Gwyneth Paltrow Is “Letting Go of People” in the New Year

Gwyneth Paltrow is embracing an “out with the old, in with the new” mentality ahead of January 1. On Sunday, the Goop founder re-shared a newsletter post revealing everything she’s “letting go” of to greet the new year with a fresh slate, as well as some of her 2025 goals. During a year with a “bunch of goodbyes,” Paltrow got vulnerable as she revealed that some of her biggest challenges were becoming an empty nester and cutting off “people who were not right” for her.

In the December 29 Instagram post, the lifestyle maven revealed that a numerology reading made her reflect on a “year of completions and endings,” as she explained, “I had a few very strong lessons around completing certain things. I had a bunch of goodbyes this year. I had some revelations that led to the ends of things.”

The Shakespeare in Love actress said that putting these things in the past wasn’t easy, adding, “Sometimes those endings have been really painful and have come with big change and recalibrations. I’ve learned to loosen my grip on things and deeply learn to let go. And also to understand that everything is always happening for your highest good, even if it’s super uncomfortable.”

Along with a slide of her wearing a blue dress and the phrase, “This year I let go of…”, Paltrow then launched into a list of eight things she’d said goodbye to in 2024–including setting boundaries for “some people who were not right for me,” “the idea that I can correct misperceptions and “believing self-limiting beliefs” (although she revealed that she “was still working” on the last one).

Some goodbyes were more bittersweet, as Paltrow revealed she’d also left behind “the phase of life where everyone is always under one roof” along with a photo of her and her kids, Apple, 20, and Moses, 18. She also bid farewell to “our home,” “some very cherished colleagues,” “Los Angeles” and “a dog” in the past year.

While Paltrow didn’t clarify which people she’d cut ties with, she’s previously opened up about struggling with “waves of grief and sadness” now that her kids are at college. Moses recently started college at Brown University, while her daughter Apple is in her third year at Vanderbilt.

Despite her sadness over having an empty house, Paltrow revealed that she was “kind of getting back in touch with this part of myself that I haven’t felt like since I was in my 20s before I had kids” in an Instagram Story. She continued, “A little more space, more imagination, maybe? A little more inner space for what I might want to do that day, stuff like that. So, it’s evolving. It’s interesting.”

The Goop founder also opened up about what she hopes is in store for 2025 in her post, including her goals to “feel better” and “crush it at work.” Paltrow also got personal with some of her resolutions, revealing that she hopes to “continue to be able to have tough conversations,” “continuously reassess everything,” “look at things in a new way,” and “surprise myself.”