December 31, 2025, at 11:59 PM.
That’s when most people decide they’re finally ready to change.
They’ll wake up on January 1st with fresh determination. They’ll make their lists. Set their intentions. Declare their resolutions.
They’ll join the gym that will be packed for exactly three weeks. They’ll buy the planner that will be abandoned by February. They’ll announce their goals (that will be quietly forgotten by spring.
I know because I’ve done this. So have you. So has almost everyone.
And here’s the hard truth: It doesn’t work.
Not because January 1st is a bad day to start. But because waiting until January means you’re starting from the same place you’ve always started: reactive, rushed, and swept up in the cultural narrative of “new year, new you.”
But if you’re reading this (at the time of publishing) in late November, it means you have a choice most people won’t make.
The New Year’s Resolution Trap
Let me tell you what happens in January.
The first week is exciting. You’re motivated. You’re taking action. You’re convinced this year will be different.
The second week is harder. Work demands return. Regular life resumes. That motivation starts to fade.
By week three, you’re making excuses. “I’ll restart next Monday.” “I’ll get back on track after this project.” “It’s been a busy month.”
By February, you’ve stopped altogether. And now you’re not just back where you started—you’re there with added guilt and evidence that you “can’t follow through.”
Sound familiar?
Here’s why this cycle happens:
1. January 1st is arbitrary. There’s nothing magical about that date. Your brain doesn’t reset. Your circumstances don’t change. Your patterns don’t disappear.
Starting on January 1st, just because it’s January 1st, is starting without a strategy.
2. You’re starting from exhaustion. December is chaos—year-end work demands, holidays, family obligations, travel, and financial stress. You limp into January depleted.
And then you expect yourself to have the energy to build new habits, tackle big goals, and transform your life?
You’re already behind before you start.
3. You’re surrounded by noise. Everyone starts in January. Your gym is packed. Your LinkedIn feed is full of announcements. Your inbox is flooded with “new year, new you” messaging.
You’re not making intentional choices—you’re following the crowd.
4. You’re using motivation, not systems. January motivation lasts about as long as January gym attendance. When motivation fades, and it will, you have no structure, no accountability, no support to carry you through.
And that’s when you stop.
The Momentum Advantage: Starting Before the New Year
Now imagine a different scenario.
Imagine it’s December 15, 2025.
While everyone else is in holiday chaos, you’re clear. You’ve already done the work:
✓ Momentum Mapping Assessment—done. You’ve assessed where you are across all dimensions of your life.
✓ You’ve identified your strategic focus areas. Not a scattered list of everything, but the 1-2 areas that will create breakthrough results.
✓ You’ve established your support system, whether that’s exploring the free Momentum Mapping Assessment, joining the waitlist for the LEAP Northbound Momentum Mapping Workshop or LEAP Alliance Mastermind, or getting on a call with me to discuss what Lead with Impact Coaching can do for you.
✓ You’ve started building momentum with small, strategic actions
Now it’s January 1, 2026.
Everyone else is making resolutions and frantically searching for direction. You? You’re already in motion.
You’re not starting—you’re continuing.
You’re not guessing—you’re executing a strategic plan.
You’re not alone—you’re supported by community and accountability.
You’re not hoping—you’re building on momentum you’ve already created.
This is the advantage of starting now.
My Story: The Year I Changed Everything
2007 was a turning point for me.
I spent years successfully climbing the corporate ladder, but internally, I was miserable. I was exhausted, resentful, and disconnected from what actually mattered to me. I knew I needed to make changes, but I kept waiting.
“After this project.” “After the new year.” “After things calm down.”
But things never calmed down. And I kept staying stuck.
I made a decision: I wasn’t waiting for January.
I took that weekend I mentioned in Week 1—the full weekend alone with hard questions and honest reflection. I assessed where I was. I identified what needed to change. I made strategic decisions based on reality, not resolutions based on hope.
And I started taking action immediately:
- I had the difficult conversation with my boss about my role and my needs
- I researched what it would take to build my coaching practice
- I set boundaries I’d been avoiding for years
- I invested in support
By January 1st, I had momentum. Not intentions. Not hopes. Actual momentum.
By spring, I was teaching at a university and coaching part-time. I transitioned fully into the work that fulfilled me. I built the integrated life I only dreamed about.
None of that would have happened if I’d waited for January to “feel ready.”
I didn’t feel ready when I first started. I felt scared. Uncertain. Overwhelmed.
But I started anyway. And starting changed everything.
