Purple Vegan Momma: The Intersection of Speech and Nutrition

With a Peruvian father and an Australian mother, Jasmine Collier naturally grew up with an appreciation for the magic of speech and language. She remembers hearing her parents’ love story of how they overcame their language barriers, and this tale struck a match inside young Collier. For her, it illuminated the importance of language and how it can be used to bring people together. For the last 15 years, Collier has been using her education in holistic speech pathology to do just that. 

Collier, more widely known by her stage name of Purple Vegan Momma, views the production of speech as a whole body game. “Speech is produced in the brain,” said Collier, popping open a magnetic life-sized brain. Collier uses a variety of props to help engage and educate her students. Her oversized toy mouth, complete with tongue and teeth, was unfortunately not in attendance. 

Since speech is produced in the brain, the brain needs its own tools to function at top capacity. Collier states that she has seen time and time again that when people are not fueling their brains with the nutrients it needs, the result is issues surrounding focus and emotional regulation. This is especially true for our youngest learners.

In order to assist her learners both young and old, Collier focuses on implementing techniques to establish calm in the brain. This can look like breath work, using visual aids, or explaining the science behind why our bodies do what they do. For Collier, working on calming the brain is just as important as any other aspect of traditional speech pathology, stressing that “You have to look at the whole picture”. 

A cornerstone of Collier’s mission is introducing children to foods that, in America, are not widely considered “kids foods”. With a coloring book entitled “Vegan ABCs with Bread Bunson”, wooden blocks crafted to look like organic boxes of quinoa, tofu, and chickpeas, and a children’s book following the superhero Khari the Quinoa, Collier’s mission is exemplified through fun. “I set up my table at events and kids come over and say ‘Oh I know what this is!’ and it leads to conversation.” These conversations lead to exposure which leads to a greater sense of comfort and excitement around food. Children’s play food should be just as diversified as their meals, if not more so. Having joy sparked through accessible tools that encourage play such as toys, coloring books, or stories helps kids grow their confidence to try new things.

Purple Vegan Momma begans all of her client relationships with a free phone consultation to make sure clients and Collier are a good fit. Clients discuss their concerns and needs, and Collier walks them through the pricing menu. While nutrition is a passion for Collier, she makes sure to tailor her sessions to the client’s needs. “Some people say ‘I just want to focus on the speech part, not much nutrition.’ And that’s fine. I just want people to know that that is  what I offer.” For some clients, they might only discuss what they’re eating and that is enough. Others are ready to dive into the deep end and Collier is ready to jump with them. 

Collier is well aware of the eye rolls the word “vegan” can induce. “This is not about being vegan,” she emphasizes. “This is about exposure to other options.” No matter their choices, Collier wants to make sure her clients are educated enough to have every option at their disposal in order to best improve their speech and their long term health. “If you know what the body needs to function properly, then you know what fuel you need to give it in order to be at your optimal state.”

Collier has a soft spot for her community. She grew up in Rockland, married her kindergarten sweetheart, and is now raising her children to be proud Rocklanders themselves. In the future, she plans to continue growing her private practice and keep working to support people from ages two to 92. Her ability to fluently speak both Spanish and English allows her to reach even more of the community. Follow along at @purpleveganmomma or reach out to purpleveganmomma@gmail.com.