If you’ve ever ended the year thinking, “Why didn’t I get to my program?” or “How am I still drowning in clients?”, this episode is basically a loving intervention. Therapists don’t miss their goals because they’re unmotivated — they miss them because the system trains them to prioritise everyone else first. So their dream project becomes the “neglected child” of the business. Loved, wanted… always getting scraps.

In this solo episode, I’m breaking down why traditional planning fails therapists and how to design a 2026 that actually supports your nervous system, your business, and your desire to drop clinical hours without imploding. This is therapist-safe planning — honest, grounded, and built around your real life.

1️⃣ Why You Didn’t Hit Your Goals

We unpack guilt, urgency culture, emotional labour, and why clinical work always wins. Plus the real reason your program keeps getting pushed to “next term… next year.”

2️⃣ The 2025 Reflection Ritual

A three-part reflection to understand what drained you, what supported you, what made money, and who you don’t want to be again next year.

3️⃣ The Big Dream Dump

We explore what you actually want — dropping a clinical day, launching your program, taking real holidays, visibility, writing, creative work — without guilt or “be realistic” energy.

4️⃣ Your 3–5 Pillars for 2026

Not tasks — pillars. Diversification, money stability, schedule redesign, visibility, leadership, capacity. We map what this looks like for Escape, Stabilize, Expand, and Visionary stage therapists.

5️⃣ Mapping Your Nervous System Rhythms

School terms. Cycles. PMDD. ADHD. Grief dates. Low-capacity seasons. You plan for the real you, not the fantasy version.

6️⃣ Putting It on the Calendar

The therapist-safe way: non-negotiables first, then pillars, then buffers, then launches. I walk through how someone in the Stabilize Stage could safely drop a clinical day by September — without collapse or chaos.

Therapists Rising:
• The Incubator: therapistsrising.com/incubator
• The Collective Waitlist: therapistsrising.com/collective
• Instagram: @dr.hayleykelly

If this episode gave you permission to design a kinder 2026 — or helped you realise nothing was “wrong” with you this year except the way you were conditioned to plan — please subscribe and leave a review. It helps more therapists build businesses that don’t require self-abandonment or burnout badges.