From Shedding to Running: Welcoming 2026 With Intention (and Lucky Foods)

Last year, 2025, was a Snake Year according to the Chinese zodiac.

Snakes are about shedding — releasing what no longer fits, what has grown heavy, restrictive, or outdated. They shed their skin not because something is “wrong,” but because growth requires space.

Looking back, that theme could not be more accurate for me.

What I Shed in 2025

On a very practical level, I shed physical inventory — the kind that requires shelves, storage, packing tape, shipping labels, and a constant mental load. Letting go of that was scary. It had been familiar. Reliable. Proven.

But it was also heavy.

I also shed some quieter things. Habits that didn’t serve the life I wanted anymore.

Late nights.
Wine.
Snacking after supper.
Dragging mornings.
Feeling behind before the day even started.

I traded those for earlier nights. No eating or drinking after supper. Simpler evenings. And the result surprised me: clearer mornings, faster starts, more energy... not from pushing harder, but from getting out of my own way.

The Business Shedding

The biggest shed was my business model.

Changing it meant something no one likes to admit out loud:
reduced revenue — at least temporarily.

That part stung.

But I kept reminding myself: shedding doesn’t look like winning at first. It looks like loss. Empty space. A pause between identities.

And then something interesting happened.

In the past three months, I’ve increased revenue again, earning twice what I spent. That’s not accidental. That’s feedback. Proof that the new process is working. Proof that this isn’t a step backward, but a recalibration.

The old business served me well.
But it wasn’t meant to come with me into the next season.

Lucky Foods, Old Wisdom

Yesterday, on New Year’s Day, we did our annual Lucky Foods ritual: something I’ve followed almost my entire life.

We blend traditions in our house, from my Norwegian-American Midwestern childhood to my husband's Southern legacy to our children's Chinese heritage:

• Sauerkraut — the Midwestern symbol of cash money and abundance

• Noodles — long life, from Chinese tradition but mixed with the sauerkraut in a classic German Weinachts recipe

• Carolina Caviar — black-eyed peas for coins and prosperity

• Spinach — more green for more green

• Oranges — sweetness and good fortune in the year ahead, another Chinese lucky charm

Jerry grilled pork loins — juicy, grounding, celebratory — and we ended the meal feeling nourished in every sense of the word.

I’ve only skipped my lucky foods once in my life.

That year?
It was… not great.

Call it superstition if you want. I call it intentional symbolism — a way of marking the threshold between what was and what’s coming next.

From Snake to Horse

Now we’re entering 2026 — a Horse Year.

Horse years are about momentum. Movement. Forward motion. Strength. Endurance. Progress that comes from readiness, not rushing.

And that feels exactly right.

We’ve shed the dead weight.
We’ve simplified.
We’ve cleaned up habits, systems, and structures.
We’ve created space.

Now it’s time to run.

Not frantically.
Not blindly.
But with clarity, stamina, and direction.

I’m ready.

Are you?

If this reflection stirred something in you — that sense that you’re ready to move forward with more clarity and momentum — there are a few ways you can run with me this year. 

If you’re building or reshaping an online business and want focused guidance to choose your lane and start moving with confidence, you can join the Soft Life Sprint, a short, intentional container designed to create forward motion without overwhelm. If you already know you want personal direction, you can book a 15-minute Soft Life Business Landmark™ call and we’ll map out your cleanest next step together. 

And if your heart is in restoration — learning to repair vintage and modern dolls with confidence and care — the Doll Repair Vault is always open, offering step-by-step guidance you can return to anytime. However you’re called to move this year, I’d love to walk alongside you.

Here’s to a year of steady strides, aligned effort, and momentum that actually feels good to sustain. 🐎✨