5 Inspiring YouTubers

When I got a new television last year I started watching a lot more on YouTube and subscribing to channels that I really liked. Before that I just thought of YouTube as a place where I could find music videos (sometimes with lyrics) and clips from tv shows that I hadn’t seen but had heard about for some reason. Once I started looking around and spending more time there I found lots of things that interested me like Ted Talks and motivational speakers and more. When I was making the lifestyle change to plant based I went to YouTube daily for help and inspiration. I knew I would find things but I had no idea how much I would find! Now, about six months later, my morning routine begins every day with 20-45 minutes of YouTube spent listening to Esther Hicks and Abraham. And now I have a bunch of YouTubers that I watch regularly and enjoy for different reasons, so I thought I would compile a list of my Top 5 YouTubers who offer me inspiration, in no particular order:

Cookie Taylor – I love Cookie’s passion for life and adventure! I initially started following her Reach4Raw channel (because I guess at one time she was following a raw vegan diet) but then she changed the name to Reach4More, which is a much more appropriate name for what she is all about. I really feel a strong sense of kinship with her, like we have a lot in common and share a lot of the same philosophies on life. She is on a life changing journey, like me. But unlike me, she is doing some crazy amazing things like a “1000-mile solo trek around Iceland, camping wild 99% of the way” … and she’s going to share the adventure on her new channel. I personally can’t wait! Cookie has a Facebook group too and she is one of those rare YouTubers who has inspired me to follow them across other social media platforms, so I follow her over there as well. Simply put, I watch her new videos as soon as they come out because Cookie Taylor really does inspire me to reach for more in my own life.

High Carb Hannah – I feel like High Carb Hannah is living the life I’ve always wanted and what I’m working toward, except she’s much younger than me and is already miles ahead. She has had an incredible weight loss journey through a plant based diet and exercise. She lives off grid in a tiny house. She has used and continues to use the Law of Attraction to help her achieve her goals and basically get everything she ever wants. I could go on with other things we appear to have in common but these are the big three. I get all kinds of great tips and advice for my life by watching High Carb Hannah’s videos. I’ve gone back into her archives and binge watched nearly every video she has ever made and I’ve also started watching her husband’s videos which focus more on tiny house and off grid living. Recently she started a new channel called High Vibe Hannah which I hope will take off because it’s all about the Law of Attraction, which I am constantly working on in my own life.

Happy Healthy Vegan – Ryan and Anji are a couple of chill vegan artists living in California. They were the very first channel I discovered on YouTube when I was looking for vegan inspiration after I adopted my plant based diet earlier this year. They are also right around my age which is so refreshing in a YouTube universe mostly dominated by millennials. They do all kinds of videos from recipes and what I eat in a day to vlogs and response videos and a whole lot more. I watch them all. I love their laid back chill attitude. I love their music. I love their recipes. When I first discovered their channel I binge watched everything they had uploaded. Now I get a notification as soon as they add anything new. Sometimes on Wednesday evenings they go live on YouTube after Ryan’s run. Many times I’m in bed when it happens so I miss it but if I’m up I click on the notification and go watch. And there was one time I got a shout out for saying Hi live on the chat, which was sort of cool, like just confirmation that yes, this isn’t television, these are real people. And I guess that is one of the things that I really like about them, nothing feels forced or rehearsed, it just feels like hanging out with real people and maybe learning something new.

The Vegan Zombie – Many many years ago when I went vegetarian I took a brief stroll in YouTube land to look for recipes and quickly stumbled upon the Vegan Zombie’s channel. I watched several cooking videos and even tried a few recipes but what I never forgot was the zombies. I just thought this was the coolest thing ever! A cooking channel from the zombie apocalypse! So when I eventually made my way back to plants this year, it was a no brainer that I would look this channel up again. They’re still doing recipes and cooking while trying to avoid the zombies that are roaming the earth but now there’s also a lot more going on there too. There are vlogs and lots of travel to festivals and meet ups. I often learn about new products when there are unboxings from Vegan Cuts or visits to supermarkets. It’s still a lot of fun and again I really like the laid back style (even in the midst of a zombie herd). The recipes are really awesome. Vegan Zombie finally taught me how to cook tofu! This is one channel that has stood the test of time, you can totally start at the beginning and watch them all.

Supreme Banana – This girl’s #veganized videos are hilarious! I love her offbeat cornball sense of humour. She visits popular chain restaurants and stores, buys vegan items and then tries them on camera. Other times she will make a vegan version of some popular menu item at a restaurant. She is funny and I literally laugh out loud every time I watch her eating and/ or cooking (she is the original shit chef). But there are also more serious types of vlog videos where she discusses things like her past eating disorder, abusive relationship and depression. I admire her bravery at being so open about these types of personal things. I think those types of videos might help some people, particularly young girls, who are in similar situations. But I subscribed to her channel purely for the giggles and there are always tons of those.

As I was compiling this list I had a really difficult time narrowing the list down to just five. There may be a follow up list in my future. But what about you? Do you watch YouTube? Have any favourite YouTubers that I might like to check out?