Episode 24: Embracing The Fire Horse Year

Start the year with a spark you can actually steer. We dive into the Year of the Fire Horse and translate big zodiac ideas into focused action, using Lunar New Year traditions—reunion, renewal, and prosperity—as simple rituals to clear space, set intentions, and reconnect with what matters.

We break down the Chinese zodiac’s 12 animals and five elements, then zoom into how 2026’s fire-fueled momentum pairs with our Water Monkey wiring. Fire pushes visibility, travel, and bold leadership; water brings empathy, adaptability, and strategic calm. That tension becomes a roadmap: plan sprints with recovery, catch conflict before it flares, and build systems that keep enthusiasm from outrunning capacity. If 2025’s Wood Snake was the quiet shed-and-grow year, 2026 is go-time—with a steady hand on the reins.

You’ll hear our concrete plans, from a hybrid-published book launching in August to building a thoughtful BookTok presence tied to monthly reviews and ARC culture. We unpack how hybrid publishing works, why cover testing matters, and how creators can trade reach for real community. We also tackle energy and mindset: spotting anger early, using “clear is kind” communication, designing weekly resets, and setting movement goals that honor horse energy—running rebuilds, swim sessions, maybe even a sprint triathlon—without sacrificing joint health or sanity.

Compatibility adds nuance, not rules. Rats bring strategy, dragons bring drive, and snakes bring complex chemistry; knowing these patterns helps with collaboration and boundaries. Most of all, this is about aligning courage with clarity. Pick one visible project, one fitness habit, and one relationship practice to carry through the year. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a bold nudge, and leave a review telling us your first brave step for 2026.

Transcript

New Year Kickoff And Theme

Rachael 0:34

Hey everyone, welcome to Girl Gang Podcast. My name's Rachael.

Brandi 0:36

And I'm Brandi, and we're your host for this episode.

Rachael 0:39

So if you're listening to this episode, it means we've officially hit the new year, 2026, baby.

Brandi 0:45

It was hit or miss there for a minute.

Chinese Zodiac Basics And Elements

Rachael 0:47

It was a rough 2025 for sure. But we are here, we made it, and we're glad that you're here and listening with us. Um this episode we decided to talk about Chinese New Year. Uh I've seen a lot of stuff on social media lately about the Year of the Snake and the Year of the Horse and what does that mean? Um, so figured we'd just kind of dive in and talk about what it means, kind of the history behind Chinese New Year, um, and what we're planning for the 2026 year.

Brandi 1:15

Can I just say how honestly shocked I am that you knew about a social media trend before I did? And you're like, yeah, I've seen this all over social media. And I was like, I have no idea what you're talking about. What do you mean?

Rachael 1:27

The fact that I won out in something social media related makes me so happy.

Brandi 1:31

So I'm I'm proud of you for that.

Rachael 1:33

Thanks.

Brandi 1:33

But yeah, um, Chinese New Year's always been very intriguing to me. I know as a a kid at the Chinese restaurant we would go to, they had the the placemats with all of the animals and the years, and at that time I was a horse girl, so I was very disappointed. I wasn't year of the horse.

Rachael 1:56

Same. Or a dog. I was

Brandi 1:58

or tiger. That was the other one I liked. Horse or horse or tiger. But no, we got the monkey. Um you know, so that was always kind of a disappointment. But uh you know, when we were doing research for this this uh episode, I didn't realize there were like elements along with animals. There's the earth, fire, water,

Rachael 2:23

metal.

Brandi 2:24

Yeah, they're yeah, it's not even the like regular ones, they're extensive. There's wood as well.

Rachael 2:30

Yep. Twelve zodiac signs and then five uh uh elements.

Brandi 2:35

Oh, so they do call the animals a zodiac sign.

Rachael 2:39

It says zodiac animals.

Brandi 2:41

Okay, interesting. Okay, which is different than the more traditional zodiac. Okay, yeah, like I said, I'm still learning this. All I knew for most of my life was that I was the year of the monkey.

Rachael 2:54

Yep.

Lunar New Year Traditions And Symbols

Brandi 2:55

Uh, and that was about the extent of it until recently. But uh it has uh gone on for a very long period of time, like 3,500 years. Um I think they have traced it back to the Han Dynasty, which was like 200 BC, uh, is when it started. So this has been around since the beginning of time, basically. Maybe not that far back, but uh Chinese civilization I feel like has really drawn from this for a long period of time. Um and I know that it's tied to the lunar calendar more so than our calendar is in the Western world. Um

Rachael 3:46

because it actually changes depending on

Brandi 3:49

Right. Yeah.

Rachael 3:52

Depending on that. So it'll always kind of be shifting dates based on

Brandi 3:57

correct, yeah,

Rachael 3:58

because based on the lunar calendar.

Brandi 4:04

The most random 30, 31 days. Whatever, it's uh it's a thing. But uh I did read somewhere that if we had 13 months, every month would be 28 days.

Rachael 4:17

Interesting.

