There comes a point in every meaningful journey where growth demands more than effort. It demands honesty. Authenticity isn’t about becoming someone new. It’s about removing what no longer fits.
In 2025, I learned this lesson in my body as much as in my work. Training for and competing in HYROX wasn’t just a physical challenge; it was a personal reckoning. It required me to stop hiding behind what was comfortable, familiar, or expected, and instead ask a deeper question: “What does it look like to fully show up as myself, strong, capable, evolving without apology?”
Authenticity, I’ve learned, is not passive. It’s an active choice, made daily. Authenticity Is embodied. We often talk about authenticity as a mindset, but the truth is this, your body knows long before your mind does. When I committed to a bold physical goal in 2025, I couldn’t negotiate with excuses. My training demanded presence, discipline, and integrity. I had to meet myself honestly on tired days, uncomfortable days, and days when fear whispered that maybe this wasn’t for me… or that I was too old to be here. And yet, every time I showed up anyway, something shifted. I wasn’t proving anything. I was remembering who I was.
This is the same process many of us experience in our careers, relationships, and leadership. Authenticity asks us to align our actions with our values even when it feels vulnerable.
Letting Go of Old Labels
One of the quietest and bravest challenges of growth is releasing identities that once served us well. In 2025, I began a slow, intentional evolution in my career. Not a dramatic leap, but a thoughtful recalibration. I questioned roles, responsibilities, and expectations I had carried for years. I asked myself:
Where am I saying yes out of habit instead of alignment?
Where am I shrinking to maintain comfort?
What truth is asking to be expressed next?
Then, in the first weekend of January, I took this reflection out of my head and into action.
I cleaned out my offices. I threw out decades of training manuals, choreography notes, and DVDs from my years as a Les Mills National Trainer and instructor. Over 20 years of work. Over 20 years of identity. It was emotional. It was uncomfortable. And it was deeply clarifying.
That chapter shaped me. It built my confidence, my discipline, and my leadership. But it is longer who I am becoming. Holding onto it out of nostalgia or loyalty was quietly limiting the space needed for what’s coming next. Letting go wasn’t about disrespecting my past. It was about honouring it and then releasing it. That is authenticity.
The Energy of the Horse
As we move into 2026, the Year of the Horse, this energy becomes even more potent. The Horse symbolizes freedom, strength, momentum, and honest expression. It invites us to move forward unburdened by what we have outgrown.
Authenticity doesn’t ask us to run faster. It asks us to run lighter. Authenticity Is Not Perfection. And please know that authenticity does not mean having it all figured out. It means speaking your truth while still learning, leading while still evolving, and taking action even when the path isn’t fully mapped out for you.
In my own journey, authenticity has looked like saying: “I don’t have all the answers, but I trust myself to find them.” That trust is earned through experience, reflection, and the willingness to listen to your body, your intuition, and your values.
A Reflection for You
As we continue this January series and prepare for the year ahead, I invite you to pause and reflect:
- Where in your life are you being asked to show up more honestly?
- What version of yourself is ready to be released?
- What truth feels a little uncomfortable but deeply right?
Authenticity is not the loudest voice in the room. It is the clearest one. And when you choose it, you create space for alignment, abundance, and arrival.
Closing Thought:
Authenticity isn’t something you find. It’s something you practice one brave choice at a time. And the more you practice it, the more unstoppable your journey becomes.
What’s Coming Next
In Blog 4, we’ll bring everything together through the lens of ABUNDANCE, not as “more,” but as enough, aligned, and expansive. We’ll explore how authenticity creates momentum, and how to MO’ve into 2026 with confidence, freedom, and purpose.
