December is your runway (and something shifted for me this week…)

Hi Friend,

Before I dive into anything else today, I want to start with something personal.

Last week was a heavy one. I made it through the one-year anniversary of my friend Jennifer’s passing, and the very next day was her only child's 23rd birthday. And then, another heartbreak...my childhood “other mom,” my best friend’s mom, passed unexpectedly.

In my drinking days, this would have been the tipping point to giving up. The unraveling. The time of year when I’d quietly drink myself into a coma and slowly disappear into familiar old patterns.

I have vivid memories of crying drunk in front of the Christmas tree, listening to Alabama’s Angels Among Us, feeling swallowed by grief, raising young daughters, feeling unhappiness in my career, distance in my marriage, and wondering how I would ever change… how I would ever heal the heartache of loss and how I got to this point with alcohol to begin with.

But something is different now.

I’m not only surviving, I’m moving through these moments with more tenderness, compassion, and gratitude than ever before. Not numbing. Not disconnecting. Not abandoning myself.

I’m being called to start new habits this week, (think oil pulling, a glass of salty lemon water before coffee, a 10-minute morning sunshine walk, protein earlier in the day, and 5 intentional minutes of bedtime stretching).

Small habits. Tiny, almost unremarkable ones. 

And yet… I feel different.
More grounded.
More awake.
More available to myself.

It reminded me how powerful December can be when we stop treating it like a lost month and start using it as what it actually is:

A runway. A warm-up. A soft opening into who we are becoming.

A practice of paying attention again.
Of choosing ourselves in tiny, caring ways.
Of showing up without the pressure of perfection.

Whether you’re already an Insider or you’re on the outside looking in, I want you to hear this:

Don’t let December slip you by.
Don’t check out.
Don’t coast.
This month matters.

January doesn’t magically transform anyone.
Trust me, I tried that for years (and perhaps so have you). I used to wake up on January 1 waiting to feel ready… and instead felt overwhelmed, underprepared, hungover, insecure, and already behind.

That’s why I created the First 90 Days of 2026 Challenge, not as a trend, not as a Dry January alternative, but from my own lived experience.

From what helped me shift.
From what I wish I had.
From the way my habits, my energy, and my identity slowly rebuilt themselves.
And most importantly…

From the requests of my members who learned about my 75 Hard Challenge (read about it HERE) and said:

“We want more. We want deeper. We want structure. We want support. We want transformation, not a temporary break. We are ready for more.”

This challenge was born from YOU, from real women doing real work and from my heart as a coach watching what actually creates lasting change for me and for you.

And this month, oh, we’re already getting after it! 

🌟 This Week in Our Community:
• Two Live Calls you don’t want to miss
 Elevate Your Holiday Look: Eyebrows Edition and a nourishing Community Coaching call
• The replay from our Favorite Sober Things party (such great resources shared from our members for early sobriety and beyond) and more!
• Quiet encouragement woven in between
• Small practices that remind you: “I’m still here. I’m still choosing myself.”

If you’re already part of the Insider, you’re doing beautifully. Every small step right now is preparing your body and brain for January in a way that feels safe. You’re already building momentum. You're already in a different place than you were last year at this time.

And if you’re not in yet but you feel that little internal tug? That knowing-that-you-know? Let this be the moment you commit to yourself.

Signing up is the hardest part.
Just like registering for a race, your brain goes,
“Oh wow… I guess we’re really doing this.”

It’s the decision that changes the trajectory.

You don’t rise through effort alone.
You rise through commitment, accountability, support, and practice.

And we’re about to go deeper:

✨ Warm-Up Call for First 90 Days 2026 Challenge: December 18
✨ Kickoff Call: January 1

This community is small, intimate, and intentionally designed so we actually become friends.
We notice each other.
We support each other.
We walk together.

Not peer-to-peer chaos.
Not crowds of 100,000.
Not the wild west of unfiltered advice.

Coach-led.
Experience-built.
Member-requested.
Heart-centered.
Habit-shifting.
Identity-evolving.

December is your runway.
January is your lift-off.

Whenever you’re ready—whether you’re already in or stepping in today—we’re here.

⬇️ Join or deepen your commitment to the First 90 Days Challenge →HERE

XO!
Heather

p.s. Did you know I have a new private podcast? You're invited to listen to it HERE.