Brandi 4:18

Or like right there. I was like, why didn't we do that? It would be kind of interesting to go down the uh the history of our calendar too, but that would probably just be uh confusing and all sorts of fun stuff that the Western civilization has screwed up, but whatever. Um so yeah, so it started 200 BC. They still uh uh celebrate it. It's a big you know festival in China, I mean all over that country. And then even here in the US, I feel like when there's like Chinatown neighborhoods in LA and New York, yeah, um, in those bigger cities, I feel like uh those neighborhoods do big big celebrations too. I always picture the um the dragon costumes.

Rachael 5:07

Yep.

Brandi 5:07

Where it's like two or three people in there and they're doing their cool little like snake dances. Uh like the the cell the victory parade in Mulan.

Rachael 5:17

Right. And I feel like a lot of places do like Lunar New Year celebrations. Last year when it was starting, I was actually at a client visit. Oh and at the restaurant that we went to, they gave us it kind of looked like a little bookmark, but you could write like your wishes for the year, but you had to wait until the dinner was finished and then you had to hang it on the wall when you were done with your meal. And that was like putting your wishes out for the upcoming year, which I thought was pretty cool.

Brandi 5:49

Oh, that is cool. So I've done that before.

Rachael 5:53

And you'll see like a lot of red, kind of like red everywhere.

Brandi 5:55

Yes, that is uh I think a lot of people they wear red during that whole time period, don't they?

Rachael 6:04

Um red clothes, red lanterns.

Brandi 6:08

Yeah. And then I know so there's like three main pillars to celebrate the holiday. There's reunion. Um it's called the spring migration in China. It's the largest annual human migration on earth as people travel home for the reunion dinner on New Year's Eve. So that kind of starts it. And then they have the renewal pillar, cleaning the house to sweep away bad luck and wearing new clothes to represent a fresh start. So that's probably something I'll take in.

Rachael 6:39

Yeah. Clean that house.

Brandi 6:41

Yes, I have gotten rid of a lot of stuff. I'm gonna continue to declutter and continue to clean out the shit that has accumulated. I have too much for one person. And then, okay, so this this third pillar, I think, is where your story kind of came in. Prosperity pillar, giving red envelopes containing money to children, symbolizing the passing of fortune from the elder generation to the younger. So they probably took like that red envelope tradition and obviously they're not gonna give restaurant customers money, but you know, that making a wish starting fresh new year kind of thing.

Rachael 7:21

Have you seen that Netflix show, Dash and Lily?

Brandi 7:25

No.

Rachael 7:25

No, okay. Well it's like a Christmasy thing, so you might not watch it because it's a little cheesy, but they do like all the like her grandpa like rents out the temple and like gives them all like envelopes and they, you know, pass around the drink and you know do all the things, which I thought was cool in that show. I just finished it last night, so I felt like it was really relevant.

Brandi 7:44

 Do you even have a Netflix anymore?

Rachael 7:46

Uh I share it with somebody.

Brandi 7:47

Yeah.

Rachael 7:48

For right now.

2025 Wood Snake Reflections

Brandi 7:49

Yeah. Well, once once I got kicked off the accounts, shame on you, Netflix. Just take the financial hit. Um, I got it for myself, but they kept upping the they keep upping the price. All of these damn apps keep upping the price. So I I cut most of them because half the time I couldn't find something to watch on them anyways. Um maybe I'll watch it when I do my rotation of Netflix. I've decided I'm gonna renew and cancel like certain ones throughout the year and let let some content build up before I spend the money off. But okay, so yeah, we've determined that we're a monkey and we've determined that we're a water monkey specifically in the year we were born.

Rachael 8:33

Yes. Okay. Should we talk about 2025 and 2026 and then like how it interacts with our water monkey?

Brandi 8:39

Sure. Yeah.

Rachael 8:40

Okay. So what I originally saw on socials were people were talking about like what was 2025 all about and what is 2026 all about. And so 2025 was the year of the Wood Snake. And

Brandi 8:54

that I think that's an actual species, a Wood Snake, which is kind of funny. Yeah.

Rachael 8:59

Probably. Um, and they are saying that the Snake is considered a symbol of wisdom, intuition, and transformation because it sheds its skin, it represents rebirth and casting off the old to make room for the new.

Brandi 9:14

And that was this uh this past year, 2025.

Rachael 9:16

2025.

Brandi 9:17

Okay.

Rachael 9:17

And the element would uh adds a layer of growth, creativity, and flexibility. So 2025 was saying that it's expected to be a year for strategic thinking, personal evolution, time to be observant and patient rather than rushing into decisions.

Brandi 9:36

Okay, I could get there.

Rachael 9:38

I could see that.

Brandi 9:39

Yeah.

Rachael 9:39

On the social posts that I saw, I also saw things like transformation, shedding, release, fertility, (hopefully not that for us), renewal. Uh inner growth, self-improvement, flexibility, letting go of rigidity. Rigidity, can I say uh dissolving illusions, moving through fears, belonging, balance, devotion to what matters, slow intentional evolution.

Brandi 10:06

Okay. I feel like maybe if I'd been more aware of those throughout the year, I could probably pinpoint more examples, but I feel like we should have looked this up at the beginning of 2025.

