Advertise on podcast: This Year's Word with Courtney Symes

Autumn has a very particular feeling, doesn’t it? The trees are bare. The landscape feels quieter… simpler. There’s less colour, less movement, less noise. At first glance, it can almost feel like something has been lost. But if you look a little closer… you begin to realise that nothing essential is gone. Beneath the surface, life is still present. The roots are still strong. The tree is not dying — it is conserving, adapting, preparing. And in many ways, this is what growth looks like for us too. Not always vibrant. Not always visible. Not always easy to understand while we’re in it. But deeply, quietly transformative. Over the past few episodes, we’ve been exploring resilience — not as something loud or forceful, but as something steady, grounded, and deeply human. We’ve talked about resilience in our inner world… In our relationships… In the way we move through uncertainty. And today, as we arrive at this final episode in the series, I want to explore something a little deeper… a little quieter. Resilience in who we are becoming. Because resilience doesn’t just help us get through life. It shapes us. It refines us. It changes us. And often… it changes us in ways we never expected.   If the content of today’s episode has piqued your interest, I have something very special for you. I have created 30 Journal Prompts, similar to the ones mentioned throughout this episode on resilience – that’s one life-changing prompt for you to work on every day over the next month! Just imagine how much growth you can unlock over the next 30 days if you keep the momentum going and commit to answering one prompt a day. All you need to do to get these thought-provoking prompts is leave a positive rating and review for this podcast, take a screenshot of your review and email it to: [email protected] and I’ll email you the prompts! Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey, as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time.  Grab your FREE How to Ask Someone if They're Ok Conversation Starters and FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here.  Read more on my blog, or connect with me on Facebook. 

One place where our resilience is often tested the most…is in our relationships. Because if there’s one place in life where things don’t stay predictable… it’s here. Relationships shift. People change. Expectations evolve. And emotions… well, they move like weather. And just like the autumn season we’re sitting in right now, those changes can feel subtle one moment… and quite strong the next. You might have a warm, easy conversation in the afternoon… and then find yourself navigating tension or misunderstanding by the evening. And so the question becomes: how do we stay steady… when everything around us feels like it’s moving?   If the content of today’s episode has piqued your interest, I have something very special for you. I have created 30 Journal Prompts, similar to the ones mentioned throughout this episode on resilience – that’s one life-changing prompt for you to work on every day over the next month! Just imagine how much growth you can unlock over the next 30 days if you keep the momentum going and commit to answering one prompt a day. All you need to do to get these thought-provoking prompts is leave a positive rating and review for this podcast, take a screenshot of your review and email it to: [email protected] and I’ll email you the prompts! Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey, as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time.  Grab your FREE How to Ask Someone if They're Ok Conversation Starters and FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here.  Read more on my blog, or connect with me on Facebook. 

Resilience is not built in the moments that everyone sees. It’s not built in the breakthrough, the milestone, or the big visible win. Resilience is built in the quiet. In the repetition. In the ordinary, often unnoticed moments of your life. And I think this is one of the most important — and often overlooked — parts of resilience. Over the last episode, we began to gently reframe what resilience really means — not as hardness, not as pushing through, but as flexibility. As responsiveness. As the quiet strength that allows you to bend without breaking. In this episode, I want to take that conversation a little deeper. Last episode was about softening the surface… This episode is about strengthening what sits beneath it.   If the content of today’s episode has piqued your interest, I have something very special for you. I have created 30 Journal Prompts, similar to the ones mentioned throughout this episode on resilience – that’s one life-changing prompt for you to work on every day over the next month! Just imagine how much growth you can unlock over the next 30 days if you keep the momentum going and commit to answering one prompt a day. All you need to do to get these thought-provoking prompts is leave a positive rating and review for this podcast, take a screenshot of your review and email it to: [email protected] and I’ll email you the prompts! Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey, as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time.  Grab your FREE How to Ask Someone if They're Ok Conversation Starters and FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here.  Read more on my blog, or connect with me on Facebook. 

Over the past few years, the word resilience has become something we hear often. We’re told to be resilient in our work, in our relationships, in our health, and in the face of uncertainty. It’s often spoken about as something we should strive for — almost like a badge of honour. But the way resilience is commonly understood can sometimes feel… heavy. It can sound like pushing through no matter what. Like staying strong at all costs. Like not letting anything affect you. And if we’re honest, that version of resilience can be exhausting. In this episode, I want to gently explore a different perspective. One that feels softer, more sustainable, and ultimately more human. Because what if resilience isn’t about hardness at all? What if resilience is about responsiveness?   If the content of today’s episode has piqued your interest, I have something very special for you. I have created 30 Journal Prompts, similar to the ones mentioned throughout this episode on resilience – that’s one life-changing prompt for you to work on every day over the next month! Just imagine how much growth you can unlock over the next 30 days if you keep the momentum going and commit to answering one prompt a day. All you need to do to get these thought-provoking prompts is leave a positive rating and review for this podcast, take a screenshot of your review and email it to: [email protected] and I’ll email you the prompts! Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey, as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time.  Grab your FREE How to Ask Someone if They're Ok Conversation Starters and FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here.  Read more on my blog, or connect with me on Facebook. 

