The Intentions You Keep

• Intentions aren't goals; they're how you approach the world around you, including what you want—and who you want to be

• Most of us are living someone else's version of success without realizing it. But it doesn’t have to be that way

• The new year is your chance to audit where you've strayed from what matters to you

Mirror Mantra

Every December, I sit with my teams and we set goals for the year ahead. Revenue targets. Pipeline milestones. Board meetings. The usual suspects.

But a few years ago, I started doing something different for me—something that's changed how I show up to all of it. I stopped focusing only on what I wanted to accomplish and started asking myself who I want to be and how I wanted to approach it all.

I want to be authentic, loving, and compassionate to myself, with the freedom to show up as myself in every setting. That requires a different way of being, one that’s reflective of the version of yourself you want to embody. 

That shift—to setting intentions alongside goals—has been everything.

Goals are external. They're measurable. They live on spreadsheets and in boardroom presentations. Intentions are internal. They're about the energy you bring, the boundaries you hold, the version of yourself you're committed to being.

A goal might be "close the Series B by Q2." An intention might be "negotiate from a place of clarity and self-worth, not desperation." A goal is to "deliver the keynote at the conference." An intention is to "speak my truth without apologizing for taking up space."

See the difference?

As we step into 2026, I want you to ask yourself: Where have you been living someone else's intentions? Where have you adopted goals that don't actually align with who you want to be and how you want to move through the world?

Think about the goals you did accomplish, and whether or not you liked the way you got there. 

Because you can achieve every goal on your list and still feel hollow if you're not anchored in your own identity and  intentions. For example, maybe you got the job done, but left a trail of hurt people on the way to achieve it. Does the achievement have the same meaning if the team’s safety and respect were compromised in the process? And sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do at the start of a new year isn't to add more; it's to reclaim who you are at your core and what's already yours.

Power Move of the Week

Set aside 20 minutes this week to journal on these three questions:

1. Who do I want to be, for myself and for others? 

2. How do I want to show up in the rooms I enter? 

3. What intentions have I been living by default—because they were expected of me, not because they aligned with who I am?

4. If I could approach 2026 with complete authenticity, what would my core intentions be? (Think: How do I want to feel? What boundaries do I want to hold?)

5. Where do I need to course-correct—where have I been chasing someone else's version of success instead of my own?

Write it down. Get honest. This is your year to live intentionally.

What’s next?

In the new year, we'll be diving deeper into what it means to live with intention—and how to build the structures and support systems that make that possible. Until then, give yourself permission to start fresh. Not with a punishing list of resolutions, but with a clear sense of who you want to be in how you want to move through this next chapter.

Here's to showing up as and for yourself in 2026.

The Mirror Effect audiobook is now available on Audible—your roadmap for building the life and leadership you actually want in 2026.

Set the intention. Press play. Let's begin.

[Listen now →] The Mirror Effect Audio Book

Have you seen my TEDx talk "Focus on the Mirror, Not the Glass Ceiling"? In it, I explore how finding the right mirrors—people who reflect our potential and validate our experiences—can transform our leadership journey. I'd be honored if you'd watch and share it with others who might benefit from this message.