A New Year Aspiration for 2026
A New Year wish: brave hearts, clear words, and real relationships.
New Year's messages can be full of sparkle and certainty. But if I'm honest, I don't have a neat little formula for 2026.
What I do have is a handful of practices I want to keep returning to - in business, in Community, and in my own life - because they help me stay grounded.
If any of this resonates, please take what's for you and leave the rest. 💛
What I'm noticing, and what I'm choosing
Right now, it feels very easy to be swept into frictionless living.
Scrolling without stopping.
Commentary without context.
Online spaces that feel comforting because they never challenge us.
Technology that can imitate warmth without requiring real relationship.
Even bullying through exclusion.
I've been thinking a lot about the difference between what is loud, and what is true.
For me, loud often looks like certainty without responsibility - hot takes, insinuation, and commentary that spreads faster than facts.
Truth is usually quieter. It asks more of us. It requires evidence, accountability, and consideration for the people affected.
For me, chocolate is one of the simplest ways I practise connection - to people, to story, and to what's real. That's why every bar we create at Chocolate On Purpose is crafted with intention, using native botanicals and Fair Trade couverture.
I recently read a piece by Andrew Morrison, a proud Gunditjmara man, that has stayed with me.
It reminds us that harm doesn't always arrive as one dramatic moment. Sometimes it arrives through what we allow - what we excuse, what we minimise, and what we quietly step around because it feels easier than naming it.
Something I've been thinking about: permission
Andrew speaks about noticing how "permission" can show up in subtle ways.
Permission for cruelty to be excused.
Permission for truth to be delayed.
Permission for institutions to protect reputations instead of people.
Permission for reputations to be damaged instead of truth being investigated and told.
Permission for those already carrying the most to carry even more - in silence.
Writing that out feels heavy, but it also feels clarifying. Because when I can name what I'm seeing, I can choose what I want to practise instead.
A softer thing I noticed in 2025
In 2025, I noticed how quickly things can become divisive when we rely on suggestion instead of clarity.
A comment that implies. A post that hints. A story that travels faster than proof.
It doesn't just confuse things. It can quietly damage trust, and make people feel less safe to speak honestly.
What feels important to me in truth-telling
Truth-telling isn't about being loud. It's about being responsible.
Responsibility also means remembering that words shape relationships. Reconciliation is about strengthening relationships, and that matters in every space we speak, including online.
It also helps me to name things plainly. The eSafety Commissioner lists "spreading online gossip" as an example of cyberbullying, reminding that what appears to be "commentary" can land as harm on a real person.
Practicing truth-telling well means choosing specificity, because vagueness can protect the wrong things.
It means staying close to facts, even when they're uncomfortable.
Naming harm without turning people into a spectacle.
Keeping standards without using shame as a weapon.
And remembering that silence has consequences, especially for the people already carrying the most.
What I'm practising in 2026
Not perfectly, but deliberately.
I'm stepping into 2026 with softness, standards, and a commitment to truth-telling.
That means naming what needs naming, and refusing vague language when something is plainly harmful. Noticing when "tone" is used to avoid truth. Choosing real relationships over performative belonging.
How I hope we move together
As a collective, I hope for less noise.
More truth. More care. That's my hope for 2026.
When things feel stretched and uncertain, how we treat each other matters.
I aspire to be someone who speaks with care and clarity (and goes direct when something needs to be addressed).
Someone who stays close to facts and doesn't let vagueness do damage.
Someone who asks questions before forming conclusions.
Someone who holds standards without turning them into shame.
Someone who makes room for growth, because none of us are here to be perfect; we're here to be accountable.
To me, that's what real leadership looks like:
Strong enough to be honest. Kind enough to be fair.
Meeting in the middle: softness and standards
Clarity doesn't mean hard-heartedness.
In 2026, I'm holding onto softness- the kind that keeps me connected to people, to Country, to Community, and to my own body.
And I'm holding onto standards- the kind that don't let insinuation replace evidence, personal agenda replace truth, or hearsay be treated as fact.
This is the same middle I aspire to hold in business as well.
If you'd like to see what that looks like in practice at Chocolate On Purpose, I wrote about it here: Ngunggilanha (reciprocity) Project, and what we're building on Gundungurra Country.
If you're curious how we work to turn values into action, we're proud to be part of i=Change, directing a portion of online sales to vetted projects supporting People, Planet and Equity.
How about you? What do you aspire for in 2026? Please share, I'd love to know.
With care and connection,
Fiona 💛
PS...
If you'd like to stay close to this work, you're warmly invited to join our Chocolate On Purpose "Walumarra (Guardian) Chocolate Mob". It's where I share reflections, resources, and what we're building next, with People, Planet and Equity at the centre.
As a thank you, I'll send you a free download: the Yindyamarra Chocolate Appreciation Experience - a 10 to 15 minute mindful tasting guide you can do at home. I'm told it's very good. Please be sure to let me know what you think. 🤎