Year-End Reflections: Rest, Creativity, and Making Space for What Matters
Two Piers Podcast – Closing Out the Year
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Erica D'Eramo 0:04
Hello and welcome to the Two Piers podcast. I'm your host, Erica D'Eramo, and today we have our year end, close to 2025 with our last podcast episode of the year. Thanks for joining us.
Erica D'Eramo 0:18
Okay, so today is actually Christmas Day. I'm recording this on the day, partially because I didn't get my act in gear with the close out of the year. And usually these podcast episodes are recorded quite a bit in advance, especially when we're coordinating with our amazing guests to get on their schedule. You can hear that bell in the background that is not Santa's elves or the reindeer that is our adorable little kitten Ophelia octavia's downstairs. She's less of a little kitten and more of a queenly, queenly cat herself, but I decided to allow Ophelia in on the podcast recording game today, so she's being very playful and needy today, and it's a good reminder of what the holidays are supposed to be about. So yeah, today is Christmas. Everything shut down here in Maine. The other reason we didn't record this episode a little earlier is because we had a huge snowfall, and that was that shut down the power, which, thankfully, we have a backup generator. But that also meant that the Wi Fi went down and recording a podcast on a hotspot and uploading it on a hotspot, not really feasible. So the powers that be, the fates decided that this was going to be a true Christmas Day podcast recording, and I just wanted to kind of come on here and say thanks to everybody who's been following the podcast. It's always surprising to me when I meet people out in the wild and they have listened to the podcast or are up to date on it even always lovely to to find out that folks are listening, finding it valuable, and I'm always so curious about what folks favorite episodes are, because for me, I think it's probably different. It's the stuff that I like to nerd out on, but different people, yeah, always have different favorites. So we'll keep this podcast going in 2026 and probably be sticking to that every two weeks cadence. But today's episode will be short and sweet. So just a couple reflections. I think maybe I talked about something similar last year as we go through this holiday season. I can't say head into because we're like solidly in the middle of the holidays right now. Hanukkah wrapped up on Monday on the 22nd today is Christmas. We've got New Year's coming up, but I feel like I was joking about the memes of the Halloween. The Halloween memes where, like the Mariah Carey song starts playing in the background. The Holidays really are quite an extended I mean, it's like a quarter long activity at this point. So for some people, it can be very stressful because they have a lot to get done, a presents to wrap. Side note, I actually love wrapping presents, weirdly, I think because I just like the straight lines and the folding. It's like an origami activity for me, but I'm very particular, like, the folds need to be perfect, no rough edges. I'm like, it's like a meditative activity for me, and it's also enjoyable for me, because we don't have kids, and I don't have to wrap, like, a gazillion up there as a kitten, gazillion presents before Christmas Day. So anyone out there who's in Maine who wants to tap me in on the on the present wrapping shenanigans, please feel free. I'll trade you something that I hate doing, like, I don't know, my taxes. Just kidding. Those are getting easier and easier. Actually, it's all about systems, right? Um, systems, right? So I Yeah, we didn't really do presence this year, though, and I think I've talked about in the past that I have quite like, a complex relationship with presence. So a shout out to anyone out there who also has a complex relationship with presence. I find that like things or clutter can feel overwhelming for me, and so then I always have this guilt when somebody buys me a present and I'm like, I if I wanted this, I would have bought it already. Now I feel like I need to do something with it. And so then it feels like a burden to me, and I know probably need to talk about that with my therapist. But. Um, I love when people, like, see something little, just out and about in the world, and they're like, Hey, I saw this random rock that looked like a chicken, and I got it for you. You know, like that. I love that stuff or a food that I really love, but I actually really enjoy gifting people in the inverse. I just, yeah, I, I struggle with with gifts. So the holidays, you know, if you're doing the gift thing, I know it can be expensive, it can be stressful. And then we, we expect everybody to like rest and relax, and then come back from the holidays fully rested. And hey, did you get good rest? Did you are you feeling all vibrant and ready to go for 2026, and you know, like it's okay if you don't feel rested, and it's okay if, actually, you tried to get rest, and maybe either you didn't have time or space, or you had too many obligations or too much going on, or, if you, like, tried to get rest, and inactivity is just not restful for you, like, maybe, and this happens to me every year. I'm like, I'm just gonna