2026 the year of the Hormones, Health and Hootenannys

I do love a new year!

I don’t mean the overpriced forced fun, the Uber surcharge that makes a private helicopter seem financially viable, or the sweaty hugs at midnight with some random stranger whom you will likely never see again.

Noooo, that’s not for me… I love a new year for these rather random reasons.

I love Jools Holland’s Hootenanny. There. I said it. Shoot me. I love watching D-list celebrities dance awkwardly to some usually brilliant performers, pretending to count down to midnight on “New Year’s Eve”, when in reality it’s probably around 2pm on a random Wednesday afternoon in mid-December in East London.
My personal favourite game: try and find someone who has left their watch on with the real date and time!

I love a cupboard clear-out. No need to think about sell-by dates or whether something might get used - if it’s a 2025 product = bin!

And my final reason… I love a New Year Word.

I know I’m not alone in this, but for those of you thinking what the hell is she on about, every year (well, for the past few years), I’ve picked a word that will be my focus for the year.

The word is used as a reminder of where I would like to place my intention for the year, and it also acts as a silent mentor when exploring decisions, direction, and destinations.

Does the action I’m exploring align with my word and intention for the year?

I guess it’s a gentle guide - a North Star - for the upcoming 12 months.

Yesterday (31st Dec 2025) marked the final day of my 2025 word, which was Peace.

Now, this is supposed to be the part where I tell you how the word peace guided my year, my decisions, and how I ended the year so freakin’ zen that the Dalai Lama was asking me for guidance.

You can probably guess from the tone… this is not exactly how the year panned out.

At the start of the year, we (my husband and I) launched Be Your Own Coach, which was all part of the peace-plan to enable me to continue to support, guide, and empower individuals on a wider basis (as my 1-to-1 capacity had been maxed out!).

The launch went better than I could have imagined, and I am unbelievably proud of what we have created for those passionate about development.

At the same time, I was continuing with my coaching, workshops, leadership programmes, and 1-to-1 work. You’re probably already thinking, this doesn’t sound peaceful, but weirdly it was all part of the plan. We accounted for a work-life imbalance and welcomed this with updated expectations and understanding.

The final part of the plan was our health and fitness goals. For me - like for so many - the ability to train and exercise is vital to my wellbeing, not just physically but mentally. I am one of those odd folk who love pushing to physical limits, whether that’s CrossFit, weightlifting, or some form of hybrid, so training was woven into our plans to ensure the daily adrenaline rush and the opportunity to chuck some heavy stuff around.

What we didn’t plan for was my body having a hissy fit and putting a rather large, nervous-system-shaped spanner in the works.

Yup. A few months into 2025, my body said, “Not today, Satan,” and decided to press the adrenaline and cortisol button, and then just didn’t want to let go.

It was a strange experience, but basically everything “non-essential” stopped working. My stomach and gut were the first to go, with GPs unable to work out the cause and therefore slapping on the classic one-size-fits-all IBS sticker. Then the hormones stopped hormoning. Next up was a spicy side order of eczema and skin conditions. And finally, the cherry on top - an inability to stay asleep. Belting!

Luckily, I was able to access the support of medical professionals and coaches who, armed with my blood and other test results, were on it straight away with a very strict food and supplement protocol. Alongside this, however, I was to embark on a masssssive reduction in my only outlet… exercise.

We needed to reduce the stress on my body, and this meant saying goodbye to intense training and CrossFit, and bidding so long to running, long hikes, and basically anything over one hour of walking per day.

This was a problem.

The only way I knew how to “de-stress” and “release” was through some form of exercise or movement - and now this was no longer an option.

I was prescribed rest. Sitting still. Being static. Staying calm.
Not exactly things you’ll find on my CV.

The first few months were tough. Uncomfortable, frustrating, irritating, and weirdly lonely. However, over time, I started to find peace in the discomfort.

The transformation in my health was enough fuel to continue, as each day the symptoms lessened and I found myself feeling calmer and more content in the unknown.

Fast forward to December and my health is miles better. I’m still working through the protocol, but we’re now in the “optimising” phase, rather than the “holy hell, this isn’t good” phase.

I still haven’t found peace with my newly imposed relationship with exercise, but we’re getting there every single day - and I’ve found an absolute LOVE for yoga, which was definitely not on my 2025 bingo card!

This year, after the transitions and growth of 2025, I wanted to choose a word that invited change. Something that leant into the unknown with open arms and an inquisitive eye.

I already know that 2026 will be a continuation of exploring health optimisation, and that may bring further changes that feel uncomfortable at first. Therefore, I’ve decided to go with:

It feels right.

2026 is about leading with curiosity - both personally and professionally.

Professionally, I want to be curious about how we can grow and develop Be Your Own Coach and each and every user; curious about the opportunities and challenges ahead; curious with my clients, my work, my mindset, my knowledge, and my perceived limits.

Personally, I’m already curious about my relationship with exercise. I’m curious about discovering what truly brings me joy in movement (perhaps more dance and yoga?). I’m curious about how much I can water and tend to my relationships. I’m curious about how deeply I can love within my marriage. And I’m curious about what lies beneath old habits, outdated routines, and historic structures.

So there you have it.

I love a new year because I love Jools Holland and the ability to pick a single word as a guide for the next 12 months. I’m a simple woman.

At the end of the day, it’s not that deep really, is it? It’s a new day, a new calendar, a fresh diary, and the opportunity for every single email list you’ve ever subscribed to send you enough spam to last 365 days.

But I do bloody love it.

Here’s to 2026 in all its madness.

I’m ready for you!