Practicing Connection

2026 Reset: Creating Space, Choosing Direction

• OneOp • Episode 53

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Before you set new goals for 2026, take a pause. 

This episode guides you through a gentle two‑part reset - honoring what you’re completing and choosing one honest intention for how you want to move through the year, without pressure or over‑planning.

The new year often comes with pressure to have a clear plan, big goals, and a “new you.” In this episode of Practicing Connection, Jessica and Coral offer a different kind of reset: a simple, integrated practice in two parts - “Completion Creates Space” and “Intention Gives Direction.” 

You’ll be guided to notice how you’re arriving, name what you’re closing or completing, release expectations that no longer fit, and then choose a single word to orient how you want to be in this next season. 

This reflection is less about productivity and more about alignment, making room for what matters without rushing who you’re becoming.

Further links and resources from this episode:

JESSICA BECKENDORF: [00:00:00] Hi, thanks for listening to the Practicing Connection Podcast. I'm Jessica, my co-host. Coral is here as well. Coral, how are you?

CORAL OWEN: Hey Jessica, I'm doing really well, thanks. I am a little bit in that ‘early new year’ head space where there's a mix of reflection and possibility, and also just a little bit of pressure of having to figure things out.

JESSICA BECKENDORF: Yeah, I get that, that pressure can really sneak in fast. There's so much talk at the beginning of every year really about like resets, goals, fresh starts, ‘new year, new you,’ you know,

CORAL OWEN: That was literally the next line I was going to lead with. Yeah. New year, new me, and not to completely throw all that out, but just to counter that sort of like ‘revolutionizing’ and completely switching everything out.

I really just want to slow the conversation down a bit more today. Honestly, a meaningful reset is not just about deciding what's next, it's also about acknowledging [00:01:00] what we're coming out of, and sort of that more gentle, hence sustainable, approach to a fresh start, while also acknowledging what we're leaving, what we're transitioning from.

JESSICA BECKENDORF: Yeah, I love anytime you can sneak a gentle way of doing things in. I love it. 

So today we're focusing on a reset that helps create clarity, alignment, and purpose, while also letting go of what's no longer serving us. And you're going to be guiding us through this, as a single practice with two parts.

Can you share a little bit about that?

CORAL OWEN: Yeah, absolutely. And so we already talked a little bit about this whole, you know, ‘we're coming out of and then transitioning into,’ and so hence the framing of today's reflection and practice as an integrated practice where there is a pairing of two parts that are indeed meant to work together. 

So the whole idea here is simple. It's that completion is creating the space that we need to invite intention, which gives us direction. And [00:02:00] if we skip that completion and just jump feet first or head first, depending on how adventurous you are in the new year, if we just jump straight in with the intention of moving forward and adding, a lot of times we just carry a little bit of old weight, maybe even some baggage into a new chapter or a new season. 

And so this practice that invites you to pause, close the chapter intentionally, it doesn't mean you have to have everything wrapped up and finalized. We'll get into that here in just a second.

JESSICA BECKENDORF: You don't have to drop everything either.

CORAL OWEN: No, no. It's not like, ‘Okay, 2025, you know, December 31st, all that's finished and it's a clean slate.’ 

But it's, yeah, just kind of buttoning up some loose ends, acknowledging, and then we choose a direction that feels aligned without this pressure or over-planning. So, really excited to dig into this because this honestly is one of my favorite times of year, due to this sort of fresh feel, but still carrying a version of ourselves, into that fresh start.

JESSICA BECKENDORF: Yeah, that [00:03:00] feels like a really grounded approach to a reset. And so, I guess let's just get right into the practice. Yeah, take it away, Coral!

CORAL OWEN: Awesome. So we'll kick things off, with the beginning. And so if you're able, this is a great moment to slow down or, you know, if you're sort of in a more hectic space right now while you're listening to it, maybe just pause right here and come back to us when you have a little bit more calm and centeredness or quiet, because this is a reflective piece that we are starting with.

So we would invite you to grab a notebook. Just take a few quiet minutes if you can find those in your day, and you can also move through this entire bit once or return to it into segments, sometimes that can be helpful. So this is not about judgment or productivity, it's just about alignment and awareness - is the energy I would invite you to bring into this.

So for the first part of the first piece, it's this whole idea again of completion. Or the wrapping up, the resolution is creating space. [00:04:00] And this is true in that endings deserve attention as well, because it gives us that threshold over which to step into a new space. 

So we're going to set the scene, we already talked about that. We're going to take a breath, remind ourselves that this is about noticing, not about evaluating, and just check in with yourself, see how you feel. How am I feeling as I begin this reflection? “Am I good?” is a question to ask yourself. And again, there is no right answer here. It's just really important to acknowledge the energy that you're bringing into this reflective practice.

So first, step two of part one, we're going to reflect on the year or season you're moving out of. Doesn't have to be this huge deep dive or anything wild. Just a few things to consider and just, again, put that bow on the previous year of 2025. 

Some things to think about. What am I completing or closing? What challenges did I move [00:05:00] through? What efforts or growth deserve acknowledgement? And they don't have to be huge. They might be very small bite-size, but very meaningful nonetheless. And perhaps, what did I learn about myself? 

You may have other questions that are worth consideration, but those are just a few to begin with, and again, completion does not require perfect outcomes. It simply asks you what to name, what was real to you in this previous year. 

From there, we are going to release what is no longer serving us. So you may ask yourself what expectations, roles, or commitments am I ready to set down? Another question you may follow that up with is, what am I holding onto out of habit, guilt, momentum, that is not out of alignment. 

