The most interesting sensation happened when I came back from summer vacation (I can’t believe I’m saying this in my 50s lol), and sat down at my desk again, and I am wondering if this happened to you too.
It was a feeling I realized I had never experienced back when I lived in New York. Maybe this sounds familiar to you too. By the time November rolls around, the holidays are creeping up, and you may not be in the mood. The year is winding down, and you notice you didn’t hit the goals you set in January. And then the question sneaks in: what on earth are you going to do differently so that 2026 does not end the same way?
I think I may have stumbled on something that changes everything. At least it did for me.
When I lived in New York full-time, I never, ever slowed down unless I got sick. I embodied the hustle culture, but I do not blame myself. That’s how New Yorkers are wired. January was always my reset because that is when the world demanded it and also because it was my busiest month. Everyone was chasing resolutions, trying to push themselves harder right after the holidays when energy was at its lowest. February came with the Lunar New Year, a kind of second chance, but it was still in the cold and dark.
Paris taught me something new. This summer I gave myself real time off, two vacations, enough space to actually let my body reset. When I come back, the energy does not evaporate, it stays. The weather is still warm, not so hot that I feel lethargic or want to spend all my time in outdoor cafés (well, sometimes!). The evenings are still light, even if shortening. I feel clear, focused, and ready in a way I have never experienced before.
That is when it clicked: September is the TRUE new year.
I felt rested, clear, and energized in a way I don’t usually feel at any other point in the year. In spring, clarity sometimes arrives, but by then I am already tired from the rush at the beginning of the year and yearning for summer sun. September feels different. The warmth lingers without making me want to slow down, the evenings are still light, and if you are a parent, children are back in school and there is suddenly more space in your day. This moment in September is a moment when clarity and energy align, and that is rare.
Not January, when you are depleted. Not February, when you are still dragging through winter. September is when your energy and your clarity align. It is the reset you have been waiting for, the one that actually sticks.
This is why I practice Feng Shui as strategy, not decoration. When your energy and your environment are aligned, you can use this season to step into momentum that lasts. If you don’t, you risk slipping back into the same old loops by winter.
In Feng Shui, the symbolism of Autumn energy is contraction. It is the beginning of turning inward, preparing for the yin of winter. Before that inward turn there is a short golden window where the energy is sharp, clear, and sweet. That is what September feels like to me. This energy does not last long at all, but it is potent, and if you use it, it is enough to set your next chapter in motion.
This is also why I am creating something new here in Paris. At the end of the month I will be hosting my first women’s circle! It will be a safe space to reset, reflect, and step into this energy together. I will share details next week, but know this: September is not just another month. It is the beginning of your next chapter, if you choose to see it that way.
So let me ask you: if September becomes your real new year, what are you beginning? And what shifts in your energy and your environment would you need to make?
And with that, I am officially declaring mid-September – once the summer has softened and the kids are back in school – as the NEW, new year.
