I absolutely inhaled this from start to finish. I usually used to do my year planning rituals since I was a little girl. Of course, I think its fair to say they’ve completely transformed since when i was a 13 year old putting yearly demands down such as: “lose 10 kilos”.
Last year I tried something quite interesting which was doing a 2025 planning session with a holistic coach, it was part meditation to unravel what would truly matter to me and make me happy and part actualizing and nailing it down into core action points. I loved it, it has been my most productive year to date but as I went back to contact her and do it again I just couldn’t get myself to do it. Something was missing and it wasn’t achievements or however many things I managed to combine and execute successfully but how I felt after getting everything I set in front of myself. Burnt out, exhausted, heavy, sad - it was the opposite of how I told myself I’d feel if I accomplished all of those big things. And then it clicked - I thought I’d grown and matured and learnt about so much that gives me joy, yet all my yearly targets were still tangible & productive, not a single word about how I’d feel at the end of my days or what my life would feel like.
And then I found your method of planning the year & all I could think about whilst reading it was - my god there’s so much tenderness in here.
And I wanted it, for the first time I truly wished that tenderness for me.
Thank you, Valerie, you truly may have single handedly made my 2026. xxx
P.s. hope your year is filled to the brim with all the tenderness and love you can get - from within and from the world around you.
Love reading this! Truly believe we're always happier in the *pursuit* of lofty goals than when we actually achieve them. This is why I've always viewed goals as checkpoints and to instead obsess over your daily & weekly rituals - the very habits and things you do that build your lifestyle itself. Valerie did such an excellent job creating a blueprint that I'm sure will benefit anyone who engages with the exercise 🥂
Wow this is actually the kindest comment ever, you've literally made my entire day!! Thank you for letting me be a part of your 2026 planning. I wish you the most tenderness, the best 2026 ever! I think I'm going to reread your comment about a hundred times because it's so kind🥹
(also send me the email you use for substack on instagram, i want to gift you a subscription to my substack!)
Hi Valérie, I'm a new follower of your musings, and I do have to say, it's informative, fun and dreamy. Such a feminine place, ancestry and modernity interwined with wellness at it's core. Refreshing! Thank you! I'm currently doing the Life Guide for 2026 and it's fun to have such conversation with oneself. Have a beautiful day, looking forward your next posts. x, mimi
Hi Mimi! Omg thank you soo much you are so kind! And i've never heard my writing described like that.. "feminine place, ancestry and modernity interwined with wellness at it's core" you are so good with words! thank you! and it's so cool to see people doing the guide- let me know how you ended up liking it!
Hi! I love the idea of a gelatin latte- never heard of it. Any recs for ceremonial cacao? I know there’s a lot of companies who make claims of authenticity but aren’t. Thanks!
The addictive wellness one is really good but superrr dark + intense. I like mixing it with a bit of navitas cacao so it has the milky hot chocolate taste! And lots of honey, raw milk, gelatin, and sometimes a pinch of sea salt and cacao! I have tonsss of gelatin latte recipes on my IG and tiktok!
I just came across this post randomly whilst trying to get some inspiration for 2026. I absolutely love what you did!! I already had planned to spend my new years in a similar way that you described. Thank you for all the amazing thoughts and ideas it's so unique and inspirational. Wishing you a wonderful start to the new year!
I already have a lot of these things thought through but this process is so beautiful that today I am 100% going to sit down and do this! When I finish the coffee table book (although I probably won’t use chatgpt just because I’m trying to rely on it less than I currently am (it’s been a crutch for me 😅) I will tag you in a note! I might go with zine-style for it though rather than binder just because zines are part of my life syllabus ☺️
If you are curious about interior design and estate sales, I am so down and free for questions/ chatting about that! I would love to research the Santa Fe antique scene more!
I absolutely inhaled this from start to finish. I usually used to do my year planning rituals since I was a little girl. Of course, I think its fair to say they’ve completely transformed since when i was a 13 year old putting yearly demands down such as: “lose 10 kilos”.
