Intentionality begins with introspection
January reflection questions and prompts to stir your inner host
I wrote this in December and I never hit “publish”, but its January and it’s never too late for some introspection, so here we go! If you’re new here, welcome. I’m so excited to kick off this year with you.
much love, and more to come,
Rachel
As I’m back with family in Portland, Oregon, my New York-run adrenaline system settles to a lull. I wake up in my brother’s cabin-like home, walk under canopies of evergreens and alongside overgrown gardens to the neighborhood psychedelic-themed coffee shop, pour our minds into journals, and consume a high quality breakfast from whatever new pop ups Portland has to offer. Running errands, everyone seems to know my dual bar-owning brother. It feels like living in the shadow of the unofficial mayor when I’m here. Life seems artful, sensory, unhurried. (My first night included tiny ‘tinis at a 70’s themed bar who’s specialty is rotisserie chicken. Yeah.) After sloughing off the busyness of my event season (October to December) and some rather intense food-related health issues all fall, my craving for inspiration and lost creativity returns in waves.
I spent a lot of my free time in Portland volleying reflective prompts with my brother. The wonderful, delirious, ever-stretching week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, always seems to invite a familiar introspection, right? In my company, I have a firm belief that the extent to which my team shares hospitality towards our clients starts with how I practice hospitality towards my team. In the same way, if you want to show intentionality with others (being someone who creates an atmosphere of welcome as a host, specifically), we must first begin with ourselves. How can you expect to treat someone with inquisitiveness and intentionality if you aren’t taking the time to do this for yourself?
So in this first official week of January, I’m giving you a refreshed set of reflection prompts and questions to cap off the year. You may even try to pick one as a table question, but definitely know your audience before pulling one out. These ones go deep.
2025 Reflection Prompts for Introspection
Before January rolls away, what if you took a leisurely latte at your favorite coffee shop, a glass of Grenache at a wine bar, or curled up with some tea on your couch, and answered these questions distraction-free?
The times I felt most authentically myself this year were… (make a list).
What moments did I take full advantage of in its fullest?
What opportunities did I miss out on? (This is not meant to shame or judge, but to think forward to the next year with a few positive ways to live life more to the fullest.)
What moments this year did I feel least authentic to myself? What can I learn from those moments? (Same disclaimer as above.)
Did I make time for creativity, art, curiosity or playfulness this year?
Where did I grow in communication, boundaries, or vulnerability this year, and where am I still learning to grow?
What did I overcome this year?
Who is someone who made me feel grounded this year, and who would I like to spend more time with next year?
What kind of hospitality felt most authentic to me this year and do I want to do more of the same, or change the ways in which I host?
And as a final note, I thought this Streams Studio clip was a beautiful way to encapsulate a lot of my own reflections on prayer from the past year. Here’s to living a more honest, intentional, human 2026.
much love,
Rachel