Remember last year when I said that it makes sense to post the Word of the Year a few days into the year? Once again, I am living that truth. (But, tbh… I’m mildly doing better than last year? Like… MILDLY. Like by 3 days…)

It’s mid-January, if we’re being honest, as horrifying as that is. I just got home from a long day that included work, the gym, emails I didn’t want to answer, play outline refining, and DM messages that required my full brain. I’ve eaten dinner, I’m in my comfiest clothes, and I’m settling in for a quiet night at home.

And honestly? That feels very on theme for this year.

Reflections on 2025’s Word of the Year: Elevate

Last year’s word was Elevate, and I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that it worked.

I elevated my work. I did a workshop at the International Conference on Residency Education that was not supposed to be a solo presentation but still ended up highly regarded. Full Circle Theatre had a massive year… artistically, structurally, and reputationally. We pulled off projects that would have 2011!Erin. We received five CAT Awards, which seems insane as new members. I elevated my professional life at my day job, stepping more fully into leadership, responsibility, and trust. (Ugh. All the worst words… especially as I’m still not an official, compensated leader.) I elevated my personal relationships, my collaborations, and my expectations of what I deserve from the people around me, even when it sucks.

I also, quite literally, elevated my physical effort. If you asked anyone… I moved more. I lifted weights. I pushed my body harder than I had in years.

Until I burnt out and I stopped.

Because here’s the honest part:
I elevated a lot… but I didn’t always replenish what that elevation cost.

Somewhere in the process of doing amazing, meaningful, ambitious things, I quietly let go of some of the things that are just for me. Goodreads will tell you, I read fewer books. I cooked less. I spent more money eating out and drinking than I wanted to. Certainly, I moved.. but inconsistently instead of sustainably. I wrote constantly, sure… but often for output, not for nourishment. I created all the time, but not always in ways that filled me back up.

Elevate asked a lot of me. And I answered.

But by the end of the year, I could feel it: I didn’t need to go higher. I didn’t need to keep Elevating. I needed to come home. To myself. In this life that Calgarians live, barely above sea level.

My 2026 Word of the Year – Nourish

So this year, my word is Nourish.

Not discipline.
Not optimize.
And not grind (absolutely not grind). Last year was kind of about grind and I failed. I said I was going to move and feel better about my body and feel better about myself and I ultimately didn’t. So I’m picking something kinder for 2026.

Nourish.

I want to nourish my body… not punish it, not correct it, not chase some ideal version of it. I’m never going to be 24 again, as much as I love to joke about 2011!Erin. I recognize how things feel in my body. I want to move consistently because it makes me feel strong and grounded. Honestly, I want to cook more food at home that actually feeds me. I want to feel good in my body again, not just about what art it can produce.

If we want to put a pin on it, I want to nourish my creativity. That means finishing my novel. Writing on this blog because I want to, not because I feel like I should. Bringing Off Book back in a way that feels sustaining instead of another thing on the list. Making content that uplifts me, not just content that serves a brand or a strategy.

I want to nourish my attention. Less vegging out. Less unfocused doing. And less scattering my energy everywhere just because I can. I don’t want to do less. I don’t think. It makes me so incredibly mad when people tell me I’m “busy” like I’m not just doing what everyone else is doing… I’m just louder about it and I don’t always make the choices that make my personal life better. I want to do what I’m already doing… but more mindfully, with intention and care.

And maybe most importantly, I want to nourish myself with kindness. Less shame about my body. Less guilt about rest. And less beating myself up for not doing everything perfectly, all the time. (Yeah. Shockingly, I didn’t fix that in 2025. In fact, I may have made it worse.)

Elevate was about going up and out.
Nourish is about going inward and staying.

That doesn’t mean this year will be quiet or small. If you know me at all, you know that’s not happening. I don’t have that ability in this silly little body. But I want the work, the movement, the art, and the ambition to be fed by something real, not just momentum.

So that’s the word. Nourish.

If you were to pick a word of the year, what would it be? Do you do resolutions instead?