In January I enjoyed a reflective and celebratory staycation, lots of teaching, trying new things, and planning an extraordinary 2025!
My intention for a “Gentle January” held true, even as a new cycle of teaching, coaching, and experiences began.
Gentle January
My annual review process continues into the New Year, as I prefer to reflect on the final month once it is complete and I respect however long my completion process takes in its various forms. This year the whole of January was dedicated to 2024 reflections and 2025 intention-setting, so I first published those articles and videos in February.
We had a festive Silvester/NYE into a restful and reflective New Year’s Day, played Fussball/Soccer Billiards with friends for the first time, saw lots of pretty Snow (the snowiest winter so far since I moved to Germany), returned to learning Tango, and attended Live Art at a local Gallery.
Protests leading up to German election began and would continue in February, important times to defend democracy and human rights!
Had a nice cozy staycation into the New Year, allowing time for my Annual Reflections process, Planning my Word of the Year, Projects/Campaigns/Challenges, Twenty 25s, and so forth.
Bullet Journaling & Planning
The above YouTube Video is a flip-through of the month in my Seasonal Book including goals, glows, media favorites, and events I recorded along the way.
I shared my initial setup on Instagram here and began to update my Monthly, Weekly, and Daily logs, Annual Collections, and set up my February and 2025 Annual Book spreads. Wintery themes of snowflakes, pinecones and evergreens, and cozy squirrels continued.
Chose my Word of the Year and started to put together my opening BuJo spread in my Annual Book with a poem, developing themes and projects, visual design theme of “Golden Art Deco.” Played a lot with my new ink samples in my fountain pens.
Another major highlight of month one was making travel arrangements for our next US visit, purchasing plane tickets to be in Portland, Oregon and Kailua-Kona, Hawai’i in the spring.
Teaching & Coaching
Regular Mindful Movement classes in Balletlicious Ballet Barre+ and Yummy Gentle Yoga continued throughout, and studio classes in Ballet started up again, with folks slowly returning from their own year’s transition revels.
Lots to learn for me and my students, with new grades/syllabi (Grade 2 & 4) commencing after successful completion of their Royal Academy of Dancing exams.
There is currently one coaching slot available, and I will keep you posted on further offerings as they come together!
Writing & Publishing Articles
This year, writing and sharing resources to my blog at ablythecoach.com will continue to be a top priority, and it is a great place to find out what I am up as well as other experts and creators who I recommend.
In January I published two articles to the blog:
- December Engendered Completion & Celebration – 2024 Month 12 Reflection, which summarized highlights and events the prior festive month
- Dance Daily December Recap – 31 Days of Movement to Change Your Life & 7 ways it did where I reflected on the experience of moving and sharing every day for a month
Filming & Sharing Videos
I didn’t quite reach 1,000 subscribers to the A Blythe Coach YouTube Channel in January, but got a bit nearer and hope to attain this milestone early in 2025.
The practice of sharing my work, my favorite things, and refining my voice is personally valuable, as well as an opportunity to engage with likeminded community online and in-person.
I published 5 videos to the A Blythe Coach YouTube Channel in January on the topics of dance, creativity, and joyful living:
Connecting: Email & Social Media
The best way to keep up-to-date on everything I’m coaching, teaching, creating and sharing about as well as work from others that I believe to be of value for fellow creatives is to subscribe to my weekly email newsletter. It lights me up to see new subscribers there as well as responses to me missives.
I sent 5 Email Newsletters in January:
- 2025 so glad to be alive! email newsletter
- December engendered completion & celebration, things to do in January email newsletter
- 7 things I learned dancing and sharing every day in December, what moves us in 2025 email newsletter
- Planning a Golden Art Deco 2025, processing a year past while looking ahead, appreciating the present email newsletter
- How to Tie Ballet Slipper Ribbons, new art & dance works, what do we do now? email newsletter
In addition, I posted 3 times to Instagram, may have been a little burnt out on that after sharing every single day the previous month thanks to #dancedailydecember, but having grace with a slow start to the year. It is my honor to be connected to you there, here, online and in-person!
