At the Gate of the Year

Reflections on new beginnings, launch of a new success coaching program.

Sunrise on Somes Sound, Southwest Harbor, Maine Copyright 2026 Wade Walton

Every New Year feels a little different to me.

There’s the familiar optimism, the hopes for continued joy and happiness ahead, a new, unspoiled calendar, and fresh momentum, coupled with a quiet awareness that none of us really knows what the year ahead will bring. New chapters are exciting, with plenty still unknown. And if you’ve spent any time building a career, leading teams, or navigating change, you already know that navigating uncertainty isn’t an abstract concept—it’s part of the gig.

There’s a line I’ve loved for years that captures this feeling perfectly for me:

“I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year,
‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’”

The line comes from a poem by Minnie Louise Haskins, a British poet and sociologist. It became widely known after King George VI quoted it in his 1939 Christmas message, at the outset of World War II. The poem goes off in a different direction, but this opening image has always stayed with me.

So, this new year, I decided to sit down for a moment at the gate to reflect, and to ask not for certainty, but for enough light to take the next step.

That idea sits at the heart of why I’m launching Compass Rose here on Substack, and why I’m doing it now.

I feel so fortunate to be doing my life’s work in business creative and content—starting way back as a Production Assistant in network television, learning the rhythms and realities of live and post production on set and in the field. I spent hundreds of hours in TV production trucks and control rooms, directing, running graphics, doing replays or running audio for live sports, business and banking teleconferences, and high-stakes corporate results livestreams where there are no second takes.

From there, I moved into video producing, editorial, and directing, creating thousands of commercials, entertainment and travel pieces, product demonstrations; documentaries; usually on tight timelines, with budgets to manage, results to deliver, and expectations to meet. Throughout, I’ve produced and directed A-list celebrity talent, senior executives, and business leaders, traveling the world translating complex ideas and business strategies into stories that resonate with global audiences.

Eventually, my path led between “making the work” and leading the people—what they like to call a “player-coach”—building and guiding content and creative teams at Fortune 500 organizations like QVC and Avantor, where creative excellence has to align with strategy, brand, and measurable business outcomes. To be successful, I needed to adapt and learn and use completely different tools and skills, ones that definitely weren’t “pre-installed” for me early on.

I added roles as a business partner and success coach, developing and delivering mission, vision, and values courses for QVC that I facilitated across the organization, and adapted for the teams I led directly.

Through constant learning, successes I’m proud of (and a few spectacular failures), and adaptation, I learned something that I wish I’d known earlier in my career:

Talent and effort get you in the door.
Self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and adaptability determine how far—and how successfully—you go.

This has been everything for me as a creative, as a leader, and as a coach.

Compass Rose is for creatives, business leaders, and professionals who are in it for the long haul. People who want to do great work, build sustainable careers, and have fun doing it. People navigating change—chosen or unchosen—and looking for steadier footing without losing their edge, ambition, or humanity.

This Substack is a place for reflection, practical insight, tools and perspective earned over years, decades. I’ll be reflecting about creative leadership, navigating change, career longevity, focus, confidence, and momentum—especially in moments where the map isn’t obvious. Because I love to travel, maps and navigation metaphors show up all the time in my work.

Launching Compass Rose is a natural next step for me, and a longtime goal.

As I found myself increasingly drawn to the why behind creative work I leaned more heavily on the coaching and mentoring skills I learned so I could better help the people around me. What helps teams thrive? What quietly derails them? Why do some leaders inspire loyalty and trust, while others lose the room without realizing it?

I also saw how many talented people struggle, not because they lack skill, but because no one ever taught them how to navigate ambiguity, advocate for themselves, or lead without burning out. I’ve been that guy; I have also been lucky to have people who helped.

Success coaching, speaking, and facilitation grew organically out of my work so far. Compass Rose is where those threads come together along with my love for travel, photography, and business filmmaking.

It’s not about having all the answers.
It’s focused on helping people find their true North, and move forward with clarity, confidence, and purpose.

If you’re reading this at the start of a new year, there’s a good chance you’re carrying a mix of emotions.

Maybe you’re energized.
Maybe you’re a little exhausted from a busy year.
Maybe you’re proud of what you’ve built… and quietly questioning what comes next.

All of that is welcome here.

Moving forward with optimism doesn’t require pretending everything is perfect. Hope doesn’t demand certainty. Sometimes progress looks like naming what you don’t want anymore and taking one small, intentional step in a different direction.

Which brings me back to that image of standing at the gate of the year.

The poet asks for a light, but the wisdom in the line isn’t about illumination. It’s about guidance, moving forward, and trusting that I don’t need the whole path revealed to take the next step.

So, this page will be a mix of:

• Short reflections you can read with your morning coffee

• Practical tools and questions you can apply immediately

• Stories from creative leadership, production, travel, and designing a life

• Frameworks I use in my coaching and live workshops

Over time, I’ll also share more about the Compass Rose coaching program and speaking work, but for now, this is about starting the conversation and offering some thoughts and tactics that have been genuinely useful for me.

If the ideas resonate, I’d love for you to subscribe and join me here as the year unfolds.

A question for the year ahead

I’ll leave you with a question—one I’ll return to often in this space:

What is one thing you’re excited to build, change, or move toward in 2026—and what’s one action you could take this week to begin?

Not the whole plan.
Not the perfect move.
Just the next step.

If you’d like, share it with me in the comments or keep it close as you step into the year ahead.

I’m glad you’re here.
Let’s see where this path leads.

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Welcome to Compass Rose.

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