Episode 332: Your Energy Doesn’t Reset on January 1
The new year is treated like a reset button — as if your body, energy, and history are supposed to magically start over overnight.
But your energy doesn’t reset on January 1.
In this episode, I talk about why there is no “right” way to begin, why every phase of your wellness journey counts, and why pressure to do things perfectly often disconnects you from yourself.
We’ll talk about New Year’s goals and fresh starts — without shaming any of them — and then zoom out to the real skill that actually changes everything: learning how to make the right decision for you, at the right time, in a way your body can support.
If January brings pressure, guilt, or the sense that you’re already behind, this episode is here to take that weight off.
Listen to the Episode:
“The most valuable thing you can do for your wellness isn’t consistency, discipline, or willpower. It’s your ability to recognize the right decisions for you, and make them at the right time for you, in a way your body can support. That is it.”
Read the Transcript:
Hello, my friend! Happy New Year! If you missed last week’s episode, I shared that I’m transitioning from weekly episodes to limited series and I debated having that episode be it until my first limited series comes out…at a TBD date.
But, being in the wellness space, and it being the new year, I didn’t want to leave you all hanging.
But if I’m being honest, I absolutely hate the New Years “restart”, “new year, new you” bullshit that we have to suffer through every year. I’ve always hated it and was always told that “it is what it is” and that this is “busy season” for us in this space.
So, I want to spend this episode debunking that media-driven, consumer-driven non-sense.
If you stop listening to this episode right now, the one message I want you to take away from it is that: Your energy doesn’t reset on January 1.
But please, stay with me for the rest of this.
There is nothing about your body, or your nervous system, or your mental capacity suddenly restarts because the calendar changes to a new year. Or if you’re listening to this later, nothing resets because you start a new month, or a new week either.
And if you feel pressure, confusion, or even resistance around the new year, this doesn’t mean that you’re doing something – or anything – wrong.
If you’ve been feeling this familiar January tension, the sense that you should be starting fresh, setting goals, committing harder, or somehow becoming a “better” version of yourself overnight, well my friend, this episode is for you.
It’s also for you if you already feel behind before the year has even begun.
There’s a reason I’m having this conversation with you in Episode 332 on January 6th, not in Episode 331 on December 30th. This was a purposeful decision – I want to slow this entire narrative down because January 1st was merely a date on the calendar – and your body is not a calendar.
We’ve been taught — explicitly and implicitly — that January 1st is a reset point. That it’s the moment where motivation magically appears, your discipline clicks into place, and everything that felt messy last year, up until December 31st, suddenly becomes clear.
And when this doesn’t happen, your thought process quickly becomes, “What’s wrong with me?”
Oh my friend, nothing is wrong with you.
Listen, I do love the new year as much as anyone. I do love the idea of newness and yes, even “a clean slate.” I love opening my brand new diary for the new year or if you’re an analog person, perhaps unwrapping your new planner.
But, January is also loaded with unnecessary expectations that, let’s be honest, doesn’t account for reality.
January doesn’t account for how much you’ve already been carrying. It doesn’t account for stress, grief, recovery, burnout, or the fact that your energy has a history.
Your body doesn’t forget what it’s lived through just because the year has changed.
Now, I want to be very clear about something, because this matters:
If you want to set New Year’s goals, it’s valid.
If you want to use MyFitnessPal or some other app to track your calories or macros, this is valid.
If you want to join a gym, train for a marathon, follow a program, or create structure, this is valid.
I am not here to shame anyone for where they are and I absolutely cannot stand it when other people in the wellness space do this.
I cannot stand the “people” who condescendingly say “eat the cookie.”
Do I get where they’re coming from? Yes. Do I understand their intent? Yes. Does it come across without empathy, compassion or understanding? Yes.
And if you’re wondering, I’m referencing a moment from 2010, when I was seemingly at my healthiest, training for marathons, running dozens of miles every week and that attitude still triggered me.
Listen, I’ve done all of those things – used CalorieKing.com (before apps even existed) count calories. I’ve tracked my macros, I’ve done, taught, coached sugar detox programs, I’ve trained for and run marathons, I’ve done Whole30, I’ve done challenges, I haven’t done Dry January because I don’t drink alcohol – but you get my point.
I’ve done all the “January” things and every single one of them taught me something.
They weren’t mistakes. They were steps. They were part of learning what did and didn’t – what does and what doesn’t – work for me, and what my body could – and can – actually support at different points in my life.
Each of these experiences were important parts of my wellness journey, heck my life, that brought me to where I am today.
And I like where I am today. It’s not perfect by any means, but I like where I am and I appreciate how I got here.
The problem is not what we choose to do.
The problem is when we stop trusting ourselves to make decisions — when we outsource our judgment, ignore our energy, or force ourselves into plans that don’t fit.
This is where things start to break down.
The January trend is to push decisions that are made from urgency rather than readiness.
You decide because society says “it’s time.” Because everyone else in your feed is doing it. Because you feel like you shouldn’t waste this “fresh start.”
But in all of that urgency, your body is often left out of the conversation.
This is why so many January plans collapse. Not because you lack discipline, but because the decisions were never grounded in your physical, emotional, or mental capacity.
