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Fire Horse Year: Unlocking Your Power to Move Forward
Recorded for Chinese New Year on 17 February 2026, this episode marks the start of the Fire Horse year and explores what that shift means for leadership and business.
The host contrasts the previous Year of the Snake—focused on shedding, refinement, truth-seeing, and releasing what no longer serves—with the Fire Horse invitation for clean, aligned action, courage, and momentum without chaos or burnout. Using lessons from working with horses as “leadership mirrors,” the episode emphasises leading as a living system rather than managing like a machine, highlighting how teams (like herds) read energy, respond to clarity, and need safety without micromanagement or emotional volatility.
The host introduces a practical 7-day, 10-minutes-a-day reset called “THE HERD” (one focus per day):
Trust (build consistency and keep one small promise),
Heat (regulate leader energy and remove one drain),
Expose the unsaid (surface what isn’t being said and listen without defending),
Hold the boundary (set and maintain one clear boundary),
Execute the decision (increase decision velocity with clear ownership and review points),
Release the contribution (give strengths-led ownership to an underutilized team member), and
Debrief the rhythm (review flow vs. friction and embed one change for 30 days).
The episode ends with an invitation to request a one-page PDF guide by messaging “the herd” via LinkedIn (Julia Felton) or emailing [email protected], and mentions that next week will be the show’s 100th episode.
00:00 Welcome to the Year of the Fire Horse (Chinese New Year 2026)
00:57 Lead Like a Horse, Not a Machine: Authentic Energy & Presence
03:57 What the Snake Year Taught Us: Shedding, Truth, and Alignment
06:58 Fire Horse Invitation: Clean Momentum Without Chaos or Burnout
10:14 Herd Wisdom in Action: The Tractor Story & Collective Safety
13:17 The 7-Day HERD Reset Overview (10 Minutes a Day)
14:09 Day 1 — Trust: Consistency, Congruence, and Keeping Promises
16:19 Day 2 — Heat: Regulate Your Energy and Remove Drains
19:06 Day 3 — Expose the Unsaid: Speak Truths with Courage and Care
21:04 Day 4 — Hold the Boundary: Create Safety with Clear Fences
22:18 Day 5 — Execute the Decision: Increase Decision Velocity
23:52 Day 6 — Release Contribution: Empower Strengths-Led Ownership
25:19 Day 7 — Debrief the Rhythm: Build Sustainable Momentum
26:31 Wrap-Up: Snake Helps You See, Horse Helps You Move + Get the PDF
27:45 Final Thoughts & What’s Next: 100th Episode Teaser
Connect with Julia:
Website
Take the IMPACTFUL Teamwork Quiz to assess your team's communication, creativity culture, goal clarity, and conflict resolution skills!
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Listen on Spotify
View all episodes
By Julia FeltonRecorded for Chinese New Year on 17 February 2026, this episode marks the start of the Fire Horse year and explores what that shift means for leadership and business.
The host contrasts the previous Year of the Snake—focused on shedding, refinement, truth-seeing, and releasing what no longer serves—with the Fire Horse invitation for clean, aligned action, courage, and momentum without chaos or burnout. Using lessons from working with horses as “leadership mirrors,” the episode emphasises leading as a living system rather than managing like a machine, highlighting how teams (like herds) read energy, respond to clarity, and need safety without micromanagement or emotional volatility.
The host introduces a practical 7-day, 10-minutes-a-day reset called “THE HERD” (one focus per day):
Trust (build consistency and keep one small promise),
Heat (regulate leader energy and remove one drain),
Expose the unsaid (surface what isn’t being said and listen without defending),
Hold the boundary (set and maintain one clear boundary),
Execute the decision (increase decision velocity with clear ownership and review points),
Release the contribution (give strengths-led ownership to an underutilized team member), and
Debrief the rhythm (review flow vs. friction and embed one change for 30 days).
The episode ends with an invitation to request a one-page PDF guide by messaging “the herd” via LinkedIn (Julia Felton) or emailing [email protected], and mentions that next week will be the show’s 100th episode.
00:00 Welcome to the Year of the Fire Horse (Chinese New Year 2026)
00:57 Lead Like a Horse, Not a Machine: Authentic Energy & Presence
03:57 What the Snake Year Taught Us: Shedding, Truth, and Alignment
06:58 Fire Horse Invitation: Clean Momentum Without Chaos or Burnout
10:14 Herd Wisdom in Action: The Tractor Story & Collective Safety
13:17 The 7-Day HERD Reset Overview (10 Minutes a Day)
14:09 Day 1 — Trust: Consistency, Congruence, and Keeping Promises
16:19 Day 2 — Heat: Regulate Your Energy and Remove Drains
19:06 Day 3 — Expose the Unsaid: Speak Truths with Courage and Care
21:04 Day 4 — Hold the Boundary: Create Safety with Clear Fences
22:18 Day 5 — Execute the Decision: Increase Decision Velocity
23:52 Day 6 — Release Contribution: Empower Strengths-Led Ownership
25:19 Day 7 — Debrief the Rhythm: Build Sustainable Momentum
26:31 Wrap-Up: Snake Helps You See, Horse Helps You Move + Get the PDF
27:45 Final Thoughts & What’s Next: 100th Episode Teaser
Connect with Julia:
Website
Take the IMPACTFUL Teamwork Quiz to assess your team's communication, creativity culture, goal clarity, and conflict resolution skills!
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Listen on Spotify