The Home Inside Of Us

This year, find peace through wellness and action

In our first 2026 issue of Emerald Coast Magazine, I am writing this letter to you, our loyal readers and supporters, with optimism for the year to come and a huge sense of gratitude of what has been. 

Talking with family, friends, colleagues, clients, and community leaders, it was clear that 2025—the year of the Snake—was about introspection, transformation, and shedding old habits in favor of growth. The year of the Horse, 2026, brings forward motion, freedom, and bold new ventures. We will shift from a quiet preparation to dynamic expression.

I can’t help but think there’s some personal truth in the Chinese zodiac for me. I recently moved into a new home less than a mile from my previous. The process of moving felt like shedding. I made the choice to downsize by almost 50 percent of square footage. That intentional decision allowed me to donate more than half of my belongings. I feel lighter in my new home and in a new neighborhood that shows true community care.

This physical move reminds me that no matter what we own here on earth, home is truly where the heart is. This is a journey I have been on for a couple decades now, and I believe that in the last 24 months of my life, it clicked: Finding faith, love, and peace within our own hearts and souls means finding the home that will be with us no matter what. 

I am so excited to share this health and wellness issue with you. My journey to find the home within me was supported by many aspects of wellness, including nutrition and other practices to support healing. Our nervous system and the way we hold stress in the body has been proven to be an important factor in how our bodies handle dysfunction and disease, so it’s crucial we find ways to release tension and give back to ourselves. 

The journey to wellness isn’t a destination but a way of life. Just because I “figured it out” doesn’t mean I reached the finish line. It’s just the beginning. It’s my opportunity and gift to consistently practice the rituals and routines that support my own health. Many of the tools and techniques that assist in my journey, we share with you in this issue.

I encourage you to be inspired in this year of the Horse and take action, even with something as simple as your first sound bath or yoga class. From just one exposure, these experiences provide powerful opportunities to connect with yourself, heal past trauma, reduce stress and anxiety, and open yourself to finding love, joy, and peace.

This year, my wish to all is that we learn the word abundance isn’t about the things we want to have but what already exists within us.

Much love, 

McKenzie Burleigh

Photo by Sean Murphy