Write Your Own Story

New year, real talk. We open 2026 by honoring the hard lessons of 2025 and then doing the brave work of defining who we’re becoming. I guide you through a simple, potent practice: release last year’s version of yourself, sketch the person you’re building now, and write down the actions that actually close the gap. No fluffy resolutions—just identity, clarity, and commitments you can keep.

We get honest about why change feels heavy. Friends, family, and colleagues often carry an old snapshot of us and project it back like it’s the full picture. I share how to spot those projections without absorbing them, how to set kind but firm boundaries, and how to protect a new identity before there’s “proof.” We talk courage, self-trust, and the power of small, repeatable actions. I also open up about pregnancy, entrepreneurship, and choosing an unconventional path with real support in place—because authorship of your life doesn’t require permission, it requires design.

If you’ve been asking bigger questions—Who am I when no one else decides? What would my days look like if I stopped shrinking?—this conversation is your nudge to take the pen back. You’ll leave with a framework for mapping the gap between present you and 2026 you, tools for navigating social pressure, and a renewed sense of wonder at being alive right now. Subscribe, share this with someone who’s rewriting their story, and leave a review to help more people find the show. Then tell me: what’s the first bold step you’re taking today?

Chapters

• 0:00 A Time Vertex For Fresh Starts
• 1:03 Gratitude And Hard Truths About 2025
• 2:02 Closing One Era, Opening Another
• 3:31 Guided Reflection: Release And Reimagine
• 5:15 Defining The Gap And Action Steps
• 7:10 Why Change Is Hard: Social Projections
• 9:15 Seeing Strength Through Teaching
• 10:53 Pregnancy, Work, And Breaking Norms
• 13:12 Holding Vision Amid Outside Voices
• 15:04 Choose Wonder Over Permission
• 16:40 New Year Momentum And Community

