The Year of Action & How to Use Your Breath to Support It

Welcome to the start of 2026!

If 2025 was a difficult year for you (and for many), my hope is that your time of reflection still yielded something meaningful: insight, clarity, maybe even a few moments of joy worth carrying forward. As we step into this new season, I want to invite you into learning, curiosity, and — most importantly this year — action.

My 2026 Word of the Year: ACTION

Last year, my word was Consistency.

I focused on:

1. consistent messaging and content

2. consistent movement

3. consistent goal tracking

And here’s the truth: I’m very good at tracking.

I track:

1. food

2. water

3. sleep

4. exercise

5. chores

6. moods and hormone changes

7. creativity

8. projects

9. gratitude

10. even the categories of excuses that show up each month

I am, without question, a tracking queen.

And yet…

Even with all that consistency, I wasn’t always doing something with the data.

At some point, tracking stopped being a tool for change and became a place to hide from decision-making. I was collecting information — but not letting it move me toward action.

So my word for 2026 is ACTION.

Not perfect action.

Not polished action.

Just movement.

I’ve also noticed something else this year: functional freeze. On the outside, everything looks fine. Tabs are open. Emails are answered. Busy work gets done.

But forward momentum? Not so much.

ACTION, for me, means breaking that freeze. Moving from planning to doing. From analysis to assimilation. From thinking to embodiment.

I love the word “action” because it doesn’t demand perfection. When a director yells “Action!” on a movie set, everyone does their best with the information they have. Then, if needed, adjustments are made and they re-shoot.

That’s the energy I’m committing to this year — and inviting you into as well.

Communication Tip: It’s Not Just How You Breathe — It’s How You Use the Breath

Let’s get good at breathing this year.

Not how to breathe (well...not just how you breathe) but how to use the breath once you’ve taken it in.

You’ve likely heard that the best breath for speaking is low and slow, often called belly breathing or diaphragmatic breathing. This type of breath supports a calmer nervous system and gives your vocal cords the freedom they need to work efficiently.

But here’s where many attorneys get stuck:

They’re breathing low…

but the breath isn’t participating in the sound.

The result?

1. constricted tone

2. vocal fry

3. shaky nerves

4. vocal fatigue

5. rising tension in the room

When breath isn’t moving through the voice, the muscles end up doing all the work. That creates strain, monotony, and that familiar end-of-day vocal exhaustion.

It also keeps your nervous system in a more activated, fight-or-flight state — and jurors mirror that physiology more than you realize.

How to Practice Using the Breath (Before High-Stakes Moments)

The fix isn’t complicated — but it does require intentional practice in low-stakes environments.

After taking a low breath, let the air move first.

Speak on the exhale.

To train this coordination:

1. Practice alone — in your car, on a walk, at home

2. Read street signs or restaurant names out loud

3. Use more air than feels natural

For example:

Arby’s

McDonald’s

Chipotle

Evergreen Highway

Columbia Street

Let the air run out at the end of each phrase so you need a new breath.

This isn’t performance.

It’s conditioning.

Think of it like strength training for coordination — not how you’ll speak in court, but how you build the system that supports you when it matters.

When breath and muscle work together, your voice becomes more:

1. sustainable

2. dynamic

3. expressive

4. trustworthy

And jurors stay with you longer.

Practice using your breath, not just taking it.

Let your breath support both your sound and your nervous system.

Until next time…

keep fostering your voice.