Seasonal musings, notes from the journey, and a peek into the world of Cohen & Kleo.
Happy New Year! It's 2026, and it sort of feels like it snuck up on us. Did it just occur to us today that we hadn't done the next issue of this newsletter? Yes, yes it did. But we are here now, and that's the important bit.
The end of 2025 brought a lot of busy moments and some great time with family and friends. We also (mostly) took a break, heading up to Tauranga and Whangamatā to enjoy Christmas and New Year in the sun.
We're now back in Wellington looking ahead at what 2026 will hold, taking some time to plan it out and make the most of the year.
One big thing that we are taking into the New Year is being more decisive and intentional. We had a lot of ideas through 2025 – some we didn't chase when we should have, some we kept working on when we should have released them. In saying that, we think it will be a lot harder to do this than it is to say it ― but it feels like an opportunity to grow and learn about how we work.
Looking forward to sharing 2026 with you. In todays issue we're talking goals and resolutions, audibooks, and what's coming next.
Christmas Party
Notes from Cohen
With the New Year on the Horizon and the old in the rearview, I've been spending a lot of time reflecting.
If I'm being honest I've often felt that this time of year leaves me in a slump; not feeling like I'm where I should be, not having done what I think I should have done. This year though, I find it a bit different; sure there are things that I thought would be different (where I'm living, what work looks like) but there is so much to look back on and be proud of.
Working on the book and the world around it has been an incredible and rewarding adventure. It's a lot of work and I'm learning a lot about what I'm doing 'wrong' but also revelling in the success of the moments I do right.
Goals are hard and I think we all have those moments where it just feels easier to let it go and say you'll sort it out later. I had those moments too ― some of them came down to fear of failure, some because I left them too long. But for each of those, I can look back and see there was at least a couple moments where I did push through, and those moments felt great.
So 2026 is going to be a year where I try to be more intentional with my decisions. Making those goals and sticking to them or being truly considered about releasing a goal that no longer fits. Sometimes they don't fit because they don't and sometimes they just feel a bit too hard. But if it's hard now, maybe it'll be easier later, (or something poetic like that).
Kleo's Corner
Summer has been delightful. Hanging out in the warm sun, coasting on the breeze, enjoying the occasional dip in the water.
And best of all fresh berries. Had to sneak plenty as Cohen thought he knew best.
Now, I've had a few New Years with Cohen, so I think I'm getting the hang of this resolutions thing. I've decided on three. Here they are:
Strawberry Festival for Mary Potter Hospice
Eat a bowl of Berries a day
Fly everyday
Write a blog post every month
How did I do?
The Book Nook
Our big book news is that we released five audiobooks in 2025. This was the goal we set ourselves after turning Kleo the Kererū meets Cohen the Kiwi into an Audiobook and I am beyond pleased to have succeeded.
You can listen to them all on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts If it's not on your usual spot let us know and we'll look into it.
It's exciting to see the titles listed out here. How real things are in this way.
This year, we'll be looking to do some more audiobooks and continuing our collaboration with our incredible artist, Kari Kaze, to bring the second book to life. No specifics just yet.
On the Horizon
Working on getting the book stocked in a few more stores. Know anyone?
Find book fairs, markets, or festivals to pop up at
Cohen's Birthday... perhaps a little trip for it.
From our community
We'd love to hear your thoughts on the audiobooks when you've had a listen. It's a new world we're exploring, and we know there's more we can do to make it better.
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We are a travelling duo from New Zealand. Over the past few years we've been starting to explore the world and write stories about our travels and experiences.
