January Without The Upgrade

Leaning into where you are — and pushing back on January’s improvement culture.

Scrolling through social media on a snowy afternoon, at the cusp of 2026, I pause at the sheer number of programs being offered--promising a fresh start, a new you, a reboot or renewal into a better, slimmer, stronger, trauma-free, and fitter version of yourself.

It’s easy to go down the rabbit hole of self-improvement, pulled in with carefully crafted hooks that grab your attention, with lines seemingly written specifically for you. In a blink, you’re typing in your personal details and pulling out your credit card.

Don't get me wrong, I've been there, done that, and still find myself curious about the new 'what if' program that might make the ultimate difference for me–-physically or mentally.

This conversation may not be relevant for the generations that are still in the building phase of life—the Millennials, Gen X, and Gen Z.  Instead, as a tail-end Boomer, a Generation Jones woman inhabiting a seasoned body (and life)—I’m interested in leaning into what I’ve worked towards and finding that sweet spot of honest observation over self-correction.

Simply stated: I won't be asking you to reclaim, reignite, or reinvent yourself into a “6.0 version” of you. Instead, I'm asking you to lean into where you are now.

Is there one small thing that already feels good right now? Quiet time. Reading. Knitting. Doing a puzzle. Walking your dog. Tea with a friend. Catching a nap without guilt. Trying something new: pickleball or snowshoeing.  

These aren’t distractions from your life—they’re often the very pieces that you’ve spent years working toward. Moments where we no longer need to be producing, improving, or proving anything.

There’s nothing wrong with having something to work towards, at all.  The difference is whether it’s approached from curiosity, care and awareness—or from the belief that we’re still not enough.

 January often carries an unspoken message of what we are not: not slim enough, fit enough, productive enough, successful enough or just not enough. That mindset can quietly turn living into a constant project—rather than being here, living the life I am already inside of.

We might reminisce about the slim, fit body with the energy and stamina to crunch out the “to-do list”, however, we must remind ourselves of the perseverance, knowledge, wisdom and growth that have accompanied us through our life.  

I talk about my movement classes and clinical somatic practice, but maybe I haven't been clear about how that somatic awareness translates into day-to-day life. It's all about awareness, honesty and curiosity. Noticing, sensing, and feeling what’s sticky or smooth in my life—literally and figuratively without needing to fix it right away. For me, this way of leaning in is deeply somatic — rooted in noticing and listening, rather than fixing or forcing change.

Lean into what's available for you. Not the version you think you should be. Not the body you had twenty years ago or the productivity you imagine you've lost. What's here, right now, in this life you've built, the work you’ve accomplished, the hills you’ve climbed -- piece by piece, day by day, year by year.

That's where January can begin—if it needs to begin anywhere at all. Not with what's wrong, but with what's right.

I'll be here, leaning in with you.