When it comes to pursuing what we want in life, many of us swing between two extremes. On one side, there’s hesitation. Playing small. Waiting until everything feels safe and certain. And on the other side, there’s urgency — rushing, overreaching, constantly changing direction in the hope that something will finally click. But real freedom with our goals lives somewhere in the middle. It’s not reckless motion. And it’s not fearful stillness. It’s courageous movement — guided by clarity. This is where the symbolism of the Fire Horse becomes especially interesting. The Fire Horse is bold, passionate, energetic. It’s driven by vision and independence. But when that energy is mature, it isn’t chaotic. It’s directed. The Fire Horse doesn’t run wildly across the landscape. It runs with purpose. And that’s the kind of freedom we’re exploring in this episode.   If the content of today’s episode has piqued your interest, I have something very special for you. I have created 30 Journal Prompts, similar to the ones mentioned throughout this episode on freedom – that’s one life-changing prompt for you to work on every day over the next month! Just imagine how much growth you can unlock over the next 30 days if you keep the momentum going and commit to answering one prompt a day. All you need to do to get these thought-provoking prompts is leave a positive rating and review for this podcast, take a screenshot of your review and email it to: [email protected] and I’ll email you the prompts! Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey, as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time.  Grab your FREE How to Ask Someone if They're Ok Conversation Starters and FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here.  Read more on my blog, or connect with me on Facebook.   

If you’ve ever felt torn between wanting closeness and wanting space… Between wanting connection and wanting autonomy… You’re not alone. Over the last few episodes, we’ve been exploring freedom — not as escape, not as rebellion, but as alignment. Freedom as self-responsibility. Freedom as courage guided by wisdom. In this episode, I want to talk about a place where freedom can feel both beautiful and complicated: our relationships.   If the content of today’s episode has piqued your interest, I have something very special for you. I have created 30 Journal Prompts, similar to the ones mentioned throughout this episode on freedom – that’s one life-changing prompt for you to work on every day over the next month! Just imagine how much growth you can unlock over the next 30 days if you keep the momentum going and commit to answering one prompt a day. All you need to do to get these thought-provoking prompts is leave a positive rating and review for this podcast, take a screenshot of your review and email it to: [email protected] and I’ll email you the prompts! Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey, as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time.  Grab your FREE How to Ask Someone if They're Ok Conversation Starters and FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here.  Read more on my blog, or connect with me on Facebook.   

Whether you work in an office, run your own business, stay at home with children, freelance, study, manage a household, or balance multiple roles at once — work occupies energy. It occupies time. It occupies thought. And because of that, it deeply impacts our sense of freedom. In the last episode, we explored freedom within — reclaiming your inner authority and remembering that real freedom begins inside you. In this episode, we’re taking that conversation into a space that shapes so much of our daily lives: our work.   If the content of today’s episode has piqued your interest, I have something very special for you. I have created 30 Journal Prompts, similar to the ones mentioned throughout this episode on freedom – that’s one life-changing prompt for you to work on every day over the next month! Just imagine how much growth you can unlock over the next 30 days if you keep the momentum going and commit to answering one prompt a day. All you need to do to get these thought-provoking prompts is leave a positive rating and review for this podcast, take a screenshot of your review and email it to: [email protected] and I’ll email you the prompts! Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey, as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time.  Grab your FREE How to Ask Someone if They're Ok Conversation Starters and FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here.  Read more on my blog, or connect with me on Facebook.     

My word of the year for 2026 is Freedom. Ironically, I selected this word at the end of last year, before I realised this Lunar Year was the Year of the Fire Horse. As we embark on this new Lunar Year, I though it was fitting that my next four episodes explore the theme of freedom. Freedom in our personal lives. Freedom in our work. Freedom in our relationships. Freedom in our goals and dreams. In this episode, we begin where all real freedom begins — within. If the content of today’s episode has piqued your interest, I have something very special for you. I have created 30 Journal Prompts, similar to the ones mentioned throughout this episode on freedom – that’s one life-changing prompt for you to work on every day over the next month! Just imagine how much growth you can unlock over the next 30 days if you keep the momentum going and commit to answering one prompt a day. All you need to do to get these thought-provoking prompts is leave a positive rating and review for this podcast, take a screenshot of your review and email it to: [email protected] and I’ll email you the prompts! Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey, as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time.  Grab your FREE How to Ask Someone if They're Ok Conversation Starters and FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here.  Read more on my blog, or connect with me on Facebook. 

