SHOW NOTES

Episode 349: New Year Reset: Building Scaffolding for Your Goals

Host: Laura Cox Kaplan

THIS WEEK'S TOPIC:

It’s a fresh start—welcome to 2026! Like so many of us, Laura Cox Kaplan is armed with a brand new planner, a stack of favorite notebooks, and big ambitions for the New Year. But after years of goal setting, she’s learned that dreaming big isn’t enough. To reach the finish line, we need more than good intentions; we need the right scaffolding around our goals to make them achievable—even when life gets chaotic.

In this episode, Laura shares her personal beginning-of-year reset process which includes a blend of reflection prompts, traditions, and practical strategies to build the kind of momentum that helps embed your goals deeply into your daily life. Whether you’re excited for a clean slate or overwhelmed by the pressure of starting anew, this episode will help you turn resolutions into results by connecting your intentions to what truly matters.

KEY TOPICS AND WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:

• The Critical Importance of Goal Scaffolding: Most goals don’t fail simply because you quit. They may lack stable support to anchor your intentions.
• Year-End Review Made Actionable: Laura walks you through her process for reviewing the past year to mine for clues about moments that mattered most, progress, setbacks, and the patterns you want to either keep or leave behind.
• Laura Shares Eight Dimensions for Reflection: Awareness, Intention, Mindset, Relationships, Engagement / Flow, Meaning, Accomplishment / Progress, Wellbeing / Positive Emotion, and how these categories map to scientifically-proven keys for flourishing.
• Three Simple Questions That Change Everything: What do I want to keep? What do I want to release? What do I want or need to create more of?
• Choosing Your Word of the Year: Learn best practices for picking a meaningful “Word of the Year” that guides your practice, not just the outcome. Laura shares her choices for 2026: Alignment and Discernment.
• Practical Anchoring Techniques: How to use your daily habits (like your morning coffee or closing out the day) to anchor your word in your life, and weekly check-ins to realign when you drift.
• Don’t forget to download Laura’s Complimentary Reflection Workbook! It’s filled with 100+ prompts based on last year’s episodes. 

You likely don’t need an extreme life overhaul. With a few simple practices, routines, and self-checks, you can start where you are and build momentum for 2026. Don’t forget to share your word of the year, your feedback, and what you discover as you go through this process!

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FEEDBACK & COMMUNITY:

Which part of this episode resonated with you most? What’s your biggest goal for 2026? We’d love to hear! Contact us using the links below.

LET’S CONNECT!

• Instagram: @lauracoxkaplan
• LinkedIn: Laura Cox Kaplan
• Contact: shesaidshesaidpodcast.com
• Email: [email protected]

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