Vedge Your Best, Vegan Ideas for Everyone At Any Age

It’s January. We’re past Quitter’s Day. And if you’ve ever quietly stopped believing that change is possible—for your health, your habits, or your vegan practice—this episode is for you. In this re-introduction to  Vedge Your Best , Michele shares why most New Year’s resolutions fall apart  not  because people are lazy or unmotivated, but because they’re using the wrong mindset for change. This ep...

What if a life-threatening health crisis wasn’t just a tragedy — but an opportunity? In this episode of Vedge Your Best, Michele talks with Sherry Shrallow, author of Staying ALive , plant-based educator, and longtime advocate for using food as a tool for prevention, healing, and service. At 56, Sherry was an active, fit woman eating what she believed was a heart-healthy diet when she suffered a s...

As 2025 comes to a close, Michele reflects on the patterns, lessons, and insights that showed up again and again this year—in her own life, on the Vedge Your Best podcast, and in her work with clients. This episode isn’t about resolutions or reinvention. It’s about continuation. Drawing on behavioral science, psychology, and lived experience, Michele shares seven themes that shaped 2025 and offers...

Ever wake up with the best intentions — to eat plant-based, stay consistent, finish what matters — only to feel everything unravel by late afternoon? You’re not broken. You’re human. In this episode, Michele breaks down why so many good intentions collapse by the end of the day, especially when you’re trying to move in a vegan or plant-based direction. Using simple brain science, behavioral econom...

If you’ve ever wondered why you don’t follow through on things you truly want — going vegan, strengthening your body, decluttering your home, writing your book, or simply showing up as the version of yourself you keep imagining — today’s episode is for you.. Michele breaks down one of the most overlooked truths about personal growth: The hardest part of change isn’t doing the thing. The hardest pa...

Plant‑Powered Flavor Architect — Elevating Restaurants, Kitchens & Your Next Bite  Aaward-winning plant-based chef Ed Harris joins Michele to share his journey from omni-chef to global plant-based innovator. Chef Ed breaks down the art of building flavor, why cutting and charring vegetables changes everything, and how simple techniques can transform everyday vegan cooking into unforgettable me...

Your plant-based practice isn’t limited by your motivation, your recipes, or your compassion — it’s limited by its weakest link. In this episode, Michele explores the Theory of Constraints and how a single bottleneck can shape your vegan practice, your daily choices, and even your confidence. Using a classic car-factory example, Michele breaks down how systems stall when one step is overloaded — a...

It’s Thanksgiving week in the U.S.—maybe you’re driving to a family gathering, getting in a pre-pie walk, or just bracing yourself for the conversations ahead. Wherever you are, Michele invites you to pause and notice: are you a vegan voyeur ? Someone who loves the idea of plant-based living, follows all the vegan doctors, and streams every documentary—but hasn’t quite stepped fully into the pract...

If facts were enough, everyone would already be vegan, right? We think the facts are on OUR side — but no one’s listening — what then? This week, Michele explores why information alone so often fails to change hearts or habits, and what behavioral science says to do instead.  Drawing on the research of cognitive neuroscientist Gleb Tsipursky, whose EGRIP framework (Emotions, Goals, Rapport, Inform...

Are you waiting to “start fresh” after Halloween? After Thanksgiving? After the holidays? So many of us tell ourselves we’ll  get back on track  when things calm down — but what if waiting is just another diet culture trick keeping us from living the life we want right now? In this episode, Michele explores how the mindset of  “I’ll start when…”  has its roots in commercial diet culture — and how...

Guest:  Angela Yvonne — journalist and creator of  Vegan Pop Eats Theme:  Turning plant-forward living into culture, not homework What you’ll hear: Angela shares how she moved from Veganuary to everyday vegan living and why she thinks  veganism needs a new PR person.  We unpack her simple “ 3 M’s ”  (Meatless Monday, Meatless Meals, Meatless Month), budget-savvy eating, and how your neighborhood’s...

Description: In this solo episode, Michele invites you to look ahead to the final nine weeks of 2025 — and beyond — through the lens of “The Vision Thing.” Michele explores how vision keeps us growing when life feels settled or stuck. Drawing inspiration from author Tracy Goss, Michele shows how we can stop letting the past dictate what’s possible next — especially when it comes to living more int...

