Through this series, our aim is to share the stories and work of those who inspire us most here at Loisa - those who bring their own pure flavor to this world and elevate our lives by doing so. 

A little bit about Talisha Liburd
Talisha Liburd is a Dominican Afro-Latina who takes pride in her roots and where her family came from. Talisha is also known as a social media content creator who focuses on sharing positivity through Health, Beauty, and Fashion. Talisha isn't just your ordinary content creator though, she somehow finds a way to add a hint of comedy to her work which allows many to see her for who she really is. Aside from being a creative, she leads a plant-based lifestyle that has made her fall in love with cooking and sharing the unique ways she's able to make her favorite dishes, but of course plant-based style. 

What's inspiring you most these days?
What's inspiring me most these days is staying consistent with working out and seeing my hard work paying off. It's teaching me discipline in many other areas in my life. At the same time, it has taught me that leading a healthy lifestyle isn't about beating yourself up on what you ate or for missing a day of workout, or about being perfect on everything through your health journey. When I'm not being so hard on myself it inspires me to keep going, to let go of perfectionism, to leave room for mistakes in order for me to continue learning because that allows me to be more patient and compassionate each day no matter what decision I've made for myself. 

What do you love about what you do?
What I love most about what I do, is the creating part of filming my own content or being in photoshoots. I always have so much fun creating, I end up with bloopers, I then share them in hopes to uplift someones spirit but to also show the transparency on what really happens when you're creating content. Everything I do is with purpose, which is to share positivity and inspire people to live in their truths.

What is a meaningful tradition in your life that revolves around food?
The meaningful tradition in my life is to always get together with family during the holidays and eat the traditional Dominican dinner made collectively by my mom, grandma and aunts. My favorite traditional foods I get to eat during the holidays are moro de gandules, ensalada de papa and plátano maduros. The best part of it all, is that there's always leftovers, so you end up with holiday food for up to 3 days.

What's a flavor or dish that transports you to a certain place, no matter where you have it?
Mangú is a dish that transports me to the Dominican Republic no matter where I have it, especially with avocado on the side. Mangú is just such a hearty breakfast meal with amazing flavor to it. A fun fact I learned about mangú is that is best to eat on days you've worked on your legs and glutes because it helps with building muscle.

What are you excited to cook up next?
I'm excited to try and make "chicken" out of jackfruit. My good friend Ana who is also Dominican and leads an Alkaline lifestyle. She was in town last week and she made some tacos for me and taught me how she makes her jackfruit taste like chicken. This time around I'd like to pair my "chicken" with some brown rice, black beans, maduro and a small salad on the side.

Find and follow Talisha Liburd on Instagram on her main account at @WordToLiburd and her plant-based account for more recipes at @KeepnItVegan!