It’s hard to know what being vegan will really look like until you get started.

My job is to help you stay in the game long enough to gain some traction, build useful skills, and have some fun along the way.

After Episode 309, which explored having a “Plan B,” many of you reached out. It turns out that none of us is simply “comfortable” or “uncomfortable” with uncertainty.

The unknowns that barely register for one person can take up enormous space for another. And two people with the exact same goal may need completely different kinds of support.

In this episode, we explore:

• Your “uncertainty profile” — and why understanding yours can change everything.
• Two kinds of Plan B: logistical (“What will I actually eat?”) and emotional (“What will I tell myself when things get hard?”).
• Two ideas from Simone Stolzoff’s book How to Not Know: the certainty anchor and the value of running small experiments so you can learn what works.
• Why one-size-fits-all advice falls short. “Prepare more!” and “Be flexible!” sound helpful, but they may not address the problem you’re actually facing.
• The Best-Case-Scenario Audit: a four-question exercise you can try this week.

Try the Best-Case-Scenario Audit

Take a few minutes to think about your current vegan practice and ask yourself:

1. What has to go right for my current plan to work?

What are the conditions, resources, routines, or circumstances you’re relying on?

2. Which part of the uncertainty actually bothers me most?

Is it not knowing what food will be available? Worrying about social situations? Losing momentum? Something else?

3. Does this problem need better logistics, more emotional resilience, or some of each?

Sometimes the answer really is a better plan. Sometimes we need to work on how we respond when the plan inevitably changes.

4. What stays true even when the plan changes?

That’s your certainty anchor — something you can return to when circumstances are unpredictable.

Mentioned in this episode

How to Not Know: The Value of Uncertainty in a World That Demands Answers by Simone Stolzoff

Learn more about How to Not Know

What about you?

What kind of uncertainty doesn’t bother you much — and what kind makes you want to panic?

I’d love to hear about it.

And remember: you don’t have to know exactly how your vegan practice will unfold before you begin. You can learn by doing, adjust as you go, and build the skills you need along the way.