Over the past few episodes, we’ve been exploring the word flow — not as something we chase or manufacture, but as something we learn to cooperate with. We’ve talked about February as a return to the current. About consistency as relationship rather than discipline. About staying connected to our intentions without force or punishment. Today, as we close this series, I want to bring all of those threads together. Because there’s a place many of us arrive at — quietly, often without realising — where we start to wonder: If I soften… will I lose my direction? If I stop pushing… will I drift? If I trust life more… will the things that matter to me fall away? So today’s conversation is about letting life carry you — without losing your orientation. It’s about surrender with intention. Trust without drifting. Flow as partnership. This is where spirituality meets grounded action. Where effort remains — but strain dissolves.   If the content of today’s episode has piqued your interest, I have something very special for you. I have created 30 Journal Prompts, similar to the ones mentioned throughout this episode on flow – that’s one life-changing prompt for you to work on every day over the next month! Just imagine how much growth you can unlock over the next 30 days if you keep the momentum going and commit to answering one prompt a day. All you need to do to get these thought-provoking prompts is leave a positive rating and review for this podcast, take a screenshot of your review and email it to: [email protected] and I’ll email you the prompts! Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey, as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time.  Grab your FREE How to Ask Someone if They're Ok Conversation Starters and FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here.  Read more on my blog, or connect with me on Facebook. 

Over the last couple of episodes, we’ve been exploring the word flow — not as something we push ourselves into, but as something we learn to listen for and respond to. We’ve talked about February as a return to the current. A re-entry into real life. A time when routines have resumed, energy has shifted, and the shine of January has softened. Today, I want to explore a piece of this conversation that feels especially important right now — because it’s often where motivation quietly starts to unravel. Today, we’re talking about consistency. Not consistency as discipline. Not consistency as pressure. But consistency as relationship. Because for so many of us, February is where the “I’ll be different this year” energy meets the reality of tired evenings, busy mornings, emotional dips, and full lives. And when consistency is framed only as control, willpower, or self-discipline — it often collapses right here. Not because we don’t care. But because that model was never designed to hold real life.   If the content of today’s episode has piqued your interest, I have something very special for you. I have created 30 Journal Prompts, similar to the ones mentioned throughout this episode on flow – that’s one life-changing prompt for you to work on every day over the next month! Just imagine how much growth you can unlock over the next 30 days if you keep the momentum going and commit to answering one prompt a day. All you need to do to get these thought-provoking prompts is leave a positive rating and review for this podcast, take a screenshot of your review and email it to: [email protected] and I’ll email you the prompts! Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey, as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time.  Grab your FREE How to Ask Someone if They're Ok Conversation Starters and FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here.  Read more on my blog, or connect with me on Facebook. 

Over the last episode, we began exploring the idea of flow — not as something we chase or manufacture, but as something we learn to listen to and cooperate with. We spoke about February as a return to the current. A settling back into real life. A season where the excitement of new beginnings softens, and we’re invited to meet ourselves where we actually are. Today, I want to take that conversation a little deeper. Because there’s a very common experience many of us have at this time of year — and often we don’t have language for it. On the outside, life looks like it’s working. The routines are in place. The calendar is full. The goals are still written down somewhere. And yet, internally, something feels… stuck. Heavy. Resistant. Disconnected. Today’s episode is about that experience — the difference between outer flow and inner flow, and what happens when those two rhythms fall out of conversation with each other.   If the content of today’s episode has piqued your interest, I have something very special for you. I have created 30 Journal Prompts, similar to the ones mentioned throughout this episode on flow – that’s one life-changing prompt for you to work on every day over the next month! Just imagine how much growth you can unlock over the next 30 days if you keep the momentum going and commit to answering one prompt a day. All you need to do to get these thought-provoking prompts is leave a positive rating and review for this podcast, take a screenshot of your review and email it to: [email protected] and I’ll email you the prompts! Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey, as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time.  Grab your FREE How to Ask Someone if They're Ok Conversation Starters and FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here.  Read more on my blog, or connect with me on Facebook. 

