Pause Magazine — Issue 3

6 THE JOY OF PLANNING YOUR YEAR 2026 PLANNING WITH FLOW AND FOLLOW THROUGH

22 IN HER FLOW AN INTERVIEW WITH Sarah Jenks & Kelly Taveras

39 IN BALANCED COMPANY with Sabrina Moyle, Andre Toro, and Toni Bergins

Pause Magazine is published seasonally by PlanSimple. © Copyright 2025

Ideas expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of PlanSimple. Information is not intended as medical, legal, or financial advice.

COVER PHOTO: Megan George

Download the planning pages and map out how you’ll bring the ideas from these pages into your days, your work, and your wellness.

FOOD & BODY

52 COMFORT AND JOY AT THE HOLIDAY TABLE REFLECTIONS AND RECIPES from Tess Masters

58 MAINTAIN YOUR BODY PEACE with Nina Manolson

66 BUILD YOUR 2026 MOVEMENT PLAN with Fiona Lambert and Toni Bergins

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

60 7 DOABLE BUSINESS CHANGES FOR 2026 CREATE RIPPLES OF RESULTS WITH SMALL ACTIONS

86 GET YOUR DIGITAL DUCKS IN A ROW with Ashley Ludlow LIFE

12 100 DAY PRACTICE Build Some Momentum

14 27 BOLD MONEY MOVES by Christine Walsh

36 LAGOM LIFE

LIVING WELL THE SWEDISH WAY

ENERGY & SOUL

74 NEW YEAR, NEW INSIGHTS 9 EXPERTS, 9 PRACTICES TO PLAY WITH

88 ORACLE CARD READING FOR WINTER WINTER IS A SACRED INVITATION TO REST AND RETURN INWARD with Patty Lennon

92 ASTROLOGY REPORT with Danielle Hendrickson

MAGAZINE TEAM

Mia Moran Editor in Chief

Sara Barry Senior Editor & Contributor

Regina Evangelista

Social Media

ISSUE 1 CONTRIBUTORS

Toni Bergins

Thuy Dam

Heather Dressel

Kelley Grimes

Julie Hannon

Danielle Hendrickson

Dana Hilmer

Sarah Jenks

Amanda Kijek

Fiona Lambert

Patty Lennon

Ashley Ludlow

Kim Marie

Tess Masters

Sabrina Moyle

Nina Manolson

Shahin Najak

Nathalie Pincham

Eve Smyth

Jovana Sredic

Kelly Taveras

Cathy Towle

Andre Toro

Jennifer Urezzio

Maggie van Galen

Christine Walsh

Laura West

Dear beautiful reader,

Welcome to Issue 3 of Pause Magazine — a space where ambition meets intuition, and where the women we feature are actively shaping a world we all want to live in.

I’m beyond excited to share this issue’s cover story featuring Sarah Jenks and Kelly Taveras. What an absolute honor it has been to witness their evolution — not just as entrepreneurs but as partners in creativity and truth. Their journey has reminded me that sometimes alignment asks us to leap before we fully understand the where or the how — and trust that the landing will meet us.

Creating this season’s In Balanced Company has shown me again how powerful it is to stay curious about the women we cross paths with — whether it’s been twenty years or twenty minutes.

I met Sabrina Moyle in my 20s, working on an art catalog togetherhe was this bright light of creativity. I have not seen her since but I looked her up— and of course, she’s doing the coolest things.

Andre Toro is the photographer behind my “I’m turning 50!” photoshoot. Her energy is radiant, grounded, and deeply inspiring.

And Toni Bergins? We first met at Kripalu on my 40th birthday, when I landed in her dance class — which felt like a destiny moment disguised as a coincidence. Here she is, a decade later, bringing even more movement, joy, and wisdom into the world.

This issue is anchored in the threshold moment we’re all stepping into — reflections at the end of a year and ideas for the one ahead. You’ll find business strategies, money inspiration, and some wonderful soul tools to support you in creating your most extraordinary life. And no issue would feel complete without me chiming in on planning.

Right now, it’s all about dreaming into next year — and the choices that will make space for your own expansion.

In every issue, I am blown away by the women we get to feature — and in this one, more than half of the experts are also members of FLOW365, the community where I support entrepreneurial women to imagine, plan for, and actually live their dreams.

And because we’re releasing this in the swirl of the holiday season, of course there’s support for that too! My dear friends Tess Masters and Nina Manolson are here with ideas for wellness and radical self-kindness — which we all need a little more of this time of year. I’m also delighted to introduce our fresh take on a gift guide — filled with meaningful, heart-led finds.

Thank you for pausing with us — for choosing presence in a world that asks for urgency. I hope this issue inspires you to step into the year ahead with clarity, intention, and a whole lot of courage.

And thoroughly enjoy any holidays you might celebrate on your way there!

With so much love, Mia

THE JOY OF PLANNING YOUR YEAR

2026 PLANNING WITH FLOW AND FOLLOW THROUGH

Planning my weeks dramatically changes the outcome. Planning my days is a devotion or practice — easier to skip than do, but it anchors me in my day and focuses me.

Planning my year is pure joy and creativity, and something I look forward to all year long. I love thinking about what I want to create in a year, asking myself what would be music for my idea-generating, creative heart?

TIME TO DREAM

Like you, my life is full. I have 3 kids, key relationships, a business, projects, a home — so many things that take time. It’s easy to short yourself the time to dream of your future. But making this time and space — even in a busy season — helps you going forward, more than you know.

I make sure there is a lot of time to just dream. I live in New England, and this time of year we draw inward. For me there is something about dreaming time with a notebook, tea and a fire. What would feel good to you?

LAYER YOUR IDEAS

I used to sit down for a day and plan my whole year — health, business, life, travel, home, family — in one sitting. More and more, I like to let my ideas layer on top of each other. I like to try on different ideas, like I would try on a stack of dresses or jeans, seeing which fits best. Instead of clothes, I’m trying on a goal or a project or a trip or a number of books I want to read. I let it all unfold.

FIND YOUR FLOW

Every time I sit down to plan I honor the FLOW Planning process. I make sure I take the time to feel centered. Sometimes that’s a 20-minute meditation, sometimes it’s 3 deep breaths, sometimes it’s bundling up and going on a walk. After I center, I take the next step of my yearly planning ritual.

My yearly planning ritual takes into account each step of the FLOW planning process in context with the year.

CENTER

FLOW PLANNING METHOD

More than 10 years ago, I learned this Year-End Completion Ritual from Amy Ahlers, and it’s been a gamechanger. Every solstice, I use this process to reflect on the past year, celebrate my wins, and release what no longer serves me.

DOWNLOAD THE YEAR-END RITUAL PROCESS

In order to feel Centered, I get in right relationship with everything that has happened in the past year. It’s tempting to skip this step, but it makes any planning I do on the other side so much bigger, more expansive.

I make a list of all the things I can celebrate about the past year and all the things that were not so great. I look at what I can learn from both,

We recorded a podcast with Amy Alhers and have the corresponding worksheets if you want to go through a process that completes the current year, shifts your headspace and sets you up for your next year of planning.

Here’s how it works:

1. Reflect on your wins and losses.

2. Celebrate who you’ve become.

3. Process unfinished business with the Perspective Scale.

4. Identify empowering lessons.

5. Complete the year with intention.

So wrap up your year — and then dive into your vision for the next one.

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

Planning is a gift from your past self to your future self so that you can be in the now.”

— Mia

VISION

After I’ve left last year behind, I look at all the possibilities of things that I would like to bring into my life.

I make lists and lists:

• money goals

• projects I want to work on

• trips

• books I want to read

• food I want to try

• experiences that I want to have

• goals around relationships

• things I want to do in our home

• ways I want to give

• people I want to meet... and so on.

I like to get magical. One of my favorite things is to choose an Oracle card for each month of the year.

I get visual. I love a good vision board! You can do this alone, but it’s also a fun project with friends and family. (Just give yourself some time alone to do the thinking before you gather to create your board.)

DECIDE

Visioning is very open — it’s a dream space, a space for all the possibilities, but at some point we need to decide what we’ll actually do and when and how.

This is where year planning differs a little from other FLOW planning. I like to keep year planning more open ended and infused with possibility. Then on a seasonal basis I can make more grounded decisions.

Here’s what I do decide as part of my yearly planning:

• I always choose a word for the year. This becomes a bit of a north star. A creative starter. A lens to look at things through. It sets a tone that helps me discern what I really want to focus on.

• As an entrepreneur, I always choose a money goal. My money goal helps me choose the best projects from my many ideas.

• I choose 3–10 ideas from across other areas of life that feel most important.

ANCHOR

Putting things in time is a critical step in the FLOW planning process. Anchoring in time isn’t about creating rigid structure. It’s to help our brain understand that what we want to create is possible.

When I’m looking at a year, often I’ll look at quarters as a way to anchor things in time. For example may have the idea for a podcast series and another for a workshop. When they sit on a page covered with 100s of ideas, it can feel impossible to finish, but when I put the workshop in Q1 and the podcast in Q3, I can feel the spaciousness and focus.

Map things loosely based on your instincts now. As you approach each quarter or season, you can reevaluate and get more specific.

WE HELP WOMEN PLAN THE YEAR AHEAD IN MULTIPLE EVENTS FROM DECEMBER TO FEBRUARY.

PAUSE TO PLAN 2026 WITH US.

VISIT PLANSIMPLE.CO ON INSTAGRAM FOR OUR NEXT EVENT.

FOLLOW THROUGH

I create something that I can put on a wall and always see. Monthly, I review my ideas and doodles, and check the Oracle card I pulled for that month.

I decide who I’m going to tell and start thinking about what supports I need in place.

I start journaling about who I need to become to make some of these things happen.

I also know that I’ll plan quarterly, monthly, weekly, and daily and each of these will bring a deeper level of clarity and anchoring and doing.

Throughout my annual planning process, I often look around the house at what needs to leave or move to move energy. Often organization at home and on my computer help make space for what is new.

100 DAYS OF PRACTICE

We often try to change everything at once — new routines, new habits, new goals. But real transformation happens when we choose just one simple practice and go all in.

We’ve learned this through our own 100-day challenges, where showing up daily (sometimes for just 10 minutes) shifts more than expected.

It’s not about perfection — if you miss a day, just come back — it’s about consistency, kindness, and learning how to truly show up for yourself. Pick something you can do in under 15 minutes a day, and let it become part of the rhythm of your life. The magic is in showing up — not in doing it perfectly.

“I’mof100doingdays showing up on Instagram.”

MIA WILL DECIDE WHAT “SHOWING UP” MEANS EXACTLY, WRITE THE LIST ON A POST-IT, AND START TRACKING

WHAT WOULD YOU LOVE TO TRY FOR 100 DAYS?

We recommend something you can do in under 15 minutes (even 3 works!).

Some ideas:

Go on a short walk

Draw an oracle card

Write down 3 business ideas

Dance for 5 minutes

Take 3 deep breaths

Text a friend

Write a page in your journal

Plan your day

DOWNLOAD THE PLANNING SHEET

Pause.Plan. Do.Be.

As you move through these pages, jot down the ideas, products, and shifts that spark something in you. Then, choose a few to anchor in your calendar. This is where inspiration becomes real change.

Bold Money Moves 27

BY CHRISTINE WALSH at REBELRISE FINANCE

Can you believe the year is coming to an end? And as much as we like to live and lead cyclically around here at PlanSimple, there are still a few things that move linearly — like year-end and year-beginning financial housekeeping.

Before the collective groan sets in, consider this your invitation to use this moment to reflect, reprioritize, and reimagine your relationship with money. Doing so will create more FLOW in 2026 as we close one year and open another.

As founder of RebelRise Finance, I help women navigate their relationship with money through my proven Holographic Finance process, that integrate three required levels of money mastery: emotional frequency, intuitive intelligence, AND logical strategy. All three give you the tools to command money to reach your visionary financial potential, your big, bold financial goals, and create the clarity and confidence to move towards them quicker.

This year-end/year beginning money checklist is for the woman who wants grounded financial guidance to achieve aligned prosperity in their personal and professional life.

The 9 areas I focused on blend my CFOlevel strategies with a feminine wealth approach that I use with my clients. These will help you close the year clean, clear, and ready to leap into next year with more money confidence and more money FLOW!

