Increasing Your JOY-Span in 2026

Season 2: Episode 15: Increasing Your JOY-Span in 2026

As we move out of the holidays and into the New Year, this episode invites you to approach 2026 with intention, not through rigid resolutions, but by expanding your capacity for joy.

Kristin introduces the concept of your joy-span: the ability to experience sustained happiness, alignment, and fulfillment over time. Rather than planning from the mind alone, she explores how creating a vision from your energy, body, and inner wisdom leads to goals that actually last.

You’ll hear why traditional goal-setting often leads to burnout, how misalignment shows up in the body, and how planning from energetic truth creates ease, clarity, and momentum.

Kristin also shares details about her upcoming ⁠Chakra Visioning Experience (January 14)⁠ and her ⁠Four Elements Retreat in Tulum (April 2026)⁠ for those feeling called to go deeper.⁠

Key takeaway:

You don’t need to force your way into a good year. When you plan from alignment, joy becomes sustainable.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Learn more at ⁠kristinsvets.com⁠

💻 Visit  ⁠Kristin’s website⁠ or connect via Instagram @kristinsvetscoaching⁠ 

🎧 Subscribe to the Abundant By Design Podcast for weekly inspiration and energetic alignment tools.

Listen Now

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Apple

Connect with Kristin

Subscribe to the Abundant By Design podcast for more insights and inspiration. Share your thoughts and connect with Kristin at hello@KristinSvets.com.

Kristin's Book!

"Designed to Shine" by Kristin Svets - Learn More Here!

Visit Kristin's Website

Transcript

Season 2: Episode 15- Increasing Your JOY-Span in 2026

Hello friends, welcome back. hope everybody had a fabulous holiday week Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukkah. Happy holidays. I hope you got to spend wonderful time with people that you love making great memories eating great food and just really soaking up the beauty of the holidays and Now here we are right before celebrating the New Year's. Or maybe you're listening to this and it is the New Year. And I just kind of love this space, this space in between. I love Christmas and the holidays, but the holiday rush is winding down and then, you know, we've got New Year's Eve and New Year's Day coming, or maybe it already happened when you're listening to this, but it creates this low hum of anticipation that's building. Because it just naturally is a reset button. It's a new year. So it's natural to ask ourselves, what is next? What's coming? What am I going to do differently this year?

The moment is so interesting to me from an energetic perspective because we are being pulled in two different directions. Like in my last episode, I talked about the winter solstice and just the winter season, that it is this time to be cozy and go inward. I mean, we're in the depths of winter and everything in nature tells us to slow down to honor this just time of pause that winter offers. And especially after the holidays, you get to really you know, sink into rest and the quiet, but as I've been studying astrology, on the other hand, this is also Capricorn season. And if you know about Capricorns, my moon is in Capricorn. And Capricorns are the workhorse of the zodiac. They are the ambitious goal setter. And it's just the energy that says, like, let's get to work, let's build something, let's make this year count. And then on top of that, this year, 2026, in Chinese astrology and sky studies, it is the Year of the Horse, meaning more momentum, more forward movement, and more drive. So when you look at that of the calendar resets at the new year and we're in this energy that is this like push and it actually makes sense that there's this background of a cultural role to go and plan for the year ahead and we're offsetting that with saying like, yes, and honor winter's invitation to rest.

But as always, I really think one of my messages in life, in all aspects of my work, and that I want to really hone in for you, is that you can honor both. Life is about balance. So you can harness that really inspirational Capricorn drive and this year of the horse energy without betraying the message of honoring winter's wisdom and resting more. You can plan with intention and momentum, but it's switching the focus and the energy on what actually matters.

So it's not another year of setting these resolutions or these goals that look good on paper. And it's not about another January of forcing yourself into productivity or killing yourself at the gym and then you're just depleted and it drops off by February, right? So I wanna invite in the concept of what if we decide that this year we are going to expand our capacity for joy. We are going to expand our capacity for happiness because the world around us has a lot of other things going on that are heavy and because of that we have got to be intentional about about planning our happiness and joy.

You know the concept that everyone talks about of like we want to increase our lifespan, right? That's why we focus on our physical health through fitness and through nutrition. And then there's been this big push lately of what's actually even more important than lifespan, because also, of course, the medical advancements have increased our lifespan. So then there's the push on yes, but increase your health span so that all the years of your life, you're able to live with vitality. What I want to invite in in my work and for those of you who are here and listening is what if we increase our joy span? What if this year you planned for joy?

