February 18, 2026
By Joelle Martinez
Last year did not feel like a year of momentum. It felt like a year of survival.
It was a never-ending sea of change. The rules kept shifting, and the ground kept moving. Long-standing assumptions about leadership, partnerships, community, and progress were suddenly uncertain. Rapid changes around DEI forced constant recalibration. Conversations required more care. Decisions carried more weight. Every step forward required navigating conditions that did not exist before.
That kind of environment changes you. You continue showing up. You continue leading. But internally, something shifts. You are no longer operating from expansion. You are operating from preservation. You are no longer building freely. You are protecting intentionally.
You are in survival mode.
Survival is necessary. It sharpens your instincts. It strengthens your discipline. It teaches you where to focus your energy. But survival is not where progress lives. Progress requires something more. It requires forward motion.
This is why the Year of the Horse matters. In the Chinese zodiac, the horse symbolizes strength, resilience, and purposeful progress. It is not defined by sudden bursts of speed, but by its ability to travel long distances through sustained, disciplined motion. The horse represents the power of continuing forward, even after periods of hardship and uncertainty. It does not wait for perfect conditions. It adjusts to the terrain, conserves its energy when needed, and keeps moving.
This is the leadership transition we are being called to make. The transition from survival to progress.
When Everything Changes, Return to What Does Not
Constant change drains energy because it forces you to question everything. What once felt clear becomes uncertain. What once felt stable becomes unpredictable. Over time, uncertainty erodes confidence and makes even simple decisions feel heavier.
In those moments, the most important thing you can do is return to what does not change.
For me, that is my why.
Not the headlines. Not the external noise. Not the shifting narratives. My why is simple and unwavering. It is unlocking Latino potential, power, possibility, influence, and wealth. It is building leaders who will shape the future of our workforce, our economy, and our country.
When I reconnect to that purpose, something shifts. The uncertainty does not disappear, but it no longer has the power to stop forward motion. Purpose restores clarity. Clarity restores direction.
The horse does not stop moving because the terrain changes. It adjusts its footing and continues forward. Leaders must do the same. Progress begins when you stop trying to control the environment and reconnect to the purpose that drives you.
The Discipline of Forward Motion
The Year of the Horse is not asking you to sprint. It is asking you to continue. It is asking you to trust that persistence is power. It is asking you to trust that consistency builds strength. It is asking you to trust that forward motion, even when slow, is how progress is made. Survival teaches you how to endure. But progress begins the moment you decide you are no longer just protecting what exists. Progress begins when you choose to build again.
The past year may have tested your energy, your certainty, and your sense of stability. It may have forced you to operate in ways you never expected. But it also revealed something more important. You are still here. You are still moving. You are still leading. You are still anchored and motivated by your why.
And that is how progress begins. This is the Year of the Horse. Let it be the year you move forward again. Let it be the year you rebuild momentum. And let it be the year we help each other move from survival to progress.