Brandi 10:20

We'll go for 26 and we'll pay more attention.

2026 Fire Horse Energy Explained

Rachael 10:22

Yeah. So for 2026, this is the year of the Fire Horse, and the Horse represents energy, freedom, and unbridled passion. Am I saying that right?

Brandi 10:33

Yes.

Rachael 10:34

Bridal pass.

Brandi 10:35

Which is funny because it's horse. It it also uses a bridle.

Rachael 10:39

Yeah.

Brandi 10:40

Do you understand where the term unbridled comes from?

Rachael 10:42

No, I don't know.

Brandi 10:43

An unbridled horse is wild, so it's like running wild.

Rachael 10:47

Gotcha. I just feel like I say unbridled. I don't know.

Brandi 10:53

You said untamed?

Rachael 10:54

Or tamed versus I don't know.

Brandi 10:57

Wild okay.

Rachael 10:58

Wild? I don't know.

Brandi 11:00

I'm just I'm just letting you know that's what I thought it was funny that they said unbridled passion, which is also a common saying, but it's also Fire Horse, which I also tend to relate fire to like passion to, you know, things like that. So

Rachael 11:15

that makes sense.

Brandi 11:16

It was the the wording on that was just kind of funny to me.

Rachael 11:19

Thanks, Google. Um and the horse is an animal of action, speed, and social connection. So then the fire element comes in because the fire is most in is the most intense of the elements.

Brandi 11:33

Okay.

Rachael 11:33

So it represents enthusiasm and um the Fire Horse year occurs only once every 60 years.

Brandi 11:41

Oh wow.

Rachael 11:42

And is known for being exceptionally high energy and potentially volatile. Am I saying that right?

Brandi 11:49

Yeah.

Rachael 11:51

Words are hard this year and today, especially.

Brandi 11:53

Okay, so this is gonna be our only Fire Horse year.

Rachael 11:58

Yeah.

Brandi 12:00

Because we ain't living another 60. I guess we could. We could live in a couple of things.

Rachael 12:04

I have a faith that we could live to 90.

Brandi 12:07

We probably won't be the most uh enthusiastic and uh enthusiastic energetic at that point in our lives, but

Rachael 12:13

so it's saying our theme, the theme will feel fast-paced and adventurous. It's a year that favors bold moves, leadership, chasing big dreams.

Brandi 12:22

Okay,

Rachael 12:23

although it requires a steady hand to manage the fiery intensity. And so how that relates to the Water Monkey, um

Brandi 12:34

it's like sea monkeys, that's what I picture every time you say it.

Rachael 12:37

So since we're in 1992, um

Brandi 12:41

we old. I'm just kidding.

Rachael 12:42

We old.

Rachael 12:44

Um so the monkey is the inventor of the zodiac, according to this. Clever, flexible, and always a step ahead.

Brandi 12:55

Yep, yep, it is.

Rachael 12:56

Um, and so it's saying that while monkeys are smart, water monkeys are often seen as more empathetic, adaptable, and purposeful.

Brandi 13:06

Okay.

Rachael 13:06

Um, it says you're often more focused and less scattered than other monkeys because we're the water piece.

Brandi 13:13

Hell yeah.

Water Monkey Traits And Dynamics

Rachael 13:13

Um best matches for us would be the rat or the dragon, which we'll get to because we did some research of like, what years do I need to date people to get that match? Um, so they're saying that the snake and the monkey have a complex relationship and they're considered secret friends, but they can clash. So 2025 was us to focus on stability, and we probably want to jump into a bunch of different projects in 2025, but we should have just maybe like picked one and rolled with it.

Brandi 13:46

Oh, story of my life. Okay.

Rachael 13:48

Always the story of my life. Um, and so 2026 is gonna feel like a major shift for us because the monkey and the horse are both high energy signs, but we they move in different ways. So the monkey is strategic and mental, while the horse is impulsive and physical.

Brandi 14:05

Okay,

Rachael 14:07

and so it's saying that we're gonna have a very fast-paced um year.

Brandi 14:13

Fuck.

Rachael 14:14

Social life. Yeah, like our social life is gonna be through the roof. It's a great year for travel.

Brandi 14:19

Hell yeah, I'm

Rachael 14:20

starting a visible visible public project. Ooh, I have an example of this. Um, the fire versus water dynamic. So um there's a natural tension there with us. So the risk is that the fire is gonna make us feel restless or burnt out. I already feel burnt out. Um

Brandi 14:43

can't wait.

Rachael 14:44

Yep, yep, yep. And we might feel pressured to make decisions faster than we'd like to, but the reward is if we use our water, which is our calmness and our intuition, to cool the horse's fire. We can we can, yeah, we can be the voice of reason in chaotic situations, and this says we can be a very valuable leader or partner this year.

Brandi 15:05

Okay. I can see where the rapid decision making will stress you out.

Rachael 15:09

Yeah,

Brandi 15:10

but

Rachael 15:10

yeah. And then in career and wealth, it's saying that the horse year rewards us with boldness.

