WITH ANDREA CRISP
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You might feel heavy. Maybe disoriented. Maybe like you’re standing still. And that can feel especially difficult at the start of a new year.”
I want to name something that many of us are feeling right now.
Maybe at the beginning of this year, you had hope. You felt like 2026 was going to be your year—full of vision and intention. Maybe you even felt clearer than you have in a very long time and ready to take on whatever came your way in your life, in your business, and with your impact.
And then… life happened.
The world happened.
Collectively, politically, things intensified. And suddenly, the energy that started the year felt harder to access.
This is for anyone who didn’t expect to feel this much weight so early in the year and is wondering: What does this mean for me? What does it mean for my purpose, my work, and my momentum?
A Slower Beginning Than Expected
This is the first reflection I’m sharing in 2026, and honestly, I wasn’t sure when—or how—I was going to begin the year. I wasn’t fully prepared for the heaviness that arrived so early.
As I was journaling and checking in with myself about how I want to show up at the beginning of this year, it became clear that this is the conversation I want to have.
I’m an intuitive empowerment coach based in Ontario, Canada, and I’ve been podcasting for eight years. I’m deeply honored to coach women around the world to step into their purpose through energetic, somatic, and mindset work—supporting them in living brave, aligned lives.
But today isn’t about strategy or vision boards. It’s about what’s happening right now.
You might feel heavy. Maybe disoriented. Maybe like you’re standing still. And that can feel especially difficult at the start of a new year.
Collective Grief Lives In The Body
There’s this idea that January means fresh starts, instant clarity, and full momentum. But the truth is, the year doesn’t energetically begin for many of us until February. January is still a shedding season—a releasing of what was.
Add to that the collective grief, political unrest, and global tension we’re living in, and it makes sense that things feel slow, dense, or overwhelming.
Even if what’s happening isn’t directly impacting your personal life, collective trauma lands in the body.
It’s not just something we think about. We carry it.
If you’re empathic, intuitive, or highly sensitive, you may be feeling this even more deeply. Many women in my community are helpers and leaders, and this weight hits them hard.
When something happens in the world, it can take our breath away. It can pause momentum. It can make all our well-laid plans suddenly feel misaligned.
The Myth of Constant Momentum
There’s a myth in entrepreneurship that success requires constant visibility, output, and forward motion—no matter what’s happening.
That’s not true.
There is a difference between an intentional pause and shutting down. I would always encourage a pause before burnout forces a shutdown.
Momentum doesn’t disappear when you slow down. It changes shape.
Sometimes what’s required isn’t pushing forward, but recalibrating—asking yourself where you need to soften, rest, and realign so future momentum is protected, not forced.
You didn’t plan for collective grief. And yet, you may still feel called to serve, create, and share.
Both can exist.
What Your Nervous System Needs Right Now
Instead of asking, “What should I be doing?”
Try asking, “What does my nervous system need right now?”
What would help you feel safe? Supported? Grounded?
Sometimes that looks like talking with a trusted friend, coach, or therapist. Sometimes it’s movement. Sometimes it’s rest. Sometimes it’s turning off the news and stepping away from social media.
When you feel steady and supported, clarity follows. Impact follows. Momentum follows.
And just because others are moving quickly right now doesn’t mean you’re meant to. There’s no judgment required—only discernment.
This message is for anyone who feels the call to pause, to breathe, to listen.
You don’t have to perform. You don’t have to accelerate. When it’s time to move forward, you will know.
A Gentle Somatic Reset
If you have a moment, I invite you to ground with me.
Place your feet flat on the floor. Sit tall. Notice your breath.
Take a slow inhale through your nose, filling your belly.
Exhale longer than the inhale.
Repeat this two more times.
No fixing.
Just settling.
Being here.
Place a hand on your heart or belly and remind yourself:
I’m safe.
I’m supported.
I don’t need to have it all figured out today.
When it’s time to move forward, you will know.
You’re Not Behind
There’s no rush this year.
The more you follow your intuition, the more aligned and intentional your momentum will be when it returns.
You’re allowed to respond to this moment—whether that means action or rest.
Pausing does not cancel your purpose. It refines it.
Thank you for being here with me. This may not be how the year was supposed to start—but here we are.
And remember: you already have everything you need to live bravely.
Listen Here:
If you’re feeling called to be held, supported, and guided as you navigate this season, I’d love to walk alongside you. My work is for intuitive, impact-driven women who don’t need to be fixed—but who desire a grounded, embodied space to reconnect with their purpose, regulate their nervous system, and move forward in alignment when the time is right. If something in this reflection resonated, that’s often the invitation itself.