In today's interview, we feature yoga teacher and health coach Sarah Gluschke. Sarah runs the health, travel, and lifestyle blog Yet to Reveal. She shares with us some snippets of her journey as she made the life-changing decision to quit her regular job and the cycle of routine everyday life to start pursuing a career that she is passionate about. From traveling to India to train as a yoga teacher to setting up a website where she writes about diverse topics that include vegan travel, health tips, ideas, and inspirations and everything in between, Sarah gives us a glimpse of the life she has built as she follows her own path one step at a time.
Q: Tell us about your work as a yoga teacher and certified health coach. When and why did you decide to pursue that career?
For years I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life and what kind of career I would like to pursue. I had lots of different interests. For my entire life I thought I had to decide on only 1 thing, 1 job, 1 career. When I saw all of my friends applying for jobs and starting to work I still had no idea. With time passing the pressure got bigger and bigger. Eventually I realized and accepted that I am more than just one job, and decided to build a career the way I wanted it – something that really represents me, allows me to do what I love and makes me excited to get up every morning.
Funnily I haven’t even had one single yoga class before I decided I wanted to become a yoga teacher. By the time I booked my flight to India for my yoga teaching training, I also booked my first yoga class in my hometown. To me the teaching training in India was a way to figure out if Yoga was my path or not. It also was one of the steps on my footpath of self-discovery.
It is hard to say how and when some things start. Sometimes they evolve and suddenly turn out as one big milestone. Becoming a health coach certainly was such an event. I don’t remember when or how I first got interested into health. It just has always been present and important in my daily life. The idea of being able to help people discover and live a healthy lifestyle that makes them glow and love their life has fascinated and inspired me ever since.
What I really love about my career is that it is so flexible. I have many ideas for new projects and events in the works – from daily workshops to weeks retreats, speeches, cooking classes, personal coaching, …
Q: How long have you been a vegan? What made you decide to make the switch to a vegan lifestyle?
I have been vegan since August 2015. Before that I have been a vegetarian for 6 years. Back then my (only) reason were the animals – I couldn’t stand the thought of killing an animal just for a taste. I had no idea what other reasons there were.
One day I just wondered why people were vegan and began to research. Only after a few hours I knew it happened – I knew that I would never eat any animal products again. Everything I had found in those short hours (that changing to a vegan diet not only affects the animals, but also the environment and our health) shocked me and woke me up to what really is going on. I didn’t want to contribute to such terrible things and support such an industry. I transitioned from a vegetarian diet to a vegan diet overnight and never looked back – it feels amazing every single day J
Q: How would you describe yourself and your website Yet to Reveal?
I would describe myself as an earth loving, life loving and adventure seeking human. As beneficial and great it is to have a routine, it drags out my energy, creativity and excitement for new possibilities. I enjoy being spontaneous and let things happen the way they happen.
I love traveling and exploring new cultures, people and places. I am fond of taking pictures and putting my heart on paper through words.
I believe that we are here to explore and experience, grow through challenges, outlive our souls and creativity, should never stop learning but spread love in any possible way.
I created Yet to Reveal to express, share and hopefully inspire. Humans should support, encourage and lift each other up; not fight with or against one another.
Q: You spent time for yoga teacher training in India. How long did you stay there?
I spent 1 month in India completing my 200 hour yoga teacher training. The classes lasted for 3 ½ weeks. The remaining few days I travelled around and enjoyed my time there.
Q: Any tips for vegetarian and vegan travelers heading to India?
India is a great place (maybe even heaven?! J) for vegans and vegetarians. The local cuisine contains many vegan recipes which makes it very easy. For example, the small town I stayed at for my yoga teacher training was also home to one vegan (and gluten free) restaurant after the other. It truly was vegan food paradise there!
A really easy and simple tip is to just ask: Ask if they have vegan food options, if you could have just plain rice and vegetables, and if they still don’t understand use google translator to translate your food wish into their language. This does not only count for India, but rather for traveling in general.
It also is really beneficial to be prepared. By that I mean to do some research in advance if there are any vegan restaurants. I also always bring some snacks with me, in case a big wave of hunger attacks me J
Q: In all the years you’ve spent traveling as a vegan and running your site, what have you learned from the vegan community as a whole?
Throughout all this time I have learned that it is an absolutely incredible and supportive community. I love to be a part of such friendly and heartwarming people. No matter if you visit a vegan restaurant, join an online group or a local event – people are kind, caring and compassionate. I love the energy the vegan community spreads. It makes me happy to see that we grow and grow every day.
Q: Is there a place that you find particularly challenging to visit as a vegan? Can you tell us about what made it difficult for you?
I would say that I found it particularly difficult to eat vegan in Shanghai. Whenever there are language barriers between people, it makes it hard to communicate and bring across what you are meaning to say. I am also not a very big fan of “false meat or animal products” such as vegan meat, sausages or cheese. Lots of the restaurants I found there served such options (which in my opinion are still better than real meat – I just don’t necessarily need them).
Even though rice is a staple food in China, they also serve lots of meat and fish. Many traditional Chinese food shops are not familiar with veganism and I being unable to explain my concern in their language sometimes left me to order plain rice hehe.
Q: What are your top most vegan-friendly places so far?
Amusingly I found one of the most iconic and special vegan restaurants in China - Hong Kong to be specific. In the description of that restaurant on google maps it said “living room like atmosphere”, and it couldn’t have been more accurate. The buffet was served in a room as small as a living room. The whole event was hosted by a local Chinese lady who read her book among those who enjoyed her food. All options were vegan and freshly home cooked. And even though the tiny restaurant doesn’t even have their name outside the building, the small numbers of tables quickly filled up by locals and tourists.
There are amazing and delicious plant based restaurants all over the world – especially have I had great vegan meals in America, India, Germany… - but I think I like the one in Hong Kong so much because it has been so very different than all the other ones.
Q: What are some of the best vegan meals you’ve had in your travels and where did you find them?
My favorite go to meal when traveling in Asia is fried rice vegetables.
But I am also absolutely obsessed with smoothie bowls, shakes or generally sweet breakfast all day. It is hard to announce a favorite meal, as I love some fruity nice cream or ice shakes when it is hot outside, and adore hot porridge, warm curries or soups when traveling in cold climate zones.
Q: What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of making the switch to a plant-based lifestyle?
If you think about it, do it! Give it a try and see for yourself how it really is, what a vegan diet consists of, how it makes you feel or look. It is not some permanent decision you will make. You don’t commit to it for the rest of your life. But once started, you may never want to go back – you never know what you get out of it. There is so much to win and nothing to lose!
And remember that you aren’t alone. There are millions of people out there living (and loving) the plant based lifestyle who are kind and supportive. Don’t be scared to reach out.
I believe that no one should ever blindly follow any new trend or just do it because others do it. Do a little research and see if this is something you want to try. If you are looking for more information, there are some amazing documentations out there that bring strong facts and truth right to your eyes and ears within only a few hours. A great place to start and explore is Netflix or YouTube. Some great movies are Forks over Knifes, Cowspiracy, What the Health, Earthlings or Food Choices.
I also love to get some (recipe) inspiration off YouTube videos, Pinterest posts, other bloggers or even on Instagram. Possibilities to get support, motivation and encouragement are really endless.
Also: you are human and allowed to make mistakes. It is not an all-in or nothing thing. Dare the new diet or jump in all completely – it doesn’t matter. You chose the pace. Take your time and decide what feels good.
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Follow Sarah on Instagram.
Website: yettoreveal.com
