Welcome to 2026
Now that I’m approaching my 25th year in business, the wisdom gods have gifted me a special superpower:
I hereby give you permission to ignore the goal-setting missives and mantras flooding your inbox. At least for a few days. Instead, take a moment to clean up the past–and release what won’t align with 2026 success.
Here’s what motivated me to offer relief.
First, I was honored and surprised by how many of you privately reached out, called, and emailed me over the holidays. Dozens responded positively to my last post on grief. Thank you for sharing and caring.
Your responses prove that many of us do not understand the anatomy of transition, and the immense value of releasing versus carrying the weight of the past. (I would love to read some of your goodbye letters!). “Release rituals” provide space to embrace the present moment, and energy to design a new future.
Sadly, release rituals also make some business leaders cringe or hide. That discomfort (often cloaking shame) is not our fault. Our over-achievement culture encourages constant forward movement. Schools seldom teach the restorative power of release. Most of us learn release rituals through trial and error. Some of us never learn it, leaving us in a Groundhog Day doom loop. You can probably think of a colleague who hops from one job to the next, and choosing the same bad boss each time.
When we lack a method to jettison outdated marketing strategies, management styles, failed experiments, or poorly performing teams, new opportunities never have a chance to sprout above the frost line.
My dear friend Chip Conley recently pays homage to this time of year. He recently wrote:
“Winter reminds us that not every season is meant for blooming. Some are meant for deep integration.” Winter introduces “the quieter work of metabolizing what we’ve lived. What did we learn? What truly mattered? What can be released without regret?”
Reflecting on the past year, I discovered five habits to release. By doing so, you will add more flow versus force to your daily life.
- Shift from traditional “to do” lists. Include “to test” lists.
Top leaders find ways to walk over the hot coals of experimentation resistance: perfectionism, fear of looking bad, and fear of job loss lead the list.
Consider Aerosmith, the legendary rock group–proud and proven experimenters. When they toured consistently, they hosted quarterly “dare to suck” meetings. Two hit songs were born from those moments: “Dude Looks Like a Lady” and “Love in the Elevator.”
The Savannah Bananas entertainment franchise runs 5-10 experimental shows or gimmicks during every game. They keep the one that sticks—if any do. The “fans first” obsession keeps their audiences enthralled, and forgiving.
In our communities, we celebrate another type of super-experimenter: senior growth leaders who are willing to challenge status quo. SVP Erica Goodwin of First Heritage Mortgage shared her early AI experiences during our 10th innovation cohort at Tufts University here.
In today’s AI-fueled world, we can no longer afford to delegate experimentation to an IT team or a lofty innovation center. Everyone becomes a “mindful scientist” in pursuit of efficiency and added value.
Here’s what author and disruption expert Charlene Li sees:
“The gap between companies that use AI well and companies that just use it to stay in the race will become permanent.
The high performers are three times more likely to have senior leaders actively involved and role modeling AI use. They’re not delegating AI to IT — they’re showing up, experimenting publicly, and asking: “How do we use AI for competitive advantage, not just efficiency?”
This growing leadership gap is why I teamed with a colleague to host a weeklong “AI Acceleration for Executives” virtual course We launch March 3-6. Geoff Livingston and I co-created this program to ensure our clients feel more confident about experimentation within their own businesses.
2. Reduce your arm-waver (aka creator) intake. Micro-dose on top journalists.
Take 45 seconds to review your news feed now. Where do you go first when you start your day? If you get your news on specious social channels such as TikTok, NewsMax, Instagram or X, consider turning them off. If you are not ready for that detox moment, turn on your phone timer and shift your consumption to another time of day (other than bedtime).
Start your day with a micro-dose of tier 1 publications. Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and select Substack accounts offer a starting point.
Audience interest in this topic remains strong. One of my most popular shows welcomed Jack Brewster, CEO of NewsGuard (watch episode 85 here). Since early 2025, hundreds of subscribers continue to share and comment on my show. The “Fight Fake News” theme struck a nerve—and still offers timely advice.
3. Shift from grievance to gratitude. Here in the USA, I am tempted daily to get sucked into the vortex of geopolitics. It can quickly suck the life and creative energy from me. Call me overly sensitive—or a barometer for how you might be feeling (but are unable to express it as loudly as I am!)
Instead, I wrote “Year in Review” summaries for every client. I pored over a dozen reports, transcripts, and audio replays for each review. AI helped with trend analysis and summarization.
Clients welcomed the summary with open arms. It gave them permission to celebrate their achievements. They now selectively share that summary with their stakeholders to amplify 2025 achievements, failures, and customer wins. It’s succinct and sentimental. In a high performing organization, both co-exist.
Want some gratitude inspiration? Follow the 2,300 mile Walk for Peace. I am enamored with Aloka, the monks’ rescue dog mascot. These peaceful Buddhist warriors began their trek in Texas, and I await their arrival in Washington, DC.
4. Skip resolutions. Create rituals. Whenever I hear the word ‘resolution,” I cringe. It assumes I practiced bad habits that must be tamed. And I feel some shame for that pile of peanut butter cookies I baked and inhaled over the holidays.
When I choose rituals over resolutions, something shifts. Trust me–I am not perfect. I still prepare a small dessert at night. To relax, I still watch Louis Wildlife videos about German cats who silently traverse their local canal in a kayak. Yet I consume them in smaller portions than I did last year.
Rituals are grounded in my identity…I’m a strong swimmer and entrepreneur. I visualize those to cement in my heart and mind. These words inform my news consumption and eating habits. Identity-informed rituals are powerful, not punishing.
Atomic Habits author James Clear reminds us, “our habits are a vote for our identity.” Daily, short standup meetings and thoughtful, crisp team celebrations offer a good start.
What identity will inform your rituals in 2026?
5. Replace synthetic relationships with strategic relationships.
Last year, Christian Beaudoin, Executive Director of JLL, joined Dr. Connie Noonan Hadley on the SXSW stage to discuss the negative impact of loneliness on business performance. Now an epidemic, loneliness spikes health care costs, mental illness cases, and turnover.
When we depend heavily on LLMs for health assistance, mental health support, and coaching, we succumb to digital twins and fake friends. An AEI study from 2021 revealed a “friendship recession” – 20% of Americans say they have no close friends. Over 30 years, young people went from spending 2-3 hours with human friends to a paltry 45 minutes per day.
Let that sink in, parents and bosses.
Without clear guardrails, lines blur between humans and digital twins. Brand repute and trust erode.
To fight AI abuse, more organizations may follow Matthew McConaughey’s latest move. This month, he trademarked himself. This will hopefully protect his books, images, videos, and famous one-liners such as “alright alright alright.”
What synthetic customer touch points make you vulnerable? Which ones are inadvertently fueling loneliness among teams?
I would love to hear which of these five resonate–and how I can support your new year ahead.
Whether it’s applying to our Marketing Growth Leaders peer community, one-on-one executive coaching, keynotes, or a quick-hit brainstorm session, I’m here for it. Message me privately to book a strategy session.
And together, we will LET 2025 GO!
This post was completely written by me — a human. I did not use generative AI.
© 2026, Lisa Nirell. All rights reserved. lisanirell.com.