This Is Not the Year You Play Small

We made it, Inner Circle.

Happy New Year.

Happy 2026.

Or whenever you are reading this, I hope your year is off to a good start. And if it is not, that is ok.

Things can change overnight, yes. But for most of us, it is going to be day by day, step by step.

I hope by the end of this letter, you move through the day, the week, the month, and the year with a different perspective.

Because we are setting the tone.

Last year, we talked about the main character era full letter linked here.
The era where choosing yourself might make you the villain in someone else’s story.
The era where you get off the sidelines and actually come out to play.

Another year of “I should have” and “I could have” is not an option.

Before we go any further, I want you to remember one thing:

Take what resonates, leave what doesn’t.

You are allowed to build your year in a way that works for you.

Every year has a theme.

Despite what we see happening in the world, as chaotic as it feels, there is always an underlying thread.

I am not here to convince you of anything.

If you don’t know, I love philosophy and metaphysical studies. I am forever a student. So I share these things more as perspective, not as a rulebook.

In numerology, 2026 is a 1 year.

A fresh start after a 9-year cycle of endings, confrontation, and closure.

A 1 year is about:

• New foundations

• Stepping into leadership

• Starting again with what you’ve learned

And in Chinese astrology, 2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse, a rare energy that only comes around every 60 years. The Fire Horse is bold, fast-moving, and unapologetically free.

That energy looks like:

• Change happening quickly

• A pull toward freedom and self-expression

• A strong push to stop dimming your light and start moving

You don’t have to believe in any of this for the core message to still be true:

This is not the year to play small.

This is a year of expansion and opportunity.

But expansion does not mean burning yourself out to prove a point.

It means being very intentional about your energy, your focus, and your lane.

2025, for me, was the year I finally stepped out of hermit mode.

After going through a season of depression, I had to accept that when you are in it like that, some people do not know how to show up for you, and some people just do not.

So I had to show up for myself.

I made new connections by putting myself in new rooms.

I lost connections.

I got invited to my first brand event.

I walked away from a toxic work environment where I was the only woman and the youngest, and where my value was not seen or felt.

I restarted my creative passions.

Started this Substack (thank you for 25k).

Began rebranding my freelance business.

Came back to my health and fitness journey.

So many restarts.

So many continuations.

I kept asking myself, What took me so long?

But the truth is, I was always doing the work:

Therapy.
Reading.
Studying.
Moving out of my hometown.

Doing things that scared me and did not always make sense culturally, especially growing up in a Caribbean household where feelings and mental health were very much dismissed.

2025 felt like finally finding the right key after trying a thousand wrong ones.

2026, for me at least, is the year I give myself permission to walk through the door.

I want to talk to the part of you that already feels “behind” and it’s only the start of the year.

“You’re not behind. You’re just outgrowing the version of you that could tolerate less.”

Below this point, this turns into our shared game plan for 2026, not just ideas, but how we’re actually moving. We’ll get into why you’re not actually “behind,” how to move through 2026 in quarters instead of autopilot, the habits, books, and frequencies we’re using, and the journal prompts we’ll keep coming back to as things unfold.

If you want a more intentional, supported start to your year, this part is for you.