Elyse Myers is one of my favourite people on the interwebs, and I have to thank her for producing this absolute banger that I’ll be playing on repeat as a reminder of my word of the year.

No.

That might sound like a downer if you’re a “seize the moment” kinda person, or counter-intuitive if you’re someone who likes to stay squarely inside their comfort zone (and therefore have the complete opposite problem).

But I’m a people pleaser.
I hate saying no.

If a friend asks me to help them move, I’m right there hauling boxes like it’s my passion. Three-storey walk-up? Sure. No problem.

A client pings at 8pm on a Friday with a quasi urgent issue? Sure. I’ll put off movie night (again) and spend 6 hours fixing it. Easy-peasy.

I’ve even said yes to things people haven’t even asked me for.

In the past, I had boundless energy and was able to handle it all easily. I’d sometimes feel overwhelmed but it was pretty rare for me to drop the ball. If I said I’d do it, it would get done. And my brain rewarded me with “happy chemicals” for being helpful so it always felt like a win.

But something’s changed.

The last six months have been brutal. I have no energy and have been feeling absolutely exhausted every day.

So this year I’ve decided my word of the year is going to be “no”.

No to anything that doesn’t light me up and bring me joy.
No to working evenings and weekends.
No to prioritising everyone else’s goals over my own.

And a big ol’ hell no, to anyone asking me to justify it.

As Elyse says*, “no is a complete sentence.”

If you’re a people pleaser like me you might want to practice saying ‘No’ a little more often too.

Of course, it’s not as easy as declaring 2026 the year of ‘No’. I need a system to support it. That means…

• Setting goals I can achieve during this “no” season
• Defining clear quarterly priorities and yes/no/maybe rules (Yes to collabs that align. No to last-minute scope changes. Maybe later to great ideas without a clear ROI.)
• Working with my team to streamline, automate, and delegate better
• Tightening up our offers so scope is crystal clear
• Communicating all of it, so the team can help me stay the course

The CEO in me is ready.
The people-pleaser? She’s still twitchy. But she’ll get used to it, and having a system will help.

What about you? Do you have a word for 2026?
Hit reply and tell me — or share the big goal you’ve set for yourself this year. I’d genuinely love to know.

In the meantime, I’ll be over here practising.

xo,
Sandra

Ps - *Yes, I know Elyse didn’t coin this. But you can’t beat her delivery! 🎶No one can take a break for yoooou 🎶