About this episode
Happy New Year, therapist. If you’re listening in real time, it’s 2026—and we made it through another year of “Earth school (thanks Liz Gilbert!)” in 2025.In this episode, I’m rejecting the hustle harder / reinvent yourself energy that shows up every January—especially when your nervous system is already fried. Instead, I’m making the case for a soft start: a gentle re-entry that’s doable, realistic, and rooted in your actual capacity.If you’re stuck between “why even try?” and “I have to change everything right now,” this one’s for you.Links Join Love It or Leave It (Open Enrollment):https://balanced-thunder-281.myflodesk.com/jhvxnbroxeBook a consult call (limited availability):https://calendar.app.google/JBkK3aUPXyvxr46F7In this episode, we coverWhy January can feel like a flood for therapists—not a clean slateThe thesis: you don’t need a January reinvention—after 2025, we need a soft startA nervous-system lens: window of tolerance + “titrating” your life (EMDR concept applied to real life)The origin of New Year’s resolutions (and why the timing is kind of absurd)The shame layer of burnout: “I failed… I should’ve known… I should be stronger”A quote (shared by Liz Gilbert) from Leonard Cohen: standing guiltless in the predicamentThe minimum effective dose approach to movement, connection, and nourishment“Addition vs. subtraction” with food (and why diet culture can create more stress than we realize)How to take small, doable steps toward change (not panic pivots)Notable quote (Leonard Cohen)“There is a feeling we have sometimes of betraying some mission that we were mandated to fulfill… and the deeper courage was to stand guiltless in the predicament in which you find yourself.”Timestamps0:00 — “It’s January. The internet wants you to sprint.”1:40 — Thesis: a soft start for 2026 after a tough year4:26 — Window of tolerance + titrating your life5:16 — Fitness instructor story: don’t push past your range6:45 — History: resolutions started in spring, then moved to January9:08 — “The system is broken, not you” + the shame of burnout11:11 — Why winter goals can feel like punishment12:46 — Leonard Cohen quote + “stand guiltless” reflection16:00 — Sponsor break (me) + program invite18:34 — Minimum effective dose: movement, connection, nourishment27:00 — Soft pivots: small actions to
