Happy Holidays and welcome to my Limited Edition Summer Series! Over the next five weeks, I’ll be bringing you this limited-edition mini-series designed to help you reconnect with you. These episodes are all about reflection, self-leadership and setting yourself up for a year that feels intentional, not accidental.

Across the series, I’ll share tools I’ve used for years as an executive coach and working parent, along with some of my own personal stories and lessons. Think of it as your summer reset: gentle, grounding, spacious, and totally centred around what you want from 2026.

In this first episode of the Summer Series, I introduce you to The Gloria’s: a simple, energising, macro-level planning ritual I’ve used for the past five years to close out the old year and get intentional about the new one.

Part reflection exercise, part dance party, part coaching session, The Gloria’s is all about stepping back from the day-to-day noise and asking yourself the big questions:

· What am I proud of from this year?

· What did I learn about myself?

· What do I want to be proud of next year?

· And what’s my Word of the Year to guide me?

I walk you through the process step by step, sharing how I use music, movement, post-it notes, colour, and conversation to help this yearly ritual come alive and why doing it with a partner or friend can make it even more powerful.

You’ll finish this episode feeling clearer, lighter, and ready to create a one-page plan for 2026 that keeps you grounded and focused on what truly matters.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• What “The Gloria’s” is and how it became my annual reset ritual
• Why reflecting on pride, lessons and intentions matters
• How to create your own one-page plan for 2026
• The power of movement and music in sparking clearer thinking
• Why your “Word of the Year” works as an anchor for decision-making
• How to turn insights into systems… not just goals
• Why doing this exercise with a partner deepens clarity and accountability

Listen to Gloria by Laura Branigan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNEb2k_EmMg

Connect with Emma

This podcast was funded and created by Emma Mclean, the founder of Works for Everyone.

Emma Mclean is a mum of three and founder of Works for Everyone, a professional development business that partners with NZ's leading corporates to help them retain and grow their working parent talent. She does this through innovative leadership programmes, executive coaching and keynote speaking. She founded her business in 2019 following a 20-year career in corporate strategy where she experienced first-hand how hard it was to have a career and a family.

As an impatient optimist when it comes to system change, she launched her successful podcast “How to Smash the Motherhood Penalty” in 2023 where she talks to humans who are actively working to change the system that creates financial penalties that only mothers pay. And in 2024 she launched the first NZ Part Time Power List – to shine a light on those senior roles in NZ that are career building, not side stepping."

To work with Emma or enquire about speaking – emma@worksforeveryone.co.nz

www.worksforeveryone.co.nz