relax, right? And then I'm relaxing, and then I start to get antsy, or my brain starts to wander, and I don't, you know, I love to be tucked into a task, which I think is why I enjoy cooking so much. So if you're one of those folks who feels like they're going from fifth gear to first gear, and it's just like too much, maybe consider, you know, downshifting a little less drastically, and finding some flow state activities that you enjoy. We've got some puzzles ready to go. I've got a stack of books that I can't wait to read, like physical books. I definitely read tons of audio books while I'm driving or, you know, doing chores or even in the shower. I love listening to an audio book, but sitting down with a physical book is something I'm trying to re Institute in my life. I used to be such a bookworm. When I was little, like the teachers would take my book away, I would be like, hiding under the covers with a flashlight reading my book. I think, I mean, I was reading like Stephen King by fourth grade. I think I had read the stand by fifth grade because I stole them from my parents and, like, read them, not because my parents were, like, giving me Stephen King books at that age. But I mean, you know, I made it through most of like, the classic Shakespeare catalog. By the time I was in sixth grade, I was just such a reading fiend. I loved reading, and now sitting down with a book is harder, and I think it's because our brains and our attention spans just aren't used to it, and maybe even our nervous systems aren't really used to sitting still for a long time, which is one of the reasons I enjoy yin yoga, because it is quite a challenge for me to like be still for a long time, which is interesting, because I've always kind of had this nagging voice in my head of a younger version of Erica that's like, You're so lazy, you're so undisciplined, you're so blah, blah, blah, whatever. But it turns out also, just like have ADHD, and not the hyperactive kind, but just like the brain, my brain likes to go a mile a minute.
Erica D'Eramo 8:31
So the books that I want to read over the break are authentic by Jodi-Ann Burey. I have both the audiobook and the physical copy, but I am going to try to read the physical copy, and then the canary code by Ludmila Praslova, which is about it's a guide to neurodiversity, dignity and intersectional belonging at work. And I'm super excited. I got to see Ludmila at the converge conference in San Diego earlier this year, and I got to meet her, and I totally had a fan girl moment, like I was speechless. I am so appreciative of the work she does, and like how she delivers the messages around neurodiversity in such a just like, grounded, authentic, logical, data driven way, and also touches on, like the emotive part of it as well. And then the book, authentic is the myth of bringing your full self to work by Jodi-Ann Burey. So Jodi-Ann Burey co authored the article in the Harvard Business Review that was titled, Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome, which is one of my favorites to share with clients. And so she and she also has a TED Talk about this topic of like, bringing your whole self to work and the myth of that. So I'm really excited her book is out. So the other book that I'm looking forward to reading is Uncompete by Ruchika Malhotra. So she was Jodi-Ann Burey's co author on that article with HBR and that's about like kind of examining this role of competition in the workplace, especially amongst women, and finding different ways to navigate that, that kind of mentality of competition. So I'm really looking forward to that one as well, and that one I'll probably be listening to on audiobook. And I was lucky to see Ruchika at the Massachusetts conference for women and attend a workshop that she held, or a talk that she held as one of the speakers. So kind of really cool to get to read three books by three people. I'm still waiting to meet Jodi-Ann Burey. Somehow, I will probably also have a geeky like fan girl moment, if that ever happens. She was going to do a book tour and come to Boston, and I was ready to, like, drive down to Boston to meet her, but that had to be rescheduled. So I'm going to keep an eye out, and hopefully I get to, get to also meet Jodi-Ann Burey one of these days. But in terms of other plans for the holiday season beyond reading, I'm well maybe still in the reading vein. I do also have a stack of books around team coaching, group coaching and some of those dynamics, because in 2026 I am hoping to incorporate quite a bit more group and team coaching, and probably also pursue the team coaching certification through ICF, as long as I can find a program that fits with my existing 2026 schedule, which is proving to be a little challenging, but we're going to make it happen. So so yeah, I also have, like, a bunch of puzzles ready to go and just kind of coloring books, again, flow state activities, because one of the topics that's been top of mind lately, and I'll delve into this in a full fledged article that I'm working on for 2026 but the role of the dmn, the default mode network, in our creativity and problem solving, and how it's sort of imperative to strategic thinking. So lots of my clients ask me about, you know, how do I become a more strategic thinker? And