Vedge Your Best, Vegan Ideas for Everyone At Any Age

282: Strategy or Tactics? Why Your Vegan Intentions Keep Stalling

10 snips

Jan 27, 2026

A clear look at why good intentions stall by separating big-picture strategy from everyday tactics. Short stories and examples show how identity-level decisions collapse without simple, repeatable actions. Practical tactics like routines, defaults, and practiced orders are highlighted as the real movers. Reflection prompts invite you to spot where you have strategy but no tactics, or tactics without a guiding why.

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ANECDOTE

Client Struggled Despite Strong Intentions

Michele describes a client who signed up for Veganuary but felt she was failing because she wasn't 'perfect.'
The client had strategy but lacked the tactical skills and systems to follow through consistently.

INSIGHT

Strategy Is Your Why, Tactics Are Your How

Strategy is the identity-level decision that defines your why and long-term direction.
Tactics are the day-to-day actions that create forward movement and realize the strategy.

INSIGHT

Sun Tzu Framing: Both Sides Matter

Strategy without tactics slows progress while tactics without strategy produces chaotic noise.
You need both to create sustainable change and avoid burnout or brittleness.

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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 a vegan or plant-based direction, improving your health, writing a book, changing your drinking, or following through on any important intention, this episode will help you identify what might be missing—and how to make change feel lighter instead of heavier.In this episode, you’ll learn:

The difference between strategy (the “why” and identity-level decision) and tactics (the real-life actions that create movement)
Why many smart, motivated people feel like they keep “restarting”—and why it’s not a motivation problem
How having strategy without tactics leads to exhaustion and self-blame
Why tactics without strategy often feel brittle, artificial, or short-lived
How writer Steven Pressfield’s work on “Resistance” offers a powerful parallel for vegan and lifestyle change
Why support and accountability are tactics, not strategies—and how to tell if support is actually helping
What “good accountability” sounds like (and what it doesn’t)
How routines, defaults, and reflection can help you stay engaged when life gets loud

Mentioned in this episode:

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
The concept of “Resistance” and the idea of “turning pro”
Veganuary and values-based change
Strategy and tactics as transferable skills for any life transition

Listener reflection:

Ask yourself:

Do I have a strategy without tactics?
Or tactics without strategy?
Where might support or reflection make this change lighter instead of heavier?

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