This Year's Word with Courtney Symes

 
Have you ever looked at your life and thought, “On paper, everything is fine… so why doesn’t it feel quite right?”
Maybe you have a good job, people you love, a busy calendar and plenty to be grateful for, and yet somewhere underneath it all, there’s a persistent feeling that something is out of sync.
Perhaps you’re spending your time in ways that don’t reflect what you say matters most. Maybe you’re constantly saying yes to other people while quietly wishing you had more space for yourself. Or perhaps you’ve achieved things you once wanted, only to discover that the version of success you were chasing doesn’t feel as fulfilling as you expected.
This is where alignment becomes really interesting, because alignment isn’t just something that happens inside us. It shows up in the way we relate to other people, the work we choose, the commitments we make and, perhaps most importantly, the way we spend our ordinary days.
In our last episode, we explored how alignment begins with knowing ourselves — understanding our values, listening to our needs and recognising that we are allowed to evolve.
Today, we’re taking that idea out into the world.
Because once we begin to understand ourselves more honestly, we have to start asking: Does the life I’m actually living support the person I’m becoming?
And that question can be both revealing and incredibly freeing.
 
If the content of today’s episode has piqued your interest, I have something very special for you. I have created 30 Journal Prompts, similar to the ones mentioned throughout this episode on alignment – that’s one life-changing prompt for you to work on every day over the next month!
Just imagine how much growth you can unlock over the next 30 days if you keep the momentum going and commit to answering one prompt a day.
All you need to do to get these thought-provoking prompts is leave a positive rating and review for this podcast, take a screenshot of your review and email it to: courtney@alittlepinkbook.com and I’ll email you the prompts!
Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey, as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time. 
Grab your FREE How to Ask Someone if They're Ok Conversation Starters and FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here. 
Read more on my blog, or connect with me on Facebook. 

When was the last time you stopped and asked yourself what you actually want?
Not what you should want.
Not what your family needs from you, or what your workplace expects, or what would make other people happy.
Not even what you wanted five, ten or twenty years ago.
But what you want now.
It’s an interesting question, isn’t it?
Because most of us are very good at knowing what needs to be done. We know the appointments that need to be made, the emails that need answering, the people who need us, the goals we’re working towards and the responsibilities we’ve committed to.
But somewhere amongst all of that doing, it can become surprisingly easy to lose touch with ourselves.
And I think this is where alignment begins.
Before we can create an aligned life, we need to know the person we are actually trying to align with.
And that person isn’t necessarily the person we were ten years ago.
They may not even be the person we were last year.
Because we are constantly changing.
Our values evolve. Our needs change. Our priorities shift. Our relationships change. Our bodies change. Our dreams change. And sometimes, the life that once felt completely right can gradually begin to feel like a life we’re simply continuing because we’ve become accustomed to it.
So today, we’re turning inward.
We’re going to explore what it means to align with ourselves — our values, our needs, our desires, our intuition, and the person we are becoming.
Because sometimes alignment isn’t about changing your circumstances.
Sometimes it starts with coming back to yourself.
 
If the content of today’s episode has piqued your interest, I have something very special for you. I have created 30 Journal Prompts, similar to the ones mentioned throughout this episode on alignment – that’s one life-changing prompt for you to work on every day over the next month!
Just imagine how much growth you can unlock over the next 30 days if you keep the momentum going and commit to answering one prompt a day.
All you need to do to get these thought-provoking prompts is leave a positive rating and review for this podcast, take a screenshot of your review and email it to: courtney@alittlepinkbook.com and I’ll email you the prompts!
Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey, as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time. 
Grab your FREE How to Ask Someone if They're Ok Conversation Starters and FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here. 
Read more on my blog, or connect with me on Facebook. 

Have you ever had one of those seasons in life where, on the outside, everything looks pretty good?
Perhaps you're doing all the things you're supposed to be doing. You're working hard, looking after the people you love, meeting your commitments, ticking things off your list and generally keeping everything moving.
And yet, somewhere underneath all of that, there's this quiet feeling that something isn't quite right.
Nothing is necessarily terribly wrong. You might not even be able to put your finger on what it is. But you can feel a little disconnected from yourself.
I think many of us experience this at different points in our lives.
And sometimes, I wonder if that feeling is our inner self gently telling us that we've drifted out of alignment.
This month, our word is Align, and I want to spend the next few episodes exploring what it really means to live in alignment — with ourselves, with the people we love, with the way we spend our time, with our work, our values and ultimately, with the person we're becoming.
But before we explore all of those different areas, I think it's worth asking a very simple question:
What does it actually mean to live in alignment?
What Does Alignment Mean?
Join me as we explore these questions in this episode...
 
