A new year invites possibility, but only if you make space to step into it.
In this episode of School of Self-Worth, Nicole Tsong shares the developmental theme she’s carrying into 2026 and the deeper reflection that led her there. After a year marked by transformation, Nicole explores what happens after a dream comes true, and why continuing to dream is an act of self-worth.
This conversation is an invitation to slow down, reflect on the year behind you, and choose an intention that feels expansive.
If you’re still finding your footing this year, this episode will meet you there.
“I love to do this through choosing a developmental theme… because we really can start new and fresh at any time and there is an energy and a momentum in this calendar year turning over into January.”
“Oftentimes when we’re feeling stuck, we don’t have a lot of energy or a lot of intention and clarity heading into a new year. It’s because we have not given the last year its proper credit for what happened. From January to January, a lot of life was lived. It’s really important to reflect upon last year.”
“I started doing a theme vs. a word a few years ago. I found that a developmental theme helps me lean in a little more. It helps me feel a little more expansive.”
“It is also the year of the Fire Horse when the Lunar New Year comes in February. This symbolizes intense energy, freedom, and rapid progress. That does not sound like settling down to me at all. That sounds like action, goal setting, and big things happening.”
“Last year was about dreams coming true. But one thing I’ve seen for myself and also for many of my clients over the years is sometimes a dream comes true and then we flop… because we’re like, that’s it now. What’s next?”
“I don’t ever believe that we stop dreaming in our lifetime. And so I really had to recognize and see, I didn’t want to feel like I was going to face-plant this year because I have a baby. And everything came true because I realized for myself, I still needed to have some really big dreams to forward myself this year.”
“My developmental theme for 2026 is: I am infinite. And it’s just a declaration. And it’s a huge declaration. It’s a huge space and energy to step into. And it’s a little scary, you know, to say I am infinite. And yet it feels very right in my body.”
“It is really important for all of us to be sharing this with other people because that’s how we get supported in what our dreams are and what our goals are and where we’re headed in our lives.”
NICOLE
Welcome to the School of Self-Worth, a podcast for ambitious women who know they are worthy of an astoundingly great life. Join us weekly as we get on the right side of your intuition, redefine success, and reclaim your self-worth. I’m your host, Nicole Tsong, an award-winning journalist who left it all behind to become a bestselling author of three books and a work-life balance expert, helping ambitious women unlock their intuition and step into a life of fulfillment and radical joy. Every single week, I will bring you diverse and meaningful conversations with successful women from all walks of life who share insights about what it takes to be brave, joyful, and authentic every day. Every episode is thoughtfully designed to leave you feeling empowered with tangible tips and advice that will lead you to your next breakthrough.
Hello, everyone! Welcome back to the School of Self-Worth. I’m your host, Nicole Tsong. It is the New Year – Happy New Year, everyone! I am so excited to dive in today to share more about my developmental theme for this year and all the details about how I arrived at my theme. You are definitely not going to want to miss this one, especially if you’re still sorting through yours. And before we dig in, if you are a high-achieving Asian American corporate leader who wants to be visible to the right people to get a promotion and a raise this year, DM me “promoted” at Nicole Tsong on Instagram because I have something special just for you.
Okay, friends, let’s get going! I am so excited to chat with you about entering a new year – how to enter that new year with clarity and intention. I love to do this through choosing a developmental theme. Now, there are a couple of things I want to clarify. I believe you can do this at any time of year. Birthdays are a wonderful time to reflect on it. I also really celebrate the Lunar New Year; that’s another time I do some reflection. Part of it is because we can really start new and fresh at any time, and there is an energy and momentum in this calendar year turning over into January. So it is a beautiful time to do it.
This is the time I typically love to choose a developmental theme. I started doing a theme versus a word a few years ago. I’ve been using a word for a long time, but I have found that a developmental theme helps me lean in a little bit more. It helps me feel a bit more expansive. Soon, I will share what my developmental theme is and how I got to that point. If you haven’t listened to the last episode, Episode 130, about ‘My 6 Lessons from 2025’, I recommend going there first because that’s one of the first things you need to do before you can establish a developmental theme. Oftentimes, when we’re feeling stuck, we don’t have a lot of energy or intention and clarity heading into a new year, because we haven’t given the last year its proper credit for what happened from January to January. A lot of life was lived.
I know I lived a lot of life; I’m sure you did as well. It’s really helpful to understand and reflect upon that year. My minisode from the last episode detailed the lessons I learned throughout the year, so now I’m going to reflect on the theme. My theme for last year was “I step into Joyful Restoration.” Last January, I was pregnant – around three months pregnant when I was doing this work. I knew it was going to be a big year; I was going to have a baby and reach a massive goal that I had set out for myself years ago. I knew my son was going to be born probably in July, and when I was considering my theme for the year, I thought, “What is really going to support me?”
