This Year's Word with Courtney Symes

Autumn has a very particular feeling, doesn’t it?

The trees are bare. The landscape feels quieter… simpler. There’s less colour, less movement, less noise.

At first glance, it can almost feel like something has been lost.

But if you look a little closer… you begin to realise that nothing essential is gone.

Beneath the surface, life is still present. The roots are still strong. The tree is not dying — it is conserving, adapting, pre...

One place where our resilience is often tested the most…is in our relationships.

Because if there’s one place in life where things don’t stay predictable… it’s here.

Relationships shift. People change. Expectations evolve. And emotions… well, they move like weather.

And just like the autumn season we’re sitting in right now, those changes can feel subtle one moment… and quite strong the next.

You might have a warm, easy conversatio...

Resilience is not built in the moments that everyone sees. It’s not built in the breakthrough, the milestone, or the big visible win.

Resilience is built in the quiet. In the repetition. In the ordinary, often unnoticed moments of your life.

And I think this is one of the most important — and often overlooked — parts of resilience.

Over the last episode, we began to gently reframe what resilience really means — not as hardness, not...

Over the past few years, the word resilience has become something we hear often.

We’re told to be resilient in our work, in our relationships, in our health, and in the face of uncertainty. It’s often spoken about as something we should strive for — almost like a badge of honour.

But the way resilience is commonly understood can sometimes feel… heavy.

It can sound like pushing through no matter what. Like staying strong at all cost...

When it comes to pursuing what we want in life, many of us swing between two extremes.

On one side, there’s hesitation. Playing small. Waiting until everything feels safe and certain.

And on the other side, there’s urgency — rushing, overreaching, constantly changing direction in the hope that something will finally click.

But real freedom with our goals lives somewhere in the middle.

It’s not reckless motion.

And it’s not fearful ...

If you’ve ever felt torn between wanting closeness and wanting space… Between wanting connection and wanting autonomy… You’re not alone.

Over the last few episodes, we’ve been exploring freedom — not as escape, not as rebellion, but as alignment. Freedom as self-responsibility. Freedom as courage guided by wisdom.

In this episode, I want to talk about a place where freedom can feel both beautiful and complicated: our relationships.

Whether you work in an office, run your own business, stay at home with children, freelance, study, manage a household, or balance multiple roles at once — work occupies energy. It occupies time. It occupies thought.

And because of that, it deeply impacts our sense of freedom.

In the last episode, we explored freedom within — reclaiming your inner authority and remembering that real freedom begins inside you.

In this episode, we’re...

My word of the year for 2026 is Freedom.

Ironically, I selected this word at the end of last year, before I realised this Lunar Year was the Year of the Fire Horse. As we embark on this new Lunar Year, I though it was fitting that my next four episodes explore the theme of freedom.

Freedom in our personal lives. Freedom in our work. Freedom in our relationships. Freedom in our goals and dreams.

In this episode, we begin where all ...

Over the past few episodes, we’ve been exploring the word flow — not as something we chase or manufacture, but as something we learn to cooperate with.

We’ve talked about February as a return to the current. About consistency as relationship rather than discipline. About staying connected to our intentions without force or punishment.

Today, as we close this series, I want to bring all of those threads together.

Because there’s a p...

Over the last couple of episodes, we’ve been exploring the word flow — not as something we push ourselves into, but as something we learn to listen for and respond to.

We’ve talked about February as a return to the current. A re-entry into real life. A time when routines have resumed, energy has shifted, and the shine of January has softened.

Today, I want to explore a piece of this conversation that feels especially important righ...

Over the last episode, we began exploring the idea of flow — not as something we chase or manufacture, but as something we learn to listen to and cooperate with.

We spoke about February as a return to the current. A settling back into real life. A season where the excitement of new beginnings softens, and we’re invited to meet ourselves where we actually are.

Today, I want to take that conversation a little deeper.

Because there’s ...

Although I’ve been back at work for a few weeks, this week my kiddos have gone back to school and resumed their extracurricular activities. It feels like we have resumed our regular routine, which for me, brings mixed emotions. The bliss of slower mornings not rushing to get out of the house and scrambling to make school lunches has melted away. Christmas holidays and New Year celebrations feel like a distant memory.

As we step int...

Over the last few episodes, we’ve been exploring the theme of vision — not as something rigid or prescriptive, but as something alive.

A way of seeing clearly. A quiet orientation toward what matters most.

We’ve spoken about defining vision from truth rather than pressure. About holding vision lightly, without force or attachment. About becoming the person who can carry the vision with steadiness and care.

And today, I’d like to br...

Over the past few episodes, we’ve been exploring the theme of vision — not as something rigid or prescriptive, but as something alive. A way of seeing clearly. A gentle orientation toward what matters most.

We’ve talked about defining vision from truth rather than pressure. We’ve explored holding vision lightly — without attachment or force.

And today, I’d like to take us into the next layer of this conversation.

Because once you h...

Over the last episode, we explored the idea of vision — not as something rigid or prescriptive, but as a way of seeing clearly. A gentle orientation toward what matters, rather than a fixed destination we must reach.

Today, I’d like to take that idea one step further.

Because once we begin to clarify our vision, another question naturally arises — how do we hold it?

Do we grip tightly, determined to make it happen exactly as imagin...

When you hear the word vision, what comes to mind?

For some of us, it brings up images of big goals, five-year plans, vision boards filled with perfectly curated dreams. For others, it can feel overwhelming — like pressure to have everything figured out, to know exactly where you’re headed and how you’ll get there.

But as we step into this series on the theme of “vision” together, I want to offer a softer, more spacious way of thin...

As we come to the final weeks of the year, there’s a particular kind of quiet that settles in.

It’s not just the slowing of the calendar or the closing of long-held commitments. It’s something deeper — a kind of inward turning. A natural pause. A gentle, almost instinctive moment of reflection where we look back at the year that has been and consider everything that has shifted, stretched, challenged, unsettled, strengthened, or so...

When you think about the happiest moments of your life, how many of them were spent alone?

Chances are, the memories that stand out most — a birthday, a new job, a milestone, a beautiful day in the sunshine — were shared with someone else. Maybe it was family gathered around a table, a group of friends cheering you on, or even a stranger who smiled and joined in your excitement.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been exploring what it...

This month, we’re exploring the theme of Celebrate — not just in the big, sparkly moments that naturally call for balloons and confetti, but in the quieter, more personal ways that remind us of our own growth, courage, and evolution.

In the last episode, I talked about celebrating the small things — those simple, everyday joys that make life rich and meaningful: the first coffee of the morning, a deep conversation, the satisfaction...