Episode 173: What to Carry Forward Into 2026 (and What to Leave Behind)

There’s something unique about the days between Christmas and New Year’s.
The rush has passed, the next chapter hasn’t begun, and for a brief moment, we’re invited into stillness.

This final episode of 2025 is not about goals, predictions, or productivity.
It’s about intention.

In this conversation, I share how I’m personally closing the year — through reflection, journaling, and sitting with the same questions I’ve been asking throughout the last few episodes: questions about impact, alignment, leadership, and what this season of business and life is really asking of us.

I talk openly about what 2025 required of me, including the difficult decision to let go of a core stand-alone service that had produced strong revenue — not because it failed, but because I knew it no longer worked on its own in a changing market. Making space without guarantees was uncomfortable, but it opened the door to what my heart was calling me to create next.

You’ll hear what sustained me this year — especially the power of being in the same room with people, sharing space, conversation, and connection — and how clearing space allowed me to return more fully to writing and teaching, the two things I’ve wanted to do since I was nine years old.

That space made it possible to launch both the beta version of my brand program and the Category of One Brand Lab, my brand and marketing membership — offerings that feel deeply aligned with who I am and how I want to serve.

We also explore the difference between goals and intentions. So often, we hit a goal only to immediately set the next one. Intention works differently. Intention creates room to expand — to grow into the kind of work, leadership, and impact that feels sustainable and honest.

As I look ahead to 2026, I share what I’m expanding into next: more writing, launching my Substack, growing opportunities to speak and teach, and finally finishing my book — not from urgency, but from alignment.

This episode is an invitation to slow down, to listen, and to close the year with wisdom rather than pressure.

If you’re feeling the pull to release what no longer fits and carry forward what strengthened you, I hope this conversation meets you right where you are.

Brand for Good Links

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Episode Link: https://theprosperproject.libsyn.com/website/episode-173-what-to-carry-forward-into-2026-and-what-to-leave-behind