Podcast Summary: "Word of the Year 2026" – Love Your Life Show with Susie Pettit

Date: December 27, 2025
Host: Susie Pettit
Duration: ~25 minutes

Episode Overview

In this bonus episode of the Love Your Life Show, Susie Pettit guides listeners through the transformative practice of choosing a "Word of the Year" as an alternative to traditional New Year’s resolutions. Drawing from her own monumental experiences and reflecting on the past year—including major life changes and health challenges—Susie makes an impassioned case for this empowering tool. The episode is rich with personal anecdotes, practical steps, and motivational calls to action, all tailored to busy moms and women in midlife navigating complex emotional landscapes.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal Reflection: Looking Back to Move Forward (00:00–06:43)

• Susie's Year in Review:
  Susie shares how her life has been drastically transformed by both foreseen and unforeseen events, including medical emergencies (“My heart stopped twice. I was in the hospital for two elongated stays twice.” [00:21]) and ongoing adaptation to living abroad and adjusting to an empty nest.
• Choosing Word of the Year:
  She emphasizes the magic of choosing a guiding word rather than strict resolutions, explaining, “When I'm looking back like I was today, I'm like, oh my goodness… It's actually sort of magical how the word comes to be.” [01:16]
• The Power of Serendipity & Intuitive Signs:
  Susie recounts noticing a “heart healthy walk” sign immediately after reflecting on her health, underlining the idea that the universe conspires with your intentions (“And so that got me just to think some more about the Word of the Year and how helpful it is to choose a word of the year and how you just really don’t freaking know what life is going to hand you.” [02:46])
• Letting Go of Limitations:
  She urges listeners not to limit themselves with overly specific goals or resolutions, recounting her own story of financial and emotional hardship and how her life now far exceeds those earlier, more limited dreams. (“Thank goodness I didn't limit myself there, warriors…” [03:40])

Notable Quote:
"Word of the Year allows for more magic." - Susie Pettit [02:46]

2. Why Words, Not Resolutions? (11:44–15:49)

• The Flaws of Resolutions:
  Susie challenges conventional resolution setting, calling it “a defeating way to start the new year” and explaining that it focuses on “what we’re doing wrong and what we need to do better, where we need to improve.” [12:35]
• The Superiority of the 'Word of the Year':
  “A Word of the Year brings our focus to growth and expansion versus weakness and imperfections. A Word of the Year also allows us flexibility during the year.” [12:45]
• Adaptability in Unpredictable Times:
  Using examples from the COVID years, she demonstrates how resolutions can become impractical, while a “Word of the Year” keeps you on track even as circumstances change.

Notable Quote:
"Choosing a word of the Year is expansive and focuses on possibilities no matter what your year throws your way." - Susie Pettit [14:27]

3. How to Choose Your Own 'Word of the Year' (15:49–23:05)

Susie offers a simple, actionable five-step process for listeners:

• Step 1: Assess Your Current Situation
  Ask yourself:

  1. How do you feel most days? (List 3 words)
  2. What do you wish were different?
  3. What do you want more of?
  4. What do you want less of?
     “Get them out on paper. All right? Listening to podcasts is amazing… Taking the action step of actually doing what we're talking about here is where your life changes at just a compounding speed.” [16:24]

• Step 2: Dream
  Suspend limiting beliefs and imagine your best possible year.

  • “When you look back at this time next year, how would you like to describe your year?” [16:57]

• Step 3: Choose
  From a list or your brainstorming, pick 2-5 possible words, then revisit until one word stands out.

• Step 4: Saturate
  Integrate your word into daily life: alarms, sticky notes, jewelry, social sharing.

  • “The more visual reminders you have of your word, the more you bring that word into your life in your year.” [18:47]

• Step 5: Enjoy
  Live with your word as a guiding light rather than a strict measuring stick—no possibility of failure, only growth.

Notable Quote:
"A word is something you aim for. A light to aim towards when your days might be dark. There is no possibility of failure. You do not fail. You learn and grow." - Susie Pettit [20:18]

4. Community, Support, and Encouragement (10:17–11:44; 23:05–25:00)

• Listener Engagement:
  Susie encourages listeners to share their ‘Word of the Year’ with her via social media or email, and highlights the “Warrior of the Week” for show reviews and interaction.
• Invitation to Membership:
  She recommends joining her monthly program for women over 40 or her Happiness Habits class for ongoing community support and coaching.
  • “Women don’t regret signing up. They regret not joining the community sooner.” [23:05]

Closing Encouragement:
"We are on this earth for a purpose... Instead of telling yourself you can do it alone or you don't need support, why not try it? ...This is your year, your life, your moment. I would love to be your coach and support you on this magnificent journey." [23:05–24:10]

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• "My magic sign is always the sun.” [05:20] — Susie noting how serendipity affirms her intentions.
• “There's nothing to fix about you.” [12:44] — Reframing personal development from self-acceptance rather than self-criticism.
• “Your brain looks for solutions when we direct them in that open growth mindset way.” [14:17] — On the power of open-ended focus.
• "Get it to work for you. It will form neural connections that will unconsciously help you bring your word into reality. It seems woo woo, but trust me, I've seen it happen. I've lived it.” [19:26] — On the science and magic of mindset.
• “A word is something you hold loosely. You aim for, a light to aim towards. There is no possibility of failure.” [20:10]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–06:43 – Personal reflection, life updates, the magic of the Word of the Year
• 06:43–11:44 – Reintroduction, background, listener engagement
• 11:44–15:49 – Why eschew resolutions for a Word of the Year
• 15:49–23:05 – Step-by-step guide to choosing and living your Word of the Year
• 23:05–25:00 – Community invitations, encouragement, closing words

Action Items & Next Steps

• Visit smbwell.com/word to get the “Word of the Year” worksheet.
• Write down and share your word with Susie on Instagram (@smb.wellness) or via email (susie@smbwell.com).
• Consider joining Susie’s monthly membership community or signing up for her Happiness Habits class to find greater support throughout the year.

Susie Pettit’s warmth, humor, and lived wisdom make this episode a motivating and practical guide for anyone—especially mothers and women in midlife—seeking a more expansive, self-compassionate path into the new year. The invitation is clear: pick your Word of the Year, lean into its magic, and step into 2026 empowered and inspired.