My Story

AMERICAN BY BIRTH • JAMAICAN AND INDIAN BY BLOOD • NIGERIAN BY BAE

Hey y’all hey! I’m Ashley Renne and welcome to my little corner of the Interwebs! I’m a Black American and South Asian environmental & animal advocate, author, and vegan mom who pivoted from my travel influencer career in 2019 to reduce my carbon footprint and educate my community about sustainable, vegan living. As an advocate for people of color, the planet and animals, I share daily vegan lifestyle inspiration for families, plant-based menu ideas for kids, and sustainability tips. I don’t blog on here anymore, but you can keep up with my work on social media and pre-order my new book: The Vegan Baby Cookbook & Guide!

My story:

While studying abroad in Egypt over 10 years ago, I fell in love with the thrilling feeling of being in another country and experiencing a culture completely different from my own. After graduating, I continued to travel, while also gaining video production experience, landing producer and editor positions with major brands like The Weather Channel, The Home Depot, and WebMD. Eventually, it dawned on me that I could use these content production skills to share different perspectives of the world as seen through my own lens. I started blogging and vlogging about sustainable travel, smart technology, and my vegan lifestyle – and then in 2017, I left corporate to do my own thing.

Since becoming a full-time content creator, I’ve completely rebranded from a travel blog named “Travel Lushes” to my self-titled personal brand Hey Ashley Renne. I left my “glamorous” travel influencer career in 2019 to reduce my carbon footprint and instead educate people about sustainable, vegan living.

In 2021, I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Beyond and began sharing my life as a vegan mom on social media. My content resonated with people from all walks of life, including families, vegans, and even non-vegans who just found the idea of raising a vegan kid fascinating! After many requests, I authored The Vegan Baby Cookbook and Guide, which is scheduled to publish in fall 2023 – and I’m very proud of it!

I’m also a board member of Climate Power and have been invited by The White House in 2022 and 2023 to attend climate events and meet the US President and Vice President. I’ve appeared on CNN, Good Morning America, and my work has been highlighted in numerous magazines and online publications. My brand, Hey Ashley Renne, has evolved into a space that inspires my community to bridge individual action with systemic change to help end animal exploitation, protect the environment, and make plant-based nutrition education accessible for parents and children in schools – especially in communities of color disproportionately impacted by climate change and health problems.

I currently live in Atlanta, GA with my husband Karl, toddler Beyond, and pup Kayden (an adorable 11-year old husky).

Random Facts:

    1. My husband is Nigerian American and we met on Match.com! 
    2. It took us 10 months to build our smart home.
    3. Not a day goes by without one of us dishing out an inappropriate “That’s What She Said” or “Deez Nuts” joke.
    4. I’m half Black (African American & Jamaican), half South Asian (Indian). A Blindian! Or Jamindian?
    5. One of my biggest dreams is to own a vegan farm and animal sanctuary.