Our Origin Story: The Power of a Whisper in a Selectively Heard World | The Honest Whisper Mission

Since its founding in 2016, The Honest Whisper has served as a platform for unheard voices. This feature outlines our mission, the origins of our Dandi Lion symbol, and our roadmap for a more compassionate future. It is a deeply personal and honest representation of what made The Honest Whisper what it is today and what truly motivated & created this origin story.

For a long time, I felt like a whisper trying to be heard in a room full of shouting. When I started The Honest Whisper in 2016, I was navigating some heavy personal chapters—family shifts and some pretty draining relationships—that left me feeling unheard. This was something I created on my own, and I didn’t know what my plan was or its true significance in my life.

I’m in a much better place now, but this “origin story” matters because it’s why I started & continued this platform for The Honest Whisper. What started as a way to reclaim my voice has evolved into a deep dive into website development, animal advocacy, and a mission for intersectional veganism.

Most blogs begin as a hobby; mine began as an act of resistance. It was born out of the necessity to be heard when the people around me wanted me unheard.

The Build: From Troubleshooting to Effortless Blogging

I was 23 years old (going on 24) when I founded The Honest Whisper in 2016, I was working around the clock to remain independent while diving into animal rights advocacy in Toronto. Building this site involved a steep learning curve. I spent years troubleshooting website development issues, mastering SEO, and hardening security to ensure a professional experience. It wasn’t always a smooth climb; there was a period of about a year where I didn’t touch the site at all and nearly closed it.

However, I pushed through the “ups and downs.” Today, I have a solid foundation in maintaining this platform, and blogging feels almost effortless. I’ve traded the frustration of broken code for the confidence of a solid foundation, and the community I’ve met through this journey has been the ultimate reward.

I was silenced, I was not heard. I changed this.

The Timeline: The Honest Whisper Blog Origin & Evolution

To give you a glimpse into the timeline of this unplanned project, here are the milestones that shaped us:

• August 28, 2016: My very first article was published on The Honest Whisper.
• The “Dandi Lion” Era: Shortly after launching, I taught myself Photoshop to create my own logo. I wanted something that represented resilience (the dandelion) and the courage to protect (the lion).
• Late 2017: I made a massive life change—moving from my small hometown to Toronto. I was tired of feeling stagnant and wanted to be where the heart of the movement was. I secured a job, packed my bags, and dove headfirst into Toronto’s animal rights activism scene (you can check out my Toronto Animal Rights Guide here).
• January 2, 2018: The Honest Whisper went social with our first Instagram post, connecting with a global community.
• 2019 – 2024: Years of technical growth, troubleshooting security, and a one-year hiatus where I nearly closed the site.
• 2023: Changing domains. Originally, The Honest Whisper was always a .com domain for many years; however, I decided to change to .ca (to better represent The Honest Whispers Canadian origin). I said goodbye to .com for many months, but eventually couldn’t resist buying it back after some time. This has enabled me to hold onto the blog’s roots and redirect .com visits to our new home .ca.
• 2024: Features were added to our blog categories of individuals and organizations with whom we share the same mission and values.
• 2025: The “Great Organization.” I categorized years and years of random posts into the current pillars (which you will read about later in this article) and created cornerstone articles for my categories. This organization defined intersectional veganism and the mental health content structure for this site. Ultimately, improving user experience, SEO, and satisfying my obsession with organization.
• 2026: Reviews were added to our blog categories for products, books, and various everyday items that we love.
• Today: Maintaining The Honest Whisper is now a confident, effortless process that I enjoy doing. I expand my knowledge & experience almost daily now. I think I will always carry a shyness with me about sharing this creation with others, but that’s just my personality, which I have accepted. I hope this blog finds others unexpectedly on their own terms. I’m excited to see what the future holds for this blog.

This timeline offers a snapshot of The Honest Whisper’s blog evolution, highlighting the key milestones that define our origin story. While it doesn’t capture every moment, it honors the foundational events that shaped its blog & creation. Beyond these dates, the heart of this site has been built by community volunteers, non-profit collaborations, and features in various publications—stories of which are woven throughout our website & social media for you to discover as you explore.

Facing the Noise: Bullying and Growth

I’ll be honest: the first few years were tough. When you put yourself out there, people tend to project. I faced my fair share of bullying and criticism—people who thought I had “too big an ego” or that I wasn’t “important enough” to have a platform.

Unfortunately, that’s a normal part of the digital world, but it taught me a vital lesson: The Power of a Whisper isn’t about how loud you are; it’s about the truth behind your words. Those criticisms eventually became either background noise as I focused on my real goal: animal advocacy and human growth, or motivation for me to work harder at what I was doing because I knew it was important to me and needed.

I knew what it felt like to be a “whisper” that no one wanted to hear.

The Dandi Lion: Resilience in Action

The logo I designed back in those early Photoshop days still stands today as the heart of this site. You will see the Dandi Lion logo throughout this site and on the merchandise. I designed this symbol to represent the heart of The Honest Whisper. It combines two distinct forces:

• The Dandelion: A symbol of growth, change, and the ability to thrive in harsh conditions. Much like the personal development we discuss here, dandelions are resilient; they can grow through the cracks in the pavement, turning something forgotten into something beautiful.
• The Lion: Represents the courage and protective instincts required to speak up for the vulnerable. On a personal level, this strength was fueled by the inspiration of my cat at the time. During my most isolated years, I realized I could always rely on animals to be a true friend when humans were not. My cat was my anchor; the “Lion” in the logo is a tribute to that unwavering companionship and the fierce protection we owe to those who stand by us in the silence.

In essence, the Dandi Lion reminds us that while we may start small, there is immense strength in our roots. We have the capacity to grow, to stand our ground, and to prove the power of a whisper to protect the rights of all living beings. From there, the blog’s motto blossomed: Nobody is silent. Many are not heard. Change this.

But as I found my footing, I realized that “I” was just the beginning.

The Blogs: Organizing & Cornerstone Content Creation

To help you navigate your own journey of evolution, I have organized our most vital resources into two core pillars. These are the cornerstones of everything we discuss here at The Honest Whisper.

When I first started blogging in 2016, I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t know what I was doing. I didn’t have a content strategy or an SEO plan; I just wrote from my heart because I had to get the words out. It wasn’t until much later—as recently as 2025—that I finally sat down to organize years of “wild writing” into proper categories.

It was incredibly difficult to “box in” my thoughts at first, as they felt so unorganized and random. However, creating cornerstone articles for each category allowed me to finally see the bigger picture of where I was going with all this writing. While I initially did it for SEO, it became a beneficial exercise in clarity. My journey began in 2012 when I transitioned to a vegan lifestyle, and with a background in biotechnology and a heart for activism, I’ve finally bridged the gap between art, science, and social justice. Everything makes sense now.

Pillar I: Human Growth & Development

True activism starts with a resilient spirit. My Beginner’s Guide for Human Growth and Development is designed to help you deconstruct old patterns and build a life of purpose. True activism starts with a resilient spirit. I’ve moved past the “survival mode” of my early 20s, and these guides reflect the tools I used to get here:

• Relationship with Yourself: Learn the art of How to Build a Healthy Relationship with Yourself, the most important connection you will ever foster.
• Relationship with Others: Discover how to navigate life with empathy through How to Build Healthy Relationships with Others.
• Relationship with Society: Understand your place in the collective by How to Build Healthy Relationships with Society.

Pillar II: The Vegan Lifestyle

Veganism is a commitment to non-violence and sustainability. My Beginner’s Guide to a Vegan Lifestyle provides the roadmap for an ethical transition that lasts. Since 2012, veganism has been my anchor. Whether you are here for the animals, the planet, or your own health, these guides provide a roadmap for an ethical transition that lasts.

• Vegan for the Animals: Explore why we stand for the vulnerable in our Guide to Going Vegan For the Animals.
• Vegan For the Environment: Protect our shared home through the Guide to Going Vegan For the Environment.
• Vegan for Your Health: Fuel your body with intention using our Guide to Going Vegan For Your Health.
• Vegan for Other Reasons: Find your unique motivation in our Guide to Going Vegan for Other Reasons.

I chose the animals, and in doing so, I chose myself.

Non-Profit Shop & Support: Activism in Action

This site will always be a blog at its heart, but I couldn’t resist turning it into a tool for tangible change. I wanted to utilize this platform for more than just words, so I expanded into non-profit storefronts through community collaboration. We don’t ask for direct donations. Instead, we’ve created a way for you to fund animal rights through your wardrobe. By choosing our vegan designs or upcycled pieces, you’re making a direct contribution, as every cent of our profit is donated to animal liberation efforts.

The Honest Whisper is also a community of action. Two of our most recent website additions are our article features and reviews. Through our Features, we highlight individuals and brands like No. 49 Handbags and Voes & Co., who are redefining ethical fashion. We also shine a spotlight on specific products, books, and various everyday items that we love in our Reviews. We love to help amplify their voice & their mission through our writing to show our support.

Whether you are here to read, to shop ethically, or to find your own ‘Honest Whisper,’ I am honored to have you here. Let’s create a compassionate future where we never underestimate the power of a whisper.

Nobody is silent. Many are not heard. Change this.

– Laura Warner