Kristen and Mike are re-airing one of their favorite episodes just in time for the new year. The week between Christmas and New Year's offers something rare: permission to slow down and reflect. In this special episode, Kristen and Mike share their personal annual review process—a ritual Kristen has practiced for years to close out one year and set intentions for the next. This isn't your typical goal-setting exercise. Instead of diving straight into what you want to accomplish, they walk through a structured framework that starts with celebration, moves through honest assessment, and ends with gratitude. Whether you've never done a year-end reflection or you're looking to refine your approach, this episode gives you a practical template you can use right now.

Highlights:

• Why the week between Christmas and New Year's is perfect for reflection when work naturally slows down
• The difference between personal annual reviews and corporate performance reviews, and why self-reflection shouldn't replace meaningful feedback from managers
• Starting your review with celebration by listing accomplishments from the past year before jumping to what didn't work
• Identifying what you want to let go of or stop doing to create space for new priorities
• A framework for setting three major goals across different life areas, with questions about measuring success, necessary habits, and first steps
• Looking back three or even ten years to see how far you've come rather than being overly critical about a single year
• Ending your annual review with a gratitude practice to lock in intentions and close on a positive note
• Making gratitude more powerful by getting specific rather than repeating general statements

Links & Resources Mentioned:

• Personal Annual Review PDF Template (2025-2026 Version)
• Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

Podcast Website: www.loveandleadershippod.com
Instagram: @loveleaderpod

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Kristen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristenbsharkey/
Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-s-364970111/

Learn more about Kristen's leadership coaching and facilitation services: http://www.emboldify.com