Creative Challenges
After wrapping up Dance Daily December by biggest “challenge” was a comprehensive reflection on the last year as well as planning the upcoming season and year of artistic projects and campaigns.
This in addition to writing in my journals, playing with my new fountain pens, publishing articles, creating syllabi, improvisations and choreography, video filming and editing.
Twenty 25s in 2025
Having found such a structure useful in 2023 and 2024, for 2025 I am reducing the number of categories tracked to 20, and raise the actions by one for a catchy “Twenty 25s in 2025.”
In January, I chose my 20 actions and started tracking them, then in February I was able to post about it to the blog.
This creative challenge is a playful way to track various leading metrics, projects and activities I wish to keep an eye on, and since some of the actions are daily, I reached 25 actions in the month of January (Daily Logs, Yoga Practice Sessions, Meditation, Deutsch, Gratitude & Abundance).
Media Musings
My January in reading, listening, and viewing pleasures:
Art & Culture
Kicked our year right off with a murder mystery dinner with friends, art gallery openings and live performances!
Books & Reading
Books Read
Still reading along on my nonfiction picks (poetry, scripture, personal growth), and I completed one novel in January:
- Funny Story by Emily Henry was a highly-recommended book from last year that I read at a good clip: “A shimmering, joyful new novel about a pair of opposites with the wrong thing in common… Daphne always loved the way her fiancé, Peter, told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it… right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.”
Poetry Read
- The new anthology I started that will take me through 2025, 365 Poems for Life: An Uplifting Collection for Every Day of the Year compiled by Allie Esiri immediately touched and inspired me such that I filmed the Poetic Inspiration from _365 Poems for Life_ “The Day is Done” by Longfellow video.
Listening Highlights
Favorite things heard over the course of the month go here, such as concerts, songs, pieces of music, playlists, podcasts and more.
Music: Songs, Playlists & Albums
My Balletlicious Barre+ Dance Playlist on YouTube inspired movement classes and students particularly liked this “Game of Thrones” Plie music for ballet class.
Viewing Highlights
Films
Favorite Movies watched in January:
- “Jules”/”A Great Place to Call Home” Film is a 2023 American science fiction comedy-drama film: Milton Robinson is a 79-year-old widower living on his own. He frequently attends city council meetings and receives help from his daughter. One day, a spaceship crash lands in his backyard flower garden and a blue humanoid alien crawls out of it.
- “The Six Triple Eight” is a true story of determined professionalism reminded me of the strong women of color I know in the military.
Series
Series streamed in January:
- Finished the “Schitt’s Creek” Series, which is sad since the characters are so endearing
- “Missing You” Mystery Series my Mom recommended was action-packed
Questions for Reflection
- What do you want to remember from January/the past month, quarter, and year?
- Which books, musical selections, and viewing do you currently recommend?
- Where will you plant seeds to grow this season?
- What are your favorite New Year’s and Spring treats?
Resources for Further Exploration
- Quantum Leaping into 2024 Word of the Year Article
- Twenty-Four 24s in 2024 Article
- To-Enjoy List for Quarter 4 2024 Article
- Say the Magic Words Article
- Analog Journals for Creativity Article
My other monthly reflections for 2025, special workshops and collaborations in dance, coaching and more coming soon.
Thank you for reading, for being, and for dancing with me, in spirit or in fact!
Take care of yourself and keep moving mindfully, let me know how if I can be of service, would love to see you in my email newsletter or on social media as well.
Blythe Stephens, MFA & Bliss Catalyst
they/them or she/her
Creator of A Blythe Coach @ablythecoach
helping multi-passionate creatives dance through their difficulties,
taking leaps of faith into fulfillment through coaching, yoga & dance education