Vedge Your Best, Vegan Ideas for Everyone At Any Age

278: 7 Themes From 2025 (and What We’re Carrying Into 2026)

Dec 30, 2025

As 2025 wraps up, insights emerge about the journey of change. It's not just about making decisions; remembering those choices is crucial. Friction points often hinder progress, so understanding discomfort as a sign of caring is vital. Practice trumps performance for lasting habits, and engaging with actions brings clarity. Restarting doesn’t mean starting over; it’s about building on past experiences. Small shifts in identity lay the groundwork for meaningful change, emphasizing kindness and continuation as we move into 2026.

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INSIGHT

Deciding Once Isn’t Enough

We overestimate the power of a single decision; remembering and re-deciding are the real work of change.
All-or-something beats all-or-nothing and repetition builds sustained action.

INSIGHT

Information Isn’t The Bottleneck

Information alone rarely changes behavior; constraints at points of friction do.
Provide support where habits kick in: restaurants, rushes, family meals, and stress.

INSIGHT

Discomfort Is A Signal, Not Failure

Discomfort often signals that a value is present, not that you failed.
Avoidance gives short relief but causes long-term pain when you ignore what you care about.

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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 a grounded, compassionate framework for carrying those lessons into 2026—especially for anyone moving in a plant-based or vegan direction and wondering why change can feel so hard even when it matters deeply.

If you’ve felt discouraged, stuck, or “behind,” this episode is a reminder that you’re not starting from scratch—you’re starting from experience.In This Episode, We Explore:

Why deciding once is never enough—and why remembering is the real work of change
How information is rarely the problem, and why friction points matter more than facts
Why discomfort is not failure, but often the cost of caring
The difference between performance and practice, and why practice is what sustains long-term change
How waiting keeps us stuck, and why engagement creates clarity
Why restarting is not starting over, and how experience becomes an asset
How the deepest changes are often subtle, invisible at first, but foundational

Key Takeaways:

You don’t think your way into lasting change—you act your way into clearer thinking
All-or-something beats all-or-nothing every time
Identity shifts often happen before outcomes stabilize
Not changing is uncomfortable too—it’s just quieter
You’re not behind, broken, or failing
You’re starting from experience

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