From backpacking through Central America, to building a family brand from scratch in Texas, Kelly and Kody Workman of Positravelty are one of social media’s most captivating couples. Now they’re turning the page to a new, more grounded chapter with cinematic visuals and heartfelt storytelling, this husband and wife duo made a name for themselves capturing love, travel, and adventure. With a two-year old toddler and another baby due in December, they’re inviting audiences into their world of intentional parenting, creativity, and connection.
Kelly Workman is the Author of The Plate Escape Shares Her Love of Cooking with Simple Vegan and Vegetarian Dishes
Their Positravelty brand has evolved to include eBooks, custom photography tools, mobile presets, and now a popular plant-based
cookbook entitled The Plate Escape. Kelly has created warm, emotionally intelligent content that resonates with millennial parents and aspiring creatives alike. Kody, a former photographer turned content strategist, brings cinematic flair to their visuals.
Their audience spans millions across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Whether sharing pregnancy milestones, real-life parenting wins (and fails), or family-friendly vegan and vegetarian recipes, they show that digital life doesn’t have to mean filtered perfection—it can mean fun, connection, and joy.
AM: I’m hungry, so let’s first talk about The Plate Escape. I assume you and your husband, Kody, are vegan or vegetarian.
Workman: Ha, we are not. We have never been fully vegan or vegetarian. Well, I take that back. We were vegetarian, and actually more pescatarian than anything for probably a year or so, and we kept meat consumption to a minimum. We still do today. The whole purpose of the book was to show people that vegan and vegetarian dishes don’t have to be boring.
AM: Understood. Then one day you said, Kody, let’s write a recipe book for vegans and vegetarians.
Workman: It came about because for about five years, we used to be world travelers. We were traveling the globe together, but when COVID hit, that obviously put an end to our traveling the world, and we were stuck in the United States.
For a while, and for the first time, I started showing my love for cooking online. The more I shared my dishes, the more people became interested in them, and after some time, my followers suggested I write a cookbook. They said, if you write a book, we’ll buy it. I thought it sounded like a fun project. So, we decided to do it, and because I was only cooking vegan and vegetarian meals at the time, that’s how the idea started. We both enjoy that cuisine, and to reiterate, I wanted to show that these types of dishes don’t have to be boring.
AM: You did the writing, and Kody contributed the photography?
Workman: We both did the photography, but I would get him to help me with some, too.
AM: Were your recipes developed as a result of your trekking and backpacking through Central America?
Workman: Some of them were inspired by our travels, and a lot of them were just through trial and error at home. If I went to a restaurant and found a dish that I really loved, I would come home and dream about that, and I would try to recreate it with my own spin. I’m pretty good at picking out flavors and sauces, and things that are used in a particular dish. There are some Asian dishes in the book because we spent a lot of time in Southeast Asia.
AM: From your social media followers, which are TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, are you finding that more people are moving to a plant-based diet?
Workman: Not necessarily. I would say that we have interfaced with many people who are simply die-hard meat eaters, and that’s okay. But a lot of people that I’ve chatted with are at least open to the idea of it, if they’re not already following a plant-based diet. But I wouldn’t say that they’re becoming converts.
AM: Do you think people have misconceptions about being vegan or vegetarian?
Workman: Yes. I definitely do. Some of my closest friends don’t think that a vegan or vegetarian meal is actually a meal. They think it’s more like a side dish.
AM: What’s one of your favorite recipes, be it vegan or vegetarian, from the book?
Workman: I’m a big fan of malai kofta. It’s a traditional Indian dish. It is usually made with paneer, the Indian cheese, and potato, but I do mine with potato and tofu. Of course, you can use cheese. Both are delicious. It’s a really fun recipe to make. You roll them into little balls and season them with spices. It’s served with creamy gravy with tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, and ground spices. The flavors are fantastic. The texture is really good, and the spice level is great. That’s one of my personal favorites, as Indian food is among my favorite cuisines. It’s so flavorful and good. I could eat it every day.
Now that I have a daughter, she’s two, I plan on having her assist me preparation of this dish. I feel like she would enjoy helping me, and it would be fun too.
AM: What motivated you and Kody to live the life that you did in regard to travel and where you are today?
