My word for 2026 was supposed to be hope. A friend took one look at my year and corrected me.
“Dawn, you are not hoping. You are building.” She was right.
Some of my building included The Authentizity Project, the Relationship Intelligence™ framework, client work that stretched me in ways I did not see coming back in January, and much more...
I had been so deep in the building that I never stopped to name it. Here is the part I do not say out loud very often. I am an unlikely entrepreneur.
I grew up in Louisiana watching my dad run a residential plumbing company, and what I took from it was that owning a business meant hardship.
So when my previous organization closed its Houston office at the end of 2016, starting my own firm was not the plan. In fact, it was no where near the plan.
That was January 2017. Authentizity turns ten this February.
And the thing nobody told me? It has been beautiful.
Challenging, yes. But nothing like what I braced for.
The business you build with your own hands does not have to look like the one you grew up inside.
If you are thinking about starting something, or you are three years in and wondering whether to keep going, I want you to hear that! So before 2026 closes, three questions are bubbling up.
Specifically, you might consider:
1. What did this year culminate in for you? Not what you did. What did it add reveal to you? 2. What are you looking forward to in 2027?
3. How will you learn, and where will you stretch?
And one more. If you had to sum up 2026 in a single word, what would it be?
Drop your word in the comments. Mine is B-U-I-L-D!
I will share more in the new year about what building looks like next!
Hit reply and tell me or reach me at dlandry@authentizity.com.
Also, if you haven’t already subscribed, you can subscribe to my YouTube channels at https://www.youtube.com/@TheAuthentizityProject and https://www.youtube.com/@dawnflandry.
— Dawn F. Landry
#RelationshipIntelligence #Entrepreneurship #YearInReview #Leadership #Authentizity #dawnflandry #TheAuthentizityProject
