Wintering Forward: What 2025 Taught Us & Where We’re Walking in 2026

There’s something about December that feels like sitting in an airport between flights: one foot still in the year that just happened, the other already wandering toward the gate marked Next Chapter.

This year, My Inner Knowing’s “journey to self” took us through shame, rumination, grief, family dynamics, parenting, courage, inner guidance, and the chaos of holiday stress that is definitely not just about the pumpkin pie.

We crossed 100 episodes and 100,000 subscribers on the podcast (what?!), and week after week we found ourselves circling some version of the same question:

How do I walk through this life with more honesty, more kindness, more courage—without losing my sense of humor along the way?

As we winter together, here are a few of the big themes from 2025 and a look at where we’re headed in 2026—on the Oregon coast, in Sedona, around dinner tables in Missouri, across the Camino de Santiago, and into some beautifully brave conversations about both living and dying.

What 2025 Taught Us

(AKA: Things We Didn’t Learn in Law School or Staff Meetings)

1. Reflection really is navigation

In October’s theme of Reflection & Self-Awareness, we noticed something in ourselves and our guests: when we pause, get grounded, and meet ourselves with worthiness and curiosity, we move from reacting to living intentionally.

Across conversations about shame, nervous systems, and old stories we’ve carried too long, we saw how a tiny moment of noticing—“Oh, that’s not actually mine to carry…”—can open a whole new path.

Reflection isn’t a personality trait; it’s a practice.

We’re still learning it, sometimes with grace, sometimes with an awkward laugh and a deep breath.

2. Our symptoms aren’t mistakes to fix

With guests like Dr. David Bedrick, we explored the radical idea that the parts of us we label “broken” might actually be messengers.

What if the exhaustion, shutdown, over-functioning, or avoidance are all trying to tell us something?

When we treat our symptoms like bad children to discipline, we miss the wisdom they offer. When we treat them like wise (if slightly dramatic) friends, we can sit down and ask:

Okay, what are you trying to protect or reveal?

This has changed how we relate to our own anxiety, pain, grief, and end-of-year stress. If your nervous system has ever tried to file for relocation during the holidays, you’re in good company.

3. Presence is the doorway to the life we dream of

We can consume a lot of information and convince ourselves we “know” a lot… but that doesn’t make us wise.

We heard this everywhere:

• In how “convenience culture” is rewiring our attention and making scrolling-in-bed feel like a terrible idea we keep having anyway.
• In how guests are leaving the life they were “supposed” to live and listening to inner guidance instead, even when it costs them old identities and friendships.

The life we truly dream of is built from small, repeatable acts of self-honesty and continuous work. It’s why we call it the Journey—and yes, sometimes “that damn Journey.”

Presence is less about perfection and more about coming back to ourselves, over and over.

4. We are more supported than we feel

Again and again, guests reminded us we’re not meant to do this alone.

Musician Laura Dungan talked about losing her hearing and discovering a new kind of listening that opened her to guidance, community, and courage. Others shared how therapy, spiritual practices, emotional intelligence, and community organizing became scaffolding when life unraveled.

You already have more inside you—and around you—than you know.

5. Challenges don’t just happen to us, they can happen for us

Resilience and the power of hope ran through every episode. A small shift in perspective can be the difference between staying stuck in suffering or growing through what life presents—becoming more than we imagined.

We’re not romanticizing pain. We are honoring the way challenges can refine us, deepen our compassion, and clarify what really matters.

Sometimes the hardest seasons become the clearest mirrors.

Where We’re Walking in 2026

So what does all this look like in the year ahead?

Short answer: more nature, more honest conversation, more experiments in community, more walking (a lot more walking), and deeper support for the whole arc of being human—from first big breakthroughs to last breaths.

1. More personal wellness retreats at Seaforest Sanctuary (Florence, Oregon)

Our first Oregon retreat—Unfolding into the Forest—showed us the power of gathering where mountains, forest, and sea meet, and saying: “Let’s see what happens if we actually slow down and listen.”

In 2026, we’re planning more personal wellness retreats at Seaforest Sanctuary on the central Oregon coast. Expect:

• Grounding meditations under ancient trees
• Energy release and embodiment practices
• Time by the water and under wide-open skies, where the nervous system can finally remember what “enough” feels like

Think equal parts depth and laughter, with room for introverts to recharge and extroverts to ask big questions around the fire.

2. A personal wellness retreat in Sedona, Arizona (Sedona Mago)

We’re also taking My Inner Knowing to the red rocks.

In 2026, we will begin planning a retreat at Sedona Mago, a 173-acre center nestled among vortex-rich red rock formations—long known as a destination for healing and transformation.

Imagine sunrise practices, gentle hikes, energy work, wholesome food, and plenty of quiet space to listen for your inner knowing in a landscape that feels like another planet… or maybe a more soulful layer of this one.  Stay tuned for dates and details for later 2026 or early 2027!

3. “No Small Talk” dinners in Liberty, Missouri

The world is starving for meaningful community—a sense of belonging built on real connection rather than polarization and sound bites.