Your body gives you information long before your mind tries to organize it. But when you feel pressured, you’re more likely to override those signals rather than listen to them.
This isn’t a mindset problem, it’s a timing problem.
If there is one thing I would love for you to take from this episode, it’s this:
The most valuable thing you can do for your wellness isn’t consistency. It isn’t discipline; it isn’t willpower; it isn’t cutting out carbs, eating more protein, trying Whole30, the new protein powder showing up in your feed. It isn’t kettlebells, Strava, or dare I say it – you all know how much I love mine – the Oura ring.
No, the most valuable skill you have for your wellness is your ability to recognize the right decisions for you, and make them at the right time for you, in a way your body can support.
That is it.
And this is where Human Design — and specifically your Authority — becomes relevant, but not in a prescriptive way.
Your Authority isn’t about rules. It’s not about doing things “correctly.” It’s about learning how your body signals clarity, readiness, and resistance.
This is a skill that develops slowly. It develops through noticing, not through perfection, and it cannot be forced by a calendar date or by turning the page to a new year.
So, I want you to start noticing – self-observation, always with non-judgement – and notice that you might be in a building phase right now. Perhaps you might be in a maintenance phase right now. Or, you might be in a recovery phase right now.
Whatever phase you’re in, it’s valid. January doesn’t get to decide this for you.
So, instead of asking, “What should I start?” try asking quieter questions:
What feels supportive right now? What feels forced? What decisions feel calm instead of urgent?
Clarity does not come from pressure. It comes from honesty.
I’ll give you an example. For the past few years, my holiday tradition has been to do the 12 Nights of Magic that my friend, and frequent guest on the show, Nadia Gabrielle offers every year. It starts on Christmas Eve and runs for 12 nights.
And I love - love it, love it, love it. I love the stillness it invites, the introspection and hope that it brings.
But this year, I didn’t do it. Not because I love it any less, but at the start of the holiday season, I did some traveling, which always wrecks my sleep (even if I stay in the same timezone).
When I got back from my trip to New York, I had a 15 ½ hour sleep debt.
So my entire focus for the holiday break was to get rid of this debt. And for me, it was minimizing all the things that felt activating for me.
And the pressure of doing a ritual every night, for 12 nights, the pressure to make sure I got it done before it was time for the next ritual, was too much for me.
But, I do plan to do it this month, just not at the time that Nadia hosted it live. Nothing wrong with the experience, just not the right timing for me, right now.
I cannot emphasize enough to you how much I loathe when someone tries to minimize or condescend on what someone else is doing because that’s what it is - condescending.
If someone is making an effort to try to take better care of themselves, let’s applaud it. Every person’s journey is unique, every person’s timing is unique.
Yes, let’s share our experiences, especially to help others, but let’s also hold space for where we’re all at. And most importantly, hold the space for yourself.
If this episode is helping you breathe a little easier, and you want a grounded way to understand how your energy actually works, you may find my guide, Designed to Thrive: The Gentle Guide to Human Design, a helpful place to start.
It gives you context around your Type, Strategy, and Authority — without asking you to overhaul your life.
If you’re looking for something deeper, that will help you apply your design around your rhythms and support digestion, your energy patterns, your real-life decision-making, then my signature program Find Your Flow is the next offering you might find valuable.
Neither of these are resets. They’re tools for understanding what’s already there.
I”ll have links to both of these offerings in the show notes for this episode that you’ll find at www.livefablife.com/332 for Episode 332.
Before I close, I want to remind you that after this episode, the podcast is transitioning away from a weekly schedule and into limited series.
This change isn’t because I’m not enjoying this work any more. I love having a podcast, and I love connecting with you here, but this is how I am choosing to honor my Projector energy and mental capacity moving forward.
This means fewer episodes, but episodes released with intention — not momentum.
If you’re part of my email community, I’m also shifting from weekly emails, to writing when there is something real to say.
And I’m planning to expand my writing on Substack — a space I first posted to last June — where I’ll be sharing more personal reflections and essays that sit adjacent to this podcast. You can find that link in the show notes as well.
I’m not going anywhere, this is just a shift I’m making to be more efficient with my energy. The best way to stay connected remains the same:
- Stay subscribed to the podcast
- Stay on my email list
- Find me on Instagram at @livefablifewithnaomi
This is where updates, announcements, and the behind-the-scenes stuff will live.
Remember, your energy didn’t reset on January 1. You’re not late. You’re not behind. You don’t need to start over to move forward. Wherever you are right now isn’t wrong. It’s information.
Thank you for listening, and I’ll see you when the first limited series drops! Bye for now!
Naomi Nakamura is a Health x Human Design coach who’s creating a healthier society through aligned energy.
She blends a bespoke mix of Functional Nutrition and Human Design to help others shift into alignment to leverage and correctly manage their energy to support their body, mind, and spirit.
She believes that when we embrace our authenticity and lean into our bio-individuality, we naturally live a life of freedom, empowerment, and optimal health.
Naomi resides in the San Francisco Bay Area and can often be found exploring the area with her puppy girl, Coco Pop!
Connect with Naomi on: Instagram
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