AREA 1: REVIEW 2025 FINANCIAL PICTURE

CHECKLIST:

Review your year in spending (business and personal). Awareness is the first step to growth and that includes financial growth. Pull up your credit card portal or checking account — most banks have a year-in-review feature. If you’re in business, check your accounting software or review with your bookkeeper. Where did you overspend, underspend, or rightly spend?

Calculate or review your personal net worth. Your net worth is a picture in time of your assets (cash in bank accounts, real estate investments, etc.) less your liabilities (credit cards, loans, mortgages, etc.). There are a ton of calculators online (including using our AI “friends”). AND remember, your net worth does NOT equal your self-worth! Wherever you are, you get to change your money story and your net worth as soon as this year.

Address retirement contributions and review investment portfolio: max out where you can, rebalance, speak with your financial advisor. Your financial future you will thank you.

AREA 2: WHAT WAS YOUR 2025 MONEY STORY?

CHECKLIST:

Celebrate your financial wins. When did you feel joy around money? What were you doing, who were you with, what did it mean to you? Note these moments. They are pointing to your life’s most precious values and desires and are important for financial growth. Believe me now, thank me later.

Reflect on your money emotions in 2025. How did money “feel” this year for you? Where did you expand or contract around money? Where did you overgive or underspend? When did scarcity or fear perk up? The greatest gifts we can receive through our money story, good, bad or in the middle is humility, honesty, and massive compassion.

Journal around what you know about yourself and your relationship with money now that you didn’t know a year ago. How did that unfold throughout the year? What memories, circumstances, experiences led to this recognition?

AREA 3: SET YOUR 2026 MONEY INTENTIONS

CHECKLIST:

Choose 3 “Wealth Feelings” for the year (e.g., Overflow, Power, Ease, Grace). Grab a list of feelings from the internet and pick your top 10, and then narrow to your top 3 from that short list. Feelings are the superhighway to bold money making and drive financial outcomes. Keep these words close through 2026 and discover a fuller range of the money experience.

Write your money mantra for 2026. Short, simple is my go-to with mantras. Mine is: The more fun I have, the more money I make. What’s yours? Email me at Christine@RebelRiseFInance. com and be witnessed in your money intention.

Define your top financial priority in 2026 (make more, save, invest, give, steward, or something else). Get specific and let the universe know what you are wanting with your money.

AREA 4: ALIGN YOUR SPENDING PLANS

CHECKLIST:

Create new spending plans (business & personal) aligned with your values and desired lifestyle, and based on your review from 2025. What do you want? And then ask, “What do you really want?” Paint a picture of the year ahead through your spending plan. Money wants to be told what to do. Don’t skip this step; command your money.

Identify one area or expense, like a subscription, to cut and one area or expense to expand. Such a great way to activate your decision-making skills. Money loves clarity! It’s that simple.

Review with your partner, trusted advisor, business bestie and share what you are excited about and where you are hitting your financial growth edge or money ceiling. Ask for support and love, and lean into their belief in you staying financially aligned in 2026. You got this and I got your back.

AREA 5: RESET PRICING & PAY YOURSELF FIRST

CHECKLIST:

Review current pricing of your offers, products, services vs. the current marketplace economy, and don’t forget about your energy output in pricing your services. That is why I use my Holographic Finance process when it comes to pricing as well. A threelegged stool is stronger than a onelegged stool. The emotional aspect of pricing: what’s important to you to convey? The intuitive aspect: does it pass the gut test? The logical aspect: let’s run the numbers.

Review your current pay and connect with your financial advisor, CPA to determine and discuss any changes. Increase or decrease payroll? Increase or decrease distributions? This important step signals to your brain that the business works for you. Not the other way around.

Automate your distribution or payroll transfer. Such an easy way to get over the “I’ll pay myself last” phenomenon that I see happen in small businesses. And less decision fatigue!

AREA 6: STRENGTHEN YOUR FINANCIAL SYSTEMS

CHECKLIST:

Do you have the right accounting tools in place? What structure and support do you need to reach your 2026 financial goals? (QuickBooks/Xero, banks, spreadsheets) Do you have a bookkeeper, financial advisor, and/or CPA who’s advocating for your financial potential — or agreeing with your limitations? Support is key to financial growth. Nobody is doing money alone. Find out what is available. The best investment is investing in your financial potential with the support of experts.

Automate savings transfers and estimated tax payments. Much is available through our banks to set this up. Ask your bank for low/no fee bank accounts to open, one for savings, one for taxes and each month set aside a percentage of income to those two buckets. Build savings and tax payments into your monthly income so you aren’t left with nothing each month.

Get into ritual. When is your Money Date each month? You don’t have one? START one. Whether with your partner, biz bestie, bookkeeper, financial coach, or on your own create a recurring calendar reminders for your money date each month, one that feels fresh, fluid, clear, and supportive, just like you want your money to be. You will be surprised at what this can do for increasing your money flow.

AREA 7: REVIEW CREDIT & FUNDING

CHECKLIST:

Pull your credit report and check your score. We can only decide where we want to go once we know where we are. So take a breath, check your credit score — then celebrate with chocolate. You did it.

Open up a spreadsheet and list all debts (this can be connected to calculating your Net Worth in Area 1) and list corresponding interest rates. How can you invite gratitude in, even at the smallest bit, to these debts for giving your access to capital in times when you didn’t have it yourself. What can shift here from that point of view?

Plan payoffs or explore funding for growth projects. This is where things can get exciting. What can money do for us in the future? How can we be a steward of money in our businesses and life and anchor into our values and desires? Let money engage in its natural cyclical flow

Choosing to be a good steward of money starts with curiosity and ends with clarity. Lead your money with love rather than fear. Celebrating you now and always — in every stage of your money journey. To your financial rise, wealth, and flow.

AREA 8: REFRESH YOUR MONEY MINDSET

CHECKLIST:

Write down 3 money beliefs you’re releasing. You know those pesky beliefs that have been with you since you were 7 years old. It’s ok to let them go, they have served you to this point and are not needed for where you are going. The most powerful way to release a limiting belief is to find the gift in them. How did that belief help you to this point? How can you take that gem and reclaim that thought into a feeling and action that will propel you forward from a place of abundance vs. scarcity?

Create a 21-Day Money Challenge. For 5 minutes a day, connect to a daily money ritual that reenergizes your money and goals for 2026. Try meditation, visualization, journaling, dancing to your favorite money song, breathwork, or gratitude practice.Pick something else that works for you. Find alignment each day reconnecting your money relationship and notice what changes. (I suggest not doing this January! Maybe February or March. But go on, schedule it now!)

AREA 9: REASSESS WEALTH BUILDING

CHECKLIST:

Define what wealth means to you and how it’s already present in your life. Wealth isn’t just for rich people, it is for all of us. Access to building wealth in your life is what I stand for. Spend time with others who model financial integrity and expansion — then take your next bold money move.

Set personal savings and investing goals and review investment and retirement accounts from the perspective of your future potential. These should be aligned from your values to your decision making to your wealth — on your terms.

Decide profit reinvestment percentage for the business. Speak with your financial advisor or business coach and decide at the beginning of your year to determine how much profit you want in your business and bake it into your monthly allocations.

financial strategy meets feminine power. Find Christine here: https://rebelrisefinance.com/.

“

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”

—Oprah Winfrey

On my winter organization list: pens. I’m rounding up every pen in the house, testing them, tossing the duds, and keeping only a few well-placed favorites. And if I need extras, I’ll restock with my beloved FriXions.

Every Friday in FLOW365, Mia begins planning by pulling four oracle cards— Chris Anne’s Sacred Creators Oracle is a crowd favorite. Not everyone in our community would call themselves “woo,” but everyone loves this weekly grounding ritual, and you can experience more in Patty Lennon’s oracle reading in this issue (page 88).

There is an oracle deck for everyone, and a new season is a great time to find one and weave it into your planning—to make it easy, we include prompts for cards draws throughout the FLOW planning process.

Winter is a season of turning inward. Kim Marie’s 12th-edition Sacred Nights of Winter Journal helps you listen to your Soul, deepen intuition, and enter the new year with clarity and alignment.

Explore the journal: kimmariecoaching.com/sacrednights/

The StoryBehind our Feature Interview

I first encountered Sarah Jenks about ten years ago through Marie Forleo’s B-School. She was one of the featured entrepreneurs, and I immediately resonated with the way she had taken what we were learning and softened it — made it feel more feminine (long before I had that word). She was one of the women I was quietly watching to see how they were building businesses that felt balanced.

One day, I read one of her posts that she was moving to Boston and hosting a retreat to mark the transition. I sent a message sharing my belief that food at retreats should support transformation rather than distract from it.

Within days, Sarah had hired me to cook for her 30-woman retreat. I had never cooked for more than ten people, and certainly not professionally. Still, my whole body said, “You can do this, Mia.” So I said yes.

That yes became the start of our friendship. Over the past seven years, I’ve watched Sarah evolve — from a weight-loss coach to a guide helping women feel whole, to a priestess leading sacred work through Holy Woman, and now into The Living Temple.

About three years ago, she called to ask if I would do the food for her intimate, high-end retreat called The Council. That first Council retreat was also the week Kelly Taveras joined as Sarah’s Managing Director. Since then, I’ve watched their partnership deepen. Kelly has gone from Managing Director to true business and ceremony partner. They call each other out with love. They discuss everything. They are business partners, collaborators, and family. Watching them has been deeply inspiring.

Sarah has shifted from running a spiritual lifestyle brand to leading a temple devoted to ceremony, community, and collective care as a way for women to heal and make a difference. I’ve watched Sarah step fully into what she’s meant to do. I’ve watched Kelly bring her human rights expertise and no bs ways into the personal development space. And together, they’ve built a business that feels revolutionary — rooted in earth-based spirituality, honesty, equality, reverence, and the feminine.

When I started this new series of interviews, I knew I had to sit down with Sarah and Kelly — to talk about ceremony, leadership, partnership, and how they balance it all as women, mothers of three, and leaders of a multimillion-dollar business that’s rewriting the rules.

Q&A SARAH JENKS AND KELLY TAVERAS with

What is ceremony?

Sarah: Ceremony definitely is interpreted in different ways, in different lineages. I’ll explain how we consider ceremony in the 13 Moon Mystery School, which is where I was trained as a priestess. Ceremony is when you create a vibrational field that helps people to drop out of the personality and into the soul. It helps us part the veils between the seen and the unseen world, so that we have an opportunity to really go inside and listen to ourselves, but also feel our interconnection with the earth and with each other.

Can you explain how ceremony weaves into the business that you’ve created?

Sarah: Everything that we create is often birthed out of a ceremonial space and our deep connection with the divine and how we are guided to be in service to this community.

Kelly: It’s the whole strategy for us. It’s not separate. We are creating ceremonial experiences for women. That’s what the business is. And in order to do that, we have to be in ceremonial experiences where the work comes through. So we’re always in the same field that the women are.

When we do our deepest levels of work with women, the work is to go all the way in ourselves. That’s how we actually hold space inside of Sarah’s lineage. You’re not actually holding anything. It’s actually just about going all the way in.

So the primary strategy for the business is to be in ceremony, to be in deep listening for what the women that we were meant to serve need and how the work wants to be expressed at this time that we’re in.

A lot of people who have a strong spiritual practice have a hard time committing to the future because the practice is about being here now. So how do you hold those two things — being able to drop into your heart in the now and then being able to plan forward?

Sarah: Well, I think they’re really two sides of the same coin. When you look at sacred feminine technology, we’re taught how to hold opposites, but we’ve been brainwashed to think that we have one thing, one way we don’t have the other.

Also Kelly and I both have strong intuitions and strong, strategic mindsets. We try to make sure they’re in a relationship with each other and not fighting. I think there’s this thing that can happen around making strategic planning wrong or bad, or too masculine, but it’s really all about how all parts of you can be in relationship and support each other.

A big part of the Living Temple is creating more of a long-term structure, and it’s been a big shift for me and the company.

Kelly: The other thing I’d add is that we are skilled business people. I never want to underestimate that. There is a bit of it that’s learned skills over time in terms of planning and learning how to run a company.

For me, being in advocacy work and the nonprofit sector, learning how to grow movement, there are a lot of skills that don’t necessarily come from a spiritual download. They come from deep learning and practice and time devotion.

Sarah: I’ve been an entrepreneur for 16 years and I’ve taken a ton of online business courses. So we also really have super complimentary skill sets. And what’s so cool is that now with the living Temple, we’re really using both.