What Changes When You Start Now
1. You beat the overwhelm. December and January are chaotic for everyone. But starting now means you’re building your foundation before the chaos instead of during it.
By the time January hits, you have clarity and momentum. Everyone else is scrambling. You’re already moving.
2. You learn your patterns. When you start in late November/early December, you get to test your strategies during the hardest time of year. If you can build momentum during the holidays, you can maintain it any time.
January starters don’t get this test until life gets hard again, and then they quit.
3. You create evidence. By January 1st, you’ll have 4-6 weeks of evidence that change is possible. You’ve already set and kept some boundaries. You’ve already taken some bold actions. You’ve already experienced some wins.
That evidence builds confidence and commitment.
4. You skip the guilt cycle. You’re not making another resolution you’ll break. You’re not creating another “failure” story. You’re not reinforcing the pattern of starting and stopping.
You’re building a different pattern, one of strategic action and sustained momentum.
5. You’re not alone. Everyone starts in January. Almost no one starts in November/December.
Which means when you do, you stand out. You’re not following the crowd. You’re making an intentional choice.
And you’re joining a community of women who are doing the same.
An Invitation to LEAP Forward
Over the past four weeks, I’ve walked you through a journey:
Week 1: The power of honest assessment. You took the Momentum Mapping Assessment and saw where you really are
Week 2: The importance of strategic focus. You identified your highest-leverage development areas
Week 3: Why you can’t do this alone. You learned about the three pathways to supported transformation
Now, Week 4: The invitation to start.
I’m not just offering programs. I’m building a community.
A community of women who:
- Refuse to choose between ambition and authenticity
- Want career success without sacrificing values, health, or relationships
- Are done trying to “figure it out alone.”
- Are ready to build momentum together
Women who are brave enough to start before they feel ready. Women who are smart enough to ask for support. Women who are committed enough to do the work.
Is that you?
Imagine Entering 2026 With:
✓ Complete clarity on your strengths and how to leverage them
✓ An integrated vision that honors both career and personal priorities
✓ Authentic confidence that doesn’t require pretending to be someone you’re not
✓ A strategic career plan aligned with your values and your life
✓ Energy and boundaries that protect your wellbeing
✓ Influence and presence that feel genuine, not forced
✓ Resilience practices that actually work when you’re under pressure
✓ A community of women who understand the journey and cheer you on
✓ Accountability and support to actually follow through
This isn’t fantasy. This is what happens when you invest in yourself with the right tools, framework, and support.
And it starts with a decision.
The Complete Momentum Mapping System
Here’s where you can start now, and what’s coming next:
Step 1: FREE Assessment
Take the Momentum Mapping Assessment
10 minutes. Immediate results. Shows you exactly where you are across 8 dimensions of professional life.
If you haven’t taken it yet, start here. If you took it weeks ago, take it again—you might see it differently now.
Step 2: Design Your Next Step
Get the Momentum Mapping Workbook
50+ pages of exercises, frameworks, and practical tools for each dimension. This is where assessment becomes action.
Available standalone ($27) or included in all LEAP Forward programs.
Step 3: Choose Your Support Pathway
PATHWAY 1: LEAP Northbound Momentum Mapping Workshop
The next workshop is being finalized now and will be offered in early 2026. Spots will be limited to ensure high-touch support.
Join the waitlist to get first access when dates are announced.
PATHWAY 2: LEAP Alliance Mastermind Group
The next cohort launches in early 2026. Applications will open soon. Join the waitlist to receive priority consideration and early enrollment. Limited to 6 participants.
PATHWAY 3: Lead with Impact 1:1 Coaching
If you’re ready for individualized support, coaching availability opens again in February 2026. A complimentary 30-minute clarity call is required to ensure alignment. Schedule a time to chat here.
A Final Word: About Courage
Starting before you feel ready takes courage.
Investing in yourself when you could make excuses about budget or timing takes courage.
Admitting you can’t do this alone when society tells you that you should takes courage.
Choosing yourself—your development, your growth, your fulfillment—when there are a thousand other demands on your time and energy takes courage.
But that’s what courage is: Doing the hard thing anyway.
I can’t promise this will be easy. Transformation never is.
But I can promise:
- You won’t be doing it alone
- You’ll have the tools and framework you need
- You’ll have support every step of the way
- You’ll enter 2026 differently than you’ve entered any year before
Your momentum starts with a decision. And that decision is now.
Not January 1st. Not “when things calm down.” Not “after the holidays.”
Now.
Let’s LEAP Forward, together.