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Happy New Year, Big Club. This is an entirely fresh page. A new year is ahead. This is the first day of 2026. And while I am coming to you as kind of a ghost from the past, because while I'm recording this, it is still the 31st of the old year, we are gonna linger in this creative and magical, in-between timeless space where we're gonna draw something from and sprinkle it with all the newness onto whatever is ahead of you. So welcome to a little time vertex. I'm your host, Sarah Grace, and for this new year episode, I brought a change of scenery and the rest of the old Christmas cookie because while I'm already saturated on Christmas cookies, my devotion to finishing them runs deep. As well as our beautiful Christmas tree. And I thought you should all have a chance to linger in this perfection. You have no idea how happy this Christmas tree makes me. And with that, I kind of want to start on counting my blessings because what a year, but also appreciating that it hasn't been easy for so many people. 2025 has brought a lot of really deep learnings, uncomfortable learnings, situations where a lot of people were confronted and triggered and pulled into the light. And that is the hard stuff. So many things for so many people, so many situations, so many life circumstances forced us to not hide anymore, but to actually show up. And while I myself really can't complain, I do want to acknowledge that this past year was hard for a lot of people. So if you're in the need for some fresh energy and a courageous rewriting of your own narrative, this episode is for you. Personally speaking, this really feels like the end of an era for me. I'm 35 weeks pregnant. This past year was the last year where I lived all for myself. I am very aware of the fact that so many things in my life will change inevitably. And I love how so many mothers describe motherhood as having your own heart live outside of you. I feel extremely lucky that with my 32 years old, I have had so much time for myself, and I lived a life that was so rich and loaded where I only had to think of myself. And now I feel like I can step into this next chapter with both feet because I have had enough time for myself. Now I also don't know what really is ahead of me because I have never done this before. I only know that so many things will change in the coming year. Maybe you can take that as a metaphor for what comes to an end. I know it sounds simple, I know it sounds cocky by the end of the year thinking what has to end, and by the new year, thinking of what is the newness that you want to bring in. But it is so potent. It is so, so valuable to think of what version of yourself is non-serving you anymore? What is old and gone and worn out? And what's the stuff that you want to nurture and breathe life into in 2026? So, for the beginning of this episode, and to really make it personal, take a moment with me and close your eyes if you can. Think of the person that you were in the last year and linger in that person. Feel again how they felt. Know damn well what you grew from. What was the heartaches, the pains, the moments that made you grow? And then take a deep breath. With your exhale, release that person and with your inhale, think of that new blank slate that is ahead of you. Think of the person that you wanna become. And we're gonna take that further. So really draw a picture of whatever you can't see just yet. Just be creative. Make it up. What is that you that you would be if you would stop playing small? What is that you that doesn't conform to the restrictions that your mind gives you? What is that 2026 version of you? If you would genuinely let yourself dream courageously. Now that's what I want to work on today. And I don't mean a romantic vision of the perfect you. By the way, you can open your eyes again if you still have them closed. No, I mean how do we get there? Because so much in my life has taught me how to overcome big gaps, how to transition and transform myself into a very, very, very different self. And the magical part here is not only to have that vision very clear of who you want to be, but what's the gap? What is the gap between that old year version of you and that manifestation, new visualization version of you in that you want to grow into in 2026? And here comes the work. What would you have to do? I mean, action steps in order to close that gap. So if you were to take in January to get really, really clear on who you want to become, who you were, what the gap is, and what you have to do in order to close that gap. I promise you, you will become that person. Yes, it's also gonna confront you with where you were lazy so far, where you didn't show up, where you allowed others to dictate your reality. But we're living that in the old year. What I want you to bring to the table this year is how to transform that. And I also want to dive a little deeper into why this is so hard for us and what pulls us back again and again. Because, my loves, I know them well. We're social creatures. We're living in friend circles, family circles, and these people are living reminders of who we used to be because they still hold that old version of us as their reality, and they also hold their narrative of how life should be as their narrative, but also they apply to you. Everybody who you meet will project their version of how life has to look and how people should react. Like literally, we are all a blank slate every freaking day. We don't actually need that new year. But it's a good ritual, it's a good momentum that we can use. The tricky thing is that the people around us are living projectors and they're projecting their version of reality onto you again and again and again. And you gotta be stronger than that. You gotta untangle from what other people think you should be and start showing up for the life that you wanna create, for the person and as the person that you wanna be. Let me give you a little example. It's really freaking beautiful because I know quite a lot of my listeners through the teacher trainings that I'm teaching. So often I think you can only see yourself with my eyes. I know of so many heartaches and pains and life's turbulences that shape you. What do we share in these yoga teacher trainings is far beyond the shallow or mundane. And I consider myself extremely lucky that people share so many deep moments of their lives with me. And that enables me to see how strong you are. That enables me to see your storyline as not another projector, but from that yogic point of view, where I'm doing my best to not project my storyline onto you, but to see you as you are. And I'm thinking of some of you that I know are listening. And I'm just in awe. And my wish for this podcast episode is that I can energetically ship you some of that faith and that courage and that admiration that I have