Last year I tried something quite interesting which was doing a 2025 planning session with a holistic coach, it was part meditation to unravel what would truly matter to me and make me happy and part actualizing and nailing it down into core action points. I loved it, it has been my most productive year to date but as I went back to contact her and do it again I just couldn’t get myself to do it. Something was missing and it wasn’t achievements or however many things I managed to combine and execute successfully but how I felt after getting everything I set in front of myself. Burnt out, exhausted, heavy, sad - it was the opposite of how I told myself I’d feel if I accomplished all of those big things. And then it clicked - I thought I’d grown and matured and learnt about so much that gives me joy, yet all my yearly targets were still tangible & productive, not a single word about how I’d feel at the end of my days or what my life would feel like.
And then I found your method of planning the year & all I could think about whilst reading it was - my god there’s so much tenderness in here.
And I wanted it, for the first time I truly wished that tenderness for me.
Thank you, Valerie, you truly may have single handedly made my 2026. xxx
P.s. hope your year is filled to the brim with all the tenderness and love you can get - from within and from the world around you.
Love reading this! Truly believe we're always happier in the *pursuit* of lofty goals than when we actually achieve them. This is why I've always viewed goals as checkpoints and to instead obsess over your daily & weekly rituals - the very habits and things you do that build your lifestyle itself. Valerie did such an excellent job creating a blueprint that I'm sure will benefit anyone who engages with the exercise 🥂
Couldn't agree more on the way you view goals and obsess over rituals. Thank you so much🥹 & you made the post 10000x better!
Wow this is actually the kindest comment ever, you've literally made my entire day!! Thank you for letting me be a part of your 2026 planning. I wish you the most tenderness, the best 2026 ever! I think I'm going to reread your comment about a hundred times because it's so kind🥹
(also send me the email you use for substack on instagram, i want to gift you a subscription to my substack!)
Hi Valérie, I'm a new follower of your musings, and I do have to say, it's informative, fun and dreamy. Such a feminine place, ancestry and modernity interwined with wellness at it's core. Refreshing! Thank you! I'm currently doing the Life Guide for 2026 and it's fun to have such conversation with oneself. Have a beautiful day, looking forward your next posts. x, mimi
Hi Mimi! Omg thank you soo much you are so kind! And i've never heard my writing described like that.. "feminine place, ancestry and modernity interwined with wellness at it's core" you are so good with words! thank you! and it's so cool to see people doing the guide- let me know how you ended up liking it!
Hi! I love the idea of a gelatin latte- never heard of it. Any recs for ceremonial cacao? I know there’s a lot of companies who make claims of authenticity but aren’t. Thanks!
The addictive wellness one is really good but superrr dark + intense. I like mixing it with a bit of navitas cacao so it has the milky hot chocolate taste! And lots of honey, raw milk, gelatin, and sometimes a pinch of sea salt and cacao! I have tonsss of gelatin latte recipes on my IG and tiktok!
thanks so much for this! found you on IG :) ordering now
Love that!!!!
Thank you!!
I loved reading this 🙂😍 your ideas are inspiring and super fresh 🎋🌟 Thank you :)
omg thank you!
I just came across this post randomly whilst trying to get some inspiration for 2026. I absolutely love what you did!! I already had planned to spend my new years in a similar way that you described. Thank you for all the amazing thoughts and ideas it's so unique and inspirational. Wishing you a wonderful start to the new year!
Omg that's amazing!! Wishing you the best New Year!
Have an incredible 2026 Agnes!
Love this! 💓
Thank you!
Great read. Thanks for sharing
Appreciate you 🥂
drop the recipe for gelatin latte!!!
The people need it! @valerieribon
The perfect framework to come back to season after season.
I already have a lot of these things thought through but this process is so beautiful that today I am 100% going to sit down and do this! When I finish the coffee table book (although I probably won’t use chatgpt just because I’m trying to rely on it less than I currently am (it’s been a crutch for me 😅) I will tag you in a note! I might go with zine-style for it though rather than binder just because zines are part of my life syllabus ☺️
If you are curious about interior design and estate sales, I am so down and free for questions/ chatting about that! I would love to research the Santa Fe antique scene more!
Yesss would loveee that
Have you looked at Betty Stewart houses? She is OG Santa Fe architecture icon.
nooo i need to!
I really liked this and am going to completely ignore the entire chatGPT part.
Thanks, though; this got me thinking.