Daily Inspiration: Meet kamyra cheatham

Today we’d like to introduce you to kamyra cheatham.

Hi kamyra, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
One morning in 2016 I was driving to work when I randomly had a full blown panic attack on the highway. From that day on driving got harder for me to do, and eventually I was incapable of driving or staying home alone with my then 1 year old daughter. I dealt with anxiety everyday for months, I went to see my doctor hoping that I could find answers and some relief but it was the opposite. She prescribed me Zoloft, a medication that was supposed to help treat anxiety & depression. I only took it a few times before I realized this medication was not going to help me. It made me more anxious to the point I felt like I was literally losing my mind. After giving up on the medication and talking to a few friends I went to the internet to look into a vegan diet. I kept seeing YouTube videos of women saying that taking meat out of their diet changed their lives and got rid of their anxiety so I knew this was something I had to try. I watched videos, read recipes and learned substitutes so that I could eliminate meat and all animal products out of my diet. I did not start off on a vegan diet though, I tried vegetarian first so that I could ease into this lifestyle. I noticed about 3 weeks after I stopped eating meat I was able to drive locally again. I was only driving about 15-20 minutes at a time but it was a start and I was beyond happy that I was able to drive again. About a month after being vegetarian and doing further research I decided to become vegan. Now at this time veganism was not as popular as it is today in 2021, the meat, cheese and vegan substitutes overall were scarce forcing me to learn how to cook all over again. The best part about starting over is I was learning to cook hearty plant based meals and they were meals my family and friends learned to love. After being vegan for about a year and expanding my cooking abilities I decided to start helping others in my community transition to a healthier lifestyle by providing vegan meals, meal preps, a short recipe eBook, Zoom meetings and unlimited advice for those who were unable to cook vegan for themselves. I have since then educated and introduced people to a healthier lifestyle by speaking to small groups of people both looking for healthy changes and battling depressing by making them aware of how we eat affects our health and day to day lifestyle. Although battling anxiety was extremely hard for me I am grateful it was a part of my journey. I have been vegan for 5 years and I have been able to share my gift of cooking and help so many people start their journey to a healthier lifestyle and I finally feel like I have found my purpose. Eventually I would like to open a vegan restaurant so I can provide good hearty vegan food to the Ypsilanti area.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Transitioning to a vegan lifestyle is not and has not been easy, but very much worth it. Transiting myself took a lot of discipline especially during holidays, having to bring my own food and constantly debating with my family about my decisions to be healthier was draining. The hardest part about the transition was changing how my kids eat because there are family members that do not agree with my lifestyle or care to stick with how I was feeding them which is extremely frustrating. I am still having to monitor how other people feed them when they are not with me but luckily my kids are getting old enough to know what’s vegan, what isn’t and to ask before they eat something if they are unsure.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I have been an employee at the University of Michigan hospital working in various departments and I have learned so much during my time there. From learning how to better provide good customer service, deal with many different scenarios and the knowledge I gained while working in the kitchen have all been a part of my journey. I have met so many people who I have been a testimony too. These have been people I met both at my job and outside of my job who have been moved by my lifestyle and the changes I have made whether that be how my diet change cured my anxiety or how It allowed me to lose over 40 pounds. I am proud of myself for making a change in my life that has allowed me to inspire, encourage and support others on their own journey.

Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
people can collaborate with me by visiting my website www.kamyracheatham.com and clicking the “get in touch” button.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.kamyracheatham.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_kamyrac
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kscheatham

Image Credits
Jalen Reives Kamyra Cheatham