Brandi 15:16

Okay.

Rachael 15:17

Um, this is time to pitch that crazy idea that you've been sitting on um while 2025 was about being quiet and kind of calculating, and 2026 is about galloping forward.

Brandi 15:27

Hey, I mean, part of our mantra is stay bold. So we're gonna embrace that boldness this year.

Rachael 15:33

Yeah, and so they say stay grounded this year, watch your temper, focus on communication. Yo, I just feel like Gemini is speaking to me right now. Like, who are you? And get out of my head. Um and what else? Um we have some more like core strengths if we want to go core strengths and like potential weaknesses.

Brandi 15:57

Of the horse or the monkey. I don't know if we care about that as much. Um I mean, not all of our listeners are monkeys. So um funny enough though, uh famous water monkeys, whatever the state of ages us are Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus.

Rachael 16:14

Oh, nice.

Brandi 16:16

Talk about bold.

Rachael 16:18

Oh yeah, they be real bold.

Brandi 16:20

And then other monkeys but different elements are Tom Hanks and Will Smith.

Rachael 16:25

Nice. All good ones.

Brandi 16:27

Yeah, we've got some we've got some good ones in our company here.

Rachael 16:31

Um, well how do you think some of this like relates to what you're planning for 2026?

Brandi 16:37

Um, I feel like the big public project um kind of speaks to me, even though you said you had an example too. So I'll let you share first. Wait, are you wanting to talk about it?

Rachael 16:47

Yeah, sure. I can I can talk about it.

Brandi 16:49

Okay.

Rachael 16:50

Um, so I'm planning on publishing a book in 2026. Oh yeah.

Career, Leadership, And Bold Moves

Brandi 16:54

I'm so excited for you.

Rachael 16:55

I'm very nervous and excited. Um, but I've been working with a hybrid publishing company to bring my book to life. I've kind of been writing it over the past couple of years, and right now we're scheduled to release it in August. So that will be kind of my big public project for the year.

Brandi 17:17

To our listeners, we will be advertising the shit out of it.

Rachael 17:21

We're gonna hype it up.

Brandi 17:23

You guys will have a link to order it. Um, it's a it's a good read. And um, I think a lot of people will resonate with a lot of the stories.

Rachael 17:32

Have you read some of it?

Brandi 17:33

I have. I actually have started reading. I'm an I'm an ARC reader, uh, for those of you who also have done that in the past. So I get kind of an inside scoop on it. Which I mean I already kind of had an inside scoop because I know most of the stories in it.

Rachael 17:50

So we had to add a few through some of them. Oh yeah. She's been here through it all. Um, but yeah, people are beta reading it right now, and uh feedback is due like in January, and then I have to do all the rewrites in January.

Brandi 18:04

Yeah, January's this month's gonna be uh busy for you.

Rachael 18:07

Uh yeah.

Brandi 18:08

Yeah.

Rachael 18:08

I'm not looking forward to the

Brandi 18:11

the gritty, unglamorous side of writing a book.

Rachael 18:15

Yes. Because I think they say it takes like usually at least seven drafts, if not more, that's to get to the final product. And I think I'm on like draft three, right?

Brandi 18:25

So you still got four to go.

Rachael 18:27

Got a ways to go. Got a ways to go. Um, but yeah, then so once editing, uh beta reading gets done and I get some initial feedback, get to rewrite, and then it goes to an editor, then it'll go to um grammar, uh, then it'll steps. Then we'll work on book like cover design, all that fun stuff, get me set up in the system. But the good news about um hybrid publishing is that they just project manage you and I'm kind of paying for the package of them helping me. But then once my book is launched, then I keep all the royalties, which I'm super pumped about. So um your girl will be a published author and available via print on demand uh come August.

Brandi 19:08

I'm so jealous. That is like a bucket list item for me since I was a kid, was to be a published writer. So I'm well I'm proud of you and also envious a little bit. So maybe you'll motivate me to do something.

Big Projects: Book Launch And BookTok

Rachael 19:19

2026 Visible Public Project. You got this girl.

Brandi 19:22

Well, so kind of tying to books, I've um so this coming year I'm doing with like our immediate uh our immediate Girl Gang and some of the other girls in our friendship circle. We're doing a a reading retreat that I'm planning. Um and kind of around some of that I've looked into um becoming I'm gonna start a book-tok account. I know that's flooded with people, but

Rachael 19:52

you should do it. You're so good. Like, you know all the things

Brandi 19:54

well, I feel like I could tie in my personal blog through a you know, I do a book review on there every month. And then through book like I can talk about books with people. So that's kind of my public project is kind of getting into more of a book influencer role. Even though I don't really want to be an influencer, there's definitely some insights into the like publishing and book world if you are an influencer to get like free stuff and just like heads up. Well, if you're big enough, you get free books. Like they'll send them to you and be like, Hey, review this on your social media so people will buy it when it comes out. Which is what for people who don't know, an ARC reader, which is ARC, is advanced reader copy. So you call it a beta reader.

Rachael 20:43

Yeah.

Brandi 20:44

The traditional publishing world because you're doing hybrid. They call them advanced reader copies.

