I Forgot My Word of the Year: A Lesson in Gentle Business Growth

I forgot my word of the year.

It was February 3rd when I realized it, barely over a month from New Year’s!

My word had quietly disappeared from the decisions I was making in my business. Instead, I found myself slipping back into old patterns: scheduling too much, overriding my own needs, and trying to meet everyone else’s expectations.

When the Body Forces the Pause

What makes this realization a little ironic is that the week before, my body had already tried to get my attention.

I had a hot flash mid-session and had to end early the first time in all my years of private practice. It wasn’t negotiable. My nervous system was done. A very clear reminder to slllooowww ittt downnnn.

And yet… even after that, I still forgot my word of the year.

My Word Was Gentle

My word is gentle.

Gentle isn’t passive for me. It isn’t about doing less or caring less. It’s about how I make decisions — especially in business.

Gentleness is a way of embodying trust and surrender instead of pressure and force. I can feel it in my body just like I can feel the habit of pushing. One feels spacious and regulated. The other feels tight, braced, and familiar.

And they lead to very different outcomes.

Why a Good Word of the Year Gets Forgotten

I actually think a good word of the year is meant to be forgotten.

Forgotten because if it truly matters, it will challenge your default patterns. It will get buried under old conditioning before it gets integrated.

And remembered — so you can choose again.

This is nervous system work. Growth doesn’t happen because you picked the “right” intention in January. It happens when you notice yourself drifting back into urgency, fear, or over-responsibility… and gently come back.

Growth Isn’t Linear — It’s a Practice of Returning

This is the part we don’t talk about enough.

Real growth — especially nervous system change — is not linear. It’s messy. You fall off. You forget. You slip back into old patterns that once kept you safe.

And that doesn’t mean you’re failing.

It means you’re learning.

So many women believe they’re doing it “wrong” when they override themselves again, overwork again, or feel that familiar pressure return. But the work isn’t about never falling off the horse.

The work is learning how to get back on without shame.

Every time you notice, pause, and choose differently — even after weeks of pushing — you’re teaching your nervous system something new:
I can come back. I don’t have to punish myself to grow.

That’s not weakness. That’s regulation.

And it’s the only kind of growth that actually lasts.

Gentle Growth Is Still Growth

Gentle business growth doesn’t mean you stop expanding. It means you stop expanding from survival.

It means letting your body be part of the decision-making process. It means recognizing that your nervous system is either supporting or sabotaging your capacity to receive — clients, money, creativity, rest.

When growth feels frantic, it usually isn’t aligned. When it feels gentle, it’s often sustainable.

A Question for You

So I’m curious…

What was your word of the year?
How is it going?
Have you forgotten it yet?

And if so — are you ready to remember?