What's next?

TLDR: Create space to slow down; clarity before action.

The end of the year has a way of turning the volume up on everything.

More parties.

More late nights and full calendars.

More consumption.

When the world revs up, we have to make an effort to slow down. To make space.

As I’ve been preparing for a small group focused on reflection before the new year, I considered joy. What brings you joy? What excites you when you look at your day, your week, your month?

And in asking the question, I realized something: I haven’t been excited about my day ahead for a long time.

I show up. I have a checklist. I keep routines, do the things I know how to do. I have a daily structure and forward motion, and it looks a lot like discipline. (Because we know motivation only takes us so far, but discipline really is that girl….)

But underneath it, fear has been disguised as consistency. Yikes...

This kind of consistency didn’t come out of nowhere. It was a response to what I was moving through. 2024 was about touching grief. Not avoiding it. Not rushing past it. Letting myself feel what needed to be felt. No more thinking emotions.

2025 seems to have been about processing and growing. Taking what surfaced and paying attention. And as I look ahead, I hope 2026 is less about proving, less about preparing, more about being.

Click here for the reflection guide

There’s a phrase we hear a lot, and I’m sure I’ve used it: “fake it till you make it.” It’s never sat well with me, because what often feels like faking is actually becoming. Becoming more honest. Becoming more aligned. Becoming more yourself.

Becoming isn’t always smooth or confident. It can feel awkward. Messy. Unfamiliar. Like you’re trying on a version of yourself that hasn’t fully settled yet. It means you’re growing into who you already are.

What I’ve learned, both personally and through my work, is that most of us aren’t lacking ambition, ideas, or desire. We have so much inside us: things we want to build, explore, experience, and contribute.

When we lack clarity about what we actually want and how we want to show up in this life, the next best step can feel impossible. No amount of external validation or motivation will work. We must be anchored in ourselves.

This is why I love coaching and consulting. I love seeing people become more of who they already are. More honest. More grounded. More intentional. More willing to choose alignment over autopilot or expectation.

This isn’t work I stand outside of.

These are the same questions I’m asking myself.

The same recalibrations I’m making.

When that alignment is there, action stops feeling forced. Decisions get cleaner. Energy becomes more sustainable. Growth starts to feel like expansion instead of pressure.

As we move into a new year, this newsletter and my content more broadly may evolve a bit. I’m still podcasting, and I’ll continue to share those conversations with you. Overall, I want to dive more fully into the work I love: coaching, reflection, and asking better questions that help you move forward in a way that feels true. Let’s be real, I’ll still explore adjacent ideas and wander a bit, because that’s me. My hope is that this newsletter will be resonant and a space for reflection.

As always, I’d love your feedback, and please share it with others who might enjoy the work. If you or someone you know is navigating a transition, feeling capable but restless, or ready to live as more of who you already are, I’d love to work with you. Just reply to this email.

Above all, thank you. For reading. For reflecting. For being here.

Cheers to 2026!

xoxo,

Meghan