I want to. I want to get out of the like day to day firefighting, and do more like strategic thinking. And then when we stop and examine, kind of when that strategic thinking is supposed to happen, it's there's no space carved out for it. The irony is that even if you were to carve out like an hour of strategic thinking, which is good. I do recommend kind of putting that into your calendar. It's not really a task necessarily that is done the same way say, like going through a checklist is done. It's not it's not something like send the weekly update, right? Strategic Thinking is inherently a creative process, because you have to think beyond your current state. You have to think about all of the possibilities and all of the risks, and then how you're going to set up a system, or how you're going to, you know, leverage the different assets you have and vulnerabilities you have, and take all of that into account in a way that is thinking beyond your current state. So really strategic. Strategic Thinking needs space to see what comes of it, to see what germinates, what evolves. And a lot of us are so busy going from one thing to the next that we're not really creating that space. And if you want to know what the DMN really is like, there's the default mode network, and that in the other network is the task positive network, the TPN, and they're antagonistic, right? So they work against each other, and when one is activated, it dampens the other. So the task positive network is when we're, like, really focused on executing a task. The default mode network kicks in when we're not doing that. So again, it's like the default, it's sort of, you know, when you put your car in neutral, that's more of the DMN, but it is generative. So a lot of times, you know, like, the way I can get folks to think about the DMN is when you're in the shower and you're shampoo, you're shampooing your hair, and the best ideas come to you, or you're taking the dog for a walk, or you are laying on a massage table getting a massage which, or maybe it's, maybe it's a deep tissue massage, and you're actually, like, super focused on it, but maybe you're waiting in a waiting room, right? And you don't have cell signal, and this is one of the reasons that I think we don't tap into the DMN as much, because we usually have a phone in our hands, and we don't like being bored, so we go and we check our email, or we check Instagram or TikTok, or we do the Wordle for the day, but we're re engaging our brain back into the task positive network, and not allowing it to just meander and wander. And it's another reason that a lot of people say. "Oh, I can't do meditation because my brain wanders." Like, it's okay that your brain wanders in meditation, the practice is to bring your brain your bring your brain back, and to gently invite your mind back to your breathing or your walking, and to cultivate that practice, not so much out of discipline, but rather to recognize where your brain is at and where your mind is, and to be able to then adjust and again invite it back to where you would like it to be. But the goal is not to have a non wandering brain. Like, that's just part of it. That is part of the practice is that your brain will wander, and you get to notice that and then bring it back, so noticing where we're at and not getting swept away by emotions or, like, the current of it, until we're way downstream, and we sort of like, shake out of it and realize, whoa. I just kind of went on a total journey of anger or frustration or the story I'm telling myself, or just swept away in the emotions. The mindfulness is the practice of bringing ourselves back, but dmn activation is really allowing your brain to wander and letting it do that, and maybe there are different ways to tap into it. Maybe doodling is a great way to tap into your dmn. I know music can also be a really good way to tap into your DMN. I recently finished a book called This Is What It Sounds Like. And yes, it is a lyric from Prince, because the author had worked extensively with Prince as a as a sound engineer and producer, and she, she and her co author wrote a fantastic book. I highly recommend the book. I actually recommend a physical copy of it because I listened to it on audiobook. But she references music throughout, and so it's really hard to like hit pause on the audiobook, go listen to the music, and then cue up the audiobook again. So I actually recommend that one in either physical or digital form, but really good book that also references she doesn't specifically call it the DMN, but she talks about these two neural networks and how music is one of the best ways to tap into that DMN that the more wandering, creative side of our brain. So for anyone hoping to be more strategic in 2026 perhaps especially, maybe especially if you don't enjoy downtime, or it feels unnatural, or you get antsy. Maybe try to find ways to meet your brain where it's at and cultivate generative time, whatever that means. You can call it DMN time, but if calling it rest is not doing it for you, don't call it rest. Call it something else, because not really. Maybe it's just not restful. Maybe rest isn't a good word for it, brain wander time. I don't, I don't really care what we call it, but it is important, and we do need to.
