Episode 60: A Different Way to Begin Again: Integrity Over Optimization for a New Year

If you’re asking yourself “How do you plan for 2026 when everything feels uncertain?” or “How can I avoid burnout next year?” This episode offers a different way forward. Instead of goals, predictions, or productivity resets, Jenn Walker Wall explores how to prepare for a new year with intention, flexibility, and care.

You’ll hear a framework built around integrity, rhythm, resonance, resources, and awe. These are structures designed to help you navigate work, career decisions, and personal goals without defaulting to hustle or burnout. Jenn reflects on why depth and sensitivity are often misunderstood at work, how traditional career narratives are breaking down, and what it looks like to move forward without optimizing yourself into exhaustion.

This episode is about slowing down without giving up, creating meaning without overcommitting, and building structures that help you stay grounded, values-aligned, and resourced—especially in a volatile professional landscape.

Episode Highlights

• Why 2026 planning requires flexibility, not rigid goal-setting
• How integrity can serve as a stabilizing force in uncertain times
• The shift from routines to rhythms, and why seasons matter
• Why it can feel like depth, sensitivity, and “soft-skills” are often undervalued at work
• Moving away from self-optimization and toward meaning and contribution
• How resonance can guide career and job decisions
• The role of resources (energy, people, support systems) in sustainable work
• Why it’s okay to build a new year around nourishment, not productivity

Episode Timestamps

• 00:00 — Planning for 2026 in an Era of Uncertainty
• 03:18 — How Do You Plan Without Control? Rethinking Goals and Success
• 06:03 — Depth as an Asset: Why Work Rarely Makes Space for It)
• 07:43 — Integrity Over Optimization: A New Career Framework
• 09:12 — Rhythms Over Routines: Sustainable Ways to Work and Live)
• 12:51 — Resonance as a Career Compass
• 13:36 — Creating Awe, Resources, and Support Systems
• 17:00 — Designing Job Searches and Careers That Reflect How You Want to Work

Resources and Links

• Sacred Structures: A Retreat Day for the Capricorn New Moon
• Work Wonders Careers Job Search Community
• Revive Your Career Session or Bundle
• Careers at the End Substack
• Connect with Jenn on LinkedIn
• Episode 56: How to Create Income Without a Corporate Job: Portfolio Careers, Self Employment and Other Ways to Make $$
• Episode 57: What to Do When Your Industry Is in Crisis: Resume Strategies and Job Search Tips to Help You Pivot Careers in a Tough Market
• Episode 59: From Side Hustle to Steady Work: Proven Strategies to Attract and Keep Freelance Clients

Credits

Podcast editing by Vienna DeGiacomo, Good Story Branding

Credits

Podcast editing by Vienna DeGiacomo, Good Story Branding