Rachael 20:50

Nice.

Brandi 20:51

Um and you can get a either like ebook or a physical book, depending on how big the the author is. Obviously, newer ones they're gonna keep to ebook because they're cheaper. And then put the more experienced ones, they'll they'll pr print them out. They're like basically like, let's find all the issues with the it's like a print example. So they'll test the cover out. Um they'll actually print several different covers and then they'll like beta test those with the advanced readers to be like which one you guys like the best, which one would draw you to that bookshelf if you'll pull that book to yourself.

Rachael 21:30

There's so many things about like book covers that I never took into consideration. I'm like, yes, I love like the embossment, I love like you know, raised titles and like the glitter and you know all the things.

Brandi 21:40

We like our pretty books.

Rachael 21:41

Yeah. Well, apparently it's not that easy to do and it's hella expensive. You gotta outsource it, you gotta buy in bulk.

Brandi 21:47

I can only imagine. Yeah, it uh yeah. That's why my pretty limited edition books cost so much.

Rachael 21:57

But they're so pretty.

Brandi 21:58

So pretty. I have a whole whole section of my bookshelf that's just sprayed-edged books. Anyways, kinda back to so those are our public projects, I think, this year. And don't worry, I'll review your book on my account as well.

Rachael 22:13

Thanks. But maybe You'll be more famous on TikTok than I will be because I'm not gonna go on there.

Brandi 22:21

That's step one is is you gotta be on.

Rachael 22:25

I'm there like every six months for like a minute.

Brandi 22:28

Girl, I cannot imagine how many videos I've sent you in that time frame. So anyway, we'll catch up. Let me know when you catch up to them and we'll talk about them then.

Rachael 22:37

Yeah, yeah.

Brandi 22:38

So I can see I can see where we're gonna embrace the Fire Horse this year.

Rachael 22:43

Yeah.

Brandi 22:43

Um you know, I'm I'm down to be more open, like, to go out and stuff. It's just exhausting half the time. Like I feel like we're ending 2025, exhausted and burnt out. So while we need to be bold and and do things, I also think we also need to be bold about our mental health

ARC Culture, Covers, And Publishing 101

Rachael 23:04

Mental health. Mental, emotional health, yes, I feel that. Um, but you get a few weeks off. So maybe you'll feel rejuvenated and ready to roll.

Brandi 23:15

No, because my January is gonna be busy at work because everything that we didn't get done at the end of 25 is gonna be hot and fresh out the off the press in January. But it is what it is, job security. Um But yeah, but from like a a social perspective, who are our friends and like dating? Like, who should what kind of signs from the Chinese New Year should we go after?

Rachael 23:43

Um, I think good matches for us are what the dragon and what was the other one? Dragon and the rat.

Brandi 23:53

Okay, yeah.

Rachael 23:54

So And our secret friend is the snake.

Brandi 23:57

The secret friend, cracks me up.

Rachael 23:58

Secret friend. This is a soulmate connection, but it can be intense.

Brandi 24:02

Yeah, well, that's often the case with soulmates. I feel like it's you know, starts off like super um bold and passionate and stuff, and then a lot of times those fizzle out because the real world comes in and kicks you right in the nuts. Um, so the rat is actually our intellectual match. Um it's the first sign of the zodiac and considered the master strategist.

Rachael 24:31

Which one is this?

Brandi 24:32

The rat.

Rachael 24:33

The rat, okay.

Brandi 24:34

So our two biggest compatibility groups that are like closer to us in age because it's like a 12-year rotation. Um, we've got the 1984 wood rat. So they're about eight years older than us. Um they're often seen as dependable and more conservative than other rats. Uh, so that's like the closest to us, other than if we wanted to go younger. 1996 is our fire rat, which we have found Kozy is a fire rat, so that would explain why we vibe with her so much.

Rachael 25:10

Nice.

Brandi 25:11

Um

Rachael 25:11

We love you, Kozy.

Brandi 25:13

These individuals are about four years younger than you. They tend to be more energetic, hot-headed, and adventurous. She definitely has us on the energetic part. But that could also be because she's four years younger. And then our power match is the fifth sign, the dragon for vitality and leadership. So the 1988 Earth Dragon. So definitely a millennial age there. Um, these individuals are obviously about four years older than you, known for being very ambitious, hardworking, and grounded. And then 2000 is the metal dragon. That just sounds like a like a band name. We're the metal dragons. Um often described as straightforward, talented, and having a strong desire to be in the spotlight. I don't know, that kind of uh I feel like desire to be in the spotlight can be me a little bit in more of a dri not direct spotlight, but off to the side.

Rachael 26:16

Dating somebody born in the 2000s seems...

Social Energy, Burnout, And Boundaries

Brandi 26:19

Oh, way too young. Wait that's my sister's age.

Rachael 26:23

Yikes.

Brandi 26:24

I

Rachael 26:24

sorry boys.

Brandi 26:25

I have dated my br little brother's age, which is '97. But that's the youngest 2000. I'm just like, you weren't if you weren't alive for Y2K, you're officially too young for me.