Kelly: The other thing that might be interesting to add is that we do try to intentionally separate those energies for the sake of planning out our week. On Mondays we’ll do full drop-ins and be in ceremonial space. We haven’t been doing that recently because we’ve been so busy. But we try to start the week that way and protect the integrity of that, and then go into planning and work and execution for the rest of the week so that it can feel real.

The way we all start our day impacts the whole day. And our life is just the sum of every day.” –Sarah

One of the things that you two are so amazing at is taking “the downloads” you get and actually putting a lot of action behind them. I think that’s harder for some spiritual people to actually use what they receive.

Sarah: I spent a good chunk of my career being separate. I was two different people. Before my ordination, I would have a spiritual practice, but then I ran the company with my mind only. I think a big part of my initiation as being a priestess is to be in integrity. It’s part of my vows to walk and be the same way everywhere, and to make sure that I’m in deep trust with what comes through in ceremony.

Kelly: Yeah, I would add that, we are scrappy, so we get ideas and we try to move the idea through or test the idea or get proof of concept quickly without getting too bogged down in systems. When we have a download, we can move on it, and then we have seen that work over time, so now we trust the process.

Sarah: It’s like the structure of our business supports us in being able to respond.

Kelly: Yes. The way we set up our team and our systems does that. I’ll also say that there’s a tremendous amount of privilege that we have because of Sarah’s emotional eating business and life coaching business. We have a really strong foundation that allows us to really kind of play with different things that come through. I just want to name that, because if you’re starting from the beginning, it can be harder to get that process going.

Can you share an example of something recently that has happened that has really stretched you and what you’re learning from it?

Sarah: I think the deepest stretch for us is always in integrity work.

Over the summer I went through a big process around digging into the cosmology of the sacred feminine and the work. We have gotten these downloads and these knowings that we’re supposed to start having real world conversations with spiritual women, so that’s part of where our work is headed — creating a space where we can really talk about what’s happening in the world.

Kelly: Whereas a lot of times spiritual spaces avoid talking about what’s happening in the human world, and that can feel bypassed. So when we hear that, I go into deep inquiry around, is this really what the work is intended to be? Are we going to mess with the integrity of the ceremonial field if we start talking about what’s happening in the world?

Going into the depths of understanding the cosmology, the lineage, what it is, and then also looking at what’s happening in the world and making sure that our business practices are an integrity of running a spiritual community is not a small thing to figure out. So I think we’ve been stretched into deeper and deeper levels of integrity across the board with how we talk about what we do, how our business is structured, the architecture of the work, and the most integrityful way to have a spiritual community that is oriented towards collective action and how to do that.

Will you talk a little bit about partnership and what that looks like to you?

Because I think it’s different from how other people partner.

Sarah: I think when you run a company that’s based in spiritual practice, the integrity that we talk about also includes our relationship and how we relate to each other. That’s super important. It’s not just a traditional business partnership. So we have fights and disagreements, but we’re deeply devoted to going all the way into it. We’re best friends and we’re like family.

Kelly: We didn’t start out as friends, though. I was hired as an employee. It was a slow role to build into over time. So we’re not saying go into business with your best friends. But it seems we have an interesting soul contract with each other that has played out over time and is now reaching the point where we’re in partnership as opposed to in the roles the way that I came in. So it happens over time and it happens because we were dropping in all the time because we’ve been really always looking for the weave between us, between the work, between our perspectives. And as we started to walk that out publicly a little more with some of the women in our community or some of the different projects we were working on, we could feel that we were meant to come into more partnership. It just happened slowly.

Sarah: We both work for the work. We’re oriented towards the mission, and we just got to a place where it was clear that the mission required both of our skill sets and both of our devotion and both of our leadership. And so it’s partly that we’re a great strategic match, but we’re also both spiritually needed in order to support this mission that we have.

Kelly: I think too, the journey of non-hierarchy that we went on is important. The actual fullest recognition of that is realizing that we are also not in hierarchy with our community, that we are all in it together. So we went through our personal journey with each other only to discover that it’s actually not about either of us, that this is a thing that’s going to be built by all of us.

And that’s really changed the structure of programs and the idea of coaching and teaching and the forms that the work has taken as the bridge has been built to where we are now.

You told me that you only do business on phones. Can please elaborate?

Sarah: One of my core values is around freedom. With work, I need to be able to move around freely, on my property, in the rooms in my house, to the cafe, in the car, going to Kelly’s. I can’t be worried about remembering my computer, plugging it in, not having wifi. Being able to move around inspires me. We also don’t love getting bogged down in project management scheduling or big systems. Our team self-manages themselves. So we keep things nimble. It’s a core value of our company.

Kelly: What’s funny is that when I was originally brought in, it was to systematize everything. Sarah asked me to please make us more like “a company.” Sarah really had a story — I think most of us do — that to make it as a company, and to be taken seriously, you need Asana and tech and project management and everything organized.

For some businesses — and some personality types and styles — that’s a hundred percent true. Some people really need that. That’s great. It’s just that we have learned what works well for both of us.

And then when we bring on team members, we tell them immediately and clearly exactly how we work and that it will not be like anything they’ve experienced before. And if they’re not up for that, it’s just not a great fit. Our team’s great; they adapt.

How do you start your day? Tell us about the concept of Sacred Start.

Sarah: The way we all start our day impacts the whole day. And our life is just the sum of every day and the decisions that we make.

I don’t think there’s anything more important than the start of the day. Neurologically, it’s been shown that when you wake up in the morning, the thoughts that you think first thing in the morning before you look at your phone can really change the way your brain functions. So there’s real science behind it. I’m a total science nerd. Science and priestessing is basically the same thing. It’s just physics. It’s a combination of physics and neuroscience.

Also, I’ve struggled with motherhood. I had a lot of difficulty in the early years of motherhood with the idea that I had to get up and parent. It would really send me into a pretty dark place. Being able to get up and have a half an hour, for me changed my entire relationship with motherhood.

Kelly: Sacred Start is an important part of the work we do. There’ve been over 10,000 people that have gone through Sacred Start. And in the guide there’s a “menu of magic,” as we call it, so every woman who finds us can create a practice for herself that she actually wants to do and desires.

In the guide there’s a lot of juicy practices that will make you want to take time for yourself in the morning, which is important. So we’re not going just off discipline, that’s part of it, but we’re really following desire.

5 MINUTES WITH KELLY

WHAT’S YOUR MORNING BEVERAGE OF CHOICE? Coffee black

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE ORACLE OR TAROT DECK RIGHT NOW? The new one I just got by Adrienne Maree Brown. Lineages of Change Tarot.

A SONG THAT SHIFTS YOUR ENERGY INSTANTLY? Right now, I would say “Show Me Love” by Big Wild.

RITUAL YOU NEVER SKIP EVEN WHEN LIFE IS VERY FULL? Bath every night.

FAVORITE WAY TO MOVE YOUR BODY? Journey Dance.

ARCHETYPE OR GODDESS GUIDING YOU RIGHT NOW? Ooh. Let’s go with Anana

CAUSE OR ISSUE THAT IS GETTING YOUR ATTENTION RIGHT NOW? ICE raids.

NONPROFIT YOU WISH MORE WOMEN KNEW ABOUT? Esperanza Academy. My husband is the head of school there. It’s an amazing school for young girls in Lawrence, MA.

A BOOK THAT RECENTLY LIT SOMETHING UP IN YOU?

The House by the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Tell us about your personal sacred starts.

Sarah: It’s a real choose your own adventure. There’s a different piece for everybody. I used to journal and do cards and dance, do all the things. Now I really just meditate for half an hour. I empty out and I do a lot of visualization work. I try to imagine my best possible day and some vision that I am holding. Or I’ll empty out and just listen.

Sometimes recently we’re doing work over text during my Sacred Start. It’s not perfect. Sometimes I’ll find myself in an Instagram scroll by accident, and I have to catch myself and go back. So I’m not a monk about it, but I try to show it for myself. And I always light a candle.

Kelly: About once a week, I’ll take half a day for a fully deep sacred practice where I go all the way — I create sacred space, take a bath, pull cards, do a big gratitude ritual, visualize, work through things, and move. It’s sort of more of a half-day devotion.

I think just having that regular check-in point that works for your schedule is good. But I will say, there’s a part of me that thinks I should probably start doing one. It’s just… it’s hard, even for me.

5 MINUTES WITH SARAH

MORNING BEVERAGE OF CHOICE? Coffee with butter. I love butter. Love it.

FAVORITE ORACLE DECK OR TAROT RIGHT NOW? I’m a traditional girly, so the Rider Waite Smith.

SACRED OBJECT YOU NEVER TRAVEL WITHOUT?

I always put some sort of crystal in my bra when I’m traveling. And my wearables — necklaces and rings.

A SONG THAT SHIFTS YOUR ENERGY INSTANTLY?

“Champagne Supernova” by Sprightly

RITUAL YOU NEVER SKIP EVEN WHEN LIFE IS FULL? Sacred Start.

FAVORITE WAY TO MOVE YOUR BODY? Dance — I really get down with myself.

ARCHETYPE OR GODDESS GUIDING YOU RIGHT NOW? Hecate

CAUSE OR ISSUE THAT’S GETTING YOUR ATTENTION RIGHT NOW? The sneaky way the government is taking away our reproductive rights.

A BOOK THAT RECENTLY LIT SOMETHING UP IN YOU OR THAT YOU GO BACK TO OVER AND OVER? When God Was a Woman by Merlin Stone and Caliban and the Witch by Silvia Federici

The Body-Peace® Deck: Daily Practices to Feel at

Home in Your Body

The Body-Peace® Deck by Nina Manalson is your daily invitation to make peace with your body. Each beautifully crafted card offers a moment of compassion, presence, and self-trust. It’s more than inspiration—it’s a practice of coming home to yourself.

Life Styled

BY SHIRA GILL

Shira was our featured article in the first issue of Pause Magazine. This book is literally the most useful coffee table book ever. Open it to any page and find a strategy that will make your life better.

The Artist’s Way

BY JULIA CAMERON

The Artist’s Way is the book I return to again and again, always finding fresh clarity in its guidance. Morning Pages and Artist Dates remain steady companions—and this year, I’m planning to dive back in and complete the full 90-day journey for the third time.

YOUR LAGOM LIFE

In Sweden, there’s a word for the sweet spot between too much and too little — lagom. It means “just enough,” but it’s really a way of living. A lagom life feels balanced, spacious, and quietly content. It’s the art of having what you need and loving what you have.

At its heart is fika — the Swedish ritual of pausing each day for coffee and a small treat, often shared with a friend. It’s not about caffeine or sugar; it’s about connection and taking a breath. A candle lit, a cozy blanket, your favorite mug, something nourishing to nibble, a good book — these small rituals remind us that enough can be beautiful.

And then there’s mys — that deep, cozy comfort that invites you to slow down and savor the moment. It’s curling up under a blanket, soft light glowing, presence replacing productivity. Mys is the feeling of exhale — the permission to rest without apology.

Together, lagom, fika, and mys remind us that balance isn’t static — it’s rhythmic. Even work, when approached through lagom, becomes a kind of ease. The Swedes call this arbetsro — peace at work. It’s the steady hum of focus that comes when we allow ourselves to flow, to pause, and to fill our cups before pouring out again.

SWEDISH WORDS FOR LIVING WELL

Lagom (LAH-gom) — Just enough. The balance between too much and too little — a life that feels spacious, simple, and satisfying.

Fika (FEE-kah) — A mindful coffee break. A daily pause for connection — coffee, a small treat, and presence with yourself or another.

Mys (MEES) — Cozy comfort. The art of slowing down and savoring soft light, warm blankets, and peaceful moments.

Arbetsro (AHR-bets-ro) — Peace at work. The quiet calm that allows for focused, steady productivity — working in flow, not frenzy.

LAGOM PRODUCTS

1. A New House Plant

2. Beeswax Candles

3.

4.

5.

IN BALANCED COMPANY

WE’RE ASKING WOMEN DOING FABULOUS THINGS WHAT’S BEEN MOST IMPORTANT AND TAKING INSPIRATION FROM EACH OF THEM LIVING THEIR BEST LIVES

Sabrina Moyle

PROFESSION/TITLE: CO-FOUNDER, WRITER, AND CEO

BUSINESS NAME: HELLO!LUCKY

AGE: 50

What’s your work in the world right now? Creating children’s books and music, writing my Substack, The Golden Bowl, serving on the board of The Mosaic Project and The Nueva School, and doing my best to be present as a wife, friend, sister, daughter, and mom.