And of course, I'm sure your brain is like, okay, that sounds fun, but like, let's be honest about what most of us have been taught about planning for a new year, right? You sit down with your fresh planner and you make lists and you make those health goals and career goals and relationship goals and financial goals and you set ambitious targets and you tell yourself that this year will be different because you're finally going to be disciplined enough. And maybe it works for few weeks. Maybe it works into February and March. But over time, the motivation fades, the goals feel like obligations, and then within a few months, you've quietly abandoned most of what you set out to do.

Here's what is wrong with that system and why it doesn't work. It's that the problem isn't about discipline. Yes, of course, there are those special people who thrive in discipline, but that is more of the exception. For most of us, it's that this traditional goal setting lives entirely in our head, and that is disconnected from your actual energy and your body's wisdom and your soul's truth. You're making decisions based on what you think you should want and not what actually feels aligned. So yes, we still have to take actions that sometimes are uncomfortable, but the difference being that the old way, the traditional way, is that you're creating these plans from the same consciousness, from the same energy that created the overwhelm that you're trying to escape. And then when it doesn't work, you internalize it as a personal failure that something must be wrong with you or just as this is like who you are and that you just always set these things and then it always falls off.

But let me tell you, nothing is wrong with you. You are just used to trying to use a system that is designed for those special few of us who thrive in only discipline. And that is more machine-like. That is excessive masculine energy. I am all for structure and the right amount of discipline because we need that. We are complex, energetic beings. And with that, we also have needs and rhythm and wisdom that isn't captured just by using our logical mind.

And so what is the alternative? It is that you start the plan with your energy, that you plan for what actually matters. So it's not just about achievement. It's about joy. It's about increasing that joy span and an expansion for allowing in happiness. Because when we are in such this beautiful privileged state that we get to focus on this stuff, we should focus on this stuff because there is a ripple effect to it helping elevate everyone around us

So with that I am excited to share with you that I am hosting something. I'm really excited about this. It's on Wednesday, January 14th and I'm calling it the chakra visioning experience and We are going to create your year of joy from the inside out and I created this because of exactly what I'm talking about. I've seen the same patterns in myself and in other brilliant, capable women around me setting goals every January and it looked perfect on paper, but then you're just burned out by it or you're disappointed in not sticking to the commitments. And again, this is because it's planning from your head instead of your energy. So on January 14th, at one o'clock central time, we are doing something different. We are going to spend 90 minutes moving through the chakra system and your energy centers. You don't have to be familiar with the chakra system to attend this. I will walk you through it and we're gonna create a vision for your year that's rooted in joy. And of course there can be ambition behind that, but it's rooted and joy and happiness. So we're going to combine these chakra energy teachings with yoga nidra, which is such a great thing to do virtually that is a meditation. And we're going to do a deep energetic clearing. I'm going to tie in some sound healing to recalibrate your nervous system. And then we're going to do some guided journaling to access your inner wisdom.

When you tap into that, when you hear that, you are finding the pathway to your inner bliss. You're finding the pathway to your true, authentic happiness. And then we will turn that into an actual blueprint for your year that is not just goals on paper, but it's an embodied vision that honors every dimension of your life. So if you do the activity that has become so popular on social media over the years of picking a word for the year, it would be great to bring that word with you since we were doing this on the 14th. But even if you have not created a word yet, we can do that in this workshop. It will come to you.

I will tell you when I have taken people through this on my retreats or just in other experiences. The feedback I get is that it's so mind blowing and that they are, they see things so clearly that maybe in like talk therapy or just talking to friends, they weren't able to get the answers. And in this process, the answers come to you. So I will put the link for this in the show notes. I'd love to have you there. The link is also on my website. I'll have it on my Instagram account. And so whether you join me for that or not, I invite you to plan for your year from a place of this energetic alignment and why it is so important to do that is that it changes everything.

Let's talk about that for a minute. What do I mean? Well, energy is information. know, it's the data that your body is constantly giving you. It's the sensation in your gut when something feels right or wrong. Or it's the expansion in your chest when you think about a certain possibility. Or it's that contraction that you feel when you're forcing something that isn't aligned. So your nervous system, your intuition, your emotional responses, these are all energetic communication. They're telling you what's true, what resonates, what's sustainable. And that traditional planning lives in the mental realm. You know, it's just our thinking mind. What do I want to accomplish? What would look impressive? What makes sense logically? And how this is going to be different is that energetic planning starts with the body. You're going to ask yourself what actually feels true? What lights me up? What feels expansive versus contracting? And there's the difference right there that you can feel in your body between forcing and flowing, between pushing towards goals that look good on paper or moving toward what actually resonates at a soul level.

