Why I Abandoned the Airbnb at 2am

It started with a smell. In this episode, Judith shares the full story of abandoning a vomit-soaked London Airbnb at 2am — and what hauling a giant suitcase into a perfumed hotel in the middle of the night taught her about the year she was actually having. This is the episode that introduces the 2026 theme: Misadventures.

In This Episode:

• The Airbnb from hell — feet, cheese, mold, a cracked window, and a ceiling that finally gave way

• Why we stay too long in things that clearly aren't working — sunk cost, pride, and not wanting to admit we were wrong

• How to let the year tell you what kind of year it is instead of forcing a theme onto January

• Why naming what's actually happening is the first move toward shaping what you want

• The difference between resisting reality and acknowledging it — with humor and levity

Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It: Ask yourself what the year is already telling you. What have you been tolerating too long? What is your proverbial vomit-filled hallway? You don't have to know where the hotel is yet — you just have to admit the smell is no longer acceptable.

Timestamps:

• 0:00 Welcome & Introduction

• 0:09 The London Airbnb Horror Story

• 2:53 Why Did We Stay So Long? (Sunk Cost & Pride)

• 4:01 Rethinking the "Word of the Year" Approach

• 4:44 Letting the Year Tell You Its Theme

• 5:50 Introducing the Theme: Misadventure

• 6:38 Invitation: Name the Year You're Actually Having

• 7:09 Your Mission: What Are You Tolerating?

• 7:46 What's Coming Next on the Podcast & Substack

• 9:19 Closing & Call to Action

Connect: Instagram @judithgaton | Substack for weekly essays

Why has getting dressed become a lost pleasure for busy professionals? Host Judith Gaton reframes intentional dressing as an act of resistance and shares 30 compelling reasons to find joy in your getting ready routine again.

• Why the ritual of getting ready has lost its mystique

• How style and fashion are inherently political acts

• Why trivializing what women find pleasure in is problematic

• 30 acts of resistance through intentional dressing

• How to reclaim the pleasure of getting ready without perfection

• [00:00] The lost pleasure of getting dressed

• [02:30] Getting ready as armor and creativity

• [08:45] Why this conversation matters during difficult times

• [12:20] Style and fashion as inherently political

• [15:40] Real-world examples: lawyers, doctors, nonprofit leaders

• [20:15] The 30 acts of resistance through dressing

• [25:30] Finding compelling reasons to care for yourself

"The goal is not perfection. It's intention. Let's take care of the aesthetics so that you can do your work unfettered and undistracted."

Connect: Instagram @judithgaton | Substack for weekly essays