Want 2026 to Feel Different? Start Here

This is the transcript of The Refreshing Leadership Podcast episode: Want 2026 to feel different? Start here, published on 5th January 2026.

If you don't know what you want from 2026 yet, and January already feels noisy with other people's goals, you are in the right place.

I'm going to help you orient yourself at the start of the year - wherever you are in your goal-setting process. You might have a full set of goals ready to go, you might be deliberating on them, or you might be feeling really stuck.

I'm Maya Gudka, economist turned executive coach. For the last 15 years I've helped thousands of brilliant leaders reduce overwork and get clear on what really lights them up.

Over the next few Mondays in January, I'll be applying this to money, career, and daily routines. If you want me to guide you through January step by step, press subscribe and join in with the series.

January as a unique window

January is a really unique month. It's quite slow and long, and some of the usual pressures are a little lighter - there's less social, fewer demands. It can be a brilliant incubation period.

What this means is that you can think properly, reflect without jumping straight into action, and allow better ideas to form rather than defaulting to the obvious ones.

That's why I don't launch big things in January. Instead, I prioritise organising, clearing space, and getting the foundations of your house in order - metaphorically or actually. That still uses the New Year energy, but it also plays to the energy of the season.

I tend to think of January to March as a brilliant time for organisation and foundations - everything from physical organisation to financial and admin. Spring then becomes a more natural launch phase, and summer a season of high activity.

This approach isn't about doing less. It's about picking the right work for the right time.

Start with your word of the year

For many of you, this week marks the first real moment post-festive season to think clearly. A beautiful place to start is with your word of the year.

Think of it as: what does your soul want and need right now? It's the mood, the vibe, the way of being that you want to carry through everything you do over the next year.

A couple of years ago, I asked my email list what their word of the year was. The most common answer was growth. That's a great word - of course we all want growth. But is it what you truly want, or is it what you think you should want? Just another goal, just another thing we feel we should do.

Your word creates an overarching theme for your year. Let me give you an example.

My word last year was surrender. When I did my year-end review, I was genuinely shocked at how much had been achieved when my guiding principle was one of leaning back, letting things flow, and not driving in the way I'm accustomed to.

I could have had exactly the same achievement list, but done through hustle, burnout, and exhaustion. That would have felt very different. At this stage of my life, I don't want achievement at all costs. I want to enjoy each step of the way.

My word for this year is laughter. Whatever goals I set, when I reach the end of the year, I hope I'll be able to say it was a year rich in that.

So - what's your word?

Picture yourself a year from now

Once you have a sense of the vibe you want to create, the next step is the one-year question.

If you're in a safe space to do so, close your eyes and picture yourself in January 2027. Things have gone really well. What's looking different? What can you notice around you or in your life that feels different from today?

If you're less visual, pause and write something down. We're calling on the more imaginative, creative part of the brain here - the half that is more expansive, more resourceful, and often where our most inspired thinking comes from.

When you do a little bit of visualisation, you bring your full brain to the table when it comes to your goals.

I'll share one that came up for me: a simple image of finally being able to do a pull-up. Whatever surfaces for you, pay attention to it. Use it to make sure your goals are actually pointing towards what you really want.

The EFF framework

Now you have a sense of the vibe of your year and a picture of what you'd like to look different - the final piece is the EFF framework for approaching your goals.

EFF stands for easy, fun, and fits with your life.

Easy - on your laziest day, are you still likely to take that small step? Fun - if it's an admin task, pair it with a coffee and a nice notebook. Ritualise it. Fits with your life - if it only works in one week in January, it won't be sustainable. It needs to be baked into your future schedule.

What's coming next

Over the next few Mondays I'll be applying this specifically to money, career, and daily routines. We're starting with money, because it has the highest leverage.

There's no point having a beautifully organised junk drawer if your basic financial housekeeping isn't in place. And it has a huge career impact too - the person with more financial flexibility has a completely different set of career options available to them.

Whether your goals are set or not, if you want to go through January in a structured and realistic way, subscribe and join me for the rest of the series.

January is for getting organised, getting clear, and bedding down a few routines. You don't need huge goals - but you do want a bit of clarity and direction. That's what we're doing over the next month.

Enjoyed this episode? Catch up here:

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Check out Vision Unblocked here - https://www.mayagudka.com/vision-unblocked

About Maya

Maya Gudka is an executive coach specialising in C-suite career progression and leadership development. She works with senior leaders in major organisations on strategic career planning, executive presence, and building sustainable influence. Maya hosts The Refreshing Leadership Podcast, which ranks in the top 2% of podcasts globally and has nearly 300 episodes exploring the challenges faced by ambitious professionals.