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Episode 601: Stop Sprinting Into the New Year: My Real Plan for 2026 (and Why January Isn’t a Race)

podcast Jan 05, 2026
Stop Sprinting Into the New Year: My Real Plan for 2026 (and Why January Isn’t a Race)

In this week’s pep talk, I am sharing why 2026 doesn’t need a rigid plan to be powerful—and how choosing a few grounded non-negotiables can create clarity, momentum, and space to truly step into your next season. This episode is an invitation to slow down, stop forcing January, and let your rhythm (not the internet) lead the way.

 

In today’s episode, I share:

  • 03:48 – Why 2026 feels like a “becoming year” and what the Year of the Horse symbolizes for leadership, clarity, and movement
  • 07:18 – How treating January as a recalibration month (not a sprint) changed everything
  • 08:48 – Why focusing on non-negotiables matters more than setting big goals or resolutions
  • 09:28 – Why the podcast remains the portal and the most aligned anchor in the business
  • 10:38 – The power of one simple weekly email and how the Better Together newsletter fits into a sustainable rhythm
  • 11:48 – Why committing to one in-person networking event a month creates real momentum and connection
  • 12:48 – How the CEO Week schedule provides structure without rigidity (and why No-Meeting Fridays are sacred)
  • 14:08 – A simple framework to define your own theme, non-negotiables, and quarterly rhythm
  • 16:18 – Permission to stop forcing clarity, trust your boundaries, and let your habits reveal what’s next

 

🔗 LINKS MENTIONED:

👉 Take the FREE CEO Week Challenge → www.hollymariehaynes.com/ceoweek

 🌎 Website → www.hollymariehaynes.com

 📲 Instagram → @thehollymariehaynes

🗨️ Chat with Holly → https://www.hollymariehaynes.com/chat 

 

🔗 FREE RESOURCES:

https://www.hollymariehaynes.com/workwithme 

 
Holly Marie Haynes

Written by

Holly Marie Haynes

Business strategist, host of the Crush the Rush™ Podcast, and founder of Anti-Social School™. After 22 years in Fortune 500 strategy, I built a life-first business in part-time hours. Now I help women entrepreneurs grow without living on social media.

Read my story →

A FREE PRIVATE PODCAST FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

How to Grow a Profitable Business without Social Media

A 9-episode private podcast for the founder in the messy middle of business growth. Inside, I'll walk you through the same framework I've taught 1,000+ women entrepreneurs, the one I use to run my business on less than 1 hour a week of social media. Email marketing, AI, GEO, and the systems behind a sales-generating business that runs whether you post or not.

Less than 1 hour a week. Whole weeks offline. No algorithm. No burnout.

Not sure where to start? Take the 2-minute quiz →

A FREE PRIVATE PODCAST FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

How to Grow a Profitable Business without Social Media

A 9-episode private podcast for the founder in the messy middle of business growth. Inside, I'll walk you through the same framework I've taught 1,000+ women entrepreneurs, the one I use to run my business on less than 1 hour a week of social media. Email marketing, AI, GEO, and the systems behind a sales-generating business that runs whether you post or not.

Less than 1 hour a week. Whole weeks offline. No algorithm. No burnout.

Not sure where to start? Take the 2-minute quiz →

Holly Marie Haynes is a business strategist helping women build profitable, life-first businesses without social media, through Crush the Rush™ and Anti-Social School™.

Holly Marie Haynes is a business strategist helping women build profitable, life-first businesses without social media, through Crush the Rush™ and Anti-Social School™.