If the content of today’s episode has piqued your interest, I have something very special for you. I have created 30 Journal Prompts, similar to the ones mentioned throughout this episode on alignment – that’s one life-changing prompt for you to work on every day over the next month!
Just imagine how much growth you can unlock over the next 30 days if you keep the momentum going and commit to answering one prompt a day.
All you need to do to get these thought-provoking prompts is leave a positive rating and review for this podcast, take a screenshot of your review and email it to: courtney@alittlepinkbook.com and I’ll email you the prompts!
Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey, as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time. 
Grab your FREE How to Ask Someone if They're Ok Conversation Starters and FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here. 
Read more on my blog, or connect with me on Facebook. 

Hope is an interesting thing because we often don't realise we've lost some of it until we notice ourselves simply going through the motions.
Life still carries on. We keep showing up to work. We make dinners. We answer emails. We care for the people around us. On the outside, everything can look much the same.
But inside, something feels quieter.
Perhaps we've become disappointed by things not turning out as we imagined. Maybe life has unfolded differently than we expected. Maybe we've experienced loss, uncertainty, or change that slowly altered the way we see ourselves.
Sometimes it isn't one significant event at all.
It's simply the accumulation of everyday responsibilities, setbacks and constant demands that gradually pull us away from ourselves.
And before we know it, we've stopped asking ourselves what lights us up.
We've stopped dreaming.
We've stopped imagining what could still be possible.
That's why I believe restoration isn't only about restoring our energy.
Sometimes it's about restoring our belief that life can still surprise us.
That we are still growing.
That our story isn't finished yet.
As we've journeyed through this month's word, we've talked about restoring our energy, restoring our minds and bodies, and restoring our relationships. In this final episode in the series, I'd like to explore perhaps the deepest kind of restoration of all.
The restoration of hope.
 
If the content of today’s episode has piqued your interest, I have something very special for you. I have created 30 Journal Prompts, similar to the ones mentioned throughout this episode on restoration – that’s one life-changing prompt for you to work on every day over the next month!
Just imagine how much growth you can unlock over the next 30 days if you keep the momentum going and commit to answering one prompt a day.
All you need to do to get these thought-provoking prompts is leave a positive rating and review for this podcast, take a screenshot of your review and email it to: courtney@alittlepinkbook.com and I’ll email you the prompts!
Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey, as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time. 
Grab your FREE How to Ask Someone if They're Ok Conversation Starters and FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here. 
Read more on my blog, or connect with me on Facebook. 

Relationships shape so much of our lives. They have the ability to bring us incredible joy, comfort and belonging, but they can also become one of the greatest sources of stress, disappointment and emotional exhaustion.
Whether we're talking about our partners, children, parents, friends, colleagues or even the relationship we have with ourselves, every relationship requires care.
Just like a garden, they don't stay healthy simply because they once were. They need ongoing attention, gentle pruning, honest conversations and room to grow.
Throughout this month we've been exploring the idea of restoration—not simply as taking a break or slowing down, but as intentionally replenishing the parts of ourselves that have become depleted.
In our first episode, we looked at what restoration really means, and in our second, we explored restoring our physical and mental energy.
In this episode, I turn our attention toward something that has an enormous influence on our wellbeing—our relationships.
 
If the content of today’s episode has piqued your interest, I have something very special for you. I have created 30 Journal Prompts, similar to the ones mentioned throughout this episode on restoration – that’s one life-changing prompt for you to work on every day over the next month!
Just imagine how much growth you can unlock over the next 30 days if you keep the momentum going and commit to answering one prompt a day.
All you need to do to get these thought-provoking prompts is leave a positive rating and review for this podcast, take a screenshot of your review and email it to: courtney@alittlepinkbook.com and I’ll email you the prompts!
Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey, as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time. 
Grab your FREE How to Ask Someone if They're Ok Conversation Starters and FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here. 
Read more on my blog, or connect with me on Facebook. 

A lot of us are tired.
Not just the kind of tired that comes from one late night.
I mean the deeper kind of tired.
The kind where you wake up after a full night's sleep and still don't feel refreshed.
The kind where your body feels heavy, your mind won't stop racing, and even the smallest tasks seem to require more energy than they used to.
Can you relate?
In the last episode, we began exploring what restoration really means. We talked about how restoration is so much more than simply taking a holiday or catching up on sleep. It's about intentionally replenishing the parts of ourselves that have been quietly running low.
In this episode, I'd love to explore one of the places where many of us feel that depletion most deeply—our physical and mental energy.
 
If the content of today’s episode has piqued your interest, I have something very special for you. I have created 30 Journal Prompts, similar to the ones mentioned throughout this episode on restoration – that’s one life-changing prompt for you to work on every day over the next month!
Just imagine how much growth you can unlock over the next 30 days if you keep the momentum going and commit to answering one prompt a day.
All you need to do to get these thought-provoking prompts is leave a positive rating and review for this podcast, take a screenshot of your review and email it to: courtney@alittlepinkbook.com and I’ll email you the prompts!
Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey, as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time. 
Grab your FREE How to Ask Someone if They're Ok Conversation Starters and FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here. 
Read more on my blog, or connect with me on Facebook. 
 