And an example of that that I think is such an easy, typical one is that you might have a goal that seems perfect, like a promotion or an income level in your business or a relationship milestone. And on paper, that checks all the boxes. But when you sit with it, when you tune into your body, something's off. Your shoulders are tense, your breath gets shallow. There's even a subtle dread underneath what you thought would be excitement. And that's misalignment. That is your energy telling you that this goal isn't actually in service of your highest good. It's a goal that's coming from ego instead of from your heart and soul. It's a goal that maybe and probably even does look right from the outside, but you want a full body yes to what it is that you're trying to plan out. When you do that, when you find a goal that feels aligned, again, you breathe deeply, your chest opens. There's a sense of like, yes, of this is true and right and authentic, and this is what I'm here for. And that's alignment. When you're in alignment, everything shifts. So the plans unfold more easily, clarity comes more naturally. Synchronicities appear and doors open. And so to me, this is the success of the soul. It's not just this external achievement. It's creating a life that feels true from the inside out. This is a happy life. This is a life that brings you joy. This is how we create an expansion of your joy span.

And so how do you access this alignment? How do you tap into the energetic wisdom when planning for the year ahead? Well, that's what we're going to do in the workshop. And I'll give you a little bit of the nuggets here if you can't make it. This is what I love about the chakras is that the chakra system comes from ancient yogic wisdom. And of course it's been westernized and of course it's been, you know, put out into the material world and people can argue about whether it's true or real. What I know is that it feels good, just like sound healing. It feels good to have focus points on different versions of your energy and to work through those energy centers to expand the way that you are receiving information. It expands your ability to hear your inner wisdom. So what we will work with is what you see most of the time is the seven primary energy centers that are along your spine from the base of your spine and then they move up to the crown of your head. Each one of those chakras governs different aspects of your life.

The way I like to think of it, because it has been so powerful for me, I have done some really deep, intensive chakra healing work on myself, and I do not believe that it is just like mystical theory. It is a comprehensive map of this human experience. And so when you plan through the chakra system, you are addressing your whole life energetically, not just setting random goals.

So a quick overview, if you are not familiar with the chakra system, is the root chakra, and this is your foundation in safety, basic needs, and belonging. Your sacral chakra, which is just below your navel, governs creativity and creation and pleasure and relationships and flow. Your solar plexus is really like at your core, so more above your navel and like behind your ribs. And that is your inner fire. This is your personal power, your confidence, and it is that beautiful center that we take action from. And this is where we take aligned actions. So it's about owning that power. Your heart center is at the center of your chest. Right next to your physical heart, it's about love and connection and what truly matters and giving and receiving. Your throat chakra is communication, expression, speaking your truth, using your authentic voice. It's also about listening. Your third eye, your mind's eye, is in the center of your forehead, and it's your intuition, your inner wisdom. It's also about your vision and seeing clearly. And then your crown chakra is your top of your head, and that is spiritual connection and purpose and highest alignment.

So when we take the time to actually tap into all of those, we are going to create a more comprehensive and aligned plan for the year ahead than just a typical goal list would. Because we're looking at every dimension of our life from foundation and creativity and power and heart and voice and vision and purpose, right? So this isn't about achieving perfection in all the areas and this isn't, mean, you know, I brought up balance earlier. Like, yes, we're always working towards balance, but everything happens every day. We're in different moods every day, different things happen in our lives. So we are supposed to get out of balance, it's just part of life to be out of balance and then to move back towards where we could create more balance. So that is an awareness, you know, this understanding of where you are energetically right now and where you want to intentionally place your focus.

So in the workshop we're going to ask different questions of the chakras, we're going to reveal different truths, we're going to invite different versions of growth for a framework and creating this multi-dimensional vision for the year ahead instead of a one-dimensional to-do list. So this is what visioning from the inside out looks like. This is planning that honors your whole self, your body and still your mind and your heart and your soul. And this is planning for joy. I think it's going to be really incredible. Again, if you can't join us, you can do this on your own and go back and listen to all of those chakras and then, you know, think through ways to ask each of your energy centers how to move towards more alignment, how to move towards more joy, what would bring actual happiness, and allow your path to unfold from inner clarity. So an example of that would be like, say you're working with your heart chakra, and traditional goal setting might be like, improve my relationships, or find a partner if you don't have one, or spend more quality time with my family. But through the heart chakra, you ask deeper questions. You ask, what does my heart actually long for in relationships? Not what should I want, but what feels true? Where can I expand? Where am I giving from depletion versus overflow? What relationships truly nourish me and which drain me? And even how am I receiving love and not just offering it? And then you can close that out with like what matters most to my heart for the year ahead. And so do you feel that difference? You're not just setting a goal. You're dropping into the energetic truth of what your heart is actually asking for. And in that practice, maybe you realize that your heart isn't asking for more relationships, it's asking for deeper presence in the ones that you have. Or maybe it's revealing that you've been neglecting self-love, or maybe it even reveals that a certain relationship has completed its cycle. And so this is just wisdom that, again, you're not gonna access through logical thinking, mental goal setting alone. You have to drop into the energetic realm. And when you do that, it really actually does open up your ability to expand your happiness, expand your joy.