What are you most proud of about the life you’ve created? My family and friends.

What does success look or feel like for you these days? A good night’s sleep, uninterrupted creative time, and hanging out with my family.

How do you define balance in this season of life? Doing meaningful work and spending time with people who energize me.

Describe your ideal day. Waking up well-rested, having the rest of the day to create, and having dinner with my family.

How do you weave pause into your life?

I start most days by creating an energetic container for the day – it’s a simple, quick ritual that allows me to feel supported and like I have the resources I need to handle whatever comes my way.

What’s one boundary you’ve recently honored or created? I decided to stop trying to control my teen – I started consistently asking permission before giving advice, keeping my energy calm and grounded (rather than anxious or aggressive), and letting him take responsibility for his actions while at the same time still being his mom (e.g. hugs and breakfast sandwiches!).

What’s your favorite piece of business advice you actually follow? Delight your customers.

What’s the most important thing you do to stay healthy? Move my body.

What’s your go-to self-care ritual or reset practice? Morning meditation.

What’s your proudest mama moment? I have three sons, so three moments: watching one be a really good boyfriend; seeing one pursue his love for music; watching one master the bagpipes.

Do you have an end-of-year ritual? No, but maybe I should!

5 MINUTES WITH SABRINA

MORNING BEVERAGE OF CHOICE: Mariage Freres

Earl Grey French Blue Tea

SONG ON REPEAT LATELY:

”Upside Down” by Jack Johnson

FAVORITE PODCAST: The Emerald

BOOK YOU RECOMMEND: The Five Personality Patterns by Stephen Kessler

ONE THING THAT GROUNDS YOU IN A BUSY WEEK: Meditation

FAVORITE BUSINESS TOOL: Gemini YOU LET GO OF TO MAKE ROOM FOR BALANCE: Alcohol

SOMETHING THAT SURPRISED YOU ABOUT THIS PHASE OF LIFE: How confident I feel, but also how much I’m still learning.

Sabrina Moyle is Co-Founder of Hello!Lucky, a creative studio based in San Francisco, CA, and mom of three. Find her at www.hellolucky.com

COULD OLD-SCHOOL LETTER WRITING

BE PART OF YOUR 2026 PLAN?

HERE ARE SOME OF OUR FAVORITE HELLO LUCKY CARDS...

Andre Toro

TITLE: Studio Owner/Portrait Photographer

BUSINESS NAME: Andre Toro Photography

AGE: 42

What’s your work in the world right now? I help Boston professionals and families feel at ease in front of the camera so their photos radiate confidence, connection, and credibility.

What are you most proud of about the life you’ve created? I’ve built the lifestyle I once dreamed of—a career I’m deeply passionate about that lets me crush my business goals, care for myself, and be the present, involved mom I always wanted to be.

What does success look or feel like for you these days? For me, it’s running a thriving, profitable studio, serving clients who turn into passionate brand ambassadors—and still making it to every soccer game and dance rehearsal with my girls.

How do you define balance in this season of life? For me, balance means embracing flexibility. No two days look alike—my schedule shifts constantly depending on my kids, health, and business. Twice a month, I’ll have a 10-hour hustle day, while other days I’m wrapping up by 2:45 p.m. Shooting both in-studio and outdoors means some days end at sunset and others

follow regular hours. My non-negotiables are built right into my calendar: BTONE workouts 2 times a week, 1–2 nature walks a week, a weekly massage, and (almost) daily meditation. I treat my health like any other client—booked and protected. It might sound selfish, but I’ve learned that putting my oxygen mask on first is what allows me to show up as my best self for everyone else. I’m also always reading a book, that’s my favorite ME-time :)

Describe your ideal day.

My ideal day starts with coffee, eggs, and avocado in the morning, and a sweet conversation while dropping my two girls off at school. I spend the day at the studio— photographing clients, chatting with new inquiries, and working regular hours. Then it’s school pickup and the whirlwind of afterschool activities, followed by dinner with all four of us around the table. After that, cuddles with the kids, downtime with my husband, and falling asleep with a good book in hand. A regular day filled with health and connection is a perfect day for me. And if I get to pick a vacation day? You’ll find me at the beach—that’s my happy place.

5 MINUTES WITH

ANDRE

MORNING BEVERAGE OF CHOICE:

Coffee with oat milk

SONG ON REPEAT LATELY:

“Don’t Stop Believin’” by Teddy Swims (haha I’m not his biggest fan but I LOVE this song so much!!!)

FAVORITE PODCAST: The Daily

BOOK YOU RECOMMEND: Oh that’s hard. Pillars of the Earth or The Women.

ONE THING THAT GROUNDS YOU IN A BUSY WEEK: hugging my girls

FAVORITE BUSINESS TOOL OR APP: Hubspot

What’s one boundary you’ve recently honored or created? BTONE. For years, I struggled to stay consistent with workouts because I hadn’t found something I truly enjoyed. Now, I crave my BTONE classes. It’s my time to recharge, move, and feel strong. And my Thursday teacher? My absolute favorite!

What’s your favorite piece of business advice you actually follow? Pick up the phone and call your leads! Skip the emails and texts—nothing builds connection like a real conversation. Discovery calls are where the magic happens; they’re the best way to truly understand people and create meaningful relationships.

ONE THING YOU LET GO OF TO MAKE ROOM FOR BALANCE: I was sitting on two boards, and I walked away from one. I was stretched too thin.

SOMETHING THAT SURPRISED YOU ABOUT THIS PHASE OF LIFE: How fast time flies. This morning I looked at my oldest and it hit me hard—she’s grown so much in just six months. I couldn’t help but drop a tear.

What’s the most important thing you do to stay healthy? Exercise—something that’s become new and essential for me. I’ve always been naturally slim, so I never made it a priority before. Now, I work out not just to feel good today, but for the benefit of my 80-year-old self. I want to be a strong and independent grandma!

What’s your go-to self-care ritual or reset practice? BTONE, meditation, nature walks, reading, church on Sunday

What’s your proudest mama moment (even if your kids are grown)? Knowing what’s in their hearts—because they trust me enough to share their feelings. Nothing beats that :)

Andre Toro is a Venezuelan portrait photographer and studio owner who helps Boston professionals and families feel at ease in front of the camera so their photos radiate confidence, connection, and credibility. Find Andre here: www.andretorophotography.com/

Toni Bergins

TITLES: Creator & Director

Business Name: JourneyDance

Age: 56

What’s your work in the world right now? I’m devoted to helping people reawaken their energy and reconnect to their aliveness through movement, music, and emotional expression. My work through JourneyDance invites people to shed layers of programming and conditioning, release what’s ready to move, and rediscover their joy, creativity, and embodied wisdom.

What are you most proud of about the life you’ve created? That I’ve built a life rooted in authenticity and purpose — one where my creative expression and my service to others are one and the same. I’m proud that my work still excites and transforms me after all these years, and that I get to witness people awakening to themselves in such profound ways. I love what I do on every level.

What does success look or feel like for you these days? Success feels like open hearted, exciting flow — when I’m creating, teaching, or connecting in ways that feel aligned with my heart. It’s less about the milestones of writing my book, creating my music, and more about being present in my artistry, feeling nourished in community, deeply connecting, and being in integrity with what truly matters to me.

How do you define balance in this season of life? As a mover and traveling teacher, I have a lot of activity in my life, so balance to me means giving equal respect to my inner and outer worlds — honoring the need to rest, nap, play, laugh, and receive just as much as I give and create. I take much needed downtime to just live. I’m learning to listen when my body whispers before it needs to shout. I also make time to study new things and grow my practice, build my tools for navigating the intensity of life.

Describe your ideal day. Waking slowly, enjoying my morning ritual with gratitude. Listening to new music, dancing barefoot to move my body and soul. Time in nature — swimming, walking, or hiking. Creative flow playing guitar, piano, singing and writing. Then I love cooking a delicious meal to share with people I love or just by myself. I love creating a fire ceremony under the stars, feeling deeply alive and connected. And lots of sex, when a good relationship is in flow!

How do you weave pause into your life? Movement and silence. Sometimes I just light a candle. Sometimes it’s five minutes of stillness after I teach, workout or take my walk. Those little moments of pause are where inspiration arrives. I also love naps to reset.

What’s one boundary you’ve recently honored or created? Saying no to overextending myself. Setting boundaries with my adult children. Sharing mutual respect in all my relationships. And taking no abusive or toxic treatment. I’m learning that protecting my energy is an act of love — for myself and everyone I serve.

What’s your favorite piece of business advice you actually follow? “Be you.” I remind myself that my unique essence is my true value — not trends, not comparison, just authenticity and heart. Do what feels right to you, don’t get sucked into other people’s ideas of how you should do things, because you probably won’t follow through. All marketing must feel organic, then you will get results.

What’s the most important thing you do to stay healthy? Eat nourishing food for your body. Move every day. Whether it’s a JourneyDance practice, a long walk, or spontaneous kitchen dancing, movement clears the energy, regulates the emotions, and keeps us grounded.

What’s your go-to self-care ritual or reset practice? Dance, nature, a cold plunge, and naps — my perfect reset. They bring me back into my body and remind me who I am beyond the noise. If things are very difficult or emotional, a fire ceremony is key for me.

What’s your proudest mama moment (even if your kids are grown)? Watching my sons live from their own truth, making choices from inner guidance rather than external pressure. They are such strong individuals, making their own paths with self-trust, authenticity, and courage.

Do you have an end-of-year ritual? Yes. I love to dance out the year — to literally move through gratitude, release, and intention. I journal what I’m letting go of, what I’m celebrating, and what I’m calling in. Then I bring all of that to a huge JourneyDance event, light many candles, dance it all through, and begin the new year fresh and open.

Toni Bergins, creator of JourneyDance and The Embodied Transformation Method, has been leading people through powerful movement-based healing experiences— workshops, classes, retreats, and immersive trainings—for nearly 30 years. Find her at https://journeydance.com/

5 MINUTES WITH TONI

MORNING BEVERAGE OF CHOICE: RYZE Mushroom Coffee

SONG ON REPEAT LATELY:

“I Saw The Mountains” by Noah Cyrus

FAVORITE PODCAST: OMG!!! Telepathy Tapes

BOOK YOU RECOMMEND: EMBODY Feel, Heal & Transform Your Life Through Movement by Toni Bergins (me)

FICTION BOOK: The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

ONE THING THAT GROUNDS YOU IN A BUSY WEEK: Working out!

FAVORITE BUSINESS TOOL OR APP: Spotify, Splice, CapCut

ONE THING YOU LET GO OF TO MAKE ROOM FOR BALANCE: Cleaning :) no seriously, Toxic Relationships

SOMETHING THAT SURPRISED YOU ABOUT THIS PHASE OF LIFE: I FREAKING love my life! I thought 50s would be the wind down but it’s just the beginning…like a whole new chapter for adventure.

Comfort and Joy at the Holiday Table

HOW TO ENJOY HOLIDAY FOODS AND STILL FEEL GREAT IN YOUR BODY

BY

TESS MASTERS

The holiday season is filled with opportunities to spend quality time with family and friends. We want to celebrate, participate in culinary traditions, eat our favorite festive foods, and make beautiful memories.

But, traditional holiday foods can wreak havoc in our bodies. It’s joyful while we’re eating, and then the gas, bloating, stomach cramps, fatigue, constipation, and other uncomfortable symptoms set in to dampen the holiday spirit. Rather than depriving ourselves of the foods we love, we can “mindfully celebrate,” and find a balance of self-care, fun, and feeling good.

Here are some of the strategies my dietitians and I give participants of our 60-Day Reset to enjoy the holidays and also stay on track with health goals.

FREEZE YOUR FAVORITES. Do some advance food prep, and freeze some delicious healthy meals you’re excited about (that make your body feel good) to pull out and enjoy between events. Be sure to have a variety of frozen fruit to make smoothies to quickly get an injection of fruits and veggies.

STOCK THE PANTRY. Make sure you’ve got plenty of quality staples on hand—olive oil, whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans, broth, herbs, spices, and snacks, so it’s easy to throw together a variety of options.