Erica D'Eramo 18:08
We do need to find space for it, because it doesn't get prioritized. It's like the it's like saving for retirement, right? It's never urgent. It's always important some of that spaciousness, so it will always get de prioritized by other more urgent things, and at the end of the day, you're like, well, didn't have any more time. It didn't have any time for dmn today, and it's just never going to happen. So finding ways to kind of systematize it or create structures. Maybe it's like going on an artist's date with someone, or a reading date with someone where you just sit in or doodle date where you have somebody else that helps to body double with you, or hold you accountable. I guess I don't really like that term hold accountable, just got a weird vibe to it. But whatever draws you to the activity and increases your likelihood of success. I say, lean into it. So today, yeah, or I'm leaning into some of those activities. I find cooking food prep to be really just a wonderful way to tap into my dmn, especially when I'm like, chopping vegetables or prepping stuff. Like, yes, I'm focused on the task at hand sometimes, but especially if I have to work through, like, a bunch of something, you know, like just a repetitive task over and over again. It's a great time for my brain to wander and get creative. And some of my best ideas come to me, and I'm, I'm gonna try carrying, like a little notepad around. I carry my big, not my big, but like my my general notebook that all my stuff goes into, but maybe, like, you know, by my bedside table, having a little notebook to just jot ideas down so I don't have to go to my phone and then get distracted by things, because I'm definitely working on doing a bit of a digital detox and embracing some of the more. Analog media out there now, but yeah, today we'll be cooking. I'm trying to do right by my ancestors, my Italian-American ancestors, with the Feast of the Seven Fishes today. So yesterday for Christmas Eve, which we don't we're not like big holiday people, really, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, just because I get to cook for other people. But yesterday we did steamer clams and lobster. We're a pescatarian household, so the Feast of the Seven Fishes works great for us. And then today I've got a pot of beans cooking. They've been I mean, I started them yesterday. So pot of beans cooking. There's some Rancho Gordo beans. I'm trying to think mantequilla. They're the mantequilla beans are like a yellow bean. And I'm going to do a stew with those, with some dandelion greens and some grilled shrimp, like some whole shrimp. So I'll probably like broil those shrimp with some seasonings and then throw those in the stew. And we have some swordfish that I'm going to skewer. I'll do a, like a middle eastern style rub on the swordfish and skewer those and serve them with probably, like a lemony yogurt sauce, maybe. And then we are going to do the, you know, the red sauce and pasta. I've got some fresh pasta from a Italian bakery down the road that started doing fresh pasta. So they're the like, oh, the ones that are like something with Gallo, like chicken, chicken, something type of pasta, and then, oh, crested a Gallo. And maybe the Italians say Gallo, actually, now that I'm thinking about it, the Italians probably say Gallo, cresti di cresti di Gallo, I think, is the name really excited. That is one of my favorite pasta shapes. I just feel like the sauce really clings to it. And I'll be throwing a bunch of seafood in there. So we've got, I've got the Gulf shrimp that I got for the stew, and then I've also got some, like, smaller Atlantic shrimp, like wild Atlantic shrimp. And then I've got some fresh, dry scallops that I'll sear and throw those in kind of at the last minute. We've got mussels to throw in there. I've got some cherry, cherry stone or little nick, little neck clams that I've washed and purged, like scrubbed and then purged, which, by the way, if you're not purging your clams and your like seafood, you don't need to do it with oysters, and I don't even think you really need to do it with mussels very much. But I've started purging my my bivalves, and lots of stuff comes out of so not necessary. And some people talk about putting, like corn, corn starch, or not corn starch, but like polenta or like ground corn, corn meal. And I think that's like an old wives tale. I don't know, look it up, do whatever feels right for you, but that's just my two cents. So we skip that, and I just do like a ratio of salt, and like sea salt and cold water, and give them some time to spit out all the sand and grit. And some places when you buy your seafood, it's already been pre purged, so might not be necessary. And then what else do we have? Oh, I've got some arctic char, so probably, maybe I'll skewer that also and do like a soy glaze on it, maybe like a soy citrus glaze, miso. I've got a bunch of ginger and lemongrass that I was initially going to do the lobster with last year. I did stir fried lobster with ginger and