Community Spotlight

This Is Just the Beginning: A Vegans Explore Founder Report

In this founder report, Sean A. Russell steps outside the daily interview format to explain what Vegans Explore is building behind the scenes and why the project exists at all.

Vegans Explore Podcast

Episode 65 · Jan 4, 2026 · 9 min

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One person, one mission

Russell has been building online and in person communities since the mid 1990s, and has run vegan focused projects since 2016 under SoFlo Vegans before launching Vegans Explore's daily podcast on November 1. The goal, he explains, is 365 episodes by November 1, 2026, World Vegan Day, chronicling vegan communities city by city rather than just reviewing restaurants.

The global tour and what comes with it

The tour so far has included a New York City stop timed around the Plant Based World Expo, plus a South Florida swing through Orlando, Tampa Bay Veg Fest, and the International Vegan Food Festival. Ahead for 2026: Los Angeles for Natural Products Expo West in March, the Vegan Creator Con in June, and a return to Europe with stops previously covered in London, Paris, Dublin, Berlin, and Zurich.

Alongside the tour, Vegans Explore is preparing to launch a membership community on January 11, offering exclusive guides and resources on top of the free daily content.

Vegans Explore is currently run by a team of one, with Russell producing both the daily podcast and daily social content.
Russell also works a day job in marketing for a school board while building Vegans Explore.
Viewers are invited to comment with their city and reasons Vegans Explore should visit, directly shaping where the tour goes next.

More at vegansexplore.com.