Nancy Illman is a Wellness Ambassador at Jewish Vegan Life, and a certified plant-based health coach, muralist, violinist, and energy healer whose life’s work centers on joy, compassion, and holistic well-being. A former attorney, Nancy blends intellect and artistry in all she does — from law and literature to healing and creative expression.

Her journey toward a plant-based lifestyle began as a child on Long Island after a formative visit to the local game farm. Years later, faced with a diagnosis of arthritis, Nancy’s decision to give up dairy and eggs reversed her symptoms and deepened her commitment to a plant-based life rooted in healing, empathy, and sustainability.

She began her studies at Harvard college at age 16, where she played violin in a number of campus orchestras and earned an honors degree in English and American Language and Literature. After college, while working in an international marketing job that sent her to Moscow with machzors and other material for Soviet Refuseniks, Nancy enrolled in law school to help poor Americans exercise the civil rights that Soviets had only ever dreamed of having.

Seventeen years after earning her first certification in plant-based nutrition, she became a certified Whole Food Plant-Based Health Coach, empowering others to discover the joy and vitality that come from compassionate living. Nancy’s memoir, Instigator of Joy: Becoming My Own Fairy Godmother, reflects her lifelong pursuit of personal transformation and her belief that joy, empathy, and mindful living are powerful tools for both personal and planetary healing.

Nancy has taught violin, yoga, art, aromatherapy, and plant-based nutrition, and has led self-care wellness retreats that integrate creativity, spirituality, and compassionate living. She has also taught Sunday school in Ohio and Maryland, sharing her belief that Jewish values of stewardship, compassion, and joy are inseparable from the choices we make about food and how we treat all living beings.

Nancy lives in Takoma Park, Maryland, with her husband, Paul Newman, their rescue dog, Sugar Pie, and rescue cat, Hercules. Often mistaken for a fairy godmother, she brings humor, heart, and handstands to everything she does, inspiring others to find joy, health, and purpose in living a Jewish vegan life.