scallions, and it was delicious, and also a labor of love, and like my hands have just been sort of brutalized from all of the other cooking and the and I cleared my car. I didn't have my ice scraper in my car. Real just amateur hour mistake for me. I mean, I grew up in Connecticut, like I know to have an ice scraper in my car, but I guess over the season, it must have gotten moved to the garage, and I ended up like having to clear chunks of ice off of my car with my bare hands. And so I was not ready to tackle the spines of a lobster and crack those like because you need to cut it up while it's raw and then dredge it, fry it. It's like a lot of work, but delicious, really delicious, if you have the capacity for it, and don't mind deep frying, which is a mess in and of itself. So we just steamed them yesterday and did them old school with some butter. But now I've got all this, like ginger and lemongrass and scallion. So I'm going to do something fun with that. Maybe I'll do the arctic char and, like a ginger stir fry. And I think that's, I think that's the sea. And then I've got a ton of tinned seafood, a because I collect tin seafood, it's like my favorite. I have a whole section of my pantry dedicated to tinned seafood. Like, if we get snowed in, we'll be okay for weeks. I think it's probably some sort of weird, I don't know, thing I inherited from my ancestors to just hoard tinned seafood. My favorites are like the octopus and the mussels, but I've got all sorts, like salted cod. I just love it. So if you come over to my house ever, be prepared, you're probably gonna get some tin seafood and some crackers and some cheese. So a friend of mine actually, as a thank you gift, got me the like, a collection of tin seafood that was really spot on. So it is possible to get me a good gift, usually involves some sort of preserved fish product. I guess another really good one I've gotten is like a bottle of garum and a book about garum, about the history of garum which is like the predecessor to soy sauce, but made with anchovies back in, like, ancient Rome. Love it totally such a cool, nerdy thing. And I'm like, rationing that bottle of garum. A little bit goes a long way. It's essentially fish sauce, but I am trying to make it last as long as possible. It's almost got like, a caramelly type of consistency and flavor to it, but salty and funky, so probably a little drizzle of that will go in with the with my sauce today, with my tomato sauce and pasta. So yeah, that's what we're up to at the end of the year, just relaxing in PJ's with books and puzzles and kitties, and this one podcast episode, which it's not scripted, as you can probably tell,
Erica D'Eramo 27:12
but just trying to tap into that DMN time and get some spaciousness. And I think we're we're not even going to send out the our monthly newsletter, because I just gonna reclaim that time and space, and I don't know it might change my mind later today, we'll see. We'll see how I do with the relaxation. We'll see if I maybe need to give myself a little bit of an on ramp there. But again, thank you for listening, for being part of the Two Piers community. We're always looking to hear what's resonating what's not. If you have a great idea for an episode that you want to hear, if there's something you're really struggling with that you think would benefit some exploration, I'm always happy to go find a guest who would be a good subject matter expert on on a topic. And if you know of a good guest for the podcast. Send them our way. We would love to be connected. It's really the reason that the podcast keeps going is because, you know, we don't advertise on it. We don't monetize it at all. It is definitely and it costs time and money to put it together. But I love getting to talk about things that people are excited about, and talk to people about the area that they are knowledgeable about and interested in, and let other people hear that conversation and benefit from it. So that's, that's why the podcast is here. All right. Well, with that, I wish you a joyous, prosperous start to 2026, even in and amongst all the stuff that's going on out there, just like, hold your loved ones tight, please. No. You know each day is not guaranteed to us, as we have, like, sadly, been reminded in our family recently. So I so I just invite everyone to embrace, embrace their loved ones, embrace the joys where you can find it, because we there should be no guilt in feeling joy. We need it in order to face the battles that we have to face, make the changes in the world that we need to make and just keep going. So find the joyousness wherever it is, even if it's sitting alone with a cat with a book, going for a walk, getting a hug, listening to music, whatever that is. And we wish you a happy 2026.
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As the calendar winds down and the holidays settle in, the final episode of the Two Piers Podcast for the year offers something intentionally different: no guest, no agenda, and no polished script—just a thoughtful pause.
Recorded on Christmas Day in Maine (with snowstorms, power outages, and a very opinionated cat in the background), this short, reflective episode is a reminder that the end of the year doesn’t have to be about productivity, resolutions, or “bouncing back” refreshed and ready. Sometimes, it’s simply about noticing where you are—and making space.
The Long Reality of the “Holiday Season”
The holidays now span months rather than moments. What once felt like a short window has stretched into a full quarter of obligations, expectations, and social pressure. For many people, that means stress layered on top of already full lives—wrapping gifts, traveling, hosting, spending money, and then being asked, almost immediately, if they feel rested.
The truth? It’s okay if you don’t.
Rest doesn’t always come easily, and it doesn’t always look like stillness. For some, unstructured downtime creates more anxiety than relief. Going from fifth gear to a full stop can feel jarring rather than restorative.
The invitation here is simple: stop judging how rest should feel.
When “Rest” Isn’t Actually Restful
There’s a common assumption that rest means doing nothing. But for many people—especially those who are curious, creative, or neurodivergent—true restoration happens in motion.
Activities that create a sense of flow can be far more regulating than passive downtime. Cooking, reading, puzzles, coloring, walking, gardening—these are not distractions. They’re often the gateway to clarity.
Instead of forcing yourself to relax in ways that don’t work for you, try meeting your nervous system where it actually is.
Books, Curiosity, and Reclaiming Attention
This quieter season also creates space to return to long-form thinking—especially reading. Physical books, in particular, require a kind of sustained attention many of us have lost touch with.
Among the books on the winter reading list this year are works exploring authenticity at work, neurodiversity, dignity, belonging, and the hidden costs of competition in professional environments. These themes mirror what many leaders and teams are wrestling with right now: how to build workplaces that are human, inclusive, and sustainable—without asking people to contort themselves to fit outdated norms.
Relearning how to sit with a book is less about discipline and more about retraining attention in a world that constantly fragments it.
Why Strategic Thinking Requires “Nothing Time”
One of the central ideas explored in this episode is the role of the Default Mode Network (DMN)—the part of the brain responsible for creativity, reflection, and big-picture thinking.
Strategic thinking doesn’t happen on command. It doesn’t emerge from back-to-back meetings or endless task lists. It requires space.
The challenge is that this kind of space is never urgent—only important. And important things are the first to get crowded out.
The DMN activates when we stop actively “doing”: in the shower, on a walk, while cooking, doodling, or listening to music. Yet modern life leaves almost no room for mental wandering. Phones fill every gap. Silence is uncomfortable. Boredom is avoided at all costs.
Ironically, this constant stimulation can make it harder to think strategically, creatively, or expansively.
Reframing the Practice (and the Language)
If the word rest doesn’t resonate, don’t use it.
Call it:
Generative time
Creative space
Brain-wander time
Strategic incubation
The label doesn’t matter. What matters is creating conditions where ideas can surface instead of forcing them to perform on demand.
This might mean:
Scheduling a regular walk with no podcast
Cooking without multitasking
Reading with your phone in another room
Sitting with music instead of scrolling
Body-doubling with someone else doing quiet, creative work
Not accountability—just companionship.
Rituals, Food, and Ancestral Joy
The episode closes with a deeply personal reflection on food as grounding, tradition, and creativity. From the Feast of the Seven Fishes to slow-cooked beans, fresh pasta, seafood stews, and well-loved pantry staples, cooking becomes another doorway into presence.
There’s something profoundly regulating about repetitive, tactile tasks—chopping, stirring, seasoning—that allow the mind to soften and wander. For many people, this is where their best ideas arrive.
Carrying This Forward Into the New Year
As the podcast wraps its final episode of the year, the message is clear: joy is not indulgent. It’s necessary.
Finding moments of joy—however small—is not a distraction from the work ahead. It’s what makes the work possible.
Whether that joy comes from a book, a walk, a puzzle, a meal, a song, or a quiet moment with a cat, it matters.
The Two Piers Podcast will continue into the new year with its regular cadence, driven by curiosity, community, and conversations that help people think differently about leadership, work, and well-being.
Until then, may the close of the year offer just enough space to breathe—and just enough room for something new to grow.