Rachael 26:42

True that.

Brandi 26:45

Yeah, that's uh that's where I draw the line. I uh in

Rachael 26:50

our avoid, we need to avoid tigers, right?

Brandi 26:53

Do we?

Rachael 26:55

This says avoid sign, the tiger, which is 1986 or 1998. And tigers are our clash sign.

Brandi 27:02

Okay, okay.

Rachael 27:03

Tigers are very direct and forceful, while monkeys are strategic and flexible. So this can lead to power struggles. Where the tiger feels like you want to be.

Brandi 27:13

My power.

Rachael 27:14

Yeah, and the tiger feel is being bossy.

Brandi 27:17

The tiger's bossy?

Rachael 27:19

And you feel the tiger is being bossy.

Brandi 27:21

Oh.

Rachael 27:22

Yeah.

Brandi 27:22

Yeah. I'm sure the tiger thinks I'm bossy too. Oh, that's just my nature. Okay. Interesting. I don't know. I don't know enough of my friend. Like, I know their ages, but I haven't like gone and like done the math on their their year.

Rachael 27:39

I think my last two relationships, I dated 1993 boys. And they're roosters, and my compatibility is average.

Brandi 27:48

Okay.

Rachael 27:49

And it says great for business, but can lead to bickering and romance. I feel like that holds true.

Brandi 27:56

Okay, well, let me think about it. So my last two would have been um 97 and 87.

Compatibility: Rats, Dragons, And Snakes

Rachael 28:11

97 and 87. My table doesn't even go that okay. Well, this is a three-year window.

Brandi 28:16

Okay, what about 1997?

Rachael 28:19

You said 1997 and what?

Brandi 28:21

87.

Rachael 28:22

1987 years.

Brandi 28:24

The fact that there's a 10-year gap between ability.

Rachael 28:28

Well, I was trying to say, like, if I wanted to date somebody relatively in the same age bracket. Okay, uh, here we go, Gemini. What you got to say about 1997 and 1987?

Brandi 28:41

The fact that it wasn't even on your list.

Rachael 28:43

Five years older. Um is the fire rabbit, and this would be a compatibility rating high, great friends, and a stable romance.

Brandi 28:54

Okay.

Rachael 28:54

And 1997 is the fire ox compatibility rating medium, steadiness versus freedom.

Brandi 29:02

Interesting. And they're both fire.

Rachael 29:05

Yes.

Brandi 29:06

Okay. Interesting. Yeah. Considering I'm water. So good to know. I don't honestly I don't put this in the actual zodiac or you know, just I know some people follow this stuff religiously, but I've never been able to get there. It's also vague that like you could turn any of it into fruition, which I guess is what people like about it.

Rachael 29:38

I mean, it's always kind of nice to know, like, would I vibe with this person? Kind of gives you.

Brandi 29:45

I feel like the actual zodiac is more straightforward.

Rachael 29:49

Ooh, okay. So I said, can you give me um compatibility for all years?

Brandi 29:58

And like all the animals?

Rachael 30:03

So basically saying, like, yeah, what what am I compatible with with my particular year? So like our 1992 year. And so the soulmates are the dragon, the rat, the secret friend is the snake.

Brandi 30:20

Yep, yep.

Rachael 30:21

The high compatibility is the rabbit, the dog, and the horse.

Brandi 30:25

So that's like how you were like dogg.

Rachael 30:28

Dog Dogg. Average compatibility, the monkey, the rooster, the pig, the ox.

Brandi 30:35

Okay.

Rachael 30:36

The challenges, the goat and the tiger.

Brandi 30:39

Okay.

Rachael 30:40

And so it's saying our best match would be 1988, 1996, or 2000.

Brandi 30:47

Yeah, not going, not going that route.

Rachael 30:49

Secret Friend, 1989 or 2001. Good would be 1982, 1987, 1994. Fun but chaotic, 1990, 1992. Needs effort. Let's face it. We don't want to do effort. Um, 1985, 1993, 1997, and then the clash would be 1986 and 1998.

Brandi 31:13

Interesting. Okay. Well, I feel like we have friends in a lot of those categories.

Rachael 31:18

This is saying why the water element matters, though. It's saying because we're a water monkey, we're actually much better at handling the clash of signs than other monkeys would be. So since our water nature allows us to be more diplomatic and patient. Questionable? Questionable? Um, you can often make an average match feel like a great one just by using your intuition. Or does that mean we're settling?

Brandi 31:43

Yeah, that's okay. I don't know.

Rachael 31:45

Seems like we're settling in this case.

Brandi 31:47

An average connection better than it is. So I don't know if that's a

Rachael 31:51

like if you're questioning it two and a half years, um, you know, it's probably just time to call it quits at that point.

Brandi 31:59

Uh yeah, I um

Rachael 32:04

something that I thought was interesting um that I want to go back to are like our challenges for the year, though.

Brandi 32:13

Okay.

Managing Anger, Communication, And Organization

Rachael 32:14

Um I need to find it in my notes though. Um, quick tips for 2026 when it said stay grounded, watch your temper, focus on communication. I feel like temper like anger and communication.

