January 2026 Community Update!

Dear Community,

Happy New Year!

My kids jumped in a local lake right at midnight on NYE. 2025 was left under the water and they emerged into 2026. I used to do this with them, but didn’t want to freeze this year, so I was just there to cheer them on.

We’ve been traveling for the holidays, so I haven’t had a chance to really reflect on 2025 and what I hope for for 2026. I’ll be doing that tonight with my family. If you have any reflection questions, exercises, or ideas then please share them below. I’ll share whatever we end up doing as well. I’ll also share a broader 2025/2026 reflection soon.

I wish each of you a fulfilling, meaningful, and purposeful year ahead!

H

For most people I’ve talked to, 2025 has been a rough, wild ride. I am very excited to be steering into 2026 with you! Let’s start with announcements and opportunities!

At its heart, our community is built on growth, empathy, and the understanding that healing is a continuous journey. We created the Way of the River series to honor these core principles. This series explores how we can navigate the twists and turns of life with the same resilience and grace as a flowing river, deepening our connection to ourselves and those we support.

To help you truly dive into these concepts and reflect on your own journey, I have created 5 new quizzes to accompany the series. These are designed to challenge your perspective and solidify your understanding of the "river" mindset.

Here is the link to the first quiz in the series (here).

And here is the guidebook to reference all of the links in the series itself (here).

Recently, we opened a room for new users (locked to the Newbie badge) called the Welcome Lounge. This room is often the first stop for members seeking guidance in their first days, and we want to make sure every person who shows up feels seen and supported. To get this room humming, I’ve launched a team specifically for this room (The Welcome Lounge Committee) and I would love help! If you are a listener, check out the team (info here) and consider signing up to guide newbies in a fun, lighthearted room setting! We’ll also be rolling out a Room Supporter role for it in this new year so stay tuned!

When you’re done reading and commenting on this post, head over to my reflective prompt: (2026) Finish the sentence…

Hope

December has largely focused on maintaining our existing programs and courses, with operations continuing as usual. The 7 Cups Internship has become an increasingly popular option for university-credit practicums. To support the growing number of university-affiliated students, we’ve introduced a guide to help set them up for success, and the internship application has been updated to better accommodate their needs.

If you’re a university student looking to earn course credit through the 7 Cups Internship, feel free to PM me to discuss the next steps. Students have successfully received credit for majors such as Counseling, Social Work, Psychology, and Nursing.

The program remains open to anyone with a listener account. Whether you are pursuing it for professional development or course credit, you are welcome to apply. You can view the updated application here.

On the Carnegie Mellon University research participants recruitment front, the seats are almost full for both categories with waiting list still available for newbie listener category. You can join the waiting list here. 

SoulfullyAButterfly

This month, we organized Cupsmas with an advent calendar featuring 15 days of various activities prompting support, reflections and fun. 

We also kicked off our annual Cups Cloud activity where you can submit a word that describes 2025 and your wishes/hopes for 2026 - will announce the community results soon! 

The Loneliness Huddle is going very well. Similarly, we are excited to launch the Wellness Accountability Huddle and Way of the River series closed group chats in early January, with many more community and group support initiatives being planned.

Here’s to 2026 being another year filled with community that makes way for flourishing.