Join Jill this week as she ushers in February, reminding us that it's still the Year of the Snake and that many of us are shedding which can truly be a challenging process. Rather than rushing to set intentions for the Year of the Fire Horse, she instead invites listeners to slow down and notice what is ready to fall away before the next chapter begins.

This episode centers on a simple but powerful premise: we don't move forward cleanly without first naming what we're done carrying, and Jill offers a guided list of questions for listeners to ask themselves designed to help them identify what they are committed to releasing, even if part of them is still afraid to let go. She shares a small set of life categories to focus the process: people/relationships, money, physical health, self-image, and sex, and for each of them, she provides reflective prompts meant to reveal patterns, obligations, and stories that no longer feel true.

Listeners are encouraged to look honestly at relationships that feel neutral or obligatory, not just the ones that are obviously draining. Jill also challenges the idea of "mindless" spending, reframing money as energy and asking what might change if we were more aware of that. She explores extremes in physical health - both neglect and rigid control - and encourages a gentler relationship with the body. In a candid closing section, she also names sex, desire, and pleasure as areas many people postpone or avoid, urging listeners to release shame, obligation, and silence.

Throughout this episode, Jill highlights that this is not about fixing or forcing change. It's about witnessing what comes up with compassion and without judgment. The act of naming, she suggests, is often what allows something to complete and release. This conversation sets the tone for the weeks ahead – much less about striving for what's next and much more about making space by honoring what's ready to be shed!

Show Notes:

[1:28] - Last week's episode reconnected listeners and leads back into the February Fire Horse transition.
[2:23] - Jill reassures listeners that many feel stuck in limbo during the Snake's final shed.
[5:07] - Jill introduces reflection categories to identify what feels outdated and/or ready for release.
[7:45] - Hear how mindless spending and fear around money are energetic patterns which she challenges listeners to shed.
[9:07] - Jill invites listeners to let go of being too strict or too careless with their physical health and to find balance.
[10:10] - Hear how desire, sex, and pleasure are reclaimed by shedding shame, obligation, and rigid routines.
[11:20] - Listeners are invited to witness themselves with compassion and to choose authenticity over judgment and/or pressure.

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts

"I love Be You Podcast!" ← If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps the podcast reach more people just like you. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." I know there was something in this episode that you were meant to hear. Let me know what that is!

Also, if you haven't done so already, follow Be You Podcast. There is a new episode every single week, and if you're not following, there's a good chance you'll miss out.

Jill returns to talking about the New Year this episode as she reframes the start of the year by separating what the calendar says from what the body, spirit, and nervous system are actually experiencing. While the 1st of January might mark a date change as per the Gregorian calendar, Jill explains why she doesn't energetically follow it and how aligning with the lunar calendar reveals that many of us are still finishing the work of the previous year. If January has felt heavy, confusing, or unexpectedly intense, Jill offers a compassionate perspective on why delayed emotional "shedding" could be surfacing now.

Jill also gets a little personal and reflects on her word for 2025 – freedom. She discusses the unexpected way that it manifested for her: through saying goodbye. She shares what it looked like to release fantasies, roles, and relationships that she was holding together through hope rather than truth. With vulnerable honesty, she opens up about long-term family estrangement, the grief of letting go of a beloved home and era of life, and the moment when she realized that freedom sometimes requires releasing the dream that things will change. It's not about bitterness or giving up but is rather about choosing reality over self-abandonment.

She also revisits the idea of "wintering" as an active phase, not a passive one, and explains why this slower season is incredibly important preparation for what's ahead. She offers grounded ways to work with this energy such as purging physical clutter, creating space in your calendar, gently moving your body, and examining relationships that may be held together by guilt or obligation. Rather than forcing goals or resolutions, Jill invites listeners to focus on the feeling that they truly want to experience. Jill warmly reminds listeners in this episode that space is not emptiness and that letting go can very much be the doorway to what comes next!

Show Notes:

[1:46] - Hear how Jill prefers to follow a lunar rhythm, viewing current overwhelm as delayed shedding from last year.
[4:42] - Instead of resisting wintering energy, Jill allows a quiet pause before inevitable forward movement.
[7:21] - Reflecting on 2025, Jill emphasizes lessons, gratitude, and recognizing its unexpected theme: saying goodbye.
[9:16] - For Jill, freedom became possible only through letting go of certain relationships, illusions, and long, loving goodbyes.
[11:15] - Jill opens up about how the deepest farewell was releasing the dream that estrangement with a family member would someday be repaired.
[13:20] - For Jill, letting go also meant ending overgiving, initiating less, and accepting some people's commitment to misunderstanding.
[15:03] - Hear how Jill's letting go created freedom, unexpected friendships, and new beginnings aligned with her true 2025 theme.
[18:11] - This season for Jill is about intentional preparation - purging clutter and gentle body movement.
[20:48] - Hear how daily grounding practices now prevent future pressure while also leading to physical, emotional, and energetic space.
[23:47] - Jill asserts that healthy relationships flow without guilt, tests, or forcing, and require courageously reclaiming time and energy.
[25:52] - Jill closes by honoring listeners and encouraging surrender, slowness, breathing deeply, and releasing what doesn't belong.

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts

"I love Be You Podcast!" ← If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps the podcast reach more people just like you. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select "Write a Review." I know there was something in this episode that you were meant to hear. Let me know what that is!

Also, if you haven't done so already, follow Be You Podcast. There is a new episode every single week, and if you're not following, there's a good chance you'll miss out.