FILL YOUR FRIDGE. Always have some leafy greens, fresh fruits and vegetables, plant milks, yogurt, and fermented foods so you can make quick easy salads, stir-fries, breakfasts, and snacks in a pinch.

PLAN AHEAD FOR EVENTS. Offer to host family events so you can ensure a balance of offerings. With potlucks, make something healthy (that tastes indulgent) that everybody will enjoy.

DON’T QUALIFY YOUR OFFERINGS. When taking food to events, pick the most mind-blowing healthy dish you know how to make. Unless people need to know what’s in it because of food allergies, intolerances, or dietary preferences, just slide your show-stopper onto the table with the other food. If you present your dish with qualifiers like: “This is gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, vegan, or healthy,” people may be skeptical. Simply say, “This is delicious, you have to try it!” and watch everybody gobble it up.

Health is a direct reflection of self-love and self-esteem.”

— Tess Masters on the Plan Simple Podcast

EAT BEFORE YOU BINGE. When you know there will be very few healthy options at an event, enjoy a healthy meal before you arrive, so you’re not starving and can participate in the event without eating as much of the things that you know will make you feel sluggish.

EVERYTHING IN MODERATION. Enjoy your favorite foods in balanced amounts. Eat one piece of apple pie with one scoop of ice cream, instead of two scoops.

EMBRACE THE 80/20 APPROACH. When assembling food on your plate, aim for 80% non-starchy veggies and leafy greens or salad on your plate to provide nutrients and some fiber. A lot of holiday foods are lacking in fiber, are dehydrating, and can make us constipated. Then, use 20% of your plate for animal protein, breads and baked goods, and sweets that are more difficult to digest.

SATISFIED, NOT STUFFED. Eat until you feel satisfied, not until you’re completely full. Food takes time to hit your stomach. This strategy helps avoid that “ugh” feeling where you roll onto the couch and can’t move. (We’ve all been there...)

STAY HYDRATED. Animal foods, processed foods, alcohol, and added sugars are incredibly dehydrating. Drink more waterbased beverages than you normally do (filtered water, herbal teas). And, either eat one raw meal a day (smoothie or salad) and/or eat something raw with every cooked meal (side salad, cucumber, celery, avocado).

WATER AND WINE. When drinking wine, beer, spirits, and cocktails, drink one glass of filtered water between every glass of alcohol. Even better: two glasses of water between every glass of alcohol. The best approach: Skip the alcohol and enjoy mocktails or set a limit for how much alcohol you will consume at an event.

PUSH THE PROBIOTICS.

digestion and maintain better gut health, consume some fermented foods every day such as unsweetened yogurt or kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, or kvass.

TAKE DIGESTIVE ENZYMES. In consultation with your practitioner, consider taking digestive enzymes right before or with the first bite of meals, particularly the ones that contain foods that are difficult to digest.

KEEP MOVING. Go for a walk after each meal, particularly dinner (even if it’s around the house when it’s dark and cold) to support digestion and detox and burn some of those extra calories.

RESTING IS RIGHTEOUS. To combat stress and inflammation, get plenty of rest and sleep between celebrations to help your body regenerate.

FIND SUPPORT FOR MEAL PLANNING WITH PLANNING SHEETS AND PODCAST EPISODES THAT GUIDE YOU THROUGH DIFFERENT REAL-LIFE SCENARIOS.

HOLIDAY MEAL PLANNER COMING DECEMBER 18

MEAL PLANNING GUIDE COMING JANUARY 29

RESET AND REBALANCE. One of quickest ways to recover and recalibrate after a holiday binge is with a plant-based “liquid nutrition day”. A day of smoothies, soups, and fresh green juices provides vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, and hydration in a form that is easy to digest. These quality foods help push toxins through the colon to eliminate wastes, and support liver regeneration. Taking a break from processed foods, animal protein, gluten, dairy, grains, legumes, added sugar, and alcohol helps your body “bounce back.”

Tess Masters, Tess Masters is a wellness coach, speaker, podcaster, and author of The Blender Girl cookbooks who helps people get healthy with science-backed food and lifestyle strategies. She’s also the creator of and Skinny60® programs and host of the It Has To Be Me podcast. Learn more at www.theblendergirl.com.

So Good, Healthy Winter Recipes

from Tess Masters @ theblendergirl

CLICK IMAGES FOR

RECIPES

1. OLIVE OIL MASHED POTATOES

2. LEMON GARLIC GREEN BEANS WITH ALMONDS

3. ARUGULA SALAD WITH LEMON MINT VINAIGRETTE

4. ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

5. VEGAN PUMPKIN SPICE LATTE

6. MAPLE WALNUT BAKED PEARS

7. DAMP LEMON & ALMOND CAKE

8. TASTES-LIKE-ICE-CREAM KALE SMOOTHIE

9. THE MOST INCREDIBLE VEGAN BOLOGNESE

3 STRATEGIES TO NAVIGATE FOOD AND BODY TALK

OVER THE HOLIDAY — AND MAINTAIN YOUR BODY PEACE

The holidays bring family and friends together, and with them, a surge of attention on bodies, eating, and weight. Those conversations can feel intrusive or unsettling, shaking your sense of ease with food and comfort in your own skin.

Here are three ways to stay grounded in your Body-Peace® when body talk starts swirling.

DEEPEN —

Bring heart to the moment.

Instead of staying on the surface, invite something real.

“I’m actually focusing on being kinder to my body these days—it feels so much better.”

Deepening shifts the focus from judgment to connection.

DEFEND —

Set a loving boundary.

You’re allowed to protect your peace.

“I know you mean well, but I’m not doing diet talk anymore.”

Boundaries are acts of self-respect—and often give others permission to do the same.

DEFLECT

— Gracefully change the channel.

You don’t owe anyone an explanation.

“Let’s not talk about bodies—have you watched any great shows lately?”

A quick pivot protects your energy and keeps things light.

Body-Peace® Reminder: Choose conversations that nourish you. Connection doesn’t come from calorie talk—it comes from care, laughter, and being fully present.

Nina Manolson MA, NBC-HWC, Body-Peace® Coach, has over 25 years experience in the health and wellness field and is best known for her compassionate, yet practical nourishment approach. She helps women go beyond deprivation and dieting and live in a vibrant body they love. Find Nina here: https://ninamanolson.com/

ONE DOABLE CHANGE TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS

Big results don’t come from overhauling everything at once — they come from the small, doable changes we return to again and again. We asked 7 entrepreneurs to share the one habit they lean on most in their business. Think of this as a menu of possibilities: try one, make it your own, and notice the ripple it creates.

INSIDE OUT

Before I take any external step in my business, I first take an internal action. This may be: letting go, activating, accepting, allowing.

WHY IT MATTERS

By aligning inwardly first, every outer action becomes more powerful and purposeful.

People often tell me, “You really know and express your purpose—you’re passionate and truly living it.” That comes from taking aligned internal actions first.

When we take external actions based on someone else’s opinion, we create chaos. We end up saying yes to clients who aren’t a match, entering into joint ventures that aren’t true partnerships, and moving one step forward only to fall two steps back. Alignment clears the noise so every action is guided, purposeful, and powerful.

READY TO TRY?

Before you act, pause and tune inward. Ask: “does this resonate? Is it in my best interest and service to my business?”

Nine times out of ten, we are guided to a different step, and that step is almost always more aligned, more successful, and more sustainable.

Jennifer Urezzio is the founder and Business Intuitive at Soul Language. Find Jennifer here: http://www.soullanguage.us.

WE HELP WOMEN PLAN THE YEAR AHEAD IN MULTIPLE EVENTS FROM DECEMBER TO FEBRUARY.

PAUSE TO PLAN 2026 WITH US.

LEARN MORE HERE »

TELL A STORY

Tell one story every week.

WHY IT MATTERS

Storytelling builds trust, connection, and recognition, three things no business can thrive without. When you share authentic stories consistently, your audience doesn’t just remember your message; they remember you, and that’s what turns followers into loyal clients.

READY TO TRY?

Set a timer and make a list of stories you could tell. They could be about a client, a lesson learned, or a spark of inspiration.

Make time to tell one story that matters each week. It will keep your creativity sharp, your audience engaged, and your business sounding real.

Maggie van Galen is an author, copywriter and wordsmith. Find Maggie here: https://www. maggievangalen.com/.

3x3 CONNECT

Every day I do these three things:

1. Connect with 3 new people

2. Follow-up with 3 people

3. Serve (at least) 3 people

WHY IT MATTERS

Every person you want to serve and every opportunity you seek are all about PEOPLE. You will be happier and more successful when you connect with, support and surround yourself with amazing people. Make this your habit and it will change both your business and your life.

READY TO TRY?

As you wrap your day, plan your 3x3 connections for the following day. Make connecting your #1 priority and do it first.

Dana Hilmer is the founder of Wiser and Free. Dana helps women create a life of deep connection, purpose, & possibilities in midlife and beyond. Find Dana here: https://www.wiserandfree.com/

Download the planning pages to begin weaving everything that inspires you here into your life with intention and ease.

STAY CURIOUS – ASK QUESTIONS

Ask one bold, open-ended question in every meeting— and really listen. Curiosity is the shortcut to insight.

WHY IT MATTERS

Curiosity turns surface-level conversations into strategy sessions, transforms vague assumptions into actionable insights, and reveals opportunities hiding in plain sight.

Instead of giving advice, ask a question that makes someone think differently. That’s where you’ll discover what really matters— and separate yourself from everyone else just waiting to talk.

When you lead with questions, you’re not just gathering information—you’re building trust, uncovering what people actually need, and conveying that you’re someone who gets it. Every question is an invitation to go deeper, and that’s where the real value lives—for your business and your relationships.

READY TO TRY?

Before your next conversation, pause. Instead of launching into your elevator pitch, ask something thoughtful: “What’s the biggest challenge you’re navigating right now?” or “What would change everything for you?”

Then listen—not with your response queued up, but with genuine curiosity. The answers will surprise you and often hand you the exact roadmap for how to help, connect, or collaborate.

Nathalie Pincham of Your Success Tonic offers strategic coaching for visionary leaders and founders and believes one curious question can change the whole trajectory of your week (or your business!). Find Nathalie here: https://www. yoursuccesstonic.com/

FOCUS ON DEEPER CONNECTIONS

Spend an hour a day connecting with people on your social media.

WHY IT MATTERS

People buy from people, but because of the speed and noise on socials, the human element and things we experience like we do in person can get lost. We need to remember how to interact and communicate like we do in person.

Deeper connections will take an online business owner further than focusing on ‘more’ connections … it eliminates the numbers game most experts who pay for ads play.

Plus, deeper connections are about more than selling one offer; they can become lifelong clients or create referrals and make selling easier long term.

READY TO TRY?

The next time someone from your ideal audience engages on your post, respond back and thank them.

Then comment on one of theirs and send them a DM letting them know you appreciate their engagement and start a conversation. Find out about them … like actually give a shit. People can smell fake a mile away!

Invite them to your Facebook group where you can get to know them even more and offer them things to help them. Tag on a recent training, DM them and ask if they need help and don’t be afraid to offer it.

You’ve already made 5 touchpoints with one person — and it could all be within a day. Making a person feel seen and appreciated than simply going deeper while everyone else is focused on the numbers game of “more” is powerful.

Amanda Kijek helps coaches who are working way too hard to get just one sale online, and put an end to the client/customer chase for good on Facebook with her Peaceful Launch Framework. Find Amanda here: https://amandakijek.com/.

MAKE MONEY EVERYDAY

I

review my money map daily and see which days do not having money coming in. I then creating special incentives to fill them up, so I make sure that money is coming into my account every day.

WHY IT MATTERS

There are days in our calendar where we don’t have money coming in. When you pay attention, it helps you see prospects that can be closed on those days! It allows you to be creative and feel fulfilled as you are constantly growing your business. Since I started implementing this system, each month I’m generating more and more revenue!

Jovana Sredic is an Online Business Manager and VA Agency Owner at Virtualist.

READY TO TRY?

Create a spreadsheet that matches the current month (days and dates) and first start listing out the recurring money that will hit your account — upcoming subscription payments, payment plans, etc.

Then start looking at the empty spaces and start thinking how you can get money to your account today (or on any of those empty days). It can be an exclusive flash sale, and upsell to a current client, or follow up with an older lead.