for all the things that you have accomplished, that inner strength that you have regained because life threw you down. And back to my point. I wanted to talk about the teacher trainings, but I did a detour because my admiration of you pulled me away. So, one example where I was really confronted by the very narrow, boxed version of another person or many other people who projected onto me was that whole thing of me being pregnant, but also me still teaching teach trainings. And yes, that was a challenge while being pregnant, but my loves, next year I will still teach yoga teacher trainings. While I know that in this world that we're living in, there are some standards, and I don't blame anybody for having a certain idea of what's happening when a woman births a baby, and you know, the first year we usually get support by the state and we stay at home. Well, I'm self-employed. That doesn't fully apply to me. Plus, I have set myself up in a way where I chose a partner that is extremely supportive, and I live in an environment where I do have a village, and now I'm blessed, I am blessed to be able to still do what I love to do while growing into motherhood. Now you wouldn't believe how many people have approached my business partner or me or my mom and said, Oh wow, what are you gonna do now? Because since Sarah is having a baby, she's not gonna be able to teach those teacher trainings next year. And I'm like, what makes you think that? Once again, very, very relatable. And I don't blame anybody for thinking that way. We also get so many emails of people who acquire on those teacher trainings and be like, hey, is is Sarah still the lead teacher? And yes, yes, I absolutely 100% am. Why am I saying this? Why am I bringing this up? Because it's such a beautiful example of other people holding a certain idea of how things are supposed to go in their heads, and they are projecting and applying it onto me. While I would never judge somebody for thinking that way. Well, actually, there's a couple of examples where I am getting a little judgy because these comments were very clearly meant with intentions of envy and misfortune. I will stand by that. That I do not like that at all. But the grand majority of these comments are simply because we all hold a certain idea of how things have to be. And here's the thing: if I wouldn't have done so much self-work, all these comments would do something with me. They might make me insecure about my decision, they might make me insecure about my inner strength that I will certainly need because I know that it's gonna be a challenge. But I also know, and once again, I credit that to the inner strength that I've acquired over the years where I had the blessing to look inward and live only for myself. If I look at mothers, these creatures are so much more compassionate, so much better than anything else that I'm seeing in the world to execute difficult tasks and situations. If I look at mothers, there's this admirable radiance of love and compassion where little me right now still has no idea how this is even possible. And I'm devoted in bringing that love and that newness, even though I don't know that person, me as a mother yet, right? We're still working with the unknown, but I have enough inner faith and belief and courage to be like, you know what? I'm not gonna conform to another person's vision of how things are supposed to go. And instead, I will write my own story. And I know it's unconventional, but I'm gonna do it the way I want to do it. I'm gonna keep teaching those yoga teacher trainings that are so dear to my heart that will certainly be only up-leveled by me stepping into this new era of me. So here's the thing: I know that we all have these kind of voices in our lives whenever we want to change something, whenever we want to break free from the norm and create a new version of ourselves, a new life. Whenever we find that fierce fire and courage within ourselves to rewrite the narrative in a more bold way than the people around us do. So, well, the first challenge that I hopefully planted into your mind by the beginning of this episode was to become very clear of who you were, become really clear of who you want to be, notice the in-between gap and find the action steps that you have to do in order to close that gap. Now, the fifth and so often trickiest part of it, and my second big challenge for you, is do not let them. Do not let these people drag you down. Do not let them project onto you so hardcore that you lose sight of your own vision. Do not let them direct your life because the fact that you're here is so insanely magical. Like what a lottery win to be birthed as a human in this day and age, in this body with this constitution. Oh my god, my loves. If we could just zoom out wide enough to notice what a wonder it is to be alive at all, I think we would be more dedicated in making these lives our own. And this is what I want for you in 2026. So in 2026, we are not asking permission anymore. Who I was got me here, and who I am will take it from here. Do not let them convince you that safety is the same as fulfillment. Do not let them edit your truth so much so it can fit their understanding. Do not let them keep you small. Because I know that you're larger than this. I know I am. And even though at times it is difficult to stand by that faithful belief, I will decide to. And you know what drives me? It's really the fact that life is so magical. And as far as we know, we only have this one. And time races. It moves so fast, it really blows my mind. So I do want to live for myself. I want to untangle from what doesn't serve me. If you're on that train with me, well, let's do it together. Let's grow together and let's talk about these things. Let's motivate each other, let's fuel each other's courage. From the depths of my heart, I hope this podcast episode was able to do exactly that for you. To fuel your courage. And however 2025 was for you, this is a new era ahead, a new timeline, and you are the one to write on it. Don't even let 2025 dictate what is happening in 2026. Don't let it. I hope your season opening of 2026 was phenomenal and joyous. I hope that this new year ahead will bring so much richness to your life. I'm your host, Sarah Grace. If you want to do this podcast any good, please subscribe, comment, find us on social media. And my biggest wish for the next year of this podcast is that even though I am sometimes not able to handle everything as quickly as I wish I would, I hope you stay in contact with me. I hope you keep engaging. I am thriving. From your participation in whatever this near, funny little space that we created is where we can make up new realities together. Get soft and dark and creamy and sometimes a little grumbly. But I'm really, really grateful that you're here with me. So for the first time in this new year, thank you. I love you.