You can't think your way into energetic alignment. You need practices that help you bypass the thinking mind in these mental loops to drop into the body's intelligence. And they're all a little bit different the practices that we're doing. know, yoga nidra is a meditation state. Sound healing actually moves with frequency. Journaling is an inquiry practice that again is different from what meditation is going to bring to you. And when you put them all together, you get to channel that wisdom from your body, from your intuition, from your soul into one vision that feels true in your bones. So I invite you to create not another year of just striving, but to create a year of joy.

So again, if what I am sharing resonates, if you're feeling that pull towards a different way of planning your year, I want to invite you again to this chakra visioning experience. It's on January 14th, 1 p.m. It is on Zoom, so you can join me from anywhere. It'll be 90 minutes, and we're just going deeper than what this quick overview is. And what's so amazing about joining a group experience, is that our energy resets together, it is more powerful together, and it's an immersive guided practice so that you don't have to figure it out on your own. And I just really wanted to do this because, you know, I love the vision boards. I do them. You know, now in my mid-50s, it also feels a little bit, I don't know that silly is the right word or empty is the right word, but there's just something missing to me with that. And so when I follow my own inner wisdom, it's like, it's because that's like this. It is kind of a fun and festive formula that was created. And I do love that it harnesses that Capricorn energy and the year of the horse momentum. But for me personally, know that I want it to be deeper. I don't want to just put a yacht on a picture on a vision board. Like yeah, I do want to go on a yacht. That would be really fun. I would be happy and probably feeling a lot of joy in the moment I need a yacht. But that isn't the way I want to go about it at this stage in my life. I want my soul to be directing what the vision for the year ahead looks like. So if that resonates with you and you're craving a deeper immersion, I invite you to join me for that experience on Wednesday, January 14th, 1 p.m.

Also, if this all sounds good to you and you're craving an even deeper immersion, true transformational experiences that will help you really tap in at another level to your soul's purpose, inner wisdom, and just have fun and connect with other women. My retreat to Tulum in April of 2026 is open for enrollment. We'll spend four nights, five days combining sound healing, meditation, movement, and the medicine of nature in this place. The hotel itself is a destination. is beachfront, but it's in a secluded bay, so it's not the noise of Tulum. It is peaceful. You're surrounded by jungle and water, and we'll tie in all of the elements. Earth, water, fire, and air, even in the workshops and things that we'll be doing. I am facilitating this with Sarah McColland, who is a lead yoga teacher at Yoga Six. So she will be leading us through some yoga practices and it's going to be incredible. It's April 22nd through the 26th. It actually starts on Wednesday, April 22nd, which is Earth Day, which I love that with the four element retreats that I'm doing that we tied that into Earth Day. It wasn't intentional, but just, you know, a fun universe wink, I believe. So again, that information is on my website. You can reach out to me on Instagram, email me. And I would love to share more details with you about it. There are only 10 spots and there is a 500 dollar deposit to hold your spot. So just reach out. If that is speaking to you, I would love to have you join us.

Again, in closing, you don't have to force your way into a good year. You don't have to white knuckle through like these resolutions that don't stick. I want to invite you to honor both Winter's wisdom to go inward and reflect and combine that with the forward momentum of Capricorn season of the Year of the Horse. You can plan with intention and power, but we're going to focus that energy and that drive on what actually matters. That is joy and connection and alignment. A life that feels true from the inside out. A life that expands our happiness.

And as we move into 2026, I'm inviting you to try something different. Let's make this year different. So let's plan from the inside out. Let's trust your energy. Let your vision emerge from your body's wisdom rather than your mind's expectations. You can join us for the you can join us for the workshop on January 14th. You could join us for the retreat in Tulum in April. Both of those will help you expand the happiness and the joy span. And my other message that I always want everyone to hold is that you already have everything you need. The answers are within you and you just need the space to listen.

Thank you so much for being here. I wish you a very happy New Year's and I wish you a year ahead filled with abundance and alignment and happiness and joy. Until next time, remember that true abundance is success of the soul and the journey is the purpose. Sending all of you so much love and I will see you next time.