Simply seeing this blank space will give you an idea how you can reach your goal.

BUILD YOUR 2026 MOVEMENT PLAN

Movement can ground you, energize you, and bring a gentle sense of ease into your day. Explore simple ways to move— on your own, with others, and throughout your community— supported by expert guidance on shaping a practice that aligns with your life. Let’s craft a plan that meets you right where you are.

BUILD YOUR PLAN

#1. Get Centered: Close your eyes and take three deep, clarifying breaths. Spend a minute connecting to your body—feel your feet, your head, your belly.

#2, Connect with your future self: Imagine your 80-year-old self. See her. Feel her energy.

#3, Choose Your Next Move: Decide how you will move now to help her become who she’s meant to be.

#4. Anchor It: Choose when you will try this new (or familiar) modality and for how long. Picture it in your schedule.

#5. Seek Accountability: Find support that helps you feel held and encouraged as you follow through.

MOVEMENT TO CONNECT WITH YOUR COMMUNITY

Movement doesn’t have to be a solo act— your community can be one of your greatest sources of motivation and joy. Consider joining a local class, walking with friends, or booking a session with a trainer to bring connection and accountability into your routine. Even small shared moments of movement can strengthen your relationships and make staying active feel easier and more meaningful.

FRESH IDEAS

YOGA

WALKS

PILATES

SOMATIC MOVEMENT

WEIGHT TRAINING

RESISTANCE BAND WORK

HIIT

BARRE TRX

HIKING

DANCE

CYCLING

RUNNING

ROWING

TAI CHI

QIGONG

HULA HOOPING

REBOUNDING

ROLLER SKATING OR ICE SKATING

SWIMMING

PICK-UP SPORTS

(TENNIS, BASKETBALL, PICKLEBALL)

JOURNEY DANCE with Toni Bergins

What is JourneyDance?

JourneyDance is a powerful guided movement practice that helps women reconnect with their bodies, emotions, and divine essence. It’s not about choreography or performance—it’s about presence and permission. Through music, breath, and intuitive movement, we allow the body to become a portal for healing, expression, and transformation. Each class becomes a sacred journey through emotion, energy, and awareness—shedding tension, releasing old stories, and awakening a deeper sense of vitality, self-love, and wholeness.

JourneyDance invites you to meet yourself exactly where you are and to move through life’s transitions, the ups and downs, the bliss and the heartache. It’s a moving practice that opens the heart, clears the mind, and restores a felt sense of aliveness. For many women, it becomes a sanctuary—a place to express freely, cry, laugh, rage, and rediscover the truth of who they are beneath the layers of doing and striving.

Why is JourneyDance a powerful addition to someone’s week?

In a world that asks so much of us, JourneyDance offers a weekly reset— physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It’s a space to drop out of the mind and back into the body, to move through what words can’t always reach. Especially in peri- and menopause, when our inner landscape is shifting, this practice helps regulate the nervous system, release built-up stress, and balance our energy. It reconnects us with the parts of ourselves that may have been neglected—the sensual, the intuitive, the joyful, the wise.

Each session is an act of reclamation— a way of saying yes to your own vitality, your creativity, and your power. We process what needs our attention, all the emotions are allowed. Afterward, you feel lighter, clearer, more grounded, and profoundly at peace. The benefits ripple into every part of life: improved mood, deeper sleep, increased confidence, and an embodied sense of calm and connection.

What changes do you notice in women who practice regularly?

Over time, women who practice JourneyDance experience remarkable transformations. They begin to inhabit their bodies with greater ease and confidence, shedding layers of self-criticism and replacing them with compassion and self-trust. Many describe feeling emotionally liberated—able to process and release long-held pain or grief through movement rather than words. Their presence is empowering, their hearts open, their eyes shine, and their energy expands.

Women often say they feel more resilient, creative, and in touch with their inner guidance. They rediscover joy not as a fleeting emotion, but as a state of being that arises from deep within. There’s a sense of coming home—to the body, to the heart, to the divine feminine essence that has always been there.

JourneyDance is more than a movement practice—it’s a pathway to emotional healing and spiritual awakening. It helps women remember that they are whole, powerful, and profoundly connected to life itself.

HIIT

PAUSE MAGAZINE — BODY

What is HIIT?

HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. It involves short bursts of intense exercise which are followed by periods of rest or low-intensity activity. For example, you will do 45 seconds of exercise, 15 seconds of rest, then repeat with different exercises for the duration.

Why would it be a powerful edition to someone’s week (specially someone who has tried it all)? It’s quick!

HIIT workouts are very time-efficient and perfect for a busy lifestyle. Too frequently, being time short is a barrier to us exercising — HIIT is the solution.

It can be done at home or at the gym and requires very little space. I frequently do my HIIT workout in a small kitchen. Sessions can last between 10 to 30 minutes.

I developed a routine of putting my gym kit next to the bed to put on when I woke up and doing 15 minutes HIIT first thing in the morning before I started anything else. It meant I felt energized, virtuous and had done my exercises before daily diary challenges could get in the way. Not only that I had fired up my metabolism.

DESPITE THEM BEING SHORT AND SWEET, HIIT SESSIONS REALLY DELIVER:

Calorie burning and fat Loss

HIIT is great for reducing body fat. The intense bursts of activity followed by short recovery periods increase the body’s demand for oxygen. This increases your metabolic rate. Even better, this increased metabolic rate can carry on after the workout, meaning you continue to burn more calories in the hours afterwards.

Improves your cardiovascular health

You will feel your heart rate increase during HIIT, so it will be improving your cardiovascular health. If you haven’t done it before, you will get out of breath, but you will find your cardiovascular endurance improves.

Muscle tone

HIIT will improve your muscle tone. It won’t have the same effect as lifting heavy weights, but the quick and intense nature of HIIT, often using body weight, will lead to lower body fat, revealing more of your newly toned muscles.

Variety

If you are going to make exercise a permanent fixture in your life, it needs to keep you interested. HIIT is very versatile and can have many permutations. From bodyweight exercises to sprints, cycling to rowing, at home or in the gym, you can engage different muscle groups. I have been doing it for 5 years and am still not bored.

You can get excited about progress

Your body will adapt quickly to HIIT. It’s exciting to realise you’re finding it easier and that there’s potential for continual progress. You can increase the intensity, how long you do it for and try new exercises to keep challenging yourself.

GET STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTION PHOTOS AND COMBINATIONS OF EXERCISES TO GIVE YOU A FULL BODY WORKOUT IN FIONA’S BOOK.

HOW TO GET STARTED?

With regards to equipment and kit, there are several combinations of standing exercises, but it’s useful to have a roll up mat in order to be able to do prone exercises for your core and upper body comfortably. You can wear anything that is comfortable to exercise in, but invest in a pair of trainers that have good cushioning in the sole and that will give you ankle support.

You can start with simple body weight exercises, 30 seconds on, 10 seconds off for 10 minutes. As you get used to this, you can increase the time and then add weights or resistance bands.

In my book Invincible not Invisible, How to Change your Mindset and Body in 90 Days, I show examples of exercises, with step by step instruction photos and combinations of exercises to give you a full body workout.

A FEW OF MIA’S FAVORITES:

Fiona Lambert embodies the mantra “Invincible, not Invisible,” challenging stereotypes about ageing and proving it’s never too late to live boldly. Her work across personal development, coaching, fashion, wellness, and content creation is rooted in authenticity and empowerment, inspiring women 45–70 to ditch self-doubt and embrace their unique power. Follow her on Instagram @fionalambertofficial

prAna Verde Large Yoga Mat is long enough for a full stretch. Young Living Deep Relief Roll-On so sore muscles are never a workout stopper.

NEW YEAR, NEW INSIGHTS

THE START OF A YEAR IS A CHANCE TO PAUSE, PLAY, AND LISTEN WITHIN. THESE PRACTICES — FROM TIMELESS TRADITIONS TO MODERN TOOLS — CAN SPARK CLARITY, INSPIRE NEW PERSPECTIVES, AND RECONNECT YOU TO WHAT MATTERS MOST. FOLLOW YOUR CURIOSITY, AND LET WISDOM GUIDE YOU INTO 2026.

The I Ching

with Eve Smyth

WHY USING THE I CHING CAN BE ESPECIALLY SUPPORTIVE AT THE START OF A NEW YEAR

The start of the year always feels like a threshold. We look back at what was, and forward to what could be.

The I Ching helps you recognize that not every block or shift that you see in your life right now is personal—it’s part of the collective energy moving through and around all of us. Even more, it teaches you to approach challenges from multiple perspectives. If your way isn’t the only way, then suddenly a world of new possibilities for optimal change and solutions opens.

WHAT IS THE I CHING?

The I Ching (Book of Change), one of the oldest books in the world, has been used for thousands of years as a divination tool for accessing your inner wisdom and navigating change. At its core, the I Ching stresses that change is a constant.

HOW TO TRY NOW?

You don’t have to cast coins or study the whole book to begin.

Start by pausing. Notice what in your life feels “in flow” and what feels “stuck.”

By showing you different interpretations and perspectives for your inquiry, it helps you adapt and flex by discovering options you couldn’t see before. I Ching gives you the freedom to choose your responses to external events instead of reacting in a way that diminishes you.

With whatever is stuck, ask yourself: If I didn’t expect a certain outcome about …. what are all the ways I could move forward?

You will find solutions naturally arising from answering this question. That shift in perspective about your inquiry is the essence of the I Ching.

Eve Smyth, author of I Ching Predictions (2026 version available now) and founder of Sanctum with Eve, teaches others to use intuition and inspired action to live in balance with themselves, nature, and community. Find more at http://www.sanctumwithevesmyth.com.

Quantum Human Design

with Laura West

WHY KNOWING YOUR QUANTUM HUMAN DESIGN CAN BE ESPECIALLY SUPPORTIVE AT THE START OF A NEW YEAR.

The turning of the year is an invitation to listen — not just to your mind’s resolutions, but to your soul’s quiet knowing.

Quantum Human Design helps you tune in to that deeper wisdom. It reminds you that you already have a built-in guidance system — one designed for flow, creativity, and ease — waiting to lead you toward what feels like a true “Yes.” Isn’t it time to head toward your Big Yes instead of following others’ formulas that may not really work for you?

WHAT EXACTLY IS QUANTUM HUMAN DESIGN?

Quantum Human Design weaves together ancient systems like astrology, chakras, and the I Ching with the science of quantum energy. It reveals your personal energetic blueprint — how you are naturally designed to make decisions, express your gifts, access your intuition and create impact. It’s less about fixing yourself and more about remembering who you really are. QHD was designed by Dr. Karen Parker as a map to your aligned, awakened soul expression.

Think of Quantum Human Design as listening to the blueprint of your soul.

Laura West is a Business Alchemy Coach, Intuitive Guide, and Quantum Human Design Specialist, and author of the Magic Success Scripting Journal. She helps highly attuned entrepreneurs ditch the formulas and grow businesses that actually feel joyful, creative, and true to who they are. For more information: JoyfulBusiness.com

HOW TO USE IT NOW?

Begin by exploring your free Quantum Human Design chart.

Discover your Type — your energetic role in the world — and notice what happens when you move with your natural rhythm instead of against it. Perhaps your next “new beginning” isn’t about doing more… but aligning more deeply with the truth of your own design and creative expression.

LAURA’S LATEST BOOK MAKES A GREAT PRESENT FOR YOU OR A FRIEND.

The Sacred Pause

with Heather Dressel

WHY THE SACRED PAUSE CAN BE ESPECIALLY SUPPORTIVE AT THE START OF A NEW YEAR

As a new year begins, we’re often pulled into planning and doing. The Sacred Pause invites us to begin differently—by slowing down and listening first. Winter reminds us that rest is not a retreat but a powerful reset, helping us start the year rooted in intuition instead of urgency.

WHAT EXACTLY IS THE SACRED PAUSE?

The Sacred Pause is a short, mindful ritual using breath, intention, and candlelight to help you reconnect with your inner wisdom. It’s a few quiet minutes to step away from the noise, tune in, and feel more grounded and clear.

Heather Dressel is a Spiritual Guide-ess and Reiki practitioner, walking women home to themselves. Learn more: www.divinelysensitive.com.

HOW TO TRY NOW?

Close your eyes, take three slow breaths, and place your hands over your heart. Whisper within, “My beautiful inner Guide-ess, I am here. What potent wisdom do you have for me?”