Description: Vegan health coach and Healthification host Kate Galli joins Michele to talk about trading outrage for effectiveness—and the practical mindset and protein strategies that keep a plant-strong life doable in midlife. Kate shares her memorable 5-S Protein Strategy, why muscle is metabolism, and the simple mindset shift that neutralizes overwhelm: only focus on what you can control. She o...

Ever felt so overwhelmed that when someone asks what’s wrong, the only answer that comes out is  “everything?" In this episode, Michele introduces a simple but powerful tool inspired by the classic game  Mad Libs  and adapted from education: a “fill-in-the-blank scaffold” that helps transform vague frustration into clear, actionable steps. When we’re vague, we stay stuck. Specificity can feel...

Is moderation your strategy—or your excuse? In this episode of  Vedge Your Best , Michele unpacks the sneaky ways “moderation” shows up in our lives—not as a well-thought-out plan, but as a default response when we don’t want to commit. You’ll learn: Why moderation isn’t a value—it’s a strategy. How default moderation leads to decision fatigue and moral licensing. The difference between spontaneou...

Is moderation really the key to fabulous health? According to plant-based nutritionist and author  Terri Chrisman , board certified through the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the answer is a resounding  no . In this candid and passionate conversation, Terri shares why moderation has failed us in the age of ultra-processed foods, and how shifting to a purposeful whole food plant-based life...

Episode 264 – "Vegan Voices in Your Head: Internal Family Systems and the Plant-Based Practice" Ever feel like there’s a whole committee in your head when it comes to staying consistent with your vegan or plant-based choices? One part of you is passionate about animals and the planet. Another part just wants to fit in at the family dinner table. And yet another whispers that travel would...

I’m packing me battered Rimowa suitcase for a trip to Liverpool, Belfast, and Dundalk, Ireland. No matter how organized we are while traveling, there’s so much we can’t control—flights, weather, menus, other people. But the Stoics, have plenty to say about what we can control on a vegan journey of any kind: our choices, our mindset, and our integrity. In this episode of Vedge Your Best , I revisit...

Vegan travel without compromise.  Kim Giovacco, of Veg Jaunts & Journeys, talks about building a vegan travel community, 52 tours around the world, and why 60% of her travelers keep coming back. Traveling as a vegan doesn’t have to mean settling for side salads or stressing over where to eat. My guest this week, Kim Giovacco , founder of Veg Jaunts & Journeys , has been changing the way ve...

September feels like a fresh start.  New notebooks, crisp air, sweater weather. The perfect time to go "Back to Vegan.” Whether you’re brand new to plant-based living, returning after a flexible summer or a long-time vegan looking for fresh inspiration, this episode will help you reset across food, fashion, cosmetics, health, and even fun. In This Episode Why September is a great time to re-e...

What if the most meaningful, exciting, and vibrant years of your life require you to be bad at things—on purpose? In this episode, Michele explores why midlife and beyond might be the perfect time to stop chasing mastery and start embracing messy, awkward beginnings. If you’ve been stuck in “I should already know this,” or “I’m too old to try that,” Michele makes the case for becoming a beginner a...

What if "not enough" action is actually the most powerful thing you can do? In this episode, Michele reflects on the overwhelm and discouragement that can come with new habits—especially in our 24 hour, performative culture. Drawing inspiration from her 30-day Substack challenge ( How You Go Vegan Is How You Do Everything ) and psychotherapist Britt Frank’s work on the intention-action g...

You wake up with the best intentions. Today’s the day. You’re going to eat fully plant-based, limit animal products, skip the leather belt or bag, and speak your truth. But by dinner? Things may have unraveled. Again. If that sounds familiar, you’re not broken. You’re human. In this episode of Vedge Your Best , we explore the gap between good intentions and actual change—and why it’s not about wil...

What if the way you go vegan is the way you do  everything  else in life? This week, we go behind-the-scenes with Michele Olender writing the first draft of a book in 30 days using the very same coaching method she’s used to help hundreds of people start, restart, or re-energize their vegan and plant-based practices—especially in midlife and beyond. This isn’t just about writing a book. It’s about...

What happens when “gratitude” starts to feel like guilt? When “aging gracefully” sounds more like “don’t complain?”  This week, Michele shares a reflective episode (aka RANT) on the ways we’re told—directly or indirectly—that our pain, concerns, or values aren’t serious enough to matter. From personal health challenges to compassionate food choices, Michele explores: How toxic gratitude shuts down...