Let's Be Honest with Kristin Cavallari

Episode: "Saying Goodbye to Kona and Making Changes in 2026"
Release Date: January 13, 2026

Episode Overview

In this heartfelt and introspective solo episode, Kristin Cavallari reflects on the start of the new year with raw honesty, sharing the emotional experience of saying goodbye to her beloved German shepherd, Kona. She weaves in memories, lessons on grief, home safety fears, and the transformative power of manifestation and intention-setting for 2026. Kristin also discusses shifts in the podcast’s direction, embracing personal growth, manifesting love, and addressing limiting beliefs about career and relationships. Throughout, her signature candid, warm, and conversational tone invites listeners into her life as she navigates loss, change, and hope for the future.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. New Year Energy & Reflection

• Kristin opens with New Year wishes and discusses the energetic transition from the "Year of the Snake" (shedding, releasing) to the upcoming "Year of the Horse," which she interprets as bringing forward momentum and new beginnings.
  • “I just feel this new energy and this momentum, and I just feel like things are moving. They are moving already.” (02:00)

2. Saying Goodbye to Kona (Main Emotional Content)

• Kristin recounts the difficult process of letting go of Kona, her 12-year-old German shepherd.
  • She describes Kona’s decline and the week her family spent saying goodbye, culminating in a compassionate euthanasia at the vet.
  • Kristin candidly shares the emotional weight of the experience, especially its impact on her children, noting how the loss deeply affected her son Camden—his first real encounter with death.
• Memories of Kona:
  • Kristin explains why she got Kona: for protection during her ex-husband’s absences, after a string of break-ins in her neighborhood.
  • Kona came trained as an “attack dog” but instantly bonded with Kristin and her children.
  • “The coolest thing that Kona ever did was her first night in that house. She instinctually knew, you guys, to sleep on that other staircase, the other end of the house. And that was such an incredible moment...I just felt so safe." (17:35)
• Processing Grief:
  • Kristin talks about cremating Kona, spreading her ashes in their yard (as they had with a previous dog), and comforting her kids with the idea of Kona in heaven with other loved ones.
  • “She was the absolute best dog. So she is going to be greatly missed. And I will forever have a German shepherd now. Once you have a German shepherd, it is so hard to not have one…” (23:21)

3. Home Safety & Past Trauma Stories

• Kristin shares anecdotes about her fear living alone with young kids in large houses.
  • Multiple stories of home alarms going off leading to panic, hiding with her son and calling 911.
  • These incidents reinforced her desire to always have a German shepherd — a “reliable alarm.”
  • “After Nashville, I was like, I’m never setting an alarm ever again, ever again. And that’s part of the reason why I like having German shepherds, because they themselves are a more reliable alarm.” (36:20)

4. Manifestation & Goal-Setting for 2026

• Kristin discusses a new manifestation practice:
  • Writing out goals in the past tense, as if they’ve already happened, to powerfully align her mindset.
  • Focused goals for the year: financial (personal and for Uncommon James), relationship, and health for herself and her kids.
  • “I wrote everything in the past tense. So I almost wrote it as though it’s the end of 2026, and… I wrote what I was grateful for, for the year... but even when you talk about things in the past tense, it’s like life then has to catch up to you and make it happen.” (43:05)
  • Bold claim: “2026 was the best year of my life.”

5. Limiting Beliefs Around Love & Career

• Kristin identifies and challenges two core limiting beliefs:
  1. That you can’t have both a career and a family/relationship.
  2. That a partner will hold her back professionally.
• Discusses how these beliefs were mirrored in her life, and her intention to replace them.
• Shares gratitude for the grounding influence of her kids:
  • "What my kids have done is they’ve... anchored me and they ground me and they’ve made it so that I have this incredible balance. And I’m very, very thankful for that balance because I know me and I know it would be really easy for me just to be go, go, go." (50:21)
• Sets intention to manifest the “man of my dreams," rejecting predictions that she’ll be single for years.
  • “Well, guess what? I’m not subscribing to that. Okay? ... This is my year, damn it. This is my year for love.” (56:00)

6. Podcast Direction: Updates & Listener Engagement

• Announces changes for 2026:
  • Scaling back "The Hills" rewatch episodes to focus on only the biggest ones (e.g., Miami, the finale).
  • Broader, more diverse topics to come—more guests, listener questions, and dating advice, while moving away from some of the heavy spiritual content.
  • “I realize the spiritual stuff is not for everybody…I introduced you guys to hopefully some stuff that was maybe new for you... and we are going to kind of move from that.” (01:03:52)
  • Encourages listeners to submit questions via a new voicemail box for on-air advice and interaction.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The physical act of putting a dog down… it's really hard holding your dog and that happening. Oh my god.” (05:32)
• “Seeing Camden, so sad. Oh my god, it just wrecked me. This is like the first big death for them...” (08:45)
• “I just felt so safe. Finally, after months of not sleeping… Kona just knew to sleep on that staircase to keep them safe.” (17:37)
• “Once you have a German shepherd, it is so hard to not have one because they are the coolest breed... so loyal, fierce, smart, just amazing.” (23:21)
• “I think after that… I’m never setting an alarm ever again, ever again.” (36:20)
• “I wrote everything in the past tense… life then has to catch up to you.” (43:05)
• “This year taught me that you can in fact have it all… have a great career and also a really great relationship.” (51:12)
• “I have Uncommon James, and I have the podcast, and I am my own boss… the fact that I’m able to do everything I need to do and my day can be done when my kids get home from school, I know is such a luxury.” (55:15)
• “I’m squashing these limiting beliefs so that I’m able to call in the man of my dreams… This is my year, damn it. This is my year for love.” (56:00)
• “We dabbled, we had fun. I introduced you guys to hopefully some stuff that was maybe new for you… and we are going to kind of move from that.” (01:03:52)

Timestamps for Critical Segments

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |----------:|--------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:01–02:50 | New Year greetings, “Year of the Horse” energy | | 02:51–15:00 | Saying goodbye to Kona: story, process, family impact | | 15:01–22:30 | Why Kristin got Kona, stories of protection | | 22:31–25:15 | Kona’s legacy & future dog plans | | 28:30–38:30 | Home alarm scares, home safety anxiety, importance of Kona | | 43:05–47:30 | Manifestation practices, writing goals in past tense | | 49:00–56:30 | Limiting beliefs about love and career, intentions for 2026 | | 01:03:52–01:10:00 | Podcast changes: fewer Hills rewatches, new directions, listener Q&A |

Structure & Tone

Kristin’s tone is deeply personal, authentic, and at times, emotionally raw. Her openness draws listeners into her lived experiences, especially as she navigates themes of loss, resilience, growth, and hope for the new year.

Episode Takeaways

• The grieving process is universal, deeply personal, and impacts families in profound ways.
• Safety and comfort, especially as a single parent, can require both emotional and practical adjustments.
• Recognizing and challenging personal limiting beliefs opens the door to meaningful change.
• Setting intentions as if they’re already real can be a powerful tool for manifestation.
• The podcast will evolve in 2026, focusing on new themes and listener engagement, with less emphasis on nostalgia and past TV recaps.

Next week’s highlight: Kristin will be joined by Rachel Bilson for a new conversation (01:06:55).
Listener engagement: Submit questions for dating advice or other topics via the new podcast voicemail (details to be posted on Kristin’s Instagram).

For suggestions or feedback, message Kristin on Instagram.
(End of summary)