From Waiting Tables to Being Featured on the TODAY Show: Find Out How One Vegan Food Influencer Did It

We all love posting photos of our food on social media. It’s an unwritten rule that you have to document all the food that comes to your table before anyone is allowed to start digging in. Thanks to the rise of social media, people have been able to make entire careers around this phenomenon. After all, people love eating food, but they also love staring at pictures of food.

Beyond the obvious appeal of showcasing really delicious food, the world of food blogging, Instagramming, and YouTubing (yes, for all intents and purposes these words are now verbs), has evolved into a subtle art form that enables the artist (said blogger, etc.) to convey a certain type of aspirational lifestyle. People don’t just look at food and think, “Great, food!” They look at the styling of the bowl, the wit in the caption, and eventually form a connection with the person behind it all.

Through the simple medium of social media, home-cooks and casual foodies have been able to build brands and following – essentially transcending into the realm of a lifestyle guru. This is a title that Jenné Claiborne, the woman behind Sweet Potato Soul, has certainly come to be.

In a recent episode of #EatForThePlanet with Nil Zacharias, Jenné shares how she went from working in a vegan restaurant in NYC to becoming a highly sought after social media influencer and cookbook author. Jenné has been featured on the TODAY show multiple times, in addition to other popular national programs and has bold ambitions to continue expanding her brand and mission.

As Jenné explains, becoming an influencer is a lot harder than just taking photos of what you’re eating. People want to connect with a person and someone who shares their values and exudes integrity. This seems to come naturally for Jenné as she genuinely wants to use her platform to transform how people eat, showing them how to make their favorite foods plant-based. Jenné changed her own health with vegan food and hopes to help others do the same.

Jenné covers all the bases on how to define your brand to tips and advice she has picked up along the way in this interview. Listen in to hear more about her success and mission to make plant-based food and recipes a mainstay for everyone!

You can listen to the full episode below or on the following platforms: iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher.

If you like this episode, be sure to subscribe to the #EatForThePlanet with Nil Zacharias podcast for new episodes with food industry leaders, health, and sustainability experts, as well as entrepreneurs and creative minds who are redefining the future of food.