Vedge Your Best, Vegan Ideas for Everyone At Any Age

This week on Vedge Your Best podcast, we revisit the Save Our Bacon Act and the 2026 US Farm Bill, and ask what backlash against veganism, animal welfare, and plant-based change actually mean?  There’s still time to communicate with the Senate here. It can feel discouraging when vegan, plant-based, and animal advocates are trolled online or dismissed as extreme. But what if some of that backlash i...

The 2026 House Farm Bill — a $1.4 trillion piece of legislation — contains a provision called the Save Our Bacon Act that would wipe out every state-level animal welfare standard for farm products in the United States, current and future. It passed the House 224–200 and is now heading to the Senate for debate in July. This episode explains what's at stake, who it affects, and exactly how to ma...

What if the reason you're struggling with your plant-based choices has less to do with willpower — and more to do with the food culture surrounding you? In this episode, I got completely hooked by a New York Times piece about financial habits — and couldn't stop thinking about how perfectly it applies to the way we eat. The article, by Paulette Perhach, makes the case that every friend gro...

This episode drops on my 67th birthday.  One thing I really wish I'd understood earlier? Waiting isn't the safe choice. It just sends the bill to your future self. We tend to think that waiting is the less costly option. That the right time is out there, and when it arrives, the awkwardness will be gone, the support will be in place, and the path will be clear. But that perfect moment does...

“Oh Vegan?  Must be nice…." Some people hear words like "change” or “goal” and feel intrigued. Others feel offended.  As if YOUR growth is a comment on who THEY are. In this episode, we talk about why that happens, what those people are actually protecting, and how understanding it can give you more insight and compassionate for them AND yourself. We also talk directly to the RE-starters...

You’re more consistent than you think, because  not  practicing is also a practice. In this milestone 300th episode of  Vedge Your Best , Michele reflects on what it really means to show up week after week. This episode explores the stories we tell ourselves about discipline, follow-through, and identity and how those stories can become self-protective. If we say, “I’m just not wired that way,” we...

What if the episode  before  the milestone is actually the point? This week on  Vedge Your Best , Michele reflects on the strange pressure of recording Episode 299 — the one right before 300 consecutive weekly episodes. Instead of treating it as a drumroll for the “big” episode, she uses it as a chance to talk about overthinking, milestones, and the stories we attach to numbers, birthdays, anniver...

Ever noticed yourself holding your breath while checking your email? Or reading the news? Or seeing a text notification flash on your phone? This week on  Vedge Your Best , Annette and Graham Henry, AKA the Vegan Breathing Coaches join the pod. Berlin-based Brits Annette and Graham are vegan. They are breathing coaches. And they are talking to us about something most of us assume we already know h...

What if the way vegans show up in movies, TV, and books is shaping how we’re treated in real life? This week, Michele introduces  The Olender Test  — a simple idea inspired by the Bechdel Test — to explore how vegan characters are portrayed in popular culture. From fruitarians played for laughs to vegan characters reduced to punchlines, Michele walks through a few familiar examples — and highlight...

Would you ever give a vegan restaurant a “bad” review?  In this solo episode, we talk uncomfortable conversations and whether we sometimes grade vegan businesses on “a curve.” Of course we want to support vegan businesses at home and on the road.  AND we also want to give honest information and useful feedback. As someone who is much more comfortable encouraging and amplifying than criticizing, I...

This week on  Vedge Your Best , Erin Stanczyk of EatMoveRest.com shares the health struggles that pushed her to question the standard American diet and eventually build an entirely different life around food, movement, and rest.  Symptoms like anxiety, brain fog, sluggish digestion, irregular cycles, and high cholesterol in her twenties led Erin to search for answers beyond quick fixes, which led...

Factory farming is an animal issue, but it is also a story about debt, lost autonomy, pollution, and the pressure many farm families face when powerful companies control the terms. This week, Megan Hunter, Senior Program Specialist for Transfarmation joins the pod to talk about what happens when farmers want out — and what it can look like to build something different in its place. Megan explains...

What if the thing that helps you stay vegan isn’t more willpower, more discipline, or a more perfect plan? This week we talk about resilience — not as a trait you either have or don’t, but as something you build. Just like a muscle. After a stretch of medical challenges left me feeling deconditioned and frustrated, I found myself back with much lighter weights than I used to lift. And that experie...