Although I’ve been back at work for a few weeks, this week my kiddos have gone back to school and resumed their extracurricular activities. It feels like we have resumed our regular routine, which for me, brings mixed emotions. The bliss of slower mornings not rushing to get out of the house and scrambling to make school lunches has melted away. Christmas holidays and New Year celebrations feel like a distant memory. As we step into February, I want to begin by gently naming something many of us feel — but don’t always talk about. That subtle emotional shift. The quiet drop in energy. The sense that the spark of January has softened. The holidays are over. The kids are back at school. Work routines have resumed. Life has returned to something that looks a lot more like “normal”. And if you’re feeling less motivated, less inspired, or less certain than you did a few weeks ago — I want you to know this right away: Nothing has gone wrong. This episode is an invitation to see February not as a failure of January, but as a return to the current. A re-entry into the rhythm of real life. A moment where intentions stop living in our imagination — and begin learning how to live inside our days. This month, our word is Flow. And today, we’re exploring flow not as momentum — but as re-entry.   If the content of today’s episode has piqued your interest, I have something very special for you. I have created 30 Journal Prompts, similar to the ones mentioned throughout this episode on flow – that’s one life-changing prompt for you to work on every day over the next month! Just imagine how much growth you can unlock over the next 30 days if you keep the momentum going and commit to answering one prompt a day. All you need to do to get these thought-provoking prompts is leave a positive rating and review for this podcast, take a screenshot of your review and email it to: [email protected] and I’ll email you the prompts! Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey, as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time.  Grab your FREE How to Ask Someone if They're Ok Conversation Starters and FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here.  Read more on my blog, or connect with me on Facebook. 

Over the last few episodes, we’ve been exploring the theme of vision — not as something rigid or prescriptive, but as something alive. A way of seeing clearly. A quiet orientation toward what matters most. We’ve spoken about defining vision from truth rather than pressure. About holding vision lightly, without force or attachment. About becoming the person who can carry the vision with steadiness and care. And today, I’d like to bring this conversation into the everyday. Because vision isn’t meant to live only in the future. It isn’t something we visit occasionally in moments of dreaming or goal-setting. Vision is meant to be lived. Today’s episode is about living with vision — letting the future gently guide the present. Not through urgency. Not through striving. But through alignment, presence, and trust.   If the content of today’s episode has piqued your interest, I have something very special for you. I have created 30 Journal Prompts, similar to the ones mentioned throughout this episode on vision – that’s one life-changing prompt for you to work on every day over the next month! Just imagine how much growth you can unlock over the next 30 days if you keep the momentum going and commit to answering one prompt a day. All you need to do to get these thought-provoking prompts is leave a positive rating and review for this podcast, take a screenshot of your review and email it to: [email protected] and I’ll email you the prompts! Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey, as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time.  Grab your FREE How to Ask Someone if They're Ok Conversation Starters and FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here.  Read more on my blog, or connect with me on Facebook. 

Over the past few episodes, we’ve been exploring the theme of vision — not as something rigid or prescriptive, but as something alive. A way of seeing clearly. A gentle orientation toward what matters most. We’ve talked about defining vision from truth rather than pressure. We’ve explored holding vision lightly — without attachment or force. And today, I’d like to take us into the next layer of this conversation. Because once you have a sense of vision — once you begin to feel the direction your life is wanting to move — another question naturally arises. Not What do I want? But Who do I need to become in order to live this? Today’s episode is about becoming the person who can hold the vision. Because vision isn’t sustained by wishing or striving alone. It’s sustained by identity. By growth. By inner alignment. And often, the work isn’t about making the vision happen faster — It’s about becoming steady enough, grounded enough, and spacious enough to carry it well.   If the content of today’s episode has piqued your interest, I have something very special for you. I have created 30 Journal Prompts, similar to the ones mentioned throughout this episode on vision – that’s one life-changing prompt for you to work on every day over the next month! Just imagine how much growth you can unlock over the next 30 days if you keep the momentum going and commit to answering one prompt a day. All you need to do to get these thought-provoking prompts is leave a positive rating and review for this podcast, take a screenshot of your review and email it to: [email protected] and I’ll email you the prompts! Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey, as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time.  Grab your FREE How to Ask Someone if They're Ok Conversation Starters and FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here.  Read more on my blog, or connect with me on Facebook. 

Over the last episode, we explored the idea of vision — not as something rigid or prescriptive, but as a way of seeing clearly. A gentle orientation toward what matters, rather than a fixed destination we must reach. Today, I’d like to take that idea one step further. Because once we begin to clarify our vision, another question naturally arises — how do we hold it? Do we grip tightly, determined to make it happen exactly as imagined? Or do we allow ourselves to hold our vision lightly — with trust, openness, and room for life to unfold? Today’s episode is an invitation into that softer space. A space where dreams are held with intention, but not control. Where vision guides us, but doesn’t trap us. Where we learn to trust timing, detours, and the unseen unfolding of our lives. This is about dreaming without attachment. If the content of today’s episode has piqued your interest, I have something very special for you. I have created 30 Journal Prompts, similar to the ones mentioned throughout this episode on vision – that’s one life-changing prompt for you to work on every day over the next month! Just imagine how much growth you can unlock over the next 30 days if you keep the momentum going and commit to answering one prompt a day. All you need to do to get these thought-provoking prompts is leave a positive rating and review for this podcast, take a screenshot of your review and email it to: [email protected] and I’ll email you the prompts! Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey, as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time.  Grab your FREE How to Ask Someone if They're Ok Conversation Starters and FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here.  Read more on my blog, or connect with me on Facebook.