Brandi 32:28

You've been kind of working on the anger side of things. Yeah. I can see where that resonates.

Rachael 32:32

I think those are like two things that will resonate with me a lot in um 2026. Of I don't consider myself really an angry person, but there have been situations this past year that have really brought out the anger in me, and I don't think that I ha have handled it well.

Brandi 32:48

I think you're an internal angry person. You don't show it like in the traditional, like extrinsic, like shout and get like angry visibly, but I feel like you you stew.

Rachael 33:02

Oh yeah, I stew. I stew for sure.

Brandi 33:04

Yeah, you're an angry stewer.

Rachael 33:07

My partner described it as I'm like a um like a hornet. Okay. I like I literally I'm just I'm fine and then I fucking attack because I've been like stewing on it for so long. Oh yeah. So I need to do better of like not spiraling and stewing and like bring it up in the moment.

Brandi 33:30

Yes.

Rachael 33:30

And Gina will say, like, I don't have a great radar of like when I'm green and then when I'm red. She's like, you need to kind of understand like when you're in the yellow or the orange before you get to red. And I'm like, I don't fucking know. I didn't even like I'm just red all of a sudden. Come on, Gina.

Brandi 33:46

You're like the the the bull in like with the batador, you see the red flag and you're like,

Rachael 33:52

l et's fucking go. Yeah. And then like my past experiences, I'm just like, oh, I'm ready to fight now. Like I will protect myself. And if that means taking you down in the process.

Brandi 34:02

That's funny. Yeah. So I can definitely I can definitely see the uh working on the anger and communication. What were the other ones again?

Rachael 34:10

Stay grounded. Horse energy can be scattered. Use your monkey wit to stay organized so you don't drop the balls. You're juggling.

Brandi 34:18

Thank you for putting your juggling because you just said drop the balls.

Rachael 34:22

Drop the balls. Okay,

Brandi 34:25

so stay organized. I'm definitely gonna

Rachael 34:28

clean your house. Come on.

Brandi 34:31

De Shed the shit.

Rachael 34:33

De shed the shit.

Brandi 34:34

That's that's my mantra for you know how monkeys throw poo at people? Throw my junk at people. Just take it.

Rachael 34:42

Take it. Take it. Yeah. And then when it says watch your temper, it says fire years can make people more irritable. Lean into your natural sense of humor to diffuse tension.

Brandi 34:52

Funny as fuck.

Rachael 34:53

I mean, I think I'm funny as fuck. I don't know if other people think I'm funny.

Brandi 34:57

They don't matter. As long as you're funny.

Rachael 34:59

As long as I make myself laugh, that's what really matters.

Brandi 35:01

Preach.

Rachael 35:02

Um, monkeys are great talkers in a horse year. Clear communication prevents the wildfire of misunderstanding.

Brandi 35:08

Okay. Well, yeah, I mean we have a podcast, so obviously we like to talk.

Rachael 35:13

Clear is kind.

Brandi 35:14

Oh shoot. Okay. Interesting.

Rachael 35:17

Yeah.

Brandi 35:17

Now that I like I said, I feel like if I had paid attention in 25, I would have more like examples of like, oh yeah, I hit, you know, these, you know, these things kind of tied into 25, but I wasn't paying any attention. So I don't really have any examples for that. So I feel like knowing all of this as we enter 26, I'm gonna be a little more aware of things. Not that I like live my life by this, like we said, but I always find learning about this kind of stuff very interesting. Because there are people that live by this and you know, they're like, see, I told you this would happen because of this.

Shedding Old Skin And Personal Updates

Rachael 35:57

I mean, I'm very much a believer in signs. Um I also feel like looking back, you know, this idea of like shedding the old skin, I think it's um like I was very quiet this year. If I could I feel like I was quiet because I was working with a lot of things in the background, like

Brandi 36:18

you stewing on it.

Rachael 36:19

Well, I mean I was doing, but like just things happen. Like my grandpa died, I had to get my grandma into memory care.

Brandi 36:24

You you had a heavy year.

Rachael 36:25

I had to do like her finances, like figure out what's going on with my mom, like you know, all these things. So I think it was a year of shedding trauma in a lot of ways, um, and like opening up conversations with family that I hadn't had in the past. Um getting it all out with writing the book. Um, so that was therapeutic.

Brandi 36:51

Yeah. Kind of funny. Um, I actually just remembered this. There was a lot of speculation that this completely random, but uh it po popped up, and I was like, oh yeah, there was a lot of speculation that Taylor Swift was going to release Taylor's version of Reputation this year because like her symbology for that album are snakes. And it was the year of the snake, so a lot of people are like, oh, she because she's all about the signs, like those, I mean clues.

Rachael 37:21

We still have time. There's a couple days left.

Brandi 37:24

She I haven't gotten full confirmation on this. I need to reach out to my like hardcore Swifty friends. Cause I'm just kind of like in the background. Like, you tell me things and I'm like, oh yeah, that's cool. I don't go and look for the

Rachael 37:38

the eggs.

