Rising Stars: Meet Natalie Pinkston

Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Pinkston.

Hi Natalie, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I began my journey as a practicing herbalist by sharing my organic herbal tea blends at a beautiful community space in downtown Mesa called Soul Center! I started making these blends to help myself and realized it would be a gift I could share with others as well. I have always loved cooking but until I went vegan, I never realized how much I enjoy cooking for others and sharing joy through delicious plant based food!

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?
It hasn’t always been a walk in the park! Learning to veganize some of my favorite dishes and desserts has been a challenge. I am very grateful to live during a time where there are so many great plants based products on the market that make the transition easier than it was decades ago! Finding the right faux meats, vegan butters, yogurt, cheeses, etc. has been an interesting and fun challenge! I feel a sense of accomplishment when I finally perfect a recipe and feel confident sharing it with my friends, family, and clients!

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a proud vegan chef and herbalist! I have been vegan since late 2016 and it feels great to share delicious cruelty free meals with my clients. I have a love for pasta as that seems to be a common theme on my menu! I will be expanding my offerings soon to include more variety. I am most known for my raw cherry cheesecake! It seems to be a favorite among my clients. I do my best to accommodate the special needs and requests from my clients as their happiness is my happiness when I am serving them! I did not go to culinary school as I am mostly self-taught. I benefit greatly from self-guided education but I did have help from my teachers along the way so I must give them credit! I had my humble beginnings as a prep chef at Community Cuisine in Phoenix and a line cook at Plant Powered Prep in Chandler. I am forever grateful for the lovely Ingrid (CC) and Will (PPP) for taking me under their wings and allowing me to learn from them and work with them! I am very grateful for Nick and Kari from Soul Center for allowing me the space to flourish and grow into my role as an herbalist by sharing my tears in their beautiful community space. In my herbal offerings, I focus not only on the physical health benefits of the herbs but the emotional and spiritual energies these plant medicines have to share with us. I believe plants are allies who are here to help us, I have deep reverence and gratitude for their spirits and the medicine they share with us so freely. I am passionate about using the power of plants to support our reproductive and sexual health as I am currently expanding my education on those areas and sharing more of my creations along my journey. I have begun to create organic yoni steam blends to heal the womb/yoni and give her extra love and care. Steaming your yoni is like taking her to the spa! It is so nourishing and will really bring out your inner goddess.

I have a lingam steam for men coming soon in the works! Stay tuned! Valentine’s day is just around the corner and I have just released my new “Sex Magic” oil, an organic flower infused MCT coconut oil based lubricant for all Kings and Queens who want to bring a little extra magic into the bedroom. Pleasure is our birthright! I am most proud of overcoming my fear of sharing my gifts because they are a bit unconventional and off the wall! I am so grateful for all the love and support I have received from my community along the way and I couldn’t have gotten to where I am today without hard work, dedication and believing in myself! I must also mention, I am extremely grateful to have the most loving, caring, and supportive partner who also helps me keep myself together with the practice of meditation. I am proud of the way myself love practices allows me to share healing with my community. Healing yourself will allow you to share more magic with others.

I have learned that in order for me to give, I need to make sure my cup is full and overflowing. I enjoy “taking a dose of my own medicine” and cooking for myself, using my herbal teas, steams, and oils really brings me great joy and health. What makes me unique is that I am not just simply cooking and sharing herbal remedies, but I am supporting the healing of the people, animals, and the earth. Vegans have a significantly smaller carbon footprint and environmental impact. We save lives by advocating for a cruelty free lifestyle even in the face of great adversity. I want my space to be inclusive for the LGBTQ+ community and I strive to be an ally to the BIPOC community as these very much intersect. I would like to participate in efforts to make plant based foods more accessible to those in need. I am grateful for my friends at Seeds To Inspire for allowing myself and my partner Salamat Vegan to join their Valentine’s Day community love event to serve nourishing plant based foods to our houseless neighbors in “Tent City” in Phoenix. I believe that addressing racism, sexism, classism, speciesism, homophobia, transphobia, etc. is a necessary part of healing on the planet that will not earn you a gold star, a cookie, or a pat on the back but will instill you and your community with a stronger sense of dignity.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I believe luck comes to those who are prepared. Meditation and prayer will align you with the highest creator who gives us all gifts and blessings. It all happens through this higher power. From there, we are able to walk into opportunities with a pure heart and good intentions.

Pricing:

• Raw Vegan Cherry Cheesecake ($20)
• Beyond Delicious Vegan Lasagna Tray ($75)
• Enchanted Alfredo Plate ($15, $17 with additional v-shrimp or v-chick’n)
• Sacred Goddess Yoni Steam ($10 single steam)
• Sex Magic Oil ($33 1 oz bottle, $66 2 oz bottle)

Contact Info:

• Email: Unicornmagicvegan@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/unicornmagicvegan/
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/unicornmagicvegan/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/unicornmagicvgn

Image Credits
@salamatvegan