With the whole journey of going through pregnancy, I wondered what would happen with my business, how my marriage would evolve, and how this would affect my relationships with my family and friends. “Joyful Restoration” just felt so appropriate; it was a joyful experience that I was so excited about. Restoration helped me feel a bit more relaxed because there was a part of me at that time that felt intense about having a baby and all the preparations I had to make. Restoration felt like a way for me to have some ease – to restore into who I really needed to be, to be both pregnant and then to have the baby, and also to restore once he arrived. I knew there would be a postpartum period where I would really need to be soft and focus on healing. Looking back at that theme, all of that very much came true.
As I reflected on 2025, I thought about what would sum up the year for me. When I looked at it, I realized that I could sum up the year in one word: “dream.” My dream of having a baby came true. It was powerful to see that and to acknowledge that 2025 was such a significant year for me. This dream came true, and I experienced so much – both in giving birth and in the months afterward when I was on maternity leave, spending time with my baby, and experiencing the evolution and changes in my marriage and relationships. Returning to my business and everything that unfolded was like, “Wow, this really was a dream come true.”
Another thing to remember about this past year – and we’re still in it, but we’re almost at the end of the Year of the Snake – is that the Year of the Snake is about transformation, inner strength, wisdom, and introspection in Chinese symbolism and astrology. That felt very true for me too, as I look back on the year that I transformed into this new chapter of motherhood. I also had so much rest, space, and quietness to truly live into this dream and feel it happening in my life every single day.
So, that’s how I came to my developmental theme. I never rush this process; I really allow myself to let it unfold. Last year was about dreams coming true, but one thing I’ve noticed for myself and many of my clients over the years, is that sometimes a dream comes true, and then we flop – we face-plant because we think, “That’s it? Now what? What’s next?” I don’t believe that we ever stop dreaming in our lifetime. I recognized that I didn’t want to feel like I was going to face-plant this year just because I had a baby and everything came true. I realized I still needed to have some big dreams to propel myself forward this year.
On top of that, it is also the year of the Fire Horse when the Lunar New Year comes in February, symbolizing intense energy, passion, freedom, and rapid progress. That does not sound like slowing down to me at all; it sounds like action, goal setting, and big things happening. So that’s the context for heading into my developmental theme.
A few days ago, I was looking up words for abundance and overflow – values that I really care about. I thought, “What are some words around this?” I wasn’t specifically looking these words up for my theme; I was just exploring.
When I was looking it up, a word came up that struck me. The moment I saw it, I thought, “Oh my gosh, that word is going to be essential in my developmental theme.” It was the word “infinite.” It felt exactly right. I saw it and thought, “That’s it! That’s the word for me!” Once I got the word, I typically play around with other words, putting it into a phrase to create my theme, until I achieve the exact resonance of what it is.
The reason “infinite” speaks to me is that it embodies the idea that there are infinite dreams and infinite possibilities. Just because I have my baby doesn’t mean anything is done; that is actually just the beginning. Any parent out there knows that having a baby is truly just the start of that journey. To me, it’s also about how many other types of dreams can come true now that he’s in the world. Where do I get to keep going with my business, my relationships, my family, and my life? I have really big dreams, and over the last month or so, I’ve taken time to think about what those dreams are. I still have such big goals for myself, for all these areas, for the women I work with, and for my business.
I played around with it, looking at all the words, and it became clear. My developmental theme for 2026 is “I am infinite.” It’s a declaration – a huge declaration. It’s a significant space and energy to step into. It’s a little scary, you know, to say “I am infinite,” but it feels very right in my body. It feels powerful for the goals and dreams I have and what’s ahead. It aligns beautifully with the Year of the Fire Horse energy that’s coming in February. It felt incredibly powerful and expansive, settling deeply into my bones when I arrived at that theme.
It will be interesting to see how it plays out again. A year is a long time. By the time you listen to this, we might already be a couple of weeks into the year. January can sometimes feel like a year in itself. If you’re still in that energy, take some time to reflect on the last year. Give yourself space to practice, play with words, and see what theme might really resonate with you. I would love to hear what you come up with, whether you have a word or a theme. DM it to me on Instagram at Nicole Tsong – I would love to hear your thoughts!
It’s important for all of us to share this with others because that’s how we get supported in our dreams, goals, and where we’re headed in our lives. So, please share that with me.
I can’t wait to support the vision you have for yourself this year. Before we wrap up, if you are a high-achieving Asian American woman who wants to be visible to the right people, your action this Year of the Fire Horse is to get a promotion and a raise. DM me “promoted” at Nicole Tsong on Instagram because I have something special just for you and that dream.
All right, friends, thank you so much for listening. I loved sharing this with you today. Please share your themes, words, and thoughts for 2026 with me. I can’t wait to do all of this together this year!
Discover the blind spots holding you back and take the Boundary Tendencies Quiz
Subscribe to her newsletter