GOING STUDLY
my journey toward compassion
I’m Simon Lyle, and I’m possibly the last person you’d ever think would become vegan. Like so many of us, I grew up eating meat. But unlike most people, I actually knew where meat comes from. I was raised on a cattle ranch in Elko, Nevada. As a boy I cared for calves and raised them with a bottle. And just like so many of us, I did the weird mental gymnastics necessary to ignore the fact that the juicy steak on my plate came from killing the playful, trusting animals I was caring for.
But truth has a way of catching up to you. Like many of vegans out there, I came to realize that by eating animals, I was doing them harm, and supporting their abuse and suffering on a massive scale. I learned about the larger process of agriculture that supports meat and dairy industries, and realized that it was unsustainable, and causing pollution to our air and water, as well as devastating climate effects.
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I knew I had to change, and, after a nine-month transition period in 2013, I was 100% vegan. I felt great, I had clearer skin, less fatigue, and best of all: a clear conscience. I used my experience as an actor and writer to commit myself to sharing the love of cooking and a new world of food - and Studly Vegan was born.