Starting the New Year With Intention Not Pressure
Jan 06, 2026
Every year around this time, we’re encouraged to set goals.
Big ones.
Specific ones.
Often overwhelming ones.
And if we’re being honest, many of them don’t survive past the second week of January.
That’s why, years ago, I stopped setting rigid New Year’s goals and started choosing a word instead.
A word becomes an anchor.
A compass.
A filter.
Rather than striving to accomplish a checklist, I dedicate my year to an intention something that shapes how I show up, what I say yes to, and what I lovingly decline. My word gives me space to pause and ask a simple but powerful question:
Is this aligned with what I’ve dedicated this year to?
That question alone has saved me from burnout, people-pleasing, and chasing opportunities that looked good on the outside but were misaligned on the inside.
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Real Talk Because I Care Too Much Not to Say This
I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer but I care far too much about you becoming all you were created to be to sugarcoat this:
When you set an intention, you will be tested.
That’s not punishment.
That’s formation.
If you choose patience, your patience will be tested.
If you choose trust, situations will arise that feel uncertain.
If you choose obedience, you will be asked to obey when it costs you something.
Growth doesn’t happen in theory.
It happens in practice.
It happens in practice.
And too many people quit not because they weren’t called, but because they weren’t prepared for the resistance that comes when you actually mean your yes.
Why the Why Behind Your Word Matters
This is where the why becomes essential.
Choosing a word for the year isn’t about picking something inspiring or trendy. It’s about understanding why that word matters because without a why, your word becomes a nice idea. With a why, it becomes an anchor when things get hard.
My word for this year is EXPAND.
And it’s not accidental. It’s intentional. It’s prayerful. And it’s deeply rooted in Scripture.
“Enlarge the place of your tent,
stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities.”— Isaiah 54:2–3
God doesn’t tell His people to expand without revealing why.
The expansion wasn’t random.
It wasn’t for ego.
It wasn’t for comfort.
It was because what was coming required more capacity.
That’s the part we often miss.
When God invites expansion whether in healing, leadership, obedience, courage, trust, or influence it’s not because He wants to stretch us thin. It’s because He’s preparing us to hold more. More responsibility. More impact. More people. More purpose.
The why gives meaning to the stretching.
Without a why, resistance feels like punishment.
With a why, resistance becomes preparation.
Notice this: God tells them to strengthen their stakes before the increase ever shows up.
That’s what a word rooted in purpose does it strengthens you internally before the fruit becomes visible.
What EXPAND Looks Like for Me This Year
For me, EXPAND means I am intentionally saying yes to growth in every area of my life not striving, but surrendering and trusting God to lead.
This year, I am preparing to release two books, including Unlock: Choosing Surrender and Radical Obedience to Release Generational Blessing. I am also contributing to another book centered on transformation stories, amplifying voices that reveal what’s possible when God meets us in our hardest places.
I am stepping onto larger stages, sharing my story more boldly not because it’s easy, but because testimony brings hope, healing, and freedom.
I am expanding the resources of It’s Your Story to Tell, growing community-based teams that walk hand in hand with women navigating transformation from simply wanting more, to walking through deep crisis. This expansion is about presence, compassion, and meeting people where they are.
Personally, EXPAND means more bravery.
More willingness to share my story.
More trust in what’s possible with God.
It means continuing to break cycles so the next generation doesn’t inherit fear, silence, or survival, but faith, courage, and freedom.
When I Stepped Into My Calling, I Was Hit Where I Feared Most
When I boldly stepped into my calling sharing my story, holding space for others, and choosing to be a light in dark places the darkness didn’t hit me in a random way.
It hit me in the place I feared most.
Being disconnected from one of my children.
For two years, I had only one overnight with my daughter. We walked a long, painful road toward a trial one that ultimately proved I was not abusive and revealed how her father’s actions had been harmful to her.
I was not prepared for the depth of that battle. I share this not for sympathy, but for honesty.
Because when we say yes to our calling, resistance doesn’t disappear it often intensifies. And if no one names that, people quit not because they weren’t called, but because they weren’t equipped.
I share this so maybe you can be more prepared, more anchored, and more willing to keep moving forward when things get hard.
You can read the drafts of Unlock on my Substack.
You can read the drafts of Unlock on my Substack.
Spiritual Warfare Is Real But So Is God’s Faithfulness
When you stay surrendered and obedient even when it doesn’t make sense God gives direction. He builds capacity. He develops skills in you that you didn’t even know you would need.
Why?
Because He wants to do the impossible in and through you.
Not just for you but for the generations that follow.
His plans go far beyond what we can imagine. That level of purpose requires trust. Deep trust. Daily trust.
Not trust in outcomes but trust in Him.
You can hear more Megan’s story on a recent podcast interview with the Apricot and Oak host, Rachel Votowa Ochoa.
Listen to Turning Your Greatest Pain Into Your Greatest Power.
You can hear more Megan’s story on a recent podcast interview with the Apricot and Oak host, Rachel Votowa Ochoa.
Listen to Turning Your Greatest Pain Into Your Greatest Power.
An Invitation to Walk This Year With Intention
If you’re stepping into this year with a word, a stirring, or a quiet sense that more is possible but you don’t want to walk it alone I want to invite you into Sacred Pathways, a spiritual mentorship designed to help you walk with intention, presence, and alignment.
Sacred Pathways: A Spiritual Mentorship
In a world that glorifies hustle, noise, and constant striving, Sacred Pathways offers a gentle invitation to slow down, listen deeply, and walk in alignment with who you were created to be.
This mentorship is for those who long to live with intention, radiate love, and make a meaningful impact without losing themselves along the way.
Through guided weekly walks, soul-centered reflection, and somatic support, you’ll reconnect with the still, small voice within. This isn’t about productivity it’s about presence. It’s about coming home to yourself and walking forward one sacred step at a time.
What You’ll Receive:
- A weekly theme to anchor your intention
- A curated walking playlist to inspire reflection
- Guided prompts for soul-centered exploration
- Somatic tools to support nervous system regulation
- A private, encouraging community
- A 90-minute monthly Zoom group call for teaching and integration
This mentorship is not about striving.
It’s about surrendering to presence.
It’s not about proving your worth. It’s about remembering it.
- Your dreams are sacred.
- Your voice matters.
- Your light is needed.
If you’re ready to create space for what truly matters,
If you feel called to expand with intention rather than pressure,
If you want to walk with God in a way that feels grounded, embodied, and alive,
You’re invited to walk with us.
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