Episode 156: Goals, Alignment and Mapping Your Magic in Uncertain Times

You don’t have to abandon goals to live with more joy and purpose — you just need a different way of relating to them.

Hey friends. Welcome back to the Innovative Therapist Podcast. I’m so glad you’re here for this one — it’s our first episode of 2026!

Today’s episode came from a place of reflection, space, and intention. I recorded this on the Friday before it drops on Monday, January 5th, curled up in sweats with still-wet hair after a long winter walk in the snow — so if you can feel the cozy in this episode, that’s exactly where I was.

I just finished mapping out my goals and intentions for 2026, and I also finished designing a brand new workshop I’ve been working on for several weeks: Mapping Your Magic. In today’s episode, I talk about both of those things — not just to promote the workshop, but to share why this work matters so much.

Whether or not you join us live on Wednesday, January 14th from 1–2pm Eastern, there are important ideas here about how to move toward what you want without burning out, overthinking, or defaulting to fear-driven striving.

A new relationship with goals

I’ve spent the last few years unwinding the ways I chase achievement.

I’m in what feels like a three-year cycle of slowing down, healing, and relearning how to pursue goals that feel energizing, aligned, and meaningful, rather than fear-based or perfectionistic.

I still care about outcomes — I still set goals and move toward things I want — but the why behind them looks very different now.

Instead of pushing, proving, or hustling harder, I ask:

What feeling states am I trying to create?
What values do these goals serve?
Who am I becoming in the process?

This isn’t about lowering the bar. It’s about pursuing goals in a way that feels fierce and resilient — on your terms.

Why this matters right now

We live in a world of growing uncertainty — and as things feel less certain, it’s normal to jump straight to strategy:

How do I pivot?
How do I diversify my income?
What’s the next “right move”?

Early in my entrepreneurship journey, that’s exactly what I did. The strategy always came before the self-clarity — and it led to exhaustion.

What I’m learning now is this: clarity precedes strategy.

Before you ask what you should do — ask who you are and what lights you up.

When you pursue goals from alignment instead of scarcity, your body, nervous system, creativity, and energy all follow.

Introducing: Mapping Your Magic

If you need a space to pause before planning, I designed a workshop for that.

Mapping Your Magic is happening live on Wednesday, January 14 from 1–2pm Eastern inside our Inspired Innovators community.

In this workshop, I walk you through a creative process I’ve been using privately for years to clarify:

What you love
What you’re uniquely good at
What the world needs from you
What you can get paid for

This is inspired by the ikigai framework, but expanded into something interactive, visual, and personalized.

We’ll slow down before we speed up.

You’ll receive:
✔ A Canva template to visually map your gifts
✔ A workbook with reflection prompts
✔ The live workshop + replay
✔ Tools you can revisit year after year

This isn’t a lecture. It’s experiential, interactive, and designed to help you explore your unique zone of genius — not just your marketable skills.

👉 Learn more and register here (full link: https://pages.drshawnhondorp.com/products/mapping-your-magic-workshop)

What you’ll walk away with

This workshop gives you three ways to access your gifts:

Reflective questions you can sit with on your own
Prompts you can ask trusted people in your life
An optional Human Design-informed list of gifts (if that resonates for you)

You’ll walk away with clarity, visuals, and a process you can return to again and again — not just a list of to-dos.

And if you love a small, intimate container for work that feels alive and generative, this will feel like home.

At the end of the workshop, I’ll also share how you can explore our community more deeply — including a discount on your first month if you choose to join us.

What goals are really about

In the podcast episode I shared a quote that has changed how I think about goals:

“Your purpose is not what you do, it’s what happens to people when you do what you do.”
— Viola Davis

This shift has been profound for me.

Goals aren’t just about outcomes.

They’re about:
✨ autonomy
✨ courage
✨ agency
✨ becoming more of who you truly are

When goals are in service of this kind of growth, they don’t deplete you — they enliven you.

A gift for you

If you want to explore your strengths and creativity further but can’t make the workshop (or want to do both!), I’ve created a free resource called:

✨ Uncover Your Zone of Genius

It’s a reflection guide designed to help you begin mapping your gifts and strengths in a grounded, soulful way.

👉 Download it here:
https://pages.drshawnhondorp.com/zone

This also signs you up for my email list, where I share:
✔ reflections like this
✔ upcoming workshops
✔ grounded approaches to goals, creativity, and entrepreneurship
✔ community news and invitations

Before you go

If you’re feeling that familiar urgency to “figure it out now,” I hear you. That’s the part of you seeking agency, control, safety — and there’s nothing wrong with that.

But what if the first step isn’t doing more —
but knowing yourself better?

Pause. Clarify. Align. Then move.

If this resonates, I’d love to see you at Mapping Your Magic on January 14.

And if you can’t make it live, you’ll still receive the replay and all workshop materials.

Here’s to a year of goals that feel aligned, grounded, and deeply invigorating.

Disclaimer:
This blog and podcast content are for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute medical or mental health advice.