 

Have you ever noticed that sometimes you can take a whole weekend off... sleep in, watch your favourite shows, maybe even go away for a few days... and yet by Monday morning, you still feel exhausted?
I've certainly experienced that.
And it makes you wonder whether what we're craving isn't actually more rest... but something deeper.
This month, our word is Restore.
At first glance, it seems like a simple word. We restore furniture. We restore old buildings. We restore power after a storm.
But when we talk about restoring ourselves, it becomes something much richer than simply taking a break.
Restoration isn't about escaping life.
It's about returning to yourself.
It's the quiet, intentional process of replenishing whatever life has slowly worn down—physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.
And I think that's something many of us are longing for - without even realising it.
In this episode, I explore what restoration really means, why it's different from simply resting, and how we can begin recognising the parts of ourselves that are quietly asking for renewal.
 
If the content of today’s episode has piqued your interest, I have something very special for you. I have created 30 Journal Prompts, similar to the ones mentioned throughout this episode on restoration – that’s one life-changing prompt for you to work on every day over the next month!
Just imagine how much growth you can unlock over the next 30 days if you keep the momentum going and commit to answering one prompt a day.
All you need to do to get these thought-provoking prompts is leave a positive rating and review for this podcast, take a screenshot of your review and email it to: courtney@alittlepinkbook.com and I’ll email you the prompts!
Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey, as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time. 
Grab your FREE How to Ask Someone if They're Ok Conversation Starters and FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here. 
Read more on my blog, or connect with me on Facebook. 

Persistence is never just about achieving goals.
It's about transformation.
It's about who we become while pursuing them.
Over the last few episodes, we've explored what persistence means, where life asks it of us, and how it shows up in our relationships.
Today, I'd like to explore perhaps the most profound question of all:
How has persistence shaped the person I am becoming?
 
If the content of today’s episode has piqued your interest, I have something very special for you. I have created 30 Journal Prompts, similar to the ones mentioned throughout this episode on persistence – that’s one life-changing prompt for you to work on every day over the next month!
Just imagine how much growth you can unlock over the next 30 days if you keep the momentum going and commit to answering one prompt a day.
All you need to do to get these thought-provoking prompts is leave a positive rating and review for this podcast, take a screenshot of your review and email it to: courtney@alittlepinkbook.com and I’ll email you the prompts!
Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey, as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time. 
Grab your FREE How to Ask Someone if They're Ok Conversation Starters and FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here. 
Read more on my blog, or connect with me on Facebook. 

One of the most common misconceptions about relationships is that healthy relationships should be easy.
That if we find the right people, everything should flow effortlessly.
But the longer we live, the more we learn that's not quite how relationships work.
Because relationships are living things.
They grow.
They change.
They evolve.
And just like gardens, they require tending.
Today, I want to explore the role persistence plays in our relationships.
Not persistence as endurance.
Not persistence as tolerating unhealthy behaviour.
But persistence as commitment.
As care.
As choosing connection even when it would be easier to withdraw.
 
If the content of today’s episode has piqued your interest, I have something very special for you. I have created 30 Journal Prompts, similar to the ones mentioned throughout this episode on persistence – that’s one life-changing prompt for you to work on every day over the next month!
Just imagine how much growth you can unlock over the next 30 days if you keep the momentum going and commit to answering one prompt a day.
All you need to do to get these thought-provoking prompts is leave a positive rating and review for this podcast, take a screenshot of your review and email it to: courtney@alittlepinkbook.com and I’ll email you the prompts!
Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey, as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time. 
Grab your FREE How to Ask Someone if They're Ok Conversation Starters and FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here. 
Read more on my blog, or connect with me on Facebook. 

The great thing about persistence is that we don’t have to wait very long before life offers up an opportunity to practice it!
In our last episode, we explored what persistence actually means.
Not persistence as hustle.Not persistence as pushing ourselves relentlessly.But persistence as the quiet decision to keep showing up for what matters.
Today, I'd like to take that conversation a little deeper.
Because once we understand persistence, the next question becomes:
Where is life currently inviting us to practice it?
 
If the content of today’s episode has piqued your interest, I have something very special for you. I have created 30 Journal Prompts, similar to the ones mentioned throughout this episode on persistence – that’s one life-changing prompt for you to work on every day over the next month!
Just imagine how much growth you can unlock over the next 30 days if you keep the momentum going and commit to answering one prompt a day.
All you need to do to get these thought-provoking prompts is leave a positive rating and review for this podcast, take a screenshot of your review and email it to: courtney@alittlepinkbook.com and I’ll email you the prompts!
Check out my courses: Magical Mornings and Joyful Journaling Journey, as well as my book, A Year of Love: Finding peace one day at a time. 
Grab your FREE How to Ask Someone if They're Ok Conversation Starters and FREE Journaling Guide with 100+ prompts here. 
Read more on my blog, or connect with me on Facebook.