vegan figure competitor dani taylor
Dani Taylor
Head Coach, Vegan Figure Competitor and Champion.

Co-founder of VeganProteins and PlantBuilt

Dani Taylor is a vegan figure competitor and champion, the co-founder of VeganProteins.com and also co-founder of PlantBuilt.com.  As the head coach at VeganProteins, Dani pioneered our training and nutrition approaches and has taught each Vegan Proteins Coach thoroughly.

Dani grew up in a very unhealthy & chaotic environment, eating a diet made of predominantly processed foods and not much else.  She was obese by 16 years old.  After going vegan at age 16, she began to take her health into her own hands.  She found strength training and began to learn more about proper nutrition and never went back.  Over the next few years, Dani lost 90 pounds and gained a whole new life!

After being shot down by many coaches for her vegan lifestyle, she has never let the naysayers stand in her way (or anyone else’s) when it comes to achieving fitness goals as a vegan. Helping people become more confident in themselves via exercise and a healthy diet and mindset is what motivates her on a daily basis. She believes in honoring your body by treating it well and listening to it, while simultaneously challenging it and never becoming stagnant.

She especially enjoys working with women who have always been too nervous to lift weights, and loves seeing the confidence that clients see when they realize their own strength for the first time! She also enjoys teaching women that food is not something to be afraid of, but rather a gift we give our bodies to fuel it all the way through life.

She also specializes in vegan competition prep using evidence-based approaches and many years of personal coaching experience to help people achieve a shredded look to be competitive on stage in natural bodybuilding competitions.

Dani is a Certified Personal Trainer with the NASM, AFAA, Certified in Plant-Based Nutrition with Cornell University and the T. Colin Campbell Foundation, and is Precision Nutrition Certified.

Giacomo Marchese

Coach, Physique Champion, USAPL Powerlifter.

Co-founder of Vegan Proteins and PlantBuilt

Giacomo is the co-founder of VeganProteins.com and also co-founded PlantBuilt.com, a non-profit organization of strength-based vegan athletes who compete together to raise awareness for veganism and money for rescued animals at farm sanctuaries. As an assistant coach, Giacomo works in daily communications with coaching clients. Giacomo also uses his unique strengths to make sure the client is getting the best programming and guidance they can from the VeganProteins team. Giacomo has been vegan for over 18 years and involved with fitness for over 23 years in many different arenas and specializes in coaching others and actively competes in bodybuilding and powerlifting specifically. Giacomo uses strength-based sports & traveling to various Vegan Festivals across the country to raise awareness for animal rights and welfare.

Giacomo has coached clients at NYSC, Bally’s Sport Club, and LA Fitness. Currently, he coaches clients online for VeganProteins and holds a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from Cornell University.


Athena Trombly
Vegan Coach, Psychology major, NASM, brain tumor survivor.

Athena Trombly is an inspiring vegan coach and an amazing human being. Her goal as a coach is to make the process of reaching your goal enjoyable and meaningful. After years of inner work, she’s reached many of her fitness goals, while also finding comfort in her body. Finding comfort in your body does not mean you have let go of having goals. Rather, it means you’re able to accept yourself as you are while striving for goals that are fulfilling to you – not society.

She wants to help people cultivate self-acceptance while also striving for their full potential. No more starving, no more cookie cutter workouts, no more self-doubt, no more feeling not good enough. Let’s kick low-esteem in the ass and reach your goals together!

NASM certified, and more importantly, Dani certified (she passed our very rigorous internship)   you’re in great hands with Athena!

Athena is a psychology major, NASM certified, Vegan Proteins certified, a practicing Buddhist, and a brain tumor survivor. Quite the impressive human. And a great coach.


Alice Robeson
Vegan Bodybuilding Coach, NASM CPT, NASM Physique & Bodybuilding Certified, PN Certified.

Alice is a vegan bikini competitor and Vegan Proteins coach. 100% vegan muscle and a true Vegan Proteins creation—her entire bodybuilding journey has been with us. She started in one of our fat loss challenges—and won!  After finding immeasurable joy in the vegan fitness community, she knew this was what she was meant to do with her life.

Vegan since 2018, her goal is to make a BIG difference in the vegan movement every day, starting here with you. She believes in the transformative power of fitness using an evidence-based, holistic, and personalized approach. “We get ONE body in this lifetime, and we must honor it to safely and sanely reach our goals.” She specializes in physique and bodybuilding and she ACED Vegan Proteins’ rigorous internship with flying colors.

An English major and passionate about study and ongoing education, here are her certifications so far:
• NASM physique and bodybuilding coach
• NASM certified personal trainer
• Precision Nutrition certified nutrition coach
• Online coaching specialization

We love our community!

We take pride in building up this vegan community that has been so good to us over the last decade or so! As a way to give back, we have made a facebook community called Muscles by Brussels Radio (named after our podcast!).  In the group, you can ask questions, make suggestions for content you want to hear or see, and meet other like minded new and seasoned vegans who are looking to take their fitness to the next level.  Please come join us and be a part of the conversation!