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vegan pumpkin cheesecake

Healthy Gluten Free Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake

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By Melissa Donovan

I love creating tasty, balanced, and healthy vegan recipes for people of all diets. Whether you’re looking for high protein, macro friendly vegan recipes or positive encouragement in adopting a more plant-based lifestyle, you’re in the right place!

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myplantbasedfriend

I’ve broken more promises to myself than I’d like

I’ve broken more promises to myself than I’d like to admit.

One year I made it a goal to do yoga for 100 days in a row.

And I actually did it!

100 straight days of showing up on my mat. My body and mind felt amazing. I was more grounded, more flexible, more connected to myself.

But shortly after I hit the 100 day mark, I missed a few days.

And because my streak was “ruined,” my brain immediately went “well, what’s the point now?”

So I stopped practicing yoga for a long time because I was still stuck in the all-or-nothing mindset.

I felt like if it wasn’t perfect, it didn’t count.

I see this all the time with fitness goals too.

10k steps every single day.
Hitting macros perfectly to the gram.
Never missing a workout or cardio session.

And if you fall off one time, suddenly it feels like everything is ruined.

Even recently, after hitting 10k steps daily for months, I got injured and literally couldn’t walk for a day.

And that old voice still tried to creep in.

“You just ruined your consistency.”

I had to laugh a little and remind myself,
I’m injured 😅 my body needs rest. That doesn’t erase months of showing up.

So I rested. And the next day, I got right back to moving my body because it felt good to.

That’s the biggest shift I’ve made over the years.

Now, I stretch almost every day because it genuinely feels good in my body. Not because I’m forcing myself to maintain a streak.

I practice yoga regularly now- but not every single day- because that actually works for my life.

Consistency stopped feeling like pressure the moment I stopped equating it to perfection.

Some days you’ll show up at 100%.

Some days it looks like 80.
Or 50.
Or even 20.

And that still counts!

Your habits don’t have to be perfect to make a positive difference. They just have to be sustainable for you.

If you want support building habits that actually work for your life and nervous system, you can work with me or one of the coaches on the @vegansquadcoaching team.

Comment “SQUAD” if you’d like to get access to our current Scholarship program! (Limited spot available and only for those who qualify).

You can be doing everything “right” and still feel

You can be doing everything “right”
and still feel completely depleted.

It might not be a productivity, discipline, or consistency problem.

That was the part that confused me the most.

If you’re an ambitious person, you’ve probably learned to function in a state of overriding yourself.

You push through when you’re on empty.
You rationalize red flags because you see the good in everyone.
You think it’s necessary to live in an exhausted state to reach your goals.

It’s not.

Sometimes the real work is deeper than better habits.

It’s meeting the parts of you that learned to find safety in shrinking, people-pleasing, over-functioning, or carrying what was never yours to hold.

When we clear the emotional and energetic weight underneath it all, you become more YOU. More regulated and alive in your own skin.

If this sounds like you, I’m currently accepting applications for 1:1 subconscious coaching and somatic healing.

This work is for you if you’re ready to feel safe, supported, and powerful from the inside out 🥰

When I used to try staying consistent, day-to-day

When I used to try staying consistent, day-to-day I felt like a fraud.

Deep down I felt like I could only “keep up the act” of being a fit person for so long.. and then I’d inevitably sabotage myself.

My internal dialogue when I messed up was full of shame and anger.

“What’s wrong with me? Why is this so easy for everyone else? I’ll never be disciplined.”

The moment my progress became sustainable was the moment I chose repair over shame.

Accepting that life isn’t perfect, progress isn’t linear, and mistakes don’t have to spiral.

And talking to myself with the same kindness I’d give my clients, friends, or my inner child.

Setting baseline habits made the biggest difference. I didn’t force myself to get 10k steps when I was averaging 3k. I set a stretch goal of 6k for me, gradually working up. I stopped comparing my progress, timeline, or goals to anyone else’s.