What if veganism is not as complicated as people think? This week  Joanne Kong , co-author of  Vegan Made Easy: A Practical Guide to Plant-Based Living , visits to discuss what makes veganism more approachable and practical, Joanne explains why she and her co-author,  Dr. Camila Perussello , wanted to create a book that readers could flip through easily for answers, encouragement, and clear next s...

What if the story making you feel stuck isn't wrong — it's just incomplete? War, inflation, outrage and doomscrolling.  This week Michele shares one of her favorite coaching tools — a single question that interrupts that tunnel vision and opens up what you couldn't see before.  In this episode: Why rumination narrows attention — and what the science says about breaking that loop How un...

What does an undiagnosed neurological disorder and the hidden cruelties of American factory farming have in common?  More than you'd think. Gail Eisnitz spent most of her life unable to get answers about a visual processing condition that doctors dismissed, denied, and couldn't explain — leaving her to quietly wonder if she was imagining her own experience. That challenge turned out to par...

What is plant-based in “real life?" This week Nancy Albertson—Michele’s long-time Virtual Assistant and behind-the-scenes right hand since the beginning—talks about her vegan practice, the health changes, and why she believes “plant-based people are hiding in their homes.” You’ll hear about everyday choices, the social hurdles, and the kind of community support that helps people stick with it...

Does saying “I’m vegan” feel uncomfortable? Does “plant based” feel empty? This episode breaks down why that reaction is so common—and how a few behavioral science concepts can help you stay regulated in social situations, and keep moving forward without needing to be “audit-ready.” In this episode, you’ll learn: Why “vegan” can feel like an  identity label  with social consequences (not just a fo...

Vegan fitness coach Karina Inkster (aka Coach K ) joins Michele to talk about strength training for healthy aging , vegan protein needs , and how to build a fitness routine that stays consistent in real life—especially in midlife and beyond. Karina shares her practical Health Hierarchy Pyramid for health and body composition, why so many of us get stuck in overwhelm, what “effective” strength trai...

How you go vegan is how you do EVERYTHING. This week we talk multi-tasking vs. single-tasking—and why trying to “do it all” seems so positive, but it’s one of the sneakiest ways your plant-based momentum gets stalled. You’ll learn how to close the mental tabs, choose the next right thing, and build a practice that fits inside a real life. Because you don’t need more discipline. IN THIS EPISODE, WE...

Ever hear yourself think, “Who cares?” or “What difference does it make?” —especially when the world feels heavy and the news feels relentless? In this solo episode, Michele takes on the two-word excuse that can quietly sabotage your vegan (or plant-based) intentions—and honestly, your intentions in every other part of life too. “Who cares?” Answer for yourself. This episode also makes space for “...

Guest: Athena Kugblenu — comedian, author, commentator, and former Papercuts podcast regular Athena Kugblenu is a UK-based comedian and writer known for her sharp cultural commentary and her ability to use humor to explore power, media narratives, and social change. In this episode, Athena joins me for a serious AND funny conversation about how veganism is being covered in the news — and what gets...

Hey kids — it’s Michele. This episode starts with a tiny restaurant moment (lemon… table… shade) that turned into a  big  coaching insight.  If you pride yourself on being “easy” and low-maintenance, you might also be practicing a lifelong habit of not asking for what you need. And here’s the twist:  plant-based consistency in the real world isn’t mostly about food. It’s about asking.  Asking ques...

In this episode, Michele explores a powerful but often overlooked distinction that can make or break any meaningful change: strategy vs. tactics . Inspired by a coaching conversation with a client struggling through Veganuary, this episode unpacks why caring deeply—and even making a strong values-based decision—is often not enough to create consistent follow-through. Whether your goal is moving in...

What happens when you get sick—and you don’t eat animals? In this uncharacteristically candid solo episode, Michele shares a personal rant sparked by a winter virus, a year full of medical appointments, and the familiar (and frustrating) question many plant-based and vegan people hear when something goes wrong: “Are you sure veganism is working for you?” Drawing from her own experience  all while...