Notice what you feel, sense, or hear—that’s the beginning of your Sacred Pause.

Face Reading

with Thuy Dam

WHY FACE READING CAN BE ESPECIALLY SUPPORTIVE AT THE START OF A NEW YEAR

Chinese face reading offers a fresh lens on your strengths, tendencies, and life patterns—making it a powerful tool for setting aligned intentions as the new year begins. It helps you understand what qualities to lean into and what habits to gently release as you move forward.

WHAT EXACTLY IS FACE READING?

Face reading is an ancient Chinese practice that interprets the features, lines, and expressions of the face to reveal personality traits, emotional patterns, and life potential. Each part of the face carries meaning, offering insight into how you show up in the world and what’s unfolding beneath the surface.

HOW TO TRY NOW?

Begin by observing your face with curiosity—not judgment. Start with your eyes, often called “the windows of the spirit”: notice their brightness, softness, and how open or guarded they feel. These small details offer insight into your emotional energy and how you meet the world. From there, explore one feature at a time or seek a guided session for deeper understanding.

A spiritual muse and multi-talented soulpreneur, Thuy Dam blends face reading, energy medicine, space clearing, and beauty care, sharing her work through SoYouBoutique.net and ThuyDam.com.

Journaling

with Kim Marie

WHY JOURNALING CAN BE ESPECIALLY SUPPORTIVE AT THE START OF A NEW YEAR

Journaling integrates the whole of our being, and is a powerful tool for stepping into the new year aligned with your Soul, rather than caught in the hamster wheel of old patterns and behaviors that keep us Soulsick.

The depth of Winter is a perfect time to get started with journaling, as the Soul tends to communicate with us the most during this time, offering memorable dreams, bringing inspiration, and taking us to our depths to meet and move through our shadows.

WHAT’S JOURNALING ABOUT?

Journaling is ultimately about pausing to be with your thoughts, feelings, emotions and body. Journaling allows you to turn off distractions and connect with your Inner Wisdom by writing whatever shows up.

You can write down your dreams, process your feelings and emotions, contemplate a challenge, share an insight, detail an experience, dialogue with a long neglected part of yourself, sketch out an idea, or simply list some things you wish to remember or express deep gratitude for. The key is to make it your own, and allow it to be something you look forward to doing as a practice of deep Soul nurturing and care.

HOW TO TRY NOW?

Journaling is easier than you might think. You could start by simply writing a love letter to yourself about why you wish to nourish your Soul this year, and encourage yourself to stick with it.

Following are some things to consider as you get started — some dos and don’ts.

DO

• Create Sacred Space for yourself to find beauty, calm & quiet

• Find a special journal and writing utensils that you love and will actually work with

• Set aside time to feel freely immersed in your journaling

• Light a candle to invite the light of Source and your True Nature

• Explore creative ways to express yourself and bring out your Soul

• Trust the process and allow your Soul to speak to you, letting the writing flow freely

DON’T

• Allow distractions to disturb your practice

• Get caught up in perfection or let your inner critic stop you

• Use time as an excuse... even a few words on paper counts

• Try to do it “right” or worry about the process

• Allow writer’s block to keep you from starting... write anything

• Get discouraged...keep going until you find what works for you, and enjoy the process

Kim Marie is a Holistic Women’s Empowerment and Spiritual Coach supporting women in the second half of life to awaken their inner wisdom, heal their Soul-sickness, and live a Soul-fulfilled life. Learn more and find her journaling resources here: https://kimmariecoaching.com/

The Hour Glass Practice

with Shahin Najak

WHY THIS PRACTICE CAN BE ESPECIALLY SUPPORTIVE AT THE START OF A NEW YEAR

The Hour Glass Practice is a simple stress reset for moments of overwhelm— helping you let go, let in, and let be.

It refreshes your mood, regulates the nervous system, activates the vagus nerve, and helps you skillfully reframe your moments.

WHAT EXACTLY IS THE HOUR GLASS PRACTICE?

The Hour Glass Practice is a simple three-breath mindfulness exercise.

Each breath has a clear focus and intention— helping you pause, release tension, and reconnect with the present moment. Like sand settling in an hourglass, it invites you to drop into your body, calm your mind, and reset your mood in just a few breaths.

Shahin Najak is a Certified Mindfulness Meditation Coach, Author, and Speaker who guides others to live with greater presence, compassion, and clarity—in their relationships, work, and everyday life. Connect with Shahin: https://www.mindful-changes.com

HOW TO TRY IT NOW?

Take three mindful moments.

First moment – Inhale: Notice what’s present—your thoughts, emotions, and sensations.

Second moment – Pause: Rest your awareness in your body and allow everything to settle.

Third moment – Exhale: Gently release, letting go of tension and beginning again with fresh awareness.

Just three moments to pause, reset, and return to yourself.

Gratitude Practice

with Julie Hannon

WHY THIS GRATITUDE PRACTICE CAN BE ESPECIALLY SUPPORTIVE AT THE START OF A NEW YEAR

Gratitude is the ultimate state of receiving. For women who have often given given given over the holidays/year end in business and life, centering with gratitude facilitates receiving, grounding and opening to all the new year has to unfold.

WHAT’S THE PRACTICE?

By cultivating gratitude first, you prepare your energy body (or your mindset + emotion) to receive beneficial energies, healing, abundance, or change. You become ready to receive, rather than blocking yourself by being in survival emotions.

HOW TO TRY IT NOW?

Take a long inhale and a longer exhale.

Bring your attention to your heart. Imagine you are breathing in and out of your heart.

Allow a feeling of gratitude to fill your heart as you inhale.

Julie Hannon is a heart-centered, shamanic arts practitioner, teacher and mentor at Inner Peace and Wellness. Find Julie at innerpeaceandwellness.com/

Receiving is not just about external gifts, it is about aligning one’s heart, mind, and emotions so you can be coherent with possibilities in the field or universe. When you are coherent, you are receptive. This receptivity supports your plans as you set intentions. Gratitude is a magnet in your heart for your intentions and facilitates effortless receiving.

Then use your inhale to expand the feeling of gratitude and share your gratitude outwardly.

You are now ready to receive.

Space Clearing

with Cathy Towle

WHY SPACE CLEARING CAN BE ESPECIALLY SUPPORTIVE AT THE START OF A NEW YEAR

At the beginning of a new year, we want to invite new vital energies into our homes. A simple way to refresh your space is to prepare an herbal wash for your entryway. Cleansing your threshold at the beginning of the new year helps you start fresh, and holds the energy of your vision by reducing negativity.

WHAT EXACTLY IS SPACE CLEARING?

Your home is a sacred space of rest and renewal. Every time you cross your threshold, you bring energy with you into your home. Your threshold absorbs this energy and can actually moderate difficult energies. Think of it as a portal. One that can become overloaded. Frequently cleansing your entryways with an herbal wash makes them sparkly fresh and keeps negative energies at bay.

Cathy Towle is an intuitive coach and healer. You can learn more about her practices of Healing Humans and Spaces with the Wisdom of Spirit at www.cathytowle.com.

HOW TO TRY IT NOW?

Take fresh or dried basil and tear or crumble it into a bowl. Holding the basil in your hands, imagine it filling with bright white light. Ask it to absorb any negativity and radiate abundance, creativity and protection, properties basil is known for. Thank it for working with you to keep your home clean, and encourage the best of you to flourish.

Pour water over the herbs and let it sit for 30 minutes to a few hours for the herbs to absorb into the water. Use this mixture to wash the thresholds of the entries of your home, and the entry to any rooms that have significance for you, like a home office, bedroom, family room, kitchen, even the entry to your bathroom (where you clean yourself!).

Mindfulness Practice

with Kelley Grimes

WHY THIS PRACTICE CAN BE ESPECIALLY SUPPORTIVE AT THE START OF A NEW YEAR

Committing to a mindfulness or meditation practice can support you in living more intentionally in the New Year. By mindfully tuning into how you feel and what you need, your self-awareness will grow creating space to respond rather than react. Bringing curiosity and compassion to yourself consistently through your mediation practice will encourage you to prioritize your own needs and your self-nurturing practice.

WHAT EXACTLY IS A MINDFULNESS PRACTICE?

Mindfulness means to simply pay attention on purpose with curiosity, compassion and nonjudgement.

HOW TO TRY IT NOW?

Begin by closing your eyes or softening them down. Place your hand on your heart and bring your own kind awareness to your breath as it moves in and out for a few cycles of breath.

With curiosity and compassion, tune into how you feel and what you need at this moment. Reflect on what would be self-nurturing at this time.

Take a few more mindful breaths in and out as you send love and gratitude to yourself before opening your eyes.

Kelley Grimes is an empowering counselor, speaker and workshop facilitator, self-nurturing expert, and the best-selling author of The Art of SelfNurturing: A Field Guide To Living With More Peace, Joy and Meaning. Find Kelley here: cultivatingpeaceandjoy.com/

KELLEY’S BOOK THE ART OF SELF NURTURING MAKES A GREAT GIFT FOR ANYONE TRYING TO

TAKE BETTER CARE OF THEMSELVES..

Get Your Digital Ducks in a Row

with Ashley Ludlow

I see so many business owners struggle to get organized digitally. It’s kind of like cleaning out your closet. You start pulling everything out, and suddenly the space looks worse than when you started. Then all that overwhelm hits and … you put off finishing.

The longer you delay organizing your systems, the more opportunities you miss, the more time you waste, and the slower your progress becomes.

I want to share one incredibly simple resource that takes less than 10 minutes to set up and can buy you back hours each week — plus give you the peace of mind you’ve been craving.

Create a Daily Resource Document

Start by identifying one digital location where you check in every single day — your project management software, a bookmarked browser page, a desktop note — whatever you reliably use. Create a new card, note, or document there and divide it into three sections.

#1. Quick Links

This will be your go-to spot for links you use constantly.

Here are a few that live in mine:

• My website

• Social media links

• Discovery call booking links

• My press kit

• My brand guide (colors, fonts, logos)

• Any dashboards with metrics or analytics If I need to send something fast or reference something often, it belongs here.

#2. For Reference

This section saves time by keeping frequently needed info at a glance.

Here are a few examples:

• Launch dates, holidays, deadlines

• Daylight savings dates (US + UK)

• Copy/paste messages I send often

• Anything I find myself Googling repeatedly

If it crosses my mind more than once, I put it here.

#3. Resources

This is where I keep what I’ve invested in.

Here are a some examples:

• Courses and digital products

• Book recommendations

• Software and apps I love

I update this as I go so nothing gets forgotten or wasted.

Open your calendar and block 10–20 minutes to set it up. It may take even less time — but creating space to do it is key. Imagine how much simpler your day will feel when everything you need is easy to find, in one place, every single time. Here’s to getting your digital ducks in a row — and finding a little more magic in your business again.

Ashley Ludlow is the Founder and CEO of Rediscover Magic. She helps online business owners find their spark again by setting up streamlined, simple systems that get them out of the weeds of technology and back to doing what they love. connect with Ashley at https://rediscovermagic.com/

WINTER IS A SACRED INVITATION TO REST AND RETURN INWARD.

Winter is a season of hibernation –a pause that mirrors the quiet power of seeds lying dormant beneath the soil. Though unseen, this stillness is not stagnant. It is a time for gathering strength, integrating the past, and preparing for what’s to come.

This winter carries an especially powerful energy. In numerology, 2025 is a 9 year (2 + 0 + 2 + 5 = 9), a year of completion. Nine years ask us to reflect, release, and clear what no longer serves, in preparation for the 1 year that follows – a cycle of new beginnings and fresh starts.

But between every ending and beginning, there is a threshold – a liminal space where something old must be let go so that something new can take root.

ORACLE READING WITH PATTY LENNON

To make this reading more personal, we’re doing something a little different. There are three separate messages ahead, each connected to a single card. Before turning the page, choose a number: 1, 2, or 3. Trust whatever calls to you.

Then, read the message that corresponds to your number. That is the guidance meant for you this season.

IF YOU CHOSE CARD ONE: RECEIVE

This card shows up like a beautifully wrapped gift and that’s no coincidence. You are being called into a season of receptivity.

You’re someone who gives freely. You host, you serve, you prepare, you offer. But this card asks you to shift into a new postureto let yourself receive.

