Well-Being Served In 2026

As a new year begins, so many of us turn inward. We reflect. We imagine.

We set intentions for:
Better health.
More ease with money.
Stronger relationships.
Habits that support the life we want to live.

What we are really naming—whether we call them resolutions, hopes, or visions—comes down to one word: well-being. Take health, for example. Movement. Strength. Shedding a few pounds. Feeling more at home in our bodies. Sooner or later, this intention brings us to food—to what we cook, how we shop, how we plan. And then the question opens further: how does the food I cook and purchase support not only my well-being, but also that of my community and the planet?

When we widen the circle of well-being, something shifts. Our intentions grow deeper roots. They become less about willpower and more about purpose.
In my kitchen, there’s a small sign that reads: WELL-BEING SERVED HERE.
It began as a reminder about food, but it has become something larger—a mantra, a way of moving through the world.

What would it look like to approach this year with that same intention?
Well-being served here—in our kitchens, our choices, our relationships, our work.
As we step into 2026, this feels especially meaningful to name. This is the year The Kitchen Activist comes into the world (below is the finalized cover art for the book, due out in November).

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But I don’t want to wait to begin sharing what lives inside its pages.

One way I’m doing that is through the Kitchen Activist podcast. Rather than talking about change in the abstract, I want to stay close to how it actually unfolds—in real kitchens, real schedules, real lives.

I’m inviting anyone who wants to begin, or deepen, a meal-planning practice to join me for a four-week journey. We’ll record a conversation at the start and then for three consecutive weeks, exploring where you’re beginning, what’s getting in the way, and what starts to shift as a rhythm takes shape. These conversations will be shared with the larger community through the podcast, so others can learn alongside us.

I don’t know exactly what will emerge from these conversations. What I do know is that there will be honesty, learning, and generosity—for you, for me, and for anyone listening who’s looking for a grounded way to support their own well-being while strengthening their connection to community and the planet.

Meal planning may sound simple, but it touches nearly everything we name when we talk about change. It shapes how we nourish ourselves, how we spend and save money, how we gather and connect, and how thoughtfully we move through the food system we are part of. In that way, it becomes one of the most direct and accessible ways I know to serve well-being—personally and collectively.

Here’s to a year rooted in purpose.
Here’s to well-being, served here.

Happy New Year!