Some of our favorite moments are still at a dinner table with a handful of humans and a question like: “What’s one belief you quietly outgrew this year?”

In 2026, we’re launching a series of “No Small Talk” dinners in Liberty, Missouri—likely bi-monthly:

• A shared, catered meal
• Clear agreements around safety, confidentiality, kindness, and no small talk
• A handful of thoughtful prompts
• Zero pressure to be impressive—just honest

We want these to feel like live, local episodes of the podcast where you are the honored guest.

4. A monthly book club

You’ve probably noticed we quote and recommend books… a lot.

In 2026, we’ll be hosting a book club (online and/or in-person) around titles that support:

• Emotional intelligence & self-awareness
• Relationships and communication
• Spiritual curiosity and embodied practice

No pop quizzes—just “this one line wrecked me in the best way” conversations.

5. Experiential podcast guests: real-time coaching & practices

We’re planning more “experiential” podcast episodes, including:

• Guests who let us coach them live through something they’re navigating—boundaries, burnout, grief, relationships
• Practitioners who take us through their work in real time—breathwork, body-based practices, channeling, astrology, mediumship, shamanic work, and more

Our goal isn’t to crown one “right” modality, but to model curiosity, vulnerability, informed consent, and a “try this on, keep what fits” approach to growth.

We don’t want gurus; we want guides and fellow travelers.

6. Walker’s 30-day, 500-mile Camino de Santiago pilgrimage (and future adventure groups)

In June, Walker will walk a ~30-day, ~500-mile pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago, most likely along the Camino Francés from the French border to Santiago de Compostela.

He’ll be sharing:

• His physical preparation (plus how many pairs of socks are actually necessary)
• The mental and emotional waves of long-distance walking
• Stories of people, landscapes, and unexpected “trail teachers” along the way

This isn’t just a solo adventure; it’s part of a bigger shift—combining Walker’s love of nature and coaching with decades of experience as a trial lawyer and business executive.

As part of an ongoing adventure series, he’s preparing to lead small-group pilgrimage walks (likely starting in 2027) on routes such as:

• Camino de Santiago (Spain)
• Kumano Kodo (Japan)
• Via Francigena (Italy)
• St. Olav Ways (Norway)
• Iconic hikes in the Dolomites (Italy)

The plan: shorter 5–10 day portaged walks with higher-end accommodations (plus at least one simple monastery/hostel stay for contrast), so we can enjoy:

• Daily coaching around burnout, leadership, team building, and decision-making under stress
• Your bag moved for you
• Mostly private rooms
• A support plan if your feet—or heart—need extra care

Walker has completed Basic Life Support with CPR and AED and is working on Stop the Bleed and Wilderness First Responder training—because nothing says “I care about you” like someone who can hold emotional space and handle a twisted ankle three miles from the trailhead. He’s also diving into Gottman Method Levels 1 & 2 to deepen his relationship toolkit for couples and groups.

7. Theresa’s training as a death doula (which is secretly about how we live)

While Walker trains for long walks, Theresa is walking toward something our culture often avoids: accompanying people through the end of life and supporting their families along the way.

She’s in the process of becoming certified as a death doula, or end-of-life doula—a non-medical support person who:

• Holds space for hard, honest conversations
• Helps clarify wishes and create rituals
• Supports legacy projects
• Offers grounded presence when the usual maps run out

The role of doula has deep cross-cultural roots. Around the world, birth and death workers have long been honored as bridges between medical systems and spiritual or communal care.

For Theresa, this isn’t about having all the answers about death. It’s about:

• Making room for unhurried, truthful conversations
• Bringing more dignity, agency, and tenderness to the end of life
• Remembering that how we face death changes how we live today

If My Inner Knowing is about finding your compass, that compass has to include the truth that we will all reach the edge of the map someday—and none of us should have to do that alone.

Anyone who has been in a room with Theresa knows the comfort of her presence: quiet, steady strength; smiling eyes; a tender heart; a deep well of mother-energy.

How to Walk With Us in 2026

If you’re feeling a tug as you read this, here are some ways to stay connected in the new year:

• Join us on retreat—at Seaforest Sanctuary in Oregon or among the red rocks of Sedona at Sedona Mago.
• Pull up a chair at a “No Small Talk” dinner in Liberty, Missouri. Bring your questions, your stories, and the real you.
• Read with us in the book club—slow, thoughtful conversations about books that change how we live.
• Walk with us via the podcast as we experiment with live coaching and experiential episodes.
• Follow Walker’s Camino pilgrimage and, down the road, consider joining a small-group adventure as you explore your own path.
• Reach out for support around Theresa’s death doula offerings if you’re drawn to more honest, compassionate conversations about illness, dying, and grief.

Wherever you are on your journey, you don’t have to walk it alone.

Wherever you’re reading this—from the couch, parked in the driveway, or wandering under winter skies—we’re deeply grateful to be part of your year.

Thank you for listening, reflecting, laughing, crying, and getting curious with us. We truly couldn’t do this without you.

We’re cheering you on into 2026—playfully, imperfectly, and with a lot of heart.

Walker & Theresa

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