Receive the love, attention, care, and gifts others may be offering you. Let someone else take the lead. Allow space for rest, for nourishment, and for being taken care of. Yes, it may feel unfamiliar. Yes, it may even feel uncomfortable. But learning to receive is just as sacred as giving… and just as necessary.

And when you step back, even for a moment, you create room for someone else to step forward – to show up in ways they’ve been waiting to.

IF YOU CHOSE CARD TWO: JOURNEY

On this card, a backpack rests beside a sweeping vista – a moment of pause on the path. That’s where you are right now.

This is a time to take stock. Not just of the past year, but of the past nine. A 9-year cycle invites deep reflection. What have you overcome? What wisdom have you gained? What moments tested you — and where did you grow stronger?

Too often, we’re so busy watching the pace of others that we lose sight of how far we’ve come. This card is your reminder: your path is your own. The comparison has no place here.

This winter, let yourself rest. Ground into your journey. And as the light begins to return, begin to imagine: What comes next?

IF YOU CHOSE CARD THREE: PITY PARTY

This little card shows a sweet, sad little puppy and a cupcake with a candle. It holds a tender message: you have permission to grieve.

You’ve been carrying a lot. For months, maybe longer. And instead of processing those emotions, you’ve kept going –showing up, doing the things, pushing through.

But part of letting go means letting it out.

This card gives you full permission to throw yourself a mini pity party. Put on your softest pajamas. Watch movies that make you cry. Eat something delicious. Be messy and real and true with yourself.

You don’t have to stay in this space forever — but you do need to visit it. Because once you let yourself feel, you’ll be better prepared to receive the gifts on the other side.

And they are coming.

MAKE THIS READING YOUR OWN

You might have felt called to more than one number — or noticed a card that pulled at you unexpectedly. That’s not a mistake. If your heart wants to hear more than one message, trust it.

Take a moment to really look at the imagery in your card(s). What colors, symbols, or feelings stand out to you? Is there a detail that seems meant just for you? Messages often arrive in subtle ways - through art, emotion, or intuition.

Let the card speak to you beyond the words.

Let it become a mirror for your own wisdom.

Watch Patty’s Monthly Predictions on her YouTube channel here: youtube.com/pattylennon.

The Astrology Report

with Danielle Hendrickson

The Moon is our first language. Before words, before reason, we knew her pull. Her wisdom. We felt her rise and fall in our blood, our tides, our moods. She moves through us still, guiding our becoming with every waxing and waning phase.

The moon is always calling us back to ourselves. Each phase opens a portal: fullness for celebration, darkness for renewal. Her rhythm is a mirror for how creation truly works - growth, release, rest, rebirth. To follow her is to return to nature’s original time.

As we move through these next lunations, pay attention to what is surfacing in your inner landscape. The Moon’s light gives us the gift of revealing what needs to be witnessed within us.

She illuminates what’s been hidden, softens what’s been hardened and invites you to live in harmony with the sacred cycles of your own life.

Here’s what the sky is offering us in the next quarter.

FULL MOON IN GEMINI

DECEMBER 4, 2025

6:14 PM ET

The Full Moon in Gemini opens a portal of revelation, alive with possibility and change.

Gemini is the sacred storyteller, gathering insight through curiosity and conversation. Under this light, your consciousness expands through deeper awareness.

This lunation calls you to reorganize perspective from the inside out. The mind may seek answers, but the invitation is to descend into the hidden chambers of the heart, where true understanding lives. When we listen from that place, every word becomes spellwork shaping a new reality.

Across the sky, the Sagittarius Sun reminds us that wisdom is born from lived truth. Together, Gemini and Sagittarius weave curiosity and faith…a bridge between knowing and wonder.

I encourage you to spend time beneath this moon. Step outside to breathe its light or sit quietly before a candle and let it reflect your own inner flame. Let this Full Moon carry you into the realm of magic within, where inspiration gathers for the wild and beautiful transformations waiting in your year ahead.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

What cycle of seeking is ready to complete and how can you integrate what you’ve learned into lived experience?

How might you speak from the still point within, letting your words reflect inner truth rather than mental noise?

Where can you release the noise of the mind and return to the quiet intelligence of your own heart?

How might you bridge logic and intuition, so curiosity becomes a pathway to revelation?

In what ways is your voice ready to serve as an instrument of creation (one that heals, connects and awakens truth in others)?

NEW MOON IN SAGITTARIUS

DECEMBER 19

8:43 PM ET

This New Moon in Sagittarius ignites the flame of vision. Sagittarius is the seeker and truth-teller, the archetype devoted to discovering the deeper meaning behind every experience. It reminds us that life itself is the spiritual path, where truth is discovered through direct experience of the living mystery.

This lunation opens a door to possibility and trust in what your soul already knows. Sagittarius teaches that purpose is revealed through movement, through adventure, through the willingness to follow what expands your awareness. It’s an invitation to live in Service to Spirit, letting your curiosity, honesty and intuition become holy instruments of exploration.

With the Sun and Moon meeting in the final degrees of this fiery sign, a cycle of expansion completes. A new quest begins. The cosmos asks you to orient toward a larger horizon of truth - one inspired by the ever-evolving conversation between your Soul and the Divine.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

What truth are you being called to live more boldly and what beliefs have become too small for who you’re becoming?

How can you stay in devotion to the quest itself, letting each experience reveal a deeper layer of meaning and purpose?

Where are you ready to take a leap of faith, trusting that Spirit moves with you when you move toward authenticity?

What teachings or philosophies truly expand you and how can you embody them rather than simply “understand” them?

How might you serve truth through your life, work or art so that inspiration moves through you as Service to Spirit (the sacred modality of the Sagittarius Mystery School)?

FULL MOON IN CANCER

January 3, 2026

5:03 AM ET

The first Full Moon of 2026 rises in Cancer, the archetype of the Householder and sacred nurturer. Cancer holds the lineage of home, roots and belonging. Under this moon, we are asked to return to what truly sustains us: the family of blood and the family of soul, the bonds that keep the human heart alive.

Cancer is Water, Right-Brain Feminine, the mystery school of love made tangible. It teaches us that nourishment is devotion and that tending to our inner life is an act of sacred leadership. Across the sky, the Capricorn Sun reminds us that care becomes power when given structure and that the softest heart can build the strongest foundation.

This lunation shines light on the sacred responsibility of nurturing what is yours to grow (children, creations, community, dreams) with tenderness and wisdom. Healthy Cancer knows that care ripples forward through generations, shaping the future through each act of Love offered today.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

What does “home” mean for you now and how can you root more deeply?

How are you being called to nurture your family, lineage or creative work with greater devotion and presence?

Where are you being invited to let others care for you as deeply as you care for them?

What practices help you return to center when the tides of life begin to shift?

How might the Love you give today serve the generations to come?

NEW MOON IN CAPRICORN

January 18, 2026

2:52 PM ET

This New Moon in Capricorn calls you into mastery through devotion to what truly works. Capricorn is the archetype of the Elder, the steward of structure, the one who brings Spirit into matter with precision and care. It teaches that leadership is a sacred form of stewardship, a responsibility to tend what has been entrusted to you with integrity and care.

As the third of the four Givers in the zodiac, Capricorn serves as the Impersonal Hierarchical Giver, offering its gifts through systems that sustain life beyond the individual self. This is where purpose becomes legacy. It’s where we commit to building what will outlast us.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

What foundations in your life or work are asking to be refined, restructured or strengthened for the long-term?

How can you lead in a way that feels aligned with your values and in service to something greater?

Where are you being called to create sustainable systems (spiritual, relational, or practical) that nurture growth for your community?

How might you bring your wisdom forward in tangible ways that nourish the collective and honor those who will follow?

What new commitment and intention are you ready to make that will stand the test of time and anchor your next chapter in purpose?

FULL MOON IN LEO

February 1, 2026

5:09 PM ET

The Full Moon in Leo ignites the heart with fire and remembrance. Leo is the Sovereign, the Creator, the one who knows that to live fully is to shine without apology. Under this radiant moon, the soul remembers its original light - the part that doesn’t need to earn worthiness or prove belonging because divinity is its birthright.

This lunation illuminates the mysteries of Radical Self-Love. The Leo archetype teaches that your presence itself is the offering, that joy and creative expression are acts of devotion. Across the sky, the Aquarius Sun reminds us that true leadership is shared power, a radiance that uplifts the collective through presence and authenticity.

This is a moon for remembering that you are the center of your own creation. When you stand in self-trust, you become a mirror for others to do the same. When you embody your light, it naturally awakens the radiance in those around you, too.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

Where are you being called to step into fuller visibility, trusting that your light itself is medicine?

What parts of you still believe you must prove or earn your place and are ready to be loved back into wholeness?

In what ways can your self-expression become a channel for the Divine to move through you?

What does true leadership look like when it flows from joy rather than duty?

How can you empower others simply by being fully, radiantly yourself?

NEW MOON IN AQUARIUS WITH ANNULAR ECLIPSE

February 17, 2026

7:01 AM ET

This New Moon and Solar Eclipse in Aquarius opens a threshold of awakening and innovation. Aquarius is the visionary and reformer, the archetype devoted to shaping the future through higher truth and collective evolution. When the Sun and Moon unite in this air sign (especially during an eclipse) the cosmos invites a radical reset. Outdated patterns of conformity fall away, making space for the emergence of something more authentic, liberated and aligned with the whole.

This annular eclipse, known as the “ring of fire,” will not be visible in the United States, as its path passes primarily over Antarctica. Yet, its energetic imprint reaches all of us. Even unseen, eclipses recalibrate the collective field, stirring deep cellular change and activating new codes of consciousness.

Aquarius asks us to remember that we are each a vital part of humanity’s nervous system - transmitters of frequency and vision. This lunation calls you to listen for the future whispering through you, to honor the ideas and intuitions arriving now as seeds of what’s next.

INQUIRY QUESTIONS:

What new vision or truth is beginning to reveal itself through you?

Where are you being called to break free from old systems, roles or stories that no longer reflect who you’ve become?

How can you contribute your gifts to the collective in a way that honors both individuality and interdependence?

What new communities, networks or collaborations are aligned with your evolving purpose?

How might you hold space for innovation while staying grounded in the heart?

As we move through these lunations, the sky invites a deeper rhythm of listening. Each phase carries its own work of reflection, release, devotion and renewal. Together they move us from inner stillness to expression to collective awakening. Astrology is not prediction but participation. When we move in rhythm with the heavens, we remember that creation is a living conversation and we are part of it. May these moons guide you toward trust, timing and your greatest becoming.

Danielle Hendrickson is a Venusian astrologer and priestess devoted to guiding women to live in rhythm with the Venus Cycle. Through her writing, teaching and readings, she helps women activate their unique Venus Rose Codes. This sacred blueprint illuminates their soul, ignites ancient wisdom in their body and reveals their fullest magical expression. When women receive the key to their Venus Rose Codes, their awakening anchors the rise of the Sacred Feminine even more deeply in our modern world and offers healing to the collective. Learn more at www.daniellehendrickson.net.

Dropping Into Your Winter Flow

Winter is a season of deep transformation.

Instead of trying to change everything at once, here’s a simple way to design a rhythm that works for you.

GET CENTERED. Step away from the busy. Take a walk. Go to yoga. Try one of the tools from the Pause pages.

ENVISION. Close your eyes and imagine it’s three years from now. What are you celebrating in your body, life, soul, and work? Write it down.

CHOOSE 3 PRIORITIES. Let them emerge from your vision. Trust your intuition — they don’t all have to be business goals.

MAP YOUR WEEK. Create time blocks for those 3 things alongside your non-negotiables. This is your winter rhythm.

CHECK IN WEEKLY. A rhythm isn’t set-and-forget. Each week, notice what worked, adjust what didn’t, and keep showing up.

A rhythm isn’t rigid — it’s a container to help you become who you’re ready to be. Ready?

WINTER PLANSIMPLE HAPPENINGS

DECEMBER 1–8

Pause to Plan 2026

DECEMBER 9

FREE CLASS

Your Year on Your Wall: The Feminine Way to Set and Reach Your Goals

DECEMBER 5–15

OPEN ENROLLMENT FLOW365

JANUARY 12–16

FLOW365 GOAL WEEK Set 90-Day Goals + Land in 2026

We will have new classes in 2026, so make sure to follow us @PlanSimple.co on Instagram for the latest events and inspo.