Listening to my body and nervous system helped me make habits sustainable. Honoring my capacity while giving my best each day, even if it looked different than yesterday, kept me consistent without falling into the all-or-nothing trap.

The shift in my body and mind was dramatic. Instead of feeling on edge, like a fraud who would inevitably mess up, I felt calm, steady, and trusting of myself.

I finally felt gratitude for the privilege to move, care for, and build strength in my body. That perspective shift has absolutely transformed my mental health.

Messing up doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It’s an opportunity to practice repair, trust, and showing up for yourself again ❤️

If you’re done feeling like a fraud in your own goals and ready to become someone you can trust, we can help you do that!

To work with me or one of the coaches on the @vegansquadcoaching team, comment YES and let’s begin 🔥

For a long time, being myself didn’t feel safe. S

For a long time, being myself didn’t feel safe.

So I learned to shrink.
To keep my thoughts and opinions to myself.
Second-guess my needs.
To not speak my truth to avoid tension.

I wanted to be liked by and keep the peace with everyone. But deep down, I was afraid of being too much.

My nervous system learned that belonging meant self-abandonment.

And when that’s your baseline, self-advocacy feels scary.

Healing doesn’t need to look like becoming louder or more confrontational.

It’s about building enough safety inside yourself so that honoring your needs no longer feels threatening.

Now, self-advocacy looks like:

-Asking for space when I need it
-Reaching out for support instead of isolating
-Saying “this doesn’t work for me” at the first red flag
-Setting boundaries and not overexplaining them
-Speaking my needs without shame
-Choosing myself, even if it disappoints someone

I can do this because I’ve built a deep sense of self-trust, and know that I don’t have to abandon myself to be loved.

When your nervous system feels safe being you, self-advocacy becomes natural instead of scary.

This Sunday, I’m hosting a free group hypnosis to help you:
✨ Release self-doubt
✨ Honor your needs
✨ Strengthen self-trust
✨ Advocate for yourself from a grounded, regulated place

If you’re ready to stop shrinking and start honoring yourself, comment “YES” and I’ll send you the details 🤍

STOP over-complicating vegan nutrition ⬇️ One of

STOP over-complicating vegan nutrition ⬇️

One of the biggest factors that determines how quickly you progress with your fitness goals is having meals in your rotation that are:
-Easy to prepare
-Meet your nutritional needs
-Taste good!

These are some of my go-to meals that check all the boxes.

I prioritize protein, fiber, and micronutrients to feel my best, but I also don’t deprive myself of foods I enjoy.

Need high protein vegan meal ideas that work for you? Follow @myplantbasedfriend and @vegansquadcoaching for more! 🌱

#highproteinvegan #veganproteins #vegancoach #veganfitnessjourney #vegannutrition

For the longest time, I thought I was just bad at

For the longest time, I thought I was just bad at consistency.

With food.
With training.
With routines.
With showing up for myself.

I’d be on top of it all until my body was exhausted and begging me to slow down.

Living in an overwhelmed, overstimulated state became my norm. But I didn’t know how to change it.

So I pushed harder. Ignored hunger. Overrode fullness. Trained while depleted. Rested only when I was burnt out.

And then I’d blame myself when I inevitably crashed.

I thought discipline meant pushing through no matter what, even if that meant overriding my body’s signals.

I didn’t realize I was building the belief:
“You don’t matter unless you’re productive.”

No wonder my self-trust was broken ❤️‍🩹

And I didn’t heal with more willpower.

I learned how to listen to myself.

Am I actually hungry? Or emotionally empty? Am I tired? Overstimulated? Lonely? In need of comfort?

I’ve learned to meet my needs without shame and stop comparing my capacity to others.

Most days that looks like balanced meals. Sometimes it’s a whole pizza without guilt.

Sometimes it’s an extra rest day, and sometimes it’s moving more because it feels good.

Sometimes it’s saying no, even if that means disappointing others.

Everything changed when I started keeping tiny promises to myself.

It’s human to break them sometimes. But the work is in not falling into the shame spiral and trying again.

Over time, my body learned:
I’m safe with myself.
I won’t abandon me.
I don’t have to be perfect to keep going.

Showing up for myself isn’t a chore anymore. It’s my greatest act of self care 🥰

Now, my growth is sustainable because I don’t force it. I know how to stretch myself outside my comfort zone without overriding my nervous system.

If you’re craving this kind of relationship with yourself, this is the work I do with my 1:1 clients.

If your wellbeing is a standard you’re no longer willing to compromise on, DM me “TRUST” 🤍

Even years into my fitness journey, food still had

Even years into my fitness journey, food still had so much power over me.

I was “perfect” during the week. Hitting my macros, eating my prepped meals, counting down the hours until Friday night.

I’d spend weekdays fantasizing about what I was finally “allowed” to eat.

When the weekend came, I went ALL in.
Massive bowls of pasta. Pizzas (RIP Ground Foods Cafe- IYKYK 🥲). Trying every snack and dessert in sight.

I’d eat way past fullness, not because I was hungry, but because food felt like one of the only sources of pleasure in my life. That realization came with so much shame.

The comfort never lasted. It always turned into emptiness, guilt, and the fear that I couldn’t trust myself around food.

I thought my “lack of willpower” meant something was wrong with me.

What shifted wasn’t me hating food, I never did. I’m still a foodie and always will be!

The first real change was letting myself eat the foods I craved, no matter the day, and noticing something surprising: this doesn’t actually make me feel my best 😬

For the first time, I wanted to heal my relationship with food not to look better, but to FEEL better. I was committed to feeling more energized and at ease, and less mentally consumed.

That meant learning to listen to my body: hunger, fullness, boredom, cravings, emotions. That process wasn’t linear. Sometimes cravings still won, and holidays were especially hard.

But over time, food stopped carrying so much weight.

Meals like this aren’t the highlight of my entire week anymore. There’s no guilt, shame, or “eff it” spiral.

I get to be present.
Enjoy the food.
Enjoy my time with people.
And move on with my life.

Food is still a source of pleasure, it just isn’t the only one anymore ❤️

If this feels impossible right now, I want you to know: it IS possible. Maybe imperfect and nonlinear, but possible.

And it all starts with believing that you’re not broken, because you’re not. You’re just learning how to trust yourself again 🤍

Huge shoutout to these amazing vegan food vendors:
🌯 Gyro: @theveganhalalcart
🍕 Pizza: @projectnovapizza
🌮 Tacos: @seasonedgreen

If you’re a giver- a healer, coach, leader, helper

If you’re a giver- a healer, coach, leader, helper.. it’s easy to take on the weight of the world.

It’s easy to feel like these problems are so much bigger than us that we’re helpless. That our actions and voices don’t matter.

To feel like if we just learned more, processed more, rested later, did a little better, maybe then we’d be doing enough.

And yes, there IS always more to do.
More to learn. More to unlearn. More that needs change.

But the moment we stop making a difference isn’t when we slow down.

It’s when we override our capacity to the point of burnout.

So many highly sensitive people do this without realizing it because we care so deeply ❤️‍🩹

Taking a break isn’t the same as giving up. It’s not all or nothing.

You don’t need to compare your capacity, your forms of activism, or your role in collective change with anyone else’s. You matter, your voice matters, and you are most powerful when your cup isn’t empty.

We don’t heal our nervous systems so we can be calm, regulated, and relaxed all the time. That’s not the point of healing, or realistic in the world we’re living in.

We heal so we have the capacity to show up. To tolerate discomfort. To use our voices. To step outside our comfort zones without collapsing afterward.

And we don’t have to sacrifice our wellbeing to make an impact.

I’m not sharing this from some “healed” place. I’m right here with you too- hurting, learning, resting, and taking care of myself as best as I can to do as best as I can.

This is your reminder that honoring your limits doesn’t make you less powerful. It’s what allows you to keep moving forward sustainably.

You’re allowed to matter too. Rest is part of the work 🤍

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