Brandi 37:39

Yeah.

Brandi 37:39

Um, but it sounds like she actually updated that album, like the lyrics and stuff already, like a couple of the songs. But she doesn't call it Taylor's version because they're all her version now because she owns everything. Yeah. But I've heard and I can't tell with AI and all this shit out there now. I can't tell if the videos I'm seeing are real or people are making them up just to get like clickbait and stuff. So that's why I have to reach out to the the Easter egg hunting Swifties that I know to to see if she actually did release those. But yeah, I remember there being a lot of talk um at the beginning of 2025 about oh, this will be the year she releases it. It's the year of the snake, that's Reputation, all that stuff. So I thought that was interesting. Um that people I swear, I love I love Taylor Swift, the Swifties crack me up. I love you guys, just how like in the weeds you get for things. And I don't have the time or energy to to do it, but I like the overview, like the recaps of people being like, well, this happened and then this happened. So kudos to you guys for doing the legwork for me so I can enjoy all of the um cleverness without spending my energy on it.

Rachael 38:55

Give me give me the cliff notes.

Fire Horse Keywords And Movement Goals

Brandi 38:56

But yeah, I forgot that that was that had been a thing because of the snake. So good.

Rachael 39:03

So it says horse, some bullets for this year would be boldness, movement, freedom, flow, clarity, direction, intentional action, sensitive strength, um, sacred wildness, authenticity, rapid changes, innovation, big vision, grounded planning, leadership, courage, alignment, focused momentum, and awakening.

Brandi 39:29

Okay. So it sounds like those things you've been holding off doing you need to focus on this year.

Rachael 39:34

Be bold.

Brandi 39:35

That's what I'm getting. Um, the movement aspect of it. I have been, you know, honestly, you shouldn't start like start the day you decide to like start working out. Don't like wait till the first of the year. Like we we've talked about this in our resolution episode last year. Um movement, like this will be a good year. Like get out and do something, set a goal, be intentional about you know getting that movement and things like that. Um, I know I'm trying to figure out like what I want my thing to be next year. Like I keep going back to to swimming, um, but I also saw on TikTok these guys. I used to be a runner. Obviously, I can't just go out and run a 5k like I used to be able to, but they started on January 1st last so January 1st, 2025, and they ran the date. every single day. So January first was one point one miles, January second was one point two miles.

Rachael 40:40

Oh.

Brandi 40:41

And then you like build up your tolerance as the year goes by and then by you know the end of the year you're at twelve point three miles. You might as well just go sign up for a half marathon at that point.

Rachael 40:57

Do you think you'll start running again?

Brandi 40:59

Um I'm looking I think I'm gonna well first of all I'm significantly heavier than when I used to be a runner. Um so I'm a little worried about my joints and like just my hips and knees in general because that's why I gave up running in the first place. Um but it fully kind of embraces the year of the horse.

Rachael 41:18

Yeah.

Brandi 41:19

Um

Rachael 41:20

be bold.

Brandi 41:21

So I might start with like the Couch To 5k just to get me back up and going again because that really integrates like walking and running and building up your because it's really hard for people to just go out and run if you haven't in a long time.

Rachael 41:39

True that

Brandi 41:39

I mean I I ran my half marathon six years ago seven years ago something like that. And

Rachael 41:50

triathlon is definitely on my blueprint for the future.

Community Goals, Milestones, And Closing

Brandi 41:54

That would be fun. I'm gonna do a sprint with you because I did that a few years ago. We can look into that maybe that'll be one of our goals this year. Like I said I do think it's funny that movement embraces the horse because you know they're known for just running around. But

Rachael 42:09

gotta move

Brandi 42:10

yeah let us know how you're going to embrace the year of the horse which words really resonate with you and what you're gonna take into this year and you know see we you know we're always in the mood to to hear new ideas. We've got our goals in place but you never know when you could inspire us to take something else on.

Rachael 42:31

Absolutely and hopefully by the time that this episode is airing January 1 we'll be up to our thousand goal of downloads we're at 885 as of the day that we're recording so putting positive vibes out there.

Brandi 42:46

If we're not January is going to be the month

Rachael 42:49

it's gonna happen. We're gonna be popping that champagne and we're gonna be in a new podcast studio so we're gonna be doing all the new things.

Brandi 42:55

Yep we'll uh we'll keep you guys posted though

Rachael 42:58

absolutely well make 2026 the best year yet. You got this run, horse, run. you got this. um

Brandi 43:13

can we get those really awkward horse masks to wear uh for new year's that would be kind of funny

Rachael 43:19

maybe we could get like a Charlie flag because that's already been in our conversations

Brandi 43:23

I want to get those really awkward horse masks to wear on New Year's

Rachael 43:28

I

Brandi 43:28

think we might get arrested but you know we could go to candy mountain Charlie uh we are doing that for Dance fest but anyway

Rachael 43:37

alrighty let us know how you're gonna make 2026 the best year yet and be bold make that movement um so until next time stay bold

Brandi 43:47

stay empowered

Rachael 43:48

Girl Gang out