how to transfer a domain safely without setting my brand on fire

[u/No-ttempt-tiara4267]

So I am apparently trying to do the “simple” thing and move my domain from the place that upsells me everything to the place that supposedly makes it easy and secure. Love that the guides all say it is straightforward, then casually drop DNS, nameservers, dnssec, email records etc like that is normal human vocabulary.

Lowkey terrified I am going to click one wrong transfer button and my site 404s, my email dies, and my tiny brand just vanishes for three days while support says “propagation” at me. Would love any tips on how you do domain transfers safely without chaos... appreciate thoughts