I wanted to write something simple before the year ends… here in Hawaii it’s 6:00 PM - midnight in NYC.

The past 10 days have been full. I made an old dream come true by jumping from a plane. I drove around the island picking up and dropping off family. I flew to Honolulu to be there for a friend during a short medical procedure.

Now I’m back. And I feel calm. A bit drained, but in a good way.

Like I’m in observation mode.

I don’t want to start this year pushing. I want to start it contemplating. Reassessing. Getting clear on how I want my year to feel - not with rigid plans, just directions and goals. Because plans rarely happen the way we expect. And when they do, it often means someone else had to bend for us. I don’t want that.

Before I look ahead, I want to look back at this year with gratitude.

This year taught me a lot. About life, about people, about healing, about myself. I learned to prioritize my needs. To practice detachment. To trust the process and the seeds I’ve been planting.

I’m grateful for my therapist. For all the people who helped me believe in what I’ve been building these past 7 years - directly and indirectly.

I’m grateful for my husband. Watching him grow, find his own identity and independence. Stepping into healing old wounds with attention and care - because it’s never too late to heal. He’s my rock, and I get to be his when the days feel hard.

I’m grateful for my clients - the people who trust me with their soul as we work together toward their goals.

I’m grateful for my family around the world, for supporting me and accepting me for who I am. For the friendships that became family.

And I’m grateful for myself. For setting boundaries. For reinforcing them. For trying to understand. For unlearning codependency patterns and practicing a love that lets people be who they are - without needing to be included in everything, without needing to be needed, without losing myself in someone else.

And for you reading this - I wish you peace. A calm start to this new year. Not rushing, not pushing.

I hope you give yourself permission to start 2026 with intention. To choose the energy you want to carry. To be curious. To observe. To let go of anything that keeps you feeling stuck.

To take the time to look at yourself. Notice where you want to grow. How you can love yourself more. How you can show up for yourself - just you, no one else involved.

Find time alone without doing anything. Even if it makes you uncomfortable... Especially if it makes you uncomfortable. That discomfort is telling you something - lean into it.

Life is about love, and love can only happen when we are at peace within. When resentment is healed. When our happiness doesn’t depend on someone else.

Pure love can only happen when we love and honor who we are.

So how do you want to feel this year? Where will you invest your time and energy that doesn’t involve anyone else but you? When will you block time in your week to do nothing at all?

Happy New Year. 🤍

With gratitude,
Nina