And you can even tell yourself sometimes these expectations, or just bits of ourselves that can get real sticky, in sort of a, you know, not intentional way, you can even tell yourself, “I'm allowed to let this go.” That permission of just setting something down [00:06:00] that is perhaps holding you back or holding you down, this release may actually be a little bit emotional, or a lot emotional.

That's okay. But this is what is going to give you clarity and space to move into part two.

JESSICA BECKENDORF: That, Coral, is often one of my favorite parts of an end of year reflection. As you know, I do end of year reflections all the time, and I really love to just think through, well, for one thing, I always feel really accomplished going through all the things that I'm proud of and what I learned about myself.

I always feel really accomplished doing that, but it really does feel good to kind of close that chapter and start thinking fresh, start thinking for a new direction. So let's get into part two now.

CORAL OWEN: Absolutely. So now that we've created some space, we've moved into intention, and we're moving into this intentionality, not as a list of goals, just to, you know, tick the box on, but as an orientation of where we're headed to make sure that we're moving in a purposeful [00:07:00] direction. 

So for the next bit, you could call this step four, we are going to choose one word. So ask yourself what word captures how I want to move through this next chapter or next year. 


Also, this is something that I do reflect on myself. Sometimes the year feels very big. Maybe you just focus on the first quarter or first six months of the year. Because sometimes it's hard to know what is life going to look like a year from now? 

So if 12 months feels like a big chunk of time, shrink it down. That's okay, you don't have to do an assessment of what you want to accomplish, but more so how do you want to be? And this being can be encapsulated in that one word that feels honest and supportive. 

Jess, do you have a, actually just as a sidebar, do you have a word that you're considering for 2026?

JESSICA BECKENDORF: I do. I'm still kind of formulating it, but right now the word that comes to mind for [00:08:00] me is, ‘ease.’

CORAL OWEN: I like that a lot.

JESSICA BECKENDORF: Building in more ease. I mean, how I want to be is ‘ease’. That doesn't make sense grammatically, but that's the word that's coming to mind for me. So, I'm going to continue kind of iterating on that.

CORAL OWEN: I love that. One of my mantras a year prior was Let it Be Easy, and this year it's ‘expand.’ 

So, awesome. Thanks for sharing that, Jess. 

So from there, step five is, define it for yourself. So a few things to consider once you've selected your word - and also you can change your word as you move through the year, we've actually got a mid-year check-in episode, I think it was July 31st of 2025, if you want to reevaluate, you can go back to that one. 

But for now, as we're considering our word of 2026 to kick the year off, you can ask yourself, what does this word mean to me right now? Additionally, how would I recognize it's showing up in everyday life?

So this is not [00:09:00] necessarily like your slogan, but more as a lens by which you can use to just anchor yourself when you're making decisions. You know, is this decision, direction, action, activity in alignment with - insert your word. It can give you clarity pretty quickly.

So from there, to wrap things up, step six is carry it forward gently with grace. So there is nothing here to force, and again, when decisions come up, you can ask, what would it look like to move in this direction today? 

This is simply that intention doing its work quietly and consistently. No big, heroic movements. It's just that incremental shift in the direction that is going to lead you to where you'd like to be.

JESSICA BECKENDORF: I love how this keeps intention from turning into pressure and putting pressure on yourself. It feels like something that you can return to again and again, especially if you're doing it gently, and, in [00:10:00] my case, with ease.

CORAL OWEN: I see what you did there. Exactly. Yeah. This is not meant to be a one time, you know, go through it, reflect, and then stick it on the shelf. This is something that can anchor your year. I actually, with the word, have written that some people will do, like, stamp jewelry, or I tend to write it someplace on my big grass calendar that's in my office.

You know, write it at the bottom of that calendar, just someplace that you can see it consistently. A sticky note on your desk or your laptop, so that you can have that north star if you will.

JESSICA BECKENDORF: Nobody can see me, but every year I get mine tattooed on my face, and then I just like get a line crossed through it, and then I get the next one.

CORAL OWEN: Rinse, repeat,

JESSICA BECKENDORF: Right, right. And you said, you know, don't do this and then put it on the shelf. I would say, do this and put it on the refrigerator, [00:11:00] so that you can see it every time.

So that you've got something like you said, some sort of reminder somewhere that you look at regularly.

CORAL OWEN: Absolutely. That's a great suggestion.

JESSICA BECKENDORF: I look at my refrigerator regularly. I don't know about you, but -

CORAL OWEN: A thousand percent.

JESSICA BECKENDORF: So as we wrap up, maybe take a moment to notice what feels lighter or what feels clearer. Even just a little bit, just a little lighter, a little

clearer.

CORAL OWEN: Yep. And just remember to bring everything home: completion, create space, and intention that gives you direction. You don't have to rush either part. We've actually talked about, just in recent episodes, that in between space of ‘becoming.’ 

This is a really key thing to keep in mind here, right? That sometimes there is a wrap up phase that we do carry into the new year. It's not like a light switch. So don't rush the completion, but acknowledge things that may be coming to a close. And then go ahead and just start those sort of bite-sized atomic [00:12:00] habits (that's a great reread at the end of the year too), that are going to begin edging you in the direction you want to be in. 

Again, you're not completely becoming someone new. It's about moving forward, maybe shedding a bit of your old skin, and growing towards wherever it is you want to be with more alignment and less weight.

JESSICA BECKENDORF: Okay. Awesome. Thanks so much, Coral. That's it for this episode. Thanks for joining us. 

If this conversation resonated, click the share button in your podcast app. Share it with a friend or a colleague. We'll be back next week with a new episode. Until then, keep practicing.

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CREDITS: The Practicing Connection Podcast is a production of One-Op and is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, US Department of Agriculture and the Office of Military Family Readiness Policy, US Department of Defense under award number 2 0 2 3 4 8 7 74 3 3.



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Jessica Beckendorf

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