This Year Asked A Lot Of You: A Gentle Closing Before The New Year | Mid Week Tease
·11 min
Adele Onyango hosts this final Midweek Tease episode of the year, offering a reflective pause before the new year begins. She directly addresses listeners who may feel their year has been unclear or difficult. The episode is a solo monologue where Onyango shares personal insights without a guest.
Onyango argues that a year which didn't unfold as planned is not a failure but a revelation of what was unsustainable or misaligned. She describes survival through uncelebrated hardships, private tears, and showing up while exhausted. The host mentions grieving relationships with people who are still alive, including friendships that no longer fit. She identifies a specific type of tiredness that sleep cannot fix, stemming from carrying emotional and relational burdens.
A central insight is that releasing old versions of oneself to make room for growth is a tender and confusing process. Onyango challenges the pressure to extract lessons or reframe painful experiences into wisdom immediately. She notes that societal conditioning often labels unexpected outcomes as something having "gone wrong."
The episode includes a guided moment where listeners are asked to name three things they are releasing, like Onyango’s example of abandoning emotional needs for acceptance. Listeners are also prompted to identify one thing they are proud of surviving and one personal truth they carry forward. Onyango shares her carried truth: knowing she is powerful even when feeling weak or broken.
She explicitly gives permission to not feel hopeful or excited about the new year, stating some are simply too tired. The closing message emphasizes that being present and breathing at year’s end is enough. The tone is intimate, gentle, and conversational, resembling a personal audio letter or compassionate pep talk.
Listeners seeking solace, year-end reflection, or an alternative to productivity-focused wrap-ups would love this episode. Those preferring structured advice, interviews, or upbeat motivational content might skip it.