Workman: We met while traveling separately. I’m from Louisiana, and he is from Michigan. We had no idea that each other existed, but we both quit our jobs independently of each other quit our jobs. I left to do something different and bigger with my life, and he did too. It was a really scary thing to do, but I felt like I had nothing to lose. I quit my very demanding job at a local casino. I was there for 13 years. I never got weekends or holidays off. I thought, I’m going to go live my life. I’m single, and I have nothing holding me back here. I planned to travel for just three months, but then I met Kody. We wound up traveling for five years. I didn’t go back home like I was originally supposed to, and neither did he. During that period, social media entered our lives. A little over a year into our travels, we started taking photos and posting to Instagram. It just kind of snowballed and everything changed. It became something that we were doing for work.
AM: But it was fun work.
Workman: Indeed. After five amazing years, we were both getting a little exhausted from being on the road all the time. Plus, we were getting older and wanted to settle down and start a family, which is what we did. We decided to move to Houston, TX, which was also very different.
AM: Different than Michigan and Louisiana.
Workman: Absolutely. Being online and having that as part of our lifestyle has really changed our lives in a great way, especially as parents. We have so much freedom, and we’re just so grateful for that.
AM: How did Positravelty come about? Did that become part of your life when you were traveling?
Workman: When we initially started our page, we were travelling full-time and often talking about having/maintaining a positive mindset. “Positravelty” is a combination of positivity and travel, and it just felt right at the time. We have changed a lot since then, and since we travel less and mainly speak about our family, parenting, and our lifestyle, it isn’t really a name that fits us anymore. We have been trying to change it for years now, but since we have a verified account, Meta doesn’t let us change it.
AM: It’s a very unique name.
Workman: That it is.
AM: You’ve been to Asia and Central America. Where are some other areas where you went backpacking?
Workman: We’ve been to Africa several times. South America, Central America, and Europe were amazing. We have not been to Antarctica and Australia.
AM: You have to do it. Australia, as well as New Zealand are wonderful countries.
Workman: I’m certain we’ll make it there one day.
AM: This is a morning interview. What might a breakfast consist of in your home, especially having a little one?
Workman: Today, for example, I cooked something very simple and something my daughter likes. I did an egg and cheese quesadilla with spinach. I just made a scrambled egg omelet, put the cheese in, and two tortillas. A super simple dish with a side of salsa. It’s really good.
AM: It does sound good. Did you have that as well?
Workman: Yes. That was the family breakfast.
AM: What do you have to share with families who have young children, in relation to diet, or how they should be raised in terms of food? Any suggestions?
Workman: I definitely cook a lot for my daughter, probably a lot more than I would say most do. I only have one child at the moment (with one on the way), and it can be difficult if you have multiple children.
Cooking every meal is not always feasible for some, and I understand that. I feel a lot of people resort to frozen food and takeout. Now look, I’m not saying that’s all bad. But I personally like to cook for my daughter. I want her to have better food, and I enjoy doing a lot of meal prep. If people knew how to do that more, they could devote more time to it on the weekend when they’re not at work, or if they have a little bit more free time. You can just make food for the week. That way, you don’t have to resort to going to McDonald’s or having frozen chicken nuggets and macaroni. I’m not knocking so-called fast food. I understand as a parent how difficult it can be.
I still want my daughter to be a kid at the end of the day, so it’s not like I’m going to just never allow her to have those types of foods. Every now and then, that’s okay. But I like to cook for her, I like to make sure she’s getting nutritious food.
AM: Nutritious food for you and your husband as well. But that leads me to my next question. How aware are you of the MAHA movement, Make America Healthy Again, that Robert Kennedy Jr. is really pushing and talking about, because we have too many ultra-processed foods? When you talk about McDonald’s or any of those other fast food places, that really falls into that category. Any thoughts about doing away with ultra-processed foods and really eating healthy?
Workman: I think it would be great. America is definitely one of the unhealthiest countries in the world. While in Southeast Asia, the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables and things we were privy to was awesome. Their meat isn’t pumped full of steroids, and it’s just very different here. Everything is just mass-produced in America. So, change would be great. They are making inroads into removing food dyes from foods over the next few years. In other words, I feel we’re starting to take some good steps in the right direction, but we have a long way to go in comparison to other countries.
AM: While companies have committed to making formulation changes, it’s not going to happen overnight.
Workman: True, but we can do it.
AM: The U.S. is very much a bread-eating country. Bread turns into sugar in the body.
Workman: I agree. Bread is only supposed to have three or four ingredients. But look at the ingredients of a loaf of bread at the grocery store, it’s crazy. There are so many other ingredients in there. If you leave it on the shelf for two weeks, sometimes it’s not even moldy. I feel like that says a lot right there.
AM: What else do you want our readers to know about The Plate Escape?
Workman: I made many of my recipes relatively simple. I made sure to include recipes that are easier to prepare and don’t take a lot of time to cook. Nevertheless, there are a few in the book that are a little more time-consuming because of prep and cook time. The malai kofta is a perfect example. That’s definitely something that takes a little longer to prepare. My goal was to make simple dishes. Moms who are on the go don’t have a lot of time. Recipes that take 20 to 30 minutes to make are not only simpler, but they are usually healthier.
AM: Did you also look at it from a cost standpoint of being able to make dishes that don’t cost an arm and a leg?
Workman: That wasn’t something that I focused on, but I would say that the majority don’t involve crazy ingredients that you have to go hunt down at specialty stores.
AM: With the cost of food on the rise, simple, cost-effective dishes would be a benefit to any size family.
Workman: Absolutely. And food costs have certainly risen since I wrote the book.
AM: How has your book been received?
Workman: It has been received very well, and to this day, we still get tagged in stories on Instagram when people make my recipes or they share with me personally via DM to comment on recipes they really enjoy. We still sell hard copies and eBooks.
AM: Do you do live online cooking demos?
Workman: Not live, but I do post my stories on our social platforms. I’ll get my husband to film me making quick dishes, and I’ll talk about what I’m doing.
AM: In your earlier years, I am aware you were involved in fitness events, and I imagine eating healthily was a major concern.
Workman: Yes. Another reason that my love of food kind of came about was because I used to be, and this isn’t something that I did as a career, but it was more of a side thing, doing fitness competitions. I was doing competitions from the age of 20 to about 28. Overall, about seven years. It was a big part of my everyday life. I was always in the gym, and I was always eating. For sure, you wouldn’t catch me eating at McDonald’s. I just had to bring up McDonald’s again.
I was in amazing shape, and I started training on the side. I had some clients whom I would train and do meal planning for. I found that over time, I started getting really good at ingredient substitutions, because I didn’t want to eat like a typical bodybuilder. They tend to load up on brown rice, steamed broccoli, and chicken. But I loved food too much to just eat basic stuff all the time. I didn’t want to sacrifice the flavor and the cooking of the foods that I loved, so I would take a typical dish and make a few changes. For example, I like pasta. That may not be the healthiest, and I learned over time how to substitute some ingredients to make it a little healthier. Instead of using heavy creams, I would use cottage cheese and blend it, or coconut milk. That played a lot into my book. That’s something that I did for a long time, and thus I have a food background. You can take delicious recipes and, by making a couple of substitutions, instantly make them a lot healthier.
AM: In other words, you had a career beyond working in the casino.
Workman: I started at 19 until I was about 32. That was my main job, but I had those small side gigs. It was quite interesting and I had a lot of fun doing it, but I missed out on a lot during my 20s and early 30s, because I was always working.
AM: I imagine a lot of family things.
Workman: Missing holiday family celebrations was the worst. I couldn’t tell you the last time I had a Christmas or New Year’s off. Today I do, and it means more to me than it ever did, because I spent so many years in the casino. I just wanted something better.
AM: Today, you’re still in shape. Congratulations on the book, your two-year-old, and now you are expecting your second child.
Workman: Thank you so much. I’m due in December and we’re very excited.
Sheldon Baker is an InnoVision contributing editor. His freelance editorial content can also be found in several lifestyle publications, and as CEO of Baker Dillon Group LLC, he has created numerous brand marketing communications and public relations campaigns for health and wellness organizations. Contact him at Sheldon@NutraInk.com.