitriol or negativity that plant based products have for the last 5 years. It feels like I can breathe again and as a result, my creativity has begun to flow and I’m dreaming of more and better projects to work on in the future.

Reflecting upon all this, the future of plant based food, isn’t plant based. It’s food.

We need to stop cowering in defense and start to stand up for our rights to decent, affordable, healthful food.

Meat, fish, eggs and dairy can only claim one of these and that is slipping out of their grasp as prices rise due to the impacts of climate change (the irony!).

We need to challenge the status quo and insist that things be labelled their proper names.

Let Carrots be organic and Treated Carrots be labelled as such.

Create animal product sections in supermarkets and the rest animal (and cruelty)-free.

I’m going to continue to focus on shining my light on the solutions that I see making a real difference; working locally and internationally to move the planet towards eating a more peaceful, cruelty-free diet and living and working vegan values whilst helping others where I can.

And I’m open to what comes next. Stay